Chapter 45.

"Naeun, we have to go straight away!" Jongin seems vulnerable yet angry.

"what?? but why ??"

"I don't have the time to explain!! Just take your things !"

Face with Jongin's authority and determination, i comply without asking a question. All trace of tenderness in his voice has disappeared. I rush into the room, i quickly get dressed and pack my suitcase. When i come back to the terrace, JOngin is waiting for me, his face pale.

"Hurry up! They're after us !!!"

"What?? who are they??!"

he didn't answer. He takes hold of my hand dragging me along. We run down the wooden stairs to the entrance.

"Jongin, are you gonna tell me what's going on?!?"

Suddenly, a voice interrupts us. "Jongin, let go of her!"

I turn around, Taemin is there. He's holding a gun !!

"Jongin, what the...??" Jongin holds me tight up against him. my heart is on the verge of exploding on my chest as Taemin points his gun at us.

it's not possible!! it's not actually happening!!

"I do not want to hurt her, it's between you and me." Said Taemin to Jongin.

"You're out of your mind, Taem!"

the latter takes a step in our direction. Jongin stands in front of me to protect me. "They'll soon be here.. You'd better follow me nice and quietly, Jongin." Taemin's voice has never been so threatening.. And since has he call Jongin by his first name! i can hardly recognize him..

"So, you're the rat, right? How did you find us?"

"Naeun gave your whereabouts. She was very easy to manipulate..." He gives me a detestable smile.

What?? But Taemin, what's wrong with you???

I'm crashed.

"Don't play the hero, my boss wants you alive. Get out the way!"

His boss... He works for those who are after Jongin?

"You snake! I should have seen your little game from the start!"

Taemin burst into diabolical, delirious laughter. The scene is completely surreal! Suddenly there are gunshots! Jongin's body comes away from mine and he falls to the ground like a rag doll!.

"JONGIN, NOOO !!!!!!!" I collapse down next to his lifeless body. i feel sick!

MY eyes open violently and i take the deepest breath as if I'd been holding my breath for interminable minutes! MY heart is beating chaotically. I'm in a total panic! Yet everything around me is so calm. I turn towards the house. Jongin is pacing up and down the living room, still talking on the phone.

He glances at me. Seeing me in distress appearance, he's mouthing "everything ok?" i gently nod my head before looking back towards the sea. Thank God! It was just a bad dream!

I slowly snap out of it by massaging my temples, i think the last event troubled me more than i thought. The expression on Taemin's face comes back to me in a flash. The image makes me grimace. It was a load of nonsense! My mind is really playing tricks on me. Imagining that Taemin could betray us is unthinkable! I'd better stop watching detective films! Jongin kept our getaway secret just to have some peace.

I grab my phone. I see that i have a missed call from Hyuna. I get up and walk a few steps towards the beach. I phone my friend as i cross the pontoon that leads to the hot sand.

"Hello,Naeun!?" She picks it up after two rings.

"Hello, Hyuna, what's the matter?"

"Naeun!! Where are you?" Why is everyone asking me the same question?

"i'm... uh... at the beach, why?"

"Ahh...." Hyuna seems quite out of breath.

"What's going on Hyuna? Is everything okay?"

"Not really.. It's a disaster at Kim Corp. There are cops everywhere! Actually, they're IRS agents." An icy chill runs through my spine! The IRS? Right! What the hell's going on?

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I swear it's the truth! i had the fright of my life! I panic when the cops check my papers! So when IRS agents stormed into reception, i almost died!!" I stay focused on what Hyuna's telling me. I stare at the waves lapping at my feet without really seeing them.

"Do you have any idea what they're looking for ?" I hear her heels treading on the floor. Sounds like she's in one of the firm's huge corridor.

"According to Irene, they asked to see Mr. Kim about a case they're working on... But well, you know Irene..."

"It must be aboutult at the opening ceremony!"

"I don't know... why would they send the tax authorities? what do they have to do with anything? And they're still here, and a priori they didn't just pop in for tea!"

It's true that it's strange... Especially since Taemin had told me that the case had been dropped.
Suddenly I hear a voice behind her. She moves away from the phone to talk to someone else.
"Yes, yes... No, it's a friend... I... Okay, okay."
Hyuna's sighing. A silence of a few seconds settles between her and me, and then she speaks to me again in a low voice. "No , they're watching our every move!!"

"Seriously? How many are there?"

"Pffttt, I don't know, there's several of them! I'd  say a dozen!"

"!"

"Kim Jongin must be beside himself with anger!" Suddenly silence interrupts our exchange.

"Hyuna??" I look at my phone to check my network, everything is fine. "Hyuna? Can you hear me?"

"Listen, I can't talk to you any longer... I have to go!"

"Keep me posted!"

"Yeah, you want me to tell you, you better stay away from Kim Jongin... It doesn't look good..."
If she knew I was with him now... Far from everything. I feel bad not telling her everything. But I know she'd worry too much about me.

I hurry back to the terrace... What am I going to say to Jongin now that I know everything?
When I'm in deep thought, suddenly he joined me, his expression is somber. He looks at his phone one last time, frowning, before slipping it into his pocket. I see he clenched his jaw. His pupil retract. He's intimidating like that. I arrange a lock of hair behind my ear, feeling uncomfortable.

"We're gonna have to go back."

I just stare aT him. I can't put an act, i can't really see myself acting surprise or disappointed.  I guess the situation is quite difficult for him. "I just had my right-hand man at Kim Corp on the phone. He needs me to be there."

His right-hand man. I've never met him. I guess he's not talking about chanyeol. I put my hand on his forearm. I feel he's tense. "Okay, is it serious?"
The IRS shows up searching through your company? Yeah, I think when you're the boss, you find that serious.

"The multinational that's been threatening me is trying another tactic." I get the blow to the heart. So it's  another one of those dirty scumbag's schemes. "Apparently they've built a case against us and IRS agents are at Kim Corp.  Conducting an Investigation as we speak."

"That bastards, they've no right to do that!" I feel mad and annoyed.

"Oh yeah, what do you think? We are not in neverland, naeun. In business, things can get tough, sometimes, and always.." His cold dry tone surprises me, I give him an excuse,  I know it's not against me. I can't imagine what it must be for him to deal with such a low blow. "I should never have left. I left the door wide open for them! What an idiot!" He looks away, sighing, obviously angry at himself.

"You couldn't have known, jong.." I tried to calm him.

"It was obvious they weren't going to stop there... I just put everything I built in jeopardy! Can you understand that?!" He raises his voice, swinging his arms up while saying that, looking at me as if I were an idiot. This time, I stare at him, frowning. He doesn't realize what he did and said, I have to put himself softly. "I  understand Jongin.. Don't get me wrong.. I'm just trying to help you!"

He opens his mouth several times, but no sound comes out. His face softens and he looks down. He pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry I raised my voice.. It's not against you, you know that baby..."

"Of course.."

He gave me a look full of solicitude that makes me melt. I hate to see him so preoccupied. I feel useless, powerless.. It's all goes way beyond me... I, the little assistant from a little country town. We remain silent for a seconds. I feel bad for him. Bad about the moment we shared that's just had to end brutally. Is that life with him? Fleeting moments interrupts by emergencies?

"What can I do?"

"We're going to go back right away and I'll take care of the IRS. Can you get your things together?"

"Yes, of course.."

"Ok, thanks."  He gently walks towards me and lays a kiss on my forehead. "I'm so sorry, I don't know what I could say to you and do to you to show you my gratitude, for you to always understand me in this up situation. I just... I just don't know how to behave myself to someone so special, I never have thought about this before you..." He put his palm on my cheek, before I'm going to reply him to say that I was okay, his phone ringing again. He immediately picks the phone. I walk away to fetch my things something turns my blood to ice. I feel like I relieving my nightmare...