9 Layers Down (Twice)

Chapter 26 - Predators Everywhere

Nayeon

She was left out in the cold all by herself. She had to practically kiss the ground. The cold almost killed her. Now she can't bear being alone in the dark for even a second.

She acted as if she was fine whenever she's with the girls. She still crack a joke and goof around and show them she's strong. Like what she have to be since she's the eldest. They have to see that she's fighting. Just like what she did back there in the island.
But she also had moments where she just break down in tears and have anxiety attacks. People in their hospital looked at her as if she's losing it.

One day, her father announced at the dinner table that he's stepping down from his position.
Turns out, her father's enemies in the company used his unstable mental state after Nayeon went missing as grounds for early retirement. They decided not to tell Nayeon that her father almost lost it when she disappeared. He got drunk everyday and hurt himself by trashing the room. He gets angry easily and everything just didn't matter to him anymore. He loves Nayeon so much that it almost killed him, knowing she was in the hands of a psychopath.

Instead of understanding his situation, they treated it as stain in his reputation. They wanted him to step down his position because it will ruin the company's image and that he's not capable to run it anymore. They just let him remain his position because they pity him for his daughter being abducted but now they want change.

"Wait, why the hell would they do that?"

"It's not just them, it's also my decision." Her dad answered.

"It's too early for you to retire, dad. Just tell me the reason." She couldn't trust her dad's words at this moment. She knew there's something more to it.

"Nayeon, please." Her mom tried to calm her down.

"Who the hell is doing this? Tell me, dad!" She yelled.

"Nayeon, you can't do anything about this as much as I do." Her dad addressed and gave her a warning look.
Nayeon didn't answer and preferred to remain silent, plotting her revenge.

She called her dad's secretary, Ms. Kang and asked her to investigate from within the company.

When she found the leech that's been trying to steal their company away, Nayeon
didn't have any choice but to tell her friends.

"Should we eliminate him?" Jeongyeon suggested over the group call.
Nayeon nodded and prepared herself to go out.

"Where are you going?" Her mom questioned. "I heard everything. You're just kids. You can't do this."

"We're not kids anymore, mom. We grew up since the day we were locked away in that bunker. And there's no way you can bring our old selves back."

"You don't have to do this. Please?"

"I wish you were there with us to know that pleading doesn't really work." The coldness of her stares brought her mom to believe the truthfulness in the words she spoke.

The girls decided to act on their own. They took him to teach him a lesson.
Jeongyeon was the driver. Nayeon provided the car that's identical to his. Jihyo was seated on the passenger seat and confiscated his phone. They brought him to an abandoned building where the other girls are waiting. He kept on resisting so they sedated him. He woke up with 9 girls in front of him. He only recognized Nayeon, the elder daughter of Director Im.
"Hey! Get me out of here! Are you out of your minds?! Untie me, right now! I will sue all of you for kidnapping!"
The girls just laughed as if they heard a really funny joke.
"What the hell?!" Jeongyeon laughed harder.

"Who would believe that? We're the abducted girls. Why would we kidnap a man? That doesn't make any sense." Nayeon answered.

"What do you want from me?"