NO REMORSE | CHOI MUJIN

04

All of Liber glorious appearances were the personification of Mujin, the external display for everyone to see and admire the beauty of it, in contrast with his personal chambers—office and the penthouse—that screams otherwise.

Floors and walls clad in marble dark like black treacle, the lighting was dingy and drab, only soft glows from various sculptural lamps littering the space, casting menacing shadows against the wall. There were literally ominous dark clouds pulsating overhead, a forecast of something sinister that will come out of it as thunder rumbled outside the building, carrying Mujin's wrath with it, waiting to be unleashed on Do Gangjae.

A chill—not related with the sentence occurring in front—skittered up Junhee's spine because for all she knows, she was not in the office but inside Choi Mujin's mind. The office was like his mind; mysterious, atrocious, and astute. A locus where he schemed his wicked plans and punished those who had committed sinful acts against him.

It was a mistake, Gangjae had admitted. And he was truly sorry also for hurting Jiwoo. Still, he can't get away that easily. Mujin won't let him because in Dongcheon, the number one rule was: you do not betray each other.

Junhee and Mujin knew something like this would eventually happen to Jiwoo. A girl in the sea of men; a bait that was waiting to be devoured. What Gangjae did was intolerable, he knew that well but his ego being tarnished by some girl got the best of him, and now he was going to pay dearly for his dishonorable action.

"And that's why I chose not to kill you." Opted Mujin as he returned the katana back into its sheath, placing the weapon down on his desk with a clank.

"Are you going to get rid of me?" Gangjae scoffed incredulously as he looked up at the figure looming over him, "You said I was useful to have around."

"It's most unfortunate," Mujin lowered himself to Gangjae's eye level, "I didn't know it would be you who did it."

"Please forgive me, sir," The former rookie sobbed as he went quarter moon on the floor, his whole body shook as he straightened himself up, "All I did was push her around a little!"

Mujin's hand instantly went around his throat, throttling Gangjae from saying another word. Small ragged gasp filled the room as Gangjae struggled against Mujin's firm grip, clawing at his hand uselessly as he tried to dislodge himself from the tendrils around his neck. The drug lord's eyes burned with void and anger as he watched Gangjae's face began to turn into sickening color, eye wide with fear.

"We—Jun and I—personally brought her here," Mujin tightened his grip, eliciting a short, ugly gasp from Gangjae, "You shouldn't have even touched her."

Mujin flung him away like a rag doll as he claimed his spot between Junhee and Taeju, pulling out the dagger strapped around his waist. "Which one?"

Do Gangjae wheezed, chest heaving as he tried to breathe after the immense pressure that almost burned his lungs just now. Face, arms, or legs? The question rendered him speechless from the very beginning because he really cannot choose. Deep down he knew he fucked up, his brain was in chaos and incapable to make decision. With the dangerous trio staring down at him, judging his pathetic self, nothing good will come out of it.

"Alright then," Mujin then passed the dagger to Junhee and she took it as forks of lightning ripped the graphite sky, then thunder roared with a promise of rain, "She'll decide."

Gangjae's mouth fell open, the hairs on the back of his neck erected and goose pimples marked every inch of his skin as he scrambled backwards, his terror mounted with every step Junhee took towards him. He could literally see  tendrils of darkness cloaked her figure, her heels boomed against the floor as the Grim Reaper was closing in on him. "Ple—please—please don't."