Unhealthy - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 7. The Scent of Blood

‘I’ll pay it back. I’ll pay it all back. If I just go to a good school, get good grades, and graduate, I can pay it all back.’

When she used to strain her neck veins insisting she’d succeed at all costs, it was amazing to see that despite struggling with poor grades for a while after realizing that studying wasn’t everything in life, she still managed to get into college.

Her determination for success could change in unpredictable ways once she shed her student status.

Every day was precarious, like walking a tightrope on a thin wire.

Unaware of this situation, Hae-yeong seemed to be solely focused on finding ways to escape this home.

The question circling in his mind echoed through his thoughts like an unanswered call.

The urge to do something crossed with the helplessness of being unable to do anything.

Exhaling cigarette smoke slowly, Taejun quietly watched Jejun, who was getting too close to An Hae-yeong.

“Fuck. Why do I feel so damn shitty.”

He removed his glasses, holding them in his hand as he tilted his head slightly.

While he thoroughly hid his true feelings from others outside, it didn’t work well in front of An Hae-yeong.

Even the cold wind brushing his cheek was irritating.

Looking at An Hae-yeong reminded him of that accident from years ago, making him excessively sensitive.

Especially during such bitter winters, his hazy memories became vivid.

Blood-stained memories invaded Taejun’s consciousness, making him forget even the cigarette remaining at his fingertips.

Taejun couldn’t forget the smell he encountered that day.

The silence filling the dark corridor, intermittent whispers and metallic sounds, and the sound of something being dragged across the floor scratched at his ears.

Occasionally, the sound of a blade tip tapping something repeated at irregular intervals, circling around his ears.

From inside the room, someone’s sharp breathing continued, then suddenly stopped.

Getting faster, then longer.

At some point, a silence as if breathing had stopped came like a final warning.

From inside the room, along with someone’s sharp breathing, an eerie sound like scratching the floor could be heard.

Taejun peered through the crack in the door.

Under the dim lighting, shadows danced grotesquely.

The hand of the man holding the knife slowly rose, then came down heavily.

At that moment, a sharp sound cutting through the air pierced his eardrums.

The sound of metal clashing, something being dragged across the floor, and irregular groans intertwined to create a symphony of terror.

Taejun couldn’t understand the scene unfolding before his eyes. The knife in the man’s hand slowly rose and came down.

The sound of the knife cutting through the air brushed his eardrums.

The struggles of the victim collapsed on the floor were gradually slowing.

Short, breaking groans, the eerie sound of scratching the floor, and the scent of blood paralyzed Taejun’s consciousness.

And his father slowly wiped his hands and threw his leather gloves to the floor.

The nauseating scent of blood stung Taejun’s nose.

The groans of the victim struggling with hands tied behind their back amplified the sense of terror even more.

With a thin, breaking sound as the end, a brief death rattle of deep agony burst forth.

His father slowly wiped his hands and stood up, removing his leather gloves and throwing them to the floor.

Beyond his father’s turned body, a man covered in blood was visible.

Leaving that man behind, his father made a phone call to someone.

‘Yeah, I took care of it. The Vice Chairman’s side is all cleaned up too, right?’

The voice from the other end of the phone was calm, but the atmosphere his father emanated was suffocatingly cold.

Taejun hid his body deeper in the corridor and witnessed the final movement of hands trembling slightly on the floor.

It was the moment when the thread of life was severed with the last groan.

Rather than being forgotten, the memory of that day only became clearer the more he tried to erase it.

The fact that the person who had been dragged across the floor with hands and feet bound was An Dae-jin, who had been the boss of the Organization.

The smell, sounds, and the bone-chilling air he felt at his fingertips from that moment never let Taejun go.

And his father, Gi Su-don, who had been the third-in-command of the Organization, rose to become the number one.

Taejun’s life was forever twisted from that moment.

It was also from then that he started smoking.

He deeply inhaled cigarette smoke, wanting to erase the scent of blood remaining at the tip of his nose.

Taejun watched as someone with the exact same eyes as that day stood beside An Hae-yeong.

Jejun, who resembled his father’s murderous intent, being next to the pure and innocent An Hae-yeong felt ominous and unpleasant for some unknown reason.

Getting out of the car, Taejun took a deep drag of his cigarette before crushing it out with his shoe.

Finally, he exhaled the smoke roughly and strode toward them.

***

When the sound of a car door closing dully was heard, Hae-yeong unconsciously turned her head.

It was Taejun.

His silhouette slowly approaching under the streetlight was as distinct as a shadow.

Taejun, wearing a dark suit, approached without wavering and stopped firmly in front of Jejun and Hae-yeong.

Hae-yeong’s breath stopped for a moment.

“What are you doing outside at this hour. Aren’t you going in.”

His voice was low and dry. Just one short sentence.

Nevertheless, Hae-yeong couldn’t take her eyes off Taejun as if frozen.

It wasn’t just because of the cold. Hae-yeong felt tense just from looking at Taejun. Recently, she had been clashing with him more often.

In the meantime, Jejun spoke first.

“…When did you get here? I didn’t see you coming, hyung?”

When Taejun only glanced at Jejun without any particular response, Jejun added more words like a puppy that needed to pee.

“I was just talking with Hae-yeong for a moment.”

Turning his eyes away, Taejun no longer kept his gaze on Jejun. His eyes remained solely on Hae-yeong.

That gaze felt too heavy, so Hae-yeong slightly hunched her shoulders.

There was no scolding whatsoever, and he didn’t even form complete sentences, but Gi Tae-jun’s mere presence created a heavy sense of intimidation.

Jejun carefully lifted the canned drink he was holding.

“Do you want some too, hyung?”

Realizing it was a distraction to divert the gaze that had been fixed on Hae-yeong, Taejun slowly turned his eyes to Jejun.

The movement was slow, but his gaze was frighteningly clear.

Sensing that chilling atmosphere, Jejun furrowed his brows.

Quietly watching them, Hae-yeong suddenly felt that this gaze wasn’t unfamiliar.

Taejun always controlled people this way.

That silence that seemed to pierce through someone. The overwhelming presence without words. Even the delinquent attitude that seemed kind yet wasn’t.

Although she had lived in the same house as Gi Tae-jun for several years, the feeling of difficulty was stronger than closeness, which confirmed that he was indeed a difficult person.

“Aren’t you going in?”

Taejun spoke again.

Hae-yeong realized after a long moment that she had been trembling.

“Let’s go.”

His words were short, and there were no options.

Hae-yeong nodded. Jejun, left standing alone, stared intently at Hae-yeong’s back as she obediently followed behind Taejun.

His brow furrowed fiercely at the different atmosphere than usual.

Hae-yeong walked following Taejun who walked ahead. Each time she took a step, the sound of stepping on dry grass echoed long and rustling through the air.

It was already the end of winter. The tree branches were bare without any trace of leaves, and frost had settled on the ground.

Hae-yeong’s shadow stretched in layers under the leafless azaleas, and strangely, the footsteps of Taejun walking beside her couldn’t be heard.

Hae-yeong pulled her collar together and lowered her head slightly. More frightening than the cold wind was the silence he emanated.

The foyer opened. Warm indoor air rushed in, bringing a completely different energy from the cold outside.

After passing through the corridor and up the stairs, the sensor light right below the stairs slowly turned off. The suffocating silence poured down heavily instead.

Hae-yeong carefully moved her toes.

Without realizing it, as she held her breath, a heavy emotion that seemed to throb somewhere settled in her chest.

Taejun said nothing, but she knew.

That Taejun was either angry now, or holding back something he wanted to say.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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