The Precious Baby of the Bandit Leader Chapter 33

Phew. I let out a short sigh. 

 

The truth was, there was another, far more important reason I bit Dohyul’s hand to create a moment alone with him.

 

The plan to escape from here with the Chief before I could be used as a hostage wasn’t bad, but this place was still, after all, the enemy’s den. 

 

‘The Inyeon cloth could get blown away, and there might even be other people I don’t know about.’

 

Simply throwing the Inyeon cloth down isn’t enough; there are too many variables.

 

So I recalled the time in my past detective days when I infiltrated a gang’s hideout.

 

I had definitely experienced a similar situation back then as well.

 

And then I…

 

‘I created an ally on the inside.’

 

If you can’t turn the situation over from the outside, then you begin by influencing it from inside. 

 

If it’s hard to do it alone, then all you need to do is win over someone who can help.

 

Of course, the most suitable helper in this situation would be…

 

Clack—!

 

I pointed at Dohyul with my finger.

 

Then I spoke forcefully.

 

“You, help me!”

 

“….?!”

 

When I spoke clearly, putting force into my eyes, a question mark seemed to pop up on the boy’s face.” 

 

He clenched his fist. 

 

Then I glared, opened my eyes wide, and crawled closer to the boy.

 

“Why are you suddenly coming to me?”

 

Startled by my sudden approach, Dohyul pulled his body back with a flustered expression.

 

‘Did it hurt a lot earlier?’

 

He seemed wary of my intimidating set of ten baby teeth.

 

“Let me get out of here.” 

 

I desperately signed with my hands, trying to enunciate clearly by forcing strength into my tongue. 

 

“No. It’s impossible. I already got severely scolded just for listening to you and speaking my mind… and I even put you in danger. In the end, I still can’t defy my father’s will.”

 

“….”

 

“It would’ve been better if I hadn’t thought about anything at all. If I had, I wouldn’t have ended up putting you in danger like this…”

 

I went as far as reaching out and grabbing Park Dohyul by the collar.

 

I brought my face even closer to the startled boy and exaggerated the movement of my mouth as much as possible.

 

“No! You didn’t do anything wrong, Brother.” 

 

He might not have understood what I said, but I couldn’t just let him fall into despair like this.

 

Because only if he changed could the Chief be saved!

 

“Latew, I’ww come to you to save you.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

“I’ll come back.”

 

“…”

 

“So, Bwother gonna help me go out a lil’ bit.” 

 

I’ll be back.

 

Perhaps these are the words I’ve wanted to hear the most.

 

No matter how much I struggle, I can’t escape from the pit.

 

What I needed was hope.

 

I hope that someone might come to save me.

 

If I don’t give up and keep living each day as best as I can.

 

If I just live each day stubbornly, trying to move forward even a little.

 

The hope that someone, even just once, even just one person, would turn back to look at me again.

 

When I was very young, my mother left home with a suitcase and abandoned me.

 

The friends who left me, saying they were scared of me and hated me.

 

The teachers I had followed so devotedly, who expelled me and turned their backs on me.

 

I had actually hoped, until the very end, that they would come back to me just once—just once.

 

Because I felt that if they did, I might gain the strength to keep fighting against this harsh reality.

 

So.

 

“I’ll come back. To you. Again.”

 

I promise, Park Dohyul.

 

So, I hope my words will give you the strength to fight.

 

“….”

 

The big, beautiful eyes of the boy I met trembled slightly.

 

“Young Master, you really must go now!” 

 

From outside, Samyong’s call was heard, and Dohyul suddenly stood up from his seat. 

 

Hastily, he gathered his books and began to get ready. 

 

Without looking back at me, sitting there resignedly, he muttered quietly to himself. 

 

“You’re going to come save me later? You?”

 

“Mhm? Mhm…” 

 

When I straightened my back and lifted my head, he looked back at me.

 

For some reason, the corners of his eyes were slightly red. Pff. The boy let out a small laugh, as if the air had been let out of him.

 

Then he turned his head, stared at me intently, and said. 

 

“Thanks to you, I…”

 

After saying those meaningless words, he soon walked out the door. 

 

‘…What? You mean you’re really going to help me?’

 

Leaving behind only a puzzling question.

 

* * *

 

After Park Dohyul left to meet his father. 

 

I was taken by the warrior and locked alone in the room.

 

The room was fairly spacious, but there was no furniture—only a single blanket laid out on the floor.

 

“I’m going to lock the door, so don’t even think about coming out.”

 

The warrior said that and then left me behind, going straight outside.

 

Thud—!

 

Once I was completely alone, I suddenly stood up and began examining every corner of the room. 

 

“It’s all messedh uph.”

 

After searching for a long while like that, I eventually fell into despair and sank down to the floor.

 

Of course. There’s no way the so-called ultimate villain would be sloppy. 

 

This large room didn’t have a single window, and the door was firmly locked, so there was no visible way to get out. 

 

‘As expected, unless the Chief comes to save me… or Park Dohyul tells me about some little escape hole, getting out of here is impossible.’

 

I recalled Park Dohyul’s final expression before he left earlier.

 

‘When such a beautiful boy leaves with such a wistful expression and words, it just leaves me feeling uneasy for no reason, huh?’

 

The redness around his eyes… and the way, at only seven years old, he seemed to have a wall in his heart that kept him from taking my words at face value—it all somehow bothered me a little.

 

‘I wonder if he’ll really help me escape?’

 

His reaction was ambiguous, so I couldn’t tell. Judging from our earlier conversation, it seemed like something had happened with Park Jutaek…

 

In the original story, past events were thoroughly summarized, so I couldn’t know the details.

 

‘Ugh, I don’t know. Let’s just think about escaping for now.’

 

Ugh. I let out a groan and shook my head from side to side.

 

Pushing those thoughts aside and looking around in the darkness, I realized once again that the room was quiet, cold, and spacious.

 

I truly felt the reality that I was alone in this place.

 

Just as it had been a very long time ago.

 

“It’s warm. Thank you.”

 

The Chief’s low, gentle voice came to mind without any warning. 

 

When I slept, he would pat my back.

 

When I was about to fall, he would catch me.

 

When I opened my eyes, he was by my side… and when I secretly snuggled into his arms, he was so warm.

 

Even though it was in the mountains, colder than anywhere else.

 

Memories of being warmer and happier than anywhere else…

 

“I wanted to see you living a full life, protected in a place bigger and better than this one, seeing and enjoying many things.”

 

The moment I recalled the sincere words he spoke to me at the end.

 

“Ah.”

 

I absentmindedly raised my hand and touched my cheek. My fingertips were damp with lukewarm tears. 

 

‘Why am I crying…’

 

After parting with the Chief, I felt a daily, piercing pain in my chest, but… 

 

Still, I didn’t cry anymore after the attendants handed me the thread of fate.

 

After all, leaving the chief was my own decision. 

 

But…

 

‘Why am I crying…?’

 

Tuk, tuk, tuk.

 

Large tears kept falling from my eyes.

 

‘I… guess I really missed the Chief.’

 

I thought it would just be for a little while, that if I endured it, I’d be fine—but I wasn’t.

 

After realizing that this place was inside a novel, I couldn’t think of anything else except that I had to save the Chief. 

 

I realized how much I missed him and how precious he was to me.

 

As I kept dabbing away my endlessly flowing tears.

 

Click, click… Drrrk! 

 

Suddenly, the door I thought was locked opened.

 

Startled, I quickly wiped away the tears streaming down my face with my small hands and hurriedly hid behind the corner drawer.

 

“Uh…buh…?!”

 

Hiccup—!

 

Startled by the person who appeared before me, I suddenly hiccupped.

 

Tuk.

 

The tears that had gathered on my eyelashes fell helplessly.

 

The moment I opened my mouth to speak—

 

As I was about to open my mouth to speak—he walked over quickly with long strides and pressed his hand firmly over my mouth.

 

“….!”

 

Our eyes met in the darkness.

 

His dark gray eyes and hair seemed to draw me in, and in his hand, he held the cloth I knew so well.

 

The Inyeon cloth with gold patterns embossed on it.

 

The cloth we shared, of which there were only two in the whole world.