Chapter 42 - I'm Glad I Met You Again

*Flashback*

KJ answered the phone.

"We've got the information from Madam Hong," he said. "She fell for the trap we set out."

"Where is she now?" Hyun Jung asked from the other end.

"She's-"

A disheveled figure was running towards them. It was Madam Hong. She only had a blanket on her body and her eyes were bloody red, screaming for vengeance. In her hand, she carried a gun, which was aimed at Ash.

It all happened in a flash. As the gun was shot, Ash spun around to see KJ shielding him.

Blood splattered out from KJ's chest as he collapsed in Ash's arms. Mirae let out a furious scream as she tackled Madam Hong head on, snatching the gun away from her hand. Madam Hong was struggling underneath her, but Mirae was too strong for her.

Soon, Riggs arrived at the scene along with Psycho. Seeing KJ's blood soaked state, they figured out what happened and immediately called for an ambulance.

Mirae and Ash were with KJ all throughout the ride. Mirae, in her guilt for doubting KJ, held his hand as she begged him to keep his eyes open.

"KJ..." she weeped. "Stay. Stay with us please. Please"

She kept on coercing him to hold on, apologizing for her doubts on him. Despite their rocky relationship, he was a comrade she did not want to lose.

"Please..." she sobbed. To her surprise, he lifted one of his hands to wipe her tears, leaving blood stains on her cheek.

"I'm...not..." he struggled to form his words. "Not...gon...na...go..."

Despite the immense pain he felt, he managed a smile to assure her that everything will be fine.

"KJ, don't close your eyes," Ash instructed as he pressed down the wound. He could tell that it was very serious. Madam Hong shot with the intention to kill him and now his friend was dying...

"If you die, I won't forgive you," Ash scolded him, his eyes tearing up. "Do you hear me?"

But KJ felt the darkness creeping up in front of his eyes. Both Ash and Mirae was cajoling him to stay awake, but he felt so sleepy.

Is this the end? he wondered as his consciousness began to slip. He took a last glance at those green eyes.

If it is the end, then I'm glad I met you again in this life.

....

Meanwhile, Madam Hong was handed over to the agents of Abyss who worked for the Police Department. They arrested her and even informed her husband of what she did. 

She was held up in a dingy cell with a few other women. She shrieked all night, cursing everyone.

"DO YOU KNOW THAT I CAN DESTROY YOU?" she screamed. "LET ME OUT!"

She banged her head against the jailbars, but no one paid her any attention.

"Hey, you skank!" one of the prison mates boomed at her. "Shut it! We're trying to sleep."

"S-skank?" Madam Hong was flustered. "How dare you call me that? Do you know who I-"

Smack!

A hand slapped her out of nowhere.

"Shut it!" a woman of big built threatened her.

"You dared to hit me?" Madam Hong hissed. "I will not spare you-"

Thomp!

Another tough looking woman punched her in the stomach. Other women joined in as they kicked and slapped her. They dragged her by the hair and threw her in a corner.

"Shut the hell up!" One of them shouted, kicking her mouth. Blood splattered from it as Madam Hong felt her teeth being knocked out. "Otherwise, we'll throw you in with the male prisoners. They'll gnaw you down till your last bone!"

The threat scared Madma Hong and she did not utter a single noise from then on. Suddenly, the jail door opened. A detective in his late twenties came in.

"You."

He pointed at Madam Hong. "Come with me to the interrogation room," he ordered.

Wincing from pain as she stood up, Madam Hong shuffled behind the detective as he led her to the interrogation room. Locking the door behind him, he ordered her, "Sit down."

"You're lucky that KJ isn't dead," he said. "Otherwise, you'd have been charged with murder."

"I wanted to kill that bastard, Ash." Her voice was full of hatred. "He tricked me! He seduced me but made me sleep with another guy while that KJ filmed it. They wanted to blackmail me! Check their belongings. There is a video of me in there!"

"Are you referring to this camera?" The detective took out a camcorder. It was the same one KJ was using.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "This is the one they used."

The detective raised his eyebrows. "This camcorder is a toy, Ms. Hong," he replied calmly. "It has no video in it."

Madam Hong was shocked. The son of a bitch tricked her! 

"However, an anonymous source sent this video to your husband," the detective continued. He showed the video where Madam Hong pimped out her daughter. "He intends to charge you with soliciting rape, prostitution and also intends to divorce you. Since you signed a pre-nup, you will be left with nothing."

"I'm telling you!" Madam Hong insisted. "KJ and his friends are framing me! They blackmailed me with my sex tape for information!"

"What sort of information?" the detective asked.

"He wanted information on the Cartel," she whispered. The Cartel has informers within the police department. Madam Hong decided that if words goes out that KJ knows about Teppei's plans, then the Cartel will come after KJ and his friends. They will have nowhere to hide! Their plans to nab Teppei will fail.

The detective was stunned at first.

"Are you sure that KJ and his friends are chasing the Cartel?" he pressed. 

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "They are after Teppei, one of the ringleaders of the Cartel. Teppei will be here in Seoul during mid-July for an assignment. But I outsmarted them! I lied to them about the location."

She leaned back, smirking at the detective. This was her second move. Even if the Cartel goes after KJ and his gang, they will not spare her either if they find out that she was arrested. Instead, she will turn into a police informer and give the real location to the authorities. She can then demand for witness protection and flee the country.

"But, for this information, you will have to put me under witness protection," she demanded. "I will flee the country and never return."

"Fine," the detective agreed. "We'll drop the charges and help you in escaping the country. You'll be given the highest protection from our end."

"I want it in writing first," Madam Hong countered. The detective sighed. 

"I don't think you understand your situation," he leaned forward. "We are in the position to bargain. Either give the information, or face a lifetime in prison where, I may add, some members of the Cartel are also imprisoned. If word goes out that you leaked information, even if it is fake, they will not spare you."

Madam Hong gulped.

"Give us the correct information," the detective continued. "And I will have the commissioner sign the Witness Protection papers. You can flee the country and live a new life. Choice is yours."

She pondered over the option.

"Fine," she finally said. "The transaction will take place at Insa Dong's night club called 'Sunny Daze'. Teppei will arrive there with the girls around midnight."

"Thank you Madam Hong," the detective said. "We will transport you out of the country tonight via ship. You will reach Phillippines within this week and from there, you can fly off to the US. Our police force will accompany you."

Madam Hong could not believe her luck! She can actually escape her husband and the Cartel. She was led back to the cell, where her state of euphoria kept her from protesting anymore as she desperately waited for nighttime.

....

Around 8 pm, the young detective arrived to pick her up. She hurriedly followed him to a police car.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Incheon Port," he replied. "From there, you will be transported to Phillippines via ship."

"Where is my protection squad?" she frowned.

"They're waiting for you at the port," he replied. They drove on in silence. Finally, after an hour, they reached the port.

Madam Hong got out of the car, to see a few men, standing near a ship.

"They are your protection unit," the detective informed her.

Madam Hong was delighted to leave the country. The detective smiled and nodded at her as she stepped forward.

She was happily heading towards the ship till she halted in her step. Her smile faltered as a lone, stumpy figure came to view.

A short, chubby man in his seventies was standing there. His hair was completely white and he was wearing a neat black suit. His appearance was properly kempt but his eyes were cold.

"Hello Honey," he said softly stepping forward. Song Tam Lin was an adept businessman but also one of the most dangerous men in the country. He usually stayed away from the matters of the underworld and did not give a damn to the war between the Cartel and Abyss. But after seeing how his wife had his beloved daughter violated, his anger knew no boundary.

"Honey..." Madam Hong pleaded. "Spare me. I will make everything alright! Just spare me-"

Her words were cut out by an earpiercing gunshot. She stared down at her stomach, which was bleeding.

She staggered, falling face down on the cold ground. Song Tam Lin watched on as his wife bled to death in fromt of him. He calmly cleaned his gun and ushered his assistant to carry it away.

The detective came up to him.

"Thank you, Mr. Hyun Jung," the old man said. "For heeding to my orders."

"It wasn't your orders I was following," Hyun Jung admitted. "The CEO of Abyss sent word to hand Madam Hong over to you. After KJ fell into a coma, the CEO's mind changed and instead ordered us to hand over Madam Hong to you. After that, you can do anything you want with her."

"Your CEO did me a great favor," Song Tam Lin replied. "This old man owes the CEO of Abyss two favors. One for telling me the truth about what my daughter went through. Second one for letting me avenge my daughter. I will be grateful if I could come to the CEO's aid."

"I will pass on the message," Hyun Jung bowed to the old man. 

The old man then turned to his men. "Clean up this area," he ordered. "Tie her body with boulders and throw her off into the sea."

The old man's cold and calculative words unnerved Hyun Jung. In all his years in police service, he did not hear good things about this man.

Without a second glance at his wife's corpse, Song Tam Lin strode off towards his car. In his heart, Hyun Jung hoped that they would never need this man's help ever again.