Bullets & Promises ✔️

24. A Piece on the Board

"Pandora." Dae Ho walks to the lean man typing away behind one of the screens. "I want you to find someone. A woman called Li Xiu Ying."

"Okay," Choi Yoon says, nodding his head. "What do you know about her?"

"Nothing else, just her name." Dae Ho pulls a chair beside him and sits. "I want you to find her now."

"Boss, that's a common Chinese name. You need to at least know something other than that." Yoon informs entering the name in his system. A few taps later, a long list of people appears on the screen. "There are about three hundred people with the name currently. It'll take time to find who you want."

"I don't have time." Dae Ho drums his fingers against the wooden surface of the table. He takes slow breaths, recalling all the information he's acquired all this time. It all starts with Seonho, Dae Ho's adoptive father. The man hid data about the drug Vee is after. Something he's supposedly given to Dae Ho which the latter has no idea about. 'It's yours but not yours, hidden in its heart is a key to unending power'. The fighter still has no idea what the phrase means, or if Seonho just played with him.

"Check who all are involved with anything related to the medical field. Doctors, nurses, researchers, or someone working as an employee at hospitals and pharmacies. And their age should be late forties or more since this person was acquainted with Seonho."

"Alright." Pandora goes over a few tabs, narrowing to about fifty people. "This is your list, boss."

"I want you to extract details on each of them and find any suspicious activities over the past years."

Yoon gasps, body turning to the other. "You're not serious, are you? That's a lot."

"Do it even if you have to pull an all-nighter."

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Haneul turns off the shower and heads out of the washroom, grabbing a bathgown on his way out. He wipes his face with a towel and ruffles his wet blue hair, taking out an ironed pair of brown shirt and black slacks to wear for the day. He puts on the clothes, tucks in his shirt, and sprays cologne, strapping a Piaget watch around his wrist. With a satisfied sigh, he walks to Soomin's room."Minnie, wake up." Haneul shakes his daughter, removing her pink comforter. "It's time for school." The girl is unmoving and the father cracks a lopsided smile, wiggling his fingers. "If you don't get up, I'll tickle you!" He pokes her sides only to stop short and bring a hand to her forehead. "God, Minnie you're burning up!"

"A-app...pa." Soomin's eyes are pulled into slits, voice weak.

"Keep lying for a while, I'll heat some milk for you and then you can drink your medicine." Haneul rushes out of Soomin's room and heads to the kitchen. He grabs a carton of milk from the fridge and pours it into the pot placed on the electric stove, switching it on. A cry from Soomin's room diverts his attention, and the father walks back to her with long strides.

"Ap—appa...sowwy," Soomin apologizes, tears running down her cheeks. Haneul shudders at the vomit puddled on the carpeted floor near her bed, the smell making him nauseous. It's the first time since his divorce that Soomin has puked. 'I just showered.' The father presses his lips into a sympathetic smile and shakes his head.

"It's okay, Minnie. Appa will clean it up." But the girl cries louder than before, rubbing her runny nose with her nightshirt sleeve. Haneul moves forward, skipping over the vomit, and pulls her into a hug. "It's okay, Appa is here. You don't have to worry about anything." When Soomin's cry turns into sniffles, Haneul moves her and unbuttons her shirt, taking a fresh top and pulling it over her head. "Let's brush your teeth first and then you can dri— oh shit! Your milk!" The single father sprints, half foot landing on the yellowish-white liquid on the floor.