Chương 74: QUIET STREET

The karaoke went well. Everyone took turns to show their talent. Some were surprisingly good. Some… not so much. And then, there was Gun-woo.

"Wait, wait… This is my best one," he said confidently, grabbing the mic again.

"No," Min-su declared. But it was too late. Gun-woo began singing. Or at least… That's what he called it.

"STOP." Jimin immediately covered his ears.

"Why is he shouting?!" Min-ji groaned, already leaning away. Hye-jin winced slightly but tried to endure it. Even Yuna turned her head, pressing her fingers against her ears with a faint frown. While Yu-jun smirked constantly, not even covering his ears.

"You knew, didn't you? Not even covering your ears. How are you even enduring this?" Jimin said to Yu-jun. Yu-jun just replied with a thumbs up, "I went deaf a long time ago. It doesn't even bother me anymore. Just enjoy his singing." Min-su shouted, "That's not singing… That's assault!" The room erupted into laughter. Even Dong-hyun, who had been quiet most of the time, let out a small laugh.

By the time they stepped out, the sun had already set. Yu-jun and Gun-woo took a cab, since they lived next to each other. Min-su and Hye-jin walked away, as they lived close by. Whereas, Yuna and Min-ji took a bus, since they lived in the same area. While, Jimin took a different bus along with Dong-hyun, as his home was on the same route. Dong-hyun was sitting right next to him. It was just the two of them now. But even though they had spent the whole day together, neither had said a word yet.

Jimin glanced at him briefly. Dong-hyun was sitting upright, hands resting on his knees, gaze fixed forward. This is awkward. Jimin scratched his cheek slightly. Maybe I should say something.

"Today was fun, wasn't it?" he said, breaking the ice. Dong-hyun flinched slightly, as if pulled out of his thoughts. He turned toward Jimin.

"Y-Yes. It was," he replied, his voice carrying a slight stutter. But he said nothing more. Jimin stared ahead. And the awkward silence continued. Alright… that didn't work. He exhaled softly.

"You don't talk much do you? You've been mostly silent the whole day, " Jimin tried again.

"You even beat Min-ji in that area." Dong-hyun immediately tensed.

"I-I mean. It's… just that-""I was just kidding. No need to get so worked up. Relax," Jimin cut him off midway, raising his hand slightly. Dong-hyun froze for a second before nodding slowly. Jimin leaned back slightly. I shouldn't push him. The silence persisted for a few more seconds. But then- Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Dong-hyun clenched his fists slightly.

"Don't mind me," he said suddenly.

"I'm just a little shy. I've… always been." Jimin turned toward him.

"Oh… I see." Dong-hyun made eye contact for a brief moment but immediately looked away.

"You can talk to me," Jimin said calmly.

"Consider me a friend. After all, we are gonna be in the same party for a while." Dong-hyun blinked. His eyes lit up slightly. But at the same time, he got flustered again.

"I-I'll try. It's just that… I'm not very good at making friends. I don't even have a lot of friends-""I get it. I get it…" Jimin sighed lightly. Dong-hyun stopped mid-sentence.

"But you seem to be getting along with Min-su and Hye-jin quite well," Jimin added.

"Or are you guys old friends?"

"Me? No." Dong-hyun shook his head quickly.

"Min-su and Hye-jin are childhood friends. It's just that… I couldn't ask anyone to take me in their party during the first raid training." His voice lowered slightly.

"That's when they asked me… since they needed a healer. That's how we met." Jimin listened quietly.

"Oh! Then?" Dong-hyun hesitated for a moment.

"Th-Then? Umm…" He scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"They were friendly. They let me in their circle eventually. And made me their friend. That's… it." Jimin stared at him for a second. Then, he suddenly slapped Dong-hyun's back. Dong-hyun straightened immediately.

"Consider me the same," Jimin said, extending his hand forward.

"Let's be friends." Dong-hyun stared at his hand for a second. Then slowly extended his own, shaking hands.

"Yes," Dong-hyun said with a slight smile.

"Let's be friends." After that the atmosphere changed. The stiffness slowly disappeared. They started talking. Dong-hyun spoke about his plans.

"I actually wanted to work in the medical sector at first," he admitted. Jimin raised a brow.

"Really?" Dong-hyun nodded.

"I didn't really like the idea of being a Rifter."

"That's understandable."

"But now…" Dong-hyun hesitated.

"The idea of raiding Rifts with friends doesn't seem so bad." Jimin leaned back slightly.

"Yeah." Dong-hyun smiled faintly.

"So I've been thinking… Maybe I'll give it a try." Jimin didn't say anything. But he understood. The bus slowed down.

"This is my stop," Dong-hyun said. Jimin nodded.

"Alright. See you at the next raid."

"See you," Dong-hyun replied, before getting off. Jimin watched him leave. Then leaned back into his seat again. That was… unexpected. A faint smirk appeared on his face. Soon, the bus reached his stop. Jimin got off. The street was quiet. Dim streetlights cast long shadows along the road. The usual noise of the city felt distant here. He adjusted his posture slightly and began walking. Still in his basic gear. It's been a while since I returned so early. His footsteps echoed faintly.

The neighborhood had always been like this at night. Calm and quiet. There were no people in sight. Except an old black van parked at the side of the street. Jimin walked past it. Then turned left and vanished from sight. And then, the starting sound of the van's engine could be heard.

At the local CCTV Control Center's surveillance room- Three staff members sat in front of a huge monitor wall, displaying dozens of live surveillance feeds from across the area. One of them leaned back on his chair, speaking lazily over the phone.

"Yeah, yeah… We will have dinner first. And then…" Another had already dozed off quietly. And the third, a middle-aged man, sat slightly apart. His eyes weren't on the screens. They were fixed on his phone. Earpods in his ears. An idol performance video played as he smiled faintly, tapping his foot along to the rhythm. The room was calm. But suddenly- One of the screens flickered. A brief distortion. But none of them noticed.

Jimin was walking along the street as he always did, his pace steady and mind relatively at ease. After all, it was just another day of returning home. But then- A sharp screech of tires cut through the silence. Jimin's brows twitched slightly. But he didn't turn. Probably just some reckless driver. Maybe that's what he thought. He kept walking. But in the next instant, the old black van from before stormed toward him.

It braked sharply and stopped right beside him, the sudden halt sending a wave of dust and wind against his body. The side door of the van slid open instantly. And a man wearing black tracksuit and ski mask, held a mirror-like object in his hands; pointed at Jimin from inside the van. Jimin's eyes widened slightly. What the- Before he could process anything, a blinding flash of light blurred his vision. His body froze. His world went black, as if he was being pulled into darkness.

At the same time, he could feel a tug at his consciousness. And a voice; hazy, distant, distorted at first- "Ge i the va.." But then, it became clear.

"Get… in the van." Jimin's mind struggled to respond. What… Then suddenly, the tug vanished. Everything around Jimin started returning to normal. Jimin blinked. The world rushed back into focus. He was back to reality. The man in the mask was looking straight at him. Urging him to get in the van. While another figure sat in the driver's seat, watching. But Jimin's body still felt frozen. Kidnappers? Just what the hell did they do to me? Suddenly, a notification popped up.

'Crown of the Mentalist' has nullified 'Hypnosis' Cooldown: 23 hrs 59min Hypnosis? His eyes sharpened instantly. So that's what it was? But at that moment, the kidnapper got impatient and quickly extended his hand to grab Jimin's arm. But Jimin's reflexes kicked in and he shrugged it off right at the last moment. Then instantly countered with a telekinetic barrier punch. It landed right on the kidnapper's face. He groaned immediately. His head snapped back violently. His mask caved inward from the invisible force.

Blood seeped through the fabric almost immediately.

But Jimin didn't even wait a moment to witness that. He had immediately dashed forward, running away. The kidnapper shouted, his voice was filled with shock and anger.

"What the fuck!"