Chapter 162 - Sunny Daze (8): Hello, Old Friend

Teppei walked towards the third floor of the club. He passed through the dancing crowd and headed straight for the stairs. As he walked towards his destination, he bumped into a masked figure.

"Sorry," he said.

His voice made the masked person freeze. Teppei did not notice it but kept on walking.

….

Somi was rooted to her spot. That voice. She felt her body go cold. It was that voice! She did not see the man properly since she was distracted by her phone but the voice made her halt in her steps.

It's him, she thought, panicking. She knew it was him. 

She turned around to see where the man went. He was probably heading for the stairs. Does that mean the man came here as a member of the Cartel? 

I must tell Mirae! She thought. But her feet would not move. Her hands were trembling and she felt cold inside. Her body was too paralyzed with fear; it would not budge.

Move! She willed herself. Move!

But her fear was too great. What if it was that person? She must find out. 

Forcing her legs to move, Somi dragged herself towards the stairs.

….

Hyun Jung was serving a table, while keeping an eye out for Teppei. The CEO of Abyss had already shown him pictures of that guy and it was not hard to spot the blonde man in the crowd. 

"Here are your drinks, madame," he said to a customer, putting the glasses in front of her. Smiling widely as an obedient server, Hyun Jung scanned the area for signs of Teppei. He was supposed to be here by now, Hyun Jung frowned inwardly. He could not contact anyone since there was a huge possibility that the Cartel's members would overhear them. Everyone had to rely on their gut instincts and stick to the plan.

Finally, he saw Teppei ascending the stairs. He watched as the tall man walked towards a room at the corner of the bar.

Hyun Jung grabbed a few glasses and poured wine in them. He headed for the door and knocked on it.

"Who is it?" came a voice from inside.

"Server Lee, sir," Hyun Jung informed. "I have brought you complimentary drinks. We provide them to all VIP room users."

There was a short pause on the other end.

"Come in," the voice finally said.

Hyun Jung entered the room. It was unusually dark but he could make out a silhouette sitting on the couch in front of him. The face was unclear under the dim lighting.

"Your drinks, sir," he said. 

"Put it on the table," the man said. Hyun Jung nodded and approached the person.

Strange, he thought. This was supposed to be a meeting. Why isn't anyone else here?

As Hyun Jung stepped forward to put down the drinks, the man suddenly leaned forward, coming out of the shadow. Seeing his face, Hyun Jung froze.

"Y-you…" he whispered.

"Long time no see, my friend," Junhyung smiled. 

"Junhyu-"

Smack!

A sharp pain soared through his head. Someone hit him with a heavy object. In his state of dizziness, Hyun Jung turned around to see a sinister smile. Teppei.

"Hi," Teppei greeted lazily as Hyun Jung lost consciousness.

….

Eli entered the club, feeling uneasy. She hated to venture into such places and tried to avoid any cases which required her to enter any sort of clubs. The rowdy crowd disgusted her and she preferred to stay away from these sorts of places. 

But her pursuit of Hyun Jung brought her here and she was determined to uncover all the secrets. 

"Where is he?" she wondered. She peered through the area when her eyes fell on KJ, who was going up the stairs. 

He must be here to meet Sunbae, she realized. She quietly trailed him to the third floor.

KJ reached their designated spot. Hyun Jung was supposed to be there, disguised as a waiter but KJ could not see him anywhere. Was he already with Teppei and his gang? He wondered. 

But there was no sign of Teppei either. KJ aimlessly roamed around the area for a while, casually sneaking into the VIP rooms as well. But all the VIP rooms were unoccupied. Teppei was supposed to arrive by then and yet there was no sign of him nor of Hyun Jung.

Suddenly his phone beeped. It was a video call from Hyun Jung. As soon as KJ opened the app, his heart skipped a beat.

It was a picture of Hyun Jung tied to a chair. Next to him was…

"Junhyung," KJ said, feeling stunned.

"Hello, old friend," Junhyung smiled. "Missed me?"

KJ hid inside one of the empty VIP rooms to keep himself undetected.

"What do you want?" he demanded. "Where is Hyun Jung?"

"What's the hurry?" Junhyung asked. "Don't you want to catch up with an old friend?"

"Let him go," KJ gritted.

"I will!" Junhyung said. "But you gotta hand yourself in to us. Do that and your friend goes free."

"You-"

"You have only five minutes," Junhyung said lazily. "Otherwise I'll kill your dear friend."

"After all what the Cartel has done to you…" KJ whispered. "They killed your dad! And yet, you're still working for them?"

"My dad was a fool who couldn't take advantage of the Cartel's favors," Junhyung sneered. A weak man. I am smarter than him. I don't want to merely work for the Cartel. I want to run it with the worthy successor!"

"You're a lowlife," KJ said, feeling disgusted.

"Now now my friend, there is no need for name calling," Junhyung tutted. "You want Hyun Jung alive, then you gotta come to us. We're in the bas.e.m.e.nt next to the parking lot. Alone. If you inform the CEO of Abyss, then we'll kill him instantly. Remember, if Abyss is watching us with CCTV, we are also monitoring the area through our spies."

He hung up the phone. KJ stared at the blank screen for a while.

His head was in a dilemma. If he did not go, Hyun Jung will die. If he goes, then the plan will fail. He had no doubt that Teppei and Junhyung had planned this to catch him and Mirae. 

….

Jade was lost. He circled the club to look for KJ but could not find him anywhere.

"Where is he?" he wondered out loud. He wandered off to an isolated area next to the parking lot. He was about to turn back when he heard voices coming from behind a door.

"Are you sure he will come?" came a thin, lazy voice.

"I'm sure he will," said a second voice. This one was deeper and oddly familiar.

"If we get KJ…" the thin voice said.

"We win the succession," the deeper voice finished. "But we have to be careful. Abyss is monitoring the whole club from the surveillance room. One mistake and everything will be over."

Jade's eyes widened in shock. KJ is in trouble! He thought wildly. But KJ was nowhere to be seen in the club. He must inform Abyss somehow.

Jade retreated and darted off, running as fast as his paws would carry him. I must save KJ! He vowed.