Memento 1/3
☨
"One of the keys to happiness,
is a bad memory."
-Rita Mae Brown
Photographs are evidences of a time that once existed, but is now forever gone. But in his case, they will always be new and true within a matter of minutes. They are timeless to him. There is no difference between the past and the present. He found instant camera films remarkable because of its own built-in developing studio. These photos help him in remembering his sole purpose for living-vengeance.
Mino is shaking a polaroid in order for it to develop, the action causing it to lose its color, instead of gaining.
Just like his memory.
A memory that turned him into a man plunged into a world in which he is constantly at sea, unable to know for certain where he is or what he is doing.
Bleak.
Empty.
Mino takes a few notes at the back of his car along with a polaroid. He looks at the rear-view mirror, "Do I lie to myself to be happy?"
Mino closes his eyes, almost reverently and proceeds to remove the bandage that covers a tattoo in his biceps. "I've found you, Taewoon."
He parks in front of Helios Bar.
°2010 March
Everything in the room screamed that the boy didn't belong. The stairs were crumbling, the unruly patrons were shoulder to shoulder and the air was a combination of sweat and mold. Voices buzzed as they yelled prices and names back and forth, hundreds of arms flailed about exchanging money and obscene gestures to communicate over the noise. The boy he was eyeing squeezed through the crowd, plump bottom lips pushed into a pout, eager not to lose sight of his companions.
How his friends managed to bring such a guy to this kind of place, Mino has no idea, but he definitely owed them.
"Keep your cash in your pockets Seungyoon! You're in a dungeon full of sharks!" Irene yelled. She was a brunette beauty, her broad, dimpled smile and large brown eyes gleamed even in the dim light. She giggled as Seungyoon gave her a frown and crumpled the bills he was holding then pushed it deep in his pockets.
"Stay close! It'll get worse once it starts!" A guy with the physique perfect for any pages of fashion magazines yelled. His small eyes that seemed to disappear as he squints kept on directing at Irene. He grabbed Irene’s hand and in turn, she held Seungyoon's as they maneuverer through the sea of people.
"He should be here soon," The guy, Seunghoon muttered, looking around.
"Who?"
But before Seunghoon can give a reply, a sharp bleating from a horn cut through the room.
̊ I-110 10 May 2015
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!!!!!
Awake. Where am I?
Mino wakes from the constant bellow of a ship horn in the distance with a dull throb in his head. He checks his surroundings. Mino is at a harbor, the color of the skies is painted with the break of dawn. He finds himself standing by a dark blue car. He looks down at his hands. It’s bloodied. A polaroid is in between the fingers of his right hand. Mino tilts his head.
As if the pause on a frozen video image had been suddenly released, Mino moved. He swung his hand holding the photograph over the roof of the car and let out a throaty laugh. The sound spread throughout the wide space, the only reply he got was a kaw...kaw...kaw... from a passing crow.
Ah . . .
He remembers now.
Mino's hand went for a gun tucked at the back of his pants. He felt the grip, by now an overly familiar sensation. There is a body right in front of him, two meters from the edge where the pavement meets the space that leads to a drop below, into the black sea. He fired. He fired three times in a row.
All the shots landed at the head of the body. Mino walked towards it and kicked its side, rolling the figure to the dark waters.
Splosh!
Mino tucked the revolver back into his pants. The hot barrel burned against his lower back but he was less concerned about that. He needs to get his hands to a pen and paper. And sleep. He wants to sleep.
Mino steps inside the car and rubs off the now dried blood on his hands and arms with an oil-stained towel. He saw his phone on the dashboard and deliberated over whether to make a call. He reached back instead for a black briefcase. Inside were dozens of papers in various sizes, a couple of markers, polaroids and a handy instant camera. Choosing a lengthwise pad, Mino wrote down on it, the paper was half filled when he finished. He chucks it back to the briefcase and placed it on the passenger seat.
Mino heavily sighed, looked at his phone and reached for it. He pressed number 2 on speed dial. It was answered on the first ring.
"I'm done. I need you later. I'll call you."
He hangs up without waiting for a reply from the other line. The area was lighter by now, the early signs of the rising sun offered a wide, open view of the ocean. Why does it feel like he's seen this kind of view before, but from a different place? But of course, this was neither the time nor place to call it a nice view.
He drives off.
°2010 March
Tooooooooooooooot!!!!!
The horn noise resounded within the four corners of the room and shushed the crowd. A man with blonde dreads stood on a makeshift stage, holding a wad of cash in one hand, a microphone on the other. He held the mic to his lips.
"Welcome to The Inner Circle! If you are looking for Home Economics one-oh-one . . . you are in the wrong fucking place my friend! My name is Zico, I make the rules and I call the battle. Betting ends once I sound the horn for the second time! No touching the boys, no assistance and no bet switching! If you fail to follow these rules, you will get the piss beat out of you and your ass thrown out of this place without your money. That includes you too ladies! So keep your tits covered lest be it a distraction to my boys!"
"Jesus Christ! Zico!" Seunghoon yelled to the emcee, disapproving for his friend's choice of words. Zico gave him a nod and a wink.
Mino's heart pounded and he looked at the guy donned in a white cashmere cardigan looking oh-so-yummy and fuckable, his fleshy cheeks and innocent face in full contrast with the surroundings, like a puppy thrown into a cage of salivating dogs. Mino felt strangely at ease. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing that his friends brought him here. But with his toothpick of an arms, Mino wasn't exactly confident of the guy's chances to leave unscathed, being in a basement with drunken college boys. Mino felt a strange little prickle of unease.
Mino met his friend, Seunghoon at freshman orientation and frequently accompanied him to the secret battles held in different basements of the university, where Zico is the ringleader. Each event is held in a different spot and kept secret until an hour before the battle.
As a freshman and killing winnings 3 weeks in a row, Zico found interest in Mino and gave him special matches and training. By sophomore year, Mino was practically unbeatable. Along with Seunghoon, they easily paid rent and bills with the winnings. Seunghoon started dating by junior year and Irene was a madhouse. Refusing to be a third fucking wheel, everything became a dull routine for him, with one night stands here and there until Irene showed up with her 'friend' that could be very much likened to a puppy.
A lickable puppy.
Zico brought the mic back to his mouth, disrupting his thoughts and bringing the yelling and cheering to a feverish pace. "Tonight we have a new challenger from the neighbouring university. His name is Black . . . Nut?" It wouldn't take an idiot to tell Zico is having trouble maintaining his poker face on. With a strangled whine, he raised up his hands in a circular motion, signalling the crowd to cheer on, in hopes of drowning out the sound of his laughter. Cheering ensued, and the crowd parted to reveal a lanky guy with a bony, elongated face. Black Nut climbed up the makeshift stage. The mob whistled, booed and taunted, but he just scanned the crowd with his cat slit eyes and rocked his neck sideways. His face devoid of any emotion.
Then the crowd quieted to a dull roar. Mino's hands shot up to his ears when the music blared through the amplifiers beside him.
"Our next contender doesn't need an introduction, but because he scares the shit out of me, I'll give him one anyways! The man who can make any gender drop their underwear with a wink! Boys and girls, I give you, Song 'Hugeboy' Minho!"
The volume exploded as Mino appeared from the back, hidden behind the curtains, wearing a black sleeveless Metallica t-shirt, strutting like it was just like another day in Biology class.
Giving zero percent attention to his opponent, who was staring daggers at him, Mino flexed the muscles under his tattooed biceps, positioning himself in an area where his friends and Seungyoon, can get a good look. He turned his gaze to the three, particularly to Seungyoon, but the latter isn't even looking at him. Mino frowned, so much for showing off. Seunghoon caught the action and looked mildly amused.
…
Running on tamer circles, everything screamed that Seungyoon didn't belong. He can barely hear Irene's voice over the barrage of shouting, here, there, everywhere! Seungyoon was surprised to learn of an underground society at the university, and Irene told him that Seunghoon knew about it before he even enrolled. Being Irene's best friend since middle school, Seungyoon had no choice but to agree when she asked him to come with them. Curiosity got the cat as they say.
The two guys on the stage were each handed a mic, then the emcee sounded the horn.
The crowd went bonkers as the so-called rap battle started. Seungyoon stood on his tiptoes when he lost sight of the guy's faces. He heard a deep voice spit fire and unconsciously, he slid towards the front, elbowing through the screaming bodies. Good thing he left his guitar on their dormitory before going here.
The top of the guy called Black Nut's head became visible, but the other one, Seunghoon's friend was not in view. Seungyoon continued to push his way towards the stage. When he reached the edge, Seungyoon saw the Black Nut guy has his knees on the floor, his face inching closer to Mino's crotch while rapping. Is the guy gay or what?
Five fingers sank into Seungyoon's arm and jerked him back.
"What the hell are you doing Seungyoon?" Seunghoon yelled at him.
"I can't see from back there!"
The crowd erupted into a thunderous cheer. Seungyoon turned just in time to see Minho land a solid punch to Black Nut's face, straight into his nose.
Blood sprayed Seungyoon's face and splattered down his cardigan. Black Nut fell to the concrete floor with a thud and for a brief moment, the room was deadly silent. Zico said a few words Seungyoon wasn't able to catch because of the shock then threw a bamboo wife that the strange guy apparently brought with him on stage. The mob detonated. Bills were exchanged once again and the expressions divided into the smug and the frustrated.
Seungyoon was pushed around with the movement. He heard Irene calling his name somewhere from the back but his attention was glued to his shirt splattered with blood.
A pair of heavy brown boots stepped in front of Seungyoon, diverting his attention. Seungyoon's eyes travelled upward, tattered jeans, finely sculpted torso, biceps laced with intricate tattoos, chest drenched in sweat, and finally a pair of warm brown eyes. It took everything in his willpower to keep hmself from licking his lips. A few squeals were heard and Seungyoon was shoved from behind, Mino caught him by the arm before he fell forward.
Seungyoon gulped.
"Hey! Back off!" Mino shouted, irritated by how Seungyoon was roughly pushed . . .into his arms. Not that he didn't like it, but it was rude. He scowled and shoved anyone who came near to them. He wrapped his arms on Seungyoon's shoulders and moved them by the side of the stage. The taller boy can't help but smile at the sight of Seungyoon's shirt. He took a handkerchief at his back pocket and dabbed it at the smaller boy's pale face.
"Sorry about that puppy."
Seungyoon stared at him, both of their eyes didn't stray away from each other, then a phone rang. It was Seungyoon's, he moved to answer it.
…
Rrrrrriiiiiiingggggg
Seungyoon’s phone rang. The skinny boy took his phone from his pocket and flipped it open. Mino stared at him, thinking of how he can invite him over or if not, ask his number. But he realized something was weird.
Seungyoon already answered his phone but Mino can still hear a ringing.
Why is that?
His surroundings turned darker.
Mino found himself opening his eyes.
A dream?
What the fuck?
…
Rrrrrrrriinngggg
Mino blindly grasped for his phone on the bedside table.
Click.
A sigh.
"Where are you?" came from a voice on the other line.
̊1:54pm 13 May 2015
Rrrrrriinnnggggg.
Awake. Where am I?
Rrrrrriinngggggg
A phone is ringing by the table. Under it, a polaroid of a man in his 40s with Joon Gook scribbled beneath. A post it note was at its side:
Meet Joon Gook @ 6
Minhyuk is dead
Kill Taewoon
Ah . . .
He remembers now.
Minhyuk was the asshole he got rid of at the harbor. One of the few names he can cross out from his list.
Mino answers the phone. He didn't let the caller speak nor reply,
"I'm coming."
…
Gazing at the full moon present at the night sky, Mino scowled and thinks he should be running down the last man on his list by now. Mino thought how he could break his bones one by one, cut his fingers and feed it to the stray dogs, then he would impale him with all the bullets he's got in stash. But Joon Gook apparently decided to dine in a fancy restaurant for no reason. Bastard. If only Joon Gook didn't have the information about a certain drug dealer named Woo Jiseok, a criminal with a large bounty on his head. But Mino cared less about that, he knew this was the man whose head he is after, this man is that fucker with the alias Taewoon.
Although Joon Gook gave vague details about the man's whereabouts, Mino managed to locate an area that would come close as a hideout. If they were to do the deed, Mino asked why not now? Mino's urge of having the blood of that son of a bitch in his hands is raging, but Joon Gook insisted on playing it slow, or else Taewoon might suspect, since they disposed one of his men not too long ago, three days ago actually.
Arriving at the meeting place, he sat on a table by the windows. Mino frowned and stared into the moon, then to the cluster of trees around the area, in between them, Mino could see the lights from the tall Seoul city scrapers illuminating the night sky.
Joon Gook tapped Mino on the shoulder. Mino looked across him. The older man pulled out a tissue and began to write something. That's right, before, Mino warned Joon Gook that they mustn't give anything away by talking. Especially in public places.
Joon Gook seemed done writing and pushed the piece of tissue towards him.
'You will be able to get your hands on his throat tomorrow night and you can shoot bullets through his skull as much as you want.'
"Enjoy the steak for the meantime," Joon Gook voiced out in continuation. "The wheel will come in full circle soon anyway."
Mino doesn't know what Joon Gook is referring to with the wheel bullshit but he clutches the note Joon Gook gave him. Tomorrow night, he will have his revenge.
They left a little after 8 in the evening. Mino dropped Joon Gook at a bus stop, the man insisting he can go home from there. Mino didn't protest, he doesn't care. Mino then wrote down the additional important things they talked about, he chucks the paper along with the other notes he used earlier in the pocket of his shirt to the briefcase.
There is always this gut-feeling that Joon Gook cannot be trusted, no matter how weak and old he looks.
He goes over the additional paper where a license plate is indicated that Joon Gook handed to him before they left the diner. He drives off to the tattoo parlour.
…
The little bells hanged on the door chimed as Mino pushed it open.
K-ling!
A man dressed in black overalls and elastic gloves appeared behind the shelf.
"Oh, back again young man?"
Again? Mino asks himself, he assumes he was a regular here. Damn, he should've went over his notes before he left the car. He knew that he doesn't have a choice, but Mino hates to crawl in the dark and guess bait some answers. But seeing the reassuring smile the old man is giving him, he pushes the thought aside.
"It's . . .been a while," it sounded more like a question rather than a statement. "Do you perhaps have anyone you are working on right now?"
"No, no, just refilling some inks and brandishing the needles. Come in son, you can go to the room first while I set the equipments."
The way the man talks seemed like he knew him for quite a while.
"Yes. Thank You." It seems awkward how he’s so polite but it feels appropriate at the moment so what the hell.
Mino proceeded to a joint room and unbuckled his belt, he wanted the tattoo on his thighs. He faced a full-length mirror, his reflection showed a dark expanse of smooth yet taut muscles. Little inscriptions were on both his knees and a long cursive one ran northwards on his inner right thigh.
The curtains that set as the room divider flew upwards. Just a gush of wind, but it made Mino feel uncomfortable in an odd way. He dresses up and decides to ink his outer arm instead. Mino writes a plate number on a piece of paper on the table, then wrote some more in another paper that he clutches in his hand. He sat on the recliner in the middle of the room and closed his eyes as the old man entered.
T U 48 1BI
The old man read out and gave Mino a meaningful look. "Be careful with your playmates son."
But Mino has fallen asleep to hear.
̊Arisu Gyeonju Inn, 2015 May
"So where are you?" the caller asked.
Mino looked around sleepily. A hotel room.
"Why do you ask?" Mino replied, yawning.
"Because you said you would call and you never did so I went and did it, where are you?"
"Hotel Room"
"Ah, you're already there . . ."
Mino barely heard the next lines as he strolled around the room. He sets the phone on loudspeaker, "Hey, do you know the story of the atheist and the clergyman?"
Without waiting for an answer, Mino continued, "An atheist asked the clergy man if he preaches out of the bible for he was inept to embarrass a man of god.
'I do' answered the clergyman.
'Then I suppose you find a great many things in the bible you cannot understand,' said the atheist.
'Some things, yes,' the clergyman replied.
'Well, what do you do with them?' the atheist asked smugly.
'I do what I am doing with the bones from a steak. When I come to a piece of bone, I just lay it aside and let some fool insist on choking himself with the bones.'"
Mino then asked the person on the other line, "Well, did you learn something from my story?"
"Yes," the caller replied "You are some fool."
Mino laughed.
̊ I-110 10 May 2015
The faint sound reached Joon Gook. He looked up, he heard it again. He waited, two more pops and that was it, he only heard the breezing of the sea inside the thicket of the factory.
Joon Gook looked at the gap on the metal gates. At Mino rolling a body using his feet to the edge of the pavement.
Joon Gook fought the urge to light up a smoke, he can't afford the kid to know that he followed him here.
"Fucked up bastard," Joon Gook grinned.
All remained silent for several minutes then Joon Gook felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He pressed answer and waited for Mino’s voice, "I'm done, I need you later. I'll call you."
A car engine started, the sound fading by the second.
"As long as you trust me kid . . . I can play this game while keeping my hands clean till the very end," Joon Gook said to no one in particular. He got up from the crate he was sitting on and grabbed the beretta resting beside him.
"If not one of those assholes, then you yourself will finish your head off in this pointless game of chase, and all I have to do is sit back and wait."
Joon Gook put a cigarette in his mouth. Fucking finally. Its tip reddened, faintly lighting up his rugged face. Joon Gook felt impatient. His face darkened as thick smokes drifted out of his mouth.
"Fucked up bastard."
̊Arisu Gyeonju Inn, 2015 May
Mino leisurely talked on the phone. The caller tells him that the call is from a payphone. It was a precaution against wiretapping, Mino liked it that way.
Mino walked towards the wide plasma screen facing the bed and turned it on. There was a large, close up image of a reporter in his late 20s, his hair parted in a 5:5 ratio.
The reporter started, "Due to the recent typhoon that hit the coastal area, the inspection of the harbor site was delayed. However, three days after the storm, the inspection was finally continued this morning. We now know two bodies are found dead."
A zoom lens camera in aerial shot captured police investigators and rescuers inspecting a factory at the port of Yeonsu-gu. The camera zoomed in to show two men carrying a stretcher with a black bag.
"On the early morning of the tenth, the Seoul PD received a call from a port worker about the pungent odor from one of the factories. A search led to two unidentified men along with 5 stacks of narcotics that could worth up to $8M won."
Mino felt a headache creep up.
"Suspecting there was a trade off that led into a conflict, police officials issued a temporary closure of the company and proceeded to investigate. They are currently searching . . ."
Mino turned off the TV.
He grabbed a briefcase lying in a corner and dived back into the comforters. He opened the case and pours the contents into the bed while listening to the caller chatting about hospital gowns and pen nibs.
Mino's notes indicated that he is in a hotel named Arisu Gyeonju. A building located at the outskirts of Suseong-gu, East of Daegu.
The caller continued, "So I went to this pen show ages ago and got this sailor with custom maki-e and raden work but never got to use it. It was supposed to be a gift for my little brother . . ."
"Hn," Mino replied.
"Okay . . . your turn. Talk."
Mino pondered. It took him almost a minute before he started. Mino talked about his 'system' for remembering things. How he uses a system of photographs, notes, and extensive tattoos to recover his memory after each cycle of minutes. These 'tools' as he calls them, reminds him of who he is, where he is, where he is going, and his purpose.
Mino suffered brain injury, specifically to his hippocampus, and thus resulted in his inability to make new memories.
Anterograde amnesia. That’s what it is. A rare form of memory loss, the condition leaves him with no short term memory retention in a matter of minutes. Mino describes his disability as feeling like he just woke up. He sees the effect of the previous actions, but does not remember those said actions.
Mino must pay attention to small details. He is constantly taking pictures of people he meets, places he goes to, and various things that will help him remember. He writes on the polaroids and makes additional notes as added information. Even his tattoos are narrative themselves.
"I mean, you know who you are, and you know kind of all about yourself. But, just for day-to-day stuff, notes are really useful," Mino laughed at the phone and then stopped abruptly as he looks at a polaroid and realized something.
"Wait. Who the fuck is this?"
̊ 34N,118W 14 May 2015
"That was uncalled for," Joon Gook frowned
Mino only shrugged. He got rid of both his guns and Joon Gook's by throwing them to the pile of bodies that were set on fire. Mino actually wanted to say something but kept his mouth shut.
This was the issue. Mino had felt like they were on the buddy level, but in the end, there was still something about Joon Gook that bothered him. Was it simply that there was a cold side to old man too?
He took in a small breath . . . And then thought of something else. Of the eight burning bodies, one in particular, stacked at the very bottom whose face cannot be discerned even before they have set the pile on fire was the man he desired to get rid of the most. Tae motherfucker woon.
Mino recalls the sound of the machine gun slaughtering Taewoon's body. It felt unceasingly good.
"Mino," Joon Gook called. "You haven't had breakfast? There's a stall down east back at the city."
Mino took out a black crumpled cigarette from his back pocket. The label Djarum by the filtration zone was almost unreadable. Mino isn't addicted to smoking like Joon Gook is, but whenever he wanted to, he prefers cloves.
"I'm alright. I'm not hungry."
That was his parting remark as he walks back to where their cars are parked.
…
Almost half and an hour have passed. Joon Gook had long gone back to the city but Mino couldn't care less about him. He parks in front of a hardware, gets out briefcase in hand, buys a can of gasoline and a box of matchsticks then walks the mile to the bank of the river under the Yeonho Bridge.
After checking the premises, Mino walks to a barrel that was put there by the government to serve as a trashcan. He closes his eyes.
Mino felt himself half dozing, half dreaming.
Seungyoon . . . The person he vowed to love with all the madness in his soul . . . is waving at him. He could tell he was crying. He was saying, "Goodbye, Mino, goodbye." His handsome features are looking very sad. With his head slightly bowed in an angle, he really looked like a puppy.
Oh shit, Mino thought, how fucking awful that he only got to spend 2 years with him. He felt his eyes water.
Fuck.
This is the only way to free himself- it won't give his memory back, but it would make him numb and lessen the pain.
"It still hurts Seungyoon . . ." Mino whispers as he looks at the calm river. "But no matter, don’t you worry, I’m going to be fucking fine. There are lots of Taewoon in the world for me to find."
Mino drops all the contents of the briefcase to the barrel and pours gas over it. Getting a marker from his pocket, he scribbles something in his forearm. He ponders for a few seconds before lighting up a matchstick, setting the rusty barrel ablaze.
The fire in front of him is dancing. Yellow, orange, red, tinged with little sparks of blue.
Mino watches in fascination.
2 minutes.
5.
10.
The fire dies.
Mino fell on his knees and passed out.
…
Poke.
Poke.
"Ugh . . ."
Poke.
"What the fuck-"
Thwack!
"Dont ya use dose words on Yorin boy! Yorin ken get really mad!"
Mino opened his eyes. A woman dressed in rags is hovering over him. Shouting in a thick accent.
"Ya better getoutta here bifore dose goonies come and beat ya!" the woman hollered and laughed maniacally.
Mino groaned and got up, his head throbbing.
Awake. Where am I?
A blank blur.
Mino looks around the area, then his eyesight catches a streak of black. On his right arm, were words written:
GO HOME
CALL JOON GOOK
FIND TAEWOON
GET REVENGE
Mino broke into a grin.
The homeless woman watching him thinks he is delirious.
Mino walks back to his car.
He’s about to drive off when he noticed a note placed on the passenger seat.
MEET ME AT HELIOS. COME BY ASAP.
WE NEED TO TALK.
-Gain
Mino tilted his head slightly.
̊Arisu Gyeonju Inn, 2015 May
"You have your head tilted right now, haven't you?" the voice on the other laughed. "Really Mino? We've just talked about that Joon Gook person last time and now you're all who the fuck is me?"
Ah. A friend, Mino thinks. He never really tells about Joon Gook to anyone.
Joon Gook was a cop he conspired with to track down the killers responsible for the death of his lover. It wasn't long, but Mino felt he wasn't exactly sure, since the time Joon Gook came up to him, offering his services to tear up the motherfuckers that made their lives fucking miserable. Apparently, the goons Mino was bent on chasing are the reason Joon Gook was kicked out of his department. At least that what Joon Gook told him, but Mino decides not to care.
Joon Gook is just like him. He wants to bring down those assholes. He wants to send them to hell. Just like him.
"Are you sure you could trust him?" the voice on the other line asked warily.
"I don't necessarily trust him. I get a lot of information through him."
"Like what?"
"Lots. And even if he has nothing to provide, he proved himself a helping hand."
"Can you tell me something?"
"What?"
"What's the purpose of all this?"
Mino's eyes thinned . . . Then he looked down and began to chuckle. He found it funny and he himself wonders why. Finally he said, "Did I ever tell you about Seungyoon?"
Mino stood up and walked towards the table. He opens a folder with the initials KSY written on the front. Seungyoon's smiling face greeted him as he flips the cover, his chipped tooth almost made Mino smile, but below the smiling Seungyoon was a picture of the same face, ghastly pale, thin vertical burn marks on his neck, blue lips, sunken eyes.
"About how Seungyoon died?" Mino continued, voice strained "he was raped and murdered . . . Seungyoon was . . . in front of me. Would you think that would be enough to give, if not a thousand, then a single sole purpose?"
"It's unfortunate," the caller said, voice cracking.
"It's cruel." Mino replied.
Mino flipped the page, among various photographs, one caught his attention, a broken guitar. It brought him an unexpected flashback.
…
°2012 September
The seats right behind the driver were slightly raised, and popping up above them were the heads of Seunghoon and Irene. Irene's head shook slightly, maybe Seunghoon did something funny with his face again or they saw something by the window, the simplest things could be so entertaining to the two.
Mino leaned over Seungyoon who had the window seat and was hugging his guitar case, slowly dozing off. It was a chilly evening, they came from a gig where Seungyoon was asked to perform, and almost a year had passed since they graduated. Seunghoon is an instructor at a dance academy, Irene recently got a job as a sales attendant, Mino works at an art gallery and Seungyoon is rising up to be a musician. Mino smiled and stared at his right foot which was sticking out the aisle as the bus came to a halt. Seunghoon and Irene stood up, it was their stop. The couple gave a nod to him and Irene made an eye to Seungyoon pointing extravaganza before going out the door. Mino grinned and waved them goodbye.
Seunghoon and Irene's apartment was located at the wide apartment blocks in Seongpo-dong along the river while his and Seungyoon's house is farther by the Southern part of Ansan.
"Hey pup, wake up, it's our stop." Mino nudged the sleeping Seungyoon. "If you don't wake up in three I will carry you bridal style until we get to door."
That got Seungyoon awake, Mino knew Seungyoon hated being treated like a damsel in distress. Seungyoon yawned and adorably puffed his cheeks. Mino wanted to grab his face and kiss him senseless, but Seungyoon wouldn't want that too. They do PDA sometimes but Seungyoon preferred their moments done in private.
Once they entered their house, Mino went straight to the kitchen to prepare them a late night grub.
"Huh? This isn't mine," he heard Seungyoon call out.
"What?" Mino walked back to the living room, bread on hand.
"This. Look." Seungyoon was seated in front of his opened guitar case and Mino peered over his shoulder. "What the fu- . . . "
"It isn't mine, I swear!" Seungyoon looked up at him, face alarmed.
Mino moved to caress Seungyoon's arms as reassurance, "I know baby, I know, but these . . ."
The guitar case in front of them is an exact replica of what Seungyoon has, but that was it because instead of his priced vintage Hagstrom guitar his sister from overseas gave him as a graduation gift, the container was filled with dozens of packets filled with white powder and a couple of ammunitions. And both of them aren't stupid to know what those powders might be.
"Get dressed, were getting rid of these," Mino said, but his voice was shaky, he knew this could lead to a dangerous situation.
"How?"
Mino fumbled for an answer, "A-ah I, the Resto! We'll bring it back there or we, uh we . . . we'll throw it, by the river!"
"No, Mino, not the Resto, Minzy will get in trouble, she recommended me to the owner, I don’t want her involved in this. We'll bring it to the police, they will know what to do." Seungyoon was much composed now, he closed the case and took both of their coats from the rack.
"Police . . . yes, police, let’s go there." Mino mentally slapped himself, why didn't he think of that, he wonders what he will do without Seungyoon.
They were interviewed, interrogated even and spent an overnight at the station, by the time they got back home, Mino was so exhausted, he drifted off to sleep the moment his head touched the pillow. He felt Seungyoon caving into his arms before he totally blacked out.
The morning after, they were informed by the police that the drugs they accidentally found were traced from an underground group that deals illegal drugs and stolen firearms, and the bar Seungyoon sang at was the designated meeting place for the trade. A raid on the group’s hideout will happen by the evening and that they have nothing to be worried about. But the goose bumps and unease Seungyoon felt after the call ended told him otherwise.
The next few weeks, they received numerous calls without anyone answering on the other line, sometimes it was a sound of a flick-flick-flick then the caller hangs up. Seungyoon was bothered, but Mino waved it off thinking Seunghoon might be pranking them. But then they started receiving threatening messages, from the creepy 'Your little sweetheart made a wrong move and fucked up our plans' to the chilling, 'You will pay for our loss boy’. They reported in with the police, they were told that officials are still on the hunt for the accomplices of the dealers, the authorities monitored their house for a while which brought the threats to a halt. Two weeks passed and Mino thought everything is peaceful again. Apparently, he was wrong.
The night before his birthday, Seungyoon called him to hurry home. Mino thought his boyfriend's voice was weird and shaky but maybe Seungyoon got something under his sleeves, his lover couldn't keep a secret and becomes jittery with handling surprises. Seunghoon and Irene came over to spend the night and celebrate with them.
Mino opened up the door to their home. It was quiet, which is, not cool. They were supposed to be loud with the music blaring. He took off his shoes and walks the hallway, the only source of light was from the wall lamp. Mino saw a silhouette crouching by the other end. For an odd reason, he felt a chill run down his back.
Mino narrow's his eyes, "Seunghoon?"
The figure looked up. "Man . . . run. . ."
It was Seunghoon, his voice gaunt.
"Dude, what's wrong?" Mino walked over and realized how pale Seunghoon's face is, he was also sweating and there is something dripping from his chest. Soda? No . . . it . . . it smells-why does it smell coppery? What the hell?
Mino held him, oblivious from another shadow watching them by the stairs. Seunghoon's lips were tightly shut, forming a straight line across his pasty face. Only then did Mino realize, Seunghoon was hissing painfully though his lips as he breathes. Seunghoon opened his eyes, raised his hands to Mino's arm, and leaned against him.
That dark substance he thought was soda was . . . Blood? Seunghoon's back is stained with it too.
"Mino . . ." Seunghoon struggled with his breathing, "run . . .bro. . .they..shit."
Mino panicked.
"D-don't move! Stay here, I-I'll find something!" Mino said nervously and started to stand up, but before he could there was a swift Schwwwit! and Seunghoon fell over, unmoving.
Mino's eyes went wide as saucers. There were two men in front of him, one holding a switch blade, the other a pistol equipped with a sound suppressor.
Mino raised up his arms in instinct, trembling. His best friend lies dead on the floor in front of him. He fought the urge to lash out, Seungyoon and Irene, where are they. Mino felt bile rise up his throat.
The man with the gun ushered him to move forward, Mino trudges slowly and got hit at the back of his head on the process. Kicks flew in all parts of his body.
"Arrrgh," Mino moaned and tried to swing his arms. One of the men fell with a loud thud! And Mino’s arms got shot in return. Mino felt searing pain and was panting the way he did during the time when he ran for a 5 kilometer dash tournament, a bet with Seungyoon on the line. Fuck. He wasn't supposed to be reliving those memories now.
Mino felt his hair grabbed towards a direction. He opened his eyes, it hurts, his face was also kicked multiple times, but he couldn’t be worried about that because in the corner lies the still body of a girl, her shirt was torn, pants nowhere to be found, her mouth is gagged and her eyes were wide and blown.
Those eyes. Irene.
No, Mino thought. No! Fucking shit! This is a bad dream, stop fucking with me and let me wake up! But he heard a faint sob. The sound made Mino choke, he froze. No. Oh God No. Then he heard it . . . grunting. And suppressed whimpers.
He thrashed his body and turned his neck, so fast, the action made him dizzy. When his eyesight came into focus, Mino felt like he was stabbed with dozens of blades all at once.
About three meters from his position, Seungyoon's body was exposed, his upper part was tightly bound with a rope, he has a knife cut in his cheeks, it must have been deep because the wound was still bleeding, his mouth is taped, and a man is ramming into him violently.
Mino's vision darkened and he underwent a surge of adrenaline rush. He pounced at the nearest person within reach then lunged into the son a bitch that was violating Seungyoon, but was held back short. Mino swung, and hit the man who grabbed him square in the jaw. But Mino's nerves gave away too soon and the burning sensation on his arm came back. Someone kneed him on the gut and he fell on his knees. His body screamed from the pain and his emotions too rattled, but he needed to save Seungyoon.
A loud force struck his back and his face fell on the floor.
"Seung . . . yoon . . ." Mino rasped, breathless.
He was numb, but he felt hot tears in his eyes as he tried to crawl towards Seungyoon's limp figure. Mino used his legs to push his body forward, not minding the burning sensation as his skin scraped through the carpet. "Pup . . .py," he extended his bloody hand, trying to reach him.
Two pairs of feet appeared in his view, both stood on either side of his boyfriend. Mino's eyes widen in horror and anger as he saw one of the men crouch and pointed a gun on Seungyoon's head, then it drifted downwards Seungyoon’s chest, right above the heart. Mino looked up, his vision red, but fear and panic overwhelmed him in a flash as he saw what the other man has on his hands.
A smirk slowly tugged on the other man's face as he twirled the hammer playfully.
"No, no . . . please . . don't . . ." Mino sobbed and frantically shook his head. If they were to die, Mino wanted it to be a fast death, he can't afford to watch Seungyoon suffer any longer. "Stop. . .please don't hurt him anymore . . please," angry desperate tears sprang fresh from his eyes.
"Oh kid, this is not for him, my friend here wants to have a little more fun with your sweetheart you see. So basically, this thing here . . .is for you! But don't worry, your pretty boyfriend will taste death as soon as his hole is filled up." The man laughed maniacally.
Mino's heart pounded in his chest, his panting came harder. He heard the horrible sound of the hammer struck the wooden flooring, sinking an inch below it, a gap of a finger from his face.
Mino was scared, but more for Seungyoon than for himself. He needs to save Seungyoon from the filthy hands of these motherfuckers, he lunged again. In the split of a second, Mino felt an intense pang from the back of his skull.
Shprack!
Crack!
Mino's head bobbed up and down the floor. He saw a gun thrusted inside Seungyoon's mouth like a lollipop.
Thwrack!
Mino's pupil's dilated rapidly. Then everything blacked out.