Criminal Minds

Who Is Lee Taemin?

"Lee Taemin. The most wanted man in the whole entire tristate area." The men in the black business suits sit around and gather around a table, nervously taking sips of their coffees as they tune into the news to see all these events done by this gang. This gang is known as "The Phantoms." They have been doing crimes such as robberies and murders and the cops are yet to prosecute or even find the members. The main focus of the matter is Taemin. He seems to be working alone but everytime he goes to successfully rob a gas station or convenient store, he gets in a black Mercedes and is driven off to god knows where. "Why don't the police just hurry their asses over there? Why must they take such a long time?" One of the men questioned. "This woman, who's name is Sabrina. She witnessed the works of Lee Taemin right in front of her eyes and right as soon as she went to snatch her phone from her pocket to dial the police, Taemin held the gun to her head." Silence broke through the room. "Did he pull the trigger?" The man looks down then back up. "Yes. He did. She was telling the police the address when she felt something touch the back of her head, she froze in that moment. Sabrina ducked and miss that first bullet that Taemin pulled and courageously tried to fight back which she was unsuccessful and it led to her passing." "Why are they doing this? Is there any evidence that we have that can help us find them?" "All that we know...is that Taemin is working for someone. After his crimes, he always has someone whispering into his ear that he portrays and calls a 'boss'. There has been rumors and speculations that Mr.Lee was kidnapped when he was younger and brainwashed to turn against his family for which he thought had abandoned him." "So he was brainwashed? And we are yet to find out who it is and why they would do this."

*Taemin's POV*
"Taemin!! Your lunch is on the table and your friend is coming over soon." I pick myself up from the ground, who would've known playing baseball with oneself would be tiring? I need to get more active maybe, I laugh to myself. I go and pull myself onto the chair. I hear my mom screaming "stop calling this number." She's been saying that a lot lately, but I'm not so sure as to what she means by it? I shake it off, possibly is just some telemarketer. My mom runs outside and quickly snatches my arm. "Honey! I'm so sorry but your friend cannot come over at this time...he's busy." I can see the tension and fear through my mom's eyes. I try to ask her if everything is ok. She rarely tells me everything but she says it's to protect me from the "real world", whatever that means. "Let's play a game of hide and go seek! You hide in the most darkest place where no one can see you! Here take this." She steadily hands me all black clothing and forces me to change. I'm so confused as to why she's acting like this. "Mother, why are you being like this? It's scaring me. Whatever those telemarketers told you...it isn't true.." My mom hugs me tightly and brings me inside the house. "Go hide. And don't come out until you hear mommy, if you don't hear mommy's voice, do not make a sound or else I won't buy you that puppy you want." She knows puppies are my weakness so I run into the attic and hide behind the boxes, in the dark.

*The Mom's POV*
As I cut my son's ham and cheese sandwich, I get a call. I keep getting these strange messages. Ever since my husband passed away, these strange happenings started to occur. Do these people think their funny or that I'm incapable of protecting my son? Because they are wrong. It's another unknown caller but this one was eerie. I answered it but it wasn't the typical heavy breathing or scissors snipping or teeth clicking, it was a man. A man's voice. "Hello?" I say, I shouldn't have spoken but maybe it's someone else? I shouldn't have taken any chances. "Lee Taemin, aged 14, born on July 17, 1993, lives in the residence of Seoul, South Korea. Apartment room number 105. Is this information correct?" I stumbled on my words and drop the knife that was planted in my hand. "Who are you? No it's not correct." I have to remain calm but I can't let anyone take my son away, he's all I have. If I say yes, god knows what will happen, that's just a stupid thing to do. The man laughs but it sounds so demonic, so inhuman. Your ears would just want to bleed by hearing that laughter, it leaves an awful ringing in the ears. The man repeats the information of my son but it only gets louder and louder. I say "I'm hanging up." But he said "I'm coming now." I ran outside and grabbed my son, I didn't want to scare him because I knew he suffered from anxiety especially separation anxiety. So I tell him we'll play a game of hide and go seek and that he has to stay very quiet. As I take Taemin up to the attic, where there is a window that he could escape from if needed.

I gave him basic instructions and then I hear a loud bang! Bang bang bang. The noise gets louder and louder as the handle of the front door starts to twitch left and right nonstop in such a rushed manner. I grab a handgun that my husband owned because he fought and died while battling in the army but before that he was a police officer. God I wish he was here but you're still watching over us right? Please don't let them take our son, please don't let them take our son. Give me the strength, dear God please. They broke down the door and I scream loudly since I wasn't expecting it. "Where is he?!" The men were screaming at me and barged in, looking left and right, going into every room of the house. "What do you want...? Who are you?" All I remember is black. I could hear my son screaming for me. "Mom! Mom! Help me! They're taking me away!" Am I dying? Please don't take my son away. I can't live without him. "Mommy why are you leaving me?" I hear my son cry out. I can't wake up, I can't move any particle of my body, nothing. Is this what it's like to be dead? Let me save my son please...just this one last time.

"She abandoned you. Just like your whole family did. We're your new family. You'll come and live with us..where we all will be at paradise and won't ever leave each other. Look at her, that's why she's not coming for you." I look up and I see my son, with his hand inside of another stranger's hand. I reach out and try to scream out his name and tell him not to go but the words won't come out. The lump in my throat is too big to defeat. The sun is shining brightly and I got to see my child's face one last time before seeing that sunshine fade away and that door close.

And that day marks..the day I lost my son and myself.