PART 15

TUD!

A woman’s body lands hard onto the concrete floor of the small, narrow room. She tries to move but she is in a completely weak state. Her body refuses to cooperate. She cannot see anything because of the sack put on her head. “Tie her on the chair!” She heard a man yelled before she got drag forcefully to sit on a chair. She can feel her hands and legs are being tied up tightly. With the little energy she has, she tries to resist but immediately receives a strong punch on her abdomen. She coughs furiously at the impact of the punch.

“Don’t even try, !” He threw another punch, this time right at her face. She hisses in pain.

“Now, let’s see that face of yours.” The sack was pulled from her head and she adjusts her eyesight to see clearly again. There is a bright light shining directly at her; almost blinding her. But, she manages to see the whole room.

She absolutely has no idea where she is. She did not recognize the room she is currently in. Around her, there are about five men with masks on their heads. They wore some-kind of a black suit with boots. Each of them is armed with guns and knives. She looks at the man standing in front of her. He is the sixth man in the room and the only one who didn’t wear a mask over his head.

She glares at him. “Who are you?”

He laughs out loudly at the question. He grabs her hair harshly causing her to groan in pain. He sharply looks at her face. “Well, well, you have no rights to ask questions here…Dr. Jessica Jung.”

Jessica did not hesitate to use every ounce of her remaining energy to pull herself up and slamming her forehead directly on the man’s nose. He stumbles a few steps back while the other two men push Jessica back onto the chair. His broken nose bleeds as he furiously screams in anger.

“HOW DARE YOU.”

“That’s for punching me earlier. That’s kind of a cowardly move there to attack me while I’m bound to this chair. I guess you’re that weak.” She spits at his shoe. The man explodes in anger and he takes out a knife before attempting to slashes her face. But, the other man stops him immediately.

“Get your hands off of me! Or else I’ll-!” “You better calm yourself down! If you hurt her, the boss will get angry!” The other man warned. He breathes heavily as he pushes himself away in frustration. He points his knife towards Jessica to threaten her but all he receives is another glare from the young woman. He grits his teeth angrily.

“The moment that bastard is gone from this room, I swear I’ll slash that pretty face of yours. Pity, I could’ve at least ‘enjoyed’ your first before killing you…maybe I would consider sparing your life then if you treat me well.”

“Please, I’m not interested in weak boys.” Jessica spat back at his remarks.

“Why you little !”

“Enough!” A voice echoes throughout the room. The man immediately steps back at the sound of his superior yelling at him. He stands there anxiously; putting the knife he had back into his pockets. Jessica’s eyesight is a bit hazy but she heard the voice well. It sounds familiar to be exact. She has heard that voice many times before.

“Boss, we have tied her and taken her phone away. We threw it at the side of the road. No one can track her location, not even her police friend.” A masked man spoke as someone descended down the stairs. The footsteps are getting louder, meaning the so-called superior is getting closer.

Jessica looks at the small doorway where the stairs end. A figure slowly appears as he went lower down the flight of the wooden stairs. Her heart clenches in pain the moment she sees the face of the ‘superior.’ A wave of emotions washes over her; the strongest one is betrayal.

“You…!” Jessica’s anger made her body to move spontaneously. She stands up instantly along with the chair that she was tied to. The men quickly pushed her to sit back down but she keeps resisting. She is too emotional to the point she might just break herself free and kill everyone in this room. “You…traitor…!” She screamed.

There, standing in front of her was the man she had trusted and even fell in love for a short time. Jin; the man who has been so kind and supportive of her all those times she was working to treat Taeyeon. The man who had witness her struggles and decided to stay to lend a helping hand- was also the same man that turned out to betray her. He is the ‘superior’ that organized the kidnapping. The man that had ordered his men to separated Taeyeon away from her.

“Jessica, I apologized for lying to you. I was not that confident in my acting but it seems you have fallen into my trap anyways.” Jin smirked. Jessica grunts loudly as she continues to resist the men holding her down. She wants to wipe off that stupid smug off the traitor’s face.

“Why…why did you do this? Why…!”

“Well, the reason is simple. Money…” Jin approaches Jessica. His eyes empty. That friendly and kind aura that he used to have has completely gone. He is nothing but an evil, cold-hearted man. It sickening, Jessica thought. He bends down, his face just inches away from hers. She breathes heavily at the sight of his eyes looking at her; as if she is nothing more than a pathetic damsel in distress.

“You see, before you came to the hospital. I was already paid well by a prestigious gentleman. The job was so simple. I only needed to become the eyes and ears for him. I will gain information and report the situations to him. Everything that had happened to Ms. Kim Taeyeon, I knew everything.” He spoke in such a low voice, as if he was whispering but loud enough for Jessica to hear the words he said.

“So…the reason you stayed close with me all these times was to do your dirty work…?” Jessica glared at him. Her eyes screamed anger and hatred.

“What else? Oh…wait. Do you really think that kiss was real? Me falling for you…?” Jin laughed loud as if he is a maniac prankster. The other men laughed along but quickly shut their mouths when he gave a sharp, disgusted look at them. He scoffs before looking at Jessica again. “I don’t fall for anyone, Ms. Jung. The only thing I was after were information about Kim Taeyeon.”

“I rather cut myself and bleed out rather than remembering that stupid romance we had.” Jessica angrily spoke. For a second there, Jin stays quiet. As if he is taken aback by the words. But, that may just be a mere illusion. He used her and took advantage of her. The ‘Jin’ Jessica knew all along never existed. He was only a mask that hid a wicked man.

“Oh now, now, you should at least get to know who my boss is. The man that was responsible for every order given to me.” The moment Jessica heard those words; she looks at him with curiosity mix with frustration.

Deep inside, she knows there is a very low chance she could escape from there. But, she also knows Taeyeon; the woman she dearly loves is currently in danger. By the time she may successfully break free from these ropes binding her, she will surely get attack. In worse case, she might get kill instantly by a gunshot or a stab of a knife. Yet, Jessica is too stubborn.  Whether she has a chance or not, she would be willing to put her life on the line just to save Taeyeon.

Once she knows who the real ‘culprit’ is, she would not hesitate to escape.

Jin is amused when Jessica suddenly turns silent. He smirks. “Since you didn’t throw rude remarks at me this time, I’ll tell you who my boss is.”

“But sir… isn’t it dangerous to tell her the boss’s identity-.” “Shut up.” Jin cut the man’s words off. He looks at him with such intense eyes he cowers back to his spot earlier.

“Now…where were we? Ah, yes…I was about to tell you who is my boss.” Jin bends down and gets close to Jessica’s ear to whisper.

“The man behind everything is…”

***

There is a faint sound of footsteps. The voice whispering sounds like a middle-aged woman. No, it seems to belong to an older woman. It sounds rather familiar.

Taeyeon slowly wakes up. Her eyesight is blurry that she cannot distinguish anything but the sunlight. Her fingers move little by little. She can feel a silky-like fabric under her. She moves her feet follow by her left leg. She bends her knee; letting the sole of her foot feel what’s underneath her. It was soft. She could only guess she is lying down on a bed.

She blinks a few more times to clear out the blurriness of her sight. As seconds go by, she starts to see well than earlier. She breathes in, her chest stings in pain. Her head feels heavy; as if she is experiencing a hangover. Her body aches from top to bottom. In fact, even her skin feels as if it’s burning.

“Where…am I?” She whispered. Her lips are dry. How long since she has drink water? Even her memories are hazy. She cannot remember anything at all. She closes her eyes to focus on clearing her thoughts.

“Taeyeon!”

Taeyeon’s eyes immediately shot open at the sight of the memory of what had happened. They were called to meet up with Mr. Lee at his private office. Both she and Jessica entered the van filled with a few unknown men. They were supposedly escorts working for Mr. Lee and they were bringing them to the so-called secret location. She remembered that along the way, her nose picked up a strange scent. However, it was very faint. She assumed it was merely just a perfume or a scented product at the front seat of the van.

But then, the scent became somewhat intoxicating for her. She was getting dizzier as time passed and she was about to faint. She sensed something was off. Taeyeon quickly glanced at the man that sat just across her. He looked as if he was preparing to snatch her away the moment she dozes off. Oh, something was definitely not right. She attempted to warn Jessica. But, her lips stayed shut. She was too weak. Her eyesight was already too blurry. Her whole body became limp. She was so intoxicated that she was force to fall asleep.

It was hazy but she can hear Jessica’s faint voice calling for her before she had completely black out.

“No…” Taeyeon forced her weak body into a sitting position. She stops midway because of the headache. She feels she could just vomit but she has no time for that. She attempts to move again but her body refuses to function properly. She lifts her head up and looks around the place. She seems to be in a large bedroom. The furniture in there is mostly covered with white cloths including the huge portraits. She was on the bed situated in between two huge glass windows.

“Lady Taeyeon, I suggest you to not abruptly stand up.” A voice spoke. It was the same one she heard whispering. She turns at the person talking. At the corner of the room, there is an old woman- most probably in her 60’s already. She seemed to be wearing clothing belonged to a housekeeper or a maid. She politely has her hands put on top of her abdomen with her head slightly lower to show ‘respect’.

“Who…are you?” Taeyeon asked weakly. She could not recognize this woman’s face at all. Yet, she is familiar with her voice. As if she had heard that voice from years ago.

“You may have forgotten about me, lady Taeyeon. But, you’ll eventually remember. I am honored and beyond relief to meet you again after all these years.” The maid spoke with such politeness.

“I…where am I? Where’s Jessica? What did…you do to her?” Taeyeon demanded answers. She is completely clueless and confuse by the whole ordeal. More importantly, her lover is currently missing and is nowhere in sight since she woke up. She had guessed they were kidnapped and were separated. Taeyeon knew Jessica is somewhere else and currently in danger.

“Lady Taeyeon, please remind calm.” The maid attempted to approach her but Taeyeon quickly moves away. Due to her weak legs, she fell down onto the floor. But, she ignores the pain and takes whatever she can retrieve from the nightstand which is a lamp. With all her strength, she smashes the light bulb and points the sharp corners at the older woman.

“Stay back!” She shouted. is painfully dry and her hand is trembling rather furiously. Her mind is in a chaotic state with so many questions and confusion. All that matters to her now is to reunite with Jessica again. The maid stands there anxiously.

“Tell me…now…where am I?” Taeyeon spoke with a shaky tone.

“Lady Taeyeon, please.” The maid pleaded her to calm down but it seems that she has no plan of doing that.

“Tell me now!” At his point, Taeyeon’s tone changes to a strict, threatening one. The older woman gulps nervously at the sight of the sharp corners pointing directly at her. With one move, she can easily get slash somewhere and get heavily injured.

“L-lady Taeyeon, you are…”

Before the terrified maid could even finish her answer, the front door burst open. A man walks in. He wears an expensive brown suit with black leather shoes. A cigar tucks in between his fingers. His face is wrinkled and his grayish hair is smoothly combed to a rather flat style. In his right hand, he has a cane. He steps forward; revealing himself to the woman sitting on the floor.

Taeyeon’s eyes widen at the sight of the old man standing not far from her.

He was the man that had forced her to move out from her childhood home and the main reason why she no longer in contacts with any of her relatives including her dear mother for so many years.

“You are home, my dear.”

“The man behind everything is none other than Mr. Kim, Taeyeon’s father.”

Jessica’s heart clenches, as if someone has put a hand on it and grasp it hard to the point she forgets how to breathe properly. Mr. Kim, Taeyeon’s biological father, is a rich businessman. He owns a very huge company as well as multiple branches all over the country. He is highly influential and people either admire him or fears him. There is no doubt he has the absolute power to erase every database about Kim Taeyeon from the system. It took Hara a while to dig up even the smallest information about her backgrounds.

He was the man responsible of erasing the existence of Kim Taeyeon from the world.

He was also the same man who took Taeyeon away from her.

He was that man that she met at Mr. Lee’s office. The one who had wore an innocent mask to conceal his evil plans.

“The whole reason why Taeyeon ends up in that wretched mental facility was because her own father threw her in there.” Jin spoke.

Jessica slowly lifts her eyes up to look at Jin’s. The look on her face is the same one she had when she faced the male student that ‘killed’ her younger sister in court. It is soulless and is only filled with murderous intentions. Her heart is numb. The tips of her fingers are icy cold. She feels a surge of emotional wreck inside her chest. She doesn’t even know what she feels other than anger, pure hatred and frustration.

Jin notices it. He can feel the dark auras oozing out of the former, high-school delinquent. She was way far from a female who used to do bad things. She was a former gangster with the strength beyond expected by her nemesis. She is small, petite and short even. But, whenever anger drives her mind and heart, so does her punches and kicks. The moment those ropes loosen up, the one closest to her would certainly end up with a bloody fate.

“I’ll kill him.” She whispered in such a low, shaky tone that it causes anxiousness for the men in the room that they immediately hold their weapons close to prepare for an unexpected attack.

“I know.” Jin spoke. As soon as he replies those two words, his eyes changed. Jessica immediately realizes it. But, before she can even react, Jin suddenly pushes her down onto the floor along with the chair before punching the two men closest to him. They both fell miserably in an instance.

“Now…!” He yelled on top of his lungs. The armed men in the room could not react in time due to confusion. Suddenly, smoke bombs are thrown into the narrow space. They cough furiously as they move away from each other unconsciously. The thick greyish smoke blocks their vision; they could not see a thing at all.

Four armed men left need to be deal.

“!” One of the men shouted as he points his gun at the front. He heard footsteps around him. Suddenly, a hard kick lands directly at his masked face causing him to fall down. He accidentally lets go of the gun he has earlier due to the kick’s impact. He opens his eyes to see a figure standing in front of him. His eyes widen at the sight of a familiar face.

“Y-you…!” His reaction is cut short when a bullet is fired towards his chest causing him to be silence.

One down.

Another man confusingly goes around; trying to find the exit of the room. He didn’t care if he ends up betraying his superior by running away and escaping. He has a bad feeling about this sudden attack. He sees the blurry image of the stairs and his legs immediately runs for it. But, before he can even reach those stairs, a shadow appears behind him. In just one blink of an eye, his whole head lands in between the broken stairs; knocking him unconscious.

Two down.

The third man panics at the sound of a loud crash. He can only guess one of them was beaten up and it will soon be his turn if he doesn’t do something. A footstep can be heard just a few inches away. He pulls the trigger of his gun and shoot a bullet into the smoke; not knowing if he hit the attacker or his companions. He breathes out slowly to calm his rapid heartbeat but he didn’t get the chance to relief himself when a figure comes out from behind the thick smoke and attacks him.

Third down. There is one last man remaining.

“What the is going on…!” The man that punched Jessica earlier shouted in anxiousness and fear. His vision is completely block and all his ears heard were footsteps, loud crashes, thuds as well as shouting of the other men before it ceased into an eerie silence. He takes out his gun from the back of his pocket. However, it is futile because the weapon immediately flung away and disappears in the smoke when a hard kick lands on his arm.

“Aghh! Ahh! My arm!” He shouted in agonizing pain. He holds his deeply cut arm; blood oozing out of the fresh wound. Tears form in his squinting eyes. He attempts to run for his life but the moment he turns around to flee, he receives a hard blow directly on the cheek. He falls down onto the floor with a bloody mouth and a huge bruise on the left side of his cheek. A leg pins him right on his chest; causing him to cough out blood.

“Tch, tch, tch, such a coward…You never change.” A familiar voice spoke in an eerie tone. His eyes widen in fear. He knows the owner of that voice. He looks down at the boot with a small blade attached at the front. He looks at the symbol etched on the leather. As he fears, it was an old enemy he had been running away from for so many years.

“Please! Please! Spare me!” He cried out in plead.

“That is certainly not an option. Consider this as a way to pay that old debt of yours.”

“No! AH!”

The screaming and pleading stops at the same time the smoke starts disappearing. Jessica finally can open her eyes to look at the situation that had happened earlier. She got shock at the sight of the armed, masked men earlier have all been taken down and currently unconscious, including the one that punched her earlier.

“You look terrible.” The smoke is completely gone; revealing the attacker’s face. It was none other than the former infamous underground gangster, Im Yoona.

“How did you…” Jessica is confused at her sudden appearance.

“Come here and save you? Well, he is responsible for it.” Yoona pointed out at the only conscious man in the room. Jin slowly gets up to sit properly and straighten his back. Jessica looks at him; more confuse than ever at the whole situation.

“Geez, no wonder they were scared of you.” Jin swipes away the dirt from his clothes. He takes out a pocket knife and approaches Jessica to cut the ropes that tied her to the chair. Yoona takes the chance to take away the weapons from the masked men and throws into a pile at the other side of the room before dragging them to be tied up.

“Stay still or you’ll hurt yourself.” Jin calmly spoke. Jessica silently watches him as he cuts off the thick ropes. As soon as her arms and legs can move freely, she did not hesitate to pounces at the man and pins him down to the floor.

“Jessica!” Yoona called out but the woman deafens her ears. She takes the knife and points it at Jin’s neck.

“Hey, calm down…”

“You have five seconds to convince me why I shouldn’t slit your throat right here, right now.” Jessica’s voice trembles in anger. Due to his words earlier on, she can’t exactly trust this man even if he does save her. She doesn’t know who he is or his real identity. ‘Jin’ may even be his fake name at this point.

Jin stays calm despite having Jessica’s bloody shot glare currently staring at him. He smiles. “Five seconds huh? I need more than mere five seconds to explain everything. For starters, I should re-introduce myself here. I’m Kim Seok Jin. I’m a spy for the law enforcement and a part of the special squad unit to investigate a case involving Kim Taeyeon’s biological father.”

***

Jin drives his car towards his house while Yoona is tailing from behind with her motorcycle. Jessica silently stays at the passenger’s seat. She is weak and badly injured. But, she refuses to let herself fall asleep. There are so many questions running through her mind. Where is Taeyeon? Why does Taeyeon’s biological father suddenly appears out of nowhere and came out with this scheme to kidnap them both? What exactly are the crimes did he commit behind the curtains?

“Are you really a police officer?” Jessica suddenly asked. It has been silence for the past one hour now. The man got taken aback a bit but soon shows a smile.

“I used to be. Now, I’m just a spy for the government. If the North has theirs, we have ours.” He replied.

“Then…did those things you said to me earlier…are those true?” Jin glances at Jessica. She is no doubt in love with Kim Taeyeon and no one else. But, she cannot stop herself from being upset by his words. She is disappointed even; knowing that those times they had spent together and that one special night they shared were merely Jin fulfilling his duties. There is no denying she did fell for him once.

Jin let out a long sigh. “I lied about the money. I absolutely hated doing Mr. Kim’s dirty work. I…also did lie about not having any feelings towards you.”

Jessica is surprise at the honest answer. There are things she wanted to say after hearing his reply. But, the only words that came out from are “I’m sorry.”

He did not turn to give a look at the woman at the passenger’s seat. He knows the moment he shows his expression to Jessica, she’ll know how heartbroken he is for knowing that their love never reaches a beginning at all and he didn’t want to make her feel guilty.

Besides, his job is to gain information and he has accomplished those duties well. Jin is well aware that being a spy meant he is a ‘legal’ con-man. He lies and pretends; no one knows the real him. Although, he manages to share his true self in front of Jessica even just for a while. That is enough for him to mend his sadness.

“We’re here.” Jin announced; mainly to clear out the awkward atmosphere inside the vehicle. He drives through a gate situated at the back of a two-storey house and parks the car inside a garage. They soon heard the sound of a motorcycle arriving into the garage as well; it must Yoona who had been riding from behind them.

“Here, let me help you.” Jin said as he stands at the car’s door at the passenger’s seat. Jessica nods before putting her left arm around his neck. She yelps when Jin suddenly lifts her up and carries her in his arms with ease. She lowers her head since their faces are too close for her comfort. Yoona peaks outside to search for anyone that might possibly follow them. Once she confirms it is clear, she hurriedly closes the garage’s door and securely locks it.

They enter the house through the backdoor and cross over the kitchen towards the living room. The two women sitting on the couch gasp at the sight of Jessica’s presence. “Jesus Christ!” Tiffany immediately approaches Jessica once she settles down onto the couch. Jin dismisses himself to go upstairs; leaving the four women behind.

“Oh God, you’re…alive. You’re alive!” Tiffany cried as she held Jessica’s hand firmly. She quickly lets go when the woman hisses in pain. “O-oh, I’m sorry!” She wipes the tears running down her cheeks. Jessica is too weak but manages to give a smile at her.

“I’m glad you’re doing fine too.” Tiffany stands up to embraces Yoona.

“Don’t worry; I’m strong enough to fight those bastards.” Yoona chuckled.

“But still, I’m worried.” Tiffany genuinely replied making the former gangster to immediately blush.

“Jeez, you look…terrible.” Hara said; seeing all the injuries on her friend’s petite body. Jessica simply laughs off the comment. “Just like the old days, huh?” She spoke; remembering those days when they used to be involved in a lot of fights against other high school delinquents. They would go home with their faces filled with bruises and cuts. Hara could only smile at Jessica’s wittiness and gives a pat on her shoulder.

“I’m just relief that you’re here. I thought I loss you.”

“I’m glad too.” Jessica weakly smiled.

 “I’m sorry for interrupting your…um, reunion.” A person spoke; earning the attentions of those in the room. The young teen bows at them and smiles. “The name’s Kim Sojung. You can call me by my nickname, Sowon. I am here to take Ms. Jung for a medical treatment.”

“You look…too young to be a nurse or a doctor.” Yoona lifted her eyebrow in suspicion. The teen can only chuckles at the words.

“I am still a teen. But, no worries, I’m very well trained.” Sowon spoke with such confidence. The adults have no choice but to trust her.

“If you please, Sowon-ssi…” Jessica gave her permission. Without further ado, Sowon helps Jessica to sit on the wheelchair and pushes her to a room located upstairs. There is a lane specialize for wheelchairs built next to the staircases. “I will inform once Ms. Jung has finish her treatments.” Sowon once again slightly bows her head before heading up to the second floor of the house.

As soon as they disappear, another teen emerges into the living room. This time, a male teen; his orange hair stands out. “I’m Taehyung. Nice to meet you all…” He bows politely to the older women. “My brother…I mean, Jin…has called you all in his office. He said he has important matters to discuss.”

They all look at each other before nodding. The trio follows Taehyung from behind as he guides them to Jin’s office.

The clock ticks as Sowon continues to treat Jessica’s wounds. The teen is so focus on her work that it has been dead silence for hours now. Jessica is curious; she wanted to ask questions and know about her more. She looks so young; but her skills match that of a professional nurse or a doctor even. It’s not easy to treat wounds; especially as severe as on her body right now.

“We are done.” Sowon finished putting the last bandage before going across the room. Jessica is amaze by her work. She is indeed well-trained as she claimed to be. “You endured it well, Ms. Jung.” Sowon praised; her back still facing the woman on the bed.

Jessica chuckles at the compliment. “I’ve been wounded too many times from countless of fights during my high school years.”

“But still, you did not complaint. You’re much stronger than Jin. He whines a lot.” Both of them laugh at the little story sharing.

“Thank you, Sowon-ssi. You did a terrific job.” Jessica’s turn to praised. Sowon glances at her to give a smile before continuing to sanitize her tools.

“Jin’s job is a risky and dangerous one. He is putting his life on the line every single time he is sent out on a mission.” Sowon paused for a moment. “I…have to make sure he is healing from those awful injuries. That’s why I trained hard so we won’t ever lose him.”

Jessica stays quiet as she stares at Sowon’s tall figure. The teen is still young but her body is fit. She can guess how many times this young girl has to carry Jin when he becomes unconscious or if he is too weak due to severe injuries. It’s not obvious, but she can feel how firm her arms are earlier.

“You…are not related to him.” Jessica suddenly spoke. Sowon stops at doing her work before slowly turning around. They look at each other in the eyes before the teen finally nods.

“You’re indeed sharp, Ms. Jung. Yes, I, Taehyung and Jin are not blood related. I and my brother are actually orphans. Our parents were raging alcoholics and we were abandoned on the streets as kids. We were actually victims of a traffic syndicated. We got kidnapped one night and before we knew it, we were on our way to be shipped to another country. Jin was doing an undercover work at the time and the officials managed to launch an ambushed attack on the ship.”

Sowon turns back around to finish up her work. She continues to talk. “We were saved. But, unlike other children whom were kidnapped, we had no parents to come back to. We stayed at the hospital, spending the days thinking which orphanage they will send us to. But, Jin came in one day. He smiled at us and said ‘any interest in living together with me?’”

She chuckles; it sounds sad yet happy at the same time. “I knew…he just wanted to use us for his personal benefits. He wanted to create this fake identity of being our older brother for a case. I, for sure, was not attached to him like Taehyung did. I assumed it was because he always wanted an older brother to look up to. But, sooner or later, we will no longer be of use of him. That was my thought at first. I prepared myself to hear that heart-wrenching news.”

Jessica smiles, as if she already knows the outcome of the story. “But it went the opposite of what you think, isn’t it?” Sowon only smiles as a ‘yes.’

***

It has been a few hours since Jessica has rested on the comfort of the single bed. She could not bring herself to shut her eyes and fall asleep. Not when Taeyeon has been taking over mind. Her heart aches at the thought of the woman she loves dearly might possibly never be found. Tears threatening to fall because of the constant worrying she has if Taeyeon will ever come back into her arms again.

Knock. Knock.

Jessica looks at the door to see Jin standing there. He looks at her worriedly. But, he tries to maintain his expression to not look obvious. The man clears his throat, “may I come in?” He asked. Jessica only gives a nod. Once he receives her consent, he walks in and sits on the chair next to the bed.

“How are your injuries?”

“It’s all patched up nicely. Sowon treated those wounds well. I’m impressed.”

Jin smiles widely. “She is indeed an amazing girl.”

Silence follows, as the two adults just look at different directions; avoiding eye contacts. Despite moving on from their past pre-relationship history, they could not help but still feeling awkward especially with Jin just recently revealing his true identity. But, the silence is soon replaced with a question.

“Do you know where she is?”

Jin looks at Jessica. She looks serious; even the look in her eyes has changed. He knows for sure this woman in front of him is desperately trying to save Taeyeon. Heck, she might just jump off this bed right now and goes out to look for her. But first, she needs to know what’s happening. She needed answers.

“I will spare the small talks then.” Jin leans his back on the chair. “I will tell you everything.”

“Mr. Kim is a powerful man and has a high reputation in our society. He is a businessman that has many companies under his belt. People who knew him thought he was genius; he has the brains for strategic planning and managing businesses. He has a miraculous talent of making everything successful. But, those are just mere façade. He was not a genius nor was he a great businessman. He was a manipulative liar and a coward that hides in the ‘dark.’”

“Around seven years ago, the unit received numerous reports about criminal running illegal businesses. According to the Intels, Mr. Kim was a business man running a small, local company outside of Seoul in the mid 90’s. He was on the verge of facing a devastating bankruptcy. Every plan he had failed miserably and his company was going to close down in less than a year. All of his hard work went down the gutter when all the employees left; including his business partner.”

“He was desperate…but not for the sake of his family. The urges he had to succeed and proved those who looked down on him was his main reason to strive forward…even if it meant to get his hands dirty. He met some ‘acquaintances’ in Busan. There, he made his first move. He hired some men and they started a real-estate scam business. They forged documents and pretended to sell expensive estates on several spots around South Korea. They scammed many Koreans and even foreigners that just moved into the country. They mostly targeted the riches.”

“Despite getting caught by authorities, he managed to slip away every single time. He became somewhat unstoppable. He might be a failure in the legal business world. But, I have to admit he is a smart- when it came to illegal ones. He had his men to get rid of any evidences that may lead to his arrest. The authorities could never prove his crimes. He didn’t get his own hands dirty, but rather give the job to his pupil. He didn’t care if those men ended up in jail or in death rows…as long as he gets away with it.”

“The real-estate scam soon turned to drug dealing, bribery, fraud and possibly even human trafficking. He earned his spots as one of the top businessmen in this country; running both legal and illegal businesses. His late wife and his daughter, Kim Taeyeon has absolutely no idea of his crimes. He made sure none of his family member finds out about his secret life…even if he has to resort to murders.”

“Kim Taeyeon revealed her relationship with Lee Soonkyu to him and his late wife. Aside from their relationship being a ‘taboo’ within society, he was well-aware of how influential Soonkyu’s families were. Her parents were ordinary people but her uncle was Mr. Kim’s nemesis in the legal business industry. Mr. Lee is much more influential and powerful in comparison to Mr. Kim. He always has this hatred towards the man and his whole family.”

“He refused to accept the relationship. He never expected Kim Taeyeon to run off with Soonkyu and moved away to Seoul. In order to maintain his secret, he could not chase his daughter there. Seoul has tighter securities and has more authorities around in comparison to where he currently resides. Hence, he finally decided to resort to his most despicable plan of all.”

“The night of the accident…it was never a hit and run situation. Mr. Kim tracked down where Taeyeon and Soonkyu shared resident was. He then made a deal with Mr. Lee’s family.” Jessica’s eyes widen at the mention of a familiar name. Don’t tell me, it was under my nose all this time?

“He offered a deal with the former director of the hospital where you worked, Mr.Lee’s father. In return, he had the permission to use Mr.Lee’s men to launch his plan. That night, he planned to hurt his own daughter.”

That…bastard old man.

“Soonkyu was murdered. The driver that hit her was the man Mr. Kim had paid to do the job. The target was originally Kim Taeyeon. But, Soonkyu saved her life and ended up getting killed in return.”

Jessica’s whole body trembles in anger. How could that pathetic old man do that to his own daughter? How can he possibly wish death upon his own child and her partner? Her heart beats faster due to the anger and hatred boiling deeply inside her. !

“Mr. Kim founded out about Taeyeon’s severe mental condition and sent her away without anyone’s knowledge including Tiffany. He erased all information related to his daughter. He left her to rot in that place and pretends as if the woman named Kim Taeyeon never existed.”

I swear…I will kill him.

“His plan ends there…until you showed up. Jessica Jung, you miraculously healed Kim Taeyeon. Your success in healing her drove him to launch another scheming plan…to force his daughter to submit to his orders and marry Lee Junho to gain more power through two families emerging.”

Mr. Kim, I will not hesitate to shoot you on the head the moment I set my eyes on you.

“How…can…you…do this to me?” Taeyeon shallowly breathes as she furiously struggles to push the cane that is pinning her chest.

The old man smirks mischievously.

“I will do anything to make sure no one will ever ruin my success. Not that brat Soonkyu, not Jessica Jung and not even you, my dear daughter.”

*To be continued*

Hello, this is Reowesome. First, I apologized for the late update. Due to work matters, I barely have any time to write an update. But I managed to finish and finally post it. There is not much romance going on in this chapter so I apologized to our fellow TaengSic supporters. Thank you so much for patiently waiting and I hope you guys enjoy the latest update. Thank you for the new subs and upvotes. I hope one day this story will be featured! :)