CH 56.1

“It’s here.”

The owner opened the warehouse door. Yoo-hwa looked beyond the wide-open black door.

“Do you usually get the prizes from this place?”

Yoo-hwa abruptly asked.

“What? Ah, yes.”

“By the way, you said it was a mart event…”

Yoo-hwa’s eyes slowly scanned the interior of the mart.

She did not see a single publicity leaflet related to the event or promoting it. If the event was big enough to give a gift certificate for every tissue and wet tissue bought, publicity was a must.

Yoo-hwa carefully stepped back. She could receive the prize outside, and if she was going to take a picture, the bright interior of the mart was much better than the dark storage. She had a bad feeling.

“What’s wrong?”

The owner asked with a smile. However, perhaps because he was anxious, he couldn’t even hide the act of biting his lips and repeatedly clenching and opening his fists. The cold air flowing from the refrigerator at the mart trickled down the back of her hand.

Instead of answering, Yoo-hwa quickly turned around. There was no time to answer. This eerie premonition was unfortunately something she knew well.

“Hnng!”

Just as she stepped forward and was trying to run away, she was strangled. She had been caught. She was quickly dragged into the dark warehouse, while her clothes were being pulled and strangling her.

“Ah, you’re such a quick-witted bitch. If I say I’m giving you money, you should come right away. Gosh, I just ought to.”

Yoo-hwa reached out to grab a mart stand, but she couldn’t grip it and only turned it upside down. Even if she had grabbed it properly, it was obvious that she would have been dragged by the clear difference in strength. Yoo-hwa reached her skinny hands into the air. Trying to grab something. She didn’t want to let go of her life like this.

Seeing that scene, the owner lowered his head to avoid Yoo-hwa’s gaze and looked anxiously at the floor.

“I’m s-sorry. I have to l-live too…”

The owner’s murmuring, as if he was making an excuse, was hidden by the mart song that played loudly.

“Shut your mouth, Mr. Owner. And get out of my sight.”

A man standing next to the man who was dragging Yoo-hwa laughed and warned. The owner quickly turned his gaze away from him and said, ‘Yes, yes.’, and quickly ran away.

“I almost lost you. Quick-witted bitch.”

The man who strangled her and dragged her inside made a sarcastic remark mixed with a sigh. Yoo-hwa struggled with all her might. Then, as if she was falling into a swamp, the man’s arms tightened around her neck even more. In the meantime, the warehouse door was slowly closing.

“… Ugh, hng.”

She couldn’t breathe properly; she didn’t have strength in her body. She kept losing the strength in her hands as she pounded at the man’s arms to get away. Her pounding suddenly turned into a tapping, and in the end, even that was done at intervals.

Her shoes came off as she was dragged to an unknown place. Her feet were unable to step properly on the ground while moving backwards, and her vision soon turned hazy due to the lack of oxygen.

Because her head was half lifted, she could see the fluorescent light hanging from the shabby warehouse ceiling flashing quickly. Maybe it wasn’t even a fluorescent light.

Why did she make such an effort to live if it was going to be like this in the end?

The skepticism outpaced her fear. Although she had never lived an unscathed life, she wished that the end would be normal, but as it turned out…

Numerous memories flashed through her mind as her consciousness faded away. After a painful memory, her mother’s face, smiling at her, reminded her of the smile of her young mother as she told her the meaning of the name ‘Yoo-hwa’. At the end of it, she remembered someone looking at her.

“So give me some time.”

The scarred hands he held out, along with a gentle face.

“Let’s go get some air.”

The kind tone of voice that could cover any wound.

The night view they watched together, the ramyeon they ate while sitting next to each other, the chilly weather, and even the moments that made them excited.

All those moments when she wondered what love was if it wasn’t this, came to her mind clearly.

… Why did she forget the hurtful moments and only thought of the good moments at a time like this?

Meaningless thoughts wandered around, and even those were blown away like dust.

As her vision faded, she heard a rattling sound and the door opening, and soon a creepy cold wind covered her body.

She had no way to know if this was the wind or what she was feeling inside.

That was the end of her memory.

***

Bang!

Tae-woo, who was strangling Yoo-hwa with one arm, kicked out the back door of the warehouse. Then, he whistled and signaled his men to gather in front of him as the work was done. However, the people who heard the signal and appeared were strangers.

“What are you…!”

Unable to even say anything, he fell back unsightly due to the pain of the strong blow he received on his face. Meanwhile, he realized that he was no match to the man in front of him, who took away Yoo-hwa from his grip with a swift body movement. Still, he couldn’t back down, so Tae-woo got up while his body hurt and got into a fighting position. However, he froze in place when he discovered who his opponent was.

The man of tall stature stared only at Yoo-hwa, treating him as if he didn’t exist. It was not an attitude to take during a fight. However, if the opponent was Woo-hyun, it was a little different. If he was here, it meant that his people had already taken their positions all over the place.