In a Maze...

Chapter 19

Mark pulled up in front of what must be the designated hotel, according to the address, but all he could see was an old building, which if he was not mistaken, had once been 'Golden House' hotel.

He got out of the car and examined the building, before finding out that it was going to be pulled down soon. After a moment, the surveillance team member, Yonghae, approached Mark in a hurry, after stopping his car at the roadside.

"This place, hyung? But no one's allowed to enter?" he asked, puzzled and his eyes wandered around. Then they lit up and he pointed at a car, not very far from theirs, "Hyung, look, it's our subject's car. It's true then, he's here."

Mark felt somehow relieved to see Jinyoung's car, which was a sign that Jinyoung was around this neighbourhood. There were mostly hotels in the neighbourhood and they were quite far from one another. The whole area seemed a bit separated from the bustling city. Mark considered, if the murderer wanted to harm Jinyoung, this building must be the very place.

"Have got a gun?" Mark asked Youghae, while he, himself, took out his gun and held in one hand.

"Yes, always."

When they had prepared themselves to enter the building, a car stopped behind Yonghae's and the three detectives came out, with guns, and nodded at Mark's signal.

With caution, they approached the building and the main door. Then the door was opened with a screech and the detectives rushed in, raising their guns.

There was unusually light in the room and most of the things in the room could be clearly seen. But the room was clear of things and what only stood out there were the two people about the centre of the room.

It all happened in a mere second; Mark was out of focus the moment his eyes landed on Jinyoung, who was startledly gazing back at him. As if cast under a spell, they could not turn their eyes away from each other for several seconds. Then, Jinyoung shifted his attention to the other detectives and their guns pointed at his and Yong Jungsoo's direction.

The murderer was already alerted, and without any hesitation, he moved swift and held Jinyoung's head back while the knife blade, which gleamed, nearly touched Jinyoung's throat and stopped there.

"Drop your knife and hands up!" Seongho's tough voice boomed out in the room. But the man, who had been addressed to, paid no heed to his order and did not move a bit.

"Shoot me if you want," Yong Jungsoo challenged, "And I'll kill him."

He gripped Jinyoung's hair tight and Jinyoung winced in pain. The sight squeezed Mark's heart to agony. It was a life or death situation and Mark was aware that every word and action were critically important at the moment.

With his gun still aimed at Yong Jungsoo, he moved a step forward and watched the man's reaction. His eyes shifted to Mark but there was just that.

"You're Yong Jungsoo, right?" Mark questioned, having managed to stabilise his voice. The man was quite caught off guard and furrowed his brows. Mark took a step further.

"I got to your old apartment but a neighbour there told me that you didn't live there any longer," Mark continued. Another step forward.

Mark felt his hand, which was holding the gun, was starting to sweat and his heart was thumping hard. He was afraid, not of the man but of the possibility of that knife moving over Jinyoung's throat.

"I actually hoped to see you and talk to you. But I only learned that you could be no longer found there." A further step.

"Not that stupid after all," the man commented, "I thought you all had no brains. Because of you foolish police, people like me have ample advantage. Your brains only work one way, don't they? You can figure everything out only at the end."

Mark let the man talk as he wished, and used this chance, to take a few more steps. He felt Jinyoung's eyes on him but cautiously, he kept his attention only on the man.

"Anyway, I'm sorry that you felt betrayed by your friends and it has changed your life." Another step and Mark was already only about four feet away from Jinyoung and the man.

"You've found out everything about me then. But too late, both for you and me. I see that time has come for me to give up my own life for the lives I've taken. But you'll see that I won't do so without taking this last life."

"But think of everything," Mark said, with one more step, "He wasn't the one who made you miserable. Imagine he were your own son. You must want to see your child?"

The man's eyes suddenly changed from wrath to something close to grief. Mark took this advantage and continued, "Please drop your knife, Yong Jungsoo, and we'll drop our guns too."

Mark briefly turned his head back to the other detectives quite far behind him and signaled to them to put down the guns, before doing so himself.

The man seemed still lost in his own past and did not move his knife away.

"Think of your wife and child. They may not have any knowledge of this but if they did, how would they take it? Would you want your child to be a murderer's son or daughter?"

The man was troubled and disturbed, and moved a bit away from Jinyoung, with the knife still in his hand but off Jinyoung. Then he muttered, not looking at anyone, "Too late. It's all too late. Why are you telling all of this to me now?"

Mark knew either he took this chance or would never get one again. In the blink of an eye, he jumped and sprang out at the man, causing both of them fall down on the floor.

The man seemed to come back to reality and while they both were entangled, struggling, the sharp blade of the knife penetrated Mark's arm, causing him to lose hold of the man and giving him the chance to sit up and aim the knife to stab Mark in the stomach. Jinyoung screamed and the whole room was resounded with that tortured sound.

Just as the two were apart, the detectives, who had already picked up their guns, got the better aim and fired. The knife was dropped from Yong Jungsoo's hand and pressing his shoulder, which was now covered in blood, he fell back onto the floor. Mark kicked the knife away and lay back down quietly on the floor, holding his throbbing arm.

While Minsoo was calling the ambulances and Seongho and Hyunwoo were handcuffing the murderer, Yonghae helped Jinyoung to be freed from the chains.

Once he was released, Jinyoung ran to Mark and took him in his arms. Mark's face was pale with loss of blood but a smile appeared on his lips, when he could see Jinyoung safe.

Tears filled Jinyoung's eyes and raced down his cheeks. "You're hurt because of me. I've caused you this trouble. Are you too much in pain? I'm sorry, Mark, sorry for causing this."

With his hand, which was already stained with blood, Jinyoung caressed Mark's cheek and looked at him with sorrow filled eyes.

"I'm not dying, Jinyoung ah," Mark managed, "It's painful as hell. But I'm not gonna die. Don't cry anymore."

But at Mark's words, more tears ran down Jinyoung's face and he embraced Mark close till the ambulances arrived and took the two injured people away.