"Good job!"

Those were the words that Jennie heard most growing up. She didn't know how or when those two words began to feel like an omen, despite its seemingly positive connotations. Maybe it was when people congratulated her after regaining stability after her mother's death. Or maybe it was when she completed her first ever mission. Either way, the words came after a tragedy - and brought more trouble along with it. She would rather not hear it. Instead of congratulations, Jennie thinks, silence would be a much better reward.

That was why she hung up the phone when she heard Himchan uttering the first word. 

Her eyes glanced over the building, seeing the gruesome image of Park JinYoung's lifeless body in a pool of maroon liquid with stuff coming out of his head. 

"Mission complete," she mumbled under her breath, pulling a black face mask over her face.  

Her head shot up as she heard the echoes of police sirens in the vicinity. Sighing at the sight below her, she closed her eyes and made a short prayer before running off. Her long legs propelled her forward, and by the time that the police arrived on the scene, she was gone without a trace. 

Park JinYoung held a revered spot in Korean entertainment. He was the face of a famous company (JYP) and was also an artist. What people did not know was that behind closed doors, he was responsible for the recruitment of many ladies for the red light districts, and more notably he was the sole supplier of underaged es. 

He had it coming, Jennie tried to convince herself, her hands clutched into a tight fist. His death was inevitable.

---

"Waah, good job!" Himchan greeted Jennie at the foyer of their estate with open arms - as he does everytime someone returns back to the Black Manor. 

Jennie tossed a cold glare at him, pushing past him and ascending up the stairs. She wondered why did Himchan wasted his effort on greeting anyone, but remembered that she was the only one that ever ignored his invitations of a hug and dismissed her thoughts. Her thoughts were something that always bothered her since her mother's death. It was almost as if the death triggered another voice in her head that wouldn't shut up no matter what she did. Every little thing would set off the voice in her head, prompting questions and alternate viewpoints (apart from the straightforward ones). Although it did save her skin many times, overthinking was more of a curse than a blessing. It was one of the more prominent things she hated about herself. 

She quickly hopped into a shower, letting the warm water ease her tensed muscles. She worked the loofa hard on her skin, scrubbing away her skin as if it could erase all of the terrible things that she did and when she came out of the bathroom, her skin glowed a soft shade of pink from the irritation. 

When she returned to her room, she noticed a black envelope on her desk and her shoulders went slack. 

Her hands hovered over the package, as a soft voice pleaded for her to push it off for until tomorrow. But her curiosity eventually got the best of her as she untied the envelope pouring out the pieces of paper. Her brown orbs scanned the paper as a coy smile crept up her face. At the top of the paper, it showed her salary for the heist and it easily topped most of her missions with a whopping total of 8.8 million won after deduction by the syndicate. Her lanky fingers flipped through the pages and her eyes landed on an interesting name. LeeYong. She recognized that name. LeeYong was the top paying ballerina-turned-actor and the hottest trend for the decade. The amount of fame and glory he is receiving easily towers over his predecessors'. Not even Lee MinHo would be able to compete with him. That was why she could conjure up a thousand reasons why anyone would want him dead. Everyone was vying for his spot. It could be a rich boyfriend jealous of his girlfriend's affection for LeeYong. Or a famous actor whose spotlight was stolen. Either way, it made for an interesting case. But, she soon realized, killing him would mean media coverage for seemingly the next decade which translated to investigations and a bigger chance for her to be caught. Her fingers pulled at her bottom lip, toying with it as she considered the offer. 

"What are you looking at?" A voice broke through Jennie's thoughts. 

Jisoo stood at her doorway, a mug in one hand as she leaned against the doorframe. 

"A new mission. And it's Korea's First Love," Jennie slurred sarcastically as she sat upright, facing Jisoo. 

Jisoo was one of the only people in the Black Manor that Jennie actually interacted with. Jisoo was pretty, inside out. With a heart of gold and forgiving eyes, it shone from within her, giving her a friendly glow. Her ebony black hair was parted three-quarters to the left, framing her oval face in a flattering manner. And her petite figure made anything she wore look fashionable - even her pajamas, which was an oversized t-shirt, hiding her short pants, paired with bunny slippers.

Jisoo chuckled, sitting down on Jennie's bed. "Yea, definitely Korea's First love. Especially with the new scandal." 

Jennie cocked her head to one side, "What scandal?"

"Caught in a brothel, management claims was for a new upcoming adult movie whilst fans speculate otherwise," Jisoo mimicked a reporter's voice. "Yea, he's totally my definition of lover material! I love it when my lovers hit up brothels every other week!"

A laughter parted Jennie's lips at Jisoo's sarcasm. Realising that she wouldn't get much done for the night, Jennie set the papers on her desk and plopped next to Jisoo on the bed.  

"So what's the mission this time?" 

Jennie's eyes remained fixated on a darkened spot on the ceiling. "The usual. Kill him." 

A brief moment of silence passed between the two. Despite both being involved with the mafia, both girls were easily affected by their missions. Jennie tries to pull off a cold-hearted facade, but she would not tell anyone about the prayers she made for every person she killed. Jisoo, on the other hand, kept her hands clean by being an informant on larger scale missions. She and her team were responsible for tracking GPS signals and that sort of things. But stripped of her gadgets, she was still a twenty-something with an innocent heart, kept hidden under a stoic facade. 

"Are you going to do it?" 

Jennie turned her head to look Jisoo in the eyes, "What do you think that I should do?" 

The elder kept her eyes on the floor as a flash of unreadable emotion passed in her eyes, before her eyes crinkled to her signature eye smile. "I think you should tie him up and, you know." She nudged the other girl playfully. 

The unexpected joke had the girls in fits of laughter. "I-I didn't know you were so , Jisoo."

"Well now you know," Jisoo winked playfully. 

Jennie smiled, a beam of affection for Jisoo bloomed in her heart. With Jisoo, she never felt the need to impress. She could be the whiny and immature person that she is and Jisoo still tolerates it. Jisoo made the whole house less of a prison cell, and every moment spent with Jisoo only proved how much Jennie didn't deserve her love. Although she would never verbally admit it, Jennie loved Jisoo as her best friend.  

"Jisoo, do you want to have a sleepover?" 

"Yes," Jisoo exclaimed, "I'll get my stuff!" 

Jennie watched as the other girl quickly shuffled out of her room. Sleepovers were a rare occurrence before she met Jisoo and before she joined the mafia. In between studying for tests and crying over her dead parents, she never had any time to socialize with her classmates. But when she met Jisoo, everything changed. Jisoo introduced Jennie to many typical girl activities during their free time together. And as the girls grew closer, Jisoo introduced the idea of a sleepover. Despite living under one roof, the manor was so huge that Jisoo decided that sleepover was the only appropriate term when either slept in the other's room. 

---

When Jennie woke up in the morning, the other side of her bed was cold. Her eyes scanned the empty side as a sigh parted her lips, her fingers reached out, seeking for warmth only to be greeted by the soft bedsheets. 

Jennie swung her legs off the bed, stretching her arms, before standing up and heading towards the bathroom.

She splashed the ice cold water on her face, jolting her awake. Her hand reached for her face towel, patting her face dry as she glared at her reflection. Her big doe eyes were her only redeeming feature, the rest of her face had seemed like an artwork of a four-year-old who thought the bigger, the better. A low forehead, paired with her puffy cheeks that at times seemed too big for her face balanced on a thin neck made her at best, an average looking girl. It wasn't that she wanted to have supermodel good looks since she kept her face hidden under a mask for the most part. But she wished that she would resemble her mom more. She wished that she could have anything to grasp on, to remember her by. Faded pictures and photographs from long ago did not give a good representation of her mother and she feared that she would soon forget the soft and charming looks of her mother. 

And also, she wanted the murderer responsible for her mother's death to have her mother's face permanently etched on to their memories for the rest of the time they spend in hell. 

---

She jogged down the stairs, her stomach grumbling as the waft of pancakes invaded her nose. 

She pulled a seat next to Lisa, flashing a small smile at the blonde girl when she greeted her. Lisa was a fairly new addition to the Black Manor, joining just slightly 2 years ago but had proven herself worthy by snagging a direct flow of weaponry, allowing the mafia to rise to higher up the ranks through sales.   

She noticed that Jisoo was missing from the table, but chalked it up to her being busy with her mission. Ultimately, the missions presided over anything and informants were notorious for their odd working hours.

"So, have you decided?" Daehyun pulled out a seat next to Jennie. 

His hair was disheveled, sticking up in all directions. For a moment, Jennie caught herself judging him for being so nonchalant about his appearance but realized that she was basically staring at him and tore her eyes away.

"Um," Jennie scratched the back of her head, "I'll get back to you by noon." 

A chill ran down her spine when she received Daehyun's cold glare. Daehyun was one of the 6 members that managed the whole Black Manor syndicate, and he was responsible for dealing out missions. His impatience was also a defining trait in his career as a mafia.  Compounded by his detachment to the fragility of old life, he doesn't hesitate to cause bloodshed to lure out answers. It was what made him earn the nickname Black Ice.

She turned away from the boy, facing her hot pancakes that Himchan placed in front of her. 

---

She quickly returned to her room, getting to work immediately after breakfast. 

Her eyes scanned the papers, underlining and circling key points of the mission. It lingered on the sum of money stated at the top of the paper. She wanted, no needed, the money in order to carry out her plans - the same plan that she had been refining and correcting over the course of her mafia career in order to take down her parents' killers. 

A sigh parted her lips as she rested her hand at the bottom of her neck, working out the knots that had formed from her bad sitting posture. She pulled out a small notebook from her deskside drawer, flipping the pages.

Total Amount: 67, 017, 870 million.

 She stared at her messy handwriting, wishing that she had more. She yearned for more. Another sigh part her pink lips as she closed the book, leaning back into her chair. 

" it," she mumbled under her breath, slamming the stack of paper on her desk. She was going to avenge her parents and had to survive till then, whatever the cost.

Since that was the case, she might as well earn a couple of more millions along the way.

---

When night fell, Jennie went to the basement of the manor, where they kept all of the weaponry. 

She always liked the night - it was empty, dark and mysterious. Its unpredictability loomed over her shoulder, but she saw it as a guiding angel. As a cloak of protection from the rest of the world. 

She walked out of the lift, surprised to see Himchan waiting for her. 

"So, you've taken up the mission huh?"

Jennie opened her designated locker, pulling a bulletproof vest out of it. "I needed the money. Plus, I haven't rejected any missions given to me yet. I don't plan to change that."

The taller male nodded, walking towards the small girl. "But you know that there is zero room for failure right? Police will be searching for any reason to convict us."

Jennie racked her fingers through her brown hair, gathering it into a ponytail and tying it tight. "Since when was there any room for failure." 

"True, with you it's perfection or failure." Himchan chuckled as he handed her a long black belt, equipped with two guns and a taser. 

"You know, you can always back out of this mission, it's not too late," he commented. "This mission is really risky since we're dealing with an idol and the press." 

Jennie buckled the belt to her waist. She was well aware of the risks when she accepted the case and didn't need him to drill it into her head of the dangers. After all, the higher the stakes, the greater the reward. This mission was no exception to the rule.

"I think I can handle it."

Himchan leaned on a locker, his expression stern and void of his usual warmth. "Don't underestimate your opponent. Even if he is just an idol, he'll probably have at least a handful of bodyguards." 

Jennie nodded, her hand reaching into her locker, grabbing the keys for her motorbike. "I'm going now." 

The taller man placed his hands on either side of Jennie's head. "Come back safe." 

It was in situations like this that Jennie realized why Himchan was the presiding head of Black Manor. He had a fierce aura, his body language only reflecting confidence and charisma and not even an ounce of his usual cheer remained. For a moment, Jennie saw a glimpse of Himchan's past - the Team leader of the Special Unit 401. A surge of respect for the male washed over Jennie, realizing the care he had for her and how sincere he dealt with every mission, treating it seriously, despite her mission being a seemingly easy one. 

Jennie raised her leg over the bike, balancing herself on it before veering its engine to life. She pulled her signature white Skull mask over her face, leaving only her eyes exposed. Her eyes made contact with Himchan's black ones and, in a non-verbal communication, the two bid farewell to each other.

---

Her eyes were set on a building in the distance. The Clover Hotel. According to the intel, LeeYong was staying there for the night. Everything about this mission seemed to be easy and straightforward. Yet it was reeking of unease. Perhaps it was because she was too used to complicated missions, so such an easy mission seemed foreign. However, she couldn't quite piece together the reason why this mission had an ominous feel to it. Speeding on an empty road had always cleared Jennie's mind, something about the calming winds brushing past her skin like it was brushing off all of her worries. But this time, not even the speed was able to dispell her anxiety. Her sweaty palms gripped tight on the handlebar as a flower of unease bloomed at the pit of her stomach. 

What even am I scared for? 

I've done this before. I can do this again. Besides, now isn't the time for fears and cowardice. It time to let wild Jennie take control, and let loose. It's time for adrenaline rushes, flushed cheeks, and racing heartbeats. 

She zoomed ahead of the empty road, chuckling softly as she ridiculed herself for ever doubting her own abilities.

After all, she was Kim Jennie, and she going live forever.

A/N : HERE'S THE FIRST CHAPTER! hope you'll enjoy it! do leave a comment to tell me if you did, thank you!