from me to you. → kth | ✓

32.

chapter thirty-two: who i am

tw: discussions of disability, abuse, violence, gore and vomiting

I WAKE UP in a brightly lit room. As my eyes adjust, I realise that it's quite office-like.

"Are you awake? I expect so, but I won't lie- that hit must have hurt." A voice says softly, gradually getting closer to me.

I'm seated on a couch of some sort, with my head resting on the top of the seat. It feels way too heavy and my neck muscles feel too tense to allow me to lift it, so I'm left guessing and waiting for this mystery person to finally approach me.

A few more seconds pass and their light footsteps come to a halt. A feeling of sheer terror and fright runs down my spine in the form of a tingly chill as I recognise their facial features.

Small eyes, smaller than mine, with a small nose and a tight-lipped smile. He's dressed in one of his favourite suits and his black hair is styled quite nicely for someone I believe to be dead. Well, believed.

"It's been some time," He says, sitting next to me. "How's your head?"

I try to respond but he cuts in.

"It hurts a lot, doesn't it?" He seethes. He raises both arms as if he's about to hit me and I'm stuck there, helpless and barely able to move. He drops them when he sees me flinch and bursts into a fit of laughter. This induces warm tears that line my lower eyelids.

"If I wanted to hit you, baby, I would have done that. No, I got Jackson to do it for me instead."

Who would've thought? Jackson is on Mark's side. But why did he want us to lose to Mark? Or win? Either way, I'm starting to get really confused and my thoughts are getting muddled up.

"Why did you bring me here?" I manage to ask.

"Me? Wouldn't it be fairer to say you walked right to me? From the time you met Wang, you were on your way here. Then again, we shouldn't be pointing fingers at anybody."

"That doesn't answer my question," I say.

"I'll give you the opportunity to find that out yourself. Right now, a negotiation meeting is about to occur downstairs." He says, pointing to where I assume to door is. Again, I'm unable to look.

Doesn't he know that I know? What's going on?

He groans. "I was saving it for later but here, drink this." He picks up a glass from the table and tries to put it into my hands. Realising I'm not about to take it from him, he forces its contents down my throat.

"Why would you do that?" I shout, just as I swallow it. It chokes me in its hot, burning grasp, sliding down my throat painfully slow. "Really? Gin?!"

"Relax." He says. "Look, you're already sitting up."

Much to my surprise but with a certain distaste, I am sitting up. I try to leave but dizziness overtakes me and I'm forced into sitting down again.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you. Not at least until I'm done talking."

"But I don't want to hear you talk," I mutter, searching the room for other potential escape routes. We're trapped in here and he's the last person on the planet I would like to experience this with. He scares me. He's going to hurt me.

He rolls his eyes and faces me. "You'll collapse if you go the way you're going now. So, would you rather do that and worsen your condition, or hear me out and never have to see or hear from me again? Think carefully."

I do as he says and make my immediate decision. If it means I'll never see or hear from him again, who am I to turn such an opportunity down? The only dangers are the fact that I attempted to kill him, failed and now he wants to get his well-deserved revenge.

"Do you know why any of this is going on?"

"Yes." I lie.

"Lying won't get you anywhere." He smiles. "I've known you for a while, Kang. So don't think you can get away with silly sins such as telling a lie. I'll always find out."

I swallow thickly.

"No."

"Good." He smiles. "So we can tell each other the truth. In that case, let me start by asking this: What does Kim do for a living?"

"Cardiology?"

"Wrong!" He laughs. "He works with me. Rather, against me."

My heart sinks into the depths of my stomach. "What?"

"What, indeed. It's best you know who you're marrying."

"W-what does he do? Does he- Does he kill more people or?"

"More people? Aera, he's assisted in the murders of more people than I can count on my fingers and toes combined."

I'm starting to feel sick. Nauseous, even. I can feel the bile rising in my throat and I try my best to swallow it down as effectively as possible.

"How do you get them? What do you do to their families?" I whisper.

"You don't get it, do you? We traffic people, Aera. We take in the cripples, set them up for work and if they mess up? We kill them. They have no use in this world, anyway."

Before I can stop it, vomit exits my mouth and it goes everywhere. It splatters onto the walls shielding us and Mark too. I can feel more approaching my gullet, so he picks up the nearest mini bin and makes sure I aim at it.

"Atta girl." He laughs. "Disgusting it what it is. But it's who we are. Who I am, who the Kims are and most of all, who your family are."

I feel even more coming up so I immediately excuse myself and go to the nearest bin. I go on my knees and heave the contents of my breakfast and lunch into it, eventually feeling a slight tug on my hair as Mark assists me, 'carefully' rubbing my back.

I feel even more disgusted. I want to shrug him off and run away. But I'm much too weak. I'm too weak to say no, and I'm too weak to fight against the sleep-inducing drugs that are currently forcing my eyes shut once more.