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“Tear gas, sir. Someone released a canister in the ballroom.” Seong Min straightened up. “We have to keep going, sir. Mr. Park will be waiting.”
Tae Hyun nodded. “Go find my sister.”
“What?” Seong Min shook his head. “No, sir, I need–”
“To find my sister.” Tae Hyun put his free hand on Seong Min’s arm. “Please. Just tell me where Jason is, and I’ll find him.”
The pair silently stood there for at least ten seconds before Seong Min nodded. “Alright.” He let go of Tae Hyun’s arm and pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Take this corridor all the way to the double doors at the end. My brother and Mr. Park will be waiting.”
Tae Hyun nodded. “Go. And please be careful.”
Seong Min nodded back. Then he approached the door they’d just come through, pulled it open as he covered his nose and mouth with his arm, and rushed back into the chaos. Once the door closed, Tae Hyun ran in the direction Seong Min had pointed, his squeaky footsteps eerily echoing off the cinderblock walls. His mind still hadn’t accepted what happened. Someone set off a tear gas canister at Yoo Mi’s wedding? It didn’t seem real. She was probably furious–or thrilled, considering the publicity she’d undoubtedly receive.
Tae Hyun sped up when he saw the double doors Seong Min had mentioned. Then he hurriedly pushed them open to blessedly fresh air and rushed outside to a broad alleyway. He sensed movement behind him and turned around. Someone had just come into the corridor from the ballroom. Was it Seong Min and Yun Seo? But the doors slammed shut before he could decide. And there was no way to open them from the outside.
“Tae Hyun!”
The sound of that voice was music to Tae Hyun’s ears. He spun around to see Jason rushing his way with Seong Hyeon close behind. Jason practically tackled Tae Hyun as he threw his arms around him.
“Are you alright?”
Tae Hyun pressed his chin against Jason’s shoulder, ignoring the smell of tear gas. “I’m better now.”
“My brother?”
Tae Hyun looked up to see what might’ve been genuine fear on Seong Hyeon’s face. “He went back for my sister, but I think he’s right behind me.”
Seong Hyeon nodded as the exit doors burst open. Seong Min clambered out, carrying Yun Seo in his arms. Her bright red eyes were swollen shut. She must’ve been caught in the tear gas cloud. “Yun Seo!”
“She needs a medic,” Seong Min wheezed. His eyes were red, too, but still open.
“There are medics out front,” Seong Hyeon confirmed. He reached out to his brother. “Let me help you.”
Seong Min shook his head. “No. Just lead me to where they are.”
Seong Hyeon nodded as he turned and hurried back in the direction he’d come from. Seong Min quickly followed after him. Tae Hyun was about to join them when Jason grabbed his hand.
“Tell me you’re okay. You’re not hurt?”
Tae Hyun shook his head. “I got some in my eyes and nose, but I think I just need a shower. What about you?”
Jason blew out a relieved sigh. “I’m fine. Seong Hyeon got me out of there before I could even smell the gas. But I was so worried about you.” He smiled and squeezed Tae Hyun’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go see about your sister.”
14
Jason went into crisis mode the moment Seong Hyeon told him there was trouble. His first reaction had been to find Tae Hyun. He would’ve leaped over the banquet table if Seong Hyeon hadn’t forcibly held him in place. Then Seong Hyeon told him it was already handled and–
Bang!
Things got hazy–no pun intended–after the tear gas canister went off. Jason remembered frantically running while holding his breath, manically fretting about Tae Hyun’s safety after getting outside, and then the sweet relief of finally seeing him again.
No one claimed responsibility for the reception attack, which left a few guests with minor injuries from the tear gas–including Tae Hyun’s sister, who’d been practically standing next to the canister when it went off–and sent one elderly member of Seong Woo’s extended family to the hospital for observation. But the medics had checked out and cleaned up Yun Seo on the scene before releasing her to Tae Hyun’s care. She was sleeping on the pullout bed in Yoo Mi’s day room.
Police were investigating the incident but had no immediate leads. Seong Woo, understandably, was furious that it had been allowed to happen in the first place. And once all the people in his care had been accounted for and delivered to safety, Yu Min Kyu promptly resigned as his head of security. Seong Woo told him to stop being an idiot and just find out who did it. Yoo Mi’s only consolation for having her reception ruined by the attack was the news coverage. Instead of being relegated to a fluff piece about the glamorous wedding’s over-the-top extravagance during a lifestyle segment, Yoo Mi’s wedding was one of the top stories on news programs worldwide. Then Seong Woo suggested that they postpone their honeymoon.
Yoo Mi went nuclear. “What? You can’t be fucking serious! After all the work I did to pull off the wedding of the year, it got ruined. And now you think I want to give up my honeymoon? No. Absolutely fucking not.”
“But, Yoo Mi–” Seong Woo’s pleading suggested he may have already realized his mistake. “–It’s not prudent for us to travel after–”
