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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Heading to Where You Are
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"Call a taxi, Jun-woo."
Hee-jin, who had finished preparing to head home, called out to Jun-woo.
Jun-woo opened his phone app to summon a taxi.
At that moment, his phone rang— it was Jong-min.
It was the call Jun-woo had been waiting for, so he picked up Jong-min's call first.
"Is A-jin there?"
-No. Still no word from her?
"I haven't tried calling yet. Why?"
For some reason, Jong-min's question made his heart uneasy.
-Well...
He could sense the hesitation through the receiver.
Ever since leaving the theater, he hadn't been able to shake off the nagging discomfort.
He had debated whether to tell Jun-woo about the phone call he had overheard.
He worried it might blow things out of proportion over a needless misunderstanding.
As Jong-min hesitated, Jun-woo's anxiety grew.
"What's going on?"
-Well...
"Why are you beating around the bush? Just spit it out."
-It's just my hunch, but I think something's happened to A-jin.
Jun-woo's brow furrowed sharply.
"What happened?"
-I don't know exactly, but it seems like she's in some kind of trouble.
"What kind of trouble? Explain it so I can understand."
-Tell you the details later. Try calling A-jin first.
What on earth could it be?
Jun-woo hung up on Jong-min and immediately called A-jin.
* * *
She was still inside the changing room.
Clutching the clothes she couldn't bring herself to change out of, A-jin could only let tears well up in her eyes.
-Bang bang bang-
Since she was holed up inside and refusing to come out, the tattooed man periodically knocked on the door.
"Miss? You coming out or not? We have to move on to the next shoot!"
The tattooed man's voice grew increasingly harsh.
"I... I really can't wear this."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"Can I just go?"
"What are you talking about? You took the money, so you have to do it."
"I'll give it back."
She was desperate enough to pay them off just to escape this place.
But the tattooed man scoffed as if it were the most ridiculous thing he'd heard.
"Give it back? What about the equipment rental, the studio fees, the daily rates? You gonna cover all that? That's gotta be ten million won at least."
An unimaginable sum.
"T-Ten... million won?"
"Yeah, ten million. Got it?"
"Where would I get that kind of money?"
"Then put the clothes on."
"Please, let me off. I really can't wear it."
"Should I come in and dress you myself?"
The man grabbed the locked doorknob and shook it violently, trying to force it open.
The door rattled as if it might break apart, pressing down on her.
It was pure terror.
"Hey! Where's the key?"
The tattooed man let go of the knob and asked the man with his hair tied up.
"O-Okay... I'll wear it."
A-jin blurted out in panic.
She felt she couldn't hold out any longer.
If this kept up, he really might strip her and force the clothes on her. With that thought, she reluctantly began putting them on.
Why was this happening to her?
She resented Cho-hee.
She hated blaming others, but this time, she couldn't help feeling bitter toward her.
'Did Cho-hee have no idea what kind of place this was when she asked me to come?'
She put on the outfit and looked at herself in the fitting room's mirror.
The crop top was so short that raising her arms even a little would expose her bra.
Her thighs were fully bare beneath the short shorts.
It didn't reveal cleavage or underwear, but it was the kind of outfit that stirred up lewd imaginings.
Tears streamed down as she saw her reflection.
They had said it was just for accessories.
What kind of photos were they planning to take, making her wear something like this?
Fear overwhelmed her, and the tears kept flowing.
She set her old clothes down on the floor, and that's when she heard a vibration.
Only then did A-jin realize she still had her phone.
She hurriedly answered.
She kept her voice as low as possible, fearing the men outside might snatch it away.
"Hello?"
-Why haven't you been picking up!!
It was Jun-woo.
The moment she answered, he snapped at her without preamble.
His desperate worry seeped through his voice.
Even his angry tone felt welcoming to A-jin.
Hearing him made her pent-up sobs burst out.
"Jun-woo... *sniff*."
Her sniffles made his voice grow even more urgent.
-What's going on!! Is something really wrong?
"It's just..."
She needed to explain her situation, but the words wouldn't come easily.
-It's okay. Take your time and tell me.
"I... came here for a shoot, and they want me to wear these weird clothes..."
-Weird clothes?
"If I don't, they say they'll strip me... *sniff*."
-Strip you? Where are you right now? I'll come get you.
"I'm at... the Challenge Building in Hongdae, second floor. I'm still in the changing room."
-Don't cry. Hold out in there as long as you can. Keep the line open.
"Okay... *sniff*."
-Bang bang bang-
The tattooed man knocked on the door again.
Worried they might overhear, A-jin turned the call volume all the way down.
"All dressed?"
"I-I'm getting dressed."
"What, you from Alaska or something? Why's it taking so damn long to put on a few clothes?"
"I-I'm coming out."
-Rattle, clink clink-
The man couldn't wait any longer and fetched a keyring.
He fanned out the keys with a jingle and inserted one into the lock.
But it wasn't the right key for the changing room.
"Not this one."
"What do I do, Jun-woo? He's trying to unlock the door with a key."
-I'm in a taxi now. I'll be right there. Just hold on a bit longer.
Soon the man would unlock the door and barge in.
Fear filled her eyes.
She prayed desperately for Jun-woo to hurry.
-Rattle, clink, click-
Finally, the man found the right key and unlocked the changing room door.
"You're dressed. Get out here, quick."
He grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the changing room.
In the end, A-jin was positioned in front of the camera.
The man shoved her down onto a bed that only had a mattress.
"Lie down."
"Pardon?"
"I said lie down."
They had definitely said it was for accessories.
There were no accessories anywhere, and now they were suggesting strange poses with this bizarre outfit.
She knew she should protest, but no words came out.
She just tugged the short crop top down as far as it would go, trying to cover her exposed skin even a little.
Then the man with his hair tied back, who had been fiddling with the camera, approached her with an irritated expression.
He pressed down on her shoulders, forcing her to lie back, and pulled her legs apart.
"Lie down like this."
"I-I can do it myself."
Chills ran through her at the feel of the man's hands on her body.
A-jin squeezed her eyes shut and followed their demands.
"It's not hard. Just drink this and let it drip naturally down your body."
The tattooed man brought over a pretty cup filled with milk and placed it in her hand.
She couldn't even ask why, let alone think about it.
With trembling hands, she lifted the milk cup.
She closed her eyes tight again and brought it to her lips when someone knocked on the studio door.
"Anyone coming over?"
The man with tied-back hair asked the tattooed man.
"Nope."
"Then who is it?"
The tattooed man called out without opening the door.
"Who is it?"
"Excuse me. We got a report."
At the word "report," the men exchanged glances.
Then they both looked at A-jin simultaneously.
A-jin realized this was her chance.
Gathering her courage, she cried out.
"Help— Mmph."
But the tied-back-hair man was quicker, clamping his hand over her mouth.
"Quiet. Over here."
The man pulled her toward him, but A-jin struggled fiercely.
If she let herself be dragged away now, she'd truly have no chance of escape. She thrashed wildly with that thought.
The tattooed man joined in, lifting her legs.
And so A-jin was dragged toward the emergency stairs.
Only after hiding her did the tattooed man open the studio door.
Thank goodness he'd locked it beforehand, he thought, plastering on an innocent smile.
"What's this about?"
"We got a report that a student was being held here against her will."
"A student? What are you talking about..."
The tattooed man put on a perfectly bewildered expression. The two officers, suspicious that it had taken so long to open the door, peered around inside.
"May we take a quick look around?"
"Of course. Come on in."
Rather than resist, the tattooed man boldly invited them inside.
The police checked the changing room, bathroom, and makeshift kitchen.
Most of the space was open-plan, with nowhere obvious to hide.
Finding no student as described in the report, the officers asked the man a few questions.
"What kind of shoot were you doing?"
"Not shooting yet—just prepping for tomorrow's session."
"Were you here alone, sir?"
"I had a colleague, but he went out for lunch."
As the questions continued, the other officer headed toward the emergency exit stairs.
Spotting this, the tattooed man swallowed hard in tension.
When the officer opened the stairwell door, beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.
"It took a while to open the door—what were you doing?"
"Oh, well..."
The man kept his eyes on the stairwell, racking his brain for an excuse.
"I was... changing out of my clothes..."
The officer misunderstood, thinking his glance toward the camera meant he'd been up to something indecent alone in the studio.
Just then, the officer from the stairwell returned.
Sweat dripped down the tattooed man's forehead.
"Nothing unusual here either."
* * *
He sprinted at full speed and jumped in a taxi.
He begged the driver to go as fast as possible.
To reassure her, he tried his best to stay calm.
But then her scream cut off, and the call ended.
Losing all reason, Jun-woo punched the front passenger seat.
The startled driver glanced at him nervously and floored the accelerator.
Anxiety, impatience, rage—he felt like he was going mad.
Jun-woo barely regained his senses and called the police first.
Moments later, they called him back.
He snatched up the phone.
"Hello."
-This the guy who made the report?
"Yes. Did you find my friend?"
-No. No girl here. Nothing suspicious at all.
His heart sank at the words that she wasn't there.
Then where the hell had they taken her?
Fear made his breathing ragged.
"That can't be. She was talking to me on the phone. Did you even search properly?"
-Kid, who do you think we are?
Offended by the doubt in their competence, the officer replied irritably.
"Please check again..."
"Look, we told you no one's here. We'll swing by once more later. Just wait and don't worry."
The officer hung up after that irresponsible instruction to wait.
Jun-woo lost control again, slamming the backrest and screaming.
"Aaagh!!"
The driver, who had subtly eased off the gas, tensed up at the scream and sped up once more.
