The devil in Disguise

Mr. Park's POV...

I took to my heels like I had never done before; it was like running a school marathon all over again, but this time, if I didn't cross the final line before anyone else, I would be dead meat!

But there was little distance between me and the traders; if only I hadn't drank some liquor that very morning until noon, I would still have the energy to bypass all of them. I was very confident in my running skills as a child.

Honestly, how I am still keeping up my pace is surely thanks to the alcohol, but it made everything all wobbly.

I fell at every turn I made.

If I had left sooner, I surely would have gotten a cab to the seashore, but with these people on my tail, any little mistake could cost me a lot!

When I began to sober up, I had already lost almost all my strength. I dropped to the ground, just trying to catch my breath, and the traders who were hot on my tail had surrounded me with their pitchforks and bats.

The noon was almost over, and the sun had set, giving way for the stars and moon to take over the night.

"Please have mercy," I cried with a loud voice as I stared at my friends one after the other. The anger on their faces was immeasurable, and there was nothing I could do to win them over at this point.

All their businesses were on the verge of disaster, and it was all my fault; if only they hadn't trusted me, I'd hear them whisper to each other whenever I walked in their mist.

Even though I couldn't pay the money, at least I should have faced them with sincerity instead of assuring them the money would be delivered by the end of six months.

After their long wait, I still didn't pull through on my promise; instead, I sat drinking liquor with the money I should've been using to pay them back. What a fool I've been!

"There's no mercy left for you, you scumbag! You should've just told us you didn't have our money; now look what you made all of us go through." We're chasing you around like we don't have families to take care of," Mr. Joon said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Please just give me some more time; I promise I'll pay you back." I begged if I could just convince them this one time.

"And how long will that take? Every single penny that enters your pocket, you spend it on beer. Why should we believe a liar like you?"

"You guys are still trying to reason with him? Let's burn him alive! He's never going to produce that money." Someone shouted 

"Yes!"   Everyone answered as they prepared to do their wicked act.

"We will wait till later in the night so no one will interfere."

"What will happen to my family? My daughters, my wife? Please have mercy." I begged one more time, but someone dealt a blow to my gut, making me cough vigorously. They dragged me off the road as I kept screaming. It can only be a miracle if I come out of this alive. If I had a guardian angel, this would be the time to help!

Meanwhile… 

Late into the night

A Mercedes Benz drove past the seashore, going past speed limits as the owner hurried to get to the airport for a midnight flight. His jaw twitched at the sight of a fire on this lonely path, and he wondered what in the world people would be doing outside their homes at a time like this.

"Fritz, would you happen to know what that was all about?" His cool voice broke the silence in the car as they zoomed past the fire place with people.

"Sir, I believe it is a matter between the traders and their chairman; he claimed to have been duped by a young man who said he was from the city. I guess they grew tired of his lies and decided to deal with him. It is such a shame, though, that he would be leaving behind his two beautiful daughters all alone with no one to care for them. You really shouldn't bother yourself with this master; it's not worth your time."

He placed a hand on his perfectly square-sized jaw as he thought about what he had just heard. Surely it wasn't his business, but this could probably be a solution to his problem.

"How beautiful are they?" He asked out of the blue, throwing his assistant into a bit of shock, but he quickly regained himself and answered.

"They are the most beautiful girls I've ever seen in this province; he did a good job raising those two."

"Then it's settled. Turn the car around." He commanded, and his driver did just that.

He was going to get one of those girls to marry his son; he had persuaded him on this issue for a long time, but it seemed like the boy wasn't taking him seriously at all.

He got married at the age of 23 as he took over the family business from his father. His son was well into his late 20s, and he wanted him to get married before taking over his business. He was truly getting tired of seeing his son change girls like a pair of diapers. It was time he finally settled down.

His assistant was still in dismay after he heard his boss call out his orders. He could be scary at times, but he always had a reason for everything he did.

The car came to an abrupt stop right before Mr. Park was to be thrown into the fire. Everyone paused and watched as this man with so much power walked out of his car and approached them.

"He is well within our age range, if I'm not mistaken." Mr. Park said to himself, "But he didn't look anything like a man in his 60s; he still had the body of a young man in his 40s, and the way he carried himself just made everyone quiver at his sight. 

He held nothing in his eyes, just a cold, icy stare fixated on me. I felt the need to suddenly bow at his feet. I quickly avoided his gaze and looked to the floor. What does a man like him want in this kind of place?

He stood right in front of me, and as I stared at his designer shoes, I could feel his gaze on me.

"Mr. Park," he said with a stern voice, making me look back up.

"You have something I want, and I, on the other hand, can free you from this tragedy you've found yourself in," he said, and I just trembled. Yes, I did pray for a miracle, but why did it have to come with a condition? Making deals with strangers was what got me into this mess in the first place.

"Fritz!" he called, and a young man from behind approached us with a black briefcase. He opened it, and it contained a lot of money; heck, I had never seen such money in one place before! This was more than enough of the traders money.

"I will pay off your debt right here and now so you don't get killed." "I'm not trying to help you; you will still be indebted to me, and all I want is for you to give up one of your daughters for marriage to my son."

"Sir… I can't do that; my daughters deserve to be with someone they love. I can't do that." I protested, I can do anything and everything but give up my daughters." No way 

"Then think of this as us making a trade; I'm giving you money in exchange for your daughter; you're selling her to me, and at a fair price, I'd say." "Your freedom from death"

"I'm willing to do anything you ask; I can even pay you back all the money in a few months!" I hurled at him, but he just frowned at me and turned to walk away, and everyone gave way for him.

"Wait!" I heard myself say as he took another step. I didn't want to lose my daughters, but I surely didn't want to die either. The chilled breeze blew past, sending the sand particles in whatever direction it went. I felt both hot and cold.

Even though those icy blue eyes weren't watching me, I still felt like I had to choose between death and the human-like demon in front of me, and anything is better than death.

"I'll do it," I finally said. I feel so weak and petty for letting this man hold the fate of my family and my life in his hands.

"You've made a wise decision, Park," he said as he walked to his car and turned to enter, sending me a dangerous smirk.

"Mr. Sukuna will contact you when he's in need of your services," his right-hand man said before they zoomed off; he had left as soon as he came.

His assistant left the money with Joon before they zoomed off, so they had no choice but to let me go.

It felt like I had made a deal with the devil. Just to prolong my life, I gave up one of my daughters.

Back at the province...

"They've finally found Mr. Park; he was trying to get a ship and escape to another country." A woman whispered

"I heard they were planning to burn him alive," The other answered as Mrs. Park hid behind a wall and listened to their conversation.

"Oh no!"   She cried 

"Please be safe; please don't let them kill my husband." She prayed silently as she took a cab to the seashore.