TGIC Ch 27

Chapter 27

At that moment, Vasily’s voice came through once again.

– Guide Kwon Gidam. Where are you right now?

“I don’t know… Judging by the surroundings, it looks like an abandoned building… Cough…”

My voice came out hoarse from the cold. I cleared my throat, but the thick dust in the air turned it into a severe coughing fit.

Sitting here like this made me feel like a tragic heroine kidnapped by villains in a movie. How did things come to this? My life has been anything but smooth ever since I got involved with Vasily.

“This really isn’t the time for chit-chat. Yeah, maybe I should show you the state your guide is in.”

Perhaps disturbed by how casually we were conversing, the kidnapper switched the call to video. Suddenly, my haggard face appeared on the screen.

Vasily’s camera seemed to be off, so the screen only showed black. I tried to turn my head to hide my disheveled appearance, but the kidnapper roughly grabbed my chin and lifted it. The unkind touch made me instinctively scowl.

The fever-reddened, pathetic face reflected clearly on the screen. Showing this face to Vasily, of all people, was incredibly humiliating.

“I’ll text you the location. If you’re not here within an hour, this guide dies. If you want to save him, you’d better come alone.”

Were they really going to kill me? But I wasn’t even Vasily’s guide… Feeling wronged, I muttered under my breath.

“I told you, I’m not Vasily’s guide…”

“Shut up!”

With a smack, my head snapped to the side. A sharp sting spread across my cheek. I spat out the metallic taste in my mouth, and bright red blood splattered across the floor.

– Guide Kwon Gidam.

Just then, Vasily’s voice came through the phone again.

-I’ll be there soon. Hang in there a little longer.

His voice was sunken low. It was chilling enough to make even me shudder. I couldn’t reply before I realized the call had ended.

After the call, I glanced sideways at the kidnappers. They weren’t getting out of this unscathed. Whether they realized it or not, they were grinning smugly, thinking their plan had succeeded since Vasily would be coming alone.

They really should run while they still can. But letting them go could mean danger for me again in the future—so it’d be better for me if they were dealt with here and now.

“…Haa.”

My condition was steadily worsening, so I decided not to resist further. Besides, it didn’t seem like they planned to harm me before Vasily arrived.

Perhaps to show Vasily, they even took pictures of me in my disheveled, bound state. I frowned at the men chuckling as they looked down at me, then gave up and lay quietly on the floor.

Go on, take your pictures… You lot won’t even exist in a few hours. I decided to let them have their fleeting hope, too pathetic to pity, since they didn’t even realize the doom heading their way.

“Hmm… Something’s missing.”

“Should we chop off his wrist and toss it in front of Vasily? Didn’t you lose your wrist because of him?”

Wait, what did he just say? I hurriedly turned my head and confirmed that one of the men was indeed missing a wrist. The other, hearing the suggestion, agreed that it was a good idea to cut off mine.

…That changes things.

The kidnappers left briefly to find something to sever my wrist. I squirmed and managed to sit up.

Still bound hand and foot, I searched for something sharp to cut the rope, but all I found were broken wooden furniture pieces. Glancing around, I spotted a half-shattered window and made my way toward it.

With my tied hands, I managed to open the window. I looked down in hopes of escaping—and saw that I was on the fourth floor.

If it were the second… no, even the third floor, I might have risked jumping. But trying to leap from the fourth floor while tied up would lead to an obvious outcome, so I couldn’t even attempt it. Maybe if I landed well on the trees below, I’d survive?

As I calculated my chances of surviving the fall, a car approached from the distance. I brightened visibly. It was too dark to see clearly, but when someone with silver hair stepped out, I was certain—it was Vasily.

“Vasil—!”

“Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Just as I tried to call out for help, the men returned and spotted me at the window, shouting harshly. I turned pale as I saw the chainsaw in their hands.

They were actually going to cut my wrist—with a chainsaw?

At this rate, it was going to turn into a gore film. Without another thought, I threw myself out of the window.

“Vasily! Catch me!”

Vasily was still some distance from the building, but I trusted his monstrous physical ability. As I felt my body falling, I clenched my teeth and shut my eyes. I desperately hoped the next thing I felt wouldn’t be the dull crunch of hitting asphalt.

Thud.

“Guide Kwon Gidam.”

As expected. Strong arms caught me midair.

Feeling the chill of his icy embrace, I opened my eyes. Beneath the dark night sky, Vasily’s face shone brightly. He smiled as radiantly as the moonlight—so much so that I thought I was dreaming for a moment.

“I told you to stay put.”

“And you expected me to stay still when they were coming at me with a chainsaw to cut off my wrist?”

“…Yeah… that would’ve been difficult.”

My heart pounded. Realizing that I was now safe, the sharp tension that had gripped me suddenly melted into a thrilling sense of relief.

“…Haha.”

It was far from a laughing matter, yet laughter escaped my lips. Unable to stop it, I eventually burst into full laughter. Watching me, Vasily also began to laugh.

We laughed together for a while, facing each other.

The kidnappers belatedly stuck their heads out the window to look down. They saw us laughing like lunatics and panicked, trying to flee—but the abandoned building and everything in it froze solid on the spot.

Leaving behind the ruined structure now encased in ice like a massive glacier, Vasily turned away with me still in his arms.

Thus, the kidnapping incident came to an end.

Still in Vasily’s arms, we reached the car he had parked.

Vasily set me down in the passenger seat and untied the ropes binding my limbs. Once free, I moved my sore body, and Vasily reached out, placing a finger lightly over my split lip.

A chill swept across my lips. Even without looking, I could tell he was staunching the bleeding.

“Should we head to the hospital first?”

“No.”

I immediately shook my head at Vasily’s suggestion. Without hesitation, I firmly refused, and Vasily mumbled under his breath.

“…Did you hit your head too?”

He looked at me like I was insane. I returned the same look, then calmly replied.

“It’s not a serious injury. There’s no need to go to the hospital for something like this.”

“….”

“And I’m tired. I just want to go home and rest right now.”

That was the excuse I gave Vasily—but the truth was something else entirely.

Going to the hospital too often was dangerous. They might discover the suppressant chip embedded in the back of my neck during tests. If it were forcibly removed and the matching rate test conducted again, my life would be over.

“…In that case, I suppose I have no choice.”

Though clearly displeased, Vasily accepted my decision and started driving home.

After a long ride, we finally reached my place. Returning to a familiar location, I let my guard down. As I prepared to get out of the car, Vasily said to me:

“Guide Kwon Gidam, pack your things.”

“…Huh? What do you mean…”

“Stay somewhere else for the time being. There happens to be a vacant house—I’ll lend it to you.”

“I don’t want t—”

“Your address has been exposed. Who knows if something like this will happen again. Are you seriously planning to keep living here?”

I fell silent.

This time, Vasily was right. Just as he said, people with grudges against him might come for me again in the future. Continuing to stay here, knowing that, would be a foolish risk.

I finally escaped being Vasily’s guide—only to die meaninglessly in something like this? Not a chance.

“…Is it really… a vacant place?”

“Why? Are you scared to be alone? Should I stay with you?”

“No. If it’s not alone, then I don’t want it.”

“It’s a pity. If you’d said you were scared, I was going to come with you.”

From the way he said it, it seemed Vasily really did plan to simply lend me the house and live elsewhere. In that case, I had no reason to refuse.