“What are you doing here?” Jae Rin glared at her ‘unexpected’ visitor.

            “Going for a jog. You?” Sunggyu replied with a grin.

            “Go home and stop trying to help me.”

            “Who says I’m helping you? I want to build up my stamina. The guys keep calling me Grandpa Gyu,” he sighed dramatically.

            “Well, go build stamina somewhere else. This is my trail,” she snapped.

            “I don’t see your name on it,” he shrugged. Ignoring her sneer, he continued stretching his arms and legs, looking up to the foreboding mountain trail. Although it wasn’t an unfamiliar sight, he still felt uneasy when he ran the wet, unsuspecting paths.

            Jae Rin, on the other hand, loved the slips and trips the trail threw at her. It was her preparation for the fight. Expect the unexpected. He’ll be quick, so I need to be one step ahead and anticipate his next move. With the earthy paths hidden beneath a dense, humid forest, the soil was always damp and unstable, a wonderfully natural labyrinth of landmines concealed beneath the sodden dirt. These obstacles trained her reaction time and helped her be quick on her feet, an essential skill to weigh out her disadvantage in height.

            “Race you to the top?” Sunggyu asked, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. Jae Rin ignored him and started up the hill by herself. “Hey! Wait for me!” he called out, stumbling over tree roots as he ran after her.

            “Buzz off, Gypsy.”

--

            “Closed again. Why do I get the feeling he doesn’t want to see me?” Jae Rin grumbled. After her run, she had rushed to work only to find the cafe locked. It was pitch black inside and there were no signs of Dongwoo anywhere. “Maybe he’s on vacation?” she wondered, trying to convince herself it wasn’t for any other reason. But, she knew something was up. Ever since her talk with Sunggyu about the battle and her opponent, who happened to be the boys’ close friend, she hadn’t heard from her boss or any of the other guys for a week, besides Sunggyu. It was like they disappeared, went into hiding or something. Sunggyu was the only one who stuck around to try and help her prepare. He ran with her everyday and met up with her at the gym despite her physical warnings to back off and escape while he could. He was stubborn, but he was loyal. She had to give him brownie points for that.

            “Hoya’s ways...they’re a bit extreme if you ask me. He keeps insisting that you stole something from him, that it’s your fault, but I’m not completely convinced that that’s the case. He said...he said he would kill whoever took ‘it’ from him. I don’t support stalking, nor do I support murder. Just know I’ll be here for you if you need me.”

            She recalled his words from that night after he dropped her off at home. She felt some relief knowing that someone had her back, but she couldn’t risk his life for her own gain. The idea of having back up and support from someone else was tempting, but she couldn’t be the cause of their deaths. He told her himself, their futures stopped sometime during the battle. There’s only one reason for a seer’s reading to end.

            Death. They die in this battle. And I’ll be the cause of it. I’ll be responsible for six deaths, deaths that can be prevented if the warning is given. Hopefully the Gypsy warned them and they can all escape in time.

            Wearily, she turned around to head back to her apartment when she came face to face with Sungjong. He stopped mid step, staring at her like she was some strange mutant. The silence was uncomfortable for the both of them, but neither knew how to break it without being awkward. She had so many questions for him, like why he hadn’t replied to her texts or where everybody else was.

            “Sunggyu hyung talked to all of us last night. I don’t know about the others, but I’m with you.” Sungjong jogged over and pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry we haven’t contacted you. It’s just...we’re all sort of lost. Especially Dongwoo hyung. He’s torn between his best friend and you. He’s fond of you, he thinks of you as a younger sister, but Hoya hyung...they’re like blood brothers.”

            Jae Rin stayed silent, to Sungjong’s discomfort. He would rather have her yell at him, make a scene, show any emotion. But, she was stone cold. Her eyes were downcast, but he knew they were probably blank as well and wouldn’t help him decipher her current state of mind. He took her to a nearby park, bought some ice cream cones, and then led her to some benches facing the river. She took the offered cone and ate it, staring vacantly out to the calm waters.

            “I know I won’t be of much help on the field, but I’ll be right there with you. If you get hurt, I’ll be by your side to heal you in a heartbeat.”

            “No you won’t. You will be out of Seoul by then, as well as all the other guys. This is between me and your hyung.”

            Sungjong studied her expression. He couldn’t quite describe it as being one single emotion. Rather, it was a mixture of pain and anger, laced with slight sadness and....Is that contentment I see in her eyes?

            “I know this is selfish, but I don’t want you guys to be here when the fight happens. I want to do this on my own. I want to fight with my own power rather than gaining strength from you guys. Please, don’t make this harder for me than it already has been. I don’t want to force you guys into picking sides, especially one that is against your friend. Just leave now so this can blow over quietly and you guys can return to a peaceful Seoul.” Her bottom lip trembled and she looked at him for the first time. Tears gathered at her waterline, growing larger by the second. “Promise me you’ll all leave.”

            Sungjong sighed. He knew she meant well. She wanted to protect them. She would fight to keep them safe. But, was pushing them away the best strategy? Wasn’t she going to hurt herself more that way?

            “I can’t promise you that we’ll leave seeing as my hyungs are very stubborn. But, I can promise to try and convince them to.”

            “Thanks, Sungjong,” she whispered, wiping her tears away. She returned to watching the meandering river, unconsciously counting the boats drifting by.

            “No problem...Noona,” he hesitantly replied.

            “Don’t call me that...It implies that we’re close.”

            “But, we are.”

            “At this point, I can’t afford to be.”

--

            With less than a week left of the two week deadline, Jae Rin was kicking her training into high gear. Since The Haven seemed to be on temporary closure, she worked out and trained every day. Running in the morning and then combat training and strengthening for the rest of the day, Jae Rin pushed her limits until pain became nonexistent. Today was like any other day. She was in the gym doing some strength and conditioning when she spotted two familiar faces in the mirrors.

            “Hey Gypsy, Professor X, what are you two doing here? Why haven’t you left Seoul yet?” she groaned in annoyance. The two of them flinched and came out of their hiding spots.

            “We’re just trying to help...” Woohyun began, only to get cut off by an extremely pissed off Jae Rin.

            “Help me by leaving. How many times do I have to tell you guys?!” she exploded. Time was rapidly ticking away, and so was her patience. “Do I have to paint a picture for you? Spell it out or something? Leave! I don’t want you guys here! None of you!”

            “Technically, you haven’t told me anything face to face...” Woohyun started only to be interrupted yet again.

            “Because you all disappeared. For all I know, you could’ve all ran off to Wonderland. Hey, you know what? That’s not a bad idea. Go back to Wonderland! It’s safer!” She tried to shove them out of the gym, but they stayed where they were. No matter how hard she pushed, they wouldn’t budge. Fed up and tired, she growled at them and stalked off to the steam room. “Don’t follow me,” she snapped, pointing at the pair before slamming the door shut. For once, they decided to listen to her.

--

            “We can help!” Sunggyu jogged after a refreshed and somewhat relaxed Jae Rin as they exited the building. She waved him off and hailed a taxi.

            “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I don’t need your help. Just leave me alone and get yourselves to safety. That’s all I want from you. This fight is only between Hoya and I.” She climbed into the cab and shoved Woohyun’s head back out. “Please, I’m begging you. Just leave now while you still can.” She closed the doors and the car drove off. The pair watched as the car disappeared before glancing up at the full moon.

           “We’re not going to listen to her, are we?” Woohyun asked his friend. Sunggyu chuckled and shook his head.

            “Nope. There’s no way we’re letting her fight on her own. Hoya’s strong and extremely stubborn. He wouldn’t think twice before killing her. And that’s what I’m afraid of.”

            “Why?” Woohyun looked at him, confused.

            “Well, maybe there’s a way to help them solve their problem without creating a World War III. You know, a civil approach.”

            “Hoya being civil? When pigs fly, my friend. When pigs fly.”

            “Then it looks like I’m going to have to convince Dongwoo to shift into a pig with wings then, don’t I?” Sunggyu slyly laughed. Woohyun slapped him with a frown.

            “Cheater...”

--

            It was the final day of training, the final day before Hoya was supposed to arrive. Jae Rin decided to rest before the battle. So instead of training, she visited the Han River one last time. One last time. Strange how I’m not afraid to say it like that. Looks like I’ve finally accepted the idea that I might not survive, that I might die. But, maybe that’s my fate. Even though I’ve run for so many years, maybe I was supposed to die all along. Or he’s supposed to. Although I highly doubt that would be the most plausible outcome. She walked along the path, staring out at the glistening river. The rhythmic sound of the waves lapping against the seawall lulled her into a peaceful state of mind and she closed her eyes. She stopped worrying about Infinite, she stopped worrying about the battle. She just stopped worrying. Her mind was blank, cleared of any future or past events. Everything around her, the sounds, the smells, the people, they all tuned out of her frequency. She felt as if she was standing in the Heavens where nothing was heard or seen, like she was floating on the highest cloud alone with nothing but an empty mind.

            “This is it, Jae Rin. This is the final stretch. Tomorrow’s the day you come face to face with whomever’s been tormenting you these past five years. Don’t back down and don’t give up, no matter what. Believe in yourself and do everything in your power to stop him.” She didn’t care whether or not she was getting weird stares from those passing by. It was the soliloquy that could lead to her end. It just had to be said. “Doesn’t matter how strong he is, Jae Rin, you fight back with everything you got.” Her insides began to churn and she felt the ground tremble slightly. Opening her eyes, she looked out to the setting sun. “Looks like it’s Showtime.”

Le gasp, two more chapters until the end! Next one will be the epic battle. What do you think will happen? Kekeke, you'll just have to wait and see.

COMMENT REPLIES

@ kpop_fan_1998: Hahaha, 'tis the worst feeling in the world, if you ask me. 'Cause when you wake up, the guilt of not accomplishing anything hits you XD
@ mimi96: No? Yes? What's going to happen? Hahaha, am I frustrating you yet? XD
@ SimtraWolf: You, my friend, bring up some good points about the balance of light and dark, but I'll have an answer for you soon ^^ As for everything else...I'll let your imagination take care of that hehehehe

See you in the next Chapter!

-greenninjapanda GNP-