Dark Blue - 深蓝の魂 by 珊


Chapter 27



“So are you sure there are not more than just Hyesung and his men?” Eric asked directly towards the nervous Junjin again. Junjin only nodded in return as they escalated towards Eric’s black SUV. Tony and Jae Won followed quickly as all of them got into the car and drove off towards the direction of the warehouse.

Junjin knew he’d risk Mary’s life even more now that he brought the cops. He thought it would be the best to do, since he knew he was going to get killed by the end of the day if he didn’t have some force of protection.

Jae Won flipped open his laptop and began searching for background information of Hyesung. His eyes stopped abruptly when it came across the listed names of Hyesung’s company and trade partners.

“Hey Eric, do you remember anybody by the name of Hwang Yun Suk?” Jae Won asked, chewing on his piece of gum.

“No,” Eric replied, keeping his eyes on the freeway.

“How about Hwang Hwanhee?” Jae Won asked again.

“Hwang Hwanhee? Hwang...Hwang...Oh, check under armed robberies in the past six years,” Eric quickly replied. He felt somehow that Jae Won’s research was leading somewhere. It did exactly that when Jae Won smiled and turned his laptop around to show Eric a picture of Hwanhee, with slightly long blonde hair and dark shades.

“Is this the man?” Jae Won crackled.

“That son of a bitch,” Eric muttered, not believing that he had been lied to.

“Is he a part of this too?” Tony directed his question towards Junjin, snapping him back into reality.

“I don’t know. I’ve seen that guy once at this one club, but that was it. He was fighting with Andy Lee.”

“Awah man, all the big ones are in this,” Eric chuckled miserably to himself.

“Is there something else you wanna tell us?” Tony asked Junjin, looking him squarely in the eye. Junjin knew it was either now or never. He might as well tell it now incase he gets killed later on. He swallowed the lump forming in the back of this throat and shifted a little in his seat across from Eric.

“I...I worked for Lee Mike,” Junjin started.

“We all know that,” Eric rolled his eyes impatiently.

Junjin ignored Eric and continued. “Well...Mike’s grandfather was the CEO of the banking securities that were handled in Seoul. His grandfather mysteriously died, but Mike believed he was murdered. There is a bank number code, and only Mike knows it. He gave me a copy of it, and that’s all I know. Andy Lee was one of Mike’s grandfather’s biggest rivals, so now he’s after me in order to get the number. Once whoever gets this number, they can unlock all security codes and transfer millions of dollars to their accounts and get away with it clean. It’s dirty, but clean in a way, because no files or records will ever trace back to the start of it all. That’s why everyone wants this number so badly.”

“So it’s all about the money huh?” Eric unwrapped a piece of chocolate bar and started chewing on it.

“What’s Hyesung in for? The same thing?” Tony asked.

“Hyesung is also after me for the same reason. I was the only one who was told where the number was, since Mike trusted me as his right-hand man. Hyesung kidnaped my girlfriend and threatened to kill her if I don’t bring him the number,” Junjin explained. He took a deep breath once he finished and looked at Eric for a response.

Eric swallowed the rest of his candy bar. “I saw that Hwanhee guy a few times with Mike’s widow. What’s her name? Oh yeah, Ji Yun. You think she has something to do with this?” Eric looked at Junjin.

“I don’t know,” Junjin replied as he turned his head back to the road.

“I think so. Mike’s death wasn’t an accident. His car brake line was cut. I think she planned to murder him in the first place with that Hwanhee guy. Great! This is just great. Now we have a witness, with evidence. I can finally put this Hyesung guy where he belongs, as well as Hwanhee and Ji Yun for the murder of Lee Mike. Damn, why didn’t you come to us earlier?” Eric looked at Junjin in a disappointed way. Junjin looked out the window quickly to avoid his gaze.

“What if I get killed today?” Junjin asked.

“Believe me, that Hyesung guy can’t do more than hurt a fly. Normally I wouldn’t take a witness to a crime scene like this, but you’ve waited long enough to the point when you are needed to be involved Mr. Park,” Eric laughed.
............

Ji Yun flipped open her cell phone and listened intensely if it was Hwanhee calling her. Her eyes were filled with worry and panic, as if somebody knew what they were doing.

“Hwanhee?”

“I got the girls. Ji Yun, come out to the old warehouse on 42nd street in a few minutes okay? I’ll see you there, sweetheart,” Hwanhee said before quickly hanging up.

Ji Yun stashed her phone into her purse and walked upstairs. The only noise in the house was the clock ticking as her footsteps clicked with the sound of her high heels. She reached her bedroom and took off her heels. Digging through her drawer in the dark, she pulled out a pair of black stockings.

Ji Yun started to put on her stockings when she thought she’d felt somebody walking around her. She quickly slipped on the other one and sat on her bed to strap on her black heels. The sound of a coin flip turned her attention towards the far distant wall, halfway covered by the dark.

“Who’s there?” Ji Yun’s voice echoed through the room and back to her. She stopped moving and stared at the dark figure in the shadow, his legs crossed over one the other as he leaned on the wall with his arms crossed.

“Hello?...” Ji Yun swallowed hard and began to feel paranoid. She closed her eyes and shook away the disturbing thought. It was nobody. Nobody at all. She was alone in that house. It was a little past dusk, and she was just probably paranoid because of all that was happening.

She opened her eyes and still the figure didn’t move. He lifted a hand and began to play with the silver coin that the small moonlight craving into the room reflected off. The light reflected off the coin and hit his face quickly. Her eyes widened with shock as she stood there frozen.

“Ji Yun...Ji Yun...” a familiar voice called to her. The voice was barely audible, but she could make out what he was saying, and she could make out who he was. Fear struck her down to her bones.

Mike’s eyes lifted to her as he smirked. The expression on his face was never clearer to her, that he was angry. He smiled, then took a step forward, coming more into view of the moonlight shining through the dim room.

“I loved you Ji Yun. I loved you more than my life. Why did you lie to me? Why did you pretend that you love me when all you really wanted was my money?” Mike asked, his voice smooth and alive. It was if she was staring at a real human. No. This was just her imagination. All her imagination.

She closed her eyes and quickly opened them again. He was still there. He flipped the coin one more time and caught it.

“M...Mike?...” Ji Yun could barely breathe.

“I’m glad you still remember my name, Mrs. Lee.”

Her eyes began to fill quickly with tears, but they didn’t drop. Her lips trembled as she felt her body beginning to weaken. She swallowed again and clenched her jaws. Could he be alive? Or was it just her mind playing tricks on her?

“Wh...who– what are you?” Ji Yun quickly asked, still in her stiff position.

“I’m the man that you married, remember? Your husband? Lee Mike?” Mike smiled. His smile was warm and full of life as he walked closer to her again. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand as he was only a few inches away from her face. Her mouth went dry and her body limped as she repeated in her mind that it was only her imagination. Mike is dead. The person standing in front of her was just an illusion.

“Mike...Mike....you’re....you’re alive?” Ji Yun gasped out with terrified eyes. He shook his head and lifted his finger to her chin. A tear drop escaped the corner of her eyes, but it wasn’t because she was happy to see him. She was terrified out of her skin to the point where she could barely move or make out her words. He touched her cheek, and wiped away the tear falling down her cheek. His touch was warm, his skin was still the same as if he was alive, and his scent was still there. She closed her eyes and quickly opened them again, blinking at him. Her hand touched his, on her cheek.

“Mike....I missed you so much...” Ji Yun hoarsely whispered out. Mike’s warm expression suddenly turned cold as he pulled his hand back and glared at her with a death glare.

“You are such a good liar, Ji Yun. You got me to believe that you were the person who I was going to spend my life with. I can’t believe what a fool I was,” Mike spat out harshly. Her tears choked her as she tried to talk.

“Mike....I...I...Hwanhee made me.” Ji Yun’s voice was as fake as her nails to Mike. He gave her a disgusted look as he moved back to seize up on her.

“Oh, he sure did. I’m sure he made you do a lot of other things.” His cold angry look suddenly stopped as his face went blank. She held her breath as she looked at him face to face. He bent lower till he was barely an inch across from her trembling lips.

“Don’t worry Ji Yun. There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re going to be together forever, remember? I’m here to take you with me.” With his last statement, Ji Yun’s face went white. She knew then that he certainly had died, nor was his image an illusion.

“Take me where?” Ji Yun’s voice trembled the way she was trembling.

Mike paused for a moment. “To the Hell.”

Dark Blue - 深蓝の魂 by 珊


Chapter 26





Junjin walked into his home and tossed his keys onto the bare counter when his phone rang. He walked over to it and picked it up.

“Hello? This is Junjin.”

“Jin!” a female’s voice screamed out. Her voice was muffled by somebody’s hand when a laughter filled into the other line. He recognized the voice as Mary’s.

“Junjin...” Hyesung’s cool smooth voice took over.

“Hyesung? What are you doing?”

“I have your pretty little girlfriend here. It turns out that she betrayed me, so I’m going to kill her if you don’t bring me the number and the security code in the next hour,” Hyesung explained.

“What? Mary?”

“I’ll meet you at the old warehouse, down on 42th street.”

Hyesung had hung up on him. Junjin looked at the phone and muttered a curse before hanging up the phone.

Hyesung walked over to a bounded and gagged Mary. Her lips were tightly clasped as she stood there nervously, afraid that he may kill her. Hyesung swiped his dark sunglasses with a clean white rag, then looked up at her terrified face. His men held her still.

“My, my, my,....you are so beautiful Sianna, why did you betray me?” Hyesung asked sweetly as he leaned in to kiss her. She squeezed her eyes and waited for him to finish his kiss. Hyesung pulled back and looked at her tensely.

“My name is Mary...” she muttered back boldly.

“You’re Sianna, and you will always be Sianna...the whore that I picked up on the streets when she needed a home!” Hyesung said in a harsh tone as his angry eyes bore into hers.

“I was stolen from my family...” she replied back, her tone nearly matching his. His expression hardened as he knew what she said was true. He slapped her.

“Tie her up,” Hyesung announced to his men as he walked away.

“Tie these too,” Hwanhee’s voice poured through the room as he tossed Li Ann onto the ground, followed by Dahye.

Li Ann and Dahye looked around them. There seemed to be no escape. Hyesung’s eyes picked up on them as Hwanhee walked up beside him.

“They know about the number too,” Hwanhee told Hyesung. Hyesung nodded and gestured for his men to pick up Dahye and Li Ann by the elbows. They quickly tied and bounded their hands behind their backs, then tossed them aside where Mary was.

“Please let us go! We don’t know what you want,” Li Ann pleaded. Hwanhee walked over to her and smiled.

“Yes you do. You know Andy, and Andy knows the number,” Hwanhee said with a sly grin on his face.

“What? Andy?” Li Ann asked confused. Hwanhee walked away and sat down on the desk nearby. Hyesung took out a smoke and began to inhale it.

“Let us go，you f***ing bastards! When my friends find out where I am, they’re going to shove a large stick up your asses and send you to hell! F***ing assholes!” Dahye cursed out while she struggled to free herself of the ropes around her body. Hwanhee and Hyesung merely paid any attention to her.

“When will Junjin be here?” Hwanhee asked after checking his watch.

“Soon...” Hyesung breathed out the smoke as he looked out the window.
..........

Brian stared into the large rectangular glass that blocked him away from Alena. She was standing there, over somebody while she tried to operate. He was just staring at her, reminiscing the times when they had spent together, when he was alive. When he could hold her in his arms and say he loves her.

She finished and wrapped up the operation. Taking off her gloves, he could see a gold ring glitter off her finger. She washed her hand and smiled at the nurses before walking out.

“Is my husband okay?” a lady in her mid thirties asked desperately as Alena walked out.

“Yes. His liver is functioning well now. You can go see him after they put him in his room,” Alena smiled back as she patted the lady’s shoulder. Alena checked her wrists for the time when she walked past Brian. He looked at her like he hadn’t seen her in a million years.

“Hey honey,” greeted a nicely built young man as he kissed her cheek.

“Hey, how was your day?” Alena asked back as she smiled back at him. Brian walked in closer to see them. He could tell the man was wearing the same gold ring too. He felt his heart ache.

“It was good. Ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes. I just finished operating a patient with a liver problem today,” Alena replied as she signed off at the register desk.

“How is he doing then?” her husband asked. Brian could tell he was a cop. He wore his gun around his waist, and his badge was in front of his belt. He wasn’t just a cop, but rather somebody important, like a detective.

“Wonderful,” Alena smiled back as they walked towards the elevator. Brian stood where he was, a bit shocked and in love at the same time. He smiled to himself. So she had moved on. It was about time when he should too, he told himself.

The sound of a cell phone ringing interrupted Brian’s thoughts as he turned around and saw that it came from Alena’s husband’s cell phone.

“Hello? This is Tae Hyung,” he said.

“Who is it, honey?” Alena asked.

Tae Hyung didn’t answer. He kept on nodding and talking for another minute before hanging up. They were both waiting for the elevator. Tae Hyung hung up and looked at Alena.

“That was Eric. He said they know where Hyesung is. I have to go,” Tae Hyung said as he kissed her cheek.

“Okay. Be careful.” Worry filled Alena’s bright eyes as she saw her husband run off in the other direction where it was easier to exit out of the hospital. Alena watch Tae Hyung disappeared around the hall and sighed.

Brian’s mind clicked. Alena’s husband was after Hyesung too. He was on Eric’s team. That meant he was going to where Li Ann was. And Mike was going there also.

He thought of Li Ann. He felt sorry for her. He knew if he didn’t abide Mike into this whole thing, perhaps Alena’s husband would be the next one he’d pick up. He didn’t want that. The only thing he wanted was happiness for the person he loved.

He had to find Mike now. He needed to help Mike in order to help Tae Hyung. He knew he was crossing his limits, but in the back of his mind, he knew somebody was going to end up dead, and he couldn’t allow Tae Hyung to be that one.

Dark Blue - 深蓝の魂 by 珊


Chapter 25




Junjin cut around the corner and pulled to a stop in front of Mary’s house. She stared at her knees and tapped her fingers lightly on the window, not realizing that they had reached her house.

“Mary,” Junjin said to wake her back into reality.

“Hmm?” She turned her head around to face him. He cocked his head forward to her house. She looked surprised for a second, then smiled and thanked him for the ride home.

“See you later,” Junjin said as he leaned in to plant a kiss on her cheek.

“Okay,” Mary replied as she opened the door and stepped out. Junjin smiled and waved after her. She turned around when she approached her door and waved back at him. Junjin started his car again and continued down the street, passing a dark little car that sat still in the nearby alleyway.

Hyesung’s eyes seized up on Junjin as he squeezed his mouth in side to side motion, thinking of the easiest and painful way to hurt him. He smiled to himself at what a sly man Junjin is, almost admiring his guts. He tapped the driver’s seat, telling him to start the car. The driver did a curvature of the lonely street and proceeded onwards.
.........

“What are we doing here? Why did you bring me here? Take me back. I have to find Li Ann!” Mike commanded Brian. Brian just smiled and walked around the sepulcher that laid in front of Mike. Mike glared down at the tombstone and paused for breathe.

“Li Ann’s long gone,” Brian replied cooly.

“What? What do you mean?” Mike’s eyes looked at him questioningly. Brian fumbled with his sleeve as he straightened out his suit.

“Hwanhee has her,” Brian answered. Mike’s face turned from angry to stone cold as he heard the name of his most hated enemy. Was Brian lying or not?

Mike walked up to Brian’s face and breathed in on him. Brian’s cyan eyes glared back at him with no emotions. Mike’s hands grabbed his collar and shook him.

“Take me to her,” Mike demanded angrily, feeling all his patience being drained from him by Brian’s cockiness.

“No,” Brian shoved Mike back to get out of his grasp. His face suddenly turned from a cool pale color to a light dapple look. Mike stepped back, shocked that Brian looked like he was going to turn into the Devil himself.

“It won’t do you any good,” Brian said finally after calming down. Mike seemed so determined and dauntless that he had to use his bitter attitude towards him when his deadline came and he knew Mike didn’t want to go yet. He decided to dawdle around until Mike would eventually forget about Li Ann, but from the looks of it, Mike wasn’t anywhere near forgetting about her.

“Fine. I’ll go alone.” Mike turned his back on Brian and started to walk out of the cemetery.

“I brought you here for a reason. It’s an important one too,” Brian called after him. Mike stopped and breathed in the fresh air around him. The dead air.

Mike glanced around again to see Brian still standing where he was, both hands in his pockets. His black suit with red tie seemed to fade now as the background grew into a daub like scenery.

“And what’s that?” Mike asked with a swallow.

“It’s time. Judgement day awaits you,” Brian smiled frankly.

“What?” Mike squinted his eyes to gaze up on Brian.

Brian quickly pulled out is hand to check his Rolex. “We have...exactly three hours before your time is up. Then you will follow me to the East Gate.”

“Wait...my time is up?” Mike asked, still a bit confused.

“Yes. Every soul, or ghost, has a timing here on earth. Yours has just ended.” Brian looked ultimately happy to be announcing him this news, for he stood proudly next to Mike’s grave.

“No,” Mike slightly shook his head. Brian’s smiled died. “I’m not leaving until Li Ann’s safe, along with my niece.”

“What?” Brian let out a slight laugh. “You can’t do that. You aren’t able to help her anyway, Mike. Remember who...or what you are.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that.” Mike turned around again and walked away.

“And why not?!” Brian shouted after him. He paused once more.

“Because I love her,” Mike answered back coldly.

Brian started laughing. “Love? You’re crazy, Mike. You’re in love, with somebody who can’t love you. Don’t you get it by now? You’re a ghost! You can’t love her. She and you...your roads were never meant to be crossed.”

“What would you know about love? Obviously nothing,” Mike replied bitterly before passing the dark gates of the empty cemetery and started downhill.

Brian sighed a moment later. “I’m sorry, Mike. You won’t be able to help her.” He had actually grown to tolerate Mike since the past few weeks that he had to work with Mike, and with the situation he was in, Brian couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Brian couldn’t remember the last time he was in love. He could only remember the smell of the hospital as they rushed him to the emergency room for urgent care.

He stopped to look at Mike’s grave. Brian, having nothing to do, walked around senselessly until he approached a tombstone he hadn’t seen in ages. The sunlight crawled halfway upon it, revealing the neatly written descriptions of the person that laid in ground beneath it. He bent down and squatted as he tried to read the name carved onto it. He brushed back the ferns and vines crawling all over the tombstone to read out the description.

“In Loving Memory of Brian Joo” the carved letters made out. Brian swallowed a hard lump in the back of his throat as everything around him grew dead silent. He could remember. He just didn’t want to. He remembered clearly, everything that happened that day at the hospital.

“I need a check on his condition!”

“Somebody get the doctor!”

“He’s had a hard head injury. This is really bad. I mean look at the guy!”

“Brian! Brian, can you hear me?!” Alena’s voice echoed through his ears. Brian’s eyes could barely make out who she was. Blood was everywhere, covering his eyelashes, clogging his nose and mouth, leaking out from his head.

“What happened to him?” the doctor asked as he slipped on a pair of gloves.

“I don’t know...he...he pushed me out of the way and then was suddenly on the floor. You have to help him,” Alena pleaded desperately.

The doctor bent over Brian’s head to examine the injury. His eyes fell silently on the spot where he was hit. Brian was struggling for air as the nurses everywhere moved rapidly to clean him up. He looked over slowly to where Alena stood, her knuckles as white as chalk.

“He was hit by a speeding vehicle. His head is deeply injured and he lost a lot of blood...I’m afraid I can’t do this kind of operation,” the doctor told Alena silently in the corner. Her eyes grew full of shock when she heard this.

“What do you mean? You can’t save him? You’re...you’re just going to let him die?” Alena couldn’t believe her ears.

“I’m sorry dear. I can’t do anything about it. If I try, it will hurt him, and the chances of him surviving are getting lesser by the minute. All we can do is wait...”

“And let him die?!” Alena raised her voice.

“Alena...” Brian’s ghastly voice whispered out.

“Brian? Yes, I’m still here,” Alena said as she walked over and gripped his bloody fingers. She tried her best to contain herself and not fall to pieces in front of him.

“Alena...” he called out again. Her name was all what he could make out with the strength he had. His eyes, brimming with fearful tears told her he knew what was going to happen. He was dying slowly as the clock continued to tick.

“No, Brian. I’m not going to let you go...I love you.” Tears started streaming down her cheeks. Brian tried his best to smile for her. To tell her that he would be okay. That everything would be okay. She smiled back and whipped around to the doctor standing behind her.

“I’ll do it. I’ll operate him,” Alena announced to him. The doctor’s face fell as he examined her.

“What?”

“I said I’ll operate him. I am also a doctor...in training,” Alena managed to spat out. She had done operations before, but never one this serious. It was between life and death for him, and she had no choice but to risk it.

“I’m...”

“He doesn’t have a lot of time for you to think!” Alena shouted. The tears stained on her face told him she was serious. Wasting no time, the doctor agreed and called for a operating room to be prepared.

Within the next few minutes, Brian was placed into the room, left in pain as Alena stood over his shoulder and examined the injury on his head. He looked up at her as he could feel his strength weakening. She could barely stand to look at him like this. She took a deep breath and repeated in her mind that he would make it.

“I love you Brian,” Alena whispered out. He gave her one last weak smile before closing his eyes. The drug they had injected him with was taking over, putting him into a deep sleep.

Alena started to pry his head open with the sharp tools they had on the platter. More clogged blood started spilling out, all over her gloved hands. His heart monitor beeped.

“Heart rate dropping,” called out the nurse.

“Okay, this has to be quick,” Alena told herself as she searched for the open cut to close it.

“45, 44, 43, 42...” the nurse called out again.

“Brian...come on,” Alena said to him as she choked back her tears. She grabbed the pair of clippers and a clean cotton ball to clean the head area, trying her best to remove the clogged substance in his head.

“35, 32, 30, it’s jumping by two’s now,” the nurse called out again.

“Brian! Cooperate!” Alena shouted frustrated. Suddenly everything went deaf-mute. All was silent around as her eyes disobeyed her and looked over to the heart monitory. 15, 11, 9, 5, 4, 0...

“Brian...” Alena whispered as a tear drop escaped her eyes, followed by another, then by another. She looked down at Brian’s delicate face. He was gone.

Brian’s eyes were clouded with fresh tears. He coughed and stood up, feeling a bit light headed. He looked around and scolded himself for bringing back long forgotten memories.