Chapter 115 – The Start Of Everything (1)

So strange …

Yuri was sitting on her bed looking out the window. It had been two days since she’d recovered her memory. Forty-eight hours since she had walked through the horror called her past. And yet, the man who was by her like a shadow was nowhere in sight. Since the time she had regained her consciousness and memories, she hadn’t seen Tae-jun. Nor did she see the assistant of Manager Choi. All there was as a mark to the pan was the group of guards stationed outside her door. Only Roy, Jin-ho, and select hospital staff and doctors were allowed inside.

Puzzled over the sudden turn of affairs, she had inquired about the need for this with Jin-ho. However, all she got as a reply was “protection.” Why did she need protection, she wondered. He didn’t know about her regaining her memories, so how did he conclude as such?

Whatever! She shrugged the matter aside, it was neither the time nor place to brood over. She had instead used this alone-time to organize her thoughts, and that was how she spent her two days.

“How do you feel?” Roy asked. Those were his first words upon entering the room.

“I’ve mostly recovered. I want to leave this room right away.”

Hospitals had always made her discomfited, she felt even worse that she should whenever she visited one. When it came to her, she felt it was a lot better outside than inside these places.

“You do look better. But it’s strange that the man is gone. I mean- Apollo.”

Roy also noticed Tae-jun’s absence strange.

Yuri tried to act as nonchalant as possible.  “I don’t know. He is a busy man for sure.”

“It’s not that. When he left, the tension was quite serious.”

“Huh?”

“Men in black suits took him away. They were courteous but also very demanding.”

Men in black suits … There weren’t many people who could control Tae-jun Seo. For such a thing to happen …

As Yuri’s face turned a shade darker in fear, Roy felt the need to switch the topic. “There’s nothing we can do, so let us not think too much. Worry about yourself first. What are your plans?”

“Since my memories are back, it’s risky to act out anymore. The person that I have to face has gotten stronger, and he won’t let me survive if I am nosy. I don’t want him to get me like last time.”

“Then?”

“I need to find the list. I’m not sure if it’s still around and safe. But if I get to find it, I’ll look for people that can help me in America. I don’t want to run away from this. This is my responsibility. By the way, don’t you have to wrap up your job? ”

“Yes, I’m getting calls from Japan about it. How about this? You find the list with me and we go to Japan and then you return to America? I’ll try to look for people who can help you as well.”

The task before her was no child’s play. It was fraught with danger and she was ill-equipped to handle it alone. She was a lone-girl without connections and means in her enemy’s turf. However, she couldn’t accept Roy’s favour. She did not want to bring him trouble.

Roy seemed to have read her mind. “I’m fine. I don’t know how powerful the villain is, but he can’t manipulate an American like me.” He reassured her, no matter what he was determined to be by her side at all costs.

“But―”

“There’s no time for questions. You must escape before the guys find out about you.”

He was right. The reason she was unharmed until now was that the enemy was oblivious to her presence. However, this was a ticking time-bomb. There was no way of knowing how or when she’d be discovered let alone the fate that would befall her when she came to it. So, right now, the best recourse was to quickly find the list and leave Korea.

“Or if we ask Tae-jun for some help―”

“No.” Yuri firmly cut him off. “It can’t be him.”

“Why not?”

Roy was puzzled by her sudden rejection. From what he had seen up ‘til now, Tae-jun was a man with means and power. And given Yuri’s situation, he was her best bet. And yet, here she was …

“―¯He was the start of everything.”

Initially, when she had set out to analyze and deduce the whole thing, she could not understand what the list was about. Her father had toed the line President Jin had drawn him for years, only to one day defy him? It didn’t make sense. Why had he put his hands on something like this and so out of the blue?

However, when she think about it, everything had fallen into place. He must have been devastated upon seeing the contract Myung-je Jin and she had signed.

Yuri’s father Su-won Han met President Jin when she was in fourth-grade. That was also when her mother was in her deathbed. It was all nice before that. They were a loving family, her father had a steady job and there was happiness. Myung-je Jin was the CEO of a company that incidentally offered Han his stable job. Soon, their world was shrouded with darkness and the happy family of three was shoved into misery. Her mother was diagnosed with a fatal disease, and the mounting treatment costs were burying her father.  It was then that Jin had loaned him some money. Alas, it seemed like they were destined for a life of desolation. Her mother passed away and Han not only lost his job but was also bankrupt. It was at this forlorn juncture that Jin had tossed a choice at him- either sell his kidneys or work for him.

Of course, her father chose the latter.