Wolfgang
Yunho looks at his phone before answering, "Yes, Demian?"
Silence.
"Repeat that."
I was checking last month's earnings for our clubs in Seoul, but looked up at the strain in Yunho's voice, his expression made me close the laptop.
"What's going on?"
Yunho pushed to his feet, "Demian found Yuri drugged and tied up on the floor of the penthouse. Soohyuk and Kyungjoon are gone."
I straightened, "You're fucking kidding."
"Do you think I would joke about something like that?" he snarled.
I glared right back, "I thought Soohyuk was in love with you."
"This is Kyungjoon's fault, this boy is the root of every problem. Why couldn't you stay the fuck away from him as I told you?" He muttered.
'If only I fucking knew. For some reason, I couldn't get him out of my head and now he'd run from me.
~~~ #CHAOS🔥 #KyungjoonXWolfgang🐰🐺 ~~~
"I'm sorry, Boss," Yuri said again, half hunched on the sofa with bloodshot eyes.
I wanted to fucking kill Yuri for letting Kyungjoon getaway.
'But who am I kidding? We're talking about Kyungjoon here.'
I got up and started pacing the room again, my eyes darting up to the bedroom door. Yunho had disappeared with Soohyuk behind it more than twenty minutes ago.
'I should have never let him out of my sight.'
"I shouldn't have taken the morning off," Demian said from his spot on the armchair.
"One bodyguard should have been enough. I should have had enough. They were only boys," Yuri muttered.
Soohyuk hadn't run away, that had all been for show. He'd help my fiance run, then come back to Yunho, he'd come back.
Normally I wouldn't doubt Yunho's skill to get information out of anybody but this was Soohyuk, and Yunho wouldn't hurt him. Not even for me, not even when he was the only one who could help me find my stubborn fiance.
I didn't say anything, I was too pissed. My pulse was pounding in my temples. I wanted to smash every fucking piece of furniture into tiny bits. The bedroom door finally opened and Yunho came down the stairs. From the look on his face, I knew I wouldn't like what he had to say.
"Don't tell me you couldn't get anything out of him," I snarled.
Yunho scowled, "The only thing I know is that Kyungjoon took a plane from Incheon. Soohyuk won't tell me anything, our informants will let me know which plane Kyungjoon took."
"Great, and then what? Soohyuk knows Kyungjoon's plan. They tell each other everything. The only way to find Kyungjoon is through your husband."
"He won't tell me anything."
I tried walking past him, "Then let me have a word with him."
Yunho grasped my arm and pushed me back, "You will stay away from him, Wolfgang."
"You let him steal your money, your passports. You let him attack our men, let him make a fool out of you and betray you. You should want to punish him. You are the leader of Baek-ho!"
Yunho's eyes flashed, I was walking on thin ice, but I didn't give a fuck.
"Soohyuk is my husband. It's none of your business how I deal with him. I told you that Kyungjoon meant trouble, but you didn't want to listen. You should have never asked for his hand," he growled.
My fingers longed to grip my knives, I turned my back on him and walked onto the roof garden to cool off before I lashed out at my brother. Yunho and I had fought occasionally when we were younger, but it had never been for real. I had a feeling that a fight between us wouldn't end well today. We were both pissed and out for blood.
I braced my arms against the bannister and let my eyes wander over Seoul, Kyungjoon was slipping through my fingers. With every second that passed, he was bringing more distance between himself and me. Once he lands wherever he's going, he won't stop running until he's sure he is safe.
'Kyungjoon would be alone, unprotected. What if something happened to him?'
Steps crunched behind me and I tensed and didn't look over my shoulder. Yunho stopped beside me, "I called Baekje. He's furious and blames us."
"Of course," I said quietly.
"He's sending two of his men after Kyungjoon."
"I will go with them."
"I figured you would, '' I told Baekje as much. You will meet in Amsterdam."
I turned. "Amsterdam?"
Yunho nodded. "I got word that he took a plane to Schiphol."
"When do I leave?" I asked, the thrill of the impending hunt spreading in my veins.
"Four hours."
"I need to leave sooner."
"Impossible. I tried everything I could."
"Damn it. Kyungjoon will be long gone when I arrive."
"You'll find him. You are the best hunter I know. He doesn't stand a chance."
I clapped his shoulder, "You'll let me go, even though you need me here?"
"You aren't of much use to me if all you can think about is Kyungjoon."
"It could take weeks," I said. "I won't return until I've got him."
"I know. If Soohyuk had run, I would have done the same."
I nodded, I wouldn't stop until Kyungjoon is mine.
I don't care if I have to search the entire world. If I have to turn every single stone, if I have to squeeze information out of every fucking person in Amsterdam, I WILL find Kyungjoon.
~~~ #CHAOS🔥 #KyungjoonXWolfgang🐰🐺 ~~~
Kyungjoon
I barely got any sleep in the eleven hours it took the plane to reach Amsterdam.
Worry for Soohyuk had taken the place of my worries about getting caught.
'I'm sure Yunho wouldn't see his actions as a betrayal, but what if he was wrong? God, what had I done? I shouldn't have involved him, shouldn't even have told him about my intention of running away.'
When I finally got off the plane and had successfully passed through immigration, I quickly slipped into the first restroom and found the wig Soohyuk had given me. It's a short blond bob that I would have to do until I dyed my hair later today.
Fear clogged my throat when I headed into the waiting area, half expecting someone from Baek-ho's or Hwang Geum Byul to wait for me but that was impossible.
Even if Wolfgang had figured out where I was by now, I was fairly sure that the Baek-ho's didn't have close relations to any crime syndicates here in the Netherlands, it would take some time for any Hwang Geum Byul enforcers from Seoul to travel up all the way here.
'For now, I am safe. At least until the next plane from Seoul lands, which would be the case in a few hours.'
I quickly left the airport with my suitcase, overwhelmed by the sound of people speaking in languages I didn't understand. I knew a few words in Dutch and hadn't bothered learning the language; the Netherlands had never been intended as more than a stopover.
I hailed a taxi and let it take me to a nondescript hotel in the city where I booked their cheapest room. Despite feeling tired from jet lag and the flight, I only deposited my suitcase in the room before venturing out again to buy a few items I needed.
Two hours later, I was back in my small hotel room with light brown hair dye, scissors, a couple of new outfits that helped me fit in better than my expensive designer clothes, as well as a prepaid cell phone and a small laptop.
After I'd connected my laptop to the wireless internet from the hotel and quickly set up the blog we had talked about. Once done, I wrote a short post, saying that a new journey had begun and that I'd safely arrived at my destination.
It was all a bit cryptic and nobody would probably read my blog except for Soohyuk. I resisted the urge to write something more personal, or worse use my new phone to call him.
I wanted to hear Soohyuk's voice, wanted to know if he was okay and I couldn't risk it. Even though this blog was already risky, instead, I slipped into the bathroom and changed my hair.
A few hours later I stared at my new reflection, my hair was caramel brown and I'd cut it into a bob that reached my ears. That wouldn't stop people from recognizing me, but unless I paid a surgeon to redo my face, which I had no intention of doing, a new haircut would have to be enough.
I'd just have to move from city to city until I was sure that Wolfgang had moved on to another target and I was safe.
'That would probably take a while, Wolfgang had told me numerous times that he wouldn't give me up and I had a feeling he'd meant it.'
"I wouldn't give him a chance to catch me," I say as I look into the mirror.
Tomorrow, I'd pack up and leave for Prague, who knew where I'd be the day after.
This was a new beginning with endless options.
I stared up at the white ceiling of my hostel room.
I'd been living in twenty different places in the last three months, never staying anywhere for more than a week at a time.
Sometimes when I woke in the morning I wasn't sure where I was, sometimes I even thought I was back in Busan. I sometimes find myself longing for it. Not for my father and the rules of our world, but for Dojinnie and Soohyuk.
I sat up, groaning, and went through my usual morning habit of reminding myself of my current pseudonym and everything that encompassed him before I got out of bed. It was almost noon, I still hadn't figured out any kind of routine.
Most days I spent exploring the city where I stayed while always checking my surroundings.
'The fear of being followed, hunted, would that ever stop? I doubted it.'
Whenever I saw men in dark suits, panic filled me, I'd lost count of the times I'd imagined I'd seen Wolfgang from the corner of my eyes.
I hadn't made any real friends, which wasn't all that surprising since I never stayed anywhere long enough to build a connection.
'Which was better anyway. I couldn't risk getting close to anyone yet, maybe never.'
That didn't mean I was alone. I always stayed in youth hostels wherever I went and met people from all over the world. I couldn't tell them anything about me, not even my name.
Currently, I introduce myself as 'Kang Haru' and was spending my year before college abroad, road-tripping through Europe. That was pretty much my cover story wherever I went, only my name changed.
Lying to everyone 24/7 made any kind of friendship hard. I opened my laptop and checked my blog, which I still updated almost daily, even though I hadn't gotten a comment from Soohyuk in weeks.
'In thirty-one days to be exact.'
My eyes darted to my cell phone on the nightstand, as so often recently I felt the almost irresistible urge to call him and find out what was keeping him from visiting my blog. I had a feeling it was for my safety.
In his last comment, he'd warned me, 'not to waste time in one spot because there was too much to explore in Europe'. I'd taken that as a hint that Wolfgang might be after me and had jumped from city to city in the last few weeks, never staying anywhere more than one or two days, but I was growing tired of running constantly.
'My anxieties are messing my body up. I lost weight, and most of my clothes hung off me as if they belonged to someone else. I wanted to belong again, to find a place to call mine.'
I closed my laptop, got dressed and stuffed my clothes into my backpack. I'd gotten rid of my suitcase four weeks into my journey. It wasn't practical lugging a heavy suitcase wherever I went.
'I didn't need most of my old belongings anyway. When would I ever wear evening dresses and high-heeled Louboutins again?'
That life was over.
I stared down at my shabby backpack, my worn sneakers and my jeans, for a moment, longing for something I'd thought I'd never miss. When I decided to run away, I knew I'd miss my siblings horribly.
Not a single day has gone by that I hadn't considered returning to South Korea just to see them again, to talk to Soohyuk again, to have a steady home again. I'd managed not to miss the luxuries my former life afforded me, at least not this insistently.
'So why was I suddenly missing the things I'd despised?'
Everything I'd ever owned had been paid with blood money, and even my flight up till this point had been financed that way. I was scarily low on cash and would have to find a job in the next place I stayed, though that would mean staying longer than just a couple of days unless I tried my hand at physical labour, which wouldn't be a big improvement over Hwang Geum Byul money, except that nobody got killed for it.
I swung my backpack over my shoulder and exited my small room. Fifteen minutes later, I checked out and left my alter ego 'Kang' behind. I became someone new for my next destination. Maybe a 'Lee.'
It was August but heavy clouds draped over Vienna as I headed toward the train station. I loved the regal buildings, still it was time to move on from Austria. I'd been living in the same country for almost two weeks and was getting antsy.
After I boarded my train to Berlin, I checked my phone, a stupid habit I still hadn't dropped. I never got a message from anyone.
The date caught my eye, its June 13th, the day I was supposed to marry Wolfgang.
Without meaning to, the kiss we'd shared flashed in my mind and a small shiver ran down my back. I kissed three guys since I arrived in Europe, all of them cute foreigners who weren't interested in anything lasting, just like me, but none of those kisses had come even close to what I'd felt while kissing Wolfgang.
'Maybe it was because he'd had more practice than any other guy. Wolfgang was a player, there was no doubt about it.'
What worries me the most was that I was comparing every guy I met to Wolfgang, they always fell short. They weren't as good-looking, as interesting, they didn't have a six-pack, and most importantly, being in their proximity didn't give me a thrill.
It annoyed the hell out of me that despite being apart, thousands of miles away from Wolfgang, he still held some power over me.
'I wished I'd never let him kiss me, then I wouldn't find myself in this predicament. I'd just have to find a nice guy who could make me forget Wolfgang and his annoyingly sexy and arrogant smirk. Maybe my next destination, Berlin, would help with that.'
~~~ #CHAOS🔥 #KyungjoonXWolfgang🐰🐺 ~~~
Kyungjoon
I only stayed for four weeks in Berlin before I decided to move on.
Something hadn't felt right, or maybe I wasn't used to staying in a place for a longer period anymore.
At least I'd worked as a waiter for the last few weeks and managed to earn some money. It wasn't much but enough to buy me my train ticket to Prague and food for the next couple of days. I didn't have anything left in the hotel room, however, so that wasn't a significant problem.
The moment I arrived in Prague I knew this could work.
I loved everything about the city, but there was still the problem that I didn't have any money to pay for a room. I didn't want to spend the night on the streets, I wasn't sure how safe it would be.
I had spent too much at the beginning of my flight, never having learned to be economical. Money had never been an issue growing up. If there was one thing that the children in the Hwang Geum Byul never had to forego, then it was money.
'I was a spoiled brat, that much I'd come to realize.'
As I walked through the city centre, I noticed a few people singing and playing instruments, they seemed to make a fast buck with it. There was always a heap of Euro coins in the hats they'd put on the ground.
'I could play the piano.'
My father had forced Soohyuk, Dojinnie and me to take lessons from the moment we could talk, but I had neither a piano nor a keyboard I could use to make music. I had a decent singing voice. Nothing to get excited about, at least it didn't make people want to hold their ears.
Maybe it was worth a try.
A group of three boys with colourful hair was singing and playing the guitar at the next corner, and I headed for them. When they finally took a break, I approached them. I hoped they spoke English.
"Hey. I was wondering if you know of any places where I could do what you do and sing for people. I'm out of money and this is pretty much my only shot at paying for a room tonight."
The boys exchanged a look and I was half-convinced they hadn't understood me when the boy with short hair said in a heavy accent, "You need permission. The authorities here are strict, they'll find you if you make music or any other art in the streets without permission."
"Shit. Is it easy to get permission?"
The pink-haired boy shook his head. "Nope. They hand out a few permissions and they make sure you can sing and play instruments before they allow you here."
I sighed and slumped against the wall of the building, the three boys exchanged another look, then whispered in a language that wasn't Czech before they looked in my direction.
"We're sharing a small apartment. If you want, you can sleep on the couch in the living room until you find a job and can afford your place."
My eyes widened, "Really?"
The blue-haired boy nodded with a smile. "You're a backpacker, right?"
"Yes. Travelling through Europe before college."
"We're all from Croatia, but we've been spending the last few months in Prague. You'll love it." The pink-haired boy stood. "So what's your name?"
I hesitated a moment before deciding who I wanted to be, "Eric Nam."
Maybe Prague would finally become a place I could stay and figure out what I'd do with the rest of my life.
~~~ #CHAOS🔥 #KyungjoonXWolfgang🐰🐺 ~~~