Jin’s POV:

“GODDAMNIT!” I hissed angrily as I hurled my phone against the wall. This had been the fifth time I called Bang, and he still hasn’t picked up.

“There’s no use. He’s not going to come back.”

I heard around to find DaeHyun facing me with cold eyes. His face was still full of bruises and cuts from the punishment.

“What the hell are you saying Dae? I don’t have time for your bull.”

“I’m saying that Bang is the traitor,” he said sternly.
 

“What?” I turned back around to face him.

“One of the guys saw Bang leaving the cold room in the hospital and noticed how he kept loitering around the black bag without a purpose. He probably switched the bodies. Remember how he was late on the same day you held an examination? It was because he was with Natalie. Remember how Natalie escaped during your fight with JiYong? Bang had helped her escape. I’m sure there are millions of other hints and clues that he accidentally dropped. Think about it Jin. It all ties together,” he explained with detail.

It was then that I remembered.

“Everyone, begin digging up these two graves,” I instructed.

Everyone immediately dropped to ground and began clawing at the earth.

Everyone but Bang. He mindlessly stood there as if he hadn’t heard me.

“Bang, what are you waiting for?” I questioned him.

“Ah, sorry,” he muttered as he kneeled down onto the ground and began digging along with the others.

For the rest of the night, I watched him carefully. However, he managed to finish the task without any further problems.

Dae’s voice suddenly disrupted by thoughts, “I saw this on the table.”

In his hand was a piece of paper. It read:

I’m sorry, Jin. Thank you for everything.  –Bang.

“Trust me Jin. I’ve been watching Bang for a while now, and I know what kind of person he is. Why would he leave at this time? And why was Natalie’s house completely empty when we came to find her this morning? How is it that they’re both coincidentally missing at the same time? It’s pretty damn obvious that he’s the traitor you’ve been looking for all these years,” he placed the puzzle pieces together for me.

I felt my blood boiling in utmost anger and betrayal.

How could he ing betray me like that…? I treated him so well over the past 20 years of his life… How could he just….

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME THIS EARLIER?!” I screamed at DaeHyun.

“BECAUSE YOU WERE BLINDED JIN. YOU WERE ALWAYS ING BLINDED BY YOUR OWN TRUST. IF THERE WERE ANYONE TO BLAME, IT WOULD BE YOU. YOU ALWAYS PLACED EVERYTHING INTO YONGGUK—YOU ALWAYS BELIEVED HIM AND TRUSTED HIM AND PRAISED HIM MORE THAN THE OTHER MEMBERS. YOU KNEW JIN—YOU KNEW THAT THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM, BUT YOU COULDN’T BRING YOURSELF TO BELIEVE IT. DON’T ING BLAME ME FOR SOMETHING I DIDN’T DO. I TRIED TO TELL YOU, BUT YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE ME!” he bellowed right back at me as tears of enmity rolled down his face.

“Jesus ing Christ…” I cursed under my breath as dropped down onto the couch in utter disbelief.

Bang Yongguk. You will ing pay. Regardless of how big or small the price is, you’re going to ing pay.

“DaeHyun, find them for me. Find both of them and report back to me. I will personally finish them off,” I commanded.

“I understand," he nodded.

“Thank you. Throughout this whole entire journey, you are the only that has stayed loyal to me. I will reward you handsomely after this mission is over, Dae.”

Natalie’s POV:

“I’m home!” I hollered and listened as my voice echoed throughout the house.

No reply.

I searched around for Yongguk, but was unable to find him anywhere. Worried, I pulled out my phone and dialed his number—waiting as the line rang on and on endlessly. Suddenly, from the kitchen, I heard the horrifically recognizable ringtone. I prayed to God that I was simply overthinking and that everything was going to be okay. Maybe he had gone somewhere and forgot to bring his phone along with him.

However, as soon as the kitchen came into my view, I saw Yongguk’s phone lying on the cold marble floor next to a few bloodstained fingerprints. At this rate, there was no point in denying it. Something was definitely wrong.

As I began rushing towards the garage to go out and find him, I caught a glimpse of a familiar man through the window.

It was Yongguk.

With his hand clutching at his stomach, he was limping helplessly towards the house with a group of men—dressed in black—following right behind his heel. Severely injured, Yongguk was at an obvious disadvantage as the men began to gradually catch up to him.

“,” I cursed under my breath as I busted out the door and escorted him inside. As soon as we were safely behind the door, I secured all the locks and helped him upstairs to the furthest bedroom.

“Oh my God, Yongguk, this is not okay…” I whispered in panic when I noticed how badly he was wounded. Blood continued to drip down nonstop from his abdomen, and the sheer flesh of his leg was exposed.

“I’m fine Nat, don’t worry about me,” he fibbed as he covered his pain with a plastered on smile.

It was then that I heard a loud crash downstairs as voices began to fill the house.

They had broken in.

“…” I looked around, hoping that there was something we could temporarily hide in for safety. There was no way we were going to be able to leave this room without getting killed. The only thing in the place that was able to fit the both of us was the empty wardrobe. I helped Yongguk into it and then slipped inside myself—closing the door tightly behind me.

Darkness soon surrounded us as he we sat in fear.

My heart was hammering. My body was drenched in sweat.

There were millions of possibilities of what could happen within the next few minutes, and I was so afraid of the outcome.

Although it was pitch dark where we were hiding, I felt his eyes on me.

"Listen to me Nat," he whispered shakily as he firmly places his hands on my shoulders, "I can't guarantee of what's to come, but I know that it will never change the way I feel for you. I love you. So please, if anything happens—"

I roughly pressed my lips against his before he could finish his horrific sentence. Our tongues intertwined sloppily as I blindly reached up and grabbed ahold of a lock of his hair. Tears rolled down my cheeks only to be rubbed away by the collision of his.

I broke away for air and croaked wearily, "Don't you dare say something—"

The sound of rapid footsteps startled me quiet.

The sound grew louder and closer, and I found myself holding my breath without even consciously noticing it.

"Did you find them?" a recognizable voice rang out behind the closet doors. 

It was Jin's.

"No, sir."

"Keep on looking. They're in here somewhere. There's no ing way—"

His footsteps neared the closet.

I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed. I prayed that they wouldn't find us. I prayed that we would be safe. I prayed for another day that potentially held a brighter future for us.

The doors swung open and light poured in, replacing the darkness around us.