Hello readers! Decided that author's note would be in front instead of at the back today to
prevent distractions from the story.

FIRST OF ALL, 

here is your humble authornim me wishing everyone a fruitful 2017 after 
all of the horrors in 2016 *shivers* and I sincerely wish for only good things to
befall on every one of you lovely pies.

Next, I know some of my readers here have been complaining about my slow rate of updating. 
I just want to say that I cannot feel happier knowing that there is people out there who enjoys the work that
I'm doing purely as an act of passion for writing and GD. 
Your support is what gives me motivation to continue digging out a path for each of the character that I came up with.
You are what that is keeping this story alive.

But it is precisely because I'm only doing this for my love for writing,
I cannot always be hugging my laptop and typing away as there are other things I have to attend to,
like my job (yes I found a job now! Would tell you guys about it again) and my friends and family who needs me too.
I take up to two full days to finish a chapter but like you guys, this place is my escape as well. I can't wait everytime to start typing again too.
So here I just want to say a big sorry to all of my readers who are frustrated about my slow updates and
I hope you all know that your love and patience
is everything to me.

XOXO.

[-]

  Seungri stood alone outside the old block of Seoul University, accompanied by nothing other than the sound of crickets and the sheer layer of moonlight on the ground. His alma mater. Seeing this place brings back wonderful memories of the simplier past that they once had, before the five of them got swallowed entirely by the Underground World. He remembers those days where they were just street thugs, getting into brawls every now and then on purpose so that they have an excuse to sleep in the police station, a much better alternative than on the streets.

  He smiled as the cool air washes over him. The school built a new block now. He was the only one out of them to make it into university despite being the youngest. He still remembered clearly the celebration they threw when TOP hyung noticed the acceptance letter after almost using it to clean his swiss knife. Seungri only laughed then and told the oldest to continue with what he wanted to do with the letter. It was useless anyway. University fees were crazy. There's no way he's going to attend, not in their current state. But the rest wouldn't let it through. Being an educated gangster is always better than being an uneducated one, they said. And so his four other sworn brothers each went through hell to put him through university. Daesung started to shoot down security cameras for payments from gangs, Youngbae and Seunghyun swept jewellery shops at night and Jiyong accepted more and more underground fights for the winnings, even if it almost kills him. All was in exchange for the four years of tuition fees that none of them could ever dream of. 

  Seungri's ears perked up at the soft sound of leave rustling behind him. There's someone out there. He turned around speedily and ducked just as a baton swung across the air, missing his head by inches. With a sharp pull, he yanked on the arm of his assailant and connected his knee with his wrist, causing the latter to drop his weapon which landed on the ground with a ear piercing clang. He was used to situations like this. Attacks on them were frequent, but he usually isn't the main target. Why is he being assaulted alone now?

  Seungri elbowed the weaponless assailant in the jaw, sending him to the ground. But the fight was far from over, more attackers are starting to surround him, striking at the same time. Jez, he should've bought his gun down from the car. He had barely flipped one man onto the ground before another one starts to charge at him. Those people seems like they're replenishing themselves; the ones that are down on the floor are quickly replaced by more men who're hopping out from a van. , the situation isn't looking good. 

  Six rough pairs of hands tried to seize the youngest Untouchable and he managed to kick half of them off. But he's heavily outnumbered. The assailants took advantage when he was busy tackling a few men to land a blow on the back of his head, and Seungri was instantly engulfed in darkness.

[-]

  The small room was filled with a heavy silence from the aura emininating from the three people. The air is thick with tension from the unsettling atmosphere. On one side of the room the Underboss of the Seoul Mafia stood with his back leaned against the open window behind him, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes shifting between the other two. The Vanguard of the White Traids House lay on the bed looking unbothered and carefree. On the other side of the room the girl sat on her chair in front of the desk, her feet awkwardly shuffling on the floor beneath her. 

  "Should I excuse myself?" Donghae spoke the obvious in a taunting voice.

  "You shouldn't get up..." Dara protested immediately but her voice failed her as Jiyong turned his dark glare to her sharply. Instead, she resigned herself to helping Donghae to sit up. 

  A loopsided smile formed on the Vanguard's face as he ruffled Dara's hair adoringly. "I'm seriously considering taking more bullets just to see the way you're concerned for me." He said in a smug tone, provoking a small growl from Jiyong who unfolded his arms in a threatening manner.

  "Stop it, Donghae." Dara whispered through her teeth as she supported him to his feet. Jiyong's already in a foul mood and there isn't a need for Donghae to act like a jerk now. A fight would seriously do him no good with his curent state.

  "Tell me if he gets mad at you." 

  "Stop talking, Donghae, go to a hospital and rest. I'm serious." Dara muttered. 

  Unintidimated by Jiyong's intense stare, Donghae bid Dara goodbye and finally left the house, leaving the two silently alone. The air of tension had not cleared along with Donghae, and the quietness was so heavy that they could hear the sound of each other's breathing.

  "What brings you here at this time, Jiyong?" Dara opened first.

  "I missed you." Jiyong answered flatly, his eyes still hanging on the girl, who sighed.

  "I missed you too, Ji-"

  "Doesn't seem like it." He interrupted coldly.

  "Nothing happened, Jiyong. He was hurt, I had to help." 

  "Had to? What if whoever that's trying to kill him isn't done with him yet? What if a killer follows him here? This bastard.. Has he thought about the kind of he'll put you in?" The mobster hissed, kicking chair beside him slightly in agitation. Damn it, this is why she should never associate herself with those White Traids idiots. 

  Her heart softened at the tone of worry that's masked beneath his anger. Gingerly, she went over to his side and rubbed his arms soothingly, hoping to calm him down.

  "Come on, Ji. We're fine now, aren't we? I treated your wounds before too." 

  "So that bastard and I are on the same level to you, aren't we?" He hissed, an irkness rising inside him. 

  "No!" Dara protested loudly. He's being unreasonable and difficult on purpose now. "He's a friend and you-" She halted mid sentence, unable to find the right words to continue. Who was he to her? 

  He was staring at her, waiting for her to finish.

  "You never said you were anything more than a friend either, too." She finished quietly. He has never said they were anything more than friends. He has never said he was her boyfriend. He has never officially aknoledged their relationship.

  "I don't get you." Jiyong groaned, planting his hand on his forehead. His voice was rising. "Is a name that important? Are we not obvious enough? All of my sworn brothers and subordinates know that you're my woman!"

  "But you never said anything!" Her volume was increasing as well. Is a name that important? How can it be unimportant to her? He has an official fiancee now, for god's sake! And by what rights is he giving her to stay and fight for him? She can't just go around telling people that he's someone she loves and someone who loves her forever can she? Dara could feel tears springing from the back of her eyes but she held it in and turned away, determined not to appear weak.

  ".. Does this not mean anything to you?" He demanded, almost shouting as he lifted his wrist so that his sleeve fell to reveal the bracelet that they both wore. 

  "This means everything to me!" She shouted back, her breathing heavy. He fell silent upon the sight of her red eye rims.

  Was Daniel and Soo Hyuk's test really getting to them? They have never fought before, but now they're yelling at each other's faces, allowing their own insecurities to consume them. 

  Jiyong swallowed the fire burning in his throat and massaged the area between his brows as Dara turned her back to him again. She was silent, but he didn't miss the small heavings of her shoulder. , she's not crying is she?

  "C'mon baby, let's not do this." He relented, his voice devoided of the temper that he had earlier, instead replaced by a tiredness. Dara felt herself being pulled gently backwards, her back coming into contact with his firm chest before his arms s around her waist. Still, she refused to turn around to face him. Her heart was still hammering painfully in her chest.

  "Shh." He hushed as she sniffled softly, his arms around her instantly tightening. He hates to see her tears, but now he's the one who's making her cry. "It's my fault." 

  There was a hint of pain in his voice and it made her wonder whether she had been forcing her own expectations of normal couples on the both of them. Nothing about their relationship is anything like the other couples they see on the streets. Bullets, dead bodies and mafia hierachy should all be things that they should get used to, not roses, chocolates or boyfriends. He trying to show her that he loves her, that's the most important thing isn't it?

  Dara blinked her tears away and turned around with his arms still surrounding her waist. His eyes were downcasted on her face, his brows knitted together with concern. Dara placed her hands on his cold face and pulls him down to meet her height before planting a small kiss on his lips. 

  "We're okay." She said softly as he remained silent, allowing her words to wash off the dread that she might leave him. Quietly, she wraps her own arms around him and edged closer to his chest, turning the one-sided hug into an embrace. 

  A chain of vibrations in Jiyong's pocket broke the small moment between them. Cursing softly, he whipped it out with a hand while the other continued to hold her against his chest. 

  "What's going on?" He asked impatiently.

  "Hyung," It was Daesung. "Maknae has been missing for the entire night. He's not even picking up calls. We tried to trace him but his phone is off. Something's wrong."

  "Where are you all?"

  "In the headquaters."

  He hung up swiftly and turned to face the girl.

  "You have to go?" She asked.

  He nodded. 

  She inhaled and her lips in. "Is it going to be dangerous?" She whispered.

  He blinked at her question before catching her eyes lingering on the graze on his face. "I'll try to not let it be." He answered with a small smile, leaning down in a swoop to capture her lips again, reluctant to leave. 

  "Try hard yeah?"

  "Real hard." He winked, breaking her lips into a smile. 

[DARA]

  So it turns out that the place that Hani wanted to meet me was in her giant mansion. The grandeur of the living room around me is intimidating, as if everything here is made out of the best of their kind. I've seen the exterior of this place once when we first sent Hani back home after she arrived back in Seoul and I'm already impressed enough, but the interior is of another level. Why does she want to meet me here?

  I sat rigidly on the sofa as a housekeeper served us tea before taking her leave with a bow. 

  "So..? What do you think?" Hani cleared . I looked up at her.

  "Of what?"

  "My place." She said as a matter-of-factly.

  I glanced around the colossal living room again. Yeap, definetely not the kind of house I can even dream about.

  "It's great."  

  Hani nodded approvingly. "And so..? What do you think it indicates?"

  My brows meshed together unwittingly. What exactly is she trying to say?

  Hani let out a breath of frustration, as if I am a child that couldn't even understand the simplest way that things worked. "I'm trying to show you the difference, Dara, between you and me! You're right, I don't know if marrying Jiyong oppa is what I really want but I know I can help him and you're not letting me!. He's an underboss now and he needs backup and influences in both the underworld and the legitimate society. My daddy works with the government's tax department and my brother is the Consigliere now. Who else is he better off with than me?"

  "A marriage isn't a business deal, Hani." I said irritably. Why doesn't she get it? It feels like this is where we end up with eveytime we try to talk about the engagement; nothing conclusive will ever come out from it. If she plans to insist on what she says, what's the point of even meeting me?

  Before Hani could argue, there was a sudden rush of the servants to the front door as a formidable middle aged man in a dark brown suit returned. The man paused as he passed his coat to the waiting servants, his eyes lingering on us.

  "Looks like we have a guest." The man chortled softly. This must be the Lee Siblings's father.

  Hani looked surprised by her father's untimely return, as if she didn't want the both of us to meet.

  "Hey daddy. This is my... friend, Dara." 

  Friend? I blinked at Hani in surprise and she adverted my gaze. 

  "I'll leave the both of you to talk then." Hani's father said cheerily, his lips stretching into a kind smile. He didn't seem like the kind of person that's even associated with the Mafia at all. I wouldn't have believed that he really is their father if not for how he said those words the exact same way that Soo Hyuk said it in the cafe. 

  Hani's father left for his room upstairs and we were left alone again, this time more awkward than ever. I have prepared myself to put up a good fight today once and for all but my mind seemed to have gone completely blank after Hani introduced me as a friend. Didn't she see me as someone who's trying to take her Jiyong oppa away from her? Does she really see me as a friend?

  "You've already been kidnapped once, Dara. Aren't you scared that it might happen again?" Hani continued. 

  "What about you? Are you not afraid that it might happen to you instead?" I asked back. "Look, you're not sure if you really want to marry Jiyong or not. You just don't want him to be taken away, did I get that right?"

  "It doesn't matter!" Hani's voice was hiking up. "Jiyong oppa has always been the most protective towards me and he isn't going to leave me behind for you when-"

  A loud crash and a scream upstairs cut short our conversation. Hani froze in the middle of her words and we locked gazes, both of our eyes reflecting horror that is slowly spreading across our pupils. Every muscle in my body tensed up at the bloodcurdling shriek. Hani got up, remembering that her father was upstairs, and bolted for the stairways. Without realising it, I was sprinting for her while calling out her name.

  Her father was on the ground of his room when we got there, his body convoluting in spasms. Beside him, a maid stood unaware of what to do, her hand clapped over . Hani got to her father's side in an instant, panicking and in hysterics while I stood frozen by the door. A half drank teacup lay toppled over on the ground beside him.

  "Call the ambulance!" I shrieked. The maid immediately picked up the phone beside her. 

  "Help me!" Hani cried. On the floor, Mr Lee was already rapidly turning purple. What happened? He was fine just now!

  "HELP ME! AREN'T YOU A DOCTOR?" Hani screamed again.

  But I was rooted to my spot, too overwhelmed with shock to do anything oher than to shake my head. "I- I can't-"

  "He can't breathe!" Hani sobbed, shaking her father who is now motionless. I snapped out of senses and got on my knees next to them. I can't panic as well or he's not going to make it till help arrives. I struggled to steady my trembling hands and placed my fingers on top of his jugular artery. His pulse is getting weaker. 

  "He can't breathe." Hani repeated again and I pried open his mouth for mouth to mouth resuscitation; but I couldn't manage to get any air in. His windpipe was blocked by a foreign object that's rapidly coagulating in his airway. If he doesn't receive a tracheotomy now, he's going to die of asphyxia. 

  I snatched a penknife off the working desk. "Give me a straw!" I commanded. The straw was in my hand within seconds. I can;t even see who passed it to me in the whirl of events. Now I need to find the membrane to cut. 

  "What are you doing?" Hani screamed as I moved my finger up and down his neck to feel for the area below his Adam apple before making a small slit with the penknife. Blood began oozing out of the wound and I held my breath in just as I felt my legs grew weak at the sight of the red blotches. I can't afford to pass out now. 

  Luckily, the blood stopped as quickly as it started, indicating that I've made the cut at the right spot and I hastily inserted the straw into the slit. 

  Slowly, the shade of blue in his face drained away. Oh my god, he's breathing again. I slumped on the ground in exhaustion as Hani started to sob again.

  "He'll be fine." I said, picking up Hani's hand. The worse is over. We just have to wait for the ambulance to arrive now.

[-]

  The elevator door reached the top floor with a ding before they slide open to reveal the Underboss of the Mafia. Jiyong walked out of the lift in big strides. His squad has notified him that Seungri was missing. He tried calling the youngest on the way here to the HQ and indeed, his phone was off, making his location untrackable. Things like this doesn't happen usually. He knows that members of the Mafia do not disappear behind the contacts unless they're forced to. Where the heck could their maknae be?

  "Any signs yet?" He asked immediately as soon as he barged into the conference room, where the whole of his crew is in. 

  "We've ran through all footage of Seungri boss's home, Hardrock bar, and the places that he owns. Nothing." The technician reported. 

  ", Parc Vera?" 

  "No hyung." Daesung said grimly. Beside them, Seunghyun was dragging on a ciggeratte, his brows knitted together with stress. 

  Jiyong ran a hand through his hair. Seungri's definitely in trouble. 

  He turned to the analysts beside him. "Who?" He asked in a deadly quiet voice.

  "There's only two gangs that did not form an alliance or submissive relationship with the family, Boss. The White Traids House and the Cobra Gang." One of the analyst answered.

  "Grab what you need. We're doing a raid." The Underboss ordered. Without hesitation, the entire squadron started to gather for thir weapons. 

  "Boss hold on!" 

  Before they could leave the room, a member of their squad rushed up for Jiyong. "Someone tried to poison the Consigliere's father. He's in the hospital now. You need to be there first!"

  Seunghyun swore loudly behind them and Jiyong raised the back of the hand that is holding his gun to his forehead in frustration.

  "Why the is everything happening all at once?" He muttered.