Chapter 19
Spotlight (3)
Anyway, now that they had begun the kidnapping, it was Hyeong-jin’s turn to strike back. He fumbled along his waistband and felt for the buckle. With a slight tug, it came loose—and out popped a short knife. The buckle had a hidden blade built in.
“The mountain animals will probably love this. Soft, milk-scented meat, heh heh heh.”
“Ah, fresh meat! Haha!”
“Easy to digest, haha! Easy-to-digest meat!”
The three of them had no idea what Hyeong-jin was doing behind them and kept laughing for a while. Hyeong-jin ignored them and used the knife to cut the ropes binding his hands and feet. Jaemyung and his gang were too busy chattering among themselves to notice. Not professional criminals—they were just amateurs, clueless about what to do.
That should do it.
After cutting the ropes with the blade at his waist, Hyeong-jin reached for his left ankle and grabbed two small pouches hanging there. He had tied them to his ankle just in case they searched him, but the fools had simply tied him up, too excited to think of searching. They hadn’t even confiscated his phone.
Die, you bastard.
Huddled under restraint for some time, Hyeong-jin waited.
“Yeah, this is good.”
“No signal on your phone?”
“Nothing.”
“Perfect.”
It wasn’t until arriving that he realized why they hadn’t taken his phone—they intended to dump him in the mountains, where no signal reached. Left in the dark at night, most people would wander and freeze to death without a phone.
“Let’s get him out.”
The three opened the back door to drag Hyeong-jin outside. As soon as they moved out of view, he checked the position of the pouches and grabbed them tightly in both hands.
“This will be your grave, you f***ing bastard.”
The three approached, opening the door to pull him out. And then Hyeong-jin moved like lightning.
Shhhhick!
“Argh!”
“Kyaaa!”
Two of them screamed as the self-defense spray hit their faces. It was the common, inexpensive kind, effective only in a surprise attack and sensitive to wind—but they had been waiting right outside the van at night, so there was no way it missed.
“My eyes! Argh! My eyes!”
The two screamed, clutching their eyes. The remaining one panicked upon seeing this. Meanwhile, Hyeong-jin jumped out of the van and unfolded a telescopic baton hidden at his thigh.
Pa-pa-pak!
With a sharp, solid crack, he swung the baton toward the last guy’s legs. Even a cheap telescopic baton was harder than human bones.
“Argh!”
The last one collapsed, screaming. Hyeong-jin shoved the two blinded men aside and darted to the driver’s seat. Perhaps they were too stupid—or maybe they planned to abandon the van anyway—but the keys were still in the ignition.
Vroooom!
“Ah, no!”
He drove the van a short distance, about three kilometers, then stopped. Using nearby branches, he rigged the van to crash into a rock.
Bang!
The van was now immobile.
“Good.”
Returning like this would probably land him charged with assault. Korean law often sides with the perpetrator. There were cases where a woman, fleeing from a rape attempt in a car, was arrested for assault when the man she was fleeing from got hurt trying to grab the car back. In other words, she suffered more than the attempted rapist.
If I return now, they’ll lock me up for assault.
To make his status as the victim undeniable, he needed to take enough damage to appear harmed.
But I’m not just going to lie down.
He removed his tracksuit, revealing survival gear strapped around his body: a small shovel, military energy candy bars, and foil insulating sheets for warmth and protection.
“No signal on the phone, huh?”
With the phone dead and the van destroyed, the kidnappers couldn’t call for help. They had no survival gear, and unlike him, no military training.
Let’s see who lasts longer, you bastards.
***
Three days. Hyeong-jin survived for three days in the mountains. He dug a shelter, covered it with waterproof and insulating plastic sheets, then scattered leaves on top. At night, he heated stones in a fire and placed them inside his blanket to keep warm. He didn’t risk starvation—minimal food for appearance—but the candy bars provided enough calories.
Finally, people came looking for him—and his van.
“There you are!”
Spotting them, Hyeong-jin ran toward them. He had known they would come, which gave him the confidence to destroy the van.
“Who are you?”
“Please, help! I was kidnapped!”
“Kidnapped?”
The man stiffened. He was a rental car employee, tracking the van via GPS after it wasn’t returned. GPS worked independently of phone signal. Hyeong-jin had known this and waited—something the three kidnappers did not realize.
“Who took you?”
“They used this van. I barely escaped…”
The man’s face registered genuine shock. He never expected their van to be involved in a serious crime like kidnapping.
“Any injuries?”
“No, luckily… I escaped before I got hurt.”
“And the kidnappers?”
“I don’t know. They tried to drag me out, but I shoved them away and ran.”
“Alright… let’s get you out of here.”
The man pulled out his phone and frowned—it actually had signal.
“Get in the car. Let’s leave.”
The van was already wrecked, so it wouldn’t be moving. The bigger problem was the kidnappers—they could still be searching for him.
“Quickly, get in!”
Hyeong-jin climbed into the car and exhaled in relief, watching the mountains fade behind him.
It’s finally over.
As soon as the phone had signal, the rental company called the police, who immediately began searching. The next day, they found the kidnappers. Lost and wandering, the culprits cried and begged for help when they spotted the police.
Hyeong-jin, at the station for questioning, frowned. Two of them had been found—one had frozen to death, the very one whose leg he’d broken.
They changed clothes.
The two were wearing the dead man’s clothes. Either they killed him and took them, or stripped him after he died.
Probably the latter.
Hyeong-jin was certain from the blood on their faces and clothes. He hadn’t caused bleeding—only used the spray and broke a leg. But now their faces and clothes were drenched in blood. Someone had resisted violently.
So that’s implied intent.
He chuckled. The kidnappers abandoned him thinking, “If he dies, oh well.” He resisted thinking, “If they die, oh well.” Same principle—different legality. Both acts carried implied intent, but only he acted within the law. Hyeong-jin had to stifle his laughter at the irony.
I’m a Pro, You Know? (1)
In the end, the incident turned out to be an unexpected advantage for Hyeong-jin. The academy, knowing in advance that he was being bullied but refusing to move him to another room, decided to offer him a full tuition refund and a single room as an apology. Ostensibly, it was to address psychological concerns, but in reality, they were worried he might sue to hold the academy accountable.
“Well, that worked out nicely.”
Hyeong-jin felt satisfied with the unforeseen outcome. In any case, he now had the best possible environment for studying. He could have taken legal action against the academy, but since he needed to study there anyway, he had no intention of doing so.
“For now…”
Hyeong-jin immersed himself day and night in his studies, aiming to complete 35 credits. Even though he already knew the general content, he needed to review the finer details. While spending his time studying, a frustrating event occurred some time later.
“A civil suit for damages? What the hell is this?”
He had received notice from the court about a civil damages claim. Criminally, the case had been fully resolved as self-defense, and Jaemyung had been sent to prison. Yet here was a claim for damages.
Ha… the world is big, and idiots are everywhere.
The lawsuit was filed by the parents of Jaemyung and his gang. They were claiming damages from Hyeong-jin.
The audacity… unbelievable.
He had heard stories about absurd lawsuits—like someone in the U.S. suing for $67 million over a $500 pair of pants—but he never expected the parents of the perpetrator to sue the victim.
“So, what do you plan to do, Mr. Noh? Want me to find a lawyer?”
The academy director even called him in, dumbfounded by the situation. Plenty of competent legal professionals had passed through the academy, so finding someone capable would not be difficult.
“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll handle it myself.”
“Yourself? But you haven’t even completed your classes yet.”
“I need the practical experience anyway.”
“Studying isn’t the same as doing it in practice.”
“I believe I’m prepared enough.”
The director frowned in astonishment. Representing oneself in court was possible, but trials are tricky—even clearly the victim, one can sometimes lose in civil cases and be ordered to pay damages.
“Are you really confident?”
“Absolutely.”
“Is this because of lawyer fees?”
“No, it’s just that I can do it myself.”
Hyeong-jin was confident.
“If it’s not about fees…”
“If I fail, I can hire a lawyer for the appeal.”
“If you say so…”
Though uneasy, the director let him proceed. Hyeong-jin had no intention of losing.
Do you think I’d lose such an absurd case? How many meals have I eaten in court already?
He had no doubts about winning.
***
Time passed, and the trial finally began. Hyeong-jin’s real concern wasn’t losing the case—it was losing precious study time because of the ridiculous trial.
“Your Honor…”
The opposing parents seemed furious that their sons’ lives were ruined. They were demanding a staggering 1 billion won in damages.
“The defendants intentionally caused bodily harm and unnecessary suffering to the plaintiffs’ children, inflicting irreversible damage.”
The lawyer spoke confidently, and Hyeong-jin smirked.
So that’s how they do it, huh?
What’s said in court is never just words. That lawyer’s terming them as “victims” could be brushed off superficially, but the strategy was clever: framing the actual perpetrators as victims to gain sympathy and sway the court.
“Objection, Your Honor! Under criminal law, the defendants clearly committed the kidnapping and are currently under custody. Referring to them as ‘victims’ is inappropriate.”
