Chapter 57 - Attack the Weak Point

Jiwon jumped out of the window and managed to land on his feet with a thud. Strangely, he did not feel any pain in his legs from the fall. Steadying himself, he sprinted off. 

His jump alerted the kidnappers.

"What was that?" Driver Hong asked, feeling alert.

"The boy!" Lee exclaimed. They darted inside the room only to see that Jiwon had escaped. Driver Hong went to the back of the cabin and saw Jiwon running off.

"Catch him!" he roared. Both of them headed out, got on a motorbike parked near the cabin and chased after the kid.

Jiwon ran for his life. His agility surprised him; he was able to run faster than before and was not tired at all. He was running through a remote area. The river led to a small but not so dense forest. Jiwon kept on running till he reached a railtrack. He looked back to see that the two goons were catching up to him in a motorbike.

Despite Jiwon's newfound speed, he was no match for a bike. The goons caught up to him and grabbed him.

"Let me go!" he screamed as Driver Hong caught him. They stopped the bike and pinned Jiwon down on the ground. Holding Jiwon's hands behind him, Driver Hong picked him up. Lee gave the boy a disdain look. Jiwon, in turn, glared back at him.

"Trying to be smart, eh rich boy?" he slapped Jiwon across the face. The latter could feel one of his tooth break and tasted salty blood in his mouth. 

"Second lesson: when an enemy attacks you, don't bother negotiating," Sung Sohee's words rang in his head. "Attack their weak point."

Weak point? Jiwon suddenly recalled something. He eyed downwards. It was now or never.

Lee stood tall in front of him, extremely satisfied at himself for hitting Jiwon. 

"That's what you get for trying to-"

But his words were cut out by Jiwon's well aimed kick at his balls. A sharp, torturous pain ran through Lee's body, culminating into a high pitched shriek. Driver Hong, who was momentarily distracted, loosened his grip on Jiwon's hands. Taking the opportunity, Jiwon stomped on his right foot, which the former knew, had surgery a few months back.

Screaming in agony, Driver Hong let go of the child completely. Jiwon took the chance to escape once more. A cargo train was heading his way and he wasted no opportunity in chasing it. The kidnappers tried to stumble after him but he had kicked them so hard that Lee felt his balls were bleeding. Jiwon was faster than them and he managed to board the train.

As he paused to catch his breath, Jiwon marveled at his legs' sudden increase in strength. Did he really manage to kick down two grown men on his own? How?

As the train stopped at a station, Jiwon got down and looked for a station manager. He finally located a worker, who was busy unloading the cargos.

"Excuse me!" he called out to the worker. "I need to make a phone call!"

The worker, who was surprised by the appearance of a child at their station, asked, "How did you get here?"

"Sir, please let me make a call," Jiwon requested. "It's urgent."

Gaping at the child, he pointed to a small office. Jiwon darted towards the office and dialed a number. Someone picked up on the first ring.

"Hello, this is Kwon Jiwon," he spoke into the phone. "I'm at a cargo train station but I don't know where it is! Please help me."

The person on the other line was silent for a while.

"We are tracking your call, right away," the person replied. "Give us fifteen minutes. Do not go anywhere from there."

"Alright," Jiwon said. He hung up the phone and waited, staring at a clock on the wall. The wait was long and arduous, but he knew help was on the way. His face was stoic.

After exactly fifteen minutes, he heard the door opening. He turned around to see Sohee standing at the door.

"Let's go," she held out a hand for him. Jiwon took her hand and followed her out.

….

Jiwon was at a hospital wing inside the school. Even though he was physically fine, the doctor insisted to keep him overnight. 

Secretary Lee was beside himself. He insisted on staying overnight and will escort Jiwon home himself. Upon his request, Sohee allowed Kwon's personal security guards to stand near Jiwon's cabin. Grandpa Kwon was flying back, ditching the Queen of Country A in order to protect his beloved grandson.

Meanwhile, Secretary Lee was watching over Jiwon. He was even berating himself for his stupidity.

"If only I would have known, Master Jiwon," he cried. "I should be fired!"

Jiwon was getting tired of Secretary Lee's laments. 

"Secretary Lee, please stop," Jiwon requested. "Your cries are hurting my head."

That shut the latter up.

"Can I please meet Ms. Sohee?" Jiwon asked. "I want to talk to her."

Secretary Lee was surprised but did not say anything. "I will ask for her right away," he said. He took out his phone and dialed her number, relaying Jiwon's request to her.

Within a few minutes, Sung Sohee arrived at Jiwon's room.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked him.

"I'm better," Jiwon squeaked. He was still intimidated by this woman. "Secretary Lee, can you give us a minute?"

Secretary Lee bowed and exited the room. It was just the two of them now.

"What is this 'Cartel'?" Jiwon asked bluntly. Sohee sighed. He was bound to find out someday anyway.

"The Santa Maria Cartel," Sohee began. "Is currently one of the most dreaded gangs in our country right now. They are a direct opposition to your Grandfather's syndicate. Unlike other gangs, Kwon Jinhyung does not dab into illegal activities but he keeps the underworld gangs from engaging in power play among themselves." 

"The Kwon family have been mercenaries. For generations, your family has been involved with both the governments and underworld gangs. What the Kwon family dealt with are not any illegal businesses. They deal with information."

Jiwon froze at those words. He knew his grandfather had a darker side to him, but never bothered to find the details.

"Information on which gang will create trouble, on the state's latest projects and dealings etc." Sohee went on. "They have the power of knowledge. Many influential people have even been killed because of the information supplied by your family to either sides. That's what make the Kwon family so dangerous. They are both feared and respected. The efforts of your grandfather, maintained a harmony in this country. With the power he wields, none of the gangs can even dare oppose him. That was until the Cartel came into the picture."

"They want to kill your entire family," Sohee revealed. "They want to eliminate your existence."