You let out a small sigh as you placed down the glass you were cleaning. Your eyebrows furrowed as you chewed your bottom lip. You let out another sigh before picking up the glass once more and began cleaning again.

“I think that glass is clean enough, Bearcat,” Sam chuckled as you looked up him confused. “You’ve been cleaning that same glass for the past 15 minutes.”

“Oh…” You let out a small chuckle as you placed the glass aside. “I’ve been a bit distracted…” A small smile flashed across your face.

“You’ve been through alot in the past weeks.” Sam placed a hand on your shoulder and gave a small squeeze. An appreciative smile graced your face as you rested your cheek on the top of his hand.

Though, it wasn’t those incidents that made you distracted. Kidnapped, bomb scare. That was done. Over. It was something else. Rather a someone else. Since the bomb incident, the 6 little bunnies that used to be at your side nearly every minute of everyday were nowhere to be seen. Every once and awhile you would spot Daehyun or Jongup. They wouldn’t come near you, just simply smile (in Jongup’s case, smirk) to acknowledge your existence before quickly scurrying along to do whatever they were doing. That was weird. But what really threw you off was Himchan. If he saw you he wouldn’t acknowledge your existence, make eye contact with you. It was like you were air. You didn’t know the reason for this sudden change. But you wanted answers. ASAP. Only problem was that the boys hadn’t frequented the club lately.

“Well look what the rats dragged in,” Sam sneered, causing you to look up and follow his line of sight to a familiar figure. “You’ve got huge balls to come waltzing in here.”

“Not here to cause trouble, Sam,” Jaebum smirked as he sat at the bar. “Where are the rest of your girls?”

“Home. I’ll be running this place solo for a while.” You smirked before grabbing a bottle of brandy, pouring it into a glass and placing it in front of him.

“How did you know I like brandy?” Jaebum cocked an eyebrow before sipping the drink.

“Dated a cop once. He was kinda a big mouth when it came to his partner.” A small smile grace your lips. You didn’t know why but JB’s presence brought back a sense of familiarity. A part of your past you could never return to.

“You know this rat, Bearcat?” Sam raised a brow, confused as to how you could have such a civil relationship with a special agent.

“He’s a friend of a friend.” You flashed Sam a smile and gave his hand a light squeeze, assuring him that everything was okay.

A small smile crept onto Jaebum’s face. You were warming up to him, nothing too drastic, but something nonetheless. “Do you mind if the two of us talked?”

“I’m all ears, special agent.”

“Alone. Perhaps?” Despite having a fondness for you, Jaebum had a job and priorities. He needed to catch the guys who eliminated the Emperor Dragons, he had to catch Infernum, avenge his fallen friend. All of that seemed to be connected to you.

“If you got something to say to Bearcat then you can say it to all of us.” Sam growled, causing the rest of the men in the club to eye Jaebum with disdain.

“It’s fine, Sam,” You let out a small sigh. With all the happenings that were occurring in your life, the last thing you needed was more commotion. “I know a quiet cafe nearby.” You smiled at Jaebum, grabbing your coat before pecking Sam on the cheek.

Himchan let out an exasperated sigh as he trotted into Le Noir. A part of him wishing he could high tail it out of there, but he knew he couldn’t. An informant was coming around and he refused to meet anywhere but Le Noir (fear of being alone with Himchan perhaps). His hands were tied. He didn’t want to come in. See those bright beautiful eyes. That sweet sly smile. Hearing your melodic voice. Every fiber of his being wanted to hold you in his arms. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

He scratched the back of his head, a small groan escaping his lips. His eyebrows furrowed at the sight of a missing someone he was trying to avoid. You were usually at the club every waking moment of every waking day, but you were nowhere to be seen now. A small bubble of fear began to boil at the bottom of Himchan’s stomach. What if something happened to you? He thought that if he cut ties with you, you would be safe.

“Sam,” Himchan attempted to keep his voice steady, hide the edge that was in his voice. “Did Y/N come in today?”

“Yeah…” Sam sighed before sipping his drink. A look of disdain plastered on his face. “She always had a thing for falling for the ones she shouldn’t. But a special agent?” Sam shook his head in disapproval.

Himchan’s face scrunched up, not knowing whether to take Sam’s words as truth or drunk nonsense. “Where did she go, Sam?” Himchan could feel his fist tighten, the agitation in his body slowly boiling over.

“That little ol cafe down on 1st street. She doesn’t even like coffee….” Sam sighed once again, taking a swig to calm his worries.

“I see,” Himchan’s voice was flat. He knew he should have walked away. Go to meet with his informant then get back to HQ. Not even spare a thought about you. “Hey, Bang. Do me a favor and meet up with the informant for me. Something came up.” He should have just let it be. But he couldn’t.

“So Mr. Special Agent Jaebum, is this visit for pleasure or for business?” A sly smile spread on your face.

“Unfortunately business,” Returning your smile with a smirk of his own. “It’s about the Emperor Dragons.” He took a sip of his coffee, meticulously watching your expressions and movements.

“I thought you and your boys deduced that the crime syndicate offed them.” You nonchalantly sipped on your tea. You knew how this game went. First to crack first to lose.

“We’ve obtained some information that led us to think otherwise,” You hummed, acknowledging his words but not willing to relinquish any information unnecessarily. “The syndicate makes sure to clean up their messes. No survivors,” You could feel your muscles slightly tense. You knew exactly where he was leading to. “But your buddies BAP seemed to be having trouble with them recently.”

“I don’t know where you’ve heard this information from, but I have no clue what you’re talking about,” You chuckled. You underestimated him a bit. You thought he was a young gun. Talking the talk, not walking the walk. But he was smart. He was skilled. You weren’t going to let your guard down. “Cute for trying though.”

Jaebum smirked, leaning across the table so that his lips were mere inches from yours. “Really now? You should tell him that then.” Jaebum glanced over to the side, your eyes following his line of sight.

You saw a familiar figure across the street, a smirk on his face as a crowd of girls surrounded around him. Himchan leaned against the dance clubs walls, a playful laughter plastered across his face. At least that’s what it seemed. The moment you made eye contact a glint of anger, frustration, aggression flashed in his eyes. A stark contrast to his current jovial persona. A part of you wondered if he somehow managed to follow you here. That he cared for you the way you thought he did. Another part warned you of the consequences of getting involved with dangerous men.

“And what of him?” You smirked, looking directly into Jaebum’s eyes. You would sort out your feels at another time. Right now you had to get this bloodhound off your tail. “If you haven’t noticed, a lot of men are quite fond of me.”

Jaebum scoffed, leaning back into his seat. “Yeah, still wondering how a guy like Scotty got a girl like you.”

“He had his own charm,” You shrugged slightly, your eyes softening. You quickly glanced over to see if Himchan was still there, but you saw that the familiar figure had disappeared along with his horde of girls. “Like never asking me to snitch.”

“You wouldn’t need to feel like a snitch if you got out of this lifestyle.” Jaebum’s eyes softened. He wanted to protect you. Protect the person his best friend was willing to die for.

“It’s the only thing I know and I don’t plan on changing that.” You finished the rest of your tea before smiling politely.

Jaebum sighed, knowing that if he said anything to convince you otherwise would be a fruitless effort. “Just…be careful then. The people you associate with, not only my team is after them, but if they really did what I think they did then the crime syndicate will be after them too.”

“Thanks for the warning, but I’m a big girl. With some pretty nice guns to boot.” You winked causing Jaebum to scoff.

“Dance with me next.” A young woman squealed as she clung onto Himchan’s arm. Her acrylic nails digging into him like cat claws, her bright eyes looking up at him expectantly.

“Just a minute,” Himchan flashed her a polite smile before peeling his arm out of her grip. He leaned back against the bar of the dance club and let out a groan before chugging down the cheap alcohol. “What the hell am I doing…” He shook his head in frustration.

What exactly was he doing here? A dance club of all places. He didn’t even like going to type of places. If anything this was more of Daehyun’s scene. Himchan took another shot of the cheap booze. The alcohol didn’t even taste good. Not like at Le Noir. Not like how you made them. Himchan felt his blood boil again as he gripped the shot glass tightly. The thought of you. He hated but loved it. What had he wanted to accomplished by following to you to the cafe? Just remind himself that you were better off without him? Out of danger? Safe? Happy? Self-torture at its finest. He called for the bartender to give him another drink as the memory of Special Agent Im’s face being for too close to yours entered his mind. The sly smile that you had. The smile that you would show him. The game that the two of you played. But was that it?

Himchan growled as he chugged down the booze in attempt to fuzzy his thoughts. The more he thought about you the more he wanted. The more he wanted the more it would hurt you. And that was the one thing he wanted to avoid. If it meant cutting all ties with you he would do it. What he was getting into…it was too dangerous. He didn’t even know what he was up against. A group big enough to make international deals. To make the Emperor Dragons one of their pawns. To break into BAP headquarters as if it was nothing. Whoever they were, they were on an entirely different level then the men Himchan was used to dealing with. And because of that he didn’t know how to protect you. To his regret, he didn’t even know if he could protect you. He didn’t want to lose more precious people in his life. BAP. You. But you didn’t choose this. You needed to be safe. You needed to be happy. Even if it meant that he would never see you again. Never see you smile again. Never hear your beautiful voice again. It was all worth it. The pain he was feeling in his pride and in his heart. It was fine. Seeing you in a blissful moment with another man proved to him that it was fine.

“Another shot.” Himchan called to the bartender. Everything is going to be fine. He didn’t care how much alcohol it would take to convince him of that.

You chewed your thumbnail in contemplation as you headed back to Le Noir. You had to find the boys. Tell them that they had to watch their back. Give them a warning. But how to find them? They basically avoided Le Noir like the plague and you had no clue where they may be…..well except for one… You paused in front of the dance club that Himchan was standing in front of before. The loud boom of the bass could be felt from the outside. The sounds of EDM and giggling voices echoed through the dark hallway that lead to the front entrance. He wouldn’t still be there right? Himchan didn’t even seem like the type to even go to these places. You bit your bottom lip, thinking that it would be best to simply move on, but you were hesitant.

BZZZZZZZZ

“Y/N?”

“Yongguk?” You froze from the unexpected phone call. “Yongguk, how did you-”

“Youngjae inputted your phone number into our phones after the bomb incident.” Yongguk’s voice was steady, calm, but you could hear a hint of tension. Concern in his voice.

“I see….” You didn’t know what to say. You had so many questions. Why were they avoiding you? Why does Himchan refuse to acknowledge you? How close were they to catching the Dragon Prince? So many things to ask, but just not knowing whether you should ask.

“Have you seen Himchan?” Yongguk’s voice broke your train of thought. Only to leave you confused.

“What do you mean?” Your face scrunched up. Out of all the people Yongguk would think saw Himchan, he asked you? The one person Himchan has been attempting to avoid.

“He called me to meet with an informant at Le Noir and when I got back he wasn’t at HQ. I asked the rest of the guys and they haven’t seen him.” You could hear the small concern that was laced into the strong facade he attempted to build.

You paused for a moment, looking up at the dance club that loomed over you. “I think I may have an idea of where he is….” You let out a sigh. “I’ll tell him to go back if I find him.”

“Thanks.” You could almost feel the gummy smile radiating from Yongguk through the phone, causing a small smile to appear on your face.

You entered the dance club only to be greeted by a mass of sweaty bodies. You scanned the area, hoping to see a familiar face. But with the flashing lights, the dim setting of the club, and the mass of bodies, it was difficult to differentiate person from furniture. Not until a crowd of giggles and squeals caught your attention. In the middle of the dance floor, a pack of young girls were dancing in a very provocative manner with Himchan right in the middle of it all. Grinding up against them, running his hands all over their body. A smirk plastered on his face. He was drunk. You didn’t even have to smell the alcohol on his breath to see he wasn’t in his right state of mind.

“Himchan!” You weaved through the wall of human bodies, managing to make it to the center of the dance floor in one piece. “HIMCHAN!” You pushed your way past the girls until you were close enough for Himchan to at least hear you. Despite the loud booming music.

Himchan paused. Froze when he made eye contact with you. You were the last person he was expecting to see as he wasted his mind away. His thoughts away. “Y/N….” His voice was above a murmur. Even in his drunken state you looked beautiful. Even amongst the flock of girls that were throwing themselves at him, all he could think about was you. But he was absolute in his resolution. He was going to cut you out of his life. Even if he had to play the villain.

“Himchan! You have to get out of here. Yongguk and the rest of the boys are worried about you.” You gently grabbed onto his arm, causing Himchan to flinch for a moment. You paused at the action, confused as to why he would jerk away from you.

“Thanks for the message. You can leave now.” Himchan’s voice was cold as he turned away to smile and flirt with one of the girls that was nearby. Your face scrunched up in confusion at his uncharacteristic actions.

“No you need to leave. And get sober.” You cringed once you realized how much he reeked of cheap perfume and booze.

“Why do you care?” He growled at you. Glaring at you with so much intensity you thought he was looking at some rival gangster.

“Because you have the damn special agents on your tail!” You growled back. You could feel the anger and frustration boil inside you. Why did you care? Because he was important to you. And you refused to watch those important to you waste away again.

“We can handle that ourselves. Why don’t you go back to your bar and play y hostess with that special agent you’re so concerned about.” Himchan knew the venom that was coming out of the mouth. He knew that he was hurting you. Being a complete and utter . He knew, but at the same time he couldn’t stop. Not if he wanted to break from you completely.

“I don’t think you understand what I’m saying, Himchan. It’s not just the special agents. This group that ransacked BAP. They’re not just some average joe off the street. If they want to get rid of you they will…” You attempted to calm your nerves. Not allow your emotions to get the better of you. But the more you saw the coldness in Himchan’s eyes. The more he pushed you away from him. The more your emotions were spilling.

“I don’t think you understand,” Himchan snarled, now facing you. Towering you. Anything to intimidate you. But he knew. You were stronger than that. Fiercer that that. So he had to put the nail in the coffin. Hit you where he knew it would hurt. “We can handle ourselves. We’re not little precious bunnies you think we are. We grew up in this life style just like you,” He let out a snort before flashing a arrogant smirk. “We’re won’t get killed so easily like your husband.”

SLAP!

“ you.” You could feel heated tears that dared to fall down your cheek. You wanted to see something. Anything in Himchan’s eyes that showed that what he said was just a lie. A fib. A drunken outburst…..nothing. All you saw was darkness. Ice cold emptiness…..

Thanks for reading! Comments and feedback are much appreciated!