Eunhye felt the others freeze up. Yongno was quick-witted and sensed that the others had tensed up as well, but he disregarded them and took a bite from all the other family members’ cakes. He didn’t spit out any of theirs.
“Wh-what’s wrong, Yongno? Does the cake taste off…”
“What did you put in my cake? And why only my cake?”
Yongno's voice was cold. Usually, a boy of his age would have felt confused or embarrassed in such a situation, but Yongno assessed the situation with amazing insight and judgment. It was the worst-case scenario, something he hadn’t even imagined. However, he didn’t panic. Suddenly…
Bam.
“Ah, it would have been nice to do this without any conflict. Was the tranquilizer we put in the cake defective? Or did it give off a particular smell?”
“I checked right before we used it, but there were no abnormalities. It’s colorless, odorless, and tasteless. A dog or bear might have noticed it, but not a person.”
“But he did notice it.”
“The target must be much more extraordinary than what we initially expected.”
The front door swung open and two men in suits came in. They had strong physiques, and it was clear they had done extensive exercise and training. Furthermore, they didn’t seem to care that they were entering another person’s home. They didn’t even take off their shoes when they came into the house. The two men were soon followed by three more expressionless men in suits.
“Mom.”
“…”
“Dad?”
“…”
Though nervous, Yongno looked over at his parents’ faces, but they avoided eye contact. Finally, fully grasping the situation, Yongno scoffed aloud.
“So you’ve already decided to take this route. Dad, I thought you were quite high up the food chain. I suppose one of your superiors gave the order?”
“… I’m sorry.”
“You know I’m not asking for an apology!!”
Finally, Yongno lost his composure and burst out in anger. However, the men in suits strode closer as if they had no intention of waiting.
“Our initial plan failed, so let’s just drag him away. It seems he knows what situation he’s in, so this shouldn’t be too difficult. Make sure you gag him…”
Boom!
One of the suited men reached and grabbed Yongno. In the same moment, Yongno flew up and turned around mid-air, bringing the man with him. The man lost his grip, and crashed onto the floor without a chance to break his fall. He fell directly onto his neck. His body went completely limp.
“Hmm?”
It defied common sense to see a child, who appeared to be an elementary school student, easily tossing a giant adult, who was over a hundred-and-eighty-five centimeters tall. However, the other men couldn’t afford to stand and marvel at this unbelievable sight; Yongno had already taken off.
“This kid!”
Another man reached out to grab Yongno’s collar. Though Yongno was moving quickly, the man thought that this mishap would be all over once he grabbed Yongno, as their height difference was overwhelming. However, Yongno pulled the man’s collar backwards, and the man’s weight was pulled forward with it. Of course, the man had learned some martial arts, and adjusted his center of gravity to shift his weight backwards. Then, with precise timing, Yongno forcefully pushed the man away with his hands and sent the man stumbling backwards.
Crash!
“My god, what the hell is this? Jujitsu? How the hell does this kid know jujitsu… ack!”
Yongno moved swiftly and caused another man to roll on the floor. Eunhye, who knew nothing about martial arts, felt like she was seeing something fantastical. A small boy moved his arms and legs a few times, and in succession, tall adults were easily felled and rolled around. It was an amazing sight to behold, but Yongno’s movement came to an abrupt end when one of the men in the back pulled something out of his coat.
Click.
“Ugh?”
The man was pointing a gun at him.
“It… doesn’t seem to be a fake. Are you really willing to shoot me? A child?”
“Hmm. Am I willing to shoot you… of course I’m willing to shoot you!”
Chk!
The man pulled back on the trigger. A silencer must have been attached as the bullet exited without a loud discharge noise. Yongno’s family members flinched at the sight of a gun being fired at a young boy. It was a shocking sight, followed immediately by something even more shocking.
Bam!
“What?! He avoided the bullet?”
The man with the gun looked shocked as Yongno kicked him in the wrist. Yongno had dropped low to the ground and shot out a roundhouse kick. Surprisingly, Yongno had lowered his posture quickly enough to dodge the bullet, and launched a counterattack!
Bang!
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, a bullet struck Yongno’s back. However, no blood spilled. The bullet was a tranquilizer, not a common bullet.
“Settle down and think. There’s no way a human can avoid a bullet. He was able to avoid it because he read your movements and the direction of your muzzle.”
“I-I would understand if he were a martial arts expert… but he’s just a little kid!”
“He’s an enigma, which is exactly why we’ve been called to… huh?”
The man who was speaking widened his eyes. Yongno should have crumpled to the ground after being hit by the tranquilizer, but somehow he was still standing upright, albeit teetering.
“This… is unbelievable. He’s been hit by a tranquilizer designed to take out a grown man, but he’s still standing. Is that little body of his able to restrain the effects of the tranquilizer?”
They looked at Yongno in astonishment. If their opponent had been a large burly man, they might have understood, but this case was too unusual. This couldn’t be explained by high intelligence or good reflexes. Yongno, the subject of everyone’s surprise, stumbled but managed to keep his balance.
“You’re throwing everything you have at me. I can only assume you’re not going to treat me nicely after taking me away… you’re probably planning on doing a lot of inhumane things to me, right?”
“We don’t know either. Our objective is to just bring you in.”
“Fine. Since I’ve been forsaken by my own family, I guess I shouldn’t even bother to put up a fight. Could you just give me a moment to say my last words?”
When Yongno realized that there was no escaping his fate, he became calm. In truth, he resisted only because he felt angry at this unbelievable situation. Now that he had time to think about it calmly, Yongno knew that it’d be wise to do as they wanted.
“… We won’t kill you.”
“I feel like that means you probably won’t kill me.”
Yongno turned his head to look at his family. They turned away and didn’t face him properly. Their expressions were full of shame and guilt. The father who was always stoic, but loving and considerate. The caring mother who was afraid of her son yet always did her best after giving birth to him. The brother who was blunt, but thoughtful… Yongno couldn’t see any of these characteristics in his family members’ faces now. All he could see were strangers who couldn’t overcome their fears.
“I-I didn’t do anything wrong. You’re the weirdo. I just…”
“Stop it.”
Seokwoo stopped Taewoong from continuing. No matter what, the final responsibility was Seokwoo’s, the head of the household. Though Taewoong and Miran had always felt afraid of Yongno, the decision to escalate things to this extent laid squarely on Seokwoo’s shoulders. The pressure and conciliations he had received from his military superiors were not entirely negligible, but his rank was also not low. He could have risked everything and used his rank to further protect his child. However, Seokwoo had not taken this path. Ultimately, what was transpiring was his fault.
“To be honest, I want to fight this. But in this situation, we’ll only end up hurting each other’s feelings, right? Rather than do that, I’d like to just ask you for a favor instead. Please take care of Eunhye.”
“But she is a stranger to me. We aren’t related.”
“You’re capable of preventing her parents from doing anything bad. You have your ways. Oh right, the video and voice recording files are in my desk’s lowest drawer. The key is in my wallet.”
“Yongno.”
Although she didn’t grasp the situation entirely, Eunhye was able to read the room. With anxious eyes, she grabbed onto Yongno’s shirt. Yongno felt gloomy for a moment when he felt her fragile and weak grasp, but unfortunately, there was no time to spare. Though he felt sorry and worried for her, there was nothing more he could do.
“Let’s get him out of here.”
“Y-Yongno.”
The men, who had fully regained consciousness and composure, separated Eunhye from Yongno, startling her. She tried to run after him.
“Yongno!”
“Sorry. I’ll… I’ll try to make it back as soon as possible. So, don’t cry no matter what, okay?”
“D-don’t go. Don’t go. Yongno… Yongno…”
“Don’t cry. If you cry, then I’ll feel…”
Suddenly, Yongno crumpled to the floor.
“Yongno?!” Eunhye screamed out.
One of the black suited men made an exasperated expression.
“Even a hundred-fifty kilogram fatty was taken out instantly by this tranquilizer. To withstand the tranquilizer’s effects until now? If we need to tranquilize this guy again, we better use two shots.”
“Team leader, I’m sure you’ve read the manual, but the amount of tranquilizer you’re talking about would likely cause cardiac arrest.”
“It’s better than letting him slip away. Anyway, the head manager is going to be happy with this test subject. Move him.”
“N-no! Yongno! Let him go! Yongno!”
“What would you like to drink?”
“Ah.”
Eunhye had been reminiscing on what had happened ten years ago, but after hearing the stewardess’ voice, she was brought back to the present.
“Coffee, please.”
“Thank you, miss. Enjoy your flight.”
As the stewardess walked off, Eunhye buried herself deep into her seat once more. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the men in black suits. She didn’t understand what was going on back then, but she now knew that Yongno’s family had sold their son to some unknown organization. Eunhye recalled another old memory. After Yongno was taken away, Eunhye had been thrown back into hell. Of course, Seokwoo had honored Yongno’s request to protect her, but her pain still continued from the moment Yongno disappeared. Because of that, she had to learn to be strong alone. She had to learn how to move forward while in a constant state of suffering.
“Disgusting memories.”
Yongno had returned after half a year. During his absence, Eunhye had gone through countless struggles and pain, so she had developed the personality that she had now. Through sheer repetition and effort, Eunhye had developed an unwavering persona. She was able to always maintain her calm and was hurt by nothing. Though she had developed this hardened persona, she had still shed tears when he reappeared. His response when she saw him, however, was the real surprise.
“Ah, sorry but… do you know me?”
His memory had been wiped clean.
Yongno had become a completely different person. In the past, he was energetic and wise, but he had become closed and inactive. He did retain his high intelligence, and would occasionally do something completely unexpected, but in the end, Yongno suppressed himself. If Eunhye were to take a guess, he had probably been put through some sort of terrible human experiment.
“I need to get stronger.”
It was then that she made up her mind to seek revenge on the people who had done this to Yongno. Just like how Yongno had protected her when she was young, she would become a protector to him. Of course, she wasn’t ready yet. She had tried her best up to now, but the only achievement so far was that she’d become an excellent student. She had to become a more powerful person, too.
“Much stronger.”
With a firm determination, Eunhye clenched her fists.
Eunhye felt the others freeze up. Yongno was quick-witted and sensed that the others had tensed up as well, but he disregarded them and took a bite from all the other family members’ cakes. He didn’t spit out any of theirs.
“Wh-what’s wrong, Yongno? Does the cake taste off…”
“What did you put in my cake? And why only my cake?”
Yongno's voice was cold. Usually, a boy of his age would have felt confused or embarrassed in such a situation, but Yongno assessed the situation with amazing insight and judgment. It was the worst-case scenario, something he hadn’t even imagined. However, he didn’t panic. Suddenly…
Bam.
“Ah, it would have been nice to do this without any conflict. Was the tranquilizer we put in the cake defective? Or did it give off a particular smell?”
“I checked right before we used it, but there were no abnormalities. It’s colorless, odorless, and tasteless. A dog or bear might have noticed it, but not a person.”
“But he did notice it.”
“The target must be much more extraordinary than what we initially expected.”
The front door swung open and two men in suits came in. They had strong physiques, and it was clear they had done extensive exercise and training. Furthermore, they didn’t seem to care that they were entering another person’s home. They didn’t even take off their shoes when they came into the house. The two men were soon followed by three more expressionless men in suits.
“Mom.”
“…”
“Dad?”
“…”
Though nervous, Yongno looked over at his parents’ faces, but they avoided eye contact. Finally, fully grasping the situation, Yongno scoffed aloud.
“So you’ve already decided to take this route. Dad, I thought you were quite high up the food chain. I suppose one of your superiors gave the order?”
“… I’m sorry.”
“You know I’m not asking for an apology!!”
Finally, Yongno lost his composure and burst out in anger. However, the men in suits strode closer as if they had no intention of waiting.
“Our initial plan failed, so let’s just drag him away. It seems he knows what situation he’s in, so this shouldn’t be too difficult. Make sure you gag him…”
Boom!
One of the suited men reached and grabbed Yongno. In the same moment, Yongno flew up and turned around mid-air, bringing the man with him. The man lost his grip, and crashed onto the floor without a chance to break his fall. He fell directly onto his neck. His body went completely limp.
“Hmm?”
It defied common sense to see a child, who appeared to be an elementary school student, easily tossing a giant adult, who was over a hundred-and-eighty-five centimeters tall. However, the other men couldn’t afford to stand and marvel at this unbelievable sight; Yongno had already taken off.
“This kid!”
Another man reached out to grab Yongno’s collar. Though Yongno was moving quickly, the man thought that this mishap would be all over once he grabbed Yongno, as their height difference was overwhelming. However, Yongno pulled the man’s collar backwards, and the man’s weight was pulled forward with it. Of course, the man had learned some martial arts, and adjusted his center of gravity to shift his weight backwards. Then, with precise timing, Yongno forcefully pushed the man away with his hands and sent the man stumbling backwards.
Crash!
“My god, what the hell is this? Jujitsu? How the hell does this kid know jujitsu… ack!”
Yongno moved swiftly and caused another man to roll on the floor. Eunhye, who knew nothing about martial arts, felt like she was seeing something fantastical. A small boy moved his arms and legs a few times, and in succession, tall adults were easily felled and rolled around. It was an amazing sight to behold, but Yongno’s movement came to an abrupt end when one of the men in the back pulled something out of his coat.
Click.
“Ugh?”
The man was pointing a gun at him.
“It… doesn’t seem to be a fake. Are you really willing to shoot me? A child?”
“Hmm. Am I willing to shoot you… of course I’m willing to shoot you!”
Chk!
The man pulled back on the trigger. A silencer must have been attached as the bullet exited without a loud discharge noise. Yongno’s family members flinched at the sight of a gun being fired at a young boy. It was a shocking sight, followed immediately by something even more shocking.
Bam!
“What?! He avoided the bullet?”
The man with the gun looked shocked as Yongno kicked him in the wrist. Yongno had dropped low to the ground and shot out a roundhouse kick. Surprisingly, Yongno had lowered his posture quickly enough to dodge the bullet, and launched a counterattack!
Bang!
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, a bullet struck Yongno’s back. However, no blood spilled. The bullet was a tranquilizer, not a common bullet.
“Settle down and think. There’s no way a human can avoid a bullet. He was able to avoid it because he read your movements and the direction of your muzzle.”
“I-I would understand if he were a martial arts expert… but he’s just a little kid!”
“He’s an enigma, which is exactly why we’ve been called to… huh?”
The man who was speaking widened his eyes. Yongno should have crumpled to the ground after being hit by the tranquilizer, but somehow he was still standing upright, albeit teetering.
“This… is unbelievable. He’s been hit by a tranquilizer designed to take out a grown man, but he’s still standing. Is that little body of his able to restrain the effects of the tranquilizer?”
They looked at Yongno in astonishment. If their opponent had been a large burly man, they might have understood, but this case was too unusual. This couldn’t be explained by high intelligence or good reflexes. Yongno, the subject of everyone’s surprise, stumbled but managed to keep his balance.
“You’re throwing everything you have at me. I can only assume you’re not going to treat me nicely after taking me away… you’re probably planning on doing a lot of inhumane things to me, right?”
“We don’t know either. Our objective is to just bring you in.”
“Fine. Since I’ve been forsaken by my own family, I guess I shouldn’t even bother to put up a fight. Could you just give me a moment to say my last words?”
When Yongno realized that there was no escaping his fate, he became calm. In truth, he resisted only because he felt angry at this unbelievable situation. Now that he had time to think about it calmly, Yongno knew that it’d be wise to do as they wanted.
“… We won’t kill you.”
“I feel like that means you probably won’t kill me.”
Yongno turned his head to look at his family. They turned away and didn’t face him properly. Their expressions were full of shame and guilt. The father who was always stoic, but loving and considerate. The caring mother who was afraid of her son yet always did her best after giving birth to him. The brother who was blunt, but thoughtful… Yongno couldn’t see any of these characteristics in his family members’ faces now. All he could see were strangers who couldn’t overcome their fears.
“I-I didn’t do anything wrong. You’re the weirdo. I just…”
“Stop it.”
Seokwoo stopped Taewoong from continuing. No matter what, the final responsibility was Seokwoo’s, the head of the household. Though Taewoong and Miran had always felt afraid of Yongno, the decision to escalate things to this extent laid squarely on Seokwoo’s shoulders. The pressure and conciliations he had received from his military superiors were not entirely negligible, but his rank was also not low. He could have risked everything and used his rank to further protect his child. However, Seokwoo had not taken this path. Ultimately, what was transpiring was his fault.
“To be honest, I want to fight this. But in this situation, we’ll only end up hurting each other’s feelings, right? Rather than do that, I’d like to just ask you for a favor instead. Please take care of Eunhye.”
“But she is a stranger to me. We aren’t related.”
“You’re capable of preventing her parents from doing anything bad. You have your ways. Oh right, the video and voice recording files are in my desk’s lowest drawer. The key is in my wallet.”
“Yongno.”
Although she didn’t grasp the situation entirely, Eunhye was able to read the room. With anxious eyes, she grabbed onto Yongno’s shirt. Yongno felt gloomy for a moment when he felt her fragile and weak grasp, but unfortunately, there was no time to spare. Though he felt sorry and worried for her, there was nothing more he could do.
“Let’s get him out of here.”
“Y-Yongno.”
The men, who had fully regained consciousness and composure, separated Eunhye from Yongno, startling her. She tried to run after him.
“Yongno!”
“Sorry. I’ll… I’ll try to make it back as soon as possible. So, don’t cry no matter what, okay?”
“D-don’t go. Don’t go. Yongno… Yongno…”
“Don’t cry. If you cry, then I’ll feel…”
Suddenly, Yongno crumpled to the floor.
“Yongno?!” Eunhye screamed out.
One of the black suited men made an exasperated expression.
“Even a hundred-fifty kilogram fatty was taken out instantly by this tranquilizer. To withstand the tranquilizer’s effects until now? If we need to tranquilize this guy again, we better use two shots.”
“Team leader, I’m sure you’ve read the manual, but the amount of tranquilizer you’re talking about would likely cause cardiac arrest.”
“It’s better than letting him slip away. Anyway, the head manager is going to be happy with this test subject. Move him.”
“N-no! Yongno! Let him go! Yongno!”
“What would you like to drink?”
“Ah.”
Eunhye had been reminiscing on what had happened ten years ago, but after hearing the stewardess’ voice, she was brought back to the present.
“Coffee, please.”
“Thank you, miss. Enjoy your flight.”
As the stewardess walked off, Eunhye buried herself deep into her seat once more. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the men in black suits. She didn’t understand what was going on back then, but she now knew that Yongno’s family had sold their son to some unknown organization. Eunhye recalled another old memory. After Yongno was taken away, Eunhye had been thrown back into hell. Of course, Seokwoo had honored Yongno’s request to protect her, but her pain still continued from the moment Yongno disappeared. Because of that, she had to learn to be strong alone. She had to learn how to move forward while in a constant state of suffering.
“Disgusting memories.”
Yongno had returned after half a year. During his absence, Eunhye had gone through countless struggles and pain, so she had developed the personality that she had now. Through sheer repetition and effort, Eunhye had developed an unwavering persona. She was able to always maintain her calm and was hurt by nothing. Though she had developed this hardened persona, she had still shed tears when he reappeared. His response when she saw him, however, was the real surprise.
“Ah, sorry but… do you know me?”
His memory had been wiped clean.
Yongno had become a completely different person. In the past, he was energetic and wise, but he had become closed and inactive. He did retain his high intelligence, and would occasionally do something completely unexpected, but in the end, Yongno suppressed himself. If Eunhye were to take a guess, he had probably been put through some sort of terrible human experiment.
“I need to get stronger.”
It was then that she made up her mind to seek revenge on the people who had done this to Yongno. Just like how Yongno had protected her when she was young, she would become a protector to him. Of course, she wasn’t ready yet. She had tried her best up to now, but the only achievement so far was that she’d become an excellent student. She had to become a more powerful person, too.
“Much stronger.”
With a firm determination, Eunhye clenched her fists.
