It was just fine for a few minutes, but when I couldn’t really take it anymore, I told it to Jiyong.

“Can you feel someone following us?” I asked him while gripping on his arm.

He didn’t make it obvious but I saw his jaw clench as he looked behind him.

“I don’t think so. I think it’s just your imagination,” he answered. He grabbed my arm. “Let’s get out of here now.”

“Hey, what’s the rush? I thought-“

I was cut off when a loud gun fire was heard.

Jiyong immediately covered my head as we crouched on the ground. I heard screams from behind the other walls and I assumed that people were already running for their dear lives.

When the only sounds heard were the screams of the customers and no gun fire, we stood up from the ground.

Jiyong pulled my hand. “Let’s go.”

“No,” I pulled my hand away.

“You could get in trouble,” he insisted.

“I’m an agent, remember?” I reminded him.

“I’m not letting you go,” he said.

“I don’t want to put you in danger, Jiyong. Go out now and leave me. I’ll see you outside,” I said.

Another gunshot.

“Hurry! Go!” I told him as I turned around and ran towards the sound. I was turning every corner while convincing myself that I was going to find this culprit, for sure. I knew it. I knew it that there was something wrong, but I didn’t go after that shadow lurking behind us. Could it be the ninja guy? I bet it was him since we had a few encounters before and he even knew me by my name and face. He might be after me.

I lost count of the corners I had gone into while getting to nowhere in particular.

“Dara, slow down!” Jiyong’s voice entered my ears.

“You’re still following me?” I asked incredulously.

“I told you, I won’t let you go,” he said while panting for air.

“I told you also, we are going to see each other when I get out.”

“But I don’t-“

I cut him off when I covered his mouth. I heard some running footsteps towards our way. We blended in with the dark.

Suddenly, a glare of light met our eyes that blinded us both.

“What are you still doing here?” a voce behind the light said.

When my vision became clearer, I recognized that he was a bodyguard with a flashlight in hand. We straightened up.

“A criminal is on the loose, hurry up and get out,” he said, assisting Jiyong and I.

I fished out my NIS badge. “I’m an agent. I’ll make sure to catch the criminal,” I assured him.

“Is that…so?” the guard said hesitantly. “Okay then. If you find any more civilians around here, assist them too.”

“Sure thing,” I said.

When the guard left, I turned to Jiyong once again. “Follow the guard out.”

“I won’t leave your side,” he said stubbornly.

“I can do this m-“

“I WON’T leave you,” he said again.

We were walking around the maze horror house and just found every corner dark and empty. I looked for my gun but it wasn’t there. I realized then, that I deliberately left it because this was a special day for Jiyong and I.

“Forgot your gun?” he asked.

I shushed him when I heard more footsteps.

A couple of ninja-looking guys appeared before us. I immediately put a communication device (which I forgot to DELIBERATELY leave and thankful I did) and called for backup.

One by one they attacked me as I tried to shove Jiyong out of the way as he also squeezes himself between us in attempts of saving me. But I knew of his fighting abilities and I’m sure he’ll be just beaten up to a pulp when he tries to fight them off.

While shoving Jiyong off, I received a sharp punch on the face.

“Dara!” Jiyong yelled. He was about to stand up and fight the guys when I beat him to it. I lunged towards them as I maneuvered some martial arts I learned from training years and years. They were helplessly defending themselves but they were nevertheless beaten up by my awesomeness in fighting. They couldn’t even fight back.

When I was finished beating them up, I stood up and stared at their lifeless bodies.

I sighed and massaged the side of my head as it throbbed because of the punch I received a while ago.

“They were so clueless at how awesome I am, right?” I asked Jiyong.

I turned around but saw him nowhere.

“Jiyong?” I called.

I walked to my left and turned a corner.

“Jiyong?” I called again. No answer.

Panic started swelling up inside of me as wild imaginations started reeling inside my head.

I immediately called Jaejoong to check where they were.

“Where are you?!” I demanded.

“We’re on our way,” he said calmly.

“Well, hurry up!”

“Calm down. Are you alone there?”

“I was with Jiyong just a while ago. And he’s freaking gone and I’m freaking panicking here, so hurry up!”

“You said you were with Jiyong,” he said with a hint of… something I couldn’t put my finger on.

“Yes, and he was kidnapped I presume.”

“Perhaps he was-“

“Don’t give me those crap again, Jae! Or else I will-“

More ninja-looking guys appeared and I had to engage in another useless fight where I was the only one attacking. Where is my gun when I need one? If I had one, I will surely blast their skulls off with my bullets because I’m pissed off right now.

Jiyong is nowhere to be found and they’re just slowing me down!

I was still in the middle of the fight when Jaejoong appeared as he helped me. In no time, we were done.

“These bastards!” I said as I exhaled.

“So what’s up?” Jaejoong asked casually like we were just two old friends who just met up after a few years.

“What’s up?” I asked incredulously. “Let’s see, Jiyong and I were celebrating our supposed to be perfect monthsary when a bastard came up, I was punched on the face, I’m looking for Jiyong who just disappeared in thin air, and now, I’m wasting my time talking to you about these things when we can just catch the culprit and save Jiyong!”

“You really care for him, eh?”

“Duh?” I walked away looking for the right corner where Jiyong and the culprit really are.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m trying to complete a mission here,” I said. “Let’s split up.”

“I already told the other team to split up, so don’t worry. We can look for them together,” he suggested.

“No, I want to look for them by myself,” I said, when in fact, the real reason was I just want to look for Jiyong by myself and beat Jaejoong to it. I know he’s going to tell ill things again like Jiyong being part of this or whatsoever.

When I was already sure that Jaejoong didn’t follow me, I broke into a sprint and looked for Jiyong. I was getting frustrated every minute while listening to the other agents reporting to me that the maze was really empty and the culprit together with Jiyong (yes, they said it that way, like they don’t really care, heck, I’m going crazy here looking for him) might have gone long ago. But I didn’t stay still and I got more and more pissed off every time I’m meeting a dead end or the same corner I had turned into before.

“!” I cursed loudly.

“I can’t believe that there is still a girl who curses loudly like that. Are you sure you’re a girl?” a voice said behind me.

Slowly, I turned towards the voice source and tried to recognize the shadow blending in with the dark.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I’m your shadow,” he said.

“Ha, ha, ha!” I faked a laugh.

He laughed along with me.

When I stopped he did too.

“So…” I trailed off. “…you said you’re my shadow.”

“Yes,” he agreed.

“Shadows still need light for its existence. Why don’t you step into the light and show yourself? Or are you too coward to do so?” I asked, mocking.

“I heard a clanking sound and then a footstep. Then another clank and another footstep, until I can already see his face clearly. He had cane as he walked limply into the light.

“Who are you?” I asked as I realized that I didn’t really know him personally.

“I am the man behind the one you always chase after,” he said.

I looked at him disgustingly as I realized that he might be the ninja guy I always had an encounter. I scrutinized his face because I know he will die in my hands any minute now, seeing him bloody on the ground as I kill him mercilessly because he messed with my Dad.

“You’re the ninja guy,” I said.

“Ninja guy?” he asked incredulously as his smile reached his eyes.

“You’re the one who sent the letter asking me to meet you because you’re going to reveal yourself,” I said matter-of-factly.

It was like his smile that reached his eyes became wider that I imagined it reaching behind his head.

“You’re the one behind the almost-murder of my father,” I continued.

He laughed while clutching his stomach.

I shot him my deadliest glare. I waited him to stop his laughter and when he did, he finally noticed my glare.

“Oh, what’s with that glare, sweetie?” he asked in his sweetest tone.

“Oh, what’s with those laughter, sweetie?” I said, imitating his tone.

He chuckled. “Let me tell you a secret, sweetie.”

“I think that would be great!” I said, feigning interest.

“Oh, it would be great,” he said, a smirk forming on his lips. “Tell you what. The man you were referring wasn’t me actually.”

A crease marred my forehead. He wasn’t ninja guy?

“Do you want to know him, sweetie?” he asked.

Boy would I!

”Bring him here,” he said, eyes still glued with mine.

Two ninja guys appeared behind him. When I thought that there were two ninja guys who I was chasing before, another figure appeared. The two ninja guys were practically dragging another man on a mask. The one they were dragging was trying to get loose from their grasps. He was groaning in pain as he tried to struggle.

When they were already in full light, my eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when I recognize the ninja guy’s clothes.

“Meet ninja guy,” the shadow man said. “Or shall I say, your baby boy?”

If I was on a cartoon, I could almost imagine my eyes popping out of my sockets.

The two other ninja guys removed the middle one’s mask, showing me his face.

“You’re joking, right?” I asked the shadow man, not believing the person right in front of me. But my insides tightened and I wanted to puke my guts out. My knees already became wobbly as my hand flattened on the wall for support.

The shadow man laughed hysterically.

“I’m not much of a joker, sweetie,” he said.

My eyes darted back to the ninja guy who was actually Jiyong.

“How…” I trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

“I’m really sorry,” Jiyong said.

A lump was formed in my throat and I tried to swallow it down. Seeing Jiyong’s face when they removed his mask, the first thought that came into my mind was he was kidnapped that was why he was lost. I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to believe the fact that he was the one who I was trying to chase after for several weeks now, and the fact that he tried to kill my father. They all hurt like hell. But, what hurt me the most was the fact that I didn’t know and he didn’t even tell me.

No, scratch that. What hurt me the most were his words – I’m really sorry.

Those words, they’re worse than admitting that he’s the real culprit.

My eyes stung, but I tried to keep my composure and fix a glare on Jiyong who was all apologetic.

“You…” I pointed my finger on him while trying to steady my shaky voice yet I failed. Even my finger was shaking. “…lied to me.”

“Dara… please let me explain,” he pleaded.

“You pushed me to the pool,” I said as I remembered the memory very clearly.

“I had to, I admit,” he confessed. “If I didn’t, you could have found me out.”

“You could have told me all about this,” I said, my tears starting to fall. “You could have trusted me the way I trusted you. You could have…” I trailed off not wanting to hear the exact words in my mind being uttered by my own mouth.

“Dara,” he said as he tried to struggle free from the strong arms of the two masked ones.

A loud bang was heard. Then…

“Dara! Dara!” it was Jaejoong. He was perhaps on the other side of the wall. But instead of answering back, I didn’t. Why?

“Go and eliminate them!” the shadow man ordered the masked men holding Jiyong.

When they left, Jiyong ran to me and he hugged me to his chest.

I immediately pushed him away. “Don’t touch me!”

“Dara… please let me explain! I tried to tell you but-“

“Oh yeah, he tried to tell you,” shadow man interrupted. “Remember the time your father was brought to the hospital? Have you read the letter? If you did, you might now figure out that Jiyong here tried to reveal himself to you, but his plan backfired.”

I stared at the shadow man.

“He originally wanted to reveal himself to you in hopes of forgiving him when he does. And he did all these without my knowledge. Now, what happened?” he stopped as he laughed. “This couldn’t have happened in the first place if he didn’t fall in love with you.”

----

UNNIE'S NOTE: 

poster credits to: nanaISyeoni 

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