Snake Venom Ch 78

Chapter 78

The vehicle jolted, and every time it did, the men’s shoulders knocked into Sio’s body.

They made no move to stop him from holding his phone. The fact that they knowingly allowed it could only mean one thing — anything Sio might attempt with that phone was not, in their eyes, even a factor worth considering. They were right. Sio, who had never lived an upright life to begin with, had no one in the world he could call for help. That cruel clarity washed over him as he sat there, half resigned.

Four men he stood no chance against by force alone. They must have been involved in the same operation — they had abducted him the moment he injected the drug. What orders had they been given regarding him? Imagining every possible worst-case scenario, Sio’s trembling fingers tapped at the screen.

He checked the payment. The money had indeed come through. Good. Whatever happened to him now was all but obvious — he had to send that money to his younger sibling first. Only after that would he send a final message. Even if that message would be filled with lies, even if it would be the last he could ever send. Sio began going through the steps to transfer the funds.

“…Huh?”

But when he reached the final amount entry, something was wrong — the balance was strange. Thinking he had misread it, he went back to the main screen. It was the same. Worse — even the tiny amount he originally had was gone. Vanished as though it had never existed. Sio stared at the zero balance in disbelief.

From beside him came a languid, mocking voice.

“Why? Something that should be there… isn’t?”

Sio, frozen like a stone, slowly turned his eyes. The man was openly peering down at his phone.

“Why… why is the money…”

He could not even comprehend how meaningless his own question was.

“How much was it?”

“Fifty… million…”

Mumbling blankly, he barely formed the words. The man wagged his finger at Sio like a gun, delight dancing in his eyes.

“We were supposed to get an extra fifty million too. Guess that was our cut, huh?”

Someone clicked their tongue.

“Well, you should’ve taken cash or used an account that couldn’t be meddled with. But you just did what you were told, didn’t you? You picked every stupid choice on purpose. Might as well have said, ‘Please help yourself and kill me however you want.’”

The man in the passenger seat drew deeply on his cigarette, smirking.

“Aww, how tragic.”

His tone was anything but sympathetic. Thick smoke and a wet, jagged chuckle spilled from his lips.

Sio couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t as though he had not known this could happen. He had taken the risk for money. For his sibling — because without money or capability, he could not free them from agony even for a single day.

The fifty million won he had staked his life for had evaporated like cigarette smoke. Because of his own ignorance and carelessness. That money. That money…

Shock emptied him. He opened and closed his mouth, unable to speak.

Black and red swallowed his vision, and in that darkness a single smiling face appeared. Realizing it was his sibling, longing consumed him — violent, crushing.

“…..”

If only I had looked at them properly one more time yesterday.

Tears welled in Sio’s reddened eyes and rolled down his cheeks.

Night had fallen completely by the time Sio and the thugs’ voices echoed through the car. Silence hung between Lee Yeonwoo and Cheon Wooshin as the men spoke.

— When’s the money coming?

— Should be now. Damn it, how are you supposed to trust people who don’t even show their faces? Oh! Call.

The chatter stopped at once; even Sio’s quiet sobbing halted. The suffocating hush made it clear they were listening.

— Yes, yes, we have him. Huh? His clothes? Hey, check the back of his neck.

— Yeah, hold on.

One man recited a six-digit number found on Sio’s clothing — verifying the “product” had been collected.

— Yes sir. Then we’ll finish up and send the photo to the number you gave.

The call ended. A beat of stillness — then:

— It’s in?

Crinkling, then cheering.

— Holy shit, it’s real?

— Don’t get ahead of yourself.

Amid their frenzy came the thinnest, water-logged whimper. One man snapped:

— You don’t get the atmosphere, do you? What the hell did we do to you so far that you’re already crying?

— Money… why… where… how…

His voice was soaked through, barely intelligible. He was more shattered by the loss of money than the danger — and he could not even form proper words. Another man sneered:

— How else? Because you’re stupid, idiot.

— Should’ve worked with a real organization. Oh wait — they used you because you’re that stupid.

Laughter exploded.

— And this brat’s even prettier up close, huh? They say bats get freaky at night…

A grunt from Sio.

— Mmgh…

— Shame to peel that face first.

— Let’s pull over and take turns.

— You wanna screw a half-breed? I’d rather not catch something.

— Shows how clueless you are. They’re no different from humans. Easier, actually — you can beat ’em or kill ’em without trouble.

— Yeah yeah, go have your fun, hero. Do it a thousand times if you care so much.

They spoke as though Sio were not there at all — as though he were a toy. Their voices brightened, feverish with cruelty.

Then a low hiss cut through the noise.

— We should sell him after swapping in another corpse. The buyer didn’t even show his face. I know a place — they’ll erase his identity before killing him. Same difference.

A tempting thought. Silence. Then—

— No. The payout’s huge for a first job. It included disposal.

Serious. Convincing. But it lasted only a moment.

— Come on. When have we ever slipped? We’ll skin the face and remove prints.

Laughter again. Cold, inhuman.

— If you’re scared, just cut the tongue.

A smack.

— Hey! Why hit me?

— If he has no tongue, he can’t suck dick.

— …Ah. True.

Howling laughter.

— Anyway, stick to orders. We need this client steady. Can’t trash every target ourselves forever. Time to move up.

Agreement murmured all around.

Their careless talk revealed much. A small, agile group. Quick, decisive, impulsive — yet bonded and ambitious. They would follow through. Either way, Sio’s fate was sealed.

— But damn, shame though. His little sibling — we could grab them too—

— DON’T!

Sio exploded — the first time he had shown any will since the beating began.

— Don’t! Don’t you dare!

His voice shattered, raw with rage.

— Look at him — still doesn’t get his place. Grab him.

— Let go! Don’t you dare touch—ugh! Ahh—!

Blows landed, dull and merciless. His sobs and broken breathing tore at Lee Yeonwoo’s sharpened hearing.

Then—

— Tch… Forget it. I’m doing it now.

— What? There’s no room—

— Just hold his damn head.

— I’m not watching your dick, asshole.

— Shut up and hold him.

— No—no! Stop—mmph! Agh!

Struggling flesh. Restraint. Ragged breath. Predatory hunger.

A hellish chorus seeped through the speaker. One man muttered, bored:

— Don’t overdo it.

The one still speaking to the client.