✔ 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 [𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑃𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒]

«... of the Annual Purge ...»

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟐𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓. 𝟏𝟎 𝐀.𝐌.

𝟗 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐆𝐄.

An hour later, the old man was still sitting at the counter and had now gulped down his seventh glass of whiskey. His movements were gradually becoming erratic and his lips sluggish, which meant that most of the words he uttered were nothing more than an unintelligible slur. But when it came to ordering another glass of that high-dose alcohol, Shownu could understand him just fine. He was just starting to not approve, as the gentleman was not only disrespecting the store owner, but also hurling insults at returning patrons that would make your ears light up red.

Even someone like Jungkook, who was usually very polite and friendly to the guests, slowly lost his patience and asked the old man several times to behave according to the public. The fact that he himself was insulted in the process did not bother the youngest much.

At some point, the man began to go completely berserk from the alcohol intoxication. He could hold his heavy tongue less and less in check and when Jungkook wanted to take the glass from him, he became violent. That was the point when it became too much for the store owner Shownu. He walked around the counter and put his two hands heavily on the old man's shoulders. They felt frail and thin under the jacket, yet he seemed to be able to muster a lot of strength despite his old days.

"That's enough," Shownu still tried in a calm but firm tone.

"You can't order me to do anything! I'm my - let me go, you unhopped boy!" With hands and feet, the man resisted the grip of the tall, brown-haired Korean. With all his strength he tried to free himself from the strong arms, while the guests gaped in their direction, completely confused - and interested.

Suddenly, the Purge coverage on TV was only half as interesting.

"You've had enough to drink, sir. Pay up and then please go home," Shownu determined ruthlessly. And when the man realized he was no match for the immense strength, he dropped to the floor like a wet sack. Just in time, a young man came to the shopkeeper's rescue and was able to catch the decrepit man, otherwise the giant would have dropped him.

Shownu raised his eyes and looked into the face of his helper.

A broad-shouldered, rather muscular, but not particularly tall Korean man. His hair shone a brilliant white, but the tips shimmered a cold shade of blue.

He knew him.

Lee Hoseok, also known as Shin Hoseok, a name change after he took over the corner pastry shop. This young man came to his store very often. Ramen was his favorite dish, so Hoseok often came to enjoy the delicious food there. "Thank you very much," Shownu said and hoisted the man together with Hoseok, back onto his bar stool. The latter gave a soft groan and tried to get a better grip with both hands.