The Artist and His Muse

Chapter 22

Edited.

The sun streamed into the hotel room window, slowly sliding across the face of the sleeping woman, peacefully sleeping.  As the sun crept up to her eyes, she squinted and squirmed to get away from its intruding light. 

She slowly stretched and sat up, looking around the room.  She frowned slightly and noticed nothing had changed in the room since she went to sleep last night.  She stood up and walked to the bathroom and saw that nothing was moved.  Jin Soo must not have come home last night.   She sighed out of frustration and sat back down on the bed.  She was hungry and hoped he would bring home breakfast. 

She gathered her clothing and went into the bathroom, showering, dressing, and preparing herself for another long and lonely day in this room.  Just as she finished up, there was a noise at the door. 

She heard the key card being inserted and removed.  She sat down on the small sofa in the room.  It was too early for housekeeping so perhaps it was Jin Soo. 

The door opened and two uniformed police officers stepped into the room making her gasp and jump up from her seat.  They began speaking to her in Japanese and she was quickly flustered because she had no idea what was being said to her. 

"Do you speak English," one of them asked gently, knowing they had just startled her half to death.

"A l-l-little," she stammered, sitting back down.  "What is going on," she said quietly. 

"Do you know this man," said one of the officers, holding up a photo to her face.

Jin Soo!?

"Yes, he is my fiancé," she said, now more confused than ever. 

The officer began rattling things off in way more English than Yeon Ah understood.  Finally he sighed and looked away from her.  He snapped off something to his partner who took out his phone and made a call. 

"Please, wait here for a few minutes," said the frustrated officer. 

They trio sat in awkward silence and Yeon Ah had no idea what they were waiting for, what was going on, or where her fiancé was.  She hated calling him her fiancé, but what else should she call him?  Her kidnapper?  Her abuser?  The man who took her away from everything she knew and loved?  For now, fiancé was the answer that raised the least amount of questions. 

After about thirty minutes, which felt like three hours, a small man walked into the room and smiled at Yeon Ah.

"Hello there," he said in Korean, making her jerk her face up to look at him with relief.  "I'm Detective Kwang Jun Hyun.  I'm currently helping the Japanese police force on another case.  They called me over to help translate for them for a bit.  May I ask your name?"  He smiled warmly and sat down next to her on the couch. 

Yeon Ah visibly relaxed and sat back against the back of the couch.  "My name is Choi Yeon Ah.  You have no idea how relieved I am to see another Korean person.  What is going on with my fiancé?"

"Ah.  Well, I looked over the info on my way over."  His face grew very sober and he looked down at his hands before looking up at her again.  "Last night there was a terrible accident.  Your fiancé was drunk and stole a taxi.  Apparently, he had made some rather unsavory people upset in the bar he was at and they were chasing him.  His taxi was involved in an accident.  I'm very sorry to inform you that your fiancé was killed at the scene."  He looked at her face, which was confused, and then sad, and then looked relieved.

Yeon Ah laid her head onto her hands in her lap and sobbed.  The three men in the room sat silently as she cried. 

"The reason these men are here was because they were trying to find out more about your fiancé.  Apparently he had a travel companion listed, which I'm going to assume is you?  Correct?" The detective spoke softly to her.