IMFOBO | CH 3 | Midday Chase

^{Midday Chase}

 

Eun-cho blinked, her mind struggling to catch up.

 

What the hell is this lunatic spouting now? And with such a straight face, too!

 

A mental lightbulb flickered erratically.

 

It took her a moment to grasp the gist of his question.

 

He was speaking Korean, but her brain was processing it like gibberish. It was so rude and vulgar.

 

Even Eun-cho, normally praised for her quick wit, was momentarily speechless, utterly dumbfounded.

 

Her eyes widened like a rabbit’s, and a near-moan, a sound of utter disbelief, escaped her lips.

 

“I’m quite a moral person, you see. I just want to be clear about this.”

 

After dropping such an absurd bomb out of nowhere, he dares to bring up morality?

 

The very idea of him imagining a three-way relationship was impure, yet he had the nerve to talk about ethics? It was beyond ridiculous.

 

“What on earth are you talking about?”

 

“I’m not interested in splitting hairs. Just a yes or no answer from Lee Eun-cho.”

 

“Ha!”

 

What kind of psycho was this guy?

 

He looked normal on the outside, but the more she saw, the more she realized he was completely nuts.

 

At that moment, the man’s gaze sharpened.

 

He glanced past Eun-cho’s shoulder, then, with a swift movement, he vaulted over the veranda railing and dropped to the ground below.

 

Despite the considerable height difference between the raised platform and the ground, he moved effortlessly.

 

His reaction speed was almost animalistic.

 

“Ryu Jung-seok!”

 

His voice boomed across the expansive traditional house.

 

Eun-cho instinctively turned her head and saw Jung-seok just entering through the middle gate in the low wall.

 

He was still wearing his white coat, as if he’d rushed straight from the clinic.

 

His worried expression turned ashen the moment he spotted Ryu Tae-san.

 

Like a startled deer fleeing a tiger, Jung-seok immediately spun around and bolted.

 

He disappeared at high speed through the densely planted trees.

 

The stark contrast between the lush greenery and the white coat was surreal.

 

“Jung-seok!”

 

Seeing the desperation on Jung-seok’s face, Eun-cho couldn’t just sit there idly.

 

Ever since arriving in Cheonglim Village, Jung-seok had been constantly on edge.

 

Even the creak of the clinic door opening would make him jump, his hand holding the acupuncture needle trembling like a frightened animal.

 

It was clear he was running from something.

 

Having witnessed all of this, Eun-cho could only see Ryu Tae-san as a predator about to sink his teeth into Jung-seok’s vulnerable neck.

 

Jung-seok had only been eking out an existence in this remote village for less than three months.

 

Now, it seemed, his escape was about to end.

 

She couldn’t stand by and watch her friend be dragged away like a dog.

 

Jung-seok’s image flashed before her eyes, superimposed over the bloodied face of the gangster.

 

And the thought that Su-ji might also disappear without a trace filled her with dread.

 

Ryu Tae-san, a nutcase from head to toe, was a man with money and power.

 

She couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of harm he might inflict.

 

There was no way gentle Jung-seok could handle a man like that.

 

And so, Eun-cho ran without thinking.

 

She didn’t even understand the story between the two men or even the reason why she was running.

 

“Stop!”

 

“Like hell I will, you idiot!”

 

Jung-seok’s reaction was vehement.

 

It was the first time Eun-cho had ever heard such crude language from the normally gentle Jung-seok.

 

It must mean he was desperate enough to reveal a hidden side of himself.

 

Could it be that Jung-seok was in debt like her?

 

Or perhaps there was an unspeakable problem with his relationship with Su-ji?

 

Her mind was a tangled mess.

 

To make matters worse, she felt a burning sensation in her thighs because she used muscles she didn’t usually use.

 

“Jung-seok! Run!”

 

It was a bizarre midday chase, like a game of tag gone wild.

 

Jung-seok in the lead, Ryu Tae-san in the middle, and Eun-cho bringing up the rear.

 

As if fueled by an indomitable will to avoid capture, Jung-seok dove into a tea field.

 

The expansive tea plantation was neatly organized but also had a labyrinthine layout.

 

Even though the tea plants were only shin-high, they were bound to hinder their progress.

 

Jung-seok had been living here for almost three months.

 

He must have become familiar with the tea field over the past season.

 

If she could just stall that brute for a little while, Jung-seok would have a decent chance of escaping safely.

 

However, with her stamina depleted, catching up to Tae-san was easier said than done.

 

Her heart felt like it was about to explode.

 

Eun-cho stopped, hands on her knees, gasping for breath, her eyes following their increasingly distant cat-and-mouse game.

 

They were headed for a dead end, so they’d have to turn around soon.

 

‘If I run in the opposite direction and cut them off…’

 

She could turn the tables.

 

Eun-cho’s gaze hardened with determination.

 

It was enough that she was being harassed by loan sharks.

 

Biting her lip, she sprinted with all her might.

 

Her goal was to separate the two men.

 

“…!”

 

If that’s the case, then she’ll use her body.

 

She would use all her power and body to stop that man.

 

Just as Jung-seok rounded a corner and ran toward the village, Eun-cho jumped between them and blocked the way.

 

She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for a hard collision with Tae-san.

 

She was fully prepared to lose a tooth or two.

 

But then…

 

Using the momentum of his run, Ryu Tae-san effortlessly scooped Eun-cho up into his arms.

 

It was as if he had anticipated this from the start, and had already prepared on how to use this to his advantage.

 

Then, the man slung her over his shoulder, and her vision turned upside down.

 

The verdant tea field filled her vision, a dense patchwork of green reflected in the dark brown pupils.

 

The man’s scent, stronger than the fresh fragrance of the tea leaves, made her head spin.

 

“Ugh!”

 

“I’ll just borrow Lee Eun-cho for a moment.”

 

What on earth did he mean by “borrowing” someone in this situation?

 

They were speaking the same language, but she couldn’t understand this man at all.

 

To kidnap someone and carry them upside down with such gentle manners was absurd.

 

His actions were no different from a gangster, yet his polite tone of voice as he followed formal etiquette was ridiculous.

 

“What are you doing? Put me down!”

 

But what was even more absurd was that she was being helpless, at his mercy.

 

Her heart pounded rapidly, startled by the sudden turn of events.

 

She felt a surge of heat in the spot where she was pressed against him.

 

She didn’t know if it was from the man’s body heat or because it was a particularly hot early summer day.

 

With every gasp, a strange scent filled her lungs.

 

She felt like she was about to fall to the ground.

 

Terrified, Eun-cho pounded on the man’s back with her fists, still dangling upside down.

 

Her hair fell loose and whipped around her face, blurring her vision.

 

But his body, as tough as thoroughly tanned leather, didn’t budge.

 

“Ryu Jung-seok! Hostage here!”

 

At the man’s shout, Jung-seok, who had been running far ahead, suddenly stopped.

 

Tae-san looked at Jung-seok triumphantly.

 

As if to say, he will see how long he will last.

 

A tense atmosphere filled the air between the two men as they glared at each other.

 

Eun-cho twisted and writhed, but he simply shifted her slightly in his arms.

 

It was all useless.

 

“Oh, you’re going to fall like that.”

 

“I said put me down!”

 

When his strong arms tightened, a small sense of relief spread.

 

After such an act, she thought he would put her on the ground, but how wrong she was.

 

“…!”

 

Tae-san changed his posture, lifting Eun-cho as if she were a light piece of paper.

 

Even more, this time it was in a princess carry.

 

In an instant, she found herself in the arms of a man she’d just met.

 

The blood slowly returned to her face, but the problems still remained everywhere.

 

The biggest problem was that their eyes were locked too deeply.

 

His handsome face was too close.

 

“I said you’re going to fall!”

 

His perfectly defined shoulders, prominent Adam’s apple, and smooth face filled her vision.

 

Eun-cho, who was completely immune to such situations, turned pale.

 

Even in this situation, the corner of his mouth, tilted only on one side, made him look like a scoundrel.

 

“You should be careful.”

 

Who created this awful situation?

 

He was worried as if nothing had happened.

 

His face was ruthless and showed no concern.

 

As the man intentionally loosened his grip on her shoulders and legs, Eun-cho swallowed a scream and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

 

It was an instinctive gesture to avoid falling and breaking her tailbone.

 

“That’s right, like that. Good job.”

 

‘I’ve been had.’

 

Even as she glared at him, he just smiled leisurely.

 

What a completely new kind of crazy person! He was a new type of human that she had never experienced before.

 

“Put her down quietly, You crazy bastard.”

 

Jung-seok, who had come closer, snarled.

 

Only then did Tae-san release his embrace and gently placed Eun-cho on the ground.

 

She could breathe again only after a distance of about a hand.

 

He didn’t even glance at Eun-cho, as if he had achieved his purpose and had nothing more to do with her.

 

“What’s going on here?”

 

“Yeah, my busy brother came all the way to this rural backwater, but even treating me like a stray dog would be better than this. Are you doing it here?”

 

Brother?

 

Ryu Jung-seok had two brothers. One was a complete stranger, the other was a total piece of trash.

 

Instinctively, Ryu Tae-san was the piece of trash.

 

The crazy bastard that makes you get tired of life if you get involved with.