Selfless

4

So Mun felt stiff and sore when he awoke again, he attempted to crack his neck to ease the tension only to bite back a cry at the pain the movement caused.
He had to be careful about revealing that he was conscious, being knocked out wore itself out really quick. If he was knocked out every time he came to then he would never be able to get out, and right now he needed a plan. He needed to contact Wigen....

The door opened, bringing with it the sound of hobbled feet.

"Ahhh, awake again I see." The old man's once kindly voice, now somewhat threatening to hear, rang through the room. "You're not very good at staying down are you?"
So Mun doubted that the elder was actually looking for an answer, yet he let one slip.

"Sorry for the inconvenience." The sarcasm sat heavy on his tongue, and he waited, tension permeating his bones for some kind of backlash to come of it.

The old man stared, silent for a moment, before he burst out a startling cackle. "Ahh, it seems that they've rubbed off on you."

So Mun perked up a little, confused.

"Those people, running around that noodle shop." The man clarified, holding a steady gaze trained on Mun's reaction.

So Mun felt that he should have known that a high level spirit like this would have already known of his relations, but being so caught up in the moment, the thought had never crossed his mind. He needed to gauge just how much he knew though, there was a chance that this was just a bluff to get him to reveal information himself.

"What are you talking about?" So Mun glared, doing his best to hold a steady gaze.

The spirit only seemed a little more amused by his denial, a soft grin appearing. "Heh, humans are really all the same. They tend to think that they're each the only ones who are aware of what's happening around them. Arrogance, seeing those around them as extras on a stage. But then, I can't complain. It's that arrogance that allows me to continue to grow, feasting on their pride and sins until even those who are...gifted, like you, stand no chance against me."

So Mun had read, in so many comics, the villains monologues, wondering every time why the hero didn't just take the opportunity to escape or to eliminate them while they were distracted. But he was forced to realize now, that the villains monologue was not a distracted moment, where his attention was shifted, instead, the attention became more intense, and frantic, in a way.

The old man's eyes flashed red in a terrifyingly hungry way, and for a moment Mun felt helpless, and small, as he did before he became a counter, as he did back when he awoke briefly in the smoking wreckage of his father's car, seeing his mother's lifeless body beside him.

He wondered how many helpless souls this creature had consumed, how long it had been sneaking around their area picking off lonely people.
At least he thought that it must have gone for the ones who lived a solitary lifestyle, as he had not heard of any string of deaths happening recently...  Not since the incident with Mayor Shin and Ji Cheongsin.

They had become complacent, and he could see now how dangerous that had been. To let themselves believe that they had conquered the evil completely only because they had taken down a few spirits.
If his hands hadn't been tied he would have smacked himself for being so stupid.

"Why are you doing this?" Of all the questions he could ask right now, for some reason this was the one that left his mouth. But, for some reason, he felt that it was one that he might actually get an answer for.

"Why?" The old man's face twisted in disbelief, as he feigned to ponder the question. "Are you stupid? Why would I not do this? It's only natural." A chuckle left the creatures mouth, sounding entirely wrong from the the old man's vocal chords.

"Why is it natural?" Mun felt irritation rising in his throat, and giving him a migraine, or rather, adding to the one that he already had.

The man paused again, staring hard at the young man before him, "how is it not? In this world, evolution selects only those it deemes as worthy, through tests of strength and will, to hold dominion over the rest. The top of the food chain may have its pick of the prey, the inferior beings. Ah, I tend to forget that you youngsters don't care for philosophy or analogies. How do I say in simple terms.... Survival of the fittest?" The man's features twisted into a grin, sending chills down his spine once more.

So Mun felt disgust crawling up his throat, curling in his stomach.
"And so, what you're saying, is that you believe that you are the fittest, worthy of doing whatever without question." He scoffed. This was too ridiculous, even among the world of Counters, this was just too much. A psychopathic, anarchist spirit was exactly what he needed to end his week on a high note.  

The man leaned heavily against the shelves, some small items rattling. "Of course. Why else would I have been granted these powers?"