The day began with a whispering air, and a sky dome of plasma-blue turned into a gloomy atmosphere. Combined with the tickling sound of heavy rain, it made one wonder why the heavens were crying.
While others carried on with their day in the rain inside the rundown factory, Kira had returned from gathering information.
His long silky hair was tied into a ponytail, and he sat in a relaxed posture in front of his computer station. His back is away from it as he stares at the other two men across from him in the room.
He held a frown as he pondered to himself before faintly nodding his head in slow motion.
“I see. So while I was away, Lu Tian stopped by.”
He stroked his chin with his right hand like he had a long beard and thought some more.
“And then Jing Li here was having a tantrum.”
“No, I wasn’t.”
Song Jing Li, who was sitting, didn’t hesitate to retaliate at the samurai-like man. He abruptly stood up from the chair, and his nostrils flared.
“I was only speaking my mind.”
Qin Jun was leaning against a table with his arms crossed over his chest. He looks at Kira and then at Song Jing Li.
He lets a sigh and massages his forehead.
“You were throwing a childish tantrum.”
He unfolds his arms but only to put his hands in his pants pockets.
“You were lucky Lu Tian didn’t take it personally. If he did, all of us wouldn’t be standing here.”
Song Jing Li knew he was wrong and pouted his lips as he sulked. It wasn’t his fault. He had only wanted to test out Lu Tian to see if he was serious about Yue Ling.
They would be on his side if Lee Hana and Park Min Lee were here.
However, understanding he had crossed the line this time, he ran his hands through his hair and walked away from the two men.
“Alright, I get it. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
*beep beep beep beep
Just as Song Jing Li’s last word fell, an alarming sound resonated from Kira’s computer, and the whole place lit red.
Alertness flashes in the eyes of the three men, and their heads turn to look at the monitor screens. Each person didn’t forget to reach for their guns.
“We have an intruder on the premises.”
Kira announced as his eyes glued onto the primary monitor. On the screen were eight live images captured from the surveillance cameras placed outside.
As Qin Jun and Song Jing Li walk up to his station to observe the screen, the three men notice a black car driving past each camera.
The space between Kira’s eyebrows creases into a frown as his fingers dance over the keyboard like he is playing a piano and screenshots an image of the driver.
He zooms the image in for them to see, and when they know who it is, each person gasps in surprise.
Kira: “Wait…”
Song Jing Li: “That’s…”
Qin Jun: “Liu Shan.”
Taking a step back, Qin Jun looks at the screen one last time before turning away. He walks towards the front door and opens it to wait for their unexpected guest.
Watching him leave, Song Jing Li followed in pursuit, as did Kira.
The three men stood outside the abandoned factory and waited for their friend for a long time.
With one hand in his pockets, Kira leans to the side against the door frame. He stares ahead at the space that was once a parking lot.
“What do you guys think he is here for?”
Qin Jun doesn’t answer immediately but narrows his eyes on the road covered in puddles of water.
“I don’t know, but since he came without letting us know, we can ask when he gets here.”
Soon, the sight of the black car could be spotted from a distance. As it nears, the three men don’t move from their place but continue to wait.
The car comes to a stop in front of the rundown building, and the engine shuts off. Due to the car’s tinted windows, they could vaguely see Liu Shan in the driver’s seat.
He reached over to the passenger seat and grabbed an umbrella before opening the door. As his figure comes into view, Kira chuckles and straightens his posture.
“You gave us a heart attack there, Liu Shan. We almost mistook you for intruders.”
Liu Shan sheltered himself from the rain under the umbrella. When he heard Kira’s words, he smiled at the man, but one could see that it was an awkward one.
He closes the door, but instead of heading towards the three men, he walks to the rear door and opens it.
Noticing this, Qin Jun slightly furrows his brows. He observes the assistant more and takes a step forward but not enough to get under the rain.
“What’s wrong? Why are you—”
Before Qin Jun could finish his words, a woman’s slender figure stepped out from the back seat. Her beautiful features will engrave inside the heart and mind of anyone who sees her.
All three men held their breaths, and their eyes widened in shock. It was as if time had stopped, and they couldn’t take their eyes off of the woman suddenly in front of them.
Yue Ling steps out of the car with the help of her assistant. She looks at the three men standing a few feet away from her.
When she saw their expressions, she faintly smiled a nod at them.
“I have to say I already anticipated this kind of reaction from you guys, but seeing it now is quite enjoyable.”
Song Jing Li stares at the woman standing in front of him. Tears gradually made their way to his eyes, but he didn’t dare to blink as he feared she would disappear from his view.
His lower lips began ever so slightly to tremble, and he whispered.
“Noona…”
Although his voice faded by the rain, Yue Ling had heard him. She looks at him and smiles at him.
“It’s good to see you, Jing Li.”
Song Jing Li’s lips trembled more at her words. He focused on her smile, which was warm like a mother’s.
He takes a small step forward, then another one before running. He didn’t care if the rain got to him. His only thought is to go to her.
“Noona!”
He wrapped his arms around her, causing her to take a step back but held onto her tightly. He was like a child who had finally been reunited with his mother.
“Noona! Is it really you? Are you really here right now? I miss you so much. This isn’t a dream, right? Please don’t let this be a dream.”
Yue Ling doesn’t push the young man away but hugs him back. She gently pats his back and laughs at his childlike behavior.
“Mm. It’s really me.”
Liu Shan turns to look at the other two people. When his eyes met theirs, he shrugged his shoulders with a small smile. His expression and gesture were as if to tell the two men that he couldn’t stop his boss.
He looks back at his boss and pries Song Jing Li from her. He understood that the young man misses her like crazy, but if words reached Lu Tian’s ears about this hug, his head would go flying.
“We should go inside. If we stay out here, we’ll all end up catching a cold.”
Oblivious to Liu Shan’s true intentions, Song Jing Li was reluctant but moved away from Yue Ling. However, he took the umbrella from the assistant and held it for his noona.
“Noona, let’s go inside. There’s so much I have to tell you.”
Liu Shan was left to stand in the rain with a face full of disbelief. He shakes his head with a sigh and walks after the two of them.
He’ll let Song Jing Li enjoy this moment since he knows the young man misses his boss.
Yue Ling approached the door where Qin Jun and Kira stood. She smiles at the two men before sounding a soft laugh.
“From your expressions, I seem unwelcome here.”
Kira was the first to return from his daze. He shook his head and placed a hand on Yue Ling’s shoulder.
“Be it now or in the future, you’re always welcome.”
However, unlike him, Qin Jun didn’t say anything but stare at Yue Ling.
He wanted to speak, but it was as if something hard was stuck in his throat, making it difficult for him to utter a word.
All he could do was nod his head in a greeting gesture to her.
Yue Ling didn’t blame him for his response and was led inside the building by Song Jing Li and Kira.
As the three people disappear inside, Liu Shan stops next to Qin Jun. He looks at the man and sighs as he pats him on the shoulder.
“Sorry, man. I know I said I would keep this from her, but I made a promise not to keep secrets from her.”
Qin Jun nods in understanding and lets Liu Shan enter the building. He turns his head to look at the rain and also sighs.
He was confused at first why Liu Shan was suddenly here, but now he understood. However, he doesn’t blame the assistant for going back on his words.
To Liu Shan, the person he doesn’t have the heart to betray is Yue Ling.
His head raised to look at the gloomy sky one last time and wanted to slap himself. He is just as happy as the others to see her, yet, he couldn’t even say hello.
He takes a deep breath to do quick a meditation before heading inside to join the others.
