The crisp sound of dry leaves rustling along the pathway as a pair of feet walked on them in the middle of a secluded urban jungle felt like a sanctuary. In the midst of an absurd mind, the sound somehow made its presence known and brought him back to the reality of the life he had been living. Yoo Min Woo was almost at the peak of his cold revenge towards the woman he held so dear in his life. He never realized he would come down to this, but as he tried to justify himself, he let out a sly smile.
‘This is what you made me do, Eon Jin,’ he thought, pinning all the blame to the actress who had been living the life that anyone else would have wanted.
Anyone else but him.
Having been able to convince Yeo Bin to connive with him, while holding her down by the neck, he was almost at the brink of the moment he had been waiting for. He thought that finally, after all this time and after all that he had been planning, his game had come to its fruition and soon he would reap its success. He knew the consequences if these will not come together, so he must take careful, but sure, steps to making this happen.
Smoking out his last puff of the cigarette he had been holding on to, he inhaled a chunk of the white figment into his entire system before throwing it down and squishing it with his shoe. He slowly walked back to his car, idly waiting by the entrance while feeling the sound of the leaves once more as he did so. Smiling lopsidedly, he got in and revved up the car, speeding up to get to the place where he had been planning to go all this time. From time to time, he would glance over to the seat beside him, where a baby car seat was installed. Smiling dangerously, he picked up speed and went over to the country club where he told Yeo Bin to go.
Executing the final plan starts now.
Stepping out of the car, he went to the reception and greeted the lady behind the desk. His eyes were wandering, and he thought that it would be quite easy to get to the target considering the volume of people who are currently here.
‘Mr. Yoo, are you playing today?’ Dina, the receptionist, asked.
‘Yes, I am. But a friend asked me to meet at the nursery. I never knew you had one,’ he replied, showing his schoolboy smile.
‘Yes sir, we do have. I’m sorry we haven’t shown you that the first time,’ she replied, shying away from the smile, and the slight touch of the man in front of her.
‘It’s okay, honey. Can you please tell me where it is?’ he asked, flirting somehow with the lady who in turn, gave him the directions. He knew that as a member, he was entitled to roam around the area.
Easy peasy.
He then said goodbye and left his number, albeit a fake one. He walked towards the nursery, which was actually just a few meters from the parking lot. He took a quick glance as to who was inside, when a man in a black tie approached him and asked a few questions.
‘Sir, may I know whom you are looking for?’ the tall man in the tie asked. From the looks of it, he was not a security personnel. Min Woo quickly dismissed him as a personal bodyguard of whoever Hallyu hotshot. He smiled and offered his hand, but as the other man took it, he grabbed it and in a swift move, tangled it behind the man’s ear along with his strong and powerful forearm, choking him until he passed out.
Carefully laying the unconscious man down, he took the service 9mm which was concealed under a waistband and tucked it behind his own. He then dragged the poor man and left him on the thick bushes just located beside the nursery. He came back and peered once more, and he saw a young lady with a cute, little baby approaching the door. He stood beside it and when the lady emerged after opening the door, he then grabbed her by the neck and trained a knife on her side. In her terror, she was shocked but she didn’t let go of the baby.
‘Come with me,’ he said as he pulled her to where he parked the car. She wasn’t able to do anything and just followed, as if she had been hypnotized. She got in the car and the moment she sat down, Min Woo held out a 0.03mm syringe and stuck it on the side of her neck. Immediately falling asleep, he laid her down carefully, gagged her mouth and covered her with a blanket that he prepared. He then took the baby out and placed her on the front seat. He got to his own seat and looked closely at his passenger beside him.
At some point, he was mesmerized at the beauty of the baby along with her crescent eyes, dimpled smile, and cute little face. The baby made some coos which made her so adorable. She almost melted his heart when she held out her hand to touch his face, as he bent down to look at her closely.
‘Hello, Yohanna Kim,’ he told the baby. ‘I am Min Woo samchon. Eomma told me to come and fetch you. Let’s go somewhere for a spin.’
He started up his engine and went out of the club with no hassle. He was laughing at how he did so, knowing that it was a first class club. Outwitting the security was something that he felt so proud about, and preparing for the worst was nothing but a piece of chicken for him now.
He placed a call and when the other line answered, he smiled once more.
‘Hello Eon Jin,’ he said, just in time for the lady who he now presumed as the nanny of the baby woke up. She gave out muffled screams which sounded like music to his ears. Yohanna on the other hand, somehow knew that her mother was on the phone so she made some little coos, which did not fall on deaf ears.
‘Or should I say, hello Yohanna Kim?’ he said, the rush of blood was apparent in his veins. He was driving at a speed which was permitted legally, as he knew there was a very treasured possession in his car.
‘Do you want to talk to Eomma and Appa?’ he said, which was followed by a diabolical laugh.
‘Yoo Min Woo!’ Yejin’s voice rang throughout the place where they were gathered. Bin stood beside her and held her close, rubbing his hands on her upper arms at least enough to calm her down. His eyes were searching for something, and his breath was heavy. He turned to look at Yeo Bin, who had been crying the moment he asked her what she had done. If only he could charge at her and shake the answer right out of her system, he would have done so.
‘Where is my daughter? What did you do?’ she asked, flat toned but Yejin’s eyes were clouded with tears, making her vision blurry along with her mind. She couldn’t comprehend what was happening. She wanted answers to questions the moment she thinks of them.
‘Not that fast Eon Jin,’ Min Woo said on the other line. ‘You have a very adorable daughter, I wonder what your son looks like.’
Immediately, Bin let go of his wife and ran as fast as he could to reach his son. Pooh was inside the Linc, with the bodyguard waiting for his orders.
‘Appa, is there something wrong?’ Pooh asked as he saw his father panting and sweating all over.
In the midst of the confusion, Bin managed to smile and took his son from his seat. He clutched on to him, and as Pooh held on like a baby koala, the father’s tears rolled down his cheeks, as he thought about his little girl who was now in the hands of a madman.
‘Just don’t hurt my daughter or all hell breaks loose,’ he thought.
‘Appa, where’s Lilo?’ his son asked. He crafted a believable excuse just to let him believe.
‘Oh, Nanny Shin Hye had to go somewhere and she had to bring Lilo with her. We will meet her at home,’ he said, knowing that everything was bleak for a moment. He hoped against hope that his son would believe him, even when he knows this is impossible.
‘Appa, can we go home now? I’m sleepy,’ Pooh said after a moment. Bin rubbed his back and in a few minutes he dozed off. Carrying him to where his wife was, never compromising his son’s safety was on top priority. When he arrived, Yejin was on the chair, tears falling nonstop. Bin asked the bodyguard to take Yeo Bin to the house and wait for them there.
‘Baby, let’s go,’ he said as he held her hand. It sure did feel like winter came once more. Yejin followed him and as soon as they arrived at the Linc, he placed Pooh at the back and locked the door after. He got on to his seat and drove away. His mind was like a myriad of emotions, but he knew he had to remain alert and focused. The day has come that he had to face a demon that emerged from behind the scene, but unlike the movie, the demon was real and he had to play a game that he must win, no matter the circumstances.
He drove towards his parent’s house. As soon as they got in there, he went out and took Pooh inside first, leaving Yejin behind in the car. His eomma was surprised to see him, and judging from the look upon his face, she knew something was terribly wrong.
‘Eomma, where’s Abeoji?’ he asked as he held Pooh on his shoulder.
‘He is in his study, I will call him,’ she said as she rushed to where his father was. When the two older Kims came, Bin told them of what happened, and asked them to take care of Pooh for the moment. His mother was terrified at what happened and started to shed tears.
‘Where’s Eon Jin?’ his father asked.
‘She’s in the car, and I know she is in shock,’ he replied.
‘I’ll get Ji Hwan, Tae Pyung. We will take care of him here. Go to your wife now,’ his mother said, while tears were running down her face.
Bin talked to his father for a moment before he went out of the house and got into his Linc. He got into Yejin’s side and as soon as she saw him, she broke down in tears. He hugged her, knowing that there was nothing that he could do, yet.
‘It’s alright baby,’ he said, comforting her in the best way he can ever think of right now. ‘Did he say anything more?’
But Yejin did not say anything. Her heart felt like it was doused with cold water, like a heavily drenching rain in the middle of summer. You didn’t know where it hit you, but it did.
And it did hurt so bad.
‘He wants me to come and pick her up,’ she said after a few minutes. ‘Baby, you know I would do anything for the kids.’
Bin was surprised at what she said, but managed to ask her anyway.
‘Would you really go and get her?’
‘Why not? Binssi I can’t let anything happen to her,’ she replied. Somehow, she felt a disbelief seeping into her at how he reacted.
‘I know, but can you leave this to me?’ he replied.
‘But he wanted me to go,’ she replied, desperate enough to make him understand what the other man wanted.
‘Baby, didn’t you realize he was just playing you?’
‘You don’t understand!’ Yejin screamed at him, jerking him away from her. Bin let her go as his emotions were climbing way too high; he didn’t want to say words he might regret later. He understood what she was thinking, knowing all too well this had happened before to their close friends.
‘You don’t understand what I am going through right now,’ she said. He resigned, as he didn’t want a heated conversation now. The least he could do was to keep his silence for the moment. He closed the door and went to his side, and drove the car as soon as he got up and started it.
The ride home was eerily quiet, with both parties having a lot of thoughts as to how their daughter ended up in the enemy’s hands. A lot of regrets came as to why they went golfing, how they allowed them to go to the nursery when they could have just spent their time with their daughter. Bin let out a sigh, and as Yejin realized it, she held out her hand and took his free one.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
He glanced at her for a second before giving out a weak smile. ‘We are almost there,’ he replied. His phone then rang and he immediately took the call.
‘Tae Pyungssi?’ a man’s voice came through.
‘Tae Gu,’ Bin replied. ‘Hang on, we’re almost home.’ Bin ended the call, with Yejin looking at him questioningly.
‘Binssi, please don’t tell me,’ she said.
‘Tell you what?’ he shot the question back. Just then, he took a right to get into their house. A lot of cars were already there, including a black van with two burly men standing right outside of it. Bin parked the car at the usual spot and got off. Opening his wife’s side, he looked her in the eye before he spoke.
‘Whatever it is that you have been thinking, you just gotta trust me on this,’ he said. Confused, Yejin wanted an explanation from him.
‘Binssi,’ she said. ‘That man specifically wanted me.’
‘And you seriously think that I will allow you to do so? No way, not in this lifetime nor in the next,’ he replied sternly. ‘End of discussion.’
Having said that, he stepped aside so she could come down. Where was his signature kiss? Where was the cheesy Kim Tae Pyung?
He was not present right now. All Yejin saw in his eyes were burning coals of anger, and frustration.
The couple went in, and as soon as they did they saw their living room transform into a real life crisis room. Sets of monitors and some other technical equipment were mounted, picking up GPS signals. On one end, Yeo Bin had been sitting with a woman of medium build, wearing a black coat over a white shirt. By the looks of it, it seemed like Yeo Bin had been telling her the story of how she got involved in this crisis. The other woman looked back and when she saw the couple, she waved and gave out a smile. It was Seoul Metro Police’s ace negotiator Inspector Ha Chae Yoon and just a few meters away was her fiancé, Min Tae Gu.
‘How can it be this fast?’ Yejin asked Chae Yoon as soon as she stood beside them. Knowing his wife will be in good hands even when he did not talk to her yet, he left to see Tae Gu.
‘As soon as Tae Gu called me up, we came in here. Mr. Kim rang him, and told him of what happened,’ she replied. ‘Don’t worry, Mrs. Kim. Your daughter will be saved.’
Yejin’s phone rang again and this time she showed it to Chae Yoon. The crisis team, composed of her former members, got ready and waited for the signal to trace the call. There were also three plain clothes policemen, personally picked by Tae Gu, as Bin requested a news embargo on the situation, considering their status in the industry.
‘Tae Pyung, did you do what I said?’ Tae Gu asked while they were waiting likewise.
‘Yes I did,’ he replied.
‘Good. Now let’s catch this bastard after this call.’
‘Hi Eon Jin,’ Min Woo said over the phone. He was with the sleeping baby inside his car, parked near the narrow alley where he used to wait for her back in the day. Looking at the alley made him realize how stupid he was waiting for nothing.
‘How is my daughter?’ she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
‘How is your husband holding up?’ he taunted her. He imagined that Bin was raging inside wherever they were, not quite knowing what to do. Crazy actors, he thought. You’re only good in movies, Hyun Bin!
‘He’s good,’ Yejin replied, taking a glance at her husband whom she ironically missed.
‘Oh really? Is he not concerned about your daughter missing? Why don’t you just leave him and come with me?’ he said softly, taunting yet hoping it would really happen.
‘Yoo Min Woo, I am married to the man you just mocked,’ she replied, outrage apparent in her voice. Chae Yoon had to motion for her to calm down. ‘I’m sorry. Min Woo, I am married and I can’t be with you.’
‘Oh yes you can,’ he said. ‘When I kill your husband.’
Bin got to where they were and looked at one of the monitors. Raging with anger, he clenched his fist as he stared at the face of the man who took his daughter and threatened to kill him likewise. Lee Shin Young, the tech savvy, raised his hand and immediately Chae Yoon came beside him. He told her of the place where the call was placed.
‘Eon Jinssi, are you still there?’ Min Woo asked.
‘Yes,’ she replied.
‘Three hours, ani make that two. Come to the place where I was supposed to meet you,’ he said coolly before he ended the call.
‘Suseung-do, Daegu,’ Chae Yoon called. Tae Gu then geared up and went to where they were. He smiled and winked at Chae Yoon as soon as he went out. Bin geared up likewise and as he headed towards the door, Yejin went up to him, stopping him in his tracks.
She saw the rage that was in his eyes and even when she wanted to hold him, she knew she just couldn’t do so. She held his hand instead, but he walked past her and went out. Shutting the door behind him, leaving his wife with fresh tears threatening to flow right out of her eyes. She could only hope and pray that everything would turn out as Bin had told her.
‘Just trust me on this.’
‘I do, Binssi. Just come back home safe with our daughter.’
The black van where Bin, Tae Gu and the two burly men came to where the GPS pointed them to. Apart from the call trace earlier, there was something else that helped them locate exactly where Min Woo was.
‘Tae Pyung, where did you place it?’ Tae Gu asked as he strapped up his bulletproof vest.
‘On my daughter’s shoe. I put it on both their shoes, discreetly,’ he replied as he himself wore his own vest. He took a 9mm automatic and loaded it with a round of bullets.
‘And boy, remember what I said,’ the other man reminded him.
‘Fire when necessary,’ he replied. ‘I am a former Marine, you know.’
‘Boss, here we are. We saw the car,’ the driver called them up. Locked and loaded, they went on to check the car with the three policemen in casual, but concealed, gear.
But when they saw the car, there was no one inside. They went around and searched the place, and when Bin looked inside the car, he saw a red light blinking. Looking closely, he saw Lilo’s Elmo shoes. It was taken off her. Panic filled his entire body, but he brought it back to focus. He must find Yohanna. Closing his eyes and thinking of places where Min Woo took his daughter, he heard a faint cry from somewhere. His senses became more sensitive right now that every single sound made him jolt.
‘Help,’ came a breathless voice from nowhere. He asked the men to help him look for that voice, until they heard it from the trunk of the car. Immediately they cracked it open and it revealed Shin Hye, looking really weak.
‘Shin Hye, where did he take Lilo?’ he asked.
She murmured something incoherently. ‘Dur---‘
‘What?’
‘Dur—yu,’ she replied.
Duryu Park. At this point in time, it was swarmed with people and it may be a little too tough to find them there.
But a rage driven father will do everything and risk his life for his daughter. Hearing that, he went directly to the van followed by Tae Gu and drove it to the park. They went down right away and started to look for Yohanna. Checking every corner for a sight of her, his adrenaline kept on pumping, pushing him to look further into every little inch of that massive park. Tae Gu was looking for Min Woo, determined to take him down. But even he himself had to learn to be patient and focus on what is more important, catching that man and getting the child back.
As they scoured around the park, they heard a faint cry of a baby. Following the confusing sounds, they managed to get to the innermost part of the park where there were a few people. The cries were becoming louder and louder, and Bin knew in his heart that he was listening to his daughter. His mind was running in circles, determined to find her. The police followed them right behind, and when they heard a faint pop of a gun, he knew they were at the right place. He was certain that they were.
He continued to listen in on Lilo’s cry until he found her wrapped in a worn blanket. Relief washed over his body as soon as he saw her cute little face. His tears fell down naturally and as he picked his daughter up, he came face to face with the man who made his and his wife’s life miserable in the past few weeks, with a gun pointed to his head.
‘Kim Tae Pyung, what a pleasant surprise! I was hoping for Eon Jin but then you came. Ahhhh, talk of coincidence and fate,’ Min Woo said, smiling devilishly.
‘Stop this now, Yoo Min Woo,’ Bin replied, debating whether to kill the man now and put his daughter down, or wait for one of the men to bring this man down once and for all.
‘Oh no, no. Not when I am getting the hang of it,’ Min Woo replied. But his eyes spoke of the opposite, as he knew that his end was near. He knew of Bin’s reputation in the Marines, and as a soldier himself he knows when his defeat has come.
But he also knew he had the upper hand, so he pulled the trigger on Bin. But that trigger never went off, as another one did and that hit him right smack on the side of his head, with the bullet’s exit point on the opposite. The bullet came from the policeman who saw Bin held at gunpoint. Min Tae Gu was short of a second as he trained his gun on Min Woo likewise.
He splayed right down in the middle of the park, eyes open never to blink forever, hands lying on the ground holding his firearm. The bitter end of a man wanting nothing but the woman he was too obsessed to be with.
‘Tae Pyung, I’ll take it from here,’ he said. ‘And don’t worry about these men,’ he continued. ‘They’re my cohorts,’ he whispered, as he took the 9mm from him.
Bin looked at him in disbelief. The other man, quite a reputation in his heydays until he met his match, only gave him a smile.
‘Just go. And please, come to our wedding soon,’ he managed to say, making light of the situation.
The sun was up and its light softly hit Yejin’s puffy eyes. She went to bed crying the whole night until she thought she dozed off in her sleep. When she opened her eyes, she immediately shut them as its rays hit them directly. She once again opened them, this time slowly. When she managed to take in everything that was in front of her, she blinked twice. Thrice.
She got up suddenly, not quite believing what she was seeing. Her lovely daughter is beside her, in one piece, safe and sound. Her tears fell down without even realizing it and as she picked her up, she held her close to her, never wanting to let go.
Then she realized that something, or someone, was missing. Someone who meant the world to her, next to the kids. Her husband.
She searched for him with her eyes roaming around the entire room, until it landed on her bedside table. On it was a note, and in his neat handwriting it said.
‘I am sleeping in the study. I want you to wake up beside Lilo this morning. Love, Bin.’
-----
A/N:
Really sorry the update came a bit late for this story, work and other stuff came through and had my hands busy on other important things likewise.
I hope you find this long chapter fit to end the obsession of Min Woo to our dear YJ, at least in the story.
Obsession is never a good thing to begin with, no matter how much we justify that we love the person or thing so much. We must learn how to check and balance everything.
Shall we go back to the light chapters in the next few days? ☺
See you on the next fic!!