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Saccharin Chapter 1

Saccharin | Chapter 1

SACCHARIN
CHAPTER 1
Prologue

 

It seemed certain that today was the worst birthday of my life.

“Ugh…”

Where on earth am I? What’s happening to me right now?

I groaned as I opened my eyes, only to find myself in an unfamiliar place.

In dramas or movies, people often get dragged to some creepy warehouse, but no matter how I looked at it, I seemed to be lying on a hotel bed.

At least the situation didn’t seem completely dire, or so I thought—until I realized my wrists were cuffed. That’s when it hit me: this place was hell.

No way. It couldn’t be. Someone… someone had done something to my body…

There was a possibility that something horrible had been done to me while I was unconscious. As soon as I realized my wrists couldn’t move, I instinctively squirmed and began checking over my body.

It didn’t seem like anyone had taken off and then redressed my clothes. The feel of my skin against my undergarments was no different from usual. Everything I’d worn to dinner with my dad—pants, and jacket included—was intact.

Thank goodness, truly, thank goodness…

However, it seemed like they thought I might try to bite my tongue, as there was something lodged in my mouth. Glancing down with my eyes, I realized it was a man’s tie. I had no idea how long I’d been unconscious, but having to clench something in my mouth had made my jaw ache unbearably.

“Ugh…”

My priority was getting that thing out of my mouth. I twisted my jaw from side to side and tried pushing it out with my tongue and lips.

It must not have been tied too tightly, because as I wriggled my face and strained my muscles, the tie gradually loosened before falling out with a sudden drop. Now it dangled around my neck like some sort of necklace.

Whoever did this to me, whether it was a bastard or a bitch, I wasn’t going to let them get away with it.

If anyone tried to hurt me, I’d bite them to shreds with my teeth.
It was the kind of boldness that came from not yet fully understanding my situation.

Ah… but my whole body aches so much…

It was only natural, considering the violent clash I’d experienced before losing consciousness. Every part of my body throbbed, without a single spot spared. I carefully moved every part of me—from head to toe, fingers to toes—to check for any injuries. While my muscles ached terribly, it seemed I hadn’t suffered any major injuries. Just the fact that nothing was broken or torn was something to be grateful for.

What am I supposed to do now?

A despairing sigh escaped my lips, along with a string of curses, but I tried to stay as composed as possible. I needed to figure out where I was trapped.

But no matter how I looked at it, this place was clearly a hotel. Judging by the layout, it appeared to be a suite room with separate living and sleeping areas. It wasn’t some dark basement or horrifyingly unimaginable place, which was a relief—but it was still a kidnapping and confinement.

I forced myself to focus and examined the room as thoroughly as I could. Twisting my body here and there on the mattress—bare of any blankets—I scanned every corner within my view.

And then I saw it.

Damn it… I never expected that to be staring at me so boldly.

The moment I spotted the camera installed in one corner of the ceiling, I was certain: someone knew I had regained consciousness. As that realization sank in, the tightly shut bedroom door swung open.

“……”

A woman with a neatly styled bob and dressed in a sleek black suit gave me a quick once-over from head to toe. Her expression briefly betrayed a hint of relief, as if she’d confirmed my condition wasn’t too bad.

“Excuse me—”

I called out to her urgently, but she ignored me, closing the door with a cold finality. Left with my words hanging in the air, I awkwardly clamped my mouth shut.

Is that woman my warden? But the voice I heard before I passed out was definitely a man’s… Well, it doesn’t matter. They’re all in on this together.

In this situation, where I had no cards to play, it was clear my life wasn’t guaranteed. They would undoubtedly ask me about my father’s whereabouts, but I truly had no idea.

Still, a part of me felt that if I had known anything about my father’s location, it might have been my only bargaining chip for survival.

Realizing that information could be a weapon in a situation as dire as this, I let out a shallow sigh. I shouldn’t have made it so obvious that I’d managed to remove the tie from my mouth.

That was a mistake.

I should have loosened the tie just enough and pretended to keep it in my mouth to deceive them. I cursed myself for my shortsightedness. As I was lamenting my poor judgment, the bob-haired woman re-entered the room, opening the door.

“Miss Seo Wan, is your body uncomfortable anywhere?”

“…No.”

“Then, please step outside.”

“With my hands tied?”

“Your feet aren’t tied, are they?”

Her calm tone remained utterly devoid of emotion, which made her even more intimidating in some ways.

Still lying sideways on the bed, I grunted as I struggled to push myself upright. Since I could move my body relatively well, getting off the bed and heading outside wasn’t particularly challenging, though every step was nerve-wracking.

“There, do you see the sofa? Please sit there.”

“Yes.”

I stepped off the bed and, with trembling legs, walked in the direction she indicated. Each step felt heavier than the last, my mind flooded with fears and anxieties that made my heart race uncontrollably. It felt like I was on the verge of losing my sanity.

They say even in a tiger’s den, you can survive if you stay sharp. But could I really manage that? The best course of action was to cooperate as much as possible and avoid provoking the people who had me here.

When I stepped into the living room, I realized there were more people besides the bob-haired woman. These were likely the ones who had brought me here.

“……”

There was a tall man in a black trench coat standing by the window. Near the door on the other side of the room stood a burly man with a rough appearance, guarding it. Including the bob-haired woman, that made three of them in total. Judging by the situation, though, I was certain there were more people stationed outside the door.

No. This was a game I could never win from the start.

Even if, by some miracle, I gained superhuman strength and managed to take down all three of them to escape this room, there was no way I’d make it out of the hotel. It was clear that my life was teetering on the edge of ruin.

“Should I sit here?”

“Make yourself comfortable.”

The bob-haired woman, who seemed to play the role of my warden, gave a subtle glance toward the tall man by the window. He, half-leaning against the frame, gave her a small nod. She responded in kind, mirroring his gesture as if they shared some unspoken understanding.

I unconsciously followed the bob-haired woman’s gaze, and at that moment, a shiver crawled up my spine, inexplicable and chilling. The man in the black trench coat was staring directly at me. It didn’t take long to conclude that he was the one in charge here. Just as that realization settled, the bob-haired woman spoke again, her tone pressing.

“Miss Seo Wan, please sit down.”

“…Alright.”

Reluctantly, I complied, sitting on the sofa as instructed. It was frustrating to feel so powerless in the tense atmosphere, but there wasn’t much else I could do. I was just a normal graduate student, after all.

What were they planning, making me sit here like this? Fixing my gaze on the tips of my sock-clad toes, I occasionally stole glances around the room, only to drop my head again, repeating the motion nervously.

“The chairman will be here shortly.”

A cold voice sliced through my meaningless fidgeting. The mention of the chairman made me snap my head up.

“The chairman has a few questions for you regarding Director Seo’s situation. You’d better answer carefully.”

“Yes.”

My voice came out shaky, but I managed to nod. So this was about my father. My already frazzled nerves tightened even further, and my thoughts swirled with dread.

The bob-haired woman informed me that the chairman was on his way with a formal tone that somehow still carried a trace of courtesy. Her face was expressionless, but her words were polite.

Right, the only reason I was still relatively unharmed was that I was Seo Kyoyong’s daughter—an executive director at Pyeonjae Trading. But the moment I was confirmed to be the daughter of a traitor, I might find myself longing for even this precarious privilege. That is… if I managed to stay alive until then.

Dad… You didn’t abandon me and run away, did you? Or worse, maybe he deliberately left me here as bait while he fled overseas long ago. No. Dad wouldn’t do that. If that’s not the case, then… he’s already dead.

Unbidden, fear and despair welled up inside me, and tears began to prick my eyes. It felt like there wasn’t a single person left in this world who could save me.

What should I do? I don’t know. I have no idea how to handle any of this.

Dad… please help me.

No matter how much I racked my brain to make sense of why I was in this mess, there was only one answer: Dad had made a colossal mistake, and now I was being held hostage because of it. And if I couldn’t tell the chairman—who was on his way—where Dad was, I might end up dead.

I was terrified. Absolutely, utterly terrified.

I didn’t want to cry, but the tears wouldn’t stop. With my head hung low, I used my cuffed hands to hastily wipe away the tears streaming down my face. That’s when I heard it.

“Stand up.”

“……?”

When had he come so close? The man in the black trench coat, who had been standing by the window, was now right in front of me.

“Stand up and hold out your hands.”

That voice—I had heard it just a few hours ago. How could I forget that deep, languid tone, almost like it was brushing against my ears? He was the one. The mastermind behind my abduction.

“Where are you planning to go at this hour?”

So it was you. You were the one who hit me with the car.

The man standing before me had staged a bold kidnapping disguised as a car accident, right in the middle of the road to Incheon Airport. It had been him all along.

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