Guang surreptitiously glanced at Jung, who glared back at him. They'd been walking for the last hour now, and although Jung didn't tie him up in any way, the very thought of escaping put shivers down Guang's spine. The way Jung's eyes followed him is as if he is daring him to try and escape so that he has an excuse to beat him up an inch away from his life.

Jung looked around the southwestern part of the town. He'd seen this place occasionally, but he had no reason to explore it through the years. No wonder he and Jae Kyung never crossed paths again all these years if he is hanging out in this part of town.

Again, Jung shoved the bigger boy forward when he felt he was slacking off. He noticed a few unknown people looking in their direction, but both boys ignored them. They continued walking until Guang pointed at a particular street. "He lives there, just on the next street over."

Jung didn't say anything and followed. Unknown to Jung and Guang, two men were discreetly following them from behind. Jung might be observant, but he wasn’t trained in the art of surveillance, and the two following him were pros. They stared at the progress of the two boys without speaking, comfortable with the silence. One of them remarked favorably on Jung's seeming paranoia as he continuously checked his surroundings. Unfortunately, both men are masters of following someone and know all the tricks to avoid detection. The fat kid, however, was useless.

Moments later, the two men watched as the kids stopped at a dilapidated house.

"Yes, he lives there with his kid and his baby mama. I don't know about no kidnapping girl, but Jae Kyung lived here. Now let me go!"

Jung grabbed him by the hair and yanked him down to his knees. "If you're fucking with me..."

"I'm not!" said Guang. "He lives there. Now let me go!"

"What's the baby mama's name?"

"What?"

Jung's hand tightened over Guang's hair.

"It's Chae! Her name is Chaeyoung-ssi!"

Abruptly, Jung released his hand and took a step back. "Fine. You can go. But if we ever cross paths again, turn around and run in the other direction."

Guang didn't say anything; he simply scrambled to his feet and then started running. He turned his head occasionally and made sure that Jung wasn't running after him until he disappeared on the next street corner.

The moment he ran, Jung barely acknowledged him, and he lost interest in the fat kid. His entire attention is now on the house, and he watched it for a moment. Obviously, it is one of those state-provided housing projects. It works with all the bare necessities needed to make a home, but, as explained, nothing more. It's a drab, boring place with no soul.

Despite being across the street from the house, Jung can hear a child crying inside. A short woman was seen scurrying around the window as if she were incredibly busy, which she probably is. With a deep breath, Jung crossed the street, walked towards the door, and knocked sharply.

"Who is it?" a woman's voice asked somewhere in the house.

Instead of answering, Jung knocked again. There is some muttering as he hears the steps getting closer. Jung schooled his face as best he could.

When the door opened, Jung had a faint smile plastered on his face. A disheveled young woman stared at him from beyond the door and raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you?"

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Jung didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took his time to look at the lady from head to toe. Then he scoffed. While doing so, he added two of his remaining four points to the skill “Acting” to level it up to 2.

Congratulations! You have upgraded the general skill “Acting” to level 2.

Your facial expression will move accordingly based on your perceived demeanor.

Requirements: Body 1 (already met)

Current level: 2

Needed skill points to upgrade to the next level: 3

Remaining Skill Points: 9

"I'm looking for Jae Kyung. Where is he?" Jung said bluntly.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Who's asking?"

"A friend."

Now it was the young woman's turn to scoff at him. "I don't know where that bastard is. He hasn't come home for months now. Find him somewhere else." She tried to close the door over Jung's face, but Jung was faster, and he jammed the toe of his boots in the path of the door before it closed.

Jung leaned over, ready to intimidate the woman. But then Jung hesitated as he decided on a different tactic.

"You must be Chae," Jung said, giving the woman a once-over again, then sneered.

"Jae complains about you a lot, especially when we are in our... alone time,” Jung said, a subtle smile forming in the side of his lips. “Now that I see you,” Jung deliberately held a strand of her oily disheveled hair in his fingers before letting it drop. Jung raised an eyebrow in amusement. The girl’s cheeks flushed red. “I can see why. But tell Jae-oppa that there will be no more of his little special request until he pays his balance at the Red Plum Blossom." Jung named the only legal brothel house in town, and everyone knew about it.

The woman's face grew white in frustrated anger. But before she could talk, Jung cut her off. "He needs to settle his balance by the end of the week, or else he wouldn't be anywhere near my ass. This hot mama needs to get paid!"

And with that, Jung turned and power-walked his way out of the driveway, his hips swaying from side to side. He disappeared at the end of the street. Jung heard a scream behind him, followed by a large banging when the woman closed her door and rattled her windows.

Jung activated his sneak skill despite the fact that it is only level 3. He just hopes that it is good enough. He patiently waited beside a giant dumpster. The system acted up, and he received a new message:

Congratulations! You have unlocked the general skill "standing still."

Requirements: Sneak skill level 1, endurance

Current level: 0

Needed skill points to upgrade to the next level: 1

Remaining Skill Points: 9

Jung eyed the skill for a moment and, after a small hesitation, decided to add 1 skill point to it.

Congratulations! You have activated the general skill "Stand Still."

- While standing up in a stationary position, you will move less and feel less uncomfortable. Also, while in this position, you regain stamina 2% faster.

- Stackable with either sneak skills or meditation skills.

Current level: 1

Needed skill points to upgrade to the next level: 2

Remaining Skill Points: 8

Jung waited for more than 10 minutes, but then the young woman named Chaeyoung burst out of the house, now fully dressed, and started walking. Discreetly, Jung followed her. His hunting skills, supported by his exploration and pathfinding skills, made it easy for him to stalk the young woman without being seen. She walked north, then east, until she was outside the boundaries of the town. She walked to the main road out of town and finally turned into an abandoned small factory.

The factory used to produce shoes of all kinds, but the latest five-year plan of the government did not need more shoes, and the workers of that plant were transferred to other factories that needed more manpower. Now the factory is abandoned, and most of the heavy pieces of equipment were stripped and sent somewhere else.

Jung watched as the young woman banged at the door and screamed Jae Kyung's name. After a few more minutes, the door opened, and Jung's target finally revealed himself. Jung smiled coldly as he stared at Jae Kyung's bewildered face when Chaeyoung shouted at him that his fag lover had come to visit her house and demanded money. His protest of innocence is met with small fists to the face and kicks in the shin. His blond highlights were new, as was the nose ring, but otherwise, he looks exactly the same as when Jung first met him in the gym incident with Bon Won.

Now that he has his target, he won't let him go. But Eun Mei is my priority, Jung thought. First, I need to verify where she is before I do anything to the bastard.

Jung crouched and circled around the factory as he tried to find a better side entrance to the structure. He found one in the form of an unlocked window. Jung pried it open, silently wiggled his way, and entered the factory. Inside, Jung can still hear the argument between the couple, but at this point, Jung couldn't care less about him because he can smell Eun Mei somewhere in the vicinity. And what's more , he can smell her blood. He can feel the adrenaline in his body pumping within him. His senses were alive, and he could see nuances around him.

So it's true, Jung thought darkly. The bastard did take her.

Jung Hee sneaks deeper inside the factory.