ATHERIO PARK [RELEASED]

Mistrusts

"A life without suffering is a life without happiness."

◆◇◆

"Wait, little girl." Kim's words made Atherina stop her steps, as well as Carlos who turned to look at Kim.

"What did you do to my boys that I sent to school to see you?"

Atherina turned her head with a psychopathic expression. "I finished her off, with my small hands," Atherina replied in a speech as if satisfied to have done so.

Kim was shocked to hear that. Park seemed surprised to see Atherina's expression like a cold-blooded killer. He looked at Esteban who also looked surprised. Carlos also looked shocked despite not showing any expression of surprise.

Did you know that Atherina actually killed people for the first time at the age of 7?  Batin Park's.

Atherina continued her path followed by Carlos.

"You're really the meanest man, Park. Creating a new you in the girl's body" Kim said, folding both hands in front of her chest.

Park put both of her hands in her pants pocket. "Get this done right now, I have more important business in the office."

Kim smiled, "I know you're in your weakest hour now. Therefore, you are looking for a new leader for your group. You're too old, while your real son is still a kid. Why did you choose that girl?"

Park smiled cynically, "You don't know what a woman's strength is like. This dark world needs a really strong leader."

Meanwhile, Carlos opens the car door for Atherina. Atherina saw her sister falling asleep in the car, smiled and entered the car.

Min Hyuk turned to Carlos, "You're coming too?" Carlos shook his head, "Master Park needs me, you bring young master and miss to the headquarters." Min Hyuk nodded then drove his car away from the location.

During the trip, Atherina daydreamed about what had happened in this one day.

He felt that he had truly become a monster like everyone said he was.

***

"Isn't that precious his flesh blood? You're just a chess pawn that Park picked up for his own sake. You've understood it at your age, right?"

Atherina rolled up her sleeves. He showed me his fists, "Wan't to know it's like to die?"

There are fights that are not equal when viewed from body size and age. The quiet atmosphere behind the school made them free to hit each other.

"Don't expect me to feel sorry for you because you're a little girl, I'll keep hitting you!" the man punched Atherina in the face, causing the girl to fall.

He always remembered the words of Victor, the one who trained him in martial arts. 'Fear will make you lose, anger will make you fall, but faith can change the outcome.'

Too many sentences went into his tiny head. All of that is absorbed quickly and gradually. Many of the skewed life lessons Park instilled in her.

Slowly Atherina got up rubbing her bruised cheek. "This little boy doesn't want to lose, yeah. If I kill you, do you think Park will be sad? I think he's going to find a new kid who's better than you" said the man.

The man looked at Atherina who did not seem to be attacking first, he moved and kicked Atherina in the stomach until Atherina was pushed back.

Without pity, the man continued to attack Atherina. The fallen Atherina rose again and again, as if her body was made of iron that could not be easily injured.

The man pulled out a knife, "Shit, I'll kill you," the man muttered as he moved to stab Atherina in the chest, but his body could not be moved with a piercing position.

A small smile was on Atherina's lips that were looking down deeply. He lifted his face and looked at the man with a look of horror.

"You think I was quiet when you hit me?" Atherina's question made the man shocked. He recalled, when hitting Atherina, Atherina did not fight back, but touched her weak spot without feeling at all.

"Unfortunately, you just like to talk a lot" Atherina said, grinning at the man. Atherina kicked the man's forehead violently making the man fall down. The knife he was holding was thrown to the ground.

Atherina took the knife.

***

Atherina shook her head quickly, have I really become a little monster? Do I have to be like this?

The car that carried him came to a halt in front of a mansion. It wasn't Park's residence, it felt foreign to Atherina.

"This is one of Mr. Park's headquarters," Min Hyuk said as if he could read Atherina's thoughts which held various questions.

◆◇◆

At Park's headquarters, when all the trouble was over, Park gathered some important people in his group.

The six confidants of Park stood in front of him who was sitting on a chair while sucking on a cigar. Beside her was Atherina who stood up with a serious expression.

The six people are Carlos, Victor, Gun Seok, Min Hyuk, Woo Joon Ki, Esteban.

"I have 7 important people in my group. Today everyone gathered, except Ji Hoo." The six people lowered their heads hearing Park start a serious conversation.

"I adopted you and brought you here for no reason" Park said. Atherina who heard that looked at her father. Park pulled out his gun and put it on the table.

"Today's incident was an insider's plan.There was someone among you all who wanted to betray me. That guy has to take responsibility. Before I find it myself, it's better to confess immediately."

Silently, no one dared to let out a sound when Park started being serious like that.

"Carlos, I brought you from Italy to Korea to be my top advisor, it's because I believe so much in your abilities."

Carlos nodded respectfully, "It's an honor for me, you've trusted me all along."

"But, it could be that your advice even harms me," Park said quickly. Carlos did not dare to respond, he chose to remain lowered.

Park's gaze was on Victor, "As a fighter and the oldest among others, you've done your job well. Trained my daughter and helped me a lot, but it could have backfired for me."

Victor nodded respectfully, "If you find my fault, I am ready to accept the consequences."

"Gun Seok," hearing his name called, Gun Seok so excited, "N-ne, Mister?"

"You're my men in charge of controlling the special people I have. I like the way you manage them pretty well, but you take your own initiative too often in dealing with problems."

Gun Seok seemed nervous to hear Park saying, "Pardon me, sir." Min Hyuk turned his head towards Gun Seok.

"Min Hyuk," who was called was stunned and immediately lowered his head as he did not dare to look at Park.

"Yes, Sir."

"You are the one who obeys all my commands. Never made a mistake at all. You're different from the others, but it could be because you never make a mistake, you intend to make one big mistake." Min Hyuk had no intention of making his voice. Let alone to speak, seeing his master he did not dare.

"Joon Ki, you're very good at technology. You can be a hacker or work in the police if you want. But, you chose to work in the dark world with me. I trust you, but why do you have such a hard time finding Kim's location?"

Esteban swallowed his saliva, he was the last person Park would ask.

"I don't know how you got back to Korea after I sent you back to Italy. Moreover, you become with Atherina," said Park.

"I met Ji Hoo in Venice. He said he was working on a mission from you there. He sent me to Korea to help Carlos and the others when he was in Italy" Esteban replied. It seemed that only he dared to speak up to answer his master.

Park pulled her lips to the side, "Honestly, I never once believed you in the least. You keep thinking about money, you can betray me at any time if my enemy has more money."

"To be honest, I was intent on betraying you back then, but I feel like you need an armament expert like me."

Park grieves and points his gun at Esteban. All eyes were on him. Instead of being afraid, Esteban did not look daunted at all.

Carlos lamented Esteban's sarcastic remarks. Victor just sighed softly looking at that, although in his heart he regretted Esteban's attitude that did not know the situation. Gun Seok looks panicked to see one of his colleagues in trouble. Min Hyuk remained in position. Joon Ki rolled his eyes because of Esteban's immature attitude.

"Your daughter doesn't just need your knowledge. Not only does he need language lessons from Min Hyuk and Carlos, not just learning to fight from Victor, not just a way to split tasks from Gun Seok, not only did he learn how to hack the system from Joon Ki, he also needed knowledge in the field of weaponry from me," Esteban said confidently.

Park was patient and listened.

"These "seven important people are great people who have earned your trust. If one of us is allowed to train your daughter, why aren't the others?"

Park screeched then kept his gun back to the table. "You're a new member here. You've only been with me for 10 years, but you speak like a possessed man."

Joon Ki nudges Esteban's arm, giving the code so that Esteban does not make Park emotional. While Esteban looks upset because he still wants to talk.

"Atherina, how did you meet Esteban?" Ask Park.

"Uncle Esteban met me at school, he asked permission from my teacher to take me to Kim." Hearing Atherina's reply, Park turned her gaze to Min Hyuk.

"Isn't it your job to pick up Atherina?" Park asked Min Hyuk with a suspicious tone. "Ah? But, wasn't I with Mister?" Min Hyuk asked back.

Park rubbed his dizzy forehead, "You're not my driver. But, when I tell one of you to pick up my children, it means you gain more trust. I never want to use a regular driver to pick up my little ones."

Atherina digested the sentence Park said. Inwardly, the girl was grateful that Park was worried about her like a father.

"For the first time I felt like this. I don't know which one of you is lying."

Park's door was knocked, all eyes were on the door. "Come in" said Park.

The door opened, and one of Atherio's nannies came in, "Sir, sorry to interrupt. The young master does not want to eat, he wants you and the lady to accompany him to eat."

"I'll see him soon, you're back to work." After getting the order, the nanny bowed and then passed.

Atherina took her father's gun off the table, she shot the nanny's calf. Everyone in the room was shocked by what Atherina was doing. While the caregiver was grimacing in pain with blood flowing from the gunshot wound just now.

A few guards who heard the sound of a gun explosion immediately came over.

"He's a real traitor" Atherina said. Park stands up and approaches the nanny, "Bring her in" Park orders. The burly guards carried the nanny who grimaced in pain.

Park returned to the room and approached Atherina, "Why can you think that she's the one who betrayed? What if you're wrong?"

Apparently, in addition to listening to Park and her uncles, Atherina thought of her own suspicions from the beginning.

"From the first time I saw him, he looked weird. The day I first had breakfast at Dad's house, he made 2 glasses of cow's milk and soy milk. Rio who hates soy milk asked to exchange with me.."

***

The babysitter serves two glasses of milk to the dining table. Atherio looked at the milk glass that was in front of Atherina. "Sister, can we exchange milk?" Atherina saw his glass and Atherio's glass. He nodded, Atherio excitedly took Atherina's milk glass and drank it.

After Park gets angry at her sister, Atherina tastes both different milks.

***

".. it tastes the same, both cups contain cow's milk. That meant that the nanny was indeed intending to make Rio sick. If Rio's sick, he'll easily kidnap her."

Everyone was still listening to Atherina's explanation, including Park who was digesting her daughter's speech well.

"Dad's house is too hard for outsiders to penetrate. There was not a single guard there. Someone has given them drugs. I know because I borrowed Uncle Min Hyuk's phone to call some of them. But no one answered. Something happened to them.."

***

Atherio saw a black car stalled in front of the gate. It wasn't one of his father's cars. Atherio knows every object that belongs to his father in detail including cars, confidants, and others.

Some stranger got out of the car, they were carrying guns. Atherio saw that there was no guard in his house. Usually the guards will be ready to stand in every corner of the front and back yard.

Atherio sensed that there was a presence behind him, the shadow of that person was visible on the ground. She looked over, her nanny standing there with a cloth in her hand.

Suddenly his body was put in the sack cloth and lifted up in the car.

***

".. that nanny who kidnapped Rio with her own hands."

Park is still digesting Atherina's remarks. Atherina was waiting for her father to respond, but it seemed that Park was still not satisfied with Atherina's explanation.

"Then he said Rio wanted to eat with us, but his job was not to serve food. She was in charge of nurturing Rio. That's why the guards at Dad's house are unconscious. She intended to put something into the food we were going to eat, "Atherina ended her explanation.

Gun Seok clapped his hands in spirit while smiling like he was proud of Atherina. Joon Ki turns to Gun Seok and claps. Carlos would clap his hands, but seeing Park glancing with a deadly look, Carlos did not clap. He pretended to justify the suit he was wearing.

Park touched Atherina's shoulder, "Who taught you to hold a gun?" Atherina turned to Esteban who nodded her head. "Uncle Esteban" replied Atherina.

Park turned to Esteban who was smiling proudly, "Ah, alright, you can all go." After Park gave the order, they all bowed and then walked out of the room.

"Clean yourself, if any part of your body hurts, tell doctor Ha Yeon." Atherina nodded then passed away leaving Park alone in her room.

Park let out a long sigh, "There's a truth to that son of a bitch, I need to retire from my dark world immediately and be replaced by a younger person."

◆◇◆

　

7.06: 25 June 2019

Ucu Irna Marhamah's