The next day, Soo-ji's alarm shrieked like a dying bird for the fifteenth time before she finally cracked one eye open.
"Ugh…" she groaned, blindly slapping around until she felt a piece of paper stuck to her face. She peeled it off and squinted.
'Good morning, sleepy demon. Your breakfast is in the kitchen. Eat before you leave, don't forget to lock up, enjoy.'
"Sleepy demon? Really, Seo-jun? Someone wants to die" she mumbled, but a small smile tugged at her lips as she tossed the note aside.
A quick glance at her phone, and her smile vanished.
"I'm so late!" she shrieked, exhaling a frustrated hiss as she shot up from the couch. "I still need to get Grandpa's gift. Let's make it work."
She slapped her cheeks to wake herself up fully. "Soo-ji, you have ten minutes. Ten."
She zoomed into the bathroom, washing up at the speed of light, and emerged dressed in a printed short skirt with a body-hugging top. Her hair was tied into a messy bun that somehow made her look effortlessly cool, chunky boots on her feet, and Cheng's bracelet dangling on her wrist. She downed her coffee and scarfed down toast in three bites.
Glancing at the time, she grinned, breathless. "One minute left. Who knew being late could be this fun?"
She threw her handbag over her shoulder with a determined nod. "Let's do this," she declared, stepping out of the house like she was about to conquer the world.
---
Meanwhile, at Grandpa Hee's birthday feast…
Hours passed. Laughter filled the hall, but Grandpa Hee's eyes kept darting to the door, waiting.
"Grandfather, you expecting someone?" Do-yoon drawled with a teasing smirk, swirling the wine in his glass.
Grandpa Hee rolled his eyes. "Mind your business."
"Oh, did your favorite grandchild ditch you on your birthday?" Tae-hyun teased, flashing his pearly whites.
Whack! Grandpa Hee smacked Tae-hyun's arm with his walking stick.
"Was that necessary?!" Tae-hyun yelped, clutching his arm. "We're civilized people. Why can't we use our words?!"
Grandpa Hee's eyes softened with worry. "She always picks up my calls, no matter what," he muttered.
"Grandpa, she's fine." Do-yoon sighed.
"I want a search party sent out," Grandpa Hee said firmly.
"That would freak everyone out and ruin your birthday," Tae-hyun said, trying to calm him. "Do-yoon and I will go find her."
"I'll come too," Mr. Jun whispered behind Do-yoon.
Do-yoon's head snapped around. "Who said I'm going?"
"Hey," Grandpa Hee suddenly said, using the softest Grandpa voice ever, "Do it for me, huh? Consider it your birthday gift to your old man."
Do-yoon groaned. "What's this? You're suddenly speaking so nicely. Fine let's get it done with"
Tae-hyun dropped his glass of wine. Mr. Jun immediately stood, ready to sprint.
"Are you leaving already?" Hee-kwan called sharply from the table.
"Something came up," Tae-hyun replied, inching toward the door.
"And it's important enough for you to walk out on your grandfather's birthday feast?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Hey, let them go. It's fine," Grandpa Hee said softly.
"But it's your birthday!" she insisted, waving her spoon in the air.
"I sent them," Grandpa said, calm and final.
Hee-kwan squinted at them, tapping her foot. "Forty minutes."
"Aunt, that's barely—" Tae-hyun started.
"Thirty-five," she said, cutting him off.
"Okay, okay, we're leaving!" Tae-hyun said quickly, grabbing Do-yoon's sleeve as they walked out, Mr. Jun trailing like an eager puppy.
Meanwhile...
In a rusty, half-finished building that smelled of damp cement and rusted iron, muffled voices floated through the thick, heavy air, brushing against Soo-ji's fading consciousness like the scrape of sandpaper on skin.
She was tied to a chair, wrists burning from the rope, her head lolling forward as her vision swam in a foggy blur. Her mouth tasted of metal, and her tongue was too heavy to form words.
"Do you think she's waking up?" one man whispered, shifting nervously as his boot scuffed against the cracked concrete.
"I told you the trichloromethane wasn't enough," the other snapped, his voice trembling despite the bravado.
"What if the boss shows up?" the first man hissed, eyes darting to the doorway.
Soo-ji's head throbbed with a savage, drum-like rhythm as she fought to piece together where she was, her surroundings flickering in and out of focus—rusted rebar, torn plastic sheets flapping in the breeze, and the glint of a broken glass bottle in the corner.
"Should we drug her again?" the second man muttered.
"She can die if we do that. Let's just knock her out," the other replied, raising a hand to strike her.
But before the blow could fall, the heavy iron door crashed open, slamming against the wall with a boom that made them all flinch.
A huge man stepped in, shadows swallowing half of his scarred face as he walked forward, boots thumping, two rough-looking men trailing behind him. His presence soaked the room in a suffocating tension.
"What did you idiots do this time?" he drawled, dark eyes flicking lazily over them before landing on Soo-ji, tied and trembling, strands of hair stuck to the sweat on her cheek. "Who is she?"
"We don't know, sir, but it seems like we can get a good price for her," the first man said, forcing a grin that didn't reach his fearful eyes.
The boss tilted his head, a crooked smile pulling at his lips as he stepped closer to Soo-ji. He crouched down to her eye level, the scent of cigarettes and leather enveloping her as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Hey, lady," he said, his voice deceptively calm. "How much do you think you're worth, huh?" His hand shot out, yanking her hair back, forcing her to look into his dark, unblinking eyes. "Answer me. I don't have all day."
Soo-ji's vision fractured with pain, tears stinging her eyes as dizziness swirled like a storm in her skull.
"Sir, we—" one of the men tried to speak.
The boss's eyes snapped to him, cold and sharp. "What?"
"We made the call. He's on his way."
"How much?"
"Two hundred million won, sir," the man stuttered.
The boss's smile widened, showing teeth, as he let go of Soo-ji's hair, letting her head drop forward like a broken doll. "I'm impressed," he mused, patting her cheek—hard enough to sting, but not enough to knock her out. "You're going to make me very happy, sweetheart."
Suddenly, the air shifted. A soft creak of a floorboard, barely noticeable, but the boss turned sharply, his instincts screaming.
At the doorway, Seo-jun stood, his eyes cold as steel, holding an enticing brief case, even the faintest smile disappearing form his face.
"What do we have here?" the boss mused, his smile turning feral, a dangerous glint in his eye as he sized up the newcomer, the tension crackling like a live wire between them.