Yoongi quickly threw on his clothes and exited the bedroom.
His hands shook with fear and his legs buckled, but he ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He would not allow the boys, especially SeoWoo, to be harmed. After all, he had promised her.
Reached the first floor, he froze in his tracks.
Jimin was lying on the floor, writhing in pain. He was moaning. His face was battered, and blood was coming out of his mouth. Jin, J-Hope, and Jungkook were kneeling under the watchful gaze of men in black suits. Taehyung was nowhere to be seen. Most likely, he had escaped and was hiding in a closet somewhere.
Yoona and SeoWoo stood in the middle of the hall with their hands tied. A man with perfectly styled dark hair sat on a leather sofa. He held a glass of expensive wine in one hand and a folding knife in the other, twirling it in his palm.
Do Hwan - is a well-known drug dealer in Seoul. He is only 25, yet everyone in the neighborhood fears him. He is ruthless. He is cunning. He is a killer.
He has innocent blood on his hands. He has no mercy for anyone. They say that he strangled his own father with his bare hands after his father got drunk and beat his mother. After that, Do Hwan became ruthless. Even his own mother is afraid of him.
Turning his gaze toward Yoongi, Do Hwan smiled slyly with the corner of his lips.
"Here he is, Min Yoongi himself," he said in a melodious voice. Everyone turned their attention to him. "Long time no see, Mr. Yoon. How have you been? Why didn't you answer my calls?" he continued calmly.
"Let them go. They have nothing to do with this," Yoongi said in a trembling voice as he looked at Jimin and then SeoWoo.
"No, Min Yoongi. They are here for a reason. Who did you borrow the money for? Whom you said it was for? For him?" He pointed at Jimin. "Or for his little sister?" He crouched down next to Jimin, who was writhing in pain. "He's not worth it. Neither him nor his lousy family. But I feel sorry for the girl. It's not her fault she was born into a family of losers. With that, he deftly dodged Jimin's fist. Gathering all his remaining strength, Jimin tried to hit the man for what he had said. "Quiet, little one. Save your strength for next time." Jimin continued to writhe in pain, curled up in a ball. "Do Hwan, I told you I'd pay you back the full amount by the end of the month," Yoongi began.
"The end of the month is still far away. I need the money now. After all, you borrowed a considerable amount. The deadline has already passed. That's why I called to warn you. But you didn't answer the phone. I had to come see you in person." He approached Min.
"Please, Do Hwan. They don't know anything about this. Let them go..." He whispered imploringly to the guy. "All right," he said with a smile as he walked toward the girls. "I'll let her go if you ask me to. But answer one question: Who is more important to you: Your friends or this girl?" He ran his hand down SeoWoo's cheek, making Yoongi flinch. "She's quite a piece..." He took a knife out of his pocket. "You should have seen how she struggled when my guys carried her out of the bedroom. She scratched like a cat." He pressed the blade against the girl's cheek. SeoWoo remained silent and showed no emotion. Only tears rolled down her pale cheeks.
"Don't..." Yoongi whispered, taking a step forward. The men in black rushed toward him.
"No, it's okay..." Do Hwan stopped them. "Let him come closer," he ordered. Everyone stepped back like obedient puppies.
"Let her go. You need me. Do whatever you want to me, just don't touch anyone. I'll get you the money."
"Look how scared he is," he said, hiding the knife and greedily eyeing the girls. This caused Yoongi to clench his fists until his knuckles turned white. "Let's go, guys. Take the girls away." He signaled his henchmen.
"No, you promised..." Yoongi shouted. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his body. One of Do Hwan's men had hit the boy so he wouldn't interfere.
Noise filled his head and blurry spots appeared before his eyes.
Yoongi could no longer move. Lying on the floor, he watched the girls being led away by men in suits. They tried with all their might to break free from the gangsters' grip. SeoWoo screamed, but Min couldn't hear her, he could only see the tears in her eyes.
"Twenty million won by the end of the day. I'll take the girls as collateral," Do Hwan said, crouching down next to Yoongi. "I'll let you know the place and time later. And don't you dare not answer my call. You'll take the beauties away in pieces." He stood up and headed for the exit.
~~~~~~~~~**********~~~~~~~~~
Yoongi barely opened his eyes. The excruciating pain in the back of his head still burned through him. He was lying on the couch, feeling the cold compress on his forehead. He saw Jimin leaning over him, holding an ice pack to the bruise on his forehead.
With a broken lip and a bruise on his cheek, Yoongi looked at Jimin, holding back tears from the pain. He held his stomach, where he had taken the most blows from the thugs.
"Are you awake?" a rough voice asked. Yoongi looked over at Namjoon, who was standing next to the couch. "How are you feeling?"
"What happened?" he asked, trying to remember recent events.
"You tell me what happened," said Joon, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Oh, my head..." Yoon groaned and clutched his neck.
"Hyung, they took the girls," said Jungkook, barely holding back tears as he looked at Yoon with puppy dog eyes.
"Yoongi, who are they? Why did they come here?"Jimin removed the ice pack from his friend's face.
"How long was I unconscious?" Yoon asked, hurrying to get up from the couch. Hoseok stopped him, pushing him back onto the couch.
"Yoongi, don't dodge the question," he said, raising an eyebrow. "They could have killed us. Who knows what they'll do to the girls? Answer me."
"Ah..." Yoon let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the floor, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. "I borrowed money from him," he said in a near-whisper. "I thought I'd earn it back in two months, but..."
"What money? What are you talking about?" Jimin interrupted.
"You needed money... For your studies and your sister's medication"
"But when did you..." Jimin muttered in surprise.
"You said you borrowed it from the bank," Hoseok interrupted, swallowing nervously.
"The bank refused me because I don't have a job." Yoongi shifted his gaze to Hobi. "So I went to Do Hwan. He gave me 20 million won. I worked for him for two months, agreeing to pay back the debt. But I didn't have enough time to collect the entire amount."
"When were you supposed to pay him back?" Namjoon asked.
"Yesterday. He called last night, but I ignored his calls. I didn't know he would find me here. I didn't know you would hurt, too."
"What now?" Jungkook asked, holding back tears. "What about the girls? What about Noona?"
"We have to save them..." Jin said.
"We don't know where they took them," Hoseok reminded him.
"I know..." Namjoon replied.
"Then we have to go there." Yoon jumped up.
"No, it's dangerous. I'll handle it myself. I already have experience with this kind of thing."
"Hyung, I brought ice." Tae shouted as he ran into the room. "Yoongi, are you awake? Oh, that's good." We were so worried.
"Well, thank you for not leaving me to die," he joked, grimacing from the pain in the back of his head. "By the way, where did you go? I didn't see you in the hall when it all happened." "Oh, that..." He scratched the back of his head. "I went to the bathroom and saw some guys in black suits. I hid, of course. I decided to call Namjoon."
"Where did you get his number?" Jin asked.
"I stole his business card from his pocket," Tae said, blushing.
"And something else..." Joon muttered, reaching out his hand. "Give it back."
"Sorry, hyung." Tae averted his gaze, took an expensive wristwatch out of his pocket, and gave it to the boy. The guy immediately put it on. "I'll go make a few calls. You wait here. Don't do anything without my permission. If you don't listen, everything will go down the drain."
"Okay, Hyung," the boys said in unison, lowering their eyes to the floor. But as soon as Joon left the room, the hallway became noisy.
"Yoongi, are we just going to wait here?" Hoseok asked, sitting down next to him on the sofa.
"There's nothing we can do right now. All we can do is wait."
"But you're not going to leave the girls, are you?" Jim asked, waiting for an immediate answer from Hyung.
"No, Minmin," he smiled and patted the little one on the head. "I won't leave them," he replied confidently, trying to swallow the painful lump in his throat.
***********************
The acrid smell of smoke mixed with the smell of gasoline inside the car. The leather seats were visible. The muffled sound of the engine could be heard.
SeoWoo could only perceive what was happening by sound. Her eyes were tightly bound with a black blindfold through which bright rays of light sometimes penetrated. Her hands were tied with wire that dug painfully into her skin, leaving bloody marks.
Goosebumps ran down her arms from the cold. She was wearing one of Yoongi's loose-fitting T-shirts that she had managed to pull on before strangers burst into the bedroom and dragged her out of bed.
Yoona is sitting next to her. SeoWoo felt her cold, trembling hands on her shoulder. She was also cold. And she is scared. She whispers something indistinctly to herself the whole time. Sometimes she falls silent. When she hears the thugs' voices, her whole body jerks with horror.
The car stops. The four men in the cabin get out, dragging the girls with them. They can't see anything. They walk barefoot on cold asphalt, which is soon replaced by wet, slippery tiles.
There is no sound around them except for the footsteps of the men in their boots and Yoona's sobs. She is still holding her friend's hand tightly.
An unpleasant smell of dampness fills the air. The girls are led down an endless-seeming corridor. Finally, they hear the creak of heavy metal doors. They are seated on a sofa and left alone in the room.
It's not as disgusting here as it was before. The room is warm. A faint smell of almonds and citrus lingers in the air.
In the corner, you can hear wood crackling in the fireplace. The flames are barely visible through the bandage. Her eyes are still tightly bound.
SeoWoo turns her head toward the sobs and tries to calm Yoona.
"Yoona, are you okay?"
"Onni, I'm scared," she whispered in response.
"I'm scared too, little sister. Everything will be fine."
"Will they come for us?"
"Of course they will," SeoWoo assured her, though she didn't believe her own words. "Yoongi promised..." she whispered.
Suddenly, the door to the room opened. Someone entered the room with confident steps and sat down in the old armchair opposite them, which creaked. There was the rustling of paper and the sharp sound of an ink pen signing something. A few seconds later, the stranger was already sipping cognac and clinking a glass bottle against a glass. The smell of alcohol hit her sharply as the man came closer. He stood nearby for a long time, silently watching the girls. Suddenly, it became light. An unpleasant pain pierced her eyes.
"Welcome to my little nest!" said the familiar melodious voice.
SeoWoo and Yoona slowly opened their eyes and gradually became accustomed to the bright light. Only then did they realize where they were.
The large room was decorated in dark red tones and resembled an office more than a living room. To their right was a fireplace, and to their left was the metal door through which they had entered. Behind them was a lot of designer mahogany furniture, leather sofas, a pool table, and much more, but that wasn't important right now.
A man in a perfectly ironed suit stood in front of them, leaning on the table and holding a glass of hard liquor. He smiled devilishly and licked his red, drink-stained lips after each sip. He took a deep breath.
"I'm curious. How did you get involved with these freaks?" he asked, voicing what had been on his mind for a long time.
"What's it to you?" Yoona said confidently, wiping her cheeks. "What business is it of yours? We met, and that's it."
"Oh, I see you have a personality, too," he said happily, chuckling slyly to himself. "So, you like the little one and you - Yoongi?" Do Hwan pointed at each of the girls. "I'm so lucky to have hit the double jackpot. Two tasty morsels are now in my hands. "
"Don't even hope for it..." SeoWoo replied. "We won't be here for long. They'll come." She didn't have time to finish her sentence before loud laughter responded.
"Did you really think Yoongi would come for you? Forget about it. He's no better than me. He's just as mean and cunning. That guy never keeps his word."
"He'll come," she whispered, barely holding back her tears. "I'd like to see that," he said, glancing at his watch. "Soon we'll see who was right. He has less than an hour left."
"What if he doesn't come? What then?" Yoona asked in a trembling voice.
"Then, my dear, I'll have a little fun. I'll have to hurt you a little..." He moved closer to her, took a knife out of his pocket, and pressed the blade against her pale cheek. "It'll be fun..." The girl couldn't hold back her tears. They rolled down her cheeks, and she jumped away from Do Hwan and hugged SeoWoo.
"They'll come for us, won't they?" she whispered.
"Yes, honey, they'll come. They'll come," SeoWoo replied, hugging the girl. She was scared herself now. What if they really wouldn't come?
8:00 p.m.
Yoongi paced around the house, unable to find a place to sit. He walked through the hall, the long corridor, and the kitchen again. He had already gone to the pool to get some fresh air, but there was still no call. Namjoon had also disappeared. The other guys weren't far behind Yoongi. They were just as worried about the girls. Jimin looked through his sister's photos and found a picture of Yoona taken at night while she was sleeping peacefully. He smiled. His chest tightened painfully.
It's time to take action. They have to save the girls.
Sitting next to Jin, who was almost asleep and staring hypnotically at the phone on the table, Hoseok nervously sipped his juice. Taehyung stared out the window the whole time, lost in his thoughts. He wanted to disappear, but there was nowhere to go. Jungkook was the only one who didn't sit down for a moment. He was on the phone, answering calls from parents trying to find out where their daughter and younger son had disappeared to.
Finally, Yoongi entered the room, sat down on the leather sofa wearily, and closed his eyes. His head was in complete chaos. It was difficult to focus on one thought because a million thoughts were racing through his mind. It was hard to breathe, as if someone had placed a huge stone on his chest. His throat was dry, and his wounds and bruises began to hurt. It was becoming unbearable because Yoongi was not the type of guys who wait. He wasn't the type to obey orders, either. But today was different. Two lives were at stake, one of which had become more precious to him than his own in just one night. He was about to start searching when a phone call suddenly pierced the silence. Do Hwan's name appeared on the screen. The guys all jumped up from their seats.
Yoon reached for the phone. His muscles tensed, and his heart pounded wildly.
"Yes, Do Hwan," Yoon managed to say.
"In an hour at my favorite diner. You know the address. And no surprises." You know what I'm capable of." The line went dead. The guys looked at Yoon expectantly, but he stood silently, staring into space while holding the phone.
"Yoongi, what did he say?" Jimin asked. "Oh, look! Namjoon left the mansion in his car," said Taehyung, watching as Joon drove away.
"What are we going to do now? Just stand here?" Jimin asked, realizing that they had to act on their own.
"No, Jim." Yoongi glanced at the boy. "Get ready," he ordered, throwing his jacket over his shoulders and checking his pockets.
"But Joone said..." Jin began.
"I don't care what he said," Min said angrily. "I'm not going to wait for the girls to be returned to us in pieces."
"He's right," Hoseok said. "We have to try to save them, or at least die trying."
"No one is going to die. I'll take care of everything. Hurry up; we don't have much time."
Yoongi headed for the exit. The boys looked at each other and followed him. They didn't care anymore. They had to save the girls' lives, even if it meant dying themselves. They couldn't just give up.
8:45 p.m.
Near the diner...