IRLPLBIO Chapter 22 Part 1

Chapter 22 #5. I’m Not a Runaway (2)

“Lead the way.”

“Wh-what…? Me…?”

“We need to find the phone. Take me to the guys who took it.”

Kwang-cheol stood up first, but Kim Min-jae hesitated. Soon, his eyes turned red, and tears welled up again.

“They, they left early… said they were going to the station…”

“Really? Alright.”

Kwang-cheol didn’t think Kim Min-jae was a coward. In a world of less-than-human beasts, the weak were bound to be devoured by the strong.

However, no matter how strong one was, there were things one should never eat.

“Uh, uh? You’re going? Yourself?”

“Yeah, I have to go.”

That’s the only way to save that person. Because I have to save them.

…Because that would help ‘the future Jae-gu’.

A voice, whose owner he didn’t even know, echoed inside his head. It was probably true.

As if drawn by some strange force, Kwang-cheol ran out. Kim Min-jae, who had perhaps doubted Kwang-cheol, followed, shouting, “I’ll, I’ll go with you!” with Kwang-cheol’s bag slung over one shoulder.

Lee Na-eun, 15 years old.

It was her first time taking a train alone. The incredibly fast KTX didn’t stop at Changwon Station, so she bought a ticket for the Mugunghwa train. Just reading the seat number on the ticket a few times made her heart pound, and even after watching the scenery outside for over four hours, she wasn’t bored.

Na-eun first met Kim Min-jae in an online cafe. She joined to research for a school assignment, and a nickname that consistently gave detailed answers to her basic questions caught her eye.

Without much thought, she started a chat. She didn’t expect a reply, but surprisingly, the conversation flowed smoothly. Through the chat window, they exchanged mobile phone numbers, and with the help of an unlimited text plan, they messaged each other constantly.

With Kim Min-jae, the conversation continued from the moment she woke up until she closed her eyes. It was thanks to their similar ages and activity schedules. When Min-jae answered questions, he was very mature, making her think, ‘So you can have this kind of aura even if you’re not an adult.’

Their personalities also matched perfectly. Their favorite colors, favorite foods, favorite drinks, and even favorite subjects were all the same.

At some point, Na-eun realized she was eagerly anticipating the moments she would connect with Min-jae.

The proactive Na-eun was the first to suggest meeting Kim Min-jae. She even lied, saying it was a school anniversary and she didn’t have to go to school. She kept it a secret and left alone because her father would surely object if she said she was meeting an online friend.

‘Na-eun, it seems you still don’t know how dangerous the world is…’

Her father was always full of worries. Thinking of his endless nagging sometimes made her feel bored.

Yet, her father himself kept the scariest-looking people in the world by his side.

Na-eun wanted to prove that her friend was a much safer and better person.

…But now, she felt that her father’s words were right.

“Are you, what’s-her-name, Na-eun… Why is this pronunciation so weird? Anyway, are you ‘Na-eun Princess’?”

The person waiting for Na-eun at the station wasn’t Kim Min-jae. Na-eun instinctively sensed danger from the men who were shaking a mobile phone and asking questions. She pretended to be unfazed and immediately feigned ignorance.

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

“Don’t lie. It’s obvious it’s just you.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not me.”

Na-eun’s words lacked persuasion. On a weekday morning, Na-eun was the only middle school girl who got off the train at that awkward hour.

“Why are you playing hard to get after coming all this way? Didn’t you come to see Kim Min-jae?”

“…Get out of the way. I’m leaving.”

“Why are you like this? I’m telling you, I’m Kim Min-jae.”

One of them, holding the mobile phone, pressed a button. He was calling ‘Na-eun Princess’.

Na-eun realized her mistake, but her mobile phone was already ringing loudly in her pocket.

“Answer it.”

“……”

“See? It’s you, isn’t it?”

She tightly clutched her mobile phone. On the screen, the words ‘Min-jae Oppa’ were followed by a heart shape. It was proof that Na-eun considered Kim Min-jae’s calls special, and proof that she was the person they were looking for.

The three guys guarding her front and sides to prevent her escape grinned, as if on cue.

“We’ve come to pick you up. Let’s go together.”

“Where’s Min-jae Oppa?”

“I’m telling you, I’m Kim Min-jae. You still don’t believe me after answering the call?”

“Don’t lie!”

“Wow, look at this girl’s temper. Can’t you tell just by looking? He gave this to us, didn’t he?”

“That’s a lie too, isn’t it?”

Cornered, Na-eun’s eyes instead became sharper. It was remarkable that a middle schooler, who would normally perceive even a senior by one year as an ‘absolute strong person,’ was not intimidated by three older men. The three men, noticing this, also lit up with interest.

“Alright. If you hang out with us for a bit, we’ll tell you. We know a noraebang, and if we go, the boss will give us beer. Want some?”

“Hey, are you guys crazy?”

Na-eun, despite sensing danger, was not afraid. Her father’s voice, which used to say, ‘That’s precisely what’s more dangerous,’ came to mind for a moment, but that was all.

Because she had a father who commanded dozens of intimidating and large men, Na-eun was not afraid of men’s physiques and strength. It was because they had never harmed her.

“…Ha, if you let it slide, it just gets worse.”

It was the same when her opponent raised his hand. Na-eun, her eyes wide, stomped her foot firmly. This was due to her experience that not only her uncles but even her father would back off when she stomped her foot.

“I didn’t come here to meet thugs like you! Where’s Min-jae Oppa!”

“This brat, really!”

However, the guys who had expected an easygoing girl their age were not Na-eun’s uncles or father. Whack, at the sound of an arm swinging, Na-eun involuntarily squeezed her eyes shut. Soon, a heavy thud, ‘Thwack!’, echoed as something collided.

“Argh!”

The guy who unexpectedly got hit in the arm stumbled backward in a panic. It hurt so much he wondered if it was broken, and even as he clutched the injured spot, tears welled up naturally.