Chapter 315
Chapter 315
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 315
Chapter Title: The Lost Siblings
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Soo-hyuk's words snapped Laura's mind to attention.
Her face twisted as if she'd encountered her sworn enemy, and she turned to him.
"Uncle? Did you take my little siblings?"
That answer was enough for the question of who had gone missing.
No wonder there were signs of people living here, yet she was alone. Laura had lost her siblings she lived with and was left behind by herself.
"Give my siblings back!"
Soo-hyuk understood Laura's reaction. It was a situation ripe for misunderstanding.
Normally, you'd ask a crying person what's making them sad, not who had disappeared.
Laura jumped to her feet and charged at Soo-hyuk. Or at least, she tried to.
Her body swayed after just two steps forward. She hadn't eaten or drunk for so long, and on top of that, she'd been crying nonstop—her strength was completely spent.
Soo-hyuk reached out and caught her as she collapsed. She was so starved and withered that supporting her felt like holding up a sheet of paper, not a body.
"Let's eat first."
Supporting her trembling shoulders, Soo-hyuk let out a sigh.
The world was still this cold to someone.
She'd thought she couldn't even take a single spoonful amid her grief, but Laura ended up wolfing down the soup.
He wanted to give her something better, but he worried that feeding anything else to a child this emaciated might make things worse.
Throughout the meal, Soo-hyuk stared out the window. He figured she might not eat properly if she knew he was watching.
By the time the white bottom of the large bowl came into view, Laura finished eating.
"Th-thank you... for the meal."
"Want more?"
"N-no, I'm good."
At first, she'd thought Soo-hyuk had taken her siblings, but she'd cleared up the misunderstanding.
No further explanation was needed. When she'd demanded her siblings back, he'd simply said to eat first.
Of course, that alone hadn't fully dispelled her doubts. Maybe he'd lured her siblings the same way.
Deep down, she'd half-hoped he'd take her too if he had them. Maybe even more than that.
But Soo-hyuk had just bought her a meal. Warm soup, no less, and he hadn't said a word the whole time.
'What a weird uncle.'
Probably no one met as many people as beggars did.
In that sense, Laura had encountered countless folks in her time. Most were adults far older than her peers.
Sure, some offered kindness—a bite of food or a coin or two.
But no one had ever taken her to a restaurant and fed her like this.
"Um..."
Laura cautiously opened her mouth.
"What do you want from me?"
"I didn't want anything from you."
"At first, maybe..."
Unsure how to phrase it, Laura trailed off. It wasn't easy to say to his face that she thought he'd taken her siblings.
"Will you tell me now? What happened?"
Laura hesitated—should she speak or not? Would it change anything? And yet, what if it did?
"Well..."
In the end, she recounted what had happened to her, straight facts only.
There wasn't much to tell anyway. She didn't know much to begin with.
Soo-hyuk's heart ached at the story of how she'd starved herself for her siblings' sake.
That explained why she alone was left behind.
'She's mature for her age.'
Fourteen or fifteen, maybe? Still a young girl, but far more grown-up than most adults. True sacrifice for another's sake wasn't something that came just with years.
"Must've been tough on you."
Laura's face was streaked with dried tears. Just looking at it showed how desperately she wanted her siblings back.
"Want to find your siblings?"
"Yes, of course!"
Laura nodded vigorously. She was ready to do anything if it meant finding them.
Her resolve was unquestionable. Soo-hyuk gave a faint smile.
"There's a way."
"How?"
Her eyes widened as she asked, and Soo-hyuk stood up.
"Come on. I'll show you."
After paying at the restaurant, Soo-hyuk headed to an even more secluded alley than where he'd found Laura.
As she followed, Laura wondered if she'd misjudged him. People who led you to dark alleys like this usually had bad intentions.
He could sense her fear from behind.
Soo-hyuk slowed his pace.
"Scared?"
"Huh? N-no."
"No need to pretend. If you're scared, just say so."
His voice brought comfort. No intent to frighten, no forced kindness.
Laura calmed a bit at the sound.
If he meant to drag her somewhere deserted and force something, he could've done it ages ago. The spot where they'd first met was just like that.
Gathering courage, Laura asked,
"Why... are we going somewhere like this?"
"Some people need places like this."
"You?"
"Not me."
With that, Soo-hyuk turned.
"The ones hiding there do."
Fwoosh—.
In that instant, several figures leaped up over the alley rooftops.
Laura had no idea what was happening. Their movements were stealthy and swift.
Of course, swift as they were, they couldn't match Soo-hyuk.
Flash—.
A white light burst into Laura's view. She squeezed her eyes shut in shock.
No sound came. When she rubbed her eyes and opened them, several men lay collapsed in the alley.
Instinct told her they'd been out to attack them.
"Wh-what happened?"
"As you can see."
"Did these guys kidnap my siblings?"
"Could be. They're the ones who did the legwork."
At the mention of someone behind them, Laura went blank for a moment.
The weird uncle she'd pegged Soo-hyuk as had just taken down multiple men in a blink. She could guess one thing about his identity.
"Uncle... you're a Player?"
"Not just me—these guys too."
He pointed at the masked men on the ground and lowered his voice.
"They've been lurking around you since morning."
"W-what?"
Laura jumped in surprise.
These men had been near her? She'd noticed nothing.
Soo-hyuk hadn't stumbled upon her by chance.
"Been looking for your siblings since last night, right?"
"Y-yes."
"That's when they started watching you. Well, I was too."
When her siblings didn't return, Laura had gone out into the streets, calling for them loudly.
That's when Soo-hyuk noticed someone eyeing her—and that they'd kidnapped the little girl's siblings.
He'd tailed the men, which naturally put him on Laura's trail too.
He could've explained more, but he didn't. No point scaring her further with chatter here.
"Urgh..."
Then, one of the fallen men groaned and stirred.
Soo-hyuk nodded toward him. The sharp Laura got the hint and stepped forward.
The man looked confused about why he was down. His body wouldn't respond yet—he struggled to rise but couldn't.
"Why did you take my siblings...?"
"Y-your... siblings...?"
Only then did realization hit him, recalling what he'd been doing before blacking out.
His masked face twisted. Laura realized he was sneering at her.
"Letting one slip through has caused us no end of trouble."
"Answer me. Where are my siblings?"
"Heh... kuh-huh."
He made a weird laughing-or-crying sound. Words wouldn't work—Soo-hyuk stepped in.
"Funny, having a kid ask you?"
The man glared up at Soo-hyuk. His eyes burned with resentment. If not for you—that was the look.
Resentment from kidnappers who preyed on helpless kids.
"You've gone too far."
"And what's it to you, sticking your nose in?"
"Then what's it to you lot, targeting kids like this?"
"This isn't for small fry like you. You don't even know who's behind us, and you dare!"
"Twice wrong in one short sentence—that's a talent."
Wrong? How?
Before the question formed, the man's torso, just lifted, slammed back to the ground.
Crunch—.
"...!"
Soo-hyuk's foot stomped his chest. Bones cracked under the impact, stabbing into organs with agony.
"Urgh..."
Well-trained, he didn't scream. For stealth operators like him, enduring pain was basic.
Still, his groans meant it hurt that bad.
"First, we already know who you are. Second, I'm no small fry."
"Da... dare..."
"Third one's on the house."
Soo-hyuk turned to Laura. He mimed covering his eyes, and she got it, clamping hers shut.
"Kids and the elderly need protection. Especially kids."
Splorch—.
Laura, eyes squeezed tight, heard something crush.
She didn't open them. She knew what happened—she didn't want to see.
"Open your eyes."
Soo-hyuk's voice came then.
Laura kept them shut. Her small shoulders trembled faintly.
"It's fine. You can look."
Strangely, his voice comforted again. Like it really was okay.
Laura mustered courage. A stranger had fought for her—opening her eyes was nothing.
The greatest courage she'd ever shown, and when she looked...
Nothing was there. The man Soo-hyuk had just killed, the others—all gone. No gruesome scene she'd braced for.
"Where'd they go?"
"Cleaned them up. Not a pretty sight, right?"
Laura relaxed at his answer. But soon, she startled again.
"That guy knew where my siblings are."
"He did."
"You killed them all? Someone had to survive..."
Worrying for her siblings even now, calling back those scary men. At her age, hiding and sobbing wouldn't be odd.
Worried she might sicken from stress, Soo-hyuk added,
"Don't know where they are now, but I know where these guys took them."
"R-really?"
Her face brightened for the first time.
"Where? We have to go now. Hurry!"
"Take a breath. No need to rush that much."
Unlike frantic Laura, Soo-hyuk's calm wasn't because they weren't his family.
"My most reliable friend is already handling that side."