Chapter 183 - EXOTIC (XV): Until The Very End

KJ did not say anything but kept on drinking. 

"We're not wrong, are we?" Dasom asked.

"Does it matter?" KJ replied. "We're not meant to be."

"You don't know that!" Jinhyun pointed out. "You can't tell what the future holds. Even if she was in love with Ash, what he did to her was terrible. Maybe...maybe you're the only one who can help her heal."

"With what, Jinhyun?" KJ shot back. "With love? All those things sound good in stories not in real life! Get real."

"No, you get real," Dasom said. "We're just saying that you don't know what the future holds. You may be getting married to protect your image but what if along the way...she falls in love with you?"

"Impossible," KJ claimed. 

"You're just afraid," Jinhyun said bluntly. "You're just afraid to face your feelings. You want to be with her and yet, you're too scared of the unknown future."

"I'm not afraid!" KJ snapped. "I just think that she needs to heal."

"She does," Jinhyun agreed. "For that, she needs to learn how to open her heart again. And only you can do that. It may take days, months or even years. But we know that only you can do that."

"She'll never love me back," KJ lamented. "It's just not possible."

Jinhyun glared at him. "So you're just gonna run away and leave her like this?" he accused him. 

"I'm not running away!" KJ said. "I'm right beside her, supporting her as a friend."

"Don't give that bullshit!" Dasom exclaimed irritably. "We know your feelings are anything but friendly. It's more than that. But you're just a chicken!"

"KJ...she doesn't need your friendship," Jinhyun said. "What she really needs is someone to lean on. No one is telling you to go and proclaim your love for her. We're only telling you to fight for her. Really fight for her love. You can't just break the doors to someone's heart. You gotta try and make them open the doors for you. If you don't show it, she'll never know."

"Getting married isn't the solution," KJ said grimly.

"It's not," Jinhyun agreed. "But in your case, it's the first step. Trust me KJ. If you don't take this step, you'll regret it for the rest of your life as you watch her suffer alone. You may be there with her during the day but at nights, she'll stay awake, crying. She won't tell you anything but you'll know. You'll always know."

The thought of Mirae crying made KJ feel as if someone was ripping his heart out. The pain in his chest would not go away and Jinhyun's words made it worse.

"KJ, fight for it," Jinhyun encouraged. "Fight for the person you love."

KJ did not respond but drank his drink silently. 

"I'm leaving in a week," Jinhyun informed him. Dasom and KJ looked up in surprise.

"So soon?" KJ asked. 

"Yeah," Jinhyun replied. "I'll be gone for two years. I will return to Korea after that."

"Two years…" Dasom stated. "What will you do after that?"

Jinhyun smiled as he remembered the red lady he keeps running into.

"I'll have to fulfill a promise," he said simply.

KJ and Dasom looked at him quizzically, feeling confused over his words.

"Before leaving," Jinhyun went on, turning to KJ. "I really wish I could see your wedding."

KJ pursed his lips but his mind was in a state of chaos. Should he really fight for Mirae's affections this time? Did he even have it in him to fight?

As if reading his mind, Jinhyun said, "Don't worry about the outcome, KJ. You won't know what will happen if you don't try to win her over. Let go of your pride and embrace your feelings. You'll see, life will become less complicated after that."

….

Riggs was observing the man who was tied on the table. He was at one of Abyss' prisons, overseeing the work Mirae had tasked him with.

The man on the table was tied up in an X shape. His mouth was gagged with a cloth while a white coated doctor hovered around him. The doctor held a box of sharp needles in his hands. He took out a long needle. The man on the table was staring at the needle in shock as he vehemently shook his head. 

But the doctor did not heed to him. He pierced the needled into the man's shoulder, drawing out blood. Teppei let out a loud scream which was muffled by the gag in his mouth. His whole body was stabbed with needles. The sharp pain coerced through his skin as the doctor dug the needle deeper.

"Are you ready to tell us where Ziko is?" Riggs asked. But Teppei only shook his head. Despite the painful torture, he refused to divulge Ziko's whereabouts.

"Is this method really working, N2?" Riggs questioned.

"He is a tough nut," N2 replied. He was a thin, balding man almost the same age as Riggs. From the uniform he wore, it was obvious that he was a doctor but his face was covered with a mask. Like all the members of Abyss, he too had a codename: N2.

"Can you make him talk?" Riggs asked.

"I can only torture him," N2 sighed. "But it seems that as a member of the Cartel, he had been taught to withstand torture."

Riggs looked down upon Teppei who looked weary but resolute. 

"There is one way," Riggs said quietly. "I hope the CEO has already relayed the message to you, N2."

N2 gave a sinister smile. "She did," he said with a hint of glee in his tone. "I have made all the preparations too."

"Very well then," Riggs said, picking up his hat. "I'll leave the rest to you."

N2 nodded as Riggs exited the room, leaving him alone with Teppei.

Teppei prepared himself for whatever they were planning. They had underestimated the Cartel members. They were trained to withstand torture. The pain was nothing to him compared to Ziko's wrath.

N2 brought out a large bag and opened it. He laid it out, revealing a series of surgical tools. Teppei expected that they would use the surgical knives to create more cuts. But something did not sit right with him. Abyss was known to use very cruel methods on Cartel members. They seemed to have gone soft on him so far.

N2 filled up an injection. He strode over to the table and injected the liquid into Teppei's arm. The latter felt the sharp needle puncture into him. He closed his eyes to withstand the pain.

"In a few seconds, you'll fall unconscious," N2 informed him. "After that, I will start the operation."

Operation? Teppei thought wildly. What operation? 

"Too bad you won't be awake to see it," N2 grinned. He looked excited as if he found a new toy. "I'm giving you a very tame punishment compared to what you deserve. But after you wake up, your entire world will come crashing down on you."

Teppei felt fear rising within him. What will the mad scientist do to him? But he did not get time to think because soon, the medicine began to take its effect on his body. Within seconds, he fell asleep…

When he woke up after a few hours, he felt that the lower part of his body was numb. N2 was still there, watching him. 

"You're awake," he muttered. Teppei realized that the gag was not in his mouth anymore.

"W-what did you do to me?" he breathed. 

N2 did not say anything but pointed towards his lower area. Teppei glanced down only to be horrified. He was stark n.a.k.e.d except for the area between his legs which was tied with a bloodied bandage. 

"W-what did you do?" Teppei shrieked. Blood was gushing out of that area but it felt...empty. There was nothing there.

N2 walked towards the table and leaned towards Teppei. "You got what you deserved," the doctor whispered in his ears. "You're right. There's nothing...down there."

Teppei's eyes widened in shock. He struggled to free himself and check. He could not believe it. 

"No…" he denied. "No...NO!"

His scream echoed throughout the empty building. N2 looked at him in disgust.

"Your screams will reach no one," he said. "Just like how you silenced your victims. And now, you'll never be able to harm another innocent person ever again."

….

Mirae was packing her bags. It was her last day at the hospital and she was about to be discharged the next day. Inwardly, she was grateful that she was leaving. Staying at the hospital with nothing to do only reminded her of everything she had lost over the past few days. At least she could start working after getting discharged. It would keep her mind busy. 

There was a knock on the door. She looked up to see KJ standing there.

"Hey," she greeted with a small smile. It felt a little awkward to face him after the press conference. 

"Need some help in packing up?" he asked.

"No, I'm done," she replied. "Come and sit down."

She ushered him over to sit beside her on the bed. 

"Jinhyun is leaving this week," KJ stated. "His flight is three days from today."

"Oh," Mirae said. She knew that KJ was dealing with a lot of things at the moment. With the fake dating news to EXOTIC's disbandment, he was having a hard time.

"I'm sorry," she said. She did not know what else to do. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have made that announcement but it was all I could do to protect you. "If you want I'll retract my statement and-"

"How do you want the wedding?" KJ asked. Mirae stared at him, startled by his question. She was not even sure if she heard him correctly.

"Huh?"

"Do you want it to be a lavish one or a simple one?" KJ asked. 

"I-I…" 

She was unsure of how to answer. "I think a simple marriage registration would do," she managed to say. 

"Fine," KJ said. "Tomorrow after your discharge, we'll head off to the marriage registration office. Only a handful of people will be there. No media but we'll have to release a statement."

Mirae did not reply but simply nodded. "We'll also have to move houses," KJ went on. "We can't live there anymore. The Cartel members can attack us anytime there."

"Where will we go then?" Mirae asked curiously.

"You'll see," KJ said cryptically. "I'll go and make the preparations then."

He got up to leave but Mirae spoke up. "Why did you change your mind?" she demanded. "I thought you were against this."

KJ turned around and looked at her directly. 

"Because…" he started. "Because I'm in love with you, Jung Mirae. And no matter how long it takes, I will fight for you. Until the very end."