In a few minutes, the program begins. Kyungsoo, Yuna, Seolhyun, and I are sitting at a table near the back of the ballroom. Joonmyeon, on the other hand, is sitting at the table right in front of the stage, as not only is he the president of the student council, but everyone there is friends with his family. People are practically lining up to talk to the esteemed heir of the Korean Construction Company.

I don’t blame them, though. He is a pretty spectacular person.

Seated at the frontmost table with Joonmyeon is Kim Sangyoon himself. I recognize him from seeing him at the Condu one night with Sora and Taehyung. He is a short, pudgy man- I stand a few inches taller than him- with horn rimmed glasses and slicked back hair. Despite his foolish-looking appearance, however, his beady eyes reveal a keen sense of alertness. He’s an intelligent man. I can tell. You don’t just rise up to the head of the Korean Crime Prevention Policy Bureau without being incredibly knowledgeable.

And without forsaking your daughter after the death of her brother and allowing her to spiral into a toxic cycle of partying, drugs, and alcohol.

Too harsh? He deserves it.

“Why do you keep checking your phone?” Yuna whispers to me as Dean Choi speaks to the crowd.

I hastily stow my phone bag in my bag- but not before reading Himchan’s text.

Himchan: All clear.

    “No reason,” I shrug.

    “Are you trying to figure out who gave you that dress?” Seolhyun asks softly.

    “I’m going to check the footage from the dorm hallway when I get back.”

The man wouldn’t be stupid enough to come to the dorms himself. But maybe I could see if he used someone as a messenger, and then go and interrogate them-

My phone buzzes with a text.

Joonmyeon: You’re up next. The speech is the paper on the podium that says “Alumni Achievement” on top.

Oh, god. My nerves are completely shot. I rapidly shake my leg, folding and unfolding the napkin in my lap. Kyungsoo throws me a curious look and I give him an anxious smile.

What’ll happen after I give the speech? Is the man planning on shooting me as I am up on stage? Or does he plan on hurting Seolhyun, Yuna, and Kyungsoo, since I’ll be far away from them and unable to protect them?

“And now, presenting the Alumni Achievement Award is Kim Joon- sorry, Park Hyolin!” Dean Choi announces, quickly correcting himself. I see him throw Joonmyeon a quizzical look, which Joonmyeon merely shakes his head in response to. The ballroom explodes into applause as I make my way up on stage, taking care not to trip on my gown in front of everyone. The blue paper is sitting right there on the podium, with a handwritten note at the top.

Thank the Dean, ask if everyone’s having a good night, and then say “the alumni achievement award goes to kim sangyoon”, and then give the speech below.

And then below that, scribbled quickly, is Good luck.

A surge of affection fills my chest.

I take a deep, shaky breath.

“Thanks, Dean Choi,” I say in a confident voice that belies my fear. “I hope all of you are having a wonderful night, and I can’t stress how grateful we are for what all of you have done for Seoul National University. Now, I am proud to present the Alumni Achievement Award to Sangyoon!”

Everyone breaks out into thunderous applause as Mr. Kim strides up on stage, a small smile on his face. I beam down at him as I shake his hand.

“Congratulations, Mr. Kim,” I say, handing a gold-encrusted plaque to him with the words “2016 Seoul National University Alumni Achievement Award: Kim Sangyoon”. Photographers flash pictures of us standing together.

So this is Sora’s father. The man who arranged a marriage between her and a boy she barely knew. Who practically abandoned her after her mother died and made no effort to help her after her brother passed away.

“You look lovely, Miss Park,” Mr. Kim quietly says.

“Thank you, sir. It’s an honor to have you here.”

“I believe you’re friends with my daughter?”

I look at him in surprise. I didn’t know that he knew about our friendship. “Yes, sir. We’re roommates, and we just naturally clicked.”

He nods slowly. There’s something in his eyes that unsettles me; some kind of sharpness, some kind of perception that makes me take an unconscious step backwards.

“You take care, now,” Sora’s father utters.

“Thank you, Mr. Kim. You too.”

He sits down. I look at the blue paper once more.

Time to read the speech. My eyes scan the crowd for any indication of the masked man’s presence.

I swallow.

And then I begin.

“Kim Sangyoon graduated from Seoul National University in 1964 with a double major in Law and Political Science. He has continued to uphold the university’s motto of using knowledge to make a positive impact in the world ever since. His work in the Department of Justice has helped millions across South Korea. As the Head of the Crime Prevention Policy Bureau, Mr. Kim succeeded in creating several programs to reduce crime across the nation, which included the Crime-,”

My voice cracks.

The audience stares at me in confusion. I quickly continue speaking.

“-the Crime Relocation Program and the Citizens Against Gang Violence program."

Sora’s father founded the Crime Relocation Program.

Oh my god.

"Mr. Kim has a passion for eliminating gang activity in particular," I continue shakily, "as his family was a tragic victim of gang violence. His eldest son-,”

I freeze.

I stare at the words on the paper.

Kim Byunghyun.

His eldest son Kim Byunghyun.

Harald’s Dream echoes in my ears. A cold gun between my fingers. Zelo’s voice.

“We’ve never done anything like this before-,”

“There’s a first time for everything. Besides, I’ll have to do this to ZE:A. Right? I- I’m just preparing myself. And this- Kim Byunghyun- is horrible. You know what he did to all those girls. This is... this is a good thing.”

I had been hired to kill Kim Byunghyun due to his interference in an enemy gang’s ion ring. He had been kidnapping girls and forcing them to work for his own brothel under inhumane conditions.

Oh my god. Kim Byunghyun is Sora’s brother.

Sora’s brother was my first kill.

I look down at Kim Sangyoon with wide eyes.  

There is an oddly twisted smile on his face.

He knows.

And then all of a sudden it all hits me.  

Sora’s father created the Crime Relocation Program, which took out a lot of gangs that existed during my time. However, the CRP was discontinued, thus allowing a bunch of new gangs to be created after I left. They’re all thriving now. The gang at the top of the criminal world right now is BTS. Sora’s father brokered an engagement between her and one of the most powerful members of the gang. BTS is incredibly wealthy and powerful.

Which puts Mr. Kim and his family in a wonderful position.

Speaking of Mr. Kim’s family, Sora’s brother was involved with gangs before BTS was even formed. Which means that Mr. Kim already had ties to the criminal world.

Taehyung’s words echo in my mind.

Your father really wouldn’t want you to be fighting against us.

Holy . He’s known who I really was all this time. He knows what Sora, Himchan, Zelo, and I have been doing.

Kim Sangyoon, a respected government official and my friend’s father, has been a part of the gang world all this time.

The crowd is beginning to stir at my silence. My eyes are locked onto Kim Sangyoon’s in horror.

This is why the masked man wanted me to give this speech. He knew that I would be put on the spot like this.

My hands are tied. I cannot do anything about this up here.

So I clear my throat, stammer, “S-Sorry,” and continue reading the blue paper.

Everyone is whispering when I finish my speech and walk down from the stage. I can feel their eyes on me. Kyungsoo, Yuna, and Seolhyun immediately rush to me after I head back to the table, questioning if I am okay and do I need some water and what happened?

“I- I have to go,” I whisper.

“Go where?” Yuna demands. "Do you need me to-,"

“I'll be fine. I- I just- I don’t feel too good.” I pick up my purse and stand up- , everything feels like it’s spinning. “I’m leaving.”

I stumble to the exit, rip off my heels, and sprint all the way to the coffeeshop where my friends are positioned. It is dark outside, the only light in the air coming from tall street lamps. I can see Himchan, Zelo, and Sora- Sora- through the clear windows of the coffee shop-

How am I going to face her? I killed her brother! The brother that took care of her- the brother that loved her so much-

And the brother that kidnapped hundreds of women and forced them to work as es. The brother who was a coldhearted gangster.  

Sora’s entire family is embedded so firmly into the gang world.

Her father's supposed to be working for our country. He's supposed to arrest gangs. Take them down.

Not work with them.

They see me through the windows. They see how shaken I am. All three of them immediately shoot up and race out of the coffee shop.

“What happened?” Sora asks, worriedly wrapping her arms around me. “What’s wrong, Hyo?”

“Get her to the car,” Zelo murmurs, looping his arm through mine. Everything seems to blur together; the warm glow from the street lamps bleed into a blotchy mess above my head; people are staring at us- I must make quite a sight in my ornate ballgown that that bastard gave me- that wicked masked man who knew the truth this entire time and delighted in stringing us all along. Tears run down my cheeks. I thought it couldn’t get any worse.

How am I supposed to tell her?

The next thing I know, I am being carted through the rooms of the Galmegi and set down on Zelo’s bed. Sora has been my hair the whole time, whispering words of comfort into my ear, while Zelo carries me in his arms. Himchan slowly guides a glass of water to my lips.

“Let her rest,” I faintly hear Zelo say. “Sora, ask one of the other student council members what happened at the ball. I’ll go make some food for when she makes up- Himchan, get her spare pair of clothes from the dresser...,”

I slowly slide into darkness.

A/N: yuhh guys im back from my business competition. also okay..... i have a problem..... i literally have no idea what to do with my life. like i have no purpose or direction or anything i literally don't know what to do with myself and i can't focus on anything and im like easily bored by everything

and i have like no inspiration for writing new stories (except this one) and i don't know the ideas used to just flow out of me and i just feel so lost now... like im not even stressed im just bored idk what to do with my lifeifeifei

what should i do