MONSTA , "Trespass", (EP) 2015

“Well what do we do now?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We kill him and dump his body in the Han.”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because he gave us answers when we had none, we owe him that at least.”

“I agree with Seulgi,” Nari sighed as she stepped into the circle the group had formed on the balcony, “We can’t just kill him after the information he gave us.”

Bobby tensed up at Nari’s interjection, “Information? He's just set us up on another wild goose-chase!”

“A goose-chase that’ll bring us one step closer to those responsible for the attack.” Nari reminded him. She felt a lot calmer than she had when L.Joe revealed the nature of his involvement; for the first time in a long time, she’d felt the hooks of fear buried deep into her being, twisting and warping her mind with treacherous thoughts. She was scared. She didn't trust herself. But now she was pissed.

“How can you be sure he won’t tattle?” Jinhwan asked uncertainly, mimicking his friends’ doubts.

Nari’s mouth quirked up at the corner “If he was so willing to tell us everything he knew, perhaps he’s just as willing to get away from the mess he got into. Maybe his allegiance was never that strong in the first place.”

“I agree,” Wendy nodded, “He said himself that he and his group were just into street races and cars; if we send him away from the mess, they can continue without interference.”

“Let me guess, you’re gonna’ kill me and dump my body in the Han?”

“Now why does that sound so familiar?” Hyerin asked no one in particular despite her eyes being narrowed at B.I. He clenched his fists by his side as the others held in their laughter over the exchange.

“No,” Nari took the lead, “We’re giving you a chance.”

“A chance for what?” L.Joe’s eyes were full of suspicion and uncertainty.

“To get you and your friends away from this mess. A chance to go and start fresh, I don’t care. Just as long as she you’re out of our way and don’t come back.”

L.Joe looked at Nari as if the life had been out of him, his jaw dropping slightly as he soaked up the meaning of Nari’s cold words. Initially, she registered fear in his eyes, the abyss that had the power to consume all manner of beings if strong enough. But just as quickly as L.Joe’s fear appeared, a new emotion appeared; hope.

“I can really get away from all of this?”

Nari nodded.

“Give me a phone. The others will be in hiding now, but I-“

“I think not,” Bobby scoffed, stepping up besides Nari, “We’ll decide where to send you, and then we can tell your friends to meet you there. After we’ve left.”

Nari understood Bobby’s thinking; asides from being irritated at his interruption, she was impressed the Rookie had the intuition to sense a potential trap. L.Joe could’ve easily used a mixed message to alert his team, or worse, spring a trap for when they dump him in the middle of nowhere.

I would’ve done that.

And within the hour, the team were up and ready to ‘deposit’ (as Bobby had fondly come to call it) L.Joe and await his team to join him. The plan was for the boys to drive to the coastal city Tongyeong, before returning to Seoul where all of them would investigate the warehouse. Irene suggested Tongyeong: there was lesser gang activity than in Seoul, the boys could flourish in whatever business they had, all whilst being under the watch of SM’s operatives in Busan.

Not that Teen Top need to know they're being watched…

“Yah!” Seulgi threw a cushion at Nari from across the room, “Unnie why do you look so tired? Did you sleep okay?”

“She sleeps?” B.I. chuckled as he loaded a gun from another sofa, a smirk appearing on his face.

Nari sent him a dark look.

“You must be exhausted,” Wendy rubbed her hand on Nari’s shoulder, “Unnie please go home and rest.”

“You forget,” Nari chuckled as she subconsciously began cleaning her gun, “My home was destroyed by the very people L.Joe here works for.”

But L.Joe was oblivious to notice Nari’s dig at him. An SM Trainee arrived with things collected from his dormitory, and L.Joe had since been milling about with excitement over getting away from the mess he and his friends had gotten themselves into. Nari thought that perhaps, he was lucky to be given this shot.

What if that was me? Would I want to get out of this world if I could? Would I give everything up?

And in the midst of her treacherous thoughts, Bobby was there with his annoying, over-zealous nature to yank Nair out of her mind before she could dwell inside it too long.

“Nari doesn’t sleep, she’s a clinical zombie that feeds on the energy of her victims,” 

“Yah!” Wendy complained in Nari’s defence as Bobby and B.I. broke into fits of laughter over his goofiness.

“I’m serious, she probably sleeps less than Hanbin does,” Bobby shrugged, “She was outside all night.”

Nari glared at Bobby with the fire of a thousand suns. She clicked the magazine into her gun, warningly. His grin faded.

“Unnie, go get some rest, please?” Seulgi pouted at Nari, that charisma of her’s working its magic, “We won’t get to raid the warehouse till tomorrow at least. It’s a good chance to sleep!”

“She’s right,” Irene sighed as she entered the room, “Our day would waste your time. Hyerin’s decided she wants to set up an account with us today. We’ve got to take her to Henry.”

“Who’s Henry?” Bobby asked.

“Our treasurer who doubles as a bodyguard for corrupt politicians occasionally,” Seulgi shrugged as she admired her nails.

Nari hit her around the head, “Pabo! Don’t give away our Family secrets!”

It didn’t matter that the boys were their allies for now, and it certainly didn’t matter what they’d all been through; YG were still the enemy, and they probably wouldn’t hesitate in bringing down their empire given the chance. Nari would never be able to trust them.

“Where is she now?” B.I. asked no one in particular, eliminating the awkwardness that hung in the air.

“Who?” Bobby asked.

“Hyerin-sshi.”

“She’s showing Jinhwan the view of your residences,” Irene said sarcastically, "She can see everything going on there through her cameras."

Nari shivered at the memory of being snuck through and having to spend the night at the YG residences. She shivered even more at the memory of Bobby seeing her most sacred wound. She pressed down onto that hallowed place near her collarbone absent-mindedly. She closed her eyes and retreated to her thoughts.

“Oh please,” Bobby waved a hand in the air dismissively.

“I’m serious,”

The sounds of panicked footsteps leaving the room said it all. Nari quirked the side of her lips at the boys’ desperation, particularly at B.I.’s obvious ‘indifference’ to the computer-freak who grew on Nari more and more by the second.

The departure of the boys allowed Nari to comfortably stretch out across the sofa and lay her head down for a bit. She allowed herself to retreat to her thoughts in that moment, a brief respite that strangely eased her being.

She didn’t intend to wake up an hour later, feeling ten-times worse with a burning ache in her neck and eyes that constantly drooped shut. Nari zoned in and out of reality every few seconds, until she processed the concerned faces of seven people staring down at her as if she were a naughty schoolgirl. Nari gulped.

“I-“

“Unnie, go home.” Seulgi ordered.

“But-“

“No,” Wendy waggled a finger at Nari, “You’re too tired to do anything today.”

“Yeah but-“

“And what good will you be to anyone if you’re tired?” Bobby teased with a harsh undertone to his voice. Nari would’ve happily punched him again, but she was too tired to bother. She made do with her best death glare.

“Unnie, “Irene started, a leader’s tone more serious in comparison to the others, “I’d rather ou be in good health if you’re wanting to do anything. Not there is much to do.”

“Yeah,” Hyerin scoffed as she perched on the edge of the sofa, absent-mindedly twirling a screwdriver in her hand, “I doubt you’d wanna’ sit through a day-long drive with these pabos,” she pointed the screwdriver at the boys, who protested simultaneously.

“Yah!”

“What do you mean, ‘pabos’?”

“Watch where you point that thing,”

It hurt Nari to laugh at their antics; she didn’t realise how badly her muscles ached until she started laughing. Wendy and Hyerin jumped forwards at the sounds of Nari’s pain, immediately holding their hands out to help steady her as she writhed for a moment. But she shoved their hands away, adamant on not being left out of any action.

Only when she tried to stand up, Bobby pressed on her shoulders and force her back on the sofa. Nari grunted again, more out if irritation at Bobby than the pain. She ease prepared to punch him again for touching her, teach him one last time who exactly the Rookie was messing with. But the look on everyone's faces told her she shouldn't fight any longer.

"Fine!" Nari exclaimed as she threw her arms in the air melodramatically, "I'll go home and sleep!"

And with that the entire group were rushing around, running after Nari to make sure she had everything she needed before going home; guns, armour, grenades, tracking and all manner of useless gadgets she had no possible use of. She could more than take care of herself.

“Will you stop?!” She demanded as Hyerin pulled her up from the sofa, with adamant determination, “I would punch you if it wasn’t for the fact that I need you!”

Hyerin grinned devilishly, “I could hack your bank account in ten seconds if that were the case.”

Nari looked at her suspiciously, “You don’t even know my-“

“I got into the Government Defence Register in my sophomore year at high-school before I came here,” Hyerin narrowed her eyes at Nari, “Don’t tempt me.”

Nari liked the girl’s guts more and more by the second, “Don’t tempt me.”

The girls held their stares for a minute as everyone else rushed around them, before bursting into slight laughter. Nari didn’t click with people too easily, but this girl was making it easy for her.

“What do you mean, ‘before you came here’?” Nari asked with genuine interest.

Hyerin smiled, but it was strained with an unregistered pain, “I grew up in Jeju, then I moved to Busan to find work. I was given a scholarship and this apartment when I came to Seoul.”

Nari nodded in un