Chains

"What if I refuse?" asked Niko, though he already knew the answer.Hyun-Woo's laughter echoed through the phone like an ice blade. "Then Sun-Woo and Ja-Min will die. Slowly. And Jun-Seo will join them. Oh, and all your other friends too. Hee-Jae, for example—it would be a pity if such a promising future surgeon lost the use of his hands, don't you think?"Niko closed his eyes, feeling the trap closing permanently on him. "You are monsters.""We are Hwang," Hyun-Woo corrected. "And you are too, whether you like it or not. Chan-Woo and Min-Jun are coming to get you. Don't make it harder for them."The line went dead. Niko stood there with the phone shaking in his hand, realizing that his life had just ended for the second time.Jun-Seo looked at him with eyes full of horror. "Niko... what do we do?"Before Niko could answer, two familiar figures appeared in the university courtyard. Chan-Woo and Min-Jun paced toward them with the absolute assurance of predators who had spotted their prey."We must go," whispered Niko. "Now."But it was already too late.