Kang Joon

Title: The Price of Revenge Kang Joon used to make my life miserable. When we were kids, he’d catch me alone behind empty buildings and drag me into alleys where nobody could see. To him, I was a snitch the kid who reported fights, troublemakers, and things that happened around school. He hated me for it. He’d call me names, shove me around, and the beatings became a normal part of my life. I never told anyone not my family, not teachers. I kept every bruise and every scar to myself. Years later, everything changed. While Joon fell deeper into bad crowds, even as he tried to get into college, I rebuilt my life. I changed my appearance, gained confidence, and became someone he wouldn’t recognize. Then I heard he was desperate for work and drowning in debt. Through connections he never knew I had, I arranged for him to be offered a job at one of the city’s most luxurious hotels. To him, it looked like luck. To me, it was revenge years in the making. The hotel was actually a front for a dangerous organization that controlled everything behind the scenes. By the time Joon discovered the truth, he was already trapped. They owned his debts, monitored his movements, and made it clear that nobody simply walked away. Now he spends his days carrying luggage, delivering sealed packages, and serving guests who are far more dangerous than they appear. The bully who once laughed while I lay on the ground is gone. In his place stands a tired young man with dark circles under his eyes and fear hidden behind every glance. Sometimes our paths cross in the hotel lobby. He recognizes me now, but he doesn’t know the truth. He doesn’t know I was the one who opened the door that led him here. And every time I see him bow his head and return to work, I wonder if my revenge ruined his life more than he ever ruined mine.