SOG Ch 71

The boat went around the concave terrain and approached the back of Mountain Owol. This brought them closer to Universal Park than the previous location. Beyond the ridge, the theme park’s immense lights could be seen.

The final destination was a closed fishing site located at the foot of Mountain Owol, adjacent to the river.

A clay-colored sign that read “Tumbeongi Fishing Site” was passed by. The sign was quite old and covered in dirt, bird droppings, and spiderwebs, making the writing barely recognizable. The boat cut through the damp reed forest and anchored at the dock. Blink’s guide also stopped guiding around that time.

“Prove that you’re better than that kid.”

The leader taunted Seon Jae-chan with these words. His wrists were the only things tied up, which implied that he was expected to walk on his own.

Close to twenty people stepped onto the deck.

The wooden planks creaked beneath his feet the entire time he was crossing. The only noise was that and the sound of insects crying. There was a big hole in the middle, so he had to jump over it, and the weak moonlight shined briefly in the black puddle.

Upon entering, the place seemed to be a two-story building of about 70 square meters. It appeared that this office was used for the fishing site as there were various mounted samples of freshwater fish by the entrance. Further inside was quite dim, and it smelled of dust. The outlines of the walls and the old furniture were faintly visible.

Only after the criminals had finished locking down the door and turned on the lights did the blackout roll-up screens that had been carefully lowered in each window come to light. There was also an extra amplifier device conveniently located in the corner of the living room.

Jae-chan’s eyes glanced in that direction unconsciously and then returned to the front. There were two amplifiers that were managed with unique serial numbers from the manufacturing process. It was clear that the criminals had connections to the Center or J Pharmaceuticals.

He has to grab at least the end of that line. If he followed the line without interruption, it would help prevent the emergence of the Black Swan.

“Move.”

His back was pushed. The corridor, which was littered with boards, tarps, and broken fishing rods, shrieked as loudly as the lighthouse. Seon Jae-chan noticed a back door at the end of the hallway but pretended not to notice it and followed the criminals. They turned to the right into an open space.

It looked like a kitchen. Beyond the messy sink and table, a man was dozing off on a metal stool.

“Wake up!”

The leader shouted. Sure enough, the man jerked awake, stumbling over one foot.

Now that Jae-chan saw the surroundings, it was clear that the man had been guarding the room. Perhaps this area served as a detention room. The watchman, with muddy streaks all over his face, stood up sluggishly. The leader asked.

“What about the kid?”

“Don’t even mention him. I’ve had enough of his nasty temper, so I starved him. But what is he?”

A thick finger pointed at Jae-chan.

“New hostage.”

The leader’s harsh voice fell. Jae-chan was pushed further, his wrists and ankles bound with tape. He was pushed into a utility room while the five criminals watched.

Inside, there was only one window with sturdy iron bars, more suited to an animal cage. Only the moonlight filtered through it. Thanks to that, Jae-chan could immediately confirm the identity of the “kid” the kidnappers had mentioned.

He was around six years old.

A chubby face with a pair of sharp, angry eyes.

Here was the face Jae-chan had not expected to see on the briefing board at Esper-Guide Central Management Headquarters for quite some time. It was President Gyeong Jeon-seok’s maternal nephew Han Roy, whose mouth was taped shut.

*

Han Roy kidnapping case.

An incident in which Han Roy, the only son of the wealthy Han family, famous for being a prestigious Esper family, and the nephew of President Gyeong Jeon-seok, was kidnapped.

At first, the police concluded that the newly hired housemaid was involved in the kidnapping, and they began their investigation accordingly. This conclusion was partly because the housemaid had changed Han Roy’s schedule as she pleased, away from the rigid timetable he strictly followed. On top of that, she had not reported these changes to her employers, Han Roy’s parents.

The two of them conveniently skipped a horseback riding lesson and casually visited Universal Park. And the child disappeared from the theme park in the blink of an eye.

Oddly enough, this case had no ransom demands from the kidnapper at all. As a result, the police initially concluded that the housemaid was an accomplice of the kidnapper and focused their efforts on locating the child, but they were doubtful about finding anything more from the housemaid.

The difficult kidnapping case reached a turning point after the Universal hostage incident.

The fleeing kidnappers, who claimed to be the central figures in the Universal hostage crisis, sent out Roy’s picture to the gossip media. They deliberately added that he was the child of a suitable small and medium-sized business.

The gossip media, which always jumps at the chance to publish provocative articles, covered the story with a headline that exposed only part of the child’s face. The Han family came to learn about the situation surrounding the case.

In other words, the criminals were so focused on the Universal Park hostage scenario that they had postponed their demands regarding Han Roy, whom they had caught for insurance.

The Han Roy incident was the second reason why Seon Jae-chan was held hostage.

It was also the basis for assuming that the Universal Park incident was somehow related to Black Swan.

Later, the criminals succeeded in receiving a huge amount of ransom from Han Roy’s father, Han Ji-hoon. The Center’s Intelligence Bureau found that this compensation greatly played a significant role in the early growth of Black Swan.

Of course, the person involved, Han Ji-hoon, had denied this repeatedly.

‘No, I didn’t give that much money.’

Seon Jae-chan remembered a certain time in the past.

When tracing the flow of Black Swan’s funds, the name of Han Roy’s father, Han Ji-hoon, came up. It was only natural that he was summoned to the headquarters of the department that was established for dealings with Black Swan. Sitting in the interrogation room, he defended his innocence with a stern face.

‘The only amount given to the kidnappers five years ago was 2 billion won. Don’t waste time questioning an innocent civilian like me; you’d be better off looking for more clues related to the technologists or angels.’

The interrogator who was dealing with Han Ji-Hoon that day was Han Tae-Hoon. Two very similar faces faced each other across a bleak steel desk. The two were brothers.

‘Tae-hoon. Are you still keeping me in check?’

Remembering the conversation he accidentally overheard as he served as Han Tae-hoon’s henchman, Seon Jae-chan shook his head.

Whether he gave 2 billion or some other amount, it was a fact that the money provided by Han Ji-hoon served as the foundation for Black Swan’s early days. When it comes to financial resources, they should all be cut off, whether they were primary or secondary.

Jae-chan made up his mind once again. Meanwhile, Seon Jae-chan was pushed into a musty corner of the utility room. The leader’s voice approached from behind.

“There’s no need to tape your mouth shut, is there?”

The leader pursed his lips and glanced at the small kid, whose mouth was tightly taped.

“I’ll say it again; prove that you’re more than the kid. Don’t just whine.”

In fact, the leader had suffered terribly from Han Roy. The spoiled young master’s temper was so unbearable that he was immediately tempted by Seon Jae-chan’s words, ‘Children are not good hostages.’

“But, boss.”

The large watchmen snooping behind him intervened.

“Shouldn’t we put a hook on the door now? This guy might try to escape.”

“Where can he run in that condition?” 

The boss snorted, but deep down he decided to buy a locking device tomorrow.

Seon Jae-chan just sat quietly, as if to prove his convenience as a hostage. Only after the criminals left and the door was closed did he look at the kid again.

“…”

Being in such a situation, it was natural to feel intimidated. Han Roy was glaring at Seon Jae-chan with menacing eyes. There seemed to be no sense of camaraderie due to being fellow hostages. Instead, his black eyes shimmered with animosity.

However, it was more of vulnerability than venom.

This was despite the fact that he subtly resembled President Gyeong Jeon-seok and had the appearance of a rice cake toad. He must have lived in a palace-like mansion without knowing anything about hardships, but the dark shadows under his eyes belied his chubby cheeks. It was hot even in the evening because it was June. There was no air conditioning, so the little boy’s curly hair was drenched in sweat and stuck to his forehead. For a moment, Seon Jae-chan felt a subtle pang of guilt, knowing that he had allowed a child to be kidnapped.

“…”

Despite it all, Seon Jae-chan had no choice.

He went further into the corner further away from Han Roy. It was very uncomfortable to lean on with his hands tied behind his back.

The effects of his abilities, coupled with the lack of guiding, left him feeling uncomfortably feverish. Why was self-guiding impossible? He looked up at the mold-covered ceiling as he reflected on the irrationality of his situation.

From the moment Seon Jae-chan intervened, the future began to change little by little, and it has now become something completely unprecedented.

His gaze shifted to the barred window. The moonlight was obscured by the clouds.

Seon Jae-chan’s eyes flickered briefly before returning to normal.