One Step At A Time
Tiffany couldn't stay still for more than a few seconds. She kept pacing while staring at her phone, waiting for any kind of news from anyone. Since the team would be busy and would need to focus on their plan to get Seungjin and rescue Jiyoon, she had texted Haejoon, asking him to relay updates regarding the operation along with Taeyeon and Jiyoon's conditions. But there had been no news so far and it left her extremely restless.
The remaining members of the team - Himchan, Yuri and Joonmyun - were restless too but they knew that it must be at least a thousand times more torturing for Tiffany so they tried to act as normal as they could.
Nearly thirty minutes into the excruciating wait, a familiar cheerful giggle suddenly reached Tiffany's ear, making her turn around at such speed that the phone in her hand accidentally slipped, landing on the floor with a loud clatter. The back cover fell off, separating from the device thanks to the impact.
Tiffany didn't even pay attention to her phone as her eyes widened with shock when she saw Jiyoon walking towards her, looking happy and excited, escorted by a woman in uniform whom she recognized as Officer Ahn.
"PPANI!" shouted the girl.
"Oh my..."
She finally snapped out of it and opened her arms, running towards the girl and scooping her into her arms - hugging her tightly.
"You're okay. Thank goodness you're okay," she mumbled into Jiyoon's small shoulder with tears streaming down her face.
Jiyoon's smile disappeared when she heard the sobs. She wriggled free, pushing Tiffany back. "Why are you crying?" she asked with a confused expression on her face.
Tiffany kissed the girl's cheek over and over again until Jiyoon caught her face and held it by the cheeks.
"Ppani..." Jiyoon cutely protested then tilted her head to observe Tiffany. She didn't understand what the woman was doing or why she was crying.
"Where were you, Jiyoon-ah?" asked Himchan from behind Tiffany since the woman was still too overwhelmed to even say a word.
"With Grandpa."
"Where did he take you? Who brought you here?"
"Grandpa did," answered Jiyoon innocently. "He took me to the amusement park and bought me new clothes!" she said, pointing at the clothes she was wearing. "I rode everything! It was so much fun!"
"Wha... amusement park?" Yuri remarked in shock.
Jiyoon turned her head when she heard Yuri and saw the neck brace. "Auntie Yuri, what is that?" She pointed at the brace.
"Oh it's called a neck brace. Kinda like Uncle Joonmyun's cast but for my neck."
"Oh? You're hurt? Can I draw on it too?"
That made Yuri chuckle. "I don't think you can draw on this. It's not hard like Uncle Joonmyun's cast and I won't be wearing it for long." Her expression then turned serious as she approached the girl still in Tiffany's hold. "Grandpa picked you up from school, didn't he?"
Jiyoon nodded. "Then he took me to the amusement park!"
"I see. Why did you go with him? Why didn't you wait for Taeyeon or Fany?"
"He said they had to work and... and... I..." Jiyoon suddenly realized something. She turned her head and looked at Tiffany. "Did I take too long at the amusement park?"
Tiffany shook her head and hugged the confused girl again.
"A man dropped her off?" Joonmyun was talking to Officer Ahn who had picked up Tiffany's phone.
"Yes, Sir. He was in quite a rush. He just came in, said that he was Miss Hwang's father then asked whether I knew Inspector Kim or Miss Hwang and whether any of them was here. When I said yes, he immediately handed Jiyoon over to me and told me to give this to his daughter." She showed Joonmyun a folded piece of paper.
Tiffany heard that and quickly approached the woman, holding out one hand, asking for the paper.
The officer gave Tiffany her phone and the paper, answered a few more questions from Joonmyun and left.
Tiffany hastily unfolded the crumpled paper and read the messy handwriting.
"I'm sorry. He made me do it. I understand if you can't forgive me but please know that I never want to hurt you, Taeyeon or Jiyoon. I'll make up for it. I'll make sure you don't ever have to pay for my mistakes again. I do love you, Miyoung-ah. Please believe me."
Yuri's sudden gasp startled everyone.
"Crap!" said the tall inspector. "If Jiyoon's here then... Oh no." She scrambled for her phone and dialed Yoona's number.
Tiffany also realized it. "Oh no. It's a trap, isn't it? He never had Jiyoon with him in the first place!"
"Come on! Pick up pick up pick u-... Yoong!" Yuri shouted into her phone. "It's a trap! Don't let Taeng go in there! Jiyoon's here!"
"What?!"
"Jiyoon's here! Mr. Hwang returned her to us. Seungjin never had her! It's a trap to get Taeng! Pull out!"
Yoona swore under her breath. "It's too late. Taeyeon unnie's talking to him right now. He just told her to discard her comm device and throw it away. How can I pull her out safely?! Dammit!" She then hung up.
Yuri groaned. "This is bad."
"Please tell me Taeyeon's okay?" pleaded Tiffany as her grip around Jiyoon tightened. "They can still pull her out, right?"
Yuri could only shake her head. "Too late. It's all up to Taeng now."
"What? Surely there's something they can do? Something we can do?" Tiffany was at the brink of tears, gripped by the fear of losing Taeyeon. "Can I borrow a car?" she blurted out.
"What? You don't even have your license yet!"
Tiffany put Jiyoon down. "I need to go there and get Taeyeon out."
"You'll just hurt yourself," said Yuri. "Besides, it's dangerous. He must not see you."
Tiffany almost raised her voice but since Jiyoon was there, she thought better of it and tried to be as calm as she could. "I can help the team. Besides, it's me he wants, not Taeyeon. Maybe seeing me would not be as bad as you think."
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Inspector Kwon," Himchan spoke up. "I don't think it'll be safe. There's no telling what he would do to Taeyeon if he sees you. He has become unpredictable, I'm afraid. The way he bluffed his way through even though Jiyoon wasn't with him... that's new. He was a coward, remember? One who hid behind thugs or his uncle's power. He manipulates, that's true but this is too reckless even for him." The man never took his eyes off Tiffany. "So either he's desperate with nothing to lose or he has something else up his sleeve. Either way, you going there might mean game over. He'll have Taeyeon and you."
"So I'm just supposed to wait here while Taeyeon goes in there? Alone? Risking her life for nothing?!" Tiffany shook her head. "No. I'm going there. And I won't let anyone stop me."
Yuri exhaled, knowing that she couldn't stop Tiffany. "I'll notify Yoong. You stay hidden, okay? Go find Yoong first and listen to her," she told Tiffany.
"I'll drive you," Himchan said. "Is there a car I can borrow?" he asked Yuri.
"Here." Yuri took out Sooyoung's keys from her desk drawer. "Take Sooyoung's car. But what if Seungjin sees you?"
Himchan shrugged. "I have nothing to lose, Inspector Kwon." He then began running towards the exit.
"Jiyoon-ah," Tiffany squatted down. "Stay here with Aunt Yuri and Uncle Joonmyun, okay? Don't go anywhere."
"Where are you going?" Jiyoon asked. All cheerfulness had evaporated from the little girl, replaced by worry and confusion. She sensed that something was wrong but she didn't know what it was.
"I'm going to help Taetae with work." Tiffany kissed the girl's cheek. "I love you. Be a good girl, okay?"
"O-kay," said the girl hesitantly.
Tiffany released Jiyoon and was about to go after Himchan when she felt a tug at her hand. She looked down and saw Jiyoon holding her fingers, looking up at her with a frown.
"Is Taetae alright?" asked Jiyoon.
Tiffany could feel her stomach twist anxiously at the thought of Taeyeon but she tried to smile and hide the uneasiness. "Yeah. She's just busy working. I'll see you later." She looked at Yuri, silently pleading for her to take good care of this small person she had grown to love so much.
"Don't worry, Fany," said Yuri, completely understanding the meaning behind the look Tiffany was giving her. "I'll try to trace your father's phone. Maybe he has switched it back on. Will keep you posted."
Tiffany nodded. "Okay. Bye."
--
Taeyeon took one last deep breath before stepping out of the car.
She walked as calmly as she could towards the abandoned warehouse while keeping her eyes and ears open, aware of everything around her. She didn't want to be caught off guard in case there was a surprise attack.
Inside, she cursed Seungjin for the umpteenth time that night for choosing such an area. It was an old, shabby factory district in Sungsoo-dong and the abandoned factory was well hidden from the main street.
Half of the building's front side was covered by another building, leaving only a narrow driveway towards its main entrance as a way to enter and exit. There was a small alley on her right that led to a side door but that alley was littered with dumpsters and rusting junk that blocked the small door. Plus, a plain clothed officer who pretended to drive past in a delivery van just reported that there was a wire fence at the end of the alley, making it impossible for anyone to use that back door - just like they had initially predicted.
At the other side of the building was another, larger warehouse that stretched higher and wider than the one Seungjin was using.
There were snipers and officers placed on the roof of that building and the others around but no one could get in or out without Seungjin knowing. It was the perfect hideout.
Taeyeon took another deep breath, clearing her mind and focusing while trying to get her anxiety and adrenaline under control.
Although she trusted her team and the plan, she was just human and humans fear death. They also fear losing their loved ones and Taeyeon found herself struggling with both.
It didn't help that the warehouse reminded her of the last time she was put in a similar situation, when she lost him.
"We see you, Unnie."
Yoona's voice faintly echoed in her ear, through the small inconspicuous device.
Taeyeon didn't reply but felt a bit better when she heard Yoona, knowing that she wasn't alone.
A bright light suddenly switched on from the top of the main entrance, blinding Taeyeon, who had shielded her eyes with her arm, for a few seconds.
There was a noise like that of a large piece of metal being dragged before she heard a voice.
"Good evening, Inspector."
Her hand went to her side by reflex, to get her gun. It wasn't there, of course, and she silently cursed that fact.
A man emerged from the dark shadows of the building's entrance, slowly walking towards Taeyeon.
"I know you're not alone," he said. "But if you still want to see that little girl alive, I suggest you take out whatever communication device you have on you."
"I have nothing on me," replied Taeyeon, squinting so she could see the man.
"Don't lie, Inspector. I'm not stupid and I'm serious about that girl of yours. And I'm not gonna tell you twice."
"Don't, Unnie. We can't help you if you-..."
Taeyeon didn't hear the rest of Yoona's sentence as she pulled out the tiny device from her ear while silently apologizing to her team.
"Good. Now throw it to the ground and kindly step on it," ordered the man.
With gritted teeth, Taeyeon reluctantly did as she was told, stomping on the small device.
"How many guns do you have on you, Inspector?"
"None." Taeyeon parted her blazer, lifted it and slowly spun in place, showing the man that she had nothing underneath it.
"Roll up your pants, Inspector."
Taeyeon squatted down and rolled up both pant legs, doing everything as slowly as she could to buy more time.
"For your little girl's sake, I hope you have nothing else hidden there. Oh and by the way, should something happen to me, there's someone inside, ready to pull the trigger. So don't try anything funny."
"I won't." Taeyeon stood up and lifted both hands in the air. "Now that I'm here, let her go."
"Oh it's not that easy and you know it. Now then. Walk towards me slowly and keep your hands right where they are."
Taeyeon took a very slow step forward and another, and another. By her fourth step, a man came out from behind Seungjin and grabbed her hands, tying them behind her back with a zip tie.
She gritted her teeth when she finally saw Seungjin's face, smirking at her. There were minor changes to his face, making him harder to recognize, but there was no mistaking that arrogant sleazy look in his eyes.
The man behind her pushed her shoulder to make her start walking but she held her ground, not taking her eyes off of Seungjin even for a bit.
"I'm not going with you if you're not releasing Jiyoon," she said. "And since you know that I'm not alone, you better release her fast or your forehead will be decorated with some pretty nice bullet holes."
Seungjin took out a phone and pressed a button before placing the device to his ear.
"Have you released her?" he talked into the phone. "Good."
Taeyeon watched him end the call then dial another number.
"Good evening, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency? May I speak to Inspector Kwon Yuri, please? I'm Doctor Kim's assistant from the hospital. It's about her check up appointment tomorrow," he said, smirking arrogantly at Taeyeon the whole time. "Of course I'll wait. Thank you."
"What are you playing at?" hissed Taeyeon through her gritted teeth. She was glaring at the man but inside, she had begun to panic a bit. The plan was to attack when the exchange took place but now she realized that there wasn't going to be an exchange after all. Her brain started to spin, hoping to be able to come up with a new plan to get herself out of this.
Seungjin didn't reply, merely lifting a finger to his lips, signaling Taeyeon to stay quiet. He then beckoned her closer with his hand.
Taeyeon felt a hard shove from behind and stumbled a few steps towards Seungjin before regaining her balance.
"Hello? Inspector Kwon Yuri? You have ten seconds to put the little girl I just returned to you on the line or you can say goodbye to your short team leader. Countdown starts now. Ten."
The man then placed the phone next to Taeyeon's ear.
"Hello?"
She heard the small voice and couldn't help but exhale in relief. "Jiyoon?"
"Yes. Who is this?"
"It's me. Taetae."
"Taetae! Where are you? Are you still working?"
"Yes, I am. Are you okay?"
"Yes. Grandpa took me to the amusement park!"
"The amusement park?"
"Yes! I rode everything! He even bought me new clothes!"
Taeyeon looked at Seungjin who was signaling for her to wrap it up.
"That's great. You can tell me all about it later. I have to go now. Bye, Jiyoon-ah. Love you."
"But Tae-..."
Seungjin took the phone away and ended the call. "See? I kept my word," he said as he pocketed the device. "Now kindly step inside my office. I'm expecting another guest." He stepped back, not taking his eyes off of Taeyeon as he moved inside the building.
She was pushed yet again and had no choice but to begin walking. She could only hope that the team knew what was going on and had come up with a different plan because even their backup plan didn't include Jiyoon being anywhere else but at that warehouse.
"Nice place you got here," Taeyeon said once she had stepped through the metal roll door. She purposefully took a look around, spinning around so that the camera in her shirt button could capture every side and corner of the warehouse. "Could use a bit more lighting and maybe some prettier decorations," she commented after spotting another man leaning against a metal pillar. Only two men? He's running low on resources indeed.
The door slid shut noisily behind her and she realized that she was on her own now. She had to think of a way to get out of here alive or at least find a way to buy time until her team could get in.
"Maybe so but it's perfect," answered Seungjin as he took a seat on the only chair in the vast space.
The large man came up behind Taeyeon then pushed her shoulders down, forcing her to sit on one of the dirty wooden crates in front of Seungjin.
"It's so empty and quiet that you can practically hear everything." Seungjin pointed up to the ceiling. "I even installed a tiny alarm at the door to the roof. Just in case other guests decide to visit unannounced," he said with a smug look on his face. "Now let's all chill for a few minutes."
--
"Dammit!" Yoona exclaimed as she hurriedly ended the call with Yuri and spoke into her headset. "Good news. Jiyoon's safe at the station. Bad news. Tiffany unnie's father has gone missing after dropping her off."
"Plan B?" asked Chanyeol.
"Can't. Jiyoon's not here," answered Yunho. "It's a trap. Taeyeon's the one he wanted all along. New plan. Get her out."
"Can we just shoot him now? Jiyoon's not in danger anymore."
"I can't take him out. Inspector Kim's in the way," reported one of the snipers on the tallest roof, somewhere at Taeyeon's left hand side, behind her.
"Chanyeol. Your side?"
"It's a not a clear shot from here. The spotlight he put over the entrance is blinding us," said the assistant inspector.
"There's a pillar in our way," said the other sniper on Taeyeon's furthest right side.
Yoona stifled a curse. "He's quite prepared," she mumbled. Buy us time, Unnie. We'll get you out. Just think of something. Please.
"Roof entry is still our best option should Taeyeon go in," Haejoon suddenly spoke. He was at the back of the warehouse, scouting the perimeter carefully. "No CCTVs. He's on a tight budget, I think. Back door's still not accessible thanks to the fence."
"Fire escape unusable?" asked Changmin.
"The windows are barred. The fire escape will lead to the roof and nowhere else," answered Haejoon. "I'm going round front. Side alley."
For a moment, they all went quiet as they waited. Each team member was trying to think of a way to get Taeyeon out safely while keeping a close eye on her movements.
"Crap. They're going inside," Chanyeol said from his post on the roof of the next building. He had been observing Taeyeon through his binoculars.
"Let's see how many men he has," replied Yoona, eyes glued to the monitor in front of her. Be careful, Unnie.
The captain watched Taeyeon spinning, showing her the hazy layout of the warehouse and the amount of men Seungjin had in there. For a second, she regretted the fact that the camera had no sound feed, especially since Taeyeon had cut off communication with them.
"Okay I see two men and Seungjin. That's it," reported Yoona to everyone. "He's really that low on resources?"
"Yeah, I think so," replied Yunho. "But I think he's making up for it in some other way so let's not let our guard down."
"Hold up. I see a car approaching," Sooyoung suddenly spoke from her post. "Probably another thug?"
"Hold your position. Let's wait and see," ordered Yoona. She then looked at Juhyun who was monitoring several screens: one feed from Taeyeon's button camera, one from the street CCTVs at the corner of the alley and a few more from the camera the team had placed on the roof of the buildings next to the warehouse. "Where is it?"
"There." Juhyun pointed at the CCTV feed, at the image of a speeding taxi coming towards the warehouse.
The vehicle stopped at the entrance to the narrow driveway and a man rushed out of it, running towards the warehouse.
"Who is that?" asked Yoona.
"Um... I think we've found the missing man," said Sooyoung.
"Tiffany noona's father," added Chanyeol.
"What? He's here?!" Yoona exclaimed. "And he's going in just like that?!"
"Fany won't be happy about this," murmured Sooyoung. "It'd be better if he just skipped town."
"This changes things yet again," said Changmin. "Now we have a civilian in there too."
"Great. Just great," mumbled Yoona through gritted teeth.
The loud sound of the rolled door being opened silenced them and they waited in suspense to see what was going to happen next.