Kim Jongkook glared at the phone in his hand then slammed it back into its cradle. Cursing the useless men he had hired to bring Taeyeon back, he stormed around his office while images of horror and terror filled his thought. 

He could still feel the clammy sick feeling in his gut when he had received that call saying Taeyeon was kidnapped, when he had imagined those bastards had had his precious child in their hand. And he still remembered his promise that he would never let his child went through the same thing again.

But now, his daughter was missing. And he had no idea where she was, what she’s doing or whether she was safe. Feeling his fear escalating, he quickly made an effort to breathe in and out repeatedly to calm himself. 

Don’t think about it, never think about that possibility, he warned himself. She must be safe. She had to be safe. Because he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if anything bad happened to her. Pausing in mid-stride, he recalled glumly the last conversation he had had with her, which had been in this very room.

~ Flashback ~

Taeyeon was sitting on the couch, sulking as she usually did when her wish was not granted. He looked at her indulgently. How he loved this daughter of his. Not that he didn’t love Hyoyeon, because he surely did. Both were his precious jewels. But as the youngest child, Taeyeon was her father’s golden child: beautiful, smart, lively and feisty. Her only fault as far as he was concerned was that she’s too stubborn and naïve for her own good.

Noticing Taeyeon’s mulish expression, he shook his head resignedly. It seemed like one of his heavier lecture moment had just arrived. He only hoped that this time it would knock some sense into his daughter. After all, what did a parent have to do when his beloved daughter was going to take the wrong step? It just made sense that her parents would want to lead her to the right path, right? And who’s better to do it other than her father, who was naturally knew what’s best for her? He had puffed on his cigar and tapped her cheek lovingly to wake her up from her sulky land.

“Taeyeon, listen to me. I know what’s best for you. Trust me on this. I’ve lived for more than twice your age, and so I know more of this world than you do. You won’t be happy with your choice, believe me. Why do you want to become a social worker is beyond me. Such a career won’t give you enough money. Or enough challenge. It would be a waste of your brilliant mind, honey. How much could it give you? I could give you three even four times that every month. Just name your price. And you have to think about your safety too. The man I hired to protect you wouldn’t be able to do their job well without interfering with your work, you know that. Don’t think too much about your future; I’ll provide for you. Just stay home and help your mom with the social stuff. Who knows, maybe you could find some suitable guy and get married. Or if you want, you could work for me.”

As if frustrated by his lecture, Taeyeon stood up and paced. Stomping her foot for emphasis, she said, “But I don’t want to be in movies, I don’t want to be a debutante either. I don’t want to be married yet. And I don’t want that much money. I don