Apollo’s Heart - Chapter 133

Chapter 133 – That Should Be Me (2)

Yuri felt like throwing up. Tears of blood were close to spilling from her eyes. She just couldn’t open her heart to Hye-seong even though he had been kind and considerate to her. All she knew was, the weakness of a man would never stand tall to those who are strong. The cruelty of a man would always emerge, eventually.

“You’re calling me a murderer? Me?!” Hye-seong scoffed. “The guy who killed your father is In-bae Lee. All I intended was to slyly steal the records, so where on earth did you hear such nonsense, and how dare you interfere with me?! You know what? If my father did not bring you from the police station that night, you would have died on the spot!”

A moment of stillness engulfed their surroundings. Yuri looked up at him, confusion lacing her voice as she asked, “That’s… what are you talking about?”

“I have no idea how he found out, but In-bae Lee had his people searching all around the area. Anyway, you would have died in the police station without a single soul noticing. Then, you would have been disguised as some unknown body found in River Jinseong. That sort of manipulation is a breeze to those guys. You really should learn to appreciate the fact that you are still breathing at this very second.”

Yuri was wreathed with goosebumps, her teeth trembled at the news All she knew was hell was everywhere. What does a man’s life even mean to you? Yuri clenched her fists, glaring at Hye-seong with venomous eyes.

Hye-seong took a step closer to her. “Let me ask you one thing. Why did Hye-yeon die?” he asked her.

Yuri’s not sure where this was heading. “What?!”

“Hye-yeon… She was a little wild, I must say. But she’s cute nonetheless. That very day, I’m one hundred percent sure she said she’d rent my car and go see you.”

Yuri couldn’t believe he had the audacity to look calm after he had trampled on someone’s life. He had no regard for those around him. Hye-yeon was her friend first before Hye-seong. She was the only person who tried to save her from the city of Jinseong, which was akin to hell on earth. The criminal who killed Hye-yeon was still alive, wandering without a care in the world. Yuri wanted to tell the truth, the criminal needed to be punished for his wrongdoings!

“Hye-yeon is—“

Two gunshots were fired, one after the other. Hye-seong scowled, he knew it was Tae-jun. He was here.

⸙

In the car heading to Jinseong Nursing Facility, Jin-wook glanced at Tae-jun in the back seat through the rearview mirror. Right before Tae-jun entered the car, Jin-wook saw he was holding onto a shotgun with his finger resting on the trigger.

“Are you going to use it?” Jin-wook asked.

Tae-jun nodded. “Yes.”

“It’s going to make a loud noise,” Jin-wook stated as a matter of factly.

“You said the place is off-limits anyway. Just make sure that the driveway is clear,” Tae-jun said.

So, this is it, huh. Jin-wook sighed. What Tae-jun had in his clutch was not the air gun he usually used for training or hunting. It was an original shotgun, one that was precise and accurate, used only when hunting bears. It’s also what the US military and the police used in their missions.

When did Tae-jun last use it? Jin-wook wondered. Clearly, if used against a person, it would undoubtedly make a huge mess. “When you dragged Hye-seong from Incheon, how many people were there in the gang?” Tae-jun asked.

“I think there’s about a dozen of them.”

“Are they foreigners or locals?”

“They’re Koreans. Dealing with them was pretty rough, I had quite a hard time, to be honest.” Jin-wook supplied.

“Is there anything I need to know about Jinseong Nursing Facility?”

“It’s a huge building. I think looking for Yuri there would take a lot of time, but she’s most like with Hye-seong. I think he would lure us by taking her hostage.”

The anger Tae-jun had been trying to suppress was now out in the open, his forehead creased in rage. A vein was throbbing on his temple. Jin-wook took notice and tried to placate him. “What we’re about to do is not hunting. The primary goal is to save Yuri Han. In order to do that, I suggest that you don’t provoke Hye-seong Jin too much,” he said.

“—I should’ve blown his knee instead of his shoulder,” Tae-jun muttered, looking at the side with his head out of the window. His finger was still propped on the trigger. He knew that Hye-seong would not harm her because he needed the list and the ledger. He steadied his breathing, willing himself to calm down. He was worried about Yuri, who would break with a mere touch.

The car passed by the entrance to Jinseong City and zippered through the streets straight to Jinseong Nursing Facility. There were two routes going to the nursing home and Jin-wook had ordered his staff to tighten the security. One car followed close behind them. Seeing the unfamiliar car pulling up the driveway, one of the two men standing at the entrance sauntered towards them.

“Can I help you?”

Without delay, Jin-wook opened the car door and slapped the man on the chin. The man grumbled, then a well-built staff got out of the car. The other man scurried into the building and closed the iron door behind him. The door didn’t match the aged façade of the old hospital, having been installed just recently.

“What should I do?”

“Step aside.”

The staff and Jin-wook followed suit. Tae-jun aimed the gun at the latch that locked the iron doors and fired. The sound reverberated around them, shaking it from its hinges. Then, the staff kicked the door open, giving them entry.