The Witch of Ruin (2)
“I’ve already explained that part several times!”
The witch immediately raised her voice.
“There’s no need to think about it! I already know the answer! There must be executives among them who are rebelling! The greedy ones are the problem! Not my daddy!”
Yubin had advised her to think it over carefully, but the witch poured out answers without a moment’s hesitation—answers that were nothing more than vague guesses with no real value.
Creak—!
While she was still heatedly ranting, the door connected to the stairs opened and Mingu walked in, having come down from the rooftop after smoking.
“Why’s it so noisy in here?”
Mingu asked, staring straight at the witch’s face.
“Hic! No, nothing. No trouble……”
The witch quickly averted her gaze and answered in a small voice. Unlike the insignificant, small-framed Yubin, this Jack the Ripper of Yongsan was terrifying. A butcher who dismembered people alive. He didn’t seem like someone you could reason with, and especially those ice-cold eyes of his gave her chills.
“Quickly…… give me a cigarette. I’ll follow the rules and come right back after smoking.”
The thoroughly cowed witch held out her hand to Yubin and whispered.
What’s with this woman?
Her sudden change in attitude was bewildering to Yubin. She was this scared and deflated the moment Mingu appeared, so why had she been so aggressively confrontational just moments ago? Was this some kind of psychological warfare? Or…… was she still not fully recovered from the shock?
Either way, it was strange. After meeting several women since the zombie world began, this was the first time he had encountered this kind of style.
“I’ll go with you. I’ll lend you the lighter when we get up to the rooftop to smoke.”
While replying to her and heading toward the stairs, Yubin glanced back at Mingu.
“Are there a lot of zombies wandering the streets, hyung?”
“No, not really. More importantly…… take this.”
Mingu pulled the kukri from its knife holder, spun it around, and offered Yubin the handle. The zombies in this building had all been cleared out, but it was still dangerous to go around unarmed.
Especially since that Chairman Hwang’s daughter was a snake-like, vicious bitch who could pull any crazy stunt at any moment. Of course this schemer kid was tough enough to hold his own, but if she suddenly charged down the stairs and pushed him, or pulled out a hidden poisoned needle like those black-uniformed bastards, it would be a headache. So it was better to apply this kind of visual threat in advance—so she wouldn’t even dare to try anything.
“I have a gun.”
Yubin declined the knife Mingu offered and pulled out the Glock pistol tucked at his waist, smiling.
Gulp—!
Watching the large knife and gun being waved right in front of her face, the witch swallowed dryly and wrapped her arms around herself. This small-framed man had seemed relatively manageable…… so she had planned to try and manipulate him when they were alone, but now there was suddenly a pistol! This atmosphere was terrifying. She didn’t want to admit it and tried to look away, but within this group, her position was that of the weakest, lowest-ranked hostage. No matter what was done to her, she had no right to resist or refuse.
“Go up first.”
Yubin opened the door, handed her a flashlight, and pointed his chin toward the stairs. The witch obediently nodded and began climbing.
Whoosh—!
The moment she opened the door leading to the rooftop, a tremendous gust of wind slammed into her body. The sweat that had soaked her clothes while she was unconscious rapidly cooled and felt like it was freezing, so the witch hurriedly zipped her lightweight parka all the way up to her neck.
Even so, the area below her skirt was completely exposed, and the cold seeped into her bones. The witch found herself missing the dirty blanket she had left behind in the waiting room.
“No zombies around.”
Yubin walked to the edge of the rooftop, looked around below, then held out a cigarette, a Zippo lighter, and a PET bottle with a little drink left in it to the witch.
“Here. Smoke here. And don’t just flick the butts anywhere—put them in this bottle.”
“Huu……”
The witch lit the cigarette, clenched it between her teeth, and swept her hair back. ‘Here. Smoke here.’ As if she were doing her a favor. She never imagined she would hear such insolent words from some lowly commoner. A storm of emotions churned in her chest.
Whoosh—!
The hazy cigarette smoke she exhaled spread into the sky on the wind. With one hand in her parka pocket, the witch slowly turned her gaze to the side. Although she wasn’t at the very edge of the rooftop and couldn’t see directly below, everything in her field of view was frozen like a still life.
Stopped cars, stopped billboards, buildings with entire blocks burned pitch black……. The only things moving were zombies. This city was dead.
The sight was so chilling and desolate that the witch shuddered. It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced when she had flown over Yongsan in a helicopter last summer.
There’s no one……
She had already known this, but the fact struck her painfully in the chest all over again. Even if something terrible happened to her here, even if she desperately cried out for help…… there wasn’t a single person who could help her.
No, the real problem was that no one even knew she was here in this theater building near Gunja Station. Everything was different now from before, when a single line of “Do you know who I am?” had been enough. The title of Taeyang Group’s Hwang Nayeon no longer guaranteed her safety. She was now just a very weak woman, nothing more.
“Haaa……!”
Only now that she had somewhat grasped her situation, the witch gripped the cigarette with trembling fingers and once again drew the nicotine and tar deep into her lungs. All she had been thinking about while being dragged here was that she had to stay alive, but she never expected this kind of predicament was waiting for her.
What’s going to happen to me?
The question kept surfacing in her mind. No matter how much she struggled not to think about it, it was useless. The witch glanced back at Yubin, who was sitting on the rooftop structure behind her.
Gore-Tex jacket, hiking pants, safety boots—a vulgar appearance. She hadn’t asked about his background in detail, but even at a glance, it was the kind of outfit that screamed lower class. His word choice was far from refined or intellectual.
It must be the first time he’s seen a noble beauty like me up close……
The witch lowered her head and looked at her own body. The torn, tight skirt felt dangerously precarious. It seemed like her smooth legs would provoke him……. No, not just him. Everyone in this team right now, except for herself, was male.
Checking her watch, it was already three in the afternoon. Night would come soon. Right now everyone was busy trying to find food, but once things calmed down a bit and they had a drink or two, their primal urges would surface…….
“……Damn!”
The horrifying image of being assaulted in turn by four starving men suddenly flashed through the witch’s mind, and she quickly shook her head, cursing under her breath. It wouldn’t end with just rough sex—it could escalate into even more sadistic acts.
She knew all too well how cruel and brutal men could be when they lost control over a powerless woman. After all, both her younger brother and father had been experts in that sort of thing. She had to prevent herself from becoming such a miserable victim at all costs.
“Hey…… shouldn’t we report to headquarters soon? That we have Taeyang Group’s number two with us.”
The witch turned to Yubin and asked. She figured that if they reported to their superiors, these people wouldn’t dare treat her recklessly.
“You’re really stubborn. I told you to think about who tried to kill you, but you keep saying irrelevant things……”
Yubin stared at the witch in disbelief before replying. The witch forced a smile, trying to win his favor, and pressed again.
“No…… the higher-ups need to know about this changed information too, so they can send a rescue team or give some other order……”
“I already told you there are no higher-ups.”
Yubin cut her off sharply, as if he didn’t want to repeat himself.
Damn it, who would believe that nonsense……
The witch exhaled a long stream of smoke and ground her teeth inwardly. No matter how skilled the other three were as fighters, what kind of idiot would believe that just four people had survived this long without support from above? And while holding Terra’s blood, they were telling such an obvious lie……. Since her attempt to drag their superiors into this had failed, she needed to find another angle.
“I thought about what you said…… The one who tried to assassinate me was definitely Director Cha. So if I can just contact my daddy, there won’t be any problem. You can explain what you need, and I’ll get sent to the South Area. You know? Let’s handle this professionally. We can work out the details through mutual understanding. I can guarantee that part if you want. My daddy really loves me deeply.”
The witch slowly spun her lie while watching Yubin’s reaction. But this guy…… showed no response. He just stared at her with a sullen face.
He doesn’t believe me?
The witch was starting to doubt her own plan. But she had already come this far—stopping now would get her nothing. She kept pushing.
“So what I’m saying is…… treat me a little more carefully. Not like a hostage, but with the attitude you’d have toward a business partner……. My daddy cherishes me terribly, so if he finds out I was injured, he’ll definitely try to take revenge. Ten times, a hundred times more cruel and brutal. That’s also our family’s primary rule, and anyway, I don’t want to see that kind of tragedy. When you think about it, you guys helped and saved me too……”
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
As the witch’s words dragged on pathetically, Yubin furrowed his brow, unable to hold back any longer. It was already hard enough to understand because of all the English mixed in, and now she kept rambling on top of that—it was like dealing with a drunk person making a scene.
“No, it’s just……”
The witch tossed the shortened cigarette butt into the PET bottle and immediately lit a new one.
“It would be better if you didn’t touch me carelessly like you would with ordinary girls, or…… hurt me. Especially not by force. If you did, my daddy would definitely find you and take bloody revenge tenfold…… I’m afraid of that. You got me?”
“I still don’t really understand what you’re trying to say, but whether your father actually cares about you or not is something we can figure out quickly. How often did you usually contact Chairman Hwang?”
Yubin asked. The witch answered immediately.
“Every day! We meet and eat together every day. Even when he’s too busy to meet face-to-face, he always makes a goodnight call. ‘How was your day, my daughter?’ Like that. My daddy and I love and care for each other. And as you know, after my brother became like that, I’m his one and only kid.”
Of course, it was a lie. Chairman Hwang wasn’t particularly affectionate toward his daughter, nor did he contact her often. He only called when he had orders to give. But the witch continued to boast to Yubin with a serious expression. She figured that if she claimed they were that close, these people wouldn’t dare treat her recklessly.
“Then does Chairman Hwang also know that you came to negotiate instead of Major Park?”
Yubin, who had been quietly listening to the witch’s story, asked again. The witch reflexively lied once more.
“Of course! He even gave me a goodnight call yesterday telling me to come back safely. We’re that close.”
The witch pressed her index and middle fingers together as she said the word “close.”
“Really?”
Yubin checked his watch and nodded.
“If that’s the case, there’ll be chaos on the Han River starting tonight.”
“……Why?”
The witch exhaled cigarette smoke and spoke in a slightly frightened voice. This man named Yubin was saying something she didn’t understand. If she and her father were that close, why would that lead to chaos on the Han River tonight?
“Well, it’s obvious. If he knows his one and only child, his precious daughter, has disappeared, Chairman Hwang won’t just sit still. He’ll send out a large-scale search party right away, won’t he?”
The witch’s face stiffened, caught off guard by something she hadn’t expected.
“No…… but, that…… wouldn’t Director Cha, who betrayed us, report that I’m not missing in action but already dead? Then my daddy……”
“Report that you’re dead? No way! Do you think someone who would give up that easily would become the chairman of Taeyang Group?”
Yubin countered. The witch had no choice but to agree. She herself was persistent and nasty, but her father was at least ten times worse. Yubin nodded as if to say “see?” and continued.
“If you were dead, he’d start grilling them about why they didn’t bring back the body, and eventually he’d even mobilize his military connections. Your father is close with high-ranking officers. Sending out ten helicopters to search wouldn’t be a big deal. ……Ah, I should tell the kids to come back early. We can’t have them getting stuck because of helicopters……”
Yubin pulled out his walkie-talkie from his jacket pocket. Seeing this, the witch frantically waved both hands.
“Wait! Hold on a second! Actually, what I said was a lie. Sorry, my daddy doesn’t know anything about this negotiation. I…… wanted to surprise him, so I ran it as a secret mission. So even if choppers don’t fly in tonight, don’t misunderstand and think I’ve been abandoned! You can trust the fact that my daddy loves me.”
Since she was about to be exposed anyway, she had no choice but to tell the truth about that part. Although she had strongly pressured them to make the vaccine quickly, Chairman Hwang knew nothing about this negotiation. He didn’t know that she had approached Major Park, promised special privileges, and taken over the negotiation rights, nor that she had personally participated in the proxy negotiation team.
“What……?”
Yubin frowned in disbelief.
“Why would you lie about something this important? Do you think I’m joking around? One wrong move and you could die! No, you’d be the first to die! You’d be the primary target!”
“I know! I know the situation is serious……! But it seemed like you were doubting my value as a hostage……. You know? I can’t have any unnecessary misunderstandings. I also need to guarantee my own safety……”
The witch kept sweeping her hair back as she made excuses. This little bastard…… was he angry because of what she said? Damn it, she was getting anxious. Even though she had already smoked two cigarettes in a row, her insides felt like they were burning up.
What’s with this woman?
Watching the witch’s restless behavior, Yubin asked himself.
Why is she acting so stupid? Does she not even realize that kind of lie would be exposed immediately? Is her ability to calculate moves this slow? No…… she’s supposed to be the Witch of Ruin. That grand nickname doesn’t suit her at all……
The Witch of Ruin—how terrifying did that sound? A ruthless gambler who drove everything that stood in her way to ruin. But the woman Yubin had dealt with for half a day today was far too different from that nickname. He was starting to suspect she might even be a different person.
In fact, the fact that the number two of Korea’s largest conglomerate had personally come to such a dangerous place was an incredibly foolish decision to begin with. It wasn’t like she was desperate to die…….
“This is a matter of your life, so don’t lie and answer clearly. How many people know you came here?”
Yubin asked with a serious expression. The witch exhaled cigarette smoke and shrugged.
“Well…… a few executives. And my bodyguards and secretaries. That’s about it, that’s all.”
“Then among them, who would report to Chairman Hwang that you haven’t returned? Did you leave any kind of insurance with someone you trust?”
“I left insurance.”
The witch continued with a wronged expression.
“My bodyguards were my insurance, but they all died today……”