Many times had I suspected Jiyong on the past. Many times had I almost gave in to Jaejoong’s or Dad’s words while they talked ill about Jiyong. Many times had I pieced the puzzle altogether about Jiyong being connected to the ninja culprit.

That was how many times I convinced myself that he was not the one I was chasing after; that he was not the culprit; that he was not a criminal.

But he failed me.

He was a criminal. He already killed two people, and now he added another one on the list.

But, I failed myself too. I could have finished this mission weeks ago. I could have caught him and put him behind bars. But I didn’t. I couldn’t.

I loved Jiyong. And I still do, I realized. He was my everything. He was my special someone. He was the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with.

However, I just didn’t fail myself, I also failed Jiyong. I could have helped him. I could have willingly lent a hand since we both understand each other. We had experienced the same fate for the past years. But I didn’t. And that was because of my selfish side convincing that he was not a criminal.

It’s my fault after all. I am all to blame, I accept.

Jiyong could have been saved; I could have been saved; many people’s lives could have been saved; our relationship could have been saved.

This is all my fault.

This… made me hate myself.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I kneeled on the floor.

I don’t care anymore if everyone who was still here on the maze heard me. I had to let this out. I was too frustrated of myself. I was too frustrated at my selfishness.

I bowed my head and laid my hands flat on the floor. I cried and cried as I watched the tears fall down on the floor making a stain on it.

I didn’t know how long I was on the corner of the corridor balled up and crying.

I didn’t know why I’m here sulking when I could have look for Jiyong to apologize or something. So with that, I stood up and started to walk, determined to look for Jiyong and beat the agents out of it.

I heard a cackle.

“Dara!” Jae shouted on my communication device.

“YAH!” I shouted back. “Did you need to shout?!”

“We have been trying to contact you since forever. I think your communication device is broken. You should fix it.”

“What do you need?” I asked as I rounded another corner.

“I have already mentioned that your communication device might be broken. A while ago, we heard your conversation with Jiyong…” he trailed.

I froze on my spot. They heard us. Oh, shoot. I hadn’t gotten a chance to turn my communication device off and they were able to eavesdrop.

“We only heard bits of it,” he said. “But we heard a couple of good things.” There was almost a smug tone on his voice.

“Where are you?!” I said, panic apparent on my voice.

“We found him,” he said.

“Don’t do-“

“We have been waiting for your order since a while ago, but as I said, we can’t contact you so I led the group. I’m sorry I wasn’t-“

“Where are you?!” I shouted, interrupting him.

“Just-“

Before Jaejoong could say anything more, my communication device got cut off again.

“Jae? Jae?!” I shouted. “. Stupid communication device,” I said.

I ran hysterically here and there trying to look for them.

“Jae!” I shouted, hoping they could hear me. This damn maze was so big, I couldn’t find them. “Jiyong!”

Several twists and turns later, I finally found where they were.

Jiyong was on the far end of the corridor and was facing left towards another corridor with his arms stretched upwards. A couple of red dots were all over his body and I knew what they were. I looked for any sign of fear on his face but I couldn’t find any. He seemed too relax, too composed.

I immediately ran towards him.

“Jae!” I called wishing that the communication device would work this time.

“Dara? Where are you? We were waiting for your order. But we decided that-“

“Please don’t shoot!” I ordered.

“What?!”

“Please don’t shoot!”

Why are my knees too weak and why do I feel like I was running in slow motion?

“Jiyong!” I shouted as my tears started to blur my vision.

Did you know that slow motion on movies really do happen when you’re actually in a tense situation like this? I feel like it has been forever since I started running and I was still running until now. Damn it!

He slightly moved his head and I was almost reaching him. As he spotted me running towards him, a smile crept up towards his lips and there was light on his face. He moved his body towards me and stretched his arms sideward.

“Shoot!” a voice shouted.

A couple of bullets flew and I could almost swear that I saw them in midair while slowly targeting Jiyong’s body.

I doubled up my sprint while a plan formed quickly in my head. But Jiyong was already hit. He was still standing there though, as if not hurt from the bullets.

When I finally reached Jiyong’s arms, I immediately turned my body towards the continuously flying bullets. I felt the burn against my skin as I felt it pierce through it.

But the pain stopped the moment Jiyong turned his body around when he finally realized what I was doing and then now, he was the one shielding the bullets from me.

It all happened in slow motion but in reality, it only happened in a second.

“Stop!” Jaejoong’s voice interrupted the loud gunshots.

Jiyong and I were still standing, though I already felt my knees giving in.

“Don’t you think it was still too early to forgive me?” he weakly whispered on my ear.

“No, I forgive you, baby boy,” I said.

“Thank… you…” he said as he slid down the ground.

My eyes were wide as a pool of red liquid started expanding on the floor beneath Jiyong’s body. I looked down on my hands and saw blood on them. I fell down on my knees. I looked ahead and saw the NIS agents’ serious face as they watched me and Jiyong.

 “Ji…yong?”

No response.

“Ji…yong?”

No response, still.

I felt light-headed and I fell on top of Jiyong’s body. Before my eyes closed, I looked up and saw him smiling sweetly to me.

“I love you,” he mouthed.

“I love…”

“Dara… wake up, please,” someone pleaded. “Dara, please.”

I willed my eyes to open as strong light against a white ceiling met my eyes. The place I was in was warm, though it wasn’t too comfortable like home.

My fingers twitched on my side and I felt tubes being connected to my skin. I craned my head sideward and followed the tube towards the dextrose hanging above my head. There was also an oxygen tank and a couple of medicinal stuffs I don’t know the name of. A couple of beeping sounds are heard too.

I looked on my left and saw someone lying on the couch.

“Jae…” I croaked. My voice sounded hoarse.

Jaejoong immediately woke up.

“Dara... are you alright?” he asked in full panic mode.

I broke a smile on my lips. “I’m fine.”

My head snapped left and right causing an ache throbbing inside.

“Where is he?” I asked Jaejoong.

He was silent for a while. “Aren’t you thirsty?” he asked as he went to get me a glass of water. “Drink.”

I just stared at the glass on his hand. “Where is Jiyong? I heard him here. He was the one who woke me up.”

Confusion crossed Jaejoong’s face. “He’s not here.”

“Then where is he?” I asked, as excitement filled me. My eyes darted towards the door expecting it to open wide. “I need to see him and tell him that-“

“He’s gone, Dara,” he said, cutting me off.

I stared at him. Then I chuckled awkwardly. “Not a funny joke, Jae,” I said as I averted my gaze from him and darted my eyes back to the door, wishing that it would slam open and Jiyong would appear with a smile plastered on his face. Though I willed myself to believe what I believed in, my eyes suggested otherwise as they became misty and tears flowed down.

I felt Jaejoong’s hand on my shoulder and I slapped it away. I stared at him.

“No jokes like that, Jaejoong!” I shouted and started getting off the bed to head outside, since maybe Jiyong still didn’t know I’m awake and was waiting for me.

However, Jaejoong stopped me. “Dara, listen.”

“No, Jiyong is waiting for me,” I insisted.

“Dara, please just-“

“No! Let go of me, Jaejoong!” I said.

“HE’S DEAD!”

My eyes darted back to his. I waited for him to say that he was kidding, but it never came.

“He’s dead, Dara. Jiyong’s dead.”

I shook my head. “That’s not true.”

“It’s true.”

“He would never leave me,” I insisted.

“He already did, he’s dead now,” he said.

I slapped his face and tried to wiggle free from his grasp. When I was free and he was still busy recovering from the slap, I immediately ran towards the door. But I didn’t reach it as I stumbled on the ground.

I was still weak. My body still ached everywhere. And to top it all off, my head was throbbing and my eyes were already hurting from crying.

I felt strong arms on me as Jaejoong tried to help me up but I refused, preferring the cold floor. I stared at the tears that kept on falling down on the floor.

“Dara,” Jaejoong whispered on my ear.

“Liar,” I said as I weakly hit his arm. “Jiyong, he’s-“

“No, he’s not.”

“-waiting for me outside. I know.”

“He’s not. You just have to accept the truth.”

“I can’t,” I said. “Because you’re obviously lying!”

I started to struggle from his arms again but to no avail. I pushed him but he was hugging me to his chest. I was already losing control.

“Jiyooooong!” I shouted.

Several footsteps were heard and I stopped crying, expecting Jiyong to come out but people in white met me. I threw a fit again.

“Let go of me!” I shouted.

“Dara, this is for your own good,” Jaejoong whispered as the doctors and nurses took over on trying to stop me.

“Let go of me! Jiyong! He’s waiting for me!” I shouted more as I felt a sting on my skin.

My eyes started to close.

“Jiyong…” I whispered again.

There’s no hope, then. How pathetic can I get?

THE END????

-------

UNNIE's NOTE:

TEASER:

I stepped out of the car and he followed suit. I firmly held his hand as if the strength I needed came from him. And for years, I can prove that it was really because of him that I gained this much strength It was because of him that I had lived this long.

“Omma?” he called..

poster credits to anjellie_ka

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