24K Magic for a Perfect Illusion

Ch 8: Tell Me What Y'all Trying to Do

Ves and Hestia supposed to have their own Halloween party that night but it became a farewell event for two instead.

The horror movies they watched together didn’t lessen the pain of parting as they both cried to sleep, nothing is scarier than getting separated from the person used to be on your always beside you no matter what.

It was 5am when Peter and Stefani came to pick up Ves from the Nevaeh mansion without wasting another second for drama.

At the airport …

“When was the last time we got to a commercial flight?” Peter asked over his shoulder while looking at their plane outside.

“Uh … never … this is the first because of our newbie here.” Stefani replied while watching Ves walking back and forth. “Hey, relax, you’re just stressing yourself out for nothing.”

“I want to go back. This ain’t right. I can’t do this.” Ves responded anxiously as he contemplated whether to fight or flight.

“Do you want to run?” Stefani leaned forward while seating at the bench with her legs wide open. “You have a high chance of escaping here with these crowd and large space, but I don’t recommend it, if you get caught, you’ll be beaten badly, not only that, boss has been generous to you up to this point, if you repay his kindness with treason, believe me you won’t like the consequences.”

“Boss gave you three more days after the due date; he even made sure that you’ll be leaving with a clean slate. Look, we’ll be having a commercial flight like ordinary citizens just to complete the whole act of your job transfer.” Peter turned around to face Ves with his hands on his jean’s pockets. “Boss never did this anyone before, you’re the only exception.”

“He’s right, boss never approach anyone this sincerely before, you’re the first. So, if I were you, I won’t do anything stupid.”

Ves is looking at the two’s smiling faces but he can see the coldness in their eyes, they’re dangerous and he can sense that they’re holding back to rip him apart as they’ve been doing things for him that they didn’t sign up for.

When the three of them boarded on the plane, though they’re in the business class section, the two seemed to be unsatisfied with their seats but they have to make do for Ves’ sake.

Ves thought that the gang must have their own private jets and considering how much his mother owes the boss, it’s not that impossible that the members are also living with a lavish lifestyle.

Arriving at Mexico City, they were picked up by a limousine that somehow made the discontentment of the two dissipated a bit.

And as expected the boss is living in a castle-like mansion, much bigger than the Nevaeh mansion in LA.

“Home at last!” Peter exclaimed. “Where’s boss?” he asked one of the armed men guarding the door.

“In the study, he’s been expecting you to arrive an hour ago, Hernandez.” the man shaking his head.

“Not our fault, we’ve taken a commercial flight to get here.” Peter raised his both hands. “Is he mad?” he asked anxiously. “We can’t do anything about the delay, and we’re just following his orders.”

“Are you complaining, Hernandez?” a man in his thirties with a murderous aura descending from the stairs.

“I wouldn’t dare, boss.” Peter smiled sheepishly as he meets the boss halfway. “It’s mission complete, what about my reward?”

“I already arranged it for your woman, you’re spoiling her too much.” the boss shaking his head in disapproval.

“I’m dating her boss, of course, I’ll spoil her.” Peter winked at Stefani. “If there’s nothing else, I’m gonna go to my room and prepare for my date.”

“Mmm.” the boss hummed coldly as he turned his attention to Stefani. “Have you figured it out about the two men?”

“I’ll stay as their wife, let Joanne Bennett and Angelina Cooper play their roles until the end. Beside I’m benefitting from both.”

“Up to you.” the boss nodded. “You may go back to whichever home you want but be here on Monday morning.”

“Thanks boss.” Stefani saluted the boss playfully. “He’s all yours.”

Ves looked at Stefani to figure out what she meant that he belongs to the boss now, he even has a doubt that the boss will torture him as soon as he lay his fingers on him.

“Follow me.” the boss ordered Ves sternly. “Your mother, Ji-woo Jung, is the daughter of a Korean businessman and an American singer, who named her Lesley. She was born with a silver-spoon, as well as your biological father, Han Taz. Born with a Ukrainian billionaire father and a Korean actress mother.” he looked back at Ves before he continued telling the latter’s background.

Ves already knows what he’s trying to point out, he’s a product of a marriage for convenience that didn’t end well, both his parents never love each other and he’s just the fulfillment of their duties to their parents.

“The inheritance that your maternal grandparents left for your mother was spent in just three years, the fortune that your old folks earned for decades was wasted just like that.”

Ves mother spent it all to the parties she threw at home every week to lessen her loneliness with father’s absence, although she didn’t love him, she’s seeking for his attention but she only failed miserably as his father is married to his work not to his wife.

“Lesley told me herself that she divorced Han because she wants to be happy for the remaining years of her life, she wants to be love and be in love, that’s why she married your stepfather, Chef Paul Ahn, a widower with a son named Elvis, who’s four years older than you and currently a lawyer in the biggest law firm in Korea.”

The boss knows everything about Ves family, Ves already figured it out and he’s starting to get bored with his monologue.

“Though the Chef isn’t that wealthy just like your father, he’s in the upper middle-class of the society. Thus, he can provide for his son, your mother and you, without difficulties.”

“You already knew that my mother is lying to you from the start, why do you still pretend to sympathize with her like a good father of family?” Ves looked around. “Are you so bored in life, Mr. Ronson? Got nothing to do with money, thus you casually give a hundred million to a stranger just like that?” he snapped.

“The only thing you got right is my name.” the boss looked at him.

Ves got stunned with the ironic expression on Mr. Ronson’s face, the man is smiling and looked amused but his tone gives a shiver to Ves as it felt like he stepped on the beast’s tail.

“I’m indeed a Ronson, Mark D. Ronson. One thing about this organization, we don’t use fake names. Germanotta has three given names thus she can play three characters in one, Hernandez has two, as for you …” Mark paused for a while. “Well you can use your Korean name interchangeably, it’s all up to you.”

“Why did you approach my mother?” Ves is done beating the bush.

“Because of you.” Mark replied with a serious expression. “I invested on you for a hundred million to work for me.”

“Why me? I’m nothing special. I’m afraid you just wasted your money on me because I’m no use to whatever you’re running here.”

“Oh, come on! We both know what you can do with that powerful mind of yours. Though you’re not the only one who can do that ‘trick’ but you’re the son of Mr. Taz. Your hypnosis skill isn’t something you’ve only learned from college, you inherited it from your father. Crazy as it sounds but that’s the truth.” Mark said.

“Hypnosis is a dissociative process anyone who learned to do it can use it to alter the consciousness of someone’s state of mind. Yes, it does require a skill to the one doing the psychotherapy to a patient as he or she needs to get the attention and complete focus of the one being hypnotize, but it’s not like a hereditary superpower that you’re trying to imply.” Ves explained.

“Yeah, that’s what the book says. Come with me, I’ll show you something, I need your expert opinion about this video.” Mark led Ves to a mini-theater room.

Mark ordered one of his men to play a video caught by a surveillance camera.

In the video, Ves father is standing in front of man who’s aiming a gun at his father’s head, there’s no audio but his father is moving his mouth while looking at the armed man.

Han isn’t even scared as he’s expressionless all throughout the video as if his life isn’t threatened at all, but what is more surprising the intruder aimed the gun on himself and pulled the trigger a few seconds after Han closed his mouth.

“So, what do you say genius?” Mark mocked Ves. “Clearly the dead man lying on the floor should be Mr. Taz but it was the other way around. You must be thinking that Han told the man something unacceptable that the latter just chose to die, but why the hell would he do it if he wanted to get the Russian technology in your father’s hands?” he handed Ves a file about the dead man.

The file documented the man’s profile, who happens to be an American soldier, working for a classified mission.

The soldier has a wife with three children and nothing in his file indicates that he’s suffering from a mental health problem, he’s even promoted to a ranking officer recently, thus there’s no other factors that could make him take his own life on that crucial moment, and it was almost a success mission.

“No, there must be a missing link here.” Ves shook his head, completely denying the unscientifically event he saw in his own eyes. “Let’s say what you think is true, my father used hypnosis to that soldier. But it’s impossible to control somebody else’s mind easily, we both don’t know what my father told him so, it’s hoaxed.”

“I knew you will say that.” Mark signaled his man to play another video. “Here’s another proof that might convinced you a little more, this time it has an audio.”

In the video, Han is in a private room of a restaurant, dining with the officials in Russia, they were talking about the research institution that his father owns.

In their conversation, the officials didn’t agree with Han’s business proposal as they’re against Han’s identity as a Ukrainian, they prefer to work with a naturally born Russian citizen than a foreign who only has a granted citizenship.

Han asked the highest official present in the room to look into his eyes and told the official that he will sign the proposal as it’s for the best for the Soviet Union to use Taz automotive than any other scrap metals that is built to look like an auto, as simple as that and the next thing, the official did sign the contract despite the other officials protest and shocked expression as they didn’t know exactly what just happened.

When one of the officials tried to get out of the room, the official near the door pointed a gun at the former, while saying a chant to shoot whoever leaves the room without Mr. Taz permission, clearly the official with a gun was already under hypnosis and he will do as he told accordingly.

The official didn’t listen to the official with a gun and insisted to get out from the room but as soon as he turned the knob, the latter shot him on the calf and aimed the gun on his head next.

Han took care of the situation before a m******e starts, he pacified the angry officials with money to keep their mouths shut, some who looked at Han’s direction and met his gaze, took the money obediently, while others who had the grasped of what’s driving people against their own will, didn’t dare to raise their heads and look at the man giving commands.

Indeed, human intelligence can be proven in times of complicated situations, those Russian officials used their brains effectively and not just a decoration in their heads.

But Ves isn’t watching the video to evaluate everyone’s behavior in a crisis situation, the whole point is his father, has the eyes to control people beyond the hypnosis that were written in books.

“I … I need to talk to my father to verify.” Ves stammered.

“Yeah, you can do that on your free time, I won’t limit what your freedom when your off work. I would like to know the answer too and solve the mystery, as it’s really mind blowing how he can do that, manipulate people like they’re just puppets to him.”

“Y-You said, I also got that thing in me. But I clearly know that I’m just applying what I’ve learned from the textbooks. I-I can’t do the exact same thing like my father.” Ves shook his head as he also convinced himself that he’s nothing like his father.

“That’s not what I saw with my own eyes after observing you for years. You have it, but you don’t know yet how to control and use your power at will.” Mark smiled at Ves satisfactorily.

Ves suddenly realize his way out. “Heh, aren’t you afraid that if I learned how to control what I’ve inherited from my father, I’m going to use it against you and your people?”

“Hahaha!” Mark burst out laughing as if he heard the funniest joke in the world. “There you go, that’s why I chose you!”

“Because I’m a big jokester and prankster?” Ves humored him.

“Uh-huh. No one here got the sense of humor like you.” Mark said.

“But I’m serious though, I won’t hesitate to use it against you who forced me out from my peaceful life.” Ves snickered.

“Nah, I’ve got preemptive measures. When you get in my head or turn any of my loyal men against me … your woman will die.” Mark smiled evilly at him. “As far as I know, you haven’t confessed your feelings to her yet, it’ll be a shame if she won’t know that his so-called best friend is in love with him.”

Ves gnashed his teeth and roared, “Don’t you dare! Leave her out of this!”

“Oh, I dare, I’m the boss here.” Mark replied nonchalantly.

“What’s your term?” Ves compromised, there’s no use arguing with the enemy who has the upper hand at the moment. “Tell me what y’all trying to do.”

“Now, we’re talking.” Mark told him what he needed to know and what he wants from him.

It was that day, that all Saint’s day two years ago, Ves life turned upside down.

He becomes a thief who leaves his initials JYH that stands for his Korean name Jung Yong Hwa, in every site their team ‘The Whoops’ steals a treasure that they’re clients wants to have.

And a mentalist with a stage name Neon Pryta, whenever they have to do a magic show as a diversion for their bigger plan, which of course to steal.

“Christopher!” Ves frowned when he saw this familiar face that only means trouble. “What the hell are you doing here, man?”

Christopher, Brody, and Brown, also known as ‘The Hooligans’, they are the team who use brawns instead of brains, as their team name suggest, they won’t hesitate to use force if the plan goes sideways, the worse team in their dark organization.

“Boss orders, no offense but he don’t trust you completely with this one because the main target is someone you …” Christopher got cut off with Ves glare. “Oh, alright, I’m out of here and the rest of my team, but we’ll be waiting outside.”

“I don’t even need you here, we can handle it alone.” Ves scoffed.

“You’re not the one who’s in command T- … I mean Neon Pryta.”

“Just get out of here, you have no business here.” Ves disdained to spare Christopher one more glance.

Aside from Stefani and Peter, Ves avoids the rest of the men in the organization, yes, they’re a team of thieves and con-artists but violence is not included in their job description, as much as possible they refrain themselves from unnecessary physical combat, much as having blood in their hands, it’s the worst team of the organization who handle such matter.

“That’s mean, the guy just wants a backstage pass to watch the show up close.” a man hiding in the shadows appeared.

“Parker, why are you …” Ves has a hunch that there’ll be a bloodbath tonight. ‘Why the hell ‘The Smeezingtons’ are here?!’ he cried inwardly as the man is the top three in the group of assassins or also called as ‘The Smeezingtons’ and definitely he ain’t alone.