Lifeline

I had a day off and knew I had to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

I couldn't put it off any longer but the number at the other end wasn't available.

It would make sense if I was blocked but that wouldn't make sense right?

Was that a spam number specifically used to threaten me if I was whoever, I wouldn't want to be found out by Minsuk either.

He frightened me and I have only seen a glimpse of him but the moment I lost control, I felt the emotions he had at the moment he nearly beat the Chinese man to death.

He wasn't scared, he wasn't angry, nor did he feel remorse, it was the opposite.

There was a feeling of ecstasy that I dare say rivaled sex, I couldn't place my fingers around it but I felt everything like it was mine.

"What the fuck is going on?" I was getting tensed up, I couldn't hide that fact anymore and I also knew that giving Minsuk control of this body wasn't an option anymore.

The god, Thoth, had informed me about the potential consequence of this action, one I knew I couldn't risk.

Before I put my phone away, it rang, I looked at it and realized that there was an unknown number ringing.

It couldn't be a coincidence and I picked up the phone without hesitation, I was desperate at this point but I couldn't let that fact be known.

I picked up and expected the person to tell me who they were but all that occurred was a breathing contest, no one said a word.

Waiting for each other to speak first but none did. However, I needed this more than them so I decided to swallow my pride.

".… Hello?" I said but the phone hung up at that moment.

I could feel a mule of shame creeping up on me and this made it worse because I decided to speak when I could have just kept quiet.

But this gave me the information needed because I knew that there was a connection between that call and the one I just tried to make.

Whoever this person was, they were hell-bent on not being able to contact them unless they decided to reach out.

"Fuck this, fuck it all," I found myself saying, I was getting frustrated but I realized I had subconsciously given the cab driver to my old home.

I only came to it when I saw the old neighborhood and I instantly knew I was about to be robbed.

I was a good-looking individual with nice clothes, there was no way I wouldn't become a target to these thugs but I trusted Minsuk's body enough to give me the necessary reaction speed to evade any assault.

There was a problem though, I didn't know if I should go visit my father, I had died or at least that was what I thought.

I never thought about how he was coping, I knew I was the one thing keeping him tethered to this world so what fate awaited him now that I was no more?

Did he have anything left to live for or did he put an end to his life now that he had lost his son?

I was scared, I didn't know what to do and just froze but I also knew I owed it to him to see if he was doing well.

Maybe I could use Minsuk's influence to help him out but seeing as Minsuk was a cold-blooded killer, what if this made my father a target for his enemies?

Who was to say they didn't have eyes on me? This was enough excuse for me to chicken out and I told myself I was protecting him but deep down, I knew that wasn't the truth.

And that was all I needed to leave the place, I informed the driver to keep moving.

This was a past I had to leave behind and I wasn't ready for whatever waited for me there.

"Thoth, what state is my body?" I questioned the god of information, I was certain that this was information he could let me have as it wasn't complex.

[[A new message from the god of information, Thoth: Your body has ceased its humanly function and is currently in a state that is neither dead or alive]]

This was a breath of fresh air because it meant I was alive in some sense, it had to be otherwise Thoth would have just said I was dead.

"Am I in a coma?" I asked Thoth, hoping this wasn't the case otherwise it would wreck my father financially.

He barely had enough to get by and hospital bills weren't cheap, I knew that this would destroy him.

But this was my chance to cover that, I could pay the bills anonymously and ease some of the stress off my father.

If my body function had stopped like Thoth said that would mean it was machines keeping me alive.

"Where is my body?" I asked Thoth, hoping to get an answer but unfortunately for me, Thoth didn't give me an answer.

"I need it so I can cover the bills! If my father stops paying it, won't I die?" I asked Thoth but once again, all I was met with was silence.

I gritted my teeth because this could be the one thing that drives my father to the edge and I knew I had to do something about it.

[[Thoth: Bong's father has offered to cover the cost of your medical bills but on the condition that his son remained unaffected by this.]]

What was this condition? Did this mean that I would die the day I killed Bong?

Was that the day the plug would be pulled? I couldn't risk that because even I knew I wouldn't be able to return to my body if my brain was dead.

I would be a brain-dead fucker, things were getting complicated and this gave me another reason why I couldn't touch Bong but I could only think about what my father was feeling.

What lies would they have fed him because I knew that it wouldn't be the truth?

But this was something I could live with, there was no longer any reason for me to worry because I couldn't mix these two lives.

The moment I do, I put my entire family in danger, at least what was left of it but this also reminded me that I didn't have all the time in the world.

I had to finish this as soon as possible or I would be trapped in this demon's body.