Chapter 217: Pursuing (2)

Chapter 217: Pursuing (2)

Lee Hyeon-Ju's complexion went deathly pale. She couldn't even speak properly. “Ah, aaaaah...!”

Kang Jin-Ho was literally trampling on Lee Seong-Hwi. This was like witnessing the scene of a powerful predator systematically wounding a prey that dared to intrude on its territory. Instead of killing the prey right away, the predator was taking its time, enjoying its handiwork. That was the best way to describe how Lee Seong-Hwi's body was being slowly but surely destroyed.

Cruuunch...!

“Kkuhhhhh...!”

Another sound of bones breaking echoed in the air. Lee Seong-Hwi tried to resist one more time, but his movements were feeble. His weakly flailing arm was grabbed by Kang Jin-Ho, and then...

Craaak.

Yet another vivid sound of bone breaking accompanied the sight of Lee Seong-Hwi's wrist bending the wrong way.

“Wuoouhhh...!” Lee Seong-Hwi's eyes bulged; his irises quaked powerfully from pain and pure terror. “S-stop!”

“Stop?” Kang Jin-Ho grinned weirdly while looking into Lee Seong-Hwi's eyes, then slowly reached out to grab the terrified man's face. “Who are you to decide that?”

Kang Jin-Ho sounded genuinely curious as he asked that. It was as if a young child was asking about a subject he didn't quite understand.

“Hmm. Did you seek my permission when showing up at the cafe?” NewW novels updates at novelhall.com

“I, I was...”

“No, you didn't. Did you?” Kang Jin-Ho continued to smile. That smile didn't seem all that different from his 'normal' smile, but it came across as so cruel and sinister in Lee Seong-Hwi's eyes.

“So, it's fine.”

Craaaack!

Kang Jin-Ho stomped on Lee Seong-Hwi's ankle, breaking it.

“Aaaaaaahk!”

This pain...! Lee Seong-Hwi wouldn't normally scream so pathetically, no matter how torturous the pain was. However, things were different right now. The fear buzzing around in his mind proved to be so much worse than the physical pain.

This Kang Jin-Ho bastard didn't want anything in particular from Lee Seong-Hwi. Even worse, no one could predict just how far he was willing to go.

This fear of getting hurt endlessly by a man who simply wanted to rip him apart like a little insect but wanted nothing in return and had no preset conditions to stop... That fear was what had been causing the biggest damage to Lee Seong-Hwi's mind and body.

Lee Seong-Hwi whimpered pathetically, “P-please don't kill me!”

“Looks like you didn't hear me earlier,” Kang Jin-Ho whispered into the ear of the shivering Lee Seong-Hwi. “I told you, I'm not going to kill you.”

That whisper still managed to rock Lee Seong-Hwi's heart and soul.

“However, there's nothing I can do if you decide to die midway on your own accord. So, do your best to endure, okay? Do you understand me?” Kang Jin-Ho smirked, his grip on Lee Seong-Hwi's face getting stronger.

“Kkuuuuuhk!” Lee Seong-Hwi gasped as the far-worse terror from Kang Jin-Ho tightly squeezing his face filled him up. Unless Kang Jin-Ho weakened his grip, Lee Seong-Hwi's head would be crushed into bits. And that would turn the human named Lee Seong-Hwi into a slab of meat instead.

“You intruded in my life uninvited, yapped on about whatever you wanted and then, what did you say to me? I won't be 'unscathed'? Is that what you said?”

His question was punctuated by his eerie, quiet chuckle. His words dug into Lee Hyeon-Ju's hearing, and listening to his chuckle seemed to make her soul shiver.

“In that case, tell me what you think.” Kang Jin-Ho reached Lee Hyeon-Ju's plopped figure. He squatted down and looked into her eyes. “Do you think I'll be unscathed? Mm?”

“...P-please don't kill me.” Lee Hyeon-Ju pleaded pathetically.

She wasn't sure why she said that. Why did she mutter something so inane even though Kang Jin-Ho had repeatedly said he wouldn’t kill her and Lee Seong-Hwi?

Lee Hyeon-Ju's hair was turning white from sheer terror, and her messy mind was desperately searching for the right words to say at this very moment. This was the result, which was, unfortunately, somewhat off the mark.

Kang Jin-Ho reached out and lightly patted Lee Hyeon-Ju's cheek. She shuddered at the sensation akin to a snake's cold tongue wrapping around her bare skin.

“Do you know why I'm angry?” Kang Jin-Ho quietly asked.

“...?”

“I know already that it's not possible to keep avoiding the truth. I know that sooner or later, I must come face-to-face with you people. And I also know that I'll eventually have to give up on my previous peaceful life and jump into your world. I'm not an idiot, after all.”

Questions filled up Lee Hyeon-Ju's expression. She couldn't quite understand what Kang Jin-Ho was saying to her. However, he had never expected her to understand, anyway.

“Even if that's the case, I still don't like the idea of that abnormal world trying to get in my face against my wishes. You people have this tendency to not give a damn about the lives of others. You think nothing about pulling people in, and you think that's how it's supposed to be...” Kang Jin-Ho muttered, the corners of his lips gradually curling up. “Since that's the case, I'll act the same as you. I don't really care about your stance. I'm simply doing what I want to do. So, what do you think? Now that you're on the receiving end, are you having fun? Like I am?”

Kang Jin-Ho's hand patting Lee Hyeon-Ju's cheek slowly lowered toward her throat. Even though she could feel this downward movement, she couldn't do anything to resist. The only thing she could do right now was to ardently pray for this hellish time to quickly pass her by. Or, at the very least, let her black out and not go through this nightmare.

“I warned you, didn't I?” Kang Jin-Ho's hand tightened around her throat.

Lee Hyeon-Ju's tears trickled down her face unchecked. She had finally realized what her mistake was. This man, he... He should have never been provoked.

“Do you really think you can deal with the consequences?” Kang Jin-Ho slowly squeezed, and Lee Hyeon-Ju closed her eyes shut. “The consequences of ignoring my warning, that is. Well, do you?”

Her lungs were being set on fire. And she couldn't really tell whether her body was shivering or not. The merciless fear constricting her whole being left her utterly defenseless, and she was getting blown apart every which way from it.

'I was wrong.'

Lee Hyeon-Ju thought that a switch inside Kang Jin-Ho had flipped.

For some reason, Kang Jin-Ho had been suppressing himself to fit in with the modern era's rules and regulations. The 'himself' in this case turned out to be a monster—a monster far more vicious and cruel than anything or anyone Lee Hyeon-Ju knew. And it was impulsive, too.

The 'normal' Kang Jin-Ho seemed like a totally different person from the version responsible for wrecking Lee Seong-Hwi. But then, that violent Kang Jin-Ho was also different from the one currently strangling Lee Hyeon-Ju. This version was undoubtedly arrogant, just as vicious, and also determined.

Lee Hyeon-Ju's only mistake was failing to predict Kang Jin-Ho's nature being like this. If she had known the truth ahead of time, Lee Hyeon-Ju would have never approached Kang Jin-Ho so carelessly.

“Don't you worry,” Kang Jin-Ho bared his fangs in a cruel grin. “As I said, I won't kill you.”

He then slowly picked Lee Hyeon-Ju up from the ground. But then—

“...Aren't you feeling cold, Mister Jin-Ho?” A casual-sounding voice interrupted the proceedings.

The slightly puzzled Kang Jin-Ho turned around to look behind him. Jo Gyu-Min was standing there while rubbing his shoulders and muttering away, “Argh, it's getting too cold to stand around doing nothing, you know? Since the situation is not resolved yet, going back to the car now is a bit... So, how about...”

Jo Gyu-Min rummaged through his pocket, then pulled out a packet of cigarettes. He took out one cigarette and offered it to Kang Jin-Ho while grinning confidently. “How about a smoke break? To warm our bodies and all.”

Kang Jin-Ho's withdrawn eyes stared at the offered cigarette. A bout of weird silence ensued. Soon, though, he slowly reached out and accepted Jo Gyu-Min's cigarette. He mouthed it and replied with a chuckle, “That's not a bad idea.”