Page 77 of Idol Moves

“Yeah. The boss did say that.” Tae Hyun heard the click of a seat belt buckle and someone shuffling in their seat. “But I already broke that rule once. Wanna see if I’ll break it again?”

“Hey,” Deep Voice said. “What are you doing? Sit back down, you idiot.”

“You just focus on the driving and let me–”

“Are you even following the map? I don’t know where the hell I’m going.”

“Damn it, Do Hyeon.” Raspy Voice huffed. “Do I have to do everything?”

“Did you just use my fucking name, dumbass?”

Raspy Voice huffed again. “They didn’t know it was your real name until now, idiot. And you need to take the exit for Daedeoksan-ro.”

“There. Was that so hard, Kun Woo?

“What? Now you’re using my name? You fucking–”

The two kidnappers dissolved into petty bickering, so Tae Hyun figured they probably wouldn’t notice him whispering to Seong Min. “How are you? Are you badly hurt?” It was killing Tae Hyun that he couldn’t see anything or move his hands.

“I don’t think so, sir. The bullet only grazed my upper arm, so it’s mostly just a scratch.” Seong Min quietly chuckled. “I won’t be winning any arm wrestling competitions for a while.” Tae Hyun frowned. Was his bodyguard delirious? “But it feels like someone bandaged up my arm a bit.”

That was considerate. “Are you blindfolded, too?”

“Yes, sir.” Seong Min quietly huffed as he moved around. “What about you? Are you alright, sir?”

“My head hurts. Otherwise, I think I’m okay.” Tae Hyun huffed. “Have you been awake this whole time?”

“No, sir. I tried my best to keep them distracted while you ran. Then someone hit me over the head from behind when I ran after you.”

“Me, too.” Tae Hyun quietly huffed. “Do you have any idea where we are?”

“No, sir.” Seong Min paused for a long moment. “Well, maybe. I think the street they mentioned is in Goyang.”

Goyang? Tae Hyun couldn’t think of anything there. “What should we do?”

“For now, just play along. If this is a kidnapping, they’ll want you unharmed so they can make a ransom demand.”

Ransom? Tae Hyun could hardly believe what was happening. Who would kidnap him? How much would they ask for? At least he knew why I Jun had been acting so strangely. The designer was obviously in on it somehow.

Seong Min said to play along, which was as good advice as any. Tae Hyun wished he had a way to contact Jason, but he couldn’t feel his phone in his pocket. He must’ve dropped it at some point. Or his kidnappers had taken it. He almost shuddered, thinking about how Jason would react once he found out. Just the graffiti incident had sent his temper boiling. But that hardly compared to–Shit.Remember Jong Soo.What if it wasn’t a kidnapping at all? What if it was something much worse? He’d been warned, after all. Was he suffering the consequences of ignoring the warning?

Tae Hyun wanted to mention that thought to Seong Min, but the van lurched to the side and rolled him onto his back. They must’ve reached the Daedeoksan-ro exit. Tae Hyun spread his legs to balance himself as they continued driving for a few more minutes. Then, they made a final turn and slowed to a stop. The van lightly rocked as the two people in front opened the doors and climbed out.

“You two sit tight,” Kun Woo instructed. “We’ll be right back.”

“Quickly, sir,” Seong Min whispered after Kun Woo slammed his door closed. “There’s a device in my belt, but I can’t reach it. I need you to find it and press it.”

“A device?”

“A tracker. It’s above my right pocket. If there are any wireless networks nearby, it will connect and send a signal to Seong Hyeon with our location.” Seong Min shuffled closer to Tae Hyun. “Please hurry, sir. Before anyone comes back.”

Tae Hyun reached out as he scooted backward until he found Seong Min’s leg. He moved his hands up until he found Seong Min’s pocket. Then he moved his hands up again and found Seong Min’s leather belt. He ran his fingers along the belt until, sure enough, he found a spot where something button-shaped was embedded in it.

“I’ve got it.”

“Okay, press on it until it beeps.”

Tae Hyun pressed down with his finger until he heard a tiny beep. “Is that it?”

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