I continue to struggle as I’m shoved further and further down the hall. “Ya! Ya! I can walk on my own!” I snap, yanking my arms free from the men, but they just rush back and grasp me with tighter grips this time. “Don’t you know who I am?? I could end you after this!” I shout at them. One of them chuckles.

“You may have your father’s favor over there, but that doesn’t mean too much over here.” He says, tightening his grip threateningly. I scoff. Who did these guys think they were?  

“And don’t go trying to parade your status around over here either.” The other begins. “Most people over here would end you and your brothers any chance they got. Including me.” He says.

What the hell?

“What did we ever do to you guys?” I ask angrily.

“Oh more than any of you could imagine.” The first guy laughs before coming to a halt at a door.

“We don’t get to make decisions around here. Whatever happened to you over here couldn’t possibly be a result of one of our commands.” I tell them.

“The simple fact of the matter is….” The 2^nd guy begins. “You’re his son.” He snarls before shoving me towards the door. I stumble forwards and look back at them, adjusting my jacket.

Ok.

“Whatever you have to take up with him is your business. We’re not the same person and we don’t share the same problems. Don’t ever associate me with him. You don’t know a damn thing about what goes on over there just as much as I don’t know a thing about what goes on over here. Don’t pull that troubled child crap with me. You know what your problem is, you look him in his face who knows how many times a day, as a matter of fact, he’s sitting here right behind this door right now, but you aren’t going to do anything about it. None of you will EVER do ANYTHING about it! You can’t touch him and you WON’T touch me.” I tell him.

The 1^st guy just stands there, shocked. The 2^nd guy, who wants to kill me, stands there glaring with his fists balled up at his sides, but I’m not worried. Instead I feel compelled to go further. I was tired of everyone linking me with Chief. I was tired of being underestimated and I was tired of being the peaceful one.

“Whatever he did to you, or anyone else, I’m sorry it had to happen. But I’m not the one that should be apologizing.” I continue. “He’s only behind this door. All you have to do is make him pay. Make him sorry for what he did.”

“You’re his son.” The first guy “reminds” me.

I frown. “Am I? Then that should make you wonder, what on Earth could he have possibly done so terrible that his own children want him dead?” I tell them. “You aren’t the only ones hurting and you aren’t the only ones who’ve been through hard times.”

The 2^nd guy still just stands there angrily. I just stare at him for a bit. My intentions weren’t to provoke him, but I wasn’t going to let him walk all over me. “If you’re so upset, fix your problem. Here’s another chance.” I tell him opening the door.

Chief was sitting at his desk with his hands folded under his chin. I look from him back to the 2^nd guy, whose posture improved within seconds. He stood up straight and his fist by his sides loosened their grip. I could see fear in his wide eyes.

I chuckle to myself.

He was scared. That’s why he wouldn’t ever be able to solve his problem. The first guy looks at the second guy and they look back to Chief and quickly bow, not standing back up until they’d hear his command to do so. “I didn’t think so.” I conclude, watching the second guy’s fist ball up all over again. If he didn’t completely hate me before, he’d certainly hate me now.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I push the door to Chief’s East office open even wider and let myself in without even giving him eye contact. He pushes a few papers aside and takes off a pair of reading glasses “to get a good look at me”, he used to say. I cross my arms, standing in front of him. For a while he just looks at me without saying anything, then he motions to a seat across from him. “Have a—“

“No thanks.” I interrupt him, arms still crossed. This wasn’t the time for catching up and quite frankly, I wasn’t in the mood. Chief exhales, but says nothing else. So I decide to speak up instead.

“What exactly are you planning here?” I ask him.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He tells me, going back to his papers.

“Oh it’s simple. Our plan is to eliminate you.” I tell him, but he only laughs.

“You think I’m stupid? I’ve known from the beginning.” He says. “But my question is, why?”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “What do you mean, why? After everything you’ve done to us? What? Did you think we’d just keep on forgiving you?” I ask in in awe. “You’ve always told us that if we had problems the answer was simple. Eliminate them. But you’re the problem.”

“Everything I’ve done was for you ungrateful boys.”

“UNGRATEFUL?? What exactly is there to grateful about? You locking me up in a room for half my life? Or killing my mother? You conditioning us to hate everyone else around us? You bringing us up in this world of drugs and crime and lies? You-“

“SHUT UP. JUST SHUT UP CHA JISOO! YOU DON’T KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT WHAT I GAVE UP FOR YOU BOYS. YOU DON’T KNOW A DAMN THING ABOUT SACRIFICE.”

“You ripped our childhoods away from us! You killed EunGyul’s parents and he your own son, but you’ve never felt sorry for a second! You never apologized to him even after he was the most loyal to you. You’ve done so many things…I think we’ve all given up enough to understand a smidge of what sacrifice is like.”

“Kid…”Chief stands up, trying to control his anger, but I wasn’t finished with him yet.

“But I don’t think you understand just how many people actually hate you, or how many will turn on you in an instant.”

“I heard everything you said outside.”

“I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret. I was actually hoping he’d get mad enough to kill you then and there so I wouldn’t have to.” I tell him.

“None of you have the guts to do it.” He says through gritted teeth. That much was almost true, but I don’t think guts were the problem.

“You think after I’m gone everything will be fine and dandy? They’ll all turn on you. Your brothers included. You’re too damn naive and immature to—“

“No STOP DOING THAT!” I snap at him, completely losing my cool.

“I’M NOT a child and I’M NOT immature. You all like to underestimate me because I’m the youngest, but I’ve witnessed and experienced things useless guys like yourself couldn’t even dream up.”

“Kid-“

“STOP calling me a kid.” I demand.

Before I could even detect any movement, Chief’s hand flies up and strikes my face with the most force I’ve probably ever felt from him, but I’m not shocked. I‘m not taken aback, in fact, I’m surprised he didn’t do it sooner. I place my hand over my cheek and turn back to him before giving him a weak smile.

“What was that supposed to mean?” I ask him. “You don’t agree?”

He strikes me again. This one stung a bit more than the first, but I don’t even wince. “You should mind your manners boy. I see I’ve been a little too lenient with you.” Chief says through gritted teeth.

I laugh. “If you think your simple beatings will put me back in my place, you’ve got another thing coming.” I tell him.

“Don’t worry. I’d rather not release my anger out on you. I’ll regret it later.” He admits, glaring at me as he heads back over to his desk to pick up a handkerchief. “But your brothers on the other hand…”

He watches as my eyes widen in fear. He couldn’t touch them. I wouldn’t be fine with it and he knew it. He wipes his hands and throws the piece of cloth back onto the desk with a smile. I had completely forgotten that Joon and EunGyul were still in the East’s custody. And who knew where Alex was?

“You can’t hurt them.” I tell him, which only makes him laugh.

“What makes you think that?” he asks, moving to sit on his desk and looking at me attentively. “They’re still your sons.” I always seem to have to remind him. Chief exhales and continues to look at me. “Any other reason why I wouldn’t?” he asks.

I scoff.

“What other reason do you need?” I ask him, getting angry all over again.

“They’re nothing but their mother’s debt to me.” He snarls. “But you…”

“And what’s so special about me?!” I snap. What did I ever do to earn his favor? And what made him think I ever even wanted it?

“I’m just like the others, I hate you just as much, if not more, but you always come after me. You always want me by your side even though you know I’d turn on you in any given second-“

“But you haven’t yet, have you?”

“What? Are you waiting for me to? You think I won’t?” I challenge.

“You’ve had plenty chances to kill me, but you never take them.” He tells me. “Why do you think that is?” he asks.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I respond blankly.

Chief gets up from his seat on top of his desk and walks closer to me. I don’t move.

“I’ll tell you why…” he begins. “It’s because I’m still your father.” He explains before patting my face a couple of times. I’m not quite sure what triggered me so much, but before I could comprehend what was actually going on, my hand whips my pocket knife out of my jacket and quickly places it to Chief’s neck.

Perhaps he just got too close.

I don’t move and neither does he. He just smirks as I glare.

“So what?” he asks. I don’t answer. What exactly was I doing? This was my chance to end this! But my body didn’t seem to want to take orders from me any longer. “Not this time either?” Chief continues, really urging me to end this, but I just couldn’t. I drop my arm in defeat, but I continue to glare at him.

“Bummer.” Chief concludes as I begin to walk away from him. I had to get out of there.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asks me as I’m headed for the door.

“I’m going to find my brothers.” I tell him.

“Oh are you now?”

Just as I’m about to reach for the doorknob I’m pulled backward. “They’re gone.” He tells me. I yank my arm free. “Shut the hell up.” I tell him, turning to walk away again.

“I sent them to Daejeon.” Chief quickly adds.

“Liar.”

“I’ll deal with them once I finish up here.”

He had to be playing with me. "And what do you plan to do with them in Daejeon??" I ask him, worry increasing.

Cheif smiles, adjusting his sleeve cuffs. "Oh once they get there it has nothing else to with me." He respondes. "Who are you sending them to?" I ask voice rising yet again, but he just shrugs.

I rush towards him and grab his collar. “And Alex?? Where is he? What have you done with his son?” I ask him. I’m sure he could see the fear and worry on my face and hear it in my wavering voice. But Chief just smirks. I let him go and take a few steps back in disbelief. He was just saying these things to break me….right? He absolutely HAD to be messing with me...

“What do you plan to do with them?” I ask him a little more quietly. Chief readjusts his button-up before exhaling and looking back over to me. “Help me finish things up here and I’ll tell you all you need to know.”