n

n

n.

n“Oh, no, nothing.”

nWith that reply, I swallowed my words that I could hardly drop to Eun Jiho. Meanwhile, I reviewed the conversation that went between Ban Yeo Ryung and Eun Jiho.

nWhat the heck did just happen? When I turned my head to look at Choi Yuri, she also gave a complicated face. I was able to understand why.

nLaw of the Web Novel, Article 23. Despite herself being kidnapped, the female protagonist was bound to worry only about the male lead’s life. So to speak, the abducted Ban Yeo Ryung should only blurt out one of the following words.

n‘No, don’t come here!’

n‘I’m fine.’

n‘It was a blessing to have you in my life. Now please forget me.’

nThe lines reminded me of some song lyrics, but since we were in an urgent situation, let’s just move on. Anyway, what were the lines that actually came out from Ban Yeo Ryung’s mouth? Didn’t she say, ‘Come here ASAP?’

nOf course, I wished Eun Jiho to get here as quickly as he could… but laying down the law, ‘I’ll give you ten seconds,’ was something out of my territory.

nNot only that I knew the law of the web novel but also when thinking from this world’s common-sense point of view, Ban Yeo Ryung’s reactions seemed to be beyond imagination.

nAs a proof, the look on Choi Yuri’s face turned very strange after she heard Ban Yeo Ryung and Eun Jiho talking over the phone. The Four Symbols even made a circling motion of their index fingers at the side of their heads as if the boy and girl were having a screw loose. Even now they were chatting among themselves.

n“Hey, did we kidnap the right kids?”

n‘Yeah, I was about to wonder the same thing,’ with that thought, I soon pulled myself together after hearing Eun Jiho’s voice that came out from the phone closely attached to my ear.

nYour voice… it doesn’t sound good.

n“Huh? Um…”

nIt wasn’t because of the kidnapping, but so to speak, it was because of you guys as well as the dead romance in this novel. That was when I rambled those thoughts in mind.

nThe voice came over without any pause.

nI’m sorry.

nHis heavy and serious voice rather made me feel uncomfortable.

nFrowning in embarrassment, I thought, ‘There would be nothing for Eun Jiho to feel sorry about.’

nHonestly, I even thought I was lucky to have been kidnapped, at least now, because I wouldn’t get abducted for a while.

n‘But I must say one thing,’ having that thought, I glanced in Yeo Ryung’s direction. Ban Yeo Ryung and Choi Yuri were sending me a curious gaze at the same time.

nI opened my mouth to take a deep breath then continued to speak over the phone.

n“I’m okay but Ban Yeo Ryung… Yeo Ryung is…”

nUh-huh.

n“Yeo Ryung is actually trembling her hands very much, so…”

nUh-huh…

n“Please be here as soon as you can.”

nAfter uttering those words, I smiled bitterly.

nI, sometimes, said that Yeo Ryung wasn’t like the other female protagonists; however, I, in the end, was speaking the same thing as Yeo Ryung.

nThe quick-witted Eun Jiho would, however, notice what I was trying to say.

nWhen she really wanted to cry, Yeo Ryung, instead, had a habit of laughing. That was why all of us were particularly weak at her tears.

nThe tough Ban Yeo Ryung would rather cry alone than sob in front of others; therefore, I decided to speak out about her trembling hands no matter what.

nA moment of silence swept the space. Eun Jiho’s subdued voice soon returned.

nI told you, I’m not in the right mind to deep think or compromise.

n“Yeah…”

nHis following words then made me hold my breath for a second.

nI’m gonna save you guys at any cost.

nListening to that remark, I spoke to myself.

nHe didn’t limit the object to only Ban Yeo Ryung. He clearly enunciated ‘you guys.’ Although it was unsure that whether or not I would stay beside him in his future, Eun Jiho said that he would also save me no matter what he sacrificed.

nEven I was being kidnapped, I never wanted to cry; however, what Eun Jiho just said made my eyes fill with tears at last.

nThe most thought that I had in mind after being abducted was something relevant to it.

nBan Yeo Ryung would be rescued, but what about me?

nI considered I couldn’t help it even if I wouldn’t get rescued. Although my existence could be forgotten like a lie, I thought I would not be able to help that.

nLike March 2nd, three years ago… the time when no one even knew that I have vanished away…

nHe, however, didn’t forget me. Eun Jiho was mindful of me while keeping his memory green. I opened and closed my heated fist for no reason.

nAt that moment, Choi Yuri, who was staring at my face for quite a while from beside me, stretched her hand out of the blue and snatched the phone.

nWhile I looked up at her with bewilderment, she gave me a dirty look then quickly bent her steps. It felt like she could no longer stay put at us hanging around with Eun Jiho. I was able to grasp that from her determined steps.

nHer words then receded along with her footsteps.

n“Then let’s decide where we’re gonna meet. I…”

nStaring in that direction blankly with Ban Yeo Ryung, I found someone suddenly coming into view. It was a man dressed in a suit with a robust physique who followed right next to Choi Yuri.

n‘Is he her bodyguard?’ Looking at the in-ear monitor, I thought shortly but soon shook my head, ‘Oh, come on… She might have not accompanied a bodyguard upon a crime like this…’

nI then saw the man whispering something to Choi Yuri. She, however, seemed to focus on having a conversation with Eun Jiho through the phone. As if she tried to get him away from her, Choi Yuri waved and curled her hand in his direction. The guy then slightly nodded and headed towards the warehouse door.

nWatching him leave the space to go outside, I turned my head to the front. Anyway, it didn’t matter wherever he went.

nWhen I switched my gaze to look beside me, Ban Yeo Ryung was throwing a warlike, savage glance at Choi Yuri. The murderous spirit she was emitting even made me feel the shiver down my spine.

nYikes… While I hunched my chilly shoulders, the Four Symbols, behind her, was talking in whispers.

n“They are like pit bull’s eyes.”

n“She’s a wild beast.”

n“Why are we shooting ‘Wild Kingdom’ when we’re here to play ‘Taken?’ Geez…”

n‘There’s nothing I can’t relate to. Isn’t it supposed to be the opposite?’ While I showed mixed feelings on my face, Ban Yeo Ryung suddenly turned around to look at me then shouted gallantly.

n“Donnie!”

nEek! Hunching my shoulders, I replied with an awkward smile.

n“Huh…?”

n“Don’t be afraid. Those who touch you with a ten-foot pole won’t be able to go outside alive from this warehouse.”

n“…”

nI wouldn’t have to bring up that you were the scariest among these people, right? While I smiled clumsily, the Four Symbols moved their steps to stealthily stand back from us.

nWatching them backing off, I wondered, ‘When I saw Ban Yeo Ryung and Eun Jiho talking over the phone, the romance in this novel seemed to be messed up anyway. Wouldn’t it rather be better for Ban Yeo Ryung and me to develop a more intimate relationship then?’

nI mean, how could a female protagonist make my heart so flutter like this?

n* * *

nKang Mino, Choi Yuri’s bodyguard, came outside the warehouse while glancing back. Massaging his tingling shoulders, he murmured, “Gosh, why is the air so heavy in that warehouse?”

nEspecially the girl named Ban Yeo Ryung… Recalling the fierce look in her eyes, Kang Mino trembled his shoulders then turned his head to look around.

nThe rotten smell of the summer forest struck his nose. Around him, a long stretch of rice fields continued near the highway. Several black cars stood in front of a remote warehouse in Gyeonggi-do while blocking the entrance door. There were only four to five people inside, but those guarding the outside were three or four times higher. Kang Mino fell into thought.

n‘Anyway, that girl called Ban Yeo Ryung or whatever… Although she’s like a wildlife character unlike her delicate and slender figure, I hope she doesn’t do anything stupid with her overflowing spirit. That won’t do any good against these number of guys outside.’

nKang Mino then heaved a deep sigh when thinking about his current circumstances. Who would have known that he would be involved in crime while working as a bodyguard? He should have quit earlier when he realized that something was going wrong.

n