Saturday 14:35:07

"I'm sorry, but we cannot let you travel to Tibet without a permit. You will have to plan your next vacation around that. If you go back and get it, the next flight is tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM. Would you like me to schedule a ticket for you?" I groaned and thought about my options. I needed to find someone who would sell me a fake permit, but someone who won't rat me out. I was also going to have to get more money if I was going to buy this permit on the black market and shut someone up while doing it. Could I do that by 6:30? We can only try. 

"Yes, a ticket for 6:30, please." She nodded and looked at the fake passport I used to come here, typing in information. 

"That will be 3010.79 Yuan." I groaned again and reached into the purse I stole that housed Youngjae's money. After the transaction in the morning and this ticket, I only have 1360 Yuan left. That isn't going to get me a fake permit here. 

She handed me the ticket and wished me a good day before I walked to the main gate. I had to think where I could get the money. KyungIl was arrested last night as well, so his apartment had to be under investigation. I could try to get in there and steal money he left... that's taking a gamble. Even if I go to a vendor, they're going to want over 3000 Yuan for the stupid piece of paper. I could sell the gun, but that was the only means of my protection, so when a vendor tries to sell me off to the North, I'll be done for... Or I could sell myself and try to finese out of that situation. 

I sat down on the nearest bench and thought out all the options I had. 

1. Sneak into KyungIl's and take money that would happen to be there and not detained 

2. Pickpocket several strangers before I have enough money and find a vendor to give me a permit 

3. Sell the gun and find a vendor 

4. Sell me, get out using the gun, take the money, get the permit, and go to Tibet 

This is the time I'm asking myself why not go back to Korea? But there's no way the North doesn't know I'm here. If I step one foot into the South Korean terminal I'm done for. Isn't it the same if I sell myself? I can sell myself to somewhere other than North dealers. It would be easier to get out then. 

Am I really considering doing this? 

Yes. 

I threw the suitcase in the garbage, taking out the things that I needed. One extra knife and Youngjae's fake passport.

Youngjae. He's probably in detainment or being questioned. If he's being questioned, we can only assume it's by our favorite cop or NIS agent. If he's being detained, he's probably wishing I was dead. No, he's probably wishing that even if he's being questioned. This "mission" almost mirrors that of one I did with Alpha years ago. I was detached with the group and had to find a way back to the agreed separation location. Sadly, there was no location this time. 

I knew where I needed to go. There was a specific street in Beijing where all the deals were being made. A block police were too afraid to go to. A block where Alpha frequented on their visits to China. That sent a shiver down my back. It was the fact that I was going back to our old stomping grounds or that they could be there and I was walking into my own death. Was I really this desperate to get this permit? If I was to call anyone it would be Jackson, but I don't know his number... and then I can't fly back to South Korea. I'm stuck until I get myself out of this. 

I sighed and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. As I was getting closer to the street, people who looked like they owned cubicle jobs dissipated. The gun tucked into my waistband got colder as my old reality was coming back to me. I couldn't show any weakness here and I could bearly show my face. It's been 3 years, but it would be hard to forget us, especially him. I took a deep breath and put the hood up on my hoodie. Tuan's hoodie. Tuan. I wonder how mad he would be at me after all of this. Where he would lock me up so I won't escape again. 

I ran into someone and I swore that I was to immerse in my thoughts. They might want to start a fight now. 

"Hey, watch it! You almost hit my girl!" They pulled my hood off and, in the process, pull me back a few steps as well. He wasn't tall and his face had a scar on the left side. By the looks of the girl he had on his hip and the looks of his face, he was paying her. I shrugged at him and tried to start walking, but he still had a grip on my hood. I would have decked him by now, but I was isolated here. 

"Didn't you hear me? Or are you a foreigner?" I grabbed his wrist and twisted it so he let go of me. 

"I heard you, but I didn't care." I took three steps away before I heard the audible of a lever. I rolled my eyes and turned back around, staring down the barrel of a .44. Now that his gun was out, there was a crowd looking at what was happening. 

"Do you know who I am ?!" I shook my head, the bored look still on my face. I think that's what pissed him off. 

"Look, I have to do something-"

"I'm the leader of East! Do you think you can disrespect me on my turf? Huh?" He got in my face, gun still on my temple, and grabbed the purse I was carrying. He tried to rip it from my grasp but just ended up hurting my neck as the leather strap dug into it. 

"What's so important in this bag? If you give it to me, I'll let you go. Are the drugs you're selling in here? Weapons? What's your vice?" 

"Let go." He laughed at my lowered tone and my hand was itching to take out my .44. Then we would really play. 

"You'll have to make me, hu-" A gunshot went off and a brick exploded right next to the guys head. He flinched enough so that I could pull my bag out of his hand and start walking away. Whatever it was, it was his problem. That was until another brick exploded in front of my face. 

"What do we have going on here?" He was tall, had yellow shaded glasses on, and looked highly intimidating. I should have gone to KyungIl's apartment. 

"N-Nothing Boss! Nothing happened!" The "Boss" rolled his eyes and glanced at me. Something registered in his mind because a glint appeared in his eyes. I think I knew what that something was because when he flicked his wrist a was grabbed by two men. Damn, I really should have gone to KyungIl's apartment. 

"We'll take care of it JianCi. I'll talk to her, Luhan, Tao." Suit-Boss man turned and started walking into a building he probably owned and I was dragged behind him. I didn't recognize the name of the club from the last time I was here or the men pulling me. There had to be a new gang ruling around here. Little Tigers must have finally lost their turf war, even with the weapons we sold them. 

The club was vacant and only soft music was playing in the background. All the lights were and only a handful of people were in it, most of them being women. One man, in particular, jumped down from the stage and walked over to look at me. He looked young but built; only a few inches taller than me.

"Who's this?" I was thrown down on a chair and the boss man pulled one up in front of me, sitting on it backward. 

"I want her to tell us Xiumin." A hand slid under my hoodie and took out the gun as a yelped. 

"Watch your hands!" The taller one laughed as the pretty one spun my gun in his hand. 

"You can't yell at my members when you're unarmed and surrounded." The boss guy smirked as I glared at him. 

"Then when can I yell at them?" 

"If you kill me." I didn't hesitate to grab the knife in my shoe and throw it by his head, landing it right in front of another guy who looked out of it. It scared him a bit as he flinched and let out a yelp. 

"Restrain and search her properly!" I was pulled up and the short one that greeted me at the door felt me up. I glared at him the whole time and tried to kick him as his touch coasted on my thigh a bit too long. The pretty one pulled my back when I did that and whispered in my ear. 

"Try something again and see what Kris does to you." Kris. Boss man's name was Kris.

I was shoved back down but still held by their hands. Racking my memory, I couldn't find anyone named Kris. They had to be new. 

"Two passports and another knife." Kris opened Youngjae's passport and turned it to me, tapping Youngjae's face. 

"Where's he?" I shrugged and he threw that on the floor, looking through mine. 

"She has a bit over 1000 yuan in her bag and other things that don't belong to her. Also, a plane ticket to Tibet at 6:30 tomorrow morning." 

"Why are you going to Tibet?" 

"Family." Kris laughed and rested his head in one of his palms. 

"You have to lie better than that to convince me. Lie to me again. Who are you?"

"Lee Songah." I repeated the name in my passport. He shook his head and laughed.

"If I told you I knew who you were, would you say I would be telling a lie or not?" I inspected his eyes. 

"You know about me, but not who I am." He smirked again and nodded. 

"Your Seventeen's new girl from Korea. Pinky. Kyulkyung. Or would you rather us call you Jieqiong?" I almost let out a sigh of relief as they misidentified me. Now I could actually do the things I wanted to.

"I'm here to commit myself. I want out of Seventeen."

"You want to sell yourself to us?" The one who I almost hit with the knife finally perked up. His look had changed to something more... 

"Calm down, Yixing. She said she wanted to commit." 

"I want money." I locked eyes with Kris and didn't move. He was surveying to see if I'm serious. 

"Well, Yixing, come see how much you're willing to offer." Kris got up out of his chair and Yixing was walking towards me. 

"By face alone, she'd be a top seller. We'd have to dye her hair to a more flattering color than this brown. It mutes her face. She'd had to apply a bit more makeup to get color back in her cheeks. Our buyers like our girls to look young. And then her size. You seem small. Without making you strip in front of everyone I'd say you're a 34-28-32 and have an athletic build. You have abs I'm guessing. Hmm, you might need to lose those and just have a slender body. Do you have a lot of scars?" 

"Yes," He frowned. 

"The value has gone down a bit. I'm assuming the number of scars you have right now, so I may be off with my average, but you want money. Are you a ?" I made a face at his question. What kind of q-

"Our clients each have their own... liking. Some prefer experience while others don't. We cater to all." 

"No." He nodded and held his chin like he was racking me up to give me a grand total. 

"I feel like I know the clients that will like you. Adding in the profit you'll give us, 3500 USD's. So a little under 22300 yuan." My eyes widened at the sum of money. That would be plenty. 

"Deal. When do I get the money?" Kris, who was leaning against a table, glanced over at the man behind the bar counter who had yet to say anything. He seemed to be entertaining a girl and not paying attention to the scene in front of him. 

"Chen! Get out 22300 yuan exactly. A little extra for Xiumin trying to feel you up." I looked over at him, staring me up and down like I was his next meal. I bet he was one of the clients. 

"You're coming with me. We're dying your hair and you can meet the other girls later. I think tonight you'll have your first... shift." He laughed a bit at the last word and I was released by the ones behind me, pushed again to walk behind Yixing. As I passed by Chen, he simply held out an envelope and I counted the money as Yixing held open a door. 

"22000, 22100, 22200, 22300." I shoved the envelope into the hoodie's pocket and got into the car. Well, I was shoved into the car by some other kid. Yixing got in the driver's seat and sped off into the streets. 

"What an easy transaction." I rolled my eyes and looked out at the streets. It was almost time for rush hour traffic, maybe I could escape then.

"I just needed the money." 

"For what, may I ask?" He looked over at me and I shrugged. 

"I have nothing, and this is better than nothing." He nodded in response. 

"Seventeen doesn't pay you?" Even Seventeen doesn't sound familiar. Have all the gangs changed since I've been down that street?

"I get paid per hit. I'm not one of them yet, I'm just a hired mercenary that get's threatened if I'm utilized by any other gang."

"Who'd you come to China to hit?" His answer seemed a little wary. Like he was waiting for me to say his name. I wonder how deadly the actual me is supposed to be. If she makes this one afraid. 

"Song KyungIl." Yixing let out a noise closer to someone choking than anything. Youngjae wasn't wrong when he said that people don't cross KyungIl. 

"Why the hell does Seventeen want China's most developed weapons dealer dead?" Huh. Youngjae must've skipped that in the debrief. Most developed? I can see that on a certificate.

"He crossed them and no one crosses them. So I'm here to seduce him and kill him the morning after. Or I was here." 

"Song KyungIl was arrested this morning." 

"I'm aware." Yixing parked in front of a salon and opened his door. 

"That means you're running from Seventeen because you messed up, not because they don't pay you well." With that, he shut the door and mine opened. The kid this time didn't pull me that hard, as we were in public, but the message was still there. 

"Yixing be glad I didn't have any other appointments today! You can't just bring people in here, expecting me to do work on a whim." When I was gently pushed in, Yixing was leaning over the counter talking to a young girl with glasses that were too big for her face. She would be pretty if she took the glasses off.

"Come on Xiao! I'm giving you a blank canvas here. She needs to pull in men and with this hair, there's no way she can!" The girl crossed her arms and looked at me, inspecting my looks. I bet I didn't look like much in clothes that were way too big for me. 

"I'm closing in 30 minutes and by the looks of her hair I need to do a color remover, bleach it, and then color it. That will take at least 2 hours." 

"I'll convince Kris to give Luhan a whole 3 days off." So this girl was the pretty ones. 

"Make it 4 days and you have a deal." Yixing smiled and she came out from behind the front counter to lead me to a seat. Her push was even harder than the kid who was my wrangler. 

"You dyed your hair with box dye. That's even worse! Ugh, it'll be so hard to get you to an ash blonde like this!" She picked up a bottle of something and put it into a dish. 

"What style are we going for, Xiao?" Yixing sat down on another chair and picked up a magazine. 

"I'm thinking Taeyon I era hair." I had no idea what was going to happen. I just knew she said ash blonde before. Never have I had blonde hair.

"This is going to take awhile," were her famous last words because it took 3 hours of sitting in that same position before she was happy with the tone of my hair. Both Yixing and the kid had fallen asleep and I would have to if the bleach didn't burn my scalp. 

"I think we're all done!" I don't know how she's so cheerful after standing for that long. She didn't even ask me questions, just worked or cleaned. Yixing jumped from his chair at her shout and look at me over his shoulder. 

"Wow, as always the queen of hair comes through. What time is it?" 

"Almost 8." He scrambled out of his chair and threw some bills at XiaoTong. 

"Her first appointment is at 10! We have to get her ready! Thank you, Xiao!" Yixing grabbed me and pulled me towards the door. I took off the smock and could only throw it on the floor as we went out the door. 

"We have to hurry back and get you ready for Xiumin. There's a protocol you need to learn and everything, and Xiumin's not to one to break it with. Last time a girl was with him, she messed up something and had bruises for a straight month. He's small but don't let that fool you, he's the strongest one out of all of us." We pulled up to a different building and only Yixing walked in with me. The lobby was swarming with girls and sleazy guys staring or groping them. This was the brothel. 

"I'm going to leave you in the hands of Mei. She's like the house mother here and knows what all of our clients like. This of her as a Prioress, but not a Prioress." A woman had walked up in a blue dress and rested her hand on Yixing's shoulder. 

"Is this the newest one? She's pretty. She looks like Kris and Xiumin's type." Yixing laughed and nodded. I felt squashed under her gaze. She had the same effect as some of Youngjae's mother's friends - Judgemental and filled with bad intentions. 

"Xiumin is her first client tonight. Kris seemed to be annoyed with her. Get her ready?" He glanced at her with a fake pleading look and she nodded. 

"It is my job. Come with me. What room will she be in tonight?" 

"143." I followed Mei up the stairs an into a room that was badly lit and full of girls. They all looked at me with the same stare as Mei. 

"Sit here." I sat down and stared at myself in the mirror. The hair did make me look different and paler if that could happen. 

"Now, Xiumin is very particular. He'll want you in blue; lingerie and dress. Go change in there and we'll see how it looks." She pointed to a door that was probably the bathroom. If she wanted me to stand up and change, why did she tell me to sit down? 

I smoothed my fingers over the satin fabric and was confused by the lace under the blue fabric. I probably haven't worn anything this expensive in a long time. The fabric made me look even paler and the lace underneath was uncomfortable. Maybe that's why I put Tuan's hoodie over me. Maybe I was cold. Maybe I didn't like how this dress bared my shoulders. I just put it on and walked out. 

"You're going to take that off before you enter the room. It's too big and bulky on you. Xiumin likes to see the curves of the girls." Her voice was monotone and she took the sweatpants and shoes from me, shoving a pair of black heels into my hand. 

"Why did you sell yourself to them?" I didn't know if she was trying to make small talk or actually cared, but I told her anyways. 

"I needed money and I was running away from a different gang. I now have money and protection." She shook her head and looked at the array of makeup in front of her. 

"You're going to spend that money on drugs and alcohol to forget what you do at night. It's only a matter of time. They offered me over 30000 yuan and I blew it in 3 weeks on drinks, heroin, and . They think you're going to funnel that money back into their safe." I waited for her to laugh, but she was serious. This made me look around. I noted it. The spoons, the smell, the bottles, and the needle marks on some of the girls' arms. Most of the girls' arms.

"No one cares?" She let out a dry laugh as she tugged my face towards her brush. 

"We're just workers. As long as we can do our job, they don't care." 

"But your people too." She shook her head and picked up another brush. 

"You're too nice to be here. It'll be sad to see you go down, too." I frowned as she still applied makeup to my face. It seemed to be all dark colors that she was putting on my eyes. I guess I was supposed to be alluring, but little did they know I'd probably be killing him and bouncing. That means I'd have to deal with this group trying to get me too. 

"Xiumin is very particular with things. You will undress when he asks and he will ask you to undress him. Don't do it slowly, that makes him mad. Don't tell him you don't like something, you have to fight through it. He is known to be rough and unforgiving. He will leave right after and you are supposed to look away from him when he gets dressed and leaves. Basically, do what he says and don't talk back... Do you have a boyfriend?" I looked up her with a confused look and shook my head.

"The sweatshirt is too big for you and smells like a man's cologne... and you haven't taken it off. If you have a boyfriend I suggest you leave now, I won't snitch."  I looked down at the hoodie and shrugged. It did smell like Tuan, I mean, that wasn't a surprise. What was the surprise is how long I've worn it by now.

"I don't have i wondeany family or friends. I joined Seventeen for a reason and I left for a reason. It's simple." Her face stayed blank. 

"You're lying, you have someone, but I'm not going to push you. I'm done and you have an hour left to prepare for tonight." With that, she walked away and I was left staring at myself in the mirror. Why did she think I was lying? I am, but that's different. 

"Good luck, Unnie." I turned to a girl on my right who had just finished her makeup, "You'll need it." She lifted up her skirt to show bruises that littered her thighs. The sight of them made me so mad. These were helpless girls who had to sell themselves to live. They didn't know how to fight back, they didn't know how to get out. They were like me in Alpha, but I knew how to fight back and I knew a way of getting out. These girls have to take the hits. I'm going to put the bullet right between his eyes. 

__

22:15:34

It was 15 minutes after. He was late. This could only mean bad things. I stuffed the gun in my overly expensive bra and walked to the window. From here I had a clear reflection of the room and I could see the skyline pretty well. I guess out of all the times I've been to Beijing, I've never seen how pretty downtown is. Especially the weird building right in the center. I wonder what building the police headquarters is. That's where Youngjae was probably being held before being processed back to the North or the South. Tuan and Jackson had to be here by now, so my guess is the South. Unless Tuan was being less than forgiving. Then again, Tuan had been demoted, so I wonder if his replacement came instead. 

The door clicked behind me and I slightly glanced over my shoulder. If I was going to get a nice shot, I needed him close. I stared at the reflection, waiting for the whole body to enter. When it did my eyes widened. Not Xiumin. 

I stayed by the window, waiting for him to walk over. He put his hands on my shoulders and didn't say anything. Somehow, I knew I was ed. 

"I looked into the other passport you had in your bag, seeing if you had a partner or something. Checking if your story fit. I showed it around and the picture circulated up to my supervisors. Miraculously, they recognized Captain Yoo. After that epiphany, I had to show them your picture. That's when your little charade fell apart Coronel Lee." I turned - the end of my gun right at his nose and his right at my temple. He had a wicked smile on his face like he wanted to play this game.

"So I asked around to see if Alpha had come back. I certainly wanted a share of the weapons they were selling. Sadly, I missed them by a month, but I found something else that would turn a profit. Ex- Coronel Lee was in my brothel, vulnerable, and at my disposal as long as she needed to keep up her act. Shows over." That's when Yixing and Xiumin came in, their guns aimed at me. 

"They want over 50000 USD for you and I'm not going to let this chance slip." He grabbed my gun and let out the clip before I could shoot. His position changed to behind me, his gun digging into my back, pushing me forward. 

"Let's go, Coronel. Xiumin, grab the hoodie." I was going to have to find a way out of this. If it was jumping out a window, so be it. However, there were no windows in the dark stairwell he took me down. If anything, I might have to go out myself. I can't go back to the North. 

Kris swung the door open to the alleyway and the night was bumping around us. Music from the clubs was spilling into the 3 wall trap I had been put in. No one was in the alleyway but and I knew that the deal was probably going down at midnight. 

"I'd rather you shoot me, get the satisfaction." He laughed and pushed me forward into the middle of the alley. 

"The deal was that you were alive during the transaction." 

"Then shoot me after you get your money. They won't send more than 2 guys to do it. Once you get your money," I put a finger gun up to my temple, "Poof." 

"You're crazy." I was desperate. 

"Come on. It's just one pull. You've probably shot less. Just one second and poof." He shook his head, that smile still on his face. 

"ing crazy." 

"Doesn't it get you off? That feeling that you can control life or death with a piece of metal? That I'm here right now, asking you, begging you to put one through me. Don't you feel that pull?" I smirked, looking him right in the eye, "You can't kill me, can you. You're too weak. You have the gun and everything, but you're letting a government rule you. Didn't you start this gang to go above the government? And now, you're waiting, not killing me because of the North. How ing submissive." Something I said set him off. I think it was the last part, but he raised the gun towards me. I could tell he was aiming at my arm, not my head. He was just going to shoot me somewhere stupid. 

"My arm? Really? ing wea-" A gunshot went off and Kris' eyes went wide before he fell flat on his face, the blood gushing out from the wound in his neck. There as a slight pause before the rain of bullets rained down. Xiumin and Yixing ran to hide and I joined them, picking up Tuan's hoddie that Xiumin dropped on the ground. I didn't know what they were shooting at or who they were, but I could hear people screaming and running into places. 

Xiumin reached to grab me, but a bullet grazed his hand and he pulled back. 

" the girl!" They ran down the side of the building and tried to get away as well. I saw them turn the corner, but I don't know how they faired after that. I just know that after I was the only one in the alleyway, I had the hoodie on, and the envelope was in my hand, it stopped and that's when the firing squad came in. 

"Police!" There was about 15 uniformed police officer who had all their guns out and pointed at me. Three figures came in from the left and I locked eyes with the obvious one. He as staring at me, taking one look up and down before finding my eyes again. He looked mad, quite mad, but he also looked dead. Dead as in the dark circles under his eyes were darker than before and he seemed the let something off of his shoulders. It wasn't a bad dead, but dead is still... bad. 

Jackson looked annoyed like this was the 3rd time he caught his toddler writing on the walls. The other one must have been Tuan's replacement. He just seemed pissed off that he had to do his job. He probably was looking at this as Tuan's problem, so why did he have to do anything? I didn't care, and I wasn't looking at him anymore. I was only looking at Tuan, waiting for him to come and yell at me like he always did every Tuesday and Thursday, our routine. I was waiting for him to handcuff me like he used to, drag me behind him. He just stood, looking tired. Jackson was the one who came over, took the envelope, handcuffed me, and walked me to one of the police cars.

"I asked you to realize Mark's side of things, HyeIn." I put my head down, looking at the car's dirty floor. A mood, "I told you to think about it. You know what's going to happen when we get back? Mark's done for, because of you." My stomach sank. 

Because of me.