* * *
All things considered, it must’ve been chaotic, so I was genuinely grateful he hadn’t forgotten to bring it.
“Uh… thanks…”
I had been bothered by my blood-stained clothes anyway, so I immediately pulled out and put on my S-Class jacket.
My index finger trembled slightly as I zipped it up, likely from the lingering effects.
Feeling the discomfort, I flexed my fist and rotated my wrist.
Still a bit numb.
It wasn’t enough to hinder movement, but I figured it’d take some time to fully adjust.
“Here. Let me.”
Cha Rui, who had been watching me, stepped in and zipped it up for me.
I froze, hands awkwardly raised.
What the hell is going on?
Since when was Cha Rui this considerate?
As I fumbled to figure out where to look, a cold chill crept up my spine.
It was Woo Jaehyun, scowling with his brows knit tightly together, clearly displeased.
What’s his problem now?
I had no idea why he was mad, but I suddenly felt self-conscious.
As soon as my clothes were in place, I turned my back on them.
Ignoring everything seemed like the safest bet at the moment.
“…Let’s just go.”
We drove nonstop for an hour before arriving at a 24-hour Chinese restaurant.
I’d thought it was a joke, but they actually brought me here just to feed me.
So that’s what they’d been checking on their phones.
Considering all three of them were decked out in full gear, they clearly didn’t want to be noticed.
Even though it was late, this seemed too risky.
But as the smell of food wafted through the air, all my doubts crumbled.
I was ready to say, “Let’s just go back,” but instead, I found myself checking the menu board out front.
“This place looks expensive…”
The three of them looked at me like I’d lost my mind.
But I was genuinely concerned.
Spending over 15,000 won on a single meal?
That was a luxury I could count on one hand.
Even for my dad’s birthday, I’d agonized over the cost for days.
As I awkwardly rubbed my chin, feeling like I’d just said something completely un-’Seo Inho’-like, Cha Rui gave my back a push.
“I’m not asking you to pay. Just go in.”
Well… if that’s the case.
I stepped into the restaurant without hesitation.
Ignoring their baffled stares, I followed the staff into a large private room.
Given the hour, the place was nearly empty.
Or maybe it was always this quiet because of the price.
Whatever the reason, I sat at a large round table like something out of a Chinese movie, glancing around at the décor.
The entire place was red—every little detail, like it had taken inspiration from Cha Rui’s hair.
“Hyung, order whatever you want.”
Woo Jaehyun handed me the menu, wearing his usual bright expression again.
I took it and started flipping through it, but it was all in Chinese—I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
Thankfully, there were photos.
As I browsed through them, a long finger suddenly pointed at one of the dishes.
“This one. Not too spicy, should suit your taste.”
It looked like a spicy chicken stew—mouthwateringly good.
The photo was larger than the rest, probably a signature dish.
“Yeah, that looks good. What about this one? Should we get it too?”
“That has cilantro. You won’t like it.”
“Hmm…”
Yeah, I hate cilantro.
As I nervously chewed my lip, still scanning the menu, a sudden loud crash echoed from across the table.
I looked up in shock to see Woo Jaehyun, still smiling, with his fist resting on the table.
Cracks spread across the glass surface like a spiderweb.
No question what had just happened.
This lunatic…
I was about to yell when a startled waiter rushed in.
Woo Jaehyun raised the menu with exaggerated confidence and pointed to one page.
“We’ll take everything on this side.”
I stared at him, mouth hanging open.
Couldn’t he just ask like a normal person?
Speechless, I watched as Woo Jaehyun smirked, while Do Soohyuk calmly continued choosing items like nothing happened.
Not a single one of them was normal.
Once the order was in and the poor waiter left, I heard a low scoff from beside me.
“Typical. Like a damn kid.”
“What?”
At Cha Rui’s blunt remark, Woo Jaehyun raised one eyebrow.
Judging by his particularly sensitive reaction to the mention of age, it seemed he really didn’t like being called young.
Still, weren’t they only three years apart?
At this rate, the table might not survive until the food arrived.
I figured I had to step in and mediate somehow.
“Guys.”
With just that one word, all three of them turned to look at me.
The moment I met those vividly colored eyes, I suddenly felt breathless from the pressure.
How did things end up like this?
I had sworn not to get involved with S-classs anymore, and yet somehow, things had gone in the complete opposite direction.
Swallowing a sigh brought on by a wave of disillusionment, I forced myself to keep it in.
“…Thanks for coming all the way here. I know you’re busy. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.”
“If you know that, then stop getting involved in things unnecessarily.”
Do Soohyuk’s blunt words, spoken as he casually sipped his tea, stabbed me like a dagger.
He had hit the nail on the head.
Still, I had my reasons.
How could I just stand there when my father’s life was in danger?
Back then, quietly going along was the best thing I could do.
Even if I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change my decision.
“……”
But I couldn’t very well say that to the people who had come all the way here for me, so I kept my mouth shut until the food arrived.
Thankfully, since there were no other customers, it didn’t take too long.
Soon, staff began to bring in dishes one by one, filling the table.
Everything looked delicious, but the unfamiliar dishes made it hard to decide where to start.
What should I eat first?
Just as I was happily contemplating my options, Cha Rui spun the lazy Susan to bring a chicken dish in front of me.
Just like I’d seen on the menu—bright red and mouthwatering.
I picked up a piece as if possessed, and a familiar yet subtly exotic flavor filled my mouth.
“This is good.”
It was totally my style.
Ignoring the rest of the food, I focused solely on devouring the chicken dish.
Maybe working at my dad’s restaurant had stretched my stomach because my chopsticks never stopped moving.
Then I choked a little and started coughing.
At the same time, two chairs scraped back as two people stood up.
Woo Jaehyun offered me a glass of water, and Cha Rui handed me a tissue.
I accepted both automatically, but it made me feel like a needy kid who couldn’t take care of himself.
Why does it feel like I’m the only one eating?
While I nearly cleared my plate, the others just sipped their tea or took a few polite bites before putting their chopsticks down.
It was the same back on that deserted island.
Maybe becoming S-class made people naturally disinterested in food?
But that couldn’t be right—Cha Rui had eaten several bowls of seaweed soup, and Woo Jaehyun had completely polished off the tteokbokki.
Maybe it was just a matter of personal taste.
Whatever the reason, it’s not like they were showing off their wealth—then why bother ordering so much?
Someone had even handed over an expensive lighter just for a few coins.
I threw a subtle glare at Woo Jaehyun—the main culprit behind this—and turned to glance at the wall clock.
It was already well past midnight.
“Do we have a place to stay?”
“I’ve already contacted a nearby hotel, so don’t worry.”
Hmm… somehow that just makes me worry more.
After everything I’d been through, Woo Jaehyun’s smiling face only made me more suspicious.
As I rubbed the back of my hand, I finally asked something I’d been wondering about.
“But how did you know where I was?”
The tracker had been destroyed a while ago.
Did they have some other method I didn’t know about?
Like an item that lets you trace someone?
As I asked, Cha Rui set his teacup down with a soft clink and opened his mouth.
“Woo Jaehyun—”
“Obviously, I threatened the broker to get the info.”
But his voice was immediately drowned out by Woo Jaehyun’s nonchalant answer.
I blinked in confusion.
Brokers were supposed to just guide you for a fee, right?
And it wasn’t like this was China.
I doubted they had enough intel to know the location of a secret base in another country.
“Brokers know stuff like that?”
“Of course, bro. Their info is ridiculously fast.”
“……”
Now that he said it, I guess it made sense.
I mean, if they could afford to wear gold rings on every finger, they must be making good money.
And they lived off information, so there had to be stuff I didn’t know about.
But did he really come all the way just based on the broker’s word?
I hadn’t seen much while being dragged to that prison, but it was big enough that I figured there were at least hundreds of people working there.
“Then that underground base…”
I trailed off and glanced at the three of them, but none of them seemed willing to answer.
And it wasn’t like I could shamelessly press for details after being rescued.
After rubbing my chin and thinking it over, my guess was that they had secretly infiltrated the base and extracted only me.
There had to be a reason they went through the trouble of disguising themselves with masks and hats. I doubted they caused a big scene.
I mean, with three S-classs involved, they must’ve had a solid plan.
* * *
