TDIMEH Chapter 63

 

63. Executive Director Kim

"Alright. See you tomorrow then."

As evening approached, Se-ah spoke with Marino once more.

Marino apologized, explaining that government approval had been delayed, making rescue impossible that night. It would have to wait until the next morning.

Even through the receiver, his regret was evident.

Se-ah, however, was grateful, saying that the timing was already fast enough, before ending the call.

Since it was already nighttime, morning wasn’t too far away. She could easily wait a little longer.

Compared to the time she had already spent trapped on the deserted island, one more night was nothing.

Was this finally the escape?

Still unable to believe it, Se-ah pinched her cheek.

A sharp pain spread across her skin, confirming it wasn’t a dream.

Seeing her reaction, Junhyuk let out a small chuckle.

It was at that moment—just as she was about to press the power button to conserve battery—her phone suddenly rang.

"Rrrrrrr. Rrrrrr."

Holding the phone, Se-ah froze at the soft ringing sound.

A sense of foreboding crept over her.

"Why are you so startled?"

Junhyuk, seeing her trembling hands gripping the phone, quickly snatched it away and powered it off.

"The owner of that room returned this afternoon, so they must have realized their phone was missing. And now that they know it’s been turned on, they’ll come looking for it."

"T-Then… isn’t that dangerous?"

"It could be, yeah. If we can’t use the phone, we have to meet at the highest point, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"We should move. That cliff from before should work… Wait!"

Junhyuk, who had been responding, suddenly stopped mid-sentence and stared into the forest.

His expression hardened as he grabbed the makeshift spear they had crafted earlier.

"Why are you suddenly grabbing the spear?"

"I heard footsteps from over there."

Hearing his words, Se-ah held her breath and listened carefully.

But all she could hear was the sound of the wind.

"Maybe you misheard? I don’t hear anything..."

As she shook her head, she suddenly froze in place.

Her eyes widened, shaking violently.

Junhyuk was right.

When had they arrived?

Armed men were emerging from the forest behind them, aiming their guns at the two.

One, two, three, four... There were at least ten of them.

Several glinting gun barrels were pointed directly at Junhyuk and her chest.

The way their fingers rested on the triggers made it clear—the guns were already loaded.

Even the slightest movement from one of them could send bullets flying in an instant.

Although it was only a threat, her heart pounded as if she had actually been shot.

It was even scarier knowing that Junhyuk also had guns pointed at him.

At that moment, as she stood frozen with wide eyes, he stepped in front of her.

Her vision was immediately filled with his broad back.

Even in the face of danger, he didn’t hesitate to shield her.

Her chest burned with emotion.

Soon, Se-ah and Junhyuk were completely surrounded by the armed men.

"[Raise your hands and kneel.]"

Following their orders, they sank to their knees on the ground.

Two men approached and tied their hands and bodies with rope before confiscating all of their belongings.

Just one more day. If they had held out for just one more day…

Se-ah shut her eyes tightly, then opened them again, feeling the weight of her disappointment.

Still, there was hope. There were others—Boss Nam and Moon Sohee.

She tried to steady herself with that thought, but then—

"Coco, help us!"

Somehow, they had been found.

Boss Nam and Moon Sohee, who had been hiding behind the bushes, were also captured and dragged out.

Their last remaining hope vanished in an instant.

In the end, all four of them were taken captive, their belongings stripped away.

"[Move quickly.]"

Under the threat of the gunmen, they stumbled down the mountain path.

As expected, they were brought in front of the overseers' quarters.

For some reason, other workers had also been dragged out and forced to kneel.

Se-ah looked around at the people surrounded by armed guards and spotted some familiar faces.

She gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

Jo Jisang was there, along with Kevin, Leo, Ren, and Rosie.

They all looked gaunt, their faces hollow from hardship.

Jo Jisang, in particular, looked skeletal, as if he hadn't had a sip of water in days.

"Junhyuk!"

His face, close to death, lit up slightly upon seeing Junhyuk.

But, after a quick glance around, he shut his mouth again, cautious of his surroundings.

Se-ah hurriedly scanned the area for Amihan.

Then she spotted him, trembling in a corner.

Even at a glance, his condition looked terrible.

Her eyes lingered on the bag that had been taken from her.

Inside, there was medicine—medicine that Amihan desperately needed.

Se-ah caught Amihan’s blurry gaze and mouthed, "Just wait a little longer."

She swore to herself that she would find a way to get him the medicine.

As she swept her gaze across the crowd, her eyes suddenly stopped on a familiar face.

Could it be…?

Her eyes widened in shock.

A man, dressed in a tattered summer suit, was staring at her with an equally astonished expression.

She forgot to breathe.

Blinking, she tried to confirm what she was seeing.

It was as if her vision zoomed in, focusing only on that one person.

He had aged over the years, his face thinner, but there was no mistaking it.

Thick eyebrows. A round nose. Drooping lips.

Even after seeing him again, there was no doubt—it was Executive Director Kim, the man who had run away.

Rage surged from the depths of her chest, so intense that her body trembled.

She was so furious that she felt breathless, unable to speak.

Se-ah clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms as she struggled to control her breathing.

All the suppressed emotions and resentment she had bottled up over time boiled over.

The moment she laid eyes on Executive Director Kim, every hardship she had endured and every wound from his betrayal resurfaced vividly.

Her mind went blank, and she forgot where she was.

"Mister!"

Se-ah shouted at the top of her lungs.

Forgetting that her hands were bound, she lunged toward him.

The other captives turned to her in shock at her sudden outburst.

Even the armed men, taken aback, shifted their focus to the confrontation.

Kim, who had been anxiously looking for an escape route, lowered his head in defeat when he realized there was nowhere to run.

Se-ah’s voice shook with anger as she questioned him.

"Why did you do it? Why?!"

"……...."

"Say something! If you have a mouth, explain yourself!"

If her hands were free, she would have grabbed him by the collar that instant.

If it weren’t for him, things wouldn’t have collapsed so disastrously.

Her father wouldn’t have collapsed either.

Yes, overworking himself to prevent bankruptcy played a part, but the crushing betrayal from someone he trusted had been the final blow.

Even now, her father had yet to recover fully.

The doctors had said that even if he regained consciousness, he might never return to his normal life.

He would likely need a caretaker for the rest of his days or be confined to a nursing home.

Kim had been a close family friend since Se-ah was a child.

He always came to their house, bringing teddy bears or sweet treats.

Before her mother passed away, she had even told Se-ah to rely on him more than their own relatives if anything ever happened to the family.

But his betrayal had left wounds that could never heal.

"Do you even know that my father collapsed?"

"I… I heard about the chairman’s condition."

If only he had been unaware, perhaps she could have forgiven him a little.

But knowing he had heard—and yet never reached out—turned her vision red with rage.

"Do you understand why it happened?"

"That… I don’t know."

Kim averted his eyes, his face turning red.

"You should know! How can you pretend not to? It was because of you! Because you stole everything and ran away!"

Se-ah screamed in frustration.

"I had no choice. What was I supposed to do—just die there? I had to survive. I planned to earn the money and pay it back eventually."

"How can you even say that?!"

Her fury overflowed, and tears began to spill down her face.

With her hands tied, she couldn’t even wipe them away.

Junhyuk stepped beside her and offered his shoulder.

"Wipe them. And don’t waste your tears on someone like him. Want me to beat him up for you? If he made you this angry, he’s definitely a bad person."

"Would you really do that?"

Se-ah wiped her tears on Junhyuk’s sleeve and glared at Kim with tear-streaked eyes.

"Of course."

Junhyuk raised his leg as if he was about to kick Kim on the spot.

"S-Se-ah, w-what are you saying?!"

"If you did something wrong, you should be punished."

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