The Kidnapping of Yuna
Dismissal time.
Following Hwang Sunghyuk's directions, Kang Yongchan made his way toward a nearby residential area.
On his phone, a text message remained, instructing him to come to the underground parking lot.
As he stepped into the underground garage, a flickering fluorescent light caught his eye.
At the same time, the damp, musty smell of concrete assaulted his nose.
The parking lot had an undeniably eerie, desolate atmosphere.
Kang Yongchan swallowed hard, his throat suddenly feeling dry.
It was just as he stepped further into the empty garage.
Someone was standing in the shadows between the concrete pillars.
A man was perched on the hood of a van.
Looking down, Kang Yongchan noticed bloodstains and grease smudges smeared across the man's crumpled shirt.
He did not look like someone who prioritized hygiene.
"...You're here."
With his head bowed, a low, raspy chuckle escaped the man's lips.
A sudden chill ran down Kang Yongchan's spine, but he forced himself to speak.
"Are you Oh Jaehan-sunbae?"
"Seriously, what is it with these middle school kids and their 'sunbae' crap? In business, we're client and contractor."
"...Then what should I call you?"
"Call me whatever you want."
Kang Yongchan shut his mouth.
This was clearly not a guy he could have a normal conversation with.
"The money?"
Oh Jaehan cracked his neck and stood up from the hood.
His unfocused, bloodshot eyes looked ready to murder him on the spot if the cash wasn't produced immediately.
"It's right here."
Hurriedly, Kang Yongchan unzipped his bag to show the contents.
In a flash, Oh Jaehan closed the distance and snatched the bag right out of his hands.
He practically buried his face in the bag, taking a deep, satisfying sniff of the cash before looking back up.
"Like I said before, that's the down payment."
"Good. Money never lies."
Oh Jaehan slung the bag over his shoulder with a pleased grin.
"So, who do you want dead?"
"...Not dead. Just make her suffer enough that she wishes she were dead."
"Same difference. Boy or girl?"
"A girl. She's the same age as me. Her name is Ha Yuna."
"Fourteen? Hmm. Got a photo?"
Kang Yongchan fumbled in his pockets and pulled out his phone.
On the screen was a photo of Ha Yuna taken from a distance.
Oh Jaehan stared intently at the screen for a long moment.
A slow, creepy grin spread across his face.
"She's pretty. Decent chest, too."
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
"Girls are easy. Won't be a problem."
He turned around, as if there was no need to waste any more words.
"I'll text you the proof within a week, so have the rest of the money ready. If you try to stiff me, you'll get the exact same treatment I give her. Keep that in mind."
What kind of treatment?
A cold shiver ran down the back of Kang Yongchan's neck, and he nodded frantically.
Left alone in the empty garage, Kang Yongchan slowly let his lips curl into a smirk.
Ha Yuna. Yoo Chaerin.
Finally, he had found a way to bring a living nightmare upon those two bitches.
Oh Jaehan.
At first glance, he looked entirely ordinary.
In fact, he was so plain that his face was instantly forgettable.
He was the type of guy who could blend seamlessly into a crowd of night-shift convenience store workers or construction laborers without anyone sparing him a second glance.
But his eyes were deeply unsettling.
It wasn't anger or sadness that filled them, but a chilling apathy—a complete lack of regard for human life.
To him, people were nothing more than mannequins.
"Fascinating. Humans are surprisingly hard to kill."
The day he committed his first murder, Oh Jaehan had poked and prodded the body out of sheer curiosity, like a child inspecting a new toy.
By now, he had killed four people.
The only reason he hadn't been caught despite taking four lives was his unique ability.
Stealth.
He could turn completely invisible, bypassing all modern detection methods to commit his crimes.
This was the reality of Hunter-related crimes.
Modern law enforcement was simply not equipped to handle rogue Hunters.
The powers they wielded defied the laws of science.
Since some Hunters were completely immune to conventional firearms, society had no choice but to rely on the moral integrity of the awakened, regardless of how strictly the laws were written.
That was the very reason Hunter Middle School had been established.
It was designed to train young Hunters from an early age, instilling moral values to prevent them from straying down a criminal path.
Yet, despite these efforts, Hunter-related crimes increased every year.
And while the number of Hunter police officers tasked with hunting down these criminals was also on the rise...
As society grew harsher, the number of awakened turning to crime only multiplied.
Oh Jaehan was one of those criminal Hunters.
He was a man born with antisocial personality disorder and conduct issues.
For someone like him, awakening an ability like Stealth was nothing short of a disaster for the rest of the world.
He was a monster who would never stop until the day he was executed.
Which was why, even now, he was humming a tune as he stalked his target.
Hunter Middle School was heavily guarded by high-ranking Hunters.
Infiltrating the campus itself was too risky.
His best bet was to strike outside.
He only needed a single, brief window of opportunity.
An E-rank, huh.
Kang Yongchan had repeatedly warned him to be careful, claiming she controlled some bizarre monsters, but Oh Jaehan found the warning pathetic.
What did a bunch of middle schoolers with zero real combat experience know?
Relying on summons meant the summoner's physical body was weaker than an average Hunter's.
And for an E-rank, that weakness would be even more pronounced.
Unless the target possessed high-level sensory abilities, they would never detect his presence.
Oh Jaehan turned the corner, keeping his footsteps silent.
Right on cue, a girl stepped out of a building with her friends.
He spotted the back of a girl with braided blue-and-white hair.
Even from behind, it was obvious she possessed a remarkably developed bust for her age.
A nasty grin crept onto Oh Jaehan's face.
It looked like he was going to have some fun today.
Karaoke, photo booths, a cafe.
The girls went through the typical hangout spots for kids their age.
Eventually, his target, Ha Yuna, stepped away to use the restroom.
Because the cafe's restroom was located outside, she had to leave the main building.
He watched her sigh wearily as she climbed the outdoor stairs.
The moment she was out of sight, Oh Jaehan activated his Stealth, vanishing into thin air.
He slipped into the ladies' room right behind her and paused at the entrance.
Using his sensory skills, he confirmed that there was no one else inside.
A moment later, the sound of a flushing toilet echoed.
The second she turned on the faucet to wash her hands, Oh Jaehan pushed the door open, remaining invisible.
As Ha Yuna slowly turned her head toward the door, his hand shot out like a viper.
Grab!
He clamped a hand over her mouth and slammed her against the wall.
At the same time, sparks crackled from his fingertips.
It was a custom stun gun crafted from monster parts.
As Ha Yuna's body went limp, Oh Jaehan caught her easily.
Immediately, his Stealth enveloped her as well, turning them both invisible.
He had the target.
There was no reason to linger, so he turned and slipped away without hesitation.
The sound of running water from the faucet continued to echo in the empty restroom.
There was no longer anyone there.
A few moments later.
"Yuna?"
Yoo Chaerin entered the restroom, wondering what was taking her friend so long.
"...Yuna?"
It didn't take long for her to realize that Ha Yuna was gone.
Inside an abandoned building far from the bustling streets, where no sound from the outside could reach.
The interior was dark and smelled of rotting wood and damp concrete.
On the third floor, Ha Yuna sat tied to a chair, her hands bound tightly behind her back.
Her head was bowed, and she remained completely silent.
To the untrained eye, she looked unconscious.
"Hey. I know you're awake."
The harsh scrape of a chair dragging across the floor broke the silence, followed by a rough voice.
It was Oh Jaehan.
He dragged a rusted metal chair over, sat down directly in front of the girl, and tapped her head with a finger.
"Let's not drag this out. I'm not a patient man."
Hearing his voice, the girl slowly raised her head.
She looked straight at him.
Yet, there was not a single trace of fear on her face.
The sight flared Oh Jaehan's sadistic urges, but he forced himself to hold back.
The main course was always best enjoyed slowly.
"Who sent you?"
The girl spoke, her voice calm. It was an interesting question.
"What makes you think someone sent me?"
"Because I've never seen you before in my life."
"Ha! You think the world only revolves around personal grudges? Kid, random crimes happen all the time."
Oh Jaehan let out a greasy chuckle.
He had no intention of giving her a straight answer.
It was basic professional courtesy not to reveal the client's identity. Besides, his job wasn't to kill her.
It was to make her wish she was dead.
"Just chalk it up to bad luck. That's just how the world works."
Oh Jaehan stood up.
He slowly ran a finger down her shoulder.
It was a creepy, violating gesture that would make any normal girl scream in terror.
But Ha Yuna didn't even flinch.
"You've got guts, I'll give you that."
"Did you graduate from Hunter Middle School?"
Oh Jaehan's brow twitched for the first time.
He hadn't expected another question, let alone one like this.
"...You know something about me, don't you? And here I thought you were just an ignorant brat."
"How many people have you done this to?"
Another question. But this one, he felt like answering.
"Do you remember how many pieces of bread you've eaten in your life?"
His casual response made Ha Yuna's eyes turn freezing cold.
"You might remember a few special ones, but you usually forget the rest."
He was a monster, utterly devoid of humanity.
Ha Yuna let out a long, slow sigh before speaking again.
"...You're from Axion, the delinquent circle at Hunter Middle School. And you get your contracts through them."
"..."
Oh Jaehan's expression darkened with every word she spoke.
"And the client who hired you is Kang Yongchan..."
Grab!
Before she could finish, Oh Jaehan clamped his hand over her mouth to silence her.
"You."
His patience had officially run out.
"You talk too much. I don't know where you heard all that, but didn't it occur to you that knowing too much would get you killed?"
Oh Jaehan changed his mind.
There was no way he could let a girl who knew this much walk away alive.
He had wanted to have some fun first, but he wasn't one to take unnecessary risks.
Schlick!
A sharp blade slid out from the tip of his sleeve.
"Let's see what that mouth of yours is worth."
Slash!
With a quick flick of his wrist, he sliced open the front of her shirt.
Even as her collar fell open, exposing her pale skin, Ha Yuna's expression remained completely unchanged.
That empty, unbothered look pushed Oh Jaehan over the edge.
He raised his blade.
He was sick of looking at her face.
He wanted to see it pale and lifeless.
"You should have cherished your life a little more."
The blade lunged forward, aiming straight for Ha Yuna's throat.
"There is exactly one type of person I cannot tolerate."
At that moment, Ha Yuna's voice echoed softly through the room.
Even though his hand was still clamped over her mouth, the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.
By the time Oh Jaehan realized something was wrong, his blade was already inches from her neck.
Crack! Shatter!
But the blade never hit its mark.
Instead, it struck an invisible barrier, shattering into pieces that flew back and embedded themselves in his own shoulder.
"Argh!?"
As Oh Jaehan cried out in pain, the floor beneath his feet suddenly gave way.
Before he could even attempt to break his fall, he plunged downward, crashing into something squelching and alive on the floor below.
Only then did he realize that the second floor was completely filled with a writhing mass of grotesque, swarming insects.
"Gah?! What the—?!"
As Oh Jaehan thrashed wildly in the sea of bugs, Ha Yuna walked slowly to the edge of the hole on the third floor and sat down, pulling her knees to her chest.
"People who play with human lives."
Her eyes were colder and more vacant than they had ever been.
Because she valued human life more than anyone else, she despised those who treated it like garbage.
"The only reason I didn't hunt you down and kill you myself when I first learned about you was because you targeted me, not the other girls."
Oh Jaehan felt a sudden, primal dread.
Those were not the eyes of a human looking at another human.
They were the eyes of a butcher looking at livestock—cold, calculating, and entirely detached.
"Aaaaargh!"
Oh Jaehan screamed as the insect puppets began to bury him alive.
He tried to struggle, but the swarm only dragged him deeper into the abyss.
Oh Jaehan, the criminal Hunter who had murdered four people and ruined countless lives, found his prized Stealth ability completely useless here.
He was suffocating beneath the tide of insects.
He was trash that had no right to exist in this world.
With just a flick of her finger, she could end his life right here and now.
As Ha Yuna stared down with cold eyes, contemplating the value of his life...
"Oh?"
She suddenly looked up.
In the distance, she sensed someone flying toward the building at a speed that threatened to level the entire city block.
Yoo Chaerin.
The S-rank Hunter was coming.