A/N: important A/N at the bottom plz read

I wake up nestled between Joonmyeon’s chest and his firm, muscular arms. The only thing that is covering our bodies is his soft white duvet. Our legs are entwined; one of his hands is resting on my chest, while another is sitting on my waist.

Everything feels so warm and comfortable.

Joonmyeon’s face is resting a few centimeters away from mine. Once again, I am struck by how angelic he looks while sleeping. He looks so innocent. So pure.

No one could ever guess how ed up he really is.

And then, as if sensing my gaze, Joonmyeon stirs. He yawns sleepily. His eyes blink open and find mine.

We look at each other for a few moments. Tentative. Scared. Apprehensive.

Then Joonmyeon’s eyes harden and my stomach clenches and I leap out of bed, my fists at the ready.

“So let me guess,” I snarl. “This is the part where you try to kill me.”

“Why would I?” Joonmyeon smirks, still lounging in bed. His dark brown hair is ruffled up around his head- , he looks so good. “This is too funny. Not-,” he checks his clock, “-six hours ago, you were practically begging for me to you. Now you’re acting like you hate me.”

I scoff. “Oh, please. Don’t act like you don’t need me. Just sleep, Hyo! You don’t have bad dreams when I’m with you!” I mock.

Joonmyeon’s expression darkens. He rises, and I angrily hold my ground, my fists clenched by my side.

“Let’s make a bet, Hyo,” he utters in a low voice. “Let’s see which one of us comes to the other first. When you’re at my door again, we’ll see which one of us needs the other more.”

“I’ll take you up on that,” I growl. “I’m leaving.”

My mind is still spinning from the events of last night- what the hell happened? What did I do? I feel my cheeks heat up as I think about the way I kissed Joonmyeon- god, why was I so desperate?

But more importantly, why was he so... gentle with me? He knew I was having nightmares. Why did he care?

Huh. First Jimin gives me kindness I don’t deserve. Now it’s Joonmyeon.

I quickly shake my head. I need to push this from my mind, forget it ever happened-

“I’ll see you later, Hyo!” Doorman Lim calls.

I have to resist the urge to shout, No, you won’t!

My phone suddenly buzzes in my pocket. I glance at the screen.

Zelo: 29 unread messages, 9 missed calls.

Himchan: 23 unread messages, 12 missed calls.

“Oh, god,” I groan.

“Where were you?” Zelo demands as soon as I walk into the Galmegi.

“I overslept! Sorry!”

Himchan sighs. “Well, at any rate, we’re in.”

“Did you know that Daehyun lives in Seattle now?” Zelo says in amazement. “And Jongup owns a kimchi restaurant in Busan?”

My jaw drops as I rush over to peer at the CRP files as well. “Holy- Youngjae works for Samsung? He’s literate?”

“Please,” Himchan snorts. “You’re just salty because he was a million times better than you at those crossword puzzles.”

“Oh, and remember when you two would watch Problematic Men?” Zelo pipes up. “He would always solve all the riddles before you did-,”

“Shut up!” I yelp. “Let’s get back to the issue at hand. Where’s Yongguk?”

Himchan doesn’t say anything. Instead, he simply clicks on Yongguk’s file.

When I read the words written next to Current Job, I am torn between bursting out into hysterical laughter and curling up into a ball on the ground.

“Oh, brother,” I mutter. “This should be fun.”

It takes 3 hours to get to Daegu, and most of that time, my mind shuttles back and forth between two people: Sora and Joonmyeon.

For the millionth time since she disappeared, I ask the universe, Where is Sora? Is she safe? Is she doing okay? Is she going to try and seek revenge?

But if she wanted revenge, she could have shot Joonmyeon and then shot me a few days ago. Instead, she aimed for the chandelier, causing the room to burst into chaos and giving me a chance to escape.

The slightest little voice niggles at the back of my mind.

Did she do it on purpose?

Which leads me to think about Joonmyeon. Angry, vindictive Joonmyeon. He has vowed to make me suffer for the crimes I have committed; for the agony I have caused him. He knows that I love- loved- love? (my mind hurriedly springs away from that word)- him. And he is using it against me.

But if he was truly using it against me, why was he so gentle with me last night? Why did he wrap his arms around me and protect me from those petrifying nightmares, hold me close and tell me that it was okay, I could sleep with him?

When we woke up in the morning, things were back to how they should have been.

But still...

    All these people- Sora, Joonmyeon, Jimin- who I have hurt- who are supposed to be my enemies- are showing me this unconditional kindness that I do not deserve in the slightest. Why? Why would any of them help me after all the terrible things I did? I am disgusting. I have hurt all of them- especially the former two- in ways that I can only imagine.

    So why-

    “We’re here,” Himchan suddenly says, bringing the car to an abrupt halt. I rub my eyes and glance outside.

    Daegu Central Police Station, Precinct 13.

    “This is going to be fun,” Zelo mutters.

    “He won’t kill us, right? Or take us in? I mean, he’s got to still have some shred of, you know, feelings for us. Right?”

    “Only one way to find it,” I snort, and open the car door.

    The first thing I am hit with when I stride into the station is noise. Officers are running around everywhere, speaking into walkie-talkies or shouting commands across the room. There is a map of the district and its surrounding area taking up an entire wall. Upon closer inspection, there are bright neon thumbtacks everywhere, connected by a web of multicolored wool strings.

An image flashes in my mind: an array of 8-by-11 pieces of paper with different areas of Seoul printed on them, all glued next to each other and marked off with distinctive fruit-scented stickers (courtesy of yours truly) to indicate the headquarters of different gangs.

    Zelo and I grin at each other. I can tell he is thinking of the same thing as well.

    Yongguk.

    “Excuse me,” Himchan says, flashing a charming smile at a passing officer. “Do you know where Sergeant Hwang Chul Soo is, by any chance?”

“Why?” the officer asks him tersely. “Do you need to report a crime?”

“Oh, no. The three of us-,” he gestures to me and Zelo, who are currently attempting to play a surreptitious game of basketball using paper clips from a nearby desk, “-are Chul Soo’s old... uh, friends. We’re visiting, and we just wanted to drop in and say hi.”

The officer arches an eyebrow. “Old friends? Of what kind?”

“We used to live together.”

“Really.” There’s something about the set of this lady’s mouth that causes a pang of familiarity to strike me: something stubborn, unyielding. “Well, I’m afraid he’s out right now. Would you like to pass a message-,”

“Hey, there he is!” Zelo exclaims. “Yongguk!”

I turn.

Yongguk is striding across the station, papers in hand. He is barking orders to a bulky, powerful-looking man, when Zelo’s voice catches his attention.

    When he sees us, his face goes white.

    In a matter of seconds, he has practically sprinted across the room to us.

    “What the hell are you doing here?” he growls, whipping out his gun with one hand and pushing back the officer we were talking to with the other. “Hee Young, did they do anything to you? Did they hurt you?”

    “Calm down,” Hee Young snaps, pushing away his hand. The officers in the station have paused what they were doing to stare at us in alarm. I see a few people’s hands slowly slide over to their weapons. “They didn’t do anything. They just wanted to see you. Apparently you guys used to live together?”

    Yongguk’s expression darkens. His grip around his gun tightens.

    “Can we just talk?” I ask, stepping forward. Yongguk’s eyes widen when he sees me.

    “Lia?” he murmurs. “You- you’re back?”

    I snort. “That’s an understatement. Now put down your gun and come with us. I say that in the most nonthreatening way possible,” I hastily add in a loud voice.

“So are you going to tell me why you’re here?”

I am sitting next to Yongguk in the backseat of Himchan’s car. Zelo and Himchan himself are in the front, looking at us. The four of us are in some sort of tense faceoff; my eyes move to Zelo; Zelo’s eyes flicker to Himchan, and then Yongguk; Himchan simply stares at Yongguk; Yongguk’s gaze is darting back and forth between all three of us.

Yongguk has changed. It’s not just the disappearance of his wavy, bleached blond hair- he has a short buzz-cut now- or the fact that the tattoos that stretched from his upper bicep to the palms of his hands are gone. He has always been mature, but he looks even older now. Perhaps it is the neat blue police uniform he wears, decorated with insignia and badges. I realize with a start that Yongguk was only a few years older than I was when he was the leader of BAP.

Whoa.

That’s when it really hits me. Five years have gone by since I left BAP. Five years since I have seen Yongguk and Daehyun and Jongup and Chorong and everyone else.

But at the same time, I can tell that this is Yongguk. He’s always had that analytical gleam in his eyes, that calm nature to his deep baritone voice.

The funny thing is, if Yongguk hadn’t been a gang leader, I could’ve easily pictured him as a cop.

“It’s been a while,” Himchan says. “Don’t you want to catch up, Sergeant?”

Yongguk presses his lips together. “I’d rather get this over with quickly.”

Crap. This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. Zelo opens his mouth to make an angry comment, but I speak over him.

“Look, I don’t want to be in this situation either,” I say. “I was living a normal- well-,” Joonmyeon’s face flashes in my mind, and I wince. “Okay, not a normal life. But I thought it was normal. The problem is... look, everything’s been a setup.”

And I explain everything to him, from the first moment I stepped into Seoul National University to every horrifying revelation since. I leave out... most of the parts involving Joonmyeon, including the details of his masked man facade. I don’t think Zelo and Himchan fully understand how close Joonmyeon and I were (are?), and frankly, I don’t want them to. The last thing I want anyone to think is that my bond with Joonmyeon is hindering me from seeking justice.

Plus, talking about all that with Yongguk would be like telling my protective big brother how much Joonmyeon turns me on. No thanks.  

At any rate, Yongguk gets the message. His eyes darken in fury when I describe how I realized Joonmyeon was the masked man when I was in his apartment (“For student council business,” I quickly add. “We were working on something. Together. I had to drop something off.”)

“So he was lying to you the whole time?” Yongguk angrily says.

“Well- yeah.”

“That’s disgusting. When I get my hands on this bastard-,”

“When you get your hands on him? So you are going to help us?” Zelo hopefully pipes up.

Yongguk realizes what he has said and closes his eyes.

“I meant legally,” he growls. “They belong in jail.”

Himchan has stayed quiet this whole time. He simply stares at Yongguk, his eyes unreadable. Now, however, he utters, “That’s all you can say?”

Guilt flashes across Yongguk’s face.

“Himchan,” he quietly says.

“How’s the CRP treating you?” Himchan says in a low voice.

Yongguk stays silent.

“You know, I really hope it’s been worth it,” Himchan continues nonchalantly. “You left all of us without a single goodbye.”

I squirm in embarrassment- that’s exactly what I did, too. Himchan was easy to forgive me, but Yongguk- Yongguk and Himchan’s relationship was similar to me and Zelo’s, except much deeper. They had known each other since they were both 13 years old. They had started BAP together.

Himchan’s words from what feels like ages ago echo in my ears.

Yongguk left immediately afterwards. The rest of the gang followed. And that’s what really broke BAP.

“I’m sorry, Himchan,” Yongguk says solemnly. “I thought you were going to join the CRP, too.”

“No. I stayed back with Zelo. We thought somehow, everyone would return, and we’d be able to make BAP great again.” Himchan chuckles. “We were so wrong.”

Zelo is looking down at his hands, an unreadable expression on his face. The guilt gnawing at my stomach intensifies. Yongguk looks absolutely mortified.

“Look,” Himchan finally says, breaking the tense silence inside the car. “I don’t want that anymore. I’m not asking for you to leave your life and come back to Seoul. All we’re asking is for you to help us. They’ve ed up Lia more than you can imagine, and we want justice.”

“Of course,” Yongguk quickly says. “I’ll do anything. Himchan... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just ran away like that. You, too, Zelo.” He smiles, affectionately ruffling Zelo’s hair. “Who knew you’d grow up to be this handsome, huh? If you grow taller than me, I’ll beat you up.”

Zelo laughs. “No way. I’ll take you on any day.”

“And Lia.” Yongguk pinches my cheeks. “Look at you. You’re so beautiful!”

“Hey, stop!” I protest, batting his hands away. “Don’t go getting all sappy on me.”

“I’m serious. I’m proud of the two of you. And I’m disappointed that I couldn’t be there to watch you guys grow up.”

“If it makes you feel better, I wasn’t around to see Zelo go through his miraculous second growth spurt either.”

“Whose fault was that?” Zelo hotly protests. Yongguk and Himchan both break into smiles.

“Alright, then let’s head back to the Galmegi,” Himchan says.

“The Galmegi.” There is a wistful, nostalgic look on Yongguk’s face. “I haven’t heard that name in forever. Hang on. Just give me a few minutes. Let me go tell my officers that I’ll be out.”

“I’ll come with you,” Zelo says, scrambling up. “Some lady there had a box of lollipops on her desk. I’d better stack up for the long drive home.”

The two of them hurry off to the police station, leaving Himchan and I sitting alone inside the car.

“Hey,” I tentatively say. “Are you okay?”

Himchan turns to me, his trademark cheeky smirk on his face. “Why wouldn’t I be? Oh, you think all that stuff I said was real?”

I blink. “Um, yeah?”

Himchan snorts. “Please. It was obvious Yongguk wasn’t going to come back with us unless I pulled some sappy like that. Don’t worry, Lia. I’m fine.”

Despite the casual tone of his voice, or the easy smile on his face, there’s something in Himchan’s expression- something strained in his eyes- that prevents me from believing him.

“How’re you feeling about Sora?” I softly question. This time, Himchan’s smile flickers downwards for a moment.

“I’ve been trying to track her,” he tells me. “Access her cell phone, scan cameras for any sightings of her, look for her license plate.”

“And?”

“And nothing. She got rid of everything that could’ve been used to track her. Sora’s completely off the grid.”

I grimace. Dammit. “It’s okay. We’ll find her.”

“I hope so.”  

A/N: hi guys COOL announcement so i've been hella inactive on Radish Fiction (partly because a lot of my readers have androids and Radish isn't on android, partly because the whole freemium thing was a little weird). but Radish Fiction is coming out with their Android app this Wednesday, so I've decided to start writing on there again!! I’ll be serializing my new Suho x OC gang/crime AU fic on there, and it’ll be totally, completely, 100% free!! It’s called flor. The first chapter is already up under my profile (PrincessVivi). if you like “The Classified Accounts of Ami Hwang” and “erpunch!”, you’ll really like this story. i luv sxy evil joonmyeon (+ cop jackson wang + cop lay + possible future idols idk)

If you have an Android and want to create an account, click here.

AND NO im not leaving AFF i fkin love this place okay.... this place is my home...... my igloo.... literally everyone from my readers to the staff of AFF (Jason u rule) is amazing

ALSO S/O TO EVERYONE WHO READ “THE UNTOUCHABLES” IT GOT FEATURED TODAY AND THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH OH MY GOD