“How troublesome,” Steph heaved a deep sigh as she stared at the shiny bottle in her right hand. Quickly pushing the bottle back into her pocket, she rolled her eyes before unlocking the door to her dorm.

 

Once she opened the door, she was greeted by a pair of panicking eyes before her.

 

“I’m so glad you’re back! There’s something wrong with Kira. She locked herself up and I don’t know what to do!” Kyuhyun gasped in a frustrated manner. Steph noticed that he was perspiring, possibly from all the stress and pressure he was under. She looked at him with sympathetic eyes, thankful for the fact that he didn’t call an ambulance.

 

“Please leave her alone for now. I’ll look after her. She’ll be fine, I can guarantee that,” she showed a brief smile, and Kyuhyun had no other choice but to believe in her. He left the dorm with a burdened heart, praying for Kira’s well-being.

 

-

 

Swiftly, Steph unlocked Kira’s door with the master key, just to be blown away by her ferocious roars. Immediately, tears travelled to the rim of her eyes once she saw the broken figure before her.

 

“Go away!” Kira screeched once she heard her door open. It was as if the room was struck by a hurricane and Kira was the remaining survivor of it. Within the chaotic room, Kira simply curled into a ball on the floor, trying to protect her senses.

 

The once courageous, daring Kira had disappeared, leaving behind a weak and fragile girl. Her eyes could barely focus, since her world seemed to be spinning. All she acknowledged was that someone beside herself was in her room. Her senses were so sensitive that even breathing seemed to be a difficult task for her.

 

Ignoring Kira’s demands, Steph simply walked closer towards her. She saw how Kira tried to push her away, but failed because her body was incapable of doing so. Steph took out the bottle from her bag which was filled with an exquisite blue liquid. Carefully she opened it and tipped its contents into Kira’s mouth.

 

For minutes, Kira continued to scream in agony until the medicine finally reacted, removing all the pain from her body. Silence daunted amongst the two once Kira stopped screaming. Once Kira finally had the ability to sit up, she sat beside Steph and breathed out a mocking laugh.

 

“I-I thought you didn’t trust me anymore. I thought you were on Lee So Man’s side when you saw me murder the trainee. Why are you helping me?” Kira asked weakly, referring to the CCTV video which Steph saw last time.

 

“…because I can’t let you die. Don’t take it the wrong way; I didn’t save you so I could be ‘the hero of the day’. I saved you because I have a request,” Steph stared at the older one with pleading eyes.

 

“I can’t le-…”

 

“I’m not asking you to leave the Headquarters,” she immediately defended. “I know that once we’re a member, the only way we can leave is death, so I’m not trying to make you leave. I want you to look after Renee and Karen. If one day…I mean ‘if’ one day I’m no longer here to protect them, I hope you could. I know it’s a difficult request because you could only do it for Anna, but I beg of you.”

 

“Since I owe you, I’ll think about. I can’t promise you anything though. But...why are you doing this?” Kira furrowed her eyebrows as she sensed something suspicious from her.

 

“No reasons,” she smiled. “I should leave now; you should rest, but please call Kyuhyun oppa when you have time. He was really worried about you.” Steph winked before leaving Kira.

 

Once Kira was alone, her head hung down whilst her head rampaged with thoughts. She glanced around her room to notice the mess she had made. Nonchalantly, she picked her mobile up just to notice 27 missed calls and 32 text messages were sent to her. One by one, she listened to his voice messages.

 

“Kira! Kira? Are you okay? Please call back as soon as possible,” gentle weeping was audible from him, and gradually, his cries turned bitterer as his call progressed. “Kira, please be okay. I’m really scared. I’m really scared right now. Y-you’ll be okay, right?”

 

“Kyuhyun, why do you even care about someone like me?” She stared at the screen on her mobile for a good few minutes until her mobile vibrated. Involuntarily, she answered it, but when she answered it, she couldn’t even say ‘hello’. Kyuhyun on the other hand, seemed to be thrilled that she finally answered her phone.

 

“Kira! Are you okay? You finally picked up! Hello? Kira?” Kyuhyun kept talking, but Kira just remained silent. Yet somehow, Kyuhyun understood her silent message.

 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to talk. I’m just glad you’re okay now. I’ll go now, hope to hear from you later. Rest well.” Even though Kira couldn’t see him, she could imagine him beaming with his frail, warm smile.

 

---

 

Just as Steph stepped out of her dorm, she was greeted by a pair of reassuring arms around her shoulders. She felt comforted under the owner’s presence; however, an icy feeling lurked within her, telling her that it was not the person she wanted it to be. When she looked up at the owner, it was Seulong who was smiling brightly at her.

 

“You seem troubled recently. Want to go for a ride?” Steph cheerfully accepted his offer with a nod, and swiftly, he slipped the helmet onto her head.

 

“I want to take you somewhere, but…it’s a secret,” he grinned shyly at her whilst he started the engine on his motorbike. She simply stared at him in suspicion, but at the same time, anticipating on the surprise.

 

-

 

[Play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXNdoUQyFRQ]

 

She held him firmly around the waist as she leaned against his back, and clutched onto him as if she was clinging onto her life. The wind brushed against their helmets whilst dancing with her loose strands of hair. Smiles pasted between their cheeks as they roamed around freely on the deserted motorway. The weather was too beautiful for words to describe. The sky was coloured with a light shadow of blue, as splashes of white was painted across the marvellous canvas. Leaning towards the west, the sun was shining vibrantly, adding a tint of orange to the atmosphere. As minutes passed, all those colours blundered into each other, creating an idyllic purple landscape. The street lights were gradually lighting their way, acting as stars which were guiding them through the horizon.  

 

As the two travelled across the motorway, Seulong suddenly realised that he couldn’t slow the motorbike down. He swallowed hard as he tried to put the brakes on, but the motorbike refused to decelerate. In fact, the vehicle was moving faster than before and it was getting more and more difficult to control. He didn’t know what was going on, but his heartbeat quickened rapidly as he didn’t know what to do. He was panicking but the thought of death didn’t come first. Instead, it was the thought of her.

 

He knew what was going to happen next, and he was prepared for the final outcomes. He had to make a decision, a decision which might save her…but might kill him. The last drop of tear escaped beneath his helmet as the thought of losing her, simply made his heart wrench.

 

“Do you trust me?” he asked her whilst he gripped onto the handles tighter. Soon, the weight on his back disappeared. She had lent backwards in order to stare at the back of his helmet, where she saw her blurred reflection.

 

“O-of course. Why wouldn’t I?” she answered with uncertainty, since she didn’t understand why he suddenly asked that.

 

“Do you love me?” His sudden question caused her to blink rapidly as she was slightly taken back by it. It was a question which she never thought of because she simply didn’t want to know the answer herself.

 

“Why are you asking…?” Before she could finish, he cut her off. There was no time to waste. He only wanted to hear it once, just once even if it was going to be a lie.

 

“Can you tell me that you love me? Please?” His voice was drowned by the wind, but somehow she was able to comprehend what he was saying. She could sense it, his desperateness as well as his hopelessness, so she granted him his wish.

 

“I love you!” she screamed loudly, so he would be able to hear each and every word she said. Her eyebrows furrowed as if she knew that something was wrong. Instinctively, her grip around his waist tightened whilst fear devoured her.

 

“Remember, I will always love you no matter what happens,” he whispered so quietly that she couldn’t hear. Before she had the chance to ask, he turned around to grab hold of her and jumped off the motorbike. He wrapped his body around her so he could protect her from being injured. He held her securely in his arms and prayed for her safety.

 

When his body finally crashed onto the ground, he could no longer move as his spine was brutally broken. His blood seeped through his clothing, tainted it with a dark scarlet colour. The crimson liquid slithered amongst the small grains on the concrete, trying to reach her, trying to remind her that it was exactly the same when she murdered other people.

 

Once she was able to react, she gently pushed him off of her, waiting for her brain to inspire her of the sudden occurrence. When she took a second look at the fragile figure before her, she knelt down beside him to hold him in her arms.

 

“Oppa! Oppa!” she called for him repeatedly. “No. Oppa!” She removed his helmet to have a better look at him. She placed her hand firmly against his cheeks, and her warm, tender tears fell uncontrollably, tapping against his cold skin. “Wake up, oppa. WAKE UP!” She kept shaking him, hoping that he would somehow come back to life; hoping that his eyes would open; hoping that he would smile at her again.

 

Her world seemed to have slowed down as she watched the people dressed in white carry him away and pushing her into the ambulance as well. Her eyes simply couldn’t focus, and her world just seemed to have tarnished in a matter of seconds.

 

[End Song]

 

In the hospital, Seulong was taken to the emergency room. After Steph had got her leg bandaged, she waited patiently for the doctor’s announcement. In the end, it was revealed that he would be in a coma. Water traced down her cheeks silently until the nurses forced her back to her room where only misery surrounded her. The accident was all over the news, and the paparazzi were just trying to get their hands on her. However, there was more in store for the citizens of South Korea. No longer could the small innocent country remain peaceful.

 

-

 

A week later, Steph was discharged from the hospital and Karen got called to meet Mr Hiew in his office. Little did Karen know, her next task would haunt her for life.

 

-

 

“Impossible!” Karen gasped in disbelief, trying to move away from the old man before her.

 

“Little Karen, your Steph unnie is no longer your friend. She has changed over the years. You must not be fooled. She was the one who created those fake contracts to frame SM. She’s working with the murderer right now. We even suspect there might be a few of them in there.”

 

“I…I can’t…never…I’ve never killed anyone,” Karen stuttered as if she was about to burst into tears.

 

“I know. Often it’s Steph and Renee who takes up the role of killing, but you can’t rely on them forever.  In their eyes, you’re just a little girl,” Mr Hiew smirked, and Karen simply nodded.

 

“You’re right. They do treat me like a little girl. They don’t trust me to do anything. I’m just as good in completing missions as them,” Karen muttered to herself. It was a sign that he was successful in convincing her to murder.

 

“It’s time you show them what you’re capable of. To do that, you must kill this person first.”

 

-

 

Two days later, after murdering the trainee, Karen could not stop staring at her hands. In her mind, they were stained with blood, when in reality - they were clean. She felt alone and scared. She wasn’t only scared of the blood, she was also afraid of herself. She, being the youngest was actually capable of such evil. She was always thought as ‘innocent’ and ‘sweet’, but from that point onwards, she would have to carry the title of being a murderer. She was basically mentally unstable afterwards. When she was alone, she could hear voices. From her perspective, the trainee she murdered was haunting her every second. She felt as if she no longer had anyone to trust or rely on. No longer would Steph and Renee protect her like they did.

 

When she was walking around the building, trying to find an exit, she accidently mistook Minho as the grim reaper and started running for her life. Seeing her like that, Minho automatically chased after her until they reached the recording room.

 

“Don’t come near me! Please! I didn’t mean to. Get away from me! I don’t want to die!” she screamed as she curled up into a ball whilst covering her head with her arms.

 

“Karen. Karen! It’s me Minho! I’m not going to kill you,” Minho continued to approach her until she finally snapped out of it.

 

“Oppa? It’s really you?” she looked at him in shock before letting out a relieved chuckle. She even caressed his cheeks to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “Oppa! What am I going to do? They’re all after me! They’re staring at me, they…” she kept gasping until she was starting to get breathless. Minho didn’t understand what she was trying to say, but tried to protect her by surrounding her petit body with his arms. She cried and cried, clinging onto Minho just so she could confirm that he was actually there because it was the only way she felt protected.

 

Then, all of a sudden, Key entered the room, causing Karen’s heart to stop. After taking a glimpse, giving him a snapshot of what was going on; he immediately left, causing Minho to leave the traumatised Karen in order to chase after him.

 

“Kibum ah! Don’t be mad. I can explain,” Minho yelled so that he could get Key’s attention.

 

“I should’ve known better than to get in the way of you two,” he laughed bitterly as he bit his lower lip to prevent himself from crying, as well as distracting him from the pain in his heart.

 

Minhorushed towards Key and grabbed him by the collar. “Ya! Watch what you’re saying! There’s nothing between us! If you could just listen for one second…”

 

“If you like her that much, you can have her,” Key spoke impassively. It wasn’t the fact that he didn’t care, but he simply didn’t have enough strength to bother. The pain was like his new best friend, coming and going whenever it pleased. Why should he be bothered about it? Why should he care about anything when no one ever cared about him?

 

“You know what. Maybe I will. Since I think I can treat her better than you!” Minho pushed him onto the floor, causing him to land on his arm. “It’s funny. When she’s in trouble, I happen to the one who’s comforting her and not you. Did you know that she was in trouble? Have you noticed? Have you even bothered asking her what’s wrong?”

 

Key was shocked after knowing that fact. The word ‘failure’ sprung into his mind, yet he showed no sign of it in his reaction. He simply strolled away like nothing happened, but deep down - his heart was aching once again.

 

-

 

Karen decided to leave before Minho could go back to her. She didn’t want to know Key’s reaction. She felt as if the whole world was on her shoulders, pushing her down to the floor and laughing how pathetic she was.

 

Deep inside, she blamed her actions on Steph. If it wasn’t for her, Karen wouldn’t have murdered the trainee. Then, she saw her, at the end of the corridor and her hatred grew. Karen marched fiercely towards her, demanding to have a word with her.

 

Steph was taken back by Karen’s angry expression and behaviour, but said nothing of it. Obediently, she followed the younger one to a quieter area. Karen dug into her bag and pulled the original contract with DBSK. Steph’s eyes widened once her eyes landed on the stack of papers. Silence immersed into the atmosphere, giving them both discomfort.

 

“What do you want to talk to me about?” Steph finally spoke, even though she knew what Karen wanted to discuss with her.

 

“I found this in your room. You. How can you do this to Lee So Man-shi, especially when he treated you like his own daughter? Don’t you know that it’s against the law for you to do something like this?” Karen stared at Steph questionably.

 

“If I told you I didn’t do it…would you believe me?”

 

“You’re the only one with the skills amongst us who can fraud a contract without leaving any traces behind!” Karen exclaimed it all in one breath.

 

“I’ll tell you one more time, and it’s also going to be the last time, so listen carefully. It wasn’t me. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, especially since…I’ve never asked you to believe me.” She swallowed uncomfortably and continued to walk until she made her exit.

 

---

 

It seemed like this special day had more in store for them. All the girls were on the tip of their sanity, including Kira.

 

On the other side of town, Kira saw the news on TV about the murdered trainee. Her eyes widened in fear, because this time, it wasn’t her who was the murderer; which could only mean that Mr Hiew had found his replacement. She wanted to hide, because she didn’t know what to expect next. Like a mad woman, she ran towards the balcony, screaming those words.

 

“Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT NOW!” she cried to the skies above. “Please stop this,” she whimpered as her hand clutched onto her shirt where her heart was positioned. It was beating so fast, it was as if it wanted to jump out of her body. She didn’t know why, but she was really scared by the fact that she was losing control in the situation. She no longer had the confidence to work under the Headquarters; she no longer had the confidence to protect Anna, and last but not least, she no longer had the confidence to live her life like she did before. After much thought, she had come to an irrational conclusion and decision.

 

She closed her eyes tightly, and without a second thought, she jumped over the mental bars. Instantly, her body fell as gravity pulled her down. She was prepared for the pain, but it never came. Instead, the pain came in a small form on her right wrist. Once she opened her eyes, she realised she was dangling in the air. When she looked up, she saw Anna clutching onto her wrist.

 

“Kira! What are you doing?!” she shrieked whilst she pulled with all her might.  

 

“Anna, let go,” Kira cried. “You’re not strong enough! I feel even worse dangling in the air!”

 

“I won’t let go. I won’t let you die!” Anna whispered softly, as she didn’t have the strength to speak any louder. Kira could feel Anna’s grip loosening due to her sweaty hands. Eventually, Anna did let go. Anna felt as if her world had stopped that second, and Kira was just falling in slow motion in front of her, making her feel even guiltier because she couldn’t help Kira.

 

Kira gave Anna a small smile when she released her hand. All her troubles would be put to an end soon. Her falling felt like an endless journey to her, giving her time to think about the people she’d met in her life. Then, the image of Kyuhyun smiling at her appeared in her mind, leading her to ask herself: ‘could I really let everything go?’

 

Suddenly, she could feel something yanking her shirt. She looked below to notice a distance no more than 3 meters above from the ground.

 

“Yah! If you die from this height, I will kill myself and annoy you in hell.”