Mysterious boy

26.

"Look, we don't really appreciate it when someone steals our thunder," Vernon says as he paces back and forth in front of me.

I'm tied up to a wooden chair with a traditional piece of duct tape stuck to my mouth. The duo Vernon and Wonwoo had thrown me into the back of their white which had exactly zero windows, so I have no idea where this abandoned warehouse they've taken me might possibly be.

Wonwoo still hasn't spoken a word and has been sitting slumped in a white plastic chair in the corner of the room as he is playing with his knife. Vernon clearly is the one taking the lead, but that doesn't make Wonwoo look any less intimidating. God, I'm scared as hell.

Finally, Vernon stops pacing around and walks up to me, just to smack me in the face for the 17th time this afternoon. I have been counting, since there is not much more I can do. The first five times, it hurt like hell when his palm collided with my cheek at the speed of lightning, but I started to get used to the pain when I realized that he would keep on slapping my face quite a few more times. It's nothing I can't handle. Again, living with Felix has taught me how to deal with getting hurt physically. Not that I should be thankful to him or anything, it just helped me feeling a bit numb in this whole situation. Although I'm scared, I also found myself to just accept the fact this is happening. I don't exactly know what is happening yet and why my classmates Vernon and Wonwoo, the scariest gangsters of the school if I may believe, have brought me into this whole kidnapping kind of situation.

"I'm just curious, how does a tiny hopeless kid like you claim the front page of every fucking news paper in the country? So," Vernon looks at me as he leans forward, placing his hands on his legs. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you're going to answer them honestly. I know when you're lying, so don't try anything stupid, Channieboy."

I look back at him, emotionless. I didn't even flinch when he used that swear word. I don't really feel any kind of emotion at the moment. What is Vernon going to do? Hurt me even more? Just get it over with... I guess. There's nothing I can do to stop him anyway.

"What happened that night when Kim Jennie was murdered?" Vernon asks me. His face is so close to mine, I can feel the drops of saliva that leave his mouth on my face as he spits out the words.

When I don't answer, he punches me in the face once again before yelling: "Answer me, dipshit!"

That was 18, I think to myself as I move my head back to facing him.

Wonwoo stands up from his chair and walks up to me. In one quick movement, he rips the duct tape off of my mouth.

"Ah, right," Vernon mutters, as if he was too stupid to figure out himself that I couldn't speak with the piece of tape in the way. "So?" He looks at me again, raising his eyebrows. He expects an answer from me.

I look down, thinking about what to say.

"You want some more?" Vernon yells, threateningly raising his fist at me. "We'll beat you up until you speak, boy."

I inhale sharply and quietly mutter: "I didn't kill her, if that's what you want to know."

Vernon's lips curl into a vicious smile. "But you know who did, don't you?"

I try to act as if I don't by shaking my head, but Vernon sees right through me. He grabs me by my collar and brings his face close to mine again. I just squint my eyes and turn my head away from his, bracing myself for whatever he will yell at me next.

Instead, he speaks real softly, as if he is talking to a sweet little kitten. "Just tell us what happened, Channieboy. We won't judge."

"I don't know..." I mumble, hoping for him to move just a few inches away from me.

"Come on, we know you had something to do with it," he says, still with that awful grin on his face.

"No, I didn't."

"Aha, so we're going to play dumb?" Vernon says and finally walks away from me, just to quickly turn around and hit me in the face again.

19.

"I DO NOT TOLERATE SUCH LIES, LEE CHAN!" he screams, no, growls on top of his lungs, making me flinch. "YOU SPEAK UP, OR THERE WILL BE SOME SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES!"

"Why do you want to know anyway?" I ask, shocked by my own sudden hatchet behavior.

Vernon tilts his head and grits his teeth. "That is none of your business, Channieboy."

Then, Wonwoo moves his friend aside and presents his knife before placing it down on my throat, just harsh enough for it to be extremely uncomfortable, but soft enough so it won't make a single cut in my skin. He's experienced, he's done this before and knows how to threaten a person.

"You're going to tell us exactly what happened, or Wonwoo will cut off your head," Vernon demands.

As a warning, Wonwoo moves his knife to my left upper arm and cuts open my jacket so he can reach my skin. In one firm movement, he leaves a small cut, just deep enough for it to hurt real bad and to ooze out some blood, but just at the right spot and just not deep enough so I won't bleed to death. If it weren't for the sake of my life and body, I would have admired his expertise in... slicing people.

"AAAH," I let out a scream as Wonwoo moves the knife back to my throat. "Okay, okay. I'll tell you. Please don't cut me!"

Vernon smiles, happy to finally have me metaphorically on my knees for them. Wonwoo just keeps on glancing at me with that intimidating look in his eyes.

"You don't happen to know..." I speak slowly and quietly, afraid every slight movement will cause damage to my throat. "You don't happen to know a guy named Jun, by any chance?"

The duo shares a look before Vernon bursts out laughing.

"No, of course not, but you may tell us all about your little boyfriend whenever it's relevant to the story."

So, they don't know him either...

What has happened to me for God's sake?!