Chapter 25: For my Love - Gette

                According to my observations and some studies I've read, most of the times, when people experienced a lot of hardships early in life, they tend to mature faster than the ones who belong to the same age group. They would also learn a lot about our world faster than others. But also, they're the ones who could quickly “feel” for others.

                I had met a lot of people like them. And Myung-soo is one of those people. He has learned fast, as fast as the time it would take him to feel for others. He may seem cold at first glance, but the experiences he has enabled him to be the person he is. Warm and caring. And, once he is motivated by people's feelings, he would do anything for them. Anything.

                "Please don't worry too much," Hyun-seung told me as he drove the car that we borrowed from Ms. Aria. "Everything will be alright." He spoke as if he was already used to what was happening. Then again I had to remind myself that he was with them. L's team.

                It surprised me when Jun-hyung personally came to my house last night and specifically told me to give Mae the VCD's and to Hyun-seung, a small box. I didn't bother looking at its contents, until Hyun-seung took out that micro SD card.

                He didn't have to mention me anything. I heard everything that Jun-hyung told him to do. They would bring the old man down tonight, and what I didn't like about it was the fact that Myung-soo was involved. That's why he was begging me so bad for a cool off.

                I never really understood why he wanted me not to come to watch the competition. I had been close enough with the members that they would usually find my presence helpful. But he was so calm yet... So sad as if he wouldn't do it if he didn't have to. As if he was left with no choice.   So I listened to him. We separated, and I stayed with my best friend. Only to find out that it was part of a bigger plan.

                I was hurrying to get back to the group as soon as possible. I would have gone alone, if not because of Hyun-seung's stubbornness to drive me back. He even said that he would never be able to forgive himself if he let “Ice Prince” down. Apparently their connection with each other than was deeper than I had expected.

                I couldn't make the car go faster than it was already going. So instead, I clutched the phone —Mae's — on my hand and bit my lip to stop any impending whine. I couldn't use it, for it could bring us all to even greater danger. "Jun-hyung knew that we could be tracked down, that's why there's no phones or even internet connection in that place. He even made sure by putting signal jammers in and around the facility," Hyun-seung told me before we left, when I was already getting hysterical.

                “Gette, there's a huge traffic ahead,” the Hyun-seung said which cut my train of thoughts. “Would you like a detour? Or are we going to wait for a little while?”

                “Uh, let's take a detour,” I told him. When we got to the other side, traffic was also heavy, so I decided to run back to the venue. I was about to go when Hyun-seung suddenly pulled me back inside the car.

                "What are —" but a gun was already pointing at my face.

                "I'm sorry, but I have to stop you," he said before pointing the gun onto my shoulder and pulling the trigger.

                The first thing I felt when I had my consciousness slowly creep back was the pain on my neck. I tried to move and massage it but soon, I realized that I couldn't move my hands. They were tied above, and I was dangling with my feet tied together. I shot my eyes open, but it didn't change anything. The place was black, so dark that my mind couldn't process whether I my eyes were really open or not.

                "H-hello?" I spoke in a low voice, though I wasn't sure if someone would really hear it.

                "Who's there?" Somebody spoke through the darkness which started me, but what started me more was his next statement, "Gette, is that you?"

                "Who are you?" I said, this time, louder.

                "Gette, it's me, Sung-jong," when I heard that, only one person came into my mind.

                "Sung-jong, is Myung-soo with you?" I said before calling out Myung-soo's name.

                "I think he's not here," another voice said. It was slightly louder, so he was probably closer to me. "Gette, it's me, Woo-hyun."

                "L went out of the waiting room when we got there after our performance, so he wasn't really there when the guys with guns came," Woo-hyun added.

                "Wait, why are you here? And who are you with,” Another voice said whom I recognized as Sung-yeol.

                "I wanted to see you perform, and," I said, "check if you're safe so..." And silence came after that. The last minutes before I lost consciousness flashed back into my mind.

                "Who were you with when you came?" Another voice repeated Sung-yeol's question whom I recognized as Sung-gyu. Suddenly, the sound of an iron gate opening was heard, then there came faint noises — voices — until it became recognizable.

                "Ah, it has been a long time," said by a voice of a man, probably on his sixties.

                "Yes it was, master."

                "What the—" almost every voice around me said. Apparently they recognized the voice as quick as I did.

                "I'll crush his pretty face when I get out of here," a voice on my immediate right said. It was Hoya, which was quickly followed by a hush from my far left.

                "So this is what he meant,” another voice said, whom I recognized as Dong-woo. “To trust even when everything else tell us that we shouldn't.”

                “It has been four years already, am I right?” the older voice said.

                “Almost,” the younger said. “Three years and four months to be exact.”

                “Aw, what happened to you?” the older said. “I missed seeing the fierce look in your eyes. Now, apparently it has disappeared. Maybe a little blood would bring that back?”

                “You know I don't kill,” the younger said. That time I noticed that I couldn't hear any other comment from the people around me.

                “Ah, right, you're in charge with acquisition,” the elder said. “But don't you think you should level up a little?”

                “You mean start killing?”

                “Of course, how about some practice?” the old man said. Suddenly, a small slant of light appeared and gradually grew larger along with the continuous sound of metal scraping against metal. The metal door opened, revealing the sight of an empty warehouse, about eight armed men, a man who was in his sixties whom I recognize as Master Im-ho – Jun-hyung's grandfather from the party – and lastly, Myung-soo.

                His eyes grew wide when he looked at me.

                “Last time I checked, there were six young lads in this room,” the old man said. “Not even sure how this lady got here.” Myung-soo's eyes were still on me, and he was oblivious to the fact that the old man who was seated on a portable recliner a few feet in front of him was having fun in watching how expressions played across his face.

                “Aw, I guess you've become even softer now,” Master Im-ho said, which made Myung-soo bring his eyes back to him. This time, he was calm at a small smirk was in his face.

                “Why are they here?” Myung-soo said nonchalantly. Master Im-ho, on the other hand, was watching him with wonder.

                “Ah, you know me, I just want to play,” the old man said, “I wanted to see the expressions in your friends' faces when they knew that you're still hiding things from them.” Master Im-ho then stood up and walked towards my direction. “It was a bonus that one of our brothers also got Jun-hyung's girlfriend so easily.”

                Brother? Did he mean Hyun-seung? And wait a sec. Did he just call me Jun-hyung's girlfriend? I looked at the guys tied a meter away from me. Their expressions were that of surprise and anger, but they weren't saying anything.

                “I am not Jun-hyung's girlfriend!” I shouted out loud, suddenly something hard poked my back.

                “If you shout again, I'll blow up your brains,” someone said behind me, and I was sure he was the one who brought me there.

                “Ah, Hyun-seung,” Master Im-ho said. Then an arm was extended from behind me, which holds Mae's phone. “I see you have a gift for me,” Master Im-ho took the phone and went back to his seat. He opened it, and pressed a few buttons.

                “The last news I had from Min-jee before she disappeared was that Jun-hyung left the girl he loved in the possession of his... music arch enemy?” Master Im-ho said “I never thought you'd be able to establish two titles at the same time. Jun-hyung's Arch enemy in Love?” Myung-soo smirked as the old man flipped the phone, showing him something in the screen. “She's more beautiful in person,” the old man said before handing Myung-soo the phone. All throughout their conversation, I also watch Hyun-seung on my peripheral vision. He was sweating, but the gun on his hand was still pressed on my side. As if he was worrying about something.

                “So what's your plan?” Myung-soo said before stashing the phone to his pocket. Then the old man signaled an armed guy beside him who in turn signaled two armed guys near a door. They went inside the room and brought a desk and a chair at the center of the warehouse. After setting up, they went back inside the room and came out with a man whose feet and arms were tied, and his eyes covered and his lips duct taped. They placed him on the chair and removed the eye-cover, and the tape. It was Jun-hyung.

                “Jason, my dear grandson,” the old man said, “or should I call you Yong Jun-hyung, son of the trash I regret to call as my son.” Jun-hyung looked at Myung-soo, then to Hyung-seung, to the rest of Infinite, then to me.

                “You'll regret this even more,” Jun-hyung threatened when he glared back to his grandfather.

                “Oh, really? Don't you find the fact that I easily abducted your friends threatening?” Master Im-ho said.

                “The police will find you,” Jun-hyung said.

                “You don't get this, son, I am the police!” Master Im-ho stood up and walked towards Jun-hyung. He yanked Jun-hyung's hair back and spoke, “I am the law, and I am the most powerful man in our district! Nobody dares to go against me.”  I glanced back at Myung-soo, and his eyes were not on the old man, but on the armed men watching the drama unfolding. I glanced at Hyun-seung, and although his eyes were at Jun-hyung, his gun was pressed by my side but with less force unlike earlier.

                “What do you want?” Jun-hyung said.

                “What do I want? I want my money back. The treasures your father took with him when he became a traitor and left me; I want them all back,” Master Im-ho said.

                “That's it?” Jun-hyung said. “Because of money, you're willing to do this? To kill?”

                “You bet I am,” Master Im-ho went around the table and took out a piece of paper from his jacket, “If you do not want anybody's blood to be spilled, then sign this document stating that you unleash all your inheritance and transfer them all to me,” he said. One of the armed men fastened Jun-hyung onto the seat and released his hands.

                “How can I be sure that my friends will come out of this place safe if I sign this document?” Jun-hyung asked. “You lied to me once, how can I be sure that you won't trick me again?”

                Master Im-ho guffawed and some of the armed men laughed with him. “Oh, dear grandson, you're not really in the right position to negotiate,” he took out a gun and pointed it to us. To Dong-woo specifically.

                “Whoa, let me do the honor,” Myung-soo suddenly spoke and took the gun from one of the armed men. He walked towards us and pointed the gun to someone else.

                “Look, I can't transfer them!” Jun-hyung said a long line of words, but they were unrecognizable as Master Im-ho told him, “No, you will. Transfer them. Now!” At the same moment, I tightly shut my eyes as Myung-soo did something unthinkable from him.

                “No! God damn it Myung-soo!” Hoya cried out. I assumed that the rest were too shocked to even say a word. I slowly opened my eyes. Sung-jong and Dong-woo were already crying, and Sung-gyu averted his eyes to the side, to Woo- hyun's eyes, desperately trying to avoid seeing the red fluid flowing from the younger's chest.

                "Impressive," Master Im-ho said.

                “You don't understand! I don't have the money!” Jun-hyung told Master Im-ho. Myung-soo moved. This time to the guy next in line – Sung-gyu.

                “What do you mean?” Master Im-ho said.

                “It's in the hands of the lawyers who witnessed my father's last words,” Jun-hyung said. “The will says that they will only give it to me when I am getting married, but the condition says that I should also be at legal age when I marry.”

                “Why do you think I would live on a small, rotten house and work multiple jobs if I have a great sum of money with me?” Jun-hyung added. Master Im-ho must have thought about it as he went back to his recliner.

                “Ah, I'm getting tired of this,” Myung-soo dropped his gun and kept it behind him. Master Im-ho looked at him. “You know what? You need some time to think,” Myung-soo walked towards a stack which I recognized to be Infinite's musical instruments.

                “How about some time to do music?” he said before he slung his own guitar and played a sequence which I recognized to be from a K-pop group. I'm sorry by CN Blue? Then he did a transition and played another intro. Fooling around by Usher? Myung-soo then looked at me, as if he was telling me to listen carefully.

                I'm sorry, I'm fooling around.

                Another transition and Myung-soo was playing another song. "Listen carefully if you want to live," Hyun-seung said. I listened carefully. The music was... Sweet Escape by Paris Hilton? Suddenly, a faint song was heard from outside. By the sound of it, the music came from a passing vehicle. I looked at Myung-soo and he was smirking. Then he gave me a brief nod that was unnoticed by the old man. I glanced at Hyun-seung who looked at me briefly before glancing to Jun-hyung and looking back at me. I listened carefully to the outside music. Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne. Then another song from outside. Come What May by Air Supply.

                Sweet Escape...Girlfriend...Come What May... Mae?

        "Vehicles? I thought this area was abandoned?" Myung-soo said.

        "Yes, I thought so too," Master Im-ho turned to the armed men, "The two of you! Check the guards outside. Tell them to lock all entry ways."

        "And do a perimeter check as well," Myung-soo added with a smirk. Master Im-ho called another three and told them to guard the outside of the warehouse. Then Myung-soo played another sequence.

        "Perfect," Hyun-seung muttered beside me before going to the wall opposite us and hanging something on the wall.

         "Have you heard your grandson play?" Myung-soo told Master Im-ho. Then he walked towards Jun-hyung and placed the guitar over the table. It wasn't audible, but Myung-soo seemed to tell something to Jun-hyung which compelled him to take the guitar.