Will Rip Him Apart
Will Rip Him Apart
"Hu hu hu 10 percent discount," he muttered with a silly smile and rolled over. Shujin slowly opened the front door with her key and put her hands on her hips in annoyance as she saw the useless man sleeping so peacefully.
"Instead of buying the groceries, this freeloader dares to sleep in peace!" she scowled. There was a large bucket of water beside her leg. She had carried it all the way upstairs for emergencies like this.
Picking up the bucket, she tiptoed into the room.
"Fifty bucks?" Junho murmured. "I'll give five dollars!"
The miser was dreaming of discounts, eh?
Shujin threw the bucket full of water on Junho's sleeping figure, splashing it all over him. Junho awoke with a start, spluttering madly. He coughed out water, his body and bed wet with water.
"What's the big deal you oldie?" he barked. "Why are you splashing water on me this early in the morning?"
"Morning?" Shujin yelled and threw the bucket aside. "It's nearly noon, you moron! Why are you still asleep? You were supposed to buy the grocery today!"
"Wait till the next discount sale on grocery!" he grumbled and tried to go back to sleep but Shujin whacked his head.
"Yo, old woman!" he protested. "You're hitting one of the richest men in the country!"
"Richest man, my foot!" Shujin argued shrilly. "You're a freeloader and an unemployed lazy bum who is such a miser, that he'd buy groceries on sale! Go and buy food for the house!"
Grumbling a series of curses, he got off the bed and glared at the old woman.
What sins have I committed that this demon lady has latched on to me like a leech? He wondered. Then he recalled all the businesses he had once bankrupted in order to increase his own company's profits. He was sure that the curses of his old rivals were going to follow him to his grave.
"Now get dressed and go to the market!" the old woman ordered. "I've texted you the list. Now shoo!"
"Alright!" Junho yelled. Shujin threw one last glare at him before leaving. Junho wanted to go back to sleep but the demon would return and throw her slippers at him if he did so he reluctantly walked towards his closet to get dressed. He did not have any exorcisms that week so he was out of work for the moment.
"Ugh, my wallet is nearly empty!" he groaned, checking his precious wallet. "The old woman must have taken the rent from my wallet while I was sleeping."
Still, there was enough money to survive the week so he put on his pants and jacket before wearing a cap on his head. Cursing the old woman, he left the house and walked towards the bus stop.
Half an hour later, he stepped off the bus and headed for the northern intersection where the weekly bazar was held. He searched through the busy market which was bustling with people and hawkers who were bargaining with customers.
Junho bought all the items the old woman had commanded to bring him, haggling with the sellers to reduce the prices. He was quite well known in that market for his hardcore bargaining so the sellers were afraid of him. They knew fully well that the strange man would buy their products for one quarter of the asking price. It was futile to argue with him.
"Ahh I saved a hundred bucks," he muttered. "I can buy some ramen with this!"
Then a thought occurred to him. Mina's hospital was not far away. Maybe he could stop by at the hospital cafe and peek at her from afar. He had not seen his precious daughter in months and it took him a lot of willpower to stay away from her.
But she probably did not remember him. The thought made him very sad but it was for the best. He did not want to burden her with the knowledge of their relationship.
Making up his mind, he made his way towards the busy street and crossed the road. The hospital was only five minutes on foot so he reached there quite quickly. As usual, the hospital was abuzz with patients and medical staff. The employees were tending to the fresh bout of patients who were being admitted. Junho kept his head low, glancing around to see if Mina was anywhere but she was not in sight.
The doctors and nurses rushed past him, busy with their patients. Junho felt a little awkward to be there but he sighed and headed for the cafeteria.
The cafe was also crowded with visitors and staff members who were taking a break. A group of nurses chattered at a corner while some of the visitors looked grim with worry about their loved ones. He glanced around, trying to see if Mina was anywhere but to his disappointment, she was not there either.
Dejected, Junho walked towards the counter.
"One ramen," he sighed at the counter person.
"Make that two."
Junho's eyes lit up and he spun around to see Mina standing behind him. She was smiling at him, recognizing the man as Gayoon's godfather.
"Hi uncle!" she greeted. "Long time no see!"
Junho was speechless. A mixture of happiness and nervousness swirled in his heart upon seeing his daughter. He was happy to see her again but nervous about what to do.
"Let's have lunch together," Mina suggested. "It's my break so we can catch up."
"Y-you recognized me?" Junho asked in shock.
"Of course I did!" she laughed. "You're Gayoon's godfather! Can you believe it? We were buying that jacket for the same person! What are the odds, eh?"
She picked up the queue card from the counter and led him to an empty table. Junho was fidgeting like a little child, unsure of how to interact with his daughter.
Mina, not noticing his nervousness, beamed at him. "Uncle, thank you for what you did for me," she said in a sincere tone. "I heard how you got rid of the CCK. I really can't thank you enough for it."
"Uhhh…" Junho could not reply to her earnest words. He was still fumbling for words but somehow, they were evading him.
"You must be worried about Gayoon," Mina said, misreading his nervousness. "I know it's hard for you. But she's in good hands! My brother loves her a lot and Jina is happy to have both her parents. She's very lucky!"
"Mhmm." It was all Junho could muster. He simply nodded while silently vowing to skin his son alive if he hurt Gayoon again.
"If only everyone was as lucky as her…" Mina trailed off. A sadness dawned on her face as if she was remembering something very painful. Seeing her troubled expression, Junho finally gathered the courage to talk.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked but Mina was on a trail of thought of her own.
"Stupid Kanji!" she burst out. Her hand clutched the queue card as if she wanted to throw something against the wall in rage. "Why can't he confess that he loves me? Is it that hard?"
Eh?
Now Junho was listening. His nervousness was gone, replaced by his fatherly protectiveness.
"Tell me about this...Kanji," he said with a sweet smile while a nerve twitched on his head.
Who dares to hurt my daughter? I'LL RIP HIM APART!