[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER FOURTEEN - A NEW ME[/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]

"H-Hyerim? Choi Hyerim?" I can't breathe. I can't move. All I can do I gawk at one of the figures that has been haunting my dreams for years upon years. He's so tall, he's so handsome. I don't know whether or not to trust my senses - is he real? His eyes are wide with shock, lined with unshed tears. He drops the rubber gloves in his hands.

"JONGIN!!" I scream and run towards him. He catches me and spins me around, his arms wrapped so tightly around me I almost feel my ribs crack. He puts me back down on the ground but doesn't let go of me, in fact, he tightens his hold on me again. I can't help the tears that flow from my eyes, my face buried in the crook of his neck as I stand on the tips of my toes. He's crying softly into my shoulder, I can tell because his shoulders are shaking. I feel wet drops on my skin and cry harder, my own tears spilling onto his chest. 

He smells like dirt, sweat and manure but I don't care. Nothing in this world could pull me away from him. My heart is thumping hard in my chest and my mind is in a state of hysteria. I can't believe that I have Jongin in my arms. The boy whose family was taken from him, the boy who was basically adopted by Taemin and his parents, the boy who stood three feet from me when we were held at gunpoint after being kidnapped. The boy who gave me my first kiss, the boy who I never thought I'd see again. That boy is now a man. 

"Oppa," I sob, my body raking with both pain and joy. I'm overwhelmed with contrasting emotions and I don't know how to even begin sorting through them. So, I just let them be. I live in the moment because who knows what tomorrow will bring. "Oppa, I-I--"

"Shhh, it's okay," he murmurs, his hand cupping the back of my head as he holds it against his chest. His other arm is now around my waist, crushing me against his hard body. The fieldwork has paid off, it seems. "You have no idea how much I missed you. I thought you were dead. God, I'm so sorry." His voice breaks and it makes me cry harder. He my head, humming softly in my ear. "Don't cry. I'm here now." 

"I missed you too," I whisper tearfully. I hug him closer, my arms hooked around his neck. He pushes me back gently, his eyes studying every inch of my face and body. I see the worry in them, the hope, the happiness, the fear. All of it. He hugs me hard, kissing my hair repeatedly. 

"If this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up," he whispers back and I smile into him. He releases me again and we stare at each other. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"It wasn't easy but I got help," I reply, unable to even motion at my friends. My eyes are glued on Jongin. Seeing him and feeling him, in the flesh, is like a throwback to my old life. It makes me happy but it also brings me great pain; he's a reminder of everything we lost. Our families, our friends, our homes. "I'm here to rescue you, Jongin." He smiles so earnestly it makes my heart throb. He finally looks up from me and sees the people behind me. He furrows his brows slightly.

"Who are they?" He asks.

"They're the ones who helped me track you down. They've helped me in so many ways, oppa," I answer softly. I move away from him and beckon my friends over. "This is Jackson, BamBam, Henry, Hyoyeon and Youngjae. Jackson, BamBam and Henry saved me in a big way." Jongin steps forward and sticks out his hand. They each shake it.

"Then I owe them everything. Thank you for saving Hyerim," he says and they smile at him. His voice has gotten deeper.

"No need to thank us. Hyerim means the world to us, she's family," Henry replies, ruffling my hair. I grin and smack his hand away. "As much as I'd love for us to mingle and such, we really need to get going if we want to get back to Beijing by tomorrow afternoon."

"I thought we were staying at the hotel," Hyoyeon utters, voicing my own thoughts.

"That was before the plan changed and I killed Shěn," he says and Jongin's eyes snap to the dead body on the sofa. His jaw drops and he looks at Henry with a shocked and slightly scared expression. "Sorry, it had to be done. So, let's go, shall we?" The others nod and follow him out the door. Jongin grabs my arm and holds me back.

"What's wrong?" I ask him. Then, it hits me. I gasp and spin around to face him. "Y-you...and Jia?" If my suspicions are correct, he won't leave for the same reason Jia won't. I don't know how I feel about that but it's certainly not a good feeling.

"Huh?"

"She said she was with someone...I thought--" He hushes me with his index finger, a humoured smile on his face. He leans in and kisses my nose, sending butterflies to my stomach. He shakes his head and removes his finger from my lips. "You're not together? And you don't have a kid?"

"Hyerim, she's ten years older than me. Her husband is one of the farmers here," he informs me and I let out a relieved breath. He chuckles and playfully taps my nose. "I haven't been with anyone. I'm still your Jongin." I gasp and smack his hand away.

"Yah, you were never my Jongin!" I exclaim, scowling at him. "Don't say things like that. Babo. Let's go." He laughs and I turn around to leave the house. He grabs hold of me again but this time his face is serious.

He gulps. "Do you really trust these people? One of them is a killer, Hyerim."

"So am I, Jongin. I've killed more people than Henry has," I reveal and his eyes widen. "I'm not the little girl you once knew. I changed, I had to." Hyoyeon pokes her head past the door.

"Come on, let's go!" I nod and take Jongin's hand, tugging him along. We quickly say goodbye to Jia and exit the house, walking over to the two minivans parked in the driveway. The rest of the team are standing in front of them. I smell smoke and look to my left where the fields are. There is a fire burning and black smoke rising. 

"We ran into some complications," Kyuhyun shrugs and I laugh, nodding. He raises a brow at Jongin. "That's him?" I nod again. "Jongin, is it?" Jongin looks away from the fire and eyes Kyuhyun up.

"Yeah, nice to meet you," he says, jutting his hand out. Kyuhyun snorts and gets into one of the vans. I roll my eyes. "O-Kay."

"Don't mind him, he's naturally rude," I assure him. I then introduce him to the team and they all greet him warmly, save for Sehun who just offers him a firm nod and gets into the same vehicle as Kyuhyun. Jackson walks over and cups my face. I already know what he's going to ask. "I'm fine, oppa. Really. Thank you for everything, I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"Stay safe and alive, that's all I need," he murmurs, my face. I smile and lean up, kissing his cheek for a good few seconds, before lowering myself back on my feet and getting into the empty minivan. Jongin follows suit with a stiff expression and we go to the very back, where there are only two seats. Hyoyeon, BamBam and Youngjae get into the middle row and Yoongi and Daehyun sit at the front. The rest of the team file into the other car and we drive off. I look over my shoulder and watch the farmhouse as we get further and further away from it. Jongin looks back, too. H