Chapter 27 - The Cruise (6)

Sunye stirred. Her body felt heavy and her head throbbed in pain. Slowly opening her eyes, she tried to make out the view in front of her. She was in a daze but fought to keep her senses alert.

The room was completely dark except for the light which was shining brightly above her head. She could dimly hear the waves crashing against the ship as it moved through the deep sea. Sweat trickled down her forehead and she was struggling to stay awake.​​

Keep your calm, she told herself. But her heartbeat rose and she was gripped by paranoia. What if I die here? What if they hurt me? Or worse?

"What do we do with her?"

She heard some men whisper. Shutting her eyes close, she carefully listened to their conversation.

"The girl knows about our plans," Hyun's sly voice came from somewhere. "But we can't risk killing her with a weapon. She's the guest of the Prime Minister's son. If he finds out, it will be disastrous for us!"

"What do we do then, sir?"

Hyun glanced at the woman who was still unconscious. Of all the people, it had to be a prosecutor who had discovered his plans. She was going to ruin his reputation and if the public found out, he would never be nominated as a minister again.

"Drown her," he stated. "If she drowns, they won't suspect us. We'll claim it to be an accident. Turn off the CCTV around this area. Make sure no one spots you throwing her off the deck. The sea is too deep to swim. Even expert swimmers can't hold out much longer in this part. She won't be able to survive there."

His subordinate was a muscular member of the Yakuza. He nodded and turned towards the lawyer who was still out cold. Sunye had heard their plan and was panicking. If she was thrown into the sea, then her hypothermia would act up and she would surely die without even needing to drown.

I must get out of here! She thought in desperation. But how?

She was sure there were guards outside who would not hesitate to kill her if she tried to run. There was no other way but to fight it out but she did not have any combat skills. How was she going to fight off so many people?

I can't die, she told herself. I can't die.

Yes. She must survive at all costs. There were many things she still had to do.

"I'll head back to the party," Hyun was saying. "Get rid of her."

There was the sound of a door opening and shutting. Sunye tried to hear if there were movements of any other person in the room but it seemed like the guard was alone.

She heard footsteps approaching her way. No doubt, they were going to carry her and throw her off board. Holding her breath, she waited for them to come nearer. Her right hand lay limp beside her so she stealthily crept her hand to the back of her dress and took off one of the pins holding her dress together.

The man stooped down to carry the unconscious woman only for her to suddenly lunge at him. Sunye inserted the pin straight into his eyes.

"AHHHH!" The man screamed in agony as blood splattered everywhere. He backed off, clutching his eye as he writhed in pain. Taking the chance, she ran out of the door and headed towards the party but her way was blocked by several guards.

"Grab her!" one of them barked and Sunye was caught by the Yakuza again. But she was not going down without a fight. She kneed one of the guards and punched another one with all her might but there were too many of them. One guard grabbed her wrists and another one lifted her by the feet.

"Throw her off the deck!" their leader shouted. "Make sure she drowns!"

"Tie her hands! And put some weights around her!"

She felt rough hands tying her wrists behind her while another guard was tying something heavy against her waist. A brick! She realized.

Sunye tried to scream but one guard held her mouth and she was being carried away by the men.

"Mpfh!" she struggled to be freed but the strong hands grasping her hindered her movements. They were carrying her to the edge where the cold air was beginning to stir up her hypothermia. Sunye was freezing, her body temperature falling. If she did not have her medicines, then she would surely die.

The waves were dangerously crashing onto the ship, spiraling out of control. The treacherous sea was like a whirlpool of danger, inviting her to its depths as the men hovered her over it. Before she could react, they dropped her into the water.

"Do you think anyone heard her fall?" one of the guards asked.

"The minister had instructed all the staff not to save her," another guard revealed. "So even if they heard her fall, they won't come to help her."

They stared at the spot where the woman had vanished. She was going to die in that sea and no one would save her.

"Let's go," the head of the guards said. "We'll have to go and meet Kirishima boss. He's going to check on the drugs and take his share."

The others agreed and followed the head guard, putting the woman out of their minds.

…

The cold stung her like a million knives, paralyzing her limbs. She wanted to scream for help but her mouth was also frozen. Her hands were tied behind her and the weight dragged her deeper into the sea towards her death.

Is this death? She wondered.

Images of Kim San flashed through her mind as it wandered back to the happier days they had spent together. The innocent childhood they had once shared and she wanted nothing more than to see him one more time. He was gone from the world but not from her heart where he still lived.

Her consciousness began to slip. In her muddled state, she heard a splash. A pair of strong arms wrapped around her and for a moment, her eyes flickered.

A familiar man was swimming towards her. She saw him saying something but could not make out his words. A pair of strong arms grabbed her and she felt herself being pulled upwards.

…

"Sunye!" Jonghyun cried, slapping her cheek. He had witnessed her being thrown off the deck and jumped in the water to save her. Dropping her on the lower deck, he pressed her chest and she coughed up a lot of water but she was still unconscious. To his horror, she was shivering violently.

Her hypothermia must have acted up, he realized.

"Medicines," he muttered. He quickly carried her into one of the empty corridors. His phone was drenched so he put her on the ground and looked around. There was a phone on the very end of the corridor. He must call for help otherwise she would die.

Dashing towards the phone, he picked it up and dialed the emergency number.

"Hello, I have an emergency here!" He spoke to the operator on the phone. He was explaining what had happened, not noticing another figure hovering around Sunye.

Shivering in the cold, Sunye slightly opened eyes to find the fox masked man standing above her. He put something next to her and leaned over her.

"Who…" she wanted to ask him many things but words would not come to her lips.

Who are you? Her mind was silently asking him. The man did not reply but he took off the half of his mask and stooped down.

His warm lips touched hers and in that state, she unconsciously opened her mouth to let him pry into it, his tongue twisting with her. A hot liquid trickled down her throat, warming up her insides. The bitter taste of the medicine was sweetened by the lips which caressed hers. Before she could deepen the kiss, the man backed away and disappeared.

Jonghyun was done with his call and rushed back towards Sunye only to find her awake. She was still shivering but her hypothermia seemed to have reduced. There was a fresh pair of clothes and a towel right next to her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, feeling worried as Sunye sat up. She seemed confused and conflicted.

"I'm fine," she said in a shaky tone. "I'll go and change!"

Picking up the towel and clothes, she headed for a washroom nearby. Jonghyun was confused by her seemingly sudden improvement in health.

What just happened? He wondered.

…

Suyne locked the door behind her. Slowly wiping her hair, she changed into the fresh pair of shirt and pants the stranger had brought for her. He even dropped off a pain of lingerie for her fitted to her size!

"Who is he?" she wondered. And why did he seem so familiar?