I'll be your light

“Alright, guys.” Zico says. The seven members of BLOCK B sit around a large oval table with a map laid out. “I got a tip that ‘Devil Heart’ have been kidnapping teenage girls to sell to a brothel, again. They’re taking them away tomorrow night from here – “ Zico draws a small cross on the map. “ – to here.” Zico draws another small cross on the map. “I want to stop them before they get out of the city.” Zico grunts. “The gang ‘Devil Heart’?” Taeil asks, screwing his face in disgust. “We haven’t heard from them in a while, ever since we busted them last time.” “I know. It’s time we stop them from kidnapping innocent girls for good.” Zico says. “Taeil, I want you prepare small explosives. Big enough to do damage, but small enough to not wipe out anyone further than a 2 metre radius. Also prepare some smoke bombs. Minhyuk I want you to get us three assault rifles, one for you, one for me and one for Yukwon. I want you to also get four pistols, one for Jaehyo, one for Taeil and two for Jihoo, and get Kyung his preferred knives. I don’t know what he uses anymore. So I’ve devised most of the plan…here’s what’s going to happen: Taeil will use the smoke bombs to create a distraction, Jaehyo and Jihoo I want you two to occupy the drivers, I don’t know just make up a story. Taeil, Yukwon and I will assess the scene, evaluate the numbers and come up with a strategy. I then want Jaehyo and Jihoo to take out the driver or drivers, the three of us will keep the other members of ‘Devil Heart’ at bay while you help Kyung and Minhyuk rescue the girls. Also remember to check the building for more girls. Am I understood?” Zico finishes. “Yes sir!” Everyone answers.

Yukwon goes home and prepares his weapons. Everyone knows to pack more than just what Zico demands. He sharpens his knife and prepares his pistol. When Zico said “It’s time we stop them from kidnapping innocent girls for good.” Yukwon flinched. He has never killed anyone before, but brutally injured them. Will his life change once he has blood on his hands? He can’t think of that right now, he needs to mentally ready himself for the challenges of tomorrow.

Three vans. Three vans full of girls to be sold. This is going to be harder than Zico expected. Jaehyo’s and Jihoo’s distraction only occupies the driver and the passenger of the first van. “My car has broken down.” Jaehyo says to the driver. “Can you please check what is wrong with it?” The man grunts and tries to decline but Jaehyo doesn’t give up. Meanwhile Zico formulates a plan to take ‘Devil Heart’ down. “Yukwon, I want you, Kyung and Minhyuk to go to the furthest van and make noise at the back so the drivers come out. Take the drivers down and Taeil will steal the engine, making the van useless in case we don’t succeed in killing them all. Kyung, then get all the girls out of the van and call the police. Kyung is just about to leave when Zico stops him. “Hey. Identities.” He hands them all their clown masks. “Idiots.” He scoffs. They all put on their clown masks to conceal their identities and head off. Yukwon, Kyung and Minhyuk creep to the back of the third van. Yukwon bangs his hand on the back door multiple times. The back doors swing open and two men wearing hockey masks crouch inside. “What the – “ they say simultaneously. Yukwon shoots them both in the head before they speak any more. The girls inside the van scream as he does so, some of them even start to cry. “Don’t cry.” Kyung says, climbing into the van. “We’re here to set you free.” This makes some of them calm down. He uses his knife to cut through the rope that ties some of the girls down. The driver of the third van appears to see what is going on, his eyes widen but Yukwon shoots him in the stomach three times before he can alert his friends. Kyung hands one girl his spare phone he uses for BLOCK B business. “Use this to call the police, notify them of what is happening and tell them where you are. Look for a street sign. Hurry go!” he urges. The girl nods and starts dialling while running around looking for a street sign that might indicate where they are. Taeil is suddenly at Minhyuk’s side, smiling. “Instead of taking the engine, he used his small bombs to kill the car’s whole system.” Zico says with a slight chuckle. “One down, two to go.” Taeil smiles. Suddenly two more shots ring in the air. The five members run to where Jaehyo and Jihoo are and they see two people on the floor. Dead. “They were suspicious after the girls started screaming.” Jaehyo says. Zico throws them their clown masks. “Put them on now.” He says. As soon as they do, more members from ‘Devil Heart’ appear and circle BLOCK B. Everything is silent, like they’re all holding their breath, waiting for something to happen. Zico raises his gun and shoots one of the enemy. That’s when the chaos begins. ‘Devil Heart’ members run at BLOCK B members. Fortunately, all they are armed with are knives and some are armed with pistols. Not much. When everyone is distracted, Kyung and Taeil slip away and try to free the other girls in the remaining vans. “Someone has rescued us.” One of them says with a face full of tears as Kyung slices through the rope tying her hands together. “Thank you for rescuing us.” She cries. Kyung instructs the girls to join the others outside and wait for the police, then they join the fight again.

They huff and pant from exhaustion. ‘Devil Heart’ members are sprawled all over the floor either dead, or heavily injured and unconscious. Police sirens fill the air. “They’ve arrived.” Kyung says while trying to get air into his lungs. “We’d better leave.” Jihoo says. “I need my phone back.” Kyung whines. “I’ll get it back for you.” Zico says. He flips out his BLOCK B-usage-only phone and calls someone. “Meet us in the alleyway. Bring the phone one of the girls is holding. You will get your payment.” He hangs up. “Let’s go to the alleyway.” He says. As they all wait in the darkness of the alleyway, a policeman enters their view. He throws the phone to Zico and Zico hands it to Kyung. “There might be more girls in the building where the vans are.” Zico says to the police officer. He just nods. Zico takes an envelope out from inside his jacket and throws it at the officer’s feet. “We’re leaving.” Zico says. The rest of the BLOCK B members follow him obediently. Once they are gone, the police officer picks up the envelope, opens it, and counts the money inside. Satisfied with what is inside, he makes his way back to the group of police officers helping the girls.

“Why didn’t he arrest us?” Kyung asks curiously.
“Because.” Zico replies.
“But why?”
“Just because.”
“Yeah. But because why?” Kyung whines.
Zico sighs with frustration.
“I pay him to give us information Kyung. He’s my little spy in the police force alright?” Zico says.
“Oh…but why?”
Everyone sighs in frustration.
“Because people are corrupted and will do anything for money. I pay him $500 every time he gives us a tip or lets us walk away.” Zico explains.
They reach their own van and everyone hops inside. They take off their masks and relax. “Y’know what Zico?” Kyung says from the back seat. “What?” Zico says, keeping his eyes on the road. “One of the girls said thank you for rescuing her.” Zico doesn’t answer. “That’s what you wanted didn’t you?” Kyung says happily. “You kept saying ‘we’ll stop ‘Devil Heart’ but really you wanted to save the girls. You never explicitly said it though.” Everyone lets this theory process in their minds. It makes sense. It had never occurred to any of the other memebrs that Zico wanted to save the girls. It’s obvious that the result of stopping ‘Devil Heart’ would be that they stop kidnapping innocent teenagers, but who would have known that Zico wanted to save the girls intentionally? Zico gives a soft laugh, but doesn’t say anything else. ‘Even though I killed a lot of people today, maybe I can be redeemed because I helped save lots of innocent people.’ Yukwon thinks. “We did rescue them.” Yukwon says with a smile. He looks at Kyung who also has a big smile on his face.

Notes