Chapter 32

[The Return of the King]

Sungmin took a greedy inhale of cigarette. The smoke puffed in the air –and the his police office room practically already reeked of tobacco. He had never been that dependant to cigarette. At least, not until lately.

“Circus Master, you truly are a devil, aren’t you?”

Sungmin turned his body around. The only other occupant in that room gave him a cheeky smile. Sungmin smirked in return. Oh, he would love to rip that stupid grin off Park Jung Soo’s face –for free, really. Too bad that he still needed him. “What a novelty thought, Story Teller,” he said, referring him with his code name instead. He knew this was no longer a conversation between Sungmin and Park Jung Soo. This was another professional relationship between the Circus Master and the Story Teller.

The Story Teller shook his head, but his low laugh was still present. “I know. You are always the best among us all. Tell me, did you cry after killing her?”

The Circus Master crossed his arms before his chest. An invisible mask of pretention was put up on his face again. “I’m only doing my job. Forgive me if I’m too professional to be sympathetic over a trivial thing.”

“Poor Sunny-sshi. She really loved you, you know?” mused the Story Teller in an almost sincerely apologetic tone. He knew that partially, he kind of owed Sunny her life. Had he had the chance to reveal the hint to Sunny, probably she would not have met that cruel ending. And even without his rather minor guilt, he had to admit that he liked Sunny. Sunny was the only one who was able to pull off a different personality from the Circus Master after all –and that was amusing to the Story Teller. Nevertheless, oh well, the milk had been spilt. He was sympathetic over Sunny, but not to the extent he would regret her death. He glanced up to the police man figure in front of him. “And you…you actually loved her back.”

The Circus Master turned around, avoiding eye contact with the Story Teller. The Circus Master would not lie –it was too bothersome and childish to do so. He would not saying useless denial either. He told his comrade the truth. “I don’t. It is Sungmin who loves her back.”

The Story Teller snorted. He stared at the back of the man whom he had known for almost his entire life time. But even knowing him for that long period of time didn’t make the Story Teller liked him a bit. Even before that unforgivable thing the Circus Master did to his best friend (Oh, the death of the first Nightingale), he had often had clashed opinions with him. To say that he could still bear his presence, it was simply caused by the fact that both the Story Teller and the Circus Master were professionals in one same project.

“You and Sungmin are the same person,” the Story Teller reminded, amusement still lingered on his tone. “You’re not like Donghae-sshi. You don’t have double personality disorder or anything.”

“Not a mental disorder, yes,” the Circus Master agreed. “But I’d like to clearly set the line myself. You are talking to the Circus Master at the moment. Not a law-abiding police man, Sungmin. That other persona of mine… probably is still weak. But not me. The fact that Lee Sunny loves us… I will only use it to the fullest,” he said idly, as if it had not scarred a dear part of his heart. “Sunny would not have the slightest suspicion on the man she loved.”

“That’s harsh.”

“Indeed. But for people like us… we never could really have the luxury of love. Nor do we want it,” the Circus Master paused dramatically and added an afterthought on purpose. “Ah. I forgot. You do want it. You want to have your happily-ever-after ending with the Nightingale.”

The Story Teller knew that the other man was bringing her on topic on purpose. He wanted to rub it on his face –how helpless his current condition was. The Circus Master wanted to invoke anger within him.

But the Story Teller also learned to mask his emotion well. In fact, he learned it from the very best –the Circus Master.

“Speaking of her,” the Story Teller spoke calmly. “I need you to arrange a meeting for us.”

The Circus Master chuckled. “I am not interested in playing matchmaker.”

“It’s entirely business,” the Story Teller assured. “It’s only between me and the Nightingale. Not between a man named Jung Soo and a girl named Taeyeon.”

The Circus Master deliberated for a moment. He weighed the options. Even as Sungmin, the head police of the case, he would still have difficulty bringing the Story Teller without arising suspicion. But teamwork should also be maintained at maximum, even for the self-claimed villains. The Nightingale and the Story Teller needed to coordinate with each other, because that would get the job done better. And if the job was done better, the boss would be happy. If the boss was happy, then congratulation. The Circus Master would again add achievement to his unblemished record as a professional assassin.

“–the next meeting of Der Märchenclub.”

The Circus Master shook his head. It was not like him to suddenly lose focus like that. But what should be maintained with that cold expression of him was perfection. Suavely, the Circus Master asked the other man to repeat his words. “Come again?”

The captivated man tried to hide his annoyance. “I said, you could arrange me a meeting with her after the next meeting of Der Märchenclub,” suggested the Story Teller. “I’m sure all those stupid heir and heiress wish to resort to Der Märchenclub’s meeting to save their lives. Just take me there to the Bluebeard Chamber as usual. And after that, arrange a short meeting between me and the Nightingale.”

It wasn’t until the Circus Master’s cigarette went out, that he finally replied.

“…Very well.”

Choi Siwon cleared his throat in mild discomfort. His tie was too tight, but he would have to attend the company’s meeting in ten minutes. He decided that loosening the tie would not be an effective thing to do. Instead, he let his body fall to the office chair. His sigh was the only audible sound that was there in his silent office room.

He was restless, his mind especially. He had just attended Lee Sunny’s funeral. So many important people attended the funeral, and being the heir of the renowned Choi family, Siwon had to present them all his well-trained politeness and pleasantries.

It was not the fact that he had to almost literally shake each important’s people hand and be engaged in some intellectual conversation with them that was tiring him. He was Choi Siwon, and he had been carrying that role with the upmost diligent since he was officially introduced to the business at the age of 14. No, that was not the thing that bothered him.

Hwang Tiffany was what keeping his mind occupied all the time.

Tiffany still lingered, even when he was attending another girl’s funeral. Siwon couldn’t help but notice how different people treated Lee Sunny’s funeral with Hwang Tiffany’s funeral. Sunny’s funeral was extravagant –with many people attending. Tiffany’s funeral had been much quieter –to the point where he even doubted whether people actually still remembered her or not.

He couldn’t understand at all.

To him, she was the brightest of them all. He wondered why nobody could see how special Tiffany was. She shone bright, so bright. It almost blinded him sometimes.

It had, he concluded to himself.

His phone rang. It was his secretary, informing him that the meeting would commence and that he was expected to be present at the Board Room. Setting all melancholy aside, Choi Siwon stood up and momentarily closed a dear part of his heart.

If she had the power, if she had the courage, Jessica thought how nice it would be to burn that door.

The door that led to the Bluebeard Chamber, the door that brought her to a whole new definition of nightmare –oh, how she ing regretted her decision to enter through that door. If only she hadn’t decided to step inside the Club, she would have spent the rest of her life in peace.

Apparently, she was not the only person hating the door.

She stepped out of the elevator that stopped on the top floor of Seoul’s Opera House, and the first thing Jessica saw was the commotion caused by a young, familiar-looking man.

“Let me in! Don’t you know who I am? I am Kim Young-woon!” the man argued with the guards in front of the door to the Bluebeard Chamber.

“We apologize, Young-woon-sshi. But you’re no longer a member of this club, so you may not enter,” insisted the young guard. The young guard was intimidated indeed (and who would not, when they were going against the wish of a Kim?), but he had a task to carry on.

Jessica exhaled a tired breath. The Kim. They never stopped causing troubles, eh?

She decided to just wait for the situation to calm down. She was early, she did not have to be completely worried that she would miss the meeting. Taking a deep sigh, Jessica then took some steps backward. She could just wait on the lobby of Seoul Opera House or something, wait for the staffs to calm Kangin, and then afterwards, went up to the Bluebeard Chamber again.

Her plan did not work out though, as Kangin finally noticed her presence. The second oldest heir of the Kim family had a look of apprehension on his face. To Jessica’s dismay, he turned and marched to her direction.

Before Jessica could react, Kangin had held Jessica’s wrist and forcefully dragged her before the guards.

“Help me out, Jessica-sshi. You know I’m a member of this club. Talk to those insignificant guards. Let them to allow me enter.”

Jessica yanked his grip around her wrist and glared at the Kim heir. She felt like Kangin deserved to be snapped at, but her anger management turned out to be better lately. After inhaling another long breath, she spoke calmly, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Trust me. It is better for you not to be a member of this club.”

Kangin was not assured. True, he had heard from his cousins about the events that revolved when he was in a comatose. The events were horrible, but since he was a child, he had been taught to always hold the rein. He could control the situation. He was the son of South Korea’s Chief of Naval Operation; he aced everything when he was in military; he was not stupid; and he was courageous.

Other people might have become the coward as time passed by, but Kangin swore he would not belong to that category.

“Jessica-sshi. I decide that for myself. You just have to convince these people that –“ his words were stopped abruptly. His stare moved from Jessica to the persons behind the Jung girl. Slowly, Jessica pivoted around to see Sungmin