Apollo’s Heart

Chapter 134 – Flickering (1)

A sharp sound of something breaking followed right after a gunshot. A man rushed towards Hye-seong and Yuri, shouting all the while. “Boss! We’re in trouble!” His eyes were blown wide. “The guys from Incheon are back! One of them even brought a gun!”

Hye-seong frowned, assuming that the armed man must be Tae-jun. While he was aware that Seo heir had quick and reliable sources at his fingertips, he didn’t expect that he would find him so soon. Hye-seong had gone into hiding without anyone noticing for such a long time and yet, Tae-jun was able to track him down faster than he expected, faster than that man Hye-seong feared, even.

What happened to the Russian professionals he hired? It should take him a day to spot the location, and another day to actually find Yuri! He certainly thought he had two days. He’d be able to torture Yuri as much as he liked then, without considering the possibility of Tae-jun getting here so quickly. Did the Russians somehow make a mistake or something?

Hye-seong glared at Yuri and grabbed her by the hair, pulling it roughly. “Did you mention this place to Tae-jun?” He hissed.

Yuri tried to skim through her memories. The only thing she could remember was the events that followed after she was kidnapped by Hye-seong. There is no way I knew about this place, she thought. But suddenly, a memory flashed by…

When I woke up, I found myself in an abandoned building. This seemed like the place where President Jin manufactured drugs, but I couldn’t seem to remember anything else… A-and… Hye-yeon died there… And I saw it with my own eyes…

The realization hit Yuri all at once. Seeing the recognition in her face was all the confirmation Hye-seong needed. He got up from his knees, cursing in frustration as he harshly pulled the drawer on the side and took something out of the compartment. It was a gun.

Yuri’s eyes widened in fright, thinking why he had a gun with him and was he going to use it on her? Her eyes were fixed on the finger positioned on the trigger, ready to shoot. Hye-seong summoned a man and had a word with him as she looked on.

What is he up to?!

Yuri tried to move but to no avail. Her body could only manage a slight movement, already feeling numb. All she could do now was stay still to prevent her remaining energy from running out. After a brief second, the conversation the two men were having came to an end. The man simply nodded and left without another word.

Hye-seong swiftly came towards her in huge strides. Yuri eyed the man before her anxiously, noting he was different from the Hye-seong she used to know. It’s like this person was an entirely new person. He looked like he was out of his mind and a complete lunatic, a sight that reminded her of his father.

Hye-seong glowered dimly, looking at her with sharp eyes. “You think this is all over now that Tae-jun Seo’s here?” He scoffed in amusement.

“Just let me go. He will leave you alone, j-just leave me unharmed.” Yuri pleaded.

“I know. That is exactly why I need you here.” Hye-seong brought out a rope and tape and tied both her hands and feet. The man who had left just a few moments before came back, holding a barrel in one hand.

A pungent stench made Yuri turn her head in alarm. Gasoline!

Her face paled in understanding. She knew where this was headed. The crazy bastard even had the audacity to laugh.

“Wow, Yuri Han. It seems like you caught up, huh?” Hye-seong nodded mockingly. “You understood it right. I will leave you here and set this place on fire.”

Despite how terrified Yuri was, she looked at Hye-seong squarely in the eyes and spat, “Did you forget about what’s in my possession? You will never find the list and ledger without me.” She tried to sound as calm as she could. She needed to buy herself some time, but Hye-seong only looked unbothered.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t expect you to tell me where it is anyway. And wouldn’t it be unfair to let Tae-Jun Seo have everything he wants?” Hye-seong then covered her mouth with tape, securing it tightly.

Yuri could only stare in horror when the barrel was turned upside down. Gasoline spilled around the door down to the hallway.

Hye-seong grinned upon glimpsing the fear in her eyes. “Goodbye, Yuri Han. Die so that bastard would never have you.”

⸙

“I have a bad feeling about this.” A hunter’s intuition was rarely wrong. It was a feeling you couldn’t put into words but feel too greatly, like an omen signaling what’s to come. For once, Tae-jun wished his intuition was wrong.

“Huh?” Jin-wook threw him a glance.

Suddenly, the door broke open and men in hiding burst forth and surrounded them. There were roughly about ten of them, probably more, all looking tough and ready to pounce.

Even though they were cornered on all sides, there was no hint of fear in Tae-jun’s voice as he spoke. “Is this all of them?”