IYWRE 10

Chapter 10

“…Hrk. Ugh….”

It was a physiological reaction.

After vomiting uncontrollably, tears streamed down my face.

I might look fragile, but my body was naturally healthy. Even after suffering terribly during COVID, I had never felt this bad.

Maybe because my body was still so small, it hurt even more!

“Don’t worry. It might be the medication. If you feel like throwing up, just keep throwing up.”

Keep throwing up?

And you’re not even going to pat my back?

Do you think I’m disgusting or something? What a rude Australian kid!

Even while I was sobbing and vomiting, all kinds of thoughts crossed my mind.

But after a while, I finally realized something.

It wasn’t that Lim Rampa didn’t want to pat my back.

He couldn’t.

“…Rampa?”

“Yeah. Are you okay?”

I stared blankly at Rampa, who was tied up with ropes around his hands and feet.

My mind went completely blank.

This is not the time to ask if I’m okay. Why are you looking at me with such pitiful eyes?

“W-what is this…? W-where are we?”

“I don’t know.”

The answer was brutally simple—and completely unexpected.

Seeing my stunned expression, Rampa let out a faint laugh. He’s laughing? Is he insane?

Looking around, I quickly pieced together the situation—but I couldn’t believe it.

“Kidnapping? We got kidnapped? Both of us?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Why would they kidnap a normal six-year-old like me?

‘Did they find out I’m a regressor?’

No way. That can’t be it.

What did I even do? I just exchanged currency!

“I don’t know.”

“….”

My mind turned into a muddy mess.

Rampa’s calmness didn’t calm me down at all. My lips started trembling.

“Are we going to die…?”

“Probably.”

Is this some hidden camera prank?

For a brief moment I considered it—but no… no…

The blood on the bathroom floor was too real.

The unfamiliar voices coming through the crack in the door were too real.

And this fear—

My heart was pounding violently, uncontrollably fast.

No matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise, my body wouldn’t lie.

Rampa’s calm attitude felt almost eerie.

Who is the adult here—me or him?

I was just terrified.

I didn’t know what was happening, or how to escape.

Cold sweat spread across my body.

As my mind cleared, the fear only grew.

In that suffocating moment, I looked at Rampa.

He met my gaze and spoke again.

“It’s okay.”

It was a lie.

Nothing about this was okay.

I could see the sweat on his forehead and the subtle tremor in his hands beneath the ropes.

But what could I say?

Neither of us knew who did this, where we were, or why.

We were the same.

The sound outside the door rustled.

The kidnappers were coming.

Rampa whispered quickly:

“Close your eyes. Don’t open them. I know you’re smart, but listen to me. Even if they try to make you act, don’t open your eyes.”

His Korean was clearer than ever.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.

There was nothing else I could do.

“Looks like the girl woke up.”

“She did? Hey, kid.”

A rough kick struck me.

I didn’t react, keeping my eyes shut, but the kicks grew stronger.

Pain shot through me and my whole body trembled—but I endured it.

Please. I begged internally.

Let me pass out.

Let me just lose consciousness.

“Stop. Don’t touch her. She’s not okay. She threw up several times when she woke up.”

“What the hell is he saying? This brat keeps talking nonsense in some weird language.”

A sound of hitting.

Rampa was being struck.

Tears streamed down my face.

They kept asking him if he really couldn’t speak Korean, and they kept hitting him.

He didn’t respond.

“Forget it. Whatever. Rich people send their kids overseas anyway.”

“Look at that coat. This one’s definitely loaded.”

“What time is it?”

“12:45.”

“Check the parents again at 5. Then send one.”

“Boy or girl?”

“Boy.”

What do they mean, “send one”?

The blood on the bathroom floor flashed through my mind.

These people weren’t amateurs.

I felt a sinking despair—and fainted as I had hoped.

♧

“…Ow. Singa. Seo Singa.”

I don’t know how much time passed.

My skull felt heavy. Dizziness returned.

Then a voice full of relief reached my ears.

I slowly opened my eyes.

In the darkness, Rampa was looking at me.

“Wake up, Singa. You need to wake up now.”

He looked extremely calm—more than before.

If not for the sweat covering his face, I would’ve thought I was dreaming.

Then he whispered again.

“Seo Singa. Move.”

It was strange.

Even though the explanation was short, my mind was dull, and everything was terrifying, I understood him perfectly.

Because of my small body, they likely thought I was only four or five, so unlike Rampa, they hadn’t tied me up tightly.

I could move.

My mind was still numb with fear, but instinct and reason separated.

I stopped crying.

I crawled over and used my hands, teeth, and entire body to loosen his ropes.

My fingers bled, my teeth shook, my lips split—but I didn’t stop.

He told me to move.

So I moved.

“Done.”

Once his hands and feet were free, Rampa only said that much.

We made no sound after that.

Through a small window, there was only pitch-black darkness.

From the owl calls and rustling leaves, we were deep in the mountains.

Luckily, the building was poorly constructed.

The window bars were loosely fixed.

And a Formula 1 driver’s most trained muscles are grip strength, wrists, and arms.

Rampa gritted his teeth and tore the bars off with all his strength.

We slipped through.

No one made a sound.

Only our hearts screamed.

Even when I fell into the bushes, he picked me up and ran.

Sweat poured from his arms.

We ran.

Into the night.

Silently.