Daldal: Main story

Chapter 7

The horrifying sight that met Eun-oh's eyes as he regained consciousness was none other than the face of the tormentor, Gak-sae.

Eun-oh, rising abruptly, vomited. This was the face of the person who deprived him of sleep every night, and now, after falsely accusing him, subjected him to meongseok-mari.

It was no wonder that seeing this face made his stomach turn.

Gak-sae, revealing his yellowed teeth, retorted

"Where do you get off puking at the sight of a person's face? You haven't had enough yet, huh?"

Raising his hand as if to strike again,
Gak-sae's fist, resembling a pot lid, was as threatening as the club. Eun-oh quickly used both arms to shield his head, but the intensity of the pain forced a scream from him.

Even though he only moved his arms, the agony seemed to engulf his entire body. It was a pain that left tears streaming down his face. He had been beaten so harshly that there was no way he would be okay.

Witnessing Eun-oh's pathetic state, Gak-sae chuckled sadistically.

"You loser. That's what you get for doing perverted things and earning yourself a beating, huh?"

"I... I didn't do such things."

With a strained voice, Eun-oh vehemently countered, his swollen throat protesting. However, Gak-sae pushed his head forward, speaking menacingly

"You didn't do it, huh? You stole glances while others were having sex"

"I didn't steal glances..."

"Tsk. Got caught red-handed, and now you claim you weren't looking? If you weren't looking, why get caught by me? Huh?"

"That was... I thought she seemed in pain and wanted to help..."

"Oh, really? Did the bitch, who enjoys getting fucked and thinks it's great, look like she was in pain? Bullshit. What nonsense are you talking? You probably enjoyed seeing her suffer."

"No, it's not like that..."

Thwack! Gak-sae's hefty fist mercilessly struck Eun-oh's head. The size of the fist matched the extraordinary force behind it. It was so strong that the moment it hit him, his neck was bent abnormally and his head fell down.

"Damn it! You want to talk back? Huh?"

Not satisfied with the beating, Gak-sae spat on Eun-oh's head.

"Feeling unfairly treated, huh? Wondering why I hit you? Because you deserved it. You did something to deserve it."

"... "

"I was just watching something interesting after barely managing to doze off, but damn! You had to mess it up. You're responsible now. Huh? Do you know how much trouble that bitch caused me with her temper? I had to soothe her, losing both money and patience. It's all because of you."

Gak Sae pressed Eun Oh's forehead with his finger. It was a behavior that made people feel small. Eun-oh's head wobbled in response to the man's touch. Suddenly, Gak-sae shook his hefty fist in front of Eun-oh's eyes, menacingly making threats.

"Make sure not to blabber anywhere, especially to Mr Cho. Watch your mouth around that damn person. Don't stay quiet."

Fearing another blow to his head, Eun-oh reluctantly nodded. Despite Gak-sae's threats, Eun-oh had no intention of going to Mr Cho to explain or complain. What was the point? Would Mr Cho even listen?

Yesterday, despite Eun-oh's tearful pleas and denials, Mr Cho didn't pretend to hear him once. He said that he will be beaten even more severely for continuing to spout lies without remorse. Was there any chance that someone like him would now pay attention to what Eun-oh had to say? It was an absurd notion.

Recalling the time he was beaten to death, a sense of unfairness washed over him. The pain in his body was one thing, but what truly hurt was the injustice. It would have been fine if he had made a mistake and received punishment, but he was hit without any wrongdoing. The feeling of being wronged quickly swelled. Soon, thick tears rolled down from Eun-oh's large eyes.

"Stop whining, you damn guy. Quit crying and come out to work quickly. Mr Cho is eagerly waiting, so you'll have a hard time for a while."

Chuckling, the guy left with a vile laughter, seemingly devoid of any sense of guilt for falsely accusing an innocent person. Left alone, Eun-oh wiped away his tears with the back of his hand. Every movement elicited complaints from his aching body. With every motion, a groan escaped his lips.

"Hmm....it hurts...."

Being beaten with a club and then told to work was truly cruel. Eun-oh shivered not only from the pain but also from the remorseless cruelty of Mr Cho and Gak-sae.

He trembled twice by the coldness of humans, once for the malice of Mr Cho and Gak-sae, and the second time for the coldness of the people who watched him being punished yesterday.

Are all people in this world like that? How can they be so heartless?

For a long time afterward, Eun-oh trembled from the overall pain and overwhelming sorrow. He cried for a long time, soaking his right sleeve with tears. And at the end of that long cry, he made a decision.

To run away.

He tried to endure. He attempted to withstand until he repaid the value of the stolen items, until he was told to leave, somehow enduring it all. However, in this moment, Eun-oh realizes that it is an impossible task. Enduring a day is already so strenuous; how could he possibly hold on until an uncertain day of liberation?
Before this winter passes, whether he dies from being beaten or succumbs to exhaustion, or falls prey to some illness, it felt like he would die in any case.

Truly, this place was unfit to survive. Despite its grand and splendid exterior, the inside was more uncomfortable and unpleasant than his scabby hut. The warm room was no longer satisfying. Rather than gritty grains of rice, stiff grass seemed more reassuring. Animals were better than people, and being alone was more comfortable than being with others.

His mother's words were right. He couldn't rely on people, and living among them wasn't suitable either. So, he decided to go back. Back to where his mother's grave was. Back to where Yeoul is. Having made his decision, Eun-oh wiped away his tears once again with his sleeve. Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

When he opened his eyes again, his pitch black eyes were filled with determination than ever.