Stretching her arms as she winced in pain, what was she thinking? Obviously, no one would be able to heal in such a short period of time. It might take her months to start walking normally. It’s so frustrating yet, there’s nothing she could do.

 

Maybe, this is the time to embrace life and stray far away from the dark world she lived in. Right here in this apartment, it doesn’t seem that bad. She gets to be nursed by her girlfriend and explore this interesting television in the living room.

 

Hayoung has stopped asking Namjoo about her friends. She’s stopped caring about the Onyx and Seven Life. She’s stopped worrying about whoever that was almost skinning her to death. Even though she knows that it’s such a selfish act, but everyone thinks that she’s dead…except for her girlfriend. If she were to revive herself in this very moment, she will not be living so freely like this.

 

And honestly, Hayoung prefers it like that.

 

With each passing day in this apartment home with the love of her life around and not having to worry of anyone coming to kill her, that seems pretty good already.

 

“Really? My electricity bills are going to rise because of you!”

 

Namjoo sighed, coming back from her shift and snatching the remote control from Hayoung. As much as the nurse is doing the favour by keeping her secret safe, she’s starting to regret it. Her girlfriend is taking full advantage of her home and becoming a full-fledged couch potato.

 

“Hey…I was planning to watch Netflix.”

 

“What did you do while I was gone?”

 

“Uh…I watched cat videos on Youtube for about two hours? Then I found some videos about these people playing with slime. Oh! There is this game called PUBG? It looks pretty fun.”

 

“…Babe. Is this really what you want?” Namjoo asked, sitting down on the couch as she turned off the television and faced her girlfriend whose arm is now in a cast.

 

 “I know you want to avoid it. I know you chose to betray your family because of me but…are you really sure that you just…really want everyone to think that you’re still dead?”

 

“…” Hayoung looked down, like a guilty child whose wrongdoings have been revealed openly like that. “…I can’t bear to face them after what I did Namjoo. I’d rather pretend to play dead then come out alive. Can’t I just…” She leaned her body towards the nurse, snuggling her head onto Namjoo’s shoulder. “…stay here forever?”

 

Damn, her girlfriend really knows how to pull at her heart. When she’s sick and injured, she’s suddenly a soft, little puppy who needs so much care and love. But once she’s recovered, she’s back to that savage, controlling woman that knows exactly how to trap her.

 

“The funeral is next week.”

 

Yeah, Namjoo won’t back down. She will fight. She can’t let herself be defeated by her girlfriend’s charms. She can’t let Hayoung take advantage of her anymore. She’s going to spit the hard facts at her face.

 

“Where are they going to place my grave?”

 

“There won’t be a grave.”

 

“That’s better. A betrayer doesn’t deserve a grave.”

 

“Hayoung!”

 

Namjoo’s had enough. She’s so done with this negativity…this air of pessimism floating around her home. She’s through with Hayoung’s sulking.

 

“W-wait, who are you calling…babe? Babe!”

 

The nurse jumped out of the couch, grabbed Hayoung’s crutches and ran to the kitchen, knowing that her girlfriend won’t be able to catch her without it.

 

“F- babe, don’t do it! PLEASE!”

 

She dialed a number as it ringed into her ear. Hayoung is already freaking out, almost wanting to crawl on the floor just to make her stop.

 

“I’m sorry Hayoung. But I can’t bear to watch you like this anymore. I didn’t sign up to date a baby.” Namjoo said as the line connected.

 

Click!

 

“Hello? Is this Park Sojin?”

 

 

 

xxx

 

 

 

Finishing a round of checking her patients, Doctor Jung looked at her watch and decided to check up on her wife—even though she isn’t supposed to.

 

Everything is looking green.

 

Chorong has been transferred to a normal ward after her vital signs stabilized. The hospital will now fully focus on her recovery which may take months or even years. With long stretched treatments, countless of diagnosis and therapies, it is uncertain whether the Chorong back then, will even return.

 

It is the hard truth that Eunji has begun to accept over the past weeks. It’s been difficult both emotionally and physically but, she knows better. She is a doctor and there is nothing she can do. Head injuries are complex especially with its aftermaths. At this point, she’s just playing a gamble now.

 

But Eunji will do anything for her.

 

“I’ll take that.”

 

Doctor Jung casually snatched the food tray away from the nurses, obviously hinting that she will serve the patient in ward D419 instead. Walking with heavy steps inside, Eunji quietly greeted Chorong with a bow and placed the bowl of porridge on the table.

 

She tries to feed her whenever there is a chance.

 

Usually, it’s the nurses or Yerin doing the job. But sometimes, Doctor Jung wants to.

 

Even though Eunji has yet to break the news that she is her wife, that she has amnesia and that she was in a horrible accident caused by chasing the truth of her father’s “death”, everything is just…too complicated to be revealed now. Now, Chorong thinks Eunji is just some really kind doctor who takes really good care of her.

 

“Hey, don’t force yourself. It takes time. You have to be patient.” Doctor Jung placed the spoon down with a sigh. “Even when you lose your memories, you’re still that same stubborn woman huh?”

 

She mumbled under her breath, noticing Chorong’s eyes raise slightly. Crap. It was a slip of the tongue and now, she has to spill it all.

 

“Alright. I know it must be really frustrating to not really know what’s going on. You probably have so many questions to ask yet, you’re just stuck here in this boring room, eating this awful food and watching the sun set.”

 

Eunji gulped nervously, eyes somewhat finding its way into Chorong’s orbs again, even though she swore to never do that. It still sends her heart tingling with emotions that is just hard to describe.

 

“But I’m going to do this for you, Chorong. It’s to make you feel better and hopefully, it will help in your recovery.”

 

The doctor begins to tell the story, from Park Joon Hyung’s mysterious death, how she became involved in an accident that made her lose her memories and the current situation of the Onyx. But Eunji did not explained a very important part in this timeline of events: the arranged marriage.

 

She said nothing about that one year spent, filled with nothing but love and joy. She said nothing about how they fell so deep in love, exchanging sweet moments and long night conversations at home. She said nothing about how the Doctor Jung here, was actually Chorong’s wife, married with proof on paper.

 

But the doctor has her reasons. And honestly, it’s killing her on the inside. Because of this wall she’s put up, Eunji can’t even freely touch Chorong, hug her, kiss her, nor act intimate and sweet. She can’t pull around her flirty jokes or like they always did.

 

Doctor Jung can only treat Chorong as another ordinary person in this world, empty of love and desire.

 

She’s doing it for her.

 

“I know this can be a lot to take in and well, I don’t expect you to try and escape because you can barely walk. But I don’t want you to think about anything else but recovering, okay?”

 

Wanting to escape this ward quickly because of this sour feeling inside her heart, Eunji got up from her seat as she watched Chorong nod slowly with understanding. Even though it’s such a small thing, but to the doctor, it’s just so ing cute that she’s being such a good, obedient girl.

 

To Chorong, she doesn’t know why this doctor is so concerned for her wellbeing. No one has ever showed so much care, besides her siblings. The queen can see through. The queen noticed the different colour of Doctor Jung whenever she’s talking to her.

 

It’s something that leaves her thinking these days.

 

 

xxx

 

 

Bumping into her best friend at the corridor, Eunji and Bomi exchanged sad glances with one another. They are aware of the pain they have gone through, involving their loved one. The hint of shock and realization that they were in a risky relationship of losing someone close to their heart, it’s a mutual feeling that doesn’t require words to explain.

 

“How is she doing?”

 

“Better. She can talk and now, she’s going to grow fat from eating all the cakes I’ve been getting her!”

 

Bomi grinned, proudly showing off her endearment and care as Eunji chuckled, somewhat relieved that her friend is pretty stable with her emotions.

 

“Well, don’t you think this is the perfect time to confess? Naeun is always busy, running about. She’s literally going to be in the hospital for the next couple months. This is your chance.”

 

“Hey…you can’t suddenly shove this heavy task to me all of a sudden…” Bomi lowered her head, blushing shyly. She still hasn’t gotten the courage to do that yet. Eunji smiled softly as it somewhat reminded her of Chorong. Back then, it was so difficult to make her wife to mutter those three special words.

 

“It doesn’t have to be in words. You don’t have to follow what everyone does. Do it the way you want to profess it, Bom-ah.” Eunji patted her back, and walked off, hoping that it gave her friend an idea.

 

And it definitely did.

 

“You’ve been looking at your phone for a really long time. You can go if your superiors are calling you.”

 

Naeun said, quietly reading a book that Bomi bought for her as she nibbled onto a pastry snack that, Bomi also bought for her. In fact, her ward room has been filled with a lot of food and cute things like pink balloons, teddy bears. It has definitely made it the place much brighter. Although…it can be embarrassing for those in Naeun’s shoes but the woman wants to proud of Bomi’s “love”.

 

She’s her best friend. Always.

 

“Done!” The nurse stood up from her seat, excited. Naeun looked at her confused with furrowed eyebrows.

 

“Done…what?”

 

“Oh-nothing. I just made the perfect Spotify playlist for you to listen while I’m gone.” Bomi hummed, plugging the earphones into the phone aux and putting them on Naeun. She pressed play, “I’m gonna leave for a bit. Listen to the song okay?” and left the room.

 

Naeun obediently listened to the nurse as she was left alone in the ward. The Spotify playlist that Bomi made starts off with a nice classic song and already, she’s pretty impressed at her friend’s choices. Curious on what else she has lined up, the woman picked up the phone and scrolled through the song list only to notice these subtle messages left behind:

 

1. Hello (SHINEE)

 

2. Beautiful (Wanna One)

 

3. I (Taeyeon)

 

4. Really Really (Winner)

 

5. Love U (Chungha)

 

6. Sometimes (HONNE)

 

7. I Just (Red Velvet)

 

8. Wish you were gay (Billie Elish)

 

9. Like Me (pH-1)

 

10. But, are you? (Heize)

 

11. I Don’t Know (Seventeen)

 

12. I Wish (WJSN)

 

13. WE (Pristin)

 

14. Could Be Real (Diners)

 

15. You Are (Got7)

 

16. My Type (iKON)

 

17. My Flower (JBJ)

 

18. Always (Apink)

 

 

Naeun widened her eyes in surprise, blinking several times as she processed the message. Maybe it is just coincidental that it was arranged that way? No…Bomi spent quite some time creating the playlist. She put in so much thought and effort that…oh…her heart is beating again, in that strange rhythm, that creates butterflies in her stomach.

 

She was so, so wrong in the end.

 

She was mistaken.

 

Bomi is not just some “friend”. Bomi is not just a “best friend”. She was so much more, yet Naeun was afraid to admit it.

 

She was scared that it was just her. But loving someone…she can’t bear to lose another. Not when she lost everyone like that too.

 

 

Rain poured heavily that day.

 

Police sirens illuminated these gloomy streets as Naeun stood there, frozen in fear. In the end, it happened once again. The moment she tried to love again, she loses them. God doesn’t want her to be happy. God doesn’t want her to live a peaceful life.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“To where?”

 

“…I don’t know. But somewhere better.”

 

It started when her parents died in a car accident. When she was transferred to be cared under her aunt, she died from a sudden illness. When she was moved to an orphanage, the building was caught in her fire, killing everyone inside. And now, when a kind stranger took her in…she was brutally murdered by a lurking serial killer.

 

Naeun doesn’t know why this keeps happening to her. The moment she opens her heart to something, to someone, the world decides to crush it in any way possible. It has come to a point where Naeun believes that she is a cursed child, capable of killing people through the thought of love.

 

Or at least, that’s what she thinks.

 

However, Naeun doesn’t know how naïve and innocent she was. That from the very beginning, she was closely watched by The Onyx. These killings and death that happened around her, were all intentional.

 

And that was how, The Onyx took her in.

 

“Welcome young one. What’s your name?”

 

“Naeun…Son Naeun.”

 

“A beautiful name you have there. We have been waiting for you, Naeun.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Yes. You are special, don’t you know that? Come, let me show you.”

 

And that was how, Naeun locked her heart tightly so that no one would be able to touch it. She learned how to fight and hone her skills to kill. At a young age, she had forgotten these feelings of love, replaced by feelings to kill.

 

But that was until…a certain someone made her heart beat again.

 

Yoon Bomi.

 

 

It was all in the past. Scars and horrible nightmares that should be long gone.

 

But as much as she would be happy to accept their relationship as it is now, as much as she would dream of having the perfect girlfriend and spend the rest of their days in pure love and happiness…the scars of the past have continued to haunt her and wake her up in the middle of the night.

 

Naeun can’t do it. She can’t bring herself to admit it.

 

She can’t.

 

The woman flinched upon hearing Bomi return, smiling widely with anticipation in her eyes.

 

“How’s the playlist Naeun? Is it good?”

 

“Mm. I like it.”

 

Naeun nodded, biting her lip and doesn’t say anything else. She’s pretending to not notice the hints in the playlist and continued to play dumb. As much as she feels so guilty, so sorry for acting this way, she just…can’t. And already, there was a slight glint of darkness looming inside Bomi’s eyes, believing that she failed once again.

 

“T-That’s good. Anyways, I made the playlist so that you won’t feel lonely when I’m gone. Gotta go now, doctors are calling me. See you later Naeun!”

 

The nurse quickly rushed out of the room because it felt so frustrating to be in that room. She was suffocating. Standing behind the door, Bomi breathed a heavy sigh, head down, wondering if it’s probably just her. She’s blaming everything on herself, because she just isn’t good enough.

 

She’s just a coward who can’t even confess properly.

 

She thought she could have it easy by crafting it into a playlist, but obviously it’s all gone down to the drain. Maybe it’s better to just stay one-sided. Maybe it’s better to never let her know at all.

 

It’s better for her.

 

 

xxx

 

 

 

When the leader of the pack is gone, its family will crumble as well. But that is not what the Onyx were trained to be. They are independent, capable of handling unexpected situations in light of danger.

 

Even when their headquarters was burnt down to ashes by an unknown force, even when all of their secret hideouts were destroyed, even when all of their men were hunted down, there was still a place to go.

 

A place that only the Park family members know.

 

Someone betrayed them and leaked everything to their enemies who began a massacre, slaughtering anyone who was part of the Onyx. All that is left, is the true blooded canines.

 

“Did we miss anyone out, sis?” Leeteuk asked, flipping through the black and white photographs of their fallen comrades. They are preparing for a funeral ceremony to remember their sacrifices.

 

“Rather than missing anyone out, someone has returned from the dead.” Sojin said calmly, picking up a portrait of Hayoung and removing it from the stack. “She’s alive.”

 

“Thank god.” Bogum sighed in relief, thinking how much grief it would have caused to her sister. “I knew that girl wouldn’t die so easily.”

 

“Where is she now?”

 

“Allow me to handle that. Hayoung has…some issues.” Sojin replied.

 

At that moment, the metal doors opened as Chanyeol and Sooyoung entered the meeting room. The man was covered in blood but carrying his arms was, Junghwa. Immediately, the team rushed to their side and checked on their condition.

 

“Those ing bastards thought they could mess with us? The Onyx family? Ha…that’ll teach them a lesson.” Chanyeol growled, wiping the stains on his mouth as he gently placed Junghwa onto a couch.

 

“Stop talking big. We nearly got killed oppa!” Sooyoung exasperated.

 

Luckily, Junghwa isn’t hurt. Untouched in fact. But she is unconscious.

 

“We need to take her to Seven Life for examination.” Sojin ordered, knowing that in their current situation, they lack the resources and supplies to even perform a simple medical checkup.

 

In this small, underground facility, it is old and dirty. After all, the last person who used it was Joon Hyung in the 1970’s when he was running away from the government after assassinating the president. It is remnant of his history and now, relived in his children.

 

“We are truly in debt to Seven Life. Even when our father has gone, even when we have caused so much trouble, they continued to help us in these dark times.” Yoochun said, realizing how friendship and loyalty is so important in life. “The three of you will go to Seven Life. Let us, Elite Three handle the funeral process.”

 

“But what about father?! There isn’t enough time hyung!” Chanyeol fumed, impatient as his older brothers all seemed to be very slow in the “rescue mission”.

 

“In this game, you must be patient. Wait for your prey to appear. They will come for us eventually and then; we will strike when it is hot.” Leeteuk said, smirking with a plan in hand.

 

Despite the losses they had, despite being thrown to a corner and surviving to wits end, Leeteuk, Sojin and Yoochun remained relatively calm over the whole situation unlike their siblings who have panicked and allowed their emotions to take over.

 

Indeed, the Elite Three are on another level.

 

“Take these as you go. Be careful.” Yoochun said, handing the last of the remaining weaponry at the facility. “Conserve the bullets and only shoot when necessary.” He advised, watching his siblings run off to the outside world, carrying Junghwa in their arms as they headed off for Seven Life.

 

With the younger siblings gone, the Elite Three have the space all to their own.

 

“So…back to where we were talking…do you really want to take the risk?” Yoochun asked, crossing his arms as he is not fond of the idea.

 

“Are you going to keep treating them like kids, Yoochun? If they die, they die. That’s just how we are raised. Those who can’t make it, don’t deserve to belong in the pack. Send them there.”

 

“You’ve spent too long in Mexico, brother.” The man shook his head. “You know very well that the ones capable of reaching the Chamber of Reflection is us. Are you…afraid that you’ll fail?”

 

Leeteuk chuckled. “As if. I thought this would be perfect to test their limits. But since we already know where it is, and we already know that father is doing perfectly fine in his cell, there is no need to rush.” The man leaned back to his chair.

 

“You’re going to let Father suffer through those tests as we sit here and wait, debating whether it is better to send our brothers and sisters there?! Leeteuk, stop acting like all high and mighty! This isn’t about that!”

 

Yoochun slammed his hands on the table, frustrated and annoyed.

 

As the two brothers continued to argue, Sojin simply stayed quiet, sighing as it is a common sight whenever the younger siblings are not around. It is the only time where they can freely be themselves.

 

“Why did I end up having two annoying older brothers? Geez, this is why having sisters are so much better.”

 

Sojin mumbled, flipping through the files received by their out sources. The Elite Three have already pinpointed the location of the Chamber. They have also discovered Seungri’s hideout location and have already constructed a whole strategy to end his life forever.

 

But the problem was, no matter how perfect the plan was, there were two sides controlling it. Leeteuk and Yoochun. As they continued to push and pull with their contradicting ideas, nothing gets done which was why, Leeteuk decided to move away to Mexico while the Yoso Twins resided in Russia.

 

The two brothers were simply…incompatible.

 

And the only ones who could control them was, Park Sojin.

 

Now that the Elite Three were back together…someone has to create a balance.

 

“I have a better plan. Why don’t the two of you just get the out while I organize the funeral for our fallen comrades?”

 

The woman smiled scarily, clasping her hands together as she’s ready to kick them out. Immediately, Leeteuk and Yoochun returned to their seats. Silencing their mouth, crossing their arms as they stared at the blank wall, not wanting to exchange eye contact.

 

“In the meantime, I suggest that rebuilding our forces is a better solution. The stronger we become, the more chances this mission will become a success. Father can wait because…he chose to do it. He chose to accept Seungri’s proposal as the government’s slave. They won’t kill him. They won’t even dare.”

 

“But if we do this…it could take months and even years, sis!” Yoochun cut in, clearly unhappy.

 

“Time is precious, I know. But utilize it carefully, and suddenly, time is your good friend. Wait for Chorong to recover and then we’ll talk. She will lead the mission to the Chamber of Reflection.”

 

“Chorong…huh? Yeah…I like that. She’s a tough girl.” Leeteuk smiled. “Even though in meetings, Father always criticized her but our sister has no idea how many times Father has complimented her in our private meetings.”

 

 

 

xxx

 

 

 

Analyzing the MRI scans, it would be a lie if Doctor Jung isn’t nervous to have three Onyx members staring at her. Well, they are her family members but she’s not close with them.

 

“How is Junghwa’s condition?”

 

“Well…” Eunji cleared . “She’s in a complicated situation. We will need further examination for this.”

 

“But will she be alright?” Bogum asked. Ah, yes, it’s the kind boy that Eunji much prefers over the other one who is often too loud and rude.

 

“Yes. Her vital signs are healthy. We will keep her in the ward and observe her for the next couple days. Check back later for updates.”

 

Eunji waits for them to reply as they all seem to be busy checking their pager. Looks like they received a message and while the doctor is clearing , she flinches at Chanyeol suddenly punching his fist into the wall out of anger.

 

“They really like to order us around just because they are in control now huh? Sometimes, I hate those hyungs.” Chanyeol grumbled, sighing as he stormed out of the room.

 

Eunji stared at Sooyoung, hoping that she will at least explain the situation as Bogum ran out to chase his hot-headed brother.

 

“Good news for you, Doctor Jung! The three of us will be guarding Seven Life for god knows how long!” The woman sarcastically replied, shrugging as she has completely given up. As much as she is confused as to how her older siblings aren’t doing much to “save” their Father, she is certain that there is a reason for it. After all, she’s the youngest so she is in no power to object anyway.

 

“I see…uh, what about your father then? Shouldn’t you guys be looking for him? In that…what, Chamber of Reflection?”

 

“Yeah, but it looks like father is going to be there for awhile.”

 

“What?”

 

“There doesn’t seem to be any rescue mission going on or anything really. I don’t know. I guess we need to wait for Chorong unnie to recover first. Could take months or years.” Sooyoung hummed, crossing her arms in thought. “…Does she know yet?” She asked, carefully.

 

Doctor Jung shook her head. “I don’t plan on telling her.”

 

“But, why?” Sooyoung frowned her eyebrows in confusion. “Why do this to yourself, Doctor?”

 

 “It is for her own sake. I don’t want her to become distracted especially since she is in this line of duty. I plan to hold back until all of this is over. I’m sure you know Chorong just as well as I do. She’s the type to focus on one goal at a time.”

 

“That’s true. The mention of love…is something that my sister feels very awkward with. With everything happening now…maybe it’s best not to tell her yet. But that’s going to be really hard on you, Doctor. I can’t imagine how much pain you’re going through. Must be hard to hold back…”

 

“Well, if love gives you pain, it’ll give you the strength to endure the pain.”

 

Eunji smiled sadly, gently pinching Sooyoung’s shoulder as she got up and ready to transfer Junghwa out of the MRI room. 

 

 

xxx

 

 

Pulling the gear back up so that the car is parked, Namjoo unbuckled her seatbelt. Just as she’s about to open the door, she shot a glance over at her girlfriend sitting beside. Gosh, she’s such a child.

 

“Come on, big baby.” The nurse sighed, seeing how Hayoung’s just pouting and crossing her arms, refusing to even move from her seat.

 

“I hate you.”

 

“Oh wow, what a strong word.” Namjoo scoffed, clearly unamused. She’s already very immune to Hayoung’s childish attempts. “Sojin is waiting for you. I don’t care but today is the day you return from the death, stinky zombie.” The nurse stretched over and unbuckled Hayoung’s seatbelt for her.

 

“…”

 

Namjoo leaned in and sweetly smooched her girlfriend, who seemed a bit happier now. “Do it for me.”

 

“…Fine.” Hayoung sighed, eventually surrendering. “I’ll do it for you.” Opening the door and holding onto her crutches, the woman groaned.

 

At this empty yet serene park far from Seoul, the woman already saw Sojin waiting at the bench. She’s scared and nervous, knowing that the consequences are inevitable. With the help of her girlfriend, they managed to climb up the slope and eventually reached the meeting point.

 

“Hi, Sojin. It’s been awhile.” Namjoo bowed, suddenly feeling this odd tension between the two women. “Well, I guess I’ll let you guys have a private conversation.” The nurse said, “I’ll be in the car,” whispering into Hayoung’s ear before heading off.

 

Hayoung watched her girlfriend go back into her car, sighing again for the nth time as she looked at Sojin who seemed to be waiting for an explanation. Well, she’s technically considered her “mother” because Sojin was the one who raised her since young.

 

It was only until she was transferred to Russia that the contact was momentarily lost.

 

And that was ten years ago.

 

“How long do you need? An hour? A whole day? You know that I need to know every single detail, Hayoung.”

 

“Well, even if I tell you now…I’m not even sure if you would even kill me in this very instance.” Hayoung chuckled nervously, seeing the hint of surprise on Sojin’s face. “Unnie…I did something really…really bad.”

 

“…Hayoung.” Sojin’s tone became cold. “Were you the one who told them?”

 

The woman nodded, closing her eyes shut as the truth has already been revealed. Tears are already rolling down her cheeks because she feels so guilty for it. She knows that because of her, thousands have died. She is the cause of their deaths.

 

“Oh my god. Hayoung.” Sojin gave in a short breath, speechless as she doesn’t know what to say. “How…how could you?”

 

“My life was at stake. I…I was ready to die and keep everything inside. But…I realized that I couldn’t. Because…because of her. I…did it for her.” Hayoung sobbed quietly, fists clenching tightly because she’s afraid that this might be her last.

 

“You know very well of the consequences, Hayoung.”

 

“I’m sorry Sojin. But I don’t plan on dying yet. Even if you want to kill me now…I…I won’t hesitate to fight you.”

 

“I know.”

 

Sojin said, smiling softly yet hurt that this child she has raised, changed so much in that ten years. She’s somewhat glad that Hayoung has found a meaning to live again. But even though she was raised in a canine family where breaking laws meant death, maybe it doesn’t have to be that way. After all, her father wasn’t around. He isn’t there to direct the orders.

 

Sojin’s in charge now.

 

“But I won’t kill you. Nor will I send any of the Onyx members to hunt you down.”

 

“…Sojin…”

 

“But you don’t belong to our family anymore. Because of the things you did…it is only right that you stepped out. To call it quits. After all, I think this is a better solution since you seem… happier now.” Sojin glanced over at Namjoo innocently sitting in the car with a worried expression, wondering why Hayoung is crying so hard.

 

“…Thank you…for sparing my life…”

 

Hayoung continued to sobbed, grateful and relieved that it didn’t have to end up that way. She threw away her crutches and kneeled in front of Sojin because she cannot express the amount of gratitude that is overflowing her body.

 

“Come on, get up. Don’t make such a scene, it’s embarrassing.” Sojin chuckled, quickly getting the crutches back. Gently cupping her hands onto Hayoung’s face, the woman wanted to take one last look at this child who has grown up so well, and now, is ready to leave the nest.

 

“I will tell the rest about your exile. You must be ready to accept that unlike me; others may not be happy at your betrayal. Even so, these are the consequences that you must bear.”

 

Hayoung nodded, silent as she rubbed her tears away.

 

“Now, go. Be free and fly your wings proudly, my dear.”

 

 

 

xxx

 

 

It is driving her crazy.

 

Maybe she should just stop visiting Chorong’s ward every now and then. Because the more she sees her, the more she wants to just kiss her, hug her, touch her…god, the tension is nuts.

 

Scrolling through a random shopping website, completely ignoring all of her piling work on the desk, Doctor Jung suddenly laughed to herself. Perhaps, she’s slowly losing her sanity.

 

“Maybe I should just buy a teddy bear and pretend that its Chorong. Ha…ha…how stupid of you…Jung Eunji.”

 

Oh, but another idea popped into her mind.

 

Eunji could just sedate Chorong, so that she can just kiss her and do whatever she wants, without the woman even knowing. Wait- that is just obsessive. That is such a toxic relationship. Oh god, Doctor Jung doesn’t even know why that thought even crossed her mind.

 

“! ! !!”

 

Doctor Jung shouted, slamming her fists onto the walls as she honestly doesn’t know what to do anymore. She has already tried calculating how long Chorong would finally be able to talk, be able to walk and be discharged from the hospital. It takes such a long time. If a miracle even happens, that’s six months from now.

 

Six months.

 

Ring! Ring! Ring!

 

“Hello?”

 

Eunji cleared , trying to sound professional on the phone despite the mental breakdown she experienced earlier.

 

“Oh? Really?! Holy shi- I mean,” She cleared again. “That’s great! I’ll be right over!”

 

Putting the phone down, she’s suddenly hopeful. Chorong has started to speak. Maybe…maybe she’ll remember something.

 

Quickly closing her laptop and rushing out of her office, Doctor Jung has never walked this fast to a patient’s ward. Entering D419, Doctor Jung greeted the nurses with a bow, smiling at Soyoung who was checking up on her and…her wife who could finally talk.

 

“How are you feeling, Chorong?”

 

“B-better. Thank you doctor.”

 

“Do you remember anything? Visions, memories?”

 

Chorong carefully lifted her finger and pointed at Eunji. “You.”

 

“M-me?”

 

Eunji’s heart is pumping with hopeful excitement, thinking that maybe her diagnosis was wrong, maybe her amnesia isn’t as bad as it was. Or maybe she recovered some of her memories already.

 

“I remember everything…except you. I…I don’t know why. I’m sorry Doctor Jung.”

 

Eunji tried to smile, even though it did hurt a lot.

 

“It’s okay. You don’t need to know who I am, Chorong. I am just a doctor. Your doctor. I believe your memories will come back soon. Soyoung, I’ll leave the rest to you.” The woman tried to escape, passing the baton to her friend but she could still hear Chorong calling out for her.

 

“But…but why won’t you tell me?”

 

“…Maybe when the time is right…I will tell you Chorong, more about our relationship. More about…what happened between the two of us.”

 

Soyoung looked on, watching Eunji leave the room quickly as she somewhat understood the pain she was going through. She’s already catching Chorong staring at her, hoping that she would spill the truth. But Soyoung decided to respect the doctor’s decision and kept it a secret.

 

“What kind of relationship did I have with Doctor Jung?”

 

Soyoung hummed, checking Chorong’s pulse and writing down notes. “Let’s just say the two of you were really good friends.”

 

With the Queen able to communicate, she has been briefed about the current events by her siblings who were ordered to stick around Seven Life. She knows everything now, from the massacre that killed almost everyone in Onyx, the prolonged rescue mission of their father in the Chamber of Reflections and the more recent news…Hayoung’s exile from the organization.

 

She still remembers the events at the mortuary pretty vividly which is surprising as the results showed that Chorong only retained memories from the past. But perhaps, it was still a fresh and impact memory that continued to stay, engrained in her head. How she was pulled into a trap, the room around her exploding into flames and she jumped out of the window with Naeun as a means to escape, she can still remember it clean and clear.

 

She also knows about Seungwoo and his team, the boys from Team X whom she raised, they were all gone like that. Slaughtered in a massacre that left them like sitting ducks.

 

But Sojin crafted a lie and told everyone that Hayoung’s exile was due to her atrocious injuries that caused her to become “unfit” to perform. She never revealed the fact that Hayoung was the one who revealed the secrets, leading to the massacre.

 

“Could you help me find Hayoung’s current whereabouts?” Chorong asked as everyone was gathered in her ward, including Naeun who was in a wheelchair. Among the Power Generation, Chorong still held the authority.

 

“As much as we would like to help you sis, but the Elite Three ordered us to stay put here. You know they don’t like it when we disobey.” Bogum said calmly, knowing that if Chanyeol were to respond, he would continue to rant forever.

 

“You can convince them sis! You’re the only one who can do it! Please! I can’t bear just sitting around in this hospital. We have to rescue dad!” Chanyeol exasperated, having enough of being a yes-man to his older siblings.

 

“Junghwa unnie still hasn’t woken up. Our headquarters has been burnt down. We don’t have anywhere to go except for that old, stinking place. I just want all of this to be over unnie.” Sooyoung begged, knowing that if Park Joon Hyung is back, everything will be returned to order.

 

They could have those peaceful days back.

 

“…I’m sorry.” Chorong said. She is well-aware of her siblings’ desire to rescue Joon Hyung but with the Elite Three blocking their way, the Queen knows best for the reasons behind it. “There is nothing I can do. As much as I wish I had super powers so that I can heal quickly and we can all go together to this Chamber of Reflections and rescue dad…I can’t do anything.”

 

Chanyeol and Sooyoung lowered their heads, losing hope. But Bogum was trying to understand and tried to accept the fact that there are reasons for this decision.

 

“We won’t try to push you noona. I think it is better to pray for your speedy recovery. In the meantime, I think we can try to recruit more people to join our family. We need to rebuild back our forces. Make people remember who The Onyx are.” Bogum smiled with optimism. “I’m sure father is doing fine. Sojin noona said that he isn’t dead anyway.”

 

“Being all wishy-washy won’t ing help, Bogum. Keep dreaming!” Chanyeol scoffed, storming out of the ward to get some fresh air.

 

“Sorry, he’s been in a pretty bad mood lately.” Sooyoung said.

 

“Yeah, I could tell. But it shows how much he cares for Father.” Chorong smiled, looking out at the window where the clear skies were at. “I don’t know how long this is going to take but once I’m fully recovered, all of us will get you out of there, Father. I promise you.”

 

 

 

xxx

 

 

 

White walls, front and back, 360 degrees around. Heavy chains around his ankles as he’s quietly picking up a piece of bread and munching, a small crumb fell onto his white shirt. Dusting it away, the man continued to eat and remained rather, peaceful in this pristine white environment.

 

Well, he’s already used to it.

 

The colour white isn’t as blinding as he thought, and he thinks of this as a temporary “vacation”. After all, what better way to spend retirement in a nice, compact cell, not having to worry about cops coming after you, meet with clients or decide the best strategy to take in an assassination attempt?

 

In fact, Park Joon Hyung has been spending his days in isolating by reflecting back on his old days. They were good, glorious times. When he assassinated the president, raided the World Bank, temporarily broke the economic market and syphoned all of their money, oh, those were the best moments.

 

And now, these puny, “scientists” believed that his amazing brain was similar to Albert Einstein because of the way he planned out these missions, these strategies and games to trick the world.

 

They’ve asked him to play a game of chess, solve a Rubik’s cube and heck, even ask him to draw something on a piece of blank paper. He finds it rather funny at these humans who seem so fascinated at abilities.

 

But they don’t even know. No, they have no ing idea.

 

Park Joon Hyung was here to observe and see the Chamber of Reflection for his own. He has heard so much about this place and now, he has already gotten the blueprints, the plan to destroy it completely and free everyone else who is trapped in this facility.

 

He has everything memorized. The numbers, the data, the statistics, the passwords, oh, they made such a terrible idea to not execute him in this very moment. Park Joon Hyung is finally able to achieve his long dream: world domination.

 

“How are you today, Mr. Park Joon Hyung?”

 

The same, old scientist with that weird hair that makes him look like a walking pumpkin. Joon Hyung always finds him funny.

 

“I’m doing alright. Just that your bread is so ing hard, takes hours for me to chew it down!”

 

“Well, I apologize that it isn’t the best. Anyways, you have a visitor.”

 

Joon Hyung squinted his eyes from the shadowy figure walking from afar, soon noticing the familiar face as he frowned and growled. It’s the same man. The same man who tried to trap him, coax him into this place.

 

“Seungri.”

 

“Old man.” He smirked in reply, bowing his head as the scientist left to give them personal space. “I am here to bring you news.”

 

“Let me guess…you tried to destroy everything that I have built for the last decade and succeeded?”

 

“Perhaps.”

 

“Ha. Should I congratulate you? Does it feel good to watch me be this small and useless?”

 

“Well, I kept your promise. I slaughtered everyone but, your precious, little, adorable children that you care so much. The very same, children you adore that drove you to be in this place. What an admirable father you are.” Seungri chuckled, clapping his hands together.

 

“So, have you come here to gawk and laugh at my demise?”

 

“Oh no, no. I received a very nice piece of information that I think, will be very helpful for MY benefit.” The man whispered into his ear. “Someone told me that one of your most loyal, trusted partners is that very famous hospital called Seven Life. From what I know, they don’t belong to that category of “family” that you mentioned meaning that I would be most, very tempted to destroy that place.”

 

“So, you’ve come here to threaten me in exchange for something that I know. A smart man you are.”

 

“Why do you think I put you here? Why do you think I persuaded those scientists and officials to not kill you? Because you are such a valuable tool to my mission. I know what you have been doing and you know what I want.”

 

“I have certainly underestimated you. Such a sly fox.” Joon Hyung growled, hating that Seungri seemed to have read his mind.

 

“Go on, old man. I am waiting to hear everything you know. Passwords, numbers, statistical data. Let’s watch the world burn together huh? How does a Third World War sound?” Seungri cackled, knowing that Joon Hyung will spill it all. Because the old man has such an obvious weakness.

 

“In exchange for my family and Seven Life…Seungri, just you wait. I will bite you back when I have the chance.”

 

Seungri chuckled, rather amused as he crossed him arms. “I’ll be looking forward to that day, old man. Let’s see if you can even make that happen.”

 

 

--

 

A/N: Times are tough as everything seems to be going according to Seungri's plans. The state of Chorong's amnesia seems to cause our Doctor Jung nothing but more pain. Hayoung is free from the chains of the Onyx, but what will she do now? And the total rejection of Bomi's confession simply out of fear, Naeun may have just made the wrong choice. What will happen to our characters as doom seems to be ticking away? Leave your thoughts in the comments and I'll hopefully see you soon in the next update. :3

Extra Notes: Eunji's phrase "If love gives you pain, it'll give you the strength to endure the pain", is actually taken from here. It is Eunji's favourite line from the drama "Love, Actually". Also, if you're interested, I actually did make the Spotify playlist that Bomi made for fun haha.