TDIMEH Chapter 59

59. Call

Click.

When Junhyuk turned on the light, a small glow flickered to life.

He first checked to ensure all the curtains were fully drawn, worried the light might seep outside.

The room was stuffy, as if it hadn’t been ventilated for a long time.

Se-ah, fearful of tripping again, followed Junhyuk cautiously as he carried the light.

His steps came to a halt in front of a large desk.

Following his gaze, Se-ah noticed a phone sitting on one corner of the spacious desk.

The phone, plugged into a charger, looked different from a typical one.

Se-ah picked up the black device, which resembled an early-model brick walkie-talkie.

“I’ve never seen a phone like this. Do you think it’ll work?”

“It’s a satellite phone, so it should.”

Unlike Se-ah, who hesitated over which button to press, Junhyuk, now holding the phone, turned it on with practiced ease.

Beep.

The screen, initially black and white, lit up with a soft glow.

“It’s working!”

Se-ah exclaimed excitedly, even stamping her foot slightly in her joy.

“Yeah. Everything seems fine.”

“Have you used something like this before?”

“Yeah. The first thing I did after returning from isolation was to buy a satellite phone. So I’d always have a way to call for help, no matter where I was.”

“Oh… that makes sense.”

“But it looks like it wasn’t necessary in the future, judging by the fact that I didn’t have one.”

“With how widespread CCTV has become, criminals are caught quickly these days. And since communication networks are well-developed everywhere, regular cell phones work just fine. That’s probably why you didn’t carry a satellite phone.”

“Really? That’s fascinating.”

A spark of curiosity briefly flickered in Junhyuk’s eyes.

“Anyway, let’s make the call quickly.”

“Who should we call?”

Junhyuk asked, looking confused as he held the phone.

Although he was skilled at operating the device, he seemed stumped about whom to contact.

Se-ah lightly smacked her forehead.

“Oh, right. Captain, you don’t remember anyone, do you?”

Junhyuk, still stuck in the past, couldn’t recall any current phone numbers. Even if he did, they might have changed by now.

“Yeah. Why don’t you try?”

Taking the phone from him, Se-ah found herself in a similar predicament.

Her father was in the hospital, and her brother Sejun had recently changed his number, which she hadn’t memorized yet.

“Sh-Should we call the police?”

She hesitated, her finger hovering over the number pad to dial 117 or 911, when Junhyuk stopped her.

“No. If the local police are connected to the organization, it’ll only put us in more danger.”

“They might be, considering the organization probably bribed them to operate here. So what do we do?”

Even though they had a phone, Se-ah had no one suitable to call. But then, someone came to mind—someone who could find her and help her in the Philippines.

Marino!

She was certain Marino, with his wide network, wouldn’t hesitate to assist her. He was likely in the Philippines by now.

He had promised to help her locate Mr. Kim, so there was a chance he was already looking for her.

“I know who to call. Just give me a moment.”

Se-ah carefully pressed the buttons, ensuring each one was correct. Since it was a satellite phone, she meticulously included the Philippines’ country code. Before long, the call tone began to ring.

Crackle. Crackle.

There was static interference, possibly due to the overcast weather or because they were indoors. However, soon Marino’s voice came through.

- “[This is Marino.]”

Marino always started his calls that way, saying he disliked the typical “Hello.” Hearing his voice was enough to fill her with overwhelming relief.

“Marino, it’s me, Coco.”

Rubbing her stinging nose, Se-ah identified herself.

There was a brief pause, followed by Marino’s voice, sounding as if he were in shock.

- “[Coco? Where are you right now? And what’s with this number?]”

Even though they had known each other for nearly three years, she had never heard Marino so agitated. His trembling voice was unmistakable.

“Our boat drifted, and I’m stranded on a strange island. I don’t know the name of the island. There are armed men here cultivating some kind of strange hallucinogens. I snuck into their quarters and used a satellite phone to call you. Can you track the location?”

- “[Hold on. I’ll send this number to someone skilled at tracking locations right now. Just stay on the line for at least 30 seconds, okay?]”

“Yes.”

Hearing that tracking was possible, Se-ah let out a deep sigh of relief.

Marino truly could do anything. She sent a reassuring look toward Junhyuk, but he seemed uncharacteristically somber.

Ever since hearing a man’s voice on the phone, Junhyuk had fallen silent.

- “[Who are you with? Are Boss Nam and Kevin with you?]”

“Kevin, Leo, Ren, and Rosie were on another boat, so we got separated. I’m with Boss Nam and a few others who came here for business.”

- “[You mean Do Junhyuk, Moon Sohee, and Jo Jisang, right?]”

“How… how do you know that?”

- “[As soon as I heard you were missing, I went straight to the office and checked the passenger list. Everyone here has been working hard to track you down. Are you all safe?]”

“Everyone I’m with is safe except for Jo Jisang.”

Se-ah refrained from mentioning Amihan’s situation, feeling it wasn’t the right time.

- “[Good. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.]”

The muttered words, “What a relief,” were clearly audible through the receiver.

- “[Got it!]”

Marino shouted excitedly.

“What is it?”

- “[I just received a message. They tracked the number and roughly pinpointed your location. It’s not completely accurate, but there are only one or two islands in that area, so it must be one of them.]”

“Marino! Thank you so much.”

Se-ah’s excitement was evident on her face.

- “[Alright. I’ll come to find you as soon as possible. Stay hidden and don’t do anything risky. I’ll be there within two days at the latest.]”

“Okay.”

- “[If they’re handling hallucinogens, then I can guess what kind of people they are. They’re extremely dangerous, so don’t even think about confronting them. Get out of there quickly.]”

“Understood. I’ll keep the phone with me and call you again.”

- “[Keep it turned off for now so it doesn’t ring unexpectedly. And be very careful.]”

“I will.”

After ending the call, Se-ah pressed her hand against her chest to calm her pounding heart.

The escape from the island felt within reach.

All that was left was to get out of this place safely and wait for rescue. That way, there would be no need for confrontations.

She had already envisioned a plan to hand over the captives to the authorities accompanying Marino.

“Captain, let’s go now.”

“…Alright.”

Se-ah tugged on Junhyuk, who was standing silently.

For some reason, his lips seemed slightly pouted.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Let’s talk outside.”

Junhyuk responded with a restrained expression, then cautiously checked outside the door.

At that moment—

Clatter.

The sound of someone stumbling in the hallway reached their ears.

Junhyuk quietly locked the door and pressed his ear against it, listening with Se-ah.

“[Is the bathroom clogged again?]”

“[Of course. Nobody cleans it anymore. We used to make Amihan do it.]”

“[Tomorrow, we’ll need to find someone good at cleaning. By the way, can we use the second-floor bathroom? The boss will be furious if he finds out—it’s supposed to be for guests. What if he comes tomorrow and gets angry?]”

“[Who cares? We’ll clean it before he arrives. It’s urgent, so let’s go.]”

It seemed like they were heading to the guest bathroom on the second floor. Fortunately, they didn’t appear interested in any of the other rooms.

Click.

The sound of the door opening was followed by silence in the hallway.

Junhyuk and Se-ah waited quietly until the men left.

A few minutes later, the men emerged from the bathroom. But as they headed toward the stairs, one of them suddenly stopped.

“[Don’t you smell a woman’s scent in the hallway?]”

“[What? A woman? There aren’t any women here. Maybe in the workers’ quarters, but not here.]”

“[No, I’m telling you. I can sniff out a woman’s scent like a bloodhound. It’s completely different from the stench of men.]”

“[Really? Then what could it be?]”

The voices grew closer, their tone filled with suspicion. Se-ah’s pupils trembled uncontrollably in fear.

“What… what do we do now?”