Unfortunately for Ga Eul, it turns out zip ties are a lot harder to remove than survival videos show and she'd only just managed to loosen them enough to allow one hand to slip free when three men came in-the two goons from earlier sporting fresh cuts from her glass attack, and a third she hadn't seen before.

Slipping the freed hand hastily back through the loop of the tie, she attempted to appear as nonchalant as possible. Her heart raced against her chest. Had they heard her? Would they come over and check the ties? What would they do to her if her work was discovered? She couldn't bear to think of starting over after the last hours work had left her wrists completely raw even if the men gave her the chance to try it again which was doubtful..

She pulled her arms even lower against her back and the support beam and hoped against hope that it would conceal her hands.

She needn't have bother though, none of the three men seemed to notice her. In fact, she might as well have been a fly on the wall for the amount of attention they gave her. The one by the door seemed too bored to bother and she liked to think the two goons from earlier were still wary of her after their last encounter. Even if she didn't believe in violence, Ga Eul couldn't help but take some satisfaction at the sight of their bloodstained bodies as she realized the glass shard she'd wielded had cut more deeply than she'd thought-apparently those self-defense lessons Yi Jeong had insisted she take had paid off.

A small smirk found its way to her face as a far away memory came fleeting back, back to a day she had tried, and failed, to pin Yi Jeong in a sparring session. He'd teased her mercilessly that day, saying she was "too delicate to do much damage." He knew just the right buttons to push to make her annoyed and ready to fight and after that particularly frustrating judo lesson, the instructor had given up, leaving them to "duel it out." She'd intended to make him pay, but Yi Jeong had taken the opportunity to "show her a few moves" which ended up with her on the floor with a face full of hair and Yi Jeong on top laughing at her.

"ok, ok so maybe I do need a few pointers," Ga Eul shook her head to displace the hair out of her eyes, "but you didn't have to be so rough about it."

"I hardly touched you," the infuriatingly man had the nerve to laugh again as she swatted at him, or rather, would have, if she could free her hands from where he had them pinned beneath his own.

Looking down, Yi Jeong would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the view. Ga Eul's hair flopped all around her in a tangled mess of curls while her snappy eyes shot fiery daggers his way. She was mad, he gathered, and utterly adorable.

As furious as she was, Ga Eul looked up into his warm brown eyes and found a bit of her anger fled. Gah why could he always do this to her?! Feeling the closeness, she squirmed "All right mr. show off, you're still kinda holding me down so if you could please—"

He knew she was annoyed; he knew it wasn't gentlemanly, but Yi Jeong looked down at her pouting face and just couldn't help himself.

Before Ga Eul knew what was happening she found her breath completely stolen as the former cassinova of Korea swooped in and stole a sweet peck from her pouty lips.

"yi jeong you!-" the words were cut off as he caught her lips once again in a deeper kiss that sent shivers down her spine and warmth to her cheeks. That's it. She was done for. All Ga Eul's anger melted like a puddle of mush and in its place a warm flush spread over her cheeks. gahh how could he always do this to her? Bring her right back to that moment they were newly dating and her stomach was swamped with butterflies at the slightest touch? He knew what he was doing too, the scoundrel!

Yi Jeong's dimples spread wide as Ga Eul blushed furiously in that cute way she always did whenever he stole a kiss from her.

"You know, maybe we should do these sessions more often, I could get used to this" he teased, lifting off her just the same.

Embarrassment gone, a mischievous expression flickered across Ga Eul's face as she saw her chance and knocked him off balance, pinning him in the tussle. She leaned in close, her hair creating a canopy around their faces, now it was her turn!

As the memory faded, Ga Eul's smile left too. Yi Jeong. He was probably restlessly searching for her at this very moment. She remembered the time he had lost her on a hike and how panicked he had been. How he had ran himself ragged ripping through the trail, retracing his steps like a madman till she'd popped out innocently to surprise him. She loved to tease him but one look at his face and she decided never to do that again. She'd found that all the members of the F4 had traumas, Jun Pyo with water, Ji Hoo with driving, but for Yi Jeong it was fear of losing someone and, more specifically, the fear of being unable to protect them.

She couldn't imagine how he was feeling right now, her disappearance was probably tearing him up inside and he was probably blaming himself for failing to protect her. The thought of the mental pain he was experiencing hurt Ga Eul worse than the bruises on her body or scrapes on her wrists.

She'd just have to escape.

There was nothing else to it.

During the night she had planned to escape via the window opposite her, but the sudden appearance of the three men in the room had thrown a wrench in those plans. The window and the door were her only means of escape and now that both were effectively blocked by her captors, there was little she could do to free her other hand without attracting attention even if she could manage to make a dash for it once freed.

She realized with dismay that all she could do was hope they would leave her alone again. In the meantime, she studied the guards from beneath her eyelashes, hoping to find a weak point. But that hope grew small as one of the two thugs she had cut settled his large frame on the old, stained couch in the middle of the room while the second plopped down next to the window in an equally tattered chair.

The third, Ga Eul noticed, was different. He didn't have the cut of a random thug like the other two. He looked more like a professional, or rather, what Ga Eul imagined a professional criminal looked like from her limited experience watching dramas and crime shows. Stern faced and clean shaven, he passed to and fro in front of the door stopping every once in a while to glare at the other two who were still picking at their wounds.

As he walked, it was hard to ignore the glimmer of sunshine glistening off the pistol sticking out of his side and Ga Eul felt herself give a nervous shake when he locked eyes with her for a moment. Turning back, another object caught her attention as her line of vision trailed toward his back pocket...

Time for plan B.

Without allowing herself time to think, Ga Eul found herself calling out for water as innocently as she could muster. Maybe, just maybe they'd be dumb enough…

At first she was ignored as before, but soon they got tired of hearing her complain and after a few curt yells to shut up did nothing, the man by the window grew impatient.

"You deal with it," he motioned to the guard sitting on the couch.

"I aint going near the witch." The man on the couch threw Ga Eul a menacing glare and rubbed at the gash above his eye with a wince before upending another beer can, allowing the dirty liquid to slosh over his injured face with a low hiss of pain.

"You're an idiot," the man by the window looked at him in disgust, "gotta keep it clean if you want it to heal"

"shut up Teok, it'll disinfect it"

"Not with a beer can idiot"

"Yah it just the same as liquor if you drink enough" Jwa In replied

"Sure it is, I bet you think hell is cold too."

Ignoring the two lowlife thugs he deemed beneath him, the third guard, Moon Geok scoffed at the arguing goons who'd somehow managed to get injured by that slight wisp of a girl and walked towards the rusty table in the center.

Grabbing a water bottle off it he studied Ga Eul pensively before drawing closer. The pretty, brown-eyed girl was far from a witch but a foolish girl to think she could flirt her way out of this one—for this was what she was doing, he had no doubt. Cozying up to the guards holding her hostage was likely her game—most hostages tried it at some point—but it'd be of little use here even if he admired her guts to try it.

Indeed, Ga Eul was the picture of meekness as she thanked him for the water and took a sip from the bottle he'd held out for her but, turning to leave, his suspicions were confirmed when she innocently asked him to loosen her zip ties "just a little" as they were cutting into her ankle. He said nothing as he bent forward to inspect the tie.

Ga eul held her breath, just a little closer

She felt the zip tie get tighter with a harsh tug, jerk.

"Nice try" the man taunted in her ear before sauntering back towards the door with a dark smirk. It wasn't his first time dealing with hostages, to think she'd tried to trick him.

Nice try indeed Ga Eul thought as she felt the cool smooth surface of the phone in her hand. Now to just get her other hand loose…


Yi Jeong hardly felt the burning leather as he clambered onto his seat and sent a quick text to one of his men to investigate Se Un's work history. Although he didn't have all the pieces, the puzzle was coming together in his mind. Till this morning all they had to go on was a vague police profile, but the killer who had hidden himself so well, had finally mis-stepped—he'd let someone live. And from Se Un's account of the night, Yi Jeong learned enough to piece together a possible motive—but was that enough?

If the murderer was in fact bent on some twisted form of revenge against his coworkers for exposing some white color crime, why would he attack Ga Eul? How could she possibly be connected?

Things just didn't make any sense. Perhaps Se Un had seen it wrong, she was obviously distressed and mentally unhinged after the trauma of that night…maybe she remembered wrong. Maybe. But the logical part of Yi Jeong's brain told him otherwise.

Could it be just a coincidence that Se Un's attacker resembled a businessman she had worked with years ago? A coincidence she had been attacked and not just some random stranger walking in the wrong place at the wrong time? A coincidence that her attackers fingerprints happened to match that of the unidentified criminal that had been running rampant on a killing spree? The fingerprints they had found on Ga Eul's phone? Perhaps. But a quick scan at the police department would hopefully provide the answers he needed.

Se Un had said the man had been fired for mishandling funds. Huh, trying to locate the criminal among the many individuals charged for petty, white collar crimes in the business world would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Still, it was something.

Yi Jeong turned the key in the ignition and sped out the hospital parking lot, the burry images speeding by his window mirroring the way his mind was spinning after the events of the morning. From its place on the passenger seat Yi Jeong's phone buzzed steadily in the background but he ignored it.

Ever since making his phone number public in the hopes of getting information regarding Ga Eul's disappearance, his phone had been bombarded with calls—companies offering their services, reporters requesting interviews, women wanting to comfort him, and anything and everything in between.

The call ended.

Good, he had enough to think about without fielding the calls of desperate women or savvy businessmen trying to push a deal. The screen lit up with the unknown caller again and he had half a mind to ignore the offending object and its steady buzz—but something gave him pause and he clicked the answer button instead. Ready to tell the caller off, the sound on the other end, or rather, the lack of it, startled him. There was no haggling for him to "listen for just one moment" or begging him to not hang up—just silence. And then.

Something else.

Tugging the steering wheel to the side, he managed to park haphazardly near the curb as he grasped for his phone and turned the volume to max. More scuffling and static sounds came and the line almost went dead, but then, he heard it again. Ga Eul's voice.

"Good god, Ga Eul where—" he stopped, forcing himself to listen. What he heard sounded muffled and vague like she was asking a question and the gruff voice of a male seemed to be answering her, or rather yelling at her to shut up. Then the line went silent again.

As much as he wanted to scream her name and hear from her own lips she was ok, Yi Jeong knew he only had a few moments or all would be lost-his hands trembled with nerves as he selected the tracking app on his phone.

The line cut out.

Too afraid to redial in case the sound gave her away, Yi Jeong waited with bated breath for the phone to reconnect—he just needed the line to stay open for a few more seconds. The tracking monitor flashed it's yellow light indicating it was searching, 3, 4, 5 times it flashed. Red, red was all he needed and he'd know where she was—6, 7, 8 yellow flashes—again there was the sound of static, another clipped word he couldn't quit make out, a red flash. A red flash!

Yi Jeong gripped the steering wheel like he was holding on for life and swerved onto the street.

hold on Ga Eul,

just hold on I'm coming.


Sweeping out of the drive of the old Song mansion, Woo Bin ignored the baffled gatekeeper and swerved into several lanes of traffic trailing a line of honking disgruntled drivers in his wake. A tight line replaced the mafia heir's usual cocky smile as he dialed his phone for the fourth time. No answer.

He didn't like this, not one bit.

He recalled the phone call that had ended just moments prior, Yi Jeong's grandfather had recognized one of the blurry photos of the suspect and had made a call to an old friend of his—the same old friend whom Woo Bin had helped with a case years ago as a favor to Yi Jeong. Cross examining photos from his private investigation with their current suspect, President Cho had confirmed the men were one in the same. Which meant their current leads had all been dead ends.

This wasn't a random sociopath out for blood. A rising murderer who had struck out of the blue in a fit of psychopathy. A kidnapper seeking a ransom. This was someone with a far more sinister plan and something in Woo Bin's bones told him to drive south towards the site of the old Cho development project where two bodies had been unwittingly dug up over 2 years ago. And, if Yoon-hee's words could be trusted, the location of the first two murders committed by the psychopath who had kidnapped Ga Eul.

Speeding down the street the details of the case came back to him. Yi Jeong had asked him a long time ago to look into the case as a favor for his grandfather. At the time, Cho industries had been plagued with bad press after the discovery of two bodies at one of their land development sites.

It had been over 2 years now, but Woo Bin remembered looking into the case and finding very little of interest and no real leads. Some men were loaned for added protection and the media craze had been taken care of, but in the end, things had eventually quieted down without ever really finding the suspect. No more bodies were discovered and no further crimes were reported. It seemed the scum responsible had either been caught for a different, unrelated crime and was rotting away in prison somewhere, had died, or simply lost interest in the Cho family.

Whatever the reason, the probe had been dropped and soon forgotten, but now that Yoon-hee had discovered the possibly connect with the current kidnapper, Woo Bin could have kicked himself for not giving it more attention at the time. He gritted his teeth at the thought and cursed as his phone ended the call again—what was Yi Jeong doing? Why didn't he answer?! It didn't matter, he had no time to waste.

One thing was for sure, if the criminal responsible for those past murders and the current serial killer were one and the same, that would place his first two murders at the digging site far in the countryside and not in the city where their search efforts had been focused. With that thought, Woo Bin put his car into overdrive and revved the engine forward.

It was time to catch a criminal.

He glanced at his phone once more, interesting—Yi Jeong was driving in the same direction…perhaps his grandfather had been able to reach him after all.


Back in Ji Hoo's studio apartment where he and Jun Pyo had converged much of late, the two were busy racking their brains over a strategy.

Since Ga Eul's disappearance, there had been very little real news regarding her case. A snipet here and there about the usual F4 gossip but outside of their fanbase circle, few people knew even knew she was missing. And now, the one time they needed help from the media, there was not a single outlet willing to work with them.

True to character there was, of course, nothing else to do but buy their own outlet-another matter that proved more difficult than either members of the F4 would have thought. It seemed like the higher up political powers had made it their mission to thwart any and all attempts at broadcasting Ga Eul's missing case.

Jun Pyo of course had his own suspicions as to why the story had been hushed up. It was no great secrete that the sitting president had just launched his platform for re-election and it was also no secrete that it was largely based on the stance that his term had brought peace and reduction in crime.

It came as no surprise then, that the police wanted any gossip associated with Ga Eul's kidnapping hushed and any sensational story linking her disappearance with a serial killer squashed. Given their deep ties with the current president, they simple could not afford a story about a serial killer's exploits spreading like wildfire right now, especially if it was related to the famous big 4 families in South Korea.

Indeed, a little digging revealed police Chief Park had ensured all details regarding Ga Eul's case were classified and that public announcements, interviews, or commentation of any form were hushed up. Hence the lack of coverage the case had been given. But Jun Pyo and Ji Hoo were going to change that, even if it came with its risks.

Well aware of their real motives, Jun Pyo couldn't have cared less about the ban but for the fact the police chief had a point—it could be dangerous for Ga Eul if word got out. He hated chief Park's reasoning, but he had to admit he was right in that it could be catastrophic to alert the attacker of their intentions via widespread media coverage even if such coverage could provide them desperately needed clues. The villain could panic and fly, disappearing without a trace. Or, worse, he could try to quickly dispose of his victim in a wild attempt to avoid incrimination…

Still, it had been several days now with no sign of Ga Eul or the criminal responsible for her kidnapping and if they didn't do anything soon, they could lose her forever. This one thought spurred them on, it was time to act even if it was a gamble.

Getting the media involved was a risk Ji Hoo had carefully weighed and he had been firmly against the notion when Jun Pyo had first suggested it, but things had changed. Sitting on their hands had done nothing. Tired of their restless waiting and knowing Yi Jeong was swamped with the investigation and Woo Bin's likewise with his own efforts to handle the matter his way, the two had been left to their own devices and had concocted a plan. The best they could do now was supply the right outlets with the right information.

They needed to create a media frenzy that would plaster the serial killer's info on every news page and article, they needed the killer to squirm. They needed him to make a wrong move—and when he did, they'd be right there to snare him. They had waited long enough and now it was time to act.

That had been the work of the morning and Jun Pyo had just laid out his most recent acquirement of the daily Seoul News when he was surprised to see the young doctor's face opposite him taken on a pale shade of white.

"What is it?" Ji Hoo tossed him his phone in answer, too shocked to reply. Jun Pyo read the text still open as the doctor sprang up from where he was sitting.

"looks like we found her, get clinic ready, no backup, may be trap." It was from Woo Bin.

"What are you doing?" Ji Hoo shouted at the retreating form of Jun Pyo who was dashing towards the door.

"Woo Bin's not the only one with tracking on us, lets go!"

Right on his heels, Ji Hoo stopped just long enough to grab the clinic's keys by the door. Jun Pyo was right, this was no time to sit around. Leave it to Woo Bin to think they'd obey that kind of text. If one went, they all did though the doctor in him mentally checked that the clinic his grandfather had passed on to him was equipped for any emergency. There was no telling what injuries he might need to treat


A million thoughts raced through Yi Jeong's mind as tires shredded pavement. Was she ok? Would he make it in time? He couldn't think, he couldn't plan, he couldn't force himself to do anything but mindlessly drive as that steady red light took him further and further out of the city.

How long he drove on that endless dirt road, he couldn't say, but it seemed like hours had passed when his phone suddenly lost the signal, the red light died and he was left with nothing but the neck-high grassy fields stretching endlessly. There was no house in sight, no abandoned warehouse, not a single place that matched any of the images his mind had painted over the last few days as he agonized over where Ga Eul had been taken.

All he could do was continue forward, hoping against hope something would stand out and that Ga Eul was still wherever she had managed to call from.

Several miles later, a fork in the dirt road forced him to choose, left or right? He didn't have time for this! A break in the clouds sent a shimmering sunbeam on the path to the right, that was as good a sign as any, he swerved to the right.


There had been very little to go on once Woo Bin reached the old construction site. It was completely deserted and apart from the few tattered fragments of yellow hazard tape still clinging to the edges of wooden stakes once used to mark the site off, there were no other indicators it had once been the center of a crime scene. Nothing to alert of the gruesome murders that had taken place there so long ago and nothing that would arouse suspicion of foul play-there were certainly no old shacks or warehouses nearby a criminal could utilize to hold someone…perhaps he had been wrong.

But something didn't feel right.

Before Yi Jeong's phone had stopped tracking a signal a few miles back, Woo Bin could see he was headed in the same general direction so he knew he couldn't be too far off. But where had he gone? There was no sign of Yi Jeong or his car.

Abandoning the construction site momentarily, Woo Bin decided to head back in the direction of a lone gas station he'd passed a few miles back in hopes of information. The man there was tightlipped but eventual told Woo Bin he might try the farmhouse just south of the place "if he wanted to talk to locals," though he warned the place had been abandoned long before and was whispered to be haunted by ghosts after the disappearance of old farmer Mu Yeon a while back. Woo Bin had simply nodded and left as briskly as he had come.

Shocked that such a stranger would frequent his small station that rarely saw city fok and more than a little intimidated by this particular one, the skinny gas station attendant had gapped at Woo Bin's retreating form. He didn't doubt even ghosts would think twice about crossing that one…


Yi Jeong had almost decided to turn back and try the other road when he reached a slight incline in the road and saw it. His eyes could just make out a splotch of an old brick house in the distance. That was it. It had to be.

Killing the engine a quarter mile away, Yi Jeong was for once thankful for the green overgrowth that hid him as he rushed quickly under cover of the weedy field surrounding the house. The old farmhouse was half collapsed but the part that still stood was like a box, with windows on either side and an old entryway propped on the east wall.

If he ran straight forward, he could chance a look through the larger of the two windows facing east, but that would mean crouching in direct sight of the door and possibly blowing his cover. An old barn lay several yards away in an equally decrepit state but its large doors, tall windows, and partially exposed roof made it an unlikely holding place. If Ga Eul was anywhere, it'd be in the house where a kidnapper could easily control the area with little risk of escape.

He'd just have to chance it. Scanning the perimeter once more Yi Jeong rid himself of his coat and worked his way cautiously forward, keeping the doorway in sight as he cleared the overgrown lawn slowly. A few more feet and he was near the window and right across from the creaky side door he had spotted from the distance. Close enough to see there were no one in sight, he inched silently along the edge of the worn brick farmhouse until he was directly under the glass window frame.

A moments silence assured him no one had spotted him yet. Good. Stealing a look through the cracked pane Yi Jeong's throat tightened painfully at the scene. Ga Eul was nowhere in sight. He pounded a fist against the worn brick. Where was she?

The room looked deserted and, but for the strewn beer bottles and takeout boxes, he might have believed it was. But another glance showed there were two side doors opening into the main room Yi Jeong was looking into. He needed a closer look. He needed to get inside.

Cringing at the slight crunch underfoot, Yi Jeong inched closer till he was just inside the crumbling archway. A steady rain had begun to fall and storm clouds were rolling in, pelting Yi Jeong from where he stood crouched by the doorway, yet he hardly felt a drop. Under the mask of a crack of thunder, Yi Jeong rolled the rickety door open, the old paint flaking away at his touch, and stepped inside.

A few strides and he'd crossed the small room. Half a step more and his hand was on the doorknob to one of the two doors. Throwing caution to the wind he yanked it open, ready for whatever he might meet, but there was no one inside.

The room was as empty as the last one.

Passing between the two doors, Yi Jeong forced himself to be calm. There had to be something. His hand closed over the second doorknob, his pulse shivering with adrenaline. He wanted to rip the door wide open but was terrified of what he might find. Terrified that it would be empty too.

The door opened slowly, creaking its way ajar to reveal a hollow room.

Empty.

Stepping forward Yi Jeong's heart dropped to his feet, something small and familiar lay on the ground. He grasped the small emerald-green clip he had given Ga Eul years ago. Her favorite. She had been here, Ga Eul had been in this very room and he'd missed her! Through the turmoil of his brain a steady sound began to break in. Yi Jeong wasn't sure when he first heard the noise, but as he turned to leave there was a faint hum that joined the creaking of the old floorboards. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. A beeping?


Little time had passed since Woo Bin talked to the gas station attendant but he was beginning to wonder if the man's words could be trusted. There was no farmhouse in sight and nothing but grass and fields could be seen for miles. Still, the tracks on the road told him he wasn't the only one traveling this direction, and given how fresh they were despite the falling rain, Yi Jeong couldn't be far ahead.

Suddenly a loud bang reverberated the air, shaking the ground with a thundering force. What the hell? Woo Bin switched gears and sped up though it was hard to determine where the noise had come from—the heavens themselves seemed to shake with the earth as a second blast rippled through the ground. A cloud of smoke and debris rising in the distance gave him his target. Paying little mind to the rain lashing the ground, Woo Bin found himself hurtling down the muddy road, an ominous dread filling his chest. No way was that thunder or even a gunshot. Murky soot began filtering down like ashy snow mixing with the rain. He strained his ears but nothing but the rain pounding the windshield could be heard. The grip in his chest tightened, there on the side of the road was Yi Jeong's car and further ahead, the ruins of what had once been a house…

Abandoning his car, Woo Bin raced towards the rubble.

"Yi Jeong!"

The faint blue of his friends jacket could just be seen in the jumbled mess of smoldering brick, wood and ash...it couldn't be...Grabbing its tattered fragments in his hands, Woo Bin turned toward what was left of the house, it's frame now hardly distinguishable among the debris. With no time to spare, he found himself tearing away at what had once been a doorway but now served as the only clear way of entering the collapsed box. Ripping out the wood jammed halfway in the opening, a large brick piece from the archway above collapsed mere inches from where he stood. Undeterred, Woo Bin continued on, hefting debris and splinters of wood he began tearing away at the bricks crumbling to fill its place. But every hole he made was quickly refilled as the building collapsed around him. It was taking too long.

"Yi Jeong!"

"Answer me!"

"Ga Eul!"

But none of his shouts were answered.


part 2/3