Omo, there seems to be an error because no, this story isn't completed yet!

No worries though, I've changed the story status already.

Now enjoy!

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[-]

  A black Chevrolet was driving along the empty night street. Youngbae was squinting his eyes, his hands on the wheel while trying to keep an eye out for any signs of his sworn brother. But it's proving to be difficult with a noisy Daesung on the passenger seat.

 

  "I'm telling you, Jiyong hyung loves chicken and pizza. Nothing else would work unless we use that."

 

  "No, Jiyong likes potato stew..." Youngbae countered, his car slowing down when his eyes caught the shadow of the person they're searching for.

  

  "Aish, he's here everyday..." Daesung muttered, unbuckling his seatbelt. 

 

  "Better here than the fight club." Youngbae answered grimly before alighting the car. Ever since that fiasco outside the fightclub in little chinatown, Jiyong has since stopped his meaningless brawling. Whatever Dara said must've gotten into him.

 

  In the dimness of the night, a lone figure is illuminated by a sole street light. He stood with his hands in his pockets, donning a black turtle neck with his hair unstyled. He was looking up, his eyes casted on the second floor window of a house that's just across the small road. The lights from the room were still lit, but the windows were tightly closed. 

 

  "Hyungggggg!" Daesung called out in the cheeriest voice he could muster while rushing up to his sworn brother, who didn't need to glance to see who it was. "Youngbae hyung and I are going for supper. It's chicken and pizza tonight. What do you say? Care to join us?"

 

  Jiyong's gaze lingered on the window for another two seconds before he dropped it. "Yeah."

 

  Daesung blinked, both stunned and surprised by how easily they manage to succeed in getting Jiyong to eat with them. Silently, he turned to gesture to Youngbae in shock. 

 

  Youngbae exhaled heavily as he spared the faraway room a glance. The lights have just shut off. 

 

  "I thought you used to climb through her windows." Youngbae suggested.

 

  "She changed the locks." Jiyong answered monotonously, turning around for the car. But the pain was evident in his voice. And the boys fell silent again.

 

  "You know what, Chizza time!" Daesung declared loudly to break the aching silence that followed as he quickly nudged Jiyong towards the Chevrolet. "I'll drive your bike to the restaurant hyung. Take the car with Youngbae hyung instead."

 

  Youngbae followed behind Jiyong. He understands why Jiyong would choose to leave Dara, but at the same time, he didn't. What's the point of leaving her if he's going to suffer by himself like this?

 

  "You should work things out, Jiyong. You and Dara really could have been something." Youngbae sighed as he started the engines.

 

  "The stakes for that something is too high," Jiyong said quietly, looking out of his side window. "when she's everything."

 

 

  

---

[-]

 

  "Hey there, you won't mind sorting these new arrivals out for me yeah?"

 

  Jezus. Bom thought as she raised her head to see Judy bombarding Dara's counter with a huge box of apparels as Dara blinked back in horror. 

 

  "Uh... Okay." Dara grimaced as Judy flashed her a giant smile before leaving for another of her so-called 'meetings'. Bom rolled her eyes. Seriously, they're not even paying that poor girl enough pay to be doing so much work. Doesn't her best friend know how to reject people at all?

 

  Dara took out a sandwich, sinking her teeth into it as she starting to cut the box open. This would be the third consecutive day that she'll be eating that sad looking thing, but Bom decided otherwise today. Whoever that invented the habit of having sandwiches for lunch must have a sick sense of humor and a poor understanding of life.

 

  "We're going to the cafe for lunch." Bom declared, marching forward to grab the sandwich off her hands. 

 

  Dara frowned at her bestie before darting her eyes to the box full of uncompleted work. "This is lunch." She answered as a matter-of-factly, waving the sandwich in Bom's face. "You want one?"

  

  "You're funny, Dara." Bom said flatly, pulling her sorry up from the seat. 

 

  The walk to the cafe took less than ten minutes but the two girls were talking about two entirely different topics, unable to connect at all. Bom on one hand is trying her best to lecture Dara on how to say no to Judy's excessive demands and Dara on the other hand couldn't stop muttering about the amount of work she needs to rush back to finish. It was quite a hilarious sight, the two of them sounding like broken walkie talkies. 

 

  "Dara.. Dara!" Bom called out, waving her hand beneath Dara's nose to snap her out of her blankness. 

 

  "Huh?"

 

  "What pasta do you want?" Bom asked with a small, worried frown on her face. The cashier in front of them glanced curiously at the girl who just zoned out.

 

  These little moments of spacing out have became frequent for Dara, but otherwise everything else seems normal. She's eating fine, laughing fine and talking fine. It just seems weird, that a while ago Dara was still actively trying to reach Jiyong by calling and texting. She thought they wouldn't know that she has been using her time after work to go around looking for him. But all of a sudden, she stopped. She stopped looking at her phone or even using it during breaks. She started to initiate going closer to them during her free time, as if everything between her and the Mafia's Underboss had come to a clean cut. 

 

  Bom was still going on about something when she realised Dara's eyes have became glassy again. Oh gosh, she can't be not listening to her this whole time, can she? Bom followed Dara's line of vision and glanced behind her shoulders to see her eyes fixated on the corner of the cafe seat. She thought hard, before it hits her that Jiyong had came here looking for her once after a strange Mafia man stopped by to talk to her. Oh Dara.

 

  "Hey." Bom snapped her fingers lightly, grabbing Dara's attention again as she sighed softly. "Are you thinking about him again? Maybe you shouldn't have ended things between you two."

 

  Dara smiled embarrassedly, having been caught. "There's nothing to end when we never really started something." She shook her head lightly as she twisted some spaghetti onto her fork.

 

  Bom could only watch, knowing that the carefree front that Dara is putting up is only a very sad act. 

 

  "You know, on the day that you met the crash and was in surgery," Bom started in a quiet voice. "Donghae totally trashed Jiyong. And the thing was, he didn't even fight back. I was there, saw it with my own eyes. He thinks you wouldn't wind up in that state if it wasn't for himself. And in the subsequent days that you were out, he came to your ward everyday, using the little time that Donghae isn't around to sit by your bed."

 

  Dara's eyes were focused on her food, but Bom knew she's listening.

  

  "And every day I could hear him crying from outside." The usually chirpy Bom finishes in an abnormally depressing voice, falling silent. 

 

  "Why didn't you tell me this before?" Dara asked.

 

  Bom exhaled, looking torn between herself, "I know I should, but I'm scared that being with him will get you into worse accidents than the one that happened. I thought you were also trying to move on, so I kept it to myself. But from the looks of it, you're not doing that great of a job."

 

  "What're you talking about? I'm doing better than fine." Dara joked, slowly popping the forkful of noodle into before starting to chew. "I figured out why we can't be together."

 

  "Why?"

 

  "Because...." Dara trailed off, before meeting Bom's eyes to squeeze out a smile. "Because he doesn't want us to."

 

  "Oh Dara."

 

  "I'm fine, really. I mean, I guess I'm a lot better now, and if the pattern follows I'll really be great again in no time." Dara said distractedly as an email popped up on her phone. She frowned, picking it up to look at it for a moment before squinting her eyes to get a better read.

  

  "Oh my god," Dara breathed after a moment, looking up at Bom. In her eyes shone a genuine look of happiness that Bom hasn't seen in a long while. "The medical school is making a U-Turn! They have a teaching position for me now!"

 

  "No way!" Bom squealed, lunging forward to squeeze her bestie on the shoulder. "This is perfect, Dara, your life is back on tracks again!" 

 

  And the girls started another conversation in the moment of excitement, the quiet heartbreak left forgotten momentarily. If there's anything that Dara has realised after the 17th day of leaving Jiyong behind in that alley back in Chinatown, is that her heart will fix itself. It's her mind where she have kept pieces of him that still cuts through her like glass, in the middle of the night. It will keep her awake, make her cry, damage her again and again.

 

  But she has since learned that she has to count on herself to stop the pain, even if the moves she manages to make are just baby steps. Because for anybody to love her, she has to first love herself. 

---

[-]

  

  Dara is hunched over in her room, sneezing as she pulls out every single medicine textbook that she had packed into the back of her cupboard. It's time to use them again. She can't believe she actually landed on that dream job, finally. Guess people really do go one big round only to end up back at the place where they're truly supposed to be.

 

  A book remains wedged between the volumes of other miscellaneous things and Dara gave it a hard tug, falling back flat on her with a loud 'OW" as it finally came loose. Proud with herself, she dusted the dust off her favorite encyclopedia she had in school before her eyes fell on a shoe box that fell out along with it, now lying open on the ground. 

 

  She stared at the sneakers as memories of her first meeting with Jiyong started to appear in her mind, frame by frame, almost like a vintage movie. In those memories Jiyong had became a silhouette, as if he walked out from a photograph and left behind nothing but blackness. She remembers that dawn in Jeju where the morning glow pressed itself against their hotel window, bleeding through the curtains and staining the sheets that covered them both. That perfect, dream-like morning where she woke up right in his arms. 

 

  "I don't want it back yet, Dara." Jiyong said in a heavy voice that morning as she offered to return him these overdue kicks. "Stick by me for a while more, and when you really want out, pass them back to me and I promise I'll let you go." 

 

  "Psh." Dara laughed loudly to overpower the aching silence that has filled her room. "What a liar." She muttered, blinking away the sudden stinging in her eyes. She sat up and tucked the sneakers back into the box hastily, knowing that she shouldn't be dwelling on him for long if she doesn't want another tear-filled night. This is the hard part that everyone has to go through. Even a drug addict would suffer from the withdrawal symptoms as soon as he quits something that breaks him so badly. Let alone for her to quit someone that has completed her so wholly. 

 

  "Screw passing them back to you." Dara muttered, getting onto her feet before grabbing the shoe box off the floor.

 

 

 

  A soft roll of thunder cackled ominously in the night sky and Jiyong glanced up towards it. The secluded spot in front of her has have became his favorite place to be at, providing some sort of comfort to his insatiable longing Just being close and invisible to her is enough. 

 

  Another crack of thunder tore through the lullaby of the crickets, signaling that it's time to leave. Jiyong was just about to kick himself off the pine tree that he's been leaning on when the front door of her house burst open, sending him dodging behind the wooden trunk for cover. His lips parted and there was a dull thud of pain in his chest as he laid eyes on her, his Dara, for the first time in what feels like a very, very long while. 

 

  She stormed out with a box in her hands, her soft brown hair bouncing slightly on her back. Her expression was a tight one, reflecting the pent up anger she's bottling. God, he ing missed her. There wasn't anything in the world that could describe the fusion of pain and happiness to see her face again. But he didn't have any courage to take any step closer when he's the one that drove her away. 

 

  Dara halted her big steps abruptly in front of a trash can some distance away from her house and stood there motionless for a moment before turning around to return home, ditching the box on the concrete floor. He wondered why is she looking so upset? Today was supposed to be a happy day for her. At least he tried to make it so. It was only when he had heard the clear slam of her front door when he dared to check out what on earth did she dumped.

 

  It was the designer sneakers that belongs to him.

 

  A lump rose in Jiyong's throat and it feels like someone had punched him hard in the stomach as he stared at them helplessly. These are the shoes that brought them together. Looks like he has finally hurt her enough for her to clean him out from her life. His rational mind would've been glad if it wasn't for that ing pain that digging in his chest. 

  

  The rain arrived, pouring down mercilessly on young mobster as he began to walk away. Drenched and dejected, he got back into his Silver BMW, staring glassily at the splattering of raindrops against his windscreen. The rain sounded like an melancholic orchestra, further fueling on his sorrow. Just as he re-started his engines, the front doors of Dara's house burst open again. 

 

  Dara ran straight into the rain, getting soaked despite the frail umbrella she's dragging behind her. Her hair was starting to plaster against her face when she reach the same dumpster where she threw away his shoes to pick them up again. Holding his sneakers close to her chest and looking frustrated with herself, Dara began to cry. 

 

  Jiyong made a gesture to get out of his car but stopped when he caught another figure dashing down the street, reaching her side in a matter of seconds. 

 

  The Vanguard.

 

  Jiyong watched as Lee snatched the umbrella from Dara's hand and held it above her, yelling something in apparent worry while she continues to sob in misery. Jiyong's hand that has already grasped on the door knob loosened, and the Underboss slumped back into his seat, tearing his eyes away from the sight of them together. 

 

  Maybe that bastard really is the one meant for her afterall. And he's just another pedestrian that made a stop in her life. 

 

  

---

[-]

 

  Masked by the darkness of the night, two men walked into the lobby of the now deserted glass building, appearing to be technicians dressed in white jump suits. They glanced briefly at each other as a security guard in the distance is spotted. True enough, they were stopped by the guard, who wanted to see their identifications.

 

  The two lifted the entry permit passes hanging around their necks, earning them their clearance to entry. As they walked through the gantry and into the hallway, one of them turned around to give the back view of the unsuspecting security uncle a long, hard look. They would need to remember him for later.

 

  Instead of heading into the boiler room, the two walked straight into the male's toilet beside the lift lobby, ignoring the "NO ENTRY, CLEANING IN PROGRESS" signage blocking their way. A while later, they re-emerged just in time to bump into the middle-aged, cleaning ahjumma that took the last shift. 

 

  "Didn't you lads see the sign over there?" The cleaning lady cursed, outraged at their trespassing. Now she'll have to clean the entire bathroom again. 

 

  The technicians ignored her and continued on their exit, but the lady was getting too loud, complaining and hissing in annoyance behind them. Finally, the duo stopped in their tracks, and decided that it would be better to finish their job cleanly. Slowly, they turned around to look ominously at the cleaning lady, who was still spitting foul words from . Sensing danger, the plump lady fell silent, but it was too late.

 

  Ten minutes later the technicians exited the building and nodded curtly as the security guard bade them goodbye. He thought pointedly how it seems a little odd for technicians to be wearing white jumpsuits, keeping in mind how easily dirtied they'll be. But throwing the thought to the back of his mind, the guard yawned and considered his options to get home later, oblivious to the mess on the third floor female washroom, waiting to be discovered the next morning.

 

---

[-]

 

  Jiyong sat tensely on the luxurious, Italian couch in the Don's residence, a maximum-security apartment penthouse located in the heart of Seoul. His clothes were still damp, and he didn't want to damage the furniture but the elderly Don laughed it off. Only the Underboss and the Consigliere will get to access to where the Don stays, and this was Jiyong's first visit since being promoted to Underboss. It was rather impromptu, being so late at night. He had only just reached home when he received the Don's call to come over.

 

  The Don sat casually opposite Jiyong, dressed in his robes with his white hair slicked back the usual way he does it as he asked for the usual day-to-day operations of the Mafia, as well as the whereabouts of Cha Seungwon. Nothing has been heard of him since that day he betrayed the family in the casino, so everyone presumed him to be dead. It was just strange that they couldn't find his body.

 

  As the two mafians chatted, the Don's wife, an aged but beautiful woman, busied herself preparing drinks for her guest.

 

  "Hani dropped by weeks ago and told me that she didn't want the marriage proposal that I arranged for the both of you." The Don said, leaning up to plant a quick peck on his wife's cheek as she brought him his drink. 

 

  "Let the youngsters decide their own love lives, old man." The Don's wife chuckled, joining them by the coffee table. 

 

  "In my defense, I thought they were an item for years. Haven't you seen how glued Hani is to Jiyong since they're both children?" The Don laughed loudly, "But looks like that ain't it, eh?"

  

  "Is your lady the one who came to your promotion ceremony then? Miss Park?" The Don's wife asked, her eyes crinkling into half moons as she gave Jiyong a motherly, kind smile.

  

  Jiyong laughed awkwardly, "Yes. But not anymore." 

 

  The landline in the master's bedroom upstairs rang and the Don got to his feet. "You two chat, I'll be back in a min."

 

  With that he ascended the stairs, leaving his wife and his subordinate in the room alone.

 

  "Why so, my dear?" Jiyong's ladyboss asked with a small frown on her face, unaffected by her husband's absence.

 

  Jiyong was twisting with his fingers. This conversation is getting really uncomfortable and it's really not something he wanted to discuss. "I'm too dangerous for her." He said simply, his eyes down casted. 

  

  To his surprise, the Don's wife smiled, leaned back in her couch and propped her face up with her hand, as if what she just heard was interesting. 

 

  "You really do sound like my husband when he was young, before he married me." She marvelled. "He said the exact same thing to me and everyone around him."

 

  Jiyong blinked, realising that the Don's wife was also a normal woman ages ago, before she decided to stick with their Don and the Underworld that surrounds him.

 

  "Nobody accepted my decision, and I'm sure your lady will face the same opposition that I did. She has a million reasons to walk away, but there must be that one reason that's making her stay." The Don's wife said wisely.

 

  "She deserves more than I can ever give her. We walk the shadows but she deserves all the light in the world. I want her to be able to dance on the pavement under the morning sun on her way to work without me having to worry when she'll be snatched off the street. I want her to live a full life guarded by the law that we have so ironically disregarded. I want her to have a man who her family will approve and give their blessings to. I don't want her to suffer anymore, being punished for the deeds that I have committed." Jiyong muttered in a low voice, even though he wasn't sure why is he suddenly pouring his heart out to the lady in front of him. But something about her makes him feel that she'll understand, perhaps better than any of his sworn brothers will.

 

  "A girl that beautiful does deserve that much." The don's wife answered, her eyes glittering with tears from the touching words from the boy. "But think about this, child. Can she still dance on the pavement in the morning thinking that you don't love her anymore? Her family will approve of a better man, but will she? A full life sounds great, but what exactly is a full life? Can you live it without her? If you can't, why're you expecting that she can? You say that you don't want her to suffer anymore, so why're you punishing her by leaving? 

 

   You think it's hard to walk away, Jiyong. But it takes even more courage for the one that decides to stay."

 

  Jiyong fell silent, the Don's wife's words ringing in his head. It takes more courage to stay... He remembers him pushing Dara away all the time. Each time she'll return, and with every subsequent time she did the weariness on her face increases. The world gave her a ton of rationals on why she should leave, and mercilessly, he himself will add on to that list. But every time she comes back with a stupid reason to stay. He had never stop to think about how hard it is for her to be deaf to what everyone is saying.. to dig through the cracks and pull out something to convince herself to go on fighting for him.

 

  Gosh, she's so stupid. But there'll never be anyone that would love him the way that she did.

 

  "I know being with my old man means a lot of things, and most of those things are lethal. But it's better to die hand in hand than alone in heartbreak, isn't it?" The elderly lady sighed, her eyes lingering on the Don who returned her smile, giving her a small wave as he descended the stairs. 

 

  And as Jiyong stared at his boss and his wife, something hits him. He wants this. He wants a life like this. 

 

  It is not a want. It is not a longing. It is a desperation.

 

  He needs her.

 

 

---

Took a while for you to reach that enlightenment. 
Gosh I love how you guys start to analyse the psychology state of the characters,
seriously, nothing beats seeing them come alive in your comments. 

See y'all soon,

leave words below~

#GangsOfItaewon