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Chapter 2
Hee-yeon felt her heart drop.
If these men were really gangsters, then it had to be because of her brother, So Pil-mo. What on earth had he done this time? When he started sending money, he’d said he’d gotten a proper job at a respectable company. In the end, that must have been a lie.
“There’s… a man… inside the shop…”
Hee-yeon looked toward the store.
Behind the window with the menu written across it sat a man. Most of his body was obscured, but even seated, he looked unusually tall.
“I’ll go talk to him.”
“D-don’t go in. Just call the police—”
“Auntie, please go pick up Ye-rim from kindergarten. Don’t come back to the shop.”
“O-okay.”
After confirming that her aunt had safely stepped away, Hee-yeon fixed her gaze on the shop.
This is a place with laws and order.
Even if they’re gangsters, they can’t just do whatever they want to me.
She lifted her chin and walked in steadily. The burly men glanced at her, but she refused to shrink back.
She pulled the door open with force. At that moment, bright light spilled out from inside.
…!
Hee-yeon flinched.
A man who looked like that… was a gangster?
He had smooth skin, strong facial features, a high-bridged nose, well-shaped lips, and a tall, striking build. His appearance didn’t match the image of a thug at all—yet the aura he gave off was dark.
It felt as though a black shadow pooled at his feet. His presence alone was overwhelming.
Her throat bobbed with tension, but she swallowed it down. As if she had nothing to do with his reason for being here, she addressed him like a regular customer.
“We’re just about to open, so you’ll have to wait a bit. Would you like some tteokbokki?”
“Do I look like a customer?”
She was startled again by his voice. The low tone wrapped around her ears.
“Aren’t you? Everyone looks like a customer to me. Even though we’re deep in the market, lots of office workers in suits come by.”
“I doubt those bulky men look like office workers.”
“T-they do. To me.”
“Are you pretending not to know? Or were you expecting me?”
“W-what do you mean?”
She’d spent ten years helping her aunt run this stall since middle school. Where had that courage gone? Her voice trembled despite herself.
“Where is So Pil-mo?”
“…I don’t know.”
“He’s your brother.”
“I cut ties with him a long time ago.”
Even now, she was protecting Pil-mo. No matter how much she resented him, he was her only blood relative.
She stared straight at the man’s face. Their gazes tangled in the air, and she felt like she might collapse from the tension.
“That’s odd. You’ve been sending him money regularly. A million won every month.”
The money Pil-mo sent was child support for Ye-rim. He’d gotten a woman pregnant when he was young and then run away, dumping the child on Hee-yeon. With no other choice, she’d registered her niece under her own name.
Hee-yeon bit the inside of her cheek. She’d thought that since he faithfully sent the child support, he at least had some conscience. But even that had become a problem.
“He was paying back money he borrowed from me. He ran off with my savings five years ago.”
“So you’re saying you had no contact? That he only sent money?”
“…Just because he was repaying a debt doesn’t mean he had to come in person.”
“True. However.”
The man’s eyes flashed. Her throat tightened.
“……”
“I can say with certainty that the sibling bond between you is quite strong. Judging by the constantly changing sender names.”
Thud.
He placed a printed copy of Pil-mo’s bank transfer history in front of her.
To my beloved little sister – 1,000,000 won
Trust your big brother – 1,000,000 won
You and Ye-rim are everything to me – 1,000,000 won
I’ll make more money and come back – 1,000,000 won
Ha—
Each time Pil-mo sent money, he’d changed the sender name to leave a message. That was what had become the issue.
“He did a lot wrong by me. Like I said, he owed me money. A huge debt.”
“One hundred million won.”
“…!”
“Possibly more. Most of it paid off as settlement fees.”
She didn’t know how deeply they had investigated.
They were definitely gangsters.
Pil-mo had been unlucky compared to his crimes, and had gone in and out of prison several times. From a sister’s perspective, he wasn’t evil—just someone who’d fallen in with the wrong crowd and gotten dragged into trouble, unfairly burdened with debt.
“Th-that’s…”
“Half-baked lies won’t work. Unlike me, my subordinates are rather rough.”
It sounded more threatening than any outright threat. His eyes turned cold.
Her fingertips trembled, but she truly didn’t know anything.
What on earth…
had he done?
“What did my brother do?”
“He stole something and ran.”
Hee-yeon felt confused.
No matter how awful he was, he wasn’t a thief. And to steal from a man who clearly seemed powerful…
“……What could he possibly have taken…?”
“A woman.”
Her heart plummeted.
A woman?
He ran away with this man’s woman?
How could he do something so reckless—so dangerous?
The worst-case scenario played out in her mind. If her brother were caught by this man, he’d be killed.
“So what now? What are you going to do to me?”
“You’ll have to come with me.”
“…What?”
“You’ll serve as a hostage.”
“……I’m not that important to my brother. I won’t make a good hostage.”
“We’ll see.”
At his subtle gesture, she turned her head.
Her mind went blank.
Behind her aunt’s pale face stood one of the men, holding Ye-rim’s hand. Ye-rim waved brightly at Hee-yeon, smiling as if nothing were wrong. She’d clearly been told to go home… They must have followed her.
“Mom!”
“Your daughter should come too. She’s still at an age where she needs her mother’s touch, isn’t she?”
“….”
They’d investigated her brother, but thankfully Ye-rim’s existence hadn’t been discovered.
If they found out Ye-rim was Pil-mo’s daughter—
Her vision darkened.
For now, to protect Ye-rim, she had no choice but to go along quietly.
“I’ll go. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t touch my daughter.”
Only then did the man rise from his chair. She hadn’t realized how tall he was while seated.
At 165 centimeters, she had to tilt her head up to look at him.
Not a single scar marred his face—hard to believe he did rough work.
He was far from the typical image of a gangster she’d imagined, yet his sharp presence kept her on edge.
Without meaning to, she took a step back.
He curled his lips slightly, as if he could see right through her thoughts.
When he took the lead, she followed behind him. The moment Ye-rim saw her, she ran over and clung to her.
“Wow, Mom. This mister is pretty.”
Even to a child’s eyes, his looks seemed special. Ye-rim stared at him wide-eyed. His expression stiffened.
“Ye-rim, don’t say things like that.”
“Why? He’s pretty… Pfft…”
“Shh, that’s enough.”
“Okaaay.”
Ye-rim wrapped her small arms tightly around Hee-yeon. Even as she was carried along, her eyes never left the man.
Leaving her worried aunt behind, Hee-yeon forced a bitter smile.
“Hee-yeon…”
“I’ll call you.”
She walked with a bright smile plastered on her face. As if they were going on an outing, Ye-rim excitedly swung her arms. Countless eyes followed them as they walked through the market.
“Isn’t that Hee-yeon?”
“Who’s that guy? He’s quite handsome. Is she on a date?”
“Wow, she was hiding a boyfriend like that?”
How anyone could see this and think they were a dating couple was beyond her.
Hee-yeon clenched her fists.
She was being kidnapped in broad daylight, yet she couldn’t cry out for help.
A black foreign car was waiting at the market entrance.
“Wow, Mom, that car’s cool.”
“Get in.”
The man personally opened the back door for them. The fruit seller near the entrance smiled warmly, as if looking at a sweet couple.
Among the rough-looking gangsters, the handsome man didn’t look like someone who did dirty work, so no one seemed to sense the discord at all.
Click.
In the end, she got into the car of a man whose name she didn’t even know.
Just keep your wits about you.
Should she try to run?
If she found the right moment and escaped, how would she survive?
What happened to her brother?
If they returned his woman, would everything be resolved?
Her thoughts tangled chaotically in her head.
