XX

      Finding the right moment to leave Dongwan's office put Minwoo under a great amount of stress. He did not want to be suspicious and never managed to figure out when the right moment to excuse himself back in the bedroom was. Now he had his cell phone, he was feeling like the attorney could read him like an open book and would reveal his doings in seconds.

He was glad then when his friend did not notice anything and advised himself he should go rest some more. Minwoo almost flew the room, and getting his emotions in control before betraying himself, he smiled tiredly and walked out of the office.

All the while he felt like burning eyes were on his back, but as he turned to shut the door, Dongwan was already immersed in his business and ignoring him.

Swallowing thickly, he slid the door shut and relaxed significantly once out of the attorney's sight.

He was never a good liar and never enjoyed doing it, but recently he did not have a choice and had failed most of the time. He could not help pray for this time to be the right one. He was not sure how he would react if Dongwan was catching him trying to escape and locking him somewhere to wait for whatever would happen. He was already feeling like losing it, so if the attorney was holding him hostage in this house he was sure he would lose it for real.

He did not know why he was so scared of this dark side awaking inside him, but as much as it was feeling like a great help in such situation, he did not want to let it loose.

 

      Once in the bedroom, he could not help check for more cameras. He was reassured when he found none, and just to be sure, he locked himself in the bathroom before taking the cell phone out.

It felt like he stared at the blank screen for hours before it eventually went to life. It happened so suddenly that he almost dropped the device flying from his hands.

“Yes ?” He answered hurriedly, as if the phone would disappear or something.

“I'm about to hack the security system. Once done, you'll have five minutes to get out before they spot me. Don't waste your chance.”

Minwoo blinked at the instruction and found nothing to answer to the sharp and precise hacker going straight to the point.

A minute or so passed before Hyesung gave him the go signal, and in a second he was at the bedroom's door checking on the outside before making his way to the stairs. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest and threatening to burst out of it, and breathing heavily, he made his way downstairs as quickly and silently as possible before reaching the front door.

It seemed at any second someone would pop out of nowhere and catch him, and fearing such thing, he grabbed the front door handle with a shaky hand before pulling on it. He was half expecting for it to still be locked, but for his greatest relieve it clicked open and freed his way to the outside world.

He felt like running straight to the gate when he remembered the guards all around the place.

“Go to the left.” Spoke a sudden voice in the phone he did not know he was still holding at his ear. “The way's free.”

He nodded silently and did as told.

“Just climb the wall, I'll be waiting for you down the street.”

Minwoo had no idea how this man could be so efficient but sincerely appreciated it, and climbing the wall (despite the pain in his body) he jumped on the other side and could not believe he was finally out.

“Hurry up. We don't have much time left.” Spoke Hyesung, and heading down the street, he effectively found a car waiting for him at the corner.

He only needed a glance to recognize the hacker, and without a second thought he hopped in the vehicle driving him away from this damn place.

 

---

 

      Dongwan was not that surprised when he got a call from his security system. However, he could not help be annoyed when he found Minwoo's room empty. He should have expected it though. His friend clearly wanted to leave, but he was surprised Minwoo had managed to escape so easily.

He wondered for a moment how he actually got in contact with this Hyesung hacker, and sitting back at his desk, he opened his desk drawer. Scoffing, he was not surprised but irate to not find Minwoo's phone. He could not believe his friend had became so daring and manipulative in so little time, and leaning in his chair, he massaged his eyes in growing annoyance.

He hated many things in this world, and one of them was to lose control. Minwoo was not supposed to get out (for his own security), but here he was. Sitting like an idiot in his office with Minwoo gone God only knows where.

He hated it, and trying as hard as possible to keep his temper, he could not help kick his desk and crack the wood.

This ing idiot. Why was he not seeing he was doing all this for him ? How dared he run away from him ? He just wanted to protect him, but after everything he did for him, after caring so much about him... he choose these people over him ?

How dared he ?

      Trembling inwardly in burning anger, he looked out of the window and took deep, slow breaths to calm himself down. Losing his temper would be everything but helpful, and thinking about his next move, he realized what he wanted first was to get Minwoo back.

A part of him wanted him back to protect him from ShiHoo, but the other one (the darkest one) wanted to punish Minwoo for backstabbing him on so many occasions and making him feel like a fool.

He knew he should not trust people though. He had learned this from his tender age, but Minwoo always felt different. Minwoo felt human and trustworthy. Dongwan knew it was stupid to trust someone so much with his experience, but Minwoo always made him feel safe. As if he could turn his back without a worry of being stabbed.

Today, this blind trust was feeling stupid. Minwoo was not the innocent, kind and trustworthy friend he wanted and believed him to be. Minwoo was just like all those people he had spent his all life fighting.

How could he do that to him ?

Dongwan was no stranger to betrayal, but Minwoo's one was the most painful and sickening one.

 

---

 

      Eric was expecting Kim Dongwan's men at the house, and with the car parked in the distance, he observed with Junjin as said men knocked on the door and waited. No one answered, and watching stiffly from inside the car, Eric observed as the three men got their guns out, ready to barge inside the house.

But the door suddenly opened.

Eric tensed up in his seat and swallowed thickly, wondering if Kim Dongwan's men were about to get killed. Squinting hard, he noticed the person at the door was an elderly short woman representing no threat. The attorney's men seemed taken aback by the inhabitant of the house, and hiding their guns quickly, they smiled and said whatever Eric could not hear from the car.

He sincerely expected for the three to turn on their heels and leave, but the old woman let them inside with a smile before shutting the door after them.

Sharing a look with Junjin, both of them were thinking the same.

A few minutes passed and nothing happened. No gunshot were heard, no scream arose, no chaos ensured. It was so calm, and Eric wondered what the hell could be happening. Hyesung could not have mistaken the place, could he ? He doubted the hacker would make such mistake, but watching from his position felt like he was just wasting time.

“What do we d...” Junjin shut up sharply when the house's door eventually opened and let out the three men.

The old woman was still smiling and greeting them warmly, and blinking in confusion, the detectives were curious to know what could have been said to Kim Dongwan's men.

As the three cars drove away and disappeared, Eric messaged Hyesung about the house and got the wanted information about the occupant the next minute.

'Minwoo's out.' Said the following message, and grinning in satisfaction for himself, Eric quickly wiped it off his face when he felt Junjin staring.

“Let's go !” He said, exiting the car without a look at the younger smirking man.

They walked in silence to the house, and Eric was glad Junjin was professional enough to not harass him about whatever he was assuming like he knew he would do later on. He could not help feel annoyed at the only thought, and swallowing a sigh, he knocked on the door and waited for the old lady to open.

“Hello Miss Kim. I'm SeungTae, I'm a friend of MunJae. I was looking for him but I lost his phone number, so I thought you could help me.” He said charmingly, and staring at him in surprise, the old woman eventually smiled and let them inside.

“MunJae's never home. He's to work, but he promised to come see me soon.”

Eric smiled and did not comment, “Did you see him recently ? I've been looking for him like forever.”

“He called me a couple days ago. He said he was around and needed a place to stay with his colleagues.” She showed them the kitchen in which they stepped.

“You've seen him recently then. How is he doing ?”

“Oh no, I didn't see him. He asked me to stay over at my old friend's house because he needed the place to work. He's such a hardworking boy. He doesn't like to be disturbed when he's working, so I left him the house.”

“Does it happen often ?” Eric felt too much like a cop asking this, but the old lady did not seem to notice it.

“Oh, yes. He often needs the house to work. Sometimes I can stay around, but most of the time I just stay over at my friend's place.”

Eric nodded slowly and shared a look with Junjin breathing a grin. Knowing for who this MunJae was working and in what kind of business he was into could just make this situation hilarious, but they were too concerned about finding Hyeri to actually joke about it.

"Here it is gentlemen." She said nicely, putting two cups of tea on the table. "You can have a seat."

"Thank you ma'm." Smiled Eric maybe a bit tightly.

Junjin knew perfectly Eric did not want to waste time here and just find this little girl fast, but they could not just be rude and storm out of this place after questioning this old woman like cops would do with a suspect. It was not right and they did not want to arise any suspicion.

Five minutes passed with them drinking tea and having a conversation of nothing with the old lady. Surprisingly enough, she had a lot to say about her grandson she loved so much, and in the end the detectives almost felt sympathy for the guy. Almost.

"You'll certainly find him at his office. I don't know the address, but it's near downtown."

"Thank you ma'm." He nodded back, putting his tea down. "Huh, can I use your bathroom please ?" He asked then, and smiling warmly, the old lady indicated him the direction before watching him walk away.

Junjin knew perfectly Eric just wanted to get a look at the house in hope to find a lead, and staying with the grandma, he started conversing politely in hope to get more info about this MunJae.

He was hoping Hyesung would find enough information on the guy to get to him easily, but he had no doubt the hacker would get everything they needed without much of a problem. Even if now he had little equipment to work with, he was sure Hyesung would work his magic just fine.

      Eric found the bathroom easily and stopped for a second to listen to the soft conversation in the kitchen. Once sure the old lady was busy with Junjin, he headed to the back of the house and glanced in every room on his way. The first one was the grandma's bedroom, the second one the bathroom and then the third and last room he found was an empty space with only a table and chair in the middle.

He wondered what this room could be used for, and stepping inside after a look over his shoulder, he walked around the room with darting eyes. There was nothing there though so he stepped out in disappointment, ready to go back to the kitchen. Just as he was passing by the bathroom, he spotted a door leading to the backyard, and hesitating only a second, he walked to it and went outside.

The ground was shabby and stuffs were stored there, rusting away. He did not really care about all this and spotted an old barrel used to burn papers and leaves. Frowning at the burnt inside, he squinted his eyes and spotted something making his heart miss a bit.

Swallowing, he reached inside the barrel and grabbed the little nametag partially destroyed. The flames had spared it enough for him to read a few characters, and figuring out it was Hyeri's nametag (and certainly school uniform) burn in there, he feared something tragic had happened to the little girl.

Glancing down at the barrel anxiously, he wondered if they could burn her body and make it disappear just like that. On this sickening thought, he picked up a piece of wood and searched the inside of the container for anything human. He found nothing more than easily combustible trash and released a relieved sigh.

For a second, he really thought he would have to tell Minwoo his daughter was killed and burnt in a barrel. Thinking about it made his stomach twist, and gulping silently, he walked back inside the house.

Junjin and the old lady were standing there, looking at him. The younger man apologized silently for not being able to hold back the woman, but Eric ignored him.

“Huh... Sorry, I wasn't feeling well so I took the liberty to get some air outside.”

She narrowed her small eyes at him then said, “MunJae doesn't like people to go there. He says it's too messy.”

“Huh, sorry.” He said, wondering if it would be enough to appease the old lady.

“Come back in the kitchen. I don't like people wandering around my house.”

Eric wondered where the nice lady from earlier was gone to, and following back in the kitchen, he thought it would be a good opportunity to leave.

The old woman did not hold them back and politely greeted them before shutting the door behind them.

“Is it me or we were just kicked out by some old granny ?” Eventually spoke Junjin after a second, and sighing, Eric did not answer and mentioned for him to just follow back to the car.

 

---

 

      Minwoo was quiet ever since they had arrived at the backup hideout, and working on the wanted information on his computer, Hyesung had no idea if he was supposed to say or do something to get the guy a bit more comfortable. He was never good with people and just decided to ignore Minwoo. It was not like he had much in common with the guy. He was not even sure Minwoo wanted to hear whatever bull he would serve him.

It was definitely better to just shut up.

      Eric called him just as he was starting to wonder what these two idiots could be up to. Answering the phone, he listened to what the older man had discovered (meaning nothing much) and could not help glance up at Minwoo when he heard about the nametag.

. What many explanation burnt clothes could have ? Hyesung did not want to think about it.

“Hum, I've got what you wanted.” He said, putting his poker face on to prevent the pitying look in his eyes.

Minwoo was maybe lost in his mind at the right moment, but Hyesung could see the man checking on him every now on then, and he had no doubt he would notice the look in his eyes if he was not being careful.

Once Eric had all the information he wanted, he of course asked about his damn protege. Hyesung was not sure why he felt a pang of jealousy at the concern the older man showed for Minwoo, and focusing on his laptop screen, he just ignored the feeling.

“He's fine. I got him out easily.” He made a pause and read something on his screen before asking, “When are you coming back ? I don't feel safe on my own.”

“Why ? Is something wrong ?” Asked Eric, and Hyesung could not believe how sincere he sounded for once. Then he remembered it was certainly because Minwoo was involved.

, he was starting to hate the guy who did nothing to him but was getting such privileged treatment from Eric. The man was such a jerk most of the time that he could not help hate him for being so caring towards someone he did not even know a week ago. Thinking what past they were sharing and what they had went through, it hurts deep down to be confronted to such thing.

“I won't say something's wrong. It's just... a gut feeling you could say.” He sighed and said, “I don't know. I just feel kindda spooked here and I'll like to have you two back soon.”

“Aw, Hyesungie.” Hyesung sincerely hated this honey voice from Eric. “We miss you too. Don't worry, we'll be back soon. Just let us check on this MunJae and find this little girl then we'll be back to keep you company.”

“Shut up !” He growled in annoyance, hating how he inwardly felt better at the thought of Eric and Junjin coming back soon. “Just find her !” And he hung up, not wanting to hear any more annoying words from the older man.

“Everything okay ?” Asked Minwoo, and so used to the man's silence he could not help be startled to hear his voice.

“Huh, yeah. They're on a lead. Don't worry, I'm sure they'll find her soon.” He added, beating himself the next second for lying so blatantly to the man.

He knew perfectly they had more chances to either never find this little girl or find her dead than alive and healthy. He should just let Minwoo be prepared for such possibility, but this look in the shorter man's eyes made him feel this strong need to just reassure him and let him know he would have his daughter back soon.

“Huh, why don't you get something to eat ? You need to get some strengths back.”

Minwoo stared at him wordlessly for a second and Hyesung swore he felt like his face was about to implode so much he felt it heat up. He was not sure why he felt so awkward under the man's gaze, but when Minwoo eventually sighed and stood up to get himself something to eat, he could not help sigh in relief too before relaxing on the couch he was leaning in.

Eric really needed to come back soon. He was not good with strangers, and he did not like this situation much. Something was feeling off, and he would never be able to keep Minwoo safe if anything had to happen. He already had a hard time keeping himself safe in dear situations.

---

---

Do you feel the end nearing ? 

It's coming people, and I hope you'll like it ^^ 

A couple chapters are left, then we'll have to say our farewells =((

Don't worry though, I'm always productive and I will come up with new stuffs, promise =))

 

Anyway, just a little message for the ones reading No Limit. I won't be home this Sunday, so I'm not sure I'll be able to write and update the new chapter. So don't be surprised if nothing happens with this fic this weekend ^^