Chapter 114 - A Prince In The Alley

Miles away, a lone figure made his way through the narrow alley. The fine young man in his early thirties was wearing a long trench coat and a hat, hiding his face. He looked too polished and refined to be walking in the shady alleyway which was fraught with unknown danger but he did not care. There was something that needed to be done.

Jonghyun ignored the stares from the glum looking homeless people around him. They were leering at him as if he was their prey but for some reason they did not dare to go any nearer. A long, black gun glinted under the dim streetlight, indicating that the man was armed.

He stopped in front of a door on the side of a brick building. The time was past 3 AM and the world slept, blissfully unaware of the prince who was loitering in the darkness. He knocked on the door. A Japanese man opened it and frowned.

"Kirishima," Jonghyun stated.

"It's late at night," the man said in a heavy accent. "Come tomorrow-"

But Jonghyun was adamant. He held the door with one hand. "Tell him that Lee Jonghyun wants to meet him," he said quietly.

"Come back tomorrow!" the man growled but Jonghyun kept on blocking the door.

"Do you wanna die, ya fucktard?" the man roared.

"I have news for him," Jonghyun smirked. "He'll love it."

"Let him come."

A sly voice ordered from within. The man glared at Jonghyun before stepping aside to let him inside. Jonghyun entered the Yakuza leader's den, pompous and arrogant. He was about to play a deal which could not go wrong.

He went straight towards a small room in the corner. Inside was a Japanese man with a scar over his eyes and his long hair was loose in messy strands.

"Who are you?" Kirishima demanded.

"Lee Jonghyun," Jonghyun declared. "The son of Prime Minister Lee."

As soon as he said that, numerous hands grabbed him from behind and pushed him against the wall. Jonghyun did not struggle but smirked at Kirishima. The latter came forward to study the young man who had dared to announce his identity so brazenly.

"You are either very smart or very stupid," he commented. "To be walking into the lair of the Yakuza...needs a lot of guts."

"Not guts," Jonghyun stated. "Just a little information is enough. I'm sure you wanna know what happened to the drugs Shin Hyun was supposed to hand over to you."

Kirishima's eyes flared up. He had been looking for those drugs all over the country but it was as if they had disappeared without a trace. No matter how hard he tried, he could not find them and Shin Hyun was of no use. Now that the guy was locked away in Aberville Prison, it was impossible to reach him.

"What's the news?" he demanded.

"Tell your men to let go of me first."

Kirishima nodded at his men and they let go of Jonghyun who fixed his clothes. He was led to a table and Kirishima ushered him to sit. Jonghyun took a seat opposite to the Yakuza lord.

"The drugs are not with Shin Hyun," he revealed. "They're with Mikahel, the Ambassador to Country A."

Kirishima was suspicious. "How do you know this?" he asked.

"Mikhael is affiliated with the Cho Clan," Jonghyun stated. "The Cho clan has the map and list of all the suppliers' who smuggle drugs and gold into this country. They control the major routes while the rest are controlled by you guys. Mikhael tricked Hyun that night so that he could steal the drugs and frame Hyun for it. He then proceeded to send the drugs to the Cho clan who sold it abroad and made tons of money. Money, which is being used to fund the Sailors' Reef Bridge."

He leaned back, observing the look of realization which dawned on Kirishima. 

"Hyun wanted out of the Company so he teamed up with you all," Jonghyun went on. "But in the end, got stabbed by his own comrades. The Company wants the bridge to be built because once that bridge is complete, they will control the major trade routes. Which means…"

He held up his fingers to count. "Control over the drug trade," he said. "Monopolizing the routes so that only they can gain control of all the major cartels. And also increase their links with the major trade routes with other countries so that local drugs can be smuggled abroad. It's a win-win for them."

"Why are you telling us this?" Kirishima demanded. "You're the PM's son! This is treason, right?"

To his surprise, Jonghyun let out a laugh. "Treason?" he asked. "If I open my mouth, the PM will be charged with treason first. One snap and I can have him jailed. I'm just waiting for the right time…"

"How do I know I can trust you?" Kirishima sneered.

"You can ask around and check if my information is right or not," Jonghyun challenged. "You know that I'm correct. Mikhael knows that the Cho Clan control a major share of the Company. If they fall, then the Company is also vulnerable."

"But no one knows the true leader of the Company," Kirishima pointed out. "Unless we know who he is-"

"Leave that to me," Jonghyun said. "I can find out who the leader of the Company is. I just need time."

To his surprise, Kirishima let out a wheezing laugh. "The son of the PM doesn't even know who the leader of the Company is!" he laughed. "And you expect us to work with you?"

"I still have much better access to the Company than you do," Jonghyun shot back. "But if you can stop the Sailors' Reef Bridge, you can lure the leader here!"

"And I'm assuming you know how to do that!" Kirishima chortled. Jonghyun merely smiled.

"There is someone who can take down the bridge," he revealed. "And he's a member of the Light."

Kirishima stopped laughing. "The Light?" he hissed. "They're the enemies! They want to take the country under their grasp and eliminate all of us!"

"But that doesn't mean we can't use them for our benefit," Jonghyun reasoned. "We know that their skills and networks are no joke. Each of the seats specialize in their own fields and are damn good at it. If we want to destroy the bridge and turn the Company into an international joke, then the only way is to annihilate the bridge after it's complete!"

"But 8 is in prison!" Kirishima snarled. 

"He can be broken out," Jonghyun stated. "No one ever broke out of Aberville but it's not entirely impossible."

"And you know how to do it?" Kirishima sneered.

"I don't," Jonghyun said. "But my father does. He'll give us the key himself and that's when we'll attack."

Kirishima looked at him with suspicion. There was a strange aura about the man which the Yakuza lord did not like. In fact, he was even a little bit scared of it. Jonghyun looked like a gentle and calm man but the manic glint in his eyes spoke otherwise.

"I don't trust you," Kirishima declared.

"But you have no choice," Jonghyun added. "I'm your best bet. Either take the deal or leave."

He extended his hand. Kirishima stared at it with trepidation but shook it.

"If you double cross us, we'll expose your lies," he warned.

"Be loyal to me and I might actually spare you from harm," Jonghyun challenged. He was openly mocking the Yakuza leader but Kirishima wanted to see how he carried out his challenge. Only time would tell how Lee Jonghyun would play his cards.

…..

Sunye slowly opened her eyes. It was past noon and she had overslept. But she found herself on an unknown bed. 

Scrambling up, she looked around her. She was in SD's room! The events of last night were rushing back into her head and she slightly blushed. He did not do anything other than hug her all night. Even that chaste action was making butterflies flutter in her stomach.

Stop! She scolded herself. You were only comforting him. That's it! Kill the damn butterflies!

But she was slightly worried for him. He was as pale as a ghost last night when he was dreaming. She, too, had a very strange dream which was more like a memory. It was a memory she had buried somewhere in her sub-conscience but it was so vivid last night.

She dreamt of the other Kim San.

This is a first, she thought. Why was I dreaming of him?

Sunye looked around. SD was not in the room but she could smell the scent of fresh seaweed soup which made her stomach growl. The training had been making her hungrier than usual so she got up to freshen up. She went back to her own bathroom and washed up before heading downstairs.

SD was in the kitchen, cooking lunch. Sunye looked around and frowned.

"Slept well?" he grinned at her. "I had a really good sleep with my arms around my human bolster-"

Sunye scowled at him. "Thanks to your whining, I couldn't sleep!" she snapped.

"And yet, you were happy to lie right next to me," he slyly said. "With my manly arms holding you while your soft body was pressed against mine-"

Sunye threw a tissue at him which he dodged easily. "Still not very good at targets," he commented. "I'll have to teach you more."

"Where's Orea?" Sunye asked. "And the idol...Minwoo."

"Both went shopping," SD shrugged. "Speaking of that. Get ready. Today we're going to test your practical skills."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

SD's lips were etched into a smile. "Why, you're gonna beat up some thugs of course," he said cheerfully. "So get dressed, Ms. Lawyer!"