Area One

6

"NO! Please, I didn't do anything wrong, ask them!"

The screaming woman pointed at the people who were walking by, trying their best not to stand out and to get out of sight as soon as possible. No one looked at her, knowing very well that they could - and would - be next if they tried to help her.

The three men in the threatening red-white uniform didn't even react to her screaming and dragged her away. Shortly before they were out of sight, the woman found a familiar face in the crowd, one of the two people who were just standing there, watching silently.

"YOU!" she screeched. Jongin winced. He looked at his father, who didn't even bat an eye when the woman addressed him. "You will regret what you're doing to us. Never will you get away with this!"

One of the men put his hand on her mouth and they proceeded to drag her away, until her screams weren't to be heard anymore.

Without a sign of emotion, Jongin's father turned around and went inside their house. Jongin, on the other hand, could just stand there like petrified. The other people, now that the danger was gone, turned towards him and the place where his father had disappeared. They were frowning, muttering things beneath their breaths - curses, most likely - and throwing glares. They didn't dare to do more. They never did.

Jongin slowly turned around and walked away, passing his house and going further down the street. No matter how hard he tried, he wasn't able to erase the screaming, crying woman from his mind. She had been the third this month. And, most likely, the third innocent.

Jongin knew. Just as well as the others. His father didn't do all of this out of fear. His father was the most fearless person he knew. Everyone was afraid of the Red Force, some of them tried to gain the organisation's favour by reporting when someone was behaving suspiciously. But his father was not one of them.

He did it for the money.

His father got a reward for every single person he delivered. He sold his own people. Most of the time, they were innocent and he just made up a charge. Of course, he made sure they took the people who were said to be conspiring against the Red Force first.

Trying to fight the urge to vomit, Jongin didn't notice he had reached the last few houses of his village. Behind another house, someone coughed quietly. The surprise made Jongin leave his thoughts be and concentrate on the possible threat in front of him.

"Who are you?" he asked calmly.

A guy his age stepped out of the shadows. He was not very tall and had short hair and big, serious eyes. The look in his eyes would have been enough to make a grown, armed man shiver out of fear.

Jongin let out a relieved sigh.

"It's you! What are you doing here, I thought it was too dangerous to come here today?" Excited to see his best friend, Jongin started smiling and temporarily forgot about his dark thoughts. Kyungsoo sighed and looked him in the eyes.

"Your father made sure to keep the soldiers occupied."

Jongin looked down when he remembered the events of this day. "She had a little child to take care of. I hope her neighbours will look after it. If I'm caught helping the victims a second time, he'll kill me."

At the last part, Kyungsoo inspected the other's face, furrowing his eyebrows. He stretched out a hand towards Jongin's face, who flinched. Kyungsoo let his hand sink again.

"Your mother must have seen that bruise. Doesn't she say anything when he does that?"

"Well, she's obviously more intelligent than I am and keeps her mouth shut," Jongin answered, the sarcasm quite obvious in his voice. "But enough of me, how are your siblings?"