0029
Drop Dead Goddess
TWENTY NINE
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The thermostat was savaged as his sweat almost drenched the thick checkered pajamas he's wearing. With his still closed eyes, his arms stretched on his side, only to find the absence of Dara. He dragged himself up, grabbed his robe and put it on even if he was perspiring as hell, but he couldn't care less. Lazily, he sauntered to the remote control of his air conditioner and learned that there was no electricity available.
A letter was sitting next to the controller, torn to pieces. It was the letter of Ill Woo that he long forgotten as he rearranged it back to its original form. His eyes scanned his room as the morning rays were already peeking through the thick curtains. His sight went back to the letter as it read, 'Be careful who you let in.'
He crumpled it as he tugged his hair, his fist was sent to the vanity mirror where the letter was residing as it shattered. Broken to million of tiny glass sparkling against the floor, his reflection broke as well. His still recovering hand was now covered with rich blood again as his orbs still lingered on the floor.
Seunghyun kneeled down as he used one of the broken glass to tear the wall paper adjacent to his bed, knuckles still stinging pain. Eventually, the bare wall showcased a hallow space with a small black dot in the middle. He his forefinger slowly, cleaning the cut with his tongue and finally tapping the dot.
"Fingerprint accepted." The automated machine stated in a volume that was a little too loud. The wood split in half as a caracal pistol was summoned. He obtained the gun and carefully loaded it with one bullet, secured it inside his robe's inner pocket located on his left most chest.
ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO OPEN THE DOOR?
A question was plastered on the floor, written with the use of rose stems, thorns blocking his way. His body heat intensified, it wasn't a pleasant feeling exactly but he had no choice. He knew that life and death might be meeting soon. Feet were soon crunching the thorns with those needles pushing through the thin slipper. Sharpness pinching his toes as it bled.
Opening his door became a hard thing to do, as if something was clogging his way. He forced another push as it successfully opened. A guy in black long sleeves was the reason of his delay as he was clumping the door.
Danger was soon smelled, all his men were lying unconsciously on the floor. A smoke was fogging his vision as he covered his nose with his thick robe. Though his eyes were tormented with the acid that the smoke sent, as if his eyes were being fried to the extreme soreness.
He gulped on the sight as he panicked, labyrinthian puzzle in his head as it assumed that this might be his last day. He approached one of the guys lying down and reached for his pulse, he was still alive. The troops were just put into a sleeping manner and were all breathing quietly fine. He picked a rifle gun on the floor as he questioningly saw petals of red roses scattered, then leading to the safe room that only him and his father knew.
Slowly, he traversed the dark alley. Step by step, he felt his heart getting sicker each passing second. The black out wasn't helping that much as it hindered his sight, making it hard to see whoever enemy that might me lurking in the dark.
His palm caressed his chest, making sure that the pistol was still by his side. It was the last step to make, back still resting against the wall. The cabinet which was hiding the slim door was violently crashed on the floor, books and some piece of arts were now soaking wet, losing its value.
The wall paint was scraped, making the hidden door visible by now. Even if the place was a total darkness, he was hundred percent sure that abyss of purgatory was waiting inside. The door was slightly showcasing the hard earned crystals of him and his late father. His eyes were now bloodshot with the sight of diamonds scintillated through the very small opening of the door. He heaved a huge amount of air as he forced getting inside, banging his shoulder against the door as he successfully let himself in.
Then, there she was, sweetly smiling, eyes glimmering together with the mountain of diamonds where she was prettily sitting.
Time stood still, their eyes still locked to each other with several candle sticks illuminating the closed room, crystal gems producing the magical reflection of flames.
"S-sandy?" He croaked. Should've listened to his instincts in the first place, grunting in frustration. "You sound like Changmin the last time he saw me." She gracefully stood up with her hand playing with an inch diamond, rolling between her thumb and forefinger.
"Well played." Seunghyun nodded with his teeth gritting, tears almost falling but he fought it hard, so hard that he eventually couldn't hold his emotions anymore. He gripped on the rifle gun tightly as his veins bulged, both hands were both shaking in anger. Blood continued to spill.
"Ill Woo already warned you, but you're such a brat and didn't listen." She tossed the diamond as she pushed herself up, poise had not left her slim body. "Don't you find the roses sweet? Don't you realize how much effort I put to make your death like in the movies?" After her last word, seconds passed without them making any move.
The room was too silent. The silence was killing Seunghyun.
She broke the eeriness with a child like chuckle, "aren't you excited to die?"
Her mocking didn't make things any better. For that moment, Seunghyun knew that his life wasn't presented in a silver platter after all. All these money, gems and every wealth he has doesn't make any sense now. He just wanted to be loved, how cruel could she get?
"You know I love you that much! How could you?" His eyes were grieving, pleading, and were trying to convey what his heart was shouting. He felt betrayed, big time.
"Oh, well... Just doing my job."
"! You should have killed me the first time you saw me at the auction rather than play games with my heart!" His voice was loud and deep, face turned red with the wrath and pain she caused. "Don't you know you're the first that I give my love that much? I felt like I died already!"
"Blab blah blah..." She raised her hand, as if holding a puppet, as if her hand could talk. She then brushed her hair with her hands, slowly putting her locks on the side, showcasing her smooth and silky neck. She gave him a heart flattering smile with her red lips. "You knew that I'm the spy even if I framed Jaejoong, why didn't you just shoot me that night when you saw me acting as if I'm sleeping in your bed? Never thought you'll believe that I was on a slumber party the entire incident. Why?"
"I was blinded by love."
"Hahahahaha! Love isn't even a word. It doesn't exist! You moron!" She hysterically laughed but cut short when he snorted. "You're a heartless ."
"Yeah, whatever. Okay, to make the story short. You have to choose." She got a small gun, he wasn't sure what type pf gun was it but she made sure it was pointed right unto his forehead covered with his sticking caramel hair. "Either I shoot you just like what I did to Changmin or..." Her other hand pulled the noose hanging on the ceiling to make his death look like a suicide. "Come here and I'll wrap your neck with my d-i-y necklace."
Seunghyun opted to get closer, even if the risk of her shooting him was high enough. She slowly put down her gun as he stepped once more. Their nose were now inch away, both feeling the harshness of their breaths.
"Shoot me with your riffle." She dared, eyes focused on his deep, curved philtrum. Down to his heavenly made lips. She bit his lower lip as her gaze was caught by him. Bottom lip was by her, flirting and the blood oozing out. He stepped back, gun was now pointing her heart. The tip was touching the leather jacket she was wearing, his gun vibrating every time her heart beats.
It was an empty five seconds and Seunghyun's finger was still not shooting her, "You can't?" She teased. Dara was speechless on how idiot Seunghyun was for she learned how imbecile he thinks when he's drowning in love. "Awww. Honey-"
Before she could say another word, Seunghyun's shaking finger pulled the trigger.
"I won't die in your hands!" She grinned while cocking her head, for the fact that she unloaded every single gun loitering on the hallway before Seunghyun even wake. Nothing was left, she was sure that all of the gun that his private army posses were now useless. But it was somehow surprising for her that Seunghyun's actually going to dispatch her as she felt a little jittery, excitement that her prey tried to shoot her. Making the act of Seunghyun almost killing her thrilled her excited body. "Now my turn bastard!"
"Run!" She threw the small gun and climbed she started shooting everything along her way as Seunghyun's long legs made it easy for him to run after his life.
With the rage, she easily got him stop by shooting his ankle, making his legs feel weak as he stumbled on his feet, falling down to the grand staircase. Pajamas mixed with blood and sweat in the end.
"If you just listen to me and do what I want. Your death wont be torture, honey." The gun's weight was now assigned to her shoulder, with her lips producing a soft whistle. Birds chirping with her.
The bachelor helplessly crawled towards one of his sleeping underdog as Dara merrily went down the stairs without blinking from the sight of Seunghyun's sufferings. She giggled like a maniac, playing as if she's God. As if she's the angel of death that will soon snatch the soul out of this handsome lad.
He tried his best to reach the leg of the unconscious being as he got knife from him, it was hidden behind his pants. Faster than the blink of an eye, he threw the dagger against her. Swoosh sound was heard as it cut her several strands of hair, the tip drawing a line on her rosy white cheek, staining with a thin string of warm blood. "!" Her small fingers caressed her face as it confirmed that she had a cut.
A gunshot was heard from afar, burying a hole on the tiled floor, beside Seunghyun. In an instant, he froze as if breathing will do no good. He was so clueless with the circumsrance, knowing that there were the only two of them in the mansion that was indeed in conscious mind. It was clear to him that a sniper were hiding behind now the charcoal sky, the sun seemed to change its mind, clouds erratically blossomed as the drizzle was soon became shower.
"I got your back," Daesung's voice was heard from Dara's earpiece but he was nowhere to be found. Both Dara and Seunghyun looked around to see where he was coming from as they realized a red laser dot was illuminated against his chest. His agony was traversed through his face.
"What the? What the ing hell are you doing here Daesung?! I can finish this mission alone! You greedy prick!" She hysterically grunted through her nose, as if smoke will soon come out. Her instincts drew her to the grand door that was opened wide. Knowing that the lithe red light was coming from the tree, behind the lushes of shrubs, about an estimated hundred meters away.
She walk passed Seunghyun who she thought was a useless predator by now. Her peripheral vision still checked him though. She just shook her head in annoyance and loaded her gun without looking at it, with her attention still distracted by Daesung.
Jiyong, whose head was resting on his chipped skateboard, body was also lying beside the huge angel sculpture made of ivory, fixed on the verge of the door. He had his eyes dilated when he heard her voice, the voice which he thought was ridiculously stupid that made him wake. As if inhaling the smoke that sent him to sleep invalidated its capability.
She was so distracted that Seunghyun finally had the moment he'd been waiting for even if he knew that the sniper will shoot him without second thought. He didn't care, he'll be a dead meat soon. But he'll not die without fighting. The pistol hidden in his robe was now on his control, he immediately targeted her back and even before Daesung could react in his sight through the monocular scope in his gun, Seunghyun was fast enough to pulled the trigger mercilessly.
"Dara!"
He let himself bled, hugged her from behind, her hair brushing through his face, for her warmth and smell of fresh daisies sufficed the pain. He loved her more than anything in the world, for he knew what it was like losing her. The incident on that beach was enough for him to realize that her being lifeless, will be worth a thousand times than his life. He knew that he'll live as if he's dying every single day without her.
The sky grieved lightning and thunder. Jiyong's rightmost back received the bullet from Seunghyun. The bullet that should have ended Dara's life felt more heartbreaking. With his own hands, he couldn't believe his very own brother was willing to offer his life to that skunk who might be also the responsible for his father's death without knowing that it was Daesung's.
The same memory was swept into his mind, the day Dara also saved him in the auction. The bullet that was worth his life, will now be the bullet that might end his brother's. Guilt succumbed his head as his tears damped his cheeks, tracing the sharpness of his jawline down to his chin.
Kang Daesung finally ended Seunghyun as he shot his chest, exactly where his heart was located as he fell on his back, eyes still open wide, tears still falling in vain. He heard himself that his breathe was fading away, apologies tainted his eyes for the way he left the world. The way he turned everything into darkness out of his hands, for the thousand of lives he ended due to the underground war, for the greed, for the blood that was shattered just to make billions of dollars out of the abyss of innocent lives. Entering the world of politics by following his father's trail just to be corrupt as well, to hoard all the citizen's money. He never thought that walking in the darker path to gather wealth will also be his ticket to heaven, or probably hell. And lastly, waking up each day with the hatred towards his brother was the worst. Just because he was the souvenir to make him always remember the sin that his father and Jiyong's mother made. He didn't see the beautiful world of forgiveness and love, he was busy searching for what the world could offer in the cost of loathe without realizing the only precious left in the world was Jiyong.
Jiyong, sorry. It was his last thought before his soul left.
"What the?" She was flabbergasted with the two separate gunshots, moreover with sight of the red head guy falling down behind her. When he felt the cold hard tiles catching his body, Jiyong's hand searched for the cut, as he saw his palm now painted with red dripping blood. down his arm. He felt his heart overdoing its job. It palpitated when he saw his older brother lifeless behind him, even if he shared a bullcrap life with him, he felt obnoxiously numb. He was saddened by the reality that he was now an official orphan, though he lived his entire life like one.
Dara panicked as she faced him, her mind twisted than it already was. It was as if she's playing her game that she knew she'll win, but turned out she was so incognizant of it, that she couldn't play God after all.
Her hands were quivering, she didn't even realized her gun was now pointed against the guy who saved her life. She didn't know herself anymore. Because this job didn't let her in the first place.
A red dot was soon elucidating at the back of her hand, drawing against her protruding vein. "No!" Daesung warned her as she faced him, even if he was far from the scene. "What's wrong with you Dae!" Her voice shrilled through Daesung's earpiece. Her orbs went back to the red head guy, with his bleeding back mimicking the color of his strands. The heaven groaned with another lighting, with only Dara's silhouette visible against the opened door while Jiyong's soft featured face was caressed every now and then by the striking light.
He was lovingly staring at her, willing to die for her entertainment, with still confused head of what she was really up to with this killing game. Whilst there was no room of pity on her eyes, hawking against him. She had decided, she must finish the Choi's clan so that there won't be the next generation that will up this society again. Or maybe she had hidden agenda, maybe because of the fact that Daesung killed the father and also Seunghyun that she can't let this mission pass with only Daesung getting the credits.
"Please, don't kill him!" Daesung merely shouted that made an irritating static sound against her ear as she hissed in the process. Her hands were still shaking, heart convulsing incredibly double its norman phase, eyes never leaving Jiyong. It was as if her mind wanted every body dead, but there's something pulling her back, something she couldn't decipher, something that was killing her inside which was so damn bemusing her, Jiyong made her head graveled in pain.
Breathe Dara, breathe.
She almost touched the trigger, breathe. As she felt the cold metal on her fingertips, she closed her eyes and pulled it off. Daesung was fast enough to shoot the tip of Dara's gun as it was fired on the other direction, sparing the life of Jiyong.
Guilt, pain, regret. She shed tears, streaming on her face, hair sticking in the process. Jiyong's stare almost hurt her inside, as if all of the missions and death she caused were nothing compared to her act that almost took his life. It was a puzzle for her, feeling the strangest thing that she never felt for the long time.
"You love him," the guy on the other end of the line spoke as she heard a sob from a girl, probably someone who was with Daesung. "Dara..." The girl haven't finished her words, for nothing came out of . It was Bom's voice, obviously crying.
She was then taken aback when the word 'love' was heard. As if the word finally had meaning to her heart. Turning around, she had made up her mind not daring to look back at the young man, nor to the lifeless Seunghyun who was swimming on his own blood. She her chest, fighting the ache.
When she left the scene, Jiyong just stared at her ghost, as if she was still standing in front of him. As if she was still pointing her gun against him. He smirked for unknown reason as he glimpsed sideways to close his brother's eyes and hope that Seunghyun could still find peace in his departure.
*
Her eyes were obviously restless, fluffy and drawn with dark circles due to the whole night of watching the surveillance videos of herself and her lover through out the Lee's case, including some clips from Choi's. Crying might lasted for several hours before she fell asleep, with the flash drive on her grasp. She slumped her chin on the back of her hand before sighing.
"Don't worry, I already talked to Jiyong about everything. He will remain silent so you don't have to kill him. Tablo and Jiyong had an agreement, that he'll never be a hindrance in your succeeding missions. He just wished to see you for the last time. He's on our side now by the way." Daesung sat in front of Dara, with her breakfast still untouched.
"You and Boss shouldn't have done that. I did not ask you to fix my life."
"You didn't, but I want to help." He gave her a faint smile. He knew how she felt, he'd been through her situation and he knew exactly how it feels on her shoes.
"Help? Tss..." She could only roll her eyes for the bitterness. But Daesung insisted explaining, "You can live a normal life after the Japan mission. In four years time, the Yakuzas having illegal transactions in our country will be famished together with Ill Woo. Maybe Tablo will agree with you. To erase everything so that you can start a new life."
Pissed, she groaned. Eyes were furious as ever. "Normal life? Are you ing damn stupid? My life is already ed up the moment I ing accepted this goddamn job!"
"Guess I'm done talking with you." He accepted his defeat, that she won't change. That she'll never see him as a friend, he's always be an opponent, a competitor, an enemy. He stood, though his smile still lifted his face with full hope. "See you in Japan then."
*
"Hey kid, what do you really want?" She tossed the almost used cigar, feet ending the life of it as the smoke vanished in instant. He sauntered to the corner of the cemetery, then stood next to her, back resting against the metal railing, he then got a stick from her pack and eventually savored the smoke as if his mouth was an industrial chimney. He stretched his arms and yawn and didn't mind the ache of the newly surgery he undergone for being shot at the back, as if everything was completely fine.
It was a gloomy afternoon, clouds beaconing over the graveyard where the richest of the rich were buried six feet under. Wind was weak though, as it could only move Dara's hazelnut tendrils that somehow were covering her face. They both shared the awkwardness, one being lost, didn't know how to feel, while the other almost losing his mind.
"The mafia world needed to end, and so your father and brother. Sorry for your loss. But, aren't you afraid that you might be killed next?"
He finished his cigarette before answering tediously, eyes still gazing the two gray tombstone erected against the green grass. "I don't mind."
"Listen, and they're gonna erase my memory again. Specifically all of the Choi's case. You're in it. So I wont remember you. Same as what happened during Lee Min Ho's case. That's why I didn't recognize you even a bit. Actually now, I still couldn't believe that I made love with you before."
He was still idle, not giving her the attention she wanted as he continued sipping on the goodness of this menthol cigar, lungs filled with delicious toxins.
"I will be falling for the same person over and over again, Taeyang." She didn't realize, her eyes were now watery.
She stood in front of him whose stare was still stuck somewhere far away with his thoughts flying further. Dara twitched her lips before her tears eventually escaped the imprisonment of her lashes, hands fidgeting each other. "Because, he's the only memory I had. My childhood. And the rest are fragments. I don't want to see you getting in trouble chasing me. Please let me go. So, this is goodbye."
"Goodbye? Sure. That's cool," Jiyong shrugged as he lurched the small roll of paper filled with dried leaves. Both palms soon imprisoned her rose stained cheek, even if moving his shoulder was impossibly torture, he still caressed her, thumb crossing over the adhesive bandage on her face. Soon, their lips were colliding in mixture of bitterness and agony, together with the longing desire to touch one another. The longing kiss was painfully beautiful.
*
A/n: epilogue almost done. :)))
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