Chapter 141

Chapter 141

A Little Money and a Place to Live Tomorrow is Enough (3)

Early this morning, Yoon Seol-hwa suddenly visited and desperately pleaded with him to go somewhere together with an extremely urgent voice.

Yoon Seol-hwa wasn’t usually one to play such pranks, and she extremely disliked causing trouble for others, rarely even making requests.

Therefore, Han Jae-jung followed without much suspicion.

Just as she had loved him without detailed explanations, he too acted in her crisis without any explanation.

There was sufficient reason to trust and abundant will to act.

He went through discharge procedures that were almost forcefully rushed to act quickly.

Following Yoon Seol-hwa’s guidance, they walked here and there after leaving the hospital. The destination was a secluded alley where it was hard to find a single person, a dead end blocked by walls on three sides. The moment he turned his head to ask if this was the right place.

Han Jae-jung lost consciousness.

And when he regained consciousness.

“... Seol-hwa’.”

Chains binding his body and Yoon Seol-hwa’s brightly smiling face in front of him greeted him. His gradually widening vision as consciousness returned soon revealed where he was now.

High ceilings adorned with luxurious chandeliers, elegant ivory leather sofas and marble floors, not just one or two rooms – from where he was now, it was difficult to even count all the doors. The appearance of a room he’d never seen before. It felt like a luxury penthouse or the highest-grade room in a 5-star or higher hotel.

It was quite a luxurious interior structure for kidnapping someone.

At first, he worried that she too might have been kidnapped to this place.

But that wasn’t the case.

Yoon Seol-hwa had done this by her own choice. It didn’t take long to realize this.

“Hm? What?”

That face was too peaceful for a kidnapping victim. Moreover, she wasn’t bound by chains and was free.

As if she had no intention whatsoever of denying that she had planned and carried out all this, she casually greeted him with ‘Did you sleep well?’ when he woke up. Afterwards, she checked on his wellbeing, asking if the chains were too tight.

No matter how you look at it, these weren’t actions a victim would take. What kidnapping victim would worry about another victim like that?

At the same time, it was strange to call her a kidnapper. What kidnapper would ask after their victim’s wellbeing so kindly? Even the place where he was now. It was too luxurious for one person to live in.

Even the chains. They boasted enough length to move around this room sufficiently.

From this strange kidnapping that showed consideration, Han Jae-jung conversely became certain that Yoon Seol-hwa had planned this kidnapping. Because if she were to kidnap him, she would try to provide maximum service except for the restraint of his body.

It was the same when he just received the phone call. As soon as his phone vibrated, she smiled meaningfully and told him he could answer it. Instead, don’t tell them where he was now.

When he did as told, she stroked his head as if praising him.

There is control but no attempt at harsh regulation. Cherishing and letting him enjoy only the best things but not letting him escape. Like a pet.

It wasn’t difficult to think that Yoon Seol-hwa was the culprit of this bizarre kidnapping.

Therefore, the motive could also be easily guessed.

However, Han Jae-jung didn’t immediately confirm this guess. He didn’t want to.

“Tell me honestly. Are you being threatened by someone? Or....”

“That’s right.”

“...!”

Yoon Seol-hwa affirmed without hesitation when asked if she was being threatened. Color returned to Han Jae-jung’s face upon hearing the answer. It could mean that this outrageous act wasn’t her true intention.

“I am being threatened right now. Having to do this much, it’s no different from being threatened.”

No different. Those added words tore apart Han Jae-jung’s feeble hope that wasn’t even as strong as a thread.

“The world threatens me. As if delivering some revelation. Enough to make me, who doesn’t have any religion, resent God. No... Rather, this might be God’s final mercy, Jae-jung. Warning us several times to act before losing something.”

“....”

“...”

“Among them, the most dangerous one to you, Jae-jung... Is that villain called the Watcher. That arrogant villain of the Big Dipper and Ursa Major.”

“...?!”

Han Jae-jung was startled. He hadn’t expected that name to suddenly appear on the list of villains that threatened him.

“You might not know this, Jae-jung... But that villain appeared at every place where you were attacked by villains. It’s not a coincidence. It happened too frequently to be called that. Since that villain is particularly interested in magical girls... It’s probably because of me.”

“Ah, wait a moment...”

“It’s clearly monitoring you as a means to threaten me...!”

Suddenly, tears fell from her eyes out of guilt, but Seol-hwa quickly wiped them away and reignited hatred in her eyes.

“I can’t lose you too, not just Mom and Dad... I can’t lose you to the villains...!”

Crack. A chilling sound like breaking ice came from her mouth. An anger strong enough to chew villains alive echoed in her mouth.

“Villains are always selfish. They think the world revolves around their thoughts! They think they’re the center of everything! That’s why they break, use, and violate what others hold dear without any hesitation...! I can never... forgive them...!”

Han Jae-jung swallowed dryly while examining her expression. Right now, she seemed to be using even guilt and resentment as fuel for her hatred to kill villains.

He just blankly stared at her face. Her unique beauty hadn’t disappeared despite being distorted by anger, creating a distinctive charm.

At the same time, Han Jae-jung trembled in fear.

That hatred is genuine. It’s a pure hatred colder than snow. It’s an innocent heart, clean and untainted like a child’s. That hatred carries a weight similar to love. Han Jae-jung suppressed his words. He only hoped her hatred wouldn’t be directed at him.

He wanted to avoid being hated by her while showing his bare face without a mask.

“So, I’m sorry Jae-jung. Please stay here for a while.”

Seol-hwa’ cleared the anger from her face and smiled apologetically again.

“I don’t know how long ‘a while’ will be... But I think things might get a bit better once I deal with that most dangerous Sagittarius and Ursa Major. Let’s think about that when the time comes.”

There seemed to be no option of letting Han Jae-jung go.

“You can use everything here. There are basic cooking facilities, instant food, retort food, vegetables, seasonings, meat, and pretty much everything you need. If there’s anything you want to eat or have, tell me later and I’ll buy it when I come. I have the key to your chains. I’ll unlock them while I’m in this room. I’ve prepared all your clothes and underwear too. The sizes are based on your high school days... But I think they’ll fit. If anything’s uncomfortable, just tell me right away. I’ll replace everything. And also...”

She began explaining various guidelines for this kidnapped life. This too could be seen as a firm expression of her intention not to let him go.

It seems I won’t be getting out for a while. Han Jae-jung leaned comfortably on the sofa and listened attentively to her explanation.

‘Belt, could you recommend lunch considering the ingredients here... Ah, you’re sleeping.’

Even in this situation, Belt remained quiet. Well, normally it would have warned him before he fainted. The strange metal ball that had been floating around Han Jae-jung before and after he fainted just existed mechanically.

Sleep mode. When would this end? Han Jae-jung wondered while listening to Seol-hwa’s explanation.

“Umm... That’s... All... So, do you have any... Questions...?”

Seol-hwa’s suddenly dejected attitude at the end was quite remarkable. After briefly considering what to ask, Han Jae-jung opened his mouth.

“What do you want to eat for lunch today?”

“Huh, what?! That? Suddenly? You’re more... Carefree than I expected... That’s cool too... No, I mean... Um... Well... So... Um... Pa, pasta?”

“That sounds good.”

Figuring there was no point in worrying, he decided to fill his stomach first.

After all, hospital food wasn’t tasty.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you would like to support me or read up to 20 chapters ahead, you can do so via Buy Me a Coffee OR by unlocking chapters.

Schedule: [Thur, Fri, Sat]

Please rate the series here.

/ippostranslations