Jeong Taeui’s expression gradually hardened. Within the dense forest, something was approaching. As the roar grew closer, it brought with it the faint sounds of rustling wind, the rustle of leaves, and the breaking of young trees obstructing its path.

When the sound became unmistakably real, the others in the room gathered near the window with bewildered faces.

“What is that sound? What could it be?”

“It sounds like an engine…”

“No way someone is using a lawnmower in this forest.”

Someone whispered a joke, but no one laughed. The roar was getting too close.

And then, in the next moment.

Everyone in the room fell silent. They could hear the commotion of the kidnappers outside, but no one inside uttered a word.

As the low birch trees at the edge of the forest were ruthlessly cut down, the true source of the roar was revealed.

“That’s… a Rewako*….”

(*Rewako: A type of three-wheeled motorcycle/image below.)

Someone muttered and added: “That’s a model that’s been out of production for a long time”, but it seemed that nothing could reach Jeong Taeui anymore.

A three-wheeled motorcycle appeared with a roar loud enough to burst eardrums, leaving the forest path devastated.

The motorcycle was now only recognizable by its three wheels. It seemed to have been modified to navigate mountainous terrain, something Jeong Taeui had never seen before. It looked entirely different from the original. A massive figure, terrifying in size, barreled forward like a tank.

(*This Rewako was modified by T&R)

And there was a man sitting comfortably atop the beast.

No one else. Just him.

He held the handlebars of the Rewako with one hand as if he were on a casual stroll, with something draped over his shoulder held by the other. His calm but cold face briefly glanced at the lifeless faces staring at him from afar.

Jeong Taeui stared at him in disbelief. He felt as if his soul had left his body.

The strange man on the strange motorcycle looked at Jeong Taeui with an indifferent expression, a flicker of emotion passing over his lips.

Jeong Taeui’s face went pale, and his expression froze. He stared wide-eyed at the man in the distance. For a moment, their eyes seemed to meet.

“No way….”

Jeong Taeui’s lips trembled. One of the others seemed to recognize the man, their voice weak and trembling.

“No way… that person… Rie….”

Before they could finish, something extraordinarily absurd happened.

The strange man smiled sinisterly. He tapped lightly on the massive metal object he was carrying. The moment Jeong Taeui saw the large, long piece of metal, he was terrified.

It was a Panzer Faust*. An anti-tank weapon.

And it could easily destroy any armored vehicle.

“Wait, that…!!”

Jeong Taeui didn’t finish his sentence. The grinning beast turned towards the anti-tank weapon, stood up from the three-wheeled motorcycle, placed one foot on the handlebar, and without any superfluous movement, fired the weapon.

Jeong Taeui immediately threw himself over those beside him, lowering himself.

“That crazy bastard…!!!!!!!”

Jeong Taeui screams internally, or maybe he actually screamed. But no sound came out of his mouth; instead….

*Boom*

A deafening explosion rang out beside him.

Jeong Taeui covered his head with his arms. He thought he was screaming, but no sound escaped. No, to be precise, his screams were buried under the series of terrifying explosions.

Thick smoke and dust engulfed the forest. Rocks and debris rained down.

Jeong Taeui lay flat, covering his head. Concrete fragments fell on his shoulders, back, and body. A large rock struck his shoulder and fell off. Jeong Taeui grimaced in pain.

After the cacophony ceased, Jeong Taeui slowly lifted his head. White dust covered his body, and the entire room was in disarray. A wall had collapsed, covering everyone inside.

“That maniac… that insane bastard…!!”

Jeong Taeui cursed with all the profanity he knew, despite his nearly delirious state.

When he turned around, one side of the wall had been blown away. The window once blocked by wooden planks was now completely gone. His view was no longer obstructed, revealing the scene outside.

Not only was the wall blown away, but the ceiling was also gone, and even the opposite wall was half-collapsed.

“Where’s that anti-tank shooting maniac? That crazy bastard!!”

Jeong Taeui screamed furiously. He didn’t care if the man could hear him. And it seemed he really couldn’t hear, because another explosion came from the other side.

Shouts, explosions, machine gun fire, and yelling mixed into a terrifying noise.

Jeong Taeui looked around. Everyone was lying on the floor. He quickly stood up and approached them, gently patting each one and calling out. Fortunately, the two who were injured were only as hurt as Taeui himself, and they were conscious. Someone who had fainted briefly woke up at Taeui’s call. One person groaned: “Ouchh”, with a limp arm and a pale face, seemingly suffering a minor arm injury. Another had blood running down their head, unclear if from a fall or being struck by debris. When someone called the man’s name, he mumbled something in a low, pained groan, seemingly mentally aware but not fully conscious.

“Damn it. You didn’t come to rescue the hostages but to kill us all, right? You crazy bastard!”

Jeong Taeui cursed but couldn’t help but sigh.

Everyone was still alive, even if injured. But they had narrowly escaped death.

Jeong Taeui worriedly looked at the bleeding man, sweat pouring from his forehead. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. Only then did he notice a bloody scratch from his forehead to his temple. But the pain wasn’t too bad; he didn’t even have the mind to think about it.

“Crazy, crazy… Rick….”

Someone muttered. Their voices trembled with a mix of fear and anger.

Jeong Taeui didn’t know if it was fear. After cursing for a while, he suddenly changed his mind and redirected his anger towards the brother of the crazy man, Kyle, who was responsible for this madness.

‘Why did he send someone like him for this job? Was he planning to have him kill all the hostages and kidnappers to complete the mission? Kyle aghh!!!’

A cannon shot echoed from afar again. Jeong Taeui snapped back to reality.

Now wasn’t the time to stand still. He had to run while the madman was still occupied fighting others.

The dense forest seemed to be a stroke of luck. If he hid well, he might not be discovered. Jeong Taeui glanced at the others one last time and moved towards the other side of the door.

He climbed over a collapsed wall. Leaving a brief farewell in the bewildered eyes of everyone.

“See you when we get the chance.” – And ran with his throbbing ankle dragging him forward.

*****************************

Why is that man here?

Jeong Taeui took a deep breath, his legs running forward. His ankle felt like it was about to break. He thought he had been imprisoned so long that his stamina had decreased, making him short of breath.

Could it just be a coincidence?

Or did he come alone to save his brother’s friend?

“…Ridiculous.”

Jeong Taeui immediately laughed at himself for such absurd thoughts. His eyes lit up with a cold fire.

This wasn’t a coincidence.

Their eyes had clearly met. When their gazes crossed, he wasn’t surprised. Instead… he had smiled. As usual, he knew exactly where Jeong Taeui was.

“Maurer, you murderer…!”

In the end, what had to happen happened. He didn’t know why it had to be now, but perhaps while Jeong Taeui was careless, Maurer had let something slip, and the information somehow reached Ilay.

Jeong Taeui gritted his teeth and kept running. From Kyle to Maurer, he cursed both of them without stopping. But he still had a lot of gratitude towards Kyle, who was a good person, so he just grumbled.

“Why did you send someone like him here!”

Jeong Taeui shouted in frustration, as if cursing himself.

He should have left that day, even with a sprained or even broken ankle. This serious mistake had caused all the subsequent consequences.

Thinking back, a friend once told him that luck is the ability to make good judgments.

What he said was based on his experience in the business world. People often say that for businessmen, luck is the ability to decide when to seize opportunities once they can predict them.

At the time, Jeong Taeui didn’t think much of it and dismissed it. But now, although the situation was different from what his friend mentioned, his words felt like they were piercing through him.

Jeong Taeui should have left that very day. No, he shouldn’t have come to that house in the first place.

No, in a world with so many continents, why did he end up in this damned Europe? There were so many places he could have gone, yet he ended up here. No, even before that…

Alright, he knew that blaming everything wouldn’t lead to any resolution. Jeong Taeui stopped regretting and just went back to the beginning of a new chapter in his life from before.

“I shouldn’t have followed my uncle to UNHRDO.”

The truth was, he no longer had the strength to sit here and regret when his body was exhausted.

Jeong Taeui didn’t know how far he had gone.

He only knew he was deep in the forest. Even though he had lost consciousness when he entered, he was confident he could find his way out. He had a good sense of direction.

The forest was deathly silent. The explosions had stopped a while ago. No more gunshots, no more screaming. He had been running for some time, but the sound of gunfire could carry very far. Although he might not hear the screams due to the distance, the gunfire and explosions had definitely stopped.

Maybe because he had been in a place with so many loud explosions and then suddenly everything went quiet, the unease started to creep in. The silence, devoid of even a bird’s chirp, was eerie.

Suddenly, he remembered something he had heard before.

“Even if you escape from here, it’s easy to get lost because of the steep slopes. This place is home to packs of wolves that roam at night. So stay put and don’t try anything.”

As the kidnapper had warned, the forest got deeper and deeper. However, Jeong Taeui could distinguish between the areas where he could get lost and the areas that were still safe. So, at this level, he was fine.

The problem wasn’t his sense of direction but the wild animals that could appear in this dense forest.

The day had just begun, which was much better than night, but encountering a hungry beast was still a significant issue. Besides, Jeong Taeui was so exhausted that he didn’t even know if he could fend off a hungry stray dog, let alone a wild animal.

Jeong Taeui abruptly slowed down. His ears felt like they were going to explode from the repeated loud explosions. It was like the feeling of a small grasshopper chirping in his ear.

His body was drained of energy, and it seemed like he couldn’t take another step.

No, he couldn’t go on.

Jeong Taeui sat down and leaned against a tree trunk. He used the back of his hand to wipe a small wound on his forehead, blood was flowing steadily and showed no signs of stopping. The warm red liquid mixed with the dried blood on his hand.

‘Next time, I should wear gloves.’ – Jeong Taeui thought helplessly. He couldn’t feel the pain anymore. His ankle wouldn’t move unless he dragged it across the ground. Earlier, while running, he had hit branches or stumbled over rocks, and his whole body was bruised, but he didn’t feel the pain.

“Ah… Am I really about to die…”

Jeong Taeui murmured helplessly. What would happen to the others? He hoped they wouldn’t die. The kidnappers would have to fight for their own lives when facing that madman, and while waiting for death, they wouldn’t have the mindset to kill the hostages. No, if they tried to move the hostages to another location, it would be a different story.

“I’m going to die… It wouldn’t be strange if I died right now…”

Jeong Taeui half-closed his heavy eyelids and tried to keep talking to avoid losing consciousness. If he closed his eyes and stayed silent, he would pass out in an instant, just like when he was drugged the day before.

And then he would die, he would die and never wake up again.

Jeong Taeui was exhausted, beyond his limit, and his whole body felt worn out. Once he sat down like this, it wouldn’t be surprising if he couldn’t get up again. Sure enough, even if that madman appeared in front of him now with his savage face and ghostly smile, if he wanted to kill him, Jeong Taeui could only tell him to go ahead and do it. He was utterly exhausted.

Maybe because he could sit down and catch his breath a bit, he felt his body, which had been numb to any pain, gradually recovering, bit by bit.

The sensations became clearer, and the first thing to return was the damned pain. His ankle felt like it was on fire. Jeong Taeui would rather pass out.

If he lost consciousness, there would be no pain or anything else. But Jeong Taeui knew how dangerous it would be if he passed out and his body slipped into unconsciousness.

What should he do now? He would have to cautiously find his way out and look for another path to avoid being caught by that madman.

The sky grew dark. His body felt like it could collapse and pass out at any moment with just a light touch. He would have to wait a bit longer, carefully observe his surroundings, and then find a way down the mountain to a safer and more discreet escape route. He didn’t know how long it would take to reach his house, so he didn’t know how long it would take to leave without knowing the way.

Jeong Taeui searched his memories with his tattered body, feeling like he could pass out any moment.

For a moment, the thought of giving up on everything really crossed his mind.

But at that moment.

*Rustle* *Rustle* *Rustle*

It was the sound of grass. The exact sound of footsteps on grass. The steps seemed slow at first but gradually became more hurried, accompanied by faint breaths.

Jeong Taeui sighed and shrugged. He slowly and quietly edged behind the rock near the tree and hid himself. His mind, filled with chaotic thoughts, suddenly went blank.

Someone was approaching.

The heavy, impatient footsteps were getting closer.

The person wasn’t directly approaching Jeong Taeui, and it seemed they didn’t know he was there, but the staggering, erratic footsteps were still heading in his direction.

…Not him.

His heart, which had been tense to the point of stopping, seemed to lighten by half.

From the sound of the footsteps, he could be sure it wasn’t Ilay.

Ilay wouldn’t walk in such an urgent, hurried, and unsteady manner as if about to fall. He could recognize Ilay’s footsteps instantly.

His mood became slightly more relaxed, but still very heavy.

So who was that person? Someone running hurriedly and stumbling like that.

Now, there were only two types of people here. The kidnappers or the hostages.

However, if it was someone running frantically as if escaping from someone, it was likely the latter.

The urgency to escape was evident in the heavy footsteps.

Jeong Taeui clenched his fists. If it was the latter, he thought he should help them. But he couldn’t move from behind this rock; even moving a finger was difficult for him. Helping someone with this worn-out body would only bring more trouble.

He remembered the men who were held hostage with him last night. Although they couldn’t become close or fond of each other overnight, they were, in a sense, comrades in the same plight. People he couldn’t pretend not to see.

How long could his body endure? Could it move properly? He didn’t even know what he had on him.

When he fled from the mountain house, lying on the floor, he searched all the pockets of the coat he found, from the outer pockets to the front and inner pockets but didn’t gather anything. Damn, not even a Euro.

Jeong Taeui clicked his tongue. He had nothing. It was like being trapped in an abandoned mountain house with nothing but a scarred body that could barely move.

He couldn’t do it.

If that person was one of the hostages or in danger… then reconsidering might be necessary.

He should help that person, but he couldn’t promise to risk his life for it.

Just then.

From a distance, a faint sound brushed his ear.

It was an extremely gentle sound, like something gliding over the grass.

The moment that faint sound echoed, the hurried footsteps grew more frantic. The person stumbled and quickened their pace.

Just then.

From a distance, a faint sound brushed his ear.

It was an extremely gentle sound, like something gliding over the grass.

The moment that faint sound echoed, the hurried footsteps grew more frantic.

The person was rushing, stumbling, and quickening their pace. That man was being chased.

The second sound was leisurely. The footsteps were unhurried and calm. Because of the body weight, although they seemed slow, the person was advancing quickly.

His heart sank. Taeui knew those footsteps well; among the people he knew, only one person walked like that.

******************************

*Rewako: