⬆️ Featured soundtrack: Ellie Goulding - Bittersweet
Ji Hoon uncoiled the rope and prepared to throw his grappling hook.
"Ji Hoon!" Laura's weak voice carried down to him. She sounded so scared; he had to get to her soon.
"Hold on, I'm coming to get you! Don't be afraid Laura, I'm coming!" he called up to her. He swung the hook onto a ledge two floors below her and climbed up. Then he climbed up to the next ledge. He could hear her hyperventilating as he drew closer.
"Listen to my voice Laura, don't think of anything else. Focus on my voice." He said comfortingly. He looked up and met her frightened eyes.
"It's okay Laura, I'm here. Everything's gonna be alright. I won't let you fall, I promise." He said finally reaching her. He stood protectively in front of her, shielding her. He cut the ropes from her hand with a small knife. Immediately her arms came around him, pulling him close.
"Oh Ji Hoon! I'm so glad! I thought I was going to die without seeing you ever again! I was so afraid..." she sobbed into his shirt.
"Shh, Laura, it's okay, you're safe now. Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked.
"N-no... just dizzy. They gave me some sort of anesthetic..." Laura said through her tears.
"I'll make them pay for that." Ji Hoon said, hardening his voice. He wrapped his arms around her. She met his eyes, her fingers curling around his shirt, tugging closer.
"Ji Hoon..." she sobbed."I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have left like that! I thought I would never see you again..." he shushed her softly, touching her lips, her tear stained cheeks. He met her gaze with eyes full of passion.
"I told you before." he said. "As long as you want me, I'll never leave you." she swallowed.
"I love you Ji Hoon. I want you to know that. I was so afraid I'd never get the chance to see you again... If I lost my chance before I could tell you that..." Laura cried. Ji Hoon caressed her face.
"Laura... I love you too. More than you can understand. I only kept things a secret to protect you. But I'm sorry. I would die for you if it meant keeping you safe."
"Don't say that! I can't lose you! I can't live if anything happens to you!" Laura said, clutching him tighter. He sighed, wishing he had more time to confess everything he felt.
"Laura... you have no idea how you make me feel when you say that. To think that you care for someone like me... knowing what I'm coming from... It's more than I deserve." He couldn't hold back anymore; he didn't know what the future held, whether he would even live past today. All he knew was one thing; he had fallen irrevocably in love with the girl in his arms. He crashed down on her lips, urgently. He let his weight hold her, feeling the tears fall from her closed eyes. He wiped them, without breaking their kiss. He felt her need as strong as his; and he wanted to satisfy it. But reality nagged at the back of his mind and soon they would have to return to it – to fight.
"Ji Hoon..." she whispered. She leaned her head into him, stroking his hair. The sun had just begun to come up in the horizon and the golden light glowed on Ji Hoon's cheek.
"I'm gonna get you out of here. I'm gonna keep you safe." He said resolutely. She nodded.
"I trust you." she said. He wrapped the rope around her, securing it. Then holding onto her, he lowered them both from the ledge, using the grappling hook. In a moment, they were back on the ground.
"Rogue Ranger. It's been a long time." A voice said behind them in korean. Ji Hoon spun around keeping Laura shielded behind his back. Around a six feet parameter stood armed men, guns pointing straight at him. in the center stood his old enemy, Jung Baek Hyeon.
"So you crawled out of your hole yourself to find me. Too bad. You'll have to go back empty handed." Ji Hoon goaded in korean. Laura wondered what they were saying. Baek Hyeon clenched his fists.
"Savor the moment Ji Hoon. This is the last win you'll ever see." He snarled.
"Really? Because I don't plan to lose." Ji Hoon said with confidence. He heard Laura give a little gasp behind him as more men surrounded them from behind.
"Even the best laid plans go awry." Baek Hyeon retorted.
"You would know, wouldn't you?" Ji Hoon threw back. Baek Hyeon's face contorted.
"The flash drive Ji Hoon! Surrender it now and the girl won't suffer." He said. Ji Hoon felt Laura clutch his arm.
"Don't say a word." He whispered to her. He turned to Baek Hyeon.
"What to do? I don't have it with me." he said with a self-satisfied smirk in korean. Baek Hyeon's eyes widened.
"What?! You're lying!" he shouted.
"Needle tail, now." Ji Hoon said into his earpiece. Immediately, bullets flew out of nowhere, striking the men behind Laura down. Baek Hyeon and his men in front looked around bewildered.
"Get him! but don't kill him!" he shouted. Ji Hoon whipped out his own gun, firing bullets with keen precision at the men before they could blink. Laura gasped covering her ears and ducking.
"You have a plan to get us out of here?" she asked him.
"I'm the Rogue Ranger, Laura. I always have a plan." He replied when all the men were down. Only Baek Hyeon remained. He whipped out his gun and aimed at Ji Hoon.
"Do you really want to do that? you can kiss the evidence goodbye if you do." Ji Hoon played.
"I'll get it off your dead body!" Baek Hyeon shouted though he wavered.
"Not if you have a bullet in your chest." Ji Hoon said, gesturing behind him. Baek Hyeon turned around and saw Andrew on top of the building, a sniper pointing straight at him. Clenching his jaws, he dropped the gun and turned to Ji Hoon.
"This isn't the end, Ji Hoon." He said through clenched teeth. Just then, a swarm of black cars drove near. Ji Hoon grabbed Laura's hand and ran.
"We gotta get out of here now!" he said, pulling her away. He headed for the car but men emerged from the cars and surrounded them, blocking their path. Laura saw they were trapped.
"Now what?" she asked, panicking. Ji Hoon squared his expression.
"Stay behind me." he said. He swung into action, knocking the guns out of the men's hands before giving them solid fists in the face, knocking them back. They retaliated with their own punches but Ji Hoon dodged and gave them unexpected knuckles under their necks, choking them. He fought tooth and nail, dealing out brutal hits and sharp kicks.
A third man appeared from the side holding a knife and swung it around. Laura screamed, stepping back; Ji Hoon, alerted by her scream, swung around to attack the man. But he was faster than the others and dodged Ji Hoon's blows. Ji Hoon fought to avoid the knife which he was violently sweeping, cutting slashes through the air. Ji Hoon ducked and wrapped a leg around him and twisted him to the ground. The man grunted, but his blade caught Ji Hoon in the process, leaving a red slash across his abdomen, oozing blood. Laura gasped.
"Ji Hoon!" she looked around for something to fight with. Since it was a construction site, the only thing she found nearby was a shovel. She picked it up.
"Move!" she said and swung it just as Ji Hoon bent backwards to avoid it. The shovel clanged against the man's head knocking him out.
"Thanks." Ji Hoon said, giving her a faint smile. She threw the shovel aside and knelt beside him.
"Are you alright?" she asked, helping him up.
"It's just a flesh wound." He said though she saw him wince. More men began to rush towards them but they stopped and dropped to the ground suddenly as Andrew's bullets hit them.
"I wondered where you were." Ji Hoon said in his earpiece.
"I had to reload. Get out of there! The place is swarming with men! I'll meet you at the car once I've cleared the path!" Andrew resounded back. Ji Hoon grabbed Laura's hand again and made a beeline for the car. Vultaggio's men tried to follow but Ji Hoon fired his own shots from his gun, stopping them.
"Get in!" he told Laura while he hung back to shield her. She got in the car, just as Andrew appeared on the scene. The two of them held the men back, shooting without restraint. Then they quickly got in the car. One of the men shot at them but the bullet bounced off the glass.
"Drive!" Andrew said. Ji Hoon didn't need to be told twice, starting the car and stamping the accelerator hard. They reversed onto the road before zipping down the bridge. The men who hadn't been shot got in their cars immediately and followed them.
"We can't shake them!" Laura said.
"Yes we can." Ji Hoon said, opening his window. He pulled out a remote of some sort out of his pocket.
"What's that?" Laura asked, staring at it.
"Remote to a bomb. I rigged the bridge as soon as we found you." Andrew replied. Laura's eyes widened.
"This'll fix them." Ji Hoon with a formidable smile and pressed the button.
"Three, two..." Andrew counted. The next second a loud explosion went off, creating a billow of smoke and flames behind them. The bridge rumbled with the explosion and debris flew everywhere.
"The bridge! It's collapsing!" Laura said as the bridge began to sink downward behind them. Ji Hoon didn't waver for a moment, the car picking up speed as it barely shot up onto the road, leaving the half collapsed bridge on the ground. Vultaggio and his men couldn't follow them.
"And that's that." Andrew said as they drove away. Vultaggio red faced with rage, glared after them from his car. He said something inaudible to the man next to him. He nodded and got out, walking towards Baek Hyeon who was still sputtering from his defeat and loss.
"Mr. Vultaggio is done doing business with you." he said, and shot him straight in the chest.
The blue Aston Martin slowed to a stop in front of a pair of twelve feet high wrought iron gates. An equally high wall ran around the house behind the gates with tall spikes planted on top. Andrew got out of the car and unlocked the gates. Ji Hoon drove in and Andrew closed the gates after him.
"I never thought this place would turn out to be a safe house." Laura said, taking in her stepfather's mansion.
"Beats the mountain." Ji Hoon said with a weak laugh. Laura didn't say anything to that.
He parked the car and they got out. Andrew came around, opening the front door.
"We're on our own for a while. We couldn't trust any of the staff so..." he trailed off.
"It's better this way." Laura said entering the house. She gave a little sigh.
"I know you don't like being back here but – it's the safest and last place anyone would think to look for you." Andrew said. He looked at Ji Hoon.
"Let's get you patched up." He said pointing to his wound. His phone rang just then and he sighed as he checked the ID.
"I need to take this – sort through stuff..." Andrew said and went outside. Laura stepped forward into the kitchen. She took out a first aid kit and looked at Ji Hoon.
"Sit down." She nodded to the couch. Ji Hoon obeyed, watching her.
"I can take care of it myself." He said reaching for the cotton. Laura pulled it away from his reach.
"I know. But I'm not gonna let you." she said. She opened his shirt and swallowed on seeing the red gash. She gently began to clean it, mopping up the blood. Ji Hoon's eyes fixated on her while she worked. He didn't wince once though she knew it must sting terribly.
"Are you okay?" he asked, breaking the silence. Laura nodded.
"I'm not the one who's hurt." She answered without meeting his eyes. He took hold of her hand and held it tight, making her realize it had been shaking.
"Then why are you crying?" he asked quietly. She looked up and a tear fell from her eyes on his hand. She hurriedly wiped them.
"It's nothing." She said brushing it off.
"Laura... it's not nothing. You've been through a lot. I know what you must be going through right now –"
"I'm fine, okay? I just can't bear to see you hurt because of me!" she cried. She wrapped a gauze bandage around his wound as she spoke. His hand cupped her face, wiping the fast falling tears.
"Laura..." he said softly, piercing her heart. He pulled her close, locking her in a hug.
"None of this is your fault, okay? I won't let you blame yourself for this." He said. Laura sobbed silently into his shoulder. He stroked her hair, feeling her tremble as she cried.
"You're hurt – because of me –" Laura sobbed.
"My greatest pain was losing you Laura." He said. He leaned back. "I can take any hit; but I can't endure that pain again." He said, gazing deep into her eyes. His reflection could be seen in them, shining in her tears. He caressed her cheek with both his hands.
"Laura, we're gonna be okay. We're safe. We survived. We will get through this." he said. He pulled her close, enveloping her lips in a soft kiss. Soon they were lost in each other's arms, trading soft tender kisses full of longing and love. Laura was careful not to touch his wound but let her hands feel every inch of his skin under his shirt. His hand tightened around her, pressing her hip closer as their lips continued to carve into each other's in an unbroken rhythm.
Andrew returned after a moment and stopped short on seeing them in a passionate lock. He turned away. He was afraid this would happen from the beginning; but now that it has, he didn't have the heart to tell his best friend to walk away. In fact, seeing them together like that, he wanted things to work for them. But given the circumstances, was that even possible?