CHAPTER 9
BOO KI'S POV:
Aiming my camera at Sergio Dias, I take several shots while he makes his way to the stage. There is a lot of media here today for his speech so we blend in well with the crowd. Ji-Hoo and Woo Bin are also here somewhere taking video and more pictures. Sergio is a Senator running for President of Colombia and he always seems to say exactly what the people want to hear. His track record for doing what he says is mediocre... So he is just a typical politician.
Most of his family is on stage except for his youngest son, Alejandro. According to Ji-Hoo, there was some kind of falling out between him and Sergio. They very rarely contact each other. Even without his family though, he managed to build his own business from the ground up. He is a successful businessman with several popular restaurants, clubs, and hotels. He's very skilled at knowing how to attract foreigners into Colombia and has been a big influence in the increase of tourism to his country.
The oldest son, Miguel, is about as dirty as his father. One of the biggest and most ruthless drug lords in Colombia, he manages to always keep his tracks covered and his nose clean just enough to not be caught. Few know his secret thanks to his father. He keeps his son protected because he doesn't want to ruin his chances of winning the election.
His daughter Juliana is a spoiled snob that pretends to be sweet and cute in front of the camera but in reality she's a real bitch. His wife Sofia on the other hand seems to be a kind woman but since she was diagnosed with cancer last year, has remained mostly out of the spotlight.
I lift the camera to my eye again and take close shots of each family member for us to go over.
"Why would a beautiful foreigner like you need pictures of a pompous politician?" I hear someone say to me.
Turning around at the voice I look up at a stunning Colombian man. His short chocolate hair is spiked on top and I can see the muscles in his arms and chest straining against his black polo shirt. His tan skin accentuates his handsome Spanish features. Alejandro Dias is much more gorgeous in real life.
"I'm a photographer. If a job asks me to take pictures of a politician, I do it." I respond in Spanish.
He laughs and his mischievous smile almost blinds me. "And she speaks Spanish! You are a unique one aren't you?"
"So I've been told." I wryly smile back.
"My name is Alejandro. And you are?" He offers his hand and I shake it. His firm grip tells me a lot about him. He's strong, confident, and genuine.
"My name is Hong Se Na. I'm a photographer and human rights activist." I say. Thanks to Karen, I honestly do have a great cover story. I need to call her tonight and see how she's doing.
"Hong Se Na? So it's Se Na then, right? Where are you from?"
"Yes it's Se Na. I'm from South Korea."
"Wow! You're a long way from home then. I must confess I've seen you once before at a club last week. When I saw you again I had to come introduce myself."
"Ah so you're stalking me, is that it?" I joke. He chuckles and shakes his head.
"Not at all but I am happy to see you again. The guy you were with, is he your boyfriend?" He asks. Well at least he doesn't beat around the bush. I like a guy that can get straight to the point.
"No he's just a friend and one of my colleagues."
"That's good to know. How about we go grab a cup of coffee then? I know a great place just down the street. Then you can tell me all about yourself and South Korea. I'd love to hear all of it."
"…Sure. Let me just let the guys know where I'm going." I tell him. Usually I would turn down the offer but he is still Sergio's son. Our plan is to try to get close to the daughter but if it doesn't work out, Alejandro is a better choice than his brother. Miguel is too risky and I'm pretty sure he's had dealings with my family.
Pulling out my phone, I dial Woo Bin's number and hear his phone go off nearby. Looking around, I spot him making his way towards me with a serious look on his face. His sunglasses hide his eyes but I'm betting that he's irritated. My heart still jumps at the sight of him though. Geez he's so damn hot...
"What's going on?" He asks coldly in Korean and nods his head at Alejandro. He knows he doesn't understand Korean. He's just being rude for some reason.
"You guys can head back without me. I'm going to grab a cup of coffee. Do you want me to bring you back anything?" I respond in Spanish. Since he is being rude, I don't bother to introduce him.
"Why?" He asks in Korean and clenches his jaw.
"Because I want to." I respond in Spanish again, keeping my eyes locked with his. I won't back down so if he thinks he can get me to change my mind, he has another thing coming.
Ji-Hoo steps up beside him and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Let's go Choi Young-ssi. She can fill us in later."
I turn my back on them and face Alejandro. "I'm very sorry about that. He's been grumpy all day. Shall we go?"
"Ladies first." He smiles and motions for me to take the lead. I can feel Woo Bin's eyes on me until we round the corner and are out of sight. Why does he have to be like this? I knew I shouldn't have teased him that night... Now I have to pay for it.
(^_^)
WOO BIN'S POV:
What the hell is she thinking going off with him like that? Is she trying to piss me off? ...because it's working. I glower at them as they walk towards the street and around the corner.
"She must have a reason for going with him. Don't read too much into it." Ji-Hoo says.
"Oh really? What if Saia walked off with some guy? Would you be able to keep calm?"
"No." He says honestly. "But it's the guy I wouldn't trust. I trust Saia and you should trust Boo Ki too."
"I hope he does something stupid to piss her off so that she kicks his ass." I say in irritation.
"That wouldn't be wise and she knows that. Come on. Let's head back and analyze Sergio's security."
I reluctantly turn towards the car but check my phone to be sure the volume is up. If she calls, I want to know immediately. Ji-Hoo has the car keys and ignores my insistence that we follow her. He simply drives back to the house without a word.
Once we are inside, we check the video he took of the Senator's speech. He has unusually tight security for a man of his status. He may be running for President but none of the other candidates has nearly as many bodyguards as he does. I suspect that most of his security was provided by his oldest son. I'm sure the drug lord will do whatever it takes to protect his father and keep his name clean.
My mind wanders back to Boo Ki and I glance at my watch. How long does she plan on staying with that guy anyways? Or for that matter, what if he does something to her? I grab my phone and dial her number but she doesn't pick up.
"There's no need to call me Woo Bin. I'm right here." She says as she walks in. She hands Ji-Hoo and I an iced coffee and sits down beside him at the computer. "Find anything interesting?"
"Yes. Sergio has more bodyguards than is necessary. I'm not sure if it's because he's trying to keep his secrets or if he's worried about what happened to the other Associates." Ji-Hoo says.
"It could be both." She says. "Even though we are using Tae Mu as a scapegoat, he may still be paranoid about getting caught since most of his other "friends" are in jail or dead."
"Why on earth did you go with him like that?" I interrupt. We can discuss that later. Right now I need to know what she was doing with that guy. How could she do that to me?
She gives me an innocent look and blinks up at me. "He seems really nice."
"...Nice?" I say with a deadly calm. I feel ready to punch the shit out of the nearest wall.
"I have pretty good judgment when it comes to people. That's part of why you wanted me to work with you right? Alejandro is no threat to us. He barely speaks to his family. Whatever happened between him and his father has made him very resentful. His whole attitude towards his father and brother is genuine disgust. I'm pretty sure he knows what his father has done or at least knows something that he doesn't approve of."
"He told you that?" Ji-Hoo asks.
"No. I figured it out listening to him talk and watching his body language. They are still his family. I don't believe he wouldn't intentionally betray them. He just doesn't want anything to do with them."
"So then he's of no use to us and that still doesn't explain why you went with him." I say and take a step towards her.
"A handsome man invited me for coffee so I accepted. That's the closest thing to "normal" I've been able to do since I joined you two on this mission or whatever it is. I'm not going to apologize for it." She says. Her calm demeanor is getting on my nerves at the moment. Why does she always have to be so damn collected and in control?
"Woo Bin-ah..." Ji-Hoo days warningly. He knows I'm pissed and I'm guessing she probably does too. There are not very many people in this world that can make me lose my cool, yet this infuriating woman always manages to get under my skin.
"It's just coffee." She says with a shake of her head and turns to look at the computer screen. Sure, it's just coffee... So why do I feel like beating the crap out of that guy and shoving the entire coffee shop down his throat? Because she should have gone with me... Not him.
(^_^)
ALEJANDRO'S POV:
Leaning against the rail of the balcony, I watch my niece and nephew play in the backyard. This is the first time I've been to my brother's house in a long time. I've missed the kids but I don't want to be here. I want to leave as soon as possible.
"Why do you never come over anymore? Still disgusted with me and dad? We are your family after all. You need to remember that."
"Just because we are family, doesn't mean I have to support you or even like you for that matter. I didn't choose to be born into this family. It just happened."
"You sure do act all high and mighty. You're too idealistic. We live in an imperfect world. You either accept it or drown in it."
"I've managed quite well on my own and I didn't have to break any laws to do it either."
Miguel laughs and shakes his head. "Yet I still have a lot more freedom and power than you little brother."
"At least I can go to bed with a clear conscience." I say in disgust and walk towards the door. Before I have time to react, my brother grabs me and slams me up against the wall.
"You need to learn some respect and loyalty. We are family. That means we do everything for each other no matter what the cost." He snarls in my face. Pushing him off of me, I refrain from knocking the shit out of him. He may be older than me but I'm a hell of a lot stronger. I have to be so that he can't just push me around like he did when we were younger. He's nothing more than a big bully. I'm not stupid though. Pissing him off would be a big mistake. He can still destroy my business and I won't lose everything just because he wants to be childish.
"So what exactly is it that you want from me Miguel? Do you have a point to make?"
"You need to mend things with dad. Show your support for him. You know he's worked hard for this. It's his dream to be President. We need to be there for him."
"If you want me to show up at functions and smile for the camera then fine. I'll do it. But don't ask me to understand anything that either of you two do or have done in the past. It won't happen." Turning away, I slam his front door in my anger and stalk towards my car. That son-of-a-bitch wants me to accept that he and our father have murdered people to get what they want? Fuck that...
(^_^)
BOO KI'S POV:
I slink deeper into the shadows of the club and patiently wait for Maria. I'm not here for fun tonight. Woo Bin and Ji-Hoo should still be tailing Juliana so that gives me some time to work. No members of the Maeng family are here at the moment and it makes me curious. They have always had work in Bogota and it doesn't make sense for them to just leave. Something very big is going on. I can feel it.
"Good. You're here." Maria says with a nod as she sits down across from me.
"What have you heard?"
"There were quite a few members of the Maeng family still here up until a couple of months ago. Then they all pulled out without a word."
"Any idea why?"
"No. You know how secretive they are."
"Si. What about Sergio Dias?"
"He's dirty but you may have a hard time proving it. He and his son Miguel have hired the Maeng's on several occasions so that means no evidence. However, he has been laundering government funds. If we can find evidence of that, he will go to jail. It won't do you any good though if you don't bring down the son too. Miguel will just pay the right people and his father will walk away a free man."
"What about his involvement with politicians from other countries?"
"That's where it gets interesting. 4 years ago, Sergio almost lost his Senate seat to another candidate but the man was beaten to death by some thugs in Japan."
"Japan? Was he on vacation?"
"That's the strange part. Nobody, not even his family, knows what he was doing there. He never showed an interest in Asia and had never traveled outside of Colombia before. He just showed up dead in an alley in Tokyo two days before the election."
"How convenient…" I murmur.
"Exactly. They made up some story that he ran off with a lover but I don't believe it. Sergio would have had to have some help from someone in Japan's government to have it cleaned up so quickly. I doubt the authorities there would have let it go so easily otherwise."
"What about the rest of Sergio's family? Have you found anything useful?"
"Not really. Sofia is too sick these days to be active with anything. When she was healthy, she was involved in various orphanages around the city. I hear that her son Alejandro has taken over her charity work for now. Other than that, he's clean. He isn't involved with his family. Miguel is as dirty as drug lords come. He's arrogant and selfish just like the rest of them. Juliana is a cold-hearted, selfish bitch that is only interested in money. She's had her driver's license taken away for too many DUI's but other than that, she's clean on paper too. Miguel managed to cover up all of her petty theft charges."
Absorbing the information, I lean back in my seat. I need to plan my next move carefully. Miguel is dangerous and finding a way to bring him down without killing him will not be easy. I cannot control the corruption of countless government officials. If I get him arrested, it may not amount to anything. But I will only kill him if there is no other way.
Making my way home, I realize that the best shot for us getting close to Juliana is going to be Woo Bin. His Don Juan charm will easily work on her superficial personality. I know I could become her "friend" in time but catty bitches are harder to get close to when they think you are competition and I'm pretty sure that's how she will feel about me. The idea of him flirting with her makes me uncomfortable though.
It's late when I get home and the house is dark. Ji-Hoo and Woo Bin are probably not back yet. As I make my way down the hall, I can feel someone moving up quickly behind me and from the footsteps I can tell its Woo Bin. Ignoring him, I make my way towards my room when he suddenly grabs me and pushes me up against the wall. I can feel the anger radiating off of him. Right now he is very dangerous but for some reason it excites me. I can smell the alcohol on his breath as he dips his head closer to mine. I could easily break free but I'm frozen in place by the look in his eyes. They are filled with an unrecognizable emotion and it feels like I'm drowning in his gaze.
"Boo Ki-ah." he says seriously and crushes his mouth against mine.