Laura couldn't sleep. It was well past midnight but her eyes refused to close. She stared at the lampshade beside her bed thinking over everything Ji Hoon had told her. She pitied him with all her heart and wished she could do something for him. But what's an endangered heiress able to do for an ex-spy?
Nearly two years; that's how long Ji Hoon had been on the run. That's what he told her. She could only imagine how hard that was for him, alone in the world, trying to survive, hiding and wondering what would happen next... her heart ached for him. Especially at his final words when she asked him a question earlier.
"Why are you telling me all this now?" she asked. A lost look flickered in his expression.
"Just because. I didn't have anyone else to tell. Even Andrew doesn't know all the details." He said.
"Then – why me?" she asked. He smiled wanly.
"I wanted to trust you with my secret. And because you were trying really hard to get it out of me all this time." he chuckled softly at that. "But mostly because I want someone to know in case anything happens to me." he gave her his chain.
"Keep it for me. For the time being." He said.
Laura clutched the chain around her neck. She vowed she would help him get justice somehow... but she would make sure it would be without anything happening to him.
She got up and went to get a glass of water. Ji Hoon was curled up on the couch, fast asleep though the lamp was still on. His quilt was half on the floor, the other half twisted between his legs. She sighed at the sight of him.
"I'm not the only one who needs protection." She said, going over and covering him properly. She sat on the coffee table for a minute, watching his peaceful face.
"Ji Hoon, I'll protect you too, no matter what." She said brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. She took in his form.
"He looks so uncomfortable... I knew he was way too tall for the couch. Why does he insist on sacrificing?" she asked herself, feeling put out. She rubbed her eyes and turned off the light, going back to bed. Ji Hoon opened his eyes and gazed at the bedroom door.
"What are you doing to me Laura?" he asked himself. "You're making it so hard for me."
Andrew squeezed the stress ball in his hand, his chin resting in the other. He was seated outside the VIP rooms in the waiting area, thinking. Mr. Talavera was in a coma and had not yet woken up and Laura and Ji Hoon were still missing. The CIA had gotten involved and found out by investigation that Vultaggio was indeed behind the bombing. But they could not find him yet. They would get Interpol involved to speed up the process but in the meantime, Vultaggio was still at large. But the thing he had been dreading hadn't happened yet – there was no ransom call saying Laura's life was on the line; which means Ji Hoon was keeping her safe, he hoped.
But if they had been caught, he had to report them as missing persons; so far he had been keeping their disappearance secret. If Vultaggio was searching for them too, the Interpol's finest wouldn't help keep their hiding place secret.
"Mr. Lee, the board of directors wants to hold a meeting to delay the renovation plan again. With Mr. Talavera in a coma, what should I say?" Mr. Talavera's executive director asked, approaching Andrew.
"Attend the meeting. Make sure the renovation plan DOES NOT get pushed back. It's what Mr. Talavera wants. The sooner it gets done, the sooner things go back to normal."
"Of course." The executive director said and left. Andrew checked his watch. It was past seven and he hadn't gone home in days. Neither had he eaten properly. After making sure Mr. Talavera was safe with his security team, he decided to go home. He showered and got into sweats after what felt like ages.
"Ah, that feels good. Ji Hoon was right. Suits are not for twenty-four seven." He said to himself. He ordered from his favorite Chinese restaurant going all out with jajangmyeon, dumplings and sweet shrimp. While he ate, he played back his landline voicemail, listening to each message. He got quite a few pouty messages from Hye Ryung, his girlfriend. She wanted to meet up for a date and even stopped by to stock his fridge. He felt touched when he had seen his stocked up fridge earlier.
"Hye Ryung-ah, she's such an angel." He said to himself. He continued listening to the messages when he suddenly heard a click. His front door opened and a woman stepped in, holding a lunch bag. She started on seeing Andrew.
"Aish, you frightened me! When did you get back? You've been away for days!" she said. She noticed him eating take out.
"Seriously? After all that I cooked for you! Didn't you check the fridge?" she asked.
"I did a little too late though, sorry Hye Ryung. I was busy with work." Andrew said sheepishly. Hye Ryung heard her messages being played on the landline and frowned.
"You're hearing them now? Forget it, I'm here now, I can talk to you in person. I'm not leaving tonight." She said, determinedly taking off her coat. She made to turn off the phone but a male voice came on suddenly.
"Hye Ryung, wait! I need to hear that!" Andrew said. Hye Ryung paused, looking at him.
"Yah needle tail, this is blue jay. The mockingbird is safe, repeat, the mockingbird is safe. She's in the special nest. Blue jay out." The message stopped. Andrew breathed in relief.
"Thank goodness. Ji Hoon, you punk, you finally contacted me." he said.
"Who's Ji Hoon?" Hye Ryung asked. Andrew got up to delete the message.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you..."
Laura crept into the living room slowly. Ji Hoon was seated on the couch, fiddling with some gadgets and wires, his back towards her. She noticed him craning his neck from side to side as though he had an ache and frowned. She was sure it was because he was too cramped on the couch.
"You're up early. Did you sleep alright?" he asked suddenly without turning around. Laura jumped and her jaw dropped.
How did you - I didn't even make a sound!" she exclaimed. "There's no way you could've known I was here!"
"I'm an ex-spy Laura. If I'm not alert to my surroundings I wouldn't make a very good one." He said, looking smug. Laura made a 'hmph' sound and joined him on the couch.
"What are you working on?" she asked. He continued to focus on rewiring a device.
"You remember that trick where I short fused the bulb in the hospital?" he asked.
"The day I was discharged – yeah, why?" he held up a device.
"I'm reprogramming the device that does that so that it can short fuse from a longer distance."
"There's a gadget for that? Cool!" Laura said with sparkling eyes. "What other gadgets do you have?"
"Mostly detection devices, voice recorders, GPS systems, distraction mechanisms..."
"I mean weapons." Ji Hoon looked at her in surprise.
"You want to know what kind of weapons I have?" he asked.
"Yeah, weapons are the best part about being a spy. I think it's really hot to be able to tranquilize someone before they know it." Laura said. Ji Hoon blinked.
"I really want to know what goes on in that mind of yours. " He said under his breath. "Okay, so you want to talk weapons. For the most part, a gun is a spy's best friend."
"Oooh, intimidating. What else?" Laura asked, rubbing her arms.
"Small concealed blades." He said, pulling one out of his boot heel and another from his belt.
"Seriously? You were wearing them this whole time?" Laura asked with wide eyes.
"Not all the time... next comes the fun stuff – non-lethal stunning devices. From pens that give electric shocks to gas pellets and smoke bombs." Ji Hoon said, pulling out a variety of small items.
"I feel like I'm in a spy movie right now." Laura said with a smile.
"These gadgets are all well and good, but remember. A spy's best faculties are in his mind and hands. If you have nothing else, these can take down an entire squad of enemies."
"I'll keep that in mind." Laura said, nodding enthusiastically. "Now turn around."
"What? Why?" Ji Hoon asked in confusion. Laura got up and went behind the couch, thrusting her hands into his shoulders.
"All that sleeping on a tiny couch and you thought I wouldn't notice? Your neck's all knotted up." Laura said massaging it for him. He tried to remove her hands but she slapped his fingers away.
"Ah, agh, what are you doing?" Ji Hoon asked.
"You need this. You've been suffering for days." Laura said in a soft voice.
"You don't have to –"
"I know, I know." Laura shushed him. "Just bear with it for a while. And tonight you're sleeping in the bedroom."
"What?" Ji Hoon gawked like a fish. He couldn't believe what Laura was suggesting.
"I'm going to do the cooking today. So you just sit back and take a load off." She said, going into the kitchen. She turned up the music loud so Ji Hoon couldn't protest. Ji Hoon shook his head. Ever since he introduced her to k-pop, she couldn't get enough of it. He smiled as he watched her sway from side to side in a little dance to a Monsta X song.
"Yah, I'll rip the songs for you on an Mp3 player if you want. Do you have to play that so loud now?" Ji Hoon asked over the music. Laura turned, winked at him and continued to dance, singing the parts that were in English.
"You can't avoid it forever..." Ji Hoon mumbled getting back to his gadgets.
That night though, he found out that Laura wasn't kidding; when he went to fetch his pillow and coverings from the cabinet, they were gone. He frowned.
"Laura, where is my pillow and sheets?" he asked her as he went into the bedroom.
"In bed, silly. I organized everything for you." Laura said, patting the bed. Ji Hoon pinched the bridge of his nose.
"And where exactly are you going to sleep?" he asked with an ironic smile.
"In bed, of course. The bed is spacious enough for both of us. We can share it while staying on our own sides." Laura said composedly. It appeared the situation did not bother her at all.
"Laura." Ji Hoon said, running his hand through his hair. "Does this situation seem right to you? You don't seriously think that I'm gonna go along with this?"
"Don't worry; I'm not a restless sleeper. And you won't even know I'm here. I won't bother you." Laura said sitting on the bed. Ji Hoon scoffed.
"Tch, that's the last thing I'm worried about. I'm going back to the couch. Enough games." Ji Hoon said, turning to walk away. Laura looked dismayed.
"You can't. It's too uncomfortable and your things are here and – AHH!" She gave an ear-splitting squeal. Ji Hoon whipped around.
"What? What? Are you hurt? What's wrong?" he asked, coming near. She pointed a shaky finger to the corner of the room.
"S-s-s-spider!" she stammered. Ji Hoon exhaled sharply and rubbed his forehead. Aish... Seriously?" he asked, going over and killing the spider with his heel. He came back and sat on the bed.
"For a girl who talked about guns and knives with me this morning, I thought you were braver than that." he said, staring at her. Laura pouted.
"Ninety percent of women in the world fear spiders." She said. Ji Hoon nodded.
"Right, it would have been too weird if you didn't fear something. Good night." He said and got up. Laura desperately clutched the edge of his sleeve pulling him back.
"You can't leave me now! What if there are more? I can't stay here alone!" she pleaded with a puppy dog look. Ji swallowed trying to resist but finally ended up in bed.
"No one should underestimate your persistence. I believe you could unify North and South Korea if you tried." He said, folding his arms as he lay down. Laura looked him over.
"Do you usually sleep so stiffly? You were more relaxed on the couch." She commented. Ji Hoon didn't open his eyes.
"Go to sleep. I'm only here to guard you from potential arachnid threats." He said. Laura felt like sticking her tongue out at him but realized something – this was the first time since her birthday that he had been this close to her. Intimately close.
"Does it bother you that much to be around me?" she asked softly, watching him. She saw his eyes move beneath his lids but they didn't open.
"I'm not comfortable with sharing my personal space with anyone." He said. Laura felt a tinge of hurt at that.
"It didn't seem to bother you on my birthday." She said petulantly. Especially since you came into my personal space without warning." Ji Hoon finally opened his eyes and turned to her.
"I know I crossed a line that day. I'm sorry. But you needed help and that was the best I could come up with."
"Was that all it was?" Laura asked, her voice wavering trying to hide her disappointment. "Helping me? You haven't brought it up in days and now that's all you have to say about it?" Ji Hoon studied her face.
"What more did you want me to say?" he asked. Laura lowered her eyes to hide her eyes which started to fill up.
"Of course, spies are good at dodging questions. You would avoid it. You probably faked that kiss too. You must be an expert at acting. It must have been uncomfortable for you." she said, turning away. Ji Hoon gently turned her chin back to his gaze.
"It wasn't fake. And it wasn't uncomfortable for me." he said in a low, meaningful voice. Laura gazed up at him.
"What? I don't understand -"
"I meant every moment of that kiss. But don't you see that we can't go any further? No, it's me. I can't cross that line again. Because spies are not supposed to have weaknesses – they're supposed to be fearless. But being with you – I'm afraid. I'm afraid of falling in love with you." His last words made her breath catch; her heart began to race. He had finally admitted it to her – he was falling in love with her.