# Chapter 117
What percentage of living humans have ever been kidnapped?
Maybe it’s because I was kidnapped in broad daylight in a country that prides itself on decent public safety, but I was having a hard time keeping my sanity. My wrists, bound with rope, hurt; the chair was hard; and being at a construction site, there was so much dust that my throat felt scratchy.
The only consolation was that there was no one around. For some reason, the people who had been squatting near me, chewing gum loudly, had gone toward the entrance.
Thanks to that, I was left alone staring blankly at the dreary concrete. Honestly, I was relieved not to be in the same space as those rough-looking people.
“Life…”
Since entering high school, peaceful days have been few and far between. I thought things would calm down during vacation, but instead, they culminated in a kidnapping. Even in the countryside, this is still a place where people live and laws exist—how could they kidnap someone? These kids must not know how frightening the law can be.
Thinking about it, the whole process of getting here was laughable. Since none of them were 18, they couldn’t drive, so they took a taxi. Sitting in the middle of the back seat for about 20 minutes was truly an experience I never want to repeat.
When I was wedged between Baek Han and Kwon Dojin, at least I had the pleasure of looking at their faces. These guys didn’t even offer that. They were even bigger than those two, making it even more cramped.
“I wonder if Kwon Dojin will come.”
I hope he does. In fiction, when someone is kidnapped, people either directly notify others or someone nearby tells them. But is there anyone who would tell Kwon Dojin that I’ve been kidnapped?
The more I thought about it, the more depressing reality became, so I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Putting aside escape, which was impossible for now, it would be nice if I could do something about my arms twisted behind my back. With my shoulders forcibly bent backward, both my muscles and bones ached.
“It really hurts.”
I wiggled my fingers and complained aloud about the pain, but there was no one to hear me. Sighing at my words disappearing in vain, I tilted my head back to look up. All I could see was the concrete ceiling.
As time passed, my sorrow doubled, and I felt my hope of getting out soon breaking. Would I be able to leave today? Only gloomy thoughts came to mind.
Afraid I might start sobbing, I forced myself to think about other things. For instance, why did Ji Haecheon kidnap me?
Really, why did he do this? What gain was he aiming for? If things hadn’t turned out this way, I would have been watching the number one movie with Kwon Dojin by now, but he ruined it all.
“I should ask Kwon Dojin to let me see him punch Ji Haecheon once—”
“…You’re pretty tough for someone who’s been kidnapped.”
In response to my monologue, a familiar voice filled with astonishment came back, and I quickly straightened my head. Looking toward the source of the sound, I saw Kang Jinwoo standing at the entrance, watching me.
“Sunbae?”
“Yeah. Are you hurt anywhere?”
He approached with quick steps, looking back over his shoulder cautiously, and then crouched down in front of me. He also brought his index finger to his lips, signaling me to be as quiet as possible.
“No, but why are you here?”
I whispered as quietly as possible, as he wanted. He reached behind my back, felt the rope, and then clicked his tongue.
“Officially, I’m your enemy.”
“Enemy? Ah—”
Come to think of it, it makes sense that they would think Kang Jinwoo and I are enemies. I was involved in the incident that lowered Kang Jinwoo’s rank. And nobody would know that we’re on good enough terms to exchange phone numbers.
Actually, is that really true? The last time, he came to our school and we spent several hours together. Didn’t that become a rumor?
“Is that still how it’s known?”
“Apparently. That’s why they kindly informed me this morning that they were going to kidnap you. Those crazy bastards.”
Kang Jinwoo, cursing with a somewhat rough tone, rummaged through his back pocket and took out a jackknife, hiding it from view behind me. Then, glancing over his shoulder, he seemed to be asking if there was any sign of people, so I shook my head.
“I’ll untie the rope. But I don’t think we can escape. There are over twenty guys outside, and I’m not confident I can protect you while dealing with them alone.”
“I’m not expecting that much. But can you let Kwon Dojin know about the situation first?”
“About that—”
“Kang Jinwoo, are you done? You said you just wanted to say hello.”
At the harsh voice cutting into our conversation, my body reflexively stiffened. Unlike me, Kang Jinwoo replied with an equally loud voice, looking remarkably calm.
“Fuck, with all the scores I have to settle, how could I be done already?! Stop interrupting and do your job!”
“Whoa…”
This sunbae is a good actor. Judging from the irritation in his voice, there might be some truth to it.
“What an attitude.”
The other person seemed to lose their nerve at Kang Jinwoo’s shout. After a faint mutter, the presence disappeared, and Kang Jinwoo sighed. Then, after clearing his throat, he calmly continued where we left off.
“Do you have Kwon Dojin’s number memorized?”
“What? Yes. His number is simple, so I memorized it.”
“Then tell me. I want to let him know, but I don’t know his phone number. And it’s not like I can ask for Kwon Dojin’s contact in this situation—”
Understanding his predicament perfectly, I nodded, and he took out his phone from his front pocket. After I gave him the number and confirmed it one last time, Kang Jinwoo moved his fingers quickly to send Kwon Dojin a text.
“Since we’re at it, how about sending one to Baek Han too?”
“Oh, that’s a good idea?”
He moved his thumb enthusiastically but then looked up at me with a troubled expression. I could guess what it meant, but unfortunately, I hadn’t memorized Baek Han’s phone number, so I bit my lip.
“As an alternative, should I ask Kwon Dojin to contact Baek Han for us?”
“This might sound like self-absorption, but will Kwon Dojin be in the right state of mind for that?”
From what I’ve seen in fiction, people tend to act as if they’ve lost their minds, and I was a bit worried that Kwon Dojin might behave similarly. Kang Jinwoo seemed to share my concern, sighing, but there wasn’t much we could do about it.
“…Still, let’s send the text first.”
Since it was certainly better than not sending anything, I just nodded. After finishing the message, Kang Jinwoo stood up, came behind me, and untied the rope. Then, saying that it would be troublesome if they discovered the rope had been untied, he deliberately created noise by kicking or stepping on items around us.
“Sunbae, you’re really thorough.”
“If I’m going to do this, I should do it right. I’ll be in danger if we get caught.”
I was surprised that he was helping me despite knowing the risk. However, given that I was barely managing to graciously accept his help, I didn’t voice this thought to avoid making unnecessary problems.
“But sunbae, what about Jeon Hae-in? Weren’t you unable to use your power because of him? Is this really okay?”
“Even if I lost my influence, I still have my skills and connections. It’s not like I’m taking you out of here; this much isn’t a burden.”
I carefully massaged my stiff shoulders, slowly releasing the tension in my muscles. After finishing the massage, I looked at my sore wrists and saw wounds where the rope had chafed.
“To think they’d actually kidnap someone—they’re out of their minds, I tell you.”
Kang Jinwoo looked at my wrists and clicked his tongue. He seemed displeased with the situation.
“Does this kind of thing happen often?”
“If this happened often, they’d all be in jail. Do you think they’d still be attending school?”
It was a valid point, so I nodded. Even with the ranking system, this crossed the line. Fighting might be something they could agree on and move past, but kidnapping was different.
“No matter how much they like fighting and building power, people should maintain a minimum standard. Why kidnap someone who can’t even fight?”
He sighed and touched his forehead. I just nodded at the complaints that were pouring out in a small voice. I couldn’t help but agree with every word.
So we continued our conversation about this absurd situation. Actually, I was deliberately keeping the conversation going because I knew my mental state would waver if I stayed quiet.
Of course, even as Kang Jinwoo was diligently conversing with me, he didn’t forget to pretend by occasionally making loud noises and cursing.
“Still, I feel more at ease with you here, sunbae.”
“Really?”
“Yes, truly.”
When I was alone, my mental state was unstable with anxiety, but having one person on my side, talking with me, helped me regain some stability.
Sensing the sincerity in my words, Kang Jinwoo looked at me with sympathetic eyes. Then he patted my shoulder.
“Hang in there a little longer. It’ll work out somehow soon. Kwon Dojin should have that much ability.”
“Actually, I was thinking maybe we should just call the police.”
“We will call the police. This is definitely a situation for that. But if we call them now, they might get agitated and harm you. As I said earlier, I’m not confident I can protect you alone—”
Kang Jinwoo clicked his tongue again and ran his fingers through his hair. It was a gesture that directly expressed his frustration.
“I think we need at least one more person who can protect you. I don’t distrust the police, but they might take this lightly because it involves kids.”
Though it was just a possibility, I quietly nodded at his words that safety comes first.
So sensible lmfao