RFH Chapter 13

Episode 13

To be honest, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t tempted.

Min Hyemi wanted to kill those bastards who had wielded violence against her in the name of love. She wanted to rip them apart with her own hands.

But at the same time, she still harbored fear toward them.

Even if she stood before them with a knife in hand, she wouldn’t be able to attack. She’d likely end up running away instead.

“So... is there really a way to do it?”

However, curiosity got the better of her, and she asked the question.

The boss responded with a smiling face.

“It’s possible if returnees gather together. I’ve received a sudden quest with exactly that premise.”

“........!”

If she had received a sudden quest, it made sense why she would attempt something that seemed otherwise impossible.

“I’ve currently gathered 64% of the returnees. Once I hit 100%, I’ll be able to manipulate the dimensions as I please. So, what do you think? Isn’t it tempting?”

“......”

Min Hyemi stayed silent. Part of her wanted to say yes.

But the thought of facing them again terrified her. Above all else...

‘I don’t want to be a key figure.’

Being part of the corpse disposal team that supported brilliant hunters from the shadows suited her just fine.

She had no desire to become a member of the country’s largest terrorist organization!

“I need time to think.”

There was no need to antagonize her counterpart immediately, so Min Hyemi tried to look as harmless as possible and said this.

“A day should be enough, right?”

“For now, yes.”

“The bathroom is in the room, and I’ll have meals brought to you regularly. So, think it over carefully.”

“W-wait a minute, I have a kidnapping allergy.”

“Ah.”

The boss sighed as if she had just realized something.

“What should I do then? If you want, I can have some female members of the organization come by.”

“No, I’d rather not have anyone monitoring me...”

“Hmm. Fine, I’ll do that. It’s not like you’ll be able to escape from here anyway.”

What an overly confident statement. Min Hyemi squinted her eyes at the boss.

At that moment, her hands were suddenly grabbed.

Startled by the unexpected strength in the boss’s grip, Min Hyemi froze as the boss used one hand to restrain both of hers and slipped her other hand into Min Hyemi’s pocket.

The magical artifact she had received from Kwon Anna, along with her cellphone, was pulled out.

"........."

"But I'll be confiscating these!"

Damn it. Min Hyemi squeezed her eyes shut.

***

Thus, she found herself experiencing yet another tiresome kidnapping.

Typically, kidnappings came with handcuffs and blindfolds as a package deal... No, this wasn’t a 19+ rated story, so such remarks should probably be avoided.

As she sighed deeply, staring blankly into the air, the door opened.

Yoo Seongtae entered with a meal in hand.

"Here you go."

He placed the meal in front of Min Hyemi and shamelessly smiled.

"I made it myself."

"...Why?"

"Cooking happens to be my hobby."

He even winked this time, looking even more shameless.

Watching an adult man wink sent shivers down her spine.

Staring at him for a while, Min Hyemi decided she might as well try to gather some information.

"Are you a returnee?"

"Yes, that’s right. That’s why I follow the boss’s orders."

"What’s the boss’s name?"

"Huh, do the admin hunters not know? Security Team 1 all know it. The boss’s name is Eun Yiseul."

Unexpectedly, he revealed information quite freely.

Eun Yiseul. Min Hyemi rolled the name around in her mouth.

"Since you know I’m a returnee from an extreme 19+ romance fantasy world, I think it’s only fair you tell me where you’re from."

"Oh, me...?"

Yoo Seongtae smirked, and in that moment, Min Hyemi sensed an overwhelming darkness and eeriness in his gaze.

"I’m from a horror game."

"A horror game?"

"It was a loop-based one..."

His usually cheerful voice took on a somber tone.

"I died dozens, hundreds, thousands of times. Facing terrifying creatures that shattered my sanity..."

"Ah, I think it’s better for my mental health not to hear any more."

"Haha, I’d agree with that."

Yoo Seongtae quickly returned to his usual demeanor and smiled.

"Anyway, since we’ll be working toward the same goal, let’s get along!"

"...You seem awfully confident I’ll join your side."

"Of course. We have a bond, don’t we?"

"A bond?"

"There’s a shared sense between us that greenhouse flowers wouldn’t understand, isn’t there?"

To be honest, she could somewhat agree with that sentiment. Despite being in a kidnapping situation, Min Hyemi didn’t feel a distinct fear, perhaps for that reason.

"If you join Exodus, I’ll make sure your wishes come true."

"What do you think I want?"

"You’ll have to tell me that."

At those words, Min Hyemi responded in a provocative tone.

"I want everyone who claims to love me to die."

"Hmm, that’s not too difficult."

"Really?"

"I just have to kill everyone who looks at you, don’t I?"

"What?"

"If someone looks at you, they fall in love with you, so I’ll make sure no one even dares to look at you. How’s that? Satisfied?"

At his words, Min Hyemi let out an involuntary laugh.

"If everyone who looks at me falls in love, then that flawed logic would mean you love me too..."

"Ah, if my brain were intact, maybe I would’ve fallen for you. After all, you’re the heroine."

While Min Hyemi was questioning her ears, he continued speaking.

"I thought you’d hate it if I fell in love with you, so I made sure to mess up my brain beforehand. Want me to tell you how...?"

"Please spare me the gore."

Once again, she was reminded that this man, Yoo Seongtae, came from a horror game.

Most importantly, she realized that the man standing before her wasn’t in his right mind.

Well, if he had gone through countless loops in a horror game, it wasn’t surprising...

"Anyway, if you cooperate with our organization, I’ll make sure no one dares to love you. I’ll also kill everyone who ever dared to love you."

"...Why go to such lengths for me?"

"I told you. It’s the bond between us returnees."

Min Hyemi stared blankly at him.

‘How the hell do I get out of here?’

Damn it, she felt like she had become another powerless heroine. It was the worst feeling ever.

***

"Ugghh."

The next morning, Lee Ruri was running with a slice of bread in her mouth.

Her daily routine of dashing past headquarters with bread in her mouth had become so well-known that none of the staff even paid attention to her anymore.

But when she burst into the office, Lee Ruri exclaimed in shock.

"Huh? Hyemi-chan isn’t here yet?"

"That’s right. She’s not here."

Jung Yeseul, staring out the window, replied with a wistful expression.

"Something must have come up."

"Hmm, Hyemi-chan never comes in late though..."

Lee Ruri pouted, puzzled. Min Hyemi, ever diligent, was always the first to arrive at work.

"Right? Do you think the team leader’s sick?"

Kim Chan-neul spoke in a worried tone, just as the office door opened.

"Are you saying Hyemi hasn’t come in yet?"

"Hunter Kwon Anna?"

Kim Chan-neul hurried over to her. With Min Hyemi absent, he was the closest thing to a rational presence in the office.