Dark Blue - 深蓝の魂 by 珊


Chapter 28


Ji Yun stumbled backwards, trying to get away from Mike. She ran out the door as quickly as she could and sprinted down the stairs, forgetting to grab her purse as she slammed the door shut. Running to her car, she took her keys out of the pocket and jammed it into the door lock, but of course, it wasn't locked.

Muttering a curse, she opened the door and sunk into the seat. As soon as her eyes lifted up to start the car, there he was, standing in front of her car. Ji Yun's fingers gripped the wheel. Within a moment of staring into his icy eyes, the car screeched out of the driveway.

“Nice work,” Brian complimented as he leaned cooly on the garage door. Mike turned around and looked at him in a sarcastic way.

“That bitch...” Mike mumbled to himself.

“Yeah, Mike. I’d like to stay here and help you scare people, but you do have some people to save, and you only have two hours.” Brian glanced at his watch and smirked.

“Do you know where Ji Yun’s going?” Mike asked, still feeling the anger fuming in his mind. Brian stood up straight and walked on ahead of him.

"I don't get it. An hour ago you were in such a hurry to do your own thing, but now you're helping me. Why?" Curiosity filled Mike's mind as he walked along side Brian. Mike kept glancing back to his house, then back to the road, wondering why they were walking so slowly if they only had two hours left. Brian didn't look at Mike. He kept his eyes steady on the road and walked with the same pace.

“Well, just because I’m wearing black and red all the time doesn’t necessarily mean I’m all evil,” Brian replied with sarcasm dripping from his lips.

“Why are we walking so slowly? Can’t you do that...magic thing you always do so we could just get there already?” Mike implied with impatience. Brian stopped and looked over to him, his eyebrows raised in amusement.

“Like this?” Brian turned back to the road, and so did Mike. They were in front of the old warehouse with a few black cars parked out front. Mike's mouth dropped in shock, but he quickly closed his mouth and just tried to look surprised.
.............

Eric picked up his cell phone and dialed the Seoul Police Headquarters quickly. He spoke sharply into it, ordering them to send backup and sharpshooters if necessary. Junjin sat in his seat a bit dumbfounded and stunned that he was involved. The chance of him getting killed was high, since he was the man to go negotiate with Hyesung.

Half a block before reaching the warehouse, Eric brought the car to a halt and looked over to Tony and Jae Won.

“You boys stay behind me and have fun, alright?” Eric asked with a confident look on his face. Tony and Jae Won merely nodded as they snapped their guns into place.

"Hey, what about me?" Junjin asked, looking really lost. Eric stared at him curiously.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the hero and save the girl?” Eric laughed as he stepped out of the car. Junjin rolled his eyes and followed.

"Hold up - so what am I supposed to do?" Junjin's question caused Eric to pause and think for a second. He chewed deliberately on his gum, thinking deeply of his plans.

"Go in there like you usually would. Negotiate with him until we come in. Got that?"

Junjin looked from Tony to Jae Won, who were minding their own business and focusing on the target. He nodded back to Eric and straightened out his suit. Junjin took a deep breath, then proceeded onwards towards the warehouse.

A black car pulled up and parked behind Eric’s SUV. Eric looked over and waved for Tae Hyung to come over to where they were standing. The large brick building blocked the four officers out of view, as Junjin walked into the warehouse, more than ever, feeling a desperate need to jump up and run away.

“What are we doing here?” Tae Hyung asked Eric outside as they stood there waiting for something to happen. Eric shook his shoulders and suddenly felt frolicsome. The exciting part was just about to happen.

“We are waiting for back up.” Tae Hyung’s expression changed as he looked at Eric in a funny way. He glanced over to Tony and Jae Won questioningly, but they only shrugged. Eric usually didn’t need backup. Tae Hyung guessed Eric just hated explaining things; he always did. That answer wouldn’t be the reason why Eric kept his position. He glanced at his watch. At the same time, Eric looked at his watch too.

“Damn it. By now somebody should be shot already,” Eric muttered as he pulled out his gun.

Jae Won chuckled. “You’re expecting Junjin to get shot?”

Eric gave him a look that read "yes". Suddenly, a Silver BMW pulled into the warehouse parking lot. Eric's eyes were focused on it like a hawk. He had a sneaking suspicion of whom would it be.

Andy stepped out, followed by four of his men, all dressed in neat suits, wearing dark shades. They strolled into the warehouse, a few of them looking around for any signs of cops.

Junjin turned the corner and came to face his biggest fear. He glanced around and felt very nervous but tried to look as confident as possible. Mary was tied to a pole, along with two other females he did not know. Hyesung stood in the middle with his arms crossed, and Hwanhee sat down on a desktop next to a silver laptop.

“How nice of you to show up, Mr. Park. Right on time,” Hyesung announced with a devilish grin. Junjin stood his ground as he scanned the entire room. There were about 10 men lined up against the opposite wall, their arms held tightly behind their backs and their gaze straight toward him, as if they were angry soldiers. Mary looked back at him, debating in her mind what he was thinking. He wasn’t even looking at her.

Hwanhee almost cavorted from his seat as he paced slowly towards Hyesung. Junjin remembered him from the night club. It was like a stare-down contest when all eyes were locked on Junjin alone. He glanced at Mary suddenly didn't feel as nervous as before. He tried to tell her that things were going to be okay by giving her a slight smile, but she only looked at him with confusion as her fingers continued to fidget with the rope tying her hands back.

Hyesung walked over to the desk and turned the silver laptop around. On the screen showed the entering page to the Seoul National Bank systems, with a box for a code and password

“Give me the number,” Hyesung demanded.

Junjin cleared his throat. “Not until you let the girls go first.”

Hyesung’s face went from hazy to dark as he looked over to Hwanhee. “Let Mary go.”

Somebody’s footsteps clicked, walking into the large room of the warehouse. All heads turned towards Andy, and his men. Andy grinned as he examined the situation.

“Well, well, look what we have here. Good job Hyesung. You were so close to getting through, but now that I’m here, I’ll take over,” Andy said loud enough for everyone to hear. He walked farther into the room. He glanced over to where Li Ann was, tied to the pole securely. She only stared back at him blankly.

Hyesung shook his head and managed a laugh. “Nice to see you here, Andy. I thought you would have died by now.”

“I don’t take life too seriously, but I don’t think I’ll be the next one to die. It seems like you and Mr. Hwang will be having a hard time cooperating with each other. Did you know that Mr. Hwang planned to kill you after you guys break the code?”

Hyesung looked over to Hwanhee. The hard look on Hwanhee’s face was still the same. Obviously Andy was telling the truth, but Hwanhee didn’t show any emotions. Now a lost Hyesung wondered to himself if what Andy said would be true, or if he was just trying to confuse them.

“So state your business, Andy?” Hyesung asked.

“The same as yours,” Andy smiled. He pulled out a 22 caliber and pointed it towards Junjin’s head. “What’s the number?”

Junjin sighed. He was surrounded by three of the nastiest crooks, a whole bunch of people who would be more than happy to kill him, a gun pointed to his head, and all for that number. He looked at Hyesung, then at Andy, wondering what was going to happen next. Obviously half of him was sensing that he would feel the bullet penetrate through his brain at any minute.

“You think I’m going to tell you the number if you when you have the gun pointed to my head?” Junjin asked, suddenly feeling a bit more confident. Andy raised an eyebrow at him, astonished.

“You’re right...” Andy suddenly pointed the gun to Junjin’s arm and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed through the room and out. Eric pulled his finger over his ear, then threw it forward. The four of them quickly closed in on the building.

“Ah! Shit!” Junjin screamed out as he grabbed his arm in agonizing pain. Andy’s smile disappeared as he walked in closer to Junjin.

“Do you want me to finish off the job?” Andy pointed the gun at his face. Junjin’s face was twisted with pain as he tried to struggle for air. He could barely stand up straight as blood dripped from his fingertips. He waited for something to happen. Where the hell was Eric?

Hyesung and Hwanhee just seemed to stand and stare as Andy’s patience slowly disappeared. He pulled the gun into motion, ready to shoot.

Li Ann glanced from Hwanhee to Hyesung, to Andy. Nobody was going to do anything. The poor man was just going to die. She bit her bottom lip as worry and panic filled her eyes.

“I’m counting to three. One, two–...”

“Andy! Wait!” Li Ann called out. Andy’s head turned towards where her voice came from. He showed a surprised expression on his face.

Li Ann took a deep breath. “I know the number.”

“What are you doing?” Dahye whispered. She wretched her hands around the ragged ropes. They seemed to loosen already, since she’d been doing that for the past twenty minutes.

Andy paced over to Li Ann and smiled. “You do?”

“Yes,” Li Ann replied with a nervous swallow.

“What is it?” Andy leaned in near her and placed his arm over her head. His face was nearly an inch from hers as he looked from her eyes to her lips. Li Ann lowered her gaze and tried to recite the numbers.

Hyesung cocked his head over to see if Li Ann was actually going to say something. He motioned for Hwanhee to walk to the laptop while Andy was occupied. Hwanhee reached the desktop and turned the laptop to face him.

“I...I...” Li Ann stuttered.

“What is it? Don’t you lie to me Li Ann...” Andy warned.

“You have to let these people go first.” Li Ann seemed to be doing exactly what Junjin was. Andy sucked in a deep breath and raised his gun to her neck. The tip of his gun felt cool as it was placed near her collar bone. A chill ran down her spine as she looked into Andy’s determined eyes.

“I don’t think so.” Andy shook his head slightly. His fingers wrapped around the trigger tightly, ready to pull.