After Dark (Prompts)

Confidential Assignment - 25

End of the first week and Baek Jang-mi has been in a grumpy mood.

She continued to cook for herself or order deliveries so that she could ensure she wasn't being drugged or poisoned. She needed her wits about her and didn't intend to compromise herself because of two things: 1) she was determined to leave this place as soon as it was done and go home to Min Tae Gu; 2) she didn't want to get in danger and have Min Tae Gu have to rescue her and then fall into a trap that may hurt him.

Baek Jang-mi soon found out that the walls of the building were quite thin and there were a couple of days when she heard her neighbour moving around furniture late into the night. Already running on a few hours of sleep, the group needed to pick up outfits that would fit the role she was playing.

"How should I know what would capture the eyes of that banker?!" Jang-mi complained. For the past months, she never really cared about looking good for anyone else but herself and the only comment that was important to her was Min Tae Gu's.

That done, she locked herself in her room again. She was in a snit and it wasn't only because she lacked sleep. She missed Min Tae Gu intimately. But didn't want to pleasure herself here so she tried different ways of distraction.

Luckily, those paper thin walls worked to her benefit because the next night, her neighbor decided to sing the whole freaking night. First, it was garbled and she couldn't make out what the person was singing. Eventually, the song and the voice floated into her room.

"How do I ever... ever SURVIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEE? How do I liiiiiiivvvvveeeee?"

Hearing that, she wondered for a second if it was possible that it was Min Tae Gu who was behind that wall. She even tried to look for peepholes that would pierce through the wall that separate them but there was nothing.

Part of her wanted it to be Tae Gu. The part that yearned for him and the part that wanted all of this to be over already so they no longer had to be apart. The other part wanted it to be someone else so she can be sure that he was still clueless and safe at home.

Baek Jang-mi turned to her side and let a tear escape. "I feel you, Neighbor. I feel you. One more week. Oh, Tae Gu... I miss you badly."

She felt his absence more strikingly these past couple of days because she didn't receive messages from him and her calls went to voicemail. Out of concern, she passed by the pawnshop but found only Pyo Chi Su there.

After a conversation that felt like she was pulling teeth, Pyo Chi Su finally told her that Min Tae Gu was home sick.

"Why did he have to get sick now?!" she angrily asked Pyo Chi Su. It was by no means the man's fault but he was there and she needed to get that out to hide the fact that she was getting worked up with this news.

"Can someone schedule being sick?! You must be mistaken. That's such a silly idea!" Pyo Chi Su returned, equally annoyed.

Huffing, she turned to leave, contemplating whether she should go home and check on Min Tae Gu. But she looked up and saw Park Jung Tae watching her. Narrowing her eyes, she went back to the dump she was currently in, hoping that what Min Tae Gu had wasn't anything serious.

Deciding to send a message because she couldn't visit, she said, "I heard you were ill. Is it bad? Did you have a doctor check you? Please keep me posted. I promise I'm not worrying too much. I just want to be sure you can still make love to me when I get back."

Min Tae Gu immediately sent laughing emojis. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

The short, vague message troubled her more.

Park Jung Tae who was driving stared at her from the rearview mirror, "I can't believe you're seated there. The passenger seat beside me is free!"

"Yeah, no thanks," Jang-mi replied.

"Pfft. You keep pining over that former firearms dealer who is dumb as a rock," he commented.

"SHUT UP," she angrily said to her companion. "Don't you dare insult Tae Gu. He's not dumb!"

"No? And yet he doesn't know where you are and what you're doing?"

That stopped her from her plan to injure him. He was right. Not that Min Tae Gu was dumb.

Min Tae Gu was smart and strategic. One of the reasons she fell for him was that he was very intelligent and could discuss any topic with her from their life of crime to the physics of the universe.

The man even invested in cryptocurrency close to ten years ago and managed to have the authorities let him keep it.

It was impossible that he didn't know what Park Jung Tae said.

As soon as they were back in the building, she locked herself up in her room and placed her ear to the wall to listen for sounds in the other room.

Thinking back to everything Min Tae Gu said before she left.

We're partners, you know? You can trust me with your problems, too.

Make sure they feed you well and give you a warm bed.

Please trust me, too.

He knows. He knows.

She was mad at herself for trying to keep this and battling the issue alone. "You have him now," she thought and that gave enormous comfort.

Tears falling down her face, she whispered to the wall, "My Love? Are you really there? I'm sorry for lying. I just wanted to keep you safe."

She was met with silence.

It was too late to coordinate with Min Tae Gu on whatever he was planning. She would have to go through with her plans and trust him to work some things out on his own. "I trust you, Tae Gu. I trust you."

*

"It's late, Yeobo."

She looked over her shoulder to see her husband. He leaned down and rested his chin on her shoulder while she massaged them. Sitting in the same position for hours was getting more difficult and she was thankful for this reprieve.

"I just wanted to make sure she's safe before we slept," she replied. "Have you worked out the final arrangements with out contact?"

"Yes."

"I was reading up on her. I borrowed the file at the station," she said, quietly. "What a tough life she's had."

"That's why you couldn't let it go, huh?" her husband asked.

"She must have been desperate for her to leave that note in my wallet." Wiping the tears that fell, she gazed at her husband and kissed him, "I'm glad I could still participate."

"Sure, but remember our deal. Any contraction, any ill feeling and you will rest. I'll monitor the camera feed," he reminded her.

"I'm taking care, I promise."

With one last look at the monitor, she sent a prayer to the heavens that the whole thing would work out in their favor and no one would get hurt. The people she was staring at had enough of a difficult life. Caressing her growing belly, she whispered, "You will be loved, my little one. I promise you that. Appa and I love you so much already."