The Birth of the Devil

THIRD TRIMESTER: DELIVERY 2/2

THE BIRTH OF THE DEVIL

“Get me some beers here.” A grumpy voice echoed throughout the wide room. The command came from a bearded man probably in his late thirties, a cigarette in his mouth while he shuffles a deck of cards. A woman wearing a red halter top and a skimpy skirt jeans nodded. She came back with three bottles of cold beers in her hands, one for each of the men playing at the center of the room.

“Hyung, do we really have to wait for the boy to wake up? He’s been snoozing for a good two days!” A shorter man wearing a yellow bandana on his head tapped the table in frustration; a beer was passed to him.

“Apparently, yes…so...Don’t complain. The pay’s good anyway.” The man’s cigarette was lighted by the woman.

“Yah! We get to be guard dogs and we get paid thrice the amount of our usual customers. This is life!” The third man wearing a dirty white sleeveless shirt gulped the liquor in a half.

“Woman! Get some water for the lover boy.” The oldest shouted. “I think we need to wake him up. I’m starting to get bored with these cards.” The woman nodded and came back with a bottle of cold water. The man with the bandana took it and poured the entire fill towards the tied boy in the chair. The woman backpedaled in the corner, not wanting to take part in any of the actions transpiring in front of her.

“Wakey wakey, lover boy.” The short man teased as he emptied the bottle. The other two men went nearer.

“Ugghh..” The tied boy’s head moved and his eyes flutter. “Unnnngg..Pffffff” He woke up and spat the water that got into his mouth. “What—where am I?” He weakly muttered into the air. When he lifted his head, his eyes flung open. He saw three men gawking at him inside what seemed to be an old dumpster warehouse. Pile of wooden boxes and metal containers were sprawled everywhere and on one corner, there was a girl quietly observing—her expression was cold but her eyes showed a worrisome fear. At the sight of her, the boy suddenly remembered his wife. “Miyoung! Miyoung? Where did you take my wife? You monsters!” He wagged to break free from the knot his hands were in. It was futile, the chains fastening him to the wooden chair was clasped tight.

“Oh, feisty!” The older man blew the smoke into the boy’s face. “Taeyeon, right? I’m Poncho.” He didn’t wait for Taeyeon to respond. “This is Ramirez, my brother-in-law.” He pointed to the shorter man with the yellow bandana on his head. “And this is Domingo, a good friend of mine.” He directed his arm to the man wearing a sleeveless shirt.  “Now, that we’re introduced like civil persons, know that we were paid to guard you. So no funny business, lover boy. We’re just doing our job…like you know, we need money and we work hard for it. We’re humans; we need to eat and feed our children as well. It’s just that…this time…you’re the work we have to do. No hard feelings, okay?” He gleefully smiled at Taeyeon as another smoke was puffed in his face.

Taeyeon coughed at the moment he inhaled the smog. The bad breath mixed with the vapor was hurting his lungs. He had never smoked in his entire lifetime and having the odor into his system sickens him. But the thought of his wife was more important at the moment. So he mustered all the courage he had and asked. “Where’s my wife? Where’s Miyoung? What did you do to her?” He was glaring at them.

“Ah! Such a romantic man. Now I feel disturbed.” The man named Domingo sat beside him. “You know, just between you and me…women really get men into trouble! You should stay away from them!” He pitifully stared at Taeyeon. “Look where you are now.” Then, he stood up and went back to the seat he was sitting before.

The man named Poncho was already sitting on the center table, shuffling his cards again when Domingo sat beside him. “Don’t agitate lover boy, Domingo. He’s just a poor dreamer. Leave him.” Poncho puffed another fume.