The Devil's Pact | BBANGSAZ

T H I R T Y T H R E E

Jake sat patiently on the couch in Minji's office as Minji dialed Hanni again. The first time she didn't pick up. Jake tossed another pecan in his mouth and wiped his hands. He and his wife were supposed to be going to a late-night party with the new couple as soon as Hanni got off her dinner with Nakamura. He glanced back over at Minji and waited.

"There you are. What time do you think you'll be here?" Minji asked.

Jake watched as Minji's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, you don't know? I thought you were going for dinner with Kazuha?" she questioned.

Minji slowly sat down, and Jake saw a blank expression come across her features. Her glowing pale face was draining of color. Something Minji was hearing was obviously a problem of some kind. "Hanni...what happened?" Minji asked.

Then Minji's face turned even paler. Jake rose and walked over to the desk. What the hell was going on? Minji leaned over the desk and covered her face with her hand as she listened to whatever Hanni was saying.

"Are you okay?" Minji asked Hanni, as she glanced up at Jake, who mouthed, "What's wrong?" but Minji didn't answer. She just told Hanni she would be there in a few minutes and hung up the phone. But now that pasty tint that had covered her features was slowly fading away... or actually turning into a bright red color, while her breath quickened.

"Minji, what happened?" Jake asked, staring at the unreadable expression on Minji's face. It wasn't often that Jake couldn't read her best friend. "Is Hanni okay?"

"Someone shot at her," Minji quietly said, as she grabbed her keys from the desktop. "Someone shot at..." He heard Minji whisper again, but more to herself.

Jake watched closely, as Minji stood there for a moment, bracing her knuckles on the desk so hard that all the color was draining from them.

"Minji?" Jake softly said, before everything on Minji's desk went flying off to the floor in a loud crash.

"Motherfuckers!" Minji yelled, as she rushed around her desk and out of the office. Jake ran after her, trying to keep up, as Minji took the steps four at a time.

"Seokmin! We have to go!" Jake hollered over his shoulder, as Minji tore out of the front door.

Seokmin quickly dropped his plate of food and ran out of the kitchen, no questions asked.

Minji couldn't breathe. They shot at Hanni?! Someone actually fucking shot at her?! Tried to kill her?! She was trying her best to keep cool. Half of her brain was telling her to remain calm, get to the restaurant, assess the situation, and go from there. The other side of her mind was racking up anyone who had ever crossed her so she could kill them. Painfully.

Seokmin had slipped behind the driver's wheel of the Escalade, while Minji was in the passenger's seat and Jake in the back. When they pulled out onto the road, heading toward Oysters, Jake asked, "What are you thinking, Minji?"

Minji didn't answer. Her mind was still racing. She wiped furiously at her face to wipe away any stains of emotions or tears... she had to gain control and get her mind focused.

"Minji, you do realize that place is going to be swarming with cops, right?" Jake asked. He sighed when Minji didn't answer. Minji just continued to stare ahead through the windshield.

Seokmin slowed down as they pulled up on the opposite side of Oysters, to an onslaught of black and white police cars. "Minji, I'll go. There's no point in facing them, you know how they feel about you..." Jake suggested, as he opened up his door.

"No. I'm going," Minji stated, looking around for Hanni.

"Minji, I know you're upset, but—" Jake started, before Minji interrupted.