𝙻𝚄𝙽𝙰 [ 𝙰 L𝚎𝚎 K𝚗𝚘𝚠 Story ]

26~Protector

Hyunjin stared at the screen of his phone with a worried look. In truth, he was not even looking at the screen anymore. The messaging app was open and a short message floated on the black screen that was now all blurry in his unfocused eyes.

Bring the money to our usual place.

The little text had him on his toes throughout the entire day. The boring lectures which felt like hours finished in minutes today. No matter how much he forced himself to prolong his stay in college, the day finally came to an end and it was time to go.

The screen went black but Hyunjin couldn't stop staring at it. His hands shook slightly and beads of perspiration covered his forehead despite the freezing weather outside.

A few of his friends slapped his back while walking past him, snapping him out of his daze. He tore his gaze away from his phone and shoved it away in his pocket. He gave his friends a nervous smile.

"We were planning to go to karaoke, tonight. You comin'?" One of the boys asked Hyunjin.

The boy gulped and shook his head hurriedly, "No, no. I have some work I need to catch up with."

His friends exchanged looks among themselves, not looking very convincing. Hyunjin fidgeted in his place with a forced smile. His friends eventually shrugged and left him all alone in the lecture hall. Hyunjin couldn't tell whether he was relieved or disappointed.

He shoved all his notes inside his bag without care and swung it over his shoulder. He exited the class with heavy steps. His bag felt heavier and yet it didn't have the one thing that he needed the most right now.

Money.

He was regretting everything. If only he hadn't fought at home. If only he hadn't run away thinking that he was capable of earning on his own. If only he hadn't followed two sketchy strangers into a dark alley to earn some 'quick money.

He wouldn't have ended up in this situation. All the money that he had gathered after supplying was all used up to pay for his tuition, including the share that he was supposed to give back. As a punishment, the boys had demanded twice the amount and he didn't even have a penny.

If only he hadn't been so greedy.

He bumped against countless bodies. Few curses at him and a few apologized but it was all a blur to him. He was suddenly craving the kimchi stew that his mother used to make for him. He wasn't sure that he would be able to return to the hostel tonight.

The world of drugs was scary and people weren't supposed to break the rules. Hyunjin had broken quite a few rules and now he couldn't tell if he would live through the night.

While he walked past the corridors, his eyes fell on Felix. He was talking with a girl that Hyunjin had never seen before. She had her arms wrapped around Felix's biceps. The boy had a goofy smile on his face and Hyunjin doubted that he was aware of anything around him except that girl.

His eyes fell on the cheap digital watch in his hand and he cursed under his breath. He bit his lips and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. There was simply no way around it. He took a few deep breaths and started running. Being late would only anger them further.

He ran and ignored whoever he bumped against. He finally came out of the campus and slowed his pace. The designated place was only two blocks away. He looked up at the orange sky. The sun was setting and it was getting colder by the second. It was certainly not a good day to die.