12 years ago

She pulled up by the roadside and removed the top buttons of her shirt. Out of the dashboard, she pulled out a scarf and tied it around her shoulders. Grabbing the bottle of water, she took a few sips before getting out of the car. She walked to the trunk opening the hidden compartment below it. A bag of cash, somewhat a personal insurance, she had kept for along time. She threw it on the passenger seat and got the car back on the road.

It had been a year since she started working for Akin. She had been an accomplice to everything; kidnappings, extortion, bribery and coercion. Although she had worked out her chances of living a normal life, it didn't seem to fruition, not here, not with Akin. Since the moment she set foot here, she had been searching for a way out, which revealed itself only now. She drove into a connecting road leading to the port, pulling up near a cabin. She got out with a bundle from the bag and walked into the cabin. China was the closest option. Once in the international waters, this would be over. The thought of beginning somewhere afresh appealed to her.

"I called yesterday", she said keeping the bundle of cash on the table before an old hunched man drooping on the chair. So old, the expressions on his face couldn't be comprehended. He grabbed the cash pushing it into the drawer and got up slowly and eventually, leading her to a boat docked nearby. She walked into the door he had just opened for her with the bag in her hand. She climbed down the stairs and into the berth as the doors closed behind her. Having scanned the room for any first aid supplies and finding none. She climbed the stairs and got out. The old man was not at the helm and the approaching footsteps put her on alert. She closed her eyes regaining balance, the left side of her shirt was now soaked in blood. She watched as the silhouettes of men dressed in suits rushed past the beaming headlights of the SUV's. She climbed out of the boat, tripping on to the dock, grabbing her arm as she fell. She felt the impact of something on her head as she looked up.

***

As her vision became clearer, so did the view of the room. The sound of the dropping liquid in the IV was crystal clear in the pin drop silence of the room. She groaned lightly as she pressed her arms to sit up straight. It was then that she noticed the pajamas and loose nightwear shirt she was wearing.

*Am I dead? Didn't expect hell to smell like morning coffee*

"You're up?", she turned to her right to see the man sitting on the couch with a newspaper in hand. He put it on the table in front of him, next to the coffee cup that still gave off steam and walked to her, sitting on the chair beside the bed. He narrowed his eyes, looking at her, observing her as she shot him a puzzled look.

"Akin's personal favorite. How? Sleep together? Kill someone for him?" he shot his doubts at her with a smirk on his face.

"The Chairman's personal favorite. Sleep with Mr. Hane, David Leh?" she asked with a blank face. He gave a satisfied smile and cackled once before looking back at her.

"The first thought was of course to get rid of you. Show Akin that eventually he would meet the same fate", he got up and walked around the bed.

"But then, the Chairman said having you by our side wouldn't be bad either. Showing Akin that he would eventually be a lone wolf, easy to hunt", he finished his sentence.

Akin and the Chairman Hane Moon of Noah Group of companies had been on bad terms since long. Akin was Hane's right hand, could also be called his chauffeur, aide or henchman. Hane had let go off Akin's hand leading him to serve a jail term after the murder of a rival businessman. As the evidence became irrefutable and the links had to be severed, Hane did what he had to do as a businessman seeking success. They had kept their distance since Akin had been out of detention. Akin was easily replaced by David who had been with Hane ever since. She sighed. David looked to the door as it opened.

Chairman Hane walked in. "How good are you with doing what you are asked to?"

*It was either this or end up dead in a ditch* There weren't any second thoughts.

2 years later

The Chrysler pulled up around the fountain and in front of the entrance. A group of well dressed men and women walked out, Chairman Hane in the front with David and Junho on either sides. then there were the secretaries and the security team. Samairah opened the door for Hane. He entered after a second glance. In 2 years, they had finally trusted her with being close to the Chairman. From being the guesthouse guard to the inner security team was a big deal of a promotion and the pay had got her enough to own a platinum card. *Life is good*

She headed to her room in the outer quarters of the house which was unnecessarily huge. The Chairman's wife had passed away a few days ago and more than grieving everyone wondered where her shares would go. The never seen together before family was finally gathering in the house. Aerah Kim, the Chairman's wife was a majority shareholder in the group that Hane Moon had built, mostly because her family had major shares and it was all passed down to her. Hane has two sons, one that was spoilt, Yon Se Moon and another that was mysteriously never talked about, the illegitimate child, Lee Jae Moon whom she had never seen, neither at the office nor at the house. She guessed that would have been the case because he was treated exactly how you would expect a typical rich Asian illegitimate child to be treated, until he died, of suicide a few months ago.

She sat at the window pane looking at the garden in the distance, her eyes fixed on the pigeons walking on the white bench. This was a routine she followed on days she didn't have to follow the Chairman everywhere he went.

*The night comes faster when there is nothing to do. Time passes quickly. So far I have had options, it was always one or the other; but nowadays I have started to wonder, how long until I run out of options? How long until I will finally have to be where I deserve to be?*

She rushed her hands through her hair and walked towards the cupboard. She clicked the switch of the kettle on and grabbed a cup of ramen from the cupboard.

*Another day, another ramen*