Apollo’s Heart

Chapter 127 – Abducted (2)

He tugged her hand trying to get her going. Seeing her stumble, he crouched and gently carried her on his back. Sensing the movement, Si-yeon reflexively wound her arms around his neck.

As he walked out of the bar, he could hear her incessant sniffles by his ear. Bringing her to his car, he carefully sat her in the passenger seat. And then he started considering.

Should I take her to her house? Or call Secretary Kim?

He didn’t want to start a second round of battle between mother and daughter. Amid his deliberation,  Si-yeon spoke up with a red nose.

“Oh … since we broke off our engagement, do I have to return the Delacroix painting to your mother?”

“You can think of things like that in such a situation?”

“I thought things over, and it would be too much to lose the painting when he’s at fault.”

“You must have ripped a fortune out of Tae-jun, just buy a Delacroix collection with that money.”

“That’s that, and the painting is another matter.”

Jae-won gave up but was relieved seeing Si-yeon being her usual self. He smiled as he secured her seatbelt.

When a moment can change things, what’s more, a night. The pair of best friends was utterly clueless about what tonight had prepared for them.

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Tae-jun was intently staring at the CCTV screen, his expression terrifying. On the screen, someone put a hand over Yuri’s mouth as she tried to look over the cat. He was a tall and burly man, must have used a chemical, as the girl went limp in seconds. Another man moved the unconscious into a car. Surprisingly, they were foreigners.

“Is this all the footage?” Tae-jun demanded.

“The ones at the entrance and outside were destroyed. They seem like professionals, and were certainly privy to the security situation of the house if they managed to enter and exit quietly.” Jin-wook filled in.

“And they left the country right away?”

“After running the plates, we found the car at the airport but it’s a dead-end. We confirmed from the airport CCTV at the customs, they seemed to be Russians and left right after the incident. They were heading to Vladivostok, and from these points, they seem to have targeted Ms. Yuri Han when she was alone.”

“If Yuri Han was not in the car, they were only carriers. Has In-bae Lee made a move?”

“He would have no need to use such suspicious foreigners since he has many loyal underlings … I suspect Hye-seong Jin.”

“Hye-seong Jin?”

“This is the picture from the shredding machine you wanted restored, he’s been in that house before.”

The picture Jin-wook handed him was of two young girls in the Jinseong Art High School’s uniform. Tae-jun had seen this uniform when he had gone to Jinseong City with Yuri. They were looking at the camera wearing graduation hats, and …

Red letters were written across Yuri’s face.

“Hye-seong Jin, that bastard.” Tae-jun cursed. It was clear who the sender was as he would be the only one to have a picture of a graduation ceremony in which Hye-yeon Jin and Yuri Han stood together. “You said Hye-seong Jin has dealings with Russians in Incheon.”

“Yes, there seems to have been much money between them, but we haven’t figured out where the funds came from.”

“They’re from drugs.”

“Huh?” Jin-wook was taken aback.

“Myung-je Jin was not merely a drug supplier, Yuri told me he made the stuff as well. I emptied out the funds in Jinseong Constructions, but since nothing about the drugs was ever revealed, Hye-seong Jin would have probably taken them out.”

“That… is understandable, since the Russians involved in this incident are said to be drug dealers working in Vladivostok.”

Tae-jun spoke as he put a cigarette between his lips. “All right. How did this get to Yuri?”

“It was disguised as a quick service package you had sent her, and Department Head Choi gave it to Ms. Han without suspecting a thing.”

“They had known about that house and Yuri’s movements.” Tae-jun concluded.

Jin-wook asked something he had been curious about as Tae-jun remained silent for a moment. “Why did Hye-seong Jin do such a thing?”

“He’s after the documents that are evidence of corruption for President Jin and In-bae Lee.”

“Ms. Han … has it?” Jin-wook hesitantly asked.

“Yuri’s father got hold of them and gave them to her, she told me she had hidden them. That’s why she was kidnapped by President Jin four years back, and her drug addiction and memory loss is all because of them.”

“Ah, now I see why In-bae Lee has intervened in Ms. Han’s affairs. However, even if she had hidden them, it’s four years ago. Are you certain the presidential candidate has not found them yet?”

“If In-bae Lee had them, there’s no reason for Hye-seong Jin to hide. That was why it was difficult to find the bastard at first. He was in hiding because he was afraid of In-bae Lee.”

So, when he knew through Tae-jun that Yuri had come back to Korea, it was a perfect opportunity to find the list and the ledger. That was why he had been hovering around Yuri after escaping from the hospital. Now Tae-jun realized why he had felt annoyed at meeting Hye-seong Jin, and it was because the latter had been waiting for his prey like a crocodile hiding in a swamp.

“Where would he have taken Ms. Han? I could not find out where he had gone after getting out of the hospital in his previous residence,” Jin-wook said.

“How about the route the Russians used to drive?” Tae-jun asked, hoping to get some clues.

“It’s difficult since there isn’t a black box or a navigation device.”

It was then Tae-jun recollected what Yuri had said before.

When I came to my senses, I found myself in a large abandoned building.

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