9 four: Risking on life

"Ah! Forget it! You are hurting me more!" Dae Ju shouted and pushed her away. He was sweating though he should felt cold because of the ice.

"Why? It will be fine! Or else you will get a horn!" Lina said with her pouting face and Dae Ju find her cute. He fall for her cuteness but he should control himself so he stood up.

"Then, let it be! I will get a horn and punch you with it!" he acted like he got the horn for sure. Then, he went upstairs. Lina moved backward as she got surprised. He was fine a while ago! She sighed and get back to her work. She was making a dumpling sheet and she gets back to make more. Dae Ju came to his room and took a very long breath.

"Why you always do that with me? Ah! I will kill you for sure!" he pointed at his heart and said. He went to the washroom and looked at his face. It was fully red.

"Oh! Look what you've done with me! What should I do? I can't avoid her either!" he said and filled his hands with water and splash them on his face. He looked at his face once more. He used to be very handsome. Whenever he looked at his face in the mirror, he gained confidence but nowadays, he lost his confidence whenever he looked at the mirror.

"Ah! You can't do anything! You are useless!" he said to the mirror.

When he came downstairs he saw Lina was still inside the kitchen. This time she was cooking something.

"Ah! I am relieved that she isn't rolling something anymore!" he felt relieved and went to her.

"What are you cooking?" he saw a pan with a lid on the stove so he asked and stand behind her. Lina turned around and this time she had a spatula on her hand and this time also she nearly hit him. But Dae Ju was aware and he moved.

"Why are you doing this to me? Now, don't tell me that you are angry with me!" Dae Ju was astonished.

"Oh! No! Why I will be angry on you! It was just a coincidence!" Lina was surprised and said. She was acting cute today but Dae Ju didn't know if she was acting on purpose or not.

"Oh, I see! But why am I thinking that you are doing this on purpose?" he asked.

"No! I told you!" she shouted.

"Okay, okay. I understand. Let me taste this now. It's looking delicious!" he said though she was looking more tastier to him.

"Okay, go and wait. It needs some more time to be cooked," she said. Dae Ju listened to her and went away from there like an obedient boy. But his heart was still racing and it wasn't stopped for a semi second. Suddenly he remembered that he has to go to the mafia, Johnnie. What if he really harms him? Why did he want to meet him? Is there any other things that he should remember but he couldn't? He was too much worried. He felt down and his face turned pale out of tension.

"What's wrong with you? Are you tired? Or did I hit you that badly?" Lina came with the pot full of dumplings. It was very hot and there was a stream around the pot. She put it on the table very carefully. Then she went to him and touched his forehead.

"You seem fine! You must be very tired. Eat up and then take some rest." she moved her hand and went to the kitchen. She came back with say sauce and after keeping it on the table, she sat down beside him.

"Lina-ah!" Dae Ju was digging in his thoughts and summon her.

"What?" she looked at him but he was looking at somewhere else.

"Suppose, just suppose....." he looked at her. Lina took a dumpling and pour it into her mouth but she looked at him with her big and curious eyes.

"Suppose that I go to work tomorrow but I can't come home for some reason, what will you do?" his face was full of tension but he was acting normal.

"Why? Why you are saying this suddenly?" she stopped eating.

"I was just curious but answer me. What if you went to search for me but you can't find me, what will you do?" he was serious.

"I will wait for you until you don't come back," she replied.

"What if I never come back?" he asked.

"Why you are being like this suddenly?" she surprised.

"This is not my answer."

Lina sighed. She couldn't understand what happened to him today and why he was talking like that. She can live without him, can she? She never thought of it. Though he wasn't helpful to her she always relies on him. Nowadays, he is very kind to her and he wanted to go close with her. She doesn't know if his feelings were true or false but she likes it. The feelings which she felt for him a long ago are trying to come back. She couldn't understand about her feelings but she thinks she is falling for him once more. She doesn't think it's a bad thing. It will be nice if they love each other and live for a long time happily. She dreamt it a long ago though she gave up on her dream. But maybe she can dream it again. She looked at him with her loveable look but Dae Ju was thinking of himself. They were still living on a misunderstanding which's root was Jheong Woo.

"Don't wait for me. Live your life on your way," he said as if he was in a trauma.

"No! I will wait for you. I am sure you will come back to me." she said and smile at him.

"Now, eat up. Food is getting cold." she wanted to change the topic. Dae Ju started eating though his mind was somewhere else.

"Did something happen? Tell me if I can help you" noticing him, Lina said.

"Nothing serious. It's tasty." saying this he digs in.

"Can I ask you something?" Dae Ju said while thinking something.

"Yes?" she asked. She finished eating and she has to clean up first but she sat down to listen to him.

"Why you didn't try to escape from here? I mean, you have been tortured and if I was in your place, I would have surely left you and never even try to come back. But you didn't do that. Why?" he was really curious. Lina stood up and went to him. She has a glass of water in her hand. She took a drop of water from it with her finger and put it on Dae Ju's sleeve.

"What are you doing?" he surprised and looked at his sleeve.

"Just wait and watch it," she replied. Dae Ju looked at the drop of water carefully. He saw it was going inside his sleeve slowly. The water spread and his sleeve got wet. Since it was not a huge amount of water but it vanished inside his sleeve.

"Now try to take out the exact amount of water from it," Lina said and smiled.

"Hey! How is this possible? It has to dry out." Dae Ju said being surprised.

"So how can you took out the water from it?"

"I can't. Why I have to take it out? It will be dried out automatically." he said normally.

"Just like the drop of water, I came to your life but I can't get out from it. I can never. My life has been mixed up with your and I can't escape from here until it dried up like the drop of water." she looked at Dae Ju. Though he couldn't understand what she wanted to make him understand he pretend that he got her.

[The next morning at director's office room]

Director was sitting on the chair and looking at the picture. He was thinking something very deeply. Did he remember about it? Why he was looking at it like that? What if he remembers everything but pretends not to remember it? This picture came to him by his hand. No, not by Rumi's hand, he snatched it from him.

When he was thinking this, Someone knocked at his door and seek his permission to come inside.

"Yes, come in!" he shouted but didn't turn around to look who it was. As he assumed, it was Dae Ju.

"Ah! Mr. Chairman!" he called him to take a look at him. He turned around with the chair and looked at him with suspicious eyes.

"These are the papers which you gave me to checked." he put some paper on the table and said. He looked at his face and got afraid by his sharp eyes.

"What? Have I done something wrong?" Dae Ju asked.

"No! Sit down. I was thinking about something." after a moment, he said and acted normal.

"Thank you!" saying this Dae Ju sat down on a chair in front of the chairman.

"Are you ready?" the chairman asked with a low voice.

"You can say so. But I don't think I am mentally prepared for it." Dae Ju replied.

"Trust on me. Nothing will happen. You will be fine. You will just go and greet him." the chairman tried to make him feel comfortable. But Dae Ju couldn't believe him as he knows the truth about him.

"Like hell I am!" Dae Ju said in his mind. "Did you say something?" the director asked.

"No! I was saying that I have to rely on you. You will go with me, right?" Dae Ju wanted to know though he didn't need him much. And it will be good for him if he doesn't go with him.

"I can't. I will give you a lift to him but I can't go with you. I am sorry. But I will come if you need me. Please call me in an emergency. I will immediately come to you." he said and leaned on the chair.

"That's a relief!" Dae Ju said.

"Yes?" the director could not understand and asked.

"I am relieved that you will be there to help me." Dae Ju laughed awkwardly.

"Oh! I will always there for you as I need you." he also laughed.

"Then, don't be late. Wait for me after office hours. I will leave you to the secret base." he said.

"No! I can go alone. I know the secret base so I don't need a lift. But please consider about helping me when I need it." Dae Ju said as if he was dying for his help. But, he doesn't want to take a lift from him because he will take someone else with him. And he knows that he will never let him go with the person.

After the office hour, Dae Ju came outside and stood near the building. He called Lina as he has to say something to her.

"Lina-ah! Where are you?" he asked.

"I am on my home. Why?" she asked.

"Oh! Then go home and don't wait for me. I will be late maybe it will be very late. So, don't wait for me and have dinner at the time and go to the bed in time. You can use my room. It will be comfortable. I don't like to see you on the couch every day." like he was advising her and she must listen to him. Lina was surprised by hearing these. What is happening in the world. Why he acted like that.

"Don't be too late!" she replied shortly. "Okay, I lo..." he sighed.

"What?" Lina asked curiously.

"Nothing! Bye for now." he hung up the call and start walking. Lina couldn't understand anything but she put her phone in her bag and walked to her home.