Chapter 38 - The Party (4)

KJ and Mirae headed towards a dinner table. Madam Hong and Ash were sitting at a table by themselves.

"May we take these seats?" KJ asked. Madam Hong looked up.

"Yes, please join us KJ," Madam Hong replied. KJ and Mirae took the seats. They were sitting right opposite Ash and Madam Hong.

"So, Ms. Mirae," Madam Hong turned on her. "How are you liking the party?"

"I'm having a lot of fun," Mirae said, smiling.

"What are your usual duties for EXOTIC?" she probed.

"I assist them throughout their schedules. Keep track of their activities, prepare their documents and maintain their usual workflow," Mirae replied.

"You guys must be very close," Madam Hong commented, pointing from Ash to KJ.

"We're professional with each other," Ash said, raising his eyebrows.

"And what about you two?" Madam Hong referred to KJ and Mirae. "You guys look very close."

Before KJ could reply, Mirae beat him to it. "You're right," she said, sweetly. "We've become very close over the past few days."

KJ stared at her while Ash was concentrating on his food. Madam Hong looked at them suspiciously.

"Is KJ actually interested in a woman?" she teased him. "Are you two planning to date?"

"Maybe," KJ replied in a cool tone. He glanced at Mirae, who was also busy with her food. She just threw him under the bus.

The waiter arrived with some drinks on the tray. He gave a nod to Madam Hong as he placed the drinks on their table. The gesture was not missed by KJ.

One of our drinks has been spiked, KJ realized. But whose?

The other two seem to be thinking the same thing. They were also scrutinizing their glasses, unsure of whether to drink or not.

"Cheers?" Madam Hong offered. The other three, feeling hesitant, raised their glasses. Madam Hong took a sip from her glass while the trio were confused. Suddenly, a loud bang interrupted them.

Madam Hong was startled and turned around. One of the waiters dropped a plate full of food on a guest.

"Imbeciles," she cursed. Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, KJ and Ash managed to empty their glasses into a pot plant next to them, while Mirae leaned over to swap her drink with Madam Hong.

"I swear to god, these people are completely useless," Madam Hong complained. Behind her, the waiter, who spilled the food, winked at them. Psycho was truly useful.

Madam Hong emptied her glass in one go while Mirae sipped on her one.

"Shall we start our dinner?" Madam Hong asked. She scanned through their faces, smiling.

"Yes, let's start having dinner," Ash said as he took out the napkins and offered them to Mirae and KJ. Mirae said "Thanks," while KJ simply nodded.

The waiters brought in a three course meal consisting of the finest European cuisine.

"This Bohemian Duck is quite delicious, Madam," Mirae complimented.

"Yes, it is a fine dish," Madam Hong appreciated. "It was made by our Chef Andre. He personally flew from France for this party."

Mirae nodded, while the other two men observed Madam Hong. Why wasn't the drug working on her? KJ wondered.

Ash frowned at Madam Hong as well. So Mirae's drink was not the spiked one? he thought. After working as an escort for the Cartel, Ash was well aware of certain drugs and how to detect them. He smelt his drink before throwing it away. It did not contain any drug as far as he could tell. So was KJ's drink spiked?

Mirae took a sharp breath. Something isn't right, she suddenly thought. Her body was getting a little heated up.

She looked up at Ash, who immediately recognized the symptoms: aphrodisiac. None of their drinks were spiked! Madam Hong was playing a game with them and they foolishly fell into it. But Madam Hong did not realize Mirae was the one who drank from her cup. He had to think fast.

"Hey," he called Madam Hong, leaning in closer. "I have something to admit to you. I...drank from your glass."

Madam Hong was astonished. "Why?" she asked him, suspiciously.

Ash put on a sexy pout. "Coz I want to fully enjoy your delicious ecstasy while unleashing my beast inside you."

His dirty words made Madam Hong blush. KJ was pretending to concentrate on his food but he was also concerned for Mirae. She held herself well under the drug's influence but she would not last long without collapsing.

"Wait for me at room 506," Ash whispered to Madam Hong. "If we go together, people may get too suspicious."

Madam Hong smiled and turned to the other two.

"Please excuse me for the night," she said. "I feel a little dizzy. But please do enjoy the rest of the party."

Mirae managed to nod at her and they watched her retreat.

"KJ, you know what to do," Ash instructed him. KJ nodded. Meanwhile, Mirae was about to collapse.

"Hurry up!" she gritted as she fought the drug's effects.

The other guests were now dancing on the dance floor, oblivious to everything. Ash and KJ took both of Mirae's arms and wade through the crowd, keeping up a smiling front. Mirae kept on struggling with the drug but her consciousness was slipping away. They dragged her upstairs to the fourth floor.

They were barely managing to hold her straight. Mirae was now almost unconscious and her body heated up rapidly. Soon, her urges will kick in and then it will be almost impossible to handle her.

They carried her into an empty suite and lay her carefully on the bed. Ash turned to KJ.

"We can't leave her here unguarded," he said. "Madam Hong was using that aphrodisiac for herself. I think despite her notorious sexual adventures, she needs that drug to keep herself going."

"It seems she hides her sexual impotency from people," KJ theorized. "We assumed she sleeps around because her husband could not satisfy her but it seems to be the opposite. She does it to hide her own incompetency."

He took a deep breath. This was it. They have to execute their plan without Mirae.

"Ash," KJ said. "I'll take care of everything from here on. You know what you should do."

"KJ, you can't-"

"Ash," KJ cut him off. "I'll take it from here. You have something far more important to do."

Ash's face tightened. "I understand," he said in a heavy tone. "Good luck, KJ."

The two men shook their hands, reaffirming their promises.