Chapter 8

silver | Exhale

Yuri stared down at the steel case that held their lives together for the past eight years. The one thing that has kept them from moving on and the one thing that has kept them from falling apart. She gently traced a finger along the objects in the case. The revolver, polished and pristine, its three chambers visibly empty. A bullet with her name on it, engraved in silver, A bullet with Taeyeon’s name on it, engraved in black, and an empty slot for Jessica’s whose bullet was engraved in the brightest of blues. 

Yuri’s hand traced along the cold metals until they led her to the last indentation in the velvet cushion that lined the case. The last slot. Empty. Void of an occupant. 

Krystal’s bullet.

Yuri closed the case and slipped it into her coat as she walked out the door, following Taeyeon’s trail. She did not know where Krystal’s bullet was, not after Taeyeon removed it following the incident, before her departure for Japan. But one thing Yuri did know:

No matter where it was, Taeyeon would believe that it should be embedded in her own heart. 

///

“Taeyeon, wait.” 

The older woman paused as she leaned over to get her boots from the shoe cabinet.

“Don’t go. Please. We need to-”

“Is there a future in what we do? A future that we would want to look back upon and remember what we caused? I don’t think so.” Taeyeon turned to Yuri as the older woman laced her boots. “There is no future for us. Not with me and him in it.”

“...” Yuri stayed silent as she watched Taeyeon prepare her katana and gloves.

Just as the older woman was reaching for the door knob, Yuri stopped her.

“Taeyeon, wait.” 

The bodyguard stilled, face growing irritated as she turned to face the executive.

“Here.” Yuri turned to the couch and reached into her bag, holding the metal case. She opened it carefully and lifted the gun off the velvet cushion, followed by the two bullets that lay beside it.

“I’m sure the guards will have firearms.” Yuri said, looking Taeyeon in the eye as she gently held the weapon out for the latter to take.

Taeyeon stared at the firearm for a moment before looking back up at Yuri. With her left hand, Taeyeon took the firearm and held it tightly. 

“The bullets are meant for me Yuri.” 

Yuri couldn’t read the expression in Taeyeon’s face as the guard placed the gun underneath her coat. The latter nodded curtly at the younger woman before turning to open and walk out the door.

There seemed to be a lack of color in Yuri’s vision. Everything just seemed black and white now, nothing in between. She thought it a bit funny as she watched Taeyeon run out the door, katana in hand. There seemed to be nothing that would stop Taeyeon, nothing to keep her from running back into the past. She had tried to stop the bodyguard from going out that door and to rather call and wait for help but for the first time in a long time, Taeyeon did not listen to her.

And that made Yuri feel helpless.

///
blue | Exhale II

A voice echoed around her. She recognized it, but couldn’t recall where she had heard it before.

“Patrol the perimeters of the area. There are more than 10 warehouses here, she won’t find us easily.”

Groggy, Jessica opened her eyes slowly and squinted from the harsh light shining upon her. With her affected vision, she could make out the figure of a man watching another man walk out of the room.

Looking around, she could see that she was in a large, open room - the center of a warehouse. Rafters ran along the area along with heavy machinery scattered about. Hearing footsteps approaching, Jessica tore her eyes away from what looked like an elevator and turned towards the source of the movement.

Jessica gasped as she finally got a good look at her captor. His face was one that she would never forget, the face of Krystal’s killer. 

She flinched as he knelt down in front of her on one knee so that they were pretty much at eye level. Noticing her movement, the man smirked and shook his head.

“Jessica Jung.” He said, slowly rising back up to his feet. “Owner of all the popular and famous night playgrounds of Korea and even some in Japan. Aren’t you a capable one?” 

Annoyed at the condescending tone of his voice, Jessica steeled herself and snapped back, “who are you? Do you think you can get away with this?”

“Who am I?” The man asked, laughing as he turned his back to her, walking about. “I am the man who is about to change your life. Again.”

Jessica opened in retort but was interrupted.

“I am his brother. My name is Jang Wooyoung and my brother is Jang Joonin. My brother is dead because of you. And now you will die as well - But not before you watch Kim Taeyeon suffer in front of your very eyes.”

///

A loud noise woke Jessica once more. The sound of the warehouse door opening.

Looking around, she saw a group of men walking in with one carrying a person as Jang Wooyoung walked calmly towards an empty chair, pulling it over so it sat directly across from Jessica, no more than 4 meters apart.

Wooyoung motioned for the men to move towards the chair and Jessica watched as one of the men set the person down on the chair.

Jessica couldn’t help but gasp as the men moved away and revealed the person as no one other than Agent Hwang.

///

black | Exhale III

Taeyeon sped down the busy city streets on her black Kawasaki ZX, weaving in and out of traffic as she made her way quickly towards the warehouse district. She brought with her her favorite blade, one forged by the great Yoshindo Yoshihara during her training in Japan. (According to a certain fanpage, Taeyeon had sliced through more than 100 bullets with it during a training session).

Her other weapon, one she found rather distasteful but more graceful than the other models in her personal armory was the AWC Badlander .22LR Silenced Pistol. The only firearm she had in her armory - a gift from a former combat instructor. 

She had only one goal in this mission. To save Tiffany and Jessica. It didn’t matter who the people were and what they were capable of. It didn’t matter if they were dead or alive. As long as she could get to Jang Wooyoung and end it all.

As long as Jessica and Tiffany make it out alive and unharmed, nothing matters.

Not even death.

///

pink | Exhale IV

Stirring, Tiffany drifted back into consciousness and blinked wearily as the blur in front of her focused into a figure of a woman.

Jessica Jung.

Now alert, Tiffany’s eyes widened as she quickly looked around her surroundings and then back to Jessica, who was now staring intently at her.

“Where are we?” Tiffany asked.

“The warehouse district.” Jessica replied. “Around the outskirts of town.”

///

Tiffany struggled with her bonds as Jessica watched.

“It’s useless you know. I’ve tried.” The older woman said wearily even as the agent tried her usual tricks but was met with futile results.

“Wooyoung...I can’t believe that he would do this.” Tiffany said as her shoulders slumped, giving up on trying to get out. “We have been friends for so long...I don’t understand why he would do such a thing. He was a top agent for Interpol, highly respected and well rewarded...to think that he’s with the Triad is-”

“Is what Tiffany?” A male voice rang out from beyond the field of light the lone lightbulb hanging above the two women provided. Wooyoung strode into view, now dressed in a grey suit. “To think that I am with the Triad is...” He leaned down so he was level with Tiffany’s face, too close for her liking, “...surprising?”

“After all those years with you in Interpol, do you find it surprising that I’m one of them?”

Tiffany steeled herself as Wooyoung began circling the two at a slow, leisurely pace. Though she was very much shocked and felt betrayed, she knew that an expression of hurt is what he wanted.

One that she would never give him.

“To think that I had no idea that my brother, the one that I thought had died in a car accident was actually dead because of her, that little bodyguard the agency had been looking for the whole time. They told us that he died in Japan. The brother I never got to have.”

Tiffany could see Jessica’s eyes widen at what he was saying.

“You of all people,” Wooyoung walked up in front of Tiffany and once again leaned to face her, “know that I have very little people I can call family. My mother was all I had. How do you think I felt when I finally found him again, only for him to die a few months after meeting him again. The brother I so adored when I was little, the one that disappeared with my father after he left. The one that lifted me and mother from certain death. He saved us. He saved me. He taught me how to be strong, how to be like him.”

Wooyoung began pacing around, making Tiffany nervous as his composure faltered. 

“But then suddenly he’s gone. ‘Car accident,’ they said. What a pathetic lie. How do I tell mother a month later brother was killed. How do I tell the woman that gave us life, the one that protected me, that he was killed? How do I tell my mother when she’s gone mad?”

Tiffany bit her lip, frightened by the deranged gleam in his eyes.

“And how do I live with myself when she took her own life because I couldn’t save her?”

She choked back a whimper as he stopped to look at her.

“So now, I’ve come to find the one that broke my mother’s heart. The one that broke my heart. That military enlistment notice? The separation of you and me? It was all planned so I can get here now. So I can be where I was meant to be, following my brother’s footsteps - with the Triad.”

“I’ve finally found her, and will the two of you here, I’ll have my revenge.”

Tiffany couldn’t help but flinch as he suddenly rushed into her, pushing her back into the seat even more.

“She will suffer.”

///

blue | Exhale V

Bang! A gunshot rang out, startling Jessica. Tiffany immediately looked up, searching for the source of the noise as Wooyoung only smiled.

“I guess our guest has arrived.” Wooyoung said with a smirk. He waved his hand and a group of men that was standing by in the shadows stepped out, awaiting instructions.

“Prepare everything as instructed. I want these two,” Wooyoung paused to gesture at Jessica and Tiffany, “to see everything, but not within reach. Take up up to the mezzanine and then take them from there once I’m done.”

“Yes sir!” The men said, spitting into two groups. 

Jessica felt the men grab hold of the chair was was seated in and began moving her easily to the one of the cargo escalators on one side of the warehouse while TIffany was moved to the other.

“What the hell are you doing Jang?! You’re crazy!” Jessica shouted as she tried to struggle against the bonds.

Wooyoung only grinned as he watched. “We’ll see who is crazy at the end.”

Jessica couldn’t help but feel a shiver up her spine when he flipped out a scalpel from underneath his sleeve. 

“Remember this?” He waved the metal which reflected the light coming in through the high windows. “I wonder how Taeyeon would like to have this drawing across her back again.”

It was at that moment Jessica finally realized just how mad Jang Wooyoung could be.

///

Jessica wanted to scream. She wanted to tell Taeyeon to not take a single step closer. Her muffled cries mixed with those of TIffany but boths’ attempts were futile. The guards had tied cloth tightly over their mouths and their words could only become incoherent cries.

Jessica struggled frantically against her ties as she watched Taeyeon walk slowly across the room, towards Wooyoung.

“I was expecting you.” The man said, sitting in the armchair that was placed in the center of the room. His posture was very much of a man who had already won, his legs crossed and draped over one arm rest while his back rested against the other arm of the chair. In his hand was the scalpel that Jessica refused to look at.

Helpless, she could only watch wide-eyed as Taeyeon made her way in front of Wooyoung, standing no more than two meters from him.

“No hello?” Wooyoung said with a tone of mocking offense. “How very impolite!” Wooyoung adjusted his position so he was sitting properly in the chair, elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward.

“We both know why you are here, so let’s cut to the chase.” Wooyoung said lightly, smirking when he saw Taeyeon’s hands twitch. “Kneel.”

Taeyeon blinked, but stayed silent.

“Kneel. Kneel before the brother of the man that started it all. Kneel and beg me for forgiveness for killing my brother. Kneel down and beg them, Wooyoung pointed at TIffany at Jessica without looking at them, beg your beloved mistress - Jessica could feel the venom dripping from his voice - and precious little TIffany there for forgiveness, for getting them into this situation.”

Jessica could see that Taeyeon’s expression was unchanging, but she knew that the woman was having an internal struggle within herself, the guilt must have been flowing through her body. Pounding at her heart and mind, pushing her knees forward unwillingly.

Wooyoung’s smirk twisted into a sick grin, Jessica could see the gleam in his eyes,.

A hunger that could only be called demonic.

The silence that followed seemed to only add to the feeling of fear pooling in Jessica’s stomach. In that silence, Jessica could hear the bodyguard whisper.

“Forgive me.”

///

pink | Exhale VI

Tiffany couldn’t help the tears she felt pouring down her face. She could feel the wetness stain the cloth tied around . She watched Taeyeon was forcibly shoved onto the ground, head pinned down with her face turned to the side. Wooyoung pulled the kantana strapped onto her back away and flung it onto the floor with a loud clatter. 

Even from where TIffany was, she could feel the intensity in his eyes. She even felt the five guards around her tense as Wooyoung adjusted his hold on the scalpel with a flick of the wrist.

The room was still as Wooyoung roughly pull at Taeyeon’s leather jacket and shirt collar from behind, revealing the bodyguard’s back, the twin parallel scars in plain sight.

Tiffany watched as Wooyoung lowered the scalpel to one end of the top scar. He paused, the sick grin on his face widening.

“I hope you scream.”

He pressed the blade down against the scar.

Tiffany squeezed her eyes shut.

///

blue | Exhale VII

Jessica’s throat felt dry as she finally gave up on screaming, exhausted from the effort and the struggle that had put up against the guards who tried to silence her.

Taeyeon’s choked sobs could be heard as Wooyoung finally finished the slow torture, wiping the bloody scalpel with a white handkerchief before putting the blade back into his pocket. He tossed the handkerchief aside and Jessica watched as it flutter slowly onto the floor, the dark red droplets of blood contrasted against the white.

Taeyeon laid on the floor, unmoving except for the frantic breaths and the occasional sob that Jessica could hear.

Wooyoung had cut along Taeyeon’s scars. The cuts were not deep nor where they immediately fatal, but Jessica could help but choke as she watched the blood seep into the back of the white blouse that Taeyeon had on.

“So Taeyeon. Let’s continue with this little game.” Wooyoung smiled as Taeyeon struggled to sit up.

“Now you get to choose.” Wooyoung had his arms cross, but held a finger up to point in the general direction of the two captives. “Tiffany.” Wooyoung’s finger fell to one side before falling to point at her.

“Or Jessica.”
Jessica felt a sharp pain on the back of her head before her vision faded to black.

///
silver | Exhale VIII

Yuri leapt out of her car, not bothering to lock the door as she ran toward the nearest warehouse. The place was a maze of sort, at least 40 large warehouses were located in the complex along with numerous smaller ones.

As she ran closer to the entrance, Yuri spotted a trail of bodies that scattered throughout the complex. She followed the trail until she was led to the centermost warehouse where she saw the body of a man she recognized as one of Wooyoung’s guards. The man had a clean line of blood trailing from his throat.

Yuri knew no one but Taeyeon could have done that.

Across the floor, Yuri could see a silenced pistol lying on the corner. She recognized it as Taeyeon's only firearm.

Looking at the body with a grimace, Yuri continued forward into the warehouse where she found two TV monitors sitting at the center of the empty room.

They were CCTV feeds from two different places. Yuri’s mouth opened in horror as she saw what was going on in each of the screens.

The monitor on the left showed Jessica standing in a glass case that was filling with water. She could only look on in silent anguish as she watched her fiance pound desperately on the glass, trying to find a way out.

The monitor on the right was just as eerie. Yuri could see Tiffany sitting alone in an empty room, tied to the chair. From what Yuri could see, there were explosives strapped to the young woman’s chest. There was a timer at the front that ticked down the time rapidly as the agent attempted to struggle against her binds.

Desperate, Yuri looked frantically around and spotted two exits on either side of the warehouse she was standing in. One door was open with a bloody handprint streaking down the middle of it.

Yuri breathed in deeply and reached into the bag she was carrying and pulled out the one thing she swore she would never use.

A gun of her own. 

///

black | Exhale IX

Taeyeon steeled herself as she tumbled across the floor, landing in a crouched position right leg extended beside her. Never taking her eyes off Wooyoung, Taeyeon moved slowly around the crates that separated them. She stayed low, extending one leg in front of the other, sliding herself so she could get closer to the elevator.

“Taeyeon~ Where are you? I know you are here. You can’t hide forever.” Wooyoung said, making his way around the crates as well, pistol raised in front of him. ‘Come out, come out where ever you are.” 

Taeyeon cringed at how sweet his words sounded. It didn’t help that she knew he had some sick, demented ideas on how to kill her and the others if he could manage it. Crouching lower, Taeyeon winced at the pain continuously shooting from her back and tightened her grip on the sword. As Wooyoung turned the corner, she readied herself and sliced at his ankle.

Wooyoung caught sight of the movement too late and was forced to back away, leaving him with a bloody calf as he stumbled onto the floor. He roared in pain through gritted teeth as he held onto his injured leg and watched as Taeyeon jumped behind the metal gate and into the elevator. Reaching for the gun that had fallen out of his hand, Wooyoung aimed shots at the silhouette of her figure but his bullets were impeded by the metal grating that surrounded the elevator. 

///

Gasping for air, Taeyeon grunted as she tried to turn her head to inspect her wounds. The cuts on her back were still bleeding profusely and Taeyeon could feel the effects of the blood loss. She had managed to get away from the skirmish with only a bullet graze wound on her arm. Ripping half of her sleeve off, the bodyguard wrapped the cloth around the wound and stood up as she felt the elevator stop.

Running out, she was met with the horrifying sight of a struggling Jessica who was trying to keep her head above the water as the tank filled up. 

Taeyeon dashed up to the tank and placed a palm upon it as she looked anxiously for a way to get the other woman out. Jessica, upon seeing Taeyeon calmed down a bit and placed her own palm against the glass. 

“I’ll get you out.”

The words were not mere statement but felt more of a command. As if there was nothing that would happen other than Taeyeon getting Jessica out of the tank.

Running around to the other side, Taeyeon spotted the large padlock holding the chains and latch closed at the top edge of the tank. Gritting her teeth against the pain, Taeyeon jumped and hoisted herself up the side, nearly screaming as she felt the strain against the torn muscles of her back. 

Seeing how there was only about 5 inches left of air left for Jessica, Taeyeon quickly worked on the lock. 

After several uncessful tries at picking the lock, Taeyeon was left frustrated as she noted the rising water leaving an inch of space for Jessica. She looked in anguish as Jessica placed a palm up against the top of the tank, looking on with desperate eyes and she took a deep gasp of air as she was finally submerged in the water.

“No, no, no!” Taeyeon screamed in rage and began slamming the hilt of her sword against the lock. She looked around desperately and found a large monkey wrench against the wall across the walkway connecting the Mezzanine to another. Leaping off the tank, she dashed across the walkway and grabbed the tool, stumbling at the weight of it. Taeyeon had no choice but to drag it across the walkway and made her way back to Jessica.

Panting, Taeyeon’s eyes widened as she saw an unconscious Jessica floating in the tank. She quickly lifted the wrench up as high as she could and began slamming it against the thick glass, slowly crack it with each strike.

Finally breaking the glass, Taeyeon tensed against the force of the water flowing out as the tank collapsed upon itself. She rushed forward towards Jessica’s limp body and pulled out from the mess onto the dry area of the ground. Resting Jessica’s head on her lap, Taeyeon held Jessica’s hands as the younger girl coughed haphazardly, spitting bits of water out which each exhale. 

“Jessica! Jessica...” Taeyeon said, grasping weakly at Jessica’s face. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Gasping, Jessica shoot her head weakly as she slowly recovered from the oxygen depravation. 

The bodyguard wrapped her arms around the younger woman, embracing her.

It was the first time in many years that Taeyeon had initiated skin contact with anyone. She had missed the feeling of warmth Jessica had always radiated. It was different. It was different compared to having Jessica embrace her first. Things almost felt like the way they did back then - before anything had happened and perfect was still perfect and whole.

Taeyeon could feel the strip of the trapezius on her upper left shoulder rip. A stinging, overwhelming pain that immediately spread through her body. The shock of a bullet tearing through her flesh forced out a gasped as she let go of Jessica and whipped around, hand already on her gun, the revolver.

///
silver | Exhale X

“Agent Hwang!” Yuri cried as she forced her way through the door. 

There were not as many guards as she thought. Her desert eagle managed to take care of the ones that she encountered.

The agent looked surprised at her presence. 

Yuri scrambled over to the woman and knelt down, trying to figure how to get her out of the bounds and to do it before the bomb went off.

Breathing deeply, Yuri glanced over at the timer counting down the seconds.

3 minutes.

Yuri took another deep breath before turning to look the agent directly in the eye.

“Do you trust me?”

///

black | Exhale XI

BANG!

One shot. 

Taeyeon managed to aim one through Wooyoung’s upper thigh as the man attempted to duck behind a storage case. 

She had been able to push Jessica out of the line of fire before luring Wooyoung away from the mezzanine and onto the main floor below once more. Ducking and darting, Taeyeon managed to avoid the bullets the man aimed at her but was slowly wearing down as the pain and blood loss from the bullet graze on her shoulder and back intensified. 

Taeyeon knew she had to think of something. She was down a bullet and would not be able to defeat Wooyoung by gunfire unless she got a perfect shot.

Leaning against the wall, Taeyeon panted to catch her breath and bit her lip.

There was no other choice. Two bullets was better than once.

And with that, Taeyeon forcefully pried the metal grip off the left side of the revolver, revealing a small slot just large enough for a bullet to sit inside.

Pushing the swing out cylinder out, Taeyeon took the bullet and slid it into one of the two free chambers. 

Sighing, Taeyeon pushed the cylinder back in and cocked the gun.

‘Forgive me Krystal.’

///

Taeyeon had fired straight a single bullet into Wooyoung’s left shoulder as he fired his own at her but missed. 

Panting, Taeyeon rolled behind some crates as Wooyoung stayed hidden behind a tractor parked in the warehouse.
Somewhere in Taeyeon’s mind, she knew this was a gunfight she wouldn’t win.

Bang Bang!

Two shots went off. Krystal’s bullet went right into Wooyoung’s ribcage, forcing him to stumblle. 

Taeyeon winced as she felt a sharp pain in her upper left chest, right above her heart. Reaching up with a hand, she felt blood.

Gasping, she knelt over as the combined blood loss seemed to have finally took its toll.

She felt his presence loom over her.

He coughed and she could feelt some blood splatter on her. 

“So this is it huh?” Surprisingly, there was no menace in his voice, not like before.

“Kim Taeyeon will die by my hand. A bullet through the head. Does that sound good?” Wooyoung chuckled. Taeyeon tried to move but only collapsed onto her hands.

At least she had saved Jessica. Yuri would have gotten help soon. Wooyoung would be too weak to escape after this.

“Maybe now I won’t feel weak anymore.” His voice was bitter. “Maybe now I won’t feel like a pathetic fool who watched his own family fall apart.” His voice was sad. “Maybe…he will forgive me for failing our family.”

Taeyeon closed her eyes as she heard him the gun.

“Goodbye.”

Taeyeon let the revolver clatter to the floor.

Bang!

+++++++++