MBFT 09

Chapter 9

Haesom slowly nodded as if she already knew what Jaehyun was going to say.

“Were you only unable to read the very last volume?”

Haesom nodded even more vigorously and said,

“Yes… . It ended right after Arong was attacked and went into cardiac arrest. I was so curious about what happened after that that I think I spent an entire year worrying about it. I searched all over the house so many times. I kept wondering if there might be another volume somewhere.”

Jaehyun immediately picked up Volume 21.

Then he placed it in Haesom’s hands.

Haesom looked at the last volume of Arong Satae in her hands with teary eyes, as if she were deeply moved.

“……It really feels like a dream…. I don’t think I’d have any regrets even if I died now.”

Jaehyun couldn’t help but laugh at Haesom’s reaction, as if her greatest wish had been to see the last volume of the manga she had enjoyed reading while living on the island.

How can there be someone this cute?

“Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing. Do you want to pick out more books?”

“No. I’m good with this.”

Haesom headed toward the register first, even though he hadn’t told her to go yet.

She must have really wanted to read it.

She’s simpler and purer than I thought. And very positive.

Well, that’s probably why she managed to survive that crazy life on the island.

Someone like me, whose mind is constantly running no matter what, would probably have lost my mind on that island.

In a way, he envied Haesom’s simple way of thinking as he followed her small, cute figure from behind.

At the same time.

At a secret base of the National Intelligence Service that only Black agents and deputy directors or higher from each team were allowed to enter.

When Taeju quietly arrived at the entrance of the secret base, a security officer opened the door for him.

The reason Taeju, an ordinary Grade 7 employee, could enter was because of the Director.

When a terrorist attack had occurred during an overseas event hosted by the NIS, Taeju had thrown himself forward and saved the NIS Director.

After that, the Director had repeatedly told Taeju to ask him whenever he needed help.

And Taeju had received the Director’s help in order to punish that crazy psycho who had kidnapped Kim Gyeonghae, his younger sister.

“Director. There’s someone I don’t think I’ll be satisfied with simply putting in prison.”

The Director heard Taeju’s circumstances and felt sorry for him as well.

What must the parents who had lost their precious young daughter have gone through?

Coincidentally, the Director’s youngest daughter was the same age as Haesom, so he could sympathize with and understand Taeju’s situation even more.

If anything, he was angry too.

“Put him underground as Kim Hyeoncheol’s accomplice. You can interrogate them together. Even if he ends up dying because there is no other choice, I’ll take care of the aftermath.”

Taeju headed straight toward the underground prison.

When he passed Kim Hyeoncheol’s room, he could hear the interrogation taking place inside.

It seemed that before long, Kim Hyeoncheol would tell them everything about where he had been trying to sell the solid-state battery.

His voice sounded that exhausted.

However.

Creak—

When he went to the room at the very end, where Kim Gyeonghae was being held, Taeju’s mood became extremely unpleasant.

“Hey. Where’s my daughter?”

Despite refusing water and food for several days, her voice was still sharp and clear.

“I’m asking where my daughter is, you son of a bitch!!”

On top of that, she was insisting that his beloved youngest sister was her own daughter.

Creak, thud.

Taeju dragged the chair that had been sitting in front of the door and brought it over to Gyeonghae.

Then he placed the tip of his shoe right in front of Gyeonghae’s feet.

He rested both arms on his thighs, leaned forward, and glared coldly at her.

“Why did you kidnap my sister, Yoon Haesom?”

He needed to know the reason.

Why exactly had she kidnapped her?

In the past, Gyeonghae’s daughter, who was the same age as Haesom, had died at the hospital where Taeju’s mother worked, but his mother had not been her attending physician.

It seemed to be related to his mother somehow, but with only the information revealed through the hospital’s computer records, there was no way to know for sure.

He had to find out why she had kidnapped Haesom and determine whether there was someone behind her.

Only then could he prevent a second incident from happening.

It had taken twelve years to finally find Haesom. If Haesom were kidnapped again or something bad happened to her, his parents would surely not be able to endure it.

Remembering how much his family had suffered for years after their precious youngest daughter disappeared, the tip of Taeju’s nose stung and his eyes grew red.

“Hey, you little brat whose blood hasn’t even dried yet! Bring my daughter back!”

“The time when my blood hadn’t dried has already passed. And because of you, Kim Gyeonghae, it dried years earlier than other people’s.”

“Shut up and bring my daughter back!”

Taeju slightly lifted his heel, then stepped down on the top of Gyeonghae’s foot.

Deep wrinkles appeared between Gyeonghae’s eyebrows.

“How am I supposed to bring back your dead daughter?”

Gyeonghae’s once fierce eyes shook wildly.

“Kim Sujin. She died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia twelve years ago. Didn’t she? And her attending physician at the time was Professor Bae Jaecheol. So why did you kidnap Professor Han Seonyeong’s daughter?”

Gyeonghae gave a creepy laugh before suddenly changing her expression and asking,

“So, Professor Han. Was she unhappy?”

So she really kidnapped Haesom because she wanted my mother to suffer.

Then did she act alone? Or was someone behind this and ordered her to do it?

Considering that she had not been caught for twelve years despite being in South Korea, there was a high possibility that someone was behind her.

Perhaps someone who had lost a promotion competition to his mother at the hospital had held a grudge.

Or perhaps, because his mother was such a morally upright person, she had become a target after trying to expose corruption within the hospital.

If that were the case, even if Kim Gyeonghae died, his family would have to live for the rest of their lives worrying that they might lose Haesom again.

They had no idea what someone might do after hearing that his mother had found Haesom.

“I’m asking you! Was that woman unhappy?!”

Taeju did not give her the answer she wanted.

“She became the most respected authority in her field. She was respected by others and saved countless patients. Aside from losing her daughter, she lived an excellent life as a woman and as a person. What could she possibly be unhappy about?”

“Shut up!!”

Gyeonghae went wild and started making a scene.

But soon, she suddenly became quiet.

Her jaw trembled violently, and her eyes began to turn bloodshot.

“Damn it!”

Taeju stood up, grabbed Gyeonghae’s chin, and forced her mouth open.

Gyeonghae was biting her tongue.

Taeju immediately called for help from the employee outside.

Kim Gyeonghae still had not willingly told them why she had kidnapped Haesom, but one thing was certain.

She had something to do with his mother.

Taeju decided that they needed to collect information not only about the patients his mother had treated but also about the patients who had died in the same Pediatric Oncology Surgery Department.

Only then could they determine whether Kim Gyeonghae had acted alone or not.

Only then would they be able to find out what kind of story was tangled up in his sister’s kidnapping.

Around 4 p.m.

Jaehyun and Haesom returned home.

They had only eaten lunch and stopped by a bookstore, but the time had flown by.

She had certainly gone out to eat with her family and gone shopping when she was young.

But because this was her first outing since returning from the island, it felt different.

Above all, she was even more excited because she was walking around with her handsome older brother’s friend.

He said we should prepare for the qualification exam within six months, even though it would normally take at least two years.

Does that mean he’ll tutor me every day?

Then can I see him every day?

No.

Taesoo oppa said that this morning.

He said Oppa would be staying in this house for a while.

That means….

Haesom took off her shoes first at the entrance and entered the living room.

Then she quickly turned around and looked at Jaehyun.

Jaehyun, who was about to finish taking off his shoes and enter, stopped and looked down at her.

“Um… Oppa.”

“Yeah.”

“Are you staying here tonight?”

At the same moment Jaehyun narrowed his eyes, a heavy silence fell between them.

Someone’s heartbeat could be heard loudly.

As Haesom felt her breathing getting faster and faster, she became certain that the sound was coming from her own heart.

She tightly grabbed the fabric around her chest with one hand and cleared her throat.

“I-I didn’t mean it in a strange way. Earlier… Taesoo oppa said that you would be staying here for a while. To p-protect me… and help me with the qualification exam.”

“Oh. I was planning to, but not this week. I’m employed, so if I want to take some time off, there are things I need to take care of at work first.”

Haesom’s eyes shook anxiously.

“Are you… quitting your job because of me?”

Jaehyun gave a dry laugh as if the question were absurd.

“Of course not. I was already planning to take some time off. And then, by chance, Geukju asked me to look after you.”

“Phew. If that’s the case, that’s a relief.”

Haesom let out a long sigh of relief while keeping her hand over her chest.

Her heart was still pounding.

But the sound seemed strangely loud to be her own heartbeat.

It almost sounded as if the noise was coming from beside her rather than from inside her.

Could it be… Oppa’s heartbeat?

No way….

Haesom pushed away such an absurd thought and spoke again.

“Ahem. Um… thank you so much for today, Oppa. I’ll see you often starting next week, right? Ah, no. I’ll have lessons every day, right?”

“I’ll decide whether we’ll do five days a week or three days a week and let you know. And can you come inside a little?”

“Huh?”

“You keep blocking the way.”

He asked while slightly frowning.

“Aren’t you leaving?”

“Do you think I want to hear complaints from the Taegukgi brothers? Of course, I’ll stay until one of the Taegukgi brothers comes and takes over. I can’t leave the precious daughter of this house alone and let someone take her.”

Haesom’s heart rate gradually increased.

It wasn’t because his words made her flutter.

Rather, she was deeply moved by the fact that there were now so many people who would protect her.

Just five days ago, she had thought that even the heavens had abandoned her….

But that wasn’t true.

She had a family who treasured her.

And she had her older brother’s friend, who was willing to make time like this so that she would never be lost again.

Her heart swelled overwhelmingly.