I Became The Rankers’ Number One Pick [EN]: Chapter 243

243.

The Next Morning.

After Geon-woo left for school, Seo-ah headed to Yoo Ji-ahn’s apartment upstairs.

As soon as Seo-ah saw Yoo Ji-ahn, she abruptly shoved her phone screen in her face with a slightly agitated expression.

“Look at this.”

Yoo Ji-ahn stared blankly at the screen, which displayed a photo of them holding hands as they left the press conference the day before, along with a cheesy article.

Yoo Ji-ahn took Seo-ah’s phone.

“Send me the link too. The photo turned out well.”

“…Is that what you’re worried about right now?”

“Why? We already announced that we were dating.”

“That was…!”

Seo-ah snatched the phone back from Yoo Ji-ahn and quickly turned her head.

“It was right before the L-Class Raid, so the article was quickly buried… But look at this now. What do I do? It’s so embarrassing.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Yoo Ji-ahn put her arm around Seo-ah’s shoulder and led her to the sofa.

“You like this, right?”

As if knowing Seo-ah was coming, Yoo Ji-ahn showed her a box from Seo-ah’s favorite dessert shop.

Seeing that, Seo-ah still looked perplexed but took the box and went to the sofa.

She placed the box on the coffee table with a thud and sat down, staring intently at Yoo Ji-ahn.

Yoo Ji-ahn, who was about to sit down with her, paused at her gaze and looked back.

“Why?”

“So, let’s get married. With articles like this, it’s going to be hard for me to meet anyone else now.”

“…….”

Yoo Ji-ahn gave an ambiguous smile and subtly sat down next to Seo-ah.

“Here, try some cake.”

Then, she personally took a piece with a fork and put it in Seo-ah’s mouth. Seo-ah accepted it, but her expression gradually darkened.

“Why are you changing the subject? You rejected me last time… I thought you were joking.”

“Seo-ah, it’s just that right now…”

“…Do you not like me?”

Yoo Ji-ahn was taken aback by Seo-ah’s sulky question.

“What? Of course not.”

“…….”

It wasn’t a satisfactory answer for now. Seo-ah suddenly stood up.

“I’m going downstairs.”

“Why, already? You just got here.”

Yoo Ji-ahn panicked and stood up to try to stop her, but Seo-ah quickly dodged and jumped over the sofa.

“Seo-ah…!”

“Hmph, don’t talk to me until you answer.”

Seo-ah stormed out of the apartment. Yoo Ji-ahn could have stopped her if he wanted to, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, fearing she would get even angrier.

“Hoo….”

Yoo Ji-ahn scratched the back of his head and sighed deeply.

***

“Tch.”

Seo-ah knew.

Seo-ah was now 22 years old, and Yoo Ji-ahn was 26. She knew it was still early to get married in Korea. So, Seo-ah didn’t really mean to get married right away.

“Still, I wanted to hear an answer.”

Even if it wasn’t right away, Seo-ah wanted to marry someone she loved someday. It was because she wanted a close and harmonious family.

So, she lightly asked before the L-Class Raid, on the plane returning from Hawaii to Korea, and just now, she asked tentatively.

If Yoo Ji-ahn had said, ‘Let’s do it,’ that would have been enough.

But Yoo Ji-ahn rejected or avoided answering each time. Even if it wasn’t entirely serious, Seo-ah’s pride was hurt after experiencing it a few times.

So, she didn’t answer the phone now, even though Yoo Ji-ahn was calling.

“Hmph.”

Seo-ah didn’t go home; she took the elevator down and went outside the building. The streets were deserted, perhaps because everyone was at work.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve walked like this.’

In fact, even if Seo-ah didn’t answer her calls, Yoo Ji-ahn would know where she was. On the other hand, Seo-ah couldn’t sense Yoo Ji-ahn from this distance.

‘Tch.’

She felt it was unfair somehow.

She could find out if she deliberately used a skill, but Seo-ah’s mana still hadn’t recovered from the 200s [referring to a level or measurement of her mana]. Her fatigue was still high, so her physical strength wasn’t at 100% either.

Perhaps that’s why her passive skills were also quiet. It was a kind of energy-saving mode.

Still, it felt good to walk like this after a long time.

Late spring was passing, and early summer was approaching.

Seo-ah took a moment to reflect on her life before and after the Gate Break.

“It’s been really hectic… Should I take a walk in the park for once?”

There were two ways to get to the park. One was to cross several main roads using crosswalks, and the other was to go through the underground passage and between the buildings.

The latter was much faster.

Seo-ah went down to the underground passage and walked through the alleyways lined with large and small buildings.

As she walked, her phone rang again. It was Yoo Ji-ahn again. As she walked, her heart seemed to soften. She felt like she wanted to walk together.

She was about to press the green button on her phone when suddenly her head spun.

“Uh, why….”

– Seo-ah, where are you?

“…I’m, here… Ah.”

– Seo-ah, did you go underground?

“…Yes.”

Thud.

In a daze, Seo-ah barely managed to answer before dropping her phone and collapsing on the spot.

– Seo-ah, Seo-ah?

Crack.

Two men suddenly appeared in the alley where there had been no one. One was of Arab descent, and the other was Korean.

The Korean hunter, who stepped on the phone, looked at the fallen Seo-ah and said,

“It really worked? What, I heard that an S-Class could get caught?”

“I know, right? That’s why we used [Stealth]. She collapsed right away.”

The Arab hunter had [Stealth] and [Poison] skills.

The skill itself didn’t cause poisoning, but it was a skill that spread drugs and allowed them to quickly permeate the target. What they used on Seo-ah now was a safe anesthetic.

“I don’t know, let’s talk about that later and move her quickly. Just take her to Incheon, and I’ll drop out. It’ll be hard to live in Korea if it gets out that I was involved. Right now, Park Seo-ah is….”

The Arab hunter paid little attention to the Korean hunter’s words and warned,

“Be careful, don’t hurt her. She’s very precious.”

One of them carefully picked up Seo-ah, and they both disappeared immediately. They moved using [Stealth].

And a little later, Yoo Ji-ahn arrived at the exact spot. Faint smoke rose from his body, showing how quickly he had run.

“…Seo-ah.”

Yoo Ji-ahn, looking around, found the shattered phone on the ground. He picked it up and examined it, realizing it was Seo-ah’s. His expression rapidly hardened.

***

Thump, thump-

‘Huh…?’

She woke up feeling her body shaking.

“Alright, let’s go!”

She heard someone shouting, and suddenly she felt her body floating into the air.

Seo-ah sat up abruptly. She saw a blue sky outside the window. And she was handcuffed with magic restraints, her hands and feet tied.

‘This is, a plane?’

It wasn’t an ordinary passenger plane; it looked like a military transport plane with a single, connected interior.

So, it was another kidnapping. Thinking about it, it was only natural that Seo-ah’s abilities were now known to the world, and the number of people who wanted her had increased.

She should have been more careful, but she didn’t expect to be kidnapped in broad daylight in the middle of Seoul.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

Someone noticed the awakened Seo-ah and approached her. It wasn’t Korean. Not English, Chinese, or Japanese either.

Judging by his race, he seemed to be of Arab descent, but there was no problem with communication anyway.

“Where is this? Where are you taking me?”

“Rest assured, we have no intention of harming you. We are currently in Chinese airspace, and our final destination is the Seychelles.”

“Seychelles… What?”

The unfamiliar name made her dizzy for a moment.

“It’s an island nation in the Indian Ocean. It’s famous as a resort, so it won’t be bad to stay there. It’ll take a long time to get there, so get some more sleep.”

“Wait….”

The man used [Poison] skill again. Seo-ah couldn’t block the skill at all because she was wearing magic restraints. She fell asleep again.

And after some time, she woke up on a soft bed.

“…Ugh.”

As soon as she jumped out of bed, her head throbbed. How long had she been sleeping?

Seo-ah looked down at her arms and legs. Apart from being fitted with magic restraints and a stat controller, she was freer than she thought.

After regaining her senses, Seo-ah went out of the bedroom and couldn’t help but admire. Outside the terrace, an emerald sea unfolded.

“Sey… What did he say it was, a famous resort.”

For a kidnapping, this was very luxurious. That meant the kidnapper’s status wouldn’t be low.

Anyway, she didn’t feel any physical threat, so she didn’t think she needed to be nervous.

‘Will it take a day or two? Considering the time it takes to get here.’

Seo-ah roughly estimated the time in her head.