The pain mixed with tears and blood was burning his innocent body.He no longer had the strength to endure the pain,his heart only prayed for one thing—"Please give me death… please…"
Then, when the knife was slowly dragged from his cheek to his lips,Yeo Jun was half conscious…His breaths were broken and shallow,and from his trembling lips came only one please :"Papa… Papa please… save me…"
But that voice also vanished into the darkness, and the only answer was the pain- filled silent knife of that man…which once again touched Yeo Jun's lips…Slowly… very slowly…He ran the knife up and downacross Yeo Jun's lips…
Cutting was not the goal,it was to cause pain… to taste suffering…
His lips—which once were a true example of smiles,had now become a scene of blood and screams.
Yeo Jun tried to close his eyes again…But before losing consciousness, only one cold, soft, yet venom-filled voice echoed in his ears: "Happy birthday… good boy."
And then—everything went dark…
Who knows how long he stayed unconscious…Who knows how many moments the pain kept bringing him to the brink of death…
He only knew this:now the pain was not just on his face…it was throughout his entire body.Every part carried the intoxication of that man's cruelty,through which only an innocent child had passed.
When the pain became unbearable, death seemed easier.
The next time he regained consciousness,he saw that his shirt was gone from his body—he was only wearing pants.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his arm.
He was slowly cutting Yeo Jun's arms in the same way, making small cuts with the knife.His arms were drenched in blood,and tear marks were visible on his face.Because of the blood clotting in his right eye,he couldn't fully open that eye.
He felt like he had been a prisoner for years, and the warmth of that man's hands had already settled in his mind.He no longer had the strength to cry.
He felt the blood flowing on both his arms ;a deep bond of pain had formed between him and the suffering.
That man stood behind him, went to his left shoulder, came close to his ear,and in a deep, threatening voice said,"You are my fifth creation so far,and the most beautiful among all.Now it's time to enhance this beauty.From now on, whenever you see yourself in the mirror,I will always be in your thoughts.My presence will live forever in your heart and mind.You will never be able to live your life beyond my control."
As Yeo Jun heard this,he felt a burning sensation on his shoulder and back ,and an intense burning throughout his body.
Before losing consciousness, he screamed one last time—
That man had left his mark on him,he had burned Yeo Jun's shoulder with a hot iron rod.Like a burning brand on an animal,the mark was shaped like a two-mouthed snake resembling a dragon.
What happened to Yeo Jun after that, no one knew.
Suddenly, the rusty door of the room burst open,and Yeo Jun's father entered with two bodyguards.
Seeing his son drenched in blood, they shouted anxiously,"Yeo Jun! My son, I'm here!"
Even in unconsciousness, Yeo Jun could feel someone freeing his lifeless body, untangling the ropes digging into his skin.
"Yeo Jun, nothing will happen to you. Forgive me…"
But he could only see the deep black eyes of that man, and even in unconsciousness, he could hear his voice.
It felt like that terrifying voice was still echoing in his ears.
Yeo Jun's father ordered his bodyguards, and they lifted Yeo Jun and took him immediately to the hospital.
After many days, Yeo Jun regained consciousness.
As soon as he woke up, he began to cry. No one understood what had happened to him,and no one knew the reason for his crying.
Doctors and nurses tried to calm him down, but "The touch of there hands burned him."terribly,and he felt as if those hands were on fire, burning him badly.
Even touching him caused him great pain, which made him scream loudly.
His screams echoed throughout the entire hospital.
Eventually, they had to give him sedatives.
Over the next few days, it happened several times that whenever he regained consciousness,he would start crying.
Whenever a nurse came close to calm him down,he would scream.
Giving him too much sedative was not good for him,so when the doctors lost control,he was given electric shocks many times.
The news spread in the hospital that a mental patience was being treated.
He had been in this condition for over a week.
He could hear faint voices near him:"My son, come home. You've been here for more than a week."
It was the voice of his step-mother
Yeo Jun wanted to call her,but he was afraid someone would touch him again.
"Go home, Soojin. I will wait here for Yeo Jun to regain consciousness."
Soojin replied,"How long will you keep blaming yourself?"
She gently patted Yeo Jun's father's shoulder.
Their backs were turned toward Yeo Jun,so they didn't see that he was conscious.
"How long will you stay here?Yeo Jun may remain in this state for unknown time.The elections are near,and you cannot stay here like this."
She started speaking again,"Fine, you may die, but I have a lot of work at my NGO—someone has to do it, right?"
Yeo Jun was surrounded by all those people—doctors, nurses—and even if he came to his senses, he behave like a mental person and cry, But for this crazy boy, you should definitely end your career."
She picked up her bag and left.
Mr. Hyunwoo had always kept himself distant from Yeo Jun, but after all, he was their only son. If he had listened to them, they wouldn't have made Yeo Jun their prey to get what they wanted.
Mr. Hyunwoo had been involved in smuggling with these people for many years, but now he had refused to continue their work, so they kidnapped Yeo Jun and got all their demands fulfilled.
Yeo Jun's dad moved away from the window and slowly sat down on a chair.
"P-p-please m-m-m-m-m-m-mu...m-m-me... don't touch me..." Yeo Jun whispered weakly.
His dad suddenly stood up and started walking towards him but stopped abruptly.
"W-w-w-w-w-wait, s-s-s-stop... p-p-p-please..." Yeo Jun's voice trembled with fear and panic, stopping his dad.
"I-I-I don't know why, b-b-but... I-I c-c-c-c-can't b-b-b-bear... to t-t-t-t-t-take c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-ch-chose c-c-c-c-c-c... from these people's hands. I-I-I f-feel s-s-s-s-so m-m-m-much b-b-b-burning..."
"P-p-please t-t-tell e-e-everyone n-n-not to c-c-come n-n-near m-m-me..."
He was slowly crying, the pain clear on his lips and face.
"Okay, I'll tell everyone...
P-Papa..."
"Th-that man h-has d-done th-this to me..."
Yeo Jun's voice was breaking, he was trying to express his pain and anxiety, hoping his dad would understand him.
He was sharing all his fears, his pain, his helplessness—thinking only his dad would truly understand.
But his dad interrupted him abruptly,
"Nothing happened to you.It was just a car accident, that's all."
They were trying to silence him, but Yeo Jun could see doubt in their eyes.
They never truly understood his real pain—the pain and suffering he had endured in that dark room.
How could his dad just call it a "car accident" when it was much deeper than that?
He wanted to scream, to make them understand his pain—
"N-n-no, Papa!T-that's not true!I-I'm t-t-t-t-telling you... I'm not lying!"
His voice was breaking because of the wounds in his mouth, the pliers' injuries making it hard for him to speak clearly.