Chapter 25
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Thwarting the Kidnapping
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The content on page 3 was utterly shocking.
Even more shocking than the voice phishing scam.
'A-young goes missing?'
No word from her for over a week?
'Kidnapping. It's kidnapping. No matter how I turn it over in my mind a hundred or a thousand times, this has to be kidnapping. The odds are overwhelmingly high.'
Nothing else made sense. Nothing else even came to mind.
I was 99.999% certain it was kidnapping.
'The day we were supposed to go to the zoo, on her way to the meeting spot—that's when the odds are highest that she got kidnapped.'
I bit my lip.
'I'll protect her. No matter what it takes, I'll protect A-young. I absolutely, positively won't let her get kidnapped.'
I'd already stopped pages 1 and 2 of the Misfortune Diary. I was determined to stop page 3, too.
I was sure I could do it. I believed it without a doubt.
'I've got a plan roughly in place. If things go according to the preliminary plan, I can stop it. Definitely—no, absolutely—I can stop it.'
I bit my lip hard. My tightly clenched fist trembled. My pupils burned with resolve and fury.
A few days later.
The incident began.
[Choi A-young: Oppa! Oppa!!]
[Choi A-young: A-young wants to go to the zoo, too~]
[Choi A-young: I wanna see the cute, adorable animals~]
[Choi A-young: ㅠㅠ But... no one to go with~]
[Choi A-young: Turns out A-young has no friends ㅠㅠ]
[Choi A-young: ㅜㅜ Unnie Sol says animals scare her.]
[Choi A-young: ㅜㅜ Jin-seon says she's busy with her boyfriend]
[Choi A-young: Oppaaaaa, wanna go to the zoo with A-young?]
Jin-seong checked the KakaoTalk messages.
"Haa... Hoo... Haa... Hoo......"
He took deep breaths.
He calmed his boiling emotions.
[Me: Yeah, let's go have some fun.]
[Me: Sounds good. Honestly, I love animals too, so I've been wanting to go to the zoo.]
A reply came soon after.
[Choi A-young: Waaah! Yayyy!]
[Choi A-young: Hehe, feels so good~]
[Choi A-young: Thanks for coming with me!]
[Choi A-young: A-young is so touched, touched, touched!]
[Choi A-young: I've reeeally wanted to go!]
[Choi A-young: How about this Sunday?]
[Me: Perfect. Let's do it. ^^]
[Me: What time on Sunday should we meet?]
[Choi A-young: Yay yay ><]
[Choi A-young: How about 7 AM?]
[Choi A-young: We can go early and take our time having fun!]
True to her morning person nature, Choi A-young suggested an early meetup.
[Me: 7? OK. Got it.]
[Me: I'm looking forward to it.]
[Choi A-young: Me too! Me too!]
[Choi A-young: So excited! So excited!]
[Choi A-young: Emoji]
[Choi A-young: Hehe hehe]
[Choi A-young: Emoji]
She seemed thrilled. Choi A-young was over the moon.
Normally, Jin-seong would have chuckled at how cute she was.
But today, of all days, he couldn't muster even a smile.
Not when misfortune loomed so clearly ahead.
'I'll stop it!'
No matter what, I'll stop it.
'Stick to the plan.'
Jin-seong sent a message.
[Me: A-young, could you give me your home address by any chance?]
[Choi A-young: Huh? Home address? Whyyy?]
[Me: Wanna send you a Pyri doll. You love animals, right?]
[Choi A-young: Omg ㅠㅠㅠ Oppa ㅠㅠㅠ So thoughtful ㅠㅠㅠ]
[Choi A-young: Touched ㅜㅜㅜ Super touched ㅜㅜㅜ Totally cool guy ㅜㅜㅜ]
[Choi A-young: Pyri is the cutest. Pyri doll is the best.]
[Choi A-young: My home address is......]
He got the address.
'Phew, good.'
Things were going according to plan.
Step 1 complete.
'Gotta make time for recon.'
The next day.
Jin-seong visited the address Choi A-young had sent. She lived in a remote villa complex.
'Recon done.'
Step 2 complete.
He moved on to Step 3.
"Sajangnim, I need a favor."
He went to see Park Man-bok, carrying a box of orange juice.
"Please help. A close little sister figure of mine is in danger of being kidnapped."
Step 3 was asking for backup.
'I don't know what weapons the kidnapper might have. Don't even know if it's one guy or two. Going up against kidnappers alone when I don't know what threats are lurking would be reckless.'
Jin-seong laid out the situation, mixing truth and fiction just right.
Park Man-bok looked baffled at first. Then his face hardened.
His eyes turned fierce.
"Got it."
Park Man-bok was a good man. He readily agreed to help.
"Thank you."
"No problem. We gotta help each other out."
Jin-seong bowed his head in gratitude.
Inner Thoughts: Member Jin-seong helped us out before. He gave, so it's right I give back.
Inner Thoughts: Even if he hadn't, it's the right thing to do. Gotta live like a decent human.
Jin-seong vowed to treat Sajangnim Park well from now on, no matter what.
Step 3 complete.
'Step 4 is......'
He opened the shop.
[Spec Copy Pill (One-Time Use)]
[Description: Copy and use the target's specs (brain, physique, specialties, luck, etc.) for 1 hour.]
The Spec Copy Pill.
50 points.
'If I copy Sajangnim Park's specs, I can be as strong as him for an hour. Perfect item for someone like me who can't fight.'
If things got dire?
He'd buy the Spec Copy Pill.
'Should I call Ji-seong hyungnim too?'
Report to the police ahead of time?
'Grab some weapons?'
Without holding back.
Thoroughly.
Excessively so.
Boldly.
He prepared with everything he had.
The day before the zoo date.
[Choi A-young: Heart's pounding thinking about the zoo~]
[Choi A-young: Supposed to sleep but can't at all~]
[Choi A-young: Have you been to the zoo? A-young never has~]
She must be too excited about tomorrow's zoo trip to sleep.
[Me: Nah, first time for me too. Never been.]
[Me: Go to bed early. Gonna be tired running around from morning.]
[Choi A-young: Okie ><]
[Choi A-young: Tomorrow, animal outfit]
[Choi A-young: And go have fun?]
[Me: No, dress normal please.]
[Me: Girlfriend look, I beg you.]
[Me: I like the normal girlfriend vibe.]
[Choi A-young: I'm not your girlfriend though?]
[Choi A-young: Well, since oppa asks]
[Choi A-young: I'll dress up special for you.]
[Me: Great, looking forward to it :) ]
Jin-seong closed his eyes.
'What if I can't stop the kidnapping?'
He worried. He fretted.
'No. I can definitely stop it. I'm fully prepared.'
Time to sleep for tomorrow.
To eliminate variables, he needed to manage his condition perfectly.
The next day.
Dawn broke. He woke at the crack of dawn. Did his morning workout.
"Good morning."
"Thanks."
"No problem. We help each other."
He met Park Man-bok at the appointed time.
"Hop in."
"Thank you."
He got into Park Man-bok's car. The wheels rolled smoothly.
Destination: Choi A-young's house.
"This the place?"
"Yes, that's it."
He parked nearby. The villa area was eerily quiet.
'Hmm... No cars around... No CCTV in sight......'
Suspicious people?
Suspicious vehicles?
Anything off?
Nothing.
But one thing was clear: it was perfect for a crime.
[Me: When you heading out?]
[Choi A-young: Almost ready.]
[Choi A-young: Heading out soon!]
[Choi A-young: Wore the girlfriend look special~]
[Choi A-young: No dirty thoughts when you see A-young, okay? Got it?]
That was when he was reading the messages.
'Hm?'
A car appeared. A pitch-black mid-to-large SUV.
A man got out. He scanned the villa surroundings intently.
"That bastard! That's him!"
Jin-seong pointed with his hand.
That was the guy. He was definitely the one who kidnapped A-young.
A psycho.
A born villain.
Now everything about A-young's disappearance made perfect sense.
'That motherfucker. I'm not letting him get away.'
A-young came out of the house. Wearing a pink hoodie.
The man scanned around. Then slowly approached A-young.
He lunged from behind.
"Huh?! Kyaa?! Mmph?!"
The man's hand roughly clamped over A-young's mouth.
He hugged her tight and dragged her toward the car.
A-young struggled.
No. Danger.
But A-young was fragile. She was dragged along helplessly.
Just as she was about to be forced into the car.
"Hey."
Someone grabbed the man's shoulder.
Flinch.
Like a video on pause.
The man's every movement froze.
"......"
He turned around.
Over 185cm tall. Broad shoulders. Eyes fierce like a demon's.
The man said lowly.
"You need a beating."
Park Man-bok's fist flew.
"Gahhh!"
Kim Jung-wook let out a scream of agony.
Thwack! Thwack!
Park Man-bok beat him mercilessly.
Of course, not wildly. He targeted only the painful spots. Hit only where bruises wouldn't show, relentlessly.
A master of assault.
"You crazy fuck?!"
Suddenly, Park Man-bok's voice rose.
Kim Jung-wook pulled a kitchen knife from his coat. He meant to stab. To kill.
"D-Die!"
But he couldn't kill.
Couldn't even stab. The moment he drew the knife, he was subdued.
Park Man-bok's kick struck the arm holding the knife.
Clang.
Kim Jung-wook could only drop the knife limply to the ground.
Park Man-bok swiftly kicked it away.
"Where do you think you're swinging that knife?!"
"Gahhh!"
The furious punishment continued. The man rolled on the ground.
"......"
Choi A-young sat collapsed on the ground.
"A-young, A-young, you okay?"
"O...ppa...?"
"You okay? Anywhere hurt?"
Jin-seong asked.
He checked her body all over for injuries.
"O...ppa......"
Choi A-young sniffled.
She'd been terrified. Nearly kidnapped. Nearly thrown in the car.
"Oppa......"
Emotions welled up.
"It's okay. Don't worry."
Jin-seong hugged her. Stroked her back.
[Misfortune Diary]
The Misfortune Diary that had only page 3 left.
The red misfortune vanished. Evaporated completely.
All misfortunes averted.
Favorability: 80
In the end, Kim Jung-wook was arrested by the police.
"Psycho."
Jin-seong clicked his tongue.
"How many has he killed?"
The news reported on the Kim Jung-wook case.
Victims exceeded three.
[Choi A-young: Oppa, should I wear Pyri pajamas to the zoo?]
[Choi A-young: Pyri is so so cute~]
[Choi A-young: Photo]
[Choi A-young: My fave Pyri doll that oppa got me]
[Me: ^^;; Please go normal.]
[Me: Girlfriend look.]
They hadn't gone last week.
Zoo trip set for tomorrow.