THE RESTLESS AUTUMN (completed) (a full-length novel)

A Translucent Air

Chapter 7

A pungent smell of blood crawled along the stairway leading to the underground warehouse. Two men at the bottom of the stairs pushed the door to let her in. The graffiti on the wall made the spatter of blood less visible but on closer look one could easily assess how much violence had taken place earlier on. Holding the tray of food and water, Euna nervously trudged into the room with a chill on her spine. She immediately spotted her victim on the floor under a yellow light bulb, eyes blindfolded, hands and feet heavily bound by a thick nylon cord. Both sides of his face had streaks of blood; his white shirt had turned dark red. Sensing someone coming, Ji-heon quickly pushed himself until his back reached the wall. His breathing turned heavy realizing the identity of his visitor. Quietly she put down the tray and knelt beside him. His pain, his bloodied face and broken spirit were all proofs of her betrayal. This image, a clear extent of damage she had done him, would stay with her for the rest of her life. She badly wanted to touch his face but her fingers curled back. When she reached for the knot behind his head, Ji-heon turned away and uttered, "Don't. I don't want to see you."

"I'm-sorry."

"Why?"

Euna covered her mouth and silently wept.

"Why?" Ji-heon kept asking until tears leaked down to his cheeks.

Her fingertips found his face but again he turned to the other direction. Inching closer, Euna enclosed him in her trembling arms and kissed him softly on his cheek. He struggled to break free but Euna held on to him with all her might. "I hate you," he blurted out.

"I'm sorry," she whispered while cradling him.

"Let me die now…." Ji-heon begged.

Euna buried his face against her chest as she wailed, "NO!"

"I want to die."

"NO!"

A sound of applause from behind.

"This is better than a stage play."

Euna turned to look for the voice. It was Kim Jip-suk, the gang head whom she had only met thrice since she joined the organization two years ago. The first time she was presented to him, Euna carried an air of innocence in her that she was mistaken for a young adolescent. However, Jip-suk didn't fail to notice her transformation when she presented her first victim, Choi Dae-hun, a year after. Euna was now a woman in full bloom, exuding an exquisite look that rivaled the most beautiful in the land. But Shin Tae-woo wouldn't have it that way. He begged his superior to spare his sister in exchange of his share in the ransom money. Meeting Jip-suk was like meeting a legend, Euna would always hear her mentor, Uhm Yeo-ra say. Already in mid 40s, the gang head could still pass for a man in his 20s because of his milky skin complexion and clean-cut look. But beneath the youthful face his hideousness lurked, something which only his followers and victims would know so well.

Euna looked further and saw Yeo-ra together with seven other men that made up the gang head's security group.

"It seems like you've broken rule no.1," Jip-suk said with one hand on his waist and the other, scratching his chin.

Yeo-ra quickly stepped in and said, "Oppa, she's well-trained."

"Then why is she holding him like a lover?"

"They've been together for quite some time. It's normal for her to feel some sympathy for him."

"Feel?" Jip-suk walked slowly to Euna and Ji-heon. "Wasn't I clear about it? Rule no.1 says, no emotions involved."

"Oppa, I assure you. We have Euna's loyalty."

"I need proof."

It was a stare Euna would have understood under normal circumstances but now, she pretended and turned a blind eye.