Chapter 141 - Hann Constructions (XVII) Conclusion

Ash rushed towards the waiting room. The cameras were probably already on and if Mirae was caught even by a second, then they would be exposed. Somi had already created a commotion and he did not want to think about what would happen if Mirae was caught sneaking around…

Please don't be late, he prayed as he turned a corner. Don't be caught…

The waiting room was almost in front of him. Be safe, Mir, he prayed.

He reached out to open the door…

Mirae looked up from the magazine she was reading.

"Sir!" she said, standing up. "I thought of waiting here while your meeting took place. I'm sorry for not calling you but I did leave a text."

Ash was relieved but did not show it on his face. "That's alright," he said. "We are leaving now."

"Is Mr. Dasom accompanying us as well?" Mirae asked. They were under scrutiny by the cameras and it was important to keep up the front until they were out of the reach of Hann Constructions. Ash, too, decided to keep his lips shut about what happened inside the meeting room.

"No, he has some other work," Ash replied. He wanted to tell Mirae everything as soon as possible. Mirae sensed his urgency as well. 

"Let's go back to the studio," she suggested. "We have another schedule."

Ash nodded and they exited the building. On her way out, Mirae noticed some of the employees talking.

"Shin Somi did that?" one of them whispered.

Somi's name caught Mirae's attention.

"She just finished her career," another employee gossiped. 

"Let's go," Ash tugger at her hand. Mirae did not say anything but followed him out. They got into the car. Ash revved up the engine and they drove off in silence. Instead of driving towards the studio, Ash drove towards a nearby river. Finding a reclusive spot, he turned to face Mirae.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Ash took a deep breath and began narrating the story.

….

"Her manager had to leave," Dasom informed Hyun Jung. Somi was calm now. Hyun Jung had wrapped his jacket around her. "He left a note in the car."

Eli came running towards them. "I warned him not to press charges," she said. "But I couldn't bring him in for questioning. Since Song Tamlin nor his daughter pressed any official charges yet. Also, Shun started to claim the girl, and I quote his exact phrase, 'liked it rough'. If they file a case, we can arrest him."

Hyun Jung nodded but he knew Song Tamlin would do no such thing. That man would rather take everything into his own hands. It took the CEO of Abyss a lot of persuading to keep Song Tamlin away from this case, but Hyun Jung had an inkling that man was simply biding his time. He will strike. The question was, when?

"I'll take Miss Somi home," Hyun Jung announced. "Dasom, can you give Detective Eli a lift to the police precinct?"

"Err…" Dasom looked at Eli, who was mortified. This barbaric detective scared him more than an angry Somi. ELi, on the other hand, disliked the younger man for his stuck up attitude.

"I'll see you later," Hyun Jung said, not noticing their hostility. "Come on Miss Somi."

He extended a hand to her. Somi was in a trance but accepted his gesture. Taking his hand, she got up and walked with him towards his car.

Dasom and Eli stared at them. 

"Something is fishy about them," Eli frowned.

"Are you gonna throw baseless accusations at them now?" Dasom sneered.

She shot him an angry look. "It seems that if it wasn't for our interference back in there," she said in a snarky tone. "You guys would have been stuck in that drama invested by a molester." 

"That was Hyun's work, not yours," Dasom shot at her as they walked towards his car.

"Oh ho!" she exclaimed sarcastically. "You don't even know how to be grateful."

"As if you were of any help!" Dason shot back, getting into his car. Eli took a seat next to him.

"Where to?" the chauffeur asked.

"Studio!"

"Police Precinct!"

They glared at each other.

"The precinct falls first!" Eli snapped. "Drop me off first!"

"I have an urgent schedule!" Dasom retorted. "I'll be dropped off first!"

"You should be polite to a lady and drop her off first!"

"Lady?" Dasom scoffed. "You're very unladylike. Are you sure you're a woman at all? With that attitude, I doubt it."

"At least I'm not a flower boy!" Eli remarked angrily.

They bickered back and forth all the way to the police precinct, where Eli was finally dropped off.

"Tch!" Dasom snorted as Eli walked towards the station. "What a crass woman."

The chauffeur, who had been working for EXOTIC for years, was surprised at Dasom's outburst at the lady detective. He was usually a very naughty and carefree person. Seeing this side of him really surprised the old man.

He shook his head. Youngsters, he lamented inwardly as he started the engine.

….

KJ was pouring cat food into Jade's bowl. It had been almost a month and Jade was still not healed. He was starting to get worried. What if Jade never returned?

The thought of it made KJ severely depressed. For ten years, he did not even realize that Jade was the soul of his own son with Mirae from the original timeline. He had grown accustomed to the cat's presence and he was KJ's only companion. Despite all the hookups and short term relationships, KJ valued Jade more than anything. And now that he found out that Jade was his last remnant with his past, he could not bear the thought of not meeting him again.

The ginger cat was eating hungrily from its bowl. KJ stroked its smooth fur lovingly. 

"Come back soon, Jade," he pleaded softly. "I miss you."

He watched as the cat lapped up its food. Staying at home was beginning to make him feel anxious. Even though they had agreed that taking KJ to Hann Constructions was too risky, he could not help but feel a little left out. Also, deep in his heart, he wanted to visit his grandfather's office. The place had many memories.

Even if his grandfather let him choose his own path in life, Kwon Jinhyung also taught KJ the inner workings of his business. For him, it was important to develop his grandson as a leader no matter what. This is why even after leaving his family business behind, KJ was able to lead EXOTIC to success and fame. 

Thinking about his grandfather also made him sad. If there was one regret he held in the current timeline, was the fact that he did not go to his grandfather's funeral. Even though he had attended it in the original timeline, he knew he should have still bid his grandfather goodbye no matter how much it had hurt him.

KJ let out a sigh. He looked at the clock. There was no news of Ash and Mirae. But no news meant good news. It implied that they were not caught. Yet.

He decided to kill time by cleaning up his apartment. Ever since he came out of his coma, KJ had been slacking off on housework. The layers of dust on his furniture were irritating him and he barely did much laundry for the past few days. 

He picked up the dirty clothes and put them in the washing machine. Setting the timer on it, KJ let the washing machine do its job while he took out the vacuum cleaner. He began to vacuum the carpet and floors until all dust was gone. Taking out a mop, he cleaned the floors with disinfectant until they sparkled.

It was a tedious job but it kept his mind off needless worries. By the time he was done, it was almost 4 PM. The house was spotlessly clean, which made KJ feel de-stressed. The doorbell rang.

That must be Mirae and Ash, he thought. They had not called him all day, which meant that they were not caught at least.

KJ got up and opened the door. He was right. Ash and Mirae were there.

"What happened?" he asked, letting them in. Their expressions looked disturbed. 

"Well…" Ash started, glancing at Mirae. KJ could sense that they were struggling for words.

"KJ," Mirae said. "The mission was a failure. Grandpa Kwon's computer was destroyed in a fire a few years ago. Nothing of it remained." 

….

Hyun Jung pulled up in front of Somi's apartment. She was silent all throughout the journey. She was not surprised that Hyun Jung had figured out her secret. It was hard for her to control herself after hearing about what Shun Oguri had done.

He got off the car and opened the passenger seat's door. Extending a hand to Somi, he helped her out of the car. He slowly followed her to her apartment, stopping right in front of her unit. 

"Why don't you tell me?" he asked her quietly. "Who was it?"

"Does it matter?" Somi questioned him. 

"It does!" he exploded. "It does to me! I...I couldn't protect you…"

"No one could have protected me," she said in a lifeless voice. "So don't blame yourself."

"Is he part of the Cartel?" Hyun Jung demanded. "Is this why you joined Abyss?"

Somi hesitated before answering, "Yes. When...when it happened...right on the night before our wedding…"

Hyun Jung's heart felt as if it had shattered into a million pieces upon hearing that. "B-before our wedding day…"

He was investigating the Cartel even then. Were they exacting revenge on him by…

"You were not the only one who angered the Cartel," Somi said solemnly. She knew what he was thinking. "At that time, I also crossed paths with them. They weren't exacting revenge on you. They were making me pay for my deeds."

Hyun Jung took her hand and held it firmly.

"I'm here with you," he promised her. "I will always be there for you. I couldn't save you that time. But I won't let them go either. Tell me everything."