Apollo’s Heart

Chapter 107

Exiting the building in a state of distraught, Yuri didn’t notice that she went straight to the driveway in the middle of the traffic. One of the cars pulled to a sudden halt, the wheels screeching loudly at the pavement as the driver honked ceaselessly. The shrill, sharp sound rendered her immobile, making her sink down on her spot. The roaring sound boomed incessantly around her.

“Are you crazy?! What are you doing!” The driver shouted at her still form, honking his horns all the while.

People inside their cars started to scream at her, some even swearing in her direction as they beeped continuously, signaling Yuri to move out of their way. However, she stood rooted to her spot, covering her ears from the onslaught of noises.

“Get out of the way, you crazy bitch!” The man screamed. Seeing her unmoving form aggravated the man even further, he go out of his car and angrily approached the crouched woman.

Yuri shrieked, seeing the man closing in on her with his hands outstretched. The man was about to pull her out of the traffic when someone blocked him from getting close.

“Yuri Han!” A trembling voice called for her as she was hugged tightly to a warm chest. The man took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her slowly from the ground.

The warmth and scent of the hug were too familiar. As if seeing for the first time, Yuri blinked her hazy eyes slowly … the image of the man in front of her formed gradually as she took in his face. Her hand reached out to cup the man’s face, trying to ascertain if the sight before her was real and not a figment of her imagination.

“Tae-jun Seo.”

She now knew why she couldn’t let go of him despite losing so many memories. She was waiting for him all this time, and now he was standing in front of her. The hand cupping Tae-jun’s cheek suddenly dropped, eyes fluttering close as her body grew limp in his arms.

It seemed like the man named Tae-jun Seo was more than what meets the eye. He possessed a far greater position and ability than what Roy initially thought. He was going in and out of this large hospital as if it was his own home, swinging the doors open without a care in the world, with no one batting an eyelash.

Even the attending doctors stood unbothered at Tae-jun’s looming presence inside the hospital. No one dared to stop or reprimand him. The car he drove, the clothes he wore, and even his fluency in English—all of it proved that he was anything but a commoner.

Roy glanced at Tae-jun. He was wiping the grime and blood off Yuri’s bare feet, cleaning it meticulously. He looked immensely sincere as he carefully tended to the wounded girl. At first, he thought that Tae-jun was someone who wouldn’t lift a finger over small matters—turned out he was wrong.

Just a few moments ago, Tae-jun showed agility no one else seemed to have. He was much faster and quicker than anyone else. The moment he realized that Yuri was completely out of the guards’ reach, he quickly dove down the emergency stairs, not bothering to even use the elevator.

The way he’s able to know where she was headed to was a good perception in itself. He went straight to the driveway, not paying attention to the traffic around them, and grabbed hold of the panicked Yuri in his arms. He called in staff to tend to the commotion that was brought by her recklessness, and with that, Roy came to realize that Tae-jun was adept in ordering people around and dealing with troubles.

Yuri lost her consciousness the moment he had her in his arms. The medical examinations were done promptly as ordered by the practitioners. Roy wasn’t at all pleased at seeing Yuri who had grown so much thinner than before he left for Japan. Was sending her to Korea a mistake? But he knew that he couldn’t keep relying on high-risk drugs.

Roy inched his face nearer to Yuri’s form to study her more clearly. He saw red marks on her collarbones. The love bruises were still fresh, not even a week old.

“These things on her body, was it your doing?” Roy asked.

“What’s your problem?” Tae-jun asked as he raised his head, his demeanor reeking confidence.

“If there was consent, then it wouldn’t be a problem. But no matter how hard I try to look at it, it seems like you put your hands on Yuri while she’s sleeping.”

Instead of answering, Tae-jun just shrugged. He barely acknowledged Roy’s accusation as if taunting him on purpose. Roy didn’t know what to make of the fellow’s nonchalance, wondering to himself if he was really like that, or only to him.

Tae-jun eyed Roy curiously. How could this man, who can’t seem to hide his emotions from Yuri, neglect her for four years? What is he going to do now? As the thoughts stewed inside his head, Tae-jun observed the man keenly, looking at him as he reached out to sweep Yuri’s hair out of her face.

“Did you know that the medicine Yuri takes is Kratom?” Tae-jun asked.

Still staring at Yuri’s unmoving form, Roy’s eyes widened at the sudden question, throwing him off as he pulled his hand back. He turned his head towards Tae-jun, who was already staring at him fixedly.

“How did you know about—“

“So you did know.” Tae-jun cut him off, straightening his back as he propped his elbows onto his knees, his gaze unwavering. “You knew she was taking those drugs, and you still neglected her?”

“Although it was classified as a drug, it is a drug that has excellent pain-killing properties. It is also used to combat withdrawal symptoms. What she is taking is a reagent that is being tested for approval by the FDA. Without it, she couldn’t stand it … Like now.” Roy explained.

“What the hell happened to Yuri in America?” Tae-jun asked abruptly, not bothering to hide his censure towards the latter.

Roy reciprocated Tae-jun’s stare with equal ferocity. He scoffed slightly as he threw the question back. “That’s strange. I came here to find out about that too. What happened to Yuri? She seemed fine when I spoke with her on the phone a few days ago.”

“What did she say?” Tae-jun prodded.

Roy folded his arms and looked sideways as if in deep thought. “She told me that she regained some of her memories, and was going to meet someone with a ‘key’. I think that she may have found some clues.”

“Clues? What are you talking about?”

“’Murder’ she said.” Roy replied flatly.

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