Soo Yon-The Ride

'Do you even know where she'll be staying?' I asked.

We were on a ferry, heading towards Jeju Island for the supposed music video shooting. In reality, we were tailing Mia and Deen. The only problem was, we did not know where she will be staying. We did not even inform her about the change in shooting date and venue. What if those shady neighbors of hers found out?

'Relax,' Cheng assured me. 'Jeju Island is quite small. I'm sure we'll run into her.'

That did not convince me. Cheng clearly had no idea how to tail her.

'We should just call her,' I suggested. 'We'll say we're there for work and would like to meet up. That's not a lie, ya know.'

'But that'll alert those creeps,' Cheng pointed out. 'Nah, best option would be if she doesn't know we're following her.'

'I feel like a stalker,' I muttered. Following Mia like this made me feel uncomfortable. What if the men she was hanging out with really had no ill intentions towards her? But there was still the possibility that they may really harm her. The thought itself was enough to drive me nuts.

'We're not stalkers,' Cheng rolled his eyes. 'We're looking out for a friend.'

I sighed. He was right. Mia and Deen's safety was important. We had to take the drastic measures.

It took us almost five hours to reach Jeju Island. Thankfully, the hotel we booked was only five minutes away from the port. A tour bus was already at the port, waiting for our crew.

As soon as we reached the hotel, we left our bags at our rooms and headed off to scout for Mia. Our shoot was at night, so we had plenty of time. Under normal circumstances, I would have slept at the hotel but we were pressed for time.

'Where can she be?' Cheng asked. 'There are hundreds of hotels and villas here. From do we start?'

I thought for a minute before taking out my phone. I dialed Mia's number.

'What are you doing?' Cheng hissed.

'Trust me,' I said. I waited for Mia to pick up the phone.

'Hello?' she greeted.

'Hello, Mia,' I greeted back. 'How's your vacation going?'

'We just got here,' she replied. 'I feel really tired but Deen is very excited.'

'Great! Where are you guys staying anyway?'

There was a short silence from the other end. 'I'm staying with a friend,' she said, sounding a little tense.

I frowned in annoyance. Why was she being secretive?

'So, have you decided on which place to visit?' I asked in a casual tone. Cheng was listening intently.

'Well, not really,' she admitted. 'I don't know the place well.'

'Why don't you go to Seogwipo Submarine today?' I suggested. 'I heard they give special discounts on Saturdays. Besides, they hand out free souvenirs to children after three o'clock in the afternoon. Deen will love it!'

'That's a great idea!' Mia sounded excited. 'I'll take him there today then. Thanks for the tip, Soo Yon sshi.'

'Enjoy your trip there,' I ended the call. Cheng gave me a thumbs up.

'Smooth,' Cheng complimented. 'Now all we have to do is wait for her and Deen at Seogwipo Submarine.'

'Yeah,' I replied. 'We'll take the three o'clock ride. But we should disguise ourselves. What if she sees us? Or worse, what if fans identify us?'

'Let's go back to the hotel and put on our masks,' Cheng suggested. I nodded in agreement. It was only 1 PM, so we had our lunch at the hotel before setting off towards the Submarine.

We reached the place around 2:30 PM but we were surprised by the lack of people there. Seogwipo Submarine was a very popular tourist spot and weekends were usually packed. However, there was no one else in sight. No long queues nor bustling tourists. There were some officials up at the front but that was it.

Cheng and I approached one of the officials.

'Hello,' I greeted. 'We would like to book a spot on the three o'clock ride.'

'I'm so sorry, sir,' the official apologized. 'The ride has been booked for a private party.'

'A private ride?' Cheng frowned. 'When did this booking come through?'

'About an hour ago,' the official replied. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to the guests.'

'Wait a second,' I requested him. 'How many people are on this ride?'

'Around six people,' the official answered.

'Umm... are there two foreigners in the group? A woman in her late twenties and a child?' I asked.

'Yes,' the ride official confirmed. 'Now if you'll excuse me, it is almost time to start the ride.'

The official strode away. I turned to Cheng.

'If they can book this ride for a private session,' I began. 'Then Mia's neighbors must be very rich and influential.'

Cheng's face was grim. Both of us had the same thoughts in our head. After spending years among the elite class, we knew their dirty secrets inside-out. Those people should not be trusted and many of them are known to have dabbed into illicit activities. Taking advantage of women like Mia was second nature to many rich men.

'We have no other choice but to wait,' I sighed. Cheng looked worried. We dreaded the worst. The ride would go on for two hours and we had no other way to get into the submarine. The only choise we had was to wait. But those hours were long and difficult to endure. Terrible thoughts crossed our minds. I felt my heart pounding against my ribs, as the minutes dragged by.

I was an atheist but for the first time in many years, I silently prayed to god for Mia's safety.