POISONED YOUTH: TWISTED

CHAPTER 46

Young Donghyuck had never supported violence. Even as a child, he had always believed there had to be another way, something better than hurting people just because they had done something wrong. But the moment the rainbows disappeared from his world and the loud, terrifying thud of a body hitting the floor flashed before his eyes, something inside him stopped functioning.

He remembered how he wailed and squirmed desperately in the arms of an unknown man, trying to break free despite knowing there was nowhere for him to go. He remembered screaming every curse word he knew, his little voice cracking as he watched the scene unfolding in front of him. Most of all, he remembered the horrifying sight of red liquid slowly pooling beneath his father's body, staining the floor while the person responsible stood there as if nothing had happened.

"What can you say, little sunshine? Did you like what you saw?"

That teasing gaze. That awful grin. That booming laugh. That moment.

He called it evil.

But as the years passed, Lee Donghyuck realized that evil had not simply surrounded his life. It had slowly become a part of him.

The anger that built inside him never disappeared. Neither did the grudge that had been growing quietly in his chest since the day his father died. So when the opportunity came, he did not hesitate. He skillfully snatched the knife from the man's hand and drove it straight into his chest.

He twisted the metal before pulling it out, then stabbed him again without a second thought. The man scoffed, his breath leaving him for the last time before his body finally dropped to the ground.

Lee Donghyuck stared at his hands, watching the blood coating his fingers.

That was when reality finally hit him.

He was the son of a well-known mafia boss, and the darkness surrounding his family had finally swallowed him whole.

He had never understood what it meant to become a devil until he looked at himself and realized the truth.

He was one of them.

Years later, Haechan pulled up in front of an old, rusty house and slammed the car door harder than necessary. He moved through the surrounding fences with ease, landing steadily on both feet before making his way toward the entrance. His movements were quiet and controlled, the kind of silence that made it difficult to believe someone had just crossed the property.

He pulled the gun from his holster and kicked the front door open, firing almost immediately.

A painful yell echoed through the house.

Haechan's lips curled into a faint smirk beneath his mask as he walked toward the wounded man. He crouched in front of him, bringing himself down to the older man's eye level before grabbing his chin roughly and forcing his head upward.

"S-spare me."

"Give me access to IKON, and maybe I'll consider it."

The man's eyes widened slightly. His breathing became shaky as he struggled to find the words. "I-I..."

"Time's running."

"I retired!" he cried desperately.

Haechan scoffed and briefly looked around the interior of the house before returning his attention to the man.