Gu Junpyo and Geum Jandi: Gu Seong Min (age7), Gu Seong Hee ( age5)
Yoon Jihoo and Oh Hani: Yoon Eun Hee ( age7), Yoon Jun soo ( age 1)
So Yi Jeong and Chu Ga Eul: So Dae Jeong ( age7), So Ha Neul ( age 3)
Song Woo Bin and Ha Jaegyeong: Song Hae Ryung ( age 6 )
A/N:
First of all! Do you remember that part of Dae Jeong explaining about the French kiss from the last chapter? it hit my mind a bit later that Dae Jeong was only seven years old hahaha.. so I edited that part, as something he was simply reciting Yi Jeong's words(who found to be really bad at lying when Ga Eul ordered him to tell a better lie)and something that was written in- not in Song Hae Ryung's perspective- way.. now that I think about it, it was too much for his age and that I want him to be more pure- much like Ga Eul. Aaand... I wanted to write a scene where the young parents accidentally be exposed kissing in that way around one of their children. I wanted to imagine how Yi Jeong would react and how startled Ga Eul would be if then:P
So, if you have any interest and if you were also uncomfortable reading that part when Dae Jeong described, I suggest you re -read that part again. (Shrug) don't know.. just a suggestion. :)
And lastly I have to be clear that the thing about Song twins came to my mind after being mentioned in the ' Gift of Autumn' by Jourdana Standish.
Chapter eleven: New Encounters.
(Not in Song Hae Ryung's perspective)
Iron maiden- or was it? Maybe... Or maybe it was like that cabinets in magic shows, where the magician or his assistant may enter, and when the doors were closed tight, the swords were pierced in. But for Yi Jeong, the secret doorway under his feet was locked, and every passing second felt like a sword piercing through his flesh.
He sat there helpless, his face buried in his palms, rubbing his eyes as if to convince himself that he was still alive. Or at least to keep his senses alright. A gentle hand of his father-in-law patting his shoulder was what soothed him, or he was not sure no matter how old he was, he might have broken into tears.
Why was it taking so long? It was the only thing that went in his mind. The more the time passed, the more the air felt heavier for him to breath.
He was helpless-like a deer caught in a trap, didn't know where to go or what to do. His senses fading away, his eyes blurring but then again blinking to stare at the white door.
So Yi Jeong had not felt that powerless, or useless or incapable or ... pathetic...or.. or weak... ye. It was the first time he understood how much weak he was.
His son -Dae Jeong was kidnapped.
And ,
His wife- Ga Eul had gone into labour.
And he sat there- in front of the labour room staring at the floor doing nothing!
He did not know what he should do- He so badly wanted to meet Woo Bin, and to find his Dae Jeong...as soon as possible. He knew about the kidnappings.. from what he had heard from Junpyo back then, it was scary, and Dae Jeong was only seven... what if he was scared what if he was crying what if he was calling for him, what if they had hurt him, and what if..
"Ani.. nothing would have happened to him.." he said - aloud, just to convince himself.
Worst of all, Ga Eul had no idea about it.
She had already gone into labour when the ambulance arrived and there was no time left for him to explain.
And what on earth he was to say when Ga Eul would ask? How would she react? How would the news affect on her current condition? What is her current condition?
And why it was taking so long?!
It had been almost five long hours since she had gone in to labour-the five most suffocating hours in his life and still there were no news!
How much he longed to be at her side? Just as he was, back when it was Dae Jeong and Ha Neul... And he had seen Ga Eul giving birth before. How she was half dead after giving birth to one child and now... it was twins! He longed to be by her side to help her at least from his presence and witness the births of the twins...
But, he had to wait for news from Woo Bin- if they had found any information about their whereabouts.. he had to stay in-touch... At least.. if he can't go searching with them.. he had to.. he was a father...
Yi Jeong fiercely rubbing his temples caught the eye of the toddler who sat on Mr. Chu's lap. Ha Neul wooing on his hurabeujji's arms was what kept Yi Jeong sane for all those suffocating hours. He flashed a weary smile at the confused toddler and took him to his lap.
He needed something to hold on.
.. and cuddled him to his chest resting his chin on the toddler's hair lifting his sight to stare at the door of the delivery room, and occasionally sparing glances at his phone.
...
...
...
"SPLIT IT OUT ! Who were they? Where's my Hae Ryung?" Jaegyeong grasped Jin Ae from her shoulders and shook her with fury.
"I... I-I don't know w-wh_""
"_LIAR!"
"Unnie.." Eun Ae gave out a cry on behalf of her twin, Jin Ae had been sniffing and sobbing instead..."
"Madam.." The police officer who had been called for the investigation awaked his voice. "Madam, will you please step aside, so we could continue our investigation."
Jaegyeong released her grasp pushing her back to the seat before she herself collapsed in to another. The police continued their questioning as the twins repeated their story, that the two boys had been their classmates and that was how they had got to know each other. And on and on .. the same story for the hundredth time.
"Mr. Gu Junpyo, have you checked the records of Shinhwa school admission?" After the twins repeating the story again and again the police had no choice but to ask the same question, as if for a confirmation.
"Haven't I told you before?!!" Gu Junpyo roared annoyed. He was seated in between Jandi and their daughter Seong Hee who gave out a flinch, though Jandi remained silent and stiff. " There's no record of anyone named Kim Jeong Woo or Lee Sung Ho !!!"
The officer sighed glancing between the terrified teens and shattered parents." Then we'll _" but he paused abruptly in mid sentence seeing Song Kwang Jo entering the premises. It appeared to be the first time that officer seeing the noted king of Korean Mafia- someone who was high up on their list yet too high for them to handcuff and throw him to jail.
Kwang Jo plastered a grin and so did the officer. No crocodile in saltwater could have grinned that wide at another, each seeing the other as prey.
"Then I shall take my leave.." the officer bowed at the rest of the party and received a nod from Kwang Jo as he passed by him- an assuring one as to confirm it was a war free zone.
Once the police troops retreated from the living of the Gu mansion, Kwang Jo chuckled and took a seat. Despite his fiery appearance he received a glare from each one of the wives who were not in a mood to approve that kind of an act.
Woo Bin appeared right after him and took a seat besides Jaegyeong- another shattered parent added to the company.
"H-Have you found anything?" It was only the Shinhwa CEO who was brave enough to speak a word in front of the Mafia king.
"Tsk.. ani." Woo Bin shook his head.
"They are Japanese." Kwang Jo spoke out.
"Mwo?" the rest of the gang gave out a gasp-had they never expected anything out from the national borders.
"Our boys had once encountered them, five or six years ago during our trades... but those confrontations did not end well.." He gave out another chuckle. " And who had thought they would take it this way?... how pathetic. Tsk tsk tsk.."
"The Japanese mafia?..." a whisper escaped from Jandi's lips while Hani cuddled more into her son JinSoo.
"They seemed not that strong in men nor in weaponry though... quite a lot techie .. aren't they?" He spared a glance at Junpyo who blinked confused.
"M-Mwo?"
"Your records has been alternated." He blurted out. " And the call networks have been jammed.."
"Which means?"
"They remain totally invisible for our radar."
A silence followed .
"Th-then.. we can simply give what they ask.." Jandi spoke between tears for the first time." One m-million dollars for each of them? We-we have that much don't we?" she looked at the startled Gu Junpyo, who remained silent. "Don't-w-we?" and helplessly turned at JunHee who was tearing as well.
"Mrs. Geum, your knowledge in this type of affairs are pitifully limited.." Song Kwang Jo gave her a pathetic look.
"M-Mwo?" Jandi shot a look at him.
"If it was for revenge then paying them up won't.." Jihoo sighed regaining the control of his shivering voice, "won't be enough..."
"If it is not enough then do something! Anything! How could you stay so calm and quiet? THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!! ISN'T IT?!!!"Jaegyeong yelled back at her father- in-law while Woo Bin gave his every effort to calm her down, squeezing her hand patting her back and pulling her into a hug.
Another considerable silence passed, which let them understand that they were almost incapable of doing anything.
"HUSH!!" Junpyo hissed "AISH!.. AISH!.." and stood up leaving the room.
"AAHISH!!!"
...
...
...
Darkness had engulfed every corner of her sight. It was Seong Min's curls tickling her nose which woke up Hae Ryung. In fact, she was the first one to wake up, to find the four F4 juniors including herself hands and legs tied, mouth taped, lying in a moving darkness. She tried to speak out, but with her concealed lips she couldn't utter anything more than a whimper. She stretched and bended in attempt to wake up the others then hissed and huffed trying to bite the tape covering her mouth, but nothing happened, in darkness they moved forward.
The vibration and occasional jerks were what made her aware of the mobility. Though it was a mere guess, she was quite right when she thought that they were in a car trunk. All four of them, and it was becoming hard for her to breath. So once the trunk was opened she was glad in some sort of a way.
At the end of the turns and jumps the car stopped at last, though her eyes fluttered fast at first, she shut them tight once the trunk was opened, one-to protect her eyes from the blinding light that suddenly flashed into the darkened sight, two- to pretend that she was still knocked out. She did not know why, but her instincts had told her to do so.
Through the line of light under her slightly lifted eyelids, she saw two stronger and taller men approaching them, who took them two at once on their shoulders as if they were carrying some baggage. Hae Ryung had the urge to kick that man who carried her, but again, her instincts told her not to do so.
Amidst all the struggles and discomfort, she smelled a uniqueness in the air-a familiarity yet something distant. The low rhythmic thumping sound could have made her aware even before, but it was the aroma that was more significant for her - the scent of saltiness- the smell of fish and sea weed...
Ye. They were near the ocean, in a fishing village far from Seoul.
The realisation swung her eyelids open and it was then she saw the large warehouse for which they were brought in to.
Inside the warehouse there were more foreign men, almost a dozen- foreign from their attire, foreign from their behaviours and foreign...even from their language.
While the two dates of Song Jin Ae and Song Eun Ae were welcomed by the foreigners' foreign ness, the four baggage were tossed in to a corner of the ground. It was indeed a corner- where they were being tossed into, as two huge piles of stacks acted as walls to make it a small room. The pile besides Dae Jeong was huge and tall, almost ran till the high roof of the warehouse. But the other one was not that much, but tall enough till the waist of a grown man.
Out of their small room there were kept benches and chairs-not the comfortable ones but the convenient ones for their surroundings. Men playing cards, smoking and emptying bottles of liquor.. men wearing baggy pants, uncovered or barely covered chests and tattoos- all the thuggish attire...
All but one- who wore Jeans and a shirt and on top of it a sweater- decent, for the contrasting atmosphere. He was seated on a bench to a side, away from the crowd, sprawling on another pile of stacks, with earphones plugged.
A teenager, among the gangsters, reserved in his own thoughts.
Though his solitude was disturbed by a beer can tossed on to his lap.
He jerked, and the crowd of men roared into laughter.
(In Japanese..)
"What a scary cat!!" more laughter continued...
"Oo...mama's little baby... is he scared?!"... mockingly...
The boy kept the beer can aside and sighed closing his eyes covering them from his elbow. While the drunken crowd continued in their dirty businesses one man among them stood up and went to the silent boy giving him back the can of beer.
"I don't take alcohol. " The boy firmly uttered not even bothering to differ his position.
"He doesn't take alcohol!"
The crowd again roared into laughter.
"Give me my payment.. then I'll leave.." the boy continued amidst it.
"Payment?... hey boss!" the man turned to another man. " He's asking for his payment!"
More laughter...
And the man who was addressed as 'boss', stretched out his arm waving some banknotes, still unable to control his hysterical laughter. Another man stood up taking the notes and tossed them to the boy who happened to notice them and uncovered his eyes before gathering them to count.
He smirked.
"Only two thousand Yen?" and his eyebrow lifted with his grin growing fierce. "You paid those half bred more than this!!"
"That's how much you are given for pressing buttons..." The boss ignored his glare.
Laughter continued.
Pressing buttons?" The boy scoffed. " if not for me all of you'd be dead by now!!" and yelled out.
The warehouse grew unusually silent at that moment, while the boss stood up and slowly took his steps towards the boy.
"Oi.. Seiso... calm down.. or ...would you?..." his knuckles cracked.
The boy swallowed and fell back to his chair.
"It's Seishiro.." he whispered.. .. " .. Amahara Seishiro...and don't you dare to call me those stupid nicknames..!..."
But the threat was buried under another roar of laughter.
...
...
...
(Song Hae Ryung's perspective)
Great! I knew something like this would happen since the moment we were left with those dumb-as-a-giraffe- idiotic-makeup -addicted -salad -eaters!!
Calm down Hae Ryung!
This is not the moment for that...
But of course I'd sure be continuing my curses once the right moment will arrive... eventually.. though this is definitely NOT the right moment for that!
Arasso! Hae Ryung, THINK!
Think! Think!! Think!!!
What can you do? You can't speak... can you move ?
... maybe a bit...
Wait! Seong Min moved!
I bumped my head on him. He gave out a cry.
Maybe it had been long enough since he had woken up.. like...me .. maybe..
Then after was a conversation with only Hmm Hm Hmmmm HmHm MN.. and Hmf..s.. in different frequencies and tonal marks -the only word that could be uttered through that stupid duct tape.
At the end of the said conversation I managed to make him understand what I wanted to tell him:
Slip down a bit .. lower so I can reach to your mouth...
And for the first time in his whole life he really did obey something I told.
He did as I said and as soon as my fingers caught a corner of the duct tape I peeled it of.
"Ouch!"
Yep! the moment his mouth could speak he gave out a yell!
Aish! that brain!! Oh dear lord why did you forget to give him one???
Then the plan continued. He started chewing the ropes that bound my hands- part of the plan- which he would have never accepted if not for the creepy laughter and scary conversations which could not be understood but of course that were still SCARY.. !!
Maybe butler Lee was peeling all the fruits for him, who knows for his laziness if the nuts he received back then were chewed before he got them?...
Why does it take that long??
Can't you even chew a rope??
Oh ye! I could imagine his answer..
· Gu Seong Min is not used to chewing ropes!!
Arasso !! Just make it quick You idiot!
Ah! Ye .. at last my hands were free! I first peeled off the tape that covered my mouth. Of course I should take care of my own self first-survival tactics- I'd call them.
And then, I untied Seong Min. Eun Hee had stirred up since Seong Min had begun chewing the ropes, and so was Dae Jeong, after we released Eun Hee .
At last.. all four of us were untied and released.
"Now, what's the plan?" Seong Min looked at me.
Am I supposed to tell that? Isn't HE the one who's the ELDEST?
"Where are we?" Eun Hee started whimpering.
Oh ani ani. ani... not now.. cry as MUCH as you want when you go home.. but not now...
"Ah.. Eun Hee ya... stop it Arasso? This is not the time!" even I myself felt pride for the tone that I had.. maybe... if appa was here he would have praised me for my bravery...of course, unlike Eun Hee.
Dae Jeong crept near the low pile of sacks in hope to see what was going on outside, maybe considering to answer Eun Hee's questions though, while the foreign laughs and conversations continued.
"isn't this a warehouse?" I told them what I saw when I was brought into here.
"Hmm... think so I too can smell the sea..."Dae Jeong agreed.
"But the question is..." Seong Min gazed at the piles of stacks that were right before us." What are these.?..."
He rubbed his finger in one of them and smelled it before jerking back his head immediately. He let me smell it as well. It felt something familiar.. something like... new year.. maybe.. I did not know...
It was Eun Hee who found the name. Well, at least the hint for its name.
"It smells like fireworks..."
Means...
"Gun powder!" I exclaimed.
Or maybe.. in second thoughts I should have kept my voice lower...
"Oh.. oh.. oh... look what we have here.!..." few men approached us laughing hysterically.
We all managed to give them our fiercest glare.
"Oo... makes me scary..." and then more chuckles followed.
Arasso I am not to blame Eun Hee then.. I too was scared to death!!
"oh oh oh..." the crazy man made a baby face looking at Eun Hee, before he mercilessly caught her by her jaw..
"Do not worry my dear... we would hand you to nice little family..."
More laughter roared in to our years.
Then suddenly another man pointed at her exclaiming in their foreign language.
...
...
...
( Not in Song Hae Ryung's perspective)
(In Japanese)
"Oh.. boss her eyes ! Look at her eyes!.."
The man chuckled- amused. And then, smirked, before switching back to Korean:
"Our blue eyed little goddess... you are going to make loads of money for us...". He gripped her jaw tighter and tighter before Seong Min jumped in and bit his hand.
"AAGH!!"
The man gave out a yell before kicking the curly haired seven year old aside.
"Mind if we give a call for their daddies?!!"
Then he roared back at the rest of the gang who cheered approving his suggestion.
"Seiso?" he shot a look at the lazy teenager, who sighed and opened his laptop before connecting it to the mess of cables.
...
...
...
Like a shiver blowing through them, every one straightened up, once they heard the faintest ring. Woo Bin answered the call.
"Anyeongsaeyo!"
The greeting was unusually cheerful and obviously did not sound like the native accent.
"A-Anyeong.." Woo Bin answered with an unstable voice which did not much go with his usual personality.
"We have some guests.. who would like to speak with you_"
"_Appa?" Hae Ryung's voice flowed through the line.
"Hae Ryungya!." Jaegyeong exclaimed slightly louder than Woo Bin, at last being able to hear their daughter's voice.
"Omma!Appa!"
"Eun Hee? Eun Hee ya.. a-are you there too?" Hani was sobbing.
"Omma?"and Eun Hee spoke out too.
"Ye .. ... it is omma..." and Hani broke into tears falling into Jihoo's arms who sighed in relief.
At least they were not hurt.
"Oi! Gu Seong Min?" Junpyo snatched away the phone and yelled to its microphone.
"Appa!" and heard the identical yell from the other side which unusually sounded happy, blurring his eyes.
"Appa you too?"
"W-What d-d-do you mean M-me too?" Junpyo's voice was horribly quivering.
"Anniyo.. I thought appa wouldn't _"
"HUSH!!...just stop it!" He couldn't bare it anymore..
"A-Appa?"
And the fourth voice came to the room.
"Y-Yi Jeong.." Woo Bin looked around searching for another phone. His eyes were blurred though he wiped them frequently from his palms. "Someone make a call to Yi Jeong! Palli!" He was unaware that he was yelling.
But before they could contact Yi Jeong the call was hung up.
And again non of Woo Bin's men could have tracked where the call was from.
The signals were jammed.
...
...
...
After the seven long hours the door finally opened and a nurse came out.
Yi Jeong jumped up from his seat and handed Ha Neul to Mr. Chu who stood up right after him.
"Congratulations Mr. So.." The nurse smiled benevolently. "Its a girl and a boy.."
"G-Ga Eul?" Yi Jeong tried to sound as loud as he could despite the stress that was overwhelming him.
"All the three of them are in good health. You can go see them now."
With no further usherings Yi Jeong ran into the delivery room.
Ga Eul was lying flat on the bed, her chest barely rising up and down with shallow breaths. Her hair was damped in sweat and her face gone pale even damper with sweat and tears. Besides her were the twins-the reddish infants wrapped in blue and pink blankets, the blue one nearest to her, and the pink one right after him.
"Jagiya!" Yi Jeong ran to her side grabbing her hand and placing a kiss on the top of it.
"Sunbae.."
Nevertheless how much worn out she was she managed to chuckle seeing her husband.
Yi Jeong returned the smile placing another dozen kisses on her palm and forehead, before looking at the new additions to his family.
"Subae... she's a Noona..." Ga Eul smiled, seeing how cautious he was when trying to touch the little face of the infant.
She rubbed the top of her finger on the other's cheek.
"And this one's a fighter..."
They both chuckled at how their little one yawned at his omma's compliment.
Yi Jeong took his long desired daughter to his arms, as Ga Eul cuddled the other closer to her.
They exchanged another chuckle.
"So Young Mi and So Young Soo... is it?" He grinned at his wife patting the baby boy from another outstretched arm.
"Ye.. So Young Soo and So Young Mi..."
Ga Eul smiled letting a joyous tear stroll down her face.
There for a moment, gazing at his wife and taking both of the twins into his arms, the rest of the world was forgotten for Yi Jeong. He grinned and chuckled cooing the babies while his phone rang nonstop out from the delivery room in his father-in-law's hand.
A/N:
Leave some reviews for the goodness's sake!
Love you all who does!
and the ones who read too...