Chapter 152 - Song Tamlin

It was almost afternoon by the time Mirae reached her apartment. They took the morning flight back to Seoul and as soon as they landed, Ash was called off to attend a shoot. Hence, she came home alone. 

Before heading off to her apartment, she stopped by KJ's house. She rang the bell but no one was answering. She tried to dial his number but to her astonishment, it was switched off. In her hurry to get more information out of SD, she completely forgot to pass on the message to KJ. By the time they reached the hotel, KJ and Hyun Jung were already gone. 

Is he with Hyun Jung? She wondered. She dialed Hyun Jung's number. "Pick up," she prayed. "Pick up."

But even Hyun Jung's number was switched off. "The hell?" she muttered. Where were they? 

She felt something soft brushing her feet. Startled, she looked down to see Jade was sniffing her feet.

"Hello," she smiled at the cat, squatting down. She stroked its fur. The cat closed its eyes, enjoying the attention. It mewed at her, looking up with hopeful eyes.

"Are you hungry?" she squeaked. Mirae had a strange fondness for this cat. It was hard to explain but something about the cat felt so...familiar. 

"Did the big meanie forget to leave food for you?" She cooed at Jade. The cat jumped on to her lap and settled on it. 

"Well, since KJ isn't here," Mirae said. "I'll take care of you for today."

She carried him to her apartment. Once inside, she put him on the couch. Even though she did not have any cat food, she had some frozen fish sticks in the fridge. Opening the can, she defrosted the fish sticks and heated them in the microwave.

Once cooked, she took out the sticks and put them in a bowl. She placed the bowl in front of the cat who hungrily jumped on it. "Boy you were really hungry," Mirae commented as the cat gobbled down all the food. 

But watching Jade eat like that made her feel happy. When the cat fell in a coma alongside KJ, she was distraught. Even though she hardly got to bond with him, there was something about Jade. It felt as if she had known this cat for years but simply forgot about him until she saw him again. 

She stroked the cat's smooth, ginger fur. "I was worried about you," she said. "When you were sick. I was afraid...I was afraid you'd never return…"

The cat was meowing against her hand. He clearly enjoyed being pampered. After finishing his meal, he once again jumped onto Mirae's lap, lazily settling there.

"Eh? You're getting really comfortable here," Mirae teased. "Go ahead and sleep then."

She lovingly caressed the cat as it fell asleep on her lap. Recalling a lullaby her mother used to sing to her, Mirae began to hum the tune as Jade yawned sleepily. Soon, he was fast asleep.

….

KJ had dropped Jade home after landing in Seoul and drove off to Song Tamlin's office with Hyun Jung. 

"Aren't we being too hasty?" Hyun Jung asked. "Is Song Tamlin trustworthy at all?"

"I don't care," KJ said. "I want to know what's inside this box!"

"Why didn't you just ask that SD yourself?" Hyun Jung frowned. "After all, he may have the information."

"I want to know it myself," KJ replied. "Knowing from the information broker isn't enough. I want to see this evidence myself first."

Hyun Jung shook his head. KJ wanted to do everything alone. It only isolated him more from everyone.

"Song Tamlin is not trustworthy," Hyun Jung pointed out. "We may have found his daughter's culprits, but the man has a bad reputation. There are nasty rumors about him which only make me more suspicious of him."

"What rumors?" KJ asked.

"This business he has," Hyun Jung started. "It's not his. It belonged to his elder brother and the heir was his ten year old nephew. But twenty two years ago, a mysterious accident claimed his brother's life and Song Tamlin took over the firm."

"What happened to the nephew?" 

"No one knows," Hyun Jung said gravely. "He disappeared. There was a big manhunt for him but the kid was never found. It's like he vanished from the face of earth. Not even a dead body was found. The police closed the case and proclaimed him dead."

"After Song Tamlin took over the business," he went on. "He started to dab into drugs and gambling. Even though he isn't part of the Cartel, he heads a pretty strong Mafia network."

"The Cartel dared to mess with him?" KJ frowned.

"They didn't," Hyun Jung replied. "Madam Hong was the one who dared to pimp out her daughter with Song Tamlin. I have a feeling, the video of Shun Oguri was sent by the Cartel in order to pin all the blame on him. Song Tamlin will then chase Shun instead of going against the whole Cartel. For the Cartel, it's one man against their whole network."

"That is a possibility," KJ said. "But I still want to talk to Song Tamlin. If his company created this box, then he'll know how to unlock it."

Hyun Jung pursed his lips. He could not help but think that they should avoid this person and not take his help. But KJ was adamant on going there.

They pulled up in front of ENT Conglomerates. It was a lot bigger than Hann Constructions. But unlike Hann Constructions which had a brighter ambience, ENT Conglomerates was a little gloomier. The color of the building was dull grey and there were no signs of any plants in the premises. The lack of greenery made the place look darker and lifeless.

"This place looks so ominous," Hyun Jung winced. Just standing there made him feel suffocated.

"We have to go," KJ rolled his eyes. "Let's just talk to Song Tamlin and leave."

Getting off the car, they headed for the reception. A receptionist smiled at them.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kwon Jiwon," she greeted. Since KJ was a celebrity, he was easily let through the security.

"We want to meet Mr. Song Tamlin," he informed her. "We don't have an appointment, but it is urgent. Can you please inform him?"

Under normal circumstances, the receptionist would have flat out refused anyone who came in without an appointment. But it was Kwon Jiwon standing in front of her. He was the Nation's Idol. Refusing him would result in dire consequences for her.

"I will inform the CEO," she said. "However, due to our high security protocols, you are requested to keep your phones switched off. So please switch off the phones and take a seat."

She pointed at a VIP waiting area right next to the reception. KJ thanked her and turned to Hyun Jung.

"Let's go," he said.

Hyun Jung followed KJ to the waiting room. They turned off their mobile phones and were patiently waiting there. They were waiting there for hardly five minutes when the receptionist arrived to announce that Song Tamlin will meet them immediately. They followed her to the fifteenth floor of the building.

They were outside the door when they heard some voice coming from inside.

"I will take my leave then," a female voice was saying.

"Alright, Prosecutor Han Sunye," they heard Song Tamlin say. 

After a few seconds, a pretty woman in her early thirties walked out of the office. She had wildly red curls which reached up to her waist. Her beautiful white skin was a little blemished and fatigued. She had dark circles around her eyes, as if she had not slept for days. Upon seeing KJ and Hyun Jung outside, she gave a slight nod and walked away.

The receptionist knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a raspy voice from inside. 

"Sir, Mr. Kwon Jiwon is here to meet you," she informed him.

"Please send him in."

"You two can go in," the receptionist added to KJ and Hyun Jung.

They entered the room to find Song Tamlin sitting at his desk, going through some papers.

"Come in, Mr. Kwon," he said, putting down the papers. "And you too Detective Lee. Please take a seat.

KJ and Hyun Jung took two seats opposite him.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet us at such a short notice," KJ began.

"I'll always spare time to meet the Nation's Idol," Song Tamlin laughed. " To what do I owe this pleasure?"

KJ held out the box he brought from Busan. "This," he pointed at the box. "This was made at your company."

It was a small rectangular box with an electronic lock. Song Tamlin took the box from KJ's hand and examined it. The box was custom made and the carving of a small dove on it meant it was made by ENT Conglomerates. After all, their logo was of a 'Dove'.

"Yes," Song Tamlin replied, examining the box. "A custom made box."

"It was bought by Detective Goo Soo Bin," KJ said, feeling hopeful.

"Probably," Song Tamlin replied lazily.

"If it's custom made, then you can unlock it," Hyun Jung said. "We want to know what's inside this box."

"I'm afraid, I cannot help you in this regard," Song Tamlin leaned forward. "You see, our custom made boxes are special. Unless you have the password, they're impossible to open. Even by us."

"But you made it!" Hyun Jung exclaimed. 

"I know," Tamlin smirked. "However, our R&D team developed this product solely for people who want their data and information to remain a hundred percent safe. Which is why the design has been made in such a way that even the inventor cannot unlock this."

KJ took a deep breath.

"There must be someone who may be able to open this box," he gritted.

"There is no one," Song Tamlin said, raising his eyebrow. "Why don't you ask the original owner of the box?"

"The original owner is missing," Hyun Jung informed him. "He left this box for KJ and disappeared without a clue."

"Then I'm afraid, I cannot help you," Song Tamlin smirked.

"You owe us a favor," KJ said hotly. "We were the ones who discovered what your wife was doing to your daughter. We exposed her!"

"You only exposed her when she shot you," Song Tamlin pointed out. "Instead of sending me the video directly, you chose to blackmail her."

KJ and Hyun Jung stared at him in astonishment.

"How did I find out?" Song Tamlin asked, looking at both of their expressions. "You're part of the underworld too, Mr. Kwon. You should know that finding information here is not a big deal."

"The only reason I allowed those two favors to the CEO of Abyss, was because she handed over the tapes to me to save my daughter's reputation," he said. "And she also handed over that bitch to me so that I can kill her with my own hands."

There was a menacing evil lurking in his eyes. "If I could kill that bitch a thousand times," he went on. "I would gladly do it."

KJ felt oddly unsettled by the man in front of him. He had met many shady people in his life. There were no dearth of enemies who wanted him dead.

But this man...this man was dangerous. Even the Cartel did not frighten him as much as this man did. There was something sinister in him which was boiling underneath like a volcano. The moment this man decides to erupt that volcano, everything will be destroyed.

"Even if the CEO uses up her last favor," Song Tamlin continued. "I won't be able to help her with this box. Since the lock system is foolproof, it is impossible to unlock it without the password. If there is anything else I can help you with, I may be able to assist you only one time."

"It's alright," KJ said curtly. "We'll take your leave." 

He did not bother to bow to the older man and instead stormed out of the office. Hyun Jung followed suit.

Once they reached the parking lot, Hyun Jung spoke out, "Let's just ask the CEO!"

"No!" KJ repeated stubbornly. "This is my quest. I'll find the password!"

"How?" Hyun Jung demanded. "Even SOng Tamlin said only the password can unlock it. She's a world class hacker! This should be easy for her."

KJ was conflicted. He wanted to find the evidence on his own without relying on anyone.

"You have to rely on us!" Hyun Jung said sharply, reading his mind. "We'll only ask her to unlock it. You can see the evidence first!"

"Fine!" KJ conceded. "We'll do it your way."

"Finally," Hyun Jung sighed. They were on a wild goose chase for days and this box was their only hope.

"Let's go," KJ said, deciding to ask for Mirae's help after all.

….

Mirae was fast asleep with the cat on her lap when the ringing of the door bell woke her up. Groggily rubbing her eyes, she carefully placed the sleeping cat on the couch. She walked up to the door and peeped through the hole. It was KJ and Hyun Jung.

Grabbing her mask and cap, she opened the door.

"Jade is with me," she informed them as they entered her house. "He was hungry so I gave him some food. He's sleeping now."

"Oh damn, I forgot to give him breakfast!" KJ realized. He cursed himself for neglecting Jade like this.

"Don't worry, he ate some fish," Mirae assured him. "But what brings you two here?"

"We need your help, CEO," Hyun Jung said. "KJ, show her the box."

KJ hesitated before taking it out. Mirae took it in her hand and studied it.

"It's a lock box," she frowned. "What's in it?"

"We don't know," KJ admitted. "Goo Soo Bin left it with his friend and instructed him to deliver it to me only. I think...I think it contains some sort of clue to my parents' death."

Mirae glanced back at the box. So this holds the information KJ made SD hide from us, she realized. But she did not vocalize it.

"So what do you want me to do?" Mirae asked.

"Crack the password," KJ replied. "Use your hacking skills."

"The box was custom made by Song Tamlin's company," Hyun Jung stated. "We went there to get some clue on how to open it but he said that only the password can unlock the box. Not even the creator can open it without a password."

"Use the password then," Mirae shrugged.

"We don't know the password," KJ said, rolling his eyes. "Which is why we came to you."

"Actually, you do," Mirae said smugly. KJ and Hyun Jung looked at each other.

"We don't," KJ frowned.

"Yeah, we tried everything," Hyun Jung said. "BIrthdays, anniversaries, important dates of everyone close to KJ."

"You didn't try one clue," Mirae said.

"What's that?" KJ demanded.

"SD gave me a riddle yesterday," Mirae stated. "He told me to inform you of a key."

"What is the key?" KJ questioned.

Mirae took a deep breath. "He said that the key is 'the day when time changed'," she revealed.