Chapter 421: Punishment (1)

“What a sh*tshow this is...”

Jo Gyu-Min scowled deeply while scanning the street in front of the amusement park. All the evacuees flooding out of the front gate blocked the road, and no one could go anywhere even if they wanted to.

Since he expected a chaotic scene like this, Jo Gyu-Min didn't think him coming here personally would be helpful to anyone. However, doing nothing while sucking on his thumb just because he did all he could on the outside was simply not his style.

First of all, securing the orphanage children's safety should take priority. It looked like those trapped inside the amusement park's main building had safely escaped outside, but no one was trying to control the chaos or soften the momentum of the evacuating crowd right now. With how things were going, it wouldn't be too surprising to see secondary crises developing on the outside.

Jo Gyu-Min parked his car in a suitable spot and urgently climbed out of the driver's seat. The evacuating people flooding the road made driving a car impossible, anyway.

Like a fountain of water spewing out of a burst pipe, humans were gushing out of the amusement park's exit. While breaking through the human waves rushing toward him, Jo Gyu-Min yanked out his phone and dialed Han Jin-Seong's number. The call didn't want to connect as if too many people in the vicinity were using the cellular service at the same time. Eventually, though, the call connected, and Han Jin-Seong's voice came through the line.

“Where are you, Jin-Seong?”

- I, I'm not sure. I can't tell. The first reveal of this chapter happened through N//0/vel-Biiin.

Jo Gyu-Min sighed under his breath at the boy's scared-sounding reply.

'That's not surprising...'

The orphanage kids had never been to an amusement park before. On top of that, there was utter chaos everywhere, so figuring out where they were should be near impossible. Accurately conveying their position would've been difficult under normal circumstances, so how much worse would it be when everything seemed to have gone utterly mad?

“Argh, gimme a freaking break...” Jo Gyu-Min sighed again.

'Dammit. Why do things like this keep happening when we're only trying to do something nice?'

Just how unlucky could they be!

Kang Jin-Ho didn't come here to have fun, but the orphanage kids whined and begged him to bring them here. So, to think a crisis of this level would happen to the amusement park they chose to come!

Without a doubt, Kang Jin-Ho must be deeply enraged right now. While praying that Kang Jin-Ho wouldn't unleash his wrath in the... 'wrong' direction, Jo Gyu-Min ran toward the amusement park's main building.

“Look around you, Jin-Seong! Are you still inside the building? Or are you outside already?”

- N-no, I'm still inside.

“Are you with other kids?”

- Yes, Chief Jo. We were trying to get out, but there were too many people at the exit, and we couldn't break through. If I was alone, I might have tried, but the other kids are too weak, and they keep getting pushed back.

“I don't think the building will collapse, so don't try to force your way out of there. Stay put since I'm on my way right now.”

- Okay. But the kids are too scared, and...

“I know. But, don’t worry. I'll be there shortly. What can you see around you?”

Jo Gyu-Min listened to Han Jin-Seong's description and groaned deeply after figuring out the children's current position.

'Bloody hell. Deep inside the building, huh...'

And through that wall of people, too? Jo Gyu-Min groaned again at the sight of all the evacuees tightly packing the corridors leading out of the building. To think he needed to wade through that...

“Excuse me, sir! What are you doing?!”

When Jo Gyu-Min went against the crowd's flow and headed deeper into the building, the police officers controlling the traffic hurriedly approached him. Jo Gyu-Min glanced at them while gritting his teeth.

“Well... You only live once, right!”

Jo Gyu-Min shook off the officers catching up to him and threw himself into the crowd. It felt like his body might get crushed by all the pressure coming from seemingly everywhere, but Jo Gyu-Min continued to bravely forge ahead all the while crying out constantly from the pain.

'Aigoooo, my poor life...!'

Jo Gyu-Min couldn't help but feel that lately, 'unusual' events were happening to him a lot more frequently!

***

'Where is this?'

Choi Yeon-Ha was currently roaming around the building's corridors. The phone signal went dead a while ago, hindering her search for the missing child even further. She had been trying to call the girl for quite some time, but none of her attempts had succeeded so far.

'No, I need to calm down.'

Choi Yeon-Ha finally stopped running and stood still to suck in several deep breaths. This amusement park was simply too big for her to run around like a headless chicken. Even a week of searching wouldn't be enough if no one was here to help. Obviously, she didn't have that much time on her hands.

'If an elementary school girl gets separated from her siblings in a situation like this, where would she choose to go first?'

Logically speaking, that girl would try to get out of here as soon as possible. However, that didn't happen, and she was nowhere to be found.

Choi Yeon-Ha scanned her surroundings. If a safety officer found her loitering like this, she'd be forced to leave the building. Before that happened, she needed to find the missing girl, Oh Min-Ji, first.

“Awooo! Since when did I become a bloody saintess?!”

Choi Yeon-Ha suddenly erupted in irritation. Why was she even searching for a child in this place? If her fans learned about how Choi Yeon-Ha was running around like a crazy woman inside a crumbling amusement park just to find a lost child, they might keel over from shock! With foam coming out of their mouths, no less!

As long as she could survive this crisis without encountering any mishap, it'd make one hell of a newspaper article, now wouldn't it! Of course, only if she survived, that was...!

'...Yeah, right!'

A newspaper article was only an article if a reporter decided to write it. But who would be bothered to write this story? Besides, she would freak out and try to stop the press if someone did write an article about her.

Doing something that didn't help her public image but took so much effort to complete... If this was in the past, Choi Yeon-Ha would've freaked out and refused to do it. She used to not even bother with any 'work' that didn't advance her career, after all.

'Yup, I've gone mad, haven't I?'

Choi Yeon-Ha wasn't sure how she ended up this way. Had she always possessed the inclination for this kind of thing? Or did she change after meeting Kang Jin-Ho and befriending the orphanage kids?

“...Let's worry about useless stuff later.”

That stuff didn't matter right now, anyway. What was important right now was finding the girl who should be shivering away in fright in some remote place. And then... safely evacuating from this place!

“Fuu-woo...!” Choi Yeon-Ha sucked in a deep breath before looking around at her surroundings.

'If I'm being honest... I'm kinda scared, too.'

The threat of a ceiling caving in was not something a person could casually brush aside. The knowledge of things falling down on top of you at any moment and crushing you to death... That was probably one of the scariest things anyone could imagine.

Even so, Choi Yeon-Ha couldn't run away from here. Her previous experience of the tunnel cave-in stopped her from doing that. Compared to the choking despair and fear she felt back then, this level of fear was mere child's play.

However, if Oh Min-Ji was left abandoned in this place all by herself... She would experience a similar level of fear Choi Yeon-Ha experienced back then. Kang Jin-Ho was with Choi Yeon-Ha during that ordeal, but Oh Min-Ji probably had no one with her right now.

'I can't let that happen!'

In that case, Choi Yeon-Ha must take on the role of Kang Jin-Ho for Oh Min-Ji. And she couldn't afford to back off because of this tiny bit of fear!

'Come on, think! What would I have done if I was an elementary school kid...?'

Indeed, what would she have done? It was time to stop thinking logically. Children were more prone to following their instincts, after all. Forget about logic, and...

“...The toilet!” Choi Yeon-Ha's brows suddenly shot up.

When she was scared of a public place in the past, Choi Yeon-Ha would seek out the nearest toilet and hide there to calm her heart. A bathroom was the only place where she could secure her 'private' space in a public area, after all.

There was still a problem with that, however. This amusement park had several public bathrooms, and searching through every single one would simply take too long...!

That was when Choi Yeon-Ha's phone began ringing viciously in her grip. Her expression brightened as she looked at the screen.

[Oh Min-Ji]

Choi Yeon-Ha tightly clenched her fist after confirming the name on the screen. She hurriedly tapped the green 'answer' icon and shouted into the receiver. “Min-Ji! Where are you?”

Choi Yeon-Ha's heart was racing. A part of that was due to the relief she felt at finally getting in touch with Oh Min-Ji. However, what moved her the most was the fact that this girl chose to call Choi Yeon-Ha and not someone else in a situation where the line might die on her at any second.

Even if Choi Yeon-Ha's name must've appeared on the girl's phone dozens of times due to all the missed calls, Oh Min-Ji still wouldn't have called her unless she really trusted Choi Yeon-Ha.

- Unnie...

“Hold on, Min-Ji!” Choi Yeon-Ha sucked in a deep breath.

Although the situation was urgent, hadn't Choi Yeon-Ha already experienced something similar before? When stuck in a situation like this, people's minds would be too paralyzed to think rationally. The more Choi Yeon-Ha pressed Oh Min-Ji, the more likely the girl would fail to respond logically or calmly.

After quickly analyzing her options, Choi Yeon-Ha started smiling again as if to prove that acting was her forte. “Yes, I'm here, Min-Ji. I know it's scary, but don't worry, I'm looking for you right now. Can you tell me where you are, though?”

Choi Yeon-Ha worked hard to suppress the tremor in her voice. To make sure she didn't sound urgent or impatient. Even though her heart was burning up with anxiety, instilling a sense of confidence was a top priority in a situation like this.

As if her desperate attempt worked, Oh Min-Ji's voice became a lot calmer than a second ago.

- I, I'm inside a bathroom...

Choi Yeon-Ha's expression grew unreadable just then.

'I was right about the toilet theory?'

Maybe she picked the wrong career? Being a detective might have suited her disposition better than an actress, maybe?

“I see. A bathroom, you say? Okay, got it. You did good, Min-Ji,” Choi Yeon-Ha praised the girl to calm her down even more, then cautiously asked while doing her best not to pressure Oh Min-Ji too much. “But, uh... There are a lot of bathrooms here, and I'm having a hard time finding you, Min-Ji. Can you help me locate the right one?”

- Uhm, this one is...

“It's fine, Min-Ji. There's no rush. Take your time and explain slowly to me.”

- It's... It's on the second floor...

Choi Yeon-Ha's eyes gleamed sharply. “I see. On the second floor, where?”

Her voice remained calm while speaking on the phone, but Choi Yeon-Ha's legs were already taking her toward the nearest staircase at a full sprint. She was on the third floor, so she only needed to go down one flight of stairs to get that much closer to her destination.

- I'm not sure, unnie.

“Did you see anything that stands out in your memories before entering this bathroom?”

- Uhm... I think I saw a corridor going outside...?

“Outside? Like the exit from the building itself?”

- No, it kinda looked like a castle.

Bingo!

Choi Yeon-Ha roughly guessed the location, then hurriedly changed her heading. She recalled the map of this place and ran even faster toward the corridor that led to an artificial lake.

“Okay, Min-Ji, you did good, so... Oh, no!” Choi Yeon-Ha's expression crumpled when static noises began obscuring Min-Ji's voice. And, when the call got cut off soon afterward, she began swearing angrily at her phone. “You f*cking useless phone company bastards! I'll never appear in another commercial for you ever again!”

Choi Yeon-Ha regretted appearing in this phone company's adverts last year. Shooting those commercials suddenly felt like ugly black marks in her history! Her irritation level shot up at how rubbish this company's customer service was. If the signal was poor, shouldn't they try to improve it somehow? Just because the volume of calls increased, she couldn't even phone someone nearby? What kind of nonsense was this?

Choi Yeon-Ha angrily shoved her phone inside her pocket, then hurriedly scanned her surroundings. That corridor should be near here...!

“What are you doing here, miss!” A safety officer searching for any stragglers left behind just in case discovered Choi Yeon-Ha and rushed toward her. “Miss, you need to evacuate right away!”

“Wait a minute, okay!” Choi Yeon-Ha cried out at him.

“Waiting can be done outside, miss! ...Huh? Aren't you Choi Yeon-Ha?” The safety officer's eyes opened wide in shock. Why was someone as famous as Choi Yeon-Ha here?

Choi Yeon-Ha ignored the look on the officer's face and asked a question. “Where is the nearest bathroom in this place?”

“Miss Choi, due to the risk of collapse, usage of all bathroom facilities is forbidden at this time.”

“That's not it! A child I've been searching for is trapped in one of the bathrooms! She's in a panic and can't seem to get out on her own!”

“A-a child, you say?” The safety officer faltered, his expression getting complicated.

Choi Yeon-Ha gritted her teeth at the look of hesitation on the officer's face. “What kind of bullsh*t is this! Someone is trapped in here! And it's an elementary school girl, no less!”

Only then did the safety officer realize the severity of the situation, and his expression hardened.

Choi Yeon-Ha asked again. “Where is the nearest bathroom?”

The safety officer stopped hesitating and nodded before taking the lead. He sprinted forward while calling out to Choi Yeon-Ha. “It's this way!”

Choi Yeon-Ha ran after the officer while gritting her teeth.

'Unnie will be there soon, okay! Just wait for me for a little while longer!'

Desperation burned in her eyes.