CHAPTER 19
BOO KI'S POV:
It's been days since she left and I am beginning to lose hope. I know I shouldn't. She is my best friend. But after Woo Bin told me and the F4 members what a monster Saia's father truly is, I honestly don't know if they will be able to find her. Rubbing my eyes in exhaustion, I feel a hand on my shoulder and glance up to see Woo Bin looking at me. Handsome is hardly the right word to describe the Mafia Prince. Charming, sexy, and dangerous are accurate descriptions but after meeting him a few days ago I have come to see that he is also honest, kind, and fiercely loyal. It's reassuring to know that people like him care about my friend. He gives me a small smile and squeezes my shoulder.
"You should try to get some rest. I'll wake you if we find anything."
I nod but glance worriedly at the man searching through the files on Woo Bin's desk. "What about him? He's hardly slept. He won't be any good to her if he collapses."
"Ji-Hoo won't listen to anyone right now. He's in total lockdown mode."
"Lockdown mode?"
"Yeah. He shuts out anyone or anything that doesn't involve what he's focused on. It's great for his music but can be a real pain in the ass for everything else." He says shaking his head. "Don't worry. If he doesn't get some rest in a couple of hours, I'll bring in the 'big guns'."
"Huh?"
"I'll get Jan Di to come make him get some rest." He grabs my hand and pulls me up from my chair. "Come on. Let me show you to a room so that you can get some sleep."
Minutes later I am in the prettiest room I have ever seen but I hardly notice it. My hand still tingles from Woo Bin's and I feel a blush rise to my cheeks. I understand now why so many girls fall all over him. I push my short red hair behind my ears and touch my burning cheeks. This isn't like me. I need to get a grip and focus. He's engaged, a Chaebol, and the only reason I am here is for Saia.
I miss her. I just want her back. Crawling under the covers of the bed, I hug a pillow close to me and pray that this is all just a horrible dream.
(^_^)
JI-HOO'S POV:
I feel a soft hand brush my cheek and I open my eyes. Saia brushes my hair off my face and smiles down at me. My heart pounds as she leans down and brushes her lips against mine. Reaching for her, I pull her down to deepen the kiss. I can feel her in my arms, taste her on my lips, and her scent envelopes me in a warm embrace. Her sweet laughter vibrates through my mouth and against my chest. It was all just a horrible dream... She's here with me in my bed... She never left. Relief washes over me as I hold her tightly against me and hungrily devour her mouth. My hand slides underneath her shirt to her bare back but it's soaking wet. Pulling away from her, I look at my hand and it's covered in blood. I watch in horror as blood starts running out of her mouth and she starts to choke while her shirt becomes drenched in blood.
Sitting up I gasp for air and try to grab her but she's gone. Looking around, I realize I'm all alone in a bedroom at Woo Bin's house and she is still missing... This is why I don't want to sleep. Pulling my knees up to my chest, I prop my elbows on them, and bury my face in my hands. The more days that pass without finding her, the more realistic and horrible the dreams get. Sleep has become my worst enemy. My dreams are of her and they wrap me in despair. I'm always trying to reach for her, always trying to hold on tightly to her but she's never here. There are even times I could swear I hear her voice when I'm awake. I'm going crazy. It's been two weeks... Yet it feels like an eternity. I am so lost. A huge chunk of me is missing and my whole world has become dark.
I hear a soft knock on the door and ignore it. I just want to be alone.
"Sunbae?" I hear Jan Di's voice as her hand touches my shoulder. I jerk away from her and roll out of bed. Moving towards a window, I brace my arms on it and let my chin fall to my chest. I don't want to even look at her. She still has power over me and the others know it. They always send her when they can't get through to me. I don't need this right now.
"What is it, Jan Di-ah?" I ask quietly.
"I want you to come to dinner with me."
I shake my head in disbelief. I must not have heard her right. How can I think about food or leaving at a time like this?
"Geum Jan Di, you can't be serious."
"Sunbae, you need to get out of this house. It's just for a couple of hours. We will have our phones with us. If anything happens, Woo Bin will call us."
"Ani."
"Sunbae, the best thing you can do for her right now is to take care of yourself. It's what she wants. She wouldn't have left if she didn't care about what happens to you."
"Take care of myself? How the hell can I do that when she may be dying somewhere? I can barely breathe without her." I say hoarsely. My grip on the window tightens and I squeeze my eyes closed trying to block out the memory of my dream.
"Come on, Sunbae. I'm hungry. I'm not eating without you." She says. I feel her hands pull on my arm. Of course she has to say that. She knows I always want to make sure she's fed. Giving a resigned sigh, I finally look down at her worried face.
"Let me get cleaned up first."
She nods but stops me before I move away.
"We will find her. I know it." she says confidently.
Pulling her into a friendly hug, I am grateful for her comfort but my heart still feels heavy. Even my dearest friend cannot help me this time. But I try my best to pull myself together.
"Thank you, Jan Di-ah."
She leaves to wait for me downstairs and I stare at the man in the mirror above the sink. My sunken cheeks and the dark purple circles under my eyes enhance the haunted look on my face. What would Saia think if she saw me right now? She would probably be irritated. She would raise one of her eyebrows and give me the look that says: "You're in trouble." Shaking my head I splash water on my face and reach for a toothbrush. What I wouldn't give to see that look right now or even have her angry at me, as long as she was just HERE.
(^_^)
WOO BIN'S POV:
This is a fucking nightmare. For two weeks I've hardly had any sleep hunting for this bastard and I feel no closer to finding him than I did when Saia disappeared. At least Ji-Hoo seems to be resting for the moment. After JanDi had dragged him out to eat for a little while, he came back and started going over more files. He finally passed out in his chair almost an hour ago. I can tell he isn't sleeping well so I am beginning to understand why he pushes himself till he passes out. Then he doesn't dream. My eyes wander over to another chair and the woman sleeping there.
Boo Ki is an amazing and intelligent woman. She's been very helpful with the military records. She even pointed out inconsistencies that show the documents were tampered with at some point. To what extent, no one knows but it seems like all locations for Su-Jeong and his squad's training were altered with fake ones. Ji-Hoo has been going over the entire squad's records, trying to find the original locations. So far the only ones we have found were empty and haven't been used for some time. We have to keep looking though. It's the best hope we have for now along with the Su-Jeong's team mate I still have locked up downstairs.
Boo Ki stirs in her sleep and her short hair falls over her eyes. Standing up I walk over to her and brush it off her face but she turns her face into my palm at my touch. I freeze in surprise and watch her big doe eyes flutter open to look at me. My throat suddenly goes dry as my eyes lock with hers and clearing my throat I quickly remove my hand in embarrassment.
"You can't be comfortable sleeping here. You should go lay down in your room." I tell her. She stands up and stretches her arms above her head as I turn away to go back to my desk.
"Ani. I really need to go home and get ready for work."
"How can you work when she is missing like this?"
"Because it's what Saia would want." She says quietly. "Believe me, I want nothing more than to stay here and keep looking till we find her. But she made me promise when we were kids that if anything happened to her I would keep going to school, keep working, and keep living. We have never had the luxury of money to just drop everything in our grief. For us, life has to go on for us to survive." I nod my head appreciatively at her. She's beautiful, smart, and wise.
"What time do you get off? I'll make sure someone comes to get you."
She gives me a small smile but shakes her head. "That won't be necessary. I need to start driving my own car again."
"I'll take you then." Ji-Hoo says as he stands up. I didn't even notice that he was awake. "I need to stop by the Foundation and check up on things."I look at him in surprise. He has hardly left my house since my men brought him here the day of Saia's disappearance. "Boo Ki is right. If Saia finds out I've been neglecting the Foundation she will be very upset with me."
I look at Boo Ki in wonder. She gives him a small smile and I wonder what her full smile looks like. One of my men knocks on the door as they go to leave and Ji-Hoo pauses to listen to him.
"Boss, you should come downstairs. He's asking for you. He says it's important."
"He's said that a lot of times and it never amounts to anything." I sigh irritably.
"He's asking for a map too. He says he thinks he remembers a place that Su-Jeong may be using to hide."
Now that IS interesting. I stand up to follow him downstairs with Ji-Hoo and Boo Ki close on my heels. Normally I wouldn't let anyone besides my men downstairs but I know that these two won't take no for an answer.
(^_^)
SAIA'S POV:
I don't understand. He beats me in front of my mother then nurses my wounds only to turn around and do it again after I heal. What is the point? It upsets my mother and he seems to take some kind of sick pleasure out of it but how long does he plan to do this? My body can only take so much. I don't even know how long it's been. Everything has blurred together.
Today is different though. My mother still sits in the same chair in front of me and I am still strapped to the two beams but he has that crazy gleam in his eye again. He pulls a table close to me and begins placing different surgical instruments on it along with several different tools, straps, and pliers.
"Daddy, what are you doing?" I whisper. I can't keep the panic from my voice as I watch him.
"I never wanted her." He says to my mother. "You knew that and yet you still had her. Then you had the nerve to think that you could leave me. So I took what was most precious to you. Her." He says pointing to me. "YOU THINK YOU CAN LEAVE ME AND BETRAY ME WITH ANOTHR MAN! YOU ARE MY WIFE! MINE! I will teach you what it means to betray me by once again taking away what is most precious to you, piece by piece..."