ALWAYS You: Swan's Shadow [YOONGI] (Book 3)

Chapter 12

BREAKING NEWS: 

THE KSI LURES TERRORIST CHOI SOO-JI OUT

Seokjin's TV worked.

The live news on the screen focused on the President of Korea praising Kim Chung Ha's protective measures on keeping the country safe.

The middle aged man commended her efforts on using merciless methods to show terrorism was not tolerated, that those who sided with the Hope Gang would be taught the consequences in the most ruthless, unforgivable way.

Pixelated images of Chanyeol's severed hand were shown on the screen next, along with footage of him crying out in deep pain.

The President's cabinet was in joy, clapping and hooting that South Korea had such an admirable strong woman to lead the nation's security.

Moments after Chung Ha butchered Chanyeol's hand off, In-ah and Miyoung had successfully located him. The Hope Gang was one step too late. He was held hostage in an underground prison at the bottom of a buddhist temple. The prison is embedded deep in the earth's ground, metres above ground level. From the ceiling to the floor, grimy cells line the walls of the dungeon, all facing the middle of the room where a dojo sat.

From their research on this buddhist temple, Chung Ha spent a significant amount of her time there. She used the dojo to practise martial arts, wushu and sword training. And it seemed, as sinful as it was, that Chung Ha preferred to keep her prisoners as close to her as possible at the bottom of the sacred temple.

Taehee collapsed as soon as she saw the amputation of her brother's hand. Her wellbeing was worrying, but there were bigger issues at hand.

The church was quiet, but the tension was deadly. The gang's morale was down but everyone scattered around the benches, waiting for Soo-ji's next move.

Her clasped hands were placed in front of her mouth, her elbows dug into her knees as she thought things through.

She sat up from her leaning position, unclenched her tight jaw to finally speak. In a critical situation like this, her silence and calm demeanour frightened everyone. Yoongi could see the fright in her eyes, however, but he knew she was considering the situation first before letting them in on her plan.

"We need weapons." Soo-ji stated the obvious to begin with, "lots of it. Whatever we can find."

"How are we going to get that? And where? We don't even have enough money to feed our stomachs." Seokjin said.

Soo-ji nodded, agreeing with what he was saying. She considered this too and was glad that this was raised. "We're going to get them from Jackson Wang."

Everyone sat up, staring at Soo-ji.

"You mean... we're going to ambush him and his gang?" Taehyung asked, "take his supply?"

Soo-ji shook her head. Instead, a small smile began creeping upon her lips. "We're going to take up Wang's offer. Fight him in exchange for weapons, vehicles, money, tracker devices, anything we need."

"My boss wants to have a 1 to 1 fight with you! You're the champion of the Death Ring now and win or lose, Mr Wang will offer you anything in return as a complimentary gift if you have a friendly match with him!"

Yeonjun's voice clicked inside everyone's head.

Yoongi nodded immediately, agreeing on the spot that he would do whatever it took to carry out Soo-ji's plan.

"And then?" Jungkook asked next.

"I'm going to split the gang," Soo-ji replied, much to everyone's uneasiness.

The Hope Gang had been together for so long now and the thought that they'll be going separate ways, without knowing what might happen or how long they'll see each other again, unsettled them. But they understood a time would come to this, a time where everything would go head to head and they mentally prepared this for as long as ever.

"Three of us will go to the rich side. Save Chanyeol." Soo-ji continued. "That will be Taehyung, because he knows the ins and outs of the KSI more than anyone here. Jungkook, you'll be going too and Yoongi, you will be in charge of the situation there."

"How are we going to save Chanyeol, exactly?" Taehyung said.

"By going to the KSI directly."

"You mean..." Taehyung paused, "purposely get captured?"

Soo-ji nodded in response. Smirking, she said, "what better grand entrance would it be for the Hope Gang's great return?"

She continued, "once you three are in the KSI, the first priority is to get Chanyeol out."

"And the rest of us?" Namjoon asked.

Soo-ji paused, hating the answer she had to give. "We'll back them, feed them intelligence, rescue them if needed. And... if they die out there, at least some of us are still around to carry this on."

The silence afterwards was bitter. It was the uncertainty, the unknown, that caused a knot to form in everyone's stomachs.

"I also thought about asking Jackson Wang a favour and sending Hobi and Taehee to China." Soo-ji said.

"What? No!" Taehee protested, "I'm not leaving you guys!"

Soo-ji smiled, knowing very well that Taehee would refuse. "But I can't send you both there without one hundred percent reassurance you'd be safe at the hands of Jackson Wang. It's not a gamble I'm willing to take. That guy can't be trusted."

Taehee breathed a sigh of relief, casting her gaze to Hobi in the corner of the church who was happily playing with his imaginary friend. She wouldn't even know what to do if anything happened to Hobi and she was left alone in a foreign country, or what would happen to Hobi if anything happened to her. Whether she stayed with the Hope Gang or sought refuge with Jackson Wang, she accepted that their safety was threatened either way. And if that was the case, she much rather stay with the Hope Gang, where at least if they died, neither Hobi nor she would be so utterly alone.

"I'll be going to Jackson Wang myself," Yoongi stated as a matter of fact, rather than asked. "You won't be coming with me." He said to Soo-ji.

The Death Ring was somewhere he never wanted to see Soo-ji at again. He couldn't ever unsee the mental image of her unwilling to fight back. He hated seeing her get hurt. But most importantly, the risk of her being at a place like that was something he would not allow.

Soo-ji understood why he wouldn't allow it, though. She nodded to him, never doubting that he could make this deal with Jackson Wang.

"When - if - we get Park Chanyeol out, what then?" Namjoon asked.

Soo-ji's eyes remained at her feet, while the others' gaze focused on her.

If everything went to plan, she knew that she couldn't sit back anymore. Kim Chung Ha was using her friends to threaten her, blackmailing her to show up, and she would do whatever it took to protect the ones she loved most. She only had them, after all, and she would do everything in her power to keep them safe for as long as possible. But she also understood that the atrocities in the country centred around her now, and it was up to her to put a stop to the tyranny that had been going on for so long.

"We'll eliminate Kim Chung Ha." Soo-ji replied to everyone, finally lifting her gaze off the floor. "Only when she dies, everyone doesn't have to live in fear anymore. She took away every person's way of life in this country. It's time to take hers."