-II-

Illusions

'Wow, these shots are brilliant!' Jeongyeon exclaimed as she looked through Mina's camera. 'You're a professional indeed.'

'You flatter me too much.' Mina smiled and turned around in her chair.

'Boss, look!' Jeongyeon showed Sana the camera. The girl was visibly surprised at the quality of the pictures and how up close they seemed to be.

'Were you a table away?' Sana asked.

'No, I was on the second floor. I caught the kiss because they thought no one was around. They seemed to really like each other and have been doing these things for a few months now.' Mina commented and took the SD card out for Sana to download the pictures.

'Indeed they have. His husband has been checking his phone and true enough, there have also been texts exchanged on a regular basis.'

'Did he manage to bug the phone?'

'No. Professor Kim caught him looking through and their relationship has become more unstable.' Sana began importing the pictures to her computer.

'What's our next move?' Jihyo asked.

'We have some pretty damning evidence but I'll say we keep an eye on them for a little while more.' Sana said.

'Alright.'

Sana's phone buzzed and the lady checked it.

'It's from his spouse. Target appears to be getting ready to leave the house.'

'Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!' Mina said and grabbed her camera.

'I'll go with her, you two stay here.' Sana said and grabbed her bag before leaving. They hopped into Mina's car and quickly drove off with Sana navigating Mina to the lecturer's house.

'I can see why he strays. He's loaded.' Mina says as she looked at the house. It was a modern, semidetached house which looks inhabitable by only the rich.

'Here, you can use these.' Sana handed Mina a pair of binoculars. She peered through and saw the professor arguing with his husband.

'They're arguing. It seems like the client is trying to prevent Prof. Kim from leaving.' Mina muttered as she observed them. Her eyes widened as their argument became more heated. 'Quick, camera.' Mina dropped her binoculars onto her lap and took the camera from Sana's hands. Winding down the window, she aimed the camera at them and captured the professor pushing his spouse away before storming off to his car.

The gates opened and Mina handed the camera back to Sana and started the engine, following the white BMW as it drove off.

'Is that a Canon?' Mina asked as she kept her eyes on the road.

'Yeah. It's mine. Yours is in the back and I couldn't have got it out in time.' Sana replied.

'No worries. I was wondering why it felt a little different.' Mina glanced at Sana and smiled.

'You're not familiar with this camera?' Sana inquired.

'I used it before but I'm more comfortable with my Nikon. Sorry.' Mina laughed. 'Seems like we're on different teams here.'

Sana chuckled and rested her elbow on the window sill.

'I think he's going to pick up the girl from school.' Mina said, pointing at the signboard stating the directions for Seoul University.

'Date?'

'Could be.' Mina switched lanes to make the turn. She decided to go around the school so that the professor wouldn't be alerted by the constant presence of the black Subaru behind him.

They watched from a distance as the blonde got into the white car and Sana managed to snap a couple of pictures before they pulled out of the pickup point.

Mina and Sana tailed him to a restaurant and had no choice but to follow them inside as well.

'Table for two?' The waiter asked them.

'Yes please. By the bar if we may.' Mina smiled and he nodded, leading them towards the bar.

'Any drinks for you?'

'Just water will be fine. We're here to pass time while waiting for a friend.' Mina lied and two tall glasses of water were placed on the countertop.

'You may leave when you're done then, no charge at all.' The water smiled.

'Thank you so much.' Mina nodded.

'You're good at this.' Sana turned her chair to face Mina.

'In a way I have my fair share of experience.' The lady smiled and did likewise. Mina took the camera from Sana's hands and placed it on the counter. Then, she shifted her glass behind the camera so that the reflection of the interface could be seen on the glass.

'What are you doing?' Sana asked Mina who was shifting the glass to get the perfect angle.

'Just pretend to talk to me. When you see something suspicious, just press the shutter button. It's positioned at the perfect angle to capture them.' Mina explained. Sana seemed a little sceptical but went along with it anyway.

The pair seemed to be enjoying each other's company and were even feeding each other small portions of their food. Mina looked at them and sighed before averting her gaze.

'Mina? Mina.' Sana whispered and lightly tapped the girl's knee.

'Sorry, I spaced out.' Mina bowed her head.

'It's fine, they're leaving.'

Mina looked at them and saw them get up from their seats.

'Let's go.' Sana grabbed her camera and followed the couple. They were walking behind with a safe distance of about 150 feet but the professor must have sensed something amiss and so did Mina. She linked her arm with Sana and the latter turned to Mina in shock.

'What are you doing?' She hissed.

'He's looking at us.' Mina said with a smile. Sana side eyed their target and saw that he was in fact glancing back at them. They got into their car and Mina let out a deep sigh.

'Sorry.' She said softly as she started the engine.

'Why? It's okay. You saved us back there actually or we would have been busted.' Sana patted Mina's shoulder.

They followed his car once again but lost him when they lagged behind at a red light.

'Let's go back. We can continue tomorrow.'

Mina sent Sana home before going to a public bath for a shower and turning in for the night in her car.

 


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Mina awoke to the sound of her phone ringing.

'Hello?' She answered, rubbing her eyes. 'Okay, I'll be right there.'

The photographer stretched and placed her seat back to an upright position before driving to the firm. She saw Sana waiting for her by the kerb when she reached.

'Morning.' Mina greeted Sana who got into the car.

'Morning. Sorry to have you come earlier than usual but the client called, saying that the professor doesn't have any lectures today but left the house anyway after getting a text message. He suspects that- did you not go home?' Sana asked when she saw that Mina was wearing the same clothes from yesterday.

'Uhm... I don't exactly have a home.' Mina tapped her fingers on the wheel, avoiding Sana's curious gaze.

'What? Then where do you...' Sana looked in the back seat where there were a few garment bags hanging from the grab-handle. 'You live in your car?'

'Yeah... It's perfectly fine. I'm used to it. Where exactly are we heading to again?' Mina changed the topic.

'Mr Kim says the GPS tracker signals our target is at a cafe downtown at Gangnam.' Sana replied but Mina could feel the hesitance in the change of topic.

The drive was silent. Sana had many questions to ask but kept them to herself since Mina didn't seem too willing to answer them. The pulled up across the road and saw that the couple had found themselves a seat right beside the window. Mina took her camera from the back seat and changed the lens to a 70-300mm one.

Zooming in on the target across the road, she snapped a couple of pictures. They seemed visibly distressed and were gesturing in a slightly held back manner. The blonde took out a envelope and Mina zoomed in a little more to take a picture of the contents but almost dropped her camera in shock. They were sonograms.

She composed herself and snapped a couple more pictures before turning away from the window.

'She's pregnant.' Mina said ambivalently.

'What?' Sana gasped. The photographer showed Sana the pictures. 'This can't be good.'

They exchanged glances and looked back at the couple. The professor had his head in his hands and girl was leaning back in her chair with a hand over .

 



The doorbell rang and Mr. Minatozaki opened the door to reveal a man with jet black hair combed up neatly and a brown paper bag in his hands.

'Jin-an! It's nice to see you again!' The man exclaimed and clapped his friend on the shoulder as he entered.

'Dear, Jin-an is here!' Mr. Minatozaki called out to his wife. 'You really didn't have to bring anything. I invited you over for a simple dinner.'

'I can't possibly come empty handed can I? These are actually a present from Dahyun. I'm just giving it to you on her behalf.'

'Dahyun didn't come with you today?' Mrs. Minatozaki asked.

'No, she's still in Hong Kong. She'll visit another time.' Jin-an smiled.

'I thought she would, I just called Sana to make sure she gets home early.'

As if on cue, the front door opened and Sana entered the house.

'Mr. Kim.' She smiled.

'Hey Sana, I haven't seen you in a while. You have definitely gotten prettier.' He chuckled.

'Thank you.' Sana smiled.

'Have a seat, dinner is almost ready.' Mr. Minatozaki said.

The dishes were promptly placed on the table and they sat down.

'How has work been for you?' Jin-an asked Sana.

'Not too bad. Work ended early today.' She replied.

'It's good to hear you're going good. Dahyun will be happy to know.' Jin-an smiled.

'When will Dahyun come over?' Mr. Minatozaki asked.

‘Soon. She should be back next month or so. We can have a meal together then.'

'That sounds great!' Mrs. Minatozaki clasped her hands together. 'You know, for their age, they should be doing something else other than work all they. It's about time they start preparing fo-'

'Mama...' Sana groaned.

'Well, perhaps that can be next on their plans. They are childhood sweethearts after all but because of their work, they've been too busy to meet up.'

'But we're at the peak of our careers! Marriage can wait... besides, we're still young.' Sana frowned as she chewed on her food.

'You're still young but time waits for no man. If you don't do things fast, someone else might come along and swoop her up.'

Sana groaned and for the rest of dinner, she tried her best to shut out their talks about her marriage.

 


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Sana lay on her bed after Dahyun's father left. She looked at her phone and contemplated if she should send Dahyun a text. The girl might be busy now and Sana didn't want to disturb her work.

She sighed and let her hand fall to her stomach. Maybe her mom was right. They could be together and focus on their careers at the same time because then they'll always come back home to one another.

It seems like a good plan but something in her gut was telling her that it was still too early. She also didn't want to risk what they had now if she asked the girl too soon.

She buried her face in her pillow and sighed. What a dilemma.



'Did you see your baby yesterday?' Jeongyeon teased Sana who scowled at her.

'Baby?' Mina spluttered.

'Not that kind of baby.' Sana quickly explained and Mina looked visibly relieved. Sana seemed too young to even have a family of her own.

'Her girlfriend I mean.' Jeongyeon snickered.

'We're not even official yet. Don't utter nonsense.' Sana chided the photographer and the girl blew a raspberry.

'Do we give these to his spouse? I mean, it seems like our job here is done.' Jihyo said, waving a few pictures in her hand.

'Well, it's time for me to get to work.' Mina said and stood up.

'Is it my turn to go with you?' Jeongyeon got up as well.

'Not today buddy. See ya.' Mina grinned and left.

 

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She arrived at the house and saw Professor Kim watching a television programme with his spouse in the living room.

'Strange how they get over their fights so soon.' Mina mumbled as she looked through the binoculars.

She camped out in her car outside their house and watched them. A few hours passed and the professor showed no signs of leaving to see his mistress.

Night fell and Mina switched to another radio station that was playing classical music. Peering through her binoculars, she saw Professor Kim pacing around the second floor by the window. Suddenly, he stopped and placed his hands on the railing, looking down with a shocked expression.

Mina raised an eyebrow and followed his line of sight to see the blonde girl standing across the road. She seemed to be typing something on her phone and she looked back at the professor who was looking at his phone with a frown. He looked behind him before walking down the stairs.

The gates opened and the white BMW appeared drove out. Mina quickly switched to a 50mm f/1.4G lens and positioned her camera on the dashboard, snapping a series of pictures of the girl getting into the car. She then started the engine and drove after them.

They went to the park and Mina hid behind the bark of a tree. She had put her blazer on to blend in with the dark. She crept up close enough to not be discovered but still keep in earshot of their conversation.

'I'm sorry but we can't do this anymore.' Professor Kim said.

'So you're just going to leave me alone after you fooled around?' The girl asked angrily.

'I'm sorry Lisa, I really am.'

'A sorry is not going to fix this. How am I supposed to take care of this?'

'I will give you the financial support you nee-'

'It's not about the money NamJoon! It's about you! Who will be the father figure? This is another life we're talking about. How am I going to explain things to him or her when they grow up?' Lisa asked.

Mina's eyebrows knitted together as she snapped pictures of them conversing.

'I don't know how else I can make this up to you.'

She sighed and sat down.

'Forget it. You don't have to do anything. I'll deal with this myself. Forget everything that I said.' Lisa buried her head in her hands.

'I'm sorry.' He said and patted her back.


 

'They broke up. I heard their conversation last night. Maybe it's time to hand these over to Mr. Kim?' Mina said as Sana looked through the pictures Mina took.

'I guess it is. We shall go over now then.'

Mina nodded and they went back out. Sana offered to drive this time since Mina stayed up almost all night.

The ride was pretty short but Mina managed to fall asleep anyway.

'If you don't leave I'll call the cops.' The man said.

'Call the cops? This is my house! And that is my fiancé! You're turning this on me now?' Mina yelled, scoffing contemptuously.

'I can ruin your life.' He threated.

'Just because you're rich? You're going to bribe your way to making me the bad guy here?'

'I can.'

'And you? You're awfully quiet for someone who usually chats a lot. Not defending yourself?' Mina said bitterly.

The girl remained silent.

'I don't understand. I gave you my heart. I gave you everything.' Mina seethed.

'Have you ever thought that maybe you just haven't been giving her enough?' He taunted. Mina lunged forward and fisted his collar in her hands. She shoved him into the wall with such strength that he clearly didn't expect.

'Who are you to judge our relationship?' She growled.

'Your ex relationship you mean. It's over. I won.' He smirked.

'No!' Mina bolted upright in her seat. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her breathing was ragged.

'Are you okay?' Sana asked, placing a concerned hand on Mina's shoulder but the girl flinched.

'Yes. Yes I am. We're here? Let's go.' Mina said and hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt, getting out of the car. Sana looked at the girl walk around the front of the car with a worried expression but decided to let it slip for now.

They rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open the door but there was no answer. Sana pressed the bell again but no one answered.

'Prof is definitely at home.' Mina frowned. The blinds and curtains were drawn and they couldn't see inside the house at all.

'Something is wrong...' Mina said. She gripped onto the bars of the gate and stepped on the horizontal bars, lifting to the top of the gate and swung her legs over and landed on the other slight, stumbling slightly to the left as her left leg almost gave way.

'What are you doing?' Sana hissed. Mina opened the gates for Sana and the girl slipped in.

'Something's off. The blinds are drawn and everything is hidden from the outside world.' Mina said as she walked up to the front door, limping slightly.

There was a weird smell lingering in the air outside the door.

'Uh oh.' Mina said as realization dawned on her face. She looked around for a heavy object of some sort but there was none. She took a step back and steadied herself. Placing her weight on her left foot, she gave a swift and hard kick to the spot right by the door knob and the door swung open.

'What in the world?' Sana yelled as the door swung open with a bang.

'They're attempting suicide!' Mina shouted frantically.

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Comments

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SmolSanaisPomu
#1
Chapter 13: Such a well written story...kudos to u authornim
dkdldb #2
Chapter 13: This story was great!
krina_love
#3
Chapter 13: It was a real worthy story to read it , the lastest chapters has a lot of meaning and its okay if it was a happy ending !!
SunnyNight #4
Chapter 13: Woah i read this in one go i didnt get to sleep lol. It was a hell of a ride i applause mina for her bravery and her love for sana. She had been wronged in so many ways but she still manage to stand up thats cool of her XD anyway, thanks for the great story author! ^^
mijimo #5
Chapter 13: What a ride!! Ugh my 2na heart.
RedTeamSux #6
Chapter 13: I don't know what to say, the ending is really nice knowing that Mina and Sana waited for each other, I'm touched...the feels. Welp I shall wait for your next 2na fanfic! ^^
angelfyre14 #7
Chapter 13: I dunno, but its such a bittersweet ending for me~ Mina and Sana's cute meet up though, good job author, i really love your stories ^_^ hopefully there's still a next one~
hztjsy2268
#8
Chapter 13: omg my feels gaahh. I really need your stories in my life like omg its the best! thank you for existing really i love your stories agdjakaldnak
penguin97 #9
Chapter 13: I still can't over this !!!
I need next button authornim :'(
I want see my 2na in wedding party :')
Can i get it?
#jeballl