Song Areum woke up to an extremely blurry vision. She blinked a few times to clear her vision as memories of what happened before she lost consciousness flooded in, giving her a pounding headache.
She groaned while reaching up to rub her forehead but found her hands were tightly bound. As her vision finally cleared, she registered her environment. She was in an empty warehouse with her hands tied behind a chair, judging by the empty crates in the corner and metal structure.
"How cliché." She muttered and rolled her eyes at this scene. She could already guess what was going to happen to her. She had already experienced being kidnapped multiple times before. It was the price that came with being Song Yun Gak’s prized granddaughter and in the past, the future Madam Choi.
To test the strength and expertise of the kidnappers, she yanked her wrists and found out that it was perfectly knotted where each jerk or motion would only tighten it.
"Just great." She sighed, leaning back in her chair to await her kidnappers’ conditions. What was it this time? Money? Humiliation? Secrets?
She pondered over the options and wondered if she had a checkbook in her purse to buy them out. If these men can be bought with money and not loyalty, it should be easy to swindle them out as long as she was able to triple the rate they were paid with.
She looked at the tin roof and saw there was a window up there. The sky was dark which meant night time had come. A smile fell on her face. These men have screwed up.
Park Jimin would already be on his way to her house or he was already there and discovered her absence. She was sure that if anyone could find her, it would be him. Or maybe her grandfather had already made his move, since her shadow bodyguards would have reported something to him.
Her eyes scanned the environment once again, this time carefully assessing her surroundings. Aside from the empty crates she first saw, she now noticed that there were sturdy wooden crates that had dirty plastic covers haphazardly thrown over it. Her eyes squinted to read the "handle with care" labels on the boxes.
What was in them? This obviously wasn’t a simple warehouse. She leaned to her right to check out the box closest to her but it was at least a few feet away.
If she squinted hard enough, she can tell that the items inside were still wrapped with brown paper. Whatever was in these cargo boxes must’ve been important for it to be so well-protected.
Her purse was nowhere in sight. If they rummaged through it, she was sure the dagger she always carried in her person had already been discarded by now.
When she finally started showing herself in public again, Song Areum didn’t bother to walk around with any security detail to the disbelief of her grandfather.
Her relationship with Choi Soobin had been publically severed. Not only that, in the process of doing so, he announced his greatest weakness. Now, the enemies of Choi Soobin had an actual target in mind and it was none other than the woman he pranced around with in public.
After a few minutes of utter boredom, while her mind produced zero escape routes, she grew tired of waiting for her kidnappers to show up. Seriously, shouldn’t someone be in here with her to monitor her? It seems these people are quite confident with their skills. For all they know, she could’ve been planning a grand escape by now!
Just as that thought crossed her mind, she heard something outside. It sounded like multiple cars rapidly pulling up. Within seconds, the door to the warehouse opened and several men walked in.
Song Areum’s eyes turned sharp and focused as she watched them enter. She counted at least thirty men all dressed in black.
While their faces were covered, she noticed all of them had a symbol tattooed on their hand. It was clear from the way they carried the weapons on their hands and the formation they were getting in that they meant business.
"Good evening, gentlemen. What a fine day it is." She greeted them with an amused smile on her face. To show them fear was to show them a weakness.
She decided to act nonchalant despite the fact that she was growing wary. The weapons they had with them were to inflict a lot of pain, but not enough to immediately kill. If they were going scare her to intimidate her, she knew she’d survive. But if they were planning on murdering her, they planned on doing so through an immense amount of torture.
"To what pleasure do I owe your presence?" She added while surveying the masked men in front of her.
A man who seemed like the leader of the group stepped forward. He was the only one not wearing a mask.
She was surprised to see someone so young be the leader of a gang. Unlike his burly comrades, he was lean and does not seem like someone who beat people up for a living. His appearance was well-kept and he was actually wearing a black suit. But his eyes were a completely different story. She saw the bloodlust within it. It made her very wary of him. She knew from experience that it was the ones who hid their crazy that was the most dangerous.
"Good evening, young lady." He greeted her with a sinister smile spreading on his face. How interesting. This was the first time a woman didn’t scream bloody murder or beg for them to let her go. This one seemed smart.
"I hope you don’t take this too personally." He gestured to her bound wrist and ankles.
Song Areum chuckled. "None taken. It’s your job. I get it." She shrugged, deciding to play into the little game.
"So, what is it that you want to get out of me? Money, information, or is it just a simple beating as a warning?" She tilted her head, pretending to comply with them.
She wondered if they still had her purse. Inside her phone and wallet were trackers that her grandfather had installed in case something like this happened to her.
They might have been smart enough to destroy their phone but no one would guess there was a small button on her wallet that functioned as a tracker.
The leader felt his smile spread at her words.
It seemed she was already used to kidnappings which were fun and boring at the same time. Boring because she already knew the protocol and he wouldn’t be able to sense fear radiate from her.
That was usually the best part of these kidnappings! But it was fun because her reactions would be extremely refreshing and unexpected, which made him look forward to dealing with her.
"A beating." He answered her, nodding his head to his men that stepped forward.
She raised a brow. Just a beating? Nothing else? "And how much were you paid?" Her eyes scanned the different array of weapons in front of her.
It didn’t look too shabby, but it did look clean which meant they were either new or they were just cleaned really well. She hoped it was the former.
"Now that, young lady, is private information." He mused, watching her eyes scan his men. Despite seeing the metal bats, knives, and brass knuckles, she didn’t seem to shake or cringe back in fear.
This was getting really interesting.
"Hm, I assume you were requested to keep the exact number private. But can I get an approximate amount?" She was hoping to delay time or at least buy them out.
"I’m afraid your little plan won’t work on me." The leader chuckled and made a two finger gesture. That was all it took for the first strike to land on her stomach.
Song Areum gasped for air as excruciating pain spread throughout her entire body. She was glad that she had not had a bite to eat the whole day so she wouldn’t vomit from the hit. The man had punched her right in the stomach with so much force, his pointed brass knuckle tore right into her clothes and ripped it.
She panted as her body braced for another hit. Her body clenched tightly in self-defense. She knew exactly what they wanted to hear and see. In a situation like this, the torturer would only hit her harder in order to see her break if she acted strong.
When the next hit came straight for her stomach again, she let out a cry of pain.
It wasn’t that hard really, especially when it actually hurt. She felt something wet trickle down her stomach and knew immediately her skin had broke.
Her head dropped as she struggled to breathe properly and her vision became extremely hazy. The pain in her stomach was burning now.
She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her own blood pool down to her belly button. Simply bleeding brings back memories that she never wanted to remember. Images flashed in her mind. Finding a puddle of blood beneath her, soaking her white skirt and turning the pure satin material a crimson color. She rapidly blinked, refusing to let that memory resurface.
Without warning, someone had grabbed her hair and yanked her whole body with it. Once again, she let out another cry of pain. The sharp pain caused her to wince which hurt her more because of the stinging in her stomach.
"How disappointing. I thought you’d put up more of a fight." The leader said, sighing in boredom. When he had seen her act of serenity in such a dire situation, he thought she would be different. He thought she wouldn’t submit so easily.
"It’s a pity, really. If you hadn’t offended him, your beautiful body would not be ruined like this." He cooed while feeling her cheeks with the back of his hand, the cold and rough leather of his gloves taunting her, sending goosebumps up her spine.
If she was foolish or stupid, she would have already spat at him and bitten his hand, but she knew better than angering him further. He talked too much, that was for sure. He had already given away the gender of the person that wanted to harm her. Now, she only needed a name.
"W...whatever...he paid you, I...I will double it." She heaved. The simple task of breathing was difficult. Every time she moved, a sharp tingle would shoot up her body, which she had no choice but to ignore.
"Hm, he said you would." The leader said while twirling the butterfly knife in his hand.
She watched his long fingers play with the dangerous blade and just then, an idea came to mind. She knew her ankles were tied together, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t move them. They were not bounded to the chair.
"But you see, sweetheart, wait, I can call you that right?" He asked her, chuckling at her pathetic state.
When he first laid eyes on her, he found her to be incredibly beautiful. Albeit too confident for his taste, it didn’t diminish her appearance.
"Whatever you want." Song Areum warily answered, her eyes scanning the men. She could easily tackle the weakest link right in front of her. But with thirty men to fight against at the same time, that would be quite hard.
"Your purse was emptied and let me tell you, there’s nothing in there that could go beyond what he had paid us." He told her, lifting a hand for one of his men to bring the purse to her.
"I can...wire you more." She breathed out, staring into the empty bag.
Her wallet was nowhere in sight and she could only pray that they didn’t toss it out the window of their car after taking out the handful of cash she usually carried.
There was a high possibility that they’ve rummaged through her purse when they were transporting her here. Her wallet and purse may already be rotting on a dirt road somewhere.
"Tsk tsk, I was hoping you’d be smarter than that." He wagged a finger in front of her face, like a father scolding his daughter.
"If I let you get more money, your precious grandfather would be after us the minute you have any bank activity. Isn’t that right?" He asked her, pulling out her wallet from his pocket.
She silently cheered in her head. So he hadn’t thrown it out the window! Her hopes died down when he opened the wallet to reveal the crushed button.
"What era do you think we live in? It’s so easy to scan this trash with our machine and find the tracker." He scoffed, insulted that such a cheap trick was pulled on him.
Song Areum had gotten her second hint. The man who hired him must have some sort of power or connection to extremely advanced technology that wasn’t released to the public yet.
The tracker was of the highest technology and was something manufactured by the military. A simple scanner would not be able to detect it, no matter how advanced one’s machine was. This meant the leader was lying.
"Oh and don’t think we’re that dumb either. This thing was long destroyed on the road." He shrugged, tossing it behind his shoulders. She jumped when he suddenly clapped his hands, the sound echoing around the warehouse, taunting and scaring her at the same time.
He laughed at her expression, amusement dancing on his face. "Now, now, don’t be so frightened. What happened to that confident woman from before?" He taunted her and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder.
She stiffened under his touch, her lips turned into a scowl. "What do you want? What is your purpose for kidnapping me?" She asked him, eyeing his hand with disdain. Although he appeared calm and collected, the crazy look in his eyes had unsettled her.
All of a sudden, a hand struck her face so hard it had given her whiplash. She gasped at the stinging pain. The smack took her by complete surprise.
"Don’t glare at me like that, wh*re." He hissed, offended that she had looked at him the wrong way. The laughter disappeared from his face and it turned chillingly cruel.
Her cheeks burned in pain and a bruise had begun to form. She opened and closed her mouth, attempting to loosen the jaw that had locked upon getting hit.
She winced when he roughly grabbed her jaw and painfully squeezed it which caused more agony.
"Just because I’m nice to you for one second doesn’t mean you have the right to look at me with those beady little eyes of yours." He seethed and without warning, punched her stomach again.
With the force of the punch, she convulsed and bent over, as if she was going to throw up. He immediately took a step back, not wanting to get dirty because of her.
She seized this chance to suddenly surge her foot forward, driving her heels right into his shin.
"Son of a bit-"
She doesn’t wait for his reaction before suddenly standing up. The chair weighed down her back, causing her to hunch forward.
"Crazy motherfuc-"
Using her entire body, she swung her back and the heavy chair slammed right into the man on her right. She heard the chair crack and when she felt a presence draw closer to her, she used her entire body weight to jam the chair right into the man. By heaven’s luck, it happened to land straight at his chest.
CLUNK!
She knew the chair was close to breaking. Her eyes saw momentary hope that she was close to winning when suddenly, a bloodcurdling laughter rang throughout the air.
What followed after the laughter was loud clapping sounds from the men surrounding them, but she didn’t waste any time. She knew it was to momentarily distract her so that the men could all pounce at her.
She didn’t care about the noise as she swung her body again. This time, the chair connected with something else. Instead of another body, a hand had grabbed the leg of the chair, forcing her to remain in place.
Because she was slightly hunched over, she couldn’t see anything else other than the long legs of her captors.
"You’ve put up quite a good fight." Someone spoke to her, his voice different from the leader. It was gruff and deep, highly similar to the men she knew who had been smoking two packs of cigarette a day.
"Huh?" She feigned confusion, pretending to relax her body and finally surrender. Right when she felt the grip on the chair loosen the slightest bit, she attempted to jump back and launch a surprise attack against him.
Did the plan work? No.
The man’s grip instantly tightened on the chair again, so much that she barely budged an inch. At lightning speed, a punch landed right into her abdomen. She choked at the pain that spread throughout her entire body.
"Is that...the best you can do?" She heaved. She wanted to taunt him to rile him up so that he would be so blinded by anger that he would do something to her.
In her mind, the best case scenario would be that he would toss her onto the ground and the impact would be able to break the chair. The worst case scenario is that he would pummel her into submission.
It was the latter because right after she said that, he had roughly shoved her face into the floor, her forehead crashing against the hard surface.
A pounding headache kicked in, and her vision became hazy. Black dots tainted her vision as everything spun before her eyes.
She was surprised she was still conscious after having been hit in the head so hard just now. Just then, a plan came to mind.
’Fake it till you make it’, She thought to herself.
She decided to taunt him more. "Pathetic, that didn’t even hurt— "
He slammed her head onto the ground again. This time, she could barely think straight from the pain and forced every inch of her to concentrate on her plan.
She needed to anger him further.
"I guess you guys did not cost that much because that was weak—"
Enraged, he let out a roar and flung her body to the side, the chair slamming into one of the crates, causing a loud bang that echoed within the warehouse. The sound of wood shattering into bits and pieces followed as the chair had now completely broken. Song Areum ended up lying in the midst of various sizes of wooden shards, some of them sticking onto her skin.
She forced her body to go limp as her eyes slammed shut. She pretended the force had knocked her unconscious. Her heart was pounding so erratically, the only thing she could hear was the loud thumping of her heartbeat. She could barely hear the conversation going on.
"You overdid it again. Now she’s knocked out." The leader sighed, his mood was completely ruined by the outcome of events.
At first, he was really impressed that she could switch between different facades. She started off confident, then meek when she received the first blow, but suddenly attempted to put up a good fight with his men. It was really amusing to see her attempt to fight off thirty men — she barely harmed any of them. The sight was hilarious until his right-hand man ruined the fun.
"She wouldn’t shut up." His burly friend replied, his voice as rough as ever. He disdainfully eyed the woman whose face had become ghostly white.
Even if parts of her face are covered with the blood that had dripped from the wound on her forehead, her lips were busted, and a bruise had formed on one of her cheeks, her alluring face still shone. She’s still a beauty even after being beaten up that he couldn’t help but internally chide her for being in this circumstance.
If only she had been smart and kept her mouth shut, she wouldn’t have brought this upon herself.
"Boss said not to damage her face. Look at her. It’s her best asset. He needed it for an exchange." The leader frowned, shaking his head in disappointment. He knew he shouldn’t have brought Ma Hong while dealing with her. He was simply too rough when it came to women.
"An exchange? What for?"
The leader shrugged. "It’s a woman, what else could it be for?" He walked over to her, his ominous footsteps getting louder and louder as he approached Song Areum.
’An exchange?’ Song Areum became worried.
It seems she’s the bargaining chip for something, but for what? She thought about possible scenarios but the only thing that she could think of was human-trafficking. But they would definitely not go to this extent in beating her up if it was for that purpose.
She pushed this thought aside and listened to his footsteps. Her anxiety level was rapidly increasing as he approached her. She could already tell what he was planning to do. She clenched her stomach, and just as she thought, he kicked her. He was checking to see if she was truly unconscious.
It was extremely hard to ignore the pain that was pulsating through the entirety of her body. Every inch of her brimmed with agonizing pain, so much that she could barely think properly. Breathing had already been hard for her and his fierce kick had made it even harder.
"Hm, no reaction. She’s knocked out for good." The leader tilted his head to his friend. "How do you want to wake her up? Cold water to the face or torturing her to the point where her own pain wakes her up?" With how casual and bored he sounded, one would think he was simply discussing the weather.
"What do you think about the limb-cutter?" A voice answered, followed by another pair of footsteps.
"Boss forbade anything that would permanently disfigure her. He just wanted her to be brutally beaten up to be taught a lesson. We have three days to make sure that stubborn brain of hers won’t work again." The leader replied, turning his head to his people.
"Bring the electric chair and crank it up to full intensity." He added, clapping his hands in glee at the idea of using his latest toy.
The man who paid for her to be kidnapped and tortured had sent him the gift that he always wanted but never got around to buying because of how expensive it was. Now that he had finally got what he wanted, he couldn’t wait to test it out on her!
Terrified at the idea of being tortured to the point of no return, Song Areum knew she needed to leave this as soon as possible.
Song Areum concentrated on her environment.
Only a handful of people knew that she had combat training and the circumstances of how she got it. None of those people would let this fact leak, and she was confident that whoever had planned on having her beaten into submission is not aware of that.
Part of that training was being taught how to detect the presence around her. She counted at least 20 pairs of unique footsteps walking out of the room she was in. Their steps were generally heavier than the leader’s and she knew that the burly ones are all used to straightforward beating, unlike the leader’s more creative and brutal ways of torture. She faintly remembered that there were at least 30 men who had entered the warehouse which meant that around 10 people had been left behind to guard her.
Peeling her eyes open by the tiniest crack, she saw there was no one within her vicinity. They had left her lying on the floor, seemingly believing that she was truly unconscious. Although she was very close to losing her vision, her will to fight and survive was enough to push her body to stay awake.
The ropes on her wrists and ankles had gotten uncontrollably tight from being tossed around. However, that didn’t mean she couldn’t try to cut her way out of it.
Without the chair as an obstacle, she finally had access to her waistband.
These morons must’ve been really stupid to not have conducted a full body check on her. But then again, she couldn’t blame them because the location where she hid her little weapon was too hidden. All of her clothing had a small flat blade hidden within it, and this pair of jeans was no exception.
She strained her fingers just so she could reach the little opening near the leather label of her jeans. The label was at the back of her waist line which made it harder to reach for. The task was incredibly strenuous since every little movement she made, the rope kept getting tighter and tighter. She was sure her fingers would lose circulation within the next three minutes if she didn’t act fast.
She kept her eyes closed as she spent the next minute attempting to grab the blade. She nearly sighed in relief upon feeling the cold metal against her fingers. Two minutes left. She attempted to cut the ropes but the blade had been dull from all of the months of not being used.
’Come on...’ She muttered internally as she struggled to cut the rope.
She felt time starting to run out for her, for her fingers were beginning to feel numb now. She knew there was only a few seconds left before her hands were completely unable to move any further.
The time ticked and she could no longer feel her fingers. She wriggled her arms a bit and finished cutting the last piece of the rope, and instantly, blood was pumped into her fingers.
The moment she had gotten her hands free, she knew she had to work fast on her ankles. However, she was not in a position where doing so will not catch any attention.
She took a deep undetectable breath and opened her eyes a bit. With the timing, she chanced upon the warehouse door opening as a heavy green chair was brought in, along with several men hauling in some sort of machine to power it.
The leader clapped his hand in glee, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his dream torture weapon. "Wonderful! It’s as beautiful as I’ve imagined!" He happily said as he walked over to run his hand over the material.
"Hurry up and connect it! Bring in the rest of the machines!" He ordered, quickly reminding his men to grab the remaining supplies from the truck.
He was about to follow them out of the warehouse but then remembered why the chair was brought back in the first place.
He started walking with them to exit the warehouse but he suddenly did a quick turn to see if she was still unconscious.
Song Areum was thankful for her quick reflexes which enabled her to immediately close her eyes the minute she saw he was about to turn around. Her arms remained in the same position as before. From a faraway distance, she looked as if she had not moved a single inch.
But the leader felt something seemed off. He grabbed one of the subordinates he saw and pointed towards her, leaning closer to instruct him. "Go and take a good look at her. I think the b*tch is awake."
"Yes, sir." The man had started walking but then paused in his steps. "And if she’s awake?"
"Knock her out or keep her in place. She’s a feisty one, so use this." The leader handed him the nearest weapon he could get his hands on and it just happened to be the same butterfly knife that he was playing with earlier.
He was still unfamiliar with this subordinate because this was the first mission this newcomer had joined and he had not yet proven himself. The leader didn’t trust him enough to allow the man to handle a gun, so at best, he gave him his dagger.
"Scare her with the knife, but make sure not to leave any permanent marks on her. We need that pretty little face of hers to remain unharmed." With one last pat, the leader excitedly walked out of the warehouse, lured by the idea of quickly testing out his new toy.
The man eyed the useless butterfly dagger in his hand. Although the weapon was sharp and light, it was too small to do any proper damage.
Releasing an aggravated sigh, he knew it was better to just take the knife instead of complaining about it. It was only his fifth day on the job, he didn’t want to be kicked out so quickly, especially when this was his first well-paid job.
Song Areum wasn’t able to hear the exchange but she did hear the sound of approaching footsteps. She was surprised to hear that this time around, only man was coming nearer.
It seemed the Heavens really favored her tonight...
She waited until he was standing close enough to see the broken ropes before she suddenly pounced up, catching him by complete surprise. She quickly covered his mouth, muffling his panicked cry.
She narrowly avoided the upcoming knife attack and saw her chance of success. She kept her eyes on the entrance and saw that the warehouse was practically empty as most of them went out to collect the supplies.
Her temporary distraction gave him the chance to tackle her and he nearly flipped her over his shoulder.
’So he’s a judo practitioner.’ She thought to herself, immediately anticipating the moves he was about to make and quickly sidestepping them.
"Sorry about this, bud." She whispered to him as she repeatedly jammed her razor blade into strategic areas in his body. She could feel his struggle in her arms, but she didn’t care anymore. At this point, it was his life or hers.
She saw crimson stains start blooming on his white shirt and her mind was flooded with memories. She blinked and within seconds, she saw red. Without warning, she continued to jab her razor blade against his skin.
Within seconds, he had collapsed onto the ground, bleeding all over the place. His bright red blood only triggered her further.
She snatched the butterfly knife from his hand and used it to quickly cut the rope tying her ankles. Right as the rope fell, she heard a whirring sound flying straight to her head. She swiftly ducked to the right.
THUD!
The knife struck the wall behind her. She breathed out in shock at the near-death experience and raised her head to see the leader with a furious expression on his face.
Standing behind him were his men, this time they were armed with guns.
"Well, well, just as I’ve predicted. You’re awake." He bellowed with anger. His face was distorted in fury, but his countenance was still calm for some reason.
"You will pay for killing one of my men with your own blood." He started to close the distance between them and chuckled at the way she held the dagger in front of her as if such a puny thing could do any harm to him. It seems she had forgotten that they were surrounded by his men that were armed with firearms.
"If you place the knife down and be a good girl, I’ll think about showing you some mercy." He thought back to what his boss had told him. They just needed to beat her up, but she needed to be kept alive.
He had been informed that she knew basic self-defense. However, her current stance highly suggested that she was ready to kill whoever dared to get in her way of escaping this situation.
He didn’t want to risk more of his men getting injured because that would require medical attention. None of his men would step foot into a hospital knowing that the authorities would be notified instantly if they saw knife or gun wounds. He just needed to make sure she would submit to him in order to prepare her for the exchange.
"Mercy? What kind?" She pretended to ponder over the idea when in reality, her eyes were scanning the men advancing towards her.
Just then, she realized the weird stance they were in and the expression they were trying to hide. Although it was barely noticeable, she saw some of the men’s eyes flicker between her and the boxes that surrounded her. Was that why they were so wary? In the corner of her eye, she deduced that the lids on the crates were only placed haphazardly and that from where she was standing, she could easily reach out to get the contents.
"I’ll have less of my men share you." While he answered her, he gestured to his men to spread out and approach her from all sides. Capturing a woman was usually easy, but this woman was unpredictable and slippery.
"Really? That’s the best you got?" She asked and suddenly placed her hand into the crate.
He panicked upon seeing that and screamed, "Grab her!"
He was not aware whether she knew how to use a gun, but those crates were definitely not empty. It was still filled with unused firearms.
Song Areum felt the familiar hard plastic graze her fingers and she immediately knew what it was. She roughly yanked it out as shredded paper fillings fell on the floor.
A slow and dangerous smile spread on her lips upon seeing the Mark XIX pistol. She marveled at the beautiful gun before her, breathing out in astonishment. She ran her fingers over the beautiful metal piece.
A dark chuckle left her lips. This fight hasn’t even started and she already won.
But one gun wasn’t enough. While they all rushed to grab her, she had felt around the crate and realized it was filled with an assortment of firearms. Judging from the gun she had pulled out, most were probably fully stocked with ammo. Wonderful.
She succumbed to the darkness she had grown accustomed to fighting. She was now on autopilot. Her eyes glazed over the minute her finger unlocked the trigger, and she allowed the beast within her to take over.
WHOOSH!
Her left ear twitched, picking up the sound of a bullet flying straight towards her. At the last second, she had managed to tilt enough that the bullet only grazed her skin before going right through the thin metal wall behind her.
Her foot moved on her own, guiding her away from the bullets that were headed towards her. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply before firing the first shot. She felt as if her entire body was a machine in itself, dodging every bullet and weapon while she aimed at them.
BANG!
Screams reverberated throughout the warehouse. One of the men grabbed his leg in pure agony, collapsing onto his knee and while his guard was down, a bullet flew into his forehead. A clean and instantaneous kill.
It took merely ten minutes for the entire warehouse to light up with sparks, the smell of gunpowder permeated the air. The men who were previously surrounding her dropped like flies. More bullets pierced through the air, each shot a straightforward kill that left no room for mercy.
Duck. Shoot. Duck. Duck. Shoot.
BANG!
Duck.
BANG!
Like a frenzied monster freed from her chains, Song Areum shot without hesitation. Each bullet was able to land perfectly on the target.
The bloodlust in her eyes was terrifying.
One would think she was a trained killer instead of the wealthy and frail heiress she was previously known for.
Her aim and speed were incredible and although she never strayed far from the gun-filled crate, not a single movement has gone to waste. The combination of her footwork and marksmanship was incredibly deadly. They had never seen a woman wield a gun and truly turn it into a weapon for mass murder by herself.
"Pistol at five o’clock. Sniper at two." She muttered to herself.
A bullet whirred past her once again, missing her body. She was ready to blast the Mark XIX on her hand towards five o’clock, but the gun only made clicking noises.
No more bullets.
She had been pulling out loaded Mark XIX pistols from the crate while tossing the empty ones at the side. This time around, she managed to pull out an assault rifle. Unlike the Mark XIX that was easier to use for precise shots, she had less control over assault rifles. It uses up bullets too quickly and if one couldn’t match the intensity of the different rounds of bullets fired all at once, they would be blown backward due to the recoil of the gun.
She dug her foot into the ground and hid behind the wooden crate. She breathed in deeply and exhaled through her mouth just as she took the daring decision to begin firing randomly.
The first bullet grazed past the leader who dodged in time but that didn’t mean the bullet had stopped moving. It struck the man right behind him.
"MA HONG!" The leader roared, turning around to face his fallen brother. His knees wobbled at the sight of blood pooling around his lifeless brother. He was the same man that had slammed Song Areum’s forehead into the floor repeatedly.
"BROTHER HONG!" The sniper was distracted by the death of his longtime partner and this was his first mistake. The second was leaving his defenses wide open. Before he could even start grieving, a bullet flew straight into his skull, coming out the other side.
Twenty-eight down. Two more to go. She thought to herself and aimed her assault rifle to where the pistol wielder was at. But he was gone. When she shifted around, she realized she too had let her guard down.
BANG!
A bullet flew towards her, seconds away from landing into her skull. She gasped. Although she hurriedly dodged, the bullet still managed to deeply graze the side of her neck, blood instantly flowing from the wound.
She had been moving too fast which had caused the earlier wounds from her body to bleed profusely. Her adrenaline has started to die down, and her vision began to spin from the blood loss.
She gritted her teeth and knew she couldn’t afford to lose focus. Another round of shots was fired at her, but it felt like her eyes saw the bullets in slow motion. The fire spark came from three o’clock.
BANG!
She had managed to dodge and shoot another headshot. The man collapsed onto the ground and instantaneously a pool of blood formed around him.
The entire warehouse floor was covered with the blood of the fallen. The mixture of gunpowder smell and iron were pungent enough to clog her nose. Her eyes were apathetic and hazy as she nonchalantly glanced at the dead bodies littering the room. To her, they were nothing but sacks of flesh and bones. This scene felt all too familiar. It was something she had gotten used to witnessing on a daily basis for two years of her life.
"Ma Hong..." The leader sniffed, falling onto his knees as he cradled the head of his lifeless brother.
"Twenty-nine down." She muttered under her breath. She had entirely succumbed to her hidden beast. She stalked the pathetic leader who was threatening her earlier.
"One more to go." Her voice was airy and cold. Her own voice didn’t sound familiar to her. And this wasn’t her, but the demon she had kept hidden at the back of her mind. Now the demon had been let out, and she doesn’t know if she can contain it again.
She lifted her assault rifle, her finger hovered over the trigger as she placed the barrel a few inches in front of the crying man.
Before she got around to killing him, tens of men flooded into the warehouse, each one of them wearing protective gear. They were led by men holding bulletproof shields followed by the others who wielded a variety of weapons.
Helicopters whirred in the air just as the entire warehouse was surrounded by cars, more armed men climbing out of it. The car headlights from outside had filtered inside the warehouse, as well as the helicopter light through the window on the roof. The sudden blast of light forced her to cover her eyes.
Despite the chaotic sound of hundreds of footsteps coming from all directions, one pair of footsteps stood out in particular. This one was heavier than the others. She felt his overwhelming and authoritative presence before she saw his face.
She felt her heart drum in anticipation of the familiar aura that was stalking closer and closer to her. She removed her hand and her heart skipped a beat when she saw him.
Walking in his full glory, long legs that seemed to stretch for miles, his suit jacket blowing in the wind, hair swept to the side, was the man she had fallen in love with — the same one who refused to leave her brain at any given second. Her heart calmed. With him here, she felt safe.
Standing in front of her, with his hands tucked in his front pockets, was a man whose face and aura would put the Gods to shame. He was just that enticingly handsome.
"Park Jimin...?" She whispered, blinking in confusion while the dark shadow that covered her consciousness gradually disappeared. As the demon that had taken full control of her faded into the background, the bloodlust in her eyes slowly receded as well.
She rapidly blinked. It was then she finally regained her composure. Her eyes scanned the hundreds of men that swarmed into the room, their guns pointed straight at her.
She looked around and saw the lifeless bodies on the floor. The pungent smell caused her nose to crinkle in disgust. She swallowed, knowing exactly who caused this mess.
Park Jimin was at loss for words. He had a hard time connecting this bloodthirsty woman to the frail one who had been securely tucked in his arms earlier in the day.
When he was just a few distance away, he had heard multiple gunshots being fired. He feared he had arrived too late. And when the gunshots slowed down, his sense of urgency further heightened.
He had expected to see her naked body on the floor, covered in blood. He had expected to see her lifeless eyes, blue lips, and disfigured body covered in bullet wounds.
Relief flooded his heart when he fully realized that she was alive and not the one covered in bullet holes. The pressure gripping his heart had loosened now that he saw she was safe.
He looked at the dead bodies on the floor and noticed some men only had a bullet wound on their forehead. It was a one-shot kill. He stared at the assault rifle in her hand, trailing it to her finger that was positioned over the trigger. She was the one firing the gun.
Song Areum saw his heavy gaze centered on the rifle in her hand. He had just seen what she had always wanted to hide. At the fear of being judged by him, she instantaneously dropped the gun, the loud clack echoing through the quiet warehouse.
He had shown her how vicious he is with his enemies and she responded by not showing fear towards him. But he looked as if he couldn’t do the same. With his brooding stare, she was not sure if he could accept the monster inside her and how messed up she is.
He would not accept her, the way she did for him. Her heart ached at the idea, her face crumbling with each passing second. She felt a chill run through the warehouse and hugged her stomach as anxiety kicked in. She took a few steps backward to create distance between them.
"I-I-I-" She didn’t know where to begin and it didn’t take long for her to nearly stumble over her own feet.
Her bloodthirst is now long gone, and all she could feel was prickling pain at the thought of his rejection. The dangerous woman from before was nowhere in sight and what replaced her was a hesitant and frail-looking doll that looked as if she might break any minute.
Park Jimin saw her attempt to create further distance between them. His eyes took in her messy appearance. She had a wounded forehead, one of her cheeks were swollen, and blood was trickling from her neck. He can’t even tell where else she was bleeding from anymore.
His eyes darkened at the realization, anger flashed across his face. Who did it? Who was foolish enough to harm his woman?
When she saw his displeased expression as he looked at her, she felt her world crumble into fine dust. Tears burned at the back of her eyes, threatening to fall as a lump formed in her throat.
She prepared her heart for the hurtful things she was sure he was about to say. Her heart was hammering so fast against her chest, she thought it would burst.
She wasn’t scared of his burning anger or the insanity hidden within his heart. She wasn’t scared of his fury that burnt hot and fast, turning everything in its path into ashes. She was scared of what came after the anger.
She was terrified of the ice-cold demeanor he used on strangers, and that he could give her the same treatment. To be rejected by him would be worse than experiencing the harshest frostbite on the coldest day of winter.
She sniffled and braced herself for the pain that would soon come. She felt dizzy and her feet wobbled. It was unknown whether she was shaking from fear or the loss of blood. Her face looked like a wounded kitten who was forced to lick her own wounds.
"Say something..." She whispered though she knew he couldn’t hear her. When he still didn’t move or change his expression, what little self-esteem she had left disappeared, like insignificant dust blown away by a single breath of air.
She attempted to blink away her tears, refusing to let it trickle in front of so many people. Hugging her stomach tighter, she cast her eyes downwards so that he’s no longer in her view. The longer she looked at him, the more her heart felt like it was being torn into pieces.
Park Jihoon saw his brother’s frozen expression while he just stared at the woman before him. He can’t believe how low his older brother’s EQ is. He had mobilized a lot of their resources just to find his woman and when he finally does, he just stands there instead of running towards her and sweeping her into his arms. Did he really send so many people here just to have a staring competition?! Has he always been this dense?!
He frowned, turning to look at the poor woman hurting because of his brother’s low EQ. He saw her become teary-eyed when she saw his brother’s murderous aura. If his idiotic brother didn’t do something, she might really cry!
This woman is still Song Yun Gak’s granddaughter! What if she cried to her grandfather? Song Yun Gak might send the entire army after Park Jimin!
Park Jihoon gathered his courage and prayed to be saved from the consequences. Roughly, he nudged his older brother and hissed, "Don’t just stand there like a fool! Go get your woman! Don’t you see she’s injured?"
Park Jimin didn’t even budge despite the strong push at his shoulders. But that tiny push was all he needed to start walking towards her. He was too caught up with ideas of torture for those who inflicted pain upon her to realize his silence was breaking her.
His footsteps were slow at first, steadily increasing until he found himself speed walking towards her.
"Areum." He breathed out, taking off his large suit jacket, and swung it in the air like a magnificent cape. It fluttered in the wind as he placed it upon her shoulders. Immediately after, he pulled her into his arms in a tight hug that nearly crushed her bones.
"You’re safe. I’m here." His first sentence was from the relief of finding her alive. The next was an apology of arriving too late and putting her in this state. He didn’t know what else to say, for what could be said at this moment?
Flashes of her expertly playing with a dagger at the banquet and pulling out a gun in her bedroom danced across his mind. He should’ve known better. Even with the recollection, he was still bewildered to see her in action. The lifeless bodies on the floor. Her finger on the trigger. Her bloodthirsty eyes. Just who was his woman?
Song Areum was surprised by his hug and could barely register the warm gesture in her mind. Her arms were still wrapped around her stomach. The familiar feeling of being enveloped in his arms had calmed her heart. Her eyes tiredly fluttered close. Slowly, softly, she became unconscious in his arms.
Faint screaming could be heard in the background, the voice she always wanted to hear kept telling her to stay awake. But the sound was getting farther and farther until her entire world of black became quiet.