Surprise!

The Mouse - Part 7

Jung Sa Ha was having trouble. She sat crossed legged in the shadow of one of the bushes that surrounded Yoon Se-ri's property, her stomach growling with hunger, her eyes stinging from lack of sleep, her legs cramping and her jacket feeling increasingly inadequate as the temperature dropped. Yet she stayed. She was on the verge of everything she'd ever wanted. The camera in her lap contained photos that would change her life. She was scared to blink, worried she might close her eyes for a second and open them to find the camera gone and her dreams lying in shreds. No, she had the back ups on her phone. There was no way this would fail. She squinted at the house, it was after 5pm Swiss time, the sun was beginning to wane but her alert eyes caught every hint of movement around the house. Yoon Se-ri and her new husband had jumped out of a taxi nearly an hour before and gone hurrying into the house. Then there was pacing back and forth visible through the windows until one of the older men had tugged the curtains closed.

She could sell the story now. She'd called a friend who worked as an assistant at JoongAng and casually mentioned she had a hot tip about Yoon Se-ri's love life. It had taken Kim Min-ho – celebrated editor of the paper's entertainment section and a journalist she'd idolized since her student days – barely 40 minutes to call her back. The market was desperate for the slightest hint about Yoon Se-ri's partner. Like her, journalists were scrambling after every lead no matter how tenuous. Her friend had blabbed and the main man had called her himself. It was like a waking dream. She'd answered the call with a shaking hand and feigned confidence. She'd repeated her vague pitch and hadn't mentioned the photos, still Kim Min-ho - a man who'd interviewed legends like Zendaya, Gong Yoo, the Marvel cast and Black Pink - had thrown out numbers with multiple zeros - heavens knew his highly circulated paper had the budget – trying to entice her to say more after she'd confirmed the story had enough juice for a 2000+ word feature. He'd given her his cell number telling her to call him directly anytime. Less than an hour later The Korea Herald called. She had a bidding war going. The Herald said their news desk was interested too. If only they knew. This breaking story would dominate News, Finance, Culture, Lifestyle – hell, North Korea would have to drop a bomb to shift this story from the top of the news feed.

She recalled Yoon Se-ri in her understated white dress, smiling deliriously up at the tall, handsome man who smiled back with deep dimples. Yoon Se-ri had exquisite taste, she had to admit. The man was possibly more beautiful than even Korea's darling Picky Princess. Who was he? He looked Korean. Why did they meet in Switzerland? There was huge secret at the heart of this scenario, Jung Sa Ha could taste it. Possibly something bigger than their marriage. She couldn't sell the story without knowing what lay beneath. Was he the exiled son of a rival conglomerate? Was he a criminal? Was he a divorcee? What could be so bad they employed all this subterfuge? The mystery gnawed at her harder than the hunger biting at her stomach.

The back door of the house opened making her freeze. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was simply one of the grandfathers. The man moved stiffly, his thinning white-grey hair fluttering in the evening breeze. He didn't look around, lost in his own world as he pulled a battered packet out of his trouser pocket then fumbled with it before drawing out a cigarette which he tucked between his lips.

The man was probably hard of hearing, Jung Sa Ha thought as she raised her camera to her eye and snapped a shot. She already had pictures of the whole group but there was no harm in more. She would see what else she could gather in the next few hours. After that she'd call Kim Min-ho and describe what she had. She'd take nothing less than 3 billion won and insist she write the story – she had all the background research – they'd miss vital details if they tried to run it without her. She'd send the story, wait for payment, then send the photos. If they wouldn't accept her fee the international papers would. Yoon Se-ri was global. She regularly appeared in international lists of the most successful female entrepreneurs. Time magazine had featured her on the cover of their special Asia focus edition. She'd get the money she wanted. This story would be the making of-