Time to Run

7. Clear Off

"How did you know Min-gi?" I asked after coming back and confirming from Min-gi herself regarding her grim history.

"I'm a hitman. They hire me. I might've seen her once or twice before. You should learn to always check on people you encounter. Don't forget that, Ki-hoon." Han says.

"How long has she been... with them?" I asked.

"Quite a while. Years. She started at a young age. She was a crowd favorite. She learns fast. They had a huge family debt to pay." Han explains.

I remembered how every night, I would hold onto Min-gi's hand. Just to console her from her nightmares. How she'd grip on my hand tightly. In agony. I clenched my fists and grit my teeth to this thought.

"You both developed quite a close bond. You and Min-gi." Han says smiling while the police beside him stays still.

"That's fine with me. I think it's great." He states. And why is that?

With this statement from him, I started getting wary. What is this feeling?

Then suddenly, I remembered who Han was. The f*cking psycho who tried hunting us. I should try to relax. I'm different now. I don't easily cave in to fear and pressure anymore. I don't tremble easily anymore. Meditation and those other lessons helped a lot.

"How are my parents?" I asked.

"About that, Ki-hoon. I have regretful news." Han starts signaling the police and he hands down a file to me.

"We tried. But we we're too late. I'm sorry about this." Han says.

Sorry about what?

I opened the file and my emotional regulation is falling apart. I gripped tight on the paper and read through each page.

Dismembered parts for the male victim.
Signs of torture s/a pulled nails, broken fingers, ears cut, skin peels, etc.
Missing organs s/a kidneys and lungs.
Bruises on the female genitalia and rectal opening.
Trauma causing internal bleeding.
Cause of death: hypovolemic shock.

My dear parents.
My mom.
My dad.

I shut my eyes closed from the photos I've seen. I recalled. The memories I had.

[ "Dad! Come on! Why are you smiling on a protest? What's wrong with you?" I asked as I hugged and pulled him out of a rally.

He continously chuckles as I said "I don't get why you come to these pointless things. With your luck the police will come in and beat you to death."

"Alright, alright. Then how'd you know I was here?" my dad asked. Still smiling and chuckling at sight of me. The sight of his son who's hardly around and never measured up to anything. ]

[ "I never thought I'd see the day I'd live long enough to have my own son buy me some clothes." my mom says happily as she checks on the blouse I bought her.

I glanced at her with a proud smile in my face. I'm happy to have made you happy mom. ]

With this, I just couldn't hold my tears back. F*ck it. I thought I'm different now.  I thought I could control my emotions better.

"I'm really sorry, Ki-hoon. Since they're gone now, I won't force you to finish the deal with Bong-soo. I'm sure Min-gi can handle it alone. After all, she's been had by Bong-soo multiple times. Everyone in that gang has had a piece of her." Han says and this just increases the stress that I'm feeling. To the point of losing sanity.

Despite the mutliple grim news that's been punching me in the f*cking face, I'm sensing something odd with this.

I decided to look back at the police file for my parents. Word by word. Photo by photo.