Chapter 97 - Obsession

Jiwon was woken up by his phone's ringing. Yawning widely, he picked it up to see Hyun Jung calling him.

Making sure that Mirae was still asleep, he stepped out of the room to answer the phone.

"Hyun," he said. "What is the news?"

"I got this information that one of Ziko's associates will be at the Imperial Hotel today," Hyun Jung informed. "Five PM."

"Whom will they meet?" Jiwon asked.

"They will meet some top level businessmen," Hyun Jung continued. "Along with this woman named Madam Hong. They're inner members of the Cartel. If you can nab any one of them, they'll lead you to Ziko."

Jiwon froze. Someone who can lead him to Ziko? 

"Meet me at our usual place," Jiwon ordered him. He checked his watch. It was 10 AM. They had little over six hours to prepare a plan. 

"Alright," Hyun Jung said. "See you then."

He hung up. Jiwon hurried back into his room and freshened up. Mriae was still sleeping when he came out of the bathroom. Hastily writing a note that he is going out for some work and will meet her directly at the park, he hurried out of the house.

….

Jiwon arrived at an old, rundown building just outside of the main city of Seoul. It was an abandoned building Hyun Jung had rented for their regular meetings. Even though Jiwon refused to become the head of his grandfather's mercenary team, did not mean that they were disbanded. The group simply operated in secret to avoid the Cartel's eyes. 

Hyun Jung and a few of their men were sitting around a table, waiting for Jiwon. 

"What information do you have?" Jiwon asked them.

"Madam Hong, the wife of Song Tam Lin of ENT Conglomerates, is one of Ziko's associates," Hyun Jung said. "She will be coordinating the meeting. If we get to her, we will know where Ziko is."

Jiwon frowned. "How do we corner her?" he asked.

"We'll simply observe the meeting this time," Hyun Jung stated. "This requires a lot of planning and thought. We can't afford to do anything rash and impulsive."

"So what are we going to do?" Jiwon asked.

"We're going to put a bug on them," Hyun Jung explained. "We'll see everything through a camera which will be installed there. One of us will be disguised as a waiter and enter that room with food. On the tray will be a flower pot with a hidden camera. All we will do is monitor the meeting. That is all Jiwon."

He stressed on the importance of the last part. Hyun Jung was well aware of how Jiwon acted whenever it came to Ziko. It was necessary to have Jiwon calm.

"I know!" Jiwon snapped. "I'll not do anything rash. I will go in as the waiter."

"No!" Hyun Jung protested. "Jiwon it's too dangerous. They may recognize you!"

"They won't," Jiwon assured him. "I'll be wearing a disguise. I want to do this. I need to see them with my own eyes."

Hyun Jung was apprehensive. It was too risky to have Jiwon go in there but the latter is so stubborn. 

"I don't care," Jiwon insisted. "I must do it. I can blend in easily and get out of there more quickly."

Hyun Jung sighed. "Fine," he conceded. "But you will not do anything rash. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Jiwon said. He checked his watch. It was 2 PM. 

Three more hours to go, he thought. 

….

Mirae was glancing at the clock every now and then. Her mind was preoccupied with what to wear. 

"Should I dress casually?" she muttered to herself. Jiwon had promised to meet her at the park at 7 PM. He rushed out to deal with some work in the morning and had not called since.

Mirae tried calling his number only to find it busy.

What could have happened? She wondered. She took out an off white, modest frock.

"This is perfect," she decided excitedly. The dress brought out an innocent charm in her. It was only 4 PM, but she wanted to look perfect for their date. 

She washed her hair properly and took a long shower. Looking at herself in the mirror, she carefully applied moisturiser and rubbed some lotion all over her body. Once done, she wore a bathrobe and sat in front of her dressing table. 

Mirae rarely used any makeup but made an exception for their date. She applied a thin coat of foundation before putting on some face powder. Using a brush, she applied a slight pink blush on her cheeks. 

She carefully put on the dress and checked herself out in the mirror once again. She looked fresh and charming. The dress brought out the natural youthfulness in her as she looked like an elegant college student. Mirae glanced up only to realize it was 5:30 PM.

"I should get going," she muttered. Even though he had promised to meet her at 7 PM, she wanted to get there early. It was their first date after their marriage and Jiwon himself had suggested it. She wanted to spend a nice evening with him and get closer to her husband.

"You can do this, Mirae," she cheered herself as she exited the apartment.

….

Jiwon was dressed in a black suit with a white vest. He was wearing a thin beard and his hair was brushed back into a sleek bun. He walked around the hotel, taking orders from different customers. It was necessary to keep up his ruse in order not to create any suspicions. Jiwon entered the hotel's premises with the identity of a freelancing staff. 

The small camera was in his pocket while he had a small bluetooth attached to his collar. He was smiling and taking the order of a customer when a tall, slim woman walked into the hotel. She was wearing a light blue, formal coat over her white dress. The woman exuded an elegant but dangerous aura.

Jiwon recognized her immediately from the pictures Hyun Jung had shown him. Madam Hong.

She strutted towards a private room located at the end of the hotel's restaurant's corridor. He poised himself as he quietly followed her. Standing upright, he knocked on the door.

"I'm here to take your orders, sir," he announced. The door slightly slid open. A thin, scrawny man in his fifties came to view.

"Your orders, sir?" Jiwon asked in a polite tone. 

"Ehh...get two vodkas, one red wine , some fries and beef pepperoni pizza," the man grunted before shutting the door.

Jiwon bowed and headed off towards the kitchen.

Three people in there, he muttered as he went to get the orders. He returned to the room twenty minutes later, holding a tray of food and the flower vase on it.

"Your food is here, sir," he announced as he knocked on the door. Once again, it slid open. Jiwon entered the room to see three people, sitting on the couch.

"Ziko is being too prideful," Madam Hong was saying. "The Chairman would not like it."

"Yet, the Chairman handed him our most profitable business," a bald man in his forties was saying. Jiwon carefully placed the tray on the table, serving the food.

"That's because of the inheritance war going on," Madam Hong said as she took her wine from Jiwon's hands. "The Chairman has released two of his best candidates in order to see who will succeed him."

"And Ziko is one of them," the thin man concluded. "Isn't that right, Soowon?"

Jiwon froze on the spot. He knew that name!

"Ziko is too full of himself," the man called Soowon said. His voice was thinner now but there was no doubt about it. It was him.

"But Ziko knows the underworld much better than anyone," he continued. "The Chairman will choose him as the successor."

"If he can control his greed that is," Madam Hong commented as she ushered Jiwon to refill her cup. He obliged and bowed as he stepped away from the room.

Walking quickly through the corridor, Jiwon rushed towards the washroom. Entering a cubicle, he threw up into the toilet. His hands felt clammy and his breath was jagged. His insides squirmed as he puked his guts out.

Finally, when he was done, he slumped onto the floor. It was him, he thought. It was the man from that night.

He could not think straight. A strange obsession took over his mind. Soowon was only a few meters away from him. He must get to him somehow! 

His phone was vibrating inside his pocket. No doubt it was Hyun Jung calling to ask him to return. But Jiwon ignored it. He did not even bother looking at the caller ID. Getting up from the floor, Jiwon washed his face. His eyes were full of rage. 

No more hiding, he vowed. Fixing himself up, he exited the washroom, with an impassive expression on his face. He catered to the other customers while keeping an eye on the room at the end.

Finally, after two hours, the trio emerged from the room. He watched as Madam Hong bid them goodbye and headed towards her car. The men, too, parted ways for the night. Jiwon watched as Soowon headed towards the hotel's exit.

Slowly, Jiwon followed the man as the former's figure began to blend in with the darkness.

…..

Mirae tried calling Jiwon but he was not picking up. It was nearly 8 PM and he had not shown up. 

Is he alright? She thought in panic. What if he was in some kind of danger?

Desperate for news, she called his friend, Hyun Jung. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hyun Jung!" she exclaimed. "Where is Jiwon?"

Hyun Jung ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Jiwon was not picking up his phone and Hyun Jung was worried that he'd do something rash. But he could not tell that to Mirae. He was strictly forbidden from involving Mirae in any of their work.

"I don't know," he lied, unaware that Jiwon was supposed to meet Mirae at that time. "I'm on duty tonight. Maybe he's at work."

Mirae could tell he was lying. She had an uncanny ability to identify people's lies. Nevertheless, she did not voice it out loud.

"Thank you," she said and hung up. It was getting colder and people were giving her pitiful looks, assuming that she got stood up by her date. Mirae ignored their gazes and still held out hope. He will come, she told herself. He never broke his promises.