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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 

A Forgiving Heart - 3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Hyun wished he hadn’t drunk the shot Raphael had given him. His alcohol tolerance was low, he couldn’t drink for shit. Now, standing in the middle of a living room that reminded him of a cold cathedral, he wished his senses weren’t so dull.

Raphael.

The beautiful one, Hyun thought, his gaze returning to the man seated in an impressive original leather armchair.

The cold, beautiful one, Hyun adjusted when he met unreadable green eyes.

The man was clearly Korean; Hyun could see it in the shape of Raphael’s eyes, and his hair, long and straight, very dark. But how did Raphael have green eyes?

What a mystery that was, Hyun thought.

“Answer the question, Lee Hyun,” Raphael said in a mild tone.

“Huh?” Hyun blinked.

“You’re not in a position to act dumb,” Raphael said, his tone conversational, though his eyes told a different story.

There was danger in Raphael’s green eyes. Hyun had known it after he’d taken the second shot at the loft earlier. The moment he’d downed it, Raphael stood, everyone tensing at the simple motion. Himura had grabbed Hyun by his left arm, and dragged him after his charge like a captive. The way everyone in the loft had stared at him, Hyun had felt like a fattened pig heading out to slaughter. Fear had settled in the depths of stomach, and had yet to dissipate.

Now they were here, Hyun looked around the huge room, this cold cathedral, and all he could think about was why Raphael had green eyes.

He had no idea what question Raphael had asked.

“Perhaps we should motivate you to answer,” Raphael said, sitting back in his seat. “Himura, what do you think? Physical violence or a more creative method?”

“Creative?” Hyun asked.

“You’re handsome,” Raphael cocked his head to the side, giving him an appreciative look. “I could use a few hours finding out what makes you scream in pleasure.”

Hyun gaped. “Me and you?”

“Don’t you find me attractive? You’ve been staring since we met at the loft.”

“I don’t kiss men I don’t know.”

“Who said we’re kissing?” Raphael asked.

“You’re the one who brought up the words ‘scream in pleasure’. If you haven’t screamed in pleasure from kissing, you’re doing it wrong.”

Raphael stared at him for a moment, and then burst out in a laugh. He laughed out loud, until he was holding on to his stomach shaking his head.

“This little rabbit is amusing,” Raphael said after a moment, meeting Hyun’s amused gaze. “You’re a funny little rabbit.”

“I’d like to point out that Alice is the one who fell down the rabbit hole. You keep getting that wrong,” Hyun said.

“Alice, the rabbit,” Raphael said, his tone changing, his playfulness disappeared. “I don’t care which one. You, Lee Hyun, you’re a mystery. I don’t like mysteries because they mean someone is ahead in the game.”

Raphael’s eyes turned cold again. So cold, Hyun worried he’d made the wrong choice seeking out the Yun family.

“Now tell me, why are you looking for the Yun family?” Raphael asked.

Hyun glanced at Himura who stood a few feet behind him. He’d stepped closer. Hyun hadn’t noticed. He should have because the man’s aura spelled danger, now more than ever.

Hyun swallowed hard, returning his gaze back to Raphael. “I need your help.”

“Help,” Raphael scoffed. “This is not a charity house. The Yun Family offers retrieval services for a price. If you want charity, you’ve come to the wrong place. Make your offer.”

“I can pay,” Hyun said. “Whatever the cost—

“Your life,” Raphael said then. “Will you give that?”

Hyun held Raphael’s gaze.

“Yes.”

“I don’t deal with idiots,” Raphael said. “Take him away, Himura.”

“Wait,” Hyun said when Himura took his right arm in a tight grip. “My sister is in trouble. I will do anything to get her back. Whatever you want, Raphael, I will do it. Please, just hear me out—

“I hate your type the most,” Raphael cut in. “Idiotic, dramatic, extreme, do you even stop to think before you make promises you can’t keep? What happens when you die? What happens to your sister, Lee Hyun? What guarantee do you have she will stay safe after you die?”

“You gave a price,” Hyun said. “I said I’d match it—

“You’re here to make an offer I can’t refuse. First rule in this world, little rabbit, don’t promise anything without a guarantee,” Raphael said. “I will give you a clue. You’re off to a bad start.”

Hyun looked at Himura who still held his arm, ready to drag him out. The tight grip on his arm was hard to break; he doubted he could get away.

“What will you do with me if I can’t make an offer?” Hyun asked.

“Give you to Himura,” Raphael said with an elegant shrug. “He will find out how you knew the Yun Family offers ‘help’ as you call it. Not many know we do it.”

Hyun shivered. His source on the dark net had left out that vital information. Was this a set up? He didn’t know his friend’s name, or how he had known about the Yun Family. That was trouble in itself.

“Ready to try again?” Raphael asked.

“I don’t know what you want,” Hyun said, knowing this was no longer a game. Raphael was serious. “I can only tell you what I need.”

“I will listen,” Raphael said, giving Himura a nod.

Himura let go of his arm and took a step back.

Hyun clenched his right hand, wondering where to start. How much could he tell Raphael about the reason why his sister was in trouble. He didn’t even understand the situation fully yet.

“My time is limited,” Raphael said. “I have other concerns to attend this night. Let’s hurry this up.”

“My little sister was kidnapped from my apartment,” Hyun said quickly. “I don’t know who took her. They send me pictures of her tied up and crying with a date, time and location. When I show up, I have to do a task they give me in order to keep my sister alive.”

“What task?” Raphael asked.

Hyun hesitated for a moment.

“I need a guarantee you will help me first.”

“You learn fast,” Raphael said, with a short nod. “However, I don’t see a reason to give you a guarantee. Your story tells me you’re a liability.”

“You’ll be saving a life,” Hyun said, angry at Raphael’s dismissive tone. “Can’t you help me to save a life?”

Raphael scoffed.

“I would be dead if I followed that business model.”

“What guarantee do I have you’ll help me if I tell you what these people want from me?”

“None,” Raphael said.

“You’re not fair.”

“You’re the one who needs help.”

Hyun cursed under his breath.

“I’m a computer programmer,” he said. “I have developed an application that allows access into any bank account undetected. I will give it to you if you help me save my sister.”

“Interesting,” Raphael said with a small smile. “I’m intrigued, where is your sister?”

“I don’t know.” Hyun reached into his pocket and got his phone. He pulled up the picture they’d sent him earlier and held it out to show Raphael. “All I have are pictures they sent me with her tied up.”

Himura took the phone from him and carried it to Raphael.

“So your next meet is tomorrow at the JFK airport,” Raphael said. “A new job?”

“Yes.” Hyun nodded. “Please, will you help me?”

Raphael handed the phone back to Himura. “I’m not promising anything. First we have to find out who is holding your sister, before I can offer the help.”

Raphael stood and stretched his arms above his head.

“You have to stay here while we verify your story.”

“If you can’t help me by tomorrow, you know I have to meet them—

“Of course,” Raphael said with a slight smile.

He turned toward the stairs and Hyun panicked as he realized Raphael was dismissing him.

“When can I expect an answer?” Hyun asked.

Raphael paused at the stairs to look at him.

“I imagine falling down the rabbit hole is very tiring. You look like you’re about to crash. Himura will see to your needs. Good night.”

With that, Raphael headed up the stairs without a backward glance. When Hyun turned to Himura, he found the man watching him with a speculative glance.

“You never answered Master Raphael’s question,” Himura said, his gaze a tad too thoughtful. “I’m rather curious, Mr. Lee. How did you find us?”

Hyun took a step back from Himura.

“I have a contact…I don’t know his name. We leave each other messages on forums on the darknet.”

Himura came up to him and took his arm.

“I’m very interested in learning more about this contact of yours. Come with me.”

Hyun glanced up the stairs, hoping to see Raphael one last time. Disappointment filled him when there was no sign of Raphael. Instead, Himura led him to a long corridor on his left. Heart pounding, Hyun hoped he hadn’t made a wrong choice seeking out the Yun Family.

***

“Hand Hyun to your father,” Himura advised, early the next morning. “This is the best course of action. Your father’s plans will work faster if he has the young man with him.”

Raphael paced the length of his study. Himura’s advice was tempting; it would give him time to concentrate on working the Helena. He wouldn’t have to worry about his father’s wars, because with Hyun, the other side would be without a weapon to use against his father’s plans.

Still—

The question remained.

Who had sent Hyun to him?

Someone had to have deliberately sent Lee Hyun on the path to find him. Besides, if he gave Hyun to his father, there was no telling what would happen to Hyun, and his sister.

“Raphael,” Himura interrupted his thoughts.

“What did you find on his phone?”

“The pictures of his sister are authentic. His little sister is Lee Mina. She’s an intern at a growing graphic design firm. Her work place has her listed on a month long leave.”

“Who called it in?” Raphael asked.

“Hyun,” Himura said. “His sister’s kidnappers probably warned him not to call the police. He follows instructions well.”

Raphael ran fingers through his hair.

“Any other options?” he asked.

“No.” Himura stated.

Raphael stared at him. “Think one up then.”

“Sir,” Himura said. “Your father said to find Lee Hyun. Lee Hyun then showed up, practically a gift thrown on your lap. Hand him over.”

Raphael resumed his pacing. “Why send him to me? Who would do that?”

Himura frowned. “Are you saying this is a plot?”

“I don’t like mysteries,” Raphael said. “Where is Hyun?”

“Sleeping in the guest bedroom on the second floor,” Himura said. “I added something into his drinking water last night. I didn’t want to risk him waking up early and running off.”

“Hyun is not to know my father is looking for him,” Raphael said. “Keep up the plan I started last night. When he wakes up, tell him I’ve decided to help. Hyun must think he owes us a favor for helping him.”

“Sir?” Himura started to protest. “Going against your father—

“I want to see what is at the end of this rabbit hole too,” Raphael said.

He had a sick feeling there was more to his father’s Nicolae Petrov story.

“Hyun’s arrival last night was too convenient. Someone is fucking with me,” Raphael said, his gaze thoughtful. “Make preparations to follow Hyun tonight. We’re going to find out who is holding Hyun’s little sister, Himura.”

“I feared you might choose this line of action,” Himura said.

“Keep my father’s spies busy. I don’t want him to find out I have Hyun yet,” Raphael said. “Trust no one Himura, do you understand?”

“Yes,” Himura said, then left him to his troubled thoughts.

***

Hyun stood leaning on a pillar at the JFK Blue Lot, his heart pounding hard, his fingers sweaty as he waited. Last time, a man in a motorcycle rode up to him and handed him a passport and ticket. He’d gone into the airport, boarded a plane to the Caymans, done the job, and flown back.

He hoped it would be the same this time, simple and concise.

“Will you relax?” Raphael grumbled into his ear. “Your breathing alone will give you away.”

Hyun closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. The other reason he was so nervous was that Raphael was watching his every move. He touched the chain resting against his neck. A small dragon charm hang on the chain, Raphael had said it was a surveillance camera. Himura had inserted a tiny nude gadget that looked like a hearing aid into his ear. One could barely see it unless you were looking. Mina’s captors had never bothered to frisk him before. He figured it was because they imagined he wouldn’t dare double-cross them.

If they discovered he had, Hyun imagined he’d die on the spot. The thought made his heartbeat speed up again.

“If I can’t make it back,” he said, hoping Raphael heard him. “Please get my sister out.”

When there was no answer from Raphael, a painful stab swept through his chest.

“Live,” Raphael said, just as Hyun saw a black motorcycle coming at him.

***

Raphael watched the motorcycle approach Hyun, the rider coming too close, so that Hyun had to press against the pillar to avoid being hit.

The camera Himura used for Hyun’s surveillance camera was sensitive and it picked up everything around Hyun, including Hyun’s heartbeat. At first, the beats had been gentle and stable, now they were fast, enough evidence of how nervous Hyun was.

Raphael worried Hyun would pass out before they got to their goal.

“This is going to be a long night,” Raphael said when the rider rode past without slowing down.

The rider had dropped a brown envelope that Hyun picked up.

“He’s holding a Swiss Air ticket,” Himura said.

“I know this game,” Raphael said, taking his jacket from the back of his chair. “We have to move fast.”

***

Hyun walked up to airport security, bursting with nervous energy. His ticket into Geneva lodged tight into his fake passport. The name on the passport said his name was Kim Jun Kang. The forgery was good. Still, anxiety had coursed through him as he watched the lady who had taken his passport and scrutinized it. She’d cleared him with a smile sending him to Gate B23.

Now, as he removed his jacket to put in the bin, he focused on Mina who needed him. He needed to do this, Mina was relying on him. He wiped his hands on his jeans and placed his book bag in the bin, together with his cell phone. His hands shook as he reached up to remove the chain around his neck, placing it on his cell phone in the bin.

“Be cool,” Raphael whispered into his ear when he stepped through the metal detectors and there was no alert. He turned to take his belongings from the bin, and found them missing. Panic filled him and he glanced at the male security officer holding his book bag.

“We’ll have to catch up with you on the other end. Don’t make a fuss.”

Hyun took the bag when the man handed it to him. The officer handed him his passport then, but his cell phone, jacket and the chain were missing.

“Gate B35, better hurry, the flight is already boarding,” the officer said.

Hyun glanced at the ticket in his passport. It had changed from Swiss Air to Singapore. The officer was right; his boarding time had also changed. He was late. He took off in a run, sure if he missed this flight things wouldn’t end well for Mina.

He made it just as the flight attendants were preparing to enter and close the doors.

“Wait,” Hyun called, holding out his passport and ticket to the closest one.

“Sir, you’re late,” she said with a teasing smile. “We were leaving without you.”

“Sorry,” Hyun said, as she read his ticket.

“No worries,” she said. “Welcome aboard, your seat is in Business class. 13B.”

She led the way to his seat, and he thanked her with a nod as he sat down, heart pounding hard. Sweat dripping down his back. He clutched his book bag tight and frowned when he felt a bulge on the side pocket. Glad the seat next to his was empty, Hyun opened the side pocket and found a white envelope. Inside, there was a new cell phone.

He turned on the cell phone, and a message alert appeared.

‘Great job getting on board, meet you in Singapore. Sorry about your belongings, we have to be cautious.’

Hyun sat back in his seat. His gaze on the words, ‘…meet you in Singapore.’

***

Hyun was on high alert when he arrived at Changi Airport, Singapore. He went through customs in a state of anxiety once again he was surprised when his passport cleared immigration checkpoints. His reason for visiting Singapore was visiting. He looked like a lofty college student, what with the faded jeans, and old t-shirt. His book bag added to the narrative.

Hyun clutched his passport tight as he stepped out into the arrivals hall. A strong grip wrapped around his left arm before he could look around for the next step.

He started to jerk away, but one glance at the heavy set man holding his arm stopped him.

“This way,” the man said in heavily accented English. “No fuss.”

Hyun nodded, following without much choice. The grip on his left upper arm was tight; he couldn’t have run had he wanted. A couple walked ahead of him and his companion. Their hands held tight as they talked. They looked as though they were coming from their honeymoon. Their smiles so happy, Hyun was envious. Behind him a family with two kids was noisily making their way out of the airport. They passed him and his companion in a flurry of excitement. The youngest child, a little girl whose hand was held tight by her mother glanced at him. Her eyes wide, Hyun wondered if she realized his predicament. For a moment, he thought she might sympathize with him…Her mother tugged on her hand gently urging her to keep up. The little girl looked away and Hyun felt a sense of loss at the little disconnection.

The man holding his arm led him toward the restrooms, pushing him into the men’s bathrooms with unnecessary roughness.

Hyun stumbled into the room with a sigh.

“You know you can use your words,” Hyun complained rubbing his upper arm, scowling at the man who now stood blocking the door. “What do you want?”

“Strip,” the man said.

“No,” Hyun shook his head.

The man pointed at a dark suit hanging on the door at one of the stalls.

“Change,” the order came again. “Three minutes. If I have to do it, you won’t like it.”

Hyun didn’t think he would like having this beast help him change either. He entered the stall, changed into the suit as fast as he could. The moment he hanged his jeans and t-shirt over the stall door, they disappeared. Mina’s captors were slowly stripping him off his belongings.

He came out of the stall clutching his book bag. The suit was a surprising fit. It felt tailored to fit his frame to perfection. The white shirt felt expensive.

“Take laptop from book bag,” the man ordered.

“No way,” Hyun started to protest. “I’ve always had this bag—

The beast gave him a censuring glance.

“Really…you’re already big enough. I’m scared enough as it is. I’m in a foreign country having to deal with you, that’s how scared I am for my sister’s life. Why do I have to give up my book bag too?”

“Get rid of book bag,” the man repeated.

“How do I carry my laptop?”

“Briefcase,” the man pointed to an elegant black one resting on the sink counter.

“Jeez, you’re so prepared.”

“One minute,” the man said.

Hyun put his laptop in the briefcase, accompanied by its charger. He snapped the briefcase closed, a profound sense of loss overwhelming him when the man dumped his book bag in the trash. He’d kept that bag for a year.

The beast of a man grabbed his arm again and led him out of the restrooms. Hyun clutched the briefcase tight, as they headed out to the main exit.

Singapore was beautiful in the night. Hyun had no chance to appreciate it as he was led to a black car waiting at the curb. The back passenger door opened, and he was hurried in, the door slammed closed even before he’d settled.

“Good Evening, Mr. Lee.”

Hyun shifted in his seat to stare at the man next to him. The man dripped of polished refinement: neat blonde hair, chiseled face, cold eyes met his and he felt a chill settle in his blood. He wondered if the beast of a man he’d feared earlier would return.

“Welcome to Singapore,” the man said, as the car started moving. “My name is Lucian. It is nice to finally meet you, Lee Hyun.”

***

Lee Suilan,2016
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Loving this story!!! Your characters are always unique and fascinating from beginning to end!! :thumbup:

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I'm so glad you're intertwining these stories, Sui, although you certainly left us with a cliffhanger knowing what we do about Lucian. I do hope that Hyun & Raphael can find something together as both are so lonely and hurting. It would be great if Hyun could be Raphael's Talin though neither life nor your stories are that simple. Thank you for sharing!

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On 03/27/2016 12:18 AM, Onim said:

Loving this story!!! Your characters are always unique and fascinating from beginning to end!! :thumbup:

Thank you Onim, that means the world to me. :)

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On 03/29/2016 09:54 PM, hillj69 said:

I'm so glad you're intertwining these stories, Sui, although you certainly left us with a cliffhanger knowing what we do about Lucian. I do hope that Hyun & Raphael can find something together as both are so lonely and hurting. It would be great if Hyun could be Raphael's Talin though neither life nor your stories are that simple. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you so much! Hyun is going through a lot, but at the same time Raphael might need him to see a future at all...so, you're right it's never simple. Thank you for always reading.

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I somehow missed this chapter! Well, good thing I managed to catch up now.

 

Such an actionpacked episode, this one. I feel sorry for Hyun, not knowing that he's ended up a pawn in such a dangerous game. I just hope Raphael is on his heels, even with the sudden change of destination.

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