A Gift To the People You Love to hate

Chapter 3

She is okay, She is okay, She's okay, She's okay, she's not okay. Tears started to roll down her eyes and fell on her book. She hated herself for making her mother angry.

She is not the problem, she is not the problem, she is not the problem, she is the problem.

These thoughts ran through her mind over and over and over until she realized she was in the wrong. An old habit came into her mind. (old habits don't die at all) she successfully broke her racer and took out the blade and started cutting her thigh.

She doesn't deserve this, she doesn't deserve this, she doesn't deserve, she did deserve this.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much, it doesn't hurt as much.

She fell to the bathroom floor crying. Her phone was ringing and ringing and ringing. She didn't answer. She knew it was meen who was calling her. She didn't want her to see her like this. She didn't want her to see her struggle. Meen goes through a lot and she works hard. Chloe doesn't want to put more pressure on her.

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LShark beckoned Yoon over with a sly grin. "Yoon, let me tell you something. Come here."

As Yoon stepped closer, trusting, LShark's hand shot out, delivering a stinging slap to his face.

The harsh laughter that followed was like salt in the wound. "Hahaha, can't believe you fell for that."

Yoon's face flushed with humiliation and a simmering anger. Yet, he knew better than to let it show; LShark had a cruel streak for those who dared to challenge him.

With a smirk, LShark taunted him, "A man who can't even pay his debts. Worthless, aren't you?"

The sound of a ringing phone cut through the tension. Yoon's phone was vibrating, the caller ID flashing 'Meen'.

Without warning, LShark snatched the device from Yoon's grasp. "What's this? You've got yourself a fancy phone?" His voice dripped with contempt as he toyed with the high-end mobile.

"You shouldn't be flaunting stuff like this when you owe money," LShark sneered, pocketing the phone. "Go get yourself something cheaper, something that suits a debtor like you. This is way out of your league."

Overwhelmed with indignation but acutely aware of the danger, Yoon swallowed any protests. He knew too well that LShark's thugs lurked nearby, ready to enforce their boss's whims with brute force.

LShark's next demand was a whispered threat. "Give me your hand."

Yoon's heart sank, but he complied, holding out his trembling hand.

"I'm giving you one week to come up with the cash," LShark hissed.

Yoon watched in horror as LShark pulled out a small, sharp blade. With deliberate cruelty, he carved '7 DAYS' into Yoon's palm. Each stroke was agony, a burning reminder of his dire situation.

Fighting against the pain, Yoon bit back the screams threatening to spill from his lips. He was powerless under LShark's control, each second under the blade an eternity.

As LShark finished his grim artwork, he stepped back, satisfaction clear on his face. "Remember this pain. If you don't pay up, I'll be back to take more than your pride."

Yoon was left nursing his wound, physically and emotionally scarred by the encounter, with the clock ticking ominously towards an uncertain fate.

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An air of worry hung heavily around Meen as she checked her phone again, tapping her foot in a steady, anxious rhythm. "Why isn't Yoon answering?" she muttered to herself. "If I'd gone with Ash, I'd be home by now."

An hour dragged by, leaving her more anxious and upset. With each passing minute, her concern grew.

Where on earth could he be? She was on the verge of panic.

Suddenly, her phone rang, and she answered immediately. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Yoon's voice came through, breathless and rushed.

Meen forced a smile though her worry had not subsided. "Wow, I didn't realize my school was at the top of a mountain!"

Yoon finally appeared, his arrival doing little to calm Meen's nerves. "Quit nagging, I'm here, aren't I?" he said, trying to deflect her concern.

"Where have you been?" Meen pressed, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"I've been...busy," Yoon responded, words trailing off.

Busy with someone? Meen smirked, teasing him. "Who is she?"

Yoon quickly shook his head, disheveled. "No, that's not it. I've been working, really."

"Come on, you can't even tell your own sister?" Meen pushed. She playfully ranted about the 'woman from the dark ages' who seemed to baffle technology, Evn including the use of a landline phone.

Yoon couldn't help but laugh at the memory. "I would never date her. Here get off , I need to get going," he urged, trying to move them along.

"Why the rush? You've been working late every day," Meen observed. Her playful demeanor was slipping, replaced by genuine concern.

"I have to, okay?" Yoon snapped back.

"Why? You never have dinner with me anymore... What's going on, Yoon?"

Yoon's voice dropped to a serious tone, his eyes avoiding hers. "I haven't paid rent in three months. They increased it, and I can't keep up."

Meen's face fell. "But you told me the landlord decreased the price for both the shop and the house."

It was then that she noticed the bandage on his hand, stained with red. "Yoon, your hand is bleeding! What happened?"

He was quick to dismiss her worry. "I hit it on a nail," he lied.

"Let's go inside and get you cleaned up," Meen insisted.

Yoon resisted, indicating his urgency to leave. "I told you, I can't. I have work."

Meen reached for his hand, her concern growing, but Yoon withdrew, hiding the bandaged hand from her view. "You need to rest," she urged.

"I don't have time to rest, Meen! I have work to do," Yoon said, his frustration rising.

"If only you'd let me work at the café..." Meen started.

But Yoon was firm. "No! You're still finishing school. You don't need to work. Enjoy your life, that's what I'm working for."

"You think i enjoy seeing my brother suffer!".