I got kidnapped (1)

What the hell was going on? I scanned the dim room in every direction, but nothing looked familiar. 'Kidnapped? For real?' Who would've thought the taxi was a fake one? I let out a long sigh and forced myself to my feet. At least they hadn't tied me up. That was something.

"Ugh... It's not opening."

Of course it wouldn't. They'd kept me from leaving the room, so there was no need to restrain me physically. Just to be sure, I patted my pockets, but they were empty. They'd taken my phone, as expected.

"What do you people even want from meeee..." The stress of being unable to go home made me yank at my hair. This was exactly why I never left the house! See? This is what happens when you go outside for no reason!

"...It couldn't be that Kim Yeeun set this up, right?" Why had she sent that text? There was a rumor about people kidnapping children around here, so be careful. Wasn't that basically a warning that they were coming for me?

"I absolutely won't forgive her." To think she'd stab me in the back like this. Unable to contain my rage, I stomped my feet. Dust that had piled up on the floor billowed into the air, making me yelp and scramble backward.

'They didn't even clean? What the hell is this?'

If you're going to kidnap someone, at least maintain the place. If the victim inhales a lungful of dust and dies from some random illness, isn't that a loss for the kidnappers too?

"...But what am I supposed to do now?" A windowless room. Total confinement. And without my phone, the other half of my soul. Surely I wouldn't end up trapped here for decades eating nothing but dumplings like in that old story?

"G-gyoza gets old so fast though..." They should at least give me water dumplings. After calming myself with those ridiculous thoughts for a moment—

Creeeeak—

"Oh, you're awake already? Are you an Awakened or something?"

"...Eep."

A man with a sleazy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grin opened the door and stepped inside. Blond hair, ears covered in piercings, and large tattoos running down his exposed arms. He looked exactly like a criminal syndicate thug.

"You inhaled so much sleeping incense in the car... Well, whatever. Awakened brats sell for more anyway."

"..."

This wasn't some run-of-the-mill criminal. They were clearly in the business of kidnapping children and selling them—human trafficking. I hunched my shoulders, pretending to be terrified, and the man smirked, lips curling upward.

"Don't be too scared, kid. I won't lay a hand on you. Damaged merchandise doesn't fetch full price."

"W-what are you planning to do to me?"

"Sell you, obviously. After a little processing."

The man pulled a phone from his inner pocket.

"Yeah, you ready? It's been a while since we've had premium goods, so prep properly. Mess with a kid's brain even a little and it turns straight to mush."

At his words, I clenched my fists tight. It reminded me of the group that brainwashed children and turned them into living weapons.

'I'm sure Uncle Haseong wiped them all out.'

Were there survivors? Had they been lying low, rebuilding their strength, and were only now resuming operations?

"You heard that? Be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plenty scared while you still can, kid. Soon enough you'll forget even the feeling of fear."

"I-I don't want to end up like that."

"Every brat who comes here says the same thing. Haha, that's good. That terrified little face."

I'm only pretending, you idiot. My body was trembling from pure anger. There was one thing I could never forgive, no matter what.

'How dare you stop me from going home?'

They say a woman's grudge can bring frost even in June. But the grudge I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠held right now wasn't mere frost. It was an entire ice age.

They say the person who's done the job before does it best, so I decided to call in the expert who'd handled multiple organizations. South Korea's first S-rank Hunter and the strongest in the country. Yu Haseong. He was coming.

Vrrrr—

"Daddy, isn't that a call?"

"It's not a call, it's a text—"

Yu Haseong pulled the phone from his pocket, glanced at the screen, and frowned.

"Why? Another spam message? Or from some politician?"

As the first and strongest Hunter in South Korea, the number of spam and political texts that reached Yu Haseong's phone easily surpassed the hundreds. It was safe to assume that no one who actually knew him sent texts for important matters.

But there was one person who would message him.

"..."

Seo Eunha. She was both Yu Haseong's sore spot and his former colleague. Though it was now a story from the past, the memories of working with her remained fond ones.

'No one in South Korea knows Eunha's real name.'

Unlike himself, who frequently appeared in public, Seo Eunha had supported him from the shadows. There was no way anyone was trying to use her name to gain something. If they were, it meant there were suspicious movements inside the government and the Hunter Association.

"I'll be back after stepping out for a bit."

"Work again? Mom said she's making dinner."

"I'll be quick. It won't take long."

"Okay. I'll tell Mom, Dad."

His daughter waved at him. Yu Haseong gently patted the top of her head, then opened the veranda door.

"Jeez, do you still think I'm a ten-year-old?"

"Even if you live to a hundred, you'll still be my little girl. Got it?"

Beyond the veranda, the entire view of Haseong-gu stretched out. The district named after him. It had once embarrassed him, but after his wife and daughter began living there, it had become a place of pride. To think someone would dare commit a crime in a place like this.

'Even if others can't trust you, I'll always trust you, Uncle.'

She had said those words to him. Seo Eunha, that child.

Yu Haseong slowly closed his eyes and focused power into the tips of his feet. A moment later, with a heavy boom, the apartment shrank to a tiny dot behind him.

'Even if this is a trap meant to lure me in, it doesn't matter.'

He had smashed through countless traps like this before. Looking down ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at the abandoned factory that had drawn close in an instant, Yu Haseong clenched his fist. Come to think of it, they were planning to redevelop this area.

"Then there's nothing holding me back."

One strike. Yu Haseong's fist cut through the air. The motion was simple, but the result was anything but.

BOOOOOOM—!!!!!

The abandoned factory, which had at least maintained the shape of a building, collapsed completely. He had controlled his strength, so the impact shouldn't have reached the basement. Seeing the criminals scattered among the debris, Yu Haseong's lips curved upward.

Most had lost consciousness, but a few still showed signs of awareness.

'All familiar faces.'

The Black Dragon Gang—the criminal organization that brainwashed children for human trafficking. These were the ones who had slipped away during the raid on their headquarters.

"I thought you'd fled overseas, but you stayed right here in the country, you vermin."

"Haha, is this real...? How the hell did you even know to come here?"

"Your rotten stench was so strong I followed it."

The blond, pierced gang member stood before Yu Haseong. He was putting on every bit of bravado he could muster, but it was obvious. His pupils had contracted to pinpricks, and his legs were shaking uncontrollably. Clear proof he was terrified.

"By the way, I distinctly remember crushing all your limbs. Yet here you are walking around."

"Ha, haha... There's no way I'd die from just losing a few limbs, right?"

But that wasn't fear of death. It was fear of the existence known as Yu Haseong.

Why? The answer was simple.

'They act like they have spare lives. Just like the ones I saw not long ago.'

The ones who had replaced their entire bodies with mechanical shells. Even if their heads were destroyed, as long as the stored data remained intact they could revive in a new body. It had been utterly sickening to watch.

"To think the great Black Dragon Gang has become another organization's dogs. The times really have changed."

Yu Haseong clicked his tongue. The upper body of the gang member who had stood his ground without fleeing had vanished cleanly.