It was mornings like these that made Haneul question her life choices. There was a pounding in her head, an ache in her back, and an overwhelming aroma of a fish market lingering in the air. The room was dark save for the blue lighting that came from three large aquariums and a desk lamp positioned over a Mary statue on a nearby end table. As Haneul sat up from the hard wood floors she realized soon that this was not her home and that she had no memory of how she got here. She could taste the remnants of last night's drinking on her lips, but she didn't drink that much, did she? Enough to make her unknowingly end up in a place like this? 

     Haneul slowly stood up and looked around. There were no windows and the only sound to fill the room came from the quiet hum from the aquariums. She couldn't imagine finding such a place on her own but who would bring her here? This wasn't Hoya's apartment, she knew that much, and he was the last person she recalled seeing. When Haneul patted her pockets in search of her cell phone she couldn't feel anything. Not only that but her purse was no where to be found along with her shoes. Something strange was going on here.

     When Haneul turned around she found a wooden door. Having watched one too many horror films in her life she was skeptical to explore what lied beyond it, though if she didn't what else could she do? She didn't want to stay in that room forever. Haneul sighed. You've lived an interesting life, just open the door, she told herself as she cautiously took baby steps toward it. Haneul jumped back as she heard the door knob shaking and keys rattling from the other sighed. Muffled voices, male and female, could be heard but what they were saying exactly was lost to Haneul. The more the door knob rattled the more anxious she became. 

     The door swung open and in came two surprisingly familiar faces. 

     "Oh, good, you're awake," said the male as he walked right past her and went to the aquariums.

     Haneul didn't say anything.

     The girl walked up to Haneul and patted her on the shoulder. "Are you feeling OK? Do you want water or some painkillers?"

     They were acting too calm for Haneul's liking. She shook off the girl's hand and took a step back.

     "Who are you? Where am I?" Haneul demanded in a threatening tone.

     The male stepped up behind her. "Easy now, we rescued your , no reason to get hostile."

     "Rescued? From what? And why did you lock me in here?"

     The girl sighed. "You'll know in due time. I'm Bibi, and that's Taeil. Let's go downstairs and talk more," she said as she made her way to the door. When she realized Haneul hadn't been following she stopped to face her. "You're not coming?"

     Haneul shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me more."

     Bibi grinned. "Well, you could come with me downstairs or stay up here with him." Haneul turned around to find Taeil grinning and winking at her, and as soon as she dashed towards Bibi she laughed. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

     Down a narrow staircase and through another door Haneul followed Bibi into a surprisingly airy kitchen. The decor was minimal but the space was inviting, the complete opposite of what she expected. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air made Haneul feel almost at ease in these strangers' home, making her lack of memory about the previous night almost bearable. Bibi askeds Haneul to sit down and she complied. 

     Haneul placed her elbows on the wooden table and studied everything about Bibi. She wondered where she was from. She had small but round eyes, long brown hair, pale skin; she had accented speech that didn't give any clues to her first language; she had a slight Napoleon complex but was gentle enough for Haneul to blindly trust her. And most importantl she had a way of reading Haneul's mind. Just as she opened up to ask all the questions swirling around her mind Bibi interupted. 

     "Before you begin to interrogate me let me explain the situation," Bibi began with a grin. She took Haneul's silence as her cue to continue. "Last night Taeil and I saw you at the bar and Taeil thinks you're attractive, but you were with that guy last night and neither of us liked the way he looked." Haneul raised an eyebrow at her and Bibi continued. "We don't know who he is but we think we know who you are."

     "And who do you think I am?" Haneul asked firmly.

     "You say you're Haneul Park, correct?" 

     She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest. "How do you know my name?"

     "That's classified information."

     "Excuse me," Haneul's voice was beginning to rise, "but don't pull that bull with me. What's going on here?"

     Bibi sighed. "Below us right now is a tattoo parlor, our tattoo parlor, and Taeil and I typically a serve a certain kind of person, if you catch my drift, and when you serve that certain kind of person you start to get wrapped up with those certain kinds of people."

     Haneul stayed at her blankly. 

     "Please stop playing dumb with me, Haneul. I've heard a lot about you, and honestly it's kind of intimidating having you in my kitchen."

     Her eyes narrowed. "You know what? I don't have to deal with this. I'm leaving." Haneul stood up and started to walk towards an archway but Bibi got up and grabbed onto her wrist.

     "Just listen to me. I can't tell you how I know any of this, but I can tell you that I believe you are in danger. You're not just some girl named Haneul, you're a certain girl named Haneul and people are starting to figure it out," Bibi explained as she stared pleadingly into Haneul's eyes. 

     When Haneul realized Bibi wasn't going to let go of her unless she agreed to sit back down, she was terrified. She wasn't worried about what Bibi or Taeil could do to her or what information they had on her specificially, but that they had any information about her at all. She hoped that when Haneul got up to leave Bibi would have let her go, because that would have meant everything in Haneul's life was fine and she would have had no reason to be paranoid. She would have had no reason to think that the guy who came into the convenience story was of any importance or that there was something to fear with Howon. But the way Bibi was staring at her, the fact that Taeil said they 'rescued' her, it was all starting to make that piece of paper with the infinity symbol have meaning, and Haneul couldn't dismiss her fears any longer. 

     People were beginning to suspect her connection to Muhan and she was horrified. 

     Haneul sighed and softened her tone. "Then can you at least tell me more about you, and what happened last night?"

     Bibi nodded and the two sat back down at the table. "To answer your first question, my name is Bibi, and as you can probably tell I'm not originally from here. I moved to Korea as an artist, met Taeil, and now we own a tattoo shop downstairs."

     "So, you're together?"

     She chuckled. "Well, you could say that. We like to see other people but we sleep in the same bed every night." Bibi could see by Haneul's confusion that she didn't quite get it, but no one ever did. "Anyway, Taeil knew some people who were involved in organized crime, and that's how we started doing side jobs. Need a quick escape? I got just the car to drive for you. Want someone to talk? Taeil may be short but he's scary and can get someone to spill it in seconds."

     "And you heard things about me from these people?"

     Bibi nodded. "About a week ago a client said he knew a guy who might know who the owner of Muhan is. My client said it was rumored to be a woman in her early twenties. In case you don't know," Bibi said coyly, "Muhan is the only company to illegally supply guns to all the gangs here, and whenever a new manufacturing company tries to set up shop they always somehow... disappear."

   Haneul could feel her face suddenly burning up. "Yeah, and? What's your point?"

     "My client said that guy said that it's rumored someone is trying to take over the company and that that person once had special connections with the family who owns Muhan. No one knows who is trying to take over the company but that it's a young guy also in his early twenties, and he's spreading the word that he thinks it's a local woman in her early twenties." 

     "And you're assuming that's me?"

     "Bingo."

     Haneul tensed up. What was going on here? How could this girl know so much about everything? The scary part was that Bibi was right. The owner of the company was a girl in her twenties and it was Haneul. The guy who was trying to take over the company was someone once very close to Haneul and her family: Kim Sunggyu. When her father died and everything went to Hell in a handbag, she hadn't heard from Sunggyu for a few years until she received a letter at her family home explaining that he wanted payback for what her father did to his. He believed he was the rightful owner to what her father stole. In a panic Haneul sold the home and began her double life at the tender age of eighteen, and since leaving her cushy lifestyle behind she had't heard from Sunggyu or his supposed gang 'Infinite' since, that is until the other night when she was at work. She thought she was done with it all and that she could continue the legacy past down from her grandfather in peace and secrecy, but apparently everyone wanted to know everything about her and Muhan, including Bibi, and Haneul was tired of it. 

     One of the rules of owning the only gun manufacturing companies was to never leave home without your very own specialized gun. Haneul kept it strapped to her body at all times. When she wore a skirt it could be found on her thigh; when she wore a loose top it could be found strapped to her lower back; and when there was rain or it was winter time it could be found on her ankle within her boot. The previous night Haneul went with option two and wore the prettiest flowing top she had. In one motion Haneul stood up from the table, pulled the gun out from under her shirt and pointed it at Bibi's forehead. 

     "I don't know what's going on here but I don't like that you have all this information about me and you won't even tell me where you learned it," Haneul explained, her whole body shaking with a mix of fear and anger.

     The door from which the girls came burst open and in walked Taeil with his own gun drawn and pressed delicately against the back of Haneul's head. "And I don't like how hostile you're being towards Bibi, so I suggest you drop the weapon, sit your down, and listen to whatever she's telling you, because despite what you think we're on your side." 

     To her own surprise Haneul did exactly as she was told. She gently set her gun down on the table, sat in the chair and stared calmly at Bibi, all with the barrel of Taeil's gun against her head. 

     "Thank you, Taeil," Bibi said as though this was nothing out of the ordinary, "so, as I was saying, when you walked into the bar last night and I saw you, I knew you had to be her. That guy you were with? I didn't like him."

     A switch went off whenever someone talked about Howon. If someone's words about him had even the slightest of unfriendly tones Haneul instantly became defensive. "You didn't like him? Do you even know him?"

     "No, we don't," said Taeil, "but when Bibi has an intuition about someone, she's ninety-nine percent right about it. I was glad when I found him in the bathroom because it meant we had time to get you out of Paradise before something did happen." 

     "You do know what kind of bar Paradise is, correct?" Bibi asked.

     Haneul shrugged. "It's just a bar, right? I know the gangs like to gather up there on the weekends but nothing ever really happens there."

     "Seems weird that someone would take you to a gang bar for a date, huh?" Taeil said with a grin.

     Haneul furrowed her brow and turned her head so she could look up at Taeil who was still standing behind her. "First, we weren't on a date, and second, that guy and I have been friends for a really long time, he wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

     Taeil laughed. "When you're you, Haneul, you need to be cautious of who you let into your life. Who knows? Maybe he is harmless, but we're still glad we got you out of there.”

     Haneul sighed. "While I appreciate you guys helping me out, I want to know why you did it. I’m just a stranger to you, why protect me like that?”

     “Part of it was boredom, and the other part was that this underground community needs you. Well, no one needs you, but we need your company to keep our economy going. Your business keeps our business in business, and our business keeps other businesses in business, and so on. Without Muhan, gangs would lose their appeal and would eventually fall apart. Me having one of your company’s guns against your head got you to do what I wanted, didn’t it?” Taeil said smirking.

     “Now what?” Haneul asked calmly. She almost forgot Taeil was still standing threateningly behind her.

     Bibi shrugged. “Nothing, I guess. You know us now and we know you. Whether we stay in contact is up to you at this point.”

     What did Haneul have to lose at that point? If everything they said to her was true and Sunggyu was back on the hunt, she could use all the protection and help she could get. Yes, Bibi and Taeil were strangers, but they blindly helped her without thought. Their motives lied in their own interests naturally, but they had a point. Without the gangs, Haneul wouldn’t be able to live comfortably. She took two jobs to hide her wealth. She lived in a less luxurious home and didn’t own a car to hide the truth, to hide that she could buy six cars or three apartments in cash if she really wanted. What started out as Haneul’s grandfather seeking an extra income for his family turned into a legacy that Haneul had to carry on.

     Haneul looked at Bibi stoically. “Alright. I’ll trust you both.”

     Bibi grinned. “And we’ll trust you. Let me go get you your stuff.” After Bibi left the kitchen, Taeil finally walked away from Haneul and set his gun down on the counter. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down in Bibi’s spot. When Bibi returned she plopped Haneul’s purse on the table and forced herself onto Taeil’s lap causing him to nearly drop his mug in the process.

     Haneul took this opportunity to dig out her phone and check for any missed calls or messages, but there was none. Nothing. Not a single message from Howon after she disappeared. Some memories were starting to come back to her as she sat there staring at her phone, like how angry Howon was when she last spoke to him. She couldn’t remember why he was mad or what she could have said to him, but she regretted it, whatever it was. Him not contacting her must have meant he was still mad but there was only one way to find out. With a sigh she shoved her phone back in her bag and stood up.

     “Well, I’m going to be off now. Thank you guys again,” Haneul said with a weak smile.

     Bibi hopped off Taeil’s laugh and began to head out the kitchen entrance. “Follow me, I’ll show you out.” They walked down a hallway and out what was apparently the front door that led to another staircase. At the bottom was one more door that brought them to some sort of storage room. Haneul didn’t have much time to look around as she was once again led through another door and into Bibi’s tattoo shop. Bibi walked them to the front entrance of the shop but stopped to exchange numbers with Haneul. She stuck her phone in the back pocket of her jeans and smiled.

     “I know I’ll be hearing from you soon. Get home safe, OK?” Bibi playfully winked and stuck her tongue out at Haneul before opening the door and letting the girl go. Haneul waved goodbye and as soon as she was outside she stared at the building’s façade.

     The sign was cute, she thought as she smiled to herself. The name of the shop was ‘Halo Tattoos’ with a halo above the words and wings coming off the sides. The building itself was rather nondescript, and as Haneul looked around at the other nearby buildings she realized how good of a location it was. Walking down the sidewalk she saw nothing but bars, small restaurants, convenience stores and other similar shops, giving the area a sense of normalcy despite the tattoo parlor’s presence.

     Haneul took out her phone and looked at the GPS to see how far away her home was. Only a ten minute walk? This couldn’t be more perfect. It was comforting knowing how close her newfound allies were. Of course, she had her concerns about them and the whole situation, but Haneul felt better knowing she no longer had to go through this alone. But now the question was, could she let him in? If strangers knew about her secret, was it safe to allow her closest friend into her other life? That was something Haneul would have to decide on her way.

*********

     The sun was just starting to shine as the two of them walked out onto the balcony and sat down. Despite recent tensions it felt good to sit down and relax in one another’s presence; it reminded them of where their friendship came from. When they first met they wouldn’t talk much, only sit next to each other sharing a cigarette or taking a nap, and now almost ten years later they were doing the same exact thing and neither of them would have it any other way.

     As Sunggyu brought the cigarette to his lips, Hoya leaned in with a lighter and lit it for his brotherly friend. Sunggyu sat back as he inhaled, his eyes closing to enjoy the moment of peace before they started talking business.

     Exhaling slowly, Sunggyu glanced over at Hoya and reached out to over him a puff. “What’s bothering you? Is it that she hasn’t called you?” Despite being a gang leader Sunggyu was still human and cared the most about Hoya and his well-being.

     Hoya shrugged. “Not really. I’m just nervous about Plan B. I know you want to establish Infinite’s reputation, but don’t you think we’re going a little too far too soon?”

     Sunggyu shook his head. “No, I don’t think that. The sooner we get the word out that we shouldn’t be messed with, the better things will be for us.”

     “OK, but what kind of word would we spread if we were arrested?”

     This was something Sunggyu thought about for quite some time. Considering Hoya’s job at the bank, it would be relatively easy to stage a robbery and not get caught. There would be five other people involved so they would have all the backup they needed. As for taking Haneul out of the bank, it was a matter of getting her in the correct position. After Dongwoo would enter the bank and hand Hoya a deposit slip ‘demanding’ money, Hoya would calmly walk over to Haneul and tell her to hide in the backroom where there was an emergency exit, propped and with a dismantled alarm thanks to Hoya. That’s when the others would go in, kidnap her and be on their way. The security cameras would have been disabled and everything would go swimmingly. Sunggyu didn’t see the possibility for failure here, but he knew he should listen to Hoya’s concerns.

     “Then what would you suggest?” Sunggyu inquired.

     Hoya couldn’t believe himself, but if he could prevent others from getting involved he would do whatever it took. “She works at that convenient store. Why not just take her from there?”

     Sunggyu’s face lit up. “Wow, that’s actually a great plan! You see? This is why you’re my best friend, to bring me back to Earth when I want to be an overachiever.”

     Despite his grin Hoya felt like throwing up. He was disgusted with himself. “So, you want to go through with it?”

     He nodded. “Yup, but you just have to find out first when she’ll be working there next. That place is open twenty-four hours on the weekends, right? Anyway, I’m going to call Dongwoo and the others to tell them the plan.”

     “And I’m going to get us something to drink.” Hoya got up, went back into the apartment, and slid the backdoor to a tight close.

     He walked through the living room and into the kitchen to get some iced plum tea, but just as he opened the refrigerator there was a ring from the call box.

     Hoya was very confused as he wasn’t expecting anyone or any package, but when he  saw Sunggyu jabbering away on his cell phone, he figured he could spare a few moments for whoever it could be.

     “Yes?” He said holding down the talk button.

     “Hey… can I come up?”

     It was Haneul.

     Hoya was in a panic. What should he say to her? If this situation occurred a year ago he would have happily let her in and gleefully announced her arrival to Sunggyu. But now things were different and he wanted to tell her to run as far away and as fast as she could. In his panic he couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no, but he had to tell her something.

     He sighed. “What do you want?” He tried to sound as annoyed as he could.

     The desperation was clear in Haneul’s voice. “Please, Howon, I don’t know what I said or did last night but I’m sorry. Can you let me come up? I really need you right now.”

    She just had to say it that way, didn’t she? Hoya’s stomach dropped and he didn’t know what to do. If he said yes he would have to quickly find a way to hide her somewhere in the apartment, but that would be impossible. The only place he could think of would be his bedroom but he would have to think up another lie as to why she had to stay in there. If he said no he would risk having her wandering around the area with Sunggyu nearby. Hoya wasn’t sure what other plans he had considering it was still the morning, but he didn’t want to risk it and have Sunggyu suddenly decide to take a stroll around the block. Hoya had to act and he had to act fast.

     “Just give me a minute, OK? I’m going to come down there.” Hoya casually walked back onto the balcony and hit Sunggyu’s arm to get his attention. “My neighbor called, she needs help with something on her computer. I’ll be back, OK? Call me if you’re going to leave.” Sunggyu nodded and went back to his phone conversation, and out of the apartment Hoya went.

     Upon arriving at the bottom floor, Hoya found Haneul standing in the vestibule. He walked over to the door and pulled her inside. “If we’re going to talk let’s go in the parking garage. I don’t want people to overhear us.”

     When they both reached the bottom of the stairs that led to the dimly lit garage they stopped and stared at each other. Haneul looked exhausted. Her eyeliner was smudged, her face was pale, and her lips were chapped. She was a complete mess and Hoya felt terrible.

     “Howon…” As soon as Haneul tried to express herself out came the tears. “I’m sorry, I just… I don’t know what to do.”

     Hoya stared down at her sympathetically. “Me neither.” He gulped and fought back his own tears.

     She rubbed her nose with her sleeve and wiped away her tears. “Listen, Howon, I know you rarely see me cry, but I care about you and I’m sorry for whatever I did last night that made you angry. You’re one of the only people I can talk to and I don’t want us to stop being friends, OK? So tell me, what happened last night?”

     Hoya cleared his throat. “After the fourth drink you got a bit too drunk and… you wanted to go home with some guy.”

     Guilt washed over Haneul and she wasn’t sure how to respond. She sighed and sat down on the stairs, her elbows resting on her knees while her hands cupped her face. Taeil must have been smart to make it seem like she was the one who wanted to leave with him. Should she tell him what really happened?

     “I’m sorry I let you leave with some stranger. Did anything… happen?” Hoya was genuinely curious. By now he was certain of how he felt about Haneul, but he would know for sure based on how he reacted to her answer.

     “No, I woke up in my bed this morning alone, fully clothed. I came over here as soon as I woke up,” she lied.

     Hoya felt relieved. “Oh, really?” He couldn’t help but smile. Haneul took notice.

     “What’s that face for?” She asked playfully.

     It’s now or never.

     “Haneul, I want to apologize for being mad last night. You’re an adult and I’m sorry I got mad about you wanting to leave with someone else. But honestly, I guess I just… You know we’re best friends, right?”

     She nodded and encouraged him to continue with whatever he was getting at.

     “And I really care about you, too. So… don’t worry. No matter what you do I don’t think I’m able to hate you.”

     Haneul laughed. “Thanks, Howon. You too, OK?” She stuck out her arm and made a fist. Bumping fists was their thing since the first day they met. It was their sign that they were on the same page, and that no matter what happened they always had each others’ back. So when Hoya grabbed onto her fist and pulled her up from the stairs into a hug, she was a little more than surprised, but frankly she didn’t mind. They didn’t hug often but when they did it was always so comforting. She tightened her arms around his waist, closed her eyes, and enjoyed this rare moment.

     Don’t worry, Haneul. I know you’re scared, but don’t be. I’ll be here for you no matter what.