Tricking My Cold Lover

0Following the orders of the men who employed them, the group of Korean gangsters implemented their plan. They were told to take Xia Yanmei by hook or by crook. They already knew that going directly for Anton was too ambitious for them.      0

They agreed that Yanmei had to be the first in order to lure Anton. Reading from magazines how a powerful man such as him proudly naming his girlfriend; it was evident that the woman was important to him.      

For nearly a month, they have been trying to get close to Yanmei, only to fail. Seeing how she followed a routine where her security never weakened, not even reduced to a less threatening one, the group resorted to a dramatic way of catching her attention.      

They had been eyeing the office building for days, waiting for an opportunity. That evening, they saw a chance, and they went for it. They would have succeeded if not for the fact that Anton had long been on his way to fetch his woman and arrived on time to find Yanmei being held by the young girl.     

Despite his raging anger, he kept his mouth shut after getting off the car, both his hands already holding two army knives. He first went after the girl before turning to the old man's direction, throwing the other blade at him and perfectly hitting his torso.      

After seeing Yanmei free from the young girl's hold, he went to kick off the gun next to the old man, and only then did he advanced towards the direction of two other men, who came down from the vehicle.     

Anton was embittered by how his woman was nearly taken that he let out his displeasure at Chun-Ho, but after hearing her taking resulted from her miscalculation, it enraged him. He perceived Yanmei may have taken his warning too lightly. He raised his hand at her, wanting to get some sense into her.      

Fortunately, he managed to hold it together, diverting all his fury into his fist. He did not realize how much he hurt her yet, but he saw the fear in her eyes. It did not come from her near kidnapping, but it was him… He recognized at that very second, it was him that she dreaded.     

Yanmei ran off to the elevator crying. Her hands trembled as she pressed on the buttons.      

"Treat her wound," Anton ordered Chun-Ho, seeing a cut below her elbow.     

Watching his reluctance, he asked, "What?!"     

"She's hungry, sir," said Chun-Ho. "Iseul, by the way in the security room. He was checking on the new security system."     

As if on cue, Iseul came out from the same elevator Yanmei was in front of.      

"Decide who buys her some food. One of you will treat her cut," he said before returning to his men outside the building. He knew they would not office early that evening. He thought that Yanmei might as well have something to eat.     

Chun-Ho quickly followed Yanmei and pleaded for her to wait for him. He first asked Iseul to buy food for Yanmei before bringing her to the clinic.      

Yanmei was still crying, carelessly wiping the tears from her slender face. She was sitting in front of Chun-Ho, inside the clinic.     

As Chun-Ho cleaned the cut on her arm, he said, "You know, boss. He - he told us many times to never to hesitate when our lives are being threatened. In one of the attacks at the old factory, I got stabbed below my rib cage because I took pity on a young boy who was holding up a knife in my face. I thought I could still help the boy turn a new leaf, but instead, I got wounded."     

"Here." With his finger, Chun-Ho pointed to where he was stabbed. "You know what the boss told me? He said - he said I deserved it."     

Yanmei's face turned into a complete frown, unsure if she should be comforted by his tale.      

"What I'm trying to say is, he sure had a different reaction with you," said Chun-Ho before wrapping her wound with a bandage. "It was because he feared for your safety that he lost control."     

Deep down, Yanmei understood what he was trying to say, but at the same time, she feared what Anton could do if she would make a mistake again. She is only human after all and not used to the kind of life he was living in.     

They returned home late, nearly midnight, to the Yeongs' mansion. They both did not say a word to each other and merely rode in silence.      

Yeong Soon apparently awaited for their arrival. The second Yanmei saw her, her eyes welled up in tears. Mommy Soon quickly comforted Yanmei, taking her to the living room and hugged her warmly.      

"Mommy Soon, can I stay with you for the night?" Yanmei requested, and Anton heard this well. It upset him that Yanmei would rather take comfort from his mother, but then again, he was not any good at it. So he let it be.      

Yeong Soon stayed in another guest room with Yanmei and soothed her troubles. Before resting that evening, she let Yanmei rest on her shoulders as they leaned against the headboard. She said, "I know it's hard, sweetheart, but it's the sad life that we often face. I told you before I was kidnapped twice."     

Yanmei did not have her real mother with her, nor could she tell Ning Suyin about the earlier incident, but having Mommy Soon next to her was equally reassuring.      

"Mommy Soon, how - how come - you survived all this? What - what made you stay - and - live such a life?" Yanmei asked with difficulty, her words barely delivered altogether.      

"Because when you are in love, you only see the better side of it. I used to have the same worries, but my love for Jae-won outweighs all fears… I chose to be by his side. It's something I hope... you will do the same."     

Yeong Soon's words planted deeply in Yanmei's thoughts that she failed to rest well that evening. While she was happy that Anton's mother gave her an idea of which road to take, there was still a question of whether his boyfriend can control his temper.     

The next two mornings, Yanmei excused herself from work. She remained home, thinking of what to do. Even as she reported to work on the third day, her mind was elsewhere. She rarely saw Anton, and when she did, they spoke very little to each other.     

Both Anton and Yanmei were prideful, unwilling to start the apology.     

One night, however, he knocked on her door.      

"I'm - I'm going back to France… me and Lu Fang," Anton said after opening the guest room where she had endured to occupy, rather than staying with him. "We may have found Andy… I don't know when I'll be back… If I'll be back... I will leave now to get my men ready. I just thought you should know."     

A wave of pain suddenly filled her chest that after he closed the door, she ran after him, calling his name, "Yeong! Yeong!"     

Yanmei chose to stay in another room, even with Yeong Soon no longer accompanied her. She thought to give herself time to think, but all that contemplating was thrown into nothingness the second she heard Anton saying goodbye.