CHAPTER NINE; 

"This is ridiculous," Yuri muttered under her breath, applying some eye shadow. 

"It's just a dinner, get over it," He groaned.

"I don't like playing around," She snapped. "Why can't we just go in when he doesn't notice and finish the job? Why do we have to attend a dinner?"

"Because he's already on high alert. If anything moves when he's alone you better believe that it'll get shot without hesitation," Lu Han replied while trying to tie his skinny black tie. They both stood next to each other in front of the mirror of his bathroom, both dressed and semi-ready. "So, by being at the dinner, a place where it's crowded with people, he won't dare to do anything." She groaned and continued to apply her makeup. 

"We'll die," She muttered under her breath. 

Her body was suddenly propelled back as it took a spin before getting pressed up against the counter. Lu Han gripped her shoulders with a deadly look in his eyes. He also seemed angry for some reason.

"We will not die, do you hear me? Don't you dare say that," He ground out before letting go and leaving.

She stared at him as if he had lost his mind and continued to do her makeup. They soon found themselves in the living room, doing their last minute preparation. Thankfully for Yuri, her injuries have fully healed in a matter of a few days, but much to Lu Han's discontent, she wanted to go out on the hunt again. 

For extra precaution, he wore a bullet proof jacket under his dress shirt and slipped a few guns into the hidden pockets inside his jacket. Yuri, on the other hand, strapped handguns onto the strap on her thighs. Unlike last time, she was having struggles with clasping harness.

"Is it broken?" He passed by with his undone tie in hand. She nodded, keeping her gaze onto the uncooperative strap. "Here," He sighed and got down on one knee to be level with her thigh. 

If he was teasing her, he wasn't letting it show on his face. His fingers that seemed rugged were surprisingly gentle as they glided across her smooth skin. She wondered if he had intentionally started from her knee to get to her mid-thigh. She held back a shiver as he played around with the strap until she heard a small snap.

"Done," Was it her or did his voice sounded slightly breathless.

"Thanks," Her voice came out the same way as his. "So, uh," She quickly snapped out of whatever trance she was in. "D-Do you need help with your tie?" She cleared and he nodded.

Her hands were a bit shaky and she felt like she couldn't control them no matter how hard she tried. It was probably because of his burning gaze that was piercing right through her. She took small, unnoticeable breaths to calm her palpitating heart. She took note of his bobbing Adam's apple as her hands would sometimes brush against his neck. 

"How's that?" Her voice came out huskier than she anticipated and he gulped. 

"Fine," His voice sounded forced a bit as he gestured for her to stay there. He leaned back to grab something and came back with a small velvety box.

"If that's a bomb-" She took half a step back.

"Why would you guess a bomb out of all things?" He scoffed and opened the box to reveal the necklace he had bought her. "I know that your dress would hide it, but it would still be nice to know that you're wearing it," He shrugged and she could do nothing but turn around for him to clasp it around her neck. Her breath took a hitch as she felt his touch burn the spot between her shoulder blades. 

They both headed to Lu Han's motorcycle since it seemed as a faster getaway option if anything went wrong with dinner, but there seemed to be only one problem; there was going to be a lot of intimacy between them. She would have to straddle the back of him to keep on while he drove. He didn't seem to mind as he placed the helmet over her head.

"What about you?" She asked behind the visor.

"Don't worry about me," He chuckled and pulled out another black helmet before placing it over his head. "Besides, I'm already dense without it," She let out a snort as he tapped his helmet. The embarrassing sound made her blush profusely, but thankfully her protection gear hid it. "Oh, and I suggest you hold on tight because we're running late."

"I don't- AH!" She screamed when the motorcycle made a jolt and bolted off. She tightened her arms around his waist and clenched her legs around his in an effort to simply stay alive. "You did that on purpose!" She accused, yelling over the loud wind gushing at them.

"I can't hear you!" He shouted with a chuckle as he picked up the speed.

The pair arrived at the party a few minutes late, but it didn't matter; other guests were arriving, too. After parking the bike somewhere hidden, they both removed their helmets. Yuri quickly fixed her hair in the mirror before taking Lu Han's arm. They both entered the venue with no problem which was a relief.

"Do you see him?" She asked without moving her lips and masking it with a smile. 

"Over in the far left corner of the room," He muttered while smiling to a few people. "Our table is only three down from his," He added and she nodded.

Everything went smoothly until she noticed something. "Lu Han, people are looking at us, they are noticing us, they are whispering, they are-"

"Yuri, calm down," He whispered to her, but she couldn't hear from her hyperventilating. 

The current problem was the fact that they were getting noticed. Even though Yuri was conscious that Hyeonwoo would never dare to make a scene in front of all these people, but it wasn't like she wanted him to notice her right away. The art of surprise was always her specialty and attention was her downfall.

He suddenly pulled her to the side and behind a large pillar that acted like a shield to hide them. "Everything's going to be fine, alright? You've done this before and you can sure as hell do it again. I'm right by your side and I won't let anything happen, you understand?" She hesitantly nodded. 

"Breathe," He instructed and she took small breaths until she seemed calm. "Come here," He pulled her arm and wrapped it around his waist as he hugged her back. He buried his face into her long wavy brown hair.

In all honesty, he didn't need to hug her or anything, but he was taking every opportunity he could to get closer to her. He pulled back and dared to kiss her forehead before grabbing her hand, entwining their fingers together.

They both got to their table without attracting much more attention which Yuri was thankful for. The people at the table merely glanced at them before returning to their conversation. He kept a firm grip on her hand under the table and she didn't make any effort to remove it.

"Don't freak out, but he's looking," He announced and she instantly tensed.

"He's glaring," She corrected. "What do we do now?"

"Let him have his last dinner," He chuckled and she just rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm starving and I want to enjoy this date,"

"It's not a date," She snapped while sipping her red wine. 

"We're together, we're having dinner," He named. "Those are elements that make a date," He shrugged.

"There is more to it than that," She scoffed as their appetizers were served. 

"Like what?" He asked, taking a bite out of his chicken salad. 

"I don't know. Feelings?" She shook her head and felt his intense gaze fall on her.

"And you think there are no feelings between us?" His voice was hard and slightly demanding. 

"Not the right ones," She looked down and slowly slipped her hand out of his grasp, but he only tightened it. She looked back up at him and frowned, but he kept his face emotionless.

"How do you know that?" He had to fight the urge to not just lunge in and kiss her. "When you've never tried?"

"Try what?" She looked back at her barely touched plate and moved it aside. She wasn't that hungry anymore.

"Us," He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

"You know-" She was about to start her little speech on how they could never be together, but someone cut her off.

"Ladies and gentleman, I would like to thank you all for coming to this dinner event," Hyeonwoo stood up and held up his glass. Everyone else followed and so did the 'uninvited guests'. "I hope to be able to meet all of you tonight," His eyes zeroed in on Yuri and she clenched her jaw. 

"Wait until dinner is served," Lu Han reminded and she only nodded, staring down at her lap.

The night dragged on longer than she would have liked which only meant that Hyeonwoo was stalling. It was a bad sign since he could be planning something right that second and she wouldn't even know it. Lu Han seemed collected as he chatted with a few people at their table. He had the bright idea of labeling her as his fiancé. 

"You will be such a beautiful bride," One of the middle aged ladies at their table smiled and Yuri returned it.

"Maybe for the blind," The snobby daughter remarked.

"Yeon! Don't be rude," Her mother scolded and the girl simply scowled and continued to eat her dinner.

"Well then I must be blind then," Lu Han joshed and the table erupted into chuckles as Yuri tried keeping her cheeks form blushing. 

"Shy one, isn't she?" One of the men chuckled lowly and patted her shoulder. Although it was a friendly pat, Lu Han still didn't like it and pulled her a bit closer.

"Not on most occasions," Lu Han smirked which made her shoot him a glare.

"Excuse me, I must use the bathroom," She smiled politely and got up, but was caught by the wrist.

"Be careful, okay?" He advised, a small hint of worry on his face. She nodded and went off to find the bathroom. 

Truth be told, she obviously didn't need to use the bathroom, but she just needed to clear her mind. The bathroom was on the other side of the room hidden behind two pillars. The hallway leading to it was painted of velvet red with white and gold ts. Everything screamed high class and so did the bathroom. Marble counters, floors and walls greeted her as well as pristine white stalls. 

She fixed her hair a bit before washing her hands. She sprinkled a few drops of cold water onto her face to freshen her up, but that was nothing compared to what happened next.

Everything happened so fast that she couldn't even react. A man hidden in the shadows lunged at her and grabbed her head, knocking it roughly against the marble counter. All consciousness left her body in an instant. 

Back at the table, Lu Han kept looking around for any signs of Yuri. He understood that she needed a moment to gather herself, but the time she was taking was a bit off. The people around him didn't seem to care that she wasn't back yet, but they did notice how worried he was.

"Looks like we have a runaway bride," Yeon giggled.

"Enough, Yeon, I have had enough of your attitude for tonight," Her mother scolded which caused the girl to blush profusely. 

"I'll go check on her," Lu Han stated, smiling at everyone before following the path Yuri took.

The bathroom was completely clear and empty, no signs of Yuri anywhere. But then his eyes caught something that most would ignore. The edge of the marble counter was slightly chipped and something was stuck in the small cracks. Upon closer examination, he knew that it was Yuri's hair.

"," He cursed and ran out.

"Oh my lord!" A woman cried when she almost collided with Lu Han outside the women's bathroom. "Peeping Tom!" She exclaimed and hit him with her purse.

"Ow! Cool it lady," He grumbled and ran off.

Lu Han weaved through the tables and ran towards the exit where he skid across the steps. At the bottom, there were no cars or anyone except a dark van driving off. It was a no brainer that Yuri was in there so he jumped on his motorcycle and quickly followed it.

Sadly for him, he was wrong.

"Looks like he took the bait," Hyeonwoo chuckled as he gestured for his men to put Yuri in the other car. "This was easier than I thought it would be." 

"What do we do when he reaches the other car?" One of his men asked. Hyeonwoo looked over his shoulder, glanced down at Yuri who was completely tied and unconscious before looking back up at his henchman. 

"Kill him," 

AUTHOR'S NOTE; 

This might be shorter than the usual chapters before, but I felt like it would be nice to stop here. 

I requested for a trailer a few weeks back and it didn't really matter how long it would take because I trust the maker. I am so happy to have such a beautiful trailer to represent my story and I hope you guys would take a look at it! Thanks again to Tasty Sugar!