Family

WenRene Book of Joy, Bear and Squirtle
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Date Completed: 3rd May 2018

Song Recommendation: Porter Robinson & Madeon - Shelter

Minor Pairings: JoyGi, SaeRi + one other pairing (spoiler)

 

I wrote words. Lots of words and I have no beta still so good luck reading ahead.

Happy WenRene day! And it's also SNSD's Sunny's birthday! And it's been exactly a year since I first posted my story in this Book so, yeah, great date! May all the uwus be with you today :)

 

 

Irene could hear cackling in her earbud and she shook her head, amused by the two voices that were arguing about the best way to bypass the security system. Honestly, Irene could not understand why Wendy would even try to argue about that with a hacker but her girlfriend could be a bit goofy sometimes, and this was one of those times. She knew that Wendy was nervous about this mission – it was their biggest one yet and it would be their final one. But Jiwoong was confident and the kids, including Irene, trusted him with their lives.

 

Irene watched as the last of the boxes were loaded into the lorry, ready to be driven away with Seulgi at the wheel. Sooyoung was carrying the last one out and Irene quickly loaded her portions on the back of the lorry too. This was it, they were going to be free now. No more risky jobs.

 

That was when Irene heard frantic footsteps and distressed shouts.

 

Damn.

 

The bodyguard that was supposed to be off duty for the night had suddenly came to the bank and he was running towards them, with a phone pressed to his ears. All of them were in shock but Irene made eye contact with Jiwoong and he signalled her to just pick up the pace so that they could leave. They already had the most perfect getaway plan, even if the police received the report then, they would never caught up in time.

 

After the final box was loaded, the lorry started to move and Irene let out a breath of relief as she turned away from the approaching bodyguard, ready to ride on a motorbike with Jiwoong. As planned, Sooyoung went on the lorry with Seulgi. Then the biggest thing that could go wrong that night happened.

 

 

“Hyunnn. Can you send Seungjoon to nursery later? I’m late for work.”

 

Seungwan frantically dressed up and grabbed her handbag as she barged in the kitchen, where her wife was flipping pancakes for breakfast. Joohyun hummed in response to the rushing woman and she beckoned Seungwan to walk to where she was. Of course, Seungwan did. She could barely say no to Joohyun at any time, even now when she had to beat the traffic to get to work on time.

 

“Good luck baby, you’re going to get that investment and receive the raise you deserve. I love you.”

 

Joohyun pecked Seungwan’s cheek and when Seungwan backed away slightly, her cheeks were flushed and she beamed brightly.

 

“One more on the lips for extra luck?” Joohyun rolled her eyes but complied anyway. It was a rather short kiss as Seungwan was the one who pulled away and waved at Joohyun as she rushed out of the house.

 

“Thanks honey! I love you too!”

 

Joohyun replayed the words on her mind as she placed the pancakes on the table. Right. Now, she got to wake up the small devil and then send him off to his nursery before opening her own laundry business. Just another day of being domestic.

 

*

 

Joohyun watched as the person before her handed over her small load of laundry over the counter. She was a small girl cladded in a simple black jeans and white top and Joohyun secretly smiled to herself, amused that someone was actually shorter than her. The woman who had a porcelain white skin smiled at Joohyun as she lightly fanned herself using her palm.

 

“The weather is very warm these days, right?”

 

Joohyun hummed in agreement as she busied herself by weighing the customer’s clothes and prepared to write a receipt. When it came to the customer’s name, Joohyun raised her head and was about to ask when the customer offered her own name.

 

“Taeyeon. Kim Taeyeon.”

 

There was a pause before she added.

 

“Detective Kim Taeyeon actually, I work for the Seoul Police Department.”

 

The pen in Joohyun’s grip froze a moment although her expression did not change at all. She recovered and quickly wrote down the information and handed over the receipt to Taeyeon.

 

“Here, you can collect your clothes tomorrow. You mentioned before you do not have any special request for them right?”

 

Taeyeon skimmed through her receipt and nodded before pocketing it in the pocket of her jeans. Joohyun was about to bid farewell when the detective said something that froze Joohyun’s entire being.

 

“You’re doing well these days, Irene Bae.”

 

Joohyun just smiled and shook her head, denying Taeyeon with a confident smile.

 

“I think you got the wrong person, detective. My name is Joohyun, there’s no one here with this name.”

 

“And my name is Kim Taeyeon, Jiwoong’s younger sister.”

 

The detective chuckled in a low voice as she slowly took out a black card around the size of a credit card and threw it on the counter, where it slid until it hit Joohyun’s stomach that was pressed against the counter and stopped. Joohyun had a sinking feeling she knew what it was and a quick glance of the card proved her right.

 

The image of a white easter lily on a black background jumped out at her and she felt went dry. That was the signature of Sixpike Lily, her old group. This Kim Taeyeon really knew what she was talking about. Joohyun looked back at Taeyeon and her stance turned into one ready to fight. Her muscles were tense and her fists were gripped tightly – the only thing stopping her from launching her punches to Taeyeon was when the detective raised her palms, a gesture of surrender to show that she did not have bad intentions.

 

“I’m not here for work, Irene. I’m here to ask for a little help.”

 

“And how do I know I can trust you?”

 

“You can’t. I can’t prove it to you right now. But if you check me, you’ll find out that I come here with no phone on me, no microphone and no gun. I won’t mind a body check though I bet your partner, Wendy wasn’t it? She won’t like it very much no?”

 

Joohyun pursed her lips as Taeyeon smiled calmly. The older woman knew too much, and she could be proven to be a threat in the future. Might as well find out what she wanted from her and sent her away before she went into hiding with Wendy.

 

With a heavy heart, Joohyun gestured for Taeyeon to follow her as she put up a ‘Close’ sign on the door. She did not know how much her life would change soon after.

 

*

 

Taeyeon wandered around in Joohyun’s office and she seemed amazed over the most mundane things she saw. Joohyun forced back a shout that was threatening to come out of and she arranged the folders on her table. She knew her hands were shaking a little and she gripped her palm tight, trying to control her fear from showing. As Joohyun was fighting with her inner thoughts, Taeyeon approached her work desk and sat on the chair meant for visitors.

 

“Interesting. This place seems quite…boring. I don’t see anything over the top or extravagant at all. Where did you put all your share?”

 

Joohyun flinched. It was terrifying that this woman would bring up the topic so casually, when even Joohyun herself could only spoke in hushed whispers between now and then with Wendy about the wealth they had procured in their younger days.

 

“None of your business. Just go straight to the point, why the hell are you here?”

 

Taeyeon drummed her fingers on the desk rhythmically. Usually it would annoy Joohyun to no end when someone did that but when Taeyeon did it, it actually sounded nice. A faint flashback of Jiwoong bragging about his younger sister’s musical ability came to mind and Joohyun wondered no more. The drumming suddenly stopped and Taeyeon leaned forward to get closer to Joohyun. Whatever it was that Taeyeon was going to say, Joohyun knew she would not like it one bit.

 

“I need your help. Specifically, Irene’s help. Irene and the gang.”

 

One heartbeat. Two heartbeats.

 

None for Joohyun because her heart stopped for a few seconds.

 

“What?”

 

Taeyeon just shrugged as a reply.

 

“I’m sure you heard me loud and clear. I need your help to get my hand on a painting. It will arrive in Korea in 3 months, I think that’s plenty of time to prepare. As for the new home…I believe it will be Seoul’s National Art Museum.”

 

“Hold up. I never said I agree to this.”

 

“I know you didn’t. I just want to make sure you’re clear about the risks on the table before I push you to take the job.”

 

Joohyun slammed a palm on her desk, her face was red with anger. Taeyeon was not affected at all by this. She just stared calmly at Joohyun, as if she was expecting this.

 

“I won’t do this. Seoul National Art Museum…are you crazy? Even the most active veteran group right now won’t attempt it. The security is madness. Our group has been on the low for so long, we can’t possibly pull it off.”

 

“Oh no, I’m very aware of who I’m talking to. I know that if anyone can perform the heist, it’s your gang.” Taeyeon stated this calmly, already expecting Joohyun’s reaction.

 

“Why don’t you just buy the painting? Can’t you use Jiwoong’s share? Did he not leave any behind?”

 

“Contrary to what you believe, Jiwoong did not have a lot of money. Even if he did, I don’t think it’s right for someone in my position to use them anyway. He donated most of it and just took a little bit to survive. He never lived as a rich man; I don’t think any of you do.”

 

The sadness behind Taeyeon’s voice was clear to Joohyun’s ears but Taeyeon’s expression did not change one bit, although her eyes seemed more sorrowful now.

 

“What happened in your last mission, it killed him, literally and figuratively. He did sent me a sum of the money but it was not much and I never used it. I can give you all of it, if you want to. I can’t offer you much else except that, and a promise to keep this as a secret and try my best to protect all of you.”

 

“And how do I know I can trust you?”

 

“I won’t harm Jiwoong’s younger siblings. If Jiwoong thought of you as his, then you’re mine too.”

 

“Then why are you asking us to do this, when you know we just want to leave that life behind us?”

 

Taeyeon chewed her lower lip, contemplating whether to answer or not before she sighed.

 

“Joohyun, you would do anything for Seungwan and Seungjoon right?”

 

Joohyun felt as if someone had walked on her grave when Taeyeon mentioned her wife and son’s names so casually. Her fingers were positively shaking at this point but she gripped them hard and forced herself to stay calm.

 

“You’re not answering my question.”

 

The small smile Taeyeon often sported since the beginning of their encounter appeared again as she lowered her head slightly before replying Joohyun.

 

“I’m doing this for someone who matters the world to me too. If you don’t want to do it, fine. But I will offer you no promise of protection. My squad leader is still hell bent on hunting all of you and she managed to come close a few times. For Jiwoong’s sake, I distracted her a few times. I’m sorry to do this but now, I have something more important to protect.”

 

A memory.

 

But Taeyeon did not speak her thought out loud. She watched as Joohyun slumped on her office chair and she rose. Taeyeon took out another card from her wallet and gently put in on Joohyun’s desk.

 

“My contact details. If you’ve made up your mind on whether you want to do it or not, give me a call.”

 

*

 

“Babe, you’re quiet today.”

 

Seungwan massaged Joohyun’s shoulder as she spoke, the worry laced in her voice was evident to Joohyun. Seungjoon made quite a fuss during dinner and after much struggle, Seungwan had managed to put him to bed. Joohyun just helped to clean the table to thank her wife for not pushing her to help dealing with Seungjoon; Seungwan always understood when Joohyun needed time for herself.

 

Joohyun held one of Seungwan’s palm, stopping her massage and pulled her wife to sit on her lap. Seungwan leaned in to Joohyun’s face, bringing their foreheads together as she stared into Joohyun’s eyes. Joohyun saw love, concern and most importantly, a promise of forever in her eyes.

 

She clenched her pants tight, it was not going to be easy to break this to Seungwan. She wanted to just forget everything and pretended the meeting never happened but there was something in Taeyeon that forced her to think about their meeting over and over again.

 

Joohyun closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Might as well got everything over and done with.

 

“Wannie, I think I want to revive Lilies.”

 

Seungwan’s reaction was expected. She jumped away from Joohyun and her serene face a moment ago darkened; she shook her head as she slowly backed away from Joohyun.

 

“No, no. What are you saying, Hyun?”

 

“Wan, listen to me first, please.”

 

Joohyun begged from her seat and Seungwan took a deep breath to calm herself before she nodded, ready to listen to Joohyun.

 

“Okay, let’s hear it.”

 

“A detective came by to the shop just now,” Joohyun could see Seungwan paled at this information so she hurriedly continued.

 

“And she told me she’s Jiwoong oppa’s sister. She asked for our help to…pull another heist. In return, she would try to misdirect all the ongoing investigation for Lilies and plant false evidence to help all of us. She’s in a team that is still investigating about Lilies.”

 

“You believe her just like that? Joohyun, you should know better! What if it’s a trap?”

 

 “You did not see her eyes, Wannie. She’s really sincere. I don’t think she will lie to us.”

 

“What about Seungjoon? Hyun, we won’t be the only ones in danger this time. We have something more to protect than just our lives and freedom.”

 

Joohyun got reminded of the grinning two years old toddler that meant the world for her aside from Seungwan and painful as it was, she believed she was only trying her best to protect their family. Besides, she had a debt to pay.

 

“Baby, you know I owe Jiwoong oppa the world. If his sister comes to me and ask for help, I’ll do whatever I can to fulfil it. If you and the gang choose to not do this, it’s fine by me. I’ll do it myself. I’ll protect all of you with everything I have.”

 

“You know Jiwoong oppa will not want you to do anything that can jeopardize what we’ve built so far! We’ve sacrificed so much to be where we are, Hyun. Do you think he will want you to get back in the scene when we can finally manage to stop looking over our shoulders - afraid of being chased by someone even after so many years? Do you think he’ll be happy to know that you, out of all people would get everyone back into the world we’ve fought so hard to leave together?”

 

That stung a lot. Joohyun remembered all too well of the days when she could barely catch a wink of sleep at night, convinced that every thud was the sound of footsteps coming to get her or Seungwan. She remembered being on the run, living in different countries under so many different identities before she could finally settle down as Bae Joohyun in her birth country, alongside the woman she loved most. She remembered so many forms of tortures that some days, waking up to peaceful mornings staring at Seungwan and listening to Seungjoon’s babbles felt like a dream, one she could wake up from any time.

 

Was it worth it to risk everything again?

 

Joohyun was reminded again of Taeyeon’s round eyes and pale complexion, all too similar with her brother. She was very close with Jiwoong back then and she could understand the older man’s feelings just by looking in his eyes and she knew that Taeyeon’s eyes were reflecting Jiwoong’s eyes the last time Joohyun had seen him alive.

 

She was desperate. And there was a longing so deep and painful, Joohyun felt like she was intruding just by looking in the detective’s eyes. Seungwan was Joohyun’s forever, but she knew that the chance for forever began with Jiwoong.

 

It was decided the moment Taeyeon walked into her store, really.

 

“Son Seungwan.”

 

Joohyun’s voice was firmer this time and a lot sadder – Seungwan could already guess what was coming.

 

“Jiwoong oppa might not let me sacrifice myself for the sake of his sister, but he would have dropped everything to give her the world if she asks for it. Now that he’s not here, I want to at least…be able to help her after everything he had done for me, for us. Seungwan, I can’t ask you to get involved in this. I just want your blessing, and I will help to hide you and Joonie. Just please, let me do this.”

 

Seungwan sighed and fell to the chair beside Joohyun. She rubbed her palm and instinctively, Joohyun rubbed her shoulder. She felt guilty of putting so much pressure for Seungwan once again.

 

“Honestly, why did I even try? I know I was fighting an uphill battle since the beginning when I heard she’s Jiwoong oppa’s younger sister.”

 

Joohyun smiled sadly, she knew her wife out of everyone else would understand how much Jiwoong meant to her.

 

“Hyunnie, I’m gonna join you. You’re not gonna be where you are today without your mastermind anyway.”

 

Joohyun’s mouth fell agape. She was expecting just a grumpy blessing but for Seungwan to actually be rejoining the team?

 

“I’m gonna send a message for the others. And you, you better be prepared. You’re gonna make it up to me real bad tonight.”

 

Seungwan left Joohyun in the dining room alone with suggestive sway to her hips. Joohyun smiled and shook her head. That was her wife, they never argued with each other for long. But the confrontation she had dreaded went better than expected.

 

Actually, she should have expected this outcome. After all, they both, no, all five of them owed their lives to Jiwoong.

 

 

Joohyun’s earliest memory was of her being slapped by an older boy in the orphanage.

 

That was a horrific memory, but the subsequent ones were as bad, if not worse than that. Joohyun learned how to fight even before she could learn how to read. She received kicks and punches and she had returned more than she had received throughout her year in the orphanage.

 

The place was filled to the brim and it was difficult to make friendships there when everyone was so focused on trying to keep their nose above the water. Joohyun had heard tales, whispered rumours of how some nights, the caretakers would take a few of them somewhere and those that returned would never be the same again. She remembered hollow eyes and fear greater than everything she had ever experienced in the orphanage. They would flinch when their names were called and screamed when someone touched them.

 

Then there were the fates of those that never came back.

 

When one day Joohyun was pulled to the orphanage’s office and told she was going to be adopted, she thought she was heading to a better place. But it was just another jungle for her to survive in. She ran away from home when she was 16 and for the first time in her life, she found a person she could trust with her life.

 

Kim Jiwoong.

 

He was the one who taught Joohyun how to survive on the streets. Joohyun learned more about fighting, where she could find a safe place for shelter, found a place she could work at to save up some money, created a whole new identity for herself. She was taught about pickpocketing, about the art of conning, she learned how to use her blooming look to manipulate so many people for her disposal. Most importantly, she learned how to escape the long arm of the law.

 

Joohyun began when she was found at the orphanage’s stairs with her name written down on a tattered piece of paper. Irene began when she first managed to charm a shop owner and left with everything he earned in his till that day.

 

Jiwoong was the one who baptised Irene. She still remembered the proud look on his face when she calmly finished the task he had given him, leading him to name her Irene. Together with him, they built a reputation around themselves and their names were spoken with awe and fear, sometimes even with grudge and anger. That name was the name Joohyun used to save the few people she cared about in the orphanage.

 

That was the name she used as she asked Seungwan, her first crush to run away with her and left the corrupted orphanage. Joohyun was 19 and Seungwan was a mere 16 years old who was too timid and too kind for everything else in the world.

 

When Irene saved Seungwan, she saved Joohyun

 

*

 

“Unnie, do you remember the girl that helped you to pull off the heist at Mr Yang’s house?”

 

Seungwan asked Joohyun while placing a huge cereal box in one of the cabinets in their house. They just got back from grocery shopping and they were arranging the groceries together in the kitchen. Currently, they were living quite comfortably in a house with two bedrooms – it might be small for others, but it was more than enough for them who had experienced sharing a small room with about 10 other kids. Joohyun was 21 then and Seungwan was 18.

 

Joohyun stopped washing the vegetables and she frowned, small lines formed on her forehead as she thought back of the job they had last year. It was one of the most satisfying one to date – they got a bunch of jewelleries and money from Yang’s safe box. Joohyun had specifically chose him as their target when he found out he was among the people involved in the disappearance of the orphanage kids.

 

“Gomdori right?”

 

Joohyun turned around to look at Seungwan and saw Seungwan gave her a fond, yet teasing smile.

 

“Oh, she never ended up telling you her real name.”

 

“Yeah, she’s just Gom or Gomdori for me…wait, you know her real name?”

 

Seungwan turned away and just hummed as an answer. She continued arranging groceries like she had not said anything, leading Joohyun to walk over to her and poked her shoulder.

 

“Hey, how did you get to know her real name when I was the one who went in the house with her?”

 

Seungwan faced Joohyun and shrugged. The distance between them barely existed, with mere inches separating them. Joohyun could not count how many times had they been in this position with all her fingers and toes. She wondered if she was the only one who felt as if her chest was about to explode with all drumming it did when they were this close. Seungwan always looked so relaxed.

 

“Hurm, maybe because I talked about other stuffs with her rather than just focusing on the heist? We’re the same age after all and she’s really pretty.”

 

A bait. Joohyun knew it was a bait to . She tried to keep a straight face but she was pretty sure Wendy could see moving as she swallowed nervously. She backed away from Wendy and went back to where she was standing, pretending to focus on her work and missed the disappointment flashed on Wendy’s face.

 

“Anyway, why did you bring her up suddenly? Do you miss her or something?”

 

“Ah, that. I thought I saw Seulgi at the grocery store just now, with two other girls. I wanted to call out for her but she was gone before I could get closer.”

 

So Seulgi was her name. But this was strange, Joohyun remembered Seulgi ‘Gomdori’ told her privately that she was going back to her own orphanage to run away with some of her friends, why would she still be in Korea? Especially after the heist - she had mentioned that she wanted to lie down low and not be near Seoul for a while. This was sooner than expected. Not that Joohyun was worried about them being caught, anyway. They had found a lot of things in Yang’s house to blackmail him so if he ever tried to harm any of them, he would not be getting far without dragging himself in the mud as well.

 

But back to a more pressing matter.

 

“If she’s here, I’m sure she’ll get in touch soon Wan-ah. She only knows us and Jiwoong oppa in this city.”

 

Seungwan hummed as she finished arranging the last of her stash. Then she turned around and tilted her head as she spoke to Joohyun, with her big eyes and raised eyebrows, a face that would melt Joohyun in a hundred different ways every time the older girl saw it.

 

“I’m going to work now, are you coming to watch?”

 

Joohyun paused and shook her head regretfully.

 

“I’m sorry Wan. Can’t make it, I have to see Jiwoong oppa. He sent me an urgent message this morning, I think he’s planning for something big again.”

 

“Ah, that’s too bad. Will you be back by dinnertime?”

 

“I’ll be sure to. I’ll pick you up after work and drag Jiwoong oppa along.”

 

Joohyun let out a toothy grin and this time, it was Seungwan’s turn to melt.

 

“See you later, then.”

 

*

 

“Oppa?”

 

Jiwoong waved Joohyun over to a rowdy part of the bar. Joohyun walked to where the man was sitting, dodging a small brawl on her way as many eyes followed her steps. She was popular there, and it was not just one or two people who had tried to hit on her but they quickly realized that if they valued their lives, they would be better off staying away from the petite girl. Last time, Joohyun took down four grown men about twice her size all by herself and those men almost lost their lives when Jiwoong got involved in the fight as well.

 

You mess with Irene, you mess with Jiwoong. Mess with Jiwoong, and you would find yourself waking up tomorrow in a pool of your own blood.

 

“What’s up oppa? I haven’t heard from your over a week and suddenly you call me over like this.”

 

As Joohyun took a seat in front of Jiwoong, the man slid a bottle of apple cider to her side, which she caught with ease. Jiwoong waited until she gulped her drink a few times and paid attention to him before he started talking.

 

“I got a target. A big one. We’ll need more people.”

 

Joohyun nodded, ideas were slowly forming in her mind. “How many? We can get help from Taeyong’s crew. They’re huge, and they’re just adding more and more people as time goes on apparently.”

 

She chuckled and Jiwoong smiled weakly. They were both close with members of Taeyong’s crew and the bunch of juveniles had helped them a lot in their past missions; so it was not too far-fetched of Joohyun to suggest them as the temporary crew.

 

However, Jiwoong shook his head and Joohyun perked up curiously.

 

“No, Hyun. I need people I can trust my life in this mission – my own people. As of now, I only trust you and…”

 

Jiwoong did not need to finish his sentence as Joohyun widened her eyes and slammed the table. She shook her head furiously, already knowing the direction of their conversation.

 

“Hyun, you need to reconsider. The last time I saw her, she was wondering if she could join us on our missions as well. She wants to help us, wants to help you. It’s her choice and you have to let her in, Hyun.”

 

“No. I risked everything to save Seungwan. She doesn’t need to suffer because of mine, or your own selfishness, oppa!”

 

“Hyun, Seungwan is not a child anymore. She can decide for herself.”

 

“She deserves to do what she loves, oppa. Not be roped into some criminal activities. She’s not dirty like me and you!”

 

As soon as the words left Joohyun’s mouth, she realized she had screwed up. Jiwoong smiled sadly at her as he stood and picked up his coat that was left on the chair beside him.

 

“I’m sorry for being ‘dirty’ and for dragging you along in my filthiness, Joohyun. You know I won’t suggest anything if I think Seungwan is not capable, but she had proven her bravery and wit over and over again during the time I had known her. I’ll leave it for you to decide, since she’s your charge. Tomorrow, at this time, I’ll wait for you in the usual place. If you don’t show up, I’ll take that as your decision. Don’t worry, I’ll try to pull it off somehow by myself.”

 

With that, Jiwoong walked out, leaving Joohyun sitting in her seat with war in her mind and guilt in her heart.

 

*

 

In her 21 years of life, Seungwan had never stolen anything or did anything illegal. Even after she ran away and followed Joohyun, the older girl never allowed her to do anything against the law. She was willing to risk anything if it meant Seungwan could be protected. Joohyun was the one who always put food on the table and covered for their living expenses and although Seungwan wanted to help out, Joohyun just asked her to do what she loved.

 

Music.

 

Seungwan played guitar and sang at some of the cafes and bars around their neighbourhood. She quickly became popular and demanded by the patrons who loved her strong voice and charming personality. That was how she helped Joohyun out. Although Joohyun made plenty in her own “way”, it was just enough for them and Seungwan’s income helped them to save a little more. They did not have much but they were contented. Joohyun never took more than what she needed and even when she took from others, she made sure they deserved it.

 

Joohyun Hood.

 

It was a rough neighbourhood but when people knew Seungwan was living with Joohyun, they knew to respect her, especially when a few crew Joohyun worked with lingered in the area she worked. No one wanted to mess with names like EN-City (who currently had 18 members, the biggest one among the local crews and Seungwan could barely keep track of who’s who but they were always friendly to her since they all admired Joohyun) or Jiwoong who was always seen as lone wolf but knew so many people who could break you in so many different ways and of course, Joohyun who had a mesmerizing, cold feature but could break your limbs as easily as taking a walk in the park (Seungwan saw that once when a guy placed his grubby hands on Seungwan’s shoulders and she winced whenever she got reminded of the sound of bone being snapped).

 

Tonight, she was playing at a café owned by Fxxx - a group of girls feared by even men as they used to be notorious for their reputation in drug network and no one alive could actually identify the four leaders in the gang, at least according to the rumour. She knew she was supposed to be on her toes all the time but it was hard to believe she was surrounded by dangerous people, not when Luna, one of the leaders was singing beside her and Amber, another leader with short hair was clapping and cheering along among the audience.

 

(Of course, not everyone was privy to the information but Seungwan being the sweet girl surrounded by a circle of dangerous people that would die to protect her, just acquired the knowledge as naturally as breathing.)

 

Joohyun was wary of Fxxx but every time Seungwan met them, they had nothing but praises for the stoic woman that Seungwan herself was fond of.  They told Seungwan over and over again that Joohyun was going to do something great for herself and how they saw Joohyun as their successor in having more great women in crime business, following their legendary senior criminals, Girls’ Era.

 

Sometimes, it was better to not know the hierarchy in the crime world after all.

 

Seungwan was usually excited, if not a little nervous for her stage every time but tonight, she was anxious for a completely different reason – she had spotted Seulgi among the audience.

 

After she caught Seulgi’s eyes that was almost hidden by the cap she was wearing, the other girl nodded so slightly that Seungwan would have missed it if she was not paying attention. She understood that Seulgi wanted to talk to her then. Right after she finished her session, she walked naturally off the stage as she signalled lightly for Seulgi to follow her the café’s back alley.

 

Amber tagged along with her, not that she was surprised. She knew that someone in the café would have followed her to ensure her safety and if it was Amber, it was easier to explain why she had come out in the first place. Right after she finished explaining to Amber that she had to talk to Joohyun’s old associate, Seulgi stepped out of the café’s back door.

 

Seulgi almost bolted when she saw Amber with Seungwan but Amber raised both of her palms in gesture of surrender.

 

“Don’t run, butterfly. You can stay and talk with Seungwan here. I’ll wait at the end of the alley okay? I won’t be able to hear you guys but if you try to hurt Seungwan...”

 

Amber’s voice trailed off and Seungwan could see Seulgi gulped visibly and nodded. “No hurting, promise.” Her voice came out in squeak and Amber just stared at her for a few more seconds before she smirked in amusement and walked away. When Amber was finally on standby at her position, Seulgi relaxed and took off her cap and grinned at Seungwan.

 

“Hello Wan-ah! Been a while since I last saw you. Can’t believe you got one of Fxxx’s leaders to be your bodyguard now aside from the great Bae Joohyun.”

 

Seungwan nudged Seulgi with her elbow, knowing that the friend she had not seen for a while was teasing her.

 

“How did you know she’s one of Fxxx’s leaders? And no, she’s not my bodyguard. She’s just looking after me for a bit since they all thought Joohyun would take revenge on their whole organisation if there was even a scratch on me, can you believe that? One girl against hundreds.”

 

Seungwan rolled her eyes and Seulgi chuckled weakly. Only then Seungwan realized that Seulgi looked very grim.

 

“I can actually see Joohyun doing that and succeeding. No one messes with Joohyun for that reason: she would always work on getting what she wanted. Talking about her though…Seungwan, actually I’m here to ask for a huge favour.”

 

“Okay, tell me Sseul. You know I’ll try my best to help you out with anything.”

 

Seulgi’s eyes were hollow as she stared at the wall behind Seungwan instead of looking at Seungwan’s face directly when she talked.

 

“You know how you told me that Joohyun asked you to run away from your old orphanage? Well, I was…stupidly inspired by the story and I kinda did the same thing? I nabbed two girls I was pretty close with from the orphanage they were staying at and I think I miscalculated something.”

 

Seulgi took a deep breath, as if something really heavy was weighing her down and Seungwan gently prodded with a question to encourage her to continue.

 

“Something?”

 

“Something being the fact that the orphanage was owned by SQUARE mafia gang and the kids in there were mostly raised for human trafficking, or to work for them. So now I’m being chased by SQUARE and although I don’t care much for myself, I have to save Sooyoung and Yerim, Seungwan. We’ve been on the run for two months now and the mafia is closing in. I was the one who got them into this mess in the first place and I can’t just let them be. If I get captured, I’d probably just be murdered but they might have to face fate worse than death and I just can’t let that happen. Seungwan, I need Joohyun’s help to aid us in running away and hiding.”

Seulgi’s voice was pleading and Seungwan ached with the thought of three girls living in fear of every shadow they saw and flinched at the littlest noise at night. Seungwan took a deep breath and nodded.

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wenderpul
The sleep-deprived student in her final year who started the collection then could never have imagined having her story featured at the front page amidst all the great writers in this site. I can never thank you enough for all the kind words, upvotes and subscription. February is a good month :D

Comments

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Zulfebrian
#1
Izin baca
hiyerimie
28 streak #2
Chapter 16: Honestly, I always like your stories and will continue to wait for new stories from you 💙💖
thequietone
16 streak #3
Chapter 13: I love the ending! And its heartbreaking to read wenrene's pov but the ending just made up for it!! Really good storytelling
thequietone
16 streak #4
Chapter 10: Love it!! ♡♡♡
thequietone
16 streak #5
Chapter 8: Goshh this is so cute!! Had a big smile after rereadingthis
thequietone
16 streak #6
Chapter 7: Rereading this and now I feel brokenhearted :((
WendyyBaee
#7
Chapter 6: Joy emg kampret wkwk tapi akhirnya wenrene bersatu kembali
WendyyBaee
#8
Izin baca
KLXRYU #9
Chapter 4: rebel wendy and prim and proper Irene is the pair i never knew i needed 🤧
hiyerimie
28 streak #10
Chapter 7: why do my tears keep flowing 🤧