Book 25 Chapter 11

Yunmi's Struggle

- Kidnapping

"Are you alright, Miss Yunmi? You look pale."

"Ah, no, Miss Na. I'm fine. I was just lost in thought for a moment."

"Are you worried? Whether Yeonbi will win or lose the fight?"

"Y-yes. We can't know anything about the situation outside from here. How pathetic, isn't it?"

Naye-rin, sitting on the bed, replied with a faint smile.

"No, I'm anxious too. I don't think of it as pathetic."

"B-but I'm a coward."

Yunmi answered, blushing. Originally, her true self, Yun Junho, was a bullied and undeniably cowardly person. She doubted if her timid self could be of any help.

"Yeonbi vouched for you. She said you have a boldness and confidence within you that you haven't discovered yet."

"B-but…"

No matter how many times she looked down at her chest, all she saw was a cliff. She doubted if anything was truly inside.

"Besides, she even asked me to look after you. Yeonbi doesn't make requests lightly. That means she trusts you a lot."

"That sounds a lot like someone I know."

Naye-rin knew very well that Yunmi was referring to Bilhye-yeon.

"That's right, they are very alike. Sometimes I wonder if they are twins."

"W-well, y-yes, that's true."

Yunmi answered with a trembling voice, clearly tense. This was the first time she had seen Naye-rin this close. Men, except for Bilhye-yeon, rarely approached her. But now, Yunmi was sitting on a chair next to the bed, at an uncomfortably close distance to Naye-rin. And up close, her face was indeed beautiful. It wasn't just proportional beauty; there was a mystique about her that made you wonder if she was even from this world. Moreover, unlike her past cold demeanor, like the biting wind and snow that shunned people, Yunmi felt inexplicably drawn to her. She could hardly meet her gaze, her face flushing whenever she did. Naye-rin seemed to have relaxed her guard a little, perhaps because he was in female form.

The mission to escort Bingbaekbong Naye-rin, the most beautiful woman in Cheonmu Academy. If it were her followers, the Bingbong Yeonghwa Suho Dae, they would have shed tears of honor. Thinking so, Yunmi felt a heavy sense of responsibility. The problem was that this heavy responsibility weighed down on him like immense pressure.

"You don't need to be so nervous."

"I-is it really okay for someone like me to be your escort?"

Yunmi knew she shouldn't think this way, but it was hard to change. If Bilhye-yeon knew this, he would have been furious, saying, "Self-deprecation stems from a lack of courage to face the world."

"Just as Yeonbi trusts you, I trust you too. So, while Yeonbi is away fighting and returns, please take care of me for this short time, Miss Yunmi."

"Ah, yes!"

Yunmi replied spiritedly. Her purity was so palpable to Naye-rin that she couldn't help but smile. Although it was something she would have hated to hear herself, she felt like she was looking after a younger sister.

However, Naye-rin's smile quickly turned cold.

It was due to a sudden, ominous feeling that washed over her. Her divine countenance was warning her. Something bad was about to happen. Be careful. This was the first time she had felt such an intense sensation. It was so powerful that her head throbbed for a moment.

"Be careful, Miss Yunmi."

"Yes?"

"Something…"

Whoooosh.

Just then, a hazy smoke seeped from somewhere in the waiting room.

"Ugh!"

Inadvertently taking a puff, her head spun.

"Could it be poison?"

Even if it wasn't, it was undoubtedly something close to it. This was an ambush.

Yunmi quickly performed the Gwishikdaebeop and grabbed her sword.

Bang!

At the same time, the door burst open, and masked figures stormed in.

'I have to protect Miss Na!'

Yunmi quickly blocked the front of the bed and drew her sword.

Chilmae Sword

Ultimate Technique

Maehuammanjo

A sword aura bloomed, and plum-colored sword energy swept through the masked figures. However, perhaps due to having inhaled the smoke, her full power wasn't unleashed, and the masked figures blocked it with their swords. They seemed to be highly trained. But she couldn't run away. She had to protect Naye-rin. It seemed their target was Naye-rin.

Yunmi swung her sword again, unfolding the Chilmae Sword. Then, her breathing became ragged, and she exhaled with a "Pa!"

'Oops!'

It was too late to regret it. Yunmi inhaled another puff of smoke. Her head swam, and her legs felt wobbly.

'No, I can't collapse like this! For those who believed in me!'

Clinging to her fading consciousness, she dodged a flying sword. Then, she unleashed another powerful sword energy.

Scratch, with the feeling of flesh being cut, one of the masked figures fell. But there was no time to rejoice. While she was fighting two masked figures, two others approached Naye-rin from both sides.

'Nooooo!'

She screamed inwardly, but she was held back by the remaining masked figure and couldn't go to help.

Just then, a white flash appeared, and the two masked figures who had approached Naye-rin collapsed. Naye-rin's snow-white hand was holding her cherished sword. She had hidden it under the covers. The best method for Naye-rin, whose body had not yet recovered, was a surprise attack. Although she had defeated two masked figures, Naye-rin bent over in pain. Her internal injuries had recurred from the forced movement.

Thanks to this, Yunmi, who could now concentrate on the enemy in front of her, pushed the masked figure with all her might, unfolding her sword techniques. She had no time to think about whether she was scared or not. As she was about to deliver the final blow after overpowering the masked figure, her vision suddenly went black from an immense impact. Her side burned. The masked figure's sword had grazed her side.

Wheeeeee!

The next moment, a raging wind enveloped Yunmi's body and hurled her against the wall. Blood spurted from Yunmi's mouth. After hitting the wall hard, Yunmi rolled on the floor, unable to move. Her consciousness grew hazy, and her vision blurred. Her life was draining away through her side. In her fading consciousness, Yunmi saw a man in red slowly walk into the room. The sleeve of his right arm moved erratically with each movement. He was one-armed.

The moment the man in red entered the room, Naye-rin felt a terrifying shiver she had never experienced before. A dark, evil, and incredibly vast malevolence seemed to be smiling sinisterly at her.

Who is it?

'I know him!'

Though she didn't want to admit it, Naye-rin had to. She was startled by the sensation that was rapidly growing in her heart. It was fear. Immense fear and disgust were coloring her heart.

The man in red approached Naye-rin very slowly with a smile. She was afraid to confirm his face. It felt like she shouldn't know. She swung her sword with all her might.

A white light flashed, cutting through the hazy smoke. However, the sword strike was immediately caught by the sleeve of the man in red.

"This won't be enough."

As her sword was sealed, Naye-rin tried to attack with her palm again. But she couldn't properly control her body, and her palm techniques were completely blocked by the man in red. His face was revealed. He wore a bronze mask. Although she couldn't see his face, she knew him.

"Oh my, oh my. You shouldn't be so ill-behaved. Meeting after so long without a greeting. How truly impolite. Children who are impolite must be punished."

The man in red brought his face close to Naye-rin's with a sinister smile. Naye-rin had never felt such chilling malice before. He wanted to completely destroy her. Not just physically, but mentally as well. And it wasn't limited to her alone. He wanted to destroy everything she was connected to. She had felt such distorted thoughts before.

"Y-you are…"

Her words couldn't finish. The man in red had pressed a pressure point. He lifted the covers, scooped Naye-rin up with one hand, and slung her over his shoulder.

"Now, let's play the prelude to destruction. Hahaha. It all starts now."

Soon, the remaining masked figures picked up the fallen ones. And then, they vanished in an instant. Yunmi lost consciousness after witnessing this scene.

* * *

She felt slightly better, but her consciousness was still hazy. She knew she was moving, judging by the shaking of her body. However, perhaps due to inhaling too much sleeping incense, her head was so dizzy that she couldn't think clearly. In her fragmented consciousness, Naye-rin thought.

'Who on earth was that person?'

'Where is he taking me?'

Her body was moved up a high staircase. But her eyelids still wouldn't open. Her body was heavy, and she couldn't even move a finger. She felt uneasy. Uneasy about falling completely into the enemy's hands, and uneasy about not knowing the identity of that terrifying enemy. But what was this dark, creeping anxiety rising from the depths of her heart? Her thoughts refused to go there.

A door opened, and she was taken into a room. She heard the sound of someone rushing. Judging by the footsteps, it seemed to be a very overweight person. She desperately tried to move her head to figure out where she was, but it only increased her headache.

As the approaching fat man spoke something, the man in red carrying her also said something. However, the words of the two sounded as if they were spoken from a great distance. The sound was muffled, and she couldn't understand what they were saying. Her consciousness began to fade again.

Then, her body moved again. With a rumbling sound, the man in red moved. This time, he was heading down the stairs. Soon, she was laid down somewhere.

A soft sensation.

It seemed to be a bed. After laying her down, she heard the man giving orders to his subordinates. She couldn't understand the content of their conversation either. She tried to move her body somehow. But her body still refused her will and remained motionless. She tried again and again. She had to escape this situation somehow. Just being near him made her feel suffocated by his malice. So she moved desperately. Then, her right index finger moved slightly. With a little more effort, her wrist moved. After moving her fingers and wrist a few more times, she could move her elbow. She desperately brought her hand to her waist. Her fingers touched an accessory. Moving her fingers, she detached it. It took longer than expected because her fingers didn't move as she intended. She thought she had to leave something behind. Evidence that she was here.

Why was she so desperately trying to leave evidence?

For a moment, the faces of two people flashed in her mind. Bilhye-yeon and Yeonbi. The faces that appeared in her mind eventually merged into one.

She thought she was strange. Bilhye-yeon wasn't here. He was thousands of miles away. Then why did she believe that Bilhye-yeon would come to save her? Why wouldn't this belief waver? She found it strange even thinking about it. But she felt it. A feeling close to certainty. That Bilhye-yeon would definitely come to save her. So, she decided not to give up. It was Bilhye-yeon who told her, "Despair is the most harmful poison to the human body." The Bilhye-yeon in her heart was shouting at her. Don't give up. Fight to live.

She moved her arm little by little and let the accessory she had freed drop towards the wall next to the bed. But that was her limit. Just then, the man approached again. And he moved her into a narrow space. It felt extremely cramped. She struggled to get out, but she couldn't move her arms or legs.

Grind! Grind!

With a sound, the lid slowly closed. She could do nothing. Just before the lid finally closed, she heard the man's voice.

"Heh. It'll be stuffy, but bear with it for a little longer, my little bird."

At that moment, a mental shock made her shudder.

That voice, that tone…

That sound… That sound was…

But her thoughts couldn't continue to the end. The sleeping incense the man had prepared took away her consciousness entirely at that moment.

Naye-rin plunged back into a deep, dark sleep. Unaware that in the depths of that darkness, past nightmares were awakening.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a room. It seemed to be furnished properly, so it wasn't a prison. But she soon realized that her freedom was restricted. Shackles were fastened to her wrists and ankles, and they were firmly secured to the wall. Naye-rin began to circulate her internal energy. She intended to check her condition by circulating her qi.

However,

'My internal energy isn't flowing…'

The flow of qi, which should have circulated naturally throughout her body like a flowing river, was completely blocked. It was as if huge dams were blocking the flow in various places.

'My acupoints are sealed.'

She resisted, trying to break the dams with the acupoint release technique to counter the acupoint sealing. But the dams were stronger than she expected.

'This is a restriction.'

It wasn't simple acupoint sealing, but a special meridian blocking technique using golden needles or similar tools.

'It's quite powerful.'

It seemed impossible to break this restriction with pure internal energy alone. To bring about any change, she needed to move her vital energy first, but her most important vital energy was completely immobile. Immobile qi was as good as no qi.

'…'

Her cold and indifferent heart trembled slightly with a small unease. This was the first time her entire body had felt so powerless.

'Ryuyeon…'

Bilhye-yeon's face came to mind first. That face with its ever-confident smile. The face that always gave her courage. He was the one who changed her, who was always so cold. And he was the most reliable person in times of danger. Most people didn't see his true worth, but she knew it well. His true strength. But he wasn't here now. And she had likely been moved to a place other than Ganghorando. She had a feeling that was the case.

'Father, Mother…'

The faces of her father and mother, whom she had met in Ganghorando, came to mind. They must be extremely worried, knowing she had disappeared. She couldn't imagine how heartbroken they would be.

And one more person,

'Yeonbi…'

Yeonbi must be desperately searching for her by now. Yeonbi was that kind of person. Just as he had saved her before, he was undoubtedly trying to save her now.

'But I can't just wait endlessly for help.'

'I have to get out of here somehow.'

That would reduce the burden on her parents and friend.

But how?

That was the most important part, and she didn't have any suitable means for it right now.

Clank! Clank!

She pulled hard on the handcuffs binding her hands. But the chains embedded in the wall didn't budge. Without being able to circulate her vital energy, she was just an ordinary woman now.

But she didn't give up and pulled the handcuffs several more times. However, due to her internal energy being sealed, Naye-rin's body quickly became fatigued.

She felt her powerlessness once again. It was then that the door opened.

With a creak, the door opened, and the man in red walked in.

He was still wearing his mask. The sleeve of his right arm fluttered casually. Seeing that, she realized for the first time that he was one-armed. A chilling shiver shot down her spine. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

'N-no way…'

He walked towards Naye-rin with slow steps. The confident Naye-rin, without realizing it, stepped back. But being tied up, her back was against the wall, so her movement was almost meaningless.

Naye-rin's whole body trembled violently, like a squirrel facing a snake. No matter how much she tried to suppress it, it was useless.

'It really is him…!'

The man stopped right in front of her and brought his left hand to his face. And he removed the bronze mask. When Naye-rin saw the face that appeared there, she gasped.

Trembling, a chill ran down her spine. Her vision was covered in black darkness, and she felt like she was sinking into a viscous swamp. The emotional scars from the past wailed.

The nightmare was smiling brightly before her eyes. Filled with soul-shaking malice.

"Nine years? It's been a while, my little bird."