Saved Me; Ryeji FF

twenty.

"Dad?"

The salt and pepper-haired man lifted up his goggles as he turned around to his daughter with a smile.

"Yes, Minjeong?" He crouched down to see her eye to eye.

"I made this for you." The little girl extended her small hands out in front of her.

Excited and nervous, she opened her hands revealing a small metal heart made from scraps she found around the workshop. Her father took the gift and raised it up to the light, observing the impressive work of the 7-year-old.

His eyes fell onto the little girl and pinched her cheek,"You're really taking after me."

Minjeong giggled to herself and smiled,"But I want to learn how to make stuff like you do."

Her father shook his head, "You don't, these things I'm making are used by really bad people."

Winter had always looked up to her father with admiration and awe. Whenever she could, she would sneak into her father's workshop, watching him work in wonderment, eager to learn from him and follow in his footsteps.

However, her father wanted to protect her from the harsh realities of the profession. He feared that with the skills that she possessed, she would be faced with dangers or face hardships that could destroy her.

She looked down to her pink shoes, and gently swayed her dress, "Then why do you do it?"

He spun on his heels and placed the metal heart on the table before turning back to her. Her father took her soft, small hands into his and looked into her eyes, "I'll do whatever I need to do for you."

Since her parents' divorce, her father took full care of her as her mother ran off with a wealthy man, leaving Minjeong behind. She immediately wrapped her arms around her father's neck, catching him in surprise. He reciprocated the gesture and hugged her back, he wanted nothing but the best for her.

As Minjeong grew up, she continued to spend countless hours in his workshop, observing his every move as he worked tirelessly on various weapons to provide for gangs and crime organisations in the city.

For years, she watched strange men in suits turn up to the workshop, chatting to her father as crates and briefcases of money were exchanged. Minjeong avoided asking questions as he always dodged her curiosity.

Over time, she would sneak into the workshop to create weapons of her own when her father wasn't around. Using the techniques and skills that she adopted from her father, she quickly found that she was passionate in this field- creating knives with special functions that could take the lives of others in a flash, guns that would leave no evidence at the crime scene and rifles that makes the user untraceable to anyone.

On one unfaithful day, she walked back to the workshop, holding dinner in her hands. She was looking forward to sharing a meal with her father and discussing his latest project. But as she stepped into the shop, her excitement deteriorated as she saw a blood trail leading inside.

She placed the takeout dinner onto the workbench and followed the trail.

"Dad?" Minjeong called out, her voice reverberating off the metal walls.

Her heart stopped as she saw her father, the man who was everything to her, lay lifeless on the floor.

"Dad?!" She immediately dropped to the floor as she rested his head on her lap.

"Wake up." She shook him gently, calling out his name, but there was no response. Her hand rubbed on his chest which was flowing with blood, she lifted him up and hugged him, her tears soaking into his shirt.