The Cruise (7)

Jonghyun was pacing back and forth in the corridor when Sunye came out of the washroom. She had changed into a fresh pair of t-shirt and jeans while her hair was only slightly damped. Her face was paler than usual and she looked sickly.

"I've called the emergency services through that phone," he said. "The coastguards are sending an emergency boat and also the police. They will charge the men who tried to harm you-"

"Drugs," Sunye said. "The Finance Minister is trafficking drugs in this boat."

Jonghyun stared at her for a moment before nodding thoughtfully.

"You're not surprised," Sunye noted. "Why?"

"I've been suspecting that the Finance Minister has been involved in shady businesses for a long time," he said thoughtfully. "He was gearing up for a campaign against my father but the question was, how was he being funded? Obviously he can't use the taxpayers money without being caught by the inner members of the parliament. They would begin to ask questions if he had tried to embezzle funds. It was easier for him to team up with the Yakuza and other cartels to supply the drugs in order to make big bucks."

"Then if Dr. Byungsoo was his lover," Sunye said slowly. "He must have known the Minister's shady dealings!"

"And hence, the Minister had him killed," Jonghyun theorized. "But we need solid evidence to back it up. We'll have to check his bank account, any transaction he might have done, his alibi for the night. Everything."

He glanced around the ship, realizing that Sunye was still in danger. "For now, let's get out of this corridor," he said. "The Coast Guards would arrive within minutes and we can tell them everything. They can search the ship and hopefully find the drugs. Stay close to me. They won't dare to harm you if you're with me."

He reached out his hand and for a moment, Sunye was hit with a flash of dejavu. It was similar to the hand which San used to extend to her.

She hesitantly took his hand and followed him back to the hall. The guests were giving her a strange look and Sunye felt extremely underdressed for the event. The Finance Minister, who was chatting with some diplomats, froze upon seeing Sunye alive and well. He stared at her darkly but quickly composed himself in front of Jonghyun.

"I see your friend has changed," he stated with a fake smile.

"Thanks to your men who tried to drown her," Jonghyun said loudly. Before the Finance Minister could say anything more, there was a loud announcement booming through the speakers.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen!" the announcement echoed through the hall. "The Coast Guards have taken over this ship upon receiving the complaint of an attempted crime. We will be entering the halls and taking everybody's testimonies. Please stay at your spot."

The Minister was horrified at the turn of events. Jonghyun smirked while Sunye was stone faced. Within a few minutes, a series of uniformed guards entered the hallway. The guests were now scared by the turn of events as they were being questioned. Jonghyun headed over to talk to the head of the coast guards while Sunye was keeping an eye on the minister.

He was sweating and gulped in nervousness. One of the coast guards came to take Sunye's testimony.

"Mr. Lee told us that you were attacked in this ship," he stated. "Please tell me what happened."

Sunye recounted what she had seen in the study room, how she was kidnapped and almost drowned by the Yakuza men who were working with the Minister. The guard's eyes widened in shock upon hearing all that.

"You are accusing the Finance Minister, ma'am!" he exclaimed. "This is a serious issue!"

"She's lying!" Hyun stepped in. "I did not do such a thing! Drugs? Preposterous! I'm a respected citizen of this country-"

"What's your relationship with Lim Byungsoo?" she quietly asked. Upon hearing the mention of Lim Byungsoo, Hyun was sweating even more profusely.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he spat.

"I know you were his lover," Sunye hissed. "I received the pictures of you being intimate with him! You killed him because he knew about your dealings."

Upon hearing those words, Hyun spluttered. "What nonsense!" he claimed. "I haven't done anything of that sort! I'm a steadfast family man and a proud father! This is insane!"

He pointed at Sunye. "You're a liar and a cheat!" he shouted at her. Jonghyun was about to step in to stop the mad man's accusations but Sunye shook her head and turned to look at Hyun straight in the eye.

"Allow me to show you something," she grinned. Challenging him, she walked towards a projector which was placed in the middle of the hall. It was used to show a small screening of the different countries of the world. She took out a small USB stick from her pocket and inserted it into the laptop connected to the projector.

"What the hell is this woman doing?" Hyun shouted. "She's crazy! Stop her!"

"You will do no such thing," Jonghyun said sharply. "If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear."

Hyun hissed in anger but Jonghyun's glare had silenced him. They were waiting for Sunye to show them what she had discovered.

…

"SD…" Orea's voice echoed from the transmitter in his ear. "Are you sure this was a smart move?"

SD was hiding behind a curtain, watching the drama unfold. The grand ballroom was silent, the guests anticipating what the prosecutor was about to do. Everything was going according to his plan and Sunye had also acted just the way he wanted to.

After Lim Byungsoo's death, when he sent Sunye and Jonghyun the video, the prosecutor had confronted him about it. He was betting on her to do that and she had fallen right into his trap.

"What are you doing?" Orea asked. "I thought our deal was to simply replace the real drugs with the fake ones and let the Yakuza deal with the Minister?"

"This is a personal detour I had to take, o lil student of mine," SD smirked. His mind began to wander to the day before when Sunye had confronted him at their office...