Nine. A Crescent-Shaped Scar.

When Hwasa came to, she hadn’t expected to be face to face with Jeon Jungkook himself. Clearly alarmed,she sat up abruptly, pulling out a pained groan from . There’s a sharp pain in her abdomen and Hwasa’s hand immediately goes to massage the soreness. She feels stitches; a sharp line tracing down her abdomen all around her side. A crescent-shaped wound.

“You are one insane woman,” Jungkook muttered quietly, hand going to curl a stray hair behind her ear. Hwasa doesn’t flinch from the detective’s touch.

Hwasa doesn’t say a word to him and instead her eyes flicker around the room, trying to find Jimin. Her childhood friend signs to her, saying that “we told them everything” and “there’s trouble outside”.

“What does he mean there’s trouble outside?” Hwasa coughs out, blinking the exhaustion from her eyes. Her arms feel weak and her mind weaker. The pain from her torso is almost unbearable.

The detective doesn’t allow her friends to speak, and with a hand ushers them out. Hoseok takes Hyoyeon and Jimin out. Hwasa hears Hyoyeon thank the gods that her friend is alive and well. It makes her smile to herself; her friends had kept to their word as much as they could. If only this stubborn Detective Jeon didn’t find her plans, she’d get away with it.

“What you did was dangerous,”Jungkook adds on, “But it might have been the only way.”

Hwasa blinks at the detective’s words and she frowns. “For what? I don’t understand.”

Jungkook doesn’t answer. A million questions start to form. Where are the diamonds? Did her friends manage to sell them off? Were they safe now?

“We need to get you to the safehouse,” Jungkook continues, strapping on his bullletproof vest. He picks up a spare one from the side of the bed and helps Hwasa to put it on. The young woman begins to panic and she looks at Jungkook with wide eyes.

“My friends,”She exclaims. “You need to get them somewhere safe.”

Jungkook gives a curt nod. “They’ll be coming with us. I have two officers following them each. But you have to listen to me and do as I tell you Hwasa.”

There as a pregnant pause between them and the truth came crashing down on Hwasa with Jungkook’s next words. “You’re being hunted down by dangerous people. Kim Seunghyun is not who you think he is. He’s affiliated with very dangerous people, the same people who made Moonshine. The same people who caused the death of your friends. So you need to do as I tell you and don’t try anything funny.”

“Th-that doesn’t make sense,”Hwasa replies, “I’ve known Seunghyun forever. He told me he knows some foreigners from his dad’s business.”

Hwasa tries to explain but with a shake of the detective’s head, her voice dies down into the background. There’s noise from outside, and Hwasa assumes that her house is being overcrowded with cops to protect her, Hyoyeon and Jimin. All because of the mess she started.

“What have I done?” Hwasa can’t hide the desperation in her broken voice. She gasps and her eyes began to flicker around her room, frantically searching for answers. Denial. Yet,the truth comes crashing down upon her  in waves.

Her friends could die today, because of her.

She allows Jeon to help her wear a black hoodie and hooks it over her head. When they finally exit the room, Jeon doesn’t let her speak. The room is split into three groups. The detective issues out a few orders and pushes Hwasa into Jung Hoseok’s hands. After Jung introduces himself, Hwasa can only shake his hand and nod. Hyoyeon and Jimin wore black hoodies as well; they were to act as decoys. It made Hwasa sick to the stomach.

“There’s no other way,”Jungkook tells her with a determined voice.

If she made it out today, it would have been the second time Jeon Jungkook saved her life.

By 10am, they start moving out. Hwasa follows Hoseok into his car. Hyoyeon goes into an ambulance with Kim Seokjin. Park Jimin follows Jeon Jungkook into his car, against his protests that he wanted to follow Hwasa. Jimin had always been protective of her. But at that moment, Hwasa knew there was nothing he could do.

When Hwasa gets into the car with Jung Hoseok, the man reaches over to strap her seat belt on. At the same time, his lips stray too close to her cheek. Hwasa couldn’t stop her hand from slapping him away. Hoseok’s cheek is a stinging red and the smirk on his lips makes Hwasa want to vomit. Hoseok grabs her chin harshly.

“You listen to what I say,” Hoseok threatens between gritted teeth. “You’ll get Jeon to give you the diamonds. If not, your friends are dead.”

Hwasa spits in the man’s face.

Hoseok almo