Several older teens stood outside an elementary school, their eyes leering as if searching for someone.
"Hey, do you know a girl named Lee Yeo Ri?" They asked towards every passing kid.
One of them took out his phone and flashed a picture of the girl to the kids.
"Huh? Isn't that Lee Yeo Ri from class 1?" The kids whispered to each other. They could recognise the pretty girl anywhere, but they were reluctant to speak up since the older guys seemed to have bad intentions.
"Hey, kids. You seem to be familiar to the girl. Can you tell me where she is?" A new face approached them with a smile.
Ji Yeong Gi seemed friendly and didn't look like a bad person, but the kids were still dubious.
"Maybe he likes Yeo Ri and wants to confess," one of the girls speculated. "Yeo Ri is very pretty, after all." Several girls slowly nodded in understanding. It wasn't strange for boys to come looking for Yeo Ri. Or rather, it was a regular occurrence.
"Are you looking for me?"
Yeo Ri arrived at the scene, her head tilted quizzically. She had heard someone say her name and wondered if they were talking about her.
She was holding hands with Min Chae, so after exchanging a look with her best friend, they walked over together.
Yeong Gi smiled slowly. He bent his knees and leaned in to speak to her in a slightly secretive but playful manner, a smile still hanging on his face. "Lee Hyuk is your brother, right? I'm his friend. He wants to take you somewhere so I came here to pick you up."
Yeo Ri perked up at the mention of Hyuk's name. "Oppa? Why? Where does he want to take me?"
"I don't know. He said it was a secret and didn't tell me," Yeong Gi assumed a saddened expression, as if he was truly disappointed at Hyuk for not telling him.
Yeo Ri watched him carefully. Part of her thought that the older boy was telling the truth, but another part of her thought that he was lying. "Where's Oppa?" She asked.
"Come with me. I'll take you to him," Yeong Gi gently persuaded her. He held out his hand, expecting her to take it.
Yeo Ri hesitated for some time.
Yeong Gi raised his eyebrows in expectation, tilting his head slightly in urging.
Slowly and hesitantly, Yeo Ri placed her palm into his. "Okay," she said timidly.
Yeong Gi's mouth split into a large smile. "Great! Let's go." He tightened his grip on her little hand.
"Hey, wait! Where are you taking Yeo Ri!" Min Chae shouted in alarm. She could sense the wickedness hidden in Yeong Gi's smile, and the fact that the older guys around them looked very tough and unfriendly added to her suspicions. They were definitely not good people. She held Yeo Ri's other hand strongly, refusing to let go.
Yeong Gi turned to look at the other little girl. "Don't worry, we won't harm your friend. We just need to go somewhere with her," he said amiably. He made eye contact with one of his lackeys, telling them to separate the two little girls so that Yeo Ri could go with him.
"Hey! Let go! Yeo Ri-ah, run!" Min Chae screamed. It alarmed the other kids around them, but none was brave enough to confront the older boys.
Yeo Ri heeded Min Chae's warning and tried to pry her hand away from him, but Yeong Gi was too strong.
"Don't struggle; you'll get hurt if you do," Yeong Gi tacitly threatened, squeezing her hand.
"...!" Yeo Ri winced in pain. "W-where are you taking me?!"
"Didn't I tell you? We're going to meet Hyuk, your brother." Yeong Gi continued to insist with a smile. He dragged Yeo Ri away with him along with his cronies.
After arriving at a certain abandoned building, he met up with several other mean-looking men.
"This is the girl I told you about," Yeong Gi told the leader.
It was the same guy that had beaten Hyuk up back when they first met. It seems like he was still unsatisfied after the delinquent offended him the last time.
Yeong Gi pushed the young girl forward, letting the man scrutinise her.
"Hoh, so that's her? She's pretty cute. Too bad she's still a brat." He clicked his tongue in pity. Had she been older, he wouldn't have minded making her his girl.
The leader took out his phone and dialled Hyuk's number, which he had gotten from the treacherous Ji Yeong Gi.
"Lee Hyuk, look who we've got?" The leader said as soon as the call connected. "That's right, it's your little sister."
He held the phone to Yeo Ri, nodding to her as if to tell her to speak.
Yeo Ri looked as if she was about to grab the phone and make a run for it, so Yeong Gi grabbed her into his arms and trapped her in place.
"O-oppa!" Yeo Ri screamed, frightened.
"Who the f*ck are you?!" Hyuk's voice could be heard over the phone.
"You'll know when you come," he said cryptically. The leader took a hold of Yeo Ri's chin, tilting her face side-to-side as if appreciating a work of art. "Or else, say goodbye to your little sister."
"Don't you f*cking d—!"
After saying the location, the leader immediately ended the call and threw his phone to one of his followers. "You guys watch the girl. I'm gonna go take a nap."
"Yes, boss!" One of the lackeys excitedly responded. It would be fun to tease such a young and cute little girl, he thought. A twisted smile emerged on his face as he thought of ways he could 'play' with the girl.