Chapter 271 - Blind Kiss

Keifer's POV

As I drove, the scenery around me was nothing but open fields. I had no idea where I was exactly, but I knew one thing—I was getting closer to Jay-Jay. There were only a few houses scattered along the way, but not enough to call it a populated area.

I pressed the accelerator, my car roaring as I sped between 100 to 120 kilometers per hour. Whoever kidnapped Jay must have been brainwashed into taking her far away. Even if she tries to escape, they'd catch her immediately.

It didn't take long before an old building came into view. It was three stories high, its paint faded and peeling. The name on the front was barely legible, with only the word "coop" remaining.

I parked my car a few meters away so they wouldn't see me right away. Without wasting a second, I stepped out, my strides long and purposeful as I approached. At the entrance, two men stood smoking.

Before they could react, I grabbed one by the head and slammed it against the wall. His companion tried to retreat, but I didn't let him. I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him toward me, my grip tightening around his throat.

"Where the fuck is my girlfriend?" I growled.

"S-S-She..." He struggled to speak, his breath hitching as I choked him. Instead of finishing his sentence, he lifted a trembling hand and pointed toward the third floor.

I released him, but not before delivering a hard punch to his gut. He staggered backward before scurrying away.

I entered the building, scanning my surroundings before heading straight for the staircase. As I climbed, I came across a familiar face—one of them. A new recruit. Without hesitation, I kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing to the floor. I couldn't recall his name, but I knew he was part of that ridiculous Alphabet Gang.

The gang that used letters for codenames. They were so ridiculous that Yuri nicknamed them the Alphabet Gang. We had defeated them a long time ago, and by the looks of it, their numbers had dwindled. There weren't many of them left in the building.

I reached the third floor, my ears catching the sound of laughter. I listened carefully, pinpointing its source. Through an open door, I saw Jay-Jay tied to a bench, a blindfold covering her eyes.

She was at the far end of the room, surrounded by a group of men. They were laughing at her. I took advantage of their distraction, observing my surroundings and counting my opponents.

One of them sneered, "So, it's been going around that you're Keifer's girlfriend. Why should we believe you?"

That part was my fault. I had been telling everyone she was my girlfriend—even though she wasn't.

Nice job, Keifer.

She was going to be my girlfriend anyway. I had already made sure that everyone knew she was mine. That way, no one else would dare to claim her.

In fact, I could even announce that she was my wife.

My soon-to-be wife.

But that might be pushing it. Jay would probably kill me.

"We were never together," she said, her voice steady. "He just used me."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.I knew I had hurt her, but hearing her say that? That hurt me too. No worries. She's still mine. I'll make sure of it.

"He only used me to get revenge on my brother," she continued. "That's it. I was stupid—I fell for his trap."

"Ouch," someone commented.

"What did Keifer do to you?" another one asked.

She shook her head, unwilling to reveal everything.

I frowned. Why were these idiots so interested in her story? Did they forget they were the kidnappers and she was their hostage?

Turns out, they had a tendency to gossip.

"He made me fall for him!" she snapped. "He led me on, and just when I fell, he said—just kidding!" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Good thing my heart didn't completely shatter."

I wasn't joking. And I wasn't pa-fall.

"That was dumb! Who does that?" someone else commented.

I raised a brow. These guys were supposed to be criminals, yet here they were, offering their unsolicited opinions. Embarrassing.

They each chimed in with their own remarks, and their reactions pissed me off. It was like some sort of storytelling session, and somehow, they had taken Jay-Jay's side.

I let them talk, but we had to leave soon.

"Nice story," I finally interrupted.

Everyone froze, their expressions shifting to alarm as they prepared to fight.

I was right—there weren't as many of them as before. The Alphabet Gang was incomplete.

I spotted their so-called leader standing beside Jay-Jay. What was his codename again? Z?

His fists were clenched, his jaw tight with anger. Probably because of the Alphabet Gang nickname. Their group never actually had a name, but Yuri, Felix, and Ci-N started teasing them with it, even singing the ABC song.

I glanced at Jay-Jay. She was tense, but not scared. Maybe she had recognized me.

"That was a heartwarming story," I said. "But you missed something."

Because you don't know the part where I actually fell in love with you.

Suddenly, a punch came flying at me. I dodged, then countered with one of my own, sending the guy sprawling. That was all it took for chaos to erupt.

One after another, they charged at me.

They were weak. Too slow. Their attacks were uncoordinated, fueled by desperation rather than skill. I grabbed one and flipped him in the air. He landed hard, groaning in pain.

Another rushed at me—I twisted his arm before stomping on his knee, hearing a sickening crack. He screamed in agony.

The others hesitated, clearly second-guessing their chances against me.

Until— A fist connected with my face.

It made me so damn angry. Someone still managed to land a punch on me.

"You're not!" Z shouted at me.

"You don't know how to be carried," I said, rubbing my jaw where he had hit me.

"...I knocked you down before, and here you are again."

He smirked. "What now?!"

I shot him a deadly glare. He was still arrogant, even though he was the only one left standing against me. His companions had already fallen. That's why he sympathized with Jay-jay—because this was just the beginning. They had nothing against me. They kidnapped her, thinking I would surrender. And yet, he had the nerve to sympathize with the girl I love.

"You still felt that!"

I almost blurted out that I loved her.

"You cheater!" someone shouted from behind me.

I spun around just in time to avoid the attack and pushed him to the ground. I had sensed his presence creeping up on me—that's the only reason Z had the guts to fight me.

The man who had rushed at me hit the floor hard, and the knife he had been holding slipped from his grasp.

Z's eyes widened in shock and confusion.

Suddenly, the attacker scrambled to his feet, snatching up the knife. For a moment, I thought he was coming back for me—but I was wrong.

His direction had changed.

He was going for... NO!

"Now it's A!" Z shouted.

A aimed his knife at Jay-jay. A surge of adrenaline rushed through my veins. My feet moved on their own, closing the distance to stop him. His blade was just inches away from Jay when I grabbed his wrist, gripping it tightly. But then—I felt a sharp pain pierce my right side.

I clenched my teeth, refusing to let go of A's wrist. When I turned my head, I saw Z grinning smugly at me as if to say, You've already lost.

I immediately grabbed Z's wrist, stopping him from pressing the blade in any further. Pain spread through my body, but I couldn't make a sound—Jay couldn't hear my suffering.

I slowly backed away, trying to draw them away from her. Z dug the knife deeper, while A tried to free his hand.

And then—A suddenly punched Z in the chest with his free hand. I let go of A, giving him the opportunity to stab me as well.

It all happened so fast.

I grabbed Z's collar, yanking him toward me—using him as a shield. I saw the pain in his eyes as A's knife found its mark.

Now, it was my turn to smirk.

Z staggered, collapsing to the floor, his gaze locking onto A in horror. I grabbed A by the neck, choking him until he lost consciousness. I didn't plan to kill him—I wanted him to suffer, to carry the weight of what he had done to his friend for the rest of his life.

I wasn't that evil.

Z's knife was still embedded in my side. I couldn't pull it out—if I did, my blood would pour out. And Jay-jay... she hates blood. She would panic if she saw me like this.

I took slow, agonizing steps toward her. Every movement sent fresh waves of pain through my body. I winced but kept going.

"W-Who is that?" Jay-jay's voice trembled with fear. "...W-What's going on? Where is K-Keifer?"

Hey... It's me.

I couldn't speak. The pain was suffocating. I just needed to get closer, to make sure she was unharmed.

"Who are you?" she asked again, her voice filled with desperation. "...Is that you, Keifer? Say something!"

I stopped in front of her, breathing heavily. My gaze scanned her carefully—there were no serious injuries, just a few small bruises. She kept struggling against her restraints. I reached out to help her, but then... my eyes landed on her lips.

I remembered how rough I had been the last time I kissed her. I wanted to apologize, to explain why I had done it. There was so much I needed to tell her. But not now. This wasn't the right time.

Her face was dirt-streaked, her cheeks bearing faint bruises. My heart clenched.

I'm sorry for making you suffer like this. I reached out and gently touched her cheek. She flinched away.

"M-Monster! Stay away! Don't touch me!" she screamed, recoiling in fear.

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. She just cursed.

"Keifer!" she cried. "...Help me!"

My smile faded. I stepped closer, but she shrank back.

I'm here...

Her lips quivered. She was about to cry.

I wanted her to feel safe, to know that she was okay now. But my eyes were drawn to her lips again. It was like a magnetic pull. Before I even realized it, our lips were locked together. ❤️

I had missed kissing her so damn much.

For a moment, I felt her body relax. She stopped struggling, as if trying to figure out who I was.

It's me... The man you love. You're safe now. No one will hurt you. I'll protect you—always.

I pulled away, gasping for breath. But then I saw it—tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't... please," she whispered. "...Have mercy on me."

Maybe she didn't recognize me. I reached up to remove her blindfold, but suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my side. The blood loss was getting worse.

I had no choice—I had to remove the knife.

I staggered back, my vision blurring. My breathing was labored as I gripped the handle of the knife.

One deep breath. And with all my strength, I pulled it out.

I almost screamed in pain but couldn't stop myself from falling to the floor. A loud noise echoed as I hit the ground. I quickly stood up, even though my body refused to cooperate. I looked at Jay and was about to approach her when someone suddenly shouted loudly.

"JAY-JAY!"

I turned towards the approaching Percy and continued moving forward. Behind him was the entire Section E, all of whom I briefly glanced at.

I signaled them to go to Jay-Jay while I tried to walk away. She must not see me in this condition. I hadn't even reached the door when my legs gave out, and I collapsed again.

"Keifer..." Eren's voice was filled with concern as he rushed to help me.

Josh also approached and tried to pull me closer to the nearest wall, leaning me against it.

"Let me see your wound," Josh insisted, but I pushed his hand away.

"Don't. She doesn't have to know."

"You're badly wounded, Keifer. You can't hide this from her," Yuri interjected.

I saw them remove their tie from the bank, but I couldn't see clearly. I struggled to stand, my vision blurring from the blood loss. Dizziness overwhelmed me.

Eren and Josh helped me up. As soon as I stood, my eyes immediately found Jay-Jay. She was looking at me, wanting to come closer.

No!

You can't come near me. You don't like blood. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable because of me.

She didn't move from where she stood. Forcing myself to walk, I let Eren and Josh support me. Even as we stepped outside, they remained by my side. They guided me toward Yuri's car.

I watched as Jay-Jay got into Percy's car. Her gaze followed us, sadness evident in her eyes.

I'm so sorry, Jay.

The only thing that matters to me is your safety. I don't care if you remember me. I can endure a few more wounds. I will never let them hurt you again.

Their car drove away, and all I could do was watch.

"Keifer! Hand me your car keys; I'll drive," Felix said.

I handed them over. Yuri got into the driver's seat while Ci-N, Eren, and Josh settled in the back.

"We're taking you to the hospital," Yuri stated as he started the car.

I couldn't respond. My thoughts were consumed with one thing—making sure this never happened again. I need to cripple every gang or group that dares to threaten us.

A cold sensation spread through my body. I didn't know if it was from the car's air conditioning or the blood loss. My eyelids grew heavier, closing against my will.

"Keifer!" Yuri called out, but I couldn't respond.

Sleep pulled me under. No matter how hard I tried to stay awake, exhaustion won. I could hear Yuri and Ci-N talking, but their words blurred together.

My vision darkened. I couldn't grasp what was happening around me, but I felt them carrying me somewhere. After a while, I realized I was lying on something soft. A bright light flickered above me, moving as I did—or was I the one moving?

The darkness deepened, and the only thing lingering in my mind was Jay-Jay's sad eyes.

I didn't know how long I was unconscious, but I woke up to the sound of voices around me. They were speaking, though I could barely make out their words.

"Jay-Jay is okay," Felix said.

"What's the deal with that Alphabet group?" Calix sounded furious.

"I don't know… but we have to make sure this never happens again," Yuri replied.

That's right. I have to make sure of it.

I forced my eyes open, scanning the room. The moment they noticed I was awake, silence fell.

"Keifer… how do you feel?" Yuri asked, stepping closer to my bedside.

"I-Is Jay-Jay…?"

"She's fine. She's probably home by now," Felix answered.

Suddenly, someone jumped onto my bed. It was Ci-N, grinning widely.

"Are you going to fight again?" he asked eagerly.

David grabbed him by the collar and pulled him off my bed. I tried to sit up, but pain shot through my wound immediately.

"Take it easy… The doctor said your wound was deep, and you lost a lot of blood," Eman said, gently pushing me back down.

"I-I have to make sure this never happens again. I need to send a warning to the other groups," I said firmly.

The others exchanged glances. Some looked confused, while others had a mocking expression, as if they didn't believe me.

"You're a mess. You pushed Jay-Jay away, yet you almost threw her from your life," Mayo said, shaking his head.

"What's really going on?" Kit asked, concern evident in his voice. "...If you're holding a grudge, take it out on us, not Jay."

"Did something happen that we don't know about?" Rory added.

I shook my head. "It was all part of the plan."

"Plan, my ass! We're not stupid! We know you already stopped!" Denzel snapped.

"So what now? What's your next move?" Drew asked.

I took a deep breath, clearing my mind. Only one thought remained.

"Protect Jay-Jay. Send a warning to anyone who tries to harm her," I said with authority.

"You're a mess, Keifer. But if this is for Jay-Jay, we're with you," David said.

One by one, they all nodded — For Jay-Jay. For her safety