212 Ambush (1/2)

After she accompanied Ra Hee for several hours, Yeo Ri decided it was time for her to go home. Gun would get worried if she was not home before him, so it was about time for her to leave.

The two traded goodbyes, and with a final wave, Yeo Ri left the room.

After achieving what she had went there to do, Yeo Ri's steps were light.

Yeo Ri had her head in the clouds as she tried to emulate Ra Hee's actions, thoughts, and feelings and consolidating it into her nameless character role. Yeo Ri wanted to be as prepared as possible; this was her first role as a wannabe actress, and she did not want to disappoint Mrs. Choi whom she regarded as her benefactor.

As she made her way to the elevator, she pulled out her phone, texting Gun about her plans for tomorrow and telling him that she was about to head home. She barely looked up from her phone even as she was waiting for the elevator.

Yeo Ri scrolled through her chat logs with a small smile. Gun's replies were often short, concise, and full of concern. The Han couple kept asking about their next meeting which Yeo Ri never even bothered to read. In a group chat, Jang Mi was teasing Min Chae about how the girl was stuck in remedial class.

Her messenger app was always so lively that Yeo Ri could never feel bored. It was no wonder that so many people got addicted to their phones, she thought. Yeo Ri was so absorbed in reading her messages that she did not hear the sound of the footsteps rapidly coming close towards her.

”—!”

Yeo Ri let out a surprised shriek as she felt her arm getting pulled. She whipped her head to the perpetrator, and upon recognising the familiar face, she glared at him in dissatisfaction.

”Again?!” She muttered annoyedly.

Secretary Kwon visibly appeared out-of-breath, as if he had just ran a marathon. He was staring at her in agitation and relief.

”I'm—glad—I—made—it,” he said between huffs. ”Miss, don't get on the elevator—some bad people are after you.”

”How do you know this?” Yeo Ri frowned as she struggled to pull her arm away. However, Secretary Kwon did not allow her to get away. Instead, he pulled her towards the emergency staircase where he seemed to have had came out from.

”Just now, I trailed behind some people who looked like they were going to cause trouble, and they carried a picture of you. I was able to hear snippets of their conversation, and immediately rushed over here. We should hurry and get you to safety,” he explained. It had been mere coincidence that he chanced upon the thugs on his way to the wards. It was worrisome to know that there were still so many unknown men actively looking for her, so he could not help but hasten his steps.

”What kind of conversation did they have? Rather, what were you doing, following strangers for no reason?”

”They were talking about kidnapping you, miss. I don't dare to recall the full conversation as they were too vulgar,” he replied, ignoring her second question. He was focusing on getting her out of the building and did not want to waste any time.

Yeo Ri did not like the fact that he was being evasive and forceful. Her wrist throbbed with pain, and even though she knew he was protecting her, she could not help but feel disgust and fear from his touch.

”It hurts; let go!” She resisted once she could no longer hold back from recoiling.

”Ah...” Secretary Kwon broke out of his stupor. Looking back at the discontented girl rubbing her sore wrist, a trace of guilt flashed in his heart. ”Apologies, miss.” He had forgotten the fact that Yeo Ri was aversive to physical contact, especially with men.

”I'm truly sorry, Miss Yeo Ri, but we must move quickly before they notice you are gone,” he insisted. His hand that was still holding out to her opened and closed as if he did not know what to do with it. In the end, he took back his hand and gestured for her to go first.

Knowing that it was an emergency and that he really meant no harm, Yeo Ri obediently complied. They descended the stairs quietly.

Once they reached the ground floor, Secretary Kwon made a beeline to the car, leading Yeo Ri while shielding her closely. This time, he made sure not to touch her directly.

However, there seemed to be more people looking for Yeo Ri. As soon as her face was seen at the lobby, several people had begun to move, stalking the duo as they headed to the underground parking area where Secretary Kwon left his car.

The parking lot was surprisingly empty. Except for the rows of cars parked in the space, not even a shadow of a person could be seen.

Tadatadatadatada—

The sound of rushed footsteps rang loudly in the open space.

”Hold it right there!” A masculine voice shouted.

As soon as the man's voice fell, the duo found themselves surrounded by rough-looking men. Some of them wore casual clothes, and some of them wore black suits. Though the two groups created an incongruous image, it was clear that they were from the same side and had the same target.

Secretary Kwon immediately pushed Yeo Ri behind him, taking a defensive stance against the group of men. ”Six, seven, eight... twelve,” he counted their numbers quietly. His mind whirred with ideas on how he should handle the situation.

”What's the meaning of this?! Who sent you?!” Secretary Kwon roared.

”What about you? Who the hell are you? According to our intel, there shouldn't be anyone guarding her. It's not like she's a celebrity or whatever,” one man spoke up. He had been the one to order the men to surround the duo; clearly, he held the reins in the group. ”So who the hell are you? Were you the same f*cker that did our boys in the other day?”

”I don't know what you're talking about,” Secretary Kwon neutrally responded.

”Haha, look at this a*shole,” the leader chuckled derisively. He pulled out an item from his back, ”Give us the girl, and we'll let you live.”

Seeing the item, Secretary Kwon's jaw clenched. He glared at the man warily.