60 - Chapter 58: Threats
I huddled in the corner of a cramped, pitch-black room.
The dog collar forced around my neck chafed, but other than scratching at it from time to time, there was nothing I could do.
"Hey. You asleep?"
The door swung open, and someone walked in. I flinched reflexively at the sudden intrusion.
My eyes darted nervously across the floor, too terrified to look directly at her.
She walked over and grabbed the leash attached to my collar.
"Ugh..."
The moment she gripped it, my body began to shake.
"H-hic... haah..."
I dug my heels in, desperately trying not to be dragged out of the room.
"Ha."
Feeling the resistance on the leash, the woman let out a low sigh.
"Hey."
She strode over and slapped me hard across the face.
"Are you coming out or not?"
"..."
The stinging pain on my cheek sent my terror skyrocketing. Frozen with fear, my body locked up, making any further resistance impossible.
I was dragged helplessly out of the room and into a vast gymnasium, where I stood trembling under a flickering light bulb.
Illuminated by the dim light, the wounds covering my body had somehow multiplied since I last checked.
But that wasn't the only thing the light revealed.
A four-cylinder, liter-class sportbike sat there, looking completely out of place in an indoor gym.
A heavy sense of dread settled deep in my chest.
Sure enough, the woman tied my leash to the back of the bike and climbed on.
Then, she started the engine. The roar of the motor vibrated right up the leash, and a cold sweat broke out all over my body.
"Ah, ah..."
Before I could even react, the bike surged forward, tearing around the massive gymnasium in a wide arc.
"G-gah...!"
Even for an Awakener, a D-rank stood no chance of keeping pace with a liter-class sportbike.
To make matters worse, days of relentless abuse had left my body completely exhausted.
"Cough... hack... Aaaaargh!"
I didn't last more than a few steps before my legs gave out. I hit the floor hard and was dragged across the concrete.
How long was I dragged around like that?
At some point, the deafening roar of the engine finally cut out.
Gasping for air, I forced my eyes open and saw another woman standing in the gym.
From what I'd gathered over the past few days, she was the one running this whole operation.
"I believe I told you not to kill him."
"Oh, come on. He's not going to die from just this."
"Still, you've had your fun. Step aside, Sis."
The leader untied the leash from the bike and walked over to me. Bending down, she grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking my head up to force me to look at her.
"I'll take charge of him from now on. If I leave him to you guys, you'll actually end up killing him."
The woman who had been riding the bike tilted her head in confusion.
"Aren't we supposed to be punishing him anyway? Why do we care if he lives or dies?"
The leader let out a crooked smirk.
"Because I think he'll make a much better bargaining chip than we thought."
Even though it was her day off, Natalia did absolutely nothing. She just lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
She had spent hours watching dust motes drift through the air when her phone suddenly began to buzz on the nightstand.
"Fuck, who is it now?"
Normally, Natalia never answered her phone on her days off. But despite her irritation, she forced herself to reach for it this time.
She couldn't afford to miss any potential news about Han Su-hyeon.
Still, she didn't expect much as she glanced at the screen.
'...The police department.'
Just seeing the department's number made her heart skip a beat.
Trying to keep her expectations in check, she picked up.
"What."
[Natalia?]
"Yeah, what's going on?"
[We received a letter. And a photo.]
Her heart, which had just begun to settle, started racing all over again.
"...I assume you're calling because it concerns me?"
[Yes. Can you come down to the station right away?]
"I'm on my way."
Natalia hung up, threw on some clothes, and rushed to the police station at top speed.
"Ah, you're here."
The moment Natalia kicked open the door to the investigation unit, the detective on duty jumped to his feet.
"Cut the bullshit. What do you have?"
"Well, it's probably better if you just see it for yourself."
"Show me."
"Just a second. Now where did I put..."
The detective hurried over to his supervisor, grabbed a folder, and rushed back.
"Here. Take a look."
"Hmm."
Natalia took the letter and the photo. As she looked at them, her face went completely rigid.
The photo showed a naked man, bound tightly. Even in the dim lighting, the horrific wounds covering his body were painfully clear. His eyes were completely hollow, stripped of all life.
Natalia recognized him instantly.
It was Han Su-hyeon.
A turbulent mix of rage at what they had done to him and sheer relief at seeing him alive—even if only in a photo—swirled darkly inside her.
"..."
Resisting the urge to crush the paper in her fist, Natalia forced herself to read the letter.
The message was brief.
[Within 168 hours of receiving this letter, make a public apology to everyone you have harmed and commit suicide. Otherwise, the brat in the photo dies.]
Noticing the terrifying look on Natalia's face, the detective asked hesitantly,
"Um... you're not actually going to do what it says, are you?"
At the rookie's idiotic question, Natalia let out a dry, humorless laugh.
"Do I look insane? Even if I did what they wanted, there's no guarantee they'd actually let him go."
"R-right, of course."
Natalia's lips curled into a twisted grin. It was a smile, but so warped with pure, unadulterated hatred that it was deeply unsettling.
"Yeah. The only thing this letter changes is that our little game of hide-and-seek now has a timer."
She looked around the room at the other investigators.
"We weren't making any progress before because they were lying low. But now that they've made a move, tracking them down should be a lot easier, shouldn't it?"
The detectives all nodded in agreement.
Satisfied with their response, Natalia turned on her heel.
"Good. I'm leaving. Call me the absolute second you pinpoint their location."
"Understood. Get some rest."
The detective escorted her out as she left the station.
Once outside, Natalia fell deep into thought.
'Should I hire a private investigator too? No, pointless.'
Most cops were low-rank Awakeners.
They weren't much help when it came to actual combat, but investigations were a different story.
The police department was a state institution. They had more manpower, a broader information network, and resources that no private agency could ever match.
'Hiring a private eye would just be a waste of money.'
If the police couldn't find them, a private investigator wouldn't stand a chance either.
Suppressing her mounting frustration, Natalia decided to bide her time and wait for the police to do their job.
"H-hic... haah..."
My eyes darted around anxiously. After being locked in a dark, filthy hole for days, the sudden transition to a bright, clean room was overwhelming.
I sat there with handcuffs on my wrists, nervously playing with my damp hair after my first shower in days, when the leader walked back in.
She was carrying snacks and a pot of warm tea.
Setting a paper cup on the table in front of me, she poured the tea.
"Drink."
"..."
But after the relentless abuse I'd endured, I couldn't bring myself to reach for the cup. I couldn't even look her in the eye, completely paralyzed by fear.
"Tsk..."
Annoyed that her gesture was ignored, she clicked her tongue. The sound made my heart plummet.
She took a step closer. I curled into a tight ball, raising my arms in a pathetic attempt to shield myself.
But she didn't hit me.
Instead, she tilted the teapot and poured the scalding liquid right over my head.
"Ah...! Aaah...! It's hot, it's hot...! Aaagh!"
Thanks to my mana-enhanced durability, it didn't leave burns. But it still hurt like hell.
After emptying half the pot over me as I writhed in pain, she gave the order again.
"Drink."
"Y-yes... yes... I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'll drink... h-hic..."
I picked up the paper cup with shaking hands and desperately gulped it down.
"Ah... haah..."
Despite everything, as the warm liquid hit my stomach—weakened by days of starvation and abuse—a strange sense of comfort washed over me.