Kang Myeong Suk started running towards the parked car. And with its door left open, he aimed to slide into the driver’s side.
But the man saw him dash past and immediately figured out what he intended to do, so he zipped his pants up in haste and charged towards Kang Myeong Suk.
The man forcefully pulled Kang Myeong Suk by the collar, therefore preventing him from climbing inside the vehicle. The effort made both of them lose their balance, rolling a few times on the cold pavement and ending up sprawled on their backs. Nevertheless, Kang Myeong Suk was quick on his feet and he was able to stand up to force another attempt at stealing the car for his escape.
Upon seeing him lurch towards the vehicle, the man urged himself to rise, then took a full swing at the culprit with his fist landing a solid blow to the hollow of Kang Myeong Suk’s cheek. A brawl followed, and the two men reeled and exchanged punches like there was no tomorrow.
Eventually, the man who owned the car got the upper hand. He pinned Kang Myeong Suk to the ground, straddling his torso to subdue him, then used his build and strength to beat the criminal to a pulp. Only when his knuckles started to ache that the man stopped hitting Kang Myeong Suk who already passed out at that moment.
The man stood up, knees shaking as the effect of the natural jolt of adrenaline started to subside. He walked towards his car with unsteady strides, swaying moderately on his feet. He leaned on the side of his car as he tried to find his balance while his head spun, almost to the point of making him nauseous.
It was at this point when Kang Myeong Suk regained his consciousness. He scanned his surroundings through half-shut eyes which were severely injured by the shards of the fake eyeglass he was wearing. As he tried to assess the situation he was in, his attention was caught by a pointed rock the size of his hands that was scattered among the litter near the curb. He reached for it, groping and crawling in the process until he was finally able to wrap his fingers around the irregular shaped fragment.
Right where Kang Myeong Suk picked up the rock stood Eon Jin and Hyo Jin who were overseeing the events per usual.
“Be sure to get this done in no time,” Eon Jin told Hyo Jin in a low voice, her scowl showing utmost contempt at what was about to happen.
Hyo Jin nodded in acknowledgment and said, “Of course. I despise these kinds of cases as much as you do.”
They both watched as events unfolded just as it played in Eon Jin’s mind an hour ago.
Kang Myeong Suk, although gravely injured, was able to stand on his feet from being on all fours. And upon seeing the man leaning on the vehicle with his back turned, he seized the opportunity and struck his target in the head with the rock he was holding.
The man yelled in agony as blood slowly trickled down his nape. Already at a disadvantage because of the fresh wound on his head, he stumbled, eventually falling on his buttocks. Kang Myeong Suk tackled him and pinned him to the ground in a similar manner. Unfortunately, the strength remaining in him was already too little to none due to the impact of the recent blow he received from Kang Myeong Suk combined with the fatigue from their fight earlier. In effect, he was no longer able to protect himself from his assailant’s wrath. He tried to push Kang Myeong Suk away, but the guy raised his arms to bash the man’s skull one more time — and another — until the man moved no more.
In spite of being knowledgeable of how the events will unfold, Eon Jin still found herself looking away, disgusted at everything that was happening in front of her.
“The gods are truly something else,” she said under her breath, then pulled the brim of her hat down to hide the scorn raging in her eyes.
Having completed her assignment, all that Eon Jin was left to do was to let the grim reaper call the man’s name, allowing the soul to leave the body, and for her to conjure the same purple flower — a customary token she bestowed to the departed that was her finale.
However, as if fate decided to play jokes on her again, a variable suddenly turned up, therefore causing a shift in the succeeding course of events.
“Kang Myeong Suk! Stop right there!”
Eon Jin stopped dead on her tracks the moment she heard his voice. The hand that was holding the purple hyacinth shook, while her eyes widened with confusion, panic, and trepidation.
“Kang Myeong Suk!”
She wanted to give him a warning and prevent him from intervening further, yet she seemed to fail in finding her voice. She was extremely bewildered that she needed to bite her lips to keep it from trembling.
Kang Myeong Suk quickly took one look at the approaching police officer in the rear view mirror before stepping on the pedals, tires screeching as he carelessly maneuvered the car to escape.
At once, Tae Pyung pulled out his pistol from its holster while running after the culprit, then fired several shots at the fleeing vehicle. His first attempt was successful as he was able to land a bullet on Kang Myeong Suk’s shoulder, but the rest were unluckily ineffectual since he was only able to hit several points on the car’s exterior. Ultimately, he gave up when he saw that the vehicle already picked up its momentum and made a sharp turn to the right, entering the freeway.
Wasting no time, he took his phone out of his jacket and called Kyung Won to inform him that Kang Myeong Suk was on the run using a stolen getaway car.
After hanging up the phone, he hurried back to the scene of the crime, reaching the man in a couple of strides. He knelt by the body to place two fingers on a specific spot on his wrist to find a pulse, then moved them to the victim’s neck when he was unsuccessful. At that point, the man’s skin was already turning to a shade of bluish-purple, and the jugular area where Tae Pyung’s fingers were still pressed on was already sticky from the pool of blood that surrounded the victim’s head.
Hyo Jin took one nervous glance at Eon Jin who was standing stupefied beside her before carrying out her agenda.
“Nam Se Gun,” she called out once.
To the shock of the mythical beings, Kim Tae Pyung lifted his face upwards, his eyes automatically locking with Eon Jin’s.
“What are you doing?” he asked her, his utter bewilderment draining his face of color. “Call an ambulance.”
Eon Jin was taken aback, and her breath was caught in a startled gasp. Try as she might, she could not comprehend why it was happening for the second time.
“Nam Se Gun,” Hyo Jin declared, her voice growing firm and insistent.
“Why the hell are you just standing there!?” Tae Pyung bellowed at the ladies. “Call an ambulance!”
“Nam Se Gun.”
As Hyo Jin summoned the soul for the third time, Tae Pyung felt the man take one final breath, and it was followed by a shudder that ran from his head down his toes.
All of a sudden, Tae Pyung found himself at a loss, with both eyes dilated for a few seconds or so out of trauma. His hands were terribly quivering as he brought his fingers to the man’s neck once more, desperately searching for any signs of life even if he knew that at that exact second, there would be nothing left to find.
Although reluctant, Hyo Jin reached out to Eon Jin whose face was equally frozen in shock.
“We need to go now,” she whispered as she gently touched Eon Jin’s arm. “We still need to proceed to the boulevard leading to the grand bridge.”
Eon Jin stiffly nodded and moved, following Hyo Jin’s guidance. Still stuck in a daze, she slowly took small, uncertain steps away from the scene of the crime and towards her sedan which was parked a few feet from where they stood.
“Son Eon Jin!”
Her body went rigid as she finally heard him scream her name out. Yet, as if on instinct, she willed herself to turn and face him in order to confront an enigmatic truth she was already cognizant of.
Photo by 1 1 on Unsplash
Comments (0)
See all