A night of woe

The rain started the night everything broke.

It wasn’t dramatic at first—just a quiet drizzle tapping against the cracked window of the tiny flat where Min-jae lived with his little sister, Soo-ah. The kind of rain that made the city feel distant, like it was holding its breath.

Min-jae stood by the sink, staring at the final notice in his trembling hands.

FINAL DEMAND. PAYMENT OVERDUE.

He already knew what it said. He had memorized every word over the past week. Still, reading it again felt like reopening a wound that refused to close.

“Oppa?”

He turned quickly, forcing a smile.

Soo-ah stood in the doorway, hugging her worn-out stuffed rabbit. Her hair was messy, her eyes still soft with sleep.

“You’re awake early,” he said gently.

“I heard the rain,” she murmured. Then, after a pause, “Are we okay?”

The question struck deeper than any threat ever could.

Min-jae crouched in front of her, brushing her hair back. “We’re fine,” he lied. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

She nodded, trusting him completely.

That trust was the heaviest thing he carried.

The debt wasn’t his.

It had never been his.

Their father had left it behind like a curse—gambling, borrowing, disappearing. By the time Min-jae was old enough to understand, the collectors had already started knocking.

At first, they were polite.

Then persistent.

Then cruel.

Min-jae took every job he could find—construction, deliveries, late-night shifts at convenience stores—but it was never enough. The interest grew faster than he could breathe.

And now… time had run out.

The first time he met him, it wasn’t by choice.

Min-jae had been dragged into a dim, smoke-filled office after failing to make a payment. His wrists were sore, his lip split, his body shaking from exhaustion more than fear.

The man sitting behind the desk didn’t look like what Min-jae expected.

He wasn’t loud.

He wasn’t rough

.

He was… calm.

Too calm.

“Min-jae,” the man said, voice low and smooth. “You’re late.”

Min-jae swallowed. “I’ll pay. I just need more time—”

“You’ve had time.”

Silence stretched between them.

The man leaned back slightly, studying him like he was something fragile—and already broken.

“Do you have family?” he asked.

Min-jae’s heart dropped.

“…Yes.”

“A sister.”

It wasn’t a question.

Min-jae’s hands clenched. “Leave her out of this.”

For the first time, something flickered in the man’s eyes—not anger, not amusement… something unreadable.

“Interesting,” he murmured.

Min-jae braced himself.

This was where it always got worse.

But instead of issuing a threat, the man stood.

He was tall, composed, dressed in dark clothes that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

“My name is Ji-hoon,” he said. “And you owe me more than money.”

Min-jae didn’t respond.

He couldn’t.

“Work for me,” Ji-hoon continued. “And your debt… disappears.”

Min-jae laughed bitterly. “You think I’m stupid?”

“I think,” Ji-hoon said quietly, stepping closer, “you’re desperate.”

Their eyes met.

And in that moment, Min-jae realized something terrifying—

Ji-hoon wasn’t guessing.

He knew.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***