Chapter 85
You Said Remember Me II
/ / / / /
“Can you hear me?” a loud voice blasted into the air.
“What the is that?” Leo questioned moodily.
Nana frowned unable to recognize the voice. She turned toward the fan above them.
“I’m going to send over a man. He’s going to pass over a phone. I promise no one will shoot you. We just want to fix this situation.”
“What the is he talking about?” Leo went on.
“Go outside,” Ren Gei’s face became distorted with confusion and anger. “Someone’s outside!”
The door upstairs opened and a gush of wind blew into the room. Nana wanted to run up there and check it out herself, but she couldn’t leave Victoria alone. It was obvious she was scared of that man with the gun standing in front of the stairs.
“Holy !” Leo’s loud voice drifted back in. “There’s a million cops out there!”
“Cops?” the word came out of her as a whisper.
She and Victoria turned to look at each other, a flicker of hope suddenly coming to life.
/ / / / /
“What is going on?” Ren Gei stomped up the stairs.
“What are we? Stars now?” Young Ae questioned.
“You can’t even match up to one,” Leo remarked.
Young Ae elbowed Leo in the side as Ren Gei stepped out onto the rooftop. He turned to face the wind and glanced down below to spot 5 squad cars and about a hundred troopers down below, all armed and ready in position.
“What do they think I am?” Ren Gei questioned. “A hostage taker?”
“The situation’s that,” Eui Tae responded appearing at his side. “We’re surrounded.”
“So what if we’re surrounded? We know this place better than anyone else!” Leo remarked.
“Even so, they’ve got us all cornered,” Eui Tae repeated himself. “They’ve got people hiding all over the place. They’re not just down there.”
Leo turned to look at him completed awed by the police force.
“There’s not going to be a choice but to fight.” Yong Jo inquired. “From up here, they won’t take a word we say. We’ve got two women with us.”
“Women, eh?” Ren Gei repeated.
“Do you see that man on the building across?” the voice came again. “He’s going to toss over the phone.”
“Phone?” Ren Gei repeated. “This is going to be fun.”
/ / / / /
“He’s really going for it,” Siwon muttered when Sungmin appeared on the rooftop.
“He looks scared as a stiff scarecrow if you ask me,” Yunho commented. “You sure you picked the right guy?”
“Then why didn’t you go?” Leeteuk complained.
They watched Sungmin throw back his arm creating a perfect arc before reverting it with all his strength. When he tossed it to the other side, the muscles in his arms perfectly formed through his long uniform. The three watched the bag sail across the air before it descended down toward the other side.
“It’s gonna make it…” Siwon whispered.
A big sigh of relief escaped Yunho when it landed in the hostage taker’s camp.
“Lets finish this,” Yunho sat down on his chair and grabbed the phone sitting there.
They listened as Yunho dialed some numbers before it went through. The phone rung loudly through the speakers overhead and Leeteuk felt his heart race. He typed down onto his computer the current time 11:10 AM.
“Yes?” a voice answered.
Siwon shifted in his spot when he heard the voice overhead.
“Is this Ren Gei I’m speaking to?” Yunho questioned simply as if he were asking for a friend over the phone.
“I sure am. And who are you? An officer?”
“Jung Yunho. Nice to meet you, Ren Gei.”
“Though we haven’t technically met. I can’t see you from where I am.”
“You still outside?”
Yunho was really taking it easy. Just watching him made Siwon feel a little uncomfortable. It was as if Yunho had completely befriended the hostage taker. He’d heard stories about the incident officer befriending the hostage taker and letting him out easily. But he shouldn’t doubt Yunho. This was the tenth time he’d worked with Yunho and he was always a straight up serious guy. There was no way Yunho would let the hostages’ safety come last.
What about the hostages inside? Would it be possible for them to befriend the hostage takers and take their side some time during the containment? It was also possible. Siwon had heard countless stories of the hostages befriending their takers that it led to the point where everything was just completely absurd. It wasn’t impossible. Victoria Song had been a friend of Ren Gei’s during their rehab days. What if something connected the two here?
“You want one of them, don’t you?” Ren Gei tempted.
Yunho’s eyebrows frowned.
Siwon realized he wouldn’t give up this early. It didn’t feel right.
“Does he want something?” Siwon mouthed.
“Do you mean you want to exchange one of the girls for something?” Yunho asked.
“Hmm…oh yes, I want an exchange.” Ren Gei melodically answered.
Siwon could picture Ren Gei smiling creepily inside his head.
“What would you like? Beer? Money? Food? Being in a cold factory without food must not be fun. Would you like some burgers and fries? I’ll include soda too.” Yunho added.
“We’re not really hungry right now,” Ren Gei replied, “lets save that deal for later. Right now I want another form of exchange.”
“What do you mean ‘form’?”
“As in a person for a person.”
Siwon felt his eyes enlarge.
/ / / / /
“What exactly is going on inside?”
“Could you call out the person in charge to explain to us what is going on?”
“Can I have a few words from you about the situation?”
They relentlessly struck their microphones in the officer’s face even hitting them a few times. Watching them made Yuri feel somewhat sorry for them and their jobs. As annoying as they were, they had to make a living too.
Yuri turned when she spotted someone stepping pass the yellow tape and quickly stepped forward to push him back.
“You can’t go further than this,” Yuri stated.
“What? Why not? I’m related to one of the federal agents here,” he pointed to himself.
“There’s been orders not to allow anyone in,” Yuri said. “Step back or we may have to charge you.”
The reported hissed at her and stepped back into the crowd.
“Officer Kwon,” someone called her over the walkie-talkie Chief Kang handed her a while ago.
“Is the situation clear over there?”
“No, they’re not leaving at all.”
“I’ll have someone come take over. We need you to head back with the car.”
“The car? Why?”
“I’ll explain to you when you return.”
/ / / / /
“What do you think is going on?” Yunho asked Leeteuk calmly.
The silence in the van surprisingly made him more nervous than calm. His nerves tingled in the heat even if he remained unmoved from where he sat. Yunho’s eyes bore themselves into the front window staring straight ahead at the path that went nowhere.
“Is he playing a game with us?” Yunho wondered. “Instead of asking for money or requesting for a helicopter for escape, he wants a person.”
“I don’t even want to think what this can lead to.” Leeteuk mumbled. “This is just plain dirty if you ask me.”
“We’re taking a woman out and putting a man in there in her place. A husband for a wife. How do you think they’ll feel about this?” Yunho quietly asked. “It’s no different from someone dying for someone else.”
It was unbelievable. Ren Gei had been quick to catch on. Just how easily was this person reading his mind?
“Should we do it?” Yunho prodded on.
Leeteuk typed in the time, 11:50 AM.
/ / / / /
“Chief Kang! Chief!” Siwon ran out from the van quickly darting around looking all over for the round man he’d met before. “Chief!”
He noted some people talking over by the sidelines before Chief Kang started his way. While he walked over, Siwon could swear he heard his heart beating loudly in his ears as always during hostage situations. It really felt like the already.
“Yes?” Chief Kang asked when he reached him.
“Chief, Ren Gei has agreed to let Victoria Song go.”
He watched the Chief’s face light up.
“Isn’t that good news?”
“He wants to bargain.” Siwon interrupted his moment of rejoice, running out of breath as if he’d run a mile to meet the Chief. “A life for a life.”
“What?” Chief Kang’s smile immediately disappeared. “What for what? What does that mean?”
Siwon glanced back at the van.
“He wants to trade Victoria Song for Lee Donghae.”
Chief Kang’s mouth dropped open before he bit his lower lip. Siwon could still hear his heart loudly through his chest. Was it going to tear his chest apart?
“Jung Yunho can’t tell whether this is bad or good. If we refuse, Ren Gei says he’s going to cut off contact. But trading a life for a life is crazy. We can’t do it like this! But we don’t know what to do. If we bring in Lee Donghae, the situation will most likely become worse than it is. He’s going to be in danger, everyone is but we don’t know what decision to make. Yunho’s running all the possibilities through his mind right now…but we can’t tell what’s going through Ren Gei’s mind. If we don’t bring Lee Donghae in, everyone’s going to get hurt. The girls are going to die if we don’t do anything!” Siwon ranted on.
“No,” Chief Kang’s voice came loud and clear. “Send Officer Kwon to retrieve Donghae. Now.”
“Chief…” Siwon felt his voice drop underneath the rustling of the others.
Chief Kang turned away, “We need to get Victoria out of there fast. She’s not in a condition to fight with them. If he wants a trade, lets do a trade then.”
Siwon found himself running toward the van just seconds later, his brain lopsided inside his head. Just what had happened? The hostage situation had just begun and it’d been less than an hour, but now they were going to trade a person for a person? That just wasn’t right. It just wasn’t. No matter how Siwon looked at the situation from every point, he just didn’t want it to happen. But the girls wouldn’t come out safe if they didn’t make some kind of sacrifice…
Yunho and Leeteuk turned to look at Siwon when the door flung open.
“He says to do it.”
/ / / / /
Victoria stared at Ren Gei with a her jaw dropped open. He turned to look at her with a satisfied smirk.
“NO!” Victoria bellowed from where she stood before rushing at Ren Gei.
Young Ae snorted at her.
Nana tightened her hands around Victoria’s shoulder to stop her from attacking them. She couldn’t let Victoria get hurt. There was a need to protect her no matter what. Nana could only recall every second of them being there that Victoria was pregnant. Nothing could happen to the baby in her womb.
“Leave him alone!” Victoria screamed after the retreated Ren Gei. “Don’t hurt him! Don’t! Leave Donghae alone!”
Leo turned around to start toward them but Eui Tae grabbed his shoulder.
“Leave them.” Eui Tae ordered.
The claws of desperation was finally grabbing a hold of Victoria’s heart and squeezing the rest of her emotions out. She was going to lose him. She was going to lose him… They were they only things running through her at the moment.
/ / / / /
Yuri sped down the road intersecting each lane as her wild heart pounded against the bumpy roads. Was this really happening? She’d watched them reunite underneath her roof, spend time with each other sweetly even if they argued, she’d envied them every single moment they were together. Without knowing, they’d become her ideal couple. How could she tear them apart? How could anyone bear to tear them apart like this?
The feelings flowing through her overwhelmed her to the point where she purposely wanted to the crash the car and walk back to the site saying she couldn’t reach Donghae. She really wanted to cry for them. Was there a way she could save the both of them from this trauma? Yuri really ravaged her mind for any kind of solution possible, but nothing came.
Yuri stopped the car in the lot and stared up the windows of the hotel building. There was no way she wanted to step out and call Donghae. Why had Chief Kang sent her to do this? Why? Why couldn’t’ Chief Kang had called on someone else?
There was a gigantic need to thrash her arms wildly about and cry. Why in the world did she have to bring Donghae there!?
While the elevator doors closed Yuri could feel her hands clench into thick fists. First of all she needed to calm down her abnormal breathing and remind herself that she wasn’t to say a word until she had brought Dongahe down to the car. Chief Kang had warned her in a stern voice not to blurt anything out in front of Eunhyuk or Changmin. If Eunhyuk knew, god only knows what he’d do.
Yuri could feel her heart break when she knocked on the door. It was Eunhyuk who opened it. She stared into his face, her heart pleading for him to help her.
“Is Donghae in?” Yuri asked.
Donghae immediately appeared at the door. Yuri stared into his eyes for the longest time pleading for him to just faint, blackout, or disappear. The silent wind that blew itself by hushed their breathings.
“Chief Kang…called for you…” the words forced themselves out monotonously.
They stood together in the elevator very quietly. Yuri couldn’t find it in her heart to break the news to him. How disappointed Donghae would be. How hurt he would feel. The desperation, the despair that would fly through him was unimaginable to her. Only he and Victoria would ever know of it. And it would be all her fault because she was bringing him there.
Once they reached the car, Yuri froze in the driver’s seat. She had to tell him. Somehow…
Donghae put his seatbelt in and turned to her. He stared at her for a long time, but Yuri still couldn’t utter even a breath. Her hands gripped onto the steering wheel till her knuckles felt like they would tear out of her skin.
“Yuri?” he called.
“I’m so sorry, Donghae!” Yuri cried tears sparkling in her eyes, yet she couldn’t bear to look at him. “I’m so sorry!”
He stared back at her wide-eyed stunned and surprised with the way she was acting.
“Yuri…”
“There’s been an exchange,” Yuri let the words fall out, “Ren Gei’s going to trade Victoria for you.”
spring semester ends this friday and i'm off for summer break :D i'll get back on track with YSRMII
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