Tag: Axel and Jeha

Maria clutched his right arm when they were in the hallway. She looked beautiful in a black dress with long sleeves. She wore low heels. Jeha matched his footsteps to hers.

“Are you hurt?” Maria asked as they walked along the corridor to the nurse’s station.

“No,” Jeha said, patting her hand on his right arm.

“I hope you’re not lying to me.”

“I’m not lying, Mom. I’m healthy.”

“Okay. Moon is jealous of you,” Maria said.  “He wants your position and is willing to do all underhanded things to get it.  It’s understandable, but you should not tolerate it. Show him your strength.  Don’t let him bully you.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Maria stopped when they reached the nurse’s station.  She turned to face Jeha and narrowed her gaze.

“I hope these years you’ve resolved your doubts. I hope you’ve come to understand how much we love you, Jeha.  Knowing how much it would destroy me if something happened to you, I hope you take care of yourself.  Don’t get hurt. And, don’t get shot. Don’t—”

“Omma,” Jeha interrupted her, leaning in to kiss her right cheek.  “I’ll be very careful and when I’m done, I’ll come to eat your food.”

Maria nodded, biting her bottom lip. She reached up to caress his right cheek.

Ryan came up behind Jeha, and Maria let go of Jeha.

“Ryan,” Maria said, clearing her throat, as Jeha buttoned his suit jacket.  “I’m leaving my son in your care.”

“Yes, Mrs. Wook,” Ryan said.

“We have to go,” Jeha said.

“Mm,” Maria nodded, smoothing her hand over Jeha’s shoulder, her fingers smoothing the expensive fabric of his suit.  “Today is Thursday. I hope it only takes you two weeks to manage Moon. Come home on the last Sunday of this month. Let’s have lunch together with your Pa. I’ll make your favorite.”

“I’ll be there,” Jeha promised.

Jeha brushed a kiss on her right cheek again.  He happened to glance at the nurse’s station and saw Sandy watching them.  Jeha gave her a nod, making her blush, and then led the way to the elevators.

Ryan pressed the down arrow and they entered the elevator when the doors opened.

Jeha watched his mother as she stood by the nurse’s station watching him leave.  The elevator doors closed and his childhood memories and the reasons why Moon wanted to fight him filled his thoughts.

Jeha was born an orphan.

His Korean birth mother died at the hospital during childbirth.  He was a dark-haired boy with blue eyes, so his father was clearly from the Kingdom of Aeras. The hospital could not find him because his mother did not write down his father’s name, nor did she write down her next of kin.

And so, Jeha became a ward of the Aeras Kingdom at birth.

He lived in an orphanage managed by Prince Kleopas of Aeras for three months until Yisu and Maria Wook walked into the place and adopted him on sight.

His new parents named him Jeha Wook and handed him a heavy legacy.

During his teenage years, Jeha sometimes wondered what his life would have looked like had he remained the ward of the state.  He struggled with the answers for a while, and then stopped because it was useless. Maria and Yisu loved him too hard for him to keep at it.

Jeha could not turn back time, and he was not sorry Yisu and Maria loved him on sight.  He was grateful Yisu thought him worthy of the Wook family legacy.  He was his parents’ only child.  The son they presented to the Wook Family’s patriarch, Chae Wook.

The one now responsible for the care of the Wuga Group, and a clan with over two hundred Wooks who expected that their burgeoning assets continued to make profits. Jeha’s parents and his grandfather had bred him for this position.  Because they had, Jeha owned the right in full, so he would drag Moon back in line no matter what.

The elevator doors opened into the emergency department floor.  It was the one place in the hospital that was always filled with people day and night. Nurses and doctors doing their best to fight a battle between life and death. Most times, they won, other times…not.

Axel’s tears filled Jeha’s thoughts.

Jeha stepped out into the corridor, and almost collided with Axel Graysen.

Axel was dressed in blue scrubs, his doctor’s coat, and white crocs on his feet. He was also in a full run.

Ryan pulled Jeha out of the way, letting the doctor run past them.

Axel was six feet tall, in true fit form. He moved with practiced grace.

Had to be all the running, Jeha thought.

Axel’s brown hair was a tangled wavy mess on his head.  The doctor must have been sleeping or had not slept yet.

Jeha followed Axel out of curiosity.  His security team emerged behind him from the cafeteria.  Jeha searched the Emergency Room, wondering where he had lost the good doctor.

Then, Axel appeared. There he was, kneeling on the side of a rolling stretcher, performing compressions on a patient’s chest.  Two nurses and a second doctor pushed the stretcher working to keep it steady as they moved.

“Make way,” the nurse shouted, and Jeha realized she was looking in his direction.

Jeha turned to Ryan, and they both motioned for his security team to help clear a path to the elevator. In seconds, the hallway was clear, and the elevator doors were held open by two of Jeha’s men.

The stretcher rolled past Jeha, moving as fast as it could.

Axel’s gaze met Jeha’s for a second as they passed.

The determination Jeha read in Axel’s brown eyes in that second filled him up. Axel kept working, even as they maneuvered the stretcher into the elevator.  He did not stop pumping his hands in a clear quest to keep his patient alive.

Jeha smiled as the elevator doors closed.

“If I’m ever in danger of dying, find him,” Jeha said.

Ryan scowled.

“Don’t joke with things like that when we’re about to fight Moon, Jeha Wook.”

“I’m just saying,” Jeha said, heading out of the hospital with a wide smile.

It was interesting how much Axel made him smile on sight.

“Where to?” Ryan asked when Jeha’s car rolled up to the curb, Ryan had called the driver.

“To collect Moon’s Chemist,” Jeha said.

Now that he had his grandfather’s permission, he would take control of the clubs and stop Moon. The faster he ended this the better. He wanted to get to know Axel Graysen and it would not happen when he was in the middle of a major family conflict.

Ryan opened the back passenger door for him.

“Harris from our investigating team reported back when you were with Chairman Wook. Moon’s Master Chemist has been spotted entering a warehouse in the Industrial District,” Ryan said.

“Of course,” Jeha said with a small scoff.  “I wondered why Moon purchased land in the area a year ago. He must have made a hideout out there. It’s perfect. Call everyone not assigned to protection duty to join us.  Pa has authorized the use of his team. Make sure everyone understands that things will get messy if we don’t move fast. I want the Master Chemist in our control as soon as possible.”

“I’ll make the call,” Ryan said, reaching for his cell phone.

Jeha slid into the backseat, and Ryan closed the door.  They waited two minutes as Jeha’s security team boarded the two cars: one in front and one at the back of Jeha’s car.

Ryan slid into the front passenger seat and started making calls.

“Ryan, don’t forget to get a team for the top floor of the hospital,” Jeha said, glancing at the emergency room entrance.  “Moon is crazy enough to start a coup.”

“Already done,” Ryan said.

Jeha hoped the fight with his cousin would not get too bad.  He truly wanted to find time to discover more about Dr. Axel Graysen. The doctor lingered in his thoughts since their moment on the hospital’s rooftop.

Was Axel always so passionate about saving lives? What made him so driven?  Was he dating anyone?

Jeha smiled at the prospect of discovering it all.

****

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Omma – means mom

Jeha shook his head when his parents and his grandfather all leveled their expectant gazes at him.

“First, it’s unkind of you to threaten Ryan with his job,” Jeha said to Yisu.  “He is my good friend.  I would be the one to suffer and miss him if he left.  Stop threatening me with him.”

“You deserve it,” Yisu said.  “He is in charge of your safety and you got him to lie to your family.  Now we discover you’re keeping important information from us.”

“I needed to,” Jeha said.

Jeha moved closer to his grandfather’s bed, wishing he understood the numbers on the monitors above the bed. Instead, he studied his grandfather’s face, searching for signs of pain, relief filling him when he saw none.

“Grandpa, how are you feeling?  I was at the office and discovered something that needs your permission. I’m sorry to have brought work to the hospital when you’re ill.”

“Don’t worry so much. I’m doing better, Jeha,” Chae Wook said.  “Find a seat.  What do you want to ask me?”

Jeha pulled a chair from near the wall and arranged it on the right side of his grandfather’s bed.  He unbuttoned his suit jacket and tugged his trousers up as he sat.

“If you are about to talk about the reasons why someone is trying to kill you, don’t leave anything out,” Yisu said, his glare enough of a warning.

“Yes, Pa,” Jeha said with a nod.  “Grandpa, Uncle Chung’s son, Moon, is manufacturing a synthetic drug called Rapture.  He is pushing it out through the three Raven Clubs under their family’s care.  Rapture’s formula is unstable.  Moon has dropped off overdosing clients in our emergency room downstairs to handle the aftermath of use.  I have my men cleaning up after him to keep our family’s involvement out of an ongoing police investigation. The worst of it happened a week ago. Three people died, and one is still in a coma.”

“Damn it,” Yisu cursed.  “This means there are victims who did not make it to the emergency room.”

“There is a possibility,” Jeha said. “The police have engaged help from one of the doctors downstairs who worked a shift on a particularly bad night. Dr. Graysen has an agreement with the detectives in charge to call in any influx of patients to the ER with symptoms caused by Rapture. I had hoped I would be able to clean up Moon’s mess before I brought the situation to you.”

“Moon is bringing the overdosing clients to the emergency room to share the blame,” Yisu said.  “The clubs have been clean. Why would he start selling drugs again?”

“I don’t know. Right now, I’m working on controlling him with the power that Grandpa warned him last time,” Jeha said.  “If any of the clubs sell synthetic drugs, they will revert back to our family.  Unfortunately, Moon has refused to listen to my numerous reminders.”

“Damn it,” Yisu cursed.  “What have you done to contain the problem?”

“We are watching the emergency department downstairs,” Jeha said.  “We’re making sure the patients don’t have a clear name on who sold them the drugs, just until we can deal with the source of the problem.  On the outside, I’ve been chasing down Moon’s chemist.”

“Is that why you’re in trouble?” Yisu asked.

“Partly,” Jeha said.  “Moon was using one of the Wuga Hotel warehouses along the docks for manufacturing.  I shut the factory down and took over all the hotel’s warehouses. Moon retaliated with a grenade delivered to my apartment on Moven Street.”

Maria gasped, and Yisu wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Thankfully, Ryan neutralized it before it could cause damage.  We could not track the package back to Moon, but I know it is his doing. The last few days have been full of adventure. There have been gunshots on the street.  Poisoned food at my favorite noodle joint, and the brakes cut on my car.”

“Move home,” Maria said, her eyes filled with worry. “Move back home right now.”

“I can’t yet, not until I clean this up. In any case, I’m no longer at my old apartment. Ryan insisted I move to the new apartment building we have on Main Street, near the Anastasia Grand Hotel.  The building is waiting for a housing code inspection.  The top floor is complete and I’m the only one using it.  Ryan feels it is the easiest place to keep security tight.”

“Does Moon want to start a war?” Yisu asked, his voice rough with anger.  “His father has yet to pay back the loan he took from me last year.  Uncle Tae Wook should take charge of his sons.  The clubs were not a gift to misuse, but a means for them to live.  Jeha should not be managing Moon’s mistakes.”

“You’re wrong,” Chae Wook said.  “Yes, Tae Wook’s grandson is misbehaving, but Jeha is going to manage our Wuga Group in the future. He should be able to control Moon if he hopes to keep the rest of the family in line.  Managing his cousins is not easy work, but he has to do it. What do you need from me, Jeha?”

“I’m doing my best to close Moon’s factories, but it’s not enough. He just sets up a new one. Rapture has flooded the Raven Clubs. I’m worried Moon will start distributing in other clubs around Capital City.  We have closed three factories this last week,” Jeha said.  “So, what I need to do is find Moon’s Master Chemist and shut him down before the authorities move on the clubs.”

“Do you want a meeting with Airam the Spaniard?” Chae Wook asked.  “Assure him that Wuga is not trying to encroach on his market share.  Our alliance with Airam is still delicate.”

“We are not ready,” Jeha said.  “Moon needs to be under control before we sit at the table with Airam.  Our house will look dysfunctional if Moon then approaches him after our meeting”

“I understand. You need Moon’s Master Chemist to stop production. Then, we need to cut off distribution access, which means taking control of the three Raven Clubs,” Chae Wook said. “Jeha needs me to meet with my little brother, Tae Wook, and his two sons, Chung and Minho.”

“Yes. If you can get Uncle Chung to manage Moon, I will be glad,” Jeha said.  “Only then can I meet with Airam to appease him in case Moon has encroached on his sales avenue.”

“And to warn him not to take on Moon’s product offers,” Chae Wook said.  “Our family does not make money from drugs.”

“Grandpa understands me.  I did not want to make a major move against Moon without your permission.  I’ll need force to take control of Moon’s Master Chemist,” Jeha said.  “Moving on my cousin this way will trigger a retaliation response. I came to ask for permission.  You’re here in the hospital and we’ll need to secure the floor in case Moon gets his ambitious ideas.”

“So much trouble,” Yisu sighed.

They all sat in silence for another moment, then Chae Wook shrugged.

“Moon has already made his first aggressive move toward you. Jeha needs to show strength in response. You don’t need my permission. You have my full support. Yisu,” Chae Wook said. “Place the men in your team under Jeha’s command. We need to help Jeha secure our businesses.”

“Can you handle a fight with your cousin?” Yisu asked Jeha. “It’s not easy to put your family under threat, Jeha.”

“He must learn,” Chae Wook said, his tone decisive, his dark brown gaze hard.  “Wuga’s industries cannot be dragged in the mud so lightly. Moon is using our hospital’s emergency room as a means to manage his overdosing clients.  He is clearly causing us harm and painting a clear target on Jeha.  The clubs make good money, but if they have a dirty business, it will spill over to the rest of the family’s growing businesses. We have no choice but to clean up after him.”

“Why don’t they ever think of the bigger picture?” Yisu complained.

“Because it is your job, and Jeha’s job,” Chae Wook said. “Jeha take over the clubs. Re-brand them or lock them down if needed.  Find a way to manage Moon’s people.  Yisu, use the hospital’s administration team to manage Dr. Graysen. If possible, get the team to do a piece on the doctor’s heroic fight for the victims in the paper. Give the hospital positive PR and cover up our involvement with the Raven Clubs.”

“Dr. Graysen does not look like he appreciates the spotlight,” Jeha said, fighting a small smile at the memory of the crying doctor on the roof a week ago.  He had wanted so much to pull Axel into his arms to offer comfort.

“We’ll see what happens,” Yisu said.

“Jeha, Moon’s father will interfere. Chung is not easy to deal with. He feels his family is on par with ours.  It will place you in a difficult situation,” Chae Wook said.  “Protect yourself, even as I hope we can have an amiable result.  Don’t hurt him too much.  They are still family.”

Jeha nodded and got up.

“I will do my best,” Jeha said.

“We’re all depending on you,” Chae Wook said.

“Yes, Grandfather,” Jeha said.  “Please get well soon.  I look forward to having a meal with you when you get home.”

Chae Wook smiled, reaching for Jeha’s left hand.  His hands shook and felt fragile when they gripped Jeha’s strong hand.  Fear squeezed Jeha’s heart at the sight of his grandfather looking so frail. The dark signet ring he wore on his left middle finger looked as though it was swimming, highlighting his grandfather’s weight loss.

Jeha suffered a moment of panic. This man always seemed larger than life to him.  It was too difficult to see him in a hospital bed.

“Eat more while you’re here,” Jeha urged.

“Don’t worry so much,” Chae Wook said, giving him a small smile.  “I’ll be out of this room soon. I’m hoping to play a round of golf with you.  Will you make the time?”

“Always, Grandpa,” Jeha said.

“Good,” Chae Wook said, patting Jeha’s hand, he let go with a light squeeze.

Jeha started to leave and his mother got up.

“I’ll walk you out,” Maria said her tone not leaving room to protest.

Jeha let her lead the way out the door.

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Jeha and the Wook Family Legacy

A week later, a nurse emerged from a private hospital room at the Wuga Hospital.  She removed her gloves and threw them into the surgical bin standing against the wall in the hallway.  The nurse pressed on the sanitizer dispenser mounted above the bin and turned to her right, heading to the nursing station.  She stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening when she saw the group of ten men walking toward her.

Jeha Wook was used to this reaction on the nurses’ faces.

The ten men following him were a necessity he could no longer deny. This past week had turned into a trial.  The guards dressed in black tailored suits, their facial expressions varying degrees of unfriendliness were his saviors.

The nurse started to move to the side to let them pass, her gaze full of hope that they would ignore her.

Too bad for her, she had come out of a room that interested Jeha the most.

“Afternoon,” Jeha said, stopping right before her.  He checked her nametag and smiled. “Sandy.”

“A-afternoon,” Sandy said, glancing at him, her gaze shifting to the ten men who spread out in the rest of the hallway.  “How may I help you, Mr. Wook?”

“I want to ask how my grandfather is doing this afternoon,” Jeha said.  “Did he eat anything for lunch?”

“He did,” Sandy said, dragging her gaze away from the men checking the hospital rooms in the hallway.  “Shouldn’t you stop them from opening doors to other patients’ rooms?”

“It’s a necessity, Sandy,” Jeha said, waving the matter off.  “I’ll apologize to anyone who feels offended. What did grandfather eat?”

“Um,” Sandy frowned when Ryan returned to Jeha’s side and gave him a nod, clearing the hallway.

“Sandy?” Jeha prompted.

Sandy looked at Jeha, her expression blank, and his right brow rose in question.

“Y-your grandfather ate scrambled eggs and a shredded broccoli salad,” Sandy said.  “He asked for a glass of red wine, but his diet is restricted.  We substituted his request and gave him a glass of cranberry juice.”

“Did he clear his plate?” Ryan asked.

Sandy sighed.

“No, he only ate half his plate.  His appetite has not returned, yet.  We’re working on it.”

“Thank you for taking care of him so well,” Jeha said, and then urged her to continue down the hallway.

Sandy hurried away to the nurses’ station, though her gaze returned to the men now lining the hallway.

“The security team in the hallway does look excessive,” Jeha said, watching them, trying to put himself in Sandy’s shoes.  “Ryan, send them to eat lunch in the cafeteria.  The meal is on me.”

“What about you? What if—?” Ryan started.

“I have you, don’t I?” Jeha smirked.  “I’m not useless in a fight either.  Besides, Moon won’t try anything in such a public place where Grandpa can see him. The team can find me when we’re leaving through the emergency room. Let’s not worry my parents.”

Ryan nodded and motioned for their men to head to the cafeteria.

Jeha took in a deep breath, steadying himself, and then he knocked on the hospital room door.

“Yes.” A gruff voice said in answer.

Jeha opened the door and fought the urge to step back when he saw his parents sitting on two chairs at the foot of his grandfather’s hospital bed.

His grandfather, Chae Wook, sat propped up on his hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown and a fine black wool sweater knitted by Jeha’s mother, Maria. The covers pulled up to his waist to keep him warm.

Chae Wook sat watching Jeha’s parents, a complicated expression on his face. It looked as though they had been discussing something important. The conversation stopped when they saw him.

Chae Wook gave Jeha all his attention, even gifting him a warm smile despite his illness.

Jeha stopped a few feet away from the bed and lowered his head in greeting, first to his grandfather, and then to his parents.

Ryan followed suit a step behind him, and then Jeha motioned him to leave. He started to turn, but then Jeha’s father stopped him.

“Ryan, stay,” Yisu Wook said his tone hard to ignore.  “Close the door.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Ryan closed the hospital room door and faced Jeha’s father.

“I’m going to ask you one question,” Yisu said, sitting back in his chair, he folded his arms against his chest and leveled his gaze on Ryan.  “I expect a truthful answer, or you’ll end up working in the satellite Wuga Retirement Center at the border of Aeras Kingdom.  You won’t see Jeha again. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Sir,” Ryan said, stepping up to stand just behind Jeha’s right side.

Jeha stayed still, fixing his gaze on the monitors above his grandfather’s bed.

“Why have you increased security around Jeha?” Yisu asked.  “The nurses have noted a ruckus when he walks in this last week.  The nurse, Sandy, asked us about it. We handled her inquiries, but I got curious. You haven’t reported any trouble to the main house.  I suspect it is because Jeha does not want us to know the truth.  I’m expecting an answer, or we transfer the guard around Jeha including you, Ryan, to another facility.”

Jeha heard Ryan let out a defeated sigh.

They had been expecting this, especially after the rapture incident a week ago.

Jeha had not wanted to disturb his grandfather with Moon’s indiscretions.

Chae Wook was already experiencing severe stress ulcers.  They had rushed him to the hospital after a bad episode of stomach pain. It was so bad that Dr. Raff was afraid Chae Wook had cancer and ended up subjecting Chae Wook to a battery of tests.

They had all breathed a sigh of relief when Dr. Raff cleared Chae Wook free of cancer.

Jeha was grateful his grandfather was free of cancer, but he did not want to add to his grandfather’s stress. So, he had kept recent events hidden from his parents and his grandfather.

Now, he could only be glad they were in the hospital.  If anything happened with his grandfather, after the coming conversation, the nurses and doctors were in-house.

Jeha bit his bottom lip to keep from speaking, but he gave Ryan a thumbs up behind his back releasing him to tell the truth.

Ryan let out a sigh of relief.

“Boss has lived through some trouble this past week,” Ryan said.  “We have thwarted seven attempts on his life.  We cannot avoid having a security team following him anymore.”

“Why do we know nothing about this?” Yisu asked, his narrowed gaze shifting to Jeha.

“Boss asked us to keep the attempts on his life out of the daily reports to the main house,” Ryan said.  “He worried it would stress Chairman Wook even more.”

The room fell silent and Jeha swallowed when he noted his mother’s frown.

“Who is attacking Jeha?” Yisu asked, breaking the silence.

Ryan paused this time.

A minute passed, in which Jeha met his grandfather’s gaze.

Chae Wook’s gaze widened in understanding.

“Speak,” Maria prompted Ryan.  “My husband asked you an important question.”

Ryan cleared his throat.

“Boss is investigating a problem with the three Raven Clubs under his cousin’s care,” Ryan said, his voice trembling slightly.  “He wanted to keep his interest on a need-to-know basis so as not to ruffle feathers.  We tried our best to keep the investigation quiet, but we failed.”

“A problem with the clubs,” Yisu said, his tone turning thoughtful.

He dropped his hands from his chest and looked at Jeha as realization grew.

“Thank you for your hard work, Ryan.  You can step out now. Thank you for being honest with us.”

Ryan left the room in fast strides, closing the door with the gentlest of clicks. He would wait for Jeha outside.

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