Chapter 29
Zero Gravity
“Why did you change your names?” Luna studied his solemn expression. Her thumb swiped across his cheek when a tear escaped and his eyes fluttered open to reveal his watery gaze.
It pained her to watch him suffer as old wounds reopened but she wanted to know about his past; why were the name changes necessary? She wasn’t going to stop him, she’ll wait for the answer that she’s been bothered for weeks. “Tell me.” She murmured.
He sat her on the bed and settled next to her, staring at them in the dresser’s mirror situated directly across the bed. Their eyes fell on each other and he dropped his head, avoiding her gaze as he played with his fingers.
“I was around fourteen years old when they stormed into this home and caused my world to turn around in one night. My mother shoved my brother and I into a closet to hide us.” The painful sting in his nose from suppressing his emotions had him pausing in the middle of his story. “We watched them manhandled our parents. We watched our parents tumble down the stairs like they were a rag doll.”
“I still remember my mother’s eyes beckoning us to hide deeper inside the closet as her body lay paralyzed from the fall.” He swiped the back of his hand across his cheek and looked up at the ceiling, his eyes blinking rapidly to contain his tears. “She acted very strangely that day.”
“My mother brought us to a dessert shop. It was my first time entering a shop filled with sweet, wonderful delicacies.” He stared the dresser with a ghost of a smile on his lips, his glazed eyes told her that he wasn’t with her at the moment. “She never allowed us to have sweets. She said we’d lose a tooth every time we ate something sweet.” He chuckled. “It sounds such an obvious lie but I believed her.”
“As we dug into our dessert, my mother said something unusual.”
“She said, ‘You should follow your father. Umma would only be a thorn in your life. People would look down at you, ridicule you for your useless mother.’” Joon let out a long breath and fell back on the bed. “I didn’t know what she meant until recently when I read her journal.”
“My mother was and they blackmailed her with it.”
“Who are ‘they’?” Luna’s eyebrows furrowed together. “What do they want from her?”
“They wanted my father to work for them but he didn’t want to so they turned to his wife. His wife was afraid of being cast aside by her husband so she persuaded him to take the job. And he did.” His lips formed a thin line. “Little did she know, both of them were played by the same people.”
“They threatened my father with his family so he took the job.” Luna lay on her side and rested on her arm, her body facing his. “Until one day he finally had enough of the job. He wanted to surrender to the police with evidence committing that man of his crimes but he was killed before he could step a foot out of this house.”
“Who are they?” Luna whispered. “Who killed your parents?”
“The very man that we’re working for,” His head turned to face her, watching the recognition on her face turned from surprised to shock. “Matsuka.”
“A few days ago, I met with a contact that my brother left behind. He was the police officer that was on my father’s case. He was a valuable asset.”
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“Lee Changsun, I’m Hong Daeho. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” A man in his late fifties with a trim figure held his hands firmly. Joon bowed in respect and gestured for the man to take seat.“Have you met my brother?” He ran his eyes over the senior policeman’s body and noticed the gun holster peeking from inside of his winter coat. “No, I’ve only communicated with Changjae in email. How is he?” He looked up and smiled. “He’s gone somewhere far away.”“Anyways, my brother told me that you’ve been following on our parents’ case.” Daeho’s gaze softened, looking at Joon with a sense of pity. “Yes, I’ve been for fourteen years. My colleagues tell me that I’m wasting my time.” He reached for his leather suitcase and pulled out a stack of files. “But I’m not. I’ve been communicating with your brother all these while in secret.”“How did you find us?” Joon narrowed his eyes, unsure of how much information that his brother had shared with this law officer. “I didn’t. Your brother found me.” The elder man looked at the frozen lake before them and chuckled. “I couldn’t find you two after you left the orphanage.”“So, these are what I’ve found throughout the years.” Joon set the file on his lap and flipped through newspaper cuttings and classified records. “These cases are linked to Matsuka but I’ve no solid evidence against him.”“As for your father’s case, there were only dead ends when I dug further.” Daeho quickly reached for the photographic evidence in an attempt to hide it from his view. “It’s alright.” Joon laid a hand over his and Daeho pulled his hand away, watching anxiously as Joon studied the photo of his father’s dead body. “I’m sorry. I should have kept that away.”Joon could feel his heart beating rapidly against his chest while he went through the evidence. He paused at the photo of his mother sprawled at the bottom of the stairs with her hand in a reach for the closet door. A thick cloud of hot breath escaped his lips as he exhaled, hoping to keep his emotions in check.“I’m sorry for not putting your parents’ murderer to justice. It’s been so long.” Daeho gripped his shoulder and sighed. “I feel useless. I don’t know what I can do to make it up to you.”Joon closed the files and handed it back to him with an encouraging smile on his lips. “No, you’re not. You’ve been helpful to us.” Daeho returned the smile.
“What do you plan to do?” Luna asked. “Did you tell the others?”
“You’re the only one that I can trust.” A wry smile appeared on his face and ducked his head to hide his tears. “They’d only follow protocol and silenced me.”
“That can’t be. They’re your friends.” She pulled out her phone and dialled the man that she placed her entire trust in among the team – Kibum. “You’re their friend. They’d help you.”
“No, they won’t!” Joon snatched the phone from her and ended the call before separating the battery pack. He swiped the back of his hand to wipe away the angry tears. “They’ll kill me.” He said gravely.
“But why did your brother work for Matsuka? Didn’t Donghae know he was the person who killed your parents?”
“No, he had only found out the night before he was killed.”
“How do you know that?” Luna narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “He was dead before he could tell you.”
“He wrote in his journal before he left for the party. He vowed to the return the favour as what Matsuka did to us.” Night fell upon them and the weak light from the streetlamps outside flooded into the room. “Killing him would only benefit Matsuka. He wouldn’t understand the pain of losing someone dear to him. That’s why my brother went after Henry.”
“You couldn’t find anything about our past lives because my brother erased all of them. He wanted us to start a new life so he changed our names.” Joon traced a finger along her face and his eyes flickered to hers as the distance between them diminishes. “A new life.” Luna closed her eyes the moment their lips touched.
He deepened the kiss and threw an arm over her waist, pulling her closer against him. “Someone that actually cares about me.” He nudged her nose with his and caught her lips for a short kiss.
“My obsession with her led me to overlook what I was missing all these while.” Luna let out a small smile and pushed his hair out of his eyes. “I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
“As for Matsuka, I’d just let fate run its course.”
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“We’ve met with everyone on the suspect list but we got nothing.” Sulli reported. “And Chan Wing-Yan got what he wanted – he killed the innocent man.”
“There wasn’t any suspicious activity in the traid for two weeks even though we tried smoking the rat out.” Sungjae added. “It seems like they’re clean. The only explanation here is that the young man was the informer. Yet, nothing makes sense.”
“We’ve checked him out and it’s highly impossible for him to be the informer.” The look of displeasure on Amber’s face unsettled the nerves of the younger two. “Matsuka won’t be happy with this news.”
“Is this another outside attack?” Sulli asked. Amber said nothing and looked at the rainwater streaming down on the window. “I don’t know.” She played with the locket hanging from her neck. The feeling of uneasiness placed a frown on her face. “I don’t know.”
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Nichkhun observed the empty plaza that was a street away from Chinatown, where they had agreed to meet up. He was contacted earlier in the day by an unknown number, a man who has information about Matsuka. He didn’t give a name when Nichkhun prodded.
He pulled out his hand from his pocket and glanced at his watch, and gently pressed his hand his left side where his holster was located. Nichkhun paced around the small fountain, feeling anxious at each passing moment, thinking that his informer might turn out the same way as Lee Choisik.
The night was clear with the moon hanging high in the sky and as he blew at it, his hot breathe momentarily clouded the full moon.
“Nichkhun-shi.” He turned around in relieve, followed by surprise. “It’s you.” Nichkhun struggled to recall his name and smiled sheepishly when he couldn’t. “I apologize. What’s your name again?”
The stranger merely smiled. “Let’s get straight to business, shall we?” Nichkhun found it odd but nevertheless nodded for him to go on.
“You love your wife, don’t you?”
“That’s an obvious answer.” Nichkhun frowned, puzzled by the direction of the conversation and his insides coiled at the smirk on the man’s face. “Of course.”
“Victoria-nuna is a lucky woman to have married you but unfortunately,” The man turned his back to him and scanned the rooftops of the buildings. “I’d have to burst her bubble of happiness.”
“What are you talking about?” Nichkhun reached inside his jacket and wrapped his hand around the handle. “She’d be a widow from this day on.” The man found the particular rooftop he was searching for and smiled. “I’m sorry.”
“Now.” The last Nichkhun saw was the man’s back before his entire world became black, never to return to his awaiting wife back home.
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“Why do you want to meet me?” Luna gave the waiter her order and turned her attention to the man sitting before her. She watched him slide a mysterious folder across the table and cast him a weary glance as she reached for it.
Her eyes widened in surprise and immediately look to him for an explanation. “What is this?”
“That is Lee Choisik’s family photo.” Luna already knew that. The two boys smiling brightly at the camera haven’t change a bit. They might have grown older but their features remained the same. Joon looked more like his mother; they shared the same nose and eyes.
“Where did you get this?” She asked. Luna set the photo aside and flipped through the folder’s contents, which were important documents detailing the financial aspects of Matsuka’s business. “Why are there Matsuka’s financial records?”
Kibum collected the folder from her and placed it safely in his bag before answering her question but stopped when the waiter arrived with her drink. “This was the very file that Hyori was sent to retrieve.” He said once they were alone again. “These were the documents that Lee Choisik was going to surrender along with himself.”
“I found the photo wedged in between the papers when I went through the folder. I didn’t expect to find anything useful from going through the records.” Luna gripped her purse tightly in one hand while the other lay in a tight fist on her lap. “Why the sudden interest in Lee Choisik?” She forced a laugh even though the situation was anything but funny. “I thought it isn’t any of our business to be digging into people’s business.”
“That was because I didn’t know Lee Choisik was ordered dead by Matsuka.” Kibum replied calmly, watching the look of shock on her face. “Yeah, I couldn’t believe it too.” He had mistaken her expression as a response to the shocking revelation while she sat in her seat, worrying about the degree of information that he had uncovered. “That would explain the reason for the brothers’ name change.”
“The only way to keep the dogs off their trail was to assume a new identity.” Kibum leaned his elbows on the table and lowered his voice, his eyes never leaving hers. “He’s up to something, to say the least.”
“No, he’s not!” He was taken aback when she suddenly pushed her chair back and left the restaurant, leaving him in the midst of everyone’s attention. Kibum rushed out of the door and spun around at the entrance as he searched for the pint sized woman with wine coloured hair.
Luna brought her hand to her lips and instinctively chewed on her nails, unconcerned that she’s mutilating her perfectly manicured nails. Kibum knows too much, she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, causing people who were following closely behind to walk straight into her.
“You’re their friend. They’d help you.”“They’ll kill me.”
“Hey!” Luna squeezed her eyes shut when he caught up to her. “You’re wrong!” She shouted, eliciting curious stares and judgemental looks from passer-by. “Hey, hey. Lower your voice.” Kibum hissed. He pulled her away from the crowded street.
“I don’t know what to expect from him. But one thing’s for sure, I want you to stay away from him.” Her sardonic laughter caused the lines across his forehead to deepen and she shoved him against the wall. Kibum cursed under his breath and reached for the back of his head where a bump will surely formed from the impact. “You have no right to tell me what to do. You’re not my boyfriend.” They shared an intense gaze that neither was willing to back away.
“Did you forget what I said to you?” Kibum asked, his voice barely registering as a whisper. “If you let him, he’d take advantage of you.” With her lips pursed, she shrugged from his grasp on her shoulders. “You don’t know him.”
“And you do?” He mocked. But his sudden change in attitude surprised her when he talked to her in a gentler voice, unlike his earlier sarcastic demeanour. “Has he told you anything about his family? I’m sure you confronted him.” Kibum prodded further when he received silence instead. “He’s Lee Changsun. You’re right all along, weren’t you?”
Luna closed the distance between them and he took note of her frown as an internal debate went on in her head. Kibum lifted her head with a finger holding up her chin and she merely stared back. “Tell me.” He whispered.
Luna took in his soft smile, the smile that sent her heart fluttering as he nodded his head, encouraging her to go on. Can I trust you? She reached up and held his cheek in her hand, her thumb caressing his smooth skin.
“I don’t know, and I don’t plan to.” Luna said. She tore her gaze from his disappointed response and walked away before she could change her mind. He watched her disappear around the corner and pulled out the voice recorder from his pocket.
“He got to her.” Kibum studied it in his hand and gritted his teeth in frustration. He threw the recorder at the wall and the instrument lay cracked open in the snow.
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“Amber-shi, there’s a phone call for you.” Her secretary informed her and Amber dismissed it with a wave of her hand as she walked pass with Joon at her side. “Kibum-shi says it’s important.”
Amber paused at the mentioned of his name and turned to the man who was awaiting her orders. “Bring Matsuka to his car. I’ll be there soon.” His lips stretched into smile and took his leave with a pat on her arm. “See you.”
“Hyung, keep it short. Matsuka should be in a meeting with the Seoul mayor right now as we speak.” Amber sat on the edge of her desk and glanced at her wrist watch. “There’s something I have to tell you that I should’ve earlier.”
“Lee Joon is Lee Choisik’s son.” Amber jumped from her perch, her face a mixture of scepticism and shock. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I don’t have the evidence but the puzzle isn’t that hard to figure out. Lee Choisik was killed because he intended to surrender to the police. He left behind two sons who are exactly the same ages as the brothers.” Amber ran a hand through her hair and faced the windows with a hand on her hip as she looked around in confusion. “This would explain the rumour about Henry being the successor and the reason Donghae held Henry at gun point.”
“They’re back for revenge. You have to get Joon off the team. Don’t let him anywhere near Matsuka, you hear me?”
“Amber?” She walked out of the room with her thoughts in a mess. Joon’s not his son. How could it be? He won’t kill Matsuka. However, her actions contradicted her state of mind as she reassured herself but her footsteps quickened. He won’t. Eventually, she broke into a sprint heading for the basement.
She tried to stop herself from thinking too far into it but her imaginations ran wild.
His expression was blank and she wondered whether he was alright until he fired behind him, all the while not breaking eye contact. Matsuka cried out in pain as he writhed on the ground. “I won’t kill him?” Joon asked blankly. He fired a last shot that silenced Matsuka.
The basement was silent as she made her towards the SUV, and stopped short at the sight of her men scattered around the vehicle, blood seeping from their wounds. She pulled out her gun and approached the other side of the SUV, only to find the car empty with Matsuka nowhere to be seen.
Amber whirled around at the deafening gunshot that echoed throughout the basement. “No, no, no.” She dashed towards the source of the sound and found him standing over Matsuka who was on the ground, a gunshot wound at his abdomen.
“Joon! What are you doing?” She shouted. The scene was eerily similar to her imagination and it frightened her. “What the hell did you do?” Amber looked from him to Matsuka and tightened her grip on her firearm when he turned around.
The spot of blood on his stark white shirt spread like a flower and he crumpled to the ground. Amber kicked his gun aside and stepped over his body to reach Matsuka. “What happened?”
“Someone came around the car and dragged me away.” Matsuka winced when she pressed down on the wound to stop the bleeding. “Did you see the face?”
“No. The person was wearing a mask.” He exhaled sharply and looked over her shoulder. “What happened to Joon?”
“I shot him.” Amber said. “Why?” Matsuka gritted his teeth in pain. “Didn’t he do this to you?” She raised her eyebrows.
“No, he saved me from the killer.” Matsuka tried to get up but she pushed him down to stop him from making any unnecessary movements. “I could’ve been dead by now if he hadn’t reached me in time. The person escaped when Joon found me.”
Amber felt her heart stop upon realizing her mistake and she looked behind her at the unmoving body. “Joon?” She dashed to him and held his face, slapping him awake but he didn’t respond. “.” She felt his wrist and sunk to the ground in relieve at his weak pulse. “Joon, wake up. Help will be here soon.”
She ran the back of her hand across her tear stained cheeks when his hand closed around her wrist weakly. “Oh my god. Thank you, Joon.” Amber sobbed, holding his hands tightly as the ambulance siren echoed in the basement.
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Her husband has always been responsible and called home whenever he had to work late. Sometimes he wouldn’t be home several days a week if there was a case going on, but he’d inform her without fail. However, she hadn’t heard from him in two days.
She went to his department and they said that he hasn’t been at the office since he told a colleague that he’ll be in Seoul the day before he went missing. She called his previous colleagues at the Seoul headquarters and no one has heard from him.
She didn’t know what to do as she waited in their Busan home. Her appetite was long gone due to her constant worrying over her missing husband. She would sit by the couch all day and wait for the phone to ring.
By the third day, it finally did.
“Nichkhun!” A sense of relief fell upon her and she immediately began her lecture about him having her worried sick. However, she stopped short when a voice other than her husband’s replied her. The radiant smile on her face vanished and she merely nodded at what the person on the other line has to say.
Victoria returned the phone to its port and sat in silence as she looked around the small home that they’ve only moved into two weeks ago. The shelves were bare except for a few photo frames of his family and hers sitting in it – they didn’t want to bring anything from their single lives into their new home. They wanted to fill the place, to build a family with memories to come as husband and wife.
She lifted the largest photo frame among them and broke down as reality sets in after registering what the caller had told her.
He was a colleague of Nichkhun’s during his term at the Seoul headquarters and he apologized to be the bearer of bad news. Nichkhun was found dead in a dumpster located near Chinatown. He was believed to be dead three days ago.
Victoria let out a strangled wail. Their wedding photo slipped out of her grasp and it fell to the ground. The impact left running cracks across the glass, which concealed the newlyweds’ blissful faces.
They would never be able to live up to their desire of building a family together.
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