[-]

  Dara gulped.

  The Mercedes that Jiyong is driving pulled over outside a small terrace house with a little garden. The lights of the living room are still on, spilling the glow outside the windows. Grams hasn't fell asleep yet. This is not good.

  Dara peeked at Jiyong, who's surveying her home with a curious expression from behind the windscreen. How is she supposed to smuggle him into the house without being sniffed out by Grams?? 

  "Are you serious, Jiyong?" Dara asked. The sleepover can't be happening with the potential of Jiyong being discovered. 

  "Yeap."

  Alright. Lets make excuses. He's a friend visiting? Who is she kidding, what kind of friend visits at this hour. An electrician? Insane. Which electrician wears a suit?

  GAHH!

  There's no other way. 

  Dara swallowed nervously, her palms slowly turning sweaty. She sneaked another glance at the mobster, who still appears to be highly interested in the exterior of where she stays. The timing is now. He's distracted. She has to make a run for it.

  Dara lurged aruptly for the car door, yanking the door knob open and slammed her weight against it. Its great because she has already unbuckled her seatbelt when they're near and now she didn't need to waste the time for her escape. There was a small click behind her and the doors remained shut. , why won't this thing open??

  Dara racked on the door knob multiple times before realizing that its locked. She shut her eyes tightly, clenching her teeth together in embarrassment before turning around slowly to see Jiyong leaning into his seat with an amused expression, the tip of his index finger on the automatic door lock control of the car beside him.

  "Jiyonggggg." She whined. 

  He tilted his chin towards her, raising his brows while trying to hide a smile.

  "What?" He asked innocently.

  Dara had to blow some air on her fringe to keep herself calm. She really can't be bringing him in!!

  "I can't take you." Dara sighes heavily. "My grandma's still awake right there watching TV. How about another day?"

  "Fine."

  What?

  "I said fine." Jiyong shrugged as Dara blinked at him. Why is he so consenting today? 

  "Go up. I'll just head home." Jiyong yawned. 

  "Really? You're alright with that?"

  "No. I'm actually utterly disappointed and hurt."

  Dara can't believe what she's seeing. Beside her on the driver's seat, the Caporegime is actually slumped deep into his seat, sulking. SULKING! She stared at his face, before breaking out in a small laugh.

  "You think its funny?" Jiyong growled, albeit his expression has softened upon the look on Dara's face... the way her eyes creases together when she smiles and how her laughter sounds. 

  "You look cute sulking like that." She admitted sheepishly.

  "Openly going after me now aren't you?" Jiyong rolled his eyes and look away. "Go now."

  Dara suppressed her smile and stuck out her tongue a little before exiting the car. A few steps ahead later and she looked back to see Jiyong's eyes on her as he gave a small nod of his chin towards the door. There was something fluffy rising up inside her as she turned back to the house. Everything from the fight in the lift that morning to how upset he was when he found out that she lied to him was a rollercoaster ride. But at least things ended on a good note.

  Her steps were light like a gust of wind when she returned into the house. Grams was indeed on the couch, watching her late night game show when Dara greeted her merrily and skipped up the steps. The hug outside Bom's apartment and his scent still lingers in her mind, and Dara couldn't wait to bury her face in the pillow and squeal it out. Why is she this happy about it?

  She peeked behind her as she stepped into her room. Great, the show looks like its still going to go on for another good thirty minutes, which means that Grams would probably be too distracted to hear her dying whale noises. Quietly, she shuts the room door infront of her before turning around to launch herself straight onto bed.

  Except that its already occupied.

  Dara almost screamed at what's behind her. On her bed sat Jiyong, who's closely inspecting her baby-blue colored bra that she've tossed on her bed with his brows raised.

  "I assume you have a habit of throwing your undergarments on beds." Jiyong took a jab at her teasingly.

  Mortified, Dara walked to him in huge strides and snatched her bra off his fingers. "How did you-" She began, but her tongue got caught when her eyes fell on her open window. 

  "You're crazy..." She whispered. If he slipped, the fall would be pretty serious. 

  "Don't be too impressed." He grins. "Shall we get ready for bed?" 

  Dara glanced tentatively behind her before tiptoeing over to lock her room door. She should've suspected it when he had so readily agreed to going on. Ofcourse Jiyong must have something up his sleeves.

  "I should've locked the windows.." Dara muttered under the breath, but it didn't go unheard.

  "I'll just shoot the locks open, and buy you a new one." His voice answered lazily behind, before he jumped up from the bed. "I'm showering. Spare clothes?"

  She lent him her oversized bathrobes that she barely wore nowadays. As he showered, she rummaged her wardrobe for an extra mattress which she laid out carefully below her single bed. She wasn't paying much attention when he got out of the shower but her eyes were instantly glued on him when she noticed. His hair was damp, clinging onto his face as he dried it casually with her towel, tossing his pile of clothes onto her chair. His lean figure was wrapped in her bathrobes which fits his size more perfectly than it does to hers, the top of it loosely hanging onto his chest, where there is a single small tattoo on his right chest just above his heart which reads 'Famiglia', the Italian word for 'Family'. The brand of the Mafia Organization. 

  "Stop ogling at me." Jiyong deadpanned, looking through the amount of books she have on the shelves, the desk.. everywhere. "You're a nerd through and through huh?"

  Dara clamped shut and looked away sharply. Hpmh. The belittling narcissist is back. So he's aware of how good he looks. Psh.

  "Are you going to take the bed or the floor?" Dara grumbled.

  "Bed."

  She rolled her pillow down from the bed that she's sitting on, leaving the other for Jiyong. But before the pillow hits the mattress, Jiyong caught it and tossed it back up onto the bed.

  "Put this back." He said commandingly. "I'm not going to let you sleep on the ground. There's space for two."

  "No way." 

  Jiyong narrowed his eyes at Dara, who stared back defiantly with her back upright. 

  "Fine." He sighed, grabbing the pillow meant for him off her bed. "I'll just sleep on the sofa... in the living room then."

  He started towards the door and reached out for the door knob when Dara did a 3 meters lunge towards him, clinging herself onto his back as she almost shrieked. Damn it! He knows that Grams is downstairs. He knows how to win this game.

  "Sleep on the bed then, sleep on the bed." She whispered fervently through her teeth. With a smug expression on his face, the Capo dropped his outstretched arm. 

  They lay awake with their eyes open in the dark as the both of them seems to be reflecting over the events of the day, lost in their own worlds. The bed was a little tight for two, but they fitted with Dara rested within Jiyong's cradling arms. The closeness and skin ship should've, and would've bothered them but it didn't anymore. It felt like her body was made to fit in with his and his arms made to hold her. 

  "Park,"

  "Hmm?"

  "You.. cried in Seunghyun hyung's car?" Jiyong asked, sounding a little strangled.

  "No." She replied softly, remembering how she felt then. She doesn't know why she was that affected by the way Jiyong had given her the cold shoulder throughout the way back from Jeju.

  All she knows is that; it hurts when he's pushes her away from him.

  It hurts quite a bit.

  He exhaled in relief, pushing his tongue against the side of his mouth as his hand her arm absentmindedly. 

  "Don't ever waste your tears on someone like me, Dara." He said in a tight voice. Dara's eyes fluttered open at his tone. She wanted to turn herself around to look at him but his grip around her tightened, keeping her immobile.

  "Is there something wrong?" She asked, holding her breath as she waited for his answer.

  He thought about what Seunghyun said and he thought about the current chaos in the Family. The Promotion Ceremony between Soo Hyuk and himself is approaching, and they have the Underboss and his dirty tricks to deal with. It would be selfish to want her to stick around by him and his ed up world. He saw the pile of medical textbooks on her shelf. She was trained all her life to save people. He was trained all his life to kill. She's an angel to people while he's the devil. 

  Suddenly he wished he had a cleaner life.  A life where he could do whatever he wants. A life where he can actually keep her with him.

  She's still waiting for his reply, uneasy with concern.

  "Nothing's wrong." He answered after a minute back in his android, noncommittal tone. "Sleep, nerd."

  Dara's mouth twitched in annoyance at the new nickname that he found for her. Hey, she's not that much of a nerd alright? 

  "Goodnight, Jiyong." 

  He smiled inwardly and leaned his head closer to her hair, inhaling her scent.

  He really should stop bothering her, but not yet... Not now....

[-]

  "Boss, we have something to report."

  The two bodyguards looked spoke in a deep voice with their heads bowed. The man on the revolving leather chair with his back facing them simply raised a hand for them to go on. The guards exchanged a hesitant look before opening their mouths.

  "We received information from the Jeju locals that we were tailed that morning before the Gala when you negotiated with the Russian Mob, Boss."

  Cha Seungwon's eyelids flew open.

  "What do you mean?" He demanded in a stoney voice.

  "Our terms with the Russians were overheard, boss. We suspect... no, we're sure that its recorded in some way."

  The Underboss slammed his fists onto his wooden table as he rose on his feet in agitation. "I told you both to be careful with the security and you can't even get that right, useless fools!"

  The burly bodyguards lowered their heads at the wrath of the ageing underboss.

  There was a loud vibration on the table and Cha Seungwon snatched his phone off the desk. It was an email. In it contained a single audio recording accompanied by a message.

  'I respected you, Hyung. Stop when its time to.'

  A muscle in the Underboss's cheek twitched as his grasp on the mobile phone tightened. 

  "Which one of them stalked us? Jiyong or Soo Hyuk?" He asked quietly.

  "The locals reported five people." 

  The Underboss sneered. They cannot be any more obvious, the legendary five, or thats what the low ranking Made Men called Jiyong and his team of Untouchables. Silencing all of them would not be easy, but it would tie up the loose ends. He had planned for the two Caporegimes to fight each other but that smart rascal is turning his spearhead towards him. He should've known when those street kids first entered their ranks; that they weren't simpletons. With bloodshed going on between the two Capos, there would be too much chaos in the Family to appoint a new Underboss.

  He needed more time in this position until he manages to fish away the Mafia's contacts and clients as his own.

  "Kwon Jiyong..." He muttered, exhaling heavily to calm himself. "We have to find a way to get him to give up his defenses.."

[Jiyong]

  "Hyung, the email was sent out." Daesung reported over the phone

  "Note." I answered before hanging the phone up. Its barely six in the dawn. 

  I have my cards laid out now. Boss would know that it was me who sent the anonymous email containing the proof of his sabotage of the Family. There's no doubt that he would be after our now. But there isn't a better way. The longer we wait, the more the family loses. At least he knows that someone else knows now. And I hope he wake the up and withdraw immediately because if he's not, things are going to get bloodily violent.

  We tailed him while purposely making sure that there's some local eyewitnesses that didn't knew our identities but enough to judge that we're behaving suspiciously. Daniel was with us when we got the proof. And in the case which Boss decides to wipe all of us out; all of us referring to our whole team, he would never guess that the fifth of us is actually the Consigliere instead of Seungri. At least there would be someone else who knows the truth. 

  The lengths that he'd go to keep his position... The war is on now, and all five of us have to be extra careful with our safety nowadays. Seunghyun hyung, Youngbae and Daesung should be pretty much immune since they are good with defending themselves. Hired assassins probably would do more than to scratch them. Its our Brains that I worry. That college graduate lacks behind us in terms of ammunition skills by a crazy lot, so we would have to watch his now.

  Dara stirred over to my direction, his eyes shut and her rosy lips slightly parted as she remains faraway in her sleep, under the soft glow of the rising sun. 

  She looks like an angel.

  I ran my finger gingerly down her cheek and she furrowed her brows, snuggling tighter to my side. 

  We have to win this war.

  We will win, and then I can go to her.

  We must win.

[DARA]

  I opened my eyes groggily to come face to face with the sharp jawline of Kwon Jiyong.

  HEHEHEHEHEHE. Its so nice to wake up to such an eyecandy.

  I smiled at Jiyong sleepily, and he smiled back. Wow, he's being nice. He seems to have woken up for a while now. His head was propped up by his arm on the pillow as he gazed intently at me. I feel a small flush of heat on my cheek as my heart began to thump erratically in my chest. Only Jiyong is able to make me feel this way.

  "Hey you." I beamed at him, smiling like a stupid schoolgirl.

  "Hey, you." He repeated sweetly, "Someone has been trying to tear down the door for a while now."

  Eheh, he's actually repeating what I'm saying.. but wait, what did he add?

  KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.  

  JESUS!! HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!

  He raised his brows calmly as my eyes widened in fear. I pushed him off me and shot up from the bed, now in FULL PANIC mode. !! Where am I supposed to hide him?? He's can't be here!! 

  I began to zoom from places to places to look for a fool proof place to hide a grown up man. GAHH! HIS CLOTHES! Hurriedly, I grabbed his clothes off the chair and shoved them into a drawer. Damn Jiyong! He's still lying there with his arm behind his head, watching in amusement as I suffer from an anxiety breakdown.

  "You can climb buildings right? Climb down the way you came up." I ordered in a hushed whisper, marching impatiently on the same spot as I glanced at the window. Its early and there's some light. He'd be fine if he can climb up here safely in the darkness.

  "What are you talking about, don't you know how dangerous that is?" He said in a fake surprised tone as he withdrew his head. 

  I yelped, my hand immediately shoving his mouth closed. ARGHKKK! He's clearly enjoying my torture right now! He's being difficult on purpose!!!

  KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

  The knocking now turned into a series of fast rapping on the door. Without anymore hesitation, I yanked Jiyong up from the bed by his arm and he complied lazily. In the bathroom he shall go. Its my last resort since Jiyong won't freaking cooperate.

  I was shoving Jiyong towards the bathroom when there was an ominous click on the door before it swung open, revealing Song Mino with a small pin dangling between his pinched finger.

  "Are you a pig, seriously? I have been knocking for a full-" The kid began in annoyance before he landed eyes on the both of us.

  Mino blinked, his mouth opening slowly in shock, his eyes hooked on Jiyong, who's eyeing him peculiarly.

  "B-Boss- what are you doing here?" Mino stuttered. Hold on, this brat is actually speaking to Jiyong in full formalities and all. Since when has he learnt his manners?

  "Boss?" Jiyong raised his brows, scanning at Mino's untidy school uniform.

  Mino gulped as he regained his senses, wiping his hand hastily on his trousers before sinking into a low bow in front of Jiyong as I watched on in confusion, my heart still racing from the earlier rush. At least it wasn't Grams.

  "I'm Song Mino, soldier from Unit 23, Boss." 

  What? In the army? This kid isn't even old enough to be in the army. But Jiyong seems to get what he's saying as he nodded in acknowledgement. 

  "Why is there our soldier in your house?" He asked me.

  "He's just a kid we feed." I answered, sticking out my tongue at Mino, who laughed hoarsely. Whoa whoa whoa, he actually knows how to smile?

  "Did you picked her locks just now?" Jiyong asked Mino.

  Mino blinked at the pin in his hand before hiding it sheepishly behind him.  

  "Don't do that again." Jiyong ordered. 

  "Yes boss," Mino complied without an ounce of protest. "Uh, Noona, Grams wanted me to wake you up for work." 

  "Araso, I'll be down in a minute." I said. Mino bowed again to Jiyong and turned to leave before I stopped him. Slowly, I pointed to Jiyong before putting a finger to my lips with pleading eyes. But it seems like there isn't a need for it because Jiyong is intimidating him enough to do the job.

  As soon as he's gone, I quickly nudged Jiyong and his clothes into the bathroom to get him to change. He emerged, a while later, back in his suit, looking reluctant. 

  "So.. you want me to leave inconspicuously?" He asked playfully, his arms folded behind his back and he leaned down to meet my height.

  GAHH. OFCOURSE. Hello? I'm almost dying from nervousness everything I look behind me to check if Grams would come up here herself to get me down for breakfast. 

  "Please." I said seriously.

  His boyish grin widened and he opened his arms.

  I hissed at him before glancing behind my shoulder again.

  "I'll go after this." He promised. 

  Making sure that the sizzling downstairs is still going on, I jumped into his arms and wrapped my hands around his neck. I have to admit, its addicting to cling onto someone. Especially when that someone smells so good all the time. Teehee. 

  "Okay, you can let go of me now." He mused, releasing his arms from my waist as I'm still in my Lala-land. Immediately, I let go of my grasp on landed back on my feet from tiptoeing. GAH, why does he always seem to make me look like the clingy one when it is really him??!

  "Bye." He said with a small smirk, obviously still teasing me for the prolonged hug before he casually flipped himself out of the window ridges. By the time I dashed towards the window opening, he is already walking towards his Bentley with his hands shoved in his pockets.

  He's insane.

  I got changed and hurried downstairs for breakfast. As soon as Mino saw me, he opened his mouth and I didn't need him to verbalize what his question was with Grams so nearby in the kitchen.

  "Gone." I said quickly before he could speak, and he shut his mouth again. I picked up a toast from the table, feeling a little giddy over the hug just as Mino shifted his chair towards me noisily.

  "Noona, are you... dating our boss?" Mino asked..

  My smile faded when I realized I didn't have an answer for that. It feels like we are but he has never said that we're anything more than.. anything. What exactly are we?

  "I'm going now." I diverted his question as I stood up with the bread in between my mouth.

  The road to the boutique was strangely deserted today, which gives me the space to think. I remember the weird tone in his voice when he asked me not to waste my tears for someone like him. That's not fair, he don't get to just tell me how to spend my tears. He can't control who I invest my emotions in. Heck, even I can't control that.

  Jiyong is crazily confusing at times. He loses his head over little insults thrown at me and is insanely sweet sometimes, but then he's aloof and gives off that same noncommittal attitude in the blink of an eye. What if I'm the one that misunderstands his intentions, what if he's just treating me as someone who's different but not special, and I happily jumped into it thinking that.. thinking that it could be something.. more?

  I sighed heavily and lifted my head. Its a good weather without much sun. My workplace is just down the turn. 

  Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed me from behind as a handkerchief was pressed forcibly onto my nose as I choked and screamed. It's chloroform!

  But its too late when I realized, I've inhaled enough to be fading away. The last thing I registered was a van pulling over at the side of the road as I am dragged away into darkness.

ALRIGHT,

ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS:
 

From natyx10:  hav u ever imagined yourself as one of the characters in this story? If so who? And why? 

MAINLY DARA, OFCOURSE, BUT I USUALLY TRIES TO WRITE IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF ALL THE CHARACTERS ^^
 

From Aylanah:  Where do you find inspiration and what is your writting process? I mean how do you usually write? Do you plan the whole fic or arc from the beginnin'or do you write as the story comes to your mind? ^^

I usually have a big overarching plot in mind before I start a story, but the details as well as the character development comes along as the story progresses~ I draw inspirations mainly from my romance deprived imagination and from a whole load of night thinking, day dreaming.

And finally to corea18 who requested for a chapter just for Darahae;

I'd love it if there's a chance for me to develop Darahae more if the plot allows it, so we can look forward to that and see how it goes!

Once again thank you everyone for your support

and I'm sorry that this update took such a while! 

At least the next episode would be one that's worth looking forward to 

*Wink Wink*