Chapter 22 – Hold On

Mo Yeon sat in one of the benches as she watches Jin Woo happily riding his bike around the garden. Her gaze then turned towards the ocean enjoying the relaxing breeze it offers. It’s been 2 years since that fateful night when she and Jin Woo nearly lost their lives, if not for Si Jin’s sacrifice. After the grenade exploded and Si Jin protected them, the events that followed went by in a blur. She remembered being underneath the rubble caused by the explosion, with an unconscious Si Jin and a crying Jin Woo. A few moments later they were found by the members of the Alpha Team and the three of them were immediately brought to the NIS hospital to receive medical attention. She and her son sustained injuries but just minor ones since it was Si Jin who took the brunt for them. The man was at death’s door and was about to be pronounced dead if not for Myeong Ju and her team who was able to revive him. However, due to the numerous injuries he sustained ranging from fracture and shrapnel wounds which caused extreme blood loss, Myeong Ju announced that Si Jin is in a coma and there’s no guarantee that he will surive. She remembered staying by Si Jin’s side holding his hand as he lay down on the hospital bed with tubes attached to him while their son constantly chatted with his father merrily, as if everything is normal. However, inspite of Jin Woo’s young age she knows that their son understood the severity of the situation and caught the child several times hugging his father and tearfully asking him to wake up.

It was one of those nights where she once again watched her son hug his father when someone tapped her on her shoulder. She wiped the tears that flowed down her cheeks and turned around to see who it was.

“Mo Yeon is it okay if I talk to you for a while?” Young-geun gently asked.

“Of course father” she replied.

The two of them went to a more secluded area where they could take in private. Young-geun checked their surroundings to ensure that no one is listening in. She watched as the man reached into his jacket pocket and handed her something. With her forehead creased, she received the envelope and opened it. In it are her and Jin Woo’s passports, with two one-way tickets to New Zealand, 1 each for the both of them. She looked up at the old man, confusion in her eyes.

“Mo Yeon, you and Jin Woo would have to leave the country. It is safer for both of you. A manhunt operation is still being conducted for Kim Joon Min. The NIS has searched high and low for his body in the abandoned building where he detained you and Jin Woo, unfortunately it wasn’t found. The agency cannot discount the fact that he survived and is still alive” Young-geun explained.

“B-ut we can’t leave Si Jin in this state” she stuttered, protesting to the idea. “He is still in a coma. We can’t leave him. Both Jin Woo and I would like to be by his side when he wakes up” she repeated in a determined voice. Clearly not favoring the idea of leaving the man she loves and the father of her son behind.

Young-geun placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Mo Yeon, I understand. I know how much you love Si Jin and how much he loves you. But let’s be realistic. In his state, he can’t protect you and Jin Woo. When he wakes up and finds out that something has happened to you and your son, it will not be helpful to him as well. The NIS is a bit shaken right now. With the discovery of some of its high ranking officers involved in the syndicate to its current director in a coma, the agency clearly has a lot to deal with. It will take some time before things will go back to normal and Si Jin will have a lot of work on his hands. I know my son. He will be more at ease knowing that you and Jin Woo are safe.”

Her lips started to tremble and tears started to form in her eyes, “How long will Jin Woo and I be gone?” she quietly asked.

The older man took a deep breath and said, “I honestly don’t know. But it may be as long as necessary Mo Yeon. Until such time that we are confident it is safe for you to come back.”

She reached out and hugged the older man tightly, as she let the tears flow freely, pouring her heart out to the man she has long considered as her second father. Young-geun gently patted her back in a comforting embrace with the man knowing that they may not see each other for a long time.  

She and Jin Woo left for New Zealand and made it their home for nearly two years. It was hard at first but she and Jin Woo eventually settled to a more normal routine. Not having to continuously worry about their safety and just being a normal mother and son pair was clearly a welcome respite for the two of them. During that time, her communication with any representative of the NIS was kept to a minimum to nil. It was deduced by the South Korean government that the lesser interaction she has with the NIS, the better, as it will lessen the probability of them being discovered and followed by the members of the syndicate. If there were any messages for her from Seoul, it was coursed through Secretary Yoon, Myeong Ju’s father who serves as the country’s secretary of defense.

Though life went on for her and Jin Woo, the void that Si Jin left was clearly felt especially when she catches her son looking wistfully at other children playing with their fathers whenever they would go to the park or when she would catch him at night pretending that he is talking to his father. Jin Woo never stopped being cheerful infront of her but she knows that her son misses his father very much.  

The man never got in touch with her or Jin Woo during the time they were away. She was worried at first when she didn’t receive any word about him and continuously prayed that he is safe. However, a few months after she started becoming frustrated and angry because she hasn’t heard from him. Just a simple hello I’m alive would have sufficed, she thought. Eventually, she came to accept the idea that Si Jin is deliberately not contacting her. In her heart she feels that he survived and is very much alive, in spite of the silence from his end. So instead of feeling bad for her and Jin Woo, she decided to focus her efforts in ensuring that she and Jin Woo will settle to a more normal and happy routine.

One day she was surprised when got a call from Secretary Yoon himself informing her that she and J