In between sobbing and crying, Sandie, GD, and Donghae were having difficulty understanding HyunA recounting what happened. Or how Hyun Seung was able to take Darie. She was standing by the door of the principal’s office blubbering and Sandie had to try to calm her down to make some sense. GD looked like he already lost patience if Sandie could tell by the scowl on his face as he watched HyunA, tear-streaked, trying to talk while sobbing at the same time and Sandie had to shot him a warning glare to zip his mouth if they wanted to find where Darie is as HyunA is the only chance they have right now.

Donghae gave HyunA some water, taking an unopened bottled water from the principal’s desk and waited until she was calm enough to ask her to repeat what she is saying.

It turns out the guy which HyunA had previously told Sandie and Minzy about meeting at a bar, the bad boy, was Jang Hyun Seung.

“He seemed like a nice guy,” HyunA sniffled which GD had rolled his eyes on but thankfully didn’t opened his mouth. “I mean, he’s quiet and… you know, I like those mysterious-guy type. Oh, I mean, Darie knows they’re my type. And it was weird because he seemed uninterested with me and when I found out he was studying in YG, I told him I have a friend who had a twin sister in YG and I started blabbing about your father being a gangster leader when I saw that it piqued his interest. And then I showed him a picture of Darie… and then he started getting really interested and asking questions…  I’m just… I’m just so stupid. I answered all of it and I didn’t even thought it was weird. I mean… I thought he was just as fascinated as I am about you know, having a friend with a gangster twin and a gangster father. Then I asked him if he wanted to meet Darie but he gave some excuses about being busy and he’d rather not because that might offend the leader or something.”

Hyun Seung started calling HyunA from then and asking her out but they mostly talk about her friends. And Darie in particular.

“We were laughing around and I don’t know why he started talking about Darie again and i told him how odd Darie had been for the past week like being too… forward and… started being really good in sports and looking really athletic when she didn’t like sweating to begin with and… fighting back with Jessica…. I told him it was like Darie had been cloned so she could fit in with her gangster family. I only meant that as a joke but that probably gave him an idea. The next day at school, I thought I saw his car in the entrance of SM but when I went closer, the car sped away. One time, I caught him in the entrance of school’s parking lot… When I asked him what he’s doing there, he just said he was waiting for me. I mean, I liked him so it didn’t occur to me that he was actually there for some other reasons. And it turned out he was studying Darie. I mean, you.” She looked at Sandie. “And he probably came to the correct conclusion.”

HyunA had overheard Hyun Seung talking to someone on the phone one night when they were at a bar. She had went out for a smoke and heard him talking to someone.

“I was hidden by some plants and maybe it was instinct that told me not to let him know I was there.  He was saying to the phone that he was sure the real Sandie is in SM High and that the one in YG is her twin. I was reeling from that, I mean… I really couldn’t believe it would be possible. And then he started talking about this plan about getting back with… Dragons? I’m not sure if I heard that right. And then started saying about how a boss would back him up, how someone betrayed his family—”

GD ran out of whatever patience he had left. “You still haven’t told us where Darie is. Can you get to that point?!”

Sandie and Donghae gave GD a glare as HyunA already looked so distraught but they didn’t shush him. Sandie was also waiting for HyunA to tell them where could Hyun Seung had taken Darie.

“It was a terminal. A bus terminal,” HyunA quickly answered. “I heard him mentioning that when he thought I wasn’t listening.”

Sandie knew exactly where that is. It was a bus terminal that the Jang’s owned but went bankrupt after Hyun Seung’s father died. “The Cube Terminal.” She stood up and immediately dialled her father’s number but it just kept on ringing. Ugh, her dad doesn’t even set up his voicemail. Exactly like her mother whom she had been trying to contact earlier too. “Dad’s not answering.”

GD was already on the phone too.

Sandie looked at HyunA when she suddenly took hold of her hand. Her eyes were filled with tears again. She didn’t spoke for a moment, probably considering how she is going to say it but decided to just say it directly. “I was the one who let Hyun Seung in. I was the one who drove their van inside the school lot.”

That news made Sandie froze in disbelief. “What?”

“I’m so sorry!” HyunA burst into tears as she went on to her messy explanation. “I was mad, furious. Hyun Seung saw me that night listening to him and he told me that you guys had fooled me. That I should not trust Darie because she lied to me. Nor should I trust you. He fed me these lies and I believed them. I was hurt that Darie didn’t tell me anything. Even when she got back. I was mad because she kept on lying to me. To us. Minzy and I were her best friends but she wasn’t saying anything. I thought, if she can lie, then so can i. It was so petty and childish but I can’t help but feel so infuriated that you guys just kept on lying to everyone and not even feeling guilty over it. Especially Darie. I felt like I wasn’t good enough for her to confide on and that hurt me and made me angry and…and I let Hyun Seung manipulate me.” Herr hold on Sandie’s hand tightened as if she was begging for Sandie to believe her.  “But I swear to god I thought he was bringing Darie to confront you and the guys he was with are members of your group. He said he was just going to bring Darie and you together and make you tell the truth. And that lying is a big offense in your group or something. I swear that’s what he told me!” Her shoulders shook as she sobbed hard.

“And you’re stupid enough to believe that?!” GD practically yelled at the crying girl while he was holding his phone. Sandie didn’t know he was actually listening to HyunA. “He took her in a goddam bus terminal. The old one that the Jang’s owned.” GD is also telling the person on the other line.

“I’m so sorry!” HyunA muffled cries as she covered her face with her hands. “I’m so sorry….”

Sandie didn’t know what to say. She just watched HyunA crying uncontrollably. What would she say? It’s okay? It’s definitely not okay. But Sandie could somewhat understand. From the short time that she had known HyunA and Minzy, she had them pegged as good, loyal friends of Darie. Especially HyunA who seemed to always defend her from Jessica. Maybe more when the real Darie was here. HyunA had probably felt betrayed when she found out she had been lied to. Extremely lied to. By one person she had trusted.

“Don’t call her names.” Donghae’s soft, calm voice.

Sandie’s eyes darted over to Donghae who was standing nearby and he was watching HyunA with an empathic expression.

But GD kept on, too busy with his own emotions to care about anyone else’s. “Anyone with a common sense can actually figure that out! And with your inability to forget about your pride and the feelings of being lied to end up with that er taking her.  If it had bothered you that much, you should’ve just asked her about it instead!”

HyunA cried even louder, the sound reeking of guilt and remorse.

“Maybe lying is a no-brainer for you which is why you hold being lied to as so insignificant,” Donghae said, his voice still calm and soft. “But for the rest of us, we tend to feel irrelevant if we found out that what we believe in is a big fat lie. And It’s difficult to confront someone who never had any intention of telling the truth to begin with. More so if it’s the people we love and trusted.” He looked at GD.  “So don’t trivialize something you don’t even know anythng about.” He took HyunA by the shoulders. “C’mon HyunA, let’s get you to the clinic.”

“I’m really sorry….” She kept on saying as Donghae led her outside, not even looking her way and it made Sandie feel like total .

“Did that insulted me?” GD said as Donghae closed the door.

“Will you ever shut up?” Sandie turned to him feeling so guilty and wanting to blame him for this.

“I only told her the truth,” GD retorted. “Something that you didn’t want to do because it will just hit you right in the face.”

“It’s easier for you to say because you knew who was In YG the whole time!” Sandie told him with gritted teeth. “If it’s the other way around, you would’ve been breaking things by now.”

“I am not a drama queen. What’s the use of getting mad at something that has already been done?”

“Oh, is that what you think when you lied to Darie meeting up with Taeyeon? Where did that end again? Oh yeah. Darie leaving you without a word and you kneeling down in front of me.”

“I didn’t lie to her!”

“You just didn’t told her anything truthful,” Sandie corrected. “Which is also lying. Did you ask Darie why she didn’t just confront you about Taeyeon instead of being a drama queen? Did you ask yourself why you didn’t confront her when you saw her kissing Donghae instead of being an enraged the next day? No. Because you let your pride get in the way. The pride that you mock them about.”

“At least I didn’t get anyone kidnapped for my being untruthful,” GD said sarcastically.

“If Darie and I didn’t lie in the beginning, Hyun Seung would’ve never known about Darie. And if we didn’t continue lying, HyunA would’ve never been manipulated by Hyun Seung.”

“Yeah, and you know her so well, do you?”

GD Kwon is such a stubborn dickhead. “Are you questioning Darie’s judgment on her choice of friends?”

“I do. And I will. She probably learned how to pick friends from you.”

His reference on her being friends and trusting Hyun Seung isn’t lost on her. “Stop being so self righteous. Donghae was right. The Society are habitual liars and we manipulate people because that’s how we were brought up to be so we can be safe. It’s not gonna the same for people like Darie, or HyunA, or Donghe, or Minzy or anyone else in this school. All it takes is one lie from a master liar to push an innnocent person to do unimaginable things. Especially if they think their loyalty became immaterial to the people they trusted. And if you don’t know that, then you’re not fit to be the leader of the Dragons.” She picked up her phone and dialled her dad’s number again, silence enveloping the two of them. In any other situation, she would have cheered for winning an argument with GD Kwon with the latter speechless of any response. But she felt like covered in . This whole fiasco is a total mess. Just when she thought her and Darie’s life will be back to normal, it became more complicated.

Hyun Seung, I will kill you once I get my hands on you! She pressed the end button when her dad still didn’t answer. “Dammit.” She tried again. Dad, answer the phone! You’re going with the wrong information.

GD was silently doing his own thing and just sending messages to his friends. His phone rang after a couple of minutes and he answered it immediately. It was TOP.

”There are at least five people in there,” he reported. GD had called him to find out how many people are holding Darie in that bus terminal. Thankfully, he didn’t ask who Darie was and GD didn’t explain. His friends might have figured it out already especially if TOP is constantly hanging out with Park Bom and CL. “Hyun Seung was one of them. Sand—I mean, that Darie might be inside the demolished office. There were no front walls but the ceiling’s still there so I can’t tell if she’s really inside.”

“Thanks. Don’t let them see you. I’m not sure who Hyun Seung is hanging out with but I know they’re not the type to hold out for murdering highschoolers. Get with the rest of the guys. I’m not sure who this boss Hyun Seung is talking about. Make sure my dad knew in case there really is someone backing up those ers in targeting Dragons. I can’t reach him.”

“You’re not going there, right?” TOP asked. “They had guns. I saw them use it on a tire for target.”

GD didn’t answer because he’s seriously considering it and TOP sighed. “GD, you might be the next leader of the Dragons, but you’re still just a kid. You’re not invincible. It’s dangerous. Leave it to the police.”

“Call me if you are able to reach my dad,” then he hung up.

“Dad’s not answering,” Sandie muttered. “Something’s wong.”

GD paused thinking about it. What are the odds that both his dad and Sandie’s are both not answering their phones?

Sandie searched her phone for any numbers of her dad’s men she might have saved and found one. This was the same number she had called when she can’t get a hold of her dad.

When she was in fifth grade.

She hoped this guy still hasn’t changed his number yet. She crossed her fingers but the prompter states number is no longer in service. She started getting a bad feeling. “.”

“Something’s wrong,” GD repeated what she had just said. He was also trying to call some of his father’s men and couldn’t get a hold of anybody.

Sandie hastily dialled her mother’s number and prayed for her to answer. She felt instant relief when she did.

“Sorry honey, I was on a meeting. Were you calling me?” her mother asked.

Her mom sounded so very much in a good mood that she dreaded telling her the bad news. “Mom… this is just a precaution, okay. Don’t go out without any bodyguards.”

There was silence in the other line for a second before her mom spoke, her voice low now like she is expecting the worst. “What is happening?”

“It’s just to be safe,” Sandie quickly said. “Dad… dad thinks there’s someone after… after the Society and….”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m fine, mom.”

“Where’s your sister? Call her and tell her not to go out of SM. I’ll be picking her up.”

“Mom….” She inhaled deeply wondering if telling her mother would be the best idea right now but  decided against it. “Darie’s with me. We’re in a safe place, right now. Sorrounded by the people in the Society.” She doesn’t want her mom making haste decisions and put herself in danger when Darie’s already missing. Sandie needs her mom safe. A little lie won’t hurt if it’s for the safety of her mom, right? Until they get this sorted out and figure out if someone was really after them, then their mother should stay where she is.

“I’m going there to pick you girls up wherever safe place you are.”

“Mom, no. Dad told me to call you and tell you to stay where you are,” Sandie insisted. “He’s not sure of the danger yet or if there really is one.”

“I can’t handle this again—”

“Mom, dad is not sure if there is a danger. This is just a precaution so don’t panic, okay? We are fine.” She’s going to hell for this but like what she told GD, they are habitual liars.

“I’m calling your dad—”

“I already did and he said to stay put. He’s meeting with someone.”

Her mom impatiently sighed.

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