* * *
“You didn’t hear what I said earlier?”
When I shook the collar again, the man raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
But I just let out a dramatic sigh, wearing a brazen expression—like I was asking, “Are you seriously that clueless?”
“Let’s say we run away from here. Do you really think Lee Donghyuk is just going to let us go?”
“⋯⋯.”
“Of course he’ll come after us. The guy already crossed the border just to catch me. You think he won’t do it again?”
As I continued my explanation, pretending to be serious, the man’s confidence began to waver.
He must’ve realized I had a point.
If Lee Donghyuk chased us all the way to South Korea once, he’d likely do it again—and this time, the man might be in danger too.
I could see him nervously swallowing.
“So what do we do, then⋯.”
“What else? We force him to give up—even if we have to use force.”
“Force? You clearly don’t know who you’re dealing with. Lee Donghyuk isn’t just anyone.”
The man visibly shuddered, as if recalling something.
From his reaction alone, I could roughly guess what kind of figure Lee Donghyuk was to them.
Considering he was top-tier back in North Korea, their fear made sense.
With that bizarre invisibility ability of his, being a walking nightmare wasn’t too far off.
“You’re the one who doesn’t get it. I’m S-rank.”
Of course, that only applied in the context of North Korea.
Even if I was the lowest-ranked S-rank with no offensive skills and just a support role, I still wasn’t on the same level as an A-rank.
Sure, I always got compared to monstrous types, but objectively speaking, my power wasn’t that bad.
There’s a reason I survived S-rank dungeons.
I confidently raised my fist, and the man gave me a suspicious look, clearly conflicted.
“If we run⋯.”
“I said we’re not running!”
How many times do I have to say it?
More than anything, I wanted to beat the crap out of that bastard right now.
Just thinking about what he did to my father made me seethe—I could barely hold back my emotions.
So why the hell would I run?
“⋯⋯.”
At my outburst, the man shut his mouth like a clam and started unlocking the collar.
Judging from how quietly he focused on disabling it, it seemed my sincerity had finally gotten through.
It appeared to be a special lock that required a subtle flow of energy to unlock—probably to prevent people from forcibly removing it.
Click.
At last, the Numen Stone dropped from my neck.
But just then—shhk—a cold sensation rushed up my spine.
Instinctively, I jerked my head to the side.
Something elongated and nearly invisible had just skimmed past my face.
That transparent streak of energy hovered over my shoulder.
Whatever it was clearly hadn’t expected me to dodge.
Feeling its presence, I instinctively grabbed it—and slammed it down.
BOOM!
The empty asphalt beneath split like a spiderweb with a sharp crack.
I’d hit too hard—hard enough to send nearby objects flying.
Trash cans, lined-up bicycles—everything got caught in the blast.
“Whoa⋯ what the hell.”
Staring blankly at the half-smashed phone booth, I finally glanced down at what I’d grabbed.
It was an arm—a human arm.
Its bent form shimmered faintly, attached to a barely visible body sprawled across the ground.
Judging from its length, it was about the same size as me.
That left only one possible identity.
“Lee Donghyuk.”
He must’ve jumped in to stop the collar removal—but luckily, I’d been a bit quicker.
Barely.
My heart was still racing.
Smack!
Suddenly, the bastard lashed out with a kick aimed at my face—without even getting up.
His arm was still restrained, so his body twisted unnaturally as he attacked.
“Crazy bastard⋯!”
He hadn’t fully revealed himself, just a blurry energy form, but even that posture sent chills down my spine.
I quickly dodged to the side, then countered with a powerful kick to his abdomen.
The force seemed to disrupt his invisibility for a moment, though it quickly returned to a faint shimmer.
Alright then. Let’s see who comes out on top.
With no real fighting technique to rely on, I just jumped on top of him and started swinging.
Anyone passing by would’ve called the cops on me for going completely nuts.
I punched him—his chest, his face, whatever I could reach—until blood suddenly gushed from his mouth.
“Give it up.”
“⋯⋯.”
Lee Donghyuk didn’t say a word.
Even though I hadn’t gone all out, it was still more pain than most could endure.
But he didn’t let out a single groan—just trembled slightly.
What a cold-blooded bastard.
I clenched my fist for one final blow to knock him out—when suddenly, his shimmering form began to fade, revealing his bloodied, beaten face bit by bit.
Disheveled hair.
Half-lidded eyes.
Bloodied nose.
And a twisted smile.
He wasn’t trembling from pain.
He was laughing.
“If the call disconnects, kill him. Make it hurt.”
“What the hell are you talking about⋯?”
Ding.
A tiny chime pierced my ear.
It was faint, but somehow it filled me with dread.
Then I saw it—in Lee Donghyuk’s hand.
A flip phone.
He must’ve had it this whole time, even while I was pummeling him.
His thumb rested on the end call button.
[Understood.]
A stranger’s voice came from the speaker.
You didn’t need to be a genius to understand.
That chime—it sounded eerily similar to the bell in my dad’s store.
“Shit.”
Maybe I was just paranoid.
Maybe Dad wasn’t even at the store this late.
But even if there was just a 1% chance—I couldn’t take that risk.
If something happened to him, my life was over too.
Lee Donghyuk, still bleeding, bared his red-stained teeth in a grin.
“Put the collar back on. I won’t say it again.”
“You expect me to believe he’s still at the store after all this time? Bullshit.”
“Why don’t we find out if it’s bullshit?”
“⋯⋯.”
I bit my lip hard.
A quick glance behind me—and the guy who’d helped me was now kneeling on the ground, restrained.
The broker’s men had caught up.
One held his shoulder to keep him from fleeing.
“Guess I got hit too hard…my hand’s shaking, you see.”
“Tell your guy to back off.”
“After you put it on.”
Lying flat on the ground, Lee Donghyuk lazily rubbed the button with his thumb.
I couldn’t take my eyes off it—afraid he’d press it by accident.
Damn it⋯
In the end, the only choice I had was to put the collar back on before he pressed the button.
I flicked my hand, and one of his men approached, clearly waiting for that signal.
Click.
“Ghh!”
And just like that, the Numen Stone was locked back in place—and I was struck hard in the back of the neck.
Not enough to knock me out completely, but I couldn’t move even as they threw me over a shoulder.
“Comrade Seo Inho. Thank you for assisting in the capture of a counter-revolutionary.”
Lee Dong-hyuk slowly pushed himself up and lazily pulled a potion from his inner pocket, pouring it over his face.
The liquid naturally trickled down to his chest, and the marks left on me gradually began to fade away.
“Tell your subordinate…”
“Of course, I will. Can’t have you biting your tongue on the way, now, can we?”
Smack!
With that, a large palm came crashing down on my face.
Blood burst in my mouth, bright red streaks spilling out between my lips.
The metallic taste spread bitterly, and I coughed again and again, my brows furrowing in pain.
My vision was already blurry, but now everything flashed white, making it nearly impossible to stay conscious.
Lowering himself to my level, Lee Dong-hyuk watched me with amusement and then, quite deliberately, brought his phone close to his mouth.
He wore a strange smile—so much so that, for a moment, I thought he was going to kill my father right then and there.
But to my relief, the words I’d been hoping for came out.
“Get out of the convenience store.”
“……”
“Convenience store”—as far as I knew, that was what Koreans called their corner shops.
But whoever it was, they’d never even set foot in my father’s store to begin with.
After that, Lee Dong-hyuk turned and began to walk away at a calm pace.
From behind, I could hear the man’s voice screaming, begging for his life, but even those cries soon vanished without a trace.
I struggled to stay conscious, but every time I barely managed to open my eyes, the surroundings changed like a lie.
Just moments ago, buildings had been lined up all around, but now they were gone—replaced by rice paddies, and then again by a vast, empty field with not even a single tree in sight.
I had no idea how much time had passed.
The worn-down buildings that flashed into view no longer looked like anything I’d ever seen in China.
* * *
