Sunye stared at him in shock. How did he have the map?
"What-" she began but SD did not have much time.
"Do as I say," he muttered. "This...this is the second favor you owe me. Find a way to give Jonghyun the map of Aberville."
Sunye's expression hardened. When Song Tamlin died, the first thing which was missing was the map of the Aberville Prison. The police had to cover up this fact but as Song Tamlin's personal lawyer, she knew the map was not among his belongings.
So for SD to have the map raised red flags in her mind.
"Fine," she said in a cold tone. "I'll make sure he gets it. But you have a lot to explain as well."
SD knew that this was going to be hard. He could not explain to her what he did but there was no choice. He would have to tell her.
"Tonight," he promised. "I'll tell you how I got the map."
With that, he strode out of her office, leaving her speechless. Sunye sat there in shock, thinking hard. Did SD kill Song Tamlin? But why?
Suddenly, she felt really cold. Not physically but rather cold with fear. It was as if she was seeing a side to SD which he had hidden from the world. Even though he claimed to have done a lot of immoral things, illegal even. But could he really kill someone?
Yes.
A sly voice in her mind answered. Yes he can.
Her hands were shaking and she found it difficult to work. The uneasy feeling in her heart was not going away and no matter how much she tried to distract herself, her mind would keep on repeating the same question. Why did he kill Song Tamlin? What was their connection?
She vividly remembered her time working with Song Tamlin. He was a complicated man who was a known face in the underworld. But unlike the Company, he had a strong code. Get on his bad side, he would not hesitate to kill but if he owed a debt to a person, he would return it a hundred fold. He was not a good man but he was certainly not as vile as others.
Tamlin and SD had helped out her brother to escape the country but at that time, she assumed that the duo collaborated on a lot of work.
But did SD really kill Song Tamlin?
"Why am I feeling ominous all of a sudden?" she winced.
….
"Kids, gather up!" the teacher shouted. Orea and the rest of the students were lining up at the center of the campsite. Minwoo came to stand beside her while Myung and Marley stood a little further away. Myung tried to avoid Orea but he could help sneaking a glance at her and Minwoo every two seconds. Minwoo was leaning towards her, telling her something and Orea was smiling at him.
"Are you serious?" she hissed happily. "Protests have erupted in Country R as well?"
"My men in the media have been giving me constant updates," Minwoo muttered. "The other countries are pressuring Country R and Country K to investigate this. There are talks of an independent body to be sent here for investigation. The Company won't be able to interfere."
Orea grinned and patted his back.
"Good job," she whispered. The students around them were chattering loudly so no one could hear their conversation. But they did not talk any further on the topic. The teacher had gathered them around for the first task which they were to complete as pairs.
"The first task today is to collect food supplies," the teacher was saying. "Your partner will be your tentmate-"
Orea groaned. Completing the tasks was not a problem for her but Marley was useless when it came to outdoor activities. The girl would not get her hands dirty in order to survive. She would rather starve than break a nail.
"The tasks will be divided between each pair," the teacher went on. "One pair will collect berries, another one will collect edible plants, another will be fishing and so on. The counselor is handing out the list."
Orea took the list from a passing counselor and saw that she was assigned to fishing alongside Marley. Great! She winced inwardly.
She glanced at Marley who was glaring at her while Myung remained expressionless. She sighed and looked away, trying not to feel too jealous. That was an emotion she could not afford.
The students broke up to start their tasks. Marley came up to her and said, "You better not mess this up!"
Orea looked at her from head to toe. The moron was wearing a skimpy skirt and slippers which were not suitable for camping. If we were out in the wild, this idiot would have been the first one to get eaten, she thought.
She reluctantly headed towards a stream which was a little further away from the forest. To her surprise, Myung and his partner were also following them.
"Myung!" Marley exclaimed, holding onto his arm. "Are you also with us?"
"We've been assigned to collect the berries by the stream," his partner replied. Myung merely shrugged but did not push Marley away. Orea walked ahead, trying not to look back at him. But the annoying giggles of Marley made her want to barf.
Suddenly, Myung paused.
"What happened?" Marley asked him but he was not spying attention to her. He thought he saw something flash from within the forest. Craning his neck, he tried to see what it was but there was nothing in sight.
"Nothing," he said and they continued to head for the stream.
They reached an opening of the forest where a deep stream divided the area into two. It was surrounded by rocks and boulders which were jagged and sharp. Marley gulped at the sight of the rocks and then glanced at her slippers. She had never been fishing before and did not know that one should not wear slippers while fishing near a stream. The rocks were going to cut her feet and make her bleed, something she was not keen on happening.
Orea was already there, readying the fishing pole. The current was strong, the water rushing at a very fast speed but she seemed to be unfazed by it.
Catching a fish will be difficult, Orea realized. But I'll have to try.
She was wearing khaki shorts and her hair was tied into a strong knot. Her fishing equipment was already ready and she took out a dough from it. Tearing off a piece, she attached the gooey dough on the hook.
Myung was somewhat impressed by Orea's dedication to the task. It looked almost as if she was an expert and this was not a big deal to her. He had noticed it quite a few times but Orea seemed to have a faster reflex than most people around him. Not only was she good with technology but also with some basic survival skills.
Seeing him ogling at Orea, Marley cleared her throat.
"My dad owns a cabin in the woods near the Tiger's Coast," Marley was bragging to Myung. "You know the coast which is among the wealthiest properties in the country? It was so hard to buy a property there but my dad was on the priority list. He's friends with the PM's secretary, Mr. Jaejun. Hence, he got it for a good deal! He took me fishing there so many times!"
Myung did not say anything but simply put on a pair of gloves and a cap. Marley was annoyed by his lack of response and kept on tugging at his arm.
"Myung, watch me catch fishes!" she insisted. "The stream seems to be full of them-"
"I'm busy with my own task," Myung said shortly. "You should finish your task and go back to the camp."
Marley was taken aback by his cold tone and only gaped at him as he went towards a nearby bush to check the berries there. She let out a sharp breath and turned to Orea who was barely hiding her laughter.
"What are you laughing at?" Marley snapped.
"At you," Orea sneered. "Get the rod and start fishing!"
Marley's lips quivered upon hearing the girl taunt her. She knew that Orea was very close to Myung and the presence of this idol loving nerd annoyed her. Ever since the start of the trip, she noticed that Myung was only looking at Orea and not at Marley. This infuriated her because no matter what she did, he would only gaze at Orea.
I'm gonna teach this brat a lesson! She vowed.
Orea stood up and headed towards a boulder to take her position. She stood on it, looking down to check whether there were any fish nearby. To her delight, there were a few which hovered in that area. She sat on the boulder and slowly lowered the hook into the water.
Myung watched her from afar, worried about her. The boulder she sat on seemed to be slightly off balance and also, Orea was right on the edge. A slight movement and she would tumble into the water.
Marley, on the other hand, got an idea from it. She glanced at the boulder. It was heavy but with a slight jerk, it would move and throw the brat off.
Let's see if the slum brat can save herself, she thought with a smirk.
....
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
A quick explanation on Sunye's past with her brother. Basically, her brother, Kwon Jiwon was the protagonist of my other novel 'The Idol's Wife'. Song Tamlin, SD and Sunye were supporting characters in it and they helped him. Sunye and Jiwon's real parents were killed by the villains of that book and Jiwon had taken revenge against them before leaving the country. You can read that book to know more about their other past stories but it's not necessary since this book is a completely independent story focusing on SD and Sunye instead. I just had to reference TIW a little to explain Song Tamlin's involvement with SD and Sunye. Hope that'll clear up any confusion!
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