Chapter 419: Rescue (4)

Chapter 419: Rescue (4)

“What should we do?!” Choi Seon-Hui asked while trembling in fear.

Unfortunately, Jo Mi-Hye was just as helpless as her. What could anyone do while dangling precariously from the ceiling? Nothing, that was what.

If the circumstances had been more... ordinary, Jo Mi-Hye could've pretended to be unperturbed. She would've said, people should come and rescue us soon, so let's just sit tight and wait. Moving around might make things worse.

Jo Mi-Hye was mature enough to do that. But now? She couldn't pretend she was calm.

'What... What should I do?'

Do-Yeon's complexion, with her head leaning at an alarming angle, was getting paler by the minute. Something was obviously wrong with her, but the girls here didn't know what to do.

'Please, someone... Anyone... Help us...!'

Anyone would be fine. As long as they could come quickly, and...!

“Will he come? Will Jin-Ho oppa come for us?” Choi Seon-Hui suddenly asked.

Jo Mi-Hye silently bit her lower lip. Where did Choi Seon-Hui think they were for Kang Jin-Ho to suddenly waltz in here? Even if Kang Jin-Ho was seemingly capable of performing every miracle under the sun, reaching the girls' ride at this height was still impossible. Humans were not birds, and Kang Jin-Ho couldn't fly up here even if he wanted to. In that case, how could he even get up here?

“...He'll be here.”

However, Jo Mi-Hye still ended up saying that in spite of what she thought. She even flinched in surprise after the fact, too. It felt like her mouth had a life of its own.

“...Oppa will come for us. Do-Yeon is sick, after all. So... He'll definitely come,” Jo Mi-Hye muttered.

That wasn't merely her wishful thinking. It was more like... a baseless confidence. Of course, Jo Mi-Hye knew how nonsensical that assertion was, but this strong hunch didn't want to let her go. Kang Jin-Ho must be searching for the best way to rescue the girls even as they sat here. And...

'And, it can't be helped if we still die at the end...'

Jo Mi-Hye chewed on her lips. She thought that no matter who was here to help, surely they wouldn't be able to come up with a better solution than Kang Jin-Ho. That was how much she trusted Kang Jin-Ho. A sign of her absolute faith in him.

Choi Seon-Hui cautiously asked, “Really? Will Jin-Ho oppa come for us?”

“Yeah.” Jo Mi-Hye nodded.

“...How can you be so sure?”

“Don't be an idiot, okay?” Jo Mi-Hye suddenly raised her voice. “He hasn’t called us back!”

“...”

“Do you think Jin-Ho oppa is the type of a guy who will abandon us after that phone call? If he can't come, he would have called on the phone again, telling us everything will be fine to keep us calm! But he hasn't done that. That can only mean he's still looking for a way to help us! That's why... That's why we need to wait.”

Even as she spoke, Jo Mi-Hye sensed anxiety rapidly spreading in her heart.

'Maybe I did something I shouldn't have?'

She suddenly realized something after saying all those things to Choi Seon-Hui. Kang Jin-Ho was coming for them. He'd do anything in his power to get here.

Unfortunately, Jo Mi-Hye knew this place wasn't reachable by ordinary means. What if Kang Jin-Ho resorted to unreasonable and dangerous methods to...

“...Eh?! W-what?! Mi-Hye, look over there!”

“Ng?” Jo Mi-Hye reflexively turned to look and noticed the shock turning Cho Seon-Hui's face pale white. That complexion was so pale that Jo Mi-Hye momentarily wondered if it was possible for a human face to lose color in the blink of an eye.

“Look, Mi-Hye! Over there!” Choi Seon-Hui was animatedly pointing outside the ride. She even looked halfway crazed at that point! UppTodated from nô/v/e/lb(i)n.c(o)/m

Jo Mi-Hye hurriedly sobered up and turned her head to look... And her complexion also became deathly pale next. “Oppaaaaaa?!”

That... That was crazy. Utterly insane!

Jo Mi-Hye's eyes locked on the figure of Kang Jin-Ho nimbly clambering below the railing to approach the suspended ride.

“Oh, no! What is he doing! Oh my gosh, what... What should we do?!”

“Oppa?! Oppaaaa!”

Shock, fright, and flabbergast made a mess of the girls' emotions, and they didn't know what to make out of this scene.

“What if he falls?!” Choi Seon-Hui gasped out in fright.

“Don't say that! Don't jinx it, you idiot!”

Just before Kang Jin-Ho could say something, the ride suddenly began buckling and sinking. The railing bent even further, causing the hot-air balloon-shaped ride to descend rapidly.

“Kyaaaaahk!” The girls screamed in panic.

Kang Jin-Ho pulled them closer. “It'll be alright.”

He held them closer and gently drove his qi into their pitifully-trembling bodies. When the warm energy spread within their bodies, the pale complexions of the girls quickly regained some vitality.

'This thing won't hold on for long.'

Kang Jin-Ho could instinctively tell that this ride was at its limit. Either this thing broke off the railing, or the railing itself tore off from the ceiling... Both scenarios led to the passengers falling to the ground. That was pretty much set in stone.

If Kang Jin-Ho could help it, waiting for the rescue team would be the best bet, but...

'That won't be possible, after all.'

Until a few moments ago, that would've been the best option indeed. But it was now the worst one available. Kang Jin-Ho steeled his resolve since he knew. They had to get out of this thing.

“Okay, everyone. Hold on for a second.” Kang Jin-Ho disconnected the safety belts around the girls' waists from the steel line on the side of the gondola, then joined them together before tying them all to his arm.

“J-Jin-Ho oppa?” Jo Mi-Hye cautiously called out to Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho reassured her. “Although doing this might not be necessary, I'm still doing it just in case. So, don't be alarmed, okay?”

“N-ng...”

Kang Jin-Ho gently chuckled at the sudden thought popping up in his head. “Hang on. Don't you think Yu-Min will raise a huge fuss if he finds out what's going on here? Maybe he'll blame me for taking you all to an amusement park and getting you involved in this mess.”

“...I think Yu-Min oppa will cry instead, saying this happened only because he didn't come with us.”

“...You're right.” Kang Jin-Ho groaned softly. His friend sure could be an exhausting person to deal with.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head, then turned his head slightly to look outside the gondola.

'...Where are you!'

Even now, someone was targeting him. Kang Jin-Ho was doing his best to maintain his usual demeanor in front of the girls, but... Inwardly, he was teetering on the edge of losing his reasoning from the burning rage.

He couldn't hold himself back when some bastard tried to kill him. However, the fact that the children were targeted too... That pissed him off even more!

Kang Jin-Ho would...! Never let that bastard escape!

He couldn't tell who it was. But he could definitely sense the demonic qi permeating the weapon stabbing his back. And it was low-grade and shoddy demonic qi, no less!

Kang Jin-Ho gritted his teeth. He was furious that some third-rate demonic cultivator with shoddy cultivation dared to target him, the Emperor of all demons! After safely evacuating the children from here, Kang Jin-Ho would chase after this bastard and make him regret this action for the rest of their miserable life! Kang Jin-Ho swore it!

“Fuu-woo...!” Kang Jin-Ho deeply sucked in a breath.

'Calm down...'

The opponent was a cultivator of third-rate demonic arts. That much was true. However, there was no denying that this individual was also intelligent.

If Kang Jin-Ho was attacked while moving under the railing, he would've easily deflected the incoming weapons. However, he couldn't do that while dangling on the ride itself. After all, he couldn't afford to rock the gondola while deflecting the attack and had to let the attack land on his back.

The wound itself wasn't deep, but it could very well be the first 'proper' attack to land on him after Kang Jin-Ho returned to the modern era. As such...

The perpetrator would soon be asked to pay the price for this transgression!

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the girls. “Everyone, stick close to me.”

“Okay...!”

“You too, Do-Yeon,” Kang Jin-Ho picked Hwang Do-Yeon up with one arm and hugged her closer to his chest, then brought other girls close to him as well. Since he wasn't the biggest guy in the world, trying to hug four girls at the same time wasn't easy, but he could more or less cover his base with the safety lines.

“Listen, everyone. No matter what happens, do not be scared or get shocked, okay?”

The girls wordlessly nodded.

“When I told you we'll all get out of here alive, I meant it. You all know that, don't you?”

“Ng, oppa.”

Anxiety and faith were getting tangled up in a dizzying mixture in the girls' heads.

“Alright. Then, we will...”

Just as Kang Jin-Ho tried to lay out his plan, his hearing caught the sounds of something flying toward them while making whooshing, buzzing noises. Those noises could've been only produced by something large spinning rapidly while tearing through the air!

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and hurriedly looked outside the gondola... Just as the unknown object flying in from somewhere below sliced through the railing supporting the hot-air balloon-shaped ride.