Chasing Butterflies

Old Debts... New Friends

Jae's narrowed eyes followed Izzy as she practically sprinted out of the apartment. 'Going out' was a lame excuse, he knew that she didn't have anywhere else to go and even if she did, she had no money left. He also knew that she didn't just 'find' that jacket.

He leaned down and dug through the pocket of his discarded jeans before pulling out his phone and leaning back into the couch. The water began running in the bathroom and he knew that Cassie had started the shower, which meant that she would be occupied for at least thirty minutes. Plenty of time to take care of business.

He dialed the familiar number and waited through the ringing tones. The ringing stopped, the line cracked but was silent. Until— "What do you want?" The scratchy voice growled through the phone.

"Well hello to you too, have a good night, did we?" Jae's sarcastic tone only served to piss off the guy on the line, more so than he already was.

"I will cut off your supply and not even blink an eye unless you tell me what the hell you want right now, Jae." The threat had Jae's heart racing, he needed the high, he couldn't afford to lose his supplier.

"Alright, I'll cut to it. Your girl's been crashing at Cassie's place." He couldn't decipher what the silence on the other side of the phone was supposed to mean.

"And makes you think I care? I dumped her and she left my place, I don't care where she goes now," he sounded bored with the information. "If that's all you had for me then goodbye."

"Wait!" Jae hadn't told him why he called yet.

"What?" The irritated voice on the line made Jae sigh in relief.

"There's something else that you should know."

"Then get on with it, I don't have all day." Jae could tell that Youngkyun's patience was running short.

"Do you remember those guys a couple years ago that ran off without paying their debt?"

"What about them?" Youngkyun hissed into the phone, he hated to be reminded of that.

"It might be a stretch but I think Izzy was wearing one of their jackets."

The line was silent for a minute. Then Jae heard the sound of glass being smashed through the phone. Youngkyun obviously wasn't pleased with the news.

"How the hell do you know that it was one of their jackets? Where did she get it?"

"What other tool do you know that owns a highlighter-blue leather jacket?" Youngkyun hissed in a breath at hearing that. "I thought the damn thing looked familiar so I asked her and she fed me some stupid lie about how she 'found it' when she was out. She's not a good liar you know."

"Yes, I know," Youngkyun growled. "I have something to take care of. I'll throw you the next supply for free in exchange for the information. Goodbye." The line went dead and Jae sighed in relief. Youngkyun wasn't an easy guy to get along with but he held more power than he ever let on, and his bad side was not something Jae wanted to get on.

***

Youngkyun slammed his cellphone down on the coffee table, not caring if the damn thing broke. He was too furious to care about anything.

"Babe, can we order food? I'm starving," The bleach-blonde that sauntered from his bedroom whined annoyingly in his ear.

"Do whatever the hell you want!" He screamed at her. "I'm busy." The girl pouted but moved to the kitchen, typing something on her phone. Youngkyun didn't even bother to apologize for yelling at her. Why should he apologize to a girl whose name he hadn't even bothered to learn?

He sat on the couch, seething in his fury. So they were back. Those damned boys who accepted his money and ran off without repaying their debt. And now it seems that they were picking up whatever trash he tossed away. The bones of his hand creaked with how tightly Youngkyun clenched his fists. He didn't give a damn about Izzy but he couldn't let her loose and allow her to tell those bastards all about him. Not that the girl even knew anything worthy of telling; two years living under his roof and she was still as ignorant as she was the day they met. Izzy didn't have any information on him, that much Youngkyun knew, but his rage blinded him, and before he knew it he had dialed the number.

"Hello?" The voice on the other side greeted wearily.

"Hello." A sharp intake of breath was heard on the line as he made his curt greeting.

"Mr.Lee—sir, hello. Uh how are you?" His stuttering voice made Youngkyun's eyes roll so far back in their sockets that it seemed they might get stuck there.

"I'm not in the mood for pleasantries. There is something that I need you to do."

"Oh! Of course sir, anything." The man on the phone was practically sweating bullets from the unease that this phone call was giving him.

"Your daughter." The line cracked and went quiet.

"W-what?"

"Your daughter," Youngkyun repeated with an irritated sigh. "I need you to take her back. I don't care how you do it. I don't care if you have to bribe her, trick her, or kidnap her, but you will get her back into your house and keep her there. No visitors. No going out. And no sneaking out. I know how you've had some trouble with that in the past. But do try to make sure that the past doesn't repeat itself," his commanding tone left no room for argument. But that apparently didn't stop this man from trying.

"Mr.Lee—sir, I don't mean no disrespect but my daughter is no longer welcome in my house." The aggressive edge in his voice only served to piss Youngkyun off even more.

Youngkyun stayed silent for a moment, jaw clenched. "Need I remind you, Sanghyuk, that your business would have collapsed if it were not for me."

"Y-yes sir, I know,but—"

"You would have lost your company, your house, and your gold-digging wife, had I not agreed to pay your debts for you."

"Yes but—"

"And when I gave you the money to pay for your business I warned you. I told you that I would come to collect the debt you owe me, in one form or another."

"Sir I—"

"I saved your company from going under. This is my price." This time Sanghyuk did not try to argue, he knew that he could not win. His debt to Lee Younkyun was steep and it seems that this was the only way that payment could be made.

With quiet defeat clear in his voice, Sanghyuk mumbled, "I will try my best, sir."

"Don't try. Do." Youngkyun vigorously stabbed the end call button but it did nothing to curb his anger.

He threw his phone down on the couch and sprung out of his seat, seeing red. That man dared to try and say no. He dared. Everyone who struck a deal with Yungkyun knew that the price was steep. And he could collect the debt in whatever way saw fit. Keeping Izzy locked up was the price Sanghyuk would have to pay.

But not everyone payed their debt like they were supposed to. Only once did one of Youngkyun's deals go unpaid. Those bastard borrowed money and when they couldn't pay it back they ran. And now it seems they were toying around with his leftovers. He couldn't have that. For two years they had managed to evade him along with the payment of their debt and Youngkyun wanted revenge. And if precious little Izzy was so important to them that they were staking their claim with a lousy jacket around her shoulders, then they wouldn't be too happy when she vanished from their lives.