Those Who Tend the Scrub (5)
“Hey, what the hell are you doing.”
She yanked Go Cheon-su closer and shook him even harder a few times, but the response was the same as before.
“Why is this guy……”
Crack!
At the sudden noise, Jang Seo-yeon glanced down. On the rough cement floor, a smartphone lay crushed under her foot.
Had it fallen from Go Cheon-su's hand? He'd only set an alarm and then plunged into a deep sleep, it seemed.
“Hey, Go Cheon-su!”
Something was off. Growing impatient, she even yelled, but Go Cheon-su still wouldn't wake.
Panicking, she turned to Yoo Gi-seong.
“What's wrong with him?”
“……Why are you asking me?”
Yoo Gi-seong stared blankly at Jang Seo-yeon and shot back.
“He's tied up like this—think I'd know anything?”
“No, you said you haven't slept a wink!”
Which meant Yoo Gi-seong must have seen something.
“Did something happen to him? He's out cold!”
“Who knows. Looks like he's just sleeping deeply.”
Seeing Yoo Gi-seong answer so casually, Jang Seo-yeon froze for a moment.
“What the—you……”
She glared sharply at him.
“You do know something.”
“Know what?”
“What did you do to Go Cheon-su.”
Yoo Gi-seong let out a hollow chuckle.
“Man, you're a weird one. You don't even think about what you did to me, but you're asking what I did?”
“Sorry about that, but I'm asking what happened to him.”
Yoo Gi-seong couldn't stop laughing at Jang Seo-yeon's sharp question.
“I told you, he's just sleeping deeply. Even if I explain, you won't get it.”
“Sleeping……?”
Jang Seo-yeon checked Go Cheon-su again. He did look like he'd just passed out cold. He just wouldn't wake up.
“This is just sleeping?!”
Jang Seo-yeon grabbed Yoo Gi-seong by the collar and yanked him up.
“What did you do! Spit it out! What the hell did you do to Go Cheon-su!”
“Let go.”
Yoo Gi-seong murmured lowly, and Jang Seo-yeon sighed.
“What?”
“Untie me.”
His sunken, shadowed eye sockets looked even more sinister in the dim light.
“Untie me, and I'll help. Let's talk after.”
“……”
“What, you don't trust me?”
Yoo Gi-seong made a pitying face.
“I saved your asses when you were about to die. Put you in a safe spot, even gave you a bed. Why the suspicious look? You think you deserve better?”
“We said thanks for the help. But you know this is sketchy as hell.”
Jang Seo-yeon clenched her fist tight.
“Coming out in the dead of night saying you'll save us? Grateful, yeah—but you think that's just coincidence?”
“So that's it. You don't buy the coincidence, so you're doing this?”
Yoo Gi-seong looked baffled.
“Based on a hunch? I helped you! What kind of bullshit is this?”
“Shut up! If you know something, spill it! Why's Go Cheon-su like this!”
“Want me to tell you?”
Yoo Gi-seong glanced toward a cabinet against the wall.
“Look over there.”
Cans of food were lined up neatly like they were on display.
“That Go Cheon-su guy touched those.”
“Those……?”
Jang Seo-yeon couldn't grasp how touching some cans was a problem.
Seeing the question marks on her face, Yoo Gi-seong nodded knowingly.
“You wouldn't know. Something's smeared on the outside of the cans.”
At that, Jang Seo-yeon startled and hurried to the cabinet.
Sure enough, the cans gleamed unnaturally.
“Coated 'em with leaf poison.”
Only after hearing it all did the frozen Jang Seo-yeon finally get it.
“To catch ungrateful thieves like you.”
This wasn't a shelter. It was a trap.
“……Hand over the antidote.”
But Jang Seo-yeon wasn't one to go down easy.
“Unless you wanna get beat to death screaming.”
Yoo Gi-seong tilted his head like he'd never heard such nonsense.
“Antidote? No idea what you're talking about.”
“You little shit!”
Thwack!
Jang Seo-yeon lunged and kicked him square in the face.
“Hand it over unless you wanna die!”
“Guh, heh heh heh.”
Yoo Gi-seong groaned through laughter.
“Rougher than I thought.”
“Damn right, asshole.”
Jang Seo-yeon gripped his collar tight.
“No antidote? You joking? Untying you was pointless then?”
“Who knows.”
Yoo Gi-seong stared straight at her, his unnatural eyes unwavering.
“Untie me, and maybe I'll say there is one.”
“You……!”
“But honestly, you don't have to.”
Suddenly, smoke rose from behind Yoo Gi-seong.
“It might come out on its own.”
Fire.
Flames had caught on his sleeve and the bedsheet, spreading fast.
“Surprised? I keep a lighter in every sleeve. Wear easy-burning clothes too.”
The blaze was bigger than expected. Jang Seo-yeon backed away in shock.
“What the hell are you doing!”
“I'm firewood. Everything here's fuel.”
The wooden ladder was burning too.
Jang Seo-yeon swallowed dryly.
“No way……”
“Yeah. Untie me quick if you don't wanna get trapped.”
Yoo Gi-seong grinned.
“Or stay and choke on smoke till you croak.”
“You crazy bastard!”
Jang Seo-yeon grabbed the blanket off Go Cheon-su and tried to smother the flames on Yoo Gi-seong.
“Cough cough!”
It wasn't working well. She bolted to a door in the corner and flung it open.
Bathroom. A long rubber hose was hooked to the faucet—thank god.
She cranked the water and charged at Yoo Gi-seong with the hose.
Whoosh!
The spray hit him, and the flames started dying down.
“Cough cough.”
But the air inside was getting toxic fast. Jang Seo-yeon just wanted out.
“Grrraaah.”
Badly singed Yoo Gi-seong let out a deep groan. Pain that'd break a normal person.
Snap.
But he acted like it was nothing. He snapped the weakened knots from the fire and lunged at Jang Seo-yeon.
“Free!”
Yoo Gi-seong cackled weirdly as he grabbed her arm.
The dropped hose writhed like a snake, spraying wildly.
“Free, free!”
“You fucker!”
Startled, Jang Seo-yeon toppled backward.
“Gah!”
“Your turn! Untie yourself—try it!”
Thud!
Jang Seo-yeon kneed him in the groin.
“Back off, you psycho……!”
As Yoo Gi-seong reflexively let go and curled up, she crawled up, staggering.
“Huff, huff.”
Her breaths came ragged, the air foul. Vision blurring.
Jang Seo-yeon looked at Go Cheon-su.
“Go, Go Cheon-su.”
She couldn't hold on much longer.
Glancing back—no sign of Yoo Gi-seong.
“Where……”
“Boo!”
He burst through the smoke, face inches from hers.
“Found me?”
He was wearing a gas mask now. Jang Seo-yeon paled like she'd been stabbed.
“You, where'd you get that……”
“That matter?”
Yoo Gi-seong shoved the panicking woman toward the cabinet.
“I'm alive. You're gonna die. That's the issue.”
“Gurk.”
He grabbed her throat and slammed her back.
Already struggling to breathe, Jang Seo-yeon clawed sideways in agony.
Clang!
Her hand found a can. She tried to hurl the slippery thing but dropped it.
Yoo Gi-seong sneered.
“That's daily bread you're wasting. Still, grateful to you guys.”
“Guh, guh.”
“Needed fertilizer anyway.”
Fertilizer?
As Jang Seo-yeon scowled deeper, he leaned in closer.
“Yeah, fertilizer. Can't let tree harassers just walk after messing with my babies.”
“You mad fuck……!”
She grabbed his pinky and snapped it.
But Yoo Gi-seong just grimaced without letting go.
“Guess my pain nerves are fried. Makes sense, got burned pretty bad.”
He squeezed her throat harder.
“If I'd burned up completely, you'd be fertilizer too. Yeah. Gramps would've used me that way.”
“Go, Go Cheon-su!”
Jang Seo-yeon barely clung to consciousness and yelled.
Plus, she'd just touched that can. No telling what now.
“Curious what you touched? Leaf poison. Don't worry, not lethal. Think of it as a slow-absorbing sleep aid through the skin. Normal adult sleeps half a day, till the sun's high.”
“Guhk.”
“So just sleep. Though you'll die before it fully absorbs.”
His creepy laugh echoed inside the mask.
Jang Seo-yeon couldn't speak anymore.
Opponent was too nasty. Fair fight, she'd win easy.
Damn, shit……
She slowly closed her eyes.
Huh?
Suddenly, her mind cleared for a split second.
This is……!
Whoosh.
The smoke was venting out.
“Huh?”
Yoo Gi-seong whipped around.
There stood that man.
“Ah, feels nice.”
Climbing the crumbling ladder, opening the hatch—it was Go Cheon-su.
“Outside beats inside, right?”
As he turned this way, Yoo Gi-seong gaped dumbly.
“What the…… you?”
“Go Cheon-su.”
He grinned and descended the ladder.
Crack!
It splintered and collapsed under him.
“Eh, fine. Door's open—can jump up no problem.”
“What are you!”
Yoo Gi-seong yelled at the casually approaching Go Cheon-su.
“How'd you wake up? You absorbed the leaf poison!”
“Oh, that was poison? Shit, bit stronger and I'd be dead.”
Go Cheon-su dropped the smile, scowling.
“Gotta pay for messing with my body, yeah?”
“What……”
Yoo Gi-seong couldn't finish.
Go Cheon-su had grabbed his wrist and wrenched it.
“Gah? Guh, gaaaah!”
His nerves were dulled from burns, sure.
But not enough to ignore a full joint twist.
“Gaaah! Gaaaaah!”
Yoo Gi-seong released Jang Seo-yeon and staggered back.
Go Cheon-su kept pressing.
Thud!
Pinned against the wall, crushed by Go Cheon-su's strength, nowhere to go.
“Let go! Leeeet gooo!”
His free hand swung at Go Cheon-su's face.
Crunch!
“Nah, not the face.”
Go Cheon-su caught and twisted that fist too.
“Guk?”
Yoo Gi-seong faltered in shock.
Go Cheon-su shoved his face close.
“Damn, you're toasted. Face is wrecked already.”
“Guh, guk.”
“Should've played nice. If you're helping, do it for real.”
Getting lectured out of nowhere, Yoo Gi-seong drooled in pain, then glared fiercely.
“How the hell……”
Go Cheon-su smirked mockingly.
“My body's different from normals'. Heals way faster.”
“Bullshit……”
Click.
Go Cheon-su yanked off the gas mask.
“You'll see if it's bullshit soon enough.”