Although Just a few hours ago she didn’t want Baekhyun to be part of her world any longer and hated him so much, now it all the feeling seemed to fade away.

She didn’t feel safe even for the fraction of a second it takes to step, which wasn't the case when Baekhyun had been standing next to her when she hated him.

“it’s here.”, the girl suddenly said and cut her train of thought, eyes moving around, waiting for something.

“Are you sure?”, she looked around, no one was there it was just an empty alley, and not so reassuring a dead-end one of that.

“yes. Nice to see you again-”

She couldn’t tell if she heard the voice before or not, but when she span to see the newcomers face it clicked: he was the very same man from Vinumia.

“Ms. Kim” he smirked, taking a step forward, bowing his head.

“Do I know you?” she asked, trying hard not to show the fear that was beginning to enter her soul.

Suddenly all Baekhyun’s warring didn’t seem so stupid anymore.

“Maybe you don’t but who doesn’t know the future queen, daughter of Kim Inguk, your majesty?”, the man stated, waving his hand gracefully in the air, his smirk getting wider. 

“I think you’re mistaken me with someone else.”

“really? But I remember you clearly, call that boy Baekhyun on the motel in Vinumia, talking about your father...” the man laughed again, taking another step forward as she took one back, realizing she was standing at the wrong side, "about your power."

“I think, I was wrong. You clearly, are mistaken-“

“Such a beautiful voice you have.”

Damn it!

Another familiar face came out of the other end of the alley, eyeing her like a prey, and she felt sick to her stomach another time. “Oh, dear Sunghoon, you two met before, didn't you? We saw him when we were getting a room at the motel.”

We? Oh of course he and his other friend.

“what do you want exactly?” she mustered up all her courage, she didn’t like to be seen as a prey. Never in her life she had felt this way, usually, people eyeing her with fear or hatred -and she hated both-, but yet this time she realized she hates not having the upper hand either.

“hey, before that, can I beat her?” the girl said, hatred in her voice.

“why?” she found herself asking a question for once.

Always when she saw someone talking trash behind her back, she just kept it in, trying her best to understand to keep her identity a secret, but now, the identity, why all the people hate her?

“why? You are so shameless. Don’t you know what your fat-“ 

“no, I mean what I did that makes ME deserve being beaten?” she yelled angrily.

Why can't people stop talking about her father? Why can't they see her as who she is instead of the daughter of Kim Inguk?

“what? What my brother did that make him deserve being dead?”

Did she kill his brother?

“hey girls, that’s enough. We have business to do Cheawon. Baekhyun might come in every moment and you have to keep him, busy darling.” Sunghoon put his hands on Cheawon’s shoulder to calm her down.

“Okay.” She sighed irritably.

“Now, let's get down to business, shall we?”

“is this rope really necessary?”, she asked, referring to the rope that was tightened around her wrist.

“well, you’re a captive so… I guess.” The first man -Gyeong- said.

“I mean I can’t do anything against you, can I?” she said with a smile as she stabbed her hairpin in the fabric of the rope behind her back, missing the right place, the knot.

“you’re the daughter of the viper, and daughter of the viper is also a viper.”

Another stab, not in the right place again. She was so glad she didn’t pin her hair, although it was sticking to the back of her neck uncomfortably.

“if you guys know that Hyukjea is after me, then you should be alert, not just sitting here.”

She was leaning her back against the wall, probably the stable’s wall because she could hear the horse neigh every second. She didn’t remember how they’d brought her here though, because of the chloroform probably, but if she was lucky enough to knock three guys out with just a hairpin, it was a horse waiting for her.

‘Reassuring.’

“what for?” Hwan -the second man- asked this time, “we have you here for the deal smarty.”

“are you serious? He’s Hyukjea and I already can see your death. He’s a hunter and a ruthless one at that.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sunghoon shivered slightly in his place and corner of her lips moving upward slightly.

“don’t be a scaredy-cat, she’s just playing.” Hwan tap his shoulder lightly, comforting him.

She almost screamed out of happiness when the hairpin slipped satisfyingly between the knot.

“what if she isn’t lying? He can kill us as easily as-“

“stop it Sunghoon. We are three grown- men, and we want to deal with him not to fight.”

“I can help you. He’s not a businessman if you’re planning to deal with him, he gets what he wants on his own way. But I’m not, I can give you what you want.” she said, not knowing what to say else. She couldn't actually, give them what they want but she can at least try to convince them to stop the deal with Hyukjae. Or buy time for Baekhyun.

“can you really?”

Was she going crazy? Hearing Baekhyun’s voice when she wanted him?

‘What is next, seeing his face every were?’

“who was it?” Sunghoon cried, pulling his sword out pointing it at everywhere.

“here.”, Baekhyun said, leaning on the wall and beaming at them. And Jieun could swear he wasn’t there a second ago. He just appeared as if he owned Kai’s power.

‘Good now I’m seeing his face.’

“can you give me what I want if I save you?” Baekhyun asks as he raised his eyebrow at her and it took her a moment or two to realize he was talking to her.

“it depends.” She said getting the playfulness of his voice.

“on what?” he said rubbing his wrist as if to ease the pain, or not? Was it a signal for her?

“Byun Baekhyun, nice to see you here,” Gyeong said trough gritting teeth, his hand rubbing the pommel of his sword with his palm, rotary. Looking at Baekhyun suspiciously he stepped between her and him, blocking Baekhyun from her sight, though somehow she could still see him like there is water between them and light refracting on water.

“I’m quite famous I guess.” Baekhyun bowed politely.

“I didn’t think you would come.” Gyeong said, hand still on his sword, “didn’t Cheawon warned you about our little deal with Hyukjea?”

“oh, she did. How sweet of her.” Baekhyun said with a fake look of pleasure on his face.

“aren’t you afraid that you might not accomplish your revenge? I heard you were so eager to get your revenge. Damn false rumor.” 

“oh, I am. I live every day of my life in fear of not being able to do so.” Baekhyun said, reaching to put his hand on the hilt of his own sword, “But if you let the fear to get to you, you will lose eventually. With such a fear I’m quite impressed that you dare to kidnap her.”

“and how are you planning to get your revenge? By marrying her daughter?” Hwan said and all three of them eventually burst into a series of laughter.

He didn’t seem angry but if someone asked her she would say he was a bit sad. And she couldn’t help but think of her few past days idea.

She stool her look the moment he turned at her direction, but couldn’t help the curiosity that was bubbling inside her like a magma to know what she could see on those jet black eyes if she hadn’t turned her face.

“very funny. So bad I don’t have enough time to listen to your jokes.” Baekhyun said calmly, taking a step forward.

She looked up when a clean swoosh of the dagger heard. It hadn’t been straight at her direction -because she was dead already if it had- but the moment it land on the wall behind her just a few centimeters away from her head, she already have the urge to throw it back at Baekhyun.

The sudden move of Baekhyun didn’t only catch her off guard but all three of the other men also stopped for a second before pulling out their swords from their scabbards.

She literally, jumped for the dagger and pulled it out easily out of the new crack of the wall.

“you can’t even handle me, what made you think you can handle Hyukjea?” Baekhyun said, eyeing her and nodding slightly at her.

“Stay where you are.” She said as her eyes caught Hwan’s movement towards her, sword pointing in his general direction. She cast a glance at Baekhyun to see if he had really wanted her to do it.

“oh, you little viper.” Gyeong smiled at her wickedly as she looked at him again. “be careful with a sword my lady, you might cut yourself.”

Her lips pressed into the thin line and her jaw clenched. His words brought back memories of her combat lesson with Hyukjea which weren’t pleasant memories to remind.

“where is he?” Sunghoon yelled suddenly and every single eye turned back on Baekhyun again, or at least where he was standing a second ago.

Did he just left her to handle all three of them?

“where is he?” Gyeong turned back, holding up his sword at her stepping forward angrily as if it’s her fault that Baekhyun suddenly decided to disappear.

“don’t move.” She threatened again, pointing hers at him too, “don’t you think I’m as confused as you are?”

“good.” his voice came out of somewhere behind her so low so calm so she only could hear it. Before she could react, he beat her to it, “don’t turn around you can’t see me, neither can they, at least not from that far.”

“reassuring.”, she mumbled through gritted teeth.

“When I count to three, I’ll make them blind and it would probably affect you too, just so you know, I’ll grab your hand, be ready to run.” ignoring her snarky remark, he said in a very calm voice.

“We should go somewhere else.” Hwan announced bout mostly to his partner Gyeong, “here is not safe.”

“no, we made a deal with him here, just be on guard,” Gyeong said angrily turning back to eye her carefully again.

“one.”

“isn’t it better for you to stay closer to us girl?” Gyeong said with an unnerving smile.

“two.”

“why is that?” she asked, taking a deep breath.

“Byun Baekhyun once said-“ he took a step closer, looking somewhere past her, “he’s going to slaughter the whole Kim family.”

It wasn’t Baekhyun’s fault that he didn’t actually, count to three. But because something sang like an arrow through the air and was exactly landed where it meant to be, heart.

Hwan’s hand shakenly grabbed the shaft of the arrow but his energy wasn’t enough to pull it off, though it wouldn’t help anymore.

Sunghoon made a mistake of turning around but the arrow was aimed for a throat this time and as blood gushing out of his neck, he fell down next to his friend, dead.

The arrow.

“no, Hyukjea please stop it!” she found herself yelling, trying to run, though Baekhyun stopped her from behind, holding her wrist.

For a second she thought Hyukjea had actually, listened to her but a second later she heard the swoosh of another arrow, though this time she could see the tip of it coming her way, or something behind her.

Even if most of the people couldn’t see the light refracting in the wrong way behind her, Hyukjea wasn’t most of the people.

Before Baekhyun could react, she had already thrown her body in front of him, hugging him.

“what are you-?” Baekhyun asked, still was taken aback by her sudden action, though his eyes caught by a long arrow in her shoulder as he looked down on her.

Her grip around him was becoming the only thing that keeping her upright, second by second, she felt the energy draining out of her.

“can we still make that deal? Can you save me?” she asked already feeling sick of the pain on her right shoulder.

“yes.”