"Fuck! Fuck no, fuck, it's not time yet so why?"
A voice muttered frantically in the dead silence of the night.
The world spun as his gaze fell on the figures outside his window.
"Just when did it all go wrong?" Si-eun whispered with a desperate plea.
"Fuck this! It's all Javier's fault."
That name, that accursed name brought forth memories he had tried to forget.
But how could he forget?
After all, to the rest of the world he was just a pretty faced scammer, one who lured investors into an upcoming business only… the business wasn't so successful or rather, that scum of a human, the one he called his friend and sworn brother had stolen all the funds the investors had invested and pinned the blame on him.
For months, he had been hiding out in a small apartment in a remote city, surviving on nothing but instant noodles and junk foods with days filled with anxiety and paranoia.
But now? Now the loan collectors were after him.
Not him but his organs.
Why had he even made that decision in the first place?
If he had known… if he had known what kind of snake his childhood friend would have turned out to be, then he wouldn't have had any hand in it.
"Javier! why? Why did you do this, what the fuck did I do wrong?"
His mind wandered back to his time at the orphanage.
When he and the other kids were carefree, when he and Javier had always been stuck together, two anomalies, one Korean by origin and the other a British native who lost his parents in a car accident.
They were like siblings but all it took… All it took for the years of friendship to come crumbling down was just a moment.
"That bastard, that project was my life, I signed my damn life away just so we could have a future!"
Tears spilled from his hazel eyes, the surrounding area blurring to the background.
He could feel it, death was coming for him.
A muffled gasp escaped his lips as something caught his vision.
"Cooking oil?" He muttered softly, his voice hoarse.
He couldn't die, at least not like this.
He swore, he swore to himself to make the parents who abandoned him pay, if they were alive, he wanted them to see him doing well—better than well in fact, he wanted his name to be heard, that was supposed to be his revenge.
But his childhood friend had taken that chance away from him.
"They won't just stop at taking my kidneys, my other organs might be next, and just how did a six thousand dollar loan become twenty thousand? This is messed up, I'm in trouble; I can't pay them, I don't even have a job!"
Without wasting time, he emptied the gallon of cooking oil on the entrance of his room with desperate haste, which in turn, stained his clothes with grease in the process.
He ran to the small kitchen next, turning on the gas before grabbing a lighter.
There was no hesitation, even if he knew his plan involved blowing up his apartment which could potentially kill the loan sharks or his neighbors, he couldn't be bothered to care.
It was either his life or theirs and he was by no means a benevolent person.
From the window, he could already see them entering the building but he didn't jump.
'Not yet…'
His eyes watched with the predatory focus of a hawk, his brain running simulations of every possible escape route he had.
In the end only two of the loan sharks were stationed outside.
"There."
He saw his chance, and he wasted no time.
In every possible scenario he had, this was the only one with the highest chance of escape.
"It's now or never."
He could already hear footsteps approaching his doorstep, the remaining loan sharks down there were but thugs, at best they would gut him but he would escape with a few injuries.
Without a moment's delay, he jumped through the window, bursting through glass which echoed as his body plummeted down the three story building.
But not before tossing the flammable lighter, causing a deafening explosion.
He braced himself for impact, slightly readjusting his position to opt for a landing with fewer injuries.
His body collided with the cargo bed of the truck below, his eyes blurry with tears.
'Hell, it hurts! It hurts so much!'
The oil he'd accidentally spilled on his body ended up becoming a double edged blade for him as he slid to the edge of the cargo bed, hitting his spine on the heavy metal the truck was made of.
Perhaps it was due to the adrenaline rush or perhaps his survival instinct kicked in, he was quick to get up on his feet, albeit with slow desperate staggers.
His bones were fractured during the fall, joints positioned in strange angles but he couldn't feel the pain as one would feel normally.
The only thought on his mind was escape however he wasn't sure he'd last long with the injury he'd sustained.
Time wasn't a luxury he could afford, even now he could already hear the sounds of the loan sharks, barking orders to get him.
He lurched through the narrow alley.
Every movement, every breath felt like torture.
His eyes went dim, vision narrowing slightly, accompanied by ringing noises within his ear.
'Just, a bit more' He thought.
If only he could leave the back alleys and mingle with the crowds on the city street, his escape wouldn't feel so far-fetched.
Alas… life had other plans for him.
Just as he was about to leave the back alleys into the main street, a hand clenched around his broken arm.
Although the cooking oil made it hard for the loanshark to actually grab him, his already broken body failed him.
A torturous pain gripped his sides causing his broken ribs to creak in protest which made his steps falter.
"Where do you think you're running to, bastard! Not only did you try to escape with our money but you tried to kill my brothers, I promise you, your death won't be peaceful."
The thug who held him reeked of alcohol, perhaps someone he could overpower in his prime condition but now? He couldn't do a thing.
In his desperate attempt to flee, he neglected his body condition.
He hadn't even realized that he was bleeding from the crown of his head, and now his eyes were stained crimson with his own blood.
'No! No no no no no no no! I can't die, I don't want to die! I can't die like this, I'm scared, I don't want to die.'
His thoughts became desperate but his pursuer didn't allow him the luxury of repose.
He wasn't able to catch his breath before the loan shark thrust a knife into his side.
"Argghhh!" He screamed, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
The loan shark scowled, his voice was rough, laced with fury yet there was a hint of composure in his actions.
"Ah I should be careful, I wouldn't want to damage your organs before we harvest them."
"P-Please… spare me." Si-eun muttered weakly."I don't want to die."
From the corner of his eyes, he could see the remaining loan sharks approaching with hurried steps, their rage evident by the way they ran.
However, a strange movement caught his attention.
He could notice their hesitation as they scurried backwards in panic but before he could turn to see the cause of it, a loud horn honked, followed by a piercing light.
Something was coming towards him, something fast.
It wasn't something he could avoid, at best he could only manage a weak mutter, his voice filled with surprise and a hint of dread.
"T-Truck-kun?" Was all he managed to say before his world turned dark.