NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63: Chapter 59
Yeonjun fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed, exhausted from a tiring day. Meanwhile, Soobin was tossing and turning, reminiscing about the day's events. He felt cheerful for the first time in a while, but his smile vanished when his phone rang. Seeing it was Eunchae, he answered without hesitation. However, the moment he heard the voice on the other end, his heart sank. Anxiety and fear gripped him as he gasped and sprang up, asking,
"What do you want this time?"
"You clearly know what I want. Now, come outside and get in the car standing a quarter of a mile away from your lover's house." he said. His voice wasn't gentle. Rather it seemed like he was scheming something horrible.
"As if! What do you want more? I said I don't wanna see you!" Soobin was a bit loud, but he remembered Yeonjun was sleeping in the next room, so he reduced his voice.
"Oh, I bet you are looking forward to seeing me unless... you don't want this girl alive!" his voice seemed really raucous.
"What do you mean? What did you do to her?" Soobin's restless eyes were searching for an answer although he understood which girl he was talking about.
"You left me no choice! I wanted to do everything in a good manner, but you forced me to do it." saying that he hung up the call.
"Hello! Hello!" Soobin checked his phone, eager to know more. A video was delivered to his phone, and he hurriedly opened it. He saw Eunchae tied to a chair, crying and struggling to free herself. Soobin started trembling as he watched her, remembering how adorable she always was and how she used to call him oppa.
No! No! This can't be happening! He didn't want her to go through what he had experienced. No one should suffer like that! This man needed to be punished. Soobin knew that man hadn't reached out just to apologize; he had ulterior motives. Soobin had suspected as much ever since he came back after all this time. He swore to himself that no one else would be harmed because of him. He had to do what he should have done long ago. He was determined, he knew he must save the girl. He had to!
Soobin put on his black shirt and pants, folding his sleeves to keep them from being bothersome. He went to the kitchen, looked for a tool and hid a knife under his shirt for safety. Then he went to the room where Yeonjun was asleep. As he approached, he couldn't help but notice how Yeonjun looked like a sleeping princess waiting for her prince to wake her with a kiss. The sight was so captivating that Soobin wanted to keep staring, but he didn't have time. He needed to hurry. Squatting down beside Yeonjun's beautiful face, he played lightly with his soft hair. Then, he stood up, slipped a note under Yeonjun's phone, sighed, and left.
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The street was dim despite the street lamps. Soobin noticed a car parked a bit away from the house. He gulped, not out of fear, but in despair. He didn't know if he would ever return to this house. Although he was confident he wouldn't die, he knew he couldn't face anyone if he failed to save Eunchae. The real target was him, not the girl, so he knew the man would try something against him again. Despite his circumstances, Soobin was determined to do anything to save his little sister. He walked towards the car, looking back once at the house where no lights were on.
A man came out of the car. His panda eyes were saying how he was regular in taking drugs. He came to Soobin while he stepped backwards.
"Get in!" He opened the door of the car and said with irritation. Soobin was hesitating a bit as he suddenly felt afraid.
"Ugh! Fine!" The man furrowed his eyebrows as if he was at his limit and didn't want to do what he was going to. He hurriedly came to Soobin and before Soobin could realize, he put out a syringe and inserted it in Soobin's neck at an electric speed. Soobin gasped out loud and held his shoulder where he was pinched harder with the thin needle. As soon as he understood there was something liquid going inside him, he felt dizzy and couldn't control himself anymore.
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Yeonjun woke up to the sound of birds chirping. Feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep, he stretched his arms and got up. Leaving his bed, he headed to the washroom. As it was still early, he assumed Soobin was asleep in the next room. Humming joyfully while brushing his teeth, he quickly washed his face, as he was eager to see Soobin.
He stepped out of his room, drying his face with a towel, and went to check on Soobin. When he found the room empty, he grew a little worried. Did Soobin go to the washroom? Or perhaps to get some water? But the water bottle was right there on the table. Where could he have gone? Yeonjun checked the washroom but found it empty. A sudden fear gripped him as he gulped. He searched the house frantically, but when he couldn't find Soobin, he returned to his room and grabbed his phone to check the GPS. That's when he noticed a neatly folded piece of paper. Almost snatching it, Yeonjun's eyes widened in shock as he read the note. Soobin wrote:
*Yeonjun hyung! Thanks for the love you've given me for all these long. And thanks for taking me in, giving me shelter and giving me the feelings of protection. As you've said, I won't sit back. I will fight. Fight until I win this war, this race. I promise I'll come back to you. Let me win the fight. I love you. I really like you very much. But, I can't lose you, neither the people I care for. This is why I'm going without informing you. Please forgive me. If I don't go now, I don't know what he'll do to the girl I see as my younger sister. However, If I don't come back, at least remember my name. I love you.*
"No! NO! NO! NO! This can't BE!" Yeonjun shouted. He took his phone again, with his trembling hands. He gulped while ringing Soobin up. As Soobin's phone was dead, the call couldn't go through. Yeonjun called again and again, but there was only one reply from the other side; "The number you've called is currently not available. Please try again later. Press 1 to leave a voice message."
Yeonjun hurriedly checked the GPS to locate Soobin's location, but found nothing.
"SHIT!" Yeonjun threw his phone on the bed and held his head to think what he should do now. He took his phone back and dialed Hueningkai.
"Hello!" Hueningkai received and replied with his sleepy voice.
"Please! Help me! HELP ME find SOOBIN! Please!" Hueningkai was wide awake by hearing Yeonjun's restless voice.
"What happened? Hey! Calm down and tell me first!" Hueningkai replied.
"I can't explain much right now. You said, you're a cop, right? Then, please help me find him! He is in danger!" Yeonjun was trembling as he kept seeking help.
"Okay! Okay! Calm down first! And send me his phone number. I'll see what I can do. I'll call you right back!" They ended the conversation as Yeonjun was typing Soobin's number to send Hueningkai.
After a moment, Hueningkai called Yeonjun again. Yeonjun was putting his clothes on to go outside. He was in a hurry. Right after the phone started ringing, he picked it up right away.
"Did you find anything?" Yeonjun put his phone on speaker and asked while wearing his pants.
"Yes. That's why I called you. But as his phone switched off, I could only find where he headed to. I can't really tell where he is right now." Hueningkai replied. He was looking at his computer screen, trying to search for more information.
"Where did he headed?" Yeonjun took the phone, turning off the speaker, he asked.
"It's…umm…after he left the city, his connection was lost. It's the highway which leads to the exit of Seoul." Hueningkai replied.
"Seoul? He went to Seoul?" Yeonjun asked surprisingly.
"I can't really say. I'll tell you later if I find more. But, do you assume where he could go?" Hueningkai asked.
"To that person." Yeonjun replied with anger.
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When Soobin opened his eyes, he noticed that his hands and feet were tied, as well as his mouth. A dim light barely illuminated the room, leaving much of it shrouded in darkness. He struggled against the ropes, but they were too tight to loosen.
"My sleeping beauty woke up?" the voice he dreaded came from right beside his feet.
"Mmm-mm!" Soobin thrashed desperately, trying to escape. Looking around, he finally saw the girl he had come to save. She was also tied to a chair, shaking her head frantically, trying to communicate with him despite her gag. Her face was streaked with tears, showing she had been crying for a long time. After seeing Soobin conscious again, she broke down, unable to hold back her tears.