By Zephyria 
Still, the positive aspect was that the people who captured me didn’t seem interested in me right now. It was indeed fortunate that they had underestimated me.
‘What do they plan to do with me?’
They would probably take me hostage and demand something from the Four Heavenly Kings. If normal conversation were possible, they wouldn’t have even thought of kidnapping me in the first place.
I fumbled at my waistband belatedly. I secretly hoped my mobile phone was there, but my pockets were empty. I had hoped, but it was as expected. If I were the kidnapper, I would have confiscated the phone first.
It didn’t seem like the people who kidnapped me were controlling and monitoring me closely enough to track my movements instantly, but seeing them guarding the first floor meant they hadn’t left me completely alone either. They might have underestimated me, but not that much.
‘What should I do?’
My mind was a mess. I clasped my head and sat hunched, lost in thought. How to escape safely from the second floor, with kidnappers guarding the first floor. Nothing came to mind, as if I were completely blocked. “Think, brain, think,” I muttered, hitting my head repeatedly.
‘Is there anything that could help…’
I re-examined my surroundings. The abandoned construction site was filled with dust and debris. I looked closely at what had seemed like mere trash.
For now, this room was cluttered with discarded insulation foam, wood scraps, and broken lumber commonly found at construction sites…
It seemed difficult to find an answer like this, so I gathered my courage and crept out into the corridor. The spacious hall, perhaps used as a hideout, was littered with all sorts of discarded items mixed with construction waste.
Brown beer bottles and green soju bottles were standard, and in a corner, a bottle of liquor with English writing in a curly script, as if stolen. Used lighters, piles of cigarette butts, and even empty butane gas cans lying around with black plastic bags, as if someone had inhaled glue or gas. It was truly a lawless zone for delinquent youths.
‘The end times are here,’ I clicked my tongue inwardly. And with that, an idea flashed like a shooting star. To escape from here…
‘…But, is this okay?’
I hesitated, unsure if I could really go through with this method, but it was the only thing that came to mind right now.
It might be dangerous, but staying here would be more dangerous… In the end, it didn’t take long to make up my mind.
I moved quietly.
❖ ❖ ❖
“You seem happy lately? How long can that last? ㅋㅋ”
“Who are you?”
“Judging by your question, you’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”
“Who are you?”
“Your quick reply suggests you’re quite scared, aren’t you? Well, if you were fine, your twin would be disappointed ㅋㅋ”
The hand holding the mobile phone trembled. Seong Hae-min glared at the small screen. The kidnapper’s messages arrived one after another. Seong Hae-jun was being held by him, so if he was afraid of seeing him suffer, he should come and rescue him.
It was a typical kidnapper’s line, but Seong Hae-min, feeling tested by the message, replied immediately.
“Where are you?”
Then, a teasing reply came back.
“If I told you, it would be too easy ㅋㅋ”
Another message followed. If it was too late, he couldn’t guarantee whether Seong Hae-jun would be alive or dead. If he reported it to the police, Seong Hae-jun would definitely die…
Seong Hae-min, his eyes wild at the kidnapper who spoke of the gruesome threats as if they were rules in a low-quality game, immediately called. However, whatever means the kidnapper had used, the number that had been reachable by text now gave an “unavailable number” announcement. Desperate, Seong Hae-min contacted others.
Searching through the list Ban Seo-yi had provided, they returned immediately upon hearing about the kidnapper’s contact. And the first thing they saw upon their return was Seong Hae-min’s ashen face. He had clenched his fists so tightly that blood was seeping from his palm where his fingernails had dug in.
Everyone’s face grew anxious, realizing they had to find Seong Hae-jun as quickly as possible.
Their search, which was already underway, intensified. They searched potential locations in order of proximity, but had found nothing significant so far.
The underground parking lot, which they had considered a promising lead, only greeted them with spray-painted graffiti and piles of cigarette butts, as if someone had used it as a hideout. In a corner of the park, some middle schoolers were gathered, smoking. The naive youths scattered in a hurry as soon as they saw the figures who were once famous delinquents. The roadside container seemed to be used occasionally, with only worn-out trash scattered around.
Meanwhile, as if it were about to rain, the bright visibility from earlier gradually darkened, and dark clouds filled the sky. It looked ominous, as if it were about to rain.
Lee Beom tightened his lips, his jaw set. If the sky darkened and it started to rain, finding Seong Hae-jun would become even more difficult. His heart grew more urgent.
After countless fruitless searches, it was now their turn to check a distant, abandoned construction site on the outskirts. It was quite large. He repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, his blood circulation cut off. He desperately hoped this would be the last time.
‘Seong Hae-jun, please be safe. Just be safe. I’m coming to save you…’
Upon arriving near the construction site, Lee Beom cautiously hid and surveyed the atmosphere. Just as he thought it might be another dead end, he sensed a presence. Following an instinctive sense that he shouldn’t be discovered, Lee Beom quickly ducked and hid under an old cargo truck parked nearby. He didn’t even have time to feel the heat of the asphalt.
“Seriously… do I have to check this thoroughly?”
Lee Beom held his breath at the muttering voice. A man walked past him, just a stone’s throw away, with a voice full of dissatisfaction. The sound of his dragging heels passed before his eyes. Lee Beom watched him, not even blinking, lest he be discovered.
“I doubt anyone would find anything here.”
Fortunately, the man didn’t seem to notice Lee Beom hiding under the truck. His disgruntled footsteps soon faded away.
‘This is it!’
Seeing someone on guard gave him a feeling. Lee Beom waited until the man was completely out of earshot, then quickly took out his mobile phone and sent a message to Seong Hae-min. Then, he crawled out from under the truck to check first. The dimly darkening sky greeted him.
Moving cautiously while scanning his surroundings, Lee Beom found thick bushes near a dilapidated construction fence and hid himself there. After safely concealing himself behind the cover, he peeked through the gap under the fence. In the center stood an old, abandoned building, and in the vacant lot where construction had been halted, a group of thugs, like street ruffians, were gathered, whispering as if guarding the building’s entrance.
Having confirmed this, Lee Beom stood up to wait for the others. Suddenly, with a loud boom, black smoke erupted from a window on the second floor.
“What was that?”
The startled thugs on the pipes stood up and milled about in confusion. Some rushed inside in a panic. And from the second floor, a clear red flame began to rise.
Lee Beom held his breath. In the construction site where Seong Hae-jun was clearly held captive, a fire had broken out.