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66.66% The Eagle's Eye / Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen: Eye of the Falcon

Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen: Eye of the Falcon

 In the late evening, as he was sitting in his office going over several contracts he glanced over at his phone. He found that his thoughts continued to return to SooYun. He picked it up. It was after 10 pm and he wondered if SooYun was still awake. He texted a single character, a question mark. It popped up in a dialog balloon and chimed.

 When it reached SooYun, she had just slid into bed. The phone vibrated on the charging mat, and she picked it up. She looked at the question mark for a moment. For some reason, she knew he was asking if she was still awake. 

Korean Titan:?

White Lotus: I'm awake.

Korean Titan: Are you still working?

White Lotus: No, I've finished for the evening. You?

Korean Titan: Almost at a stopping point. I wanted to ask you about your drawings.

 SooYun was sitting up with the pillows propped up behind her, feeling a bit like a high school girl getting a text message from the most popular boy in the entire school! She was in fact, getting a text message from the wealthiest, most handsome, most unattainable, unmarried, movie and television director and producer in Eastern Asia! 

White Lotus: Ask me anything!

Korean Titan: How do you recall such detail from sketches? Photographic memory? 

White Lotus: I wouldn't say a photographic memory, but I do tend to associate strong emotions with images, and they become very vivid in my mind. If I don't put something on the page, then that image in my mind's eye fades quickly. 

Korean Titan: But as long as you have drawn something you have attached emotions to, you will be able to return to it and continue to refine your work. 

White Lotus: Yes!

Korean Titan: Have you drawn me yet?

 SooYun gasped in surprise. What should she say? The truth? She decided to show him instead. 

White Lotus: I'll show you. I'll have to go downstairs – don't go away! 

 LiYul sat at his desk, staring at the series of text bubbles alternating between his pale blue and black texts and her dark blue and white texts she had returned in answer. The last one "Don't go away!" made his breath quicken. He continued to look at the screen of his phone. Then an image was sent. It loaded quickly, the quick sketch of him leaning on the hood of his car. Below was his title, 'Korean Titan'. He looked at it again then another image popped up on his screen and this time it took longer to upload. He waited. Then the image was sitting there waiting for him to open it. He thumbed it open and as it filled up his phone screen he felt something inside him grow very warm and his heart began to ache to see her. 

 SooYun waited on her end, wondering what he thought. When several minutes ticked by with no response, she began to worry he was offended. She had drawn him in the way she saw him. With Master Kang, she had done a rendering of the Buddhist Monk in the same way – as she saw him. "Why don't you say something!" she said to the phone. She hurried downstairs and pulled the sketchbook she had secreted away for fear Warren would tease her if he saw it. Now she was embarrassed having shared the drawing with the Director. 

 LiYul had to say something! If he disappeared he would hurt SooYun's feelings and he did not want that! He had asked and she had shared her work with him. 

Korean Titan: Thank you. 

 Lame! LiYul chided himself. He raked his fingers through his hair in exasperation. Then froze when SooYun responded.

White Lotus: Not to worry, Director Jin! I won't show it to anyone else. Goodnight.

 "Dammit!" LiYul swore and pushed himself out from behind his desk. He had hurt her! The idea of her being hurt crawled over him and snagged painfully like a spur in his side! "Dammit!"

 SooYun put her phone on the charging mat at her bedside along with her watch. She lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling listening to the blower in the ductwork moving the warm air around to spill into her bedroom. She looked over at the phone. "What the hell happened?" she asked herself. "What the hell just happened?"

 When she could not figure out what she had done wrong or even why he had texted her and why she had responded was just beyond comprehension! Why had it happened? Why?

 LiYul was asking himself the same thing the next morning. He silently ate breakfast down in the kitchen where Mrs. Hung was bustling about. She was surprised to see him at the kitchen island like when he was a boy. Something was bothering him, and she finally ventured to find out. "You want to tell me?"

 He set his spoon down and nodded. He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and opened the image of SooYun's portrait of him. He turned the face of his phone toward Mrs. Hung. When she put her reading glasses on and focused on the image she gasped in wonderment. "LiYul! That's you! What an amazing picture! Who is the artist?"

 "SooYun," he responded. "She is very talented – not because of this - all her drawings are extraordinary!"

 Mrs. Hung smiled slowly looking at the drawing on his phone and at his face staring down at the empty teacup in front of him. "What happened?"

 "I have hurt her feelings," LiYul said. He scowled as he took the phone back from Mrs. Hung, "Dammit!" He stormed out of the kitchen and disappeared upstairs. 

 Mrs. Hung chuckled softly to herself. She did not think she had ever seen him so conflicted before.

 He sat in his office staring at his phone. He picked it up and opened the text app. 

Korean Titan:?

White Lotus: Hi.

Korean Titan: I apologize for my response last night. It caught me by surprise.

White Lotus: lol – I guess you're not used to having highly romanticized drawings of yourself sent to you?

Korean Titan: No, but I can get used to it. Mrs. Hung thought it was extraordinary.

White Lotus: I'm wondering if Master Kang will have a similar reaction. It's romanticized too. 

Korean Titan: I'm sure he will like it. You are very talented – do you have a portfolio?

White Lotus: I used to. But not anymore. I put all the paintings in storage. 

Korean Titan: You need a studio.

White Lotus: For now, I will stick with my sketchbooks. 

Korean Titan: What are your plans for the day?

White Lotus: Episode four. The Director will want to see the rewrite on Monday!

Korean Titan: I hear he is a tyrant!

White Lotus: How rude!

Korean Titan: lol! I'll check on you later in the day.

White Lotus: Okay. 

 

 LiYul felt somewhat better about having redeemed himself with SooYun. She seemed to understand his awkwardness with her. He was feeling better about his day when his phone rang it was a call from Chairman Chu's office. He answered. "Chairman, how may I help you?"

 "Min-Ji tells me you continue to disregard her wishes and brought the American woman into your employ. I thought to protect your precious Aquila Studios, you would have honored the wishes of my daughter at least until you had paid off your debts and turned over the documentation on the Falcon Lens to me. Releasing the design to me will finally satisfy your father's debts."

 "The Falcon lens was the last project my father was working on before he died," LiYul said, he was trying very hard to keep his voice calm. "You already have made billions on the Hawkeye Lens – why take the Falcon lens too?"

 "Because the Falcon lens was my major investment." The Chairman said coolly, "By rights, it belongs to me. When he came to work at Chu Corporation, the Hawkeye Lens was second-rate to the Falcon. Total ownership of the Falcon lens will satisfy the debt Chol Sun owed me." 

 "I will think about it," LiYul said.

 "Do more than think," the Chairman growled. "Elsewise you will have more to worry about than your American woman and a ripped-up sweater."

 "Leave her out of this!" LiYul said, his temper beginning to boil. "She has nothing to do with it!"

 "But she is important to you," the Chairman said, "So, as a bargaining tool, she is very important to me. You turn the Falcon Lens over to me, and I'll release you immediately."

 LiYul hung up the phone and tossed it to his desk. He leaned back in the chair and placed an arm over his eyes. Min-Ji was back at the estate for two more weeks, which meant he had to keep his distance from SooYun. He did not want to stay away from her any longer. He needed her! He wanted her with him!

 Should he turn the Falcon Lens over to Chairman Chu? His mother had told him long ago that his father had been working on a specialized lens that was even more powerful than the Falcon Lens. If she ever knew what happened to this special lens she took that knowledge to the grave with her. 


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
DaoistI42fqo DaoistI42fqo

So now we know the connection between SooYun and LiYul... or do we? :-)

Thank you for reading my story -- I appreciate it so very much. Please let others know about this tale of mine.

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Chapter 17: Chapter Seventeen: Heightened Security

 SooYun did not hear from the Director. Jae-Ho went in search of her to let her know what was happening. When he did not find SooYun in her office, he went downstairs. SooYun was with Min-Seo and her brother. She was working hard to become more proficient with the Korean language. The children were also learning English from a native speaker. 

 He joined SooYun, "I have heard from LiYul. He is in a protective mode right now. He's trying his best to keep the Chairman away from you."

 "I don't understand," SooYun replied. "Why am I a threat?" 

 "It is not so much that you are a threat," Jae-Ho replied, "You are important to LiYul, so the Chairman is using that to keep LiYul isolated from you so he can get what he wants from LiYul."

 "What's that?"

 "Even I don't know all the details," Jae-Ho answered, "But LiYul is protecting not only you but his father's reputation and legacy."

 "Should I not even try to communicate?" SooYun asked.

 "Do not abandon him," Jae-Ho said, "Continue to communicate regarding your writing. This is a necessary part of your job."

 SooYun nodded. The sporadic communication had returned. It was the norm for there to be communication gaps, so when she did not receive any responses to her messages, she tried not to be too overly concerned. She returned to her office, and before she returned to her writing, she kept true to her word not to abandon LiYul. She opened the text app and composed a message.

 SooYun: I understand some of what is happening to you. I will not abandon you. She cannot stop me from being concerned about you. I want you to know that I will be here no matter what – so if you need someone to talk to or text, I'm here. Be safe and take care of yourself.

 When LiYul read the text message from SooYun, he decided to root out all of the security personnel hired by the Chu Corporation. He wanted to ensure that SooYun was protected as well as all the Aquila employees and facilities. Lastly, he made certain that only security guards hand-picked by Mr. Hung or himself remained at the estate and the townhouse.

 He contacted Jae-Ho. "I want to raise the security levels in all the facilities. Can you meet with everyone in the Eagle's Nest and let them know of the extra precautions? I do not want to alarm anyone, but I need to make sure everyone is protected. It is my fault SooYun has come to the attention of Chairman Chu – I want to make certain she is safe!"

 "I will take care of it right away, LiYul." He then sent a group text to the writers on the first floor. He would be meeting with them at 9:00 a.m. He sent a group text to the second floor that he was calling a meeting at 11:00 am in their small meeting room. He was also bringing lunch! SooYun already knew it was about the level of security in and around the facility. She felt certain it had to do with Chu Min-Ji, but why go to an extreme – could she be that dangerous? Perhaps it was someone else threatening Aquila Studios and the Director?

 "What's up, Reb?" Warren asked as he fell in step next to her on the way to the facility. He strolled along with her along the footpath. The pain in her ankle was just about gone, but it still twinged when she turned a certain way. The cuts and scrapes were scabbed over and itched at the edges – all a good sign of healing.

 "I'm not sure," she said. "The Director brought my ID tag to me last night and said he was having to raise security here and at our flats. Other than that, I don't what it's about." 

 Warren shrugged. "Wonder if we'll still get to attend the wrap party tonight?" He wondered, "You still not going?"

 "I'm working on my episodes," SooYun replied. "I have lots of notes to process."

 "I gotcha," Warren responded. He switched his shoes and slid his socked feet into the felt slippers as they entered the side entrance. SooYun did the same. They headed upstairs to the meeting room. 

 Brittany and Gustav had their heads down studying their phones. "I can't find anything on social media!" Brittany said by way of greeting. "Gus is checking the news feeds but hasn't picked up on anything either."

 "What about those gossip feeds everyone is always looking at?" Warren suggested. "Maybe somebody sent a death threat?"

 Lim arrived from downstairs carrying carryout bags and another sack of bottled water. He passed lunch boxes around and bottles of water. "Sorry to get you out on your day off," he replied as he sat down at the head of the table where they had assembled. "The security in the facility and your flats have been raised and we need you to reset your flat passcodes. For the time being, you can keep your codes to yourselves and when the levels go back to normal, then we can log them in the server."

 "What's happened?" Warren asked. "Someone not happy with us being here?"

 Lim looked around the table at them. His gaze rested longest on SooYun before he answered Warren's question. "There's been a breach in the security detail. We have identified the individual and he has been fired. But until we're certain we've eliminated the leaks, the Director feels the security levels need to be raised."

 "And the wrap party?" Brittany asked.

 "That isn't canceled," Lim replied. "So, if you were planning on attending, a transport will pick you up and bring you back to your flats." He glanced over at SooYun, "I'd recommend that you stay in your flat and work, you don't need to overstress your ankle."

 "I'd planned on staying in," SooYun replied. "It'll be a quiet night for me."

 Lim nodded to the others, "Make sure you all continue to wear your watches, if you run into any problems, notify me right away." He angled another worried look at SooYun but did not say anything more. "I think that's all – I don't want any of you to feel uncomfortable, it's just a precautionary measure."

 Everyone seemed to be assured, only SooYun wondered what the guard had done to breach security. Lim seemed to be following her thoughts. "There was a theft at the Director's townhouse and certain items were taken from his office. It was specific enough to alert the Director."

 "Reb, did you steal all the pens while you were there?" Warren teased.

 SooYun rolled her eyes at Warren, and he grinned good-naturedly at her. "Don't be silly!" she told him, "It was the candlesticks!" 

 Warren snorted with laughter, and they all began to relax. They opened their lunch boxes and began to eat. They chatted and caught up on what they were working on. SooYun passed her phone around with the pictures she had taken. Lim was especially pleased with the shots. "You've got a good eye, SooYun. Would you share these on the server? I think the production crews would enjoy looking at these."

 "Sure, I'll upload all that I took," SooYun replied. "I took tons, except for the sanctuary. I have drawings of those."

 "She's really good," Warren said. "I saw what she was working on last night. They're really good. Especially the kick-ass portrait of Master Kang!"

 Lim chuckled at that. "I can't wait to see them!"

 SooYun was silently glad she had deleted the images of the Director's portrait before passing her phone around to everyone. 

 They broke up and went back to their flats. SooYun settled down to work. The afternoon passed quickly. She had taken a break to stretch her legs and drink a cup of tea to take the chill off her body. Her phone buzzed with a text message, and she moved carefully and picked up her phone. It was Warren, he wanted to know if she wanted to split a pizza for dinner. She texted back a happy emoji and a YES! 

 "Sweep the kitchen?" he texted. 

 "Sounds good – no anchovies on my half!" 

 He texted back a sick emoji.

 She worked on the finishing touches of Master Kang's portrait and added it to her portfolio. The door chimes sounded, and she got up from her cushion and headed to the door. She looked out the peephole and saw Warren bouncing on his feet. "Open up – it's freezing!"

 She pulled the door open, and he came in kicking his shoes off. "I'm wondering if it'll ever warm up. They say it could still snow!"

 They sat at the small kitchen table with the pizza box between them. They didn't talk about the security breach or their projects but instead talked about movies and actors. Finally, Warren did get to the theft. "What do you suppose the guard took from the Director's office?"

 "I have no idea," SooYun replied candidly. "Maybe some kind of contract or some priceless letter opener?"

 "Does anyone still use letter openers?" Warren asked. "You're so Miss Marple!"

 "Which version!" With a wicked grin, she demanded, "I won't play unless it's Margaret Rutherford!"

 Warren laughed in utter delight, hugging his sides. "Right!" he cheered. "Dame Rutherford!"

 They fell into the movie game. Warren finally waved her off. "We're too evenly matched, Reb!" 

 It felt good to relax, the last 24 hours had been intense! She sighed and closed the empty pizza box. "Well, it's back to my project! You need to start getting ready for the evening!"

 He glanced at his watch and nodded. "Yeah, you sure you won't change your mind and come?"

 "I'm sure," SooYun said. "When I'm able to walk and dance, I'll go."

 "You like to dance?" Warren asked her, angling a curious look at her from under his bangs. 

 "Yeah, I can cut a rug with the best of them!" she proclaimed, trying to mimic Margaret Rutherford's accent.

 Warren sputtered with laughter and got to his feet. They walked over to the low table. "You finish kick-ass Kang?"

 She opened her portfolio and handed the portrait to him. He grinned in appreciation. "You are kick-ass talented, Reb! You truly are!" 

 She bowed and thanked him in Korean. He handed the drawing back and bowed back. "I'll see you later, Reb!"

 He let himself out, closing the door soundly behind him. He strolled off to his flat with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. He wished SooYun was going to the wrap party. Of all the people he had met, SooYun was the only one who understood him. He was completely infatuated!


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