---

[-]

 

  Knock knock knock, knock knock knock.

 

  Dara took a step back from the front porch, huffing warm air onto her palms before digging them into her pockets. She's at bungalow no. 7, the White House Traid's base camp. The usual booming music that usually extends far beyond lawn is strangely quiet today.

 

  "Dara noona!" Jackson answered the door, looking surprised at the guest. 

 

  "Is Donghae in?" Dara asked, craning her neck to look past Jackson. Even the boys who are normally all around the house playing cards are missing today.

 

  "He went out to the convenience store..."

 

  "I'll get him!" Dara chirped, already running off. "I know where it is."

 

  It didn't take long before Dara reached the small shop. She was about to go right in when a familiar back view sitting alone on one of the deserted swings right beside it halt her steps.

 

  It was Donghae, dressed in a white T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Clothes that are too little for the winter air. With a cigarette hanging in between his lips, he seemed lost in his own world, silently mulling over something. Dara sighed and stepped into the store, only to emerge a minute later holding two cans of beers. 

 

  The lit smoke was suddenly wedged out of Donghae’s lips before a can of beer fell promptly into his hands. The Vanguard blinked at her friend’s sudden appearance, stunned.

 

  "Aren't you with that..." Donghae blurted, stopping himself before he reflexively uses a foul name to refer to the Mafia's Underboss. 

 

  "I'm worried about you." Dara answered, taking over the can of beer from Donghae's fingers and opened it before returning it back to him. "What's wrong?"

 

  Donghae dropped his gaze and took a gulp from the can. The bitter liquid burned his throat, but it briefly soothed the turmoil in his head.

 

  "One of my brothers is dead."

 

  Dara froze in the middle of trying to sip from her drink. That explains the sombre mood at the White Traid's camp. She stared at Donghae, who is wearing a resentful look while hanging his head low. Words failed her. It was so tough to think of anything to say to comfort Jiyong when Seungri got hurt. How is she supposed to make Donghae feel better? Damn it, where is Bom? That woman is the best at comforting others.

 

  "And you know what? I was ing there. The bullet was that close to me but it is him that dies in my place instead." Donghae continued with a wry laugh.

 

  His words alarmed the girl. "Are you hurt anywhere?" She asked immediately.

 

  When Donghae answered with another gulp of beer, Dara knew he's fine. Wrecked by survivor's guilt, but physically okay.

 

  "I wish I know what to say to make you feel better." Dara admitted quietly. 

 

  The Vanguard raised his head to see the girl twisting her hands together again and softened. If only the circumstances were different, if only he met her weeks earlier, maybe she would've been his. He quickly shook the thought out of his head. She's here for him in the purest form of friendship. His mind don't have to ruin it for them.

 

  "Don't be ridiculous. You being here is enough." Donghae laughed.

 

  Dara sighed and pulled the swing she's sitting on closer to her friend to hug him on the shoulder. 

 

  "Stay out of danger, mate." She said.

 

  "I can't say anything different for you, Dara."

 

---

[DARA]

 

  By the time I reached back to Jiyong's apartment, it's already half past midnight despite me running as fast as my short legs can carry me to catch the last train. The sound of running water can be heard from the living room. Looks like Jiyong isn't asleep yet. Better climb in bed before he finishes his shower and pretend that I have been back for a while already.

 

  The bathroom door flung open just as I tiptoed into the room, freezing me on the spot. Jiyong walked out drying his damp hair with a towel, clad in only his boxer shorts. I stared as he crossed the room with droplets of water sliding from his face to accumulate below his chin. Gosh, I've seen this face and body countless of times but still.. what a scene it is.

 

  My eyes travelled down his chin to his chiseled chest, and then to his abdomen. His waist is lean but toned, sculpted to almost perfection with those well-defined ab lines, looking as if he just walked out of a Calvin Klein advertisement. A part of my brain is screaming at me to stop openly gawking at him, but despite that flush of heat on my face that I can already feel, I couldn't tear my eyes away. He is a living work of art and that living work of art is my boyfriend. Gah can I just extend my hands and touch him already???

 

  "Are you just going to stand there and mentally undress me or what?" Jiyong's flat voice brought me out of my wild fantasies. Right, he's still sulky.

 

  "Jiyongggg." I cooed. "Are you still mad at me?"

 

  "No, just ing miserable."

 

  I chewed on my lips. "I'm sorry, Ji. One of Donghae's brothers got killed and he's depressed." I explained as I sat down on Jiyong's lap to close the distance between us.

 

  He was silent for a while before he murmured to himself darkly, "So the IA finally began their offense on the White Traids." 

 

  "What?"

 

  "Nothing. Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

 

  I scrunched up my lips and my fingers absentmindedly doodled on his chest. What else should I do to lift his spirits? "How about a kiss?" I suggested stupidly.

 

  Jiyong raised his brow. "You seriously think a kiss can quench my rage?" He asked.

 

  "Yes." I answered playfully, adjusting myself so that I'm sitted on his lap facing him.

 

  "You are right." 

 

  Laughing at how grudging he sounds, I cupped his face in my hands and planted a loud smooch on his lips. 

 

  "There, you're not allowed to be angry now." I giggled. A soft smile was hanging on his face as he looked at me both amusedly and contentedly.

 

  "You're such a bad kisser." He remarked. His voice was full of love despite the insult. 

 

  I grinned stupidly at him, and for a peaceful 10 seconds, we just sat like this, lost in each other's eyes.

 

  "What am I going to do with myself?" He said in a hoarse whisper, lifting his fingers to tuck a strand of my fringe behind my ear. "I am a complete loser when it comes to you."

 

  His words instantly smitten me as I buried my face into the crook of his neck to hide my idiotic grin. KYAAA, I am a happy happy cat!! And mhmm, he smells so good right after showering!!

 

  "Why aren't you looking at me?" He nudged his shoulder.

 

  cUZzzzz I'm sHyyyyyy.

 

  "Hello? Are you still on the line?" He laughed, prodding me on my waist, making me squirm. "Looks like you're just as lousy when it comes to me too."

 

  "Conceited." 

 

  "You're the one who can't stop ogling at me."

 

  Psh! "You should put on some clothes!" I protested from the embarrassment of being exposed.

 

  "This is my house, do I have to walk around in a bulletproof vest?"

 

  GAHH, he always says stuff that I can't rebut!

 

  "So? Are you full by just watching? Do you want to touch me?"

 

  YES! I mean, no! God, Dara. Control your hormones!

 

  "No thanks." 

 

  "You're still clinging to me, though."

 

  , he found out. I released my arms around him even though there're ten million reluctant and violent objections scribbled inside my head. Still, I got to preserve some pride!

 

  "Lets hit home base." He said suddenly.

 

  "What?" I screeched, scooting over to the other side of the bed. "No!"

 

  "You're hurting my feelings." He sighed.

 

  "I'm just... not ready yet." I muttered apologetically. His eyes darted to my knitted fingers and howled with laughter.

 

  "I'm messing with you. But seriously, you should stop toying with me too. Did you really think that sitting on me like that isn't going to send my body any signals?" He said in a low voice, leaning forward with a palm pressed into the bed.

 

  I gulped, my eyes pathetically dropping to the delicious view of his strained abs. Hur Hur, just cover them uppppp alreadyy.

 

  "If you're that interested, I can take you here now." He drawled in a y voice, the sudden close proximity making me jump. Since when did he get so near??

 

  "Stop poking fun at me." I pouted, hugging a pillow to my chest, feeling forlorn. 

 

  "Fine, ." 

 

  . Hmm. That's right, I've told Jiyong before that he is the first person that I ever fell for. But what about him? I know nothing of his past except for his early life that Seunghyun once told me about. Surely I am not his first woman... It's impossible that he hasn't have any homebase experience before. I glanced tentatively at his body. Yep, hot af. Definitely impossible.

 

  "Jiyong," I whined, crawling to my space beside him on the bed to pry his arm off his eyes. He's already getting ready to sleep. "Tell me about you."

 

  "What about me?"

 

  "Do you have.. ex-girlfriends? Or, umm, women?" I asked hesitantly. Somehow, my heart is nervous to know the answer.

 

  "I don't do girlfriends." Jiyong answered flatly. "You're the first woman that I'm claiming."

 

  His answer instantly chased away the initial nervousness inside me. But my curiosity wasn't fulfilled yet.

 

  "Have you.. hit home base with lots of people before?" I asked. The idea of that is sending waves of pangs through my chest that I cannot explain. The thought of some other lady roaming her hands all over him is constricting my chest tightly, making it hard to breathe.

 

  "There's nothing more than between me and them, Dara. There's no strings attached." 

 

  "Okay." I replied, my eyes focused on my finger that's absentmindedly drawing circles on his chest. 

 

  "Hey, look at me." He said quietly, tilting my chin up so I couldn't go on avoiding his gaze. "I haven't contacted those people since I met you. And I won't have to again. I have you. That completes me."

 

  His words send a smile to my lips. He's such a hopeless romantic sometimes. Reassured, I snuggled myself closer to him and he wrapped his arms around me tighter.

 

  "I want to know more about you. Your past. I know you met Seunghyun and the boys in the orphanage you brought me to once and you brawled in the underground fight scene before joining the Mafia. But what happened afterwards? What is in that blank between then and until we met?" I prodded. 

 

  "Nothing." He responded almost robotically, making me pucker my lips in disapproval. "Everyday was the same thing, the same game. Blood, bullet shells, shipments... It's a dog eat dog world down here, so we fought to climb up the underworld's hierarchy... Fought for money.. Fought for respect... Fought to survive and thrive."

 

  The nonchalent way that he says these is stirring up waves of silent aching in my chest. "This is how it is, then." I whispered.

 

  "No, this is how it was."

 

  I raise my head to look at him and was startled as he gently unwrap an arm around me to interlace our fingers together. 

 

  "It's different now that I have you, Dara." His demeanor became serious. I held my breath, clinging onto his every syllabus as he went on. "During those weeks that I left your side, I thought I would be able to go back leading my old life... one that isn't as beautiful, but still bearable. But I was wrong, I couldn't endure it.

 

  Everything was a torture without you. But now that I have you back, I'm not just surviving. I'm living, Dara. You alone, hold my entire life on your hands."

 

  His confession made my heart flutter, sending about a wave of warmth that threatens to drown me within. Jiyong, the Dragon of the Mafia, the Underboss of a respected underground organization, one that control hundreds of lives in a beckon, is telling me that I dictate whether he lives or dies..

 

  I leaned up to plant a kiss on his lips again. This time, he caressed my face tenderly and held me in place, deepening the kiss.

 

  "Is this enough late night talk for you?" He asked in a raspy voice as we broke away, his lips cracking into a smile.

 

  "Yea." I sighed in contentment, resting my head on his chest. Under the soft glow of our table lamp, our fingers remained locked together, and I can feel his rhythmic breathing. 

  

  We went through so many trials before we got to be together. We're going to be just fine now.

 

---

[-]

 

  Dara cleared her desk as the last bell of the day rang. She hung her teaching pass over her neck before bidding her colleagues goodbye. It's been a few days since she started working at the teaching academy and she's slowly adapting to the environment. Grams has been nagging at her to let her dad know about her new job and it is indeed about time she does. He had always wanted her to stay in medicine and it was the reason that they fell apart in the first place.

 

  She had sent a quick text to Jiyong earlier in the day to let him know where she'll be. Her hands were spread around her coffee cup like a starfish, fighting to use its warmth to pacify the pulsing nervousness inside her as she sat edgily on the bus. What will she say to dad? Will he be proud of her?

 

  "Hi, I'm looking for Doctor Park." Dara uttered nervously at the information counter in Seoul hospital, before adding. "I'm his daughter."

 

  The nurse at the reception typed something on the keyboard momentarily, her brows pulling together into a small frown as she looked up with a slightly perplexed expression.

 

  "Dr. Park hasn't been in for duty for weeks though."

 

  Confused, Dara gave his full name and the nurse did another run through the system before reconfirming her earlier statement. He hasn't been at work for weeks? Has he taken a vacation?

 

  Not hindered, Dara took another bus straight to her old home. Stepping through the lawn, she was surprised to find that her old keys were still able to unlock the front door in a click. 

 

  "Dad?" Dara called out. There was no response, the house is empty. There wasn't any signs of him both upstairs in the bedrooms or down in the kitchen. He must be outside.

 

  Dara dragged her fingers across the familiar oak dining table while fishing out her phone. She was just about to dial for his number when a series of rowdy shouting outside the door grabbed her attention. Before she can even see what's going on, a group of men clad in distasteful floral shirts strutted through the open front door.

 

  "Take whatever valuable you can find, smash the useless stuff." The guy walking in the most upfront, armed with a baseball bat commanded. Not seeming to have noticed Dara's presence in the house, the apparent loan sharks began to loot, destroying their valueless furnitures in the process.

 

  A smash made Dara clap her hand to . Still reeling from the confusion and chaos of everything that is happening, she rushed forward to stop the thugs from thrashing her home. What exactly is going on?

 

  "Wait, please!" Dara screamed, tears of panic pricking in her eyes. "What is happening? Why are you doing this?"

 

  The leader spit away the toothpick that is hanging in between his teeth. "Do you know Park Ik Su?"

 

  Dara nodded quickly, "He's my father!"

 

  The loanshark laughed coldly, "Your father owes us 2 million dollars in gambling debt." 

 

  Dara blinked at his words, her lips parting in disbelief. Gambling debt? She can feel her heart rate increase to an unstoppable speed. 

 

  "Rock and roll, boys." 

 

  The resumed robbing and shattering of items were ear-spliting. They flipped through magazines with disinterest, tossing them onto the ground. Two guys were pulling out the cable to their TV set to move it to their truck. Another few sent an entire cabinet crashing to the ground.

 

  Dara reflexively shrieked when an ornament broke into a thousand pieces by her feet. 2 million dollars.. How is she going to pay them back?

 

  One of the thugs lifted the vase left behind by Dara's mother curiously, sending her diving in his direction in an attempt to snatch the vase out of his grasp.

 

  "Not this, please!" She begged pitifully while sobbing, hanging onto the vase as if her whole life depended on it. They can't take what mom left behind.

 

  "Get out of my face, idiot." The thug growled, kicking her off him. She fell to the ground with a muted pain in her waist split seconds before the vase was dropped mercilessly beside her, smashing it into smithereens.

 

  Warm tears were already streaking down her face but she barely had time to mourn before she got up to stop the leader from taking away the box of gold necklace that her mother gifted her. Frustrated with the girl's meddlesome pestering, the leader slammed the box aside before yanking the girl's arm up, leaving an angry red mark on her wrist.

 

  "Stop ing around, don't make me sell you too." He hissed in her face as her lips trembled in fear.

 

  In a flash, his hand was ripped away from Dara's arm, sending her staggering backwards with a petrified scream. The leader was shoved up against the wall by an unknown force and only when he moved away can she see that Jiyong has somehow materialised behind them. The sight of him sent a rush of relief through her bloodstream as a wave of fresh tears leaked from her eyes. 

 

  "Don't you. ing. Know. Who. She is?" The Dragon muttered through his gritted teeth, drilling every word into the loan shark leader with a punch on his face. 

 

  Behind him, the parade of underlings charged for their boss's assailant. Jiyong flung a chair in their direction, easily knocking them backwards. The loan shark head pinned to the wall by Jiyong spluttered away the blood in his mouth, cussing as he shook his head to clear his vision. Whoever the this is, he will pay the price. But as his eyes cleared, the man in front of him that he recognises almost made his knees buckle.

 

  It's the Underboss of the Seoul Mafia Family, someone that they can't afford to mess with. As street gangs, they have only heard his reputation, let alone get a chance to meet him in person. Why will he be concerned with a mere collection of gambling debt, enough to show his face?

 

  Beside the Underboss, the debtor's daughter struggled to take deep breaths to silence her sobbings, her hands clasped together in fear.

 

  "B.. Boss..." The loanshark gagged, the inferiority in his tone making his men stop in their attack. "What are you here for?"

 

  Jiyong's eyes darkened.

 

  "My woman." The Underboss growled.

 

---

Cliffhanger!!
Also, I realised its been a while since I did Q&A!
If you guys have any questions for me, do leave it in the comments section below
and I'll answer them in the next author's message columnnn~ 
Cheers!