Apollo’s Heart

Chapter 33 – The Agreement (1)

Bang!

A bullet pierced through the moving target.

Bang! Bang! 

A barrage of bullets continuously hit the bull’s eye.

The man deftly reloaded his shotgun after he hit the last target. He’d lost track of time, soon his shirt under the bulletproof vest was soaked in sweat.

You, what if you find Yuri Han?

His ears were covered with ear protectors, blocking all sounds, even that of his own heartbeat. And yet, Hye-seong’s words resonated, drumming his senses.

 

He was determined to find Yuri ever since he’d seen her in the hotel lobby, not once had he considered what he would do after. Well, at the moment he was oblivious to this subterfuge. But now, things were different.

As regards the question, first, he’s going to ask why she lied to him, why she left, and…

No one has deceived you like she did. Don’t you think so?

Right, Yuri will pay the price.

When he’s changing his heated-up gun barrel, Jin-wook took the opportunity to pass him a bottle of water. It didn’t escape his sharp eyes, that the other was drenched in sweat.

“You haven’t lost your touch. You are still as good as active athletes.” He admired this man’s skills whole-heartedly.

Shooting, as a sport form, has a range of sub-disciplines; trapshooting being one of them. Here, one is required to shoot saucer-shaped clay targets flung into the air from a spring device called trap. Needless to say, this demands dynamic visual acuity and exceptional focus.

 

Tae-jun was nineteen when he won gold for trapshooting in the Asian Games. As such, the majority of his youth had been spent as a part of the Junior National Team, but the Asian Games was the swansong of his career as an athlete. His grandfather did not want Tae-jun catching the public eye anymore, nor did Tae-jun. However, to retain his firearms license, he maintained his athlete qualification.

Tae-jun took off his protection glasses while he downed the water. Both men stood in silence for a while.

“What about Hye-seong Jin?” Tae-jun gazed into the distance as he asked.

“I put him in Dr. Yang’s clinic, nice and neat.” Jin-wook replied.

Only a day had passed. For Tae-jun, time seemed to be dragging, there was nothing he could except endure. But it was proving to be hard.

Laying his gun on the table, Tae-jun drew out a cigarette. As he lit it, his phone rang. It was Jay.

– “Hello!”

“Did you find her?”

– “Wow! Do you know how many Koreans live in New York City?”

“Call me when you find her.”

– Wait, wait! You need to let me finish. I did… I found her.”

“Go on.”

Jay held back for a second before resuming.

– “Let me ask you something first.”

“What?”

– “The girl that you’re looking for, is she the one from 5 years ago? The one who related to the Jinseong hotel?”

The voice on the phone had suddenly abandoned its playfulness.

“You’re right.”

– “You are insane!”

Jay’s firm voice brought a frown to Tae-jun’s face. He ran his fingers through his hair, starting to get impatient.

“Answer my questions now. Did you find out anything about Yuri Han?”

– As of now, she lives in the East Village. She’s not married and lives with her uncle. Oh, by the way, her uncle is quite big in the Korean Community here. He runs two big restaurants. Her aunt is from here and is a well-known Human Rights Lawyer. They seem like a power couple.”

“What does Yuri do for a living?”

– “She is an artist affiliated with an agency. Heard she works for a famous artist as well. But that’s not important.”

Then, Jay lowered his voice.

– “Um… There’s a rumor about her, and it’s not nice.”

“What?”

– “People say that she has mental problems. She’s attempted suicide a few times already.”

Yuri tried to take her own life! She even has psychological problems?!

Tae-jun’s heart thumped frantically, his eyes betrayed his anxiety albeit for a moment, while his mind raced to make sense of this information.

She seemed to be living a nice life in the Big Apple. She had a family, her uncle seemed like a nice man for he took her in. She’s talented with a stable job and a bright future. The way he saw it, there should be no reason to attempt suicide.

“Do you know why?”

– Nobody knows why except for the doctors. Her psychiatrist is an authority in the PTSD field.”

Tae-jun took a deep drag of his cigarette, trying to calm his nerves. His next words fell flatly.

“I want to see her records.”

Jay was first baffled then stunned. He just couldn’t believe his ears! Did that guy actually ask what I think he asked?! He replied in a monotonous tone, like perfunctorily reading out the rules.

– “Unfortunately, only doctors have access to patient’s medical charts. Medical law in the US is ironbound. Plus, the clinic she goes to is noted for their patients’ privacy protection. “

Tae-jun sneered and spoke with sarcasm.

“And since when did you become a law-abiding citizen? I know you can do it.”

– “Oops, I didn’t know I had your trust! I should live up to it, right? What do you want me to do? Do you want me to know why she’s getting counseling and stuff?”

Jay was back to his peppy self. It’s not that he wouldn’t have scooped the information otherwise, but hearing this callous demon’s ‘not even a once in a blue moon compliment’ had its own charms!

“I want more information and details about the people around her. I also want something critical and solid that can put them in trouble, if needed.”

– “Hey, ain’t that my specialty!”

Giggling, Jay hung up.

Throughout the telephonic conversation, Jin-wook had kept silent, listening attentively. By the time it came to an end, his wooden face had turned grim.

“Are you really planning to go that far?”

He’d been associated with Tae-jun long enough to glean his thoughts without being explicitly mentioned. What’s more, he knew, first hand, of his obsession over the woman in question.

“If needed, yes.”

Yes, if needed.

Tae-jun was ready to give his everything if he could get Yuri back. She, who he’d presumed dead for four long years, who had been the focal point of his every waking and non-waking hours, his heart and senses, was miraculously back… like he’d been given a second chance… Once he won her back, he’d never let her go.

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Well, Tae-jun understood the implicit meaning in Jin-wook’s words. He didn’t want him to follow Myung-je Jin’s suit. He knew how it would end and it’s better to steer clear while they could still.

However, for Tae-jun, it didn’t matter what path he took. There was nothing right or wrong, good or evil. Yuri was the only thing that mattered.

Glowering at the target, as if it were the obstacle between him and her, he reloaded his gun. Time was ticking… it was so close.

I’ll know what I’ll do when you are mine again.

Bang!