05 September 2013 8:30 AM

Kwang Soo mentally kicked himself for not noticing it earlier. Growing up the son of a senior detective in the NIS, he had picked up his father’s keen habits of observation. Now, as he and In Sung were on a morning jog around the Olympic Park, Kwang Soo made sure that he wasn’t seeing things before he broached the subject with In Sung. They rounded the last corner of the long jogging trail and slowed down to a walk, both breathing heavily as they approached the nearby water fountain. The stifling heat of the usual Seoul summer had been broken, albeit briefly, and countless Seoulites were out enjoying the unusually cool late summer morning.

“So…what’s going on?” Kwang Soo asked calmly as he waited for In Sung to finish drinking from the fountain.  “What’s with the protection detail?”

In Sung’s momentary hesitation before answering told Kwang Soo that he was not imagining anything.  “What do you mean?”

Kwang Soo smiled. “Hyung, there were plain clothes detectives guarding the front and back streets leading to your house this morning. There were 3 more regular Seoul police cars within 2 blocks. The 2 joggers about 400 meters in front of us and another 1 about 800 meters behind us are all policemen. New CCTV security cameras have been installed in your neighborhood within the past week. Two nights ago when we met up with Hye Kyo eonnie for dinner, half the restaurant, including our primary and secondary waiters, were NIS security staff…shall I go on?”

“And why are you a comedian instead of a police detective again?” In Sung tried to make a joke out of it, but the serious look on Kwang Soo’s face told him this was not the time for levity.  “He escaped about 2 weeks ago.”

Kwang Soo didn’t need to ask whom the “he” that In Sung was referring to. “How…HOW? That prison was supposed to be maximum security…no one had ever escaped from it. Interpol promised….”

“Nothing is 100% secure,” In Sung said calmly as they resumed their run. To the casual observer, he and Kwang Soo were just exchanging harmless banter as they got in their morning exercise. But to Kwang Soo, the more In Sung spoke, the more the voice of panic was screaming in his head.

In Sung told him about the meeting at NIS headquarters at the end of August. He told him about the details of Alan Song’s escape, how he had been missing from his cell for at least 4 hours before the guards noticed, how the alarm went out immediately and how it was Kwang Soo’s own father who had come out of retirement to lead the recapture operation.

“But Dad never said anything,” Kwang Soo stammered in shock.

“What? And put you and your family as well?” In Sung replied. “We all know what Song is going to do. We all know who he’s after. That’s why they’ve put a full protection bubble around Hye Kyo, her family, and my family.”

Kwang Soo stopped suddenly, swirling around madly as he tried to connect the dots, trying to form some conclusion that was just beyond his reach. He thought back to In Sung’s actions over the past fortnight. In Sung had unexpectedly shown up for 2 major movie premieres; he had done a high-profile trip to Japan to promote That Winter, The Wind Blows; he had actually commented on Dispatch’s splashing of pictures of them having dinner with Hye Kyo.

“You’re using yourself as bait. You’re trying to lure him into the open.” Kwang Soo looked at In Sung in shock. “You…you can’t do this. It’s too dangerous!  He’ll try to kill you again, like last time.”

“That’s what we’re counting on.” In Sung replied with a smile.

SJK SHK | SJK SHK | SJK SHK | SJK SHK | SJK SHK | SJK SHK | SJK SHK | SJK SHK | SJK SHK |

10 September 2013 2:50 AM

Hye Kyo stared at her parents, at In Sung’s parents, at Senior Detective Lee, in disbelief. What they had just told her was so incredible, so outlandish, that it couldn’t possibly be true. Except for the dried blood on her blouse and pants that belonged to In Sung. Except that someone, this Alan Song, had tried to kill her but In Sung had somehow managed to rescue her. Except that In Sung was undergoing emergency surgery, with Seoul’s top surgeons fighting to save his life just beyond the doors down the hallway on this top-floor, secure section of the Seoul National University hospital.

“Honey, I know this is all so very hard to understand,” she heard her mother speak, but the words were not registering in her mind. Instead, she kept replaying the tale she had just heard.

Alan Song, her own father, and In Sung’s father were the best of friends, as close as brothers, growing up. The 3 of them were overachievers who had landed spots at the top university in Seoul, where they met Hye Kyo’s mother. Alan was immediately smitten with her charm and her beauty, but unfortunately his feelings were not reciprocated. She was scared of his domineering personality and brashness. The more he tried to win her over, the more she resisted, and the more obsessive he became. Both Hye Kyo’s father and In Sung’s father saw how dangerous the situation had become and tried to intervene, only to have Alan rebuff them. His continued obsessive behavior and several stalking incidents terrified Hye Kyo’s mother to the point that she transferred to another school and led to Alan being kicked out of school for ual harassment. Later, when Hye Kyo’s parents dated and eventually married, Alan blamed his former friends for his troubles and swore vengeance. In his twisted mind, he believed that his friends had framed him…that Hye Kyo’s father has stolen her mother from him, and In Sung’s father had helped. But then he completely disappeared completely, melting into the world of organized crime to make his living. He resurfaced just as Hye Kyo and In Sung both turned 20 years of age, vowing to take away the most precious treasures from his former friends, their children. That was the first time he had tried to kill Hye Kyo and In Sung.

As Detective Lee laid out the version of events for her, Hye Kyo could not comprehend what he was saying with reality. What she and In Sung went through should have been seared into her memory, but it was not. She had absolutely no memory of what he was describing. And now, as her mother tried to console her, she still could not recollect what had happened.

“But…why do I not know…not remember any of this?” Hye Kyo asked, to no one in particular.

“Because you were seriously wounded and suffered from selective amnesia. The psychiatrists say that the events were so traumatic that your brain chose to erase them from your memory collective in order to shield you from the pain.” Hye Kyo heard her father say.

“When…when did all this happen?” Hye Kyo asked.

“It happened 15 years ago, on the day you were supposed to marry In Sung hyung.” The new voice in the conversation belonged to Kwang Soo.