Loving A Triple Threat

Chapter 26 - Firing Line

Seok looked at Hyuk with concern in his eyes.

"Did you get that text?" he asked his friend.

"Yes, let's hurry to dinner. He's angry enough already," Hyuk replied.

As they arrived at their usual café they could see Sena sitting at a table, his feet weren't up on the table, and he wasn't clowning around. He looked serious and that was not a good sign.

Seok crossed himself, praying that Sena wouldn't kill him for failing him and Gi. That was the impression he got from the texts and his current demeanour.

"Sena," Seok said while taking a seat and waving down the waitress. The café did not like you sitting without ordering, and it was surprising that they didn't ask someone who looked like Sena, to do just that.

Seok looked at his friend, he looked angry, but, he was suddenly distracted by something on Sena's neck.

"What's that!" Seok said in surprise. Tattoos had a long tradition in Korea. In the past, people were marked with Tattoos as outcasts or outlaws. And, the only people who got tattoos these days were Kkangpae and Jopok members. It was a flag to police, the population at large, and to each other.

You would not brand yourself without very good reason. The bravery to face both the police and exclusion from the rest of society showed dedication. It meant something to other gangsters. They were a band of brothers bonded by their mutual exclusion.

"It's a tatt," Sena said tersely. His tone did not encourage further discussion.

He looked Hyuk in the eyes and then he turned to Seok. He felt like Sena was boring into his soul. His dark eyes carried pain, hurt, anger, resentment and guilt. His eyes didn't so much as shine, but they glared like dark reflective pools.

Sena sighed, and without saying a word hung his head in his hands. He was like this for quite a few minutes before he spoke. He kept his head down and breathed the words, "Why? Why didn't you call me?"

"You were too far away, and you wouldn't have been able to enter the park," Hyuk replied with his reasoning at the time.

"I thought about it," Seok said, "But, the time it would take you and the fact she had Jae-Sun looking after her. It wasn't right to call you."

"I thought his name was Ren?" Sena looked up and they could see his eyes were filled with water. It was the first time either of them had seen him like this in ten years.

He had laughed when he was sent to Juvie. Sena seemed invincible. But he wasn't, he was human like the rest of them. Seok always worshipped Sena, but his respect rose another level today. Sena was not scared of showing them his true feelings, his tears.

"Ren, stuffed up," Seok said, and Hyuk nodded.

"He insulted her security guard by looking down on him, then later that day we saw him with an actress, and they were kissing," Hyuk said.

"In full view of Gi," Seok added.

"What?" Sena was upset. "How f.u.c.k.i.n.g dare he!"

"Um, Sena," Seok wanted to point out a flaw in his friends logic, "This is good. She was going to be his girlfriend and now he has betrayed her. Although, he was begging for forgiveness after she blew up on YouTube."

Sena stood. He was furious. "I'm going to kill him."

Hyuk stood as well, trying to calm his friend, "Sena sit. Talk."

Sena smashed the table with his fist, and it drew the attention of the café.

"Calm down, or we'll have to leave," Seok pleaded.

Sena sat, still fuming, "How dare he reject her and kiss someone else in front of her. I swear, I'll smash him so hard his dead ancestors will feel it."

"Sena," Hyuk pleaded, he did not care for Ren, but Sena, the legendary Sena, was becoming unhinged, "This is normal, especially with idols and actors."

Sena whirled on Hyuk, "I know Hyuk, but this guy spurned what I can never have. It's so …it makes me angry. I would give everything to be in his position, and he just drops her like a basketball on the court."

"And now she is popular on the internet he wants to get her back?" Sena asked.

"We don't know for sure, she mentioned it to Misha," Seok said.

"What crazy weekend did you guys have? And what're these dumb texts?" Sena asked.

He received texts from both Hyuk and Seok, separately, promising to buy him dinner. Forever.

"You text me this nonsense and miss out the important information!" Sena was yelling at them again.

He was awful angry today, Seok worried something was wrong, or perhaps it was just Gi. It was obvious Sena was obsessed with her. And after what he saw on the weekend, he didn't blame him. She was special and Sena had seen it all along.

"Sena," Hyuk said softly, "I got lucky. And Seok sorta did too. Well, as much as he's capable," he said the last with a laugh.

Seok stared at Hyuk, unimpressed with the slander. He thought he had done quite well and that was undeserved.

Sena peered at Hyuk, "Who? The Maid Café chic?"

"No Suzie," Hyuk said.

"Hyuk!" Seok protested, "You're not supposed to, you know to 'do it', and then tell. That's not nice."

"It's ok," Sena said, "It's only me. But, Seok is right Hyuk, don't bag and brag."

Hyuk lifted his hands in surrender. "I'm not! I was explaining why the dinner offer and you asked!"

Seok tried to calm the conversation, "You helped us both, heaps. We wanted to thank you."

"Okay, let's get back to the important stuff," Sena said, totally ignoring that Hyuk losing his v.i.r.g.i.n.i.t.y was an important event, "Now tell me. What happened on Saturday. This stuff I saw this morning on the news."

"It's on the news?" Hyuk asked.

"You didn't see it on trending?" Seok asked.

"No, I don't follow that shit Seok, and yes, Gi is all over the media. Some asshat had an extremely disrespectful image of her and plastered it everywhere." Thankfully on the news the s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e parts were censored.

"Um, that's not how it happened," Seok said.

"I don't care how it happened!" Sena exclaimed, "Who's responsible?"

"Remember the treasure hunt?" Seok asked, and Sena nodded. "It was that image."

"So who ran this Treasure Hunt and shared her image?" Sena asked.

"It's not that simple," Seok replied.

"Seok, you may be smart, but you're an idiot. It is that simple. Everyone is responsible for what they do and what they allow to happen in front of their face. If you lived like I do you would understand. Someone is responsible, and maybe someone let it happen when they should have protected her."

"I understand, now" Seok replied, "Joon and Ren." He said simply. "But Sena, if it happened to a Maid Café girl, then we would've been responsible!"

"We didn't know they would share the photo. Did Ren?" Sena asked.

Hyuk was not sure, but Seok nodded. "He hangs with the YG feeders and even knows Joon. He would've known about the competition I'm certain. I can check with Gi though."

"Do that, we want to be sure before I do anything," Sena said.

"Sena, don't do anything, Gi is fine, Blackpink and Officer Ruek rescued her.

"Wait, what?"

"Blackpink, didn't you see the vids on YouTube?" Hyuk asked.

"I don't care about Blackpink … Officer who?" Sena asked.

"Ruek," Hyuk said, "But he's a good guy, really. He helped Gi when no one else could."

"How old is he?" Sena asked. "And Hyuk, you can't trust Police, they will lie to get what they want."

"So do you," Seok pointed out.

Sena thought about it for a moment, "Yeah, but I don't lie to you or Gi. He would."

"He's twenty-four or so," Hyuk said.

"Or so?" Sena spat, "Is she with him?"

"Um," Seok had heard enough to know. "No, he rejected her. The age gap."