Note: Hey guys, so you voted and it looks like majority chose this story to carry on. And so, I will do my best to turn this sh*t story into a better one. :) Please do comment to let me know how this story is doing. It's the only way I know that this story has any affect on you guys at all or if I should even bother with it. So, comment. :) 

Thank you so much for your support and I hope you guys enjoy!^^

Or...not...please don't kill me for this! ><

This chapter was inspired by Numb- Linkin Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2REZSj4XnE&list=FLLOl7gdsOZEgBAF7h1_Fa1Q

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Darkness. That was all Dara could see now. She’d been sitting in this never ending darkness for a while now. Dark shadows lurked all around her, growing closer and closer; their ominous voices beckoning her deeper into the shadows. “Give in…” They said. “Escape from this cruel world.” A part of her wanted to leave this world, this cruel, cruel world but something was holding her back.

    She tried to ignore the feeling and began walking towards the voices. It was then that the Darkness seemed to open its arms for her. Her feet moved on their own, slowly walking away from reality, from life. “Dara…”

    Dara froze for a moment. That voice...she’d heard it before? She knew that voice. Her brows furrowed in confusion. The Darkness tried harder to lure her in but Dara resisted. “Are you really going to leave me?” The voice asked.

    Her eyes widened and suddenly her chest felt heavy. She heaved a breath of air causing her lungs to burn. Dara collapsed onto the ground, feeling her heart start to twist and ache. It felt as if her very own heart was being ripped straight out of her. She clutched onto her chest and winced in pain. Drops of blood fell to the floor causing Dara to frown. She lifted a hand to her face and was surprised to feel something wet and sticky. Examining her hand, she saw that it was blood. Her blood. “Dara! Dara!” The familiar voice grew more urgent as it called out to her.

    “Help me!” She screamed.

    Dara lifted her head up only to come face to face with a mirror. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and was startled to see a stream of blood coming from the inner corners of her eyes. She’d been crying tears of blood. “Escape from the pain. Leave behind your sorrows. Give into the darkness, give into your death…”  

    She raised a hand and touched the glass. However, someone else’s reflection appeared in the mirror. Her lips parted slightly as she stared at the reflection. A smirk formed upon his lips as his golden eyes gave off a mischievous glint. “J-Jiyong?”

“Come with me, Dara. We’ll go together.”

Dara nodded and reached out a shaky hand for him. But just as she was about to take his hand, his appearance changed. He turned into nothing but a soulless shadow. She yanked her hand away and scrambled back. “Dara! Dara, where are you?! Dara!” Jiyong’s voice came from behind her.

    She turned around and saw him running toward her, tears streaming down his face. Slowly, she rose to her feet and started making her way towards him. “Jiyong!”

    Somehow she found some strength in herself and she began running, despite the pain tearing through every nerve in her body. She ran towards him with all her might, desperately trying to reach him. “I’m here, Dara. I’m here…”

    He stood before her now, smiling at her with a smile so warm, her legs nearly turned to jelly. Jiyong held out his hand for her. “Come back to me, Dara…” He whispered.

    Tears started falling from her eyes now as she noticed how he began to glow faintly. It seemed like he was beginning to disappear. “No! Jiyong, don’t!”

    Dara lunged at him and was immediately enveloped in the utmost warmth. Pure light surrounded her and she felt at peace. But the peace receded just as quickly as it came and was replaced with immense pain. She inhaled sharply as her eyes flashed open. A wave of anxiety swept over her when she realized that she wasn’t in that dark place anymore. She was now in a small white room with fluorescent lights and the nauseating smell of antiseptic.

    She jumped when someone put a hand on her shoulder. Dara looked over to her side and saw Bom beside her, her mascara running and her eyes red and puffy. “Bom?”

    “Dara! You’re awake! Thank God!” Bom threw her arms around Dara and sobbed.

    “AH!”

    Dara yelped at the pain in her chest and Bom quickly let go. She wiped her tears away and held onto Dara’s hands instead. “Sorry. I’m just so happy you’re ok. I was so worried when I heard you crash.”

    “I’m sorry for making your worry, Bommie.” Dara pouted.

    “You better be! Don’t ever do that to again, you hear me, you ?!”

    Dara laughed and couldn’t help but cry a little too. The two shared a careful hug before something crossed Dara’s mind. “Bom…”

    “What is it?”

    “Where...I mean, have you heard from Jiyong?”

    Bom smiled sadly and gripped onto Dara’s hand. Dara looked into her eyes for a moment, trying to decipher what Bom was trying to tell her. For some reason, the look in her eyes made Dara’s insides twist. “Jiyong...he…”

    “What is it, Bom? Where is he? Is he safe?”

    “He’s fine… He was really worried about you, Dara. He snuck in to see you for three weeks straight. He came in everyday just to make sure you were safe.”

    “But...that’s not all you have to tell me, is it?”

    Bom sighed. “No. You see, he kind of blamed himself for what happened. So...he left.”

    “L-left? What do you mean he left?”

    Panic started to stir inside of her. He left? What exactly did Bom mean by that? Dara breathed to calm herself down. Bom sniffed and let out a shaky breath of air. “Jiyong’s gone, Dara. I-I tried to convince him to stay so that you could see him when you woke up but he...he just left. And now no one knows where he is. Top doesn’t even know where he is!”

    “Why? Why did he leave? Bom, he can’t! It’s too dangerous for him to be out there alone!”

    Without thinking, Dara threw the sheets off of her. Bom, startled, tried to stop her but Dara pushed her off of her and tore out the wire connected to her. She didn’t even care that she was wearing a horrible oversized hospital gown or the fact that her was hanging out from the back. No, none of that mattered. She had to find Jiyong. She needed to make sure he was safe. Why did he run anyway? Why did he leave her like that?

    The machines started going off and the nurses rushed to Dara’s side but she yanked herself away from them and hobbled her way toward the hospital exit. “Dara! Dara, what the do you think you’re doing?!” Il Woo dropped his tray of food from the cafeteria and rushed over to Dara.

    It was only then that Dara realized how weak she was physically. Her legs shook and gave out from beneath her just as Il Woo reached her. He swiftly caught her in his arms and held onto her tightly as she began to sob. Her rejecting him had always been painful but nothing was as painful as this. Her cries were tearing him up inside. Il Woo glared at the nurses and shooed the away. They backed off reluctantly but left them alone nevertheless. He rubbing her back as she continued to cry.  

 A moment passed before Dara finally began to calm down. Il Woo pulled back to look at her. He left a pinch his in heart as he gazed into her pain, agonized eyes. With the pad of his thumb, he wiped away her stray tears. Dara gripped onto his collar and clenched her jaw. “Bring him back, Il Woo. Please bring him back…” Her eyes then began to drift closed.

Listen to this: Skinny Love by Birdy- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT67liGjZhw&list=FLLOl7gdsOZEgBAF7h1_Fa1Q

    Bom had walked out of the room then and had witnessed what happened. Her heart ached inside for Dara. She stared at her best friend’s limp body and bit her lip, remembering her conversation with Jiyong earlier.

    Bom just finished eating in the cafeteria. As she approached Dara’s room, she saw Jiyong standing outside, staring at her through the glass window, wearing his hood over his head and a pair of shades to disguise himself. “Aren’t you going to go in?” But he just shook his head.

    “This...is all my fault.”

    “What are you---”

    “If Dara had never met me, if I had just stayed away from her from the very beginning, she wouldn’t be here right now. It’s my fault.”

    Bom stared at him in pity. His voice was filled with so broken and filled with so much pain. She looked down and noticed how his hands were clenched into tight fists. And even though he was wearing shades, she could still see the tears running down his face. “Jiyong…”

    “That’s why I’m going to leave. I have to stay away in order to keep her safe. It’s obvious they already know about me. From now on, I’ll make sure she won’t see me anymore.”

    “What? But Jiyong, she---”

    “This is for the best, Bom. She’s suffered so much because of me. I don’t want her to go through this any longer. She doesn’t deserve this. She doesn’t deserve this kind of life and she shouldn’t have to sacrifice her life for a monster like me.”

    Bom looked at him in disbelief. Was this really the same Jiyong that said he couldn’t be apart from her? Was this really the guy that cared for her so much that he couldn’t stay away from her? Why was he acting this way now? But seeing the way Jiyong looked at Dara it was easy to get that he truly loved her. “You’re wrong.” Bom said silently, staring at Dara through the window.

    “What?”

    “You may not think you’re worth it but to Dara, you’re more than worth it. I know her better than anyone and know enough to know that she believes in fighting for what’s right. Jiyong, Dara is fighting for you because that is the right thing to do. She doesn’t care if she gets hurt or if she dies trying to protect you, as long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

    “It shouldn’t be like that! Dara shouldn’t have to give up all that for me! I am a monster, Bom! Girls like Dara are supposed to be afraid of monsters like me! They’re not supposed to protect them!”

    Bom shook her head. “You still don’t get it, do you? Dara doesn’t think you’re a monster. And you know what, you’re not. To Dara you’re worth all of this because...underneath it all, you’re still human, Jiyong. Dara is trying to protect your humanity. But it’s hard when all you ever do is think of yourself as a monster when you’re not. There’s only so much she can do for you...Top believes you’re human, I believe you’re human, Dara sure as hell believes you’re human. The only person who doesn’t is YOU.”

    “Because it’s true. You people believe the lie. That night when SM attacked her...I-it was the first time I ever felt so scared, scared that I might lose her. When I saw her car broken and wrecked, something inside me snapped. I’d never felt such rage and anger before. Those emotions consumed me and I forgot who I was for a moment. All I could think about was killing, no, ripping those men apart. I wanted to destroy them for hurting her. When Dara called for me, for a moment I was brought back before I lost myself again but it was more pain than anger that I felt then.”  

    “That’s normal. Those feelings should be enough for you to know that you’re human. Only a human is capable of feeling those emotions.”

    “Yea but are humans capable of tearing people apart with their bare hands?” Bom fell silent. “That’s what I thought. She saw me slaughter those men mercilessly. She saw a part of me that I’ve never shown someone before and when I did, the first emotion that crossed her face was fear. She was afraid of me.”

    Jiyong clenched his jaw to prevent himself from crying. He turned away from her. Bom stared at his backside and frowned. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He didn’t need to leave just because of one little accident. “So, what then? You’re just going to walk away after everything that’s happened? Don’t you at least want to be there when she wakes up? She’ll want to see you.”

    “I’ll always be watching over her...that won’t ever change but I...we can’t see each other anymore. If seeing each other means putting her at risk, well, that’s just something I can’t take. So, I’m going to walk away tonight. I’m going to erase myself out of Dara’s life.”

    Bom felt hot tears rolls down her cheek. “Do you think that will really help her? Do you think leaving her is the only way to keep her safe? Because I can promise you this now, Dara will never stop looking for you. She’ll keep looking until she finds you. And you know that, don’t you?”

    “She’ll grow tired eventually. Soon, I’ll only be a memory. If she...hates me for this, then that’s fine. As long as she’s safe, that’s all I care about. Besides, she’s probably already afraid of me after what happened. She’s probably afraid of the monster I am inside.”

    Jiyong glanced at Dara one last time before he his heels to walk away. But Bom caught his arm and side glanced him. “You’re not a monster, Jiyong. What you did the other night was save Dara’s life. Because of that, I don’t see you as a merciless killer, I see you as a MAN who was only trying to protect the woman that he loves. And you love her, don’t you?”

    “Goodbye, Bom...tell her I’m sorry…”

    Bom let him go and just like that, he disappeared.

    Now, here they were with Dara hurting more than she should be. It was the physical pain that got to her. It was the emotional and mental pain that she was going through and Bom could see that. She knew that Jiyong leaving was a bad idea. Dara cared about Jiyong if nothing else and she could always care for him no matter what. When it came to other people, Dara was relatively unselfish and always put others before herself. That was something that Bom admired about Dara when she first met her at the police academy. They became instant best friends and only grew closer. Bom knew that Dara wouldn’t go out of her way to protect just anyone, but protect those who are worth protecting. And if Dara thought Jiyong was worth protecting then he was obviously special, especially seeing the lengths Dara went through just to protect him.

    The fact that he just left without speaking to her, was an indicator enough that he really didn’t see it that way. He felt as if he was nothing but a horrible curse in Dara’s life but that wasn’t true. Bom saw how Dara looked at him and how he looked at her; it was the first time she saw LIFE in Dara’s eyes since her mother died. But now that he was gone, how was she meant to live?

    Bom gritted her teeth and grabbed her phone out of her pocket, determination the only emotion on her face right now. She dialed a number and pressed the phone to her ear as she walked down the hallway. “Hello? Bom?”

    “Top…”

    “What’s wrong?”

    Bom took a deep breath before speaking. “As you know, Jiyong left but we need to do everything we can to get him back, do you understand me?”

    “I know, Bom. But if he doesn’t want to be found---”

    “We NEED to find him, Top. Please just do whatever you can. We need to get him back here. You know that we need him. But more importantly, Dara needs him.”

    “I understand. I’ll see what I can do.”

    “Thank you.”

    Top grunted in response before hanging up. Bom put her phone away and headed back over to where Dara and Il Woo were. She stopped in front of them and kneeled down to place a hand on Dara’s back. “Don’t worry, Tokki. We’ll find him. We’ll bring him back for you, no matter what.” She smiled.

    As Bom focused on Dara, she failed to see the anger flicker in Il Woo’s eyes.

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    Rain fell heavily from the dark sky above. Jiyong sat on the roof of a tall building, staring at the dull grey sky. Lightning streaked across the sky, followed by the loud crackles of thunder. He hadn’t moved an inch since he found this place, high enough where no one below could spot him but hidden enough so that aircrafts could not detect him. He was drenched from head to toe and his eyes feigned nothing but sadness and emptiness.

    Jiyong closed his eyes for a moment and let the rain continue to fall upon him. He shivered slightly at the cold but didn’t mind it. It wasn’t the rain and wind that made him feel this way. It was his heart. The moment he walked away, he felt as if his soul had left his body and his heart had turned to ice and now he was this empty soulless creature. He didn’t even feel pain. He just felt...numb.

    The wind blew by, ruffling his damp locks. A familiar scent was caught in the wind, making his cold, dead heart beat again slightly. He lifted a hand to touch his chest and felt the tiny thing trying to live, trying to feel. “What are you doing here all by yourself, silly?” Jiyong opened his eyes and looked to the side. He was surprised to see Dara sitting beside him.

    “What are you doing here, Dara? How did you find me?”

    She giggled, bringing back some warmth into him. “Don’t you know that I will always find you? No matter where you go, I’ll find a way to get to you.”

    “You shouldn’t be here…”

    “Do you want me to leave?” No…

    “Come back to me, Jiyong. Please, come back..”

    Jiyong felt a slight pinch in his heart and reached over to touch her. But just as he was about to touch her beautiful face, she disappeared. His eyes widened and his hand fell limply at his side. She wasn’t here...Dara wasn’t here. Breathing suddenly became so much harder. He shut his eyes tight and balled his hands into fists. I can’t go back...I’m sorry. I need to keep you safe first. But to keep her safe, that mean to get SM out of the picture, meaning he had to kill them. Each and every. Single. One of them.

    Jiyong snapped his eyes open and a certain ferocity was reflected in his intense golden eyes. A devious smirk appeared on his face before he leapt off the roof and set off on a mission. A mission to kill.