Wait… what did I just hear? Could this be a dream? Yeah, that must be it. I’m still asleep. Definitely.
But he knew full well this was reality. With a voice trembling as much as the hand clutching his phone, Yu-jin barely managed to open his mouth.
“W-What are you talking about? H-How did you know?”
“Damn it.”
Grant swore through a breathy sigh, cutting in before the stunned Yu-jin could say another word.
“You need to get out of there. Campbell’s on his way.”
“What? Winston? He’s coming here?”
Yu-jin was so shocked that all he could do was repeat the words back. His voice came out like a scream, and Grant let out a heavy sigh before doing something completely unexpected—he apologized.
“If I’d told you earlier, you could’ve prepared. I’m sorry. He showed up out of nowhere… I couldn’t stop him.”
Caught off guard by the apology, Yu-jin shook his head in a flustered panic.
“N-No, it’s not your fault. I… Has he… did he do something to you?”
A chill ran down Yu-jin’s spine at the thought that Winston might have done something horrific.
Grant’s voice was clipped when he answered the shaky question.
“I’m still alive. For now.”
How ominous that phrase sounded. For now. Yu-jin wanted to ask more, but Grant spoke again first.
“This isn’t the time. Just go. Let me know when you’ve found a place to hide.”
“O-Okay, I will. I’m really sorry, Grant.”
He apologized again, but Grant just muttered, “It’s fine,” and hung up. As if they had no time left to waste. The silence that followed was like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head, snapping him back to his senses. Yu-jin jumped off the bed and scrambled to pack. There was no time to gather much. He tossed a few clothes into a small travel bag, shoved the cash he had into his coat pocket, and rushed out of the room.
“Angie, Angie.”
He gently shook his sleeping daughter’s shoulder and called her name. Angela stirred, mumbling softly as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.
“Wake up, Angie. We have to leave.”
His heart ached, but there was no time to linger. Scooping up his barely-awake daughter in his arms, Yu-jin hurried down the stairs. In this kind of emergency, anyone else might have called a cab—but that wasn’t an option for Yu-jin. Just the thought of getting into a car made his heart race and his breath catch in his throat.
What a spoiled thing to complain about at a time like this. He scolded himself, but that didn’t magically fix anything. If anything, he felt even dizzier now. Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes and forced himself to focus.
Haa, haa.
His shoulders heaved with each ragged breath. Only after repeating the motion several times did the panic finally begin to subside. The biting winter air helped clear his head.
“Mmm…”
His daughter stirred in his arms, likely from the cold. Yu-jin quickly pulled her closer, wrapping her more tightly in his embrace.
“I’m sorry, Angie. Just hang in there a little longer.”
No matter what, he had to get in a car—for Angela’s sake. They couldn’t just walk through this freezing winter night.
The memory of when they first arrived here suddenly resurfaced. Back then, even during the cab ride from the train station, Yu-jin hadn’t been able to hold out. He ended up getting off halfway and walking the rest of the way. And now, he wasn’t even sure if a cab would come out this far at this hour.
He quickly opened the app and searched for a taxi. Just as he feared, there were none nearby. He called a few companies, but the moment he gave his address, they hesitated before refusing outright. He wasted more time trying before finally giving up.
First, I need to get into the city.
With that decision made, Yu-jin began walking down the dark, empty road. He had to move fast. Had to get as far as possible. His arms were already going numb from holding his daughter, but he ignored the pain and pushed forward, almost breaking into a run. The small suitcase clattered noisily across the pavement, dragging behind him. The bitter wind made his ears and hands sting with cold. Gritting his teeth, Yu-jin pressed on, into the dark where he had no idea how far he would need to go.
Suddenly, two beams of light came speeding toward him.
He froze the moment he realized they were headlights. Then came the sound of brakes screeching and the jarring bounce of the car. The blinding light bearing down on him and the deafening roar of the engine flashed through his memory—so vivid, it felt like it was happening again right now.
“Hiiik…!”
He gasped sharply, clutching Angela tighter against his chest. His body instinctively curled up to shield her as he squeezed his eyes shut, the glare pouring down on him from above.
Trembling in terror, Yu-jin suddenly noticed the silence around him. The only sound was the low hum of the engine. Cautiously, he lifted his head.
The car had stopped some distance away.
Heart pounding, he squinted against the headlights. A tall man stood in front of the beams, casting a long, dark shadow across the road—and Yu-jin’s heart nearly stopped. His brows drew together in distress, and he blinked several times, eyes wide with disbelief. He swallowed dryly, his pulse pounding so loudly it echoed in his ears. He couldn’t look away as the man slowly began walking toward him.
***
The front door wasn’t locked. It swung open easily, letting out a breath of cold air.
The eerie stillness, completely devoid of human presence, sent a shiver of dread through Winston’s chest.
He stood motionless for a moment before finally stepping inside. The only sound was the echo of his own footsteps. The silence inside the house was suffocating—like death itself. His bodyguards quickly scattered, searching the place in a panic, but Winston already knew. He could feel it in his gut.
Yu-jin was gone.
Instead of cursing, he let out a soft, bitter chuckle. Go ahead. Keep trying to slip away from me. Let’s see how far you get.
He said nothing as his guards returned with pale faces, glancing awkwardly at one another. Winston simply pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips. The house remained completely silent as he lit it and exhaled a cloud of smoke. Finally, the head of the team worked up the nerve to step forward and speak.
“Uh… Mr. Campbell.”
“Don’t bother.”
Before the team leader could say another word, Winston cut him off. Then, with a mocking tone, he added,
“If you’re about to tell me Yu-jin isn’t here, don’t waste your breath. I do have eyes, you know.”
Embarrassed, the team leader had no choice but to step back. Winston fell silent again, taking slow drags from his cigarette as if lost in thought. Then, finally, he spoke.
“Grant.”
“…Sir?” The team leader paused, caught off guard by the low, deliberate voice. Winston exhaled a stream of smoke before continuing.
“If anyone knows where he is, it’ll be that man.”
***
“Thank you for the ride.”
Yu-jin offered a final word of gratitude before shutting the car door behind him. The older man behind the wheel smiled warmly.
“Oh, don’t mention it. I was passing through anyway. Still—damn lucky I saw you. Who the hell walks out there at that hour?”
With a sheepish smile, Yu-jin bowed slightly in apology.
“I’m sorry for scaring you.”
“No, no. You’ve already said enough. It’s fine now.”
Shaking his head, the man added kindly,
“Thank you for giving me the chance to do a good deed today. May the Lord bless you and your child.”
Touched by the man’s gentle smile, Yu-jin returned it with his own and replied,
“And may God’s blessing be with you, too.”
As soon as Yu-jin shut the door, the man drove off. Yu-jin let out a deep breath and hugged the child in his arms tightly.
Meeting that man had been nothing short of a miracle. The fear of being hit by a car, quickly followed by the terror of seeing Winston again—it had all vanished the moment the man spoke.
He’d spotted Yu-jin and Angela illuminated in his headlights and slammed on the brakes, startled out of his wits. He even joked that he thought they might’ve been ghosts, laughing nervously. Then, without hesitation, he’d offered them a ride.
Yu-jin had still been shaking, but there was no other option. Using Angela as an excuse, he sat in the back seat, tense and silent the entire ride, eyes squeezed shut. Only when the car came to a full stop did he finally exhale the breath he’d been holding.
Thank God.
The man didn’t ask any questions. He simply dropped them off at a motel and left. Yu-jin let out a sigh of relief and stepped inside the worn-down building. It was old, but surprisingly well-kept. The room they were assigned was quiet and tidy.
The man had proudly mentioned that he traveled across many states as a trucker and personally vouched for the place—and it showed.
