A Battle On Two Fronts (2)
What the hell...
He hurried inside, his heart sinking further. The living room was no better—furniture was overturned or ripped apart, and the walls were defaced with graffiti that made no sense.
It felt like he had seen those symbols before, but he couldn't recall them, no matter how hard he tried. However, he realized it wasn't the time to get lost in thoughts and rushed to look for his family.
"Mom? Dad?" he called out, heading inside.
A moment later, he found his mother sitting on the couch, tears streaming down her face. Gojin rushed to her, wrapping his arms around her in a comforting hug. She looked up as he approached, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
"It's okay, Mom. I'm here now," he whispered, trying to console her.
Yeji clung to him, sobbing. "Look at what they did..."
"I'll call the police," Gojin decided, reaching for his phone.
Just as he was about to dial, Jinho limped into the room. He was hurt, bleeding from several places, and looking exhausted. But he didn't look to be in any immediate danger.
"Don't bother with the police, Gojin," Jinho said weakly as Gojin rushed to help him.
"Dad, what happened? Who did this to you?" Gojin looked at him in shock.
Jinho sighed and sank into a chair. He had been hiding everything from his family, thinking he was protecting them. But it had all backfired. Jinho realized that by keeping them in the dark, he was only protecting his ego, not his family.
"It's time to tell you everything," Jinho said, wincing in pain. "It's because of the loans, Gojin. My business has been failing, and I had to borrow money from some very dangerous people since the banks were no help."
He continued, "I tried to arrange for more funds to pay them off, but on my way back, the goons jumped me. They beat me and threatened to do much worse if I didn't pay them back."
"Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?" Yeji gasped, covering her mouth in horror. "We could have thought of something together..."
"I didn't want to worry you," Jinho said, staring towards the floor. "But they knew where we live and did this."
"But why can't we call the police? They should be able to help us-" Yeji, still holding onto Gojin, looked at her husband with fear.
"Mom, even if we call the police, they won't help us," Gojin knew the answer and shook his head. "The loan sharks have connections. They've probably paid off the cops. We'd only get into more trouble if we tried to fight back that way."
Yeji's tears started anew, and Gojin felt a pang of helplessness. But he pushed past those thoughts. He had to be strong for them.
Despite that, he wanted to fight back, to protect his family, but he knew his stepfather was right. They were in a tight spot, and any wrong move could worsen things for them.
"Mom, take Dad and treat his wounds," Gojin said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'll clean up the mess."
Yeji nodded, helping Jinho up. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
Once they were out of sight, Gojin's facade of calmness crumbled. He kicked a broken vase, shattering it even more. The frustration and anger he felt were overwhelming his thoughts.
"This wasn't supposed to happen," he muttered to himself.
Everything was spiraling out of control. The past, he remembered, didn't involve gangs attacking his family, even when Jinho had died. Something had changed and Gojin did not know what.
Something felt off. He felt like someone had encouraged the loan sharks to go after his stepfather and their house. But who could it be?
Unfortunately, he didn't know who these loan sharks were. He had never learned their identities before, so even everything he remembered from the past couldn't help him solve this problem now.
I need to think about it...
***
Meanwhile, across town, Seo Ahri was soaking in a bubble bath. The water was warm to her liking, and the bubbles covered most of her slender, wet body. At least the parts that they should have.
Her long, dark hair was slicked back, and tiny water droplets sparkled on her smooth skin. She hummed softly, feeling completely at ease. The soapy water highlighted her curves, adding to her alluring charm as she leaned back, letting the warmth surround her as all her tension melted away.
Her phone rang, interrupting her peaceful moment. She reached for it, her wet fingers leaving droplets on the screen. She answered the call, a smile forming on her lips.
"The job is done," a voice said from the other end.
Seo Ahri's smile widened. "Good."
She disconnected the call without another word and her smile got wider. After her talk with Gojin on the terrace, she believed her allure would have him begging for her attention. But since it didn't go as planned, Seo Ahri had to take matters into her own hands.
The attack on his home and family was just the beginning. She had to push him to see that joining her was the best and only option for him.
"This should be enough to push him in the right direction," she thought to herself.
She reached over to a small table beside the tub and picked up a framed photo. It was a picture of her and Gojin as children, back when they were in kindergarten. She stared at it for a moment, her expression softening as she remembered the past.
They were smiling, arms around each other, innocent and carefree. Life was good back then, although she suspected Gojin might have forgotten about their past, but she hadn't.
"Things were so simple back then," she mused, tracing a finger over Gojin's face in the photo. "But now, I have to play the game to win you over."
She sighed, letting the memory wash over her. She hoped that the recent events would steer Gojin towards her, making him realize they needed to be together.
She knew how stubborn he was, and sometimes he needed a little push to see things. And she was willing to be that push if it meant achieving their shared destiny.
Seo Ahri stepped out of the bath, wrapping herself in a towel. She walked to her room, feeling satisfied with her work. She knew Gojin would come through. He always did.
And when he did, she would be there, ready to guide him towards their shared future. She glanced at the photo one more time before turning off the light and getting ready for bed.
"Sweet dreams, Gojin," she whispered. "Soon... I'll be the only one you'd think about, day in and day out."