Episode 36: Kidnapping Yoo Ara
Episode 36: Kidnapping Yoo Ara
Yoo A-ra said she was going down to her family home for about a week.
Where did she say her family home was again?
'I think she said Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do.'
15 years ago, after the Gates opened, countless monsters poured out of them.
Countless cities were burned and vanished because of the monsters.
Even though the Korean military responded quickly in the beginning, they couldn't prevent the damage.
The damage was greater the larger the city was.
Except for Incheon and Seoul, most of the major central cities in Gyeonggi-do disappeared because of the monsters.
Right.
Except for Pyeongtaek, where the U.S. military was stationed.
Due to the U.S. military's quick response and the support of the Korean military, Pyeongtaek was the only city in Gyeonggi-do that managed to be protected, even though it was on the verge of annihilation.
All other cities were burned and vanished.
Countless Gate refugees flocked to Pyeongtaek, and after the Gate subjugation entered a stable phase, Pyeongtaek prospered due to the people who gathered there.
Because of that, Pyeongtaek became a central city after the Gates.
Because there were still too many uncleared Gates and dungeons to restore the cities that had been devastated by monsters.
Of course, there is a stereotype that, unlike Seoul, it's a place where people without much money live.
After the creation of the Gates, there weren't many places in Korea that could be called cities among those that survived.
Seoul, Incheon, Pyeongtaek, Mokpo, Busan, and Jeju Island.
These 6 cities became metropolitan cities, and large and small cities were being recreated around them.
If other places were also cleared, they would recreate the prosperous cities of the past, but that was a story for the distant future.
"There's no way anything could be happening in Pyeongtaek."
There wouldn't be any reason to send a text so urgently.
Pyeongtaek was especially famous for its good public safety.
It was such a quiet city, with almost no villains, that it was called the "no-fun city."
Yoo A-ra was even a promising talent with real skills now.
She should be able to crush most thugs who tried to mess with her.
'It's not like a Gate burst in Pyeongtaek either.......'
If that had happened, it would have reached my ears.
I stared quietly at Yoo A-ra's text.
The urgency felt in the message she sent.
She wasn't the type of kid to make up a lie like this just to see me.
If I had to guess.......
Debt.
Nothing else came to mind besides the debt she incurred to enter the Academy.
I called her.
There was no answer.
That settles it.
Something happened related to her debt.
"Let's go, for now."
She is a student who will become an important asset to me.
I didn't want to miss or lose her over something like this.
I went down to Pyeongtaek that very day.
Wuuung!
Because I was heading down in such a rush, I didn't even realize that another text had arrived afterward.
"Why is there no reply......?"
Lee Hye-ri looked down at her smartphone.
She had just finished training and sent a text to Kim Si-woo.
Endurance training.
It wasn't as easy as she thought.
-Failed. 20 sets.
She collapsed at 20 sets this time, too.
She thought she could do a little more, but her thighs and leg muscles couldn't hold out in the end, and she collapsed.
She thought about lying, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to fake it.
"He's not even checking it."
An hour had passed since she sent it, but the number 1 hadn't disappeared.
"Is he trying to mess with me?"
Irritation surged up.
Her head was boiling.
In her 20 years of life, she had never been ignored by anyone.
"So annoying. Seriously so annoying."
He was a person she just couldn't get attached to.
He was the one who ordered it, so isn't it too irresponsible not to even check?
"Ughhh!!!"
Lee Hye-ri stomped her feet.
It was a side of Lee Hye-ri that was never seen, as she was always stoic at the Academy.
If Lee Gang-san had seen this, he would have been happy to see his sister's human side.
Regardless of that.
"Fine. Let's see who wins."
Lee Hye-ri glared at her smartphone and gritted her teeth.
I arrived in Pyeongtaek in an hour by taking the express train to Pyeongtaek.
Only after arriving in Pyeongtaek did I see Lee Hye-ri's text.
To be precise, I saw the text that appeared in the preview.
-Failed. 20 sets.
I didn't bother replying.
I could only give her the corporal punishment next week anyway.
No need to check every single time.
"It's been a while since I've been here, too."
This was a city I visited often when I was active under the alias Shadow Mask.
It was because several Gates were connected to Pyeongtaek.
Since there were no Gates to subjugate, there was no need to come here.
That was already 2 years ago.
"Nothing has changed."
I picked up my smartphone and made a call.
Again, there was no answer.
"If I knew the exact address, it would have been helpful......."
Before my muttering could even finish, my smartphone rang.
Wuuung!
It was Yoo A-ra.
I looked at her number on my smartphone.
One, two, three.
Click.
"Hello."
-Hey, mister, you already here?
An unfamiliar voice.
It was a gruff man's voice.
"Who is this?"
-Who do you think? A debt collector. Our customer didn't pay back the money she borrowed.
"So you kidnapped her?"
-Ayy, why use such unrefined language? We just brought her in for a wholesome conversation.
"If it's the scholarship Yoo A-ra received, she should be able to pay back the money she borrowed enough."
Even adding up the Academy entrance fee and tutoring fees, it wouldn't exceed 30 million won.
In the first place, since she became a top priority scholarship recipient this time, her semester tuition would be fully refunded, so there shouldn't be a problem in terms of the amount.
-Ayy, our mister here lacks economic sense. Don't you know? If you borrow money, you have to pay interest.
"So how much is it?"
-Our customer A-ra borrowed 15 million won, plus 45 million won in interest. And if you include the 33.5 million won for our other service fees and 12 million won for meal expenses, it's 105.5 million won.
It's the same old story.
Guys who harass people by attaching absurd interest rates just because they lent them money.
Turning a 15 million won debt into 100 million won.
'These guys are real bastards.'
The urge to punch the face of the guy sneering at me welled up.
"The interest has grown quite a bit."
-Of course. She even signed a contract saying she would pay a high interest rate because she was in a rush.
There are guys like this.
Guys who put a leash on people with absurd contracts.
They were the type of guys I found most annoying.
Why?
Because those Daesung bastards were exactly like that.
Guys who turn new hunters into half-cripples with unfair contracts and throw them away like consumables.
They are the type of bastards I hate the most.
No matter how hard and harsh this world is to live in.
You shouldn't treat people like that.
"Fine. Let's meet and talk."
-That's impossible if you don't have the money?
"I'll bring it, so just tell me the address."
-Hmm, what makes you think I'd trust you?
"Don't you want to get paid?"
-I can just sell this friend to some back-alley guild and get enough money anyway. If she's a cadet who got 1st place at the Academy, hundreds of millions of won would come in, right?
He's an even bigger piece of trash than I thought.
These were guys I'd seen many times before.
The parasites of the Hunter world who eat away at the industry.
"You're stupid. Is that as far as your thinking goes? Well, I guess that's why you're satisfied with just being a loan shark."
-What?
"If it were me, I wouldn't sell her to a back-alley, I'd sell her to a regular guild."
-What is this bastard.......
"You make a contract with a guild. You claim a portion of the rights of the cadet you sold, and in exchange, you take a portion of the money. Even if you can't get a lump sum right away, you'd be able to collect the income of the cadet you sold, which would far exceed the 100 million won you mentioned."
-What kind of wordplay is this bastard.......
"Do you think it's wordplay? How much do you think an A-rank hunter gets when they clear a Gate or a dungeon? 50 million? 100 million? No, at least 200 million. If they don't die just clearing one dungeon, just taking a share of that alone would already far exceed the 100 million you're talking about."
-.......
"At the same time, you get a chance to make a connection with a regular guild. You wouldn't know, being a back-alley loan shark, but guild guys aren't as righteous as you think."
Make a connection with a regular guild.
For a mere loan shark, it must be an irresistibly dizzying offer.
The reason I'm telling him this is simple.
Even if I tell them, they can't do it anyway.
It was actually a tactic Daesung enjoyed using, but they didn't entrust it to back-alley loan sharks.
They had separate professional firms, and the methods of firms that lure new hunters were secretive and meticulous.
-You know a lot about regular guilds.
"Of course."
-But why are you telling me that? Aren't you this student's teacher?
"I am her teacher."
-Then why on earth?
"Do you know why I'm playing teacher to that woman?"
-......Ah.
Soon, a fishy laugh was heard, as if he had realized it.
-You're a guy who communicates better than I thought.
"Give me the address quickly. Without putting any scratches on my product."
-Hmm....... But we have something to collect from this woman, too?
"I'll pay a sufficient price. And......."
-And?
"You guys should make at least one connection with a regular guild now, shouldn't you?"
-......I get your intention. But what makes you think we should tell you?
"If you tell me the location, I'll give you a guild's contact information."
-With some measly customer service center.......
"It's a direct line."
-Direct line?
"Yeah. It's the Guild Master's number. If you contact it with my number, you'll be able to reach them right away."
The voice cuts off.
The breathing on the other side of the receiver becomes rough.
I could even hear him gulping down his saliva.
I could feel the greedy bastard panting like he was in heat.
"I'll give you 5 seconds. Otherwise, the negotiation is off......."
-Got it! You're an impatient friend.
"I don't have the time."
-But the contact information first.......
"If you send the address, I'll send the contact info to that number. I'm not a person with enough free time to chat idly with you guys."
-Understood. I'll send the address.
"Then I'll be waiting."
I hung up the phone first.
And not even 10 seconds later, the address arrived.
-108 @@-ro, Pyeongtaek-si. Factory area.
"Bastard. Trying to pull a fast one."
It probably isn't the real address.
But I'm going to send the real contact information.
Twilight.
It was a guild I briefly belonged to once.
It was a decent mid-sized guild.
And the Guild Master of Twilight, the Sword Saint, was someone you could recognize just by hearing his voice because of his unique, gravelly, metallic voice.
It must be an attractively tempting place for a loan shark.
I sent the contact information for the Guild Master of Twilight.
Sorry, Uncle Sword Saint.
I'll be borrowing your name.
Had it been about 5 minutes since I sent the contact info?
-119 #@-ro, Pyeongtaek-si. Factory area. Sorry. I was suspicious.
As expected.
I moved quickly to save Yoo A-ra.
-Who is this?
The loan shark, Jeong-mu, froze as soon as he heard the voice on the other side of the receiver.
The power conveyed in the voice.
And the mana.
It was an incredibly skilled person.
"S-sorry. I dialed the wrong number."
He hurriedly hung up the phone.
His heart was pounding like crazy from just that brief call.
He tried to check if the teacher's words were a lie, but to think it was real.
"Hoo, hoo....... This crazy bastard. It was real?"
He almost died at the hands of the Sword Saint if he had made a mistake.
As Jeong-mu trembled, his subordinate asked from the side.
"Boss, is it for real?"
"Yeah. It was really the Sword Saint of Twilight. I can tell just by hearing his voice."
"T-then, is it true? That he sells that woman off......."
"Probably. I thought that Sword Saint guy was a righteous person, but to think he's committing human trafficking behind the scenes."
In the end, they were just guys who pretended to be righteous in front, no different from himself.
"This is an opportunity. An opportunity to graduate from Pyeongtaek and move to Seoul."
"Boss, then are we really......."
"Let's seize this opportunity well. Treat that guy as well as possible. Ah, and tell him the address again. And pass on an apology."
"Understood."
Jeong-mu calmed his trembling body and looked at Yoo A-ra.
"Did you hear? The tutoring teacher you trust is no different from us. Now there's no one left to protect you. Hehe, use that body of yours well for our sake. Hehehe."
"Mmmph!!!"
Yoo A-ra, with her arms and legs tied and her mouth taped shut, struggled.
Her eyes, filled with tears as she glared at Jeong-mu, were enticing.
"Calm down. It'll be troublesome if there's a scratch on an important product. You'd want to fetch a high price too, right?"
His mouth watered.
The massive amount of money Yoo A-ra would earn.
To think that Yoo A-ra, who he thought was a repeater, was a talent who could become a future A-rank.
The 2nd exam was broadcast live, so everyone saw it.
That Yoo A-ra got 1st place among this year's 1st-year cadets!
He couldn't even guess how much her value would rise.
He was able to hold her like this using the money she borrowed from him as an excuse.
That meant it didn't matter how he treated this woman.
"Is this year really my year?"
Jeong-mu, who was rubbing his hands while recalling the fortune-telling he had seen recently.
Screech, thud!
Just then, the door opened.
"Hey, mister! You've arrived!"
It was the teacher who would become his reliable business partner from now on.
Jeong-mu welcomed Kim Si-woo with open arms.