Chapter 1 : Arrival

336 3 0
                                    

I can't believe I'm doing this.

I never thought I'd take money for something like this, but that man was so pathetic and sad, I couldn't help it. I need to get rid of him. That terrible man. He escaped me before and I won't allow it to happen again. I'm doing a solid 70 down the highway, gripping the steering wheel of my car so roughly my knuckles are going white. The bag of green duct tape crackles in the seat next to me, the rolls thudding together as I drive. The lighter and box of cigarettes I brought with me rattle in the cup holder. I sweep my hair back, sticking it against my head. I went to the store and bought some better clothing. This shirt looks cheesy but it's comfortable, the material cool against my back scar, so I don't mind it.
I look out the windshield to my right and see it. Green Home Apartments. I go over the plan again. Rent out a room close to him, find him, knock him out and figure out where he has the girl. It's simple enough and shouldn't take long.
I turn on the turn signal and drive into the parking lot, finding a space far away from the entrance. I put my car in park and take my keys out of the ignition. I grab all my things, including a picture of the girl which I quickly look at. Tannish skin, black eyes, black hair tied in pigtails, in a middle school gym uniform holding a little keychain with a red embroidered turtle plush hanging off of it. She seems so happy, like she just won and award. I need to find her. It's my only mission.
I enter the doors of Green Home, the smell of strong cleaners entering my nose. There's a security guard holding a mop and bucket. Strange, a security guard mopping the floors. Don't they have a cleaning lady? There's a woman at the front desk beckoning me over to her. I walk up to her, seeing her expression change as she gets a good look at me.
"H-hello sir, welcome to Green Home Apartments. Are you checking in or returning?" She stammers as she sees my face. Her eyes trace the burn scar adorning my right cheek and the right side of my neck. "I want a room." I respond, my voice smooth and deep. She pulls a key off of the hook, but it's on the 12th floor. That bastard is on the 8th floor.
"I want a room on the 8th floor," I say. "I have a friend on the 8th floor and I'd like to be closer to them." She stares at me strangely before giving me a room key. I nod a thank you to her and walk swiftly out of the lobby. Suddenly, something jumps out at me. A little kid jumps at me, running into my legs and falling on the floor. "Yeong - Su! Come here now!" A taller man followed by a little girl turns the corner, swiftly picking up the little boy. "I'm so sorry, sir!" He says, bowing slightly to me. He takes his kid around a corner, presumably to give him a stern talking to. I continue down the hallway, the bag of duct tape securely in my hand. I press a button and the elevator door slides open. I step in, going to the back and pressing my back to the wall. I pull out a cigarette and light it as I press the button for the 8th floor. I take a long drag off of the cigarette, smoke billowing out of my mouth in a thick cloud. Suddenly, the elevator stops on the 5th floor and a man gets in. He's tall, close to my height, and wearing glasses, a blue shirt and dark grey pants. In his right hand he has a Bible. I take a step over, letting him find his floor and lay against the wall.
"You know, you shouldn't be smoking in such an enclosed space, it's not polite to others who want to use the elevator." I don't look at him, taking another long drag and blowing it away from him.
"My name is Jung Jay - Hun, I'm a Korean language teacher Yeongchan High School. What's your name?" I sigh, replying simply, "Sang - Wook." I'm not giving him my whole name, that's foolish. "Sang - Wook, huh? That's an interesting name." The doors open and I take the opportunity to get out and he waves to me as the doors close. I'm finally on the 8th floor. I know what his room number is. Room 802. I walk down the hallway, stopping in front of his door. I give it a firm knock, waiting for him to answer.
The door opens and I finally see him. That fucker, Choi Yoon - Jae. He's standing, using the door to protect his lower half as he pokes his head out to stare at me. I ball up my fist and punch up, connecting with his lower jaw. His head flies up as his grip on the door goes loose. I take the opportunity to barge in and close the door behind me. I drop the bag of duct tape in a nearby chair, removing a roll from it and starting it.
It seems the punch wasn't enough to knock him out, as Yoon - Jae jumps on my back, wrapping his arms around my next and squeezing. I stumble around the apartment, Yoon - Jae screaming like a fool. "HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME IN MY OWN HOME YOU BASTARD!" He screams at me. I grab a drawer from a nearby dresser, pulling it out completely and slamming the empty drawer against his head. He releases my neck from his grasp and collapses on the floor in a little pile. I take the roll of duct tape off of the couch and begin wrapping him. I wrap him round and round, going through like, 8 or 9 rolls before he's finally covered in a couple layers of tape. I need some food. I cover his mouth in a layer of tape, take his house key and exit, locking the door behind me.

{I hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter! This is my first time doing a story like this so I hope you enjoy! The final word count is 1074 words.}

"Gangster"Where stories live. Discover now