His Royal Arrogance | KTH | ✓

19.

Hyein ran down the hallway, stilettos slapping harshly against the polished marble floor as she called Taehyung over and over again on her phone. He wasn't picking up his phone.

Please be okay, please be okay....

She prayed as she ran down the hall, picking up the long ends of her dress that dragged behind her. Finally reaching the closed door at the end she saw that it was bolted by someone outside. Quickly she unlocked the door and pushed it open. A limp figure collapsed onto the ground.

"Taehyung!" She cried, as she bent down and lifted his head onto her lap. Slapping gently on his face, Hyein called, "Taehyung wake up! Please wake up!"

Her heart beat frantically inside her chest and she felt as if it would burst as she shook the frail form on her lap, not so gently anymore. "Wake up! Wake up, you idiot! Why would you wander here alone?" She cried out.
It felt like a decade had passed when Taehyung's eyes finally fluttered open and squinted at the onslaught he was facing from her hands as she violently shook him. It took him quite a few minutes to finally regain his voice so that he could protest against the mistreatment he was facing. It was he who should be angry about the whole situation, not her. She was the one who was late, then why was she attacking him like this right now.

'Ah,oww! Stop! I-I'm fine. I'm awake!" Taehyung cried out causing Hyein to finally look down at him. She was breathing heavily but at the sight of him looking back at her from her lap, looking offended, she felt pure relief flood her system.

"Look, I am awake. I am fin- Are you crying?" Taehyung asked incredulously as he slowly got up. He can't be mistaken. The little drops that rolled down her cheeks were indeed tears. Hyein hadn't realized that she was crying. At his question she confusedly touched her face and indeed there were tears. How embarrassing!

Hyein quickly wiped away her tears as she replied, "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"I'm not! Hyein defended, stubbornly.

"Yes, you are hahahaha" Taehyung burst out laughing at her. He was laughing? He almost died and he was laughing?

Taehyung himself didn't know why he was laughing. Maybe it was from the pure relief that he felt or maybe it was at the childishness of his Secretary but at that moment he just wanted to laugh and let go. Because he was alive.

His secretary however didn't find the situation as hilarious as she glared. "Get up. You have to go to the hospital." She commanded, her tone weirdly authoritative and Taehyung felt himself automatically bending to her will.

Loud footsteps suddenly echoed through the hallway and someone ran out of there. Hyein looked up to see the figure vanish, but not before she saw the tail end of the shimmering fabric.

"Did you find out who did it?" Taehyung asked, dusting off his coat as he closed the door of the room.

"No, I didn't, but I have reasonable suspicion now."

"Ah, then did I go through all that for nothing? We have to catch him today, go find him!" Taehyung was not pleased. He had an almost near death experience and all that was for nothing? No, he didn't like his efforts going to waste. They had to catch him red-handed. Whoever, he was.

"B-but you're hurt..." Hyein protested. She wasn't sure how harmful the gas was, but seeing that Taehyung was doing fairly well even after being trapped in there for five minutes must mean that the intention wasn't to kill. It was a warning. A wish to be taken seriously.

"All the more reason to find him quickly, am I wrong?" Taehyung asked. There was no point in fighting him, besides Hyein herself wanted to catch him.

Park Jimin. You're so done.

"Alright! I'll go but, you. You have to go to the hospital."

"I'm fin-"

"I want no excuses." Taehyung hung his head dejectedly. There was no winning over her. Weakly, he nodded and that brought a satisfied look to her face. She was determined. Taehyung could sense it in her fiery gaze. If she was that confident, he'll have to leave her to it. But, he still didn't want to go to the hospital.

"What are you waiting for? Go!"

####

Hyein took a determined step on the threshold.

There among the crowds she could see, the shimmering red, slipping away fluidly. His flashy suit demanded attention wherever he went. Numerous eyes followed his steps. No this was not the right place to approach him. If she couldn't approach him directly, then she'll have to plan her ambush. But before that, she needed evidence. As far as her abilities went, there was no other option but to stalk him. Hyein exhaled, eyes fixed on her target. He was now at the other end of the party hall. Through Hyein's extensive knowledge of the building she had acquired from Taehyung, that door must lead to an exit to the parking lot. An empty parking lot unravelled numerous possibilities. She smirked.

Weaving through the crowd, she finally caught up with the suspect. Still hidden away from his direct line of sight, Hyein followed him through the exit towards the parking lot. Adrenaline pumped into her system, making her heart race and her fingers slightly trembled with excitement. Crouching down and spying through the tinted windows of expensive cars that stayed parked there, Hyein followed him, careful not to make a sound. The guy walking in front of her, slowly came to a stop at the center of the parking lot. Hyein ducked behind a car, just in case he decided to turn around, but he didn't. Instead, he stood there for a few seconds idly.

Hyein looked around to see if there were anyone else there. There weren't. Was he waiting for someone? As if on cue, the guy raised his hands.

"There's no one here. It's the perfect place to have a private chat," Jimin announced before he turned his head around.

"Don't you think so, Hyein-ssi?"