“Ugh…!”
As soon as she opened her eyes due to a piercing pain, all she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. …Where is this? The almost deafening sound of the explosion, the towering black smoke, the body slammed hard into the trailer—all those fragments of memories pieced themselves together like patches of cloth, and only then did a ragged breath escape her.
“Haa… haa…!”
Seoryeong jolted awake and opened her eyes wide, sweeping her gaze around. The truck? What happened to the truck? How are the team members? Her body trembled from the shock that hadn’t fully subsided. Even when she closed her eyes, the image of the large metal object skidding with sparks was still vivid. A small room closed off from all sides. The interior, consisting only of a bed and a table, looked like the basement once used to confine children—dim and silent. However, instead of the musty smell of mold, this room smelled clean like air freshener, and the sheets on the bed still felt stiff as if they were new. Unconsciously, she moved her arm—.
“――!”
Clak―. A long chain connected to the iron bed shackled her wrist. Clak-clak. Clak-clak. Seoryeong, who had been swinging her arm, now froze and let out a trembling breath.
Could it be… I’m being held…? It was so ridiculous she couldn’t even laugh. As if venting her anger, she shook her arm with all her might, but all she got was a dizzying headache. Just then, the door opened and Kiya entered.
“You…―!”
As soon as she saw the man’s calm face in a neat priest’s robe, anger surged like an explosion. However, her body, which tried to jump out of bed, was immediately stopped by the clak! of the chain. Seoryeong gritted her teeth like a wild animal tied with a rope.
“You crazy bastard…! What did you do to us!”
Kiya approached with a smile. In his hand was a tray with a basin of water and a towel. His relaxed demeanor only fueled Seoryeong’s anger. As Kiya approached the bed, Seoryeong greeted him with a kick to the stomach. The tray wobbled and the water spilled, but Kiya just kept smiling.
“Sonya, it’s been a while since you hit me….”
“…….”
“It seems because your feet have gotten bigger, your strength has also increased….”
He didn’t look hurt at all. He just narrowed his eyes and smiled, then placed the basin on the table and opened a drawer. What he took out from inside was a long shackle like a dog collar. Humming softly, he shackled Seoryeong’s ankle to the bed frame. Her military boots and socks were gone; her bare skin came into direct contact with the cold metal.
“You again… you bastard…!”
Even though she struggled with all her might, Kiya still easily pressed her down. He restrained Seoryeong’s wriggling leg like a live fish with his elbow, then shackled it in an instant. Clak, clak, every time she shook her leg, the sharp sound of metal echoed. Soon after, Kiya began to wipe Seoryeong’s face, which was covered in blood and stains, with a wet towel. She flinched and tried to avoid him, but her chin was immediately held in place. With a face as if in a daze, Kiya whispered softly.
“I’m doing this because I want us to be alone.”
“What…?”
“Because there are too many things clinging to you, Sonya.”
“……!”
“I called you here out of curiosity. How you’ve been living all this time, who you’re associating with now… But it seems none of that matters. They’re just a nuisance. Even though I have so many things I want to talk to you about….”
Kiya tilted his head seriously.
“Some people’s faces disgust me, others are too arrogant and annoying.”
“…….”
“Sonya, I guess I really don’t like it when ‘ants’ get close.”
Sonya again, Sonya again. Crazy. This lunatic priest had really crossed the line. And why were there heavy weapons like RPGs at the monastery?! Who the hell was this bastard anyway? Seoryeong narrowed her eyes and watched the man as warily as possible. A bad feeling began to creep in like a cold draft.
“The team members… Where are they…?”
“They’re finished. They won’t be able to get out of there.”
His gaze shone darkly, and his long hand began to circle Seoryeong’s neck. Dong, dong―. Suddenly, the evening prayer bell chimed.
“You just need to stay here, with me.”
---
By the time he realized something was approaching through the rearview mirror, it was already too late. Even though he had swerved the steering wheel, a loud explosion sounded and the truck flipped into the air. The team members were shaken helplessly in the overturned vehicle, while all the windows shattered and scattered. The truck slid, scraping against the ground, leaving a long trail.
The remaining front part of the truck finally stopped after rolling several dozen meters. Black smoke billowed from the crushed bumper. Weakly blinking eyelids were wet with blood. In a blurry view, an owl with a wide smile approached and reached out its hand. When did this happen? The girl straightened her collar and tried to put on a tie with clumsy movements. Lee Wooshin kissed the girl’s slender wrist. He deliberately lingered, reluctant to leave, until the girl finally pushed him away, saying he was late for work. But I don’t want to go… Suddenly, the view shook, and the ceiling and floor felt inverted. ‘Instructor―!’ Someone’s voice seeped in and instantly woke him up. Beep, beep― A warning alarm was ringing loudly from somewhere in the back seat. How long… how long had he been unconscious? As soon as he let out a choked breath, an overwhelming pain as if tearing his entire body apart struck him—but even stronger was a premonition of danger that hit him like a hammer.
“Ugh…!”
“Han Seoryeong, Seoryeong-ah.”
The shattered rearview mirror and the trailer that looked abandoned stood there, wide open. Just looking at it made the strength in his fingers vanish. He shouted, as if wanting to wake the other team members.
“Everyone, wake up―!”
As soon as he said that, one by one, the team members began to move slowly.
“Uuh… uuh….”
Soft groans flowed out, as if responding to the team leader’s voice, but the members’ conditions were severe. Their bodies had been thrown against the car body and hadn’t had time to avoid the scattered glass shards. Among them, Jin Hoje’s condition was the most worrisome. The instantaneous explosion had caused bright red burns from one of his shoulders to his cheek, and blood spurted from the glass shards embedded in his body. Especially the shard that had pierced deeply into his collarbone— that was the most fatal.
“Jin Hoje! Hoje, wake up! Hoje-ya! Jin Hoje…!”
Suddenly, the voice that had once whispered like a snake, telling him to bring Jin Hoje’s face, echoed in his ears again. Lee Wooshin gritted his teeth and crawled out. Then he pulled Jin Hoje out of the car and immediately began to stop the bleeding. His heart was either slowing down or speeding up, but from inside the car, the beep, beep― sound of unknown origin continued.
“Ugh… Chief… ugh…!”
“Hyung, are you… are you okay… what was that sound just now…”
Fortunately, the voices of the members in the back seat began to be heard one by one. Lee Wooshin tied a handkerchief around Jin Hoje’s neck, pressing hard on the bleeding point. After that, he got up, limping, and walked towards the trailer. Amidst the scene of such a terrible accident, only one person came to his mind.
“Wait… damn it, that’s…”
At that moment, Ki Taemin, who had just gotten out of the back seat, stopped speaking with a face that instantly turned deathly pale. Since earlier, a beep beep sound like a metronome had continued, and now the red light on the necklace Yoo Dawit was wearing began to blink. A cold silence enveloped them for a moment, then Yoo Dawit exclaimed in a high and panicked voice.
“―Chief! Chief, don’t move!”
It was an uncharacteristic voice coming from Yoo Dawit. But Lee Wooshin couldn’t hear anything anymore. The man finally stood in front of the trailer, facing an empty space. Was this a dream? Was this also a dream? The children, Seoryeong, all gone. All that remained was a jumbled pile of belongings, no one was there.
“……”
His vacant gaze swept the inside of the trailer repeatedly.
“Ha, ha….”
His frozen head began to boil. This bastard. He knew who had tried him with the words to bring Jin Hoje’s face, and then secretly kidnapped Han Seoryeong. It was clearly Keya’s doing. Keya’s lighthearted attitude, as if playing a board game, made his stomach churn. Thwack! Lee Wooshin slammed his fist against the wall, his chest heaving, his vision flickering white, and his throat felt choked. He was aware that his obsession with ‘Sonya’ was abnormal. But precisely because you tried to separate me from her, I wanted to hold on even harder—didn’t you understand? He wiped the blood that stained his eyelashes while laughing softly, sounding desperate. But even then, the beep, beep sound continued to buzz.
“Chief―! Don’t move a single step!”
Yoo Dawit shouted again in a rough voice.
“It’s a mine!”
What he was holding was a portable metal detector. Ki Taemin, who had also been crawling out, froze on the spot after hearing that.
“This entire area is a minefield…!”
Yoo Dawit’s voice sounded broken and desperate. Landmines buried in the ground, the darkness that was beginning to fall, all seemed to block every path to Han Seoryeong. This was a trap Keya had set to truly imprison them in this place. From afar, the man’s eyes gazed at the towering steeple with a burning look. Keya. If you really are the child I once hugged… damn it, you grew up to be such a bastard. Unnoticed, dusk began to fall. As night arrived, not only did movement become difficult, but it was also impossible to distinguish the mines around them. His lips were tightly sealed, frozen. Seoryeong, Han Seoryeong…. His throat felt like it would tear.
“――.”
Was this really the path to reach you? Was this what it felt like to be a lost child—not knowing where to step?
“No, Chief! Stop!”
Even so, he still wanted to see her. Perhaps from the beginning, the path to Han Seoryeong would always be like this. Even if I can never express my feelings or confess my sins, I still have to get to your side. Lee Wooshin finally took a step.