[C h a p t e r 3 0]

- Ten Years Ago -

Henry abruptly sat up straight, startled out of his sleep as something sharp dug into his face. A loud squawk sounded and Henry heard Dino flutter to the floor of the hut. He glared at the bird, feeling the scratches his claws had left in his face.

“Dino! What the hell were you thinking, standing on my face like that?” he shouted at the bird.

Dino cocked his head to the side, with a look in his eyes that said, ‘What did I do wrong?’

Henry couldn’t help but smile as he rolled his eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, Dino,” he said, moving in to pick up the bird. “Perhaps it was a bad idea to let you spend the night outside the cage.” He then put Dino back into his cage and the bird began rocking side to side on its two legs. Henry couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the sight.

“Are you trying to cheer me up, Dino?” he laughed as he stuck his finger through the wires to the bird’s feathers. His laughter soon died down to be replaced with a sad look as he then turned to glance at his surroundings. “It’s so quiet up here without her, isn’t it, Dino?” he said wistfully. He then laughed at how silly his statement was. “But then again, it wasn’t like she was the one who made all the noise. She rarely ever said a word but since we moved our meetings up here, I thought she was finally coming out of her shell.” Henry smiled sadly, leaning his head against the cage as he sat against the wall, staring at the door. “Just the other week I thought I heard her laugh at a joke I had made. I even caught her smiling a couple of times, and every time I did, for some reason, my heart would suddenly pound faster and I felt as if I was at the top of the world.” The sad smile on his face slowly faded away. “But that all changed the other day. It’s been two days since Josephine ran away. I thought she would at least come back here by now, but…” He turned to peer at Dino, a look of desperation in his eyes. “Tell me, Dino… where is she? Where has she run away to? I… I miss her terribly.”

Dino shuffled across his perch, bowing down to pick up a seed which he cracked loudly in his strong beak. Henry smiled at the simplicity of the act, before turning to stare back at the door. The wind rustled gently outside, howling quietly through the gaps in between the wooden planks of the hut. The sound of the birds in the aviary outside drifted in through the window and he realised he had yet to refill their water and seed. Sighing, he got up to his feet and stepped out of the hut.

Josephine had wandered through the huge mansion, becoming more and more awed as she came across the variety of rooms hidden within its depths. Just the other day, she had come across a series of rooms fashioned in the style of both traditional and modern dojos, along with an indoor shooting range in another room nearby. She had to admit that it came across as a mild shock, but after Kris had explained to her that this was in fact the Syndicate leader’s house and headquarters, Josephine had to admit that it wasn’t entirely unusual. At first she had wondered what the Syndicate was, having never come across the name as she rarely ever tuned in to the world’s events. Kris didn’t seem surprised that she didn’t know and explained to her calmly that the Syndicate was Korea’s largest criminal organisation and that Lee Soo Man was their leader, although the old man had managed to keep that a secret for many years. He had inherited the organisation after the old leader had died without an heir, chosen because not only was he successful in business but he was ruthless and cunning as well. Lee Soo Man had apparently never had much to do with the Syndicate, focusing solely on his family company to the best of his abilities. But this was where some people rumoured – and Kris had lowered his voice as he told Amber this – that Lee Soo Man was, in fact, incredibly power hungry and had killed the previous leader after integrating himself so thoroughly into the organisation.

Kris had to admit that he was rather disappointed by Josephine’s reaction to this secret, and he openly voiced his disappointment in an attempt to humour the young girl. But Josephine had remained stubborn in her depression, becoming more and more withdrawn as she hardly ever said a word.

However, all that was the day before. Today, Josephine had finally found her way into the extensive gardens that spanned the mansion, still in awe at how big everything was. She began to wonder whether she belonged in such a large palace, becoming suspicious again at the old man’s words. Why was he so keen to help an estranged orphan like her, one who had killed two people with her own hands? What did he stand to benefit from all this?

Josephine came to a stop under a Japanese styled gazebo, staring at her hands. She had now killed two people. That one fact had been constantly echoing in her head for the past two days. Yet… she found that she no longer really regretted killing those two men. Perhaps it was because she had finally shared this secret with someone and the outcome had not been as horrible as she had thought it would be. But she couldn’t get the way Lee Soo Man had stared at her in his office the other day out of her mind. The sudden brightness they held as he peered at her… she felt herself shiver as she remembered. Just what exactly did he want with her?

Peering around her, Josephine saw that the garden surrounding her was empty. Stepping out of the gazebo, she casually made her way over to the wall that ran around the perimeter of the mansion. She ran her hand over the smooth white paint, studying what lay around her. This part of the mansion’s gardens was Japanese styled, a small manmade river winding its path through the well-kept garden, several large maple and gingko trees providing the shade for the azalea and peony shrubs in full bloom. One of the gingko trees were planted quite close to the wall and Josephine made her way over to it as she saw it had one branch protruding over the edge. With one last quick glance around her, Josephine climbed up the tree, hopping down roughly on the other side once she had stepped onto the wall. She inhaled sharply as her ankle and knee joints jarred, falling onto her rear end as she lost her balance.

Quickly, Josephine got back up onto her feet, dusting her hands on the new shirt Lee Soo Man had sent a servant to buy for her. Then, peering to her left and right, she took off, heading towards the main road. Her heart pounded nervously as she walked away, constantly repeating the excuse in her mind that she wasn’t exactly running away from Lee Soo Man. She only intended to go and see how things were, especially the birds and Dino although she had the feeling that Henry would be there to take care of them. As she emerged out onto a main street, Josephine spotted the bus stop nearby and was about to walk over to it when someone came to grab her arm from behind.

She spun around in shock to see who had caught her. “Kris?” she whispered. Kris just smiled at the shocked look on Josephine’s face.

“Hmm… it seems Lee Soo Man was right. If we were to leave you alone, you would run away. May I ask why, after you have agreed to live with Lee Soo Man?”

Josephine roughly pulled her arm out of Kris’s grip. “There are some things I have to see to,” she replied coldly.

Kris nodded with a thoughtful smile. “The why didn’t you say so? Lee Soo Man also told me that if you wanted to go anywhere, I could take you.” He then gripped Josephine’s wrist tightly, bending down to peer seriously into her eyes. “But you are to remain in my sight at all times.”

Josephine glared back at Kris, meeting the older man’s gaze defiantly. Kris’s lips then curved into a smile as he stood up straight and began dragging her to his car. “Where to?” he asked as he then held the door open for her.

She continued to glare at the man, refusing to get into the car. Kris rolled his eyes as he shoved her into the car with a sigh. “This is your only chance, Josephine; where to?”

Josephine crossed her arms, staring ahead of her angrily. As Kris was about to slam the door closed, Josephine suddenly said, “Jeju do. Take me to the base of the Mountains.”

Kris closed the door firmly, a triumphant smile on his face as he then entered the car to start the engine. He pulled out and together in silence, they headed off in the direction of Jeju do.

Josephine directed Kris to a car park at the foot of the hills, and they came to a stop amid a dozen parked cars. She immediately stepped out of the car and headed off towards the information centre, Kris hurryingly following behind.

“If you’re thinking of a way to lose me, then you’d better forget about it, Josephine,” he shouted. Josephine came to a stop before a large map of the national park, turning around on the spot to glare at Kris.

“What makes you think I’m trying to lose you?” she replied in an even tone. She then turned around and began studying the map, her eyes occasionally sliding to the corners as she tried to peer behind her.

Kris furrowed his eyebrows in frustration at Josephine’s reply. He crossed his arms, tapping his right foot as he studied her impatiently. “Why are we at a national park?” he asked after several minutes of waiting for Josephine to speak once more.

“It’s none of your business,” snapped Josephine as she then turned to storm off towards a trail that apparently led to a waterfall.

“None of my business?” repeated Kris, vexed. He then followed Josephine, jogging every now and then to keep up with Josephine’s brisk pace.

Josephine noticed this and steadily began increasing her pace, until they both broke out into a flat out run. Kris, swearing silently as he realised that Josephine was indeed trying to lose him, sprinted up to Josephine’s side. She saw him catch up and she suddenly halted, veering a sharp right into the forest as Kris continued to run forwards. He swore loudly now as he tried to resist his inertia and came to a skidding halt on the dirt track, jumping into the forest behind her. However, the spot on the track he had jumped from was slightly higher than the spot Josephine had jumped from, and as a result, Kris ended up jarring his knees unexpectedly.

“aishh Damn you, Josephine!” cursed Kris as he groaned from the pain. Then realisation hit him. He shoved the leaves of a shrub nearby in annoyance for not having picked up on what Josephine was doing. It was obvious the girl knew this place like the back of her hand and she must have been studying the map to plan her escape.

Calming himself down, he finally pulled himself back onto his feet and peered around him into the dense vegetation. Josephine was no where to be seen but that didn’t stop Kris from plunging into its depths. If Josephine wanted to play hide and seek, then he’d be glad to play the game with her.

Josephine continued to run through the forest, peering back over her shoulder occasionally for any sign of Kris. She finally slowed down as her breathing became laboured, exhausted from the sudden burst. She leant back against the tree, peering around at her surroundings. Even though she had been wandering through these forests for nearly half a year, it was still very easy for anyone to get lost. If her calculations were correct, though, the hut should lie not very far from where she was now. With one last glance over her shoulder, she began heading in the direction of the hut, believing that Kris wouldn’t be foolish enough to come following her blindly.

It took her fifteen minutes to reach the hut and Josephine came to a stop at the edge of the clearing when she saw Henry lying down on the porch, Dino perched on the frame of the open window above him. With a loud welcoming squawk, Dino suddenly flapped his wings and flew over to Josephine, landing on her outstretched arm. Henry suddenly sat up straight to peer at Josephine, his face turning into a priceless look of happiness.

“Josephine!” he shouted as hopped off the porch and sprinted over to her. He suddenly engulfed her in a hug and Dino barely had enough time to fly away, squawking indignantly. “I thought I’d never get to see you again,” he whispered into her ear.

Josephine continued to stand there, struck dumb at having found Henry waiting for her. She was even more surprised at how hard he was hugging her, but strangely, she found that she enjoyed the firm grip and slowly, she raised her hands up to hug him back.

He suddenly released her and began examining her face, the stray parts of her hair away. “Where have you been, Josephine? I was looking for you everywhere, but I couldn’t find you so I came here to wait for you. I knew you’d come back here eventually.”

Josephine continued to stare into Henry’s eyes before she suddenly averted hers, shoving his hands from her shoulders. She took a step back before looking up to stare coldly at him. “I’m sorry, Xian hua, for putting you through all this trouble. But don’t bother looking for me in the future. Forget about me.” She pushed past him and proceeded up the steps and into the hut.

Henry stood there stunned on the spot, unsure whether he had heard right. He turned around, running into the hut behind Josephine to turn her around to face him. “What do you mean, ‘don’t bother looking for me’? What do you mean, ‘forget about me’? What do you mean, Josephine? What happened?”

Josephine shoved his hands off her again as she went to the box Dino’s cage stood on. “Nothing’s happened, Xian Hua. Just do as I say. It’s for the best.”

Henry watched as Josephine pulled the cage down, lifting the box up to reveal a silver tin and what appeared to be several dozen wallets. He looked on in surprise at the wallets, picking up the nearest one to him to open it and see some stranger’s ID card. “Where did… these come from?” he asked in a barely audible whisper.

Josephine ignored him, instead picking up her tin and walking out of the hut. Henry hurriedly got back up onto his feet and chased Josephine out of the hut.

“I said, ‘Where did these come from?’” he shouted at Josephine, waving the wallet in the air before him. While his voice sounded incredibly angry, deep down he was afraid of the answer Josephine would give him.

Josephine closed her eyes, trying to steel herself from the painful feeling in her heart at the sound of his angry voice. “Take care of Dino for me,” she said as she then continued walking.

Henry’s hand clenched tightly around the wallet as he then threw it away, running to stand before Josephine as he gripped her shoulders tightly. “You stole them, didn’t you?” he shouted, not wanting to believe what he was yelling out at her. “You stole these wallets just so you could buy and look after Dino, didn’t you? You stole the money so that you could look after all the birds, didn’t you?” His face then paled as he remembered the aviary. “You even stole the money so that you could buy the wire for the aviary, didn’t you? No guy was throwing it away. Am I right?” he asked in a quiet voice, his face a mask of torment and fear for what Josephine would say.

Josephine avoided Henry’s gaze, the guilt over all her misdeeds flooding her tenfold. She didn’t need to hear Henry accuse her for all her crimes. “I’m not a good person, Xian Hua,” said Josephine finally after a minute. “I’ve never been a good person. Forget about me.” She shoved Henry roughly away and began sprinting blindly towards the edge of the clearing when the person she had least wanted to appear appeared.

Kris glared at Josephine, thoroughly pissed off at her for making him trek through the forest. It was by chance that he happened to hear the boy’s shouts and that was what had led him to this secluded hut. He glanced between Josephine and Henry, instantly realising what must have taken place. Without any further thought, he stormed towards Josephine and began dragging her along with him.

“We have to go. Now,” he said in a stern voice.

Henry stared at the pair in confusion, wondering why Josephine was allowing the older man to drag her along. He suddenly ran forwards, tearing Kris’s hand away from Josephine’s wrist. “What are you doing?” he shouted at the man.

Kris, no longer in the mood for fooling around, grabbed Henry by the collar of his shirt and dragged him towards his face. “This is none of your business.  Josephine liu doesn’t exist in this world anymore, so you’d better forget about her already.” He then shoved Henry away and began to storm off with Josephine.

Suddenly, Henry planted a kick into the older man’s back. “Who are you to say that Josephine doesn’t exist in this world anymore? She’s standing right here!” he shouted, running to grip Josephine tightly by the hand as he then held her behind his back as if to shield her.

As Kris stood up and was about to deliver a punch into Henry’s face, Josephine suddenly came to stand in front of Henry. “That’s enough, Kris. He’s not worth the effort.”

Henry peered down at Josephine, shocked to hear her speak in such a fashion. “Josephine…?”

Josephine turned around, glaring at Henry with hatred in her eyes. “I’ve had enough, Xian Hua. Just end it here. I don’t want to ever see you again.”

It hurt to see her look at him like that but Henry still refused to believe what he was seeing or hearing. “You’re lying, Josephine…” He suddenly gripped Josephine’s shoulders in desperation, shaking her roughly. “Tell me you’re lying, Josephine! It’s all because of him, isn’t it? Tell me what happened, Josephine! Maybe I can help-”

He was suddenly cut off when Josephine slapped him painfully across the face. His face remained in the same position, staring away from her while his hand went to feel his cheek. Slowly, he turned to look into her face and her eyes stared back at him as cold as ice. But he didn’t fail to notice the tears b in the corner of her eyes.

“I… hate you, Xian Hua. Get lost,” she said in an emotionless voice.

Henry continued to stare at her, at a loss for words. She spun around on the spot and began storming off into the forest, Kris following her after one last glare at Henry. He remained frozen to the spot, unable to believe his ears. Dino suddenly squawked from his perch on the hut’s windowsill, breaking Henry from his trance. His fists curled into tight balls as he made his way over to the hut, sitting down as hard as he could to alleviate his anger. There was no way Josephine was speaking the truth. There had to be some reason behind it all. There had to be.

Tbc.

 I have finally written Josephine's death and that will come up in this trip back to the past. Hmm... who else here thinks the story has veered off in an interesting direction? I was thinking that after I finished writing this chapter. I've let Henry meet Kris, and now Kris knows about Josephine & Henry's relationship. I guess that also answers why he warned Amber back at the party that 'Josephine is dead', as if he knew about Henry .

and has anybody watch a new variety show called ''Real Man'' that henry is in it? u gotta watch that he's Hilarious and so naive lol it's worth the watch gogogo ;)

Next Chapter: Henry still won't let her go...