Chapter 22 - Heroine

"I'm so sorry, Mir!" Somi apologized. "I felt really bad saying all that stuff to you!"

Her sincerity reflected in her eyes. She felt really guilty for treating her best friend that way but it necessary to keep up with the facade for their safety.

Somi herself was one of the high ranking members of Abyss and like all members she had a code name too: Heroine. She was the only person, who knew about Mirae's identity. Even Riggs did not know who Mirae truly was.

They have been friends since middle school before Mirae's parents were killed and she was taken away to a far off place for her safety. After that, no matter how much Somi tried, she could not meet her friend again. Even though time passed, she was still desperate to find her friend but to no avail.

But after a few years, when Somi made her debut into the entertainment industry, Mirae suddenly contacted her. At first, Somi thought Mirae was trying to re-establish their contact only to take advantage of her new found fame. But she was wrong.

Mirae instead asked for her help to take down her parents' killers.

"I don't want to force you into it," Mirae explained. "It's your choice. I just can't trust anyone else but you for this job. If you don't want to do it, I'll understand."

Touched by Mirae's genuine trust in her, Somi could not help but agree. From then on, Somi became her informant inside the entertainment industry. She was also instrumental in gathering more members for Abyss. Celebrities who were previously involved with or ruined by the Cartel. Somi gathered information on all of them and supplied it to Mirae, who in turn approached the celebs for her cause. Gradually, Abyss' roots dug deeper into the industry.

"It's alright," Mirae assured her. "I know how bad you must have felt. But you know we have to keep pretending to hate each other so that no one can suspect us."

As part of their disclosure policy, all Abyss members must ignore each other outside of work. Even if they recognize any fellow Abyss member, they must ignore each other or maintain a clear distance in order to fool the Cartel.

Mirae and Somi decided from beforehand that if they run into each other, they'd maintain a spiteful relationship to keep others from suspecting about their relationship.

"But I still think it was reckless of you to expose yourself like this!" Somi exclaimed. "Why the hell did you take up a job with EXOTIC? You were monitoring KJ's house anyway! Can't you have assigned Riggs or someone else to keep an eye out on him during work hours?"

"That was my initial plan," Mirae admitted. "But..."

"Wait," Somi raised her hand. She heard shuffling noises outside and a group of people chattering. In a blink, she strode over to the door, put an out of order sign on it and locked it shut.

"There," she said. "No one will disturb us now. So, what you were saying?"

Mirae took a deep breath and explained to her how KJ called out her real name on the night they met. After hearing the story, Somi's mouth fell apart.

"Ehhh? How is this possible?" she asked in a worried tone. "How did he know your name?"

"I don't know," Mirae muttered, deep in thought. "Moreover, he did not even show a hint of recognition after I became their assistant. But, he had a panic attack when Nae Sang introduced me to the team."

"Hmm..." Somi pondered. "I can deduce only one thing from all this. He knows your identity, but he's pretending he doesn't recognize you. Given he is so unpredictable it's hard to read what's going on in his head."

"He's a snob," Mirae rolled her eyes. "He won't reveal his intentions that easily. Which is why I had to apply for the position of EXOTIC's assistant myself."

"Was it for him or for someone else?" Somi winked. She knew about Mirae's crush on Ash.

Mirae blushed. "Well..."

Her face turned as red as a tomato. Somi's eyes widened in shock as Mirae's happy expression gave her away.

"No way!" she squealed in excitement. "You're dating him?"

"Shhh..." Mirae shushed her. "Yes," she whispered.

Somi could not hold in her happiness and hugged her friend tightly. "But," she faltered a bit. "You do know about his involvement with the Cartel's escort business, right?"

After all, Somi was the one who supplied the information about Ash to Mirae. She knew about Madam Lim's activities and kept tabs on her for months. After collecting concrete information, she sent all her data to Mirae who used it to her advantage.

"Yes," Mirae said. "And I brought him out of that world. Madam Lim is dead. He was set free. Till..."

"Till what?" Somi questioned.

Mirae narrated how KJ assigned Ash to act as a decoy to seduce Hong Jaehee, the mistress of ENT Conglomerates.

"Hong Jaehee?" Somi exclaimed in shock. "IS HE FUCKING NUTS? That woman is evil! Madam Lim was a fluffy kitty cat in front of her!"

"I know," Mirae ran a hand through her hair. "From all the information I have gathered about her, she is a dangerous woman. If she finds out about Ash being a spy, she'll not kill him. She'll torture him till he begs for death."

The more Mirae found out about her, the sicker she felt. The woman once had an affair with a young servant and when she got tired of him, instead of dismissing him, she fed him animal tranquilizers to paralyze his body. After that, she proceeded to castrate the poor boy in front of his very own eyes, while his body was unable to move.

He was slowly bleeding to death but that was not enough for Madam Hong. She ordered her lackeys to bury the bleeding boy alive. The poor servant, whilst in a paralyzed state, was buried alive. Mirae could not even imagine the horror that boy must have felt when they inflicted all the torture on him.

She shuddered to think what that woman will do to Ash.

"Mir, this is bad," Somi panicked. "You can't let Ash go near that woman!"

"I know!" Mirae cried. Tears flowed down her cheeks. Somi was startled to see her best friend cry.

"Mir..." she held her crying friend into an embrace. After Mirae's parents passed away, she toughened herself up to embark on her fight against the Cartel. In her quest for vengeance, Mirae was never able to enjoy the happiness of a normal life. Dating, romance and commitments were alien to her.

But for some reason, Mirae was drawn towards EXOTIC. Especially towards Ash. At first she could not pinpoint what was it about him that attracted her. There was something different about him. For the past few years, she observed all of Ash's TV appearances, trying to understand the person behind that quiet demeanor.

Then she realized what it was. He had the same hollow eyes as her. Both of them felt isolated from everyone else, completely alone. Mirae could not help but look into those empty grey eyes, wishing they'd spark back to life someday.

She did not try to meet him even through her contacts, but admired him from afar. But when Somi revealed what Ash was going through, Mirae became determined to pull him out of that hellhole. She would have spent all her money that night if she had to, willing to risking her identity in the process. But even after pulling him out of there and Madam Lim's death, Ash was once again pushed into hell by his so-called best friend, KJ. The cold, manipulative bastard.

And now, Mirae was crying her heart out. Somi was at a loss for words. She never saw her friend cry like this since her parents passed away.

"You must really like him," Somi patted her head. "Damn that KJ! I can't believe he'd put his own best friend up as bait. But I know you're smarter than him. You'll protect Ash from any harm. After all, you're the CEO of Abyss! Where's my best friend, who thinks logically? If there's anyone who can make Madam Hong spill the beans without putting Ash in harm's way, it's my best friend, Mir!"

Her words rang in Mirae's ears. Whenever she was in doubt, Somi's words always encouraged her to go forward without regrets. It was one of her most endearing qualities.

"You're right," Mirae said in a heavy voice, rubbing off her tears. Crying was useless. She must clear her head and think straight. Even if KJ said this was the only way to get Madam Hong to talk, Mirae will have to think of an alternative.

"Mirae..." Somi hesitated. "I think there is only one way."

"Which is?"

"Well..." Somi bit her lower lip. Mirae was puzzled by her hesitation.

"Well?" she raised her eyebrows.

"We'll have to call...him," Somi squeaked nervously.

Mirae was confused for a second before realization dawned on her.

"You don't mean..." Mirae shaking her head.

"Yes," Somi nodded with a disgusted look on her face. "Psycho."