Chapter 76 - A Betrayal

Junhyung drove through a lonely road. It was an isolated area, with the forests on the side. There was no sign of any other cars or vehicles. However, these types of roads were common in the mountainous areas. Cars rarely used the dangerously curved roads and most locals did not own cars.

Jiwon was humming to music with his headphones on.

"How much further?" Jiwon asked. It was almost 9 PM. He did not want to miss the party even if the host was with him.

"Not far," Junhyung answered. "It's right there."

He pointed at a cabin up front. Jiwon frowned.

"The place seems to be empty," he voiced out. "Are you sure it's the right place?"

"Of course it is!" Junhyung laughed. "It's my family's cabin. The others are on their way, Jiwon. They're probably just a little far behind. You go ahead and check the setup. I'll bring the food boxes."

"Okay," Jiwon said. He went up to the cabin and opened the door. It was dark inside, so he turned on the lights. But the sight of the room shocked him. 

The whole place was completely empty. It had no signs of a party setup at all. Jiwon frowned.

"Hey, Junhyung!" he called, as he started to turn around. "Where are the party material-"

Whack!

Jiwon felt something heavy hit him on the head. Clutching his head, he saw Junghyun standing there with a rod in his hands…

….

"I'm really worried about Jiwon," Hyun Jung said anxiously. "Jiwon doesn't even have his phone coz it was sent for repair! Jumyeon, is there any way we can contact them?"

"Just relax, Hyun," Jumyeon assured him. "Jiwon will be fine! Junhyung is with him. They'll be here in a while."

"Did you talk to Junhyung?" Hyun Jung questioned.

"I did," Jumyeon replied. "They're not far from here."

"Call him again," Hyun Jung demanded. 

Jumyeon rolled his eyes and dialed Junhyung's number. 

"It's switched off," he frowned. 

Panic began to creep into Hyun Jung's mind. Why did Junhyung switch off his phone?

"Let's just wait for an hour," Jumyeon suggested. "I'm sure, his phone is simply out of charge."

Hyun Jung nodded, but he could not throw off his gut feeling that something was wrong. He followed Jumyeon back into the party.

….

Jiwon slowly opened his eyes. His hands were hoisted above him, tied with metal chains. His feet, too, were chained up and he was lying on a cross position. Sitting in front of him on a chair was Junhyung.

"Junhyung…" Jiwon mumbled. "What's going on? Why am I…"

His eyelids were heavy. He could not move his muscles and it was difficult to keep himself awake. No doubt, someone drugged him when he was unconscious.

Junhyung got up and slowly made his way towards Jiwon. 

"Jiwon…" he started. "I'm sorry for doing this. But it was the only way."

Jiwon could not fathom his words. What was going on?

"What...do...you mean?" he managed to mumble out.

"You see, my father got into problems with the Cartel," Junhyun explained. "He took loans from them and now he cannot afford to return the money. They kidnapped my father and demanded that I either return the money or hand you over to them. So I decided to hand you over to them."

Jiwon could not believe his ears. One of his closest friends was betraying him.

"Junhyung...don't…" Jiwon pleaded. "I...can help your...f...father…"

"No you can't!" Junhyung shouted. "You're a privileged kid, Jiwon. You have everything you could hope for! But we are not so fortunate! People like us get trampled upon by bigshots like you! My father...I have to save him."

"They won't let him go," Jiwon warned him. "The Cartel isn't trustworthy!"

"I don't know about all that!" Junhyung snapped. "I only want my father back. I've already informed the Cartel's men. They'll be arriving soon to take you away! After that, you're their headache."

He took out an injection from his pocket. Jiwon struggled to free himself as Junhyung pressed the tip of the injection in his right hand. He felt the sharp pain as it was injected into his arm.

"This is a sleeping pill," Junhyung explained. "I hope you'll sleep through it all. That's the least I can do for you."

"Junhyung…" Jiwon felt the drowsiness engulfing him. "Don't...do…"

But he could not complete the rest as he fell unconscious.

….

Hyun Jung was anxiously checking the entrance. It was almost 10 PM and Jiwon was still nowhere to be seen.

"Jumyeon," he said. "It's getting too late! Where are they?"

"Junhyung's phone is switched off," Jumyeon muttered. It was finally dawning on him that something was not right. "What should we do?"

Hyun Jung was dreading the worst. What if they had run into the Cartel's men?

"Maybe Junhyung went to his other cabin?" Jumyeon suggested.

"His other cabin?" Hyun Jung frowned. "What other cabin?"

"His family owns two cabins on these mountains," Jumyeon explained. "This one is the bigger one. The other one is simply a spare. It has nothing in it."

"Where is it?" Hyun Jung demanded. 

"It's a little far from here," Jumyeon informed him. "You remember the forked road we took on our way here? Junhyung's second cabin is on the other side from that forked road."

"I didn't know Junhyung's family owned two cabins," Hyun Jung frowned.

"Of course they do!" Jumyeon chuckled. "Don't mention this to anyone, but his father works for the Santa Maria Cartel. They financed his business after all!"

Hyun Jung, who was about to take a sip from his drink, froze. "His dad works for the Cartel?" he questioned.

"Yes," Jumyeon shrugged. "For many years. He isn't one of the inner members but he makes money off their investment and- hey, what are you doing?"

Hyun Jung suddenly reached out and grabbed Jumyeon's phone.

"What the hell, Hyun?" Jumyeon exclaimed.

"Shush!" Hyun Jung scolded him. He dialed a number.

"Hello, Ms. Sohee?" he said into the phone. "Jiwon is in danger!"