I got kidnapped (2)

Rumble rumble rumble—

It hadn't been long after the blond thug left the room before the whole space started shaking violently. Anyone who didn't know better would have mistaken it for an earthquake. The vibrations were that intense.

"That old man hasn't changed one bit."

They say even Awakeners are still human, so they age, but that guy didn't seem to age at all. Well, he's held the number one rank among all the nation's Awakeners since the Gates first appeared. What more could you possibly say?

"He could've at least left the door open. Sigh."

At this rate I had no choice but to wait until the old man arrived. A pitch-dark room with no phone and no computer. The only thing in here was dust, and my nose and throat were already starting to ache.

Rumble—!!

"Whoa—"

I pinched my nose and mouth shut to block the dust floating up in clouds. At this rate I'd end up swallowing a whole lungful before I got rescued. For real.

I want to check the community...

I wanted to see how people were reacting to the post I'd uploaded. I wanted to organize everything that had happened today and write it all up!

Thud—!

"Eek!?"

The iron door that flew off like a cannonball made my shoulders flinch hard. Thank goodness I didn't need the bathroom. If I had, I might have... leaked a little.

"Caught again, huh, Eunha."

"Old man!"

I hurried over with quick little steps to the familiar face visible beyond the doorway. Then I clenched my fist and gave the area around my waist a few light taps.

"What if I'd been standing near the door?! Why do you open it so violently?!"

"Haha, since it's you, Eunha, I figured you'd naturally be out of the way. You were last time too."

"When exactly was 'last time'..."

It might not mean much to Uncle Haseong, but it wasn't a pleasant memory for me. Unlike now, back then I'd come within a hair's breadth of having my brain completely scrubbed. If I'd lost those memories back then...

"Ugh."

"There, there. It was scary, wasn't it? Big brother's here now, so don't be too afraid."

"What do you mean big brother? You're an uncle. Don't you know that once you're married you're an uncle to everyone?"

Even if you're going to lack shame, there should be a limit. When I wrinkled my nose with a huff, Uncle Haseong let out a hearty laugh.

He had a few more wrinkles, but he was otherwise exactly the same as the last time I'd seen him.

"Speaking of which, you haven't aged at all, old man. Your power seems even stronger now too?"

"You're the one who hasn't aged a single day. You look exactly the same as when I last saw you."

"Including getting kidnapped because people mistake me for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a child?"

"Yeah. That part's exactly the same too."

Pat pat. Uncle Haseong's hand tapped my shoulder. The gesture carried equal parts sympathy for what I'd been through and an attempt to brush the dust off me. It had been the same back then, too.

"So what brought you out of the house? You never come out unless someone drags you by force."

"I was dragged out by force, actually."

I told him nothing but the plain facts. I'd been at home browsing the community when I got a message about a lawsuit, so I went to the police station. That part was fine, but I'd been kidnapped on my way back home.

"Eunha, I told you to take it easy on the internet."

"There are real people on the internet too."

I yawned and stepped out of the room. The hallway was cleaner than I'd expected. They kept the room where they held kidnapped victims so filthy, yet this area was spotless.

"The guys here were from the Black Dragon Gang, right?"

"Yes. I thought the remaining members had all fled overseas, but it turns out they sneaked back into Korea to try rebuilding. And of all places, right here where I live."

There was only one reason the old man would say that. The fact that I'd been kidnapped in the area where he lived. He felt responsible. But how could any of this be his fault? The ones committing the crimes were the ones to blame.

"It's not your fault, old man. And I'm fine. You came and saved me, didn't you?"

My brain hadn't been scrambled and there were no problems with my arms or legs. If there was an issue, it was that I'd swallowed a ton of dust... but compared to something truly bad happening, that was nothing.

"It was good to see you after so long, old man."

"Since it's been a while, we should have a meal. My wife will have food ready, so eat before you go."

"...This is exactly why I was trying to leave quickly."

I was comfortable in my own house, but going to someone else's home felt a little awkward. When I sighed and shook my head, the old man chuckled. He seemed to find my discomfort amusing.

"Once you've finished eating, I'll drive you home. You might get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠kidnapped again if you go alone."

"Didn't you take care of all the kidnappers? So it should be fine now, right?"

"It probably won't end here. Those guys—even if you kill them, they just swap bodies and come back."

"Really?"

They replace their bodies with mechanical shells and store data instead of brains. So even if their body gets completely destroyed, you just insert the data and it's a full revival! Or something like that. Whether you could really call that a person was debatable... but the biggest problem was that they came back to life and kept committing evil deeds.

"It seems like it would be easy to track them if someone helped..."

"No. I'm not doing it. I'm retired. Actually, I never even started working as a Hunter in the first place. The only job I've ever had was factory production before the Gates appeared."

"I'm not forcing you. Just saying."

The old man lightly tapped the top of my head. That meant he was uneasy about leaving me alone, so I should stay close to him. The talk about work was just an excuse; all that mattered was that I stayed safe.

"Besides, the government can't strong-arm people the way they used to. The Hunter Association's power has grown enormously too."

"I know. Still, going back to active duty is a bit..."

It was the stuff of nightmares. I'd rather have done double shifts at the factory. Being dragged away without explanation, thrown into Gates, fighting monsters that roamed the cities, staying up for days gathering information.

After the emergency passed I'd tried to retire immediately, but then I got caught by the old man. Of course, being forcibly taken by the government and getting caught by Uncle Haseong were two entirely different matters.

"I'm not the same errand boy I was back then. You won't have to suffer."

"I didn't really suffer that much back then either."

"Is physical suffering the only kind that counts? Mental suffering counts too, Eunha."

As expected from an adult, old man. Unlike a certain thirty-three-year-old who stays shut up in her room doing nothing but browsing communities all day.

"This is my first time going to your house, old man."

"True. There was never any time. We were so busy we could barely breathe."

It had been a full ten years since the Gates appeared. That was how long it had taken for South Korea, which had been in ruins, to somewhat regain its former appearance.

"Oh, that reminds me—I need to find my phone."

It wasn't an expensive one, so it wouldn't matter if I couldn't find it, but I was rather attached to it. The problem was I had no idea where that blond thug had taken it.

"Old man, you haven't seen a blond guy covered in piercings, have you? I think he took my phone."

"Hmm."

He looked like he was thinking it over. But I could sense the awkwardness hidden behind that expression.

What on earth did he do to him?

I knew the blond thug wouldn't be in any normal condition. Knowing the old man's personality, he'd probably beaten him half to death.

"I blew his upper body clean off. If he had your phone on him, it definitely didn't survive intact."

"It must have been reduced to powder."

I let out a sigh. It felt pointless to go searching for the phone now. There wasn't anything strange on it anyway.

"Let's just go, old man."

"If you're okay with it, then sure. Let's do that."

My legs were short, so my stride was quite slow, but the old man matched my pace perfectly. Maybe it was because he had a daughter. Adults really were different.

Riiiing— Riiiing—

"...Why isn't she picking up? She's not even reading my texts."

Kim Yeeun. She was feeling unusually anxious right now. It was because Seo Eunha, whom she had just parted ways with, wasn't answering her calls.

Is she deliberately ignoring me...?

If that was the case, she could just threaten to sue her again for being so insolent. But what if it wasn't?

She couldn't have actually been kidnapped or anything. Yeah, that can't be it.

She had heard rumors about a criminal syndicate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the area that kidnapped children. That's why she had texted Seo Eunha a warning.

But what if, despite that warning, she had really been kidnapped?

"Maybe I should have given her a ride home..."

Of course, it might all be unnecessary worry. Seo Eunha had probably gotten home safely and was simply sleeping a little early.

"Why am I worrying about the person I'm trying to sue?"

Letting out a long sigh, Kim Yeeun switched her phone screen. When her heart was this restless, she needed comfort.

At Eunseo's reply, Kim Yeeun ground her teeth together.

Why the hell was that girl there of all places...!!