Gi-joo's Kidnapping Incident 3
I turned back through the darkening alleyway, emerging onto that familiar path where no one was around—but it left a bitter taste in my mouth all the same.
Even without Kyung-soo or Jong-hyuk, this was the way I'd always walked with Joo-shin. No wonder it feels so hollow.
Feeling that emptiness gnawing at a corner of my heart, I quickened my steps toward the downtown hamburger joint.
Whether it was because Dae-baek-gong's spells had grown stronger or not, I didn't feel the exhaustion or strain I'd had back when I was sprinting up An-nam Mountain trail. Still, I held myself to a pace that wouldn't look suspicious to others, urging myself onward until I reached the hamburger shop in the city center.
From there, I headed down to the PC bang in the basement.
The place was dim, lit only by the glow of screens, with everyone cranking their sound effects so loud they wouldn't notice if someone sat right next to them. I spotted a familiar nape of the neck and casually placed a hand on the shoulder.
The guy didn't even turn to see who it was before yelling, "Fuck, who the hell is it? I'm in the middle of something important here. In a bit, I'll..."
But as I started applying pressure to the hand on his shoulder, he let out a scream and whipped his head around to face me. His eyes shook wildly, and even as the screen filled with you die messages and a barrage of frantic curses, Jae-min snapped out of it and said, "J-J-Joo... Joo-in?"
"Correct. If you'd called me by name instead of that nickname, my fist might've flown. Looks like you remembered my warning well."
Well, if he hadn't, I could've spent some quality time together until he did. Jae-min wasn't worth the investment, but if it was necessary, you'd do what you had to.
I dragged Jae-min to a corner of the PC bang and pulled cash from my pocket.
"What's this?"
He flailed his hands in panic as I stuffed the bills into his pocket like crumpled trash.
"I've got a favor to ask. You know that English academy up the street? The one for elementary kids."
"Uh... yeah."
"You know the girl there with twin pigtails?"
"What? I know the academy exists, but how the hell would you know the kids who go there?"
"Then look into a deep green A×× vehicle for me."
"Plate number...? With just the model and color, it'll be tough to..."
"Here's a possible plate. Not exact."
Unfortunately, in the chaos back then, it had just been me and Jong-hyuk who rushed over. My memory wasn't sharp enough to recall the full plate from one glance, and Jong-hyuk had been too out of breath to get a good look.
If Kyung-soo had seen it, he'd have memorized the whole thing.
"What?"
"Find this car, and I'll double what I just gave you."
I don't want to get tangled with the violent school gangs, but when it comes to kids, these guys have the fastest intel.
I gripped the shoulder of this punk I liked to spoil and said firmly, "This is important. Find out exactly where it is."
"O-okay."
Sensing something off about a student handing over cash like that, Jae-min grabbed the PC bang's public phone and started making calls. I watched, stuffing my anxious fists into my pockets to hide them.
Once he'd reached all his contacts, Jae-min nodded at me to follow him out.
As Jae-min and I stepped outside the PC bang, what met us was the darkened sky and a pack of delivery bikers—led by the oldest-looking, swaggering brute among them.
I shot Jae-min a glare like what the fuck did you do? He muttered defensively in a smaller voice, "No... asking the delivery hyungs is the fastest way to track a car..."
"Hey, you little shit, I told you not to call me delivery hyung. Call me BD."
Hearing Jae-min, the guy—delivery or BD or whatever—barreled toward him, blocking his path and throwing a jab-like punch without warning. I wrapped my hand around the extended right arm, pressing the joint and redirecting his force smoothly but firmly right where I wanted it. With Jae-min in front of me, the guy's arm twisted behind his back, pinned.
As I pressed down on the restrained arm from behind, he couldn't properly resist the bend. He thrashed his upper body to escape the painful angle, even trying to trip me with his leg, but it only left him exhausted, dropping to his knees.
I couldn't see his face, but he wasn't low-blood-pressure weak—his neck flushed red as he started bellowing.
"You... you... fuck..."
I fanned a 10,000-won bill in front of his face like a fan, shaking it to cut off his rage. Whether from the pain in his twisted arm or the need for the cash, he shut his trap.
"I'm in a hurry right now. Cut the bullshit and talk. Found a deep green A×× with an 81 in the plate?"
As I wrenched his arm harder with the question, he groaned and shook his shoulder, struggling futilely against my enhanced strength. He muttered curses under his breath, then barked loudly in a choked voice, realizing brute force wouldn't work here.
"Hey, you shits! Anyone seen the car this fucker just mentioned—step up!"
From the parade of bikes, a red-dyed punk with gaudy earrings pulled up on a flashy red scooter and spoke up. His grinning face in this mess looked just like a weasel.
His expression was amused, but his awkward speech didn't raise eyebrows.
"Uh... hyung... I heard a car like that popped out in the academy district, made my bike skid, and Byung-jae got hurt."
Grinding his teeth at the weasel's antics, BD felt me wrench his arm again like I was urging him on and pressed for more.
"Where's Byung-jae's turf?"
"Northwest motel village. Good delivery spot, but Byung-jae's laid up, so JJ's covering."
"Know the phone for Byung-jae's shop?"
"Yeah. Calling JJ now to check if he's seen that green car."
He dashed to the payphone in front of the hamburger shop, and minutes later burst out of the booth like a flashy weasel.
"Confirmed parked at Motel ××..."
This time, it wasn't the bellowing BD—it was my low, steady voice cutting in.
"Where? 100,000 won cash to whoever gets me there in 10 minutes."
"Yessir! I'm Weasel, the speed demon of the delivery crew. Hop on."
Ignoring the groaning self-proclaimed BD whose arm I'd twisted, he bowed 90 degrees and presented his bike.
Might crash on purpose riding this... but with the regeneration spell I just got...
I hopped on the back without hesitation.
"Double if we get there in 5."
"Yessir... hold on."
Vroom. Screech.
He accelerated so hard the tires screeched, and true to his word, dropped me off in 5 minutes flat at the deep green A××.
I handed over the promised cash and said, "Tip the cops off about this spot."
"Huh?"
"Tell them Gi-joo's kidnappers are here."
Leaving the punk's stunned face behind—his sly grin wiped clean—I headed for the motel-like building.
If not for the hand grabbing me from behind.
"You...?"
I scowled and went to twist Weasel's arm just like I'd done to BD, but he raised both hands, backing off, his sly demeanor vanishing into a dead-serious expression.
"Think a schoolboy in uniform shows up here—what's their reaction gonna be?"
"What?"
"I've got a way. Give me a shot. You're too rushed. I get it, but if you charge in like that, only the people inside get hurt. Trust me, I've been there."
"What?"
Ignoring my baffled look, he slammed his iron delivery box down loudly in front of Room 305 and knocked.
"Delivery!"
"What? We order anything?"
"Nah, must be somewhere else."
After a brief commotion inside, the door unlatched with a click.
"Shit, fuck..."
I grabbed the guy's nape as he stepped out one foot to close the door, yanking him by the scruff. He stumbled back against the motel wall from my pull, and I charged inside, slamming my fist short and sharp into the exposed neck of the defenseless bastard. As his eyes glazed over, I hooked his leg to trip him fully inward and shut the door behind us.