Page 46 of Damian & Jun: Episodes 1-4
Now he was sitting on a subway, staring at the tops of a pair of fashionable women’s boots on his feet, unable to show his own face.
I want to be free. I want to be safe.
But if he couldn’t sing, if he couldn’t dance, then he wasn’t free. It was who he was.
Madelen Duke’s lyrics screaming about the origins of villains floated back into his mind.
He thought of BoBo purring at his side, a small luxury he’d never been allowed to have, and of the food Mi Hi had so casually handed him for breakfast. Freedom.
I will burn you down, Bak. I’m done playing your game.
But what if he burned the innocent along the way? What if Yohei, Geun, Jaewoong, and Su-jin fell with him? They were all tangled together, like cats in the devil’s string. If one of them struggled hard enough to free themselves, they might strangle the others. How long had they all been playing this game of holding still so as not to destroy the others, knowing Bak had an endless stream of hostages?
Did the others even know they were playing this game?
BBB3 is one big family, we support each other! Bak’s cheerful words reverberated through Jun’s memory. I work hard to make all of you successful.
Fuck. You. Jun balled his hands up in a fist as the marching band beat of BlackPink’s “Kill This Love” rolled through the tiny speaker in his ear.
Is this the price of my existence, that every home burns down?
Was he cursed? Was he a killer?
Or was he merely the match that started the fire?
“Song Mi Hi! How dare you show your face!”
Jun’s head snapped up. Standing right in front of him and Mi Hi was an enraged, well-dressed woman in her fifties, two pink spots on her cheeks.
Mi Hi lifted her chin, defiance in every line of her body.
Jun stood up slowly, one hand on the brace for the seat. On his feet, he was taller than the woman who had just snarled at Mi Hi.
Mi Hi put up her hand, stopping him from speaking. “This is public transportation, Mrs. Choi.”
Mrs. Choi’s eyes flared, and her hand came up as if she would slap Mi Hi across the face. Jun stepped in front of her.
Mrs. Choi’s eyes flashed to Jun. “Do you know what kind of scum you’re hanging out with?”
“Ms. Song works for me,” Jun said softly. He let his eyes linger darkly on Mrs. Choi’s face. “I’m quite content with her references.”
Mrs. Choi’s eyes narrowed. “Humph, maybe as a woman, you would be, but keep this harlot away from your menfolk. She’ll seduce them, then sue them.”
Jun raised one eyebrow. “Embarrassing. Was it your son or your husband?”
Mrs. Choi blinked furiously. “Excuse me?”
Jun shrugged. “It must be so difficult to have men in your family that don’t practice discretion.”
The two pink spots in Mrs. Choi’s face were now red. “You, you…who are you?”
Jun let himself smile just a little. “Was it you who couldn’t keep your husband’s attention, or did you fail to find your son a good wife?”
Mrs. Choi shuddered, angry tears burning her eyes. “You have no idea what it was like! What this hussy put us through!”
Jun tilted his head to the side. “Either she was not found guilty of a crime, in which case, you are committing a crime, or Ms. Song is escaped from prison, in which case you would be calling the police, or Ms. Song has finished serving her time, in which case, you are still committing a crime by harassing her after the matter is closed by law. Which is it?”
The train started to slow toward the next stop. Mi Hi stood and touched Jun on the arm. “I ran out of money to keep suing. Her son molested me.”
