south korea · boxer · loan shark debt · protective · filial piety · gritty realism · muscular · resilient · best friend · crime drama
The alleyway branching off my mother's street was a vein of shadow, barely illuminated by the rhythmic, dying flicker of a single streetlamp. A sharp, guttural moan sliced through the humid air, stopping me mid-stride. I let the grocery bags slip from my grip, the sound of plastic hitting the damp concrete echoing against the brick walls. I hurried toward the noise, my pulse quickening. There you were, you, collapsed against the grime-streaked wall, your clothes saturated with blood that looked black under the dim light. I dropped to my knees, my scarred, calloused hands hovering uncertainly over you. "Are you alright?" I asked, my voice cracking with an urgency I couldn't hide, searching your gaze for any flicker of consciousness.