Chapter 7
'Golden Mary'
“Forget about that,” Hyukjae said sticking his money into his pocket, “what are you going to do about the ‘Golden Mary’? You said you were going to go after it.”
“Ah…I did say that, didn’t I?” Donghae asked. “But I don’t know where it is.”
“Why don’t you just follow the people you heard it from? They’re still around, aren’t they?” Hyukjae suggested.
He and Donghae turned to look at each other without a word.
\ \ \ \ \
“South Korea’s Web Packaging assets increases by thousands over a two-day business inquiry,” Seohyun read aloud as she scrolled down the ‘Breaking News’ column of articles.
She leaned forward onto her desk, chin in her palm. Thirsty she reached for her cup of water and gulped the rest of it down before leaning back in her chair. It was no good. She’d spent more than half the day in her room researching whatever she could for her and Victoria’s sake, but she hadn’t found anything. At this rate, they would have to keep going down the list Kangta had sent them through email. They’d been without luck so far and they’d only been able to infiltrate two houses unsuccessfully.
Seohyun turned around to glance out her door. That was right. Luhan had grown up in a luxurious household that she had been forbidden to visit. His father owned a large business that she didn’t even know the name of and even Luhan didn’t like talking about it. She only knew that it dealt with exporting stuff abroad and involved many business trades. Ever since young Seohyun disliked dealing with business-inventory things etc. The talks, the meetings, the presentations, all of it bored her. There had been one time when she’d walked with Luhan to the front gate of his house and she’d run into his mother then. A kind woman she was.
Of course, if Luhan’s family was so big he must know some of the biggest business tyrants. Why hadn’t it occurred to Seohyun to ask him in the first place? She felt so dumb all of a sudden before lugging herself up to her feet. Trailing down the short hallway she stopped by the door and glanced into the closet sized living room. Luhan was currently listening to his mp3 while shaking his foot about eating away at something Seohyun assumed Victoria had bought him. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes wondering why Victoria even bothered to spoil him.
“Yah,” Seohyun started.
Luhan continued shaking his foot unaware of her presence. Seohyun groaned wondering why she even bothered with him and slammed her fist against the wall. When Luhan turned to look at her she reached a hand out to pull out his earphone.
“Ah…ow!” he cried putting a hand up to his ear. “That hurt!”
“It wouldn’t have hurt if you were listening,” Seohyun shot back. “Turn your music off, I need to talk to you.”
He scowled at her before obeying.
After setting aside his mp3 he turned to look at her, “What?”
“Since your father’s a businessman, that means you should have met some of the biggest business owners, right?” Seohyun leaned against the frame of the door crossing her arms over her flannel shirt.
Luhan shrugged.
Seohyun rolled her eyes, “Name a few of them.”
“Why?”
“I’m telling you to give me a few names.” she said almost gritting her teeth.
She had to say, even though her’s and Victoria’s personalities were a bit different there was one thing they had in common, the way they controlled their tempers. They just tended to unleash it to its max when they felt it rising inside. Maybe that was what helped them cooperate as a team.
Luhan frowned at her unable to understand why she was getting angry, “There’s the chaebol of SK Group, Gi Su, Yun Man of LG - you know the phone series.”
Seohyun shot him a glare.
Luhan cleared his throat and went on now laying on the couch as if he owned it, “Lee Sook Chin is my father’s best friend who owns the Lotte Shops, Yoo Yong Sun who leads Hyundai Steel. Oh and the big guy, Cha Tae Sung, who is now president of Kyobo Life the mega million insurance company. They’re really scary people since they’re such big conglomerates.” Luhan shook his head as if speaking to himself before turning back to her, “Do you need me to name more?”
Seohyun narrowed her eyes at him and decided against needing more. It might make her look strange since she’d just asked out of nowhere.
“Never mind, you weren’t any help,” Seohyun said before turning away but as she trailed down the hallway she tried to remember the big names that had slipped out of his mouth.
Seohyun paused by her bedroom to grab a piece of paper and scribble down what she could remember before hurrying into Victoria’s room. Again, Victoria was listening to some weird spunky music she’d found on YouTube. Shaking her head, Seohyun walked over to pause the music and sat down on Victoria’s bed with the sheet of paper in hand.
“What,” Victoria asked turning to look at her.
Seohyun turned to look at the open door before getting up to close it before returning.
“Instead of randomly going through the list Kangta sent, I got a few names of the big business tycoons,” Seohyun said handing Victoria the paper, “Luhan shared some with me.”
“Luhan?” Victoria repeated before looking at the list.
“His father’s also a big businessman,” Seohyun reminded, “he would have often met with some and Luhan would have most likely been present when they were around. He’s met them for sure or heard of them at least.”
“Well of course there’s plenty of them,” Victoria agreed blankly.
“We should start by picking a few of the bigger ones. Then go along the list. It’s the more powerful men who would have taken the key.”
“Does Luhan’s father count as one of those powerful men?” Victoria raised an eyebrow to look at her.
Seohyun hesitated before straightening her back, “Well…I’m sure he’s not as big…”
But she’s never been allowed their luxurious house of a billion bucks. And Luhan had never shared the name of his father’s company with her… Seohyun now felt uneasy for some reason.
Victoria crossed her legs, “If Luhan’s father is one of those big people, you wouldn’t have a problem breaking into their home, would you?”
Seohyun felt fall open to reason with Victoria but nothing came.
“Well…I have never been in their home before.”
“Fine,” Victoria leaned back in her chair, “we’ll start with these names you have. We’re not going to break in as usual. This time, we’re going to be much more practical.”
Seohyun waited for Victoria go to on.
“We’ll start with Gi Su of the SK Group,” Victoria started opening up a new tab on her laptop and typed in some things. Seohyun watched as Victoria move the computer over so she could better see. “Business area: telecom, energy, trade and construction. They’re currently the third largest in Korea. But first, we’re going to need to find out where this Gi Su lives, how many family members he has, when his people leave the house and return. We need to take note of these things to be more careful. If we’re reckless and we ruin something, our chance goes out the window just like that.”
Victoria bit her bottom lip still confused about why the officer Lee Donghae who had mysteriously appeared in Hong Chong Il’s home that night did not report her.
“And don’t trust anyone.” Victoria shot a stare right into Seohyun’s eyes.
“Of course,” Seohyun agreed. “We’re going to need to take advantage of where his house is located after all if we want the ‘Golden Mary’. Don’t worry, I’ll look into it.”
Seohyun got up to return to her room.
\ \ \ \ \
Finally on his day off the perfect weather had been forecasted with a shower. Inside the coffee shop sat Choi Siwon sipping at his cup of coffee, a plate of a half eaten cake sitting untouched beside his hand. He loved people watching. To just sit and stare out the window glancing at each and every one who went by. It might make him look weird, but helped set his mind at peace, at least until he was called in. He hoped that day that they wouldn’t call him in on his only day off.
Apparently on his only day off the sun had decided to hide itself away from him. Now on this gloomy day he didn’t know what to do. Staying alone inside his cramped apartment would only bore him to no end. His ears stretched themselves toward the sleepy jazz music playing overhead, the coffee shop particularly empty.
He hadn’t so far as succeeded in capturing any sort of criminals. Only small time thieves who were children, amateurs. And that man he was supposed to be on the lookout for, he hadn’t found him. There hadn’t been any robbery reports the past few days as well which Siwon deemed as a good thing but he couldn’t be quite sure about that assumption.
Leaning back in the heavy metal chair he crossed his legs, clasped his hands together, and closed his eyes for a few seconds before he opened them again. That was right, he hadn’t been very bored the past few days with the exception of the girls he’d been seeing around. There was something about them that was interesting.
A small smile cradled his lips and he turned to look out the window to see a familiar figure sit down at the bench by the rest stop out front. From his angle he could only view her back. Siwon stared at her a bit more hoping that maybe she’d turn around so he could see her face but she never did turn. He found himself moving his head from side to side to find a slight better angle to look at her from, but he paused when she dropped her phone onto the ground. When she turned to pick it up she slightly turned around and caught his eyes. Afraid that he might seem strange for having watched her he nodded with a small wave. A smile just as well played across her lips and she waved back.
That was when he decided to leave the coffee shop. When he stepped outside she was still sitting on the bench. A smile unknowingly passed across his lips relieved that she was still there. She seemed kind and all and all she was pretty as well. Something about her seemed mysteriously alluring. He assumed that was what attracted him.
“Hi,” he paused beside the bench.
She turned to look at him before standing with a bow, “Ah…hello.”
Siwon turned to glance up into the sky, “It looks like it’s going to rain. Are you taking a walk around?”
“Uh…I guess you could say that.” she replied somewhat hesitantly.
“Vic…Vic, right?” he asked.
“It’s Victoria.” she smiled in reply.
“Ah…sorry,” he apologized.
He glanced up at the sky when he felt a raindrop.
“Did you feel that?” he asked. “A raindrop.”
Victoria turned to look up at the sky too before it started drizzling.
“There’s a telephone booth nearby, we could take cover there for a bit,” he abruptly suggested.
Victoria stared back at him as if taken aback by his suggestion. When she made no movement Siwon apologized before taking her by the wrist and led her to the telephone booth nearby. Once the door slid close, he glanced out at the umbrella-less people running all over for cover. All he could hear during those few slight seconds were the raindrops pounding against the window.
The air suddenly became stuffy with embarrassment and shyness when Siwon realized they were squeezed into the small space the telephone booth could only offer. He was so sure Victoria felt uncomfortable pressed against him when they slightly caught each other’s eyes before looking away. Siwon gulped wondering why he’d even bothered suggesting the telephone booth.
They were close, so close that Siwon could feel his own heart thudding fast against his chest. Their faces brushed against each other and he felt a slight lump in his throat when their lips nearly met. Oh, what was this? It felt as if a stream of movement had suddenly possessed them.
Anxiety and nervousness locked themselves up inside him. For a moment he couldn’t tell whether he had initiated it or whether Victoria had done it. He suddenly felt so childish that he had to wonder if it was really him there or not.
Victoria suddenly pulled herself away, her lips trailing away from the presence of his.
“S…sorry,” she quickly apologized before budging her way out.
The telephone booth door slid open loudly and he could hear Victoria’s footsteps as she darted down the sidewalk through the rain. He stood there lost and confused during that second before hurrying after her. Victoria wasn’t that far away when he caught up and grabbing her arm he led her toward a bakery. There they hid underneath the drooping roof hidden away from the rain.
He glanced at her to see that she was almost soaked from the rain. Siwon bit his lip unsure of what to say and how to start a conversation. Their shoulders brushed when he clasped his hands in front of him. Each rain drop echoed as they fell down causing the streets to empty immediately of the passersby. It felt like listening to a quiet lullaby in the near distance, the rain marking the start of new friendships.
“Can I have your number?” he asked hesitantly turning to look at her. “I mean…if you don’t mind.”
Victoria glanced at him shyly, her face a light pink as she stuttered, “Oh…uh…y…yea…su…sure.”
And again, another smile of relief passed over his face.
\ \ \ \ \
“Aish! What is this!?” Seohyun screamed before dashing through puddles and entered a random shop.
She patted at her new clothes to wipe off the dew and looked around. A thousand bookshelves crammed together with books stacked on top of one another in boxes on the ground appeared before her. Seohyun guessed she’d entered a bookstore by chance and took a step forward in awe. For some reason, she felt so sorry seeing the books in the conditions they were in. Well, she assumed, there was no choice but to leave them be since the store seemed kind of small.
Seohyun glanced around to see some people moving around and others in front of bookshelves reading through a book they’d found interesting. She loved books herself, but her current job didn’t allow her any time to enjoy any sincerely. If possible she’d transport all these shelves to her luxurious home and bind them in new covers. Books had always been the most precious things to her and had become even more so after her parents’ divorce. Seohyun knew she wouldn’t have survived it if she couldn’t have spent her time in another world locked away in the depths of a book. Traveling new worlds in her room were the most spectacular feelings she’d experienced yet. And they had been the only things to console her after Luhan, her best friend, had left, and her parents’ divorce.
Anyway, she didn’t really have any time for books anymore with her government job after all. She didn’t mind though, she loved the money she received from fulfilling her job.
Seohyun walked over to a corner where she found a window and glanced outside at the horrible streets which were now drenched in rain. There was one thing she detested most: rain. Turning away from the window, her eyes landed upon a young man sitting on the empty floor flipping through a large book. Seohyun ran her eyes over his sturdy and handsome face before turning away when he caught her staring. Clearing Seohyun turned to walk away but paused when he talked.
“Excuse me,” she heard him rise up to his feet slowly.
Seohyun turned around to look at him. He didn’t seem much taller than her, but she decided he was really good looking. He seemed like he worked out often because of the way his muscles protruded through his neat polo. Realizing that she was staring again she focused her eyes on his face again.
“Yes?” she said.
“You’re Victoria’s friend, right?”
Seohyun felt her eyebrow twitch and rise in surprise, “And who are you?”
“Lee Donghae,” he confidently answered.
Seohyun slightly turned her head while observing him. She couldn’t tell whether he was suspicious or not. His name sounded familiar but she couldn’t quite recall where she’d heard it.
“We met the other day downtown,” Donghae told since it really wasn’t a lie anyway, “she says she’s in town for some business.”
Seohyun frowned at him. He was getting suspicious now. How’d he know they were there for some business?
“I was with my friend, Siwon, we were doing a round downtown,” Donghae said, “when we ran into Victoria.”
At the mention of Siwon Seohyun felt all else fall from her mind.
“Choi Siwon?” Seohyun questioned.
“The officer, Choi Siwon.” Donghae nodded.
Seohyun felt herself fall into a moment of daze before shaking her head. She needed to get back on track. Now wasn’t the time to play out a love story. Victoria would get mad if she knew she was getting sidetracked by a simple man. Seohyun quickly reminded herself of the job at hand.
“Oh, and what about it?” Seohyun wondered.
“Just wondering, as a friend, what kind of job you two are here for,” Donghae said.
Seohyun stared at him and debated about what to say. Actually, there was really no harm in telling him what they were told to say. They’d been given authentic IDs just for the job and it was the government’s job to protect them from being found out. The rest just laid in their hands.
“We’re here to research on business leaders specifically in this area,” Seohyun explained. “That’s pretty much it.”
She felt him look her over as if processing his own thoughts inside his mind before he flashed her a smile.
“Is that so?” he asked before turning to look out the window. “Since the rain has died down, I’m going to head back. Do you want a ride?”
“No, I’m fine.” Seohyun said.
Questions about him flooded her mind as she trekked back to the apartment. When she walked in she found Victoria eating away at some goodies in the kitchen. Seohyun silently walked over and sat down at the table resting an arm around the chair before turning to look back at Victoria who was standing by the counter.
“Victoria,” Seohyun started, “you know a Lee Donghae?”
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