World Rank 0, Please Stop! - Chapter 80

“What the hell is that crazy bastard talking about now.”

I was shocked.

Kim Deok Pal stubbornly insisted.

“I saw it. The two of them together. They’re definitely dating.”

What nonsense!

That’s right. Kim Deok Pal wasn’t defending me. He was just a crazy fool who had bet on the ‘Lee Ju Eun – Seon Woo Jin’ stock instead of the ‘Lee Ju Eun – Sung Ji Chan’ stock.

‘What do you know!’

I was about to intervene out of frustration. But Kim Deok Pal, the majority shareholder of the ‘Lee Ju Eun – Seon Woo Jin’ stock, said with a resolute and even solemn face.

“If they’re not in a relationship, I’ll shit on my hand.”

Save your hand!

‘Does that guy think a man and woman are dating just because they’re together.’

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak. What sin have I committed to be entangled with all the men in this neighborhood? It’s a forced Lee Ju Eun reverse harem.

‘No, now’s not the time for this.’

I was momentarily distracted by the absurdity, but what I really needed to do now was escape from here. I calmly assessed the situation downstairs.

‘I don’t think I can go down for now.’

Kim Deok Pal’s group was standing close enough to the stairs that I could hear their voices.

‘Should I just pretend to be crazy and run?’

They’re not right next to me, so it would take some time for them to catch me. But I shook my head at the thought.

‘No. Even if I can get past the 3rd floor, there’s no guarantee I won’t get caught on the 1st floor.’

My goal was to get out of here completely, so if I drew all that aggro, I’d be caught in no time. I couldn’t run forever either.

‘Then what should I do….’

I was lost in thought.

That’s when it happened.

“Hey, let’s go up and check.”

Eek, run away!

I quickly went upstairs. Not to the 4th floor where I had been held, but one floor higher.

“Hey, the bitch disappeared!”

I’m screwed.

I was already discovered. I hid behind a pillar, my face pale.

‘Should I have just stayed put.’

Thinking about Yoo Hee Na, it didn’t seem like they would do anything to me.

No, maybe that was only possible because it was Yoo Hee Na. Because Ryu Tae Geon likes her…

Anyway, it was already spilled milk. I could hear the commotion downstairs. Tell the focus! The girl disappeared! What? How did she disappear? Who came? No, I think she untied the rope herself and escaped.

‘Now that it’s come to this, it’ll be hard to go downstairs for a while.’

Please don’t come up. I prayed inwardly as I went up one more floor. Now I was on the 6th floor.

‘But this abandoned building is such a waste.’

Why would they leave an 8-story building abandoned like this? No wonder it became a hangout for Haeseong High School punks.

I looked around, contemplating where to go.

‘But is there only one staircase here?’

I wondered if there might be an emergency exit or something besides the central staircase.

Now that my disappearance has caused a commotion, and those guys would be relatively less attentive to the emergency exit compared to the central staircase, I thought maybe I could escape that way.

I searched the 6th floor for an emergency exit. I opened the door and went inside. It was so dark I couldn’t see anything in front of me.

‘Let’s go down carefully.’

I slowly descended the stairs one at a time.

Each time I reached a floor, I listened for sounds outside the emergency exit door.

Sometimes it was noisy and sometimes it wasn’t, but it generally seemed like there was no one near the emergency exit from the distant sounds.

‘Good, let’s keep going.’

But how do I shake off the people on the 1st floor?

I don’t know. I’m sure I’ll think of a way when I get there.

Finally, I reached the 1st floor.

‘Anyone outside?’

I put my ear to the door and listened for movement outside. It was very quiet, so it seemed there was no one near the door for now.

‘Alright.’

I forcefully opened the door.

And made direct eye contact with Choi Yu Han, who was looking towards the emergency exit.

“….”

“….”

Wait, why is he here? Wasn’t he on the 2nd floor?

I quickly closed the door.

But I was a moment too late.

Choi Yu Han wedged his foot in the open door.

“Wait a minute.”

Damn it.

“Were you here the whole time?”

His voice sounded startled. Yeah, you didn’t expect me to be here either. I didn’t expect you to be here either…

I quickly calculated an escape route in my head. Should I just turn around and run?

…After entertaining all sorts of thoughts, I soon gave up on all of them. It took me forever to come down in the dark for fear of missteps, so there was no way I could run up. I’d definitely trip.

In the end, I cleanly admitted defeat.

“Please spare me.”

Choi Yu Han looked at me with an exasperated expression.

“This is really disconcerting.”

Just then, a man’s voice was heard from over there.

“Choi Yu Han, what’s there?”

At that, Choi Yu Han pushed me into the emergency exit and smiled towards the direction of the voice.

“No, there’s nothing here.”

“But what are you doing there alone?”

“I thought I heard a sound and opened it to check, but there’s no one. It’s dark so I can’t see well either.”

Even as he said that, his tight grip on my arm conveyed his determination to never let go. Yeah, I lost. You bastard. I relaxed my body.

“I see. Alright. If you find the girl, bring her to where the focus is.”

“Yes.”

Choi Yu Han sent the man away with a smile. A few minutes later.

“Are you really crazy?”

Choi Yu Han asked me with a serious face. I averted my gaze slightly.

“If you had just stayed still, they would have let you go on their own, so why are you making it a big deal? The focus is really pissed off right now.”

I said miserably.

“Will they let me go…? No, will you let me go?”

Choi Yu Han rubbed his forehead as if having a headache and sighed.

“No, before that, let me ask you one thing. Why did you really run away?”

I answered honestly.

“I didn’t think Sung Ji Chan would come.”

“Why wouldn’t that bastard come? You’re his girlfriend.”

“That’s because I’m not dating that crazy jerk.”

Please believe me.

But Choi Yu Han gave an unexpected answer.

“I know, but you’re still a female friend, right? Since you’re friends, he’ll come to save you.”

I was momentarily taken aback.

“You… knew?”

Instead of answering, Choi Yu Han shrugged.

“Understanding the other party is the basics of the basics.”

“The other guys couldn’t even do that basic.”

“Han Ye Won is out of his mind with jealousy. The focus just had you brought here to lure out Sung Ji Chan, whether you’re really his girlfriend or not. Anyway, you two have been close recently.”

Are we close? I’m not sure.

I pondered anew about my relationship with Sung Ji Chan. And further, about the Three Great Superiors and Yoo Hee Na as well.

Choi Yu Han looked at me with an inscrutable gaze.

“You don’t know what it means to be a friend of the Three Great Superiors, do you?”

A friend is a friend. What’s the big deal?

As I answered as if it were no big deal, Choi Yu Han’s expression was too serious. I was about to say something when Choi Yu Han spoke.

“Back in the day, the Three Great Superiors had one friend.”

I interjected.

“I know. The Four Heavenly Kings.”

Choi Yu Han nodded.

“Then you must also know what happened to that person.”

Even I couldn’t rashly open my mouth here.

‘They said he died.’

According to what I found out through the system, there’s a high probability he’s alive, but that’s not certain either.

The basis for my speculation that Jin Hae Yul is alive is only the phrase ‘someone I haven’t met yet.’ But what if going to Jin Hae Yul’s grave counts as ‘meeting’ him? Then it would mean Jin Hae Yul is definitely dead.

Moreover, in this crazy character world, the existence of ghosts can’t be ruled out either.

“…Anyway, after losing one person like that, the Three Great Superiors didn’t let anyone else close to them for quite a long time.”

Choi Yu Han continued.

“And then one day, you suddenly entered their circle. Do you understand what that means?”

The meaning… I wonder? I don’t know if I received some kind of possessor buff without realizing it.

I’m sorry for saying this when you’re being serious, but I can’t help but think that way.

‘Because Ban Ha Min showed interest in me from the first time we met.’

A kid with such a sad past taking to me from the start when I’m nothing special? Does that make sense?

I could only think that the Three Great Superiors accepting me was because I’m a ‘possessor’ after all.

But now’s not the time to talk about that… I said to Choi Yu Han.

“Anyway, I get one thing. So that’s why I became a target.”

Choi Yu Han nodded.

‘This is a pain.’

If what he said was true, it meant there was a possibility of similar incidents happening in the future. I sighed.

‘Nothing is ever easy.’

So I have to work hard to live. What else can I do? Thinking about the Three Great Superiors or whatever can wait until after I get out of here.

“Well, enough about the Three Great Superiors. By the way, what are you going to do now?”

Choi Yu Han looked at me as if asking what I meant. I elaborated.

“You can’t keep me here forever.”

During our conversation, I had mentally prepared myself to some extent.

Since I got caught like this, the escape is a bust anyway. I’ll just have to be a hostage again.

If I’m that important to the Three Great Superiors, at least one of them will come. Ban Ha Min won’t be able to come since he’s abroad.

‘They won’t really not come after all this, right?’

If so, I’ll deal with it at school later. I clenched my fist tightly.

Choi Yu Han seemed to be pondering my words for a moment.

‘What, is there something to think about?’

Ah, he did say Ryu Tae Geon is really pissed off. Is he worried that something big will happen if he takes me right away? If so, I hope he takes me a bit later. I’m scared of Ryu Tae Geon too. I thought leisurely like that.

As if he had made up his mind, Choi Yu Han opened his mouth.

“For now, wait here.”

But the next words that came out of his mouth were an answer I never expected.

“I’ll take responsibility and let you go.”