The morning light filled the kitchen, Hara sat comfortably, enjoying her breakfast with a cup of coffee while scrolling through her phone, catching up on the latest news and messages.
Across from her, Yuto appeared, his hair still a bit disheveled from sleep. With a sleepy yet content expression. He too was ready to start his day after a well-deserved rest.
As Hara scrolled through her phone, she stumbled upon a latest breaking news article that caught her attention:
'LATEST NEWS: One of the notorious members of Viper Cartel was caught last night.'
"Viper Cartel?"
The mention of "Viper Cartel" triggered a memory from the past, and Hara couldn't help but mutter the name aloud. It had been a while since she heard anything about this infamous criminal organization.
Yuto, who was in the midst of yawning, suddenly froze upon hearing the name. He quickly composed himself and nonchalantly asked, "What happened?"
"One of the members got caught," Hara replied before taking a sip of her coffee, her curiosity piqued by the news.
Yuto's response was simply, 'Oh.'
Hara, observing him closely, was aware of Yuto's regular involvement with the notorious Viper Cartel.
His hatred of the organization was driven by the memory of his biological mother's involvement with the criminal organization. His father, Mr. Tanaka, shared a similar fate, having entered into a convenient business marriage that ultimately led to financial ruin due to his own mistakes. Struggling to save his company from the brink of bankruptcy, he reluctantly struck a deal with the head of the Viper Cartel, a decision that saved his business but came with grave consequences.
As tension filled the room, a loud bang echoed through the air, and the door swung open, revealing a man clad in a flamboyant floral shirt. A wicked grin adorned his face as he took a drag from his lit cigarette.
"Having fun?" he taunted, releasing a cloud of smoke.
Mr. Tanaka's earlier smile vanished, replaced by beads of sweat on his trembling face. Anxiety and fear consumed him as he tried to steady his shaking hand.
The man advanced, slamming his hand on the table, causing Mr. Tanaka to jump in his seat.
"Do you still remember our deal?" the man inquired, lowering his black sunglasses.
"Yes, yes," Mr. Tanaka nodded, his voice fraught with apprehension.
Little did they know, the price of prosperity had come at a heavy cost. The room filled with an eerie silence, as the fate of everyone present remained uncertain, entangled in the dangerous web woven by the Viper Cartel.
"Let me go!"
As the woman's anguished cries pierced the air, her desperate plea seemed to echo through the depths of despair. Struggling against her captors, she was a portrait of vulnerability and helplessness. The heartless man responsible for this torment merely wore a cold smile, callous and unmoved by her suffering.
Mr. Tanaka stood on the sidelines, his eyes unable to meet the devastating scene unfolding before him. Clutching the trembling little boy tightly, he fought back tears, feeling utterly powerless to protect his family from this cruel fate.
"Mom!" the innocent child wailed, his voice a haunting melody of sorrow and fear. He tugged at his father's grip, yearning to run to the woman he loved most, but the grip only tightened, holding him back from reaching her.
The man who had caused this heartbreak showed no mercy, his laughter a chilling reminder of the cruelty that humanity was capable of. He approached the sobbing child, a sinister glint in his eyes, and blew smoke into Yuto's face, suffocating him with a toxic mix of terror and despair.
"Poor little boy," the man sneered, reveling in the agony he had inflicted upon this innocent soul.
Yuto's mother, tears streaming down her cheeks, reached out to her beloved son, her voice trembling with pain and love. "Yuto!"
But her cries fell on deaf ears, as the man's annoyance grew with each passing second. "Can you guys make it quick?" he demanded impatiently, taking another drag of his cigarette, as though eager to escape the heart-wrenching scene he had orchestrated.
With a final pat on Yuto's head, he heartlessly departed, leaving behind shattered dreams and a void that would haunt the young boy for a lifetime.
As the car slowly drove away, taking Yuto's mother with it, the weight of the moment bore down on the grieving father and son. They were left in a desolate world, their hearts breaking with every inch the car moved away from them.
"Mom!" Yuto's cries echoed into the emptiness, his voice fading into the night, forever searching for the love that had been torn away from him. In the midst of this bleak reality, father and son clung to each other, bound by a shared sorrow, longing for the day when they could be reunited with the one they had lost.
Yuto noticed Hara's distant expression and called her name to bring her back to the present.
"Oh," Hara replied, finally snapping out of her thoughts, as she had been recalling a scene of Yuto's childhood that she read from the novel.
Yuto noticed a tear in Hara's eyes and tilted his head in confusion. Without thinking, his hand reached out to gently wipe it away, showing his concern for her.
Hara was taken aback by Yuto's sudden gesture and quickly looked down, feeling flustered. Yuto, feeling the same, also looked down in embarrassment.
"S-sorry," Yuto stammered briefly, feeling awkward about the situation.
"It's okay," Hara managed to force out a smile, also feeling embarrassed by the unexpected moment.
Yuto glanced at Hara, noticing her sadness as she stared at her coffee. Gathering his courage, he tried to ask her something.
"Do you—" Yuto's voice cracked, revealing his nervousness.
"Do you have anything to do today?" he finally asked, concerned about her well-being.
"Nothing that I can think of" Hara glanced up to look at Yuto.
"I'm glad to hear that," Yuto replied, relieved that Hara didn't have any pressing plans.
"Why?" Hara asked, taking a sip of her coffee, curious about his question. Yuto hesitated for a moment, contemplating how to express his thoughts.
"Well, it's about my father"
Yuto's expression soured as he brought up the topic of his father. The mention of his father left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"He invited us to a dinner at his house," Yuto explained, his tone reflecting the mixed emotions he felt about the invitation.
Hara responded with a slight tremble in her voice, saying, "O-oh."
The mention of the dinner at Mr. Tanaka's house brought back memories of the event in the novel she had recalled earlier. It sent shivers down her spine as she remembered how sickening and disgusting it made her feel when she read it back then. Additionally, her mind wandered back to the first time she had met Mr. Tanaka, who was already advanced in age, scrutinizing her from head to toe. The memories intertwined, leaving her feeling uneasy and anxious about the upcoming dinner invitation.
Hara was well aware that Mr. Tanaka had forced Yuto into accepting the dinner invitation, leaving him with no choice but to comply to avoid potential consequences. The situation weighed heavily on Yuto, and Hara could feel the burden he carried.
Moreover, she had observed Mr. Tanaka's manipulative nature before, knowing he could be kind and friendly on the surface while concealing a darker side beneath. Yuto's stepmother, in particular, appeared to be kind outwardly, but Hara understood that she had a two-faced nature that Hara had known from reading the novel.
Seeing Hara's reluctant expression, Yuto nodded understandingly and began to say, "You didn't have to go if you don't want to—"
"I can go—"
Before Yuto could finish his sentence, Hara interrupted him,
"No," she firmly interjected.
"Let's go together," Hara suggested, offering him a reassuring smile.