“Hey,” CL swings an arm around her neck. Shira grins back, even though she is actually counting how much time she is losing from her studying.

Seunghyun had convinced her that she could lose about an hour, so unfortunately, she is down in the training room with 2NE1, Big Bang, and Bangtan. She doesn’t know why the hell Bangtan is here, mostly because 2NE1 and Big Bang are close enough to never need a third party unless if it was an allied meeting.

Is this part of Big Bang’s training? Bangtan looks absolutely exhausted, and she can’t imagine doing both training and school at the same time. These people are insane. Even normal gangs wouldn’t be able to handle it. These people are absolute monsters.

“Xiumin swung by the den,” CL tells Jiyong, who tightens his jaw. “They were asking for a girl in red hair and a mouth mask.”

Shira grimaces. Of course. Xiumin would fearlessly ask the other side for information.

“And did anyone give him that information?” Jiyong’s voice is curt and deadly.

“Obviously not,” CL tilts her head, not bothering to say what she did to him instead. Knowing her, Xiumin probably didn’t leave completely intact. “Although I have to ask, why are they looking for her?” CL gestures to Shira with a tilt of her head.

No one answers that question, and CL gets the hint to not bother asking.

“Well, if he’s looking for me, why don’t we give him what he wants?” Shira’s voice is low and Big Bang immediately growls their dissent. She knows the idea is a terrible one, especially because they’re looking for her, but if executed correctly, then Jackson would be safe. “I could be bait.”

“And what if he kills you?” Taeyang spits, not liking the idea at all.

“Xiumin has always been a little less bloodthirsty than his crew. He wouldn’t kill me right away. He’d shove me into their ion ring, humiliate me, drug me up, and then slit my throat in front of a crowd while I performed for them.” Her tone is matter of fact and a direct contradiction to what she would be forced to endure. “I’m sure if it got that far-”

“You’re a . Who said it won’t kill you long before that?” Taeyang’s words interrupt hers, and Shira sputters at Taeyang’s openness to make a point.

Jiyong slaps the back of Taeyang’s head and red spreads across Shira’s cheeks. This is mortifying. She wanted to just disappear. She covers her face as CL tries not to laugh at her, miserably failing.

“Taeyang had on top of Jiyong’s car once,” she blurts in order to save face. “His Aston Martin.”

Jiyong looks so furious that the laughter quickly dies.

“That aside,” Seunghyun coughs, “Taeyang is right. It would be brutal and even after one night of that life, you wouldn’t come back the same.”

Shira laughs, and it’s bitter and sardonic. When SHINee decides to attack, she would die anyway. “It’s either we find another way to stop Xiumin, or let the rest of EXO end up at our doorstep, followed by Super Junior, SNSD, and SHINee. And when they come, not all of us will survive.”

Namjoon clears his throat, speaking up for the first time, “What if one of us hires her for the first night, as a ploy of course, so we can take Xiumin out from the inside?”

Silence. Shira turns around, hissing, “Why the hell would you willingly put your gang in the line of danger when EXO doesn’t recognize you yet?”

Idiots. That would get their faces recognized. And that would work against their advantage. And that would ruin the point of putting on disguises when they showed up at Red Velvet’s gambling den. Bangtan staying out of sight would be let them stay safer for longer. They probably haven’t been recognized as a major gang yet.
 

But the rest of Big Bang are talking amongst themselves, and Shira can’t believe what’s happening. They were actually giving some kind of weight to Namjoon’s proposal.

“She could just put on a new disguise,” Seunghyun tilts his head, gravelly voice carrying across the room.

“And how long will that last?” Seungri is serious. “She’s done more dangerous things, but this is too much of a gamble.”

“More dangerous things? More dangerous? One day she won’t survive and you idiots are going to be the reason why,” Taeyang’s voice is absolutely scathing. “It’s a wonder that we let her do the blood bond, and you think Xiumin won’t kill her when seeing those letters cut into her arm? He won’t play when he realizes that someone will be coming after him.”

They pause, taking the blood bond into account. Even Shira has to admit that the blood bond complicated things. “So I guess that idea is out.”

Dara from 2NE1 speaks up with narrowed eyes, “Not necessarily. There’s this new foundation on the market that can cover up tattoos and all scars. If the scar is still healing, silicone would be able to help.”

“That will only last for one day, maybe, and on top of that, my normal disguise needs touching up. It can last for maybe eighteen hours at best,” Shira frowns. “The only way that would work is if I infiltrate, somehow get enough information within twelve hours, and then take him out that night. That doesn’t even account for if the rest of EXO gets to me first—“

“What if Im Sophia steps in?” Seunghyun says slowly, thinking. “She is the one who shot Oh Sehun to begin with. She could take out both Oh Sehun and Xiumin.”

Jiyong snorts, “Let’s not beat around the bush. Everyone but Bangtan knows exactly who Im Sophia is, because I’m assuming CL told her gang, and the disguise would last even less time than her current one.”

“I did tell them,” CL says easily. “Did you expect me not to?”

“Then we all know that I can’t be Im Sophia for this. That much latex is impossible to not notice after a few hours.”
 

Watermelon is Im Sophia?
 

How? How did she pull that off? And Watermelon is attached to her several identities. How did Big Bang give one of them away so easily?

Taehyung freezes, remembering how she had molded her lips against his in the gambling ring, trapped between his arms. That was Watermelon.

He’s in deep . But apparently no one else knows about what exactly went down other than them two.

And why is Watermelon so willing to sacrifice herself to take out Xiumin? She offered to infiltrate a e ring where she would definitely be expected to pay with he