TIN 108

Though I’d originally set out after hearing the drivers say we hadn’t come far, returning took much longer than expected. Despite the long summer days, by the time I came to my senses, it had grown dark.

At first, the wounds on my feet hurt, but later I couldn’t feel anything. My legs felt heavy as if weighted down, but even that became familiar after endless walking. The knee I’d injured falling from the truck only stopped bleeding after soaking through my pants.

Luckily, I made it into the city without coming across anyone. Though people occasionally passed by in the distance, no one paid attention to me limping like some kind of vagrant. There were enough beggars to trip over, and getting involved with them could only lead to trouble, so for the most part people just avoided me.

It took exactly 7 hours. From the road where I’d lost my pursuers to returning to the alley I knew.

“…”

The streetlights flickered under the dark night sky. The dimly lit bulbs were so weak they might as well have been off. The garbage piles in corners were full of unidentifiable liquor bottles, and carelessly strewn boxes showed bloodstains of unknown origin.

“Ugh…”

I dragged my legs along and slumped down against the wall. The desolate alley looked similar to before I entered Oceans. Still gloomy and bleak, without any sign of life.

“Hah…”

I leaned my head back against the wall with a long sigh. My body was drenched in sweat from walking all day. The nausea and dizziness I was feeling right then suggested I must be suffering from mild dehydration. Though I knew I should drink water, in this environment, drinking water was harder to find than food.

“…Phew.”

I forced my eyes open as they kept trying to close. Though summer meant I wouldn’t freeze, falling asleep now seemed dangerous.

First, I examined my legs, now reduced to rags. Rolling up my right pant leg revealed a swollen, bruised ankle. The color had turned from blue to purple, creating an almost grotesque pattern.

It would take two weeks to heal completely.

Clicking my tongue, I checked my other knee. Beneath the dented wound, dried blood had crusted along my shinbone.

“…Damn it.”

How did both sides get like this? If I had to get hurt, it would’ve been better to concentrate the injury on one side. Though I’d managed to get here somehow, this would make moving difficult starting tomorrow.

It would be good to clean off the blood, but the scarcity of water was again the problem. Just when I had thought it being summertime was fortunate, now I worried the wounds might get infected. The only reassuring thing was that I healed better than most people.

Alphas and Omegas had superior physical abilities compared to Betas. This included innate health and basic recovery ability. That was why even before differentiating, my wounds healed faster than others.

‘You don’t have any scars.’

There was a reason Joo Dohwa had said that when looking at my upper body. Though street life brought many injuries, no scars remained on my body. Minor scratches disappeared without a trace in days, and even somewhat serious injuries healed quickly.

So these injured legs would heal cleanly before long. At least faster than normal people. For people like me and Joo Dohwa.

“…”

First, I need to find a place to sleep.

With that decision, I stood up, half-leaning. Hugging the document envelope I’d set aside, I crossed the alley while limping and steadying myself against the wall. I planned to find a suitable box and catch some sleep somewhere inconspicuous.

“Ugh…”

Perhaps due to the relief of reaching my destination, my tense body now ached all over. Though this wasn’t truly a safe place, I must have unconsciously found comfort that I was back where I belonged.

I shouldn’t let my guard down…And just as I had that thought.

“Hey.”

“Eek…!”

A rough hand grabbed the back of my neck. Normally I could have shaken it off easily, but I was already exhausted from the long walk. As I clutched my throat while coughing slightly, I heard a mocking laugh from behind.

“Well, well, who do we have here?”

The voice was so low it almost rumbled, with slurred pronunciation that was hard to understand. But the husky trailing end was too familiar. With a bad feeling, I whirled around to see a man grinning, showing all of his teeth.

“Look who we meet here?”

“…Can?”

My lips moved reflexively. I recognized who he was the moment I saw his face. The piercing above his eyebrow and tattoos covering down to his face.

At the nickname ‘Can,’ he scowled fiercely.

“Ah, this bastard. It’s Gicheol, Gicheol.”

The man grinding his teeth angrily was somewhat famous in this area. His name was Gicheol, but he was mostly called “Can,” and true to that nickname, he sometimes did truly stupid things. The long scar along his face showed he had once belonged to a nasty gang.

“It’s been a while?”

“…”

His slimy smile made my stomach turn. Unpleasant memories filled my head. I knocked away the hand gripping my neck and said,”Let go.”

“Brat, such an attitude.”

Surprisingly, Can released my collar willingly. He even straightened my crumpled clothes while giggling. When he tried to casually touch the back of my neck, I dragged my legs two steps away from him.

“Scared?”

His languid smile felt creepy. How could such a relaxed smile feel so shitty? It felt as disgusting as being covered in filth.

Though I hoped he’d just quietly leave, he suddenly brought up a familiar name.

“Your name’s Bada, right?”

“…”

“It’s no wonder…I wondered why you wouldn’t tell me such an expensive name…”

Whatever rumors he’d heard, his face was full of sneering. As Can took a step closer and I reflexively stepped back, he looked me up and down with a snicker.

“Must’ve been embarrassing for you too. Such a name for that kind of life.”

I remembered someone who had called it an extravagant name. The response I couldn’t give then rose to my throat.

“Thought I’d never see you after you went into Oceans, but how come a guy like you who supposedly hit the jackpot after getting sold to a good place is here looking like a rag in a place like this?”

“Kuh…”

He kicked my knee. Since it hit my wound, a pained groan escaped involuntarily. As I barely steadied my staggering body, Can openly mocked me.

“Must not have been tight enough. Looking at how they threw you out here.”

He doesn’t think I ran away on my own. Well, no one stupid enough to run away from a place with food and shelter existed among those living here.

“I was planning to beat you to death and rip that hole apart the next time I saw you…”

His sharply torn eyes slowly scanned me. The anger underlying them stemmed from something that had happened between us. Was it 10 years ago? That day when he and several others jumped me in a deeper alley.

‘Wow, hey! This bastard doesn’t even have hair?’

The excited voices, as if they were having a party, were still clear. It wasn’t scary, but I still couldn’t forget the disgusting feeling from back then.

“Hey, hey, I’m in a good mood. Just take off all your clothes and go. Including underwear.”

Seeing me standing still, Can spoke as if he was doing me a favor. Though summer clothes weren’t as valuable as winter ones, they still traded for decent prices. There was a reason Kei had warned me that if I went outside like this, they’d even take my underwear.

“And hand over that thing in your arms too.”

“…”

When he pointed at my chest, I instinctively clutched the envelope tighter. He seemed intent on taking it just because I had it, not even knowing what was inside. No, if he knew what was in it, he probably wouldn’t just be talking.

“What are you doing? Hand that over and strip.”

Can quietly urged, placing one hand beside my head. Having somehow gotten closer to the wall, there was now only a brick wall behind me.

Flicker, flicker—the dim streetlight went out before coming back on brightly. In the suddenly clear view, my eyes met his as he stared at me intently.

“Hey, but…”

His scornful gaze changed strangely. The sound of him swallowing dryly was clearly audible.

“You’re still fucking pretty.”

“…Ah.”

I always feel this, but bad feelings rarely turn out wrong. A chill ran up and down my skin like insects crawling at his words.

He grabbed my shoulder with the hand that had been against the wall.

“Before you go, want to use your mouth once?”

“…”

“Even if the hole’s loose, your mouth should work well.”

Whether he really believed his hypothesis about me being discarded for being loose, he added that he “wasn’t interested in stretched holes.” But that didn’t last long, and soon his eyes gleamed.

“No, no…How do I know if the hole that was loose for your owner might be just right for me?

“I’m pretty big, you know?”

“…”

It was beyond absurd, it was laughable. I didn’t care about the size of the thing he carried around as decoration, and his approach as if he’d forgotten the past was ridiculous.

“Idiot.”

“…What?”

His expression hardened viciously at my casually spoken insult. I adjusted the envelope in my arms and met his gaze.

“It seems you forgot how one guy got castrated when three of you jumped me.”

Just like the “Can” he was nicknamed after. I added calmly and let out a long sigh. This bastard hasn’t changed at all. My irritation continued to well up inside of me.

“Should have been your balls I ripped off back then…”