He woke up with a loud gasp and flailing his arms around. He was having lot of trouble to breathe and was now heaving. A few moments later he was coughing and choking out water from his facial openings, that was so mercilessly thrown at him by someone in order to wake him up.

Coming back to his senses and composing himself, he shot a piercing glare towards the person who-he supposed, had thrown a bucket full of water over him. 

" The you want? How dare you do this?" he growled

" You were not showing signs of waking up. Not even after our attempts, we're doing since last half hour. I had no choice." The other person stated very calmly.

" Why the hell do you need me to even wake up? Is someone killed or is someone after me for a kill?"

" Nothing that sort!" Came the reply 

"Then it is not important for me to care. How many times I had already told you I don't want to be bothered for anything? Not even if someone wants to kill me right now. Isn't Yunho enough to handle everything?"

The other man sighed heavily, " Julian, every time I have repeated that I am not going to let you be. I am fed up seeing you like this and looking after you.It's been so long, when are you going to come to your senses? You are the mafia and leader of Khangpe, not Yunho. " The other was close to lash out on him.

"Who the told you to look after me, Tamar? Just get lost. I am not a baby who needs to be looked out by a caregiver all the time. Just Go!" Julian was so getting annoyed with Tamar's pestering.

Tamar, his ally and someone who can be as close a living definition of a friend for him, sighed again. He knows better than to be on Julian's nerve right now. So cutting the chase, he came straight to the point. The one he was actually trying to wake the man up for.

" There is someone asking for you. And I believe that you might be interested in what he has to say." 

Julian just stared blankly into space. "There has nothing remained now for me to be interested in." Came a weak answer. With his hunched form and sullen expression, he looked as if he had aged a few years. In Tamar's eyes, he was so broken and helpless and he no longer can recognize him. No longer can he tell that was the same strong and powerful young leader of Khangpe. The one who had the world at his feet and anything he wanted at the snap of his fingers. 

He tried again. "Just come please! I am sure you won't be disappointed."

Giving in to his ally, he finally stood up. Hastily, putting on whatever piece of clothing he can find and just raking his fingers once in his hair to look decent enough for a meeting, he headed towards his destination.

He was surprised to see the man which has a hand in his current condition. Not directly though, but he was the start of everything.

" Hwang Dong! Why are you here?"  

" How have you been?"

" I am hundred percent sure you are not here to see how am I doing? So what are you here for?"

" Don't be so rude to me now. I am here because I actually feel bad for the state you have been in. And thought to cheer you up."

" Stop ing around and come straight to the point."

" I have a new product and I thought it might lift your spirits immensely." Hwang Dong finished with an irritating smug.

" Listen, I am in no mood for all of this. I didn't even want to meet you. So stop your acts before I kill you."

" Are you sure? Atleast have a look at my product. I am sure you will not regret it. "

Julian was going to throw him out or hit this man with something. Seriously, this man was so much irritating, Julian cannot bare his presence anymore.

Just as he was about to make a move he was halted with the man drawing something out of his pocket. He slid the object on the glass table towards Julian. Julian froze in his track and could just stare at the picture shown to him.

After few moments- in a flash of a light, he drew his handgun and pointed it towards the dealer. Aiming for the spot between his eyes, he pulled the barrel once-getting ready to shoot if needed, finger on the trigger readied.

" What kind of a sick game are you trying to play with me? What is the meaning of all this? Don't forget I still am the leader of khangpe, even if I have been missing in action lately. So you better have a good explaination or else..."

Hwang Dong swallowed harshly. He didn't expect such a reaction from the mafia. He was expecting the complete opposite actually. On the other hand, Tamar has a mixed feeling of shock and was pleased as well. Shocked to see the picture slid towards Julian and pleased because he was getting to have a glimpse of old Julian right now. Although, he would have preferred if the situations were something else.

The dealer held his hands in surrender motion, trying to convey he was not ing with him. "First hear me out please. Then decide yourself if you still need to kill me." 

He breathed out in relief when the gun was lowered and the mafia again took his seat, placing the gun on the table. Wiping the sweat on his forehead, Hwang Dong started,

" I have got news from someone. The girl you tried to kill, is alive."

"What!?" Both Tamar and Julian exclaimed at once. They were confused and shocked equally, not believing what they heard right now.

Nodding, he continued. " Yes! You heard me right. Yunji is alive. "

"Ho-how?" Julian breathed out

" I don't know about that. There was one new product- a girl, I needed to bring. She was not easy to get hands on and I personally took care of her instead of my men. She was to be taken from a small province a few kilometers near Seoul's outskirts. That's when I saw her. I was shocked as well and was not able to believe if it was her or someone else." he breathed.

"Later on, after inquiring about her, I found out that she was indeed her. The girl lived in the house of the province's healer- an old women who is close to a doctor and treats wounds naturally. They said nobody knew anything about her. Who was she and where was she from? Nothing! She was brought by some of the men who were there to get their breed  to drink water from the river nearby  where she was buried. They had two watch dogs as well with them. The dogs sniffed the grounds where she laid under and alerted their masters of her. They got her out of it and found that she was shallowly breathing. They wasted no time seeing her condition, bringing her to that healer. She got consciousness after three weeks. Maybe she has been in some kind of  a coma." he talked, never leaving eye contact even once.

"When after even two days she did not responded they took her to the nearby hospital. After she  regained consciousness, they tried asking her questions. But she was unable to answer, saying she didn't know. The doctors examined her and ran some tests. They came to a conclusion that she had partial amnesia. Due to the trauma you guys put her through, her brain erased the horrible memories she had. Ensuring her chances of survival. She can't even remember her name now. Pitied by her condition, the people over there took her in. She now lives with the healer as the women was all alone. And they named her Hana, as the name means precious. I don't know what's precious about her though." He snorted

The man stopped talking for a while seeing the mafia was lost in his thoughts. He let him have some time for the information to sink  in.

After few minutes, he opened his mouth again " I have her with me"

Julian (and Tamar) got another shock in just half hour's span. The man looked at the dealer expecting more information.

" I went there again after two days of inquiring about her. This time I took some of her things that I still carried. Her ID and few belonging etc. I convinced them that I knew her and her family as well. And ask their permission to bring her with me. Telling them that I will safely bring her to her family."

Julian breathed out shakilyy after that. " And now, what you want for me to do?"

The man just smirked " You know exactly what I want from you. And why exactly am I here."

Julian gave a curt nod. " How much?" he asked straight away.

" Ten million dollars! " 

Tamar was going to say something but Julian did not gave him the chance. He agreed in a heartbeat for the amount.

" Get her as soon as possible to me. And I will give you the money."

" Actually, I would appreciate it if you can pay me atleast half the amount now. Don't get me wrong. I trust you but not your ally over here. Specially seeing right now he was going to object."

Julian gestured one of his men and the money was brought to him. He handed the amount to the dealer. Hwang Dong promised to bring her in a day or two to him. After that he left.

Julian just sat there unmoving, again lost in his thoughts.  

He cannot believe this. Yunji- his Yunji is alive. She is really alive.

Whilst he was lost in her thoughts, a tear sneakily, without his notice came out of his right eye.  He did not decide what to feel. Should he feel relieved to know his life-Yunji  was still alive? Should he feel happy that he was now going to be get back her - his happiness? Or should he shout and cry out in joy on learning that he can still have a life with her? 

He can't help but reminisce all the times he had spent hating himself  for killing her and grieving over her loss. He had hit the rock bottom in his life after they killed her, as per his knowledge.

Turning to alcohol and drugs to cope with the pain. He also tried hooking up with random people- both girls and boys to try and forget her. Hoping to replace her with someone else with time. He failed!

That just made him realized how much he truely loved her. He had loved her like he never loved anything or anyone before. She mattered to him, even more than himself. He began to loath himself after this realization. 

How can he be such a bastard? Why does he have to kill her too? Was this his love? He just should have killed that Sehun instead. Maybe, without him present, Yunji would have reciprocated his feelings eventually. Thousands of what ifs hit him time and again. And he detested himself after each alternative outcome of those what ifs, which may have worked in his favour. 

He had been at his lowest and even tried to take his own life. What was the point in living anyway?  He didn't have anything in particular to continue. His work was not a reason enough to keep going. Yunho and Tamar were there to take it in their own hands. They were his partners, what else they were here for? So he decided to end himself. But, Tamar was there to stop him.  

Tamar. His sweet Tamar.

He was not just a business ally or partner to him. He was also a confidante to him. The one who was there with him ever since he can remember. His companion. Whom he considered a friend. Tamar had never shown any such signs of him considering Julian as a friend though. Nor his behaviour with Julian indicated anything as such. Nevertheless, to Julian he was a friend.

Juian was a lonely child afterall. Being the son of South Korea's mafia has it's own set of drawbacks. At least as much as  Julian did have friends but only from the groups that were his father's allies. And there were no place for emotions in even those children of his age, that he was seeking in a friend.  

His father was aware of this. Guess that's why he bought Tamar. But it was not just solely for him. He had other reasons too.

Tamar's birthplace was in a small village of Afghanistan. Only a handful of folks and their families there are lucky enough to have a good and normal life. 

Tamar was not one of them. 

His father made a deal with one of the head of a local group who carried out illegal activities. The man was at his house originally for his sister.  His parents begged for some mercy. So the man offered to spare her in exchange of the boy. He was of more use than the girl anyways and not to forget he was as good looking too. His parents were helpless and they agreed to send him off with that man. Tamar had no regrets or complain. Even he did not wanted for his sister to be there as some object for them to feast on. Better him than her. He was only 7 then.

Tamar saw the  man rose to fame for the next five years. Even as a kid, he was favored by the head. Now the head was associated with huge mafia clans from all over. The Russian mafia, khangpe and yakuza were his allies. 

Hence, one day Julian's father's eyes laid on this boy during one meeting with the head. Nobody knows what potential he saw in that kid. Because he wasted no time to buy that boy from his head. Bringing him along here, he told Julian that the boy will be his companion from now on. Julian was overjoyed. And that is the only reason till date, Julian has ever liked that bastard of a father of his. 

Though both boys had difficulty to communicate with each other- none spoke other's language. With time they adjusted, mostly because Tamar had learned Korean and speaks it with his own accent. No surprise there. He was leaving among them and was extremely smart. Besides, they both ere made to learn english together. It worked out eventually for them.

Tamar was always there when he needed a shouldr to cry or someone to lean on. So it was ok if Tamar did not see him as his friend. Him being always there and being loyal to him were enough for Julian. At some point during his teenage years, Julian even thought that he was in love with Tamar. He tried to make a move on him but Tamar didn't entertain him. He backed off!

Nobody talked about that ever after and neither tried something. Julian came to realize that he confused his feelings for Tamar as love. Whatever he felt for him, was just because Tamar was the only one who he can show his real emotions to. Yet, he also knew that he surely have a soft spot for the person as a friend. And is protective of him. He was the reason that Julian was still alive after he had to kill Yunji. Apart from Yunji, Tamar was the only one he cared for.

Yet it didn't mean that he was ok. He was getting stuck in the puddle of drugs and alcohol every day more and more. Passing out at random time, at random place with random people. Not even able to wake up even hours after it.The reason Tamar was waking him with throwing a bucket of water. And it seemed impossible, even with Tamar's presence to get out of it.

Until now. Until he got news of his love being alive.

After so long he can again hope to survive and live.

 He got pulled out of his reverie when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he found Tamar wearing a soft expression, looking in his direction. He looked around and now just comes to know that they were alone. Tamar must have dismissed them. 

He got up immediately and hugged Tamar tightly. He was overwhelmed and a few more tears of joy escaped his eyes. Tamar returned the hug. Even if he was not into showing and tried to control it, the man has surely loosened a bit and grants affection to Julian occassionally.

"Tamar, she- she is alive. She is alive Tamar." Julian exclaimed happily

Tamar just hummed.

"Am I dreaming? Or is it real?" he looked at Tamar, silently asking for a confirmation.

"It sure is real Julian. Don't worry!"

Julian hugged him again,

A few moments later Tamar detached himself from the man "I am going to offer my prayers now."

Right, Tamar offered prayers five times a day. Julian never understood that, nor can he relate. Nevertheless, he was fascinated with Tamar's devotion. He always let him be. But today he was going ask something from him.

"Pray for me too Tamar. Pray that this time I will get my happiness completely." he requested grinning.

Tamar watched for few seconds then left him after nodding in reply.

—

"Wow! That's a lot of money!" Dongguk exclaimed. He had texted Hwang Dong a day after their meeting and explaining him how to approach Julian and how much money to ask. The man did it and everything was successful. He right after got his share from the advance money Hwang Dong got. He was going to hand the girl over to him the very next day, collecting his money afterwards from Hwang Dong. And then he was done! Out of the picture or whatever that will take place.

At present he was sitting in front of the man whose plan was this all. He came here to take the girl with him for delivering her to Hwang Dong after. Sehun offered  him some more amount for taking her with him. He had also told about the fake story Hwang Dong had told Julian regarding her illness. 

Dongguk cannot believe how lucky he got. He was enjoying the view of the bills in front of him with greed in his eyes.

"Get her to Hwang Dong safely and then we are done. You can retrieve your remaining share from him afterwards." Sehun Stated

Dongguk just nodded, still enjoying himself. Then he looked up to Sehun and smirked. 

" Wow! I still can;t believe I am doing business with you."

"Neither can I." Sehun agreed. " Now take her with you and bring her to Julian." Sehun gestured Junmyeon to get Yuri and the other followed.

"All the best Yuri! I hope for you to succeed." Junmyeon wished calling her by her given name. She might be hearing it for the last time, who knows?

Yuri and Junmyeon both headed towards them. When Dongguk had a look at her he stood gaping with wide eyes at her. 

"Oh my God!" Dongguk breathed. "I don't believe my eyes. Is that really her?" he asked looking at Sehun.

"That is not for you to worry. Just carry out with our deal and get lost with your money."

Dongguk just gave her a disgusted look but didn't commented anything. 

Sehun walked towards her and said, "Make sure you do not blow this Or I will kill you." Sehun warned.

She just gave a glare to him and went away with Dongguk.