DJ got me falling in Love- Thirty Eight
You're happy, because you finally feel like you're home.
Kyungsoo is rooted to the ground, mind still trying to grasp hold of the situation.
You were crying.
You looked sad and he dare say the flash of emotion across your face when he glanced up is pain, because he's echoing the exact same feeling at that point of time.
But why? You were the one who suggested the divorce.
And even signed it.
It doesn't make sense.
His gaze drops to the wretched documents on the table.
Why did you do it if you've wanted it?
Or do you?
His mind flashes back to your apology when he mentioned your presence at the funeral.
Sorry? Why would you feel sorry if...
Kyungsoo's breath precipitates and he's suddenly moving towards the door, hoping it's not too late.
The cold bites into his skin the moment he steps out but all he can think of at the moment is,
Where are you?
Where are you, Choi Gaeun?
Sprinting down the empty street, he scans around for a petite figure and chic short hair.
You're not visible anywhere.
He checks all the possible corners and even goes as far as the restaurant he took you the past two times, but you're nowhere to be found.
By then, his breathing is starting to smart from the lack of appropriate covering and he hurries back to his house, not bothering to throw on an extra clothing before he dials your number.
As expected, you are not picking up his call.
He attempts a few more times, but the result is the same.
The automated voice message is getting on his nerves and he has this unexplainable feeling of dread in his guts.
He thinks you might have gone home, but remembers he doesn't know where you live. He doesn't even know your brother's number.
In fact, he realizes he doesn't know much about you at all.
He's seen your closest friend, Shinae? is it? once, but other than that, you've never mentioned anyone else to him and he doesn't know where to start looking from.
Grunting in frustration, he throws the phone on the couch because it suddenly occurs to him, if you've wanted to disappear from the face of the earth, he won't know where to find you.
No wonder you left me. He glances at his phone again.
Someone had called you.
Who was it?
He remembers you talking to someone on the day he found out you are a paparazzi. Could it be someone from work?
That's right! He's got the magazine!
In an instant, he's running up the stairs to your room.
When he opens it, he notices that Sera has been keeping it clean and left everything untouched the way they were before.
A wave of nostalgia washes over him as he fishes for the magazine under the desk.
Flipping through the digest, he found the contact number and address of the agency at the back of the cover and rings up the office.
Nobody is picking up and he curses as he searches the magazine for the extension number.
This time, the call gets diverted and someone answers at the third ring.
"Hello?" It's a male's voice.
"Hello?" Kyungsoo hopes he doesn't sound too frenzied. "Hi, sorry for the disturbance, but I'm Do Kyungsoo and I'm looking for Choi Gaeun ssi. May I know if you happen to know where she is?"
"Do-- " The guy trails off before a replying with a startle. "You're Do Kyungsoo, the one noona married?"
The mention of marriage stings Kyungsoo a bit and he mutters a short "yes".
"She would be on an errand now near Dosan Park, Kris hyung should be with her."
Kris?
Who's Kris?
"And Kyungsoo ssi?" The boy sounds serious.
"Yes?"
"I don't know what is it that happened between the two of you, but noona is a good person. She's convinced Kris hyung not to pursue the case of Baekhyun ssi and yourself. But we've got an ... ex-colleague who sold the story to a competitor and she didn't know about it only on the day you two got married. By then, she's already asked for resignation..."
"She... Quit?" Kyungsoo breathes.
"Yes, she was going to, but Kris hyung convinced her to stay because... There's another case on hand, the one she's currently on to now. And I suspect she did what she did because... This is a much bigger case than yours and Baekhyun's. The minute this publishes, the limelight will be on them, which means the press will be off your backs faster than you think."
Kyungsoo is quiet.
Of course you will do that.
Of course you will right the situation without telling anybody. He's already known you are the type to not want to worry anyone by taking everything upon yourself. He's seen that happening with your brother and Youngjae himself had told him once about it.
She keeps things bottled up in herself and suffers silently, help her out when she does that and be patient with her.
How can he forget that?
Kyungsoo wants to smack himself.
He still doesn't understand why you gave him the divorce papers but he guesses it's got something to do with your guilt about lying to him about your job and being the unconventional person that you are, it's just your way of doing things to make sure something is being taken care of. Or someone.
And that someone is him.
Damn.
The awakening strikes him hard and he's rambling to the other person on the phone.
"Do you... Do you happen to know her exact location?"
The male hesitates.
"I'm not sure... She's considered working right now and I'm not sure if..."
"Please... Just tell me where she is and I'll explain things to her and... And if she doesn't want to see me or if I'm affecting her job I'll just leave, but, you have to help me out here. She's not picking up my phone..."
Zitao wavers at the deejay's pleading tone as the announcement for his flight is being heard.
"Right, just... Don't tell Gaeun noona you heard this from me because she'll probably kick me and the last time she did, I had a limp for four days." The boy sighs.
Kyungsoo would have chuckled at his statement if not for the anxiety fluttering in his stomach right now.
That's about right, he's almost forgotten about your gungho personality and how you manage to rile him up at every possible circumstance the first few times you've met.
You are a different girl.
And he'll fight to get you back.
________________
You are wholly glad you went back home briefly to get your camera, because Kris is not picking up the phone, and you won't be able to work efficiently without the device.
By your calculations, Zitao should be on the plane by now and you dare yourself to urge closer from behind the pillar to survey the situation.
The millionaire is walking, flanked by the very same two bodyguards who cornered you a few months ago, seemingly heading for a building up ahead. Dark memories prompt you to tread even more cautiously.
You're not too familiar with the vicinity, only vaguely aware that it's not too far away from the expressway.
Just when he's about to reach the building, he suddenly swerves left into a car park next to it.
You follow, careful to keep a safe distance.
The sheltered car park is empty, save for a single White Chevrolet pulled up in the middle.
When the man approaches, the door suddenly opens and two men file out, trailed by a male and a female.
You gasp silently, because you recognize the female as the heiress.
The millionaire greets them warmly, all teeth and exuberant laughter while patting the other male on his back.
The heiress watches them two politely, a small smile on her face.
After a few minutes of bantering, the mood turns somber as the male takes out a briefcase from the car, saying something you can't decipher from the distance.
You have to get closer.
There's a bricked wall fencing the car park and you move stealthily towards it, crouching low as you near.
Now you're only a few meters away from the group and you can pick up some conversation here and there.
"... Been acting up, we have to fix her up a bit. Clients don't like to do a sour face." The millionaire is chuckling, but in the most menacing way.
"This is really good stuff. I assure you. Minimal side effects, keeping your subjects tame." A smirk spans across the male's face.
"I trust you, of course. The last time we gave them your stuff, they went meek as lambs. Nothing better than a good old doping to get people listening to you. Who do they think they are? Superstars? Just inject something into them, take some great videos, and they'll have no choice but to agree..."
Suddenly it all makes sense.
You've always wondered why some of the popular artistes agreed to becoming social escorts or even sex slaves just for some dirty money.
They've been drugged and then threatened.
And it makes more sense now why, even though the heiress just took over the business, she's been enjoying a great turnover over the past year or so.
They were dealing as well.
You wonder if Chen actually knew about it. If he does... You squirm at the thought of being associated with the guy before.
The millionaire hands over a similar briefcase and they share some cordial laughter before bowing and breaking up. Your camera hasn't stopped snapping and you know the exchange is over when the heiress and male retreats into the car.
You keep snapping even when the Chevrolet rolls out of the parking lot and the millionaire waves after them.
It's done.
The man signals his two bodyguards and one of them takes the briefcase whilst the other ushers him back to the direction where they came from, most probably back to the car.
Unfortunately, that means they are heading towards your way, and you have no way of getting out because they'll see you crouching behind the wall when they get near. There's only one option left.
Run.
You quickly take out the memory card and slip it under a safe spot near the groove of the wall, heart thumping wild and loud in your eardrums before taking a breath.
And you sprint.
The cold wind is slapping across your face as you run, feet pumping hard as your chest constricts with the depleting oxygen. All you have to do is find a nearest place to hide and...
Before you can finish your thoughts, you are yanked back by a pair of burly arms and you instinctively swing the heavy camera across to fend off the attacker.
Unfortunately, there's another pair of arms holding down your own as soon as you did that.
Shit, there's two of them.
You huff and puff, squirming and kicking as the sound of your drumming heart mutes out what the man is saying.
"So, we meet again."
And that's the last you hear before you are knocked out cold.
___________
You wake up with a bitter taste in your mouth, tongue dry and head heavy.
Where am I?
Pushing yourself up, you realized you've been lying on the cold, hard ground, and...
Shit, shit, shit...
With a start, you jerk upright as you take in an empty basement and bare concrete walls.
You're in a warehouse.
A deserted one, which looks some sort of a storage area for... Water tanks?
There's a huge glass tank filled with water right in the middle of the building and the area is sparse, the afternoon sun streaming in from dirty grilled windows and a musty smell drifting in the air.
"Up?"
You jump from the voice and swivels around to see the two bodyguards from before.
Damn, you're not alone after all.
The taller one is smoking, breaths curling into mini clouds as he puffs away.
The shorter one creeps towards you, a thin smile on his face as he flicks out a switchblade.
Your eyes spark wide and you back away a few steps, shuddering.
"Ah... I see that you remember this." He smirks and pauses in his steps to fish out something else from his pockets.
A phone.
Your phone.
You gulp.
"Deja vu? You don't learn, don't you? And this time, nobody's here to save you. So I'll do you one good, and allow you to call one last person before you die."
He waves the phone at you.
You stare at it, dumbfounded.
"Don't want to? Never mind, I'll do it for you." He sneers. "Let's see now, who shall we call?"
You watch dumbly as he scrolls down your contacts.
I've got to escape.
Frantically, you glance around to survey your options, but the man seems to sense your intention and lets out a spine tingling chuckle.
"It's no use, this place is deserted. Nobody will ever find you here. You're not the first one. Meet your counterpart..." He gestures to one of the water tanks.
Suddenly, you know what happened to the missing reporter. You want to puke.
"Upset? You should be. You'll be more fun to play with..." He rakes a gaze over you and you feel even more nauseous. "But we don't exactly have time for that now so..."
He grins as he stops at one of the pages. "Ah... Let's call this one, shall we? Seems like there's a lot of missed calls from this poor fellow..."
He presses the buttons and you hear your phone ringing as he switches to speaker mode.
"Hello? Gaeun ah?"
Kyungsoo.
Your blood runs cold and you shiver.
He has been trying to contact me? But why?
Your phone was on silent right after you tried calling Kris because of the spying mission.
"Gaeun? Where are you?"
His voice is pleading and you want to sob all over again.
The man motions for you to talk, a sick smile plastered on his face. When you remain dumb, he gives his partner a knowing look, the one you remember from the last encounter, and instinctively, you turn to run.
The bodyguard catches up to you fast enough and suddenly the earth is spinning and you let out a yelp as you're pushed to the ground. He yanks you up by your hair and pushes the phone in front of your face. You pant, breathing harsh and shaky.
Talk, he mouths.
Tears spring from your eyes and it's not only because of the sting from his hair pulling.
"Gaeun?" Kyungsoo's voice has switched from a pleading tone to one of perceptive concern.
Your mouth falls open, but nothing comes out. Seeing the situation, the man cocks his head with an amused expression before taking out his switch blade.
Before you can fathom what's happening, the knife comes down in one swift motion to lodge itself right between your shoulder blade and you let out a blood curdling scream.
"Gaeun ah!" Kyungsoo is shouting, panic clear in his voice. "Gaeun ah, where are you?! What's going on?"
"K-Kyungsoo..." You finally utter, tears fast and furious as you feel the blade cutting in.
The man gives a satisfied smile, urging you to carry on.
You sob.
"Gaeun ah, you are scaring me, where are you?"
You try to ignore the pain rippling through you, clinging on to the sound of his voice, visualizing his face, laced with concern.
Kyungsoo...
A sudden explosion stuns you, and you can see that the two men are shocked as well.
What is that?
The bursting continues and you realize it's fireworks.
There must be a Christmas Eve party nearby.
You think it's ironic, how a celebration is going on when you are about to die.
The switchblade turns, and you wince, teary eyes peering up to see the bodyguard smiling again, knowing now that they are not under threat.
He raises a finger and mouths,
last words.
Choking back tears, you swallow thickly as you think of Kyungsoo's sweet smile, the way he cradles you... His honest eyes...
"Kyungsoo... Oppa." You begin then, mouth curling into a smile. "Thank you... And... I'm sorry."
The man lets out a smirk at this and you can hear the deejay rambling "Gaeun ah, wait, what's wrong? Where are you, please..." before he cuts off the line.
"Very good." He claps once and then pockets your phone. "Now, you are ready to go."
In one motion, he pulls out the knife and you shriek again. He tilts his head at his partner and together, they pull you to one of the water tanks as you struggle incessantly.
"NO!"
You cry out but then a hand shoves you into a huge tank and suddenly you're plunged into cold water, the blood from your shoulder seeping through slowly to turn it pink. The shock and the pain makes you scream again.
And then you hear a dull clanging sound and the water tank is sealed.
"Let me out!!" You bang against the side of the glass tank, but it's difficult to talk because the water comes up to your nose, and you've only got about a few inches of space between the lid and stale liquid to breathe.
"You know, the last person lasted quite a couple of hours. We'll see whether you top that record." With that, he gives a sadistic smile and waves once before he leaves with his partner.
You stiffen, scrambling to pound against the roof but it doesn't even budge.
Feeling your fingers numbing from the cold, you concentrate on staying afloat whilst willing your nerves away.
But that is difficult when all you can think of is how you'll die, all alone, in this Godforsaken place, either due to carbon monoxide poisoning or by bleeding to death.
You try the lid one more time. It's useless.
The air is starting to get stifling, and you can feel yourself weakening by the second.
Memories flash through your mind like a kaleidoscope.
You think of Youngjae, how he'll probably be devastated if his only kin is not around anymore. About Shinae, that you promised to be her maid of honour but now you can't fulfill that promise. And most importantly, your thoughts keep running back to Kyungsoo. If only you've told him earlier and quit before you got into this mess, maybe the two of you will still be together.
Maybe.
You let out a quiet sob, feeling utterly helpless.
After a long while, it's getting harder and harder to breathe. Everything is much too cold and there's not enough friction for you to keep holding on.
Your hands slip against the glass and you are going under, tasting dirty water and salty tears.
_______________
Kyungsoo is shell shocked.
Your sentence still ringing in his head like an electric current.
Oppa.
It's the first time you called him that. But he hasn't think it'd be through this way.
You must be in danger. But what can he do? Where should he go?
Think, dammit Kyungsoo, think!
He's heard some fireworks in the background. And Zitao had told him you'll be near Dosan Park.
Suddenly, he remembers Minseok telling him about a Christmas party near his house.
It's a couple of blocks away from Dosan Park and Kyungsoo thinks he know exactly where it is.
He dials for the police and then jumps into his car, cranking it up to breakneck speed to find you.
_______________
The rush of adrenaline coursing through his blood veins causes him to be more reckless as he cuts through lanes and alleys.
Not before long, he reaches the destination, a cluster of dilapidated buildings in the district.
Kyungsoo kills the ignition and hurries out of his car, not caring if it's illegal or not to park alongside the road.
He starts jogging, the thrumming from his heart loud in his ears and breaths coming up short against the cold. After combing through the second building, his nose stings and his ears feel like they are going to fall off, but he only picks up his pace, going into each one to do a quick search before moving on.
When he still can't find you after the fifth, he's starting to panic because at this rate, he's never going to find you in time.
Just when he's smothered in frustration, Kyungsoo suddenly notices a shiny thing lying on the floor.
It's a necklace.
Upon closer inspection, he realizes it looks all too familiar.
It's the half sphere golden necklace he returned to you.
Kyungsoo's head snaps up to see an abandoned warehouse in front of him.
Without further ado, he pushes the door, but it is locked.
Kyungsoo takes a step back and using his body weight, tries slamming the door open.
It still doesn't budge.
Feeling angsty, he looks around and finds a piece of metal plank on the floor.
He picks it up and after surveying the windows, raises the plank and smashes it through.
The windows cracked and he tries once again, this time using all his strength to swing.
Glass shatters and comes apart at his feet and Kyungsoo ditches the metal plank to climb in through the small opening.
The warehouse is huge, housing a few large water tanks.
Kyungsoo moves swiftly, eyes scanning the area thoroughly like he did before. There's a musty smell in the air and it's hauntingly quiet. He jogs again, frantically searching for you, but you're nowhere to be found.
Just when he's about to give up and move on to the next building, he suddenly hears a noise coming from one of the water tanks. His gaze flicks towards the source and he freezes.
"Gaeun ah!"
Scrambling forth, he rushes to climb onto one of the water tanks to reach the one you're trapped in.
You look lifeless, eyes closed and head lolling backwards as you float in the tank of pink.
Unclasping the lock, he takes the lid off and carefully lifts you out by hooking his arms over yours.
You are still unmoving when he lays you down on the floor, breathing shallow and face pale. The gnash in your shoulder and dirtied water staining and soaking his black sweater wet.
"Gaeun ah, please, talk to me..." He pleads.
In your semi-conscious state, you think you must be dead, because you actually hear Kyungsoo's voice ringing close to you.
This is all a dream, right?
"Gaeun ah..."
You are slipping, content to have at least the memory of his warmth etched in your mind.
However, the next second, you feel fingers pressing against your chest, fast and hard in a steady rhythmn.
Come on Gaeun, breathe!
Kyungsoo...?
Gaeun, please!
Your entire body is jerking, and it's uncomfortable, but after a while, you feel the need to retch, so you do.
Kyungsoo oppa...
Water spills out from your mouth together with dribbles of saliva and suddenly you are hearing more voices.
"Sir, may I know what happ-- "
"Please, please call the ambulance now, she needs help!"
The pumping doesn't cease, and when you next vomit, a hand eases you onto your side in recovery position and your head clears enough for you to open your eyes.
"K-Kyungsoo?"
There's the familiar doe eyes staring back at you, a little teary and more than a little concern. It's the look of love, you recognize.
You suck in a breath.
It feels real enough.
"Am I dreaming?" You utter, voice soft and slightly hoarse.
"No," He shakes his head, a smile of relief spreading across his face. You miss this look on him. "And we are going to the hospital to fix you up and you'll be fine in no time, I'll make sure of that."
It's your turn to smile.
You blink, taking in the surroundings. Uniformed men are scurrying about.
You're still alive.
Realizing he's holding on to your hand, you take in his warmth and breathes.
"I'm sorry..." You begin.
He shushes you.
"No, I'm sorry for being an idiot."
"Nonsense... " You let out a weak smile. "You're not an idiot. You can beatbox, cook... sing, bake... Even CPR. What else don't I know about you?"
Kyungsoo gazes at you, expression soft and earnest.
"I tore up the divorce papers, so..." He reaches out a hand to caress your cheek gently. "You're officially still my wife."
A little sob makes it way up your throat and it's not all because you're relieved.
You're happy, because you finally feel like you're home.
Epilogue
Kyungsoo is rooted to the ground, mind still trying to grasp hold of the situation.
You were crying.
You looked sad and he dare say the flash of emotion across your face when he glanced up is pain, because he's echoing the exact same feeling at that point of time.
But why? You were the one who suggested the divorce.
And even signed it.
It doesn't make sense.
His gaze drops to the wretched documents on the table.
Why did you do it if you've wanted it?
Or do you?
His mind flashes back to your apology when he mentioned your presence at the funeral.
Sorry? Why would you feel sorry if...
Kyungsoo's breath precipitates and he's suddenly moving towards the door, hoping it's not too late.
The cold bites into his skin the moment he steps out but all he can think of at the moment is,
Where are you?
Where are you, Choi Gaeun?
Sprinting down the empty street, he scans around for a petite figure and chic short hair.
You're not visible anywhere.
He checks all the possible corners and even goes as far as the restaurant he took you the past two times, but you're nowhere to be found.
By then, his breathing is starting to smart from the lack of appropriate covering and he hurries back to his house, not bothering to throw on an extra clothing before he dials your number.
As expected, you are not picking up his call.
He attempts a few more times, but the result is the same.
The automated voice message is getting on his nerves and he has this unexplainable feeling of dread in his guts.
He thinks you might have gone home, but remembers he doesn't know where you live. He doesn't even know your brother's number.
In fact, he realizes he doesn't know much about you at all.
He's seen your closest friend, Shinae? is it? once, but other than that, you've never mentioned anyone else to him and he doesn't know where to start looking from.
Grunting in frustration, he throws the phone on the couch because it suddenly occurs to him, if you've wanted to disappear from the face of the earth, he won't know where to find you.
No wonder you left me. He glances at his phone again.
Someone had called you.
Who was it?
He remembers you talking to someone on the day he found out you are a paparazzi. Could it be someone from work?
That's right! He's got the magazine!
In an instant, he's running up the stairs to your room.
When he opens it, he notices that Sera has been keeping it clean and left everything untouched the way they were before.
A wave of nostalgia washes over him as he fishes for the magazine under the desk.
Flipping through the digest, he found the contact number and address of the agency at the back of the cover and rings up the office.
Nobody is picking up and he curses as he searches the magazine for the extension number.
This time, the call gets diverted and someone answers at the third ring.
"Hello?" It's a male's voice.
"Hello?" Kyungsoo hopes he doesn't sound too frenzied. "Hi, sorry for the disturbance, but I'm Do Kyungsoo and I'm looking for Choi Gaeun ssi. May I know if you happen to know where she is?"
"Do-- " The guy trails off before a replying with a startle. "You're Do Kyungsoo, the one noona married?"
The mention of marriage stings Kyungsoo a bit and he mutters a short "yes".
"She would be on an errand now near Dosan Park, Kris hyung should be with her."
Kris?
Who's Kris?
"And Kyungsoo ssi?" The boy sounds serious.
"Yes?"
"I don't know what is it that happened between the two of you, but noona is a good person. She's convinced Kris hyung not to pursue the case of Baekhyun ssi and yourself. But we've got an ... ex-colleague who sold the story to a competitor and she didn't know about it only on the day you two got married. By then, she's already asked for resignation..."
"She... Quit?" Kyungsoo breathes.
"Yes, she was going to, but Kris hyung convinced her to stay because... There's another case on hand, the one she's currently on to now. And I suspect she did what she did because... This is a much bigger case than yours and Baekhyun's. The minute this publishes, the limelight will be on them, which means the press will be off your backs faster than you think."
Kyungsoo is quiet.
Of course you will do that.
Of course you will right the situation without telling anybody. He's already known you are the type to not want to worry anyone by taking everything upon yourself. He's seen that happening with your brother and Youngjae himself had told him once about it.
She keeps things bottled up in herself and suffers silently, help her out when she does that and be patient with her.
How can he forget that?
Kyungsoo wants to smack himself.
He still doesn't understand why you gave him the divorce papers but he guesses it's got something to do with your guilt about lying to him about your job and being the unconventional person that you are, it's just your way of doing things to make sure something is being taken care of. Or someone.
And that someone is him.
Damn.
The awakening strikes him hard and he's rambling to the other person on the phone.
"Do you... Do you happen to know her exact location?"
The male hesitates.
"I'm not sure... She's considered working right now and I'm not sure if..."
"Please... Just tell me where she is and I'll explain things to her and... And if she doesn't want to see me or if I'm affecting her job I'll just leave, but, you have to help me out here. She's not picking up my phone..."
Zitao wavers at the deejay's pleading tone as the announcement for his flight is being heard.
"Right, just... Don't tell Gaeun noona you heard this from me because she'll probably kick me and the last time she did, I had a limp for four days." The boy sighs.
Kyungsoo would have chuckled at his statement if not for the anxiety fluttering in his stomach right now.
That's about right, he's almost forgotten about your gungho personality and how you manage to rile him up at every possible circumstance the first few times you've met.
You are a different girl.
And he'll fight to get you back.
________________
You are wholly glad you went back home briefly to get your camera, because Kris is not picking up the phone, and you won't be able to work efficiently without the device.
By your calculations, Zitao should be on the plane by now and you dare yourself to urge closer from behind the pillar to survey the situation.
The millionaire is walking, flanked by the very same two bodyguards who cornered you a few months ago, seemingly heading for a building up ahead. Dark memories prompt you to tread even more cautiously.
You're not too familiar with the vicinity, only vaguely aware that it's not too far away from the expressway.
Just when he's about to reach the building, he suddenly swerves left into a car park next to it.
You follow, careful to keep a safe distance.
The sheltered car park is empty, save for a single White Chevrolet pulled up in the middle.
When the man approaches, the door suddenly opens and two men file out, trailed by a male and a female.
You gasp silently, because you recognize the female as the heiress.
The millionaire greets them warmly, all teeth and exuberant laughter while patting the other male on his back.
The heiress watches them two politely, a small smile on her face.
After a few minutes of bantering, the mood turns somber as the male takes out a briefcase from the car, saying something you can't decipher from the distance.
You have to get closer.
There's a bricked wall fencing the car park and you move stealthily towards it, crouching low as you near.
Now you're only a few meters away from the group and you can pick up some conversation here and there.
"... Been acting up, we have to fix her up a bit. Clients don't like to do a sour face." The millionaire is chuckling, but in the most menacing way.
"This is really good stuff. I assure you. Minimal side effects, keeping your subjects tame." A smirk spans across the male's face.
"I trust you, of course. The last time we gave them your stuff, they went meek as lambs. Nothing better than a good old doping to get people listening to you. Who do they think they are? Superstars? Just inject something into them, take some great videos, and they'll have no choice but to agree..."
Suddenly it all makes sense.
You've always wondered why some of the popular artistes agreed to becoming social escorts or even sex slaves just for some dirty money.
They've been drugged and then threatened.
And it makes more sense now why, even though the heiress just took over the business, she's been enjoying a great turnover over the past year or so.
They were dealing as well.
You wonder if Chen actually knew about it. If he does... You squirm at the thought of being associated with the guy before.
The millionaire hands over a similar briefcase and they share some cordial laughter before bowing and breaking up. Your camera hasn't stopped snapping and you know the exchange is over when the heiress and male retreats into the car.
You keep snapping even when the Chevrolet rolls out of the parking lot and the millionaire waves after them.
It's done.
The man signals his two bodyguards and one of them takes the briefcase whilst the other ushers him back to the direction where they came from, most probably back to the car.
Unfortunately, that means they are heading towards your way, and you have no way of getting out because they'll see you crouching behind the wall when they get near. There's only one option left.
Run.
You quickly take out the memory card and slip it under a safe spot near the groove of the wall, heart thumping wild and loud in your eardrums before taking a breath.
And you sprint.
The cold wind is slapping across your face as you run, feet pumping hard as your chest constricts with the depleting oxygen. All you have to do is find a nearest place to hide and...
Before you can finish your thoughts, you are yanked back by a pair of burly arms and you instinctively swing the heavy camera across to fend off the attacker.
Unfortunately, there's another pair of arms holding down your own as soon as you did that.
Shit, there's two of them.
You huff and puff, squirming and kicking as the sound of your drumming heart mutes out what the man is saying.
"So, we meet again."
And that's the last you hear before you are knocked out cold.
___________
You wake up with a bitter taste in your mouth, tongue dry and head heavy.
Where am I?
Pushing yourself up, you realized you've been lying on the cold, hard ground, and...
Shit, shit, shit...
With a start, you jerk upright as you take in an empty basement and bare concrete walls.
You're in a warehouse.
A deserted one, which looks some sort of a storage area for... Water tanks?
There's a huge glass tank filled with water right in the middle of the building and the area is sparse, the afternoon sun streaming in from dirty grilled windows and a musty smell drifting in the air.
"Up?"
You jump from the voice and swivels around to see the two bodyguards from before.
Damn, you're not alone after all.
The taller one is smoking, breaths curling into mini clouds as he puffs away.
The shorter one creeps towards you, a thin smile on his face as he flicks out a switchblade.
Your eyes spark wide and you back away a few steps, shuddering.
"Ah... I see that you remember this." He smirks and pauses in his steps to fish out something else from his pockets.
A phone.
Your phone.
You gulp.
"Deja vu? You don't learn, don't you? And this time, nobody's here to save you. So I'll do you one good, and allow you to call one last person before you die."
He waves the phone at you.
You stare at it, dumbfounded.
"Don't want to? Never mind, I'll do it for you." He sneers. "Let's see now, who shall we call?"
You watch dumbly as he scrolls down your contacts.
I've got to escape.
Frantically, you glance around to survey your options, but the man seems to sense your intention and lets out a spine tingling chuckle.
"It's no use, this place is deserted. Nobody will ever find you here. You're not the first one. Meet your counterpart..." He gestures to one of the water tanks.
Suddenly, you know what happened to the missing reporter. You want to puke.
"Upset? You should be. You'll be more fun to play with..." He rakes a gaze over you and you feel even more nauseous. "But we don't exactly have time for that now so..."
He grins as he stops at one of the pages. "Ah... Let's call this one, shall we? Seems like there's a lot of missed calls from this poor fellow..."
He presses the buttons and you hear your phone ringing as he switches to speaker mode.
"Hello? Gaeun ah?"
Kyungsoo.
Your blood runs cold and you shiver.
He has been trying to contact me? But why?
Your phone was on silent right after you tried calling Kris because of the spying mission.
"Gaeun? Where are you?"
His voice is pleading and you want to sob all over again.
The man motions for you to talk, a sick smile plastered on his face. When you remain dumb, he gives his partner a knowing look, the one you remember from the last encounter, and instinctively, you turn to run.
The bodyguard catches up to you fast enough and suddenly the earth is spinning and you let out a yelp as you're pushed to the ground. He yanks you up by your hair and pushes the phone in front of your face. You pant, breathing harsh and shaky.
Talk, he mouths.
Tears spring from your eyes and it's not only because of the sting from his hair pulling.
"Gaeun?" Kyungsoo's voice has switched from a pleading tone to one of perceptive concern.
Your mouth falls open, but nothing comes out. Seeing the situation, the man cocks his head with an amused expression before taking out his switch blade.
Before you can fathom what's happening, the knife comes down in one swift motion to lodge itself right between your shoulder blade and you let out a blood curdling scream.
"Gaeun ah!" Kyungsoo is shouting, panic clear in his voice. "Gaeun ah, where are you?! What's going on?"
"K-Kyungsoo..." You finally utter, tears fast and furious as you feel the blade cutting in.
The man gives a satisfied smile, urging you to carry on.
You sob.
"Gaeun ah, you are scaring me, where are you?"
You try to ignore the pain rippling through you, clinging on to the sound of his voice, visualizing his face, laced with concern.
Kyungsoo...
A sudden explosion stuns you, and you can see that the two men are shocked as well.
What is that?
The bursting continues and you realize it's fireworks.
There must be a Christmas Eve party nearby.
You think it's ironic, how a celebration is going on when you are about to die.
The switchblade turns, and you wince, teary eyes peering up to see the bodyguard smiling again, knowing now that they are not under threat.
He raises a finger and mouths,
last words.
Choking back tears, you swallow thickly as you think of Kyungsoo's sweet smile, the way he cradles you... His honest eyes...
"Kyungsoo... Oppa." You begin then, mouth curling into a smile. "Thank you... And... I'm sorry."
The man lets out a smirk at this and you can hear the deejay rambling "Gaeun ah, wait, what's wrong? Where are you, please..." before he cuts off the line.
"Very good." He claps once and then pockets your phone. "Now, you are ready to go."
In one motion, he pulls out the knife and you shriek again. He tilts his head at his partner and together, they pull you to one of the water tanks as you struggle incessantly.
"NO!"
You cry out but then a hand shoves you into a huge tank and suddenly you're plunged into cold water, the blood from your shoulder seeping through slowly to turn it pink. The shock and the pain makes you scream again.
And then you hear a dull clanging sound and the water tank is sealed.
"Let me out!!" You bang against the side of the glass tank, but it's difficult to talk because the water comes up to your nose, and you've only got about a few inches of space between the lid and stale liquid to breathe.
"You know, the last person lasted quite a couple of hours. We'll see whether you top that record." With that, he gives a sadistic smile and waves once before he leaves with his partner.
You stiffen, scrambling to pound against the roof but it doesn't even budge.
Feeling your fingers numbing from the cold, you concentrate on staying afloat whilst willing your nerves away.
But that is difficult when all you can think of is how you'll die, all alone, in this Godforsaken place, either due to carbon monoxide poisoning or by bleeding to death.
You try the lid one more time. It's useless.
The air is starting to get stifling, and you can feel yourself weakening by the second.
Memories flash through your mind like a kaleidoscope.
You think of Youngjae, how he'll probably be devastated if his only kin is not around anymore. About Shinae, that you promised to be her maid of honour but now you can't fulfill that promise. And most importantly, your thoughts keep running back to Kyungsoo. If only you've told him earlier and quit before you got into this mess, maybe the two of you will still be together.
Maybe.
You let out a quiet sob, feeling utterly helpless.
After a long while, it's getting harder and harder to breathe. Everything is much too cold and there's not enough friction for you to keep holding on.
Your hands slip against the glass and you are going under, tasting dirty water and salty tears.
_______________
Kyungsoo is shell shocked.
Your sentence still ringing in his head like an electric current.
Oppa.
It's the first time you called him that. But he hasn't think it'd be through this way.
You must be in danger. But what can he do? Where should he go?
Think, dammit Kyungsoo, think!
He's heard some fireworks in the background. And Zitao had told him you'll be near Dosan Park.
Suddenly, he remembers Minseok telling him about a Christmas party near his house.
It's a couple of blocks away from Dosan Park and Kyungsoo thinks he know exactly where it is.
He dials for the police and then jumps into his car, cranking it up to breakneck speed to find you.
_______________
The rush of adrenaline coursing through his blood veins causes him to be more reckless as he cuts through lanes and alleys.
Not before long, he reaches the destination, a cluster of dilapidated buildings in the district.
Kyungsoo kills the ignition and hurries out of his car, not caring if it's illegal or not to park alongside the road.
He starts jogging, the thrumming from his heart loud in his ears and breaths coming up short against the cold. After combing through the second building, his nose stings and his ears feel like they are going to fall off, but he only picks up his pace, going into each one to do a quick search before moving on.
When he still can't find you after the fifth, he's starting to panic because at this rate, he's never going to find you in time.
Just when he's smothered in frustration, Kyungsoo suddenly notices a shiny thing lying on the floor.
It's a necklace.
Upon closer inspection, he realizes it looks all too familiar.
It's the half sphere golden necklace he returned to you.
Kyungsoo's head snaps up to see an abandoned warehouse in front of him.
Without further ado, he pushes the door, but it is locked.
Kyungsoo takes a step back and using his body weight, tries slamming the door open.
It still doesn't budge.
Feeling angsty, he looks around and finds a piece of metal plank on the floor.
He picks it up and after surveying the windows, raises the plank and smashes it through.
The windows cracked and he tries once again, this time using all his strength to swing.
Glass shatters and comes apart at his feet and Kyungsoo ditches the metal plank to climb in through the small opening.
The warehouse is huge, housing a few large water tanks.
Kyungsoo moves swiftly, eyes scanning the area thoroughly like he did before. There's a musty smell in the air and it's hauntingly quiet. He jogs again, frantically searching for you, but you're nowhere to be found.
Just when he's about to give up and move on to the next building, he suddenly hears a noise coming from one of the water tanks. His gaze flicks towards the source and he freezes.
"Gaeun ah!"
Scrambling forth, he rushes to climb onto one of the water tanks to reach the one you're trapped in.
You look lifeless, eyes closed and head lolling backwards as you float in the tank of pink.
Unclasping the lock, he takes the lid off and carefully lifts you out by hooking his arms over yours.
You are still unmoving when he lays you down on the floor, breathing shallow and face pale. The gnash in your shoulder and dirtied water staining and soaking his black sweater wet.
"Gaeun ah, please, talk to me..." He pleads.
In your semi-conscious state, you think you must be dead, because you actually hear Kyungsoo's voice ringing close to you.
This is all a dream, right?
"Gaeun ah..."
You are slipping, content to have at least the memory of his warmth etched in your mind.
However, the next second, you feel fingers pressing against your chest, fast and hard in a steady rhythmn.
Come on Gaeun, breathe!
Kyungsoo...?
Gaeun, please!
Your entire body is jerking, and it's uncomfortable, but after a while, you feel the need to retch, so you do.
Kyungsoo oppa...
Water spills out from your mouth together with dribbles of saliva and suddenly you are hearing more voices.
"Sir, may I know what happ-- "
"Please, please call the ambulance now, she needs help!"
The pumping doesn't cease, and when you next vomit, a hand eases you onto your side in recovery position and your head clears enough for you to open your eyes.
"K-Kyungsoo?"
There's the familiar doe eyes staring back at you, a little teary and more than a little concern. It's the look of love, you recognize.
You suck in a breath.
It feels real enough.
"Am I dreaming?" You utter, voice soft and slightly hoarse.
"No," He shakes his head, a smile of relief spreading across his face. You miss this look on him. "And we are going to the hospital to fix you up and you'll be fine in no time, I'll make sure of that."
It's your turn to smile.
You blink, taking in the surroundings. Uniformed men are scurrying about.
You're still alive.
Realizing he's holding on to your hand, you take in his warmth and breathes.
"I'm sorry..." You begin.
He shushes you.
"No, I'm sorry for being an idiot."
"Nonsense... " You let out a weak smile. "You're not an idiot. You can beatbox, cook... sing, bake... Even CPR. What else don't I know about you?"
Kyungsoo gazes at you, expression soft and earnest.
"I tore up the divorce papers, so..." He reaches out a hand to caress your cheek gently. "You're officially still my wife."
A little sob makes it way up your throat and it's not all because you're relieved.
You're happy, because you finally feel like you're home.
Epilogue