First thing on Wednesday morning, Luhan joined Seohyun in Chinhae‘s car to go to the orphanage to sign the adoption papers for Yoogeun. She was excited by the prospect of bringing him home. She was surprised, in a good way, that Luhan had readily agreed to her request.

Mrs. Jung smiled as she finished putting together the paperwork they needed to prove they had adopted him. “Yoogeun obviously adores you both.”

Mrs. Bae put Yoogeun in Seohyun‘s arms.

Yoogeun smiled and wrapped his arms around her neck.

Luhan leaned over and kissed Seohyun on the cheek, and Yoogeun laughed. He playfully ruffled the boy‘s hair. “You‘ll have to kiss me a lot so he‘ll laugh more,” he told her.

“Now I‘m stuck. You know I‘d do anything for Yoogeun,” she joked.

“Everything is in this folder,” Mrs. Jung said. “You‘re good to go. It‘ll be fun to watch him grow up in a good home. Good-bye, Yoogeun. I‘m sure we‘ll see you around.”

Yoogeun settled in Seohyun‘s arms and his thumb and held his blanket close to him.

Luhan took the folder and box full of Yoogeun‘s things and walked Seohyun to the car.

“Thank you for adopting him,” she told Luhan as he placed the box on the car floor.

He smiled at her. “I like him too.”

She was pleased to know this.

He held Yoogeun while she sat down in the car. Then he placed the boy on her lap. “I thought Chinhae would be back with his new shoes by now,” he commented.

“I‘m sure he‘ll be back at any moment,” she replied. She wrapped the blanket around Yoogeun so he could be comfortable.

Just as Luhan was ready to sit next to her, a policeman walked up to him. He turned his attention to the officer.

Seohyun couldn‘t make out what he was saying, so she smiled at the boy in her arms. “I‘m going to be your mother for now on. And Luhan will be your father.”

He was sleepy so he barely managed to look up at her as she spoke.

She kissed the top of his head.

Luhan turned back to her. He looked worried. “Someone broke into my uncle‘s firm.”

“When?” She didn‘t hide her shock.

“Late last night. I have to see what‘s missing from my office. Will you be alright without me?”

“All I have to do is take Yoogeun home. I‘m sure I can manage that on my own.” Though she tried to sound upbeat, his concerned expression over the news of the break in made her words sound hollow to her ears. She wondered if the Kims were behind it.

After Luhan left, she remained in the car. She figured that five minutes passed before the car began to move. That’s odd. Why didn’t Chinhae greet me like he usually does?

She reasoned that he heard the news and wished to get her back to the house so she could be there for any immediate updates on the break in.

When he passed by her home, she felt a wave of cold panic wash over her. Something was wrong. She gently put the sleeping child beside her and made her way to the door. She noticed that they were moving faster than normal, and they were quickly heading out of town. Whoever was driving the buggy wasn‘t Chinhae, and it was up to her to find out who it was. She slowly opened the door. Using the box for support, she stepped up on it so she could get a good look at the driver. She held onto the door with one hand and the side of the car with her other hand.

From the angle she was at, she got a decent look at the driver. He had on a long brown trench coat, a scarf and a hat, so she couldn‘t tell who it was. She knew it wasn‘t Chinhae because this man had a different slouch when he sat. She stepped off the box and slowly closed the door.

Someone rode off with her and Yoogeun at the same time the Xi Investing Firm got broken into. She didn‘t make it a habit of reading mystery novels but it didn‘t take a genius to deduce that the two events went hand in hand. Whoever was driving the car wanted her safely out of the way...and to make sure Luhan couldn‘t stop him. She glanced at Yoogeun who had woken up and was looking up at her. If it had just been her, she would have felt better. Not that this situation was pleasant. It was profoundly disturbing, but knowing that Yoogeun depended on her for his safety made it absolutely terrifying.

She opened the box and searched for anything that she might be able to use as a weapon. She saw the wooden walker that Mr. Song specifically made for Yoogeun, which would accommodate his limp. She also saw toys and clothes. The walker was the only suitable thing she could use. As much as she hated to destroy it, she stepped on the bottom of it and pulled the top off. It took all of her strength to do, but she managed to tear the thing into three pieces. One piece was big and heavy enough to use as a club. She noticed that it had a long thick nail sticking out of it.

She glanced uneasily at Yoogeun who stared at her. She knelt by him and softly said, “I need you to stay here. Don‘t move.”

He kept staring at her.

She said a quick prayer that the boy wouldn‘t leave the moving car and slowly opened the door again. This time she put her foot on the step she usually used to get into and out of the car. One hand gripped the club and the other hand remained on the door. She made sure Yoogeun was still seated before she took a step on the box.

They were on a vacant path that was out of town and surrounded by trees. It was too late to cry out for help. She would have to figure out a way to save herself and the boy. She needed to get to the top of the car. She put her foot on the door handle but the door flung wide open. She grabbed the side of the o