Ava
Every bone in my body feels broken.
I struggle to sit up and find a taser pointed at me.
One of the men in black is behind me, while the other is controlling me with that infernal device.
Where have I ended up?
"What's going on?" I ask, glancing over my shoulder.
"You can't leave the house. Lawyer Jung gave you the orders."
Obviously these men don't know about the email instructions.
Now I understand the old man's game: if I run, I die. If I stay, Roori and Min die.
Dirty bastard!
I grit my teeth to hold back the insults and carefully push myself up from the ground.
I stagger and try to stand up straight.
Damn, my head is spinning, but I have to hold on.
I try to stifle a retching feeling and put a hand to my chest.
My heart is pounding.
I take a breath and try to focus on the man in front of me.
"Take me to the lawyer," I say seriously.
He stares at me for a moment and shakes his head.
"Once the game starts, you can't talk to him anymore," he replies.
I reach into my pocket and lift the torn letter.
"It says in here that I need to talk to him," I huff and see him hesitate.
He reaches for the letter, but I shake my head.
"You can't read it, you're not a Kim. I can only make an exception for the lawyer."
He exchanges a glance with his colleague and then steps back.
He touches his earpiece and speaks softly, in Korean, to someone.
The exchange is very intense, but I pretend not to notice.
Finally, he comes back to me and asks me to follow him.
The sound of footsteps behind us makes me turn, just in time to see Min-Jun kick the man with the taser, disarming him.
I stare at him, open-mouthed in surprise, but the two begin exchanging punches and kicks.
The arrival of three more men stops them, separating them.
Min struggles, but is dragged away.
What the hell did he think he was doing?
"Ava! AVA!"
He shouts loudly to be heard, elbowing and trying to free himself.
He thought they were going to hurt me.
I hide a bitter smile and shake my head.
"I'm fine!" I tell him, giving him a thumbs up. "Tell Roori not to worry about me."
I turn my back on him and start following the man.
I don't want to think about what happened.
He can't have been worried about me.
If that were the case...
I shake my head hard.
Forget it, Ava!
He hasn't looked for you in 10 years, why should he care about you now?
I close my eyes for a moment, trying to erase his image.
Min-Jin is dead.
He doesn't exist for me.
The boy I loved wasn't real.
I straighten my jacket and walk through the door into the living room.
Attorney Jung gives me a faint smile.
Apparently, he's not surprised to see me here.
"Problems, Miss Allen?" he asks.
"I only speak to you," I reply, gesturing to the men behind me.
Nodding, he gestures for them to leave and looks at me again.
We challenge each other for a few seconds before I get ready to speak.
"What the hell is this?"
I take out the letter and wave it under his nose.
He raises an eyebrow and holds out his hand, but I don't give it to him.
He stares at me in silence.
"I don't know what you're talking about. If I don't read what..."
I interrupt him with a gesture, suddenly moving closer to him.
My face brushes against his, our noses almost touching.
You have beautiful features, and if it weren't for this unpleasant occasion, I would have found him handsome.
But right now he represents the enemy.
"Why have you decided to eliminate me?"
I see him holding his breath and his lips tighten.
"I don't understand. It seemed to me he wanted to discuss why he was trying to escape..."
I let him taste my warm breath, leaning close to his ear.
"Your boss has decided to eliminate me: whether I stay or go, whatever happens. So the question is: why?"
I feel his body shiver, and I don't know if it's from the words or my proximity.
But I don't move.
I want him to experience the discomfort I feel and the feeling of being threatened.
"I think you misinterpreted the message, Ava."
Oh, now I've become 'Ava'?
I raise my eyebrow and smile sensually.
"Ms. Jung."
My voice is a caress, as is my hand, which barely touches his cheek.
"Do you think there's anything to interpret if someone tells you they want you dead?"
She doesn't move, she doesn't avoid contact, but her eyes are narrow slits.
"How well did you know Mr. Kim? Because everyone knows he hated me and my mother. And his own son. And his granddaughter, who now, for some unknown reason, he wanted here."
"He had his reasons..."
"And I demand to know them."
My hand slides to his neck and I place it behind his head.
I run my fingers over his skin and find it pleasant to the touch.
He lets me do it, without showing his feelings or discomfort.
He slips the letter into his pocket and with my other hand, I caress the edges of his dark jacket.
"Don't you want to share your thoughts with me, lawyer?"
I smile at him and my hands draw concentric circles on his skin.
"Then that means I'll find out for myself."
I close the distance between us and connect my mouth to his.
His lips are soft, warm, and pleasant. I move slowly, trying to draw him closer, but he doesn't seem to give in.
I look up and find his eyes watching me, full of unspoken questions.
He didn't cooperate with the kiss, but he didn't shy away either.
With a sigh, I let go and shake my head.
"Yes, he was definitely one of his men," I admit, taking a step back. "But at least he's a person, not a remote-controlled robot. And very, very cute."
A brief hint of a smile passes across his lips.
He puts his hands in his pockets and stares at me for a long moment.
"Did you find what you were looking for?"
I look at him and let out a brief smile.
I raise my hand and show him the set of keys I stole from him during the kiss.
I jingle them and wink.
"I hope you're satisfied now," he comments wryly.
"Ah! I'd say she should have at least returned the kiss to satisfy me, but given the situation, I'll overlook her lack of cooperation. I'll settle for the keys, sir."
I take a step back and turn to look at him again.
"For now."
An exchange of enigmatic glances between us makes me realize I've just started a new game.
I open the door and escape from the room.