Passion Novel - Volume 4 - Chapter 97 - The Birch Forest

Looking back, this was the first time Jeong Taeui had ever been kidnapped. He’d come close a few times when he was younger, but it had never actually happened. His older brother, on the other hand, had been kidnapped before, though he always returned quickly. So, when he was young—that is, when there was still a risk of being kidnapped—he used to be scared, thinking, ‘If I get kidnapped, it’ll be terrifying, won’t it? The kidnappers will surely starve and beat me.’ But as he grew older, matured, and became too big to be kidnapped or abducted by adults, he stopped having such thoughts.

“I never thought I’d get kidnapped at this age…”

Jeong Taeui mumbled blankly.

Once in high school, he’d gone on a spontaneous backpacking trip alone during vacation and experienced a busjacking. That could be considered a form of kidnapping in its own way, but back then, it wasn’t specifically Jeong Taeui who was targeted. Now, he was a person of no particular importance, and he wasn’t alone, but still, Jeong Taeui had been specifically picked out and kidnapped.

Looking back, perhaps his life had been quite eventful. Busjackings, kidnappings. And yet, he was perfectly fine, so in his own way, he’d lived a lucky life. Moreover, if he were to insist on another stroke of luck, this first-time kidnapper didn’t starve or beat him, unlike what Jeong Taeui had feared as a child. He was confined, but food was provided on time, and they didn’t act roughly without reason. That’s not to say they were particularly gentle kidnappers; if the room got a bit noisy, they would pound on the door and yell.

Jeong Taeui, who had fallen asleep amidst a headache and dizziness, woke up a considerable time later. When he asked others, they said he seemed to have slept for about three or four hours. He didn’t have a watch, so he couldn’t know the exact time, but since people said it was anywhere from two to four hours, he averaged it out to about three hours. Still, he didn’t know when he had first woken up, so the exact time remained unknown.

There was one window, but it was boarded up from the outside, preventing him from looking out. However, at the very top, the board was a couple of inches too short, leaving a gap through which light filtered in.

“Around 7 or 8 PM… or maybe later?”

Jeong Taeui tilted his head. Through the two-inch gap, the sky was a deep navy blue, faintly tinged with a reddish hue. It was the time when the sun was setting and night was deepening.

Jeong Taeui picked up and chewed the bread the kidnapper had thrown into the room while he was lost in sleep, and looked around. The others were casually chatting about current affairs. There was no particular tension. Jeong Taeui felt a bit strange. In a kidnapping, important hostages generally don’t die. It’s usually the unimportant ones who tragically die first. So, in the one-in-a-million chance, Jeong Taeui himself would probably be the first to die… Still, it was odd how low the tension was, given how many cases of kidnapped people ultimately losing their lives were reported.

Jeong Taeui watched them for a moment and then let out a small laugh. But this atmosphere wasn’t bad.

They seemed to be a mix of acquaintances and strangers. However, confined together in one room, there was no real division between acquaintances and strangers, and there were only about five of them. Jeong Taeui occasionally interjected into their conversations, nodding along, and then, when the conversation paused, he suddenly asked,

“By the way, is everyone okay? I’m a bit scared. We don’t know who the people outside are, or what’s going to happen. I mean, nothing major will probably happen, but…”

The man next to him thought for a moment, then patted Jeong Taeui’s back consolingly.

“Don’t worry too much. It’ll work out. These things happen often when you’re involved with someone like Kyle. He’s good at negotiating, you know.”

The older man sitting by the window, echoing the man next to him, nodded.

“That’s right. Well, this isn’t my first time either, so I’m just taking it as it comes. Relax. That’s how fate works; if you’re fated to die, you’ll get hit by a car even if you go out for a stroll, and if you’re fated to live, you’ll survive even in the middle of a war.”

“Ah ha… I suppose so.”

Jeong Taeui chuckled. Indeed, thinking that way made things easier. If you believed you wouldn’t die no matter what, even if you were shot and dying, you could think, ‘If I just lose consciousness and open my eyes, I’ll be in a hospital,’ couldn’t you? Even if death was actually upon you.

Jeong Taeui didn’t know the instinctive fear and despair a person feels when confronting death not as a concept, but as a tangible reality, when death truly looms before them. It was because he had never personally experienced the moment his own life extinguished.

However, he had seen that fear and despair. Jeong Taeui knew what kind of eyes people had when facing death. He didn’t have to look far; he had seen it even at UNHRDO.

Thinking that, Jeong Taeui shook his head. A memory he didn’t want to recall surfaced.

“Hmm… but a kidnapping, Kyle must be in a bind. If the demands are easy, it’ll be fine, but if they want something difficult, it’ll be tough.…But if they were going to make easy demands, they wouldn’t have kidnapped anyone in the first place.”

Jeong Taeui shrugged and mumbled. But as he spoke, he genuinely became curious. How would they respond to difficult demands? It wouldn’t be a one-time occurrence, so they must have some way of dealing with it.

“Perhaps they don’t negotiate with kidnappers holding hostages and deal with them decisively…?”

Jeong Taeui mumbled to himself, then shook his head. No way, this isn’t America.

The black man sitting a little distance away gave Jeong Taeui a somewhat vague answer to his question.

“Now that you mention it, I heard a while ago that T&R used to have a dedicated department that handled these kinds of incidents. What was it called? I heard it once but forgot.”

Jeong Taeui nodded, saying, “Ah, I see.” Indeed, it was an unfamiliar story, but if it was a company where such dangers always existed, he could understand them having a dedicated team.

However, disrupting Jeong Taeui’s shallow understanding, the man sitting opposite him corrected him.

“No, that’s a bit wrong. I know what you’re talking about, but it wasn’t a department within T&R, and besides, it’s gone now. It was only around for about two years anyway, so it wasn’t there for long.”

“Ah, you mean that, the private commando unit that T&R funded and spun off into a separate company.”

The man next to Jeong Taeui also nodded, seeming to know about it. The black man who had first brought it up then spread his palms upwards, looking puzzled.

“If it’s a commando unit, it’s a commando unit. What kind of company is that?”

“No, it was a kind of mercenary company. It had a formal name, but everyone who knew about it just called it the commando unit. Its scale was very small, only a few dozen people, but they recruited people from well-known commando units or special forces whose names everyone would recognize.”

Listening to their conversation, Jeong Taeui vaguely recalled something. He hadn’t heard about it in detail, but a long time ago, when he was learning weapon engineering at the military academy, he had heard about various weapon manufacturers as an aside. T&R was among them, and he had heard about this briefly then.

A mercenary company that came from the same funding source as T&R. Although very small in scale, it was said to be excellent internally, bringing in only top-tier talent with its immense financial power. However, it closed down again not long after its establishment, supposedly due to public opinion. The conclusion of that explanation was that it was a highly unethical act for a weapons manufacturer, which could be called a necessary evil, to also operate a company that deployed combatants, and such a thing should not exist, they said, very morally.

“But if it’s gone, it’ll be difficult for them to help us.”

Jeong Taeui said, and the man nodded. His face was slightly creased, as if he was thinking something.

“Besides, I’m not really keen on them coming anyway; they’re all too rough. Well, I can’t really be picky like this when I’m kidnapped, but still.”

“Rough?”

“Hmm. Very rough. I saw them once when I was with Kyle, and they’re a bit… reckless, I guess you could say. They have that side to them.”

Jeong Taeui didn’t reply, listening to the man click his tongue bitterly and mumble. But he only muttered to himself, ‘You’re really being picky.’ Of course, being kidnapped wasn’t their fault to begin with, but this wasn’t a situation where they could choose who rescued them.

“I’d be grateful if anyone rescued me. Anyway, as long as I get out of here safely, what does it matter who rescues me?”

The man next to Jeong Taeui seemed to think similarly, shrugging and mumbling. The other man nodded, looking displeased. Then, as if he still wanted to push his point, he frowned and added one more thing.

“But that’s where people like Kyle’s brother were swarming.”

Jeong Taeui instantly fell silent. Even those who had been nodding indifferently, as if they didn’t quite understand, flinched and frowned. Those who were close to Kyle all seemed to know ‘Kyle’s brother,’ and their expressions subtly twisted. Noticing their reaction, the man added,

“No, I spoke too harshly… They’re not that bad, but they’re at least half as rough. So, sometimes I wonder if my life would even be safe if I were with them.”

At the man’s words, everyone this time nodded in agreement. Jeong Taeui was one of them, but inwardly, he lamented as he watched the others.

It was only natural, but Ilay had truly lost favor with everyone. He probably didn’t care at all, and it was his own doing, but it left a bitter taste in Jeong Taeui’s mouth.

“If someone like Riegrow rescued us, I’d be a bit worried. Would I really survive in that man’s hands?”

The man next to him mumbled, and people chuckled hollowly as if it were a joke. The man next to him also laughed along, as if he had intended it as a joke.

But Jeong Taeui wasn’t in the mood to laugh. He cursed himself for having just told the man by the window, ‘You’re really being picky.’ This situation clearly wasn’t one where he could choose his rescuer, but if given the choice, Jeong Taeui would rather stay here and live among the kidnappers than be rescued by Ilay.

“…Surely… Ilay isn’t coming to rescue us…”

When Jeong Taeui mumbled, the man by the window and the others all looked at him in surprise. As their gazes suddenly converged, Jeong Taeui flinched and looked up, and they were all staring at him as if they had heard something scandalous.

“…? Huh? Me?”

“You’re a dangerous young man. You shouldn’t call that name so casually. You’re still young, you should be careful.”

“Among people I know, someone met Rick for the first time, and it’s natural they wouldn’t know him well since it was their first meeting, right? That person accidentally called Rick’s name, and ended up with an eight-week injury.”

“You shouldn’t say that name. It’s a name that brings great trouble if spoken.”

People murmured in unison. Jeong Taeui quietly closed his mouth and recoiled.

Ilay. He hadn’t just lost a lot of favor; this was almost like stepping back and looking at a demon. It was never easy for a person to become like this, and now Jeong Taeui almost felt a sense of respect. Jeong Taeui closed his mouth in disgust. After a brief murmur, the topic, which had been avoiding the ominous presence, naturally returned to Jeong Taeui’s last words.

“But that man won’t come. Since he joined UNHRDO, he’s been busy having to do two jobs at once, so he hardly does anything else. The other day, when something similar happened, other agents he contacted handled it, and he wasn’t involved, they said.”

Jeong Taeui nodded at the man’s words. Indeed, Jeong Taeui also thought Ilay seemed to need two bodies to handle everything. He himself seemed to live quite leisurely, but UNHRDO’s work was actually incredibly demanding. He didn’t know for sure, but a branch of a company the size of T&R would likely have a lot of work, even if he was just observing. Ilay’s work speed was incredibly fast, but even when Jeong Taeui was there, the amount of work assigned to him was enormous. Moreover, if a man affiliated with UNHRDO were to directly intervene in an incident, not just show his face at a T&R branch under the pretext of ‘just checking on company matters,’ that would be grounds for criticism and trouble. Jeong Taeui counted them off one by one, nodding, “Hmm, hmm.” That guy wouldn’t go through such trouble to save a complete stranger—after all, he had never even seen a person named Kim Young-soo.

“…”

But just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine. Jeong Taeui rubbed his arm. Although he was only wearing underwear, it wasn’t cold given the season, but the thought immediately sent a chill down his spine. He couldn’t help but feel picky. If that guy came to rescue him, he would immediately run to the kidnappers instead. Though he didn’t know if they would accept him, a hostage of no particular value.

Thinking that, Jeong Taeui sighed, realizing that when a person was idly confined to a room with too much time on their hands, all sorts of useless thoughts came to mind.

Jeong Taeui stood up and went into the bathroom attached to the room. He hadn’t drunk anything, yet he felt the urge to relieve himself; the mystery of the human body. There was nothing in the bathroom either. It seemed all items had been cleared out, and nothing could be found except for basic fixtures like the toilet and sink.

Jeong Taeui looked around the bathroom while relieving himself. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a small ventilation fan high up on the wall. The vent was about a span wide and tall. It was too small for a person to escape through. But it seemed to be directly connected to the outside, as the dim, navy-blue sky was visible behind the fan blades.

“Hmm…”

Jeong Taeui thought for a moment, then reached out. There was nothing to step on, but it was just high enough for his hand to reach the fan. He could grab the fan blades.

Shk, he tried to turn the blade with his fingertips. It wasn’t sharp enough to cut, but it was quite keen. If he were to grab it haphazardly with his bare hands and apply force, his palm would surely tear. This time, he tried pushing the fan blade with his fingertips. It wasn’t completely stuck, but it was installed quite firmly. This, he thought, wouldn’t budge with a flimsy grip.

Jeong Taeui pondered. He couldn’t escape through that vent anyway. He briefly considered shouting for help to the outside, but the kidnappers wouldn’t be so foolish as to choose such a location. They would hear his shouts and rush in to stuff a towel in his mouth before anyone who could help passed by.

So, that vent was practically useless, he thought.

“…”

Jeong Taeui thought for a moment, then took off his underwear. He wrapped his underwear around his hand like a glove and went under the vent.

“Alright…”

Jeong Taeui, who had swung himself up and hung from the vent like doing a pull-up, supporting himself with one arm for a moment, reached out with his other hand, wrapped in underwear, and firmly gripped the center of the fan. Then, he placed the hand that had been supporting his body on the vent over the hand gripping the fan. After securing a good grip on the fan so he wouldn’t lose it, he pushed off the wall with his feet. He put his entire weight into shaking the fan. A few times, Jeong Taeui’s body swayed in the air. Screech, screech, an irritating metallic sound emerged. It wasn’t a very loud sound, but for a moment, the worry crossed his mind that those outside, beyond the bathroom door, might hear it. However, he rationally concluded that the sound only echoed loudly within the confined space of the bathroom and wasn’t actually that loud.

Three, four times, he gripped the fan and shook it with the recoil from kicking the wall. Although his hand was wrapped in underwear, the fan dug into his hand and hurt. His finger joints, where the edge of the fan touched, felt like they were about to break.

“…!”

The fifth time he kicked the wall, the fan, which had been emitting a long screeeeech, finally detached from the ventilation window. As the fan fell, Jeong Taeui, who had been hanging with his entire weight on it, also fell to the floor.

“Ugh…!”

Jeong Taeui, who had crashed onto the floor with his entire body, especially his tailbone, which had hit hard, trembled as he rubbed it. He wanted to scream that it hurt like hell, but he couldn’t make a loud sound, which made it even more agonizing.

Jeong Taeui, who had been crouched on the bathroom floor, clutching his tailbone, finally sighed and stood up after some time had passed and the pain had somewhat subsided. He couldn’t see it without a mirror, but he was sure it was bruised black and blue.

“Damn it, this hurts like hell…”

Jeong Taeui instinctively wiped away a tear that had welled up with his knuckles, grumbling. Then he looked up. The vent, where the fan had fallen out, was gaping open.

Jeong Taeui carefully patted his throbbing tailbone area again and approached the vent. He thought gloomily, ‘If I fall again, my tailbone area might shatter,’ but he still hung from the vent once more. With the obstructing fan gone, it was much easier to hang. Jeong Taeui pulled himself up, and although the vent was small and the ceiling was in the way, preventing him from seeing freely outside, he diligently looked out little by little, turning his head this way and that.

The first thing he saw were white tree branches. White branches extended abundantly everywhere his gaze fell. Even when he leaned his head sideways or craned it upwards, only the same thing was visible. He listened carefully. He heard no human sounds. In the silence, devoid of any human presence, a night bird suddenly cried out in the distance. Cool, clear air flowed in through the gap.

“…”

Jeong Taeui dropped from the vent and landed lightly on the floor. He saw his hands were covered in dust and brushed them off.

It was a forest. He had no idea where this forest was, or where in the forest he was. It seemed like he was in a lodge built in the woods.

He couldn’t say for sure what kind of forest it was, but if he could somehow sneak out of here, he might be able to escape by hiding in the forest…

Jeong Taeui sat on the toilet and fell into thought for a moment. But his thoughts didn’t last long. He heard a knock on the door from outside. A polite but urgent voice followed, asking if he was done yet, as they were in a hurry.

“Ah, I’m coming out now.”

Jeong Taeui readily stood up and shouted that. Then, just as he was about to leave the bathroom, he realized he was naked and quickly turned back to look for his underwear.

When he peeled off his underwear, which was still wrapped around the ventilation fan, it was covered in black dust.

“…”

Jeong Taeui held his underwear and silently stared at it, having to ponder for a while what to do with it until another knock came from outside.

In cases of kidnapping and confinement, the easiest thing to do is wait for someone to rescue you.

—He had heard people say that. But it seemed like a lie. It wasn’t the easiest; it was just that external help offered the highest chance of rescue, but it didn’t seem like the most comfortable option.

Jeong Taeui lay on the floor, looking at the window, and thought.

Day was breaking. The sky was turning a hazy bright through the gap above the wooden board blocking the window. Not even a full day had passed since he was kidnapped. But it already felt like several days. What could be more agonizing than just sitting and passing the time when one’s body isn’t free, with nothing else to do?

Perhaps it would be better to try to escape, Jeong Taeui thought, and he shifted his body. If he had had any suitable tools, he probably would have tried anything. It seemed better to try to escape and fail, getting beaten to death, than to die of boredom. …No, on second thought, it wouldn’t be much better. He hadn’t slept properly last night. It wasn’t due to a sensitive reason like a change of sleeping place. Because he had been dragged in after taking medicine yesterday, he had been in a semi-comatose state throughout the day, so he couldn’t sleep well once the effects of the medicine completely wore off at night. Even now, he had reached this hour by drifting in and out of sleep whenever sleep didn’t come easily.

Jeong Taeui tossed and turned in that ambiguous state where he wasn’t quite asleep but his head wasn’t completely clear, and finally sighed and sat up. It was agony to just lie on the floor when he couldn’t sleep.