The woman's crimson lips let out a slight chuckle, pursing as she took a long drag on her cigarette. "Did you get her?" The man cringed from the seemingly casual question, shivering from the hidden poison that dripped from her tongue.

"No..she..got away."

The woman laughed aloud this time. "How did she get away? You sent your best man after her right? She isn't a martial artist nor is she a magician. Find her, and bring her to me if you still want the money. If not, starve on the streets with your children." The woman leaned back and let out a blood-curdling laugh, sending shivers down the man's spine. 

As the man shuffled from the room, she leaned back and slumped deep into the comfortable couch. The smell of alcohol permeated into  every inch of the room and clung to her clothing. Why do I do this? Then the overpowering urge to find some sort of ecstatic high hit her, driving her to her bedroom.

The fine powder lay under her bed, packs upon packs to quench her sporadic cravings. As she lit the joint, in the nanosecond prior to inhaling the sinful smoke, her conscience screamed and her life flashed before her. A life with a daughter as well as a son. Where is my daughter now? Is she well? Is she doing okay? But before her brain could fully process such wistful thoughts as regrets, she breathed in.  

Her thoughts swirled to a sudden stop and she was sent into the clouds, away from her painful reality. This was why she did this. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Kris rushed to the promised meeting point, the nearby park. It was night now and the stars glimmered with hope, This better be a good omen. Kris hoped that nothing had happened to her. This girl had some serious problems with luck.

The warm summer air contrasted sharply with the snow in which he had first met Seohyun. Everything was different, the time, the place, the landscape, and even the situation. 

He neared an old tree, and sat on the park bench, staring off at the path. He waited for someone to appear, for someone to come up and demand money. But nothing happened. There was nobody approaching him, nor did it seem like someone would. 

After a good half hour after the appointed time, the agitated Kris set off down the path, cutting into the brush a bit. He was drawn to the the mysterious quietness of the forest. The smell of summer lingered here, bringing to him waves of calm, clearing his mind. He strolled among the trees, looking through the branches as the stars peeked through the leaves. The soft sound his feet made as they crossed through the grass soothed him. 

But his calming stroll was cut short as he saw a figure laying among the bushes. The figure seemed to be in an awkward position, making Kris unsure if it was dead or merely sleeping. His footfalls softened to mere pats upon dense grass as he approached. 

However, his care dissipated the moment he came within a few feet of the figure. His heart had not misled him, and his eyes had not betrayed him. The dark curls that looked like shadows in the night were hers. The slender fingers that had seemed like awkward twigs were hers. The rising and falling of her chest that had seemed to be merely apparitions of night were real. She was Seohyun, and she was alive. 

He almost cried out in joy and ran madly towards the sleeping figure. Wild with joy and relief, he carelessly grabbed her arms and hugged her, taking in her vanilla sunshine scent, now with a hint of forest. 

As he scooped her up into his arms, his thoughts quickly warped back towards the text. It's words resonated still. Were those words merely a message to help him or were they actually a threat? He didn't know. But he had Seohyun. And, at that moment, that was all that mattered. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Seohyun awoke once again to the comfort of soft sheets and the crisp smell of new laundry. I'm back at Kris' place? She wandered out into the living room, and it was like a deja vu. As if the past day had never happened, and that she had never been running for her life. The sleeping Kris on the couch comforted her and made her lose sense of time with all the emotions she felt around him. 

She smiled to herself. Thank the Lord that I have him. Thank the world for giving me him. I wouldn't mind waking up like this everyday, feeling like I have all the time in the world everyday, feeling safe everyday. I wouldn't mind at all. Seohyun suddenly snapped herself out of her thoughts. Don't be ridiculous. He is a friend. 

She strolled back to the bedroom and realized, she had no clothes of her own. Nor did she have any belongings. She would discuss this issue with Kris over breakfast. 

However, there was no perfect chance to bring up the topic, as the moment Kris awoke, he flew. He flew into the bathroom and then about the house getting ready for work. He ate breakfast hurriedly, finishing the eggs and saving the toast for the car ride. Right as he left, she brought up the issue and received a quick nod. As he shut the door, she heard him say, "You can live with me, I'll pick up your things after work." Before Seohyun could respond, he had left. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The Kim couple visited Kris' office again and since the last time, their conversations had become much more casual. Their discussions easily diverged from business. Luckily, there was not much left to be done that week. Kris listened to the Kims intently, the stories about their younger days intrigued him immensely. Somehow, the two were quite understanding of Kris' not turning up to dinner. His explanation was quite lousy, using an excuse that his dog had died. 

However, his curiosity of their past slipped through as he asked of their earlier work experiences in China. The couple quieted for a second, "We saved children."

Kris was puzzled. "So, like doctors?"

The couple chuckled, "Not exactly. We were more law focused."

Now Kris was hopelessly lost, "The law side? As in the police?"

The two simply nodded, neither affirming nor denying his assumption. "So how about dinner Kris? Tonight?" Kris nodded fervently. He was definitely coming tonight. 

Rushing home, Kris practically ran into Seohyun. "Dinner. Tonight. On me."

"What?" The puzzled looked on her face equated confusion.

"Dinner. Tonight. Let's do this thing." After the words left his lips, he wanted to bang his head against a wall. I need to stop trying so damn hard to be cool. This isn't working. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Seohyun seated herself at the dining tabled after the initial greetings and introductions. The older couple emanated warmth and a sense of home. They made her feel like family, and she felt like she belonged. It was as if her own family was with her. 

After the initial millisecond of silence after she had introduced herself, everything went smoothly. However, that one moment of insecurity remained etched in her mind. The shock in the couple's eyes had been visible and now, after almost two hours of dining together, she felt impossibly attached to the pair. 

There were various times in the conversation where Seohyun would catch the eye of Mr. Kim, eyes full of masked despair. Why do those eyes seem to see me as someone else? She saw the same weathered emotions in Mrs.Kim's eyes. The turbulent feelings that began to stir in her heart perturbed her. This is the first time I've seen them right? Mrs. Kim's eyes were filled with maternal pain, something Seohyun could not understand. But she could see it, since it was the same thing she had once seen in her own mother's eyes. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The woman lay on the ground, panting heavily as she held onto her bruised arm. "Mrs.Wu, your payment is way overdue."

The woman gasped, "Don't call me by that wretched name. I no longer have any affiliation to that man."

The gentleman snickered and bent down to eye level. "I don't care. Where is your payment for last month's package? I got you the best sample, and looking at your state, I'm guessing you have already tried it as well." 

The woman shivered, but in her mind, she laughed. She laughed at how this situation paralleled a similar one that occurred earlier today. However, this time she was the one on the ground, cowering in fear.

"I am working on the last delivery. I'll have your money by the end of this month." The splatter of blood about her scarlet lips had dried and she slowly rose to her feet as the man walked away.

"You better have it. Or I'll kill you." 

The words left his mouth quite easily, as if they had been worn out from overuse. This was no false threat. She could not fail this time. Seohyun had to be captured. The prize for that girl was enough to pay her debts off completely. She didn't know exactly what Seohyun was to her client, but she couldn't care less. That girl meant money, and she needed money. 

She picked herself up off the ground, dragged herself to her car. She headed towards a club, to rendezvous with the client. The smoke filled room piqued her sense as the sensual music resounded in her ears. The air was heavy with sin and the hazily dimmed lights shadowed the deeds that occurred in every corridor. She ordered her drink, a light martini, once she reached the back room, tapping her feet as she waited. 

Once the man arrived, she got straight to business. "How much do you want for that girl?"

"I want 54 million won. Take it or leave it." The man paused for a second, contemplating the deal. His furrowed eyebrows drained a bit of the confidence in her, but she maintained her composure. She trusted that this man wanted Seohyun enough to pay almost any price. 

After a long silence, the man spoke up. "Deal." A smile crossed her lips. The background she had got on this guy was not wrong. She knew that he had been hopelessly in love with that girl, that he had been crushed by her rejection, that his lust overpowered his logical senses. She just knew the basics and enough to know that he was convincible and that he was no gentleman. But hey, who can do this kind of business with a gentleman?

"You sir should be prepared for her delivery anytime this month. I expect my money no later than three days after her delivery. If you decide to run, I will find you. And if you ever hear the sound of my heels, you'll be dead before you can turn around." 

With that she left the table, not before smirking at his colorless face. Her confident facade had not faltered and she strutted proudly out of the room. She had been doing this business for years, and this was the first time she had ever made such a nice deal.

She had sold countless girls to a countless number of men. Her calloused heart no longer felt guilt for the deeds she committed. This was all to continue feeling that high she loved to feel. She continued to enjoy that paradise above the clouds at the expense of others and her perception of shame had become too skewed to cause flickers in her conscience.

She had hid this well, no one knew, even her only son. The closest people who had ever gotten to unveiling her twisted web were a pair of detectives, but they had disappeared years ago. They had failed, and she ensured no one would ever get as close again. 

Author's Note: Lalala new update! after like two weeks :D sorry guys, last week I had so many exams and it was just really busy. :D So I worked hard on this chapter and made it really long and (hopefully) interesting :) Hope you enjoy it and please comment/vote! I really appreciated it :) Silent readers are cool but make me a bit anxious DX WHY YOU NO INTERACT WITH ME? lol jkayy, I don't mind making friends XD so please give me feedback :) hehe enjoy~~~