I came to the school to say goodbye.

It has been two weeks since the incident with SHINee. The police arrested SHINee and sent them to jail for life, for all the evil and disgusting crimes they had committed and managed to worm their way out of.

I didn't go to school. For the longest time, I shut myself up in my bedroom for days and days, huddled in a dark corner and crying my eyes out. Umma and appa told me it was fate, that Baejun was going to a better place, but I knew it was my fault.

I had two of my siblings killed. And I knew it was hurting umma and appa too. But they would never admit it was my fault. They would never say it.

But we both knew.

The only person I let into my room was Hyunseung. He held me softly and didn't say a word, and it would calm me down.

Then, for about two days, I went through a crazy moment where I destroyed everything that connected me as a gangster. I grabbed all the papers Im Raehi sent me concerning SHINee and put them in the shredder. I threw the box containing my fingerless gloves into the fire and watched in burn.

The only thing I couldn't get rid of was Beast. They were precious to me.

When we had the funeral, they were there, dressed in black, their faces grim and sad. Teen Top and DBSK were there too, to pay their respects.

Finally, after three more days of violent sobbing in my room, I became quiet. I left my room and joined my parents for breakfast. It was a quiet occassion, as we added a photograph of Baejun onto our shelf, right next to the picture of baby Jiyeon.

I had already visited Upper and Lower Seoul, and said my goodbyes to the other gangs.

Jaejoong promised to buy me some expensive clothes, and Junsu added sadly that he wished we could have had another cheesecake party.

L. Joe had given me a hug, and whispered into my ear, "I hope you won't ever forget that pink-haired boy who stole your wallet, Ringo."

And now, here I was. Standing in front of the school, for the very last time.

I took a deep breath and walked in. I knew Gaesuh, Jinae, and Heemin would be there, even though it was a Saturday. I asked them to meet me there.

They saw me and ran forwards, pulling me into tight, warm hugs. "I'm so sorry, Ringo. For everything," Gaesuh whispered.

"No, I should be the one to apologize," I said, giving them sad smiles. "I'm sorry I never told you about this, girls, but......." I took a deep breath. "......I'm a gangster. The infamous Red Lion from Pusan. It was my fault SHINee was targeting you three, and hurt you so badly, and I never told you. I'm so sorry, and --"

Jinae placed a hand over my mouth, stopping me. "You don't have to say anything, Ringo-ah. We already knew."

My eyes widened. "You......you did?"

Heemin nodded, smiling. "We aren't THAT brainless, you know. We put two and two together. Your red hair, Beast, everything. We knew from the start who you really were."

"But....why didn't you say anything?" I whispered, tears filling my eyes once again. "You were so hurt by everything......why did you continue to be friends with me?"

"Because you needed it," Gaesuh said quietly, placing an arm over my shoulder. "You needed friendship. And we wanted to give it to you. We love you, Ringo-ah. No matter what or who you are."

I gave them all tight hugs, promising to email them.

"Are you leaving now?" Jinae asked sadly.

"No, I have a few more people to meet."

*********************************************************************

I entered the Beast Fan Club office and found Im Raehi there, doing paperwork for something again.

There was a long silence as I sat on the couch. Strangely enough, it wasn't awkward anymore.

"I'm sorry about your brother," Raehi said after a while.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about him too," I sighed. "But there's nothing we can do now but move on, I guess."

"I'm sorry for being a to you."

"You were kinda y. But I forgave you for that a long time ago."

She finally cracked a small smile. "You really like annoying me, huh?"

"Likewise," I said, giving her a smile.

We sat in comfortable silence for a few more moments, before she said, "Are you going to say anything to Beast?"

"Yeah, later." I sighed heavily. "I don't know how I should explain it."

"Just let it all out. They'll understand." She paused, then said, "I'm going to give up my position."

"But you're the most powerful girl in the school! Second only to Beast, and you're closest to Beast because of your power, and yada yada yada."

"I'm not as obsessed with Beast as I used to be. I guess actually hanging out with gangsters made me realize that this gang thing......it's not something girls should squeal over. It's something dangerous, something evil, something people get hurt about. Something that people DIE over. It's not something a fan club should be made for, or to make up ridiculous rules for."

"Wow, Raehi. I'm really starting to like you," I said in awe.

She snorted. "To be honest, ever since I started to work with you against SHINee, I've gotten kinda sick of my job. I honestly don't care anymore. The VP can have my spot. I just want to graduate and become a principal or a businesswoman or something."

"I bet you can do it. You're great at organizing companies and groups." And I really meant what I said. "In ten years, you better be the CEO of some huge- company, or I'll hunt you down."

Raehi looked up at me and smiled. "And in ten years, you better be happy with where you are and what you're doing. Or I'll hunt YOU down. That's my deal."

"Fine. Deal." I stood up and walked over to her table, and we shook hands.

************************************************************

Beast was waiting for me in the gardens. I stepped up onto the gazebo.

"Are you alright, Ringo?" Yoseob asked quietly, looking at me in concern.

"Yeah, I am." I smiled softly at them. "Guys..........I'm leaving."

"You......you WHAT?" They gasped. Hyunseung's head shot straight up, and he stared at me intensely.

I nodded, taking a breath. "Seoul is a bit too much for us now. We need to leave, start fresh all over again. We're moving to Gwangju tomorrow."

They looked horrified. "But........Gwangju is so far away........" Kikwang whispered.

Hyunseung stood up and stomped out of the gazebo, disappearing into the trees.

"Hyunseung!" I called out, but he ignored me.

"Go after him, Ringo." Doojoon sighed, walking over to give me a hug. "I can't believe this is so sudden. I wish you told us about this sooner, so we could have a proper goodbye."

"I'm sorry. Doojoon. Or should I say, the Love Guru. Thank you for everything you've done for me and Hyunseung."

I moved to Dongwoon and hugged the tall maknae.

"It's not fair," he whimpered. "You should have told us earlier, so we could make a super-awesome goodbye party for you."

"I know, you vain maknae, but a party is honestly the last thing I want right now. Keep staying handsome, okay?" I patted his arm.

Kikwang came up to me and held out his arms. "A hug for handsome little Kikwang?" He grinned.

I rolled my eyes and smiled back, hugging him and letting his strong arms wrap around me. "You are such an annoying ert. But I guess you're lovable, too. Thanks for not going through my underwear drawer."

"I will one day." He kissed my forehead, and let Yoseob come first.

Yoseob immediately tackled me into a hug. "Why do you have to leave, Ringo-ah?" He said with a little choked-up sob. "I don't want you to leave. We had so much fun here because of you."

"I know. I love you guys too, Yoseob. But things have to change one day." I ruffled his blonde hair. "I promise we'll see each other one day, and you better be as tall as Dongwoon by then, or I'll still treat you as a kid."

Finally, it was Junhyung. He held back, hesitant, so I went to him and hugged him.

"You are a great person, Junhyung," I whispered. "I'm really glad I met you. You're such a selfless, kind person."

Junhyung snorted, although his cockiness sounded forced. "Che, kind? Selfless? Who are you talking about here, Ringo?" He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. When he spoke again, his voice was low and soft, without any arrogance. "I'm going to miss you like crazy. We all will. You CHANGED us, Ringo."

"And you guys changed me," I said, pulling away.

Before I left the gazebo, I turned back to them and gave them a tearful smile. "We'll see each other again. Be it one year, two years, maybe even twenty years. But no matter what, we will see each other. And when you do, we'll go to Lotte World with Gaesuh, Jinae, and Heemin. Maybe even DBSK and Teen Top. Is that alright with you?"

"Of course!" Doojoon grinned.

"Until then," Dongwoon smiled.

"Later, cutie," Kikwang gave me a wink.

"Bye-bye, Ringo-ah," Yoseob gave me a teary smile.

"Don't forget us," Junhyung warned.

I waved at them and turned into the forests to find Hyunseung.