Chapter 12 - The Kid

Seon-mi awoke looking at the sky, feeling the gentle touch of a warm breeze on her face. As she sat up, she noticed that she was inside scaffolding on a construction site.

"How'd I get here?" she wondered.

Despite the lingering bruises and cuts on her face, someone had taken the time to clean her wounds. Her eyes darted around, spotting her katana nearby.

Seon-mi sat amidst the welcoming afternoon sun, a sharp throbbing in her head serving as a painful reminder of the recent battle. Taking a moment to collect herself, the memories of the intense fight flooded back.

"I can't believe I survived that," she muttered, gently touching her bruised face.

She reached for the katana lying nearby. "If it wasn't for this, I'd be dead for sure."

The recollection of Seon-mi hurling her katana at the beginning of the fight flashed in her mind.

"Okay, rule number one: NEVER let go of your weapon in a fight, no matter what." Realizing the crucial importance of keeping her weapon with her, she acknowledged that this rule was a matter of life and death.

Just then, a sound from nearby grabbed Seon-mi's attention, prompting her to swiftly dash into the shadows.

Faint footsteps resonated as they ascended the stairs, someone approaching the third floor where Seon-mi was. After a few moments, a boy emerged—a disheveled figure in a worn school uniform, his scruffy hair obscuring his face.

Clutching a plastic bag from the grocery store, he scanned the area, perplexed. "Huh? Where'd she go?" he muttered.

Suddenly, with precision, Seon-mi appeared behind him, pressing the katana tightly against his throat. Startled, he dropped the grocery bag and raised his hands in surrender.

Seon-mi spoke in a hushed tone, her words dripping with intensity, "Here's how this is gonna go. I'm gonna ask you some questions, and you're gonna answer them truthfully. If you don't answer, you die. If you lie, you die. If you try anything stupid, you die."

Trembling at his core with beads of sweat forming on his forehead, he stood paralyzed, the blade poised to end his life in an instant.

"Nod if you understand," she said

The boy nodded.

"How did I get here?" Seon-mi asked

"I carried you from the Kanda Karaoke Club" he replied.

Seon-mi pondered for a moment, "he carried me here? So that means he definitely saw what I did, but he didn't report me to the authorities, I don't think he intends to either, otherwise why bring me here and clean my wounds."

"How long has it been since then?" She asked him.

"About two and a half hours" he replied.

She asked another question "Why did you bring me here? I'm sure you could've run to the cops when you saw what you saw."

The boy took a deep breath, with his hands still raised he said, "can I talk freely?"

"Go ahead"

He continued, "Those men that you... well you know. They're not good people. You see, up until 2 years ago it was just me and my dad. We weren't rich in any sense but we got by. I always wondered how he was able to make ends meet but he always told me 'don't worry kiddo, everything's gonna be fine' Turns out it was worse than I thought. That was when a group calling themselves 'Moyashi' showed up. They orchestrated a money borrowing scam that plagued our neighbourhood. Sooner or later my dad got involved with them and when he couldn't pay their ridiculous fees, they silenced him."

His voice began to waver, the raw emotions he was experiencing became evident to Seon-mi.

"I was orphaned and living alone, and as if killing my father wasn't enough, they came to my house and claimed it as their own. Now they use my family's home as their headquarters. I tried telling the police on multiple occasions but they're just useless. I've been working as the Moyashi errand boy ever since, it's the only way I can still go into my house. I was sent to give a message to one of the other members at the Karaoke club this morning when I stumbled into you and them facing off in the hallway. At first I was gonna call the police but then you did something that shocked me... you fought back. When the fight was over I was going to see if I could speak with you but you collapsed, I didn't know what else to do so I brought you here. It was the least I could do."

"So there's more of them. Hold on a second" Seon-mi summoned the System box with her free hand while still holding the boy at blade point.

IN PROGRESS:  A SMALL GROUP OF THUGS HAVE TERRORISED YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD FOR OVER TWO YEARS.

DISPOSE OF THEM

THUGS KILLED: 5/15

RECOMMENDED LEVEL: 5

"He's right, the mission is still active. Looks like there's ten more of those thugs I have to get rid of. That aside, it seems this guy has some useful information. I should press him for more" she thought.

"Your house, where is it?" She asked.

"It's not far from here, about two minutes walk from the Karaoke club, next to the bridge, it's the house with the shoji doors" He replied.

"You said these men have set up headquarters there? How many of them are in the house at the same time during the day?" asked Seon-mi.

"The only two you have to worry about are Gachan, the boss and his right hand man Kabito. Everyone else is usually elsewhere during the day."

"Weapons, what kind do they carry?"

"Most of them have bats and knives but Gachan says he has a gun. Nobody's ever actually seen it but he uses the threat of it to enforce order in the gang." replied the boy

Satisfied with the answers, Seon-mi released the blade from the boy's throat, lowering her guard slightly. A drop of blood rolled down his neck, evidence of the pressure Seon-mi had applied.

He lowered his hands and exhaled, the stress of the situation weighing on him. Seon-mi emerged from behind him, finally taking notice of his appearance.

"Wait!? You're just a kid?" she exclaimed.

"I'm not a kid, I'm 19!" he replied.

"You're still a kid. Also, what's a kid doing in a situation like that?" she asked, adding, "Well, it's not like it's your fault to be honest."

Seon-mi sat back on the bags of cement, adjusting her clothing and preparing to depart. She looked around and muttered to herself, "Where'd that cat run off to?"

The boy picked up the grocery bag he dropped and approached Seon-mi.

"You're going to fight Gachan, aren't you?" he asked.

"That's none of your business," Seon-mi replied sharply.

"I wanna help. Take me with you," he pleaded.

"This isn't a game kid. People die, and unless you wanna be a part of those people, I'd steer clear of me if I were you."

Seon-mi stood up, wearing the katana strap around her shoulder, readying herself to leave. As she began to walk towards the stairs, the boy grabbed her arm. Seon-mi half-turned with a disgusted look on her face.

"Please, miss, I can help you," he said.

"If you wanna keep that hand, I'd suggest you never touch me again." She pulled her arm free and walked down the stairs.