Chapter 115 - No Need to Hide

Hyun Jung helped KJ sit up on his bed. He tucked a pillow behind KJ to keep him steady. Jade was curled up in a blanket, fast asleep.

"So did you find anything on CEO Ahn's murder?" KJ asked.

"Nope," Hyun Jung shook his head. "It was so weird. Right after the attack on EXOTIC, CEO Ahn was killed. When we went to his house, he had been dead for hours."

"Did you question his wife?"

"We did," Hyun Jung replied. "In fact, they had been living separately for weeks. We even asked his...numerous mistresses. None of them have any idea about Ahn's involvement with the Cartel."

"What did his bank transactions show?" KJ frowned.

"He had been receiving money from a mysterious account," Hyun Jung informed him. "Let me show you something."

He took out a file from his bag-pack. KJ took the papers in his hands, reading the documents.

"This…"

"This shows that the account Ahn had been receiving money from was from overseas," Hyun Jung pointed out. "That account is under the name of some Kim Miso. However, when we tried to track down this Kim Miso in the given address, all we found was an empty land. There was no house there."

"How come the bank never figured this out?" KJ demanded. "I'm sure they have some sort of legit documents from this Kim Miso."

"The person who dealt with this account was someone called Sung Dong-il," Hyun Jung said. "He handled all the documentation of this account and since he was very efficient in his job, no one suspected him."

"Where is this Sung Dong-il?" 

"The day before Ahn's murder, Sung Dong-il suddenly resigned," Hyun Jung informed him. "Our men went to his house only to see it empty and locked up. None of the neighbors know where he went. He lived alone and did not have any family.. There was no phone number, no social media accounts and he didn't even have a social security number. He simply vanished."

KJ sighed in frustration. "We need to find him," he said quietly. "He's the key to all this. There must be someone he is working for. Do we have a sketch or picture of this Sung Dong-il?"

"Turn the page," Hyun Jung instructed. KJ turned the document only to feel his blood freeze.

"That's Sung Dong-il," Hyun Jung pointed at a picture, oblivious to KJ's reaction. "He had been working for that bank for the past six years. And-"

"Hyun Jung…" KJ said. "Do you not recognize him?"

"What do you mean?"

KJ held up the picture for him to see. Frowning, Hyun Jung took a closer look. The man in the picture had black hair with a thin, scrawny face and dark eyes. 

"Take a closer look," KJ insisted. "Don't you think he looks familiar?"

"What are you-"

Suddenly it hit Hyun Jung. It was a face he had not seen for a long time. It seemed he had some work done on his face but there was no doubt that it was…

"Junhyung," Hyun Jung whispered.

….

Mirae was woken up the clattering sounds coming from the kitchen. Groggily getting off the bed, she shuffled towards the source of the noise. Ash was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

"You're up early," MIrae yawned, looking at the clock. It was still 7 AM. "Got a schedule?"

"Nope," he said. "I am completely free today."

"Then let's head back to bed," she said, feebly pulling his wrist.

"Can't," he replied. "We're going on an outing today. So I have to prepare the food."

"Outing?" she frowned.

"Don't tell me you forgot!" he said in a stern tone.

Mirae racked her brains before finally recalling their last conversation before Ash went to that concert tour.

"Oh!" she realized, slapping her forehead. "It completely slipped my mind. With looking over KJ and all…"

Ash shook his head in disbelief but Mirae's eyes brimmed with sudden excitement. 

"Are we going out today?" she squealed. "Where are we going?"

Ash smiled and took out a pair of tickets. Mirae looked at them.

"The amusement park?" she asked in awe. "How did you know I love amusement parks?"

"Lucky guess," he smirked, giving her a peck on the lips. "So get ready, girlfriend. We'll head out at nine. It'll be a long drive. I'll have to prepare lunch box."

"Alright!" Mirae exclaimed. She hurried off to get dressed. Carefully brushing her teeth and washing her face, she checked her appearance in the mirror. Her face was fresh and smooth. She had a good night's sleep after almost a month and it felt refreshing. But there were still some dark circles under her eyes due to lack of sleep.

Thinking of using some makeup to hide her dark shadows, she head into her walk-in closet. She searched all her clothes to find the perfect outfit, frowning at her usual choices. Mirae mostly had casual clothes, nothing which was good enough for a daylong date.

I really should go shopping with Somi more, she lamented. She scounged through all her clothing until she decided on a pair of blue jeans with an elegant white shirt and red crop track jacket. 

Mirae once again head over to the mirror. Quickly putting some concealer on her dark circles, she carefully applied some nude eye shadow and liner. Putting on a light pink lipstick, she checked her appearance.

She looked more youthful and energetic with her bright smile. The prospect of going on her first outdoor date with Ash made her feel giddy and nervous at the same time. Suddenly her smile faltered. What if someone recognized them? She will have to wear a mask on her face.

Feeling a little dejected at the thought that she could not even date her boyfriend in public, Mirae picked up her mask and went out of the room.

Ash was waiting for her. He had packed their lunch into a box and he was already dressed. No doubt he changed his clothes at Mirae's guest bedroom.

He wore a navy blue turtleneck sweater with tight, blue jeans. His sunglasses were casually hung by his collar and his blonde bangs covered his forehead. In his casual look, he looked like a Greek God. Mirae whistled.

"I'll have to hide you from all your female admirers," she commented. "I'm afraid they'll chase you around today."

"No they won't," he said. "We're not going to be in public. There won't be any fans following us."

Mirae frowned. "But we're going to an amusement park," she said. "Obviously there'll be people there."

"Not today," he grinned. "I rented the place for a day."

"Wha-"

Mirae was shocked. "You rented it for a day?" she asked, gaping at him. Her mouth fell in surprise. 

Ash snickered and put a finger under her chin, shutting her mouth. "I know you hate it when you have to hide your face when we're in public. I've already made the arrangements with Riggs and he arranged for the park to have complete privacy for us."

He cupped her tiny face with his palms.

"Today, you don't need to hide," he assured her.

Mirae felt a surge of emotions. Her heart beat rapidly under his loving gaze as he tucked her hair behind her ear. She embraced him tightly, hiding her face in his chest.

"Thank you…" she whispered, her voice trembling with happiness.