Chapter 17
'Golden Mary'
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Since Luhan clearly had no idea about the whereabouts of his father and exactly An Kor was up to, he decided to move onto LG’s president, Yun Man. If his father wanted to swallow LG whole that must only mean one thing, that Yun Man was a competition to Samsung Group. Either money wise or the ‘Golden Mary’ wise. And Luhan needed to find out for himself.
After escaping the apartment and from Seohyun’s prying eyes, he was now on the bus heading toward Park Side. As the bus passed by the roads, Luhan could remember himself walking along the streets alone. It had been those days when Seohyun had stopped calling him out, when his father told him he was sending him abroad, that the applications had already been sent and all Luhan needed to do now was pack up his belongings. He didn’t even attend his high school graduation and that was why he’d left the note of apology. By thinking about it, Luhan found it a bit regretful, but he had had no choice. It was better than leaving without telling her anything at all.
What would he do after destroying the ‘Golden Mary’? Luhan didn’t know, he still needed to think about it. Yet, he still wanted to stay and watch out for Seohyun, and befriend Victoria because he still had that feeling that she was doomed to be lonely.
The bus stopped about 15 minutes later and Luhan climbed off. A warm wind swept the field of green grass which had been struggling to grow when he was younger. It looked like a land of hope now that he was finally back. The field had had nothing, but after persevering it’d become such a beautiful sight to behold in one’s eyes.
Luhan turned away and started toward Yun Man’s home. He remembered that the man had looked intimidating through his eyes, but when he spoke to young Luhan, he realized the man had a fatherly aspect with his eyes and smile. And ever since then, Luhan had stopped fearing Yun Man. If his father wanted to swallow up the whole of LG and have it to himself, he needed to know if Yun Man was aware of the ‘Golden Mary’ or if he was like Sook Chin who was too caught up in his own work affairs to notice gossip.
A family of five was currently patrolling the green yards stopping every once in a while to admire wild growing flowers. Luhan paused to stare at them feeling envious of the sight. Not once had his father gone with him and his mother on an outing. He’d taken them to grand resorts, but had always ditched them for his fellow workers. Luhan could only wonder now how his mother had really felt during those days. His mother had always put up a strong front in front of him, it had always been a face full of charming smiles until she had been forced back home. Or perhaps she had left of her own accord. There was no difference because his mother had lost it all in the end too. And Luhan could only hope to make his father regret it.
Continuing on, he started up the path and found the gate separating Yun Man’s home from the other’s open. Confusion swiped his memory when he remembered that that man had never once left it open, not even once.
Stepping pass the gate he started down the path and paused when he saw a police car parked in front of the house. Since he’d already traveled all the way there Luhan decided he’d find out what had happened.
He’d learned from his mother that the home had been brilliantly structured with various rock pieces from Greece giving it its firm structure and stronghold. Its interior designs had been specifically detailed by Yun Man’s wife who had a certificate in interior designing. And overall, the house had cost them billions.
Intricate patterns had been carved into wooden pieces around various rooms in the home and even the furniture had been carefully picked out from foreign companies. The time spent investing in the house sounded like it’d lasted a lifetime for Luhan. Honestly, Luhan wouldn’t bother with making his house so stylish. Even if Victoria and Seohyun’s apartment was a bit rundown, he felt perfectly fine living in such a plain place.
At the front door he saw a few of Yun Man’s security guards in their neat black suits sitting on the neatly imported couches bruised up. One in particular gave Luhan the creeps when he saw the slight red mark around his neck. Other than that, none of them looked to be seriously injured. However, they all looked to be in extreme pain.
He spotted a police officer talking to them and another interviewing the fatherly man, Yun Man. When he noticed Luhan he gave him a slight nod before patting the officer on the shoulder. Once the officer joined the other one to talk to the body guards, Luhan quickly bowed to Yun Man.
“Ah…Luhan,” he greeted with a troubled sigh.
“Sorry for dropping by unannounced,” Luhan apologized.
Yun Man took a gentle grip of his arm and led him outside.
“Did something happen?” Luhan wondered.
“Two women broke into my home last night,” Yun Man told, “hadn’t there been two women who broke into Gi Su’s manor?”
“What?” Luhan asked abruptly turning to look at him surprised.
“I heard you were there the night they stole into his home,” Yun Man explained, “my men were outwitted last night in a simple fight. Do you think they could be the same people?”
Questions slurred his mind.
“I don’t know…”
“Those women didn’t take anything either, nothing was missing when I flew back.”
Luhan raised his eyebrows, “You weren’t home last night?”
Yun Man shook his frail head of graying hair. He was a bit shorter than Luhan in stature, but he was a well rounded man who often fit nicely into the clothes prepared by his wife.
“I had to fly back from America in the middle of the night,” Yun Man told.
“What were you doing there?” Luhan asked. “Did you see my father there?”
“Your father?” he repeated after him. “Oh, yes. He was present at the brand marketing meeting, but I didn’t speak with him. Why?”
Luhan set his troubled mind into a slow set of motion thinking before saying, “Has there been anybody acting strange lately? I know there’s a gossip going around in the business circle about an item of wealth.”
Yun Man’s eyes widened a bit before an expression of stern warning appeared. He glanced back inside toward his body guards and the police before dragging Luhan further down the road.
“How do you know about this?” Yun Man’s tone of kindness had disappeared into a serious kind of fright.
Luhan stared back into the man’s eyes, “That’s why I’m back. Do you know about it? Can you tell me anything about it?”
Yun Man looked away cautiously, “I haven’t heard about it, Luhan. It’s dangerous, don’t look for it.”
“Why?”
“Greed can kill, Luhan,” Yun Man whispered, “they’re all set out to get it and in the process they’re killing each other for that damn key. Who knows what the information the chamber holds, but if it’s used wisely anybody can be blackmailed! Stay out of it! Heed my warning, Luhan!”
Luhan stared into Yun Man’s austere eyes suddenly overwhelmed by the fact that searching for the ‘Golden Mary’ might have just gotten more dangerous.
Yun Man’s grip on Luhan’s arm tightened, “Your father’s after it as well, and I heard that he’s already sent a few men after it. So, stay away from it. Weren’t you studying in China? Go back immediately. They all know you’re Ki Young’s son and they know you’ve been searching for it, so they’re going to be on the lookout for you if they know you’re here in Korea. Once they all realize you’re involved in this game of greed, they’re going to be after you too! Do you understand the danger of it!? Just leave the key alone and go back to China.”
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Donghae had skipped off happily and ran into the auditorium to find his usual friend doing his favorite thing, counting money. Sitting down beside him Donghae wrapped an arm around his neck hugging him close, eyes closed with a dreamy smile.
“I said it, Hyuk!” he screeched.
“Alright, alright! Get off!” Hyukjae shrugged him off.
“Ah!” Donghae let out a loud sigh and dropped back to lay down with his legs dangling over the edge.
“Don’t lie there! It’s dirty!” Hyukjae scolded.
“I think…I’m in love.”
Hyukjae paused and turned around to stare at him as if disgusted with his sudden confession.
“I never felt this way before…”
“Yea, me too. My hands are having an from counting this money.” Hyukjae laughed.
Donghae stared at his back before never minding him. “Victoria…Victoria…”
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Siwon had driven around town for over an hour. Now he didn’t know what to do. There had really been no meeting scheduled and he wasn’t really let off for the day, but he didn’t want to scout out downtown either. There was no doubt he might run into Victoria and Donghae.
He finally parked his car in front of the Han River and got out. Honestly, he wasn’t in the mood to see anyone nor be around anyone. And no, he wasn’t upset nor sad. There were just times he liked being alone and that day was probably one of them.
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Victoria could now not dwell on anything but the fact that Siwon had purposely left her and Donghae alone together. She sighed again for the millionth time that morning. Her body suddenly came to a stop and she lifted her head up from the ground. Wondering why her instincts had suddenly picked up danger she looked around.
There was a cyclist that had just gone by on his silver mountain bike, not dangerous. A few cars had driven by at safe speed, not dangerous. Victoria swerved her eyes around and saw a few people walking alone clutching onto their bags talking into their phones, their faces scrunched up as if in deep discussion. No danger.
With a frown Victoria turned to the front again and took another step before pausing again. In the downtown area where she and Seohyun lived, she’d rarely seen any well dressed persons. Everyone were always in casual street wear, everyone blended in with everyone else. Victoria had come to learn that during her first week stay there, but now, why were there suddenly two men in a nice hundred dollar suits standing in front of the apartment building?
The sunlight reflected off the man bigger in size who was wearing thick black sunglasses. The other, thin, but had a body of a worked out man. They were no doubt two men who worked for someone else, someone who had authority and power, and money. What were they doing there?
Victoria glanced at them one more time before walking forward.
“Hey, wait, Miss!” the thin one called out reaching out for her arm.
Victoria paused and turned to look at them.
“Have you seen this boy here? He’s staying with some friends.” the bigger man flashed Victoria a picture of Luhan, who seemed to be at an event and smiling widely.
Luhan? Why were they looking for him? Victoria wondered if she should reveal it to them that he was staying with her and Seohyun, but then, if Luhan had wanted to find them he would have gone to them himself. Or he would have shown himself. However, the fact that these men gave her a sense of danger could only mean otherwise.
“No.” she replied shaking her head innocently before walking into the apartment.
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“Oh, Victoria, come here,” Seohyun poked her head out of her bedroom when the door opened.
Victoria walked into her room and followed her to her desk.
“I started looking up Yoo Yong Sun,” Seohyun started gesturing Victoria’s attention toward her laptop.
“Not right now,” Victoria said.
Seohyun started to frown but Victoria grabbed her arm and dragged her to the kitchen.
“Those men out there,” Victoria pointed to two men dressed in suits outside, “are they friends of Luhan? Do you know them?”
Confusion seeped into Seohyun’s brain. Why would Victoria be curious about such things? Shaking her curiosity off she did what Victoria wanted her to do and observed the two outside. No matter how hard she looked, those two men were unrecognizable in her eyes.
“No,” Seohyun shook her head stepping away from the window and turned to Victoria. “Why?”
Victoria pressed her lips together as she fell into thought before saying, “They’re asking about Luhan.”
“What?”
People looking for Luhan? Seohyun hadn’t been aware of such things.
“Then we should go tell them he’s here.” Seohyun suggested.
“No,” Victoria stopped her.
Seohyun raised an eyebrow more curious about why Victoria seemed protective of Luhan.
“There’s something about them,” Victoria tried explaining, “it’s this feeling that they’re dangerous. This alarm system built into your brain…” she waved her hands around her head as if confused with her own explanation, “you won’t understand till you see them yourself. And it’s not good.”
Seohyun could only frown again.
“If Luhan wanted to be found, he would have gone to them himself, don’t you think?” Victoria pointed out.
Seohyun figured she had a point.
“Then…what do you want to do about it?” Seohyun asked.
Victoria’s eyes sparkled when she glanced at her as if she’d been waiting for her to say those words.
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The two men stood restlessly in the front of the apartment building, sighing, groaning over and over again.
“Are they sure he’s really here?” the bigger man questioned doubting what they’d been told.
“He must be!” the thinner one believed. “They’ve seen him coming in and out of this building the last few days.”
“What if he’s not staying here but visiting someone here?”
“Can’t be…”
They grunted and stood around waiting for passersby to come by.
“Excuse me,” the two of them turned around to see the young woman with long hair from earlier, “you said you were looking for someone, right?”
“Oh, yes, right! This boy,” the bigger man held out Luhan’s picture again.
“I know where he is.” she said.
The two men exchanged glances.
“You go, I’ll stay here.” the thin man yawned.
The bigger man made a face at him before turning to the woman, “Then can you take me to him, Miss?”
She smiled at him and led him down the street. The thin man watched them go and turned around crossing his arms behind his head for another yawn. Finally, their job was coming to a nice end. While scratching his back he tilted his head up to look at the apartment building. It was 10 floors at least and he was too lazy to actually go from door to door asking for Luhan.
“What!? What the hell are you doing all the way over there, Luhan!?” a young woman started to walk pass the thin man in the opposite direction where his partner had gone.
“Hmm?” the thin man frowned before he glanced around to see that no one was looking his way.
Quietly sticking his hands into his pockets to look as casual as possible he followed her down the sidewalk. In no time he found himself walking down a secluded alley away from the sight of anyone. No fear whatsoever seemed to cross his mind. Perhaps this young woman was going to meet Luhan in some secluded place, he thought. That was before she came to a stop and slid her phone into her pocket. The thin man stared wondering what had just happened before she turned around and kicked him in the chest.
***So people are after Luhan hmm...
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