“IF YOU KILL A COCKROACH, YOU'RE A HERO. BUT IF YOU KILL A BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLY, YOU'RE A VILLAIN. MORALS HAVE AESTHETIC STANDARDS.”

Manager Yu Beom gasped next to him, followed by numerous cheers and exclamations from the gangsters behind the camera. They seemed to enjoy the unfolding drama. Heesung's lips twitched and curved up at her command.

The only one without any reaction was Seokjin. He wasn’t sure if he heard right. Maybe he couldn’t believe those words could sprew out of her mouth that easily.

Yoon Min begged again, “Did you hear what I said? Break up with me! Free yourself from me. That way, you will not have to choose between your job and me.”

The words didn’t feel right. How could she say that?

“Y-Yoon Min...” he whimpered. “What are you talking about? I will not break up with you.”

“You have to. Please you have to. You have to think about yourself. You’re an idol. You have your members, your fans, your career... I know how much you had to struggle to have all of that. You’ve fought so hard to get here, you’ve sacrificed so much to be where you are now. Don’t let it all be for nothing. Please, Jin-ssi… don’t throw it all away for me. It’s not worth sacrificing for me..."

His heart ached at her words, a mix of desperation and helplessness flooding through him. He wished he could teleport through the screen and take her in his arms. He didn’t want to imagine the chaos she must be feeling right now, which led her to say all of this. Even at the risk of losing her own life, she was urging him to prioritize himself over her.

For a minute, everyone was quiet, looking at him for his reaction.
Her demand hung in the air like a noose, tightening around his throat. Desperation clawed at him, waiting for the opportunity to make him crazy.

Until Baek Heesung started laughing sinisterly. “Now that's an interesting twist,” he said, enjoying the emotional turmoil. “She's trying to save you, Kim. Not everyone is brave enough to sacrifice themself. I knew you were special, sweetheart.”

He moved closer to her and lifted her chin using his fingers, stroking her bottom lip. She looked disgusted by his behaviour and moved her head away.

Heesung chuckled and turned to the screen. “I admire Yoon Min's suggestion. In fact, I think you should listen to her. Here’s another option for you, Kim: break it off with her right now. Think about it— a clean break, no scandal, no angry fans, no drama...you'll be back to your spotless image.”

To his horror, the drug dealer took a fistful of Yoon Min's hair and pulled her closer to him. Manager Yu Beom gasped again and some of the men actually cheered for their boss. Seokjin clenched his fist and growled at him for hitting her but his words felt soundless to the other's ears.

“As for her, we’ll make sure she is well taken care of. Far away from you, of course, but safe. You wouldn’t have to worry about hiding her anymore. She'll be with us. A pretty face like hers was born to bring wealth and pleasure to us!” Heesung watched Yoon Min glaring at him in pain. “Just a few words from you, and we’ll make sure she has a life somewhere else… just not with you in it.”

He looked into the screen again, making direct eye contact with the idol. “Or...you could go the other way and finally tell everyone about your little love story. We’re happy either way."

Heesung started to pull her hair harder. He was hurting her deliberately to put pressure on the idol. So that he would come up with a decision quickly.

Meanwhile, Seokjin felt torn and frustrated, knowing that either decision came with heavy consequences. He could've chosen the second option and be free from this mess. It's what Yoon Min wanted anyway and these evil men might actually be glad to have her as their toy. They would use her for prostitution and treat her badly but at least she will be alive.

But he could not do that. Nothing could make him accept that offer. It would be inhumane and heartless even to think of that option. Which left him with the final option: risk his career and save her life.

To his surprise, Yu Beom interrupted and shouted, “No! I won't let you ruin Seokjin. He only just got back his life! You can't take it away again!”

“Shut your mouth, old man. I don't recall seeking your opinion,” Heesung spat and wrapped his free hand around Yoon Min's throat before starting to strangle her. “Tick-tock, Kim...Little Yoon Min doesn’t have much time. Think about the consequences. You want her safe, don’t you?”

Saying, he choked her and pulled her hair violently, making her scream in agony. The men behind the camera began laughing out loud, enjoying the torment on her. She couldn’t even fight back or defend herself because of the way she was bound helplessly.

The stakes being higher than ever, Seokjin felt the weight of the decision crushing him. He tried looking for anything to figure out the place they were holding her but nothing was worth it. It was just an old, dark, shabby wall. Leaving that, he focused on the two choices he was given, ignoring the painful cries of Yoon Min on the screen, who was struggling to breathe.

Every fibre of his being urged him to agree to the other’s demand, to do anything to stop this, but he knew this wasn’t a simple choice. His career, his life, and Yoon Min’s safety—all of it was in the drug dealer’s hands.

“Make your choice, Seokjin,” Heesung’s voice slithered through the screen. “Either announce your relationship or give her up.”

All of a sudden, his phone vibrated. A notification flashed on his screen. Seokjin’s eyes shifted slightly to the corner of his screen, where the faint buzz of a notification caught his attention. Usually, he would've ignored it, but he noticed the name Scooby-Doo and the tiny location pin next to it.

For a moment, the meaning didn’t sink in; his mind was still coiled tight around the suffocating choices he had to make quickly. But then, as if pieces of a distant puzzle clicked together, the realization hit him like a wave, as he figured out the notification on his phone screen.

It was a small map preview pop-up with a message that read, "Scooby-Doo has shared her location.”

He looked into the computer's screen again. Baek Heesung was harshly tugging at her hair, his other hand tightly around her throat. There were faint murmurs from the rest of the men present with them. And Yoon Min was barely breathing, but her eyes stared at him in a way she never did before as if she wanted him to know what she just did.

Yoon Min just sent him her location.

A spark of hope flared within him, warm and fierce, coursing through his veins like an electric current. He inhaled slowly, steadying the tremor that threatened to climb up his throat. Every instinct urged him to react, to grasp at the lifeline suddenly within reach, but he forced himself to remain stoic in front of Baek Heesung.

He had no idea; he had no idea how she shared her location when her hands were bound behind her, a man was holding her hostage and hurting her at the moment, and her phone was in the hands of the rest of the gang. But somehow she had managed to send him her location. It was a huge risk but it was the only way he could save her.

There was no point in thinking how she did it. Right now, he had to make sure her location was given to the police as quickly as possible. So that they could act fast and rescue her before it was too late.

Swallowing hard, Seokjin lifted his gaze to meet Heesung’s, forcing himself to stay calm. “G-Give me some time.” His voice was steady but with barely contained emotion. “I need to think this through.”

His gaze dropped to Yoon Min whose intense eyes relaxed. He could barely hold himself from assuring her that he got her message and that help would be on the way soon.

A silence followed, punctuated by the flicker of doubt in Heesung’s eyes. Seokjin tightened his jaw, masking the hope that pulsed under his skin, his cold eyes fixed on the drug dealer. But a twisted grin spread across Heesung's face as he released Yoon Min’s hair and removed his hand from her throat, letting her slump forward, gasping for breath.

“Fine. But don’t make me wait, Kim. You wouldn’t want her to suffer any more than she already has.”

The idol nodded, doing his best to keep his expression neutral.

“You have 24 hours. Make your decision wisely,” Heesung sneered, the threat clear. Seokjin nodded again, concealing the wildfire of anticipation.

“I-I understand.”

Yoon Min opened her mouth to say something, but Heesung gave him a mocking wave and then ended the call, leaving them alone in the deafening silence of his hotel room. The moment the screen went dark, Seokjin exhaled sharply, his composure breaking as he glanced down at the location on his phone.

“Yes! You did it, Yoon Min!”

Yu Beom was still panicked, missing everything. “I don't understand. What happened?”

The other explained quickly, “She sent me her location. I don't know how but she took advantage of the situation.”

Without wasting a second, he called Officer Dong Man, his voice urgent but controlled as he relayed everything he knew. He didn’t miss a single detail as he provided them with information from the whole video call. Every second felt like an eternity, but as he finished, a sense of victory settled over him.

The police officer heard everything attentively and then said, “Well done, Mr. Kim. I have received her location from you. We are sending our team there right now.”

Seokjin's lips trembled to smile, his heart pacing excitedly.

“However, it is a matter of question as to how Ms. Song Yoon Min sent her location. You said her phone was with the men, correct?”

Was it important to figure out how she sent it? Wasn’t it just enough that she sent it?

“Then we must assume whatever she did, has sent a notification to her own phone as well. She must've used a device to send her location and it is not possible without connecting it to her phone. So if her phone did not send the message, her phone will receive a notification that she shared her location from a device.”

Before he could ask, Manager Yu Beom spoke up instead, “What is your point, Officer?”

“Since her phone will be with them, they could easily see the notification and realize what she did.”

The realization took its time to sink in. Seokjin didn’t think of it that far. If Baek Heesung's men checked her phone and figured out she shared her location, it would be over.

“And what do you suppose they will do?” Yu Beom asked then.

Officer Dong Man was silent for a minute. “They will probably act quickly and move her somewhere else. Or worse, might finish her off and escape since there is no need for her right now to them, except for Baek Heesung's personal gain.”

Seokjin let the words shoot him and puncture his organs. If they found out, they would kill her and run away happily. After all, the only reason they were keeping her hostage now was for personal gain and satisfaction. They had the money already; they were just waiting for Seokjin's downfall.

He gripped his phone tighter and begged, “Officer, you have to save her! Promise me you will save her. Please don't let them take her. They will kill her if you don't hurry!”

Officer Dong Man answered calmly, “I cannot promise you anything, Mr. Kim. But I will try my best to rescue her and bring her back to you.”

When the call ended, Yu Beom rested his hands on the idol's shoulders and consoled him. “They will save her, Seokjin. Trust them. Let's hope our Yoon Min keeps herself alive till the police reach her.”

There was nothing he could do but rely on his manager's words. If he didn’t, he would probably have a heart attack and expire. He prayed to God to protect her until she was back in his arms again.

☆THE FAULT IN OUR STARS☆

THANK YOU FOR READING
╚»★«╝