Chapter 1

Jimin hoisted her bookbag higher up her shoulder for the umpteenth time. She was so used to the burden that she barely noticed it's weight anymore. Her head tilted back, she read the name of her destination in fluorescent red and blue lights. She looked at it for a long time before approaching.

Jimin pushed at her newly shortened hair nervously before tapping the brawny bouncer on the shoulder. The man looked her up and down then turned away, clearly not impressed by what he saw. Jimin tapped harder. "I'm not here for the fashion show. I need to speak to Bbang."

The bouncer looked at her with a bored expression. "Never heard of him."

When he turned around again, Jimin ran to get in front of him. "You know exactly who he is. He's the owner of this fine establishment and your boss. My name is Woo Jimin."

"Never heard of you, either."

"Not surprising, but he has. Just tell him my name, he'll vouch for me. I need to spe--"

"Look, lady, this isn't your scene. Go somewhere that serves wine by the glass."

Jimin looked down at her outfit and chuckled. Her khakis really did stand out, wrinkled though they were. "If Bbang really isn't in there, that's fine. Get any of the other guys."

"Get to the end of the line. You're holding people up from getting in this fine establishment."

Jimin wiped her hands over her face and groaned. She decided to try a softer approach. "Please. Just ask someone inside if they recognize my name. You're too new to remember."

"Move."

The frustrated woman threw her hands up. "All you have to do is ask!"

"Move, or I will move you!" Jimin threw her shoulders back and scoffed in his face.

"Violence against women is not tolerated by the organization. Put a hand on me and I'll break it, then tell the lieutenants to break the other one." Not liking being challenged in front of crowd, the bouncer grabbed Jimin's bicep and yanked her around. Too quickly for him to block it, Jimin hit him in the throat, then the stomach. Very effectively knocking the wind out of the man and bringing him to his knees. She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun quickly, ready for the next threat.

"Woah, woah!" The man in front of her held his hands out and stepped back. His eyes ran over her face. Jimin watched them light up with recognition. ".....Noona?"

"Hey Guppie."

The slight man exhaled and laughed. Still staring at him in amazement, she wasn't ready when he launched himself at her. Her shock wore off after a few seconds and Jimin hugged him as tight as he was hugging her.

Jongup pulled back and smiled in his infectious way. “Where have you been?”

Jimin smiled back at him and shrugged. “This isn’t a social call, unfortunately. Is he in there?”

Jongup didn’t have to guess who ‘he’ was. Everyone knew who ‘he’ was. “Yeah. He’s in there. Why didn’t you come in?”

    “I would have loved to, but . . . .” Jimin trailed off and nodded her head at the bouncer who was leaned against the wall, still trying to catch his breath. Jongup approached the man and gave him a hard look. His usual playful expression nowhere in sight.

    “Let me see your matoki.” The bouncer pulled his sleeve back and showed the tattoo of a yellow-masked bunny. “One of Youngjae’s guys, I see. How long have you been with us?”

    “T-t-ten months,” the bouncer stuttered.

    “That’s long enough for you to know the rules. You never lay hands on a woman. And if someone comes looking for one of us, you at least ask us if we know them. Understood?” The chastised man nodded his head and kept his eyes on the ground. “I won’t tell Jae about this. I think getting your kicked by a girl is enough punishment.”  

    Jimin snorted and covered the sound with the back of her hand. Jongup looked back and smiled at her. The bouncer bowed and mumbled apologies as they passed to go inside. Jimin wasn’t sure what to expect from the interior, but as she looked around, she saw that ‘The Shady Lady’ hadn’t changed a bit. It was still filled to the brim with posers, wannabes and the self important. Those who wanted to see and be seen, but didn’t have the money to drink all night at the more popular clubs around Seoul.

So caught up in looking, Jongup had to tug on her wrist to get her moving. The crowd parted for him and Jimin got curious glances from the people they passed. Through the mob and up the stairs they went, arriving at the closed door to the managers office. He knocked hard twice before the door was opened for him.

“What took you so long?!” Jimin heard a familiar raspy voice yell.

“Sorry. But look who I found!” Jongup stepped to the side. Jimin uselessly smoothed at the wrinkles in her clothes and took a hesitant step forward. With the door closed, the noise of the music was all but drowned out. It was quiet enough for Jimin to hear the audible gasp.

She looked up and gauged the reactions of the five men in the room. Daehyun and Junhong had their mouths hanging open. Youngjae blinked repeatedly, trying to focus his gaze. Himchan leaned back in his chair with a curious expression on his face. Yongguk had fire in his eyes for a moment before turning back to making out with the girl on his lap.

“Woo Jimin?” Daehyun spoke first. She smiled at him and nodded her head quickly.

“Noona!!” Junhong jumped up and attacked her with an overzealous hug. Jimin took a step back and steadied herself.

“You’ve grown so much, Junhong-ie. You were my height the last time I saw you,” she said with a smile. Now, she had to lean back to see his brilliant grin. Jimin pinched his cheek then patted it gently. “So handsome.”

Junhong blushed and ducked his head before going back to sit. Youngjae stood and bowed politely. They had never been super close, so Jimin didn’t expect a hug from him. Daehyun gave her a tight one-armed hug before sitting down. Jimin looked at Himchan, who just leaned back and crossed his legs. Yongguk continued to kiss the girl.

“Not to be rude, but what brings you by?” Himchan asked. Not in an unfriendly way, just direct.

Jimin shifted her feet and hiked her bookbag up. “I just need a place to crash for the night. A safe place. And some help locating Z.”

“How safe of a place are we talking?” Himchan asked. Jimin sent a pointed look at the girl and nodded to the door. Daehyun cleared his throat loudly and Yongguk looked up.

“I think we need some privacy for this, hyung. Can we have the room for a few minutes?”

“Why? This is my new queen. There’s nothing she can’t say in front of her. Or that I really want to hear.” He smiled at his ‘queen’ and her cheek. The girl beamed at Yongguk and lunged forward to on his earlobe. Yongguk closed his eyes and bit his full bottom lip. “Talk fast and get out.”

The other guys look back and forth between the two warring people, not sure what to do. Jongup looked apologetic and smiled at Jimin encouragingly. It wasn’t until Himchan nodded at her that she set her bag down at her feet and stretched her shoulders.

“I wouldn’t come here unless there was absolutely no other option. I’m desperate. I’m asking you to help me,” she said quietly and humbly. That got their attention. She took a breath and collected herself. “I’ve been running for two weeks now. Eating when I could, sleeping for few hours when I felt safe enough. I’m out of ideas and you are my last chance.”

She looked up and saw that Yongguk was looking directly at her. She spoke her next words to him, voice thick with unshed tears. “Please help me, or I’ll be dead by the end of the week.”

Yongguk sat frozen like the rest, then shoved his ‘queen’ off his lap. “Get out.”

“But you just said--”

“Out!” he roared. The ‘queen’ squealed in outrage, stomped to the door and slammed it harshly. When Jimin turned back around, Yongguk had his hands resting on the desk. “Who’s after you?”

“No one you know. And the less you know, the better. Just point me in the direction of a safe house and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“That’s not going to work. You came here. You’ve officially involved us.” Yongguk leaned back and drummed his fingers on the surface. “Start talking now and save us the anticipation.”

“I won’t tell you any more than what I have,” she said stubbornly. Across the distance, she saw that Yongguk had his face set seriously. She knew that look. She called it his ‘I shall not be moved’ face. “ it. This was a mistake.”

    Jimin picked her bag up, threw it back on her shoulder and turned to leave. Her hand was on the knob when she heard, “Stop.”

    She let go slowly and turned back. Jimin kept her back pressed to the door, though. “I need to lay low and get in touch with Z. That’s all I’m asking you for, and I'll pay you for your help.”

    Yongguk waved his hand dismissively. “You know this isn’t about money.”

    “You’re right. It’s never been about money for you, " Jimin said with an unamused laugh. "It’s about power. Well, you have the power in this situation, so there’s no need to be a . I am asking you for a favor and you are well within your rights to tell me no.”

The leader looked at her, tapped his fingers some more and debated some more. After a deep breath, he nodded. “You’ll get your safe house. Come with us.”

    “Tell me where it is. I can go alone.”

    “How safe would it be if I told you how to get there?” Yongguk stood and so did the other guys. He stood directly in front of her at the door and raised his eyebrow. “The faster you move, the faster we can get you on your way.”

    Jimin pushed away from the door, opened it and waved him on with a mocking bow. Yongguk smirked and walked by. She filed out behind him and followed him out to the back of the club.

Two black SUV’s were parked there. Daehyun went to the driver side of the first one, Junhong got in the passenger seat. Youngjae, Jongup and Himchan went to the second one. Yongguk held the door open to the first SUV and waved her in with a bow just as mocking as the one she had given him. She walked passed him and got in the back of the other SUV beside Jongup.

With her bag nestled between her feet, she relaxed into the supple leather. Jongup touched her hand lightly to get her attention. When she looked over at him, he patted his shoulder. With a small smile, Jimin slid across the seat and rested against him. Jongup held her hand and squeezed gently.

“I missed you, noona.”

“I missed you too, Guppie,” Jimin admitted and squeezed his hand back.

“Get some rest. I’ll wake you when we get there,” he told her. Jimin nodded, settled more comfortably and fell into a deep sleep for the first time in weeks.