Kwon Jieun might not notice how Chanyeol looked very pissed when he launched himself on the couch in front of her, but Daniel did – he also noticed that the latter’s eyes were fixed at him the whole time and it was not a nice kind of stare – it was more actually like a vexed stare. Daniel was not that dense to figure out that the lanky guy is into Jieun, so when Jieun actually touched his shoulder as a signal for them to leave, Chanyeol’s stare was even greener than before.

Kang Daniel must admit that when Jieun wasn’t her mafia-self, she is actually a nice person even though she barely gets out from her brutal persona in the daily life. After following her for more than a week, Daniel learns that Jieun could put some effect to people that make them wanted more about her – like she is out there to cast a spell, and that’s probably why she is one of the most foremost information keeper at the league.

“It’s midnight already,” Chanyeol called out. “Since when that become a problem?” Jieun raised her eyebrow cynically. “Take Myungsoo or me instead,” Chanyeol suggested as he pointed his chin to Myungsoo, who was immediately rejected because he had jobs to do in the morning.

“Jiyong hyung gave her a bodyguard so that none of us would go into that kind of trouble of watching her doing things, no?” Myungsoo snorted. “Well, that’s the point of what Daniel being paid for, what’s the problem, Chanyeol?” Jieun snapped as Chanyeol shook his head and waved his hand instead.

“Imagine being as painfully obvious as Chanyeol and still got no reaction,” Baekhyun spoke up immediately after Jieun and Daniel left, followed by a bitter laugh by the man himself. “Funny,” Chanyeol deadpanned. “I was being thoughtful, okay? That boy, Daniel, can’t do , Jiyong hyung said it himself, right?” Chanyeol threw his hands to the air, frustrated. “Yeah, right,” Woohyun, who was just coming to the room, scoffed at the statement.

“What was that?” Chanyeol snapped at the reaction. “What was what?” Woohyun raised his eyebrow. “The scoff? Are you implying the opposite of the fact, Woohyun hyung?” Chanyeol asked. “I mean, it’s not right to just say that Daniel can’t do anything, Chanyeol, just because he gets to be with your crush twenty four seven, because we all know Kwon Jiyong isn’t here to play, especially if it is involving his only sister,” Woohyun replied nonchalantly.

“You know jealousy has its limit, Yeol.” Baekhyun hit the latter’s shoulder playfully and laughed again when Chanyeol groaned in irritation. “I am not saying he can’t do anything, I mean, that boy can dance, I guess, he was in this stupid academy for what? Two years? But seriously, does it even matter in our industry?” Chanyeol sneered. “Do you even do his background check well?” Chanyeol raised his eyebrow to Myungsoo’s direction.

“Not to question Jiyong’s hyung credibility at picking strangers, but yes, and he is just a boy who needs cash and stumble across the Kwon Jiyong and get paid for doing basically nothing, talking about luck, huh?” Myungsoo smirked at the end. “Kang Daniel is just that, Chanyeol, he gets no dirt at all, so face it, this is a clean war, if you are going to get rid of him, you have to do more that just complaining, and actually ask Kwon Jieun to a date,”.

---

“Are we just going to walk?” Daniel asked Jieun when they were walking side by side at the park beside the river. “Do you really think I am going to waste my time like that?” She asked stoically. “Can I buy some snacks then?” Daniel suggested. “Do whatever you want, Daniel-ssi,” She replied instead. “I thought we have gotten pass that stage where you are no longer calling me with a –ssi.” He frowned at the sudden formality. “Oh, so now I’m prohibited from calling you that?” She deadpanned.

“I guess so, makes me feel like I’m progressing backward from becoming your friend.” Daniel shrugged. “You are so weird, Daniel,” Jieun snapped nonetheless. “That’s better.” He smiled cheekily. “By the way, I’ve been wanting to tell you this, you should just ignore anything that anyone in the building say to you, especially Chanyeol, he could be very harshly blunt sometimes,” She said. “He likes you, I mean you are acting oblivious but truthfully, I’m pretty sure you are not that dense,” Daniel blurted out.

“Yeah, I know that.” She nodded slightly. “Do you like him?” Daniel nudged her arm playfully and grinned – and Jieun honestly doesn’t know why she let him did that and not getting irritated by it. “I do, as a friend, he’s nice, but the thing is, you have to know, Daniel, you can’t really trust anyone,” She replied nonchalantly. “Why? How about your brother?” He asked with genuine confusion. “I said anyone, Daniel, including Kwon Jiyong, he’s a great brother but he’s a terrible human being, just like I am,” Jieun stated.

“No, you are not.” Daniel shook his head. “At least, not bad enough that you let me stay even though you know, some stuffs,” Daniel added with a hesitant shrug. “Because it feels like you are somewhat a better person than any of us,” She stated. “You don’t know about that, Jieun,” Daniel said as a faint smile crept on his face. “Then don’t let me down, Daniel,” She replied. “Is there anyone you can actually count on inside the league?” He asked out of the blue.

“Occasionally, Myungsoo, and Jiyong, since he is the only family I have left,” Jieun said. “Will you someday? To me? I mean I’m your bodyguard, I don’t know, just someday when everything is less complicated?” Daniel blabbered because he couldn’t find any right sentence. “Maybe,” She replied with just that but somehow it made Daniel satisfied enough.

---

Jieun didn’t let Daniel come when a group of men are waiting for her at the riverside, so he was waiting for her right in front of the front entrance of the park – and it didn’t take her more than thirty minutes to come back and told him to follow her to the car. It was all-fine until Jieun suddenly stopped the car and took the other turn. “Someone is following us,” She murmured as she took a glance at the rear-view mirror. “What?” Daniel turned to see the car at the back in reflex and found at least two vans trailing after them.

“Should we go on panic mode or?” Daniel asked even though it was kind of obvious that his voice wavered a little bit. “I did not sign up for this mess just yesterday, Daniel,” Jieun responded instead. “You got followed a lot before?” He said as she suddenly turned the wheel again making Daniel lost his balance. “You could say that,” She answered shortly as she focused on the street again.

“Hey, I don’t think they are still following us,” Daniel said when he eyed the back of the car. “Well, that’s too fast,” Jieun murmured as she parked her car on the sideways – there weren’t many people at that time since it was past midnight and the weather wasn’t that good either as they heard a loud lightning sound.

“It’s not a good sign?” Daniel raised his brow in uncertainty. “We are making sure of it,” She answered as she turned the engine off and signaled the latter to go out from the car before they walked to the nearest minimarket.

“They’ll search for us if they are really still following us, and don’t worry too much, Daniel, we both know that you could handle them, whoever they are,” Jieun explained when she saw Daniel nervously glancing around the place. “That doesn’t make me less scared about any of this thing,” He blurted. “Daniel, you are a weapon with that level of skill, and I bet I haven’t even seen all of it,” She debated, but then they were distracted by the sound of rain pouring.

Jieun decided to drop the topic off by buying both of them a cup of instant noodle and she immediately knew it was probably a nice idea since Daniel was then smiling when he began eating – cheery Daniel is better than scared Daniel. When she decided that they were most probably safe since there was no sign of weird people looking for them, they went through the rain and go back to the car. But even before Jieun started the car, she knew something was definitely off – she has been doing this job for too long.

She then told Daniel to come out once again before she found a note on the dashboard – and right just then, someone hit the car windows from both side. Jieun definitely familiar with this scene, but what she did not expect at all was the fact that their attackers were not targeting her – they were looking for Daniel, she could tell by how they are trying to pull Daniel away from her car while leaving her with only a men who she slammed earlier with the car door and passed out immediately.

She watched how Daniel easily pushed both of the men away and kicked their upper body before he ran to her direction and grabbed her wrist before they both started to run away from the scene.

---

Kang Daniel knew he screwed up, and every second he realized that things get even more bewildering than before. “Jiyong left clothes here, you could wear them, you could also use the guest’s bathroom,” Jieun said as soon as they entered her apartment, completely damped because of the heavy rain. “Okay,” He murmured in a low voice – he knew he has to explain everything and – Daniel didn’t know how to start.

The girl in front of him was then busy dialing someone. “Myungsoo.” He heard her called out a name. “Yeah, long story short, my car is hijacked, we were attacked, but we were safe now, but do please take care of my car,” Jieun said to the phone. “Just take a bath first Daniel, you’ll catch a flu and that is going to make more problem,” Jieun muttered to him as she put away her phone for a little bit – so Daniel decided that maybe he could think of things on the bathroom.

Another thirty minutes later, Jieun caught the latter was trying to put on some of the clothes she left on the living room and even though they were on the tense situation, Jieun just couldn’t miss how define Daniel’s physical was – it was almost too good for a dancer – it was most probably built by intense work-out and training, at that point she become even more sure that Daniel could be very dangerous. Jieun then decided to walk pass him and went straight to the kitchen to make them something warm to drink.

Daniel was sitting nervously at the couch when Jieun handed him a cup of warm tea and took a seat beside him. “The note on my dashboard said that I have to return you back,” Jieun spoke up as she gave him a small piece of paper saying Kang Daniel is not your property. “I don’t think it’s okay if you refuse to explain, Daniel-ah, after all this cost me my car,” Jieun snorted. “How much do you know?” Daniel opened up.

“I know that they took you from the street and promise you a good life if you do well, put you with another hundred of people to get to the final line up,” She stated. “Yes, that happened.” He took a deep breath and leaned back to the couch and he covered his face with both of his hand. “I was taken from the foster home when I was eighteen, told me that they have a job for me since I’m old enough to do so,” Daniel started.

“At first, I don’t know it was a training to be a mafia associate, hell, I thought we were going to be some gym trainer or some other , but then I realized they were trying to make a survival camp,” He continued. “They cut us down into sixty at first then to thirty five, they rank us every time, and when we got to just twenty people, they told us that the project was cancelled because the sponsors stopped funding us.” Daniel sighed as he turned his head and found Jieun was staring intently at him.

“You never know who the final line up is?” Jieun asked when their eyes met. “I do, they always told us they need eleven people for the final line up to be sent to eleven major mafia houses, they actually did our final ranking even though one of my friend said that they have no one sponsoring them anymore,” Daniel continued. “So, they are doing it just for fun?” Jieun raised her eyebrow – she’s a terrible person but the thing Daniel went through just sounded too awful.

Imagine not knowing anything and just trying to live a nice, decent life but then you got thrown into some harsh training camp, only to be sold to some major criminals in the city to be their associate – whether you like it or not, but you need it in order to survive.

“Just in case,” Daniel replied instead. “Just in case the sponsors crawled back but they never did, so they let us go and yeah,” He added bitterly. “When I was at the academy, I know that they didn’t go to the bankruptcy, after all I was trained for two years to be the best mafia, right?” Daniel chuckled – and it shocked Jieun a bit on how he still smiling even though just bit. “Someone is after me, and most probably after everyone else who is on the final line up,”.

“Because you guys are an asset,” Jieun replied. “True, we were trained so hard and perfectly so the sponsors would pay for us higher,” Daniel replied along with a bitter, sad smile. “When Jiyong-ssi took me, I know that he knows something, but maybe at least he could give me protection if he knows, you know, when we trained we used to bet on who is going to the Black League, I mean, if they are one of the sponsors because we never knew.” He chuckled, again.

“Do you know where the rest is? The other nineteen, or ten?” Jieun asked. “Not everyone, when they let us go, they did it very quietly so we didn’t get a chance to say goodbye or to go together.” Daniel shook his head. “How many of them do you still in contact with?” Jieun raised her eyebrow. “Two, uh, Park Woojin and Yoon Jisung,” He replied. “How about Ong Seongwoo?”. Jieun swore that Daniel gasped so hard when she mentioned the name.

“You know where Seongwoo hyung is?” Daniel grabbed her arm slightly. “I don’t, but we are going to find him.” It came out more like a promise than Jieun intended to. “Why didn’t you tell me this from the first place?” She asked again and Daniel looked troubled all of the sudden. “We don’t trust people, Jieun, just like you said,” He replied hesitantly. “We never met the person behind the project and I want to stay away from those people,”.

“You mentioned about ranks,” Jieun spoke up again and Daniel hummed in response. “So they basically tested you through some kind of an exam and decided your rank depends on your overall skill? Like that?” She asked and he just nodded.

“What is your rank, Daniel?” She ended with one crucial question that made Daniel fell into a long and ardent silence – he was hesitating hard and Jieun could tell just by looking on how he played with the hem of his shirt and how he is biting his lips, complementing whether she should know or not – Jieun suddenly have some guesses and if her guesses was right, then Daniel is not just some other dancer who have excellent fight move.

“I was the first,”.

---

“What kind of good deeds I have done that you decided to grace me with your presence in my humble office – , that hurts.” Jiyong groaned when Jieun threw the tissue box to shut him up. “That’s for the stupid nonsense,” Jieun said as she crossed her arm on her chest. “And for the fact that you know everything and decided not to tell me, like always, but I’m still annoyed that you got me a bodyguard,” She continued as she placed herself on the chair.

“Kang Daniel is good, right?” Jiyong smirked. “Kang Daniel is more that just good, Jiyong, I know everything, the boy told me about his true background,” Jieun snorted. “And I know you are one of the ing sponsors,” She huffed, but when Jiyong fell into a silence, she knew immediately that it was the cue of Jiyong being dead serious about whatever he is about to say afterward.

“I know Myungsoo told you that, I let him know that so he will tell you, that is the first thing you should know,” Jiyong started. “He doesn’t know why though,” Jieun replied. “It sounds like a good idea at first, right? Let other people train someone for you so you could save all the trouble but then their intention become so clear at last,” Jiyong scoffed. “Why do you think they do that? Gather tons of people and put them into all those major mafia houses?”.

“To get into our circle,” Jieun muttered in reply. “Exactly,” Jiyong hummed in agreement. “Then why do you still take Kang Daniel?” She raised her eyebrow skeptically. “Kang Daniel is my way to get back into those ’s circle, okay? They have been making quite a fuss nowadays, I guess they got people sponsoring them again, I want them to stop being a bother and destroy them forever,” Jiyong groaned in disdain. “And they think these kids are some kind of toy that they could just sell, but don’t you think they deserve better than that, Jieun-ah?”.

“So, you do still have a heart.” Jieun smirked. “Find me those final line up, Jieun-ah,” Jiyong suddenly said and Jieun raised her eyebrow in amusement. “Why?” Jieun asked nonchalantly. “These people behind the project are dangerous, if they could come up with such thing as survival camp to get into our circle and spy on us then they are even more wrecked than I am,” He continued. “But those eleven people are even more dangerous, Jieun, if we can’t make sure what side they are on,”.

“They could be on the other side and pretended like they are on our side and we will never know about that,” Jiyong added. “And how are you so sure that Kang Daniel is not like that?” Jieun scoffed. “Didn’t they hijacked your car last night and asked for him?” Jiyong raised his brow and Jieun just let out another scoff. “Fine, but I need at least Myungsoo and Woohyun, since they know about this already,” Jieun said at the end.

“I let them know, remember that, and I intended that we keep our secret’s circle small,” Jiyong replied. “How do you know Kang Daniel is one of the trainees, Jiyong?” She asked out of the blue. “Do you really think I will miss out at least the first place, Jieun?” Jiyong grinned cheekily. “So all these fuss about getting me a bodyguard is just another bull?” Jieun raised her eyebrow in amusement.

“I mean, why do you think I will get you another stupid bodyguard if you are going to fire them in just one hour, huh?” Jiyong retorted.

“But, interestingly, you didn’t fire Daniel up until now, which lead me to this crucial question of why? Is this only because you can’t really find something fishy? I mean your one of your ex-bodyguards also have a very clean background and you fire him because you are annoyed by it, but why keep Daniel even before you know that he has such an interesting history?” Jiyong ranted.

“He is not bad,” Jieun replied hastily. “Ah, so you like him,” Jiyong concluded with a teasing laugh following his statement. “I tolerate him, there is differences, Jiyong.” She glared at him but Jiyong just laughed again because even he knows that his sister also find it weird the fact that she let Daniel hang around her.

“Yeah, I know, but you do it to the extend that is so out of you,”.