* * *
Despite its shabby appearance, the steering room hid a secret hatch beneath the floor.
Once the mat was pulled away and a thin metal panel lifted, a rickety wooden staircase leading downward came into view.
“Get in.”
“…”
The steps creaked ominously with every footfall, as if the wood had already begun to rot from the dampness.
At the bottom was a small space, barely large enough for a person to crouch in, with a grimy iron cage that looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in ages—fit more for a large dog than a human.
Naturally, I had no say in the matter and was shoved in.
After awkwardly collapsing into the filthy cage, I accepted the situation and curled myself into a corner.
“What’s your name?”
I casually asked the man who had followed me down.
He was locking the cage with a smug grin, clearly satisfied that things were going more smoothly than expected.
“Only now curious about my name?”
“So what is it?”
“Lee Donghyuk.”
“Rank?”
“‘Ga’-rank.”
He answered easily, maybe thinking I’d given up resistance.
Or perhaps he just didn’t see me as a threat anymore.
Still, “Ga”-rank was basically the North Korean equivalent of A-rank.
Given that, it wasn’t surprising the other guys had been deferential to him.
Unlike most countries, North Korea had its own ranking system.
But really, aside from the labels being in their own alphabet, it was functionally identical to the standard one.
Now I understood why they’d kidnapped me.
North Korea had no S-ranks, only an abundance of A-ranks.
They wanted me to boost one of theirs into S-rank.
Not hard to guess, really.
“This must be about my skill. But I’ve got no intention of helping you.”
They clearly planned to use my skill to max out an A-rank’s potential.
Somehow, they’d figured out that with my ability, someone could reach near S-rank levels.
“We’ll see about that.”
Clank!
Lee Donghyuk gave the cage door one last shake and turned to leave.
As my item pouch swayed on his hip, I blurted out without thinking.
“I’m thirsty.”
“…”
“There’s water in my pouch.”
Of course, unless he was the registered owner, it was just a plain fabric pouch to him.
I was just asking him to hand it over.
It was a cheap trick, sure, but like he said, I was a “valuable resource.”
They wouldn’t let me sit here parched for hours.
But the look he shot over his shoulder was ice-cold.
“I told you not to try anything.”
He pulled a strange bottle from his inner pocket, then reached into the cage and yanked my hair.
My head jerked back violently, and as my mouth opened slightly in pain, the liquid poured in.
“Ghk!”
It was cheap liquor—strong enough to burn my throat raw.
To someone A-rank, it might’ve felt like water, but to me right now, it was practically torture.
I twisted away, coughing hard, and only then did he release his grip on my hair.
“That should be enough.”
Lee Donghyuk smirked and shook the now-empty bottle at me before turning on his heel and leaving.
His bony back as he walked away pissed me off more than I could say.
Bastard.
I glared at the entrance he disappeared through and rubbed my throat, still stinging from the sudden burn.
Luckily, most of it had spilled out, so I wasn’t feeling tipsy—just hot and annoyed.
As soon as all signs of life vanished, Chirpy popped out.
He fluttered straight to the cage door and gnawed at it with his tiny, useless teeth.
Naturally, it did nothing.
Even though he was an S-rank spirit, his strength was barely that of a regular squirrel.
His real power was in his shield ability, after all.
Eventually, he gave up and sulked back, landing softly in my palm.
His round, hunched back made him look strangely pitiful.
I briefly considered sending him out to ask for help—but that was way too risky.
Even if I did send him… who would I send him to?
The Hunter Association president?
That snake would probably stab me in the back.
Woo Jaehyun?
Things had been awkward ever since the tracker incident.
Do Soohyuk?
Not even worth mentioning.
Cha Rui…?
“Maybe… a slim chance?”
At best, she wasn’t actively trying to devour me anymore.
But just because she didn’t want to kill me didn’t mean she liked me either.
Losing her memory wouldn’t magically erase how she used to feel.
Honestly, I probably had a better chance escaping on my own if the opportunity came.
“Chirpy, just stay still, okay? If they find out what you are, it won’t help us. Don’t act unless I’m really in danger.”
Chirp.
Chirpy responded weakly, curling into himself and closing his eyes.
It was already late, and with not a single window in the underground space, the darkness was absolute.
Aside from a palm-sized lantern and the faint glow from Chirpy, there was just barely enough light to make out the surroundings—but no way to tell how much time had passed.
We’re not headed straight to the North, are we?
It felt like hours had gone by.
If we hadn’t arrived yet, it meant we weren’t going directly to North Korea.
Going through another country—taking this detour—meant even North Korea wanted to keep this whole thing under wraps.
After some more indeterminate amount of time, footsteps echoed down the stairs.
I felt Chirpy burrow into my sleeve just as I slowly opened my eyes.
Clang.
“Come out.”
We’d finally arrived, it seemed.
Lee Donghyuk opened the barred door with a nod of his head.
Maybe it was from staying in the same cramped position for so long, but as I stepped out hunched over, my back screamed in protest.
And the moment I followed him up the stairs, I couldn’t help but be taken aback.
Whatever deal had gone on behind the scenes, we were now standing on a dock covered in Chinese characters.
More than realizing this was China, what shocked me most was that the sun was already high in the sky.
Judging by the position of the sun, it had to be morning—meaning I’d been locked up for at least ten hours.
Is Dad okay?
A wave of anxiety crashed over me as I recalled the last image of my father.
Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to beat that corpse-like bastard to a pulp myself, but reality was far more humiliating—being dragged around like a dog.
“Stop zoning out.”
“…”
As expected, Lee Donghyuk placed a hand on the back of my neck and began walking somewhere.
Two men I’d seen in the car followed behind.
I could feel the stares from the people around us, but unlike in Korea, Lee Donghyuk walked with total confidence.
Did he bribe them?
As I glanced around, everyone who made eye contact quickly went back to their own business, pretending like nothing had happened.
In a narrow alleyway, a Chinese-looking man stood waiting, puffing on a cigarette.
Gold rings adorned every finger.
His clothes looked expensive—luxury brands, top to bottom.
He was the very image of a rich Chinese thug, and I couldn’t help but scowl.
Are they selling me off to that nouveau riche scumbag now?
Just then, our eyes met.
The man looked momentarily surprised, recognizing me, but the second he noticed the Numen Stone around my neck, visible relief washed over his face.
He then exchanged a few oddly excited words with Lee Donghyuk.
His tone hinted that he hadn’t fully believed they’d actually bring me.
It was all in Chinese, so I couldn’t understand a word, but from the vibe, it seemed the man was just a broker.
No—judging by how extravagantly he flaunted his wealth, he was probably a pretty successful one.
But the longer the conversation went on, the more tension crept between them.
Something’s not going according to plan.
Lee Donghyuk’s face turned ice cold.
The broker raised his hands and forced an awkward smile, tapped his flashy watch, said something again, and then disappeared down the alley.
“Fucking bastard…”
Whatever had gone wrong, Lee Donghyuk glared at the direction the broker had vanished, then turned on his heel.
“Quietly follow him. We don’t know what he’s up to.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man who’d been sitting to my right in the car bowed with military precision and vanished in the blink of an eye.
With one fewer person watching me, maybe now was the best chance to run.
At that moment, Lee Donghyuk suddenly stopped in his tracks and stared down a side alley.
I followed his gaze and saw an old, decrepit restaurant with no sign.
“Come.”
He said it indifferently and walked in.
Maybe he just wanted to kill time until his man got back.
I couldn’t tell, but for now, I had no choice but to follow.
The man who’d been sitting by the window in the car took up position outside the entrance like it was routine.
I gave him a glance before sitting on a wooden chair Lee Donghyuk gestured toward with his chin.
Looking around, the place seemed like an old diner run by an elderly woman.
Actually, it was so unsanitary I wasn’t even sure you could call it a restaurant.
The first impression wasn’t great.
We were the only customers, yet I could hear someone shuffling around in the kitchen like they were preparing something.
What’s going on?
A moment later, two bowls of porridge appeared on the table—without us ordering.
It looked like cold chicken porridge, the kind that didn’t exactly inspire appetite even when you were starving.
“Eat.”
Still, Lee Donghyuk began shoveling it down like a man possessed.
* * *
