Episode 12

Jaehan had told the men to keep a closer watch on the back of the house, yet failing to do it properly proved to be disastrous.

Saije wasn't foolish, so he took for granted that if Jaehan insisted on the rear being closely watched, there was a reason, and he wasn't wrong upon reaching a small town. It served almost like a stopover that visitors could use to stay at a tiny hotel, fuel their cars, shop at a mini-market, and enter a police station.

Exiting the road from the front was quite challenging, but leaving through the back of the house was far too easy. Jaehan was familiar with the town as he used to visit whenever he didn't want to travel to the city center for minor errands. He could have driven, but opted to walk to stretch his legs, and so there was a marked path and a small bridge.

Saije wanted to call his parents but then realized he didn't know either of their numbers, and they probably wouldn't care. They hadn't called even once to the house phone, so it seemed to matter little to them. He checked his phone, which was almost out of charge. Five percent was all that remained, and he decided to save it only for an emergency. Not many people were around until he saw a man getting into a car.

"Excuse me!" he shouted.

The man looked around before noticing Saije approaching. His first thought was that he was attractive and assumed he was an Omega.

"Hello," said the man.

"Hi, sorry, do you know how to reach the city center?"

The man sized him up, imagining dreadful things.

"Yes, it's that way, but it's tricky, kid. Not many cars come by here, so it's quite lonesome."

Saije pondered what to do. He even considered selling his phone. He looked around, and the man eyed his branded clothing and the scent of his cologne. He guessed that someone could pay a fair amount for an Omega like him.

"However, you might be in luck today; I'm heading to the city center," he said with a smile.

But Saije was smart. He had learned whom to trust and whom not to.

"No, thanks. I can manage on my own."

"Are you sure? It's not very safe here at night. There's a police station, but usually there are only one or two officers who can't do much against thieves."

"I'm fine," he repeated and walked away.

The man got into the car, but he wouldn't settle down just when he desperately needed money and Saije was practically advertising that he could fix a lot of problems.

He checked his phone as it started vibrating from a call from Jaehan. He simply let it ring five times, causing Jaehan to grow frantic. Another call went unanswered, eliciting a curse.

"I told you not to leave him alone, damn it, where was everyone?" he demanded of the men, who couldn't justify such a serious lapse.

He headed for his car, giving orders for everyone to check the area while he drove toward where the Omega had last headed. But when he reached the end of the path, there was no one. He began to worry, thinking of what could happen to Saije. He knew Saije wasn't foolish, but someone could outwit him with a ruse.

Jaehan was uncertain which direction to take on the highway when he remembered Saije had a phone with GPS. He grabbed his own phone, nearly going mad as the device took seconds to find the location. When the red dot appeared, he cursed again. It clearly showed Saije was in the town, known to be small, with many tourists stopping for the night, but also as a place where many Omegas tended to vanish because of the trafficking.

A delicate and handsome Omega like Saije could easily be sold for over a hundred million to be sent overseas.

He floored the accelerator because using the highway was faster than returning to the house. He shifted gears, continuing to attempt calls, but to no avail.

He was overcome by a fear he had never experienced, regardless of what situation he found himself in. He had always managed situations perfectly and calmly. He never got nervous about meetings with international delegates or feared signing investments, even with potential losses. Jaehan always kept things under control, but this situation made his hair stand on end and threatened to give him a heart attack with every move Saije made.

He shifted into top gear, driving heedlessly fast. As he entered the dirt road, dust clouded the air, but he didn't care about the potholes. He was solely trying to reach the town as quickly as possible to find that capricious, vain Omega unharmed.

He was familiar with the atrocities that could happen to Omegas because for a long time he and his mother had been fighting against this kind of trafficking. It was lucrative for those involved, as everyone desired a beautiful Omega, often sent across borders to be used as sexual objects or for further breeding.

While Jaehan tried calling again, Saije missed the call, unaware of the danger he faced. He looked around, sensing someone following him. Then, looking ahead to keep walking, with each step his regret for leaving the safety of the house grew. He swallowed hard and stopped upon seeing a stranger in front. He attempted to turn back, but another figure blocked the alley's end.

The sight triggered memories of a terrible night, gripping him with panic. He saw the road behind and without further thought, he started running. There was a hotel, a gas station, an often-empty police outpost, a supermarket, and a pharmacy. The alleys were short, and he thought he could make it to another street, but another man appeared and grabbed him.

The man was large, lifting Saije off the ground easily. Saije tried to scream, but his mouth was smothered by something with a strange odor. He struggled to free himself, but there wasn't much he could do. Old memories tormented him as he feared history was repeating. He kept kicking and struggling, but an Omega stood little chance against a large, strong Alpha.

Meanwhile, he saw a car pass by and recognized it. He wished he could call out Jaehan's name as tears filled his eyes. He regretted leaving and continued to fight, but with diminishing strength until he lost consciousness, and the men simply took him away.

Jaehan got out of the car, looking around because the GPS signal from Saije's phone was lost due to a dead battery.

He ran his hands through his hair, only to see a car passing by, oblivious that it was taking away the Omega he so desperately wanted to find.

He searched various places. He entered the supermarket, thinking Saije might be shopping for food, but found nothing. He asked the cashiers, who were only Betas, if they had seen Saije, but they all denied it.

Upon leaving, he went to the pharmacy thinking Saije might have got hurt and went there for aid, but again, he found nothing. He wanted to return to his car but stopped. It wasn't much, but it was a faint scent that reached his nostrils, and he looked to the right towards an alley. He didn't hesitate to approach since it was undoubtedly Saije's scent. At the alleyway, he found nothing until his eyes landed on a discarded, broken phone.

He sprinted back to his car while calling his men.

"Boss."

"The traffickers have Saije. Come now!"

He continued driving non-stop. He didn't know how long his men would take, but that didn't matter to him. He was ready to face the situation alone.

He took the highway, now certain that the car he had seen leaving carried Saije. He sped up, trying to catch up to the car, but he reached the city and found nothing.

He didn't waste time calling his mother to ask some brief questions.

"Hello, Jaehan, how…?"

"Mother, remember the last location the police checked for the Omegas sent overseas?"

"Yes, why?"

"I need that location now."

"The location? Why do you need the location? What's going on? You sound agitated."

"A kid just told me about a missing Omega from their family," Jaehan lied as he sped through a red light, needing to exit the city fast to reach in time.

"It's sensitive information, not meant for just anyone because…"

"Give me the location now!"

His mother couldn't understand what was happening, but knew Jaehan wasn't one for idle inquiries.

"It's near the construction at highway fifteen. You know it's part of the German mafia network, and the Alphas are powerful, Jaehan. You can't just barge in there. Recall that your uncle..."

He ended the call by tossing the phone onto the passenger seat.

He mused that he didn't care if they were powerful Alphas because he was seething. He swerved around other cars on the road and then saw through the rearview mirror two cars following him. The vibration of his phone broke his focus, and he answered to hear one of his men say:

"We're right behind you, boss."

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