Side Story – First Experience (7)

A considerable time before Teo found Rena again. On the very day Rena was kidnapped by the back alley organization.

Teo’s eyes snapped open on the dirt floor.

“Ugh?!”

Naturally, the first thing Teo did upon regaining consciousness was search for Rena.

“Noona… where…?”

Struggling to rise, Teo frantically scanned his surroundings.

But there was no trace of Rena-not even a shadow of another person.

All he could see were the darkened back alleys and rats rustling through nearby garbage piles.

“Ah…”

-Thud.

His legs gave out, and Teo collapsed back onto the ground.

“No… this can’t be happening.”

The implications were clear.

After being gang-raped, Rena had been dragged away by the organization members.

The end. Everything was over.

Teo knew the chances of someone taken like that returning were virtually zero.

“Ha, ha…”

The image of Rena screaming beneath those men wouldn’t leave his mind.

Rage and despair boiled up from deep within him.

“Uaaaaaah!”

Teo screamed and tore at his hair.

He wanted to slaughter every last one of those who’d defiled his noona.

He needed to rescue her from hell immediately.

But.

‘What can I even do right now…?’

There was no way.

Teo didn’t even know where Rena had been taken.

Moreover, the earlier fight had brutally shown him reality.

A weakling like him couldn’t take on organization members alone.

Chasing after them blindly would only lead to predictable disaster.

“…Why? Why does this keep happening to me?”

Rena had taught him so much.

She’d pulled him from a life of desperate survival and given him new purpose.

Rena had given him everything.

He knew better than anyone how blessed it was to be protected by someone.

That’s why Teo had cherished every moment with his new family.

But now… that happiness had been ripped away overnight.

Just like when he’d lost his parents to demons.

“What… what should I do now…”

Overwhelmed by helplessness, Teo numbly stared upward.

‘So dark…’

Raven City’s night sky was usually beautiful with moonlight and stars, but clouds had smothered all light tonight.

To Teo, it felt like the heavens were mirroring his shattered reality.

Then.

-Plip. Plip-plip.

As if adding insult to injury, raindrops began falling on Teo’s face.

The droplets multiplied until-

-Whoooooosh.

A torrential downpour drenched the world.

“Noona…”

In the pouring rain, Teo kept staring at the lightless sky.

-Bang!

The front door flew open as Teo stumbled inside.

Water streamed from his soaked hair and clothes, leaving him looking like a drowned rat.

Instead of entering fully, Teo paused in the doorway as if waiting for someone.

‘If only… this were all a dream.’

Closing his eyes, Teo desperately imagined a hopeful scenario.

That everything had been a misunderstanding-that Rena had never been kidnapped.

That she’d come out of her room any moment to greet him as usual.

But no matter how long he waited… Rena never appeared.

Only suffocating silence filled the house.

“Ha, ha… What was I expecting?”

Teo let out a hollow laugh in the doorway.

Denying reality wouldn’t change anything.

Everything that happened today was real.

‘…Need to rest first.’

Forcing his exhausted body to move, Teo slumped onto a chair in the living room.

A delicious aroma suddenly assaulted his nostrils.

Having fainted earlier, Teo hadn’t eaten for hours. Instinctively, he looked up.

“This is…”

On the table lay the feast he’d prepared hours earlier for Rena.

Dishes carefully made to comfort her after a hard day’s work.

But they’d long gone cold.

“Ah…”

Tears welled in Teo’s eyes as he stared at the congealed food.

“H-hic…”

Burying his face in his hands, Teo began sobbing.

Everything filled him with regret.

He should’ve stopped Rena from going to the back alleys.

At the very least, staying by her side might have prevented this tragedy.

‘No. If only I’d been stronger…’

Deep down, Teo knew.

That all these what-ifs were meaningless.

“H-hic… I’m sorry… So sorry…”

He kept apologizing to Rena, knowing she couldn’t hear.

He hated his pathetic self for failing to protect someone precious.

“H-hic… *sob*…”

Teo’s weeping continued throughout the night.

After that horrific day passed.

The next morning found Teo curled up in bed.

“Noona, what should I do?”

Should he give up on Rena? Or try something-anything-to save her?

It was decision time.

The house still held all of Rena’s belongings, including a substantial amount of money.

More than enough for Teo to live comfortably alone.

But… his choice was already made.

“…How could I ever give up?”

Teo wasn’t an ungrateful beast.

Even if he failed, he had to try.

Rena had been his salvation-an angel who pulled him from the gutter.

“Right. I’ll do it.”

Clenching the blanket tightly, Teo steeled his resolve.

“Hold on a little longer, Noona.”

Even now, Rena was suffering at their hands.

Yet Teo believed-the Rena he knew wouldn’t break so easily.

“I will save you.”

No matter how long it took.

No matter what it cost.

**

Teo’s first priority was finding Rena’s whereabouts.

Though unsure how to rescue her, knowing her situation was crucial.

Clinging to faint hope, he went to the city guard-only to receive the expected response.

“Apologies. We can’t interfere with back alley organizations. Insufficient manpower.”

What came next was worse.

“Though with sufficient compensation… we might make an effort.”

“Ah…”

‘You fucking bastards.’

Teo had to force down the curses rising in his throat as he left.

In this chaotic society, the guard corps were as corrupt as the criminals.

“Haa…”

A deep sigh escaped Teo outside the guard post.

‘I knew there was no one to trust. Have to do this alone.’

Only one path remained now.

Returning to the place he never wanted to see again.

“Guess… there’s no other way.”

Muttering under his breath, Teo stood before the back alleys in a black robe.

This place now held only hellish memories.

But without connections or informants, he had to risk gathering intel here.

‘…No choice but to grab someone and interrogate them.’

Thus began Teo’s careful campaign to extract information from various people.

**

Teo invested considerable time with cautious optimism.

But his efforts proved futile-a full day yielded nothing.

‘This is like finding a needle in a desert.’

Teo had no recordings or photos of Rena.

Shoulder-length blonde hair, blue eyes, beautiful features-that was all he could describe.

No wonder reliable information was scarce.

Not that he’d give up.

“It’s fine. Just the first day.”

Renewing his resolve, Teo left the alleys.

Though his face couldn’t hide the gloom as he headed home.

On the second day of intel gathering.

Teo finally caught a break.

From a beggar sitting on the ground.

“Ahem… Got some questions.”

Teo deepened his voice while questioning the beggar.

“…”

The rag-covered beggar kept his head bowed, seemingly ignoring him.

Teo tossed a coin into the bowl at his feet.

-Clink!

Only then did the beggar grin and look up.

“Well now, ask away.”

“Know any organizations holding a beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes?”

“Hmm… Blonde with blue eyes. Heard rumors about a group scoring premium merchandise.”

“If you don’t know then-Wait, what?”

The unexpected answer stunned Teo.

He’d assumed this was another dead end.

“Can you tell me more?”

“Don’t know details. Word is a small group called Silent Night or something got their hands on top-grade goods.”

“Silent Night…”

This was monumental. The fact it was a small organization gave Teo greater hope.

“What do they do with women they acquire?”

“What do you think? Sell ’em as slaves or use ’em in brothels.”

“Slaves or brothels…”

Teo prayed Rena had been taken to a brothel.

If sold as a slave-especially to nobles-finding her would become impossible.

“Heh. Must be someone close to ya.”

“…”

Struck by the truth, Teo remained silent.

“You look young. Ain’t gonna snitch to them organizations, but… best give up. Don’t throw your life away.”

Thankfully, the beggar’s tone held no threat.

‘Don’t know if I can trust him… but no other options.’

Teo smoothed his rattled nerves and continued.

“Thanks, but that’s my decision.”

“Suit yourself. Life’s about experiences anyway.”

“Appreciate the intel.”

With a slight bow, Teo swiftly exited the alleys toward another district.

Teo immediately combed through every brothel suspected to be run by Silent Night.

Climbing rooftops to peer through windows with a telescope, scaling walls to spy inside-crude but effective methods.

Despite close calls with organization members… Teo persevered.

In an overly ornate building that seemed out of place for a brothel.

Inside one room, he found Rena.

‘Th-that’s her! Definitely Rena Noona!’

Teo nearly shouted aloud.

Blue eyes. Golden hair. Undeniably Rena.

But his face quickly twisted in agony.

“Should be about time you accept your place.”

“…Get lost.”

“Heheh. Defiance to the end-I like that.”

Rena knelt naked before an obese man.