Chapter 45: Miju's Stalker (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 45: Miju's Stalker (3)
"Huff, huff!"
The fleeing stalker was fast.
I was much faster in terms of pure running speed, but...
"Tch!"
The way he darted in and out of the alleys as if he knew the terrain perfectly was incredibly annoying for someone giving chase.
"You little rat!"
I grit my teeth and pushed harder.
I was going to catch him no matter what. I’d catch him and get him away from her for good.
As we rounded a corner in the narrow alleyway, I finally managed to seize the stalker by the scruff of his neck as he tried to slip away like an eel.
"Gah!"
The stalker clutched at his throat, letting out a choked gasp.
The moment I grabbed him, I felt it.
He’s small.
He was shorter than he had appeared in the video.
My intuition screamed at me. This wasn't the stalker.
A sense of dread washed over me. I hurriedly ripped off his mask.
It wasn't Joo Yeon-seok; it was a face I didn't recognize.
"Who the hell are you?"
"P-please, spare me!" the man begged, rubbing his hands together frantically. "Th-they said if I did this just once, they'd let me off the hook..."
"Who told you to do this?"
"Th-that's..."
"Spit it out, now!"
"Eek!"
Terrified by my growl, the man continued to rub his hands together in a panic.
"I-I can't say..."
It wasn't him. I knew it for sure now.
In that instant, a suffocating anxiety gripped my heart.
"Miju..."
I had left Miju at home just to catch this decoy.
"Dammit!"
I threw the man aside and sprinted back toward Miju’s house as fast as I could.
"Kyaaaah!"
A sharp scream pierced the air from a distance.
"Miju!"
I saw Miju being dragged away by a masked man. He was struggling to shove her into a car that was idling in the alley.
"Oppa!"
I wasn't too late yet.
"Useless piece of shit, couldn't even buy me a few minutes!"
The man cursed in frustration as our eyes met.
The voice was familiar.
"Joo Yeon-seok!"
He didn't answer. He simply poured all his strength into trying to kidnap Miju.
My lungs felt like they were bursting, but I didn't stop. I knew if I faltered now, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
I ran like a man possessed.
I reached out and grabbed the wrist of the man trying to abduct Miju.
"Aaargh!"
Under the pressure of my grip, he let go of her.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"You son of a bitch!"
Though his face was hidden by a mask and a hat, it was definitely Joo Yeon-seok.
"Let's go to the police station. You can explain yourself there—"
At that moment, I saw something sharp reflect the light. Instinctively, I jerked my body back.
It was a knife.
He had tried to slash my face with a razor-sharp blade.
"You've completely lost it!"
I tightened my grip on his wrist.
"Gwaaargh!"
The stalker trembled, wildly swinging the knife in his hand.
[Trainer Protection Protocol initiated.]
Crack!
Reflexively, my hand chopped down on the stalker's wrist that held the knife.
"Gah-hugh!"
Clang!
"This is self-defense. You get that, right?"
Once I saw the knife hit the ground, I balled my hand into a fist and drove it straight into his face.
Thwack!
"Urgh!"
The stalker’s head snapped back. Having taken a direct hit to the jaw, he tumbled to the ground.
I mounted him as he lay sprawled on the pavement and delivered another blow.
Punch!
"Guh!"
One punch didn't feel like enough.
"Uuuugh..."
I ripped the mask off the groaning stalker.
It was Joo Yeon-seok. His face was already beginning to swell where I’d hit him.
I had considered the possibility that it might be someone else, but the suspect was exactly who I thought he was.
Caught red-handed.
And since he hadn't just been stalking but had actually attempted a kidnapping, he was well and truly screwed.
"You dog... You hit me? Fuck..."
Apparently, he still hadn't learned his lesson, as he spat curses at me.
"You still don't realize what you did wrong?"
A guy who was not only a stalker but an attempted kidnapper was throwing a fit because he got punched once. It was absurd.
"I told you to stay away. Why do you keep coming back to torment people?"
Joo Yeon-seok wasn't looking at me. He was staring at Miju, who was trembling behind me.
"Miju! You tell him! Am I the one in the wrong? It was you! You're the one who approached me and wagged your tail first! And now you're going to play innocent? You bitch! You fucking cunt!"
Just then, Miju stepped forward.
Walking barefoot on the asphalt, she approached Joo Yeon-seok and—
Slap!
Without a moment's hesitation, she struck him across the face.
"Gah!"
His head whipped to the side.
"Stop bullshitting. I never had feelings for you, not even for a second. You just imagined it all on your own..."
Miju’s eyes were burning with rage.
"You pieces of trash. Both of you..."
It was then.
Thump. Thump.
The sound of heavy footsteps approached.
I turned my head.
Kang Jun, the massive guy who always followed Joo Yeon-seok around, was walking toward us. He glared at me with a stoic expression.
Dammit.
I looked up at the man, who had to be well over 190 centimeters tall.
A dark night. A narrow alley. Miju was behind me, and beneath me was Joo Yeon-seok—a stalker caught in the act of attempted kidnapping.
There was nowhere to run.
Should I have called the police earlier?
The regret was fleeting. I secretly clenched my fists, preparing to land a counter-blow if the giant decided to attack.
"Kang Jun!"
Joo Yeon-seok’s face brightened at the appearance of his reliable ally.
"Do something about these bastards! These pieces of shit are beating up an innocent man!"
Kang Jun didn't even acknowledge Joo Yeon-seok’s words. He walked up and stood directly in front of me.
"Do you have business with me?" I asked.
Where would the attack come from? A left hook? A right? If he used his legs, it would be hard to dodge.
While I was running through countless simulations in my head, he spoke.
"A person who exercises... shouldn't hit people."
"What?"
"No matter how much of a piece of shit the opponent is, hitting them can lead to big trouble."
"What are you trying to say?"
A more frantic voice erupted from beneath my feet.
"Kang Jun! What the hell are you talking about! I told you to do something about them, now!"
Ignoring him, Kang Jun looked at me and continued.
"They say there are no bad people among those who exercise. And I saw what that man did to your girlfriend. I'm sorry. I'll apologize on his behalf."
Kang Jun bowed his head.
"You motherfucker! Why aren't you beating him up?! I told you, didn't I? If you don't listen to me, I'll expose that secret you're hiding!"
"Do whatever you want."
"What?"
"No matter how big my secret is, it won't be bigger than what you just did."
"You...!"
It seemed Kang Jun had no intention of fighting me.
"I don't think I'm the one who should be receiving your apology."
The apology was something Joo Yeon-seok owed to Miju.
"And you, shut your mouth."
I stuffed the mask Joo Yeon-seok had been wearing into his mouth.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
After tossing the knife he had used into a corner, I turned to Miju.
"What do you want to do?"
"We have to report this to the police immediately."
"Yeah, I thought so."
Miju said as she straightened her disheveled clothes. Her outfit had been stretched and ruined during the struggle with Joo Yeon-seok. I could see scratches all over her body from how hard she had resisted.
"Sigh."
My heart felt heavy.
Dammit. If I hadn't blindly chased after that other guy pretending to be the stalker, she wouldn't have gone through this.
"I'm sorry. This is my fault."
"No, it's not," Miju shook her head. "If it wasn't for you, oppa, we never would have caught him, and I would have kept suffering."
She looked at Joo Yeon-seok, who was now pinned down and unable to move by Kang Jun.
"Thank you. For yesterday, and for today..."
Wee-woo, wee-woo.
The sound of police sirens echoed from the distance.
The police arrived, and we explained the situation. We told them about his long-term stalking, provided the video footage of him secretly watching her, and added the testimonies of both Kang Jun and Miju.
On top of that, there was the attempted kidnapping.
Since he was caught in the act, there was no way for him to wiggle out of it. Though an investigation would follow, the nature of his crimes was severe enough that he wouldn't get off easily.
"We may call you in for a witness statement soon."
"Understood."
The police dragged away a still-resisting Joo Yeon-seok.
"Don't let your guard down too much."
"What?"
I turned to Kang Jun, who had been watching the police car drive away.
"What do you mean by that?"
"That man has quite a powerful background. He'll be released soon."
"...Is that so?"
"His father is a member of the National Assembly for the ruling party."
No wonder...
"Still, he won't be able to get out in just a day or two."
"Probably not," Kang Jun nodded at my words.
Then, he began to stare intently at my physique. It was a rather uncomfortable gaze.
"What are you looking at?"
"What kind of workout do you do?"
"Huh?"
"Your body seems to have changed drastically since the last time I saw you."
"..."
"As a fellow athlete, I was curious about your routine."
"Ah."
I couldn't exactly tell him I was getting help from a System.
"If you're curious, come by our gym sometime."
I gave him a vague answer.
"...I'll keep that in mind. And I'll look into that small guy who acted as the decoy. I know who he is."
"Thanks. You're being a big help."
"It's my fault for not stopping it. Consider this my apology. Take good care of your girlfriend. She must have had a hard time."
With those final words, Kang Jun left as well.
"Is it finally over?"
Joo Yeon-seok was taken to the station. Kang Jun was gone. The stalking incident seemed to have reached a conclusion.
Perhaps it was because the tension had finally snapped.
"Ah..."
"Miju, are you okay?"
Miju’s legs gave out, and she stumbled. I caught her before she could collapse onto the pavement.
"S-sorry. The adrenaline just wore off..."
"Let's get you home first."
The eyes of the neighbors were on us. Lights were flicking on here and there. The alley was filled with people looking on with curiosity. The quiet neighborhood had become noisy.
Ignoring their stares, I supported Miju all the way back to her house. Once inside, I helped her lie down on her bed.
"Now that everything's settled, I'll head—"
Just as I was about to get up.
"Um... Oppa."
Miju grabbed my wrist and asked, "Would you like to stay and watch Netbliss with me tonight?"