Hi luvs~
Unfortunately, I have to inform you that my studies have begun yet again which means I no longer have all day time to sit outside and write the fanfic (as much as I'd love to) so the upcoming updating schedule may be slow.. sigh
I'm also trying to make every chapter interesting and at the same write a plot that actually makes sense pffft, lately I've had trouble with that...
Anyway I'm truly excited to write because there's coming soooooo many crazy things very soon (at least hopefully aHem) so stick around!! Now to the chapter~
STAY SAFE <3
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Minji stared down at the street, trying to spot any kind of movement. It was already night and dark clouds covered the sky, making it hard to see further to the city. Minji clenched her jaw as her grip on the hotel room window tightened. She was furious. She had totally underestimated the Vietnamese, and now the woman had escaped.
What the hell do I do now?!
Finally, Minji backed from the window and pulled her phone out of her suit pocket. Quickly, she tapped a very familiar number and called it. It should already be morning in Korea.
A moment later, the call was picked."Hey Minji, do you have any idea what time is it?" Lisa's annoyed, sleepy voice snapped.
"She escaped," Minji was still keeping her eyes on the street.
"What? Who?"
Minji let out a long, frustrated sigh, "The Vietnamese woman escaped. She showed her dumb face here and now she's gone!"
"Wait, wait, wait. Why do you care if she's gone? She won't ruin your mission now."
Silence.
Then a long sigh could be heard from the other side of the phone.
"What have you done?"
Minji had a hard time holding back her rage. Nothing was going as she had planned. She turned her back to the window and held her forehead. "I may... I may have tied her up and locked her in a hotel room," Minji growled.
"You did WHAT?! Woman, are you crazy!?"
"Oh my gosh, calm down Lisa!! She was getting on my way again! I had to do something!" Minji swung her hand around as if Lisa could have seen it. "Her escape was not a part of the plan. I need to find her. Can you hack into this hotel's and streets' security cameras?"
"All the way from Korea? Don't be ridiculous. Besides, who said I'm going to help you clean up your mess?" Lisa's voice asked, clearly annoyed.
"Please, Lisa. This is bad, very bad. And I don't have the time to run around aimlessly in the middle of the night," Minji walked back to the window again. She could swear she heard police car siren in the distance.
"Alright, alright, calm down. How long was she alone in the room?"
"Maybe thirty to fourty minutes," Minji replied, biting her lip in frustration. "If she escaped right after I left, she must be far by now."
"Not only that, she must have reported to her company. Minji, where are you? You should go, and I mean now," concern could be heard in Lisa's voice.
Minji gritted her teeth. It was indeed possible that that annoying woman had leaked information about Minji's whereabouts to her company, there was no doubt about it. It could possibly jeopardise her whole mission in Spain. Minji still had one gig to do, but if she got a powerful company breathing down her neck, staying in Spain was not safe. She should leave. But if Hanni was stupid enough, Minji could still stop her from doing that.
The sound of sirens was getting louder.
Nervously, Minji turned around and walked to the bed. She didn't have time to think it over anymore. "Damn that woman! I'm going after her," she pulled her gun from her jacket.
"Minji, no! There's a chance they know about you and we don't know who she's working for! You know it's a bad idea to mess with an unknown enemy. You must suspend the mission, it's too dangerous!"
As much as Minji hated to admit it, Lisa was right. She would risk too much if she stayed in the country or tried to chase after Hanni. That woman wasn't stupid, she was a trained sniper, goddamit!
In a burst of rage, Minji kicked the bed in front of her. How could the Vietnamese ruin her mission once again?!
Suddenly, something dropped on the floor. Minji's eyes fell on the object that was now laying right next to the foot of the bed.
"Minji?" Lisa's voice could be heard from the other side.
Slowly, a small grin appeared on Minji's face as she crouched down to observe the object better. "Forget it, I think I found something way better."
***
Hanni limped forward. The streets were dark and she could barley see the lights from the street lamps. Blood was dripping down from her other knee- maybe climbing out from the window wasn't such a good idea after all. Of course she had crashed the same knee that hadn't even fully healed yet. The night wasn't cold, but the loss of blood made Hanni's body shiver.
Suddenly, a few police cars drove past her, heading in the other direction. Hanni furrowed her brows. Were they on their way to the hotel?
A pain shot through her body as she accidentally stepped on her sore foot. Grimacing, she leaned her hand against a building next to the street. She could not walk to her hotel, it was a 30 minute drive away.
Feeling tired, she started to look for her phone from her purse. It was better to just call a taxi.
Weird enough, the purse felt lighter than usual.
Immediately, Hanni's heart dropped like a rock. Her phone wasn't there. Her eyes widened in pure panic. This...This can't be real! Did I drop it? She threw her head back, looking the way she had come, but she could not see anything on the ground.
Just when she thought the situation couldn't get worse, another, terrifying thought crossed her mind.
There's no way I left it in the hotel room... Hanni gritted her teeth and turned around roughly. She started limping back, as fast as possible. Her phone contained too much information, her company could be at risk. Whoever would find it... No. Hanni shook her head. No one must find it.
Especially that crazy woman.
Hanni was hoping that the phone would be on the way but deep down she knew, the hotel room was the only logical place.
Right after Hanni had got the tapes off, she had sent a warning to her company and expressed her willingness to continue the mission despite the risk. She would have headed back to the party, but the sudden noises behind the door had made her change the plan. She did not realize in her haste that she had dropped her phone.
And now everything was at risk.
Anger flowed in her veins. She had failed and big time. All this trouble just because of that damn woman!
Hanni stopped for a second to catch her breath. The pain was throbbing on her knee, slowly blurring her vision. Her head felt heavy and she shook it, trying to concentrate.
Right then, her eyes caught a figure walking towards her. Hanni narrowed her eyes, trying to clear her vision. It was a woman in a black suit. She looked oddly familiar.
As soon as the woman noticed Hanni, she rushed forward, having a worried look on her face.
"A-are you alright?" The woman reached Hanni and held her shoulders, helping her to stand still.
Hanni could only glance at the woman's brown doe eyes, before everything darkened.
***
The sweet smell of pastry woke Hanni up. She blinked her eyes, still sleepy and turned in the comfy bed. Her head felt heavy. Wait. Bed? She sat up hurriedly and snapped her eyes open.
Quickly, her eyes scanned the space around her.
It was a small room that looked like any typical Spanish room. It wasn't big but it contained a dresser, a desk and a built-in wardrobe inside the wall. Hanni's eyes stopped at a white dress that was hanging on the wardrobe's door.
Huh?
She glanced down just to see a white top and black shorts on her. She did not remember changing into these. And moreover, she did not even remember coming into this room.
What the heck happened..?
Suddenly pictures from last night flashed through her mind. She could dimly remember the pain and how her vision had blurred out until she...
Hanni's thoughts were interrupted by approaching footsteps. Not long after, a slender woman with a small basket in her hand appeared at the door. Hanni's eyes widened as she finally got a better look at the person who had found her last night.
She could only stare, speechless. It was the very same woman she had bumped into at the party.
A warm smile appeared on the woman's face as she noticed Hanni.
"Oh good morning! How are you feeling?" The woman put the basket on a small table and walked closer. She then leaned over and put her hand on Hanni's forehead, measuring the temperature. "At least you don't have fever, that's good."
Hanni blinked her eyes, still stunned. "I'm okay," she raised her look a little to face the woman's eyes. "What happened? Why am I here?"
"Ah," the woman took a step back and glanced at Hanni, apologetically. "You passed out on the street and I didn't know where to take you so I brought you to my apartment. I am sorry for the confusion."
"No, no!" Hanni waved her hands, "I should be the one apologizing. I've caused you so much trouble. First at the party and now this..." She glanced at her knee. It was wrapped in a soft gauze.
"Not at all!" The woman turned around to pick up something from the basket. "I mean, anyone would be shocked after what happened yesterday at the party."
Hanni furrowed her brows at the words. Had something else happened that she didn't know about?
"You're right... what was the fuss all about?" Hanni asked carefully, trying to lead the woman on. Luckily, she took the bait.
"There was an incident at the party... a man was found dead. They said it was a natural death but the police is still investigating the case. Still, a very shocking case," the woman had still back to the bed.
Hanni's grip on the bed sheet tightened as her thoughts wandered back to last night events. Natural death? Hah. She could bet Minji had something to do with it. But how? Was the woman not only a sniper? Just what kind of things was she capable of doing? Hanni shivered from the thought. Maybe Minji was more dangerous than she had thought.
Suddenly, Hanni's face turned pale. She had completely forgotten her phone that was still missing. How could she have let this happen? It had already been many hours, she should contact the HQ immediately- before it was too late.
Hanni stood up in a rush but lost her balance, falling back to the bed.
The doe eyed woman turned around, startled, and rushed to Hanni, a white gauze on her hands. "Oh no, I'm sorry if the news shocked you!" the woman looked at Hanni, worriedly. She must have noticed Hanni's stunned expression. "But please, take it easy! Your wounds need to be treated."
Hanni sat on the bed and watched as the woman started removing the gauze around her knee. She let out a quiet sigh.
She should get back to her hotel as soon as possible and report to HQ. She didn't even know if she was allowed to continue with the mission, but now that her phone was missing, it was quite obvious. Hanni glanced at the sweet woman gratefully. She wouldn't be here without her help, perhaps she didn't mind helping her one more time. "Thank you Miss," Hanni whispered.
"Please, just call me Danielle," the woman smiled as she gently wrapped a new gauze around Hanni's knee.
"I'm Hanni," the Vietnamese woman introduced herself. "Could you do me one more favor? I need to get to my hotel."
Danielle finished treating the wound and stood up, "Sure thing, let me take you."
***
Danielle pulled the car over in front of the hotel. It turned out, Danielle had been working in Spain for a while now and owned European driving license. Getting to the hotel had been quick thanks to that.
Hanni was about to get up when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head, Danielle was holding a small card in her hand, extending it towards Hanni. The Vietnamese raised her brow, confused.
"It's my business card."
Hanni took the small card from the Australian and glanced at the text.
Bodyguard Marsh. Contact @ xxxx or call xxxx.
Hanni's eyes widened in surprise, this flower stick is a bodyguard? She raised her look to the woman next to her, who was clearly amused by Hanni's reaction.
"I know it seems weird but trust me, I am pretty good at martial arts," she smiled mysteriously, "So if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to contact me."
Hanni nodded, in amazement. This woman was surely something. "Thank you so much. For everything. I will keep this in mind," she stood up from the car, her bag on her shoulder and took one last look at the woman who had saved her.
"See you around!" Danielle smiled, before driving off.
Hanni's eyes followed the car until it disappeared from the sight. She then took the bag where she was carrying her dress and dropped the card there. Poor woman, Hanni smiled sadly as she turned around. Little does she know that I will never need this card.
***
A few days later in Korea
Minji tapped the surface of her table, irritated. Her eyes were locked on the computer screen as she scrolled down the email she had received. It wasn't a pleasant one, not even close to that. Her previous client had found out about her failure in Spain. And it was true, Minji had only fulfilled half of their deal and it was all thanks to Hanni.
Because of her and her stupid company, Minji had to return to Korea way earlier and she was forced to cancel her mission. The client was anything but happy.
To put it simple, they were outraged.
Tough they had given another way out of the situation, a second chance. Either she could finish her mission or suffer the consequences. Those were her choices.
Minji sighed and pinched her nose bridge. She knew she didn't have a real choice. She could not risk her business, not when her client had turned out to be a very influential businessman. This mission was going to be much more complicated than she had ever believed.
Lisa walked into the room, holding a cup of coffee, or whatever liquid she drank. Minji didn't bother to even turn, she knew her friend would already guess what was up.
"Let me guess, the client isn't happy with the results?"
Minji turned on her chair to give her friend a long, annoyed look. "Well, what do you think? No one is understanding in this business," Minji gritted her teeth. "They are threatening me."
Lisa sipped her drink, "So nothing new there."
"You don't understand," Minji snapped, "they're demanding that I finish the mission here in Korea!"
"And what's the problem with that?" Lisa walked closer. She had heard the urgency in Minji's voice, and Minji never freaked out because of mission. Something was definetly wrong.
Minji turned her head, "My target is the chairman of GL electronics. I have time till the end of this month."
The brunette gaped, her mouth open. "You.. you can't be for real."
Everyone knew GL electronics was one of the leading companies in Korea's technology field. Naturally, that kind of company had a lot of enemies. But GL electronics wasn't like any typical company. It headquarters were heavily guarded and it was said that the chairman was a ghost. The only place he was seen was at the HQ, in Gangneung, which he visited perhaps once every few months.
"He was in Spain on a business trip. I paid my ass off for the leaked information. But now I have no choice," Minji's voice darkened. "I need to sneak into the headquarters."
Lisa almost dropped the cup in her hand, "What?? On your own?"
"No," Minji clenched her hands into fists, "I need a team, and fast."
Lisa furrowed her brows. Minji worked alone and she knew that. But this kind of mission was too risky for anyone to handle on their own. Having a team was a must. But it could not be anyone. Finding a good, reliable team may take time- and time was the only thing Minji didn't have.
"What about that woman you keep running into, what was her name? Hanni?" Lisa talked, thoughtfully.
Minji clearly wasn't on the same page with her. She spun on her chair, and turned her upset gaze on Lisa. "Are you crazy?! She's the reason I'm in this mess in the first place! Besides, there's noway she would agree to work with me after what I did to her."
"But if you did win her over, she would be the perfect partner in crime, no? Both of you are snipers and I'm sure she has done teamwork before."
Minji wanted to ignore Lisa's crazy idea, but a part of her knew, Lisa wasn't wrong. Hanni was a talented sniper, Minji had witnessed it herself. She also seemed disciplinary and organized, maybe a bit naive but overall Minji could really use someone like her. No, she needed exactly someone like her.
But what on earth would make her work with Minji?
Unintentionally, Minji's eyes fell on a phone that was laying a bit further on her desk. Right then, an idea popped up in her head.
"You didn't hack this yet, did you?" Minji stood up from her chair and walked to the phone.
"No, why?"
Minji grinned, mischievously, as she took the phone that no doubt belonged to Hanni. She turned around to her friend, "What do you think happens if I return this to her?"
Lisa stared at Minji, her lips forming a similar, sneaky smirk.
"Kim! You're such a fox!"
***
Hyein stood in a fancy, glassy office on the top floor. Any other time, she would have been more than excited to be here, but right now, all she wanted was to sink into the ground and disappear from the sight. If a look could kill, she would already be dead.
The CEO was sitting behind her desk, her cold, brown eyes drilled in Hyein. She hadn't said a word since the tall one walked in. The silence was suffocating. There was nothing more dangerous than her boss when she was angry.
Hyein gulped.
Finally, Miss Park stood up from her chair and walked to the windows. She often did that to control her anger. "You must know why you're here," she said.
"P-pardon?" Hyein stuttered. She actually had no idea why she was suddenly called to the headquarters. No one had said a word about the reason.
"You probably know that the recent mission in Spain was a failure. Again."
Hyein could not interpret anything in her boss's tone of voice. Quickly, she bowed 90 decrees. "M-miss, her mission was interrupted, it was a mere coincidence!"
The blonde turned her cold eyes to Hyein's reflection in the glass window. She snorted. "A coincidence? That the same unknown sniper was in the same place at the same time? My," the CEO turned around. "Then it must also be a coincidence that she just happened to escape the country in time before our team got there to track her, hm?"
Steps could be heard as Hyein's boss walked closer. Hyein didn't dare to rise up. "F-forgive my rudeness, but I don't understand what this has to do with me," she dared to question.
The footsteps stopped right in front of the tall woman. She stiffened, her eyes locked on her boss' black shoes.
"Tell me, Hyein, whose fault it is that she is in this company?"
Hyein flinced when she felt a finger lifting up her head. Unintentionally, she faced the CEO's eyes. Her blood ran cold as the scary, deep eyes gave her a cold, unwavering gaze.
"I..." Hyein was lost in words.
Miss Park leaned closer, "And now you better fix what you've caused."