Chapter 280 - I Know...

Hyun Jung was scrolling through the hundreds of videos they had acquired from the stadium. Even though they had thousands of cameras inside, there were so many fans that it was difficult to keep track of any one particular person. He and Eli along with Riggs spent the whole weekend searching through the videos. 

They were at Abyss' headquarters which was situated right next to the highway outside the town. It was built at an abandoned underground military base to avoid the eyes of suspicious intruders. They had plenty of space and technology there to crack their cases related to the Cartel. Riggs was currently trying to interrogate the hitman once again but the man was still unconscious. It was up to Hyun Jung and Eli to go through the numerous data.

Eli, who was sitting right next to him, asked, "Any luck?"

"Nope," Hyun Jung sighed, as he closed one video. They tried to keep an eye of 7A's activities but the members were not doing anything outside of the ordinary. But he noticed one of their staff had gone out after breaking a guitar string.

"Eli," he slowly said. "I think one of their staff members, an old man, had gone out for a brief minute. He's talking to a guard but the guard got distracted by something. Then he moved towards the staircase but he's now out of my camera's range. Is he there on yours?"

"What's the camera number and time stamp?" she asked.

"Fifty one. Time stamp is four thirty."

Eli searched for the file until she found it in her list. She skipped to the time stamp and saw the old man moving towards the instruments' room. 

"It's identical to the bag the hitman was carrying," she noted. "The weapon must have been hidden in it. The guards couldn't find it at the entrance because of the extra compartment inside the guitar where the rifle was hidden. Moreover, the rifle was specially made with stainless steel and the same material was used to make the strings on the guitar. Even if the metal detectors picked up the very faint traces, it would still break through the security. Stainless steel isn't easily detectable. This old man must have brought in the guitar case to exchange it with the hitman."

She turned her PC to give him a better look at the images.

"Zoom into his face," Hyun Jung ordered. Eli put the cursor on the image and zoomed into the old man's face. Hyun Jung took a closer look. Even though it was not noticeable at first glance, there was something artificial about his skin. It looked a little too flabby for his stature.

"Is he wearing a mask?" he asked out loud.

"Looks like it," Eli said. "Wait, lemme check something."

She closed the image and searched for another file which contained the details of 7A's staff. Upon opening it, she went through the details until she stopped on the picture of the chauffeur. The face looked the same and they also had obtained fingerprints of the man. 

"Let me run through these prints," she said. She opened the fingerprint scanner and ran them through the system. "It's gonna take some time," she added. "There are millions of fingerprints on the database."

"Find him," Hyun Jung stated. "We need to know who this man is."

But deep down, he knew that their investigation would be a bust. If his gut instincts were correct, the man was the President of the Cartel himself. If he really did decide to come out into the open, then it was a direct challenge to KJ and Abyss.

"Once you find the identity of this man, we'll go and check out his credentials," he went on.

"Understood Sunbae," Eli nodded.

….

KJ was in the studio alone, leaning back against the couch as he stared at the ceiling. He had just finished the last promotions for his album and was finally free to relax. But he was far from having any rest. His mind was focused on the impending threat looming over them.

The President.

He knew the man he had eye contact with during his performance, was the President. Even if he never met his nemesis before, there was no mistaking him. Those cold, steely eyes which looked at him with pure contempt was the President himself. That nameless, faceless man was staring at him, studying with all his might. The planned attack was a mere threat to KJ. The real battle was still awaiting.

The brief glimpse of his enemy was enough to make KJ fearful for his loved ones. His relationship with Mirae was renewed and he was going to do everything in his power to keep her by his side. The loss of their previous life together was irreplaceable but he would make it up to her by ten folds. 

But the dangers of their past were catching up to them. Whether it was this timeline or the original one, the Cartel had always managed to separate them. The roots of their hatred dug deeper than anything else, entangling them into a twisted game of fates. It was all fun for the President. He did not care how many people he would have to kill in order to get to KJ. This time, the fans saved him but there would not be a next time.

And Mirae…

The very thought of what would happen to her if the President ever reached them, scared him to the core. That man would not simply kill her. That would be too easy. He would annihilate her. As the CEO of Abyss, she was his biggest hurdle and that man would only be satisfied by torturing her slowly, make her beg for death. But he would only put her in more pain until the end of her life. He would not let her die easily nor let her live. She would become his sadistic toy. 

And then there was Ash. The man who was once as close as a brother to him. He had betrayed them in the worst way possible and their relationship was beyond repair. His actions were even worse than what the President was doing. He would not stop until KJ was dead. KJ suspected that Ash was the mastermind behind the assassination attempt. Somewhere in his heart, KJ had hoped that Ash would return to their side but after the concert, it was an impossible thought. He was no longer redeemable.

KJ clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles almost turned white. That man's taunting eyes flashed in front of him. He was coming and KJ will stop him at all costs.

….

Mirae had just put Jade to sleep in his little crib and was in her room, reading a book when KJ walked in. 

"Done with all the promotions?" she asked as he slumped on the couch beside her. 

"Yes," he yawned. "I'm now free...for the next one month at least."

Without warning, he pulled her onto his lap, holding her close. 

"Hey!" she protested as he kissed her neck. But he only snuggled her against his chest.

"I did warn you that after the promotions were done, I'm not gonna let you leave my side even for a minute," he said in a smug tone. 

Mirae giggled at his words but fell silent. KJ frowned, noting her unusually quiet demeanor.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked, feeling concerned. Mirae hesitated. Should she bring it up?

"KJ…" she broke free from his embrace and sat up straight. "I wanna talk to you about Jade."

"What about Jade?"

She bit her lip. "I don't think he's well," she said.

Jade was sick? He never fell sick before. "What happened to him?" KJ demanded, a panic rising within him.

"Jade told me that...the timeline was rejecting him," she replied.

"How can the timeline reject him? He-"

KJ froze up, realizing what she had just said. "Did you just say, he 'told' you?" he questioned. KJ waited for her answer but Mirae was feeling nervous.

"Yes," she finally revealed. "I know Jade can talk. He told me the timeline is rejecting him."