I barely had time to eat anything before I was taken here, and now I'm starting to feel hungry… Ugh. Even though I want to see the face of the man who kidnapped me, I'm also scared of what he might do to me. After all, the yakuza have no limits.
I looked around me. The room was incredibly bright, clean, and spotless. It was well-furnished, and much bigger than the apartment where Soren and I live.
Angi (thought): Ah… Soren! I wonder if he's looking for me. It's already been three days since we were separated…
Now all I could do was stay here and wait.
Clack!
Angi: !????
That was the door, right? I think I've developed a phobia of doors opening without knowing who's coming in.
Clack!
Again! And this time, the door slowly opened. I was so scared that I closed my eyes.
I heard the door close, then footsteps approaching.
Tap… Tap… Tap…
My heart started beating faster with every step.
Tap—BOOM BOOM—Tap—BOOM BOOM
Until the footsteps stopped next to the bed. I was covered in sweat, my head was spinning. I thought I was going to die. Who had entered the room? The kidnapper? A guard? Who?
I refused to open my eyes. The person standing beside the bed didn't say a word.
"Hey."
Angi: …!
At the sound of his voice, I flinched and opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was the ceiling. I stared at it for a few seconds, then slowly turned my head to look at the stranger.
When I saw his face, only one thought came to my mind:
This person is beautiful. Like a living work of art.
His beauty took my breath away. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I thought he would wear a mask or hide his face—but no. He stood there with his face fully exposed.
He had beautiful red hair, stunning gray eyes. He was tall, muscular, dressed in a night robe, and I could even see his abs.
Then he suddenly leaned toward me, staring straight into my eyes.
"You don't look scared."
Angi: "Mmmh… mmmh!"
That's right. I had once again forgotten the situation I was in.
"Well, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Alex Katara. That's all you need to know."
I knew it. The Katara family was behind all this.
Angi (thought): So his name is Alex…
"Now that you know my name, it's your turn to introduce yourself, right?"
He said that while looking at me with an amused expression. He clearly already knew my name.
Angi: "Mmmh… mmmh…"
"Oh! Right. The tape—I forgot. Here we go."
Slash!
Angi: "Ouch! That hurt! You could've taken it off more gently!"
"I should remind you that you're not in a position to give me orders."
Angi: "…My name is Angi."
"Oh? And that's all?"
Angi: "…Yes."
"…Hm. Alright."
In this situation… what would you have done? Me? I was completely lost. I had no idea what to do anymore.
Angi:" i'm sorry for attacking your little brother."
I decided to apologize sincerely.
Alex :" I like that you take responsibility for what you did."
Angi :"Yes… and now?"
Alex :"Well, now we're going to call my lovely little brother and ask him."
Things seemed to be getting better. He took a chair, sat beside me, and started making the phone call.
Briiing… Briiing…
The sound echoed while we waited.
Briiing… briiing… briiing…
But no one answered.
Alex :"Hm… maybe he's busy?"
Busy? Does he seriously think calling once is enough? Of course, he's not the one who got kidnapped…
Angi :"Please… could you try calling again? Maybe he'll answer."
Alex : "Oh! You're suddenly very polite."
Angi :"Please…"
Alex : "Alright. But this is getting boring."
Angi: "…What?!"
Alex : "So, how about we play a little game?"
What did he mean by that? Couldn't he see how desperate I already was? This man was a monster. But I also knew I had no choice.
Angi :"What kind of game?"
Alex :"This time, if I call my little brother and he doesn't answer…"
Angi : "What?! If he doesn't answer, what happens?!"
I was already starting to panic. I had no idea what he was planning.
Alex :"Hm… actually, how many times do you want me to try calling him?"
Why was he asking me that? Was it a trap? But this was my chance to talk to the young Katara.
Angi :"At least ten times!"
Alex : "You know… I really like this fearless side of you."
Angi : "So now what?!"
Alex : "Now that you said I have to call him ten times, you can't go back on your word. That's the rule."
I couldn't help but think that this man didn't seem that bad. Maybe… in his own twisted way he wanted to help me.
Angi : "Okay… do as you want."
I was dying to know what kind of game he was talking about.