"Begging now?" Hyun Woo's voice cut through, cold. His eyes glowed, fixed on their trembling bodies.
"Did you stop when they begged you? When they cried, on their knees, begging you to leave them alone?"
Seok and Kim whimpered, their mouths opening and closing like fish gasping, but no words came.
Hyun Woo didn't speak right away. He let them tremble, let them feel the weight of their own cruelty.
Finally, he tilted his head, lips curling.
"No… you laughed. You called them dogs. You made them bark."
His hand clenched into a fist.
"So bark for me now. Cry louder. Beg harder.
Maybe then you'll understand."
The chains rattled, pressing tighter. Seok's mouth opened, but only a broken sound came out.
"W-woof… woof…"
Kim followed, tears running down his face, his lips trembling.
"P-please… woof… woof…"
They cried, barked, their faces wet with spit and snot. Their heads lowered, nails digging their own stomachs as hunger tore through them.
Hyun Woo's smirk widened under the hood.
"Good. Keep barking. That's what you are. That's what you always were."
But Hyun Woo didn't stop, his eyes still on them, watching every second.
Their begging turned weak. The voices that were loud a moment ago now broke apart, words coming with long gaps.
"P-please… h-help…"
"Wo… woof… I… I can't…"
Their mouths opened but only air came out, their throats too dry, their tongues sticking out. Their bodies shook less and less.
At last, they couldn't even lift their heads. Their arms fell down. Their fingers stopped moving. They lay flat on the floor, faces pressed in their own blood and spit.
[ Judgment Complete ]
[ Sin Bearers: Seok Min-jun, Kim Jae-ho ]
[ Verdict: Guilty ]
[ Sentence: Executed ]
[ Justice Points Gained: +200 JP ]
The words floated in front of him.
"Two more gone," he whispered. "And the school will be lighter without them."
Hyun Woo turned the knob, pulled the door open. The smell of smoke and alcohol spilled into the hallway. He stepped out, hoodie low, mask tight, head down.
Right then Min was walking back, a small pack of cigarettes in his hand. His legs were still shaking, his head down, too scared to even walk straight.
They crossed each other.
Min froze for a memoent in the corridorm. For a second he thought he bumped into someone. He turned his head quick.
In his eyes it was a boy. A kid in a plain t-shirt and half pants, walking down the corridor slowly, like nothing happened.
Min blinked, his lips moving without sound.
"…he's… alive? Seok didn't… beat him?"
But then Min eyes blinked for a second. His mind felt heavy and fuzzy.
Was there even a kid in the room before?
His vision blurred. His mind felt heavy, like fog poured into it.
He tried to remember, but nothing came clear. He tried to picture the boy's face. Nothing came. Just a blur, like a painting smudged by water.
He pressed his temple, dizzy. 'Was someone even there? Or… was I hearing things?'
[Crowd Seal] was still working, twisting his memory, making him forget slowly.
In Min's mind now, there was nothing. No boy. No face. Just emptiness.
Min stopped for a second. His head felt dizzy.
He tried to remember who just passed him… but nothing came.
Instead, he could only see a shadow in his mind. Not a face. Just a a blurr image of someone walking.
And a voice from it, but no image of person his mind can came up with.
He couldn't picture the boy's face. Not Hyun Woo's face. Not anyone's.
Just blank.
[Crowd Seal] had twisted his memory.
"What… what happened…" Min muttered, pressing his finger near his temple. His head was spinning. "Never mind…"
He sighed, his breath shaky.
His eyes fell on the cigarette packet in his hand.
'Shit. Seok.'
If he go late, he will get beaten again.
His heart started beating fast, thump, thump, thump, like it wanted to jump out.
It was beating faster, not just from fear, but from hurry too.
Fear because of Seok, hurry because he was already late.
He gripped the packet tight, turned, and ran down the hallway, his steps uneven, almost tripping.
As soon as Min reached the door, his hand holding tight the pack of cigarette.
He pushed the door open, slowly, his breath stuck in his throat.
As soon as he looked inside, his eyes went wide in shock.
The pack slipped from his hand, it fell to the floor with a small thud.
His knees gave up, he dropped down right there at the door.
The smell hit his nose first, sharp and pungent, a mix of smoke, alcohol, and something rotten that came from the bodies.
His eyes gaze dropped on the floor — blood everywhere, smeared across the floor, thick dark flow of blood stream under the table.
The bottles were broken, glass scattered, snacks crushed, but none of that mattered.
What froze him were the bodies.
Seok and Kim were lying twisted like dolls with broken joints. Their arms bent the opposite way, their legs bent backward, their necks twisted in angles no human could stay in.
Their faces… the eyes were wide, but hollow, almost bulging out. One eye scratched bloody, the skin ripped by their own nails.
Their cheeks had lines, raw marks where they clawed themselves. Their mouths were half open, tongues hanging, lips torn.
His stomach felt heavy, like something inside was rolling, boiling, trying to crawl up his throat. His chest felt tight, his mouth filled with sour taste.
He covered his mouth, but it was useless.
He bent forward and puked on the floor, his whole body shaking, sweat dripping down his face.
After he puked on the floor, Min tried to stand. He couldn't stay there, not for a second. His legs slipped in his own vomit, sliding on the slippery floor by his own vomit. He almost fell again.
He crawled back on the floor, pushing with his elbows, his shoes slipping, then he pressed both hands hard and forced himself up. His legs shaking, he stumbled, but somehow he stood and ran.
He didn't look back. He didn't dare. His heart pounding so hard, thump, thump, thump, his breath tearing out.
"Shit… shit… shit… what the fuck… what the fuck…"
He ran through the hallway, and reached the reception. His hand slapped the counter. His face pale, eyes wide.
"Call… call one-one-two… call the police!"