Fear, it’s what drives the best of us insane. It’s a nasty disease that starts to form in your gut, and it slowly builds until it creeps up and starts to invade each nerve in your body. Hair starts to rise, and your heart begins to race. Before you know it, you’re blinded by whatever is plaguing your mind and you act out. Some follow the orders of another while others hole themselves up and try to escape this nightmare. Sometimes, this dreadful thing doesn’t leave us until the day of our deaths. It attaches and eats off of our being like a deadly parasite. And the only one that can stop the fear from overcoming is the one being attacked.

To whom it may concern:

Miss Lee does not need your help. Her family’s pharmacy is running well, so a former nurse like you is not needed. Also, I would like to express that I know your motives, and I would like you to refrain from continuing your plan. You may know who D is, and you should know what will happen if he figures this out. Thank you.

Dragon

                Staring at the screen before me, I huffed out in disbelief. Of course I knew of the ever secret persona that was called D. I knew of the results that would occur if “he” ever found out what I was doing. Within this small society of people, “D” was considered to be worse than a ruthless monarche. If someone acted out, then he would send his people and punish them so that others dared not to step out. Not even the police could do a thing about it, so they let him continue with his monstrous acts without interference. Despite this knowledge, I was still going to take the risk. Who was Dragon to think that I was afraid of a small threat through the internet?

                Due to the fear that this invisible person—D—instilled in the hearts of those around him, those belonging to the members of his gang followed every order. If I somehow took away that fear, then I would be safe enough to find the clues that lay behind the cloak that D used to shield himself. And that meant that I couldn’t give up.

                After close consideration, I chose the easiest one in the group to persuade. I needed to press my way into Miss Lee’s heart. Once I had her, I could then start on those closest to her. And the only way to do that was to use my old profession to score some points with the young girl.

                About a year ago, I started to help the police out by anonymously giving clues that led to the capture of the rowdiest gangs. After six months passed, people grew fidgety. Who was I? Why was I using the mask of anonymity when I could openly help them out? I let the anxiety spread until the police department around the area where D’s group resided contacted me personally. They had somehow uncovered my identity and used it as bait to help them out so that they would receive the praise for capturing the bad guys. Because I was careless, my identity was discovered and that must mean that whoever D’s real persona has been clever enough to stay undercover.

                “Chaerin?” a familiar voice sounded when I was in the middle of a stretch. Shocked to see that I wasn’t the only one in the pitch black office, I nearly fell out of my chair.

                “Oh, hello chief,” I greeted after straightening myself out. Smiling warmly, the man glanced at my screen and his eyes froze on what seemed to be Dragon’s signature. The second his gaze turned stony, I began to wonder if he knew who Dragon was. But how?

                “Did you upset someone again?” he asked, stilling my heart that had barely begun to race.

                “No, sir,” I kindly replied and plastered a smile on my face. Sighing, he smiled in return and left me to pack up. When his back was to me, I made a face and shut my computer. I hated working in this environment. I wasn’t a certified detective. In fact, I was only certified to work in the medical field as a nurse, and those around me took advantage of that at times. It was quite discerning at times. Biting my lower lip, I gathered what was needed and stuffed it into my bag. Once complete, I shut off the light to my desk lamp and made my way out. “Ah, it’s late,” I muttered to myself once the chilly night air brushed across my skin. It had been over ten hours since I last saw the outside. Despite knowing that it was nearing midnight, the realization of how late it was still hit me like a brick. “Father’s going to kill me.”

                “Miss Chae?” an unfamiliar voice slit through the air. Freezing in my steps, I glanced about to see only darkness. The voice had been deep and cautious laced with what seemed like malice. Was it someone from a gang I had broken apart?

                No, I knew each of their voices. This one was foreign to my ears, and it sent chills down my spine. No matter how curious I was to see the one approaching me, I remained in place. My feet were glued to the ground and chills continued to ripple across my skin.

                “Miss Chae,” the voice affirmed. Without giving me a second’s chance, the man poked his head in my line of sight. So that I could contain a somewhat calm composure, I put my all into clenching my fists tightly. Inside, my heart raged and every muscle was tense. Seemingly fooled by my attempt at a calm composure, the man smirked. When he finally stepped in front of me, I filed away all that I could about him. He was tall, nicely built, square jaw with dark, penetrating eyes. Everything was strange, unknown. From what I gathered, most gang members carried themselves in a certain way that hinted at possible danger if you stepped the wrong way. However, he didn’t have a hint or warning to the possible danger. One look at him forced me to know that he was dangerous even if you were on his good side. Assessing all of this, I took a step backwards. But that was a poor choice on my behalf. As my foot hit the ground, hands latched onto my forearms from behind and the man before me lurched forward. Before I could react, my vision was blocked and I was ushered in some direction until I was shoved into a car.

                If the people attacking really were a gang intended for revenge, then they wouldn’t go through such lengths. I didn’t fully understand why I was being kidnapped like this. All I knew was that they either wanted information from me or they wouldn’t have done this. Why did they want information, though?

                When I was starting to grow comfortable with not knowing where I was being taken, the car screeched to a stop. With such an unexpected force, my body propelled forward. I felt like I was only going to continue falling forward until a hand landed on my shoulder and pushed me back. Huffing out, I sat still, waiting for something to happen.

                For what seemed like ages after the car had stopped, I was pulled out of the car and pushed forward. When I finally recovered from how abrupt everything was, someone yanked my blindfold away. I gasped at how sudden it was and whipped around to see the man who had ambushed me. Behind him, three other people stood waiting, two men and one girl. The girl seemed particularly young. She stood further back with a fierce look on her face. Not that far away from her lay a building that had the title of a club that I had been trying to find for quite some time now. The title of a club that was owned by D’s gang. Their main hangout.

                Heart pounding, I stared at the letters as it settled in on me. They weren’t bringing me to a random place for revenge or information. Instead, they captured me for some other motive. Frowning, I pried my eyes away from the sign and watched as the girl shook her head and disappeared into the building. The others followed after and a hand pressed into the middle of my back. Not expecting such a gesture, I jumped and spun around to see the man who initiated this entire ordeal. He stared out at me with a blank look, clearly wanting me to follow the others. In return, I squared my shoulders and went on my own. However, I was quickly stopped right inside the doors.

                “Dragon requested her,” the man behind me grunted to the one who glared down at me. Reluctantly, he stepped aside and let us through. Although I suspected that the man who emailed me was behind this, the words confirmed my thoughts. I didn’t know why he was requesting me so soon, though.

               Inside, lights flared and my blood pulsed along with the beat of the music. The place and the people within smelled. Smelled of sweat that poured from those dancing, intoxication, and danger. I didn’t exactly like it, but I had to swallow my distaste and follow the lead of my kidnapper.

                As we moved through the building, those closest to us would stop and assess me. I was new. I was someone who didn’t belong. And with the way I was dressed, the difference was quite obvious.

                The man that had taken the lead slipped around a black wall that ended at eye level and stopped in front of a table where another resided. This new face had a look of disgust, obviously hating the fact that he had to be there at all. The others around him stood at a cautious distance, keeping their eyes trained on him. The atmosphere that surrounded them made it clear that he was in charge, and that he was in fact Dragon.

                Behind Dragon stood a girl who seemed to be in her late teenage years. An evident scowl was spread across her face as if she had recently been scolded. When I finally approached the table, the girl’s dark brown eyes shot up and linked with my own. At once, I realized exactly who she was. Miss Lee.

                Trying my best to hide my emotions, I turned my attention to the man who was lifelessly staring up at me. From the way this meeting was going, it seemed as if he wanted to scare me off. He wanted to make sure that I didn’t poke my nose into their business any longer. Although it might prove to be terrible for me, it could be worse for those intertwined with me. However, I couldn’t think about those consequences. This gang was the only way I could find who their leader was, which meant that I had to stick to them like glue whether they liked it or not.

                Putting a thin cigarette to his lips and lighting it, Dragon leaned back in his chair. For quite some time, silence hung in the air like a threat as he thoroughly assessed me. As I stared back, there was something in his eyes. Something that I couldn’t translate. The air between us grew uncomfortable at a rapid pace until the one that led me here cleared his throat. Dragon then glanced away, breaking the little trance, and waved me to sit. At such a motion, annoyance washed over me and I refused with a set jaw. He was the one that brought me here, and if he didn’t explain why, then I wouldn’t submit to any of his requests.

                Catching the gist, the man smirked and returned his gaze. In that instant, my heart froze over. His gaze was like ice. It was the kind of ice that could be detrimental to your health and kill you in an instant. And as I stared back, the thought of even daring to fight back was terrifying.

                “Sit, Miss Chae,” he finally barked. When I continued to stand, his gaze darkened. “Alright, then. Please enlighten me on why a well-known detective like you is looking to assist someone from my people like a nasty pest,” he instructed.

                “You should know very well why I contacted Miss Lee if you know that much about me, Mr. Dragon,” I retorted. His muscles tensed in response and the look he gave me screamed danger. I was stepping on a land mine and my heart was about to pound right out of my chest if I didn’t stop soon. It was a major struggle to even look like I was calm. After a moment or two, a smirk stretched across his face and he slowly picked himself up from his chair.

                “In that case, Miss Chae, I have nothing to tell you,” he answered and moved to leave.

                “Wait,” I whispered.

                “What? You want to know how one makes it into our group? Well, you can’t. There’s a reason why our members are chosen by our leader. It’s so that a girl like you won’t enter and simply cause trouble.” At that, he tried to brush past me. As our skin made contact, my hand instinctively shot up and caught hold of his arm, stilling him.

                “But how do you know you’ve been chosen by him? How do you know that you yourself haven’t caused trouble from the start? How do you know anything about him?” I coldly whispered in his ear with newfound strength. For a slight second, I felt his muscles tense once more before he pulled free from my grasp.

                “Have fun while you’re here, because you won’t have this chance again,” he insisted before walking away. The reprimanded girl followed after, glancing my way with an apologetic look clouding her eyes. Because of that, I turned to chase after Dragon, but the one that stayed by my side stopped me in my tracks. Huffing out, I watched as the man disappeared into the crowd. When he was nowhere to be seen, my legs began to shake. Knowing that I would pass out if I continued to remain in such a place, I turned to the lifeless man and requested that I be taken back to where he picked me up. He simply nodded in return and moved to show me the way out. As I walked through the crowd of people that stared at me with disgust and curiosity, I realized that this wasn’t going to be the last time I saw them. For some reason, I felt like they knew that as well. The atmosphere between us explained it better than words ever could.

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A/N: Annnnd! It's up! ^^; I know that this chapter is a bit choppy. I apologize. I believe that it will get better, so please stick with me~ ^^