Leap of Faith

The Target
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How long had it been since they last saw each other? Hyun Mi didn’t mean to keep track of it, but she knew it had been exactly 60 days now. A lot had changed by then.   Their organization was no longer run by Mr. Lee, since he was in jail. The head of Interpol took over the organization, saying they'd become a special unit under his supervision. Ki Bum got a promotion and was technically the right hand in charge of the organization during Kim Jong Hyun’s absence. The others resumed their original job description and continued their usual boring daily routine—no flavor of excitement.   Hyun Mi was finally able to break free from it all. With Ki Bum in charge, it was much easier to communicate her desire to lead a normal life. Well, semi normal life. She kept her camouflage job as a public motivational speaker, giving speeches at important events and charities. But whenever any political campaign was involved, she declined.   It was nearly impossible to entirely shut Woo Hyun off from her life. With the senator’s election around the corner, every campaigner became more aggressive in their ways to earn an individual’s vote. Woo Hyun was everywhere; on the bus, on TV, on the billboard, and always on her mind.   Sometimes she had disguised herself to go watch one of his rallies. To make sure he was safe, she told herself. But truly, it was because she still missed him. Her heart was hollow without him. She didn’t know she had grown that fond of him after their short moments spent together.   At times she’d remember his fingers gripping through hers, his sweet voice telling her all those cheesy lines, and she found it impossible to shake the memories off her mind.   “Sometimes you need to let go of something just so you can come chasing it back for the second time,” Woo Hyun suddenly spoke in the middle of his speech. “You need to give some space and time so the other person knows how valuable you truly are to them, finally realizing they are dead without you.”   Hyun Mi blinked. He wasn't directing the message to her, was he? He couldn’t possibly have known she was there. Actually, he was very capable of that knowledge.   “To everyone who has been unfairly treated by a company, either as an employer or consumer, I propose the idea to leave that place with your dignity held up high, and wait until the company realizes how much it needs you,” Woo Hyun continued, firing up an entire rally of supporters who began cheering in agreement.   She had seen enough. It was time to go.     At other times, she added another activity to her routined schedule. With Dong Woo and Ki Bum by her side, they’d go to visit Mr. Lee in jail.   “How have you been, Mr. Lee?” Dong Woo asked when the three took a seat opposite of the inmate. They were placed in a private secluded room where a camera monitored all their activities. It was neat, but very empty aside from the table and several chairs inside.   Mr. Lee looked skinnier since the last time they had seen him. He was dressed in the orange colored prison uniform, befitting him very well. His hair was so frantic and uncombed he resembled a true psychotic criminal.   “Cut the formality. What do you want?” Mr. Lee asked defensively. He had no right to act so brazen since he was at a disadvantage. The shackles rattled around his wrist with every movement.   “We’d like to let you know the SM-Zero is safely locked up in quarantine which no one will have access to. Your plan of world domination has failed,” Ki Bum informed him with a smile. “Although I still can’t seem to fathom why you want to get rid of weak people.”   “Because the weak are a nuisance to the world. They are inhabiting this place without doing anything. They are no better than paralyzed people or those who are in a coma. Their existence adds no value to the world,” Mr. Lee explained his mindset, grinning when he noticed the girl clenching her fist in frustration.   “Everyone has a value. They may not be at the frontline doing big extravagant things for the world to see, but simply by working on the small things behind the scenes, they are adding value to the things no one else can do,” Hyun Mi told him.   “If they don’t achieve anything big, they are meaningless.”   “A big achievement is not measured by fame or wealth. The ability to do the right thing is a big achievement in itself,” she spoke, smiling at him who looked so agitated. It was the one quality he was incapable of himself.   “Don’t give any of your motivational bullcrap to me. Save it for people who want to hear those lies.”   Dong Woo was the one enraged now, slamming his first on the table until it quivered a little in response. He did not appreciate anyone talking to his sister like that, but she calmly held him back with an arm against his.   “Rather than the weak, don’t you think the ones with too much power are the true nightmare?” He questioned, watching Mr. Lee frown. “The rich have power to eradicate the weak, to lie and to cheat off their oblivious innocence. Isn’t that what you’ve been doing?”   “The mighty ones were given the authority in order to eliminate the weak ones. The earth is overcrowded by such uselessness. There won’t be any significant progress to humanity if this keeps up,” Mr. Lee explained himself, completely believing his own values and principles.   Hyun Mi and Ki Bum took out an envelope and retrieved several photographs from it. They placed it in front of the prisoner, watching him flinch.   “You recognize these people?” Ki Bum asked.   Mr. Lee’s expression softened at once, and his aggression turned futile. His eyes glistened with wet tears, nearly curving up into a smile when he saw the pictures of his wife and son.   “We did some research and found out that these two people are… Useless, in your term of definition,” Hyun Mi began. Her eyes continued to watch him like a cornered prey.   Mr. Lee’s head jolted up, fear and panic written over it at once. He got up and tried to reach them, but the shackles against his hands and legs prevented him from committing an attack. “What did you do to my family?”   “We passed on your message to them,” Hyun Mi said, and by the time she spoke these words, her tone was grim—a dark contrast to the encouraging words she spoke earlier. “The weak and useless ones have no right to live, right?”   “What have you done?” Mr. Lee yelled again, trying all his might to get to them, but they were out of reach. His heart wasn’t at ease.   “We managed to get a small sample of the virus and delivered it to your wife. It was your final gift, we said—the greatest tea you had obtained during your stay in Barcelona.” Hyun Mi’s mouth morphed into a twisted smirk as she tapped her fingers against the table. “As much as the virus can travel through air, it’s pretty effective through the water too.”   Mr. Lee began cursing some profanities now, helpless at his defenseless state. “You’re lying! This is not the kind of person you are! I know you, and you are incapable of such horrid acts.”   “I was, until you started hurting the people around me. When you shot Woo Hyun, I found out I had this side to me,” she said, her voice unfaltering even when the man in front of her began crying and begged for mercy.   “Please, leave them alone! Don’t touch them…”   “If that is what you wish,” Hyun Mi said as she got up from her seat, the other two following put. “We will leave them alone when they rot to die.”   The sorrowful cries
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Purple-Peng
1301 streak #1
Chapter 24: I finally finished this today.
I should have seen it coming with Ki Bum since I do watch a couple of spy movies/dramas.
I think my favorite part is seeing Hyun Mi threaten Mr. Lee and then her conflicting view on their mission in the plane.
Purple-Peng
1301 streak #2
Chapter 21: I love how there's another reference to HIPS with Hee Jin mentioning she nearly killed someone with a curling iron. It makes me wonder if that's where she got the idea to use it as a weapon.
Purple-Peng
1301 streak #3
Chapter 19: I love how Hyun Mi and Woo Hyun are closer which makes it sadder with what happens to him in HIPS.
Purple-Peng
1301 streak #4
Chapter 17: I like how this is kind of like a foreshadowing of HIPS and love the cameo of Hee Jin and Min Seok.
Purple-Peng
1301 streak #5
Chapter 14: I don't think Woo Hyun is lying to Hyun Mi.
I like how Hyun Mi and those close to her want to change what their company does. I couldn't help but think maybe one of the higher-ups in their company or maybe Ki Bum is using them for their own goals.
rajnbow #6
Chapter 14: Wait whatt that was unexpected... I've been feeling that Ki Bum and Mr. Lee were slightly off though, so I think they're both probably lying. There's no way Woohyun would actually deserve to be killed...

But on a happier note, yay Taemin and Maerin! The hand holding part was really cute XD
Purple-Peng
1301 streak #7
Chapter 12: Love the appearances of the other characters from HIPS, Seollin and Taehyung introducing themselves made me laugh.
I think my favorite part is when Taemin touched the check because one thing I learn from a game called "Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet" is that people tend to press a bit hard when writing. So whatever they wrote might be indented into the next sheet of paper.
Purple-Peng
1301 streak #8
Chapter 11: The part where they nearly got caught is so intense. It reminded me of a level I played in "Hitman 2", where Agent 47 has about at least 3 to 5 minutes to kill his target before his identity gets discovered.
Also, the two finally kissed! I laughed at the part where Hyun Mi realized the others might have seen it from the CCTV.
Purple-Peng
1301 streak #9
Chapter 10: Woo Hyun to the rescue! I find it sweet he's there to save Hyun Mi from Sang Gyu since she and the others were stuck on what to do.