https://youtu.be/T9d19mnU9mo

⬆️ Featured soundtrack.

The previous night...

The antique chiming clock struck midnight in the shadows of Giovanni Vultaggio's study. Two people occupied it – Giovanni himself in his armchair and agent Yoo Min Seo, who stood stiff and straight backed in front of his desk.

"Are you sure about your information?" Min Seo asked Giovanni.

"My men found a lead and I am not about to let it slip out of my hands again because of some foreign skepticism." Giovanni said in a hard voice.

"Hmm." Min Seo said, pursing her lips. "Very well. We will approach them our way this time. If the Rogue Ranger suspects anything, it will be over. We will lose both him and the girl."

"I already sent my men ahead tonight. They should bring back results by morning." Giovanni said.

"Without informing us? You put this mission at risk again!" Min Seo said in a sharp voice. Giovanni merely grinned in a furtive manner.

"You are welcome to send your own men after them. After all, you are a spy. You should have figured out a simple way of tracking them before me." he said. Min Seo clenched her jaws before turning on her heels to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing." Giovanni said lazily from his armchair. "There are only two hundred and ten Aston Martin Rapide S models in the world. Gas stations are so reliable. I am being generous in providing this clue for you." Min Seo said nothing but walked away although her mind was calculating. Giovanni picked up his phone, dialing a number.

"What progress have you made?" he asked when a man picked up.

"We are not far from the mountains. There is a snow storm so it will be difficult to reach the village."

"No matter. My prey cannot fly away in a blizzard. They will not go anywhere tonight. Keep track of the car." Giovanni said and put down the phone. He smiled in a blood chilling way to himself.

"I will have you soon, Miss Talavera." 

The little diner where Laura and Ji Hoon had dined the previous day was packed the next morning. As for the village, people had already started decking it out for the harvest festival, hanging leafy wreaths and streamers on every building. Parade floats were already half made and children were running around unable to contain their excitement at the forthcoming celebrations. It was as if the snow storm hadn't happened at all; at any rate, the people weren't about to let it hinder their celebrations.

"Are you sure you want something for the road?" Ji Hoon asked Laura unwillingly at the diner counter. They were in disguise again and quite unrecognizable.

"It'll only take a minute. A couple of snacks will do." Laura said. Ji Hoon groaned under his breath. He wanted to get out of the crowd as soon as possible and this was just an unnecessary delay. Laura looked around while their order was being prepared, taking in the crowd. The TV was on, an unobtrusive news channel playing in the background. Laura gave it a cursory glance, but narrowed her focus on it when something caught her attention. She saw the name 'Talavera' flash in red in the headlines. She approached the TV, reading it.

"Okay, I got our mince pies. Shall we go? Laura?" Ji Hoon looked around, not finding her. He saw her staring at the TV. The volume was down low, but the headlines that moved on screen were impossible to miss – a recent attempted attack on the CEO has left Talavera Group reeling. Reports say that an unarmed man managed to bypass the hospital's security and enter Jason Talavera's room with the apparent intent of poisoning the patient. He was caught off-guard when a nurse entered the room to check on the patient and escaped dropping the syringe of poison. The poison used was said to be strychnine, experts say. Strychnine is one of the most lethal poisons and is in the top ten list of poisons...

Ji Hoon went forward grabbing Laura's hand.

"Come. We have to go." He said urgently pulling her out to the car. She pulled her hand away.

"Did you know about this?" she asked, with red eyes. Ji Hoon swallowed.

"No. not this." He answered truthfully. Laura's voice became dry.

"But you knew things were bad?" Ji Hoon remained silent.

"How could you keep this from me?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"My job is to protect you Laura. I can't let you run off into danger because of the traps Vultaggio set for you." he said in a toneless voice.

"Traps? People 'suffering' are a 'trap' for me?" Laura asked, quivering with emotion. "You're overthinking this. Trap or not, I'm not going to sit around while my stepfather suffers because of me. I'm going back."

"No, you're not. You'll be walking right into Vultaggio's hands."

"Ji Hoon!" Laura said, trying to control her voice. "You can't decide that for me. If people are being targeted because of me, I can't let them become victims! Would you?" Ji Hoon sighed.

"No. which is why I can't let you become a victim either." He said with fervor. Laura turned away, wiping the tears off her face.

"Get in the car. We have to get going." Ji Hoon said. He knew he sounded cold and heartless but he couldn't afford to be flexible now. If he did take her back, Vultaggio would be after her in a heartbeat. And he couldn't let anything happen to her.

"I need to be alone right now." She said and pulled away from him and walked in the opposite direction. Ji Hoon followed her.

"Laura, we can't stay here much longer. It's not safe. I know you're mad but I can't let you jeopardize your safety because of that." he said firmly. Tears fell down Laura's cheeks.

"Ji Hoon, if you had any idea how I felt right now, you'd let me go. Please, please leave me alone!" she cried. Ji Hoon stopped in his steps watching her go. He made up his mind to follow her discreetly.

It was almost noon by the time the parade was in full swing. Keeping track of a person in ordinary circumstances was easy; in a crowd full of excited people not so much. Once or twice Ji Hoon lost sight of Laura and almost panicked. He turned on his tracking watch which was linked to the earrings Laura wore – he had secretly installed a chip in them.

"There she is." He said to himself in relief when his watch pinpointed her location a few feet away. She was heading outside the village where the crowds thinned and the commotion died down. She was probably looking for a place to be alone.

All of a sudden, Ji Hoon's sense of danger went off – he felt like someone was following him. He turned around cautiously, to confirm his suspicion.

"Would you like some fresh cranberries sir?" a stall owner asked as Ji Hoon passed by. His stall was stacked with craters full of fresh cranberries.

"Nicest in the country. Did you know that almost half of the USA's cranberries are grown in Cape Cod and south-eastern Massachusetts?" the stall owner asked.

"Yes. Thank you." Ji Hoon said and walked away. In that distraction, he lost sight of Laura again and any chance of finding if someone was following him. But the next moment, he caught sight of a man standing near a souvenir stall, a little ways from him. He had turned away too quickly as though trying to appear casual. Ji Hoon was alerted and stepped into an open alleyway, knowing he would follow. He did, and was surprised to find Ji Hoon gone. The man looked around and suddenly Ji Hoon swung upon him from behind, catching him by the throat and flattening him to the ground.

"Who are you?! Why are you following me?!" Ji Hoon asked in a hard voice. The man cackled.

"I am not. I was only distracting you." he said with a triumphant leer. Ji Hoon's face paled. Laura!

He checked his watch. It showed she had gone towards the thick alpine forest. He punched the man in the face knocking him out and ran after Laura. If anything happened to her – he refused to complete that thought. In a minute, he rounded to the forest and at the entrance stood Laura. And she was not alone.

At least eight men standing in the shadows surrounded her. Ji Hoon stopped in horror.

"Laura, run!" he shouted. she turned around panic stricken, in time to see him. Ji Hoon rushed forward but a man stepped out from behind a tree and tackled him. Ji Hoon counter attacked but was startled when he heard Laura scream. The men had grabbed her arms and were dragging her back into the shadows of the forest.

"Laura!" Ji Hoon yelled, fighting off the man with ferocity. But another man appeared while he was occupied and clapped a white cloth over his mouth. The familiar sugary smell of chloroform entered his nostrils and he began to kick violently. His eyes still on Laura, he struggled against the men trying to push the cloth away. He managed it, and started dealing heavy blows on his attackers. But the chloroform began to take effect and his vision swam; he stumbled forward trying to reach Laura but his limbs went limp and he fell to the ground.

"JI HOON!" Laura screamed seeing him fall. The last thing he saw was Laura being dragged away as he watched helplessly from the forest floor, before he lost consciousness.

"Laura... no..."

Laura meanwhile, had been dragged into a car by a bunch of men. She tried to struggle against them, panting in effort though she knew it was in vain – their strength was far too overpowering. It was too far away for anyone to hear if she screamed; she felt helpless and panicked. Ji Hoon was hurt and watching him pass out earlier made her heart stop. What would they do to him?

"Who are you people? What do you want with me?" she dared to ask once they had gotten in the car.

"Relax. We will not hurt you – yet." The driver said with a sardonic smile. "Giovanni Vultaggio has plans for you." Laura's eyes widened in horror. It was just as Ji Hoon told her – Vultaggio was behind this.

"What did you do to Ji Hoon?" Laura asked, her voice shaking.

"Nothing that will harm him. You are not our only target, you see." The driver said.

"What do you mean?" Laura asked, afraid for Ji Hoon.

"You will lead the Rogue Ranger right into our hands." He said. Laura gasped. No one could know that name unless – the OIS! The driver turned to the man next to her and nodded. The man clamped a cloth over Laura's mouth and she screamed though it was muffled. Chloroform filled her nose and she began to lose consciousness. Her last thought was the terror of knowing that Ji Hoon would soon be in danger because of her – he would be lured by her – to his death.

Ji Hoon woke to the sound of worried voices around him. He opened his eyes, aware that he was dazed but too much so to be aware of anything else. Slowly though, his vision cleared and he saw a doctor and the familiar face of the diner lady standing beside him.

"Oh, he's coming to!" the lady said. The doctor checked his vitals immediately.

"How do you feel?" he asked Ji Hoon. Ji Hoon shook his head, trying to think. And then everything came back to him – Laura! She had been kidnapped! How he felt right now was irrelevant; he had to save her! He swung his legs over the bed, hopping off.

"Wait, you're not well enough to walk yet." The doctor said, "You need –"

"I need to get out of here. Thanks for your help." Ji Hoon said walking out. He vaguely realized he was at a small clinic, taking in his surroundings. The chill air stung his face clearing his head; he headed straight for the car which was parked a couple of blocks away and got in. for a moment he sat thinking with a grim expression. Then he slammed his fists on the steering wheel, swearing.

"Don't worry Laura. I'm coming for you." he said to himself. He turned on the car and connected his watch to the GPS. Immediately it tracked the chip in Laura's earring to a location in New York. Ji Hoon gripped the steering wheel with white fingered grip.

"Vultaggio. You should've never made my hit list." He said shooting the car forward onto the road – back to New York.

Laura stirred, her head feeling heavy. She felt so groggy that she wanted to go back to sleep. But the mournful music playing in the background was irritatingly loud and she couldn't ignore it. She finally opened her eyes. She was in a three walled room with no windows and the third wall was one of black glass. The room reminded her of the interrogation rooms at a police station. In front of her was a table and another chair opposite it. In the corner was a gramophone playing the wretched music. Laura tried to move but realized she couldn't. She looked down. She was strapped tight to the armchair, hands and feet alike. Straining against the ropes was hopeless. She would have to wait for someone to untie her.

The door to the room opened and a well dressed man entered. He was middle aged, Laura deduced, from his graying beard and dark hair. Only the sharpness of his face giving off an austere aura could give an foreboding impression.

"Ah, You are awake. We can converse now." The man said with a foreign accent, taking the seat opposite her. Laura scowled at him.

"What do you want?" she asked, screwing up her courage. She couldn't afford to appear weak or frightened now; for Ji Hoon's sake.

"Tsk, tsk. We will get to matters of business after a proper introduction. I am –"

"Giovanni Vultaggio. I know and I don't care. Just tell me want you want and get it over with." Laura snapped. Vultaggio's eyes widened.

"So, you are familiar with me." he said with a serpentine smile. "Good. You could have been less rude though. I thought Talavera brought you up better."

"What do you intend to do with me?" she asked, keeping to the point. Vultaggio joined his fingers together, watching her.

"Nothing if you cooperate." Vultaggio said calmly. He looked to the door and immediately two men came in, one carrying a tray of food. Laura suspected they had been waiting for his signal behind the glass wall. The men untied her and left the tray on the table before leaving.

"Now we are more comfortable, si?" Vultaggio asked. He poured a glass of wine from the tray and offered it to her.

"No thank you. I do not accept anything from my enemy." Laura said in a hard voice. Vultaggio merely chuckled.

"Yet you willingly drank a glass from Luke Wetmore." He said. Laura started at that information. Luke Wetmore was in cahoots with Vultaggio?

"You tried to get me through Wetmore." She stated as it struck her. Vultaggio nodded.

"Yes, I have many shameful failed attempts at trying to get you. It was no easy feat. But I have you at last, in my lair, so to speak."

"And yet you can't even get to the point. A poor method of business, if you ask me." Laura taunted him. The smile faded from Vultaggio's face.

"I was being lenient with you but no longer. You are testing my patience." He said, pulling out a document from his coat pocket.

"Know what this is?" he asked.

"List of all your lousy barber shops? Because that hairstyle is not working for you." Laura taunted. Vultaggio's face darkened.

"This - is the deed to the Renovation Project."