777 Ways

CHAPTER 2 - ANATHEMA

~~South Korea, Seoul~~ Team Wang Publishing Co., Ltd.

"America?! Jinyoung you can't be serious." Jaebeom eyed him with incredulity as they sat in his office at Team Wang Publishing Co., Ltd.. For five years, the editor worked with Jinyoung. They went to college together with their wealthy Chinese friend, Jackson Wang. After they graduated, Jinyoung became a writer, and Jaebeom ended up as an employee at Jackson's multinational conglomerate publishing Company.

"I need to take care of something. I won't be able to write a single page if I don't." The author argued, as he glanced at the watch on his wrist.

"Is this still about SooYoung? Man, you need to let go! Are you going to throw your life away for revenge? It's time to move on. Let's face it, you'll never find him." Jaebeom argued, fearing that his friend could end up ruining his life for the sake of a nonsensical crusade.

"Well, Jackson did." Jinyoung said calmly. Even though his editor sounded exasperated, he remained impassive.

"What?! Isn't he in Hong Kong?" Jaebeom exhaled and before the writer answered him, he continued. "Listen to me Jin! I'm not talking as your editor or literary agent, okay? I'm talking as your friend now. Do not let Jackson Wang poison your mind. I know he misses his fiancée and he wants to kill whoever impregnated her in the U.S. But you don't have to get involved in this mess. No matter what he does now, it won't bring her back. He's not in his right state of mind. You know he's not the same guy after your sister's death."

"Neither am I." Jinyoung stated stoically.

"Jin, you cannot-"

"Do you want your fucking book or not? I can only go back to being the author Park Jinyoung after I do this. I need to go after that fiend who did that to her and make him pay. When I informed you I was going to America I didn't ask your opinion about it, Jaebeom-ah! I just wanted to let you know that I will be absent for a few weeks, maybe a couple of months...It depends."

"On what?" The editor huffed.

"On how fast I'll be able to get him here." The author muttered.

"You want to bring him to Korea?" Jaebeom frowned.

"Jackson found the guy. Now I must bring the guy to him. That's the deal." Jinyoung revealed half of his intentions to a dumbfounded Jaebeom. The latter obviously wished to know more, just to find a way to stop his friend from doing something he could probably regret later. However, Jinyoung didn't give him time to ask more questions. He simply left, ignoring the editor's warnings.

Onboard the plane to America, the writer unfolded his sister's suicide note for the hundredth time and started reading it again.

SooYoung's last goodbye.

To: Mark Tuan Yi-En, my savior and killer

Since the day I met you, things have not been easy. I do not recognize myself, I've never felt this guilty.

Since the day I met you, you made my heart squeeze. I cannot go back now, I have lost my way, completely.

You are the one who infused a ray of light within me. As this new light grows, I can barely rest, eat or sleep. The thought of letting go of this light makes me uneasy. But I will not allow myself to carelessly let it breathe. Since the day I met you, I'd rather dream than live. I'm strangling my hope with a rope in order to kill it. In order to live forever with your light, my existence must cease. They may say I'm damned, but I know the memory of your shine shall show me peace.

Jinyoung could barely contain his tears, and for the first time, they weren't tears of sadness. He was about to meet him, Mark Tuan Yi-En. The man behind his sister's demise. The father of her unborn child. Tuan Yi-en had no idea of what was coming to him. Jinyoung never felt so grateful to someone. If it wasn't for Jackson, who was also unable to get over his fiancée's death, Jinyoung would never be able reach him. The Chinese hired private investigators to confirm the man's involvement with SooYoung during her stay in California and did all he could to find out his whereabouts. Jackson even handed him a file with all the information his employees had collected on the man. Jinyoung folded his sister's suicide note and put it inside his pocket just to grab a folder lying on the seat beside him. Everything about Mark was there. He then started to review some of the facts about his nemesis's life one more time.