Untouched [minsung]

Chapter 25

Lee Know POV

The next morning I was meant to check on Han but received an urgent call from Mrs. Seo. There was apparently an issue that required my immediate attention.

In the past, this had meant there was an urgent target to be taken care of, or that they'd had a gala. I hoped for the former. Their parties were no fun to clean up after.

I arrived at the gates of the home and flashed my badge at the security guard. He took it from me, examined it, and scanned it. I drove down the extremely long road that led to the house and went through a second checkpoint where they scanned it again before finally being let into the garage.

The garage wasn't particularly normal as it went underground. They had too many cars to keep in a traditional garage, so they'd built an entirely new one underneath the house. I parked and walked down the tunnel to where she'd asked me to meet them in her office.

"Lee Know," his mom smiled when I walked in. "How are you dear?" she asked, taking my arm.

"Pretty busy cleaning up the mess from the alley," I informed her.

"Yes, yes. I suppose that would take some time. I'll make it quick then. But first, how is Han."

"He's been better," I coughed. I hadn't informed her of our argument yet. My job was to stay close to him, and I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate finding out that I'd not only kicked him out but also failed to do my usual surveillance rounds.

"Well, keep him safe for me. I actually needed to discuss him with you. Sit, sit." she motioned for me to take a seat on a chair across from her desk.

"Will Mr. Seo be joining us?" I asked, looking around for him.

"No, not today. I'd actually appreciate it if you didn't tell him about this meeting at all." She fiddled with the sleeve of her blouse as she spoke. She was uncomfortable.

This was new territory. I'd never been asked to keep secrets from the other spouse before. I wondered what could be so sensitive that he wasn't privy to the information. Also, what made me qualified?

But I couldn't tell her no. "I can do that."

"Wonderful," she smiled kindly.

Her smile reminded me that she was much scarier than Mr. Seo. He always looked intimidating and threatening...because he was. You kept your guard up around him, afraid to get hurt. But Mrs. Seo was much more dangerous. She made you trust her. She'd smile and poison someone. She'd bake sympathy cupcakes for a family whose father she'd killed. She turned blood to ice.

"What can I tell you about Han?" I asked. Usually, our informational calls could be done over the phone or in an email, so doing one in person felt strange.

"Oh, the information you've sent thus far has been very enlightening. I was especially glad to receive your most recent email."

I nodded at her acknowledgment. I'd sent it right after my fight with Han. She had originally asked me to asses whether he'd be a threat to her family. I explained he was not due to many things including his emotional state.

Han hadn't slept a full night since the alley incident. I wondered how he'd been sleeping at Felix's. Maybe it would be good for him to not have such a pushover to rely on all the time. Maybe my comforting him was actually stalling his ability to get better. Or maybe I was being too harsh on him because I was still mad.

Mrs. Seo looked at a piece of paper on her desk. "Your first email, though, I had a few questions about."

"Okay," I stated. My first email was basic information about other friends, his family, and a few basic interests I had discovered in the early days of my surveying him.

"You indicated that his parents were not in the area and that you believed him to be adopted. You didn't find any record of his parents or adoptive parents though?"

"Yes, please forgive me for doing a better job of explaining. In Han's therapist's file, he indicated in a few sessions that he was adopted. I searched all forums and was unable to find any documentation supporting or negating that."

"Do you think it's possible he came from one of the families?" she looked at me in curiosity.

I shifted uncomfortably. "Yes."

"Explain," she said with a now unreadable expression.

"The birth certificate was not able to be verified in any database that I checked. The document number on it was slightly off in color. The authentic ones are a true red and falsified ones from both Seo and Hwang were slightly maroon from 1997 to 2002 which aligns with his birth date."

She nodded and I waited for her to explain further, but she just sat there quietly. I wanted to know why it mattered. Though they didn't partake in that part of the business anymore, they'd had their hand in hundreds of false adoptions. Why did Han matter?

"I need you to get me his DNA," she finally said.

"I submitted a sample with my initial report. Would you like another?" I asked.

She sat there silently. She was looking down which wasn't the confident Mrs. Seo I was used to.

"No," she said, and her voice cracked.

I had never in all of my time working here seen her show a single sign of weakness, let alone cry. I didn't know what to do. I sat quietly as she pulled herself together.

"Sorry about that," she said as she wiped under her eyes.

"It's okay," I responded.

"Thank you for your help. You may leave."

I was confused. I didn't provide anything new to her that wasn't already in the files. She stood up from behind the desk and took my arm to walk me out.

"Lee Know, make sure he stays safe, okay? That is your new and only priority."

"Yes, Mrs. Seo," I said as I stared ahead down the tunnel. I'd have to get Han back into my home soon.

"And don't share any details of this meeting with anyone. That includes Seungmin and Mr. Seo."

"Yes, Mrs. Seo."

"Lee Know, can you stop being a kiss-ass for two seconds and look at me while I speak to you."

I paused and turned to her. She'd never spoken so candidly before. Her usual professional mask was gone.

She took a deep breath before speaking.

"Han is my son."