Burn!

Ep 33

The date is checked as he gets his mitt from the kickboxing gym.

 '1 October' 

I wonder how I can do anything with three weeks to go. 

I come out, drenched in sweat, and Gyuri is standing there. 

His hands are shaking. 

With a typical drug addict's expression. 

"Sehun, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Don't tell me your real name..."

We move to the coffee shop. 

Meanwhile, Summer is running away screaming as if trying to hold on to a long string of revenge. 

Revenge, pain, and emotions are like smoke, like the setting sun. 

That's why everything is eventually forgotten. 

Some celebrity derailments, some shocking events, are forgotten after their expiry date. 

"I really am. I can't sleep and I think I'm going to die, Sehun."

"It's too hard to quit all at once. Can we do it in small increments?"

"I'm trying so hard, and I'm trying to do a good job with the baby, okay?"

"You're here for more pills, aren't you?"

"Yes. I promise you something in return."

"Promise what?"

"All that criminal material you gave me about the nursery and all this stuff. After you're dead, I'll testify and I'll tell it all on TV."

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

"Well, get someone to check it out. You're good at that."

"You sound sarcastic. Are you angry, Gyuri?"

"No, I'm not. I'm just asking for a favour."

"I'll be your assistant from now on."

"Okay. Do as you please."

"I'll share it with you in small portions. So you can cut back. But for someone who quit so suddenly, you don't look as bad as I thought."

"Thank you. And I'm really sorry."

"Can I say one more thing?"

"Sure."

"I got a phone call today."

"What phone call?"

"I'm working at the furniture store, Sung-tae Choi. Do you remember him?"

"You got a call from him?"

"He told me your real name and asked what's going on with your dog?"

"So?"

"I said nothing."

"And I've been feeling like I'm being followed whenever I leave work lately."

"Yeah."

At that moment, a text is sent to both of our mobile phones.

'Kim Mi-jin passed away on 1 October at 7.37pm'

My eyes widen in disbelief. 

"What, Mi-jin died?"

"You bastards. Are they sending this to me too? What a bunch of psychos."

"Let's just call the police now, okay?"

I felt sick. 

"Fucking cunts."

"You act fast. You bastards. Mijin's dead, so you're the only one left."

"Huh?"

"Just for a month, go hide in an apartment or something."

"What?"

"I'll give you all the profits from your furniture store. Just hide for a month."

"Why one month?"

"Because in a month, we're going to do the deed and we're going to wrap it up."

"Is that all we talked about?"

"No, there's more, but should I go pay my respects?"

"Are you crazy? Your daughter and mother are going to die?"

"He was telling me about his school days. The kid we used to bully so much is out for revenge these days."

As soon as I heard the story, I looked around the coffee shop. 

Even in the midst of this, I feel that someone could be following me or watching me. 

I wonder if someone is following me, and I get a little impatient. 

"Maybe you should go to an office or something to hide. 

I'll pay you money and give you drugs. 

I'll pay you, and I'll give you the drugs, and you'll have to get off the drugs once I'm gone."

"So I'm only going to give you really small amounts, hand-delivered, okay?"

"Okay, okay, okay."

"You're gonna need 400 a month for an apartment or something, and don't go out to the furniture store. It'll kill you."

"And you?"

"I'll go into hiding and work on the plan. Let's split up. We'll talk about the details on the phone."

"Okay."

He sends an announcement to the group chat room where Jihyun and Minjae are.

"Starting today, we're having a sale for just a few days, girls.

Before the explosive response, they raise funds. 

130 million won borrowed from banks and loan sharks, plus my savings.

and the money I stole from Jihyun and Minjae. 

They have enough money. 

I've also uploaded the evidence of Ji-hyun and Min-jae's drug inhalation to Gyuri, of course. 

They escaped death, but they won't escape punishment. 

Myung-heon has also asked his brother to make sure there's only one person in the country to keep an eye on Gyuri, because he's really running out of time. 

"What do you want me to bring?"

"Jung-min, isn't it too expensive?"

"Ji-hyun, it's Min-jae. I'm going to wash my hands now. If you suck on this, it will burn for about two years."

"If you smoke it slowly, you'll burn three years. It's a compound drug, so it has multiple strains, and the stabilisers are all top-notch."

"No matter what, five grand is too much money."

"Then don't buy it. You're not the only ones. I'm done. This is the last time."

"Well, I'll make a small batch for you guys and sell it to you occasionally."

"Jung-min, I only have 3,000 in my bank account."

"Then take out a loan for 2,000. You have the ability."

"You guys are out of drugs. You've been going crazy these past few days. Isn't that right?"

"That's true."

Just like that, I get a total of 100 million won from them. 

I didn't want to kill anyone for these bastards. 

They're just a bunch of greasy bastards who despised me in school anyway. 

At this point, the plan was on track, but Kim Mi-jin's death came as a surprise.

 It was probably done because of the risk of disclosure, and Kim Gyuri would be in danger too. 

'If she knows I'm being followed and where I'm going, it might throw a wrench in the plan. 

I was nervous. 

Both Gyuri and I were. 

Those who live for revenge feel the greatest fear when their revenge falters. 

Those who have lived for the test are also most afraid when their confidence in the test is shaken. 

Human beings feel great turmoil when the supports of their identity are shattered.

 For example, people are more likely to sympathise with a killer if he announces that he is going to murder the mayor or president than if he announces that he is going to mercilessly murder three old men and women tomorrow. 

Humans fear anarchy and chaos. 

It's all true. 

Anarchy and chaos bring out the extremes of religious beliefs and cynical survival instincts, with some people trying to rebuild and others trying to tear it down. 

This is our life. 

Endless choices between two extremes. 

"You're so weird."

"What?"

"What, you make bombs out of petrol or soap scum or something?"

"It's amazing. Yeah, niclocaine. It's a revolutionary substance."

"What are you going to buy when there's a terrorist attack?"

"Once there's a terrorist attack in Seoul, stocks like commodity prices and self-defence products will be strong."

"The exchange rate will definitely go up, and things like gold and rice will skyrocket. It happened to Germany and Japan after their defeats. It happens in every country, so predicting conflict and terrorism can be profitable."

"I wish you had a legitimate job. Your head is spinning."

"Yeah, well, it's the best thing that could have happened to a middle school graduate. But legitimate work doesn't pay."

"Yeah, you're right about everything."

"I had a friend of mine make me a priest's gun, but he's having trouble getting bullets."

"Why?"

"Apparently there's only a limited amount of them available by the time you said you'd need them. I've got enough guns."

"Really?"

"But how much explosive power do you want? The IEDs we're planning to use, well, it depends on the placement on the ground. About five of them should take down a small building."

"Maybe twenty or thirty?"

"That's crazy. Luckily, this thing is easy to manoeuvre, so more is better. So let's do it."

"Because the building can't just blow up."

"Well, to the buyer beware."

He says, wiping off his goggles. 

"Right. Chul Woo wanted to see you, and Jung Min."

"Hurry up and pour the solution. It'll explode if you do it wrong. If we die here, we won't even be buried. We're criminals. You'll be blamed even after you die."

"Hey, at least call her. You just texted her and said you weren't coming out. She was really upset."

"Is Chul-woo still living in the villa?"

"He doesn't pay me much to babysit his kids. He goes to the gym."

"I know, I know. I'll go see him myself."

On a dock in Incheon, we're making bombs. 

The smell of chemicals pulsates around us, and we're a little dizzy from the meth lab next to us, but we're in full protective gear. 

He explains to me that the slightest temperature change and mistake could kill us, and he's scared. 

I'm terrified. 

I'm afraid I'm going to die for nothing.