CHAPTER 3
BOO KI'S POV:
Waking up to the sound of my cell phone going off, I blindly reach for it on the nightstand. My eyes refuse to open and I finally feel it in my hand. Who the hell could be calling this early?
"…Yobosayeo?" I groan into the phone.
"Se Na? Did I wake you?"
"Karen! Hi! How are you?" I say in English as I quickly sit up and try to get my fuzzy brain to work. I hear her laugh and I smile sheepishly at her even though she can't see me.
"I'm sorry to wake you. I was wondering if you would like to come over today and help with the decorations for the picnic."
"Yes of course! I'd be happy to!"
"Wonderful! I'll text you the directions and I'll see you soon."
I hang up and rub my eyes. I need to tell Woo Bin and Ji-Hoo. Sliding out of bed, I walk into the kitchen and see Ji-Hoo sitting at the counter reading a newspaper.
"You're up early." He says without looking at me and takes a sip of his tea.
"Karen wants me to help with the decorations for the picnic. Is Woo Bin still asleep?" I ask. He nods his head and continues to read. "…Saia told me before she left what happened at the hotel. She doesn't scare very easily but when she saw how rattled you were, it made her uneasy. What do you think is the Senator's deal?"
He sets his paper down and takes a deep breath. "I'm not sure but he makes me more uneasy than Saia's father did. You need to be careful around him."
"Don't worry. I didn't like him from the moment I laid eyes on him. I plan on staying away from him if I can." I pour myself a cup of coffee and hear a loud yawn behind me.
Hiding my smile behind my cup, I watch Woo Bin as he shuffles into the kitchen. His T-shirt and pajama pants are rumpled, his eyes are still closed, and what little bit of hair he has is sticking out in every direction. If it wasn't for the stubble on his face, he would look like a cute little boy. Plopping down in a chair, he lays his head flat on the counter and rubs the side of his face with his hand as he tries to wake up.
"I thought I was bad when it comes to mornings but you are pathetic Woo Bin-ssi." I say. Ji-Hoo chuckles and shakes his head. At the sound of his name, Woo Bin turns his head and looks at me in confusion, his eyes squinting against the light.
"…Huh?" his scratchy voice says.
"I said you need to shave! Do you want coffee?" I ask as I try hard not to laugh. He nods his head and holds his hands out like a kid waiting for candy. Handing him a cup, he takes a sip and leans his elbows heavily against the counter.
"Where does Karen want you to meet her?" Ji-Hoo asks me.
"At her house. I don't know if I will get a chance to snoop around but I will try."
Woo Bin perks up at our conversation and looks at the two of us curiously. "What? You're going to her house today?"
"Yes she called me this morning."
"What about the Senator? Even though his wife will be there, he's still a slimy bastard." He says with a frown.
"He's still in D.C. the last I heard." Ji-Hoo says. "She should be safe."
Woo Bin nods thoughtfully and takes another sip of his coffee. Grabbing a piece of Ji-Hoo's paper, I start to read but after several minutes, I realize I'm being watched. I'm well aware that my shorts and tank top are tight but I can't sleep in baggy clothes. Plus my long legs get easily tangled in pants. Looking up, I catch Woo Bin's appreciative look at my legs and when his eyes meet mine, he gives me a mischievous smirk. He's not even ashamed of being caught! Babo…
Raising an eyebrow, I fight the blush threatening to rise to my cheeks. I have no reason to be embarrassed and I don't want to show him any weakness so I keep my eyes locked with his. Clearing his throat, he takes another sip of coffee and finally turns his head to look out the window. Geez… Arrogant bastard…
(^_^)
"I am so glad you are here! One of the ladies on the decorating team got sick and we need all the help we can get!" Karen says with a smile as she leads me inside. I meet the other women and we work quickly. I listen quietly to their chatter, only speaking when spoken to. Many of the things they talk about I am unfamiliar with because many of these women have politicians for husbands or are involved in the US government themselves. Even though I had studied governments a lot when I was a kid, there is still much that I don't know.
After a while, I quietly ask Karen where the restroom is and she gives me directions. Their house is huge and it would be easy for someone to get lost. I finally find it but as I make my way back, I look up to see the Senator in front of me. He looks at me in surprise before his sleazy eyes rake my body. He gives me a smile and holds out his hand.
"Well hello there. Who might you be?"
"I'm Hong Sa Ne Senator. It's nice to meet you." I reluctantly shake his hand and move to go around him but he stops me.
"You are here to help my wife with the picnic I'm assuming?"
He's too close to me and it's making me nervous. I know I can take him down easily if I need to but it would ruin everything. "Yes sir. I am. I need to get back to Karen and the others."
"What's the rush? They have plenty of help already."
"Bill, that's quite enough. Leave the poor girl alone so that she can get back to work." Karen says as she approaches us. She takes my arm and guides me away from him. "I'm very sorry about that. He wasn't supposed to be home till tomorrow. Stay close to me, okay?"
I nod at her and watch her closely throughout the afternoon. She isn't oblivious to her husband's playboy ways and he makes her uncomfortable too. Once the other women are gone and we are alone, I finally decide to take a chance.
"Why do you stay with him?" I ask quietly. "You are a smart and talented woman. You don't need him."
She looks at me uncertainly and to my surprise she responds to me in Korean. "It isn't that simple. Do you know what it's like to be married to a politician? Everything is about appearances. I have been the trophy wife he needs to make himself look good but I don't have the schooling to do anything on my own without him."
"You can go back to school. You can do so much more with your life. Or for that matter, all of your charity work and your name alone could get you a job with UNICEF." I respond also in Korean. I'm assuming she is afraid her husband is listening in on us. We walk outside as Woo Bin finally arrives to pick me up and I can see him waiting in the car for me.
"Listen to me. I like you a lot my dear. I knew from the moment we met that I can trust you but don't come back to this house ever. Even if my husband says it's for me. Let's meet elsewhere from now on. Okay? I'll see you Saturday."
"Okay. I'll see you then." I hug her and then get in the car but I'm uneasy. I don't like leaving her alone with him. I know that she will probably be fine but I still don't like it. We drive for several minutes before Woo Bin finally speaks.
"Is everything okay?"
"No Woo Bin. Something is definitely very wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"There is something more going on with Senator White than just his involvement with the Associates."
"Do you think you can find out what it is?" He asks.
"Maybe. Karen trusts me and she has suspicions about her husband at the very least. I don't think she knows everything. I like her Woo Bin. I want to help her."
"We will."
"How is it that Senator White isn't more nervous? Hasn't he realized that his comrades are being taken down one by one?"
"He knows it but we are making it look like Tae Mu is ratting them all out. They don't realize that we are the ones doing it. They are all trying to cover their tracks but we will still bring them down."
"Nice." I say with a smile.
(^_^)
WOO BIN'S POV:
American clubs are louder and rougher than what I am used to… But I like it. I drink my beer while I wait for my contact to arrive and look around at the girls on the dance for. Their clothes reveal a lot more than what I'm used to as well but it's actually a turn off for me. Some things are better left to the imagination till later in the night. The anticipation is the fun part. I look over them, trying to find one that catches my attention. I won't do anything of course but a little flirting won't hurt. I can't seem to find any I like though. Too short, too tall, too busty, not busty enough… None of these girls compare to the great set of legs with the brains to match that I was admiring this morning…
"Hey! Choi Young! How are you?" A voice says.
I turn towards my contact and shake his hand. My alias is becoming as familiar to me as my real name these days. "Hey Marcus! What's up?"
"Not much man! Just livin' the life, ya know?"
"What's the word on the street about our 'friend'?" I ask.
"Rumor is that he takes home ladies now and then but they disappear. No one hears from them or sees them once he gets his hands on them."
"And the police haven't caught on to it yet?"
"Ah you know how it goes man. All those rich bastards have to do is toss some money to the right people and everything is hushed up. Then they wonder why people don't trust 'em. Shit…" He says and shakes his head.
"What kind of girls are we talking about? Is there anyone that might cause some noise with the media?"
"Nah. He has taste, I'll give him that. They are all gorgeous. He's picky. Most of them have little to no family. No one really notices they are gone."
"Do you have any details on them?" I ask. He palms me a flash drive and I stuff it in my pocket.
"This dude is bad news man. I don't know what you are planning but be careful. He's mixed up with some pretty dirty people."
"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
"One last thing you should know. One of my buddies just got back from Italy and that Angiolo Botticelli you were asking about? He is up to something. Have you ever heard of a family of assassins called the Maengs?"
My blood runs cold at the name and I have to fight to not drop the bottle I'm holding. Keeping my cool, I slowly nod my head. "I think I've heard of them. Why?"
"That Botticelli guy has hired them as protection from what I hear. You might want to be careful."
"Thanks for the tip and the help. I'll see you around." I say. He nods at me and we head in opposite directions. The Maengs? Why the hell would they suddenly agree to be bodyguards? I don't like it one bit. If they are involved then we are in a lot of trouble. The Maengs are known for their cold, ruthless nature. Not even my family dares to cross them. They are cunning, deadly, and very little is actually known about them. Only the darkest, dirtiest people know about them. They are assassins for higher for the right price and even then they don't always agree to do a job unless it benefits them in some way. They don't care who the target is and they kill anybody in their way, even children. I need to stay focused though. We still need to deal with "Senator Sleaze" first.
When I get back to the apartment, Ji-Hoo and Boo Ki are still awake. "What are you two still doing up?"
"I'm going through more files from Tae Mu's hard drive." Ji-Hoo says without looking up from his laptop.
"I'm looking into Karen's background." Boo Ki says from my desk. I lean over her shoulder to look at the computer screen.
"Anything interesting?" I ask.
"Nothing she hasn't already told me."
I nod but continue to read the screen. She just got out of the shower and smells like apples. "You smell good, very yummy."
She turns her head to give me a withering look but I blink innocently at her.
"What? I'm just telling you the truth." I laugh as she pushes me away from her.
"Go… beat up some bad guys or something!" She says irritably. I wink at her and she shakes her head in disgust before turning back to the screen in front of her. I love getting a reaction from her. It's fun. I walk up to Ji-Hoo and hand him the flash drive I got from Marcus.
"I got some information from my contact. It seems that any girl that hangs out with the Senator goes missing. Information on the girls should be on this. If we can get evidence that he is doing something to them, we can bring him down without his link to the Associates."
"I'll look over it in the morning." He says with a nod.
I head to my room and close the door. Pulling out my phone, I call my father and pray he picks up.
"Yobosayeo?"
"Dad, have you ever heard of the Maengs being hired as bodyguards?"
"No. Not that I recall. They only kill people, not protect them. Why?"
"I just heard a rumor that they have been hired to protect Botticelli."
"Really? I'll ask around and see what I can find out but you know how secretive they are. I may not be able to confirm it. I don't have to tell you how dangerous it will be going up against Botticelli if it's true. Be careful son."
I hang up the phone and go into the kitchen for some water. Leaning against the counter, I watch Boo Ki in the other room as she sits in front of the computer. Ji-Hoo stretches in his chair in front of me at the counter and closes his laptop.
"I don't think we should take Boo Ki with us if we go to Italy." I quietly say to Ji-Hoo.
"…Okay. Why is that?"
"It isn't safe. Honestly Ji-Hoo, we may have to reconsider going after Botticelli."
"Is that wise? Leaving even one of them loose could be dangerous for all of us."
"I know. But we may not have a choice."