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"R-Rain? What is the meaning of this?!" I demand, narrowing my eyes at him.

Rain scoffs and brushes the sleeve of his black suit. I look at him from head to foot. Formal attire suits him well but that blank facial expression has stunned me.

"Really lady? Look closer," Rain says. He walks toward me and crouches down so that we are at eye level with each other.

Boss Wung enters the door, followed by the other three whom he soon ushered out before slamming the door in their faces.

"Big Boss," Wung guy says, looking serious.

Rain ignores him. His eyes travel from my face to my chest. I brace my chest self consciously. Rain draws his eyes back on mine again.

"Look closer lady," Rain repeats.

I spat at him, "I have a name you asshole! Let me out of here!"

He gives me a cold smile and stands up. He looks at his wristwatch with calculated movement before turning to me once again, "Call me Big Boss. If you need anything, ask."

"Then let me free!" I yell.

"But being free is not what you need," he counters before turning his back on me.

I give him a look full of spite. What happened to him? Why does he sound different? The way he walks and carries himself with such authority, even the way he speaks and the tone of his voice, are different.

"Wung. We're moving out. You know what to do," Rain says. Boss Wung nods. He waits until Rain is out of the door before turning his eyes on me.

He reaches for his pocket and withdraws a syringe. My eyes widen. The colorless liquid doesn't look reassuring at all.

No...

"What are you doing to me?! No! Please!" I plead. I try to remove his hand from pinning me on the bed but my struggle is futile.

"Quiet!"

Suddenly, I feel a sharp, stinging sensation in my arm. My vision becomes blurry, my struggles weak. I can barely move my body. There's a light buzz in my ears.

He puts a piece of cloth over my eyes. I can feel him tying the scrap beneath my head. Boss Wung scoops me up and transfers me to what appears like a wheelchair. It is taking all my energy to keep my head upright.

He opens the door and then pushes the wheelchair. As we go, we pass through piles of plywood and rusty old machines. The ceiling is black with soot and the floor has accumulated an inch of dust. They brought me to an old warehouse. I think vaguely.

I wonder where they are going to bring me next.





I WAKE UP TO a comfortable feeling of warmth and softness. I open my eyes blearily to find myself in another unfamiliar room. It looks cozy and welcoming. Was I rescued?

"You're awake. I'm relieved," says a man I have never seen before. He looks like he's in his 50's, with graying hair and a fatherly smile on his face.

"Who are you?" I blurt out before I can help it. I have been meeting random people lately.

He smiles before answering, "Call me Father Jung. I'm the father of Storm. I'm sure you've met him a while ago. And Rain, whom you've met even earlier."

Who? I frown. I want to ask a lot of things but I feel like all the energy has been sucked out of me.

"I had the maids prepare food for you. Storm told me you didn't eat your food in the warehouse."

 I decide not to open my mouth to speak. Just listen.

"I am so sorry of how they treated you earlier. Don't worry. Those people already got what they asked for. I told them to handle you carefully. After all, it was a rescue mission," he says genially.

My frown deepens. I was rescued? Again?

So everyone wants to play superhero, huh? Why can't they just let me be?! I keep my mum and just continue staring at Father Jung. Judging by his appearance, he looks like a family guy with a lovely wife and adorable children. He gives off an aura of a dad whom you can go to when things go wrong in your life and he will offer you words of wisdom. But then again, maybe I'm just not looking close enough.

It's too early to trust these people. Right now, I don't know who the bad and good guys are.

But then again, maybe they are all bad.

The door opens and we both turn to look at the intruder. He is holding a tray of food.

"Ah, son. Perfect timing. I'm just about to leave. I have a meeting with the board scheduled in ten minutes. I should go," Father Jung says.

He stands up and with a fatherly smile, says, "Hye Kyo this is Storm. Storm, take care of our guest Hye Kyo here. Make her feel at home."

"Sure thing, dad," Storm replies with a dazzling smile, setting the tray at the foot of the bed. He reaches for my hand and kisses it. I wince internally, and a feeling of deja vu washes over me. I don't trust my mouth to speak so I decide that it's better to keep it closed. He looks so handsome when he smiles.

After Father Jung left, I turn to Rain, thinking that it's finally safe to speak, "Why did he call you Storm, Rain? And where is this place? What happened to Joong Ki?"

But I was taken aback for he is suddenly back to his impassive expression, "Don't call me Rain again, lady. I am Storm. Subordinates call me Big Boss. Joong Ki's dead. Finish your food in fifteen minutes and I will tour you around the estate."

He turns to leave but I call out, feeling that I can no longer contain all the information I have been given.

"I don't understand, Rain. Explain to me, please."

"Rain... He's a twin brother I have forgotten a long time ago. It's best if you forget someone who's dead, too."

Stunned with what I heard, I fail to make another response.

"Fifteen minutes," Storm says before getting out of the door.

So much for feeling at home.



"Hye Kyo..." 

I can hear a voice calling me, growing fainter and fainter, echoing in the distance.

"Hye Kyo..."

 The voice becomes more insistent, louder against my right ear. My breathing quickens. I try to call back but my body feels weak.

"No matter what happens, don't remove your necklace!"

What do you mean? Why would I remove my necklace?

"Don't let them take it!"

Take my what, again?





"THIS IS PROBABLY the easiest 1 million Won I ever made, Jong," a squeaky voice says before laughing maniacally.

Smack. The laughing stops, followed by a groan of pain.

"Don't count your chicks before the eggs are hatched, you idiot!" another voice counters.

"Those youngsters thought that they can actually outrun us, didn't they Jeong Wung In?" I hear a wheezy voice brag. He laughs loudly before clicking his tongue.

Those words light the bulb in my head. People are talking behind me. People I don't know! I open my eyes and I find myself staring in a blank wall. Trying to make sense of what is happening, I roam my eyes around. I have enough consciousness in me to be careful not to move my head. Where am I? What happened to me? I try to move my hands slowly, but they are bound. Ugh. Again?

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? Call me Boss Wung! And keep your mouth shut! The only reason why I agreed to work with you is because the big boss is getting impatient and you're the only ones who agreed on 1 million Won."

"What do you mean?" the man I think is called Jong asks.

"It means that you're the cheapest morons I have found," Boss Wung announced without hesitation.

A growl.

"Why? Got a problem with that? Or would you rather go back to that dump you call headquarters?"

From the tone of his voice and the way he talks, I can tell that this Boss Wung is a jackass level 999. A sense of pity for his subordinates touches my heart.

"Keep your eyes always on this girl. Remove the cuff and give her food. We will move out as soon as big boss gives us the signal," Jackass Wung instructs.

I hear the door open and close. Locks click. I wait with bated breath, my heartbeat feels like I've been running for hours.

"Oy you! Wake up!" I can feel someone untying the ropes. Another pair of hands is shaking me awake. I act as if his shaking has woken me up. I blink several times before gasping, "Who are you?! Where am I?"

My eyes automatically scan their faces and then the door, which is on my left.

There are three of them. All look strong and well built. Their faces have a shadow of anger I think is attributed to their recent conflict with Boss Wung.

"Don't even think about escaping, young lady. Your two bodyguards are probably floating bloated in the river right now. What makes you think you stand a chance against us?"

My eyes widen. I cannot process what they just told me.

"W-what do you mean? Y-you k-killed them?" I force myself to ask. Impossible!

The guy is only too eager to tell me the story. "Oh yes! We sure did! They put up quite a fight, didn't they? Those stupid alarms had them running towards us like crazy they forgot to get their guns. Two bullets each and they were goners, right Sok?"

"Nah Bo. The other one took five more bullets, I think, before he fell to the river," the guy named Sok recounts, looking at his fingers.

I tremble from head to foot. Those two... Joong Ki and Rain. They're dead? I refuse to believe it! Joong Ki looked so brave and tough. Rain was calm and sharp.

"Enough of the story-telling, boys. Leave her the food and let her cry herself to sleep. Makes our job easier," Jong smirks and leaves. The other two put a tray of food at the side of the bed and follow their leader, locking the door behind them. Bolts of locks click into place before a ringing silence encompasses me.

I don't know why I'm so affected. I have only known those two for two days and yet I'm here, crying my heart out at the news that they are dead. And this entire situation feels so hopeless. The door is impossible to open and there's not a single chance that I will be able to get out of the window when it is sealed with steel bars. Even the tray of food, the glass of water, and the utensils are made of plastic. I don't even have anything I can stab them with.

What is going to happen to me now? I have been crying for what seems like hours. Even the sun is hiding behind a thick layer of dark clouds.

I'm so tired! I want an out! I curl up in fetal position on the bed.

If I can't kill them, maybe I should just kill myself? Maybe I should just hang myself? There's nothing to lose, is there?

I have no parents.

No boyfriend.

No friend.

No one else left to keep me fighting for this life.

I unconsciously feel my neck and I find the strap of my necklace. My heart skips a beat.

"Don't let them take it!" 

Something flashes in my memory. My pulse quickens. I feel for the pendant of my necklace, tracing my fingers along the familiar circular shape.

"Hye Kyo! Hye Kyo! No matter what happens, don't remove your necklace!"

Whose voice was it? Now that I think about it, at that moment, it seemed like someone was whispering against my ear.

But why..?

 I cough up to relieve the tightness in my chest.

 ...why not?

Numb with hopelessness, I remove the necklace from around my neck just as the first droplets of rain beat the roof above me.

And as though watching a movie in fast forward, my eyes widen as flashes after flashes of blood, echoes of gunshot, screams of panic, and feelings of terror envelope me. I lay frozen in swirls of visions I don't know how to stop.

Make it stop! Make it stop!

I close my eyes but I can still hear the screams of people pleading for their lives, their cries of pain, very vivid as though they're real. Are they?

"Hye Kyo! Hye Kyo! No matter what happens, don't remove your necklace!" 

I hear that voice again. Louder now. It's Joong Ki's voice. I recognize it as Joong Ki's voice. With great effort, I put the necklace back around my neck and as abruptly as they started, the visions stop.

I lay paralyzed on the bed, beads of sweat are cold against my skin. My right hand is clutching the bed sheet so tightly that deep creases have formed.

The door opens and with blurry vision, I open my eyes. I cannot believe what I am seeing.

"R-Rain?"




I twist and turn on my bed, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position. Ever since I have laid down, sleep hasn't paid me a visit. I feel so awake. The incident with Song Joong Ki has made me so confused. Wild stuffs keep on popping into my head.

Growling in frustration, I cover my face with the soft pillow,  intending to shut the voices inside my head so that I can finally sleep. Just then, a loud alarm goes off. Red beams of light are flickering fast. My reflexes make me throw the pillow away, but instead of landing on the floor, it hit something else.

Someone else.

Paralyzed in shock, I stare wide-eyed at the silhouettes of two large guys. My eyes trail on the glass door leading to the balcony. It's open and the flimsy white curtain is dancing with the breeze. I open my mouth to scream as I scramble out of the bed.

"Oh Lord! Help! Help!"

But before I can even reach the doorknob, a hand seizes me and stuffs something over my head. All sources of light blacked out. I struggle against my captors. My hands are pinned roughly against my back. My arms hurt. My head feels dizzy. A hand covers my mouth. I can't breathe properly. I'm going to die! I give another brave struggle but suddenly, I feel weak. And then, blackness.




My head feels heavy. There's a slight ringing in my ears. I am lying on something that smells nice and feels comfortably warm. I don't want to get up. Ever. I try to get back to sleep when I vaguely hear a hushed voice saying, "Yes. Things are going as planned..."

Rustle.

"There's nothing to worry about."

Three light footsteps.

"No. We lost them."

Pause. I feel my heartbeat quicken.

"I'll let you know."

A soft beep and everything is quiet.

The ringing in my ears is completely gone now. I keep my eyes closed and pretend to be asleep. Inhaling deeply, I shift to a side-lying position facing my right, dragging the blanket with me.

A door opens and I hear Joongki's voice, "Anything new?"

A bored voice I recognize as Rain's reply, "Nothing. Still asleep. You can take over the shift now."

A door opens and closes again. And then, silence. Keeping my feigned sleeping state, my memory quickly reminds me of the reason why I'm lying in this bed. And I feel even worse. After fainting in front of Joongki, I don't know how I will ever face him again. That is the most embarrassing thing that has every happened to me. He might think I did it on purpose!

Now, how will I get out of here?

I open one eye bleakly and close it back again. I am forced to swallow my own saliva when I feel the right side of the bed dip lower. Suddenly the nice scent I have been inhaling is doubled. I involuntarily take a deep breath.

"Show's over. I know you're awake," I hear Joongki's voice, loud and clear.

I open my eyes and find myself looking at Joongki's smirking face. His eyes are twinkling with amusement. He is also lying on his left side, looking at me. I open my eyes to spout who-knows-what but he beats me to it. With warmer eyes, he asks, "How are you feeling?"

Taken aback by the tone of his voice, I say automatically, "Fine." What's up with this guy? He has a dozen faces I dunno which one is the real him.

"Just fine?" he repeats. Before I can react, he pulls me closer to him and asks, "Is this better?"

My face pressed against his chest, I'm not sure if it's my own heartbeat I'm hearing or his. But one thing is for sure. It's freaking fast and loud against my ears. Thank goodness he has his shirt on because I can swear his hard chest is bigger than mine. I don't know what to say or how to react. This new treatment has caught me off guard. What am I supposed to do now?

Pull away! You idiot. Pull away! Run for your life! My brain is screaming at me but the beating of my heart is louder, drowning it, although I dunno what it's trying to say.

"What are you doing?" I ask, finally unsticking my tongue from the floor of my mouth.

He sighs. Placing a hand on my shoulder, he says casually, "Trying to make you sleep." He starts to massage the muscles of my arm, "Does this help?"

I will probably say yes to a free massage if the situation isn't this confusing and complicated. How can I sleep when all I can hear are the sounds of a loud bass drum? When all I can smell is this intoxicating scent coming from him? I will sleep in my room, thank you. My brain says haughtily.

Before I lose all sense of logic, scramble out of his touch. I eye him apprehensively.

"Are you afraid of me?" he asks, a slight crease forming on his forehead. He looks so handsome with the rays of moonlight from the window illuminating his features. Yes, I'm afraid of you. I cannot have this... whatever this is... towards you when I don't even know what role you play in all of this.

"What are you playing at? One moment you're this narcissistic, arrogant jerk and then next you're an... whatever you are right now. What exactly are you trying to pull?" I demand. I am so exhausted with all the ordeals I've been through for the past 48 hours. I don't need another puzzle to solve.

I walk around the edge of the bed away from him. He follows my movement with his gaze never leaving my eyes.

"I'm only trying to help. But if I'm making you feel uncomfortable..." he shrugs, holding both hands up.

"Thanks for clarifying. I'm capable of taking care of myself," I say, trying to put as much conviction as I can in my words. Without so much as a backward glance, I walk out of his bed and head over to my room downstairs as fast as I can.

Closing the door behind me, and lean against it, clutching my racing heart. Calm the heck down! Oh my goodness what is happening to me? I know he's attractive with those piercing brown eyes, strong jaw, perfect teeth, silky black hair, and Adonis body. Things are already hard to bear as they are without adding his strong, mysterious personality to the equation. Why does he have to show me that side of his personality? Is he playing with my emotions?

What exactly are the reasons why he wants to save me, anyway? Who am I to him? What does it matter to him if I die?




I remain in my seat, trying to digest everything Song Joong Ki and Rain are saying. Until now, no matter how hard I think about this whole thing, it still sounds like a freaking fairy tale!

"You know what, just read the book. If you have further questions, ask Rain," Song Joong Ki tells me.

He hands me the book and leaves. I watch him walk up the stairs to the second floor. Maybe he's going to sleep. Judging by his appearance, he looks tired.

Rain stands up too. "If you need me, I'll be in my room. First door on the left in the second floor. Joong Ki's room is next to mine."

He turns to leave but I call out his name.

"Rain, wait," I say, getting to my feet. "Who else know about this place?"

Rain shrugs. "For now, no one else. But they'll catch up." He stretches his arms. "Eventually."

He turns his back on me and makes his way to his room. What made them think that I will stay in this house? They trust me to stay put? Really? I can just easily walk out of the door.

For some stupid reason, I decide to stay. Curiosity keeps me from running away.

I stare at the book in my hands. It's very old and looks battered. Several pages at the back have been burned badly. The cover is slightly singed.

I flip open the cover. It looks like a short story to me. Foresight, it reads. Those two are idiots. I still can't believe how absurd everything is.

I sit down and begin to read.



The dingy house in darkest part of the town was home to a loving couple who does fortune-telling to make a living.
They had many who supported them--people who could be considered gullible to believe in something that another human being just like themselves foretells. However, in the couple's perspective, these people were blessed with trusting hearts. If it weren't for these trusting people, they would have been in the streets, living off scraps. It wasn't because they were lazy to do hard labor, nor because they hated working for other people.
It was for the pitiful fact that they were blind.



"Wait, my parents were blind?" I mutter. No one told me about this, assuming of course that this is true -- real -- whatever.



The Song couple had never considered themselves unlucky because of their incapacity to see the world. That was, until their little angel was born.
How they wished they could see her and witness for themselves the beautiful angel that people had been commenting on. People had been telling them how pretty their baby girl is.



I roll my eyes. So this isn't me. For one thing: I'm nowhere near pretty and even farther from beautiful angel. Those two got the wrong girl.



They wanted to see her for themselves. But beauty for those who cannot see can only be measured by what the heart can feel.
They named her Hye Kyo.



A cold chill runs down my spine and I shiver. I look around consciously, half expecting to see a pair of eyes staring at me but I don't see anyone. I turn my attention back to the book.



Life had never been the same for the Song couple. It changed for the better. People would visit them, this time not only to ask for guidance but to get a glimpse  of their child.
One fateful night, while the couple were enjoying a rest after a long day, a shadow of a man crept up behind them. Two heavy, decisive blows were enough to take the life off them.
It was a chilly night for the people in the darkest part of the town. Some were sympathetic while others went as far as commenting on the couple being frauds. "How come they failed to foresee their own death?" they asked.
The issue went on and on for quite some time. Not a single person witnessed the entire incident but gossipers' speculations were very imaginative.
Little Hye Kyo was taken by a local orphanage. She grew up to be a very pretty young girl but without the warmth that having a family could provide.
She knew only a few things and didn't know even less.
She knew that she had no parents but she didn't know that they were murdered. She knew that she was miserable but didn't know that life would get better, only to get much worse, much sooner.
She knew that she was nobody but didn't know that she had in her something so special.
After spending years in the orphanage, Hye Kyo decided that she didn't want to spend anymore time following strict rules and routines. She left the orphanage with nothing but the dirty shoes under her feet, the ragged clothes that failed to shelter her from the cold, and the necklace with round-shaped pendant filled with curious inscriptions around her neck. With nothing but hope that the way forward would be better than the way back, she walked into the night.



I feel my hands trembling, my vision blurring. Crystal tears fall from my eyes into the fragile pages of the book I am reading.

I can still remember that night, when I left the orphanage. I didn't know where to go, nor did I know what would happen next. I just plucked up the courage to find my fate elsewhere. I slept on cold sidewalks for two nights and plead for food for three days. I continued to walk until I found the abandoned apartment near a gasoline station in a place that I would soon call my hometown.

I tried to find work but no one wanted me. They were repulsed by me. It was a blessing that the owner of the gasoline station took pity on me. I started working there and managed to scrape a living. I was admitted to school after a social worker found out about me and arranged for my education.



The heart of the heavens bled for her and caressed fate to allow her to survive and gain a friend. Hyun Bin was a good man. He was charming, generous and kind. He befriended her and before she knew it, Hye Kyo finally had something, someone who kept her smiling, kept her living.



I barely had enough to live by, not having any friends and hearing harsh derogatory comments whenever I went. That was until I met Hyun Bin. I hear a sob escape me... "I miss him."



Years passed and she was a lot better than she was ten years ago. Hye Kyo learned how to smile, how to be happy, how to dream. But her bright dreams during the day were the complete opposite of the dark ones she had every night. Visions of murder, screams of terror, and feelings of dread dominated her nightmares. She couldn't escape.
Her 18th birthday came  and she was feeling terrible about something she wasn't sure of. Unbeknownst to her, Hyun Bin was already planning to confess his love. For years, he had been with her. He had been supporting her and helping her. He wanted to be something more, wanted what was between them to be something more.
At midnight, as Hye Kyo heard his confession, her heart filled with joy. She was ready to accept him. She needed him. But a terrible headache began to consume her, growing ever more painful, stealing her breath. Before she could even begin to describe, to think of ways to relieve the pain, she slipped into oblivion.
Not knowing what to do, Hyun Bin tried to bring her back to consciousness. Unsuccessful in doing so, he carried her in his arms to her apartment, whispering words of reassurance as he went. He cried for help but no help came.
Just then, a black car stopped before them. He smiled widely, hopeful, thinking that help finally arrived. But when the man opened the door, Hyun Bin found himself paralyzed.
The last thing he saw, before falling lifelessly to the ground, was the shiny muzzle of a gun pointing straight between his eyes.
Unconscious to everything around her, Hye Kyo was taken inside a car, her fate now resides in the hands of the man who is hungry for power.



No. Hyun Bin is not dead. Is he? I turn another leaf only to find a badly burned page. I can't make out anything out of it. No. I refuse to believe it. He's not dead!

I rush towards the next floor as fast as my feet can carry me. Passing the first door on the left that is Rain's room, I stop right outside Joong Ki's bedroom door and pummel it with my fists, screaming, "Hey you! Open this door! Open it now!"

My voice cracking, my sobs echoing across the hall, I continue to shout. I need to know what happened to Hyun Bin after they took me.

After screaming myself hoarse for one full minute, the bedroom door opens, revealing a red-eyed Song Joong Ki. "What are you screaming for?" he asks me, rubbing his eyes. He must have been sleeping. He roams his gaze at me, from my disheveled hair, to my puffy eyes, and finally to the book I'm clutching tightly in my hand.

"Ah. You're finished?" he asks.

"Yes. And I need you to tell me exactly what happened to Hyun Bin. My boyfriend," I demand.

Joong Ki cricks his neck before looking back at me, "Boyfriend huh? Well, your boyfriend is alive. Thanks to me and Rain. I asked Rain to make sure your sorry excuse of a boyfriend  was safe before he followed us to the hotel. You're welcome," he says. Before I can react, he turns on his heels and nudges the door close with his hand.

"Wait! How can I be sure that you're telling the truth? I don't trust you," I say, putting my foot forward to stop the door from closing.

He looks back at me and shrugs lazily, "You don't have to trust me. I'm not asking you to. It's a question of what you love more. Your boyfriend or your life. If you love him, you can go back to him. But that's counterproductive because if you're with him, he will die. And where will you be?" he stops dramatically.

I inhale sharply, trying to calm my nerves. I don't know what to say. He's such a narcissistic, spoiled, evil... Song Joong Ki turns and before I know it, his face is inches away from mine. I can smell the mint in his breath as he says softly and slowly, "I can only save you once, brat. I don't go around saving people who don't want to be saved."

I close my eyes when I feel a sharp pain inside my head. I let the book fall to the floor with a dull thud as I clutch my head in both hands. Everything is spinning. Joong Ki rushes forward, his face etched with an emotion I have never seen in it before. I fell in his arms and in a split second, darkness encompasses me.