Going back into the warehouse, Jeong-su paced the length of the dimly lit warehouse, his boots thudding against the concrete floor. He clutched a handgun in his right hand, his fingers tapping restlessly against the grip. There was really nothing to do at the moment but wait. However, his restless nature prevented him from simply idling by in a corner of the warehouse. He strolled around the warehouse tossing his phone up in the air like it was a coin.

He was waiting for something.

Waiting for a call.

Soojin was still in the locked room. Despite her not being bound or gagged in any way, she was still afraid whenever a pair of footsteps would get close to the door. The more her heart would race if she had not yet heard the footsteps go away, for it meant that whoever was outside was staying there. She had been trapped in this warehouse for what felt like weeks already, her captor giving her enough food and water to keep her alive and comfortable. She even had a couple of books slid in every day after dinner time; to keep her occupied, there was even a television set playing a broadcast of a popular soap opera, albeit unknown to Soojin. These gestures were no doubt at the instruction of her father.

Bored, she decided to read one of the books, a book by Charles Dickens. Picking it up, she sat up on her bed and began to read while the television droned on, providing background noise for her reading. It helped drown out the footsteps, allowing her to read with a slight semblance of comfort.

If she could call it comfort that is.

At the other side of the warehouse, a phone buzzed. At an instant, its holder lifted the device to his ear. It was the call that he had been waiting for days.

“We’re nearly ready. We’ll be on station tomorrow night.” The voice, garbled and undistinguishable from the other end, spoke into his ear.

Jeong-su was irritated. He had expected to have the transport out of the country ready by tonight. Soojin needed to be spirited out of the country, fast. The police and his brother’s ex-wife are getting too close for his comfort. However, progress was progress.

“Alright. Make sure you’ll be there at the rendezvous point.” Jeong-su said with as much calmness and neutrality that his voice could muster.

“7 in the evening, near Busan docks.” The voice said and clicked the call off.

Shoving the phone in his pocket, Jeong-su ran his fingers through his graying and matted hair and breathed deep. One more day, he thought. One more day and they would be on the barge headed for Vladivostok, Russia. He had planned to sell Soojin off into the human trafficking rings around that region. But before that, he had to fake her death so that his idiot twin brother would be none the wiser.

For that, he pulled his phone out once more and started dialing.

Yeojin sat at her computer, watching the waves for any calls that are originating from the area of the warehouse that Hyejoo unnie had called in earlier. She was intently watching, waiting to see if phone calls were made using the numbers that had made contact with them before

her fingers flying over the keyboard as she worked to trace the signal of the phone call she had intercepted earlier. She had been hired by Sooyoung and Jinsol, two wealthy businesswomen who had been frantically searching for their friend, Soojin, who had been kidnapped by the notorious criminal, Jeong-su.

Ping!

An audible tone beeped within Yeojin’s headset. Instantly, she sprang to action, entering several commands in a blur in an effort to triangulate the location. Yeojin's heart raced as she finally zeroed in on the location of the signal. It was coming from an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

Getting up, she quickly relayed the information to Sooyoung and Jinsol, who wasted no time in coordinating a raid with the police and their personal bodyguards. They knew that time was of the essence if they were going to save Soojin.

“I found where Jeong-su is!” Yeojin said as she burst into the conference room where Jinsol, Jungeun, Haseul, and Lieutenant Colonel Shin were conferring amongst each other.

Hearing this, Haseul practically leapt out of her chair. Yeojin quickly showed them her laptop’s screen, where a red dot was beeping intermittently, showing an approximate location of Jeong-su and hopefully Soojin.

Jinsol sat nervously in the back of the car as it sped towards the address that Yeojin had given. This was where the captors had taken Soojin, or so they presumed. Her heart was racing as she thought about what lay ahead, the possibility of rescue, or even death. She knew that her only hope hang on the shoulders of her bodyguards and the police, who were currently gearing up for a daring rescue mission.

In the adjacent armory, Jinsol's bodyguards were busy preparing for the operation. They moved quickly and efficiently, checking their weapons and equipment as they prepared for the mission ahead. The police SWAT operators were also gearing up from their base as they spoke.

The team leader Dae-woo, a grizzled veteran with years of experience in special operations, called out orders as he prepared to brief the team. "Alright everyone, listen up. We've got a tough job ahead of us. Our target is a warehouse near the docks, this is where Soojin is supposedly being held captive. Our objective is to get in, neutralize the enemy, and extract Miss Lee. We're going in hard and fast, so be prepared for anything."

“Do not leave anyone alive that is not Miss Lee.” Dae-woo said with steely determination.

The bodyguards nodded in agreement, their faces grim and determined. They knew that the mission would be dangerous, but they were ready to do whatever it took to save their charge. As the team geared up and loaded into their vehicles, the tension in the air was palpable. Soojin’s safety was at stake, and the bodyguards were determined to do everything in their power to ensure her rescue.

The SUV carrying Jinsol and her bodyguards sped down the highway, the sound of the engine drowned out by the tense silence that had settled over the vehicle. Jinsol sat in the backseat, her hands clasped tightly together as she tried to ignore the pit of fear that was growing in her stomach.

One of the bodyguards turned to her, his face grim. "Jinsol, we need you to stay calm. We're going to get Miss Lee out of here, but we need you to be ready for anything."

Jinsol nodded, her eyes locked on the road ahead. She knew that the bodyguards were the best in the business, but the thought of what lay ahead was still terrifying.

Dae-woo, turned to the bodyguard next to him. "I want you to keep an eye on the north side of the warehouse. They could have snipers up there, and we don't want to get caught off guard."

The bodyguard nodded, his eyes scanning the surrounding buildings as they approached their destination. "Copy that, I've got it covered."

As they neared the warehouse, the tension in the air grew thicker. Jinsol could feel her heart pounding in her chest as they pulled into the parking lot, the sound of gunfire echoing in the distance. Sooyoung’s men had already arrived and from the flickering blue and red lights, it looks like the police had arrived as well.

The team leader turned to the bodyguards. "Alright, this is it. We don't know what we're walking into, so be prepared for anything. We need to move quickly but stay sharp."

The bodyguards nodded; their eyes steely as they prepared to spring into action. They knew that the firefight that was about to happen could be one of the toughest battles they'd ever faced, but they were ready to fight until the bitter end.

Jinsol closed her eyes and took a deep breath, steeling herself for the fight that lay ahead. She knew that her bodyguards would do everything in their power to keep her safe, but the fear still lingered in the back of her mind. All she could do was trust in the skills and dedication of the te