Author's Notes: So...another treat: two chapters in a week, hehehe. Though maybe this chapter serves more as a transitional chapter before we move to the next arc, don't expect much of it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this peace before we get to more drama in the next two chapters. ^^

Chapter 26

[The Thin Ice]

Caffeine did not normally appeal her, but lately, Jessica depended on it too much.

She was spending her morning in one of Cheongdamdong Shopping District’s café, a cup of hot espresso placed on the table behind her. Hankyung, who was becoming Jessica’s shadow lately, reserved the seat from the table behind her and Jessica had long tried to dismiss the unease her bodyguard always caused her.

The door of the café was swung open and Hankyung tensed momentarily upon seeing a young man with messy dark hair approached his mistress. The bodyguard slowly calmed down when his mistress acknowledged the new comer and even allowed him to sit in front of her.

“I hope you don’t mind me to sit here,” Kim Kibum said as he pulled his chair closer to the table that separated him with Jessica.

“Will you go if I say I do mind?” Jessica asked.

Kibum grinned. “Probably not. This is my usual seat anyway. We can pretend not to know each other if you want me to.”

Jessica scrutinized the man. Kibum wore dark sweater that was slightly too dirty for her taste –or for the great Kim family’s standard. His presence and aura, however, was something that dirty sweater could not even conceal. Numerous young ladies around them already giggled in mirth as they used their hawk eyes to study Kibum better. A waiter came to him to confirm whether he would like his black coffee like usual. Kibum nodded and the waiter walked away.

They did not even talk until Kibum’s black coffee came to the table.

Stirring a teaspoon in the dark liquid, Kibum then began, “Are you alright? I heard you fainted in the last meeting.”

“I’m fine,” Jessica muttered quickly. Fainting did seem like a weak thing to do, and Jessica was not exactly comfortable talking about it.

Another silence ensued. Jessica and Kibum sipped their drink at the same time.

“Back then… did you think it would get this far?” Jessica asked as she laid her cup on the table.

Kibum cringed, something to do with the heat of his coffee. He stuck his tongue out a little in the attempt to cool the burned sensation. Jessica raised her perfect eyebrow at his display of behavior.

“It?” Kibum asked back.

“You know,” Jessica shrugged. “Der Märchenclub… Back then… when you told me things would get irrational… did you even think it would get to this extent?”

Kibum took a sip of his coffee before he replied, “I didn’t expect that it would go to the extent of death. I only thought that people would battle for the sake of fame and authority. I didn’t expect lives would be at stake.”

Jessica leaned back to her chair and let her gaze wondered to the people passing by in the busy Cheongdamdong area. A group of school girls (why they were not in school, was not Jessica’s concern) laughed happily, an old couple held each other’s hands and were absorbed in their little world, numerous men in working attire rushed to different direction, all seemed to be busy with either their cell phone, their tablet computer, or papers.

Seoul remained normal for other people.

Jessica had never felt that envious to Seoul’s society.

She returned her attention back to her drink and softly spoke, “Der Märchenclub really changes our lives, huh? If only we were normal people in normal families, we would be one of those smiling people…”

“Can’t imagine the picture of you smiling in the street, but yeah. Got your point,” noted Kibum.

“So many things have been taken away from us…” Jessica muttered. “Friends’ lives, serenity, sanity… Der Märchenclub does not only rip lives off, it also brings the worst out of people…”

Kibum deliberated at Jessica’s words. “The worst?”

Jessica sighed. “Just like how Kwon Yuri betrayed her best friend. Probably we would go to the extent of killing each other for the sake of protecting our lives…”

“It’s awful, yes,” Kibum agreed. “But it’s normal.”

Her eyes narrowed at Kibum’s word. “Normal?”

“It’s a basic human’s instinct. It’s self defense mechanism that we all have in ourselves. It’s a selfish world we’re living in, Jessica. It’s not a new story or anything. In the end, people would only care for themselves.”

“To the point of killing the other?”

“Possibly.”

Out of mild curiosity, Jessica asked, “Will you kill me one day, Kim Kibum?”

Kibum softly smiled at her inquiry. “I’m sure you know the answer, Jessica. I’ll do the exact same thing that people do, that you will do, if my life is threatened.”

Jessica let out a dark chuckle escaped her lips. “It’s an insane world.”

“And we are all insane people.”

She weakly nodded and their conversation stopped there. Jessica gazed at her cooling espresso without interest while Kibum only stirred his own black coffee calmly. The silence continued until Jessica’s phone suddenly rang.

Exhaling a sigh, Jessica grabbed her phone and glanced at the caller id.

Donghae.

She picked it up but before she could mutter a single word, Donghae’s panicked voice already resonated through the device.

“Jessica. Is Yoona with you?”

She frowned. “No. I’m not with her.”

A desperate exhale of breath was heard from the other line. “Do you know where could she possibly be?”

Her frown deepened. “No… She doesn’t have any photo shoot schedule today?”

“No,” curtly answered Donghae. “S-she is not at her house, she is not at her work place. Her parents, maids, and even bodyguards do not know of her whereabouts and…and I’ve asked several people but nobody sees her…”

Jessica’s grip on the phone tightened. “Perhaps… she’s running away again?”

Donghae sounded distressed. “First I thought so too… But her wallet and cell phone are still in her room. She’s just…gone. Without any trace. Like that…If anything happens to her…I-I…”

“Where are you now?”

“I’m with Heechul Hyung and we’re on our way to Sungmin’s office.”

“I’ll go there too,” Jessica announced. Before Donghae could mutter a word of protest, Jessica ended the call.

Kibum glanced at Jessica. “What is it?”

“Yoona,” said Jessica quickly as she took out her purse and slammed an amount of bill to the table. “She’s missing again. I’m going to the police office to meet Donghae.”

“I’ll come with you,” Kibum decided.

Jessica did not have any reason to refuse, so she let him.

Jessica crossed her arms in front of her chest as she watched Sungmin studied the documents Donghae had given him. Donghae, Heechul, Kibum, Sungmin, and her were gathered together in Sungmin’s private office room.

“This man has definitely targeted Yoona for a while,” commented Sungmin as he carefully examined the candid photograps of Im Yoona, the threatening letter, and the white feather. “I’ll get my men to compare these with the documents from Im Yoona’s previous stalker. We’ll find out soon whether the culprit is the same.”

“Work fast this time, Sungmin-sshi,” coldly muttered Heechul. “That white feather… if anything happens to Im Yoona, I swear you’ll be the first person to taste my fist.”

“Hyung…” Kibum murmured as he laid his hand on Heechul’s shoulders. Heechul roughly shoved his younger cousin’s hand away. Heechul was still not in his best term with Kibum, especially after the ‘betrayal’ Kibum dared to do to the Kim.

“You don’t need to threaten me that way, Heechul-sshi,” warned Sungmin. He already had enough of all these disrespect towards him. The hell if he was challenging one of Seoul’s richest heirs. “I’ll still work and use my best capabilities to find Im Yoona. You’ve called all people Im Yoona could possibly be with?” he asked Donghae.

The referred guy nodded.

Sungmin nodded back. “Fine. Please let us handle the case. You can all go back now. I’ll immediately call you if there’s new development of the case.”