Lee Kaeun. 25. Reaper. Likes reading Gothic literature for fun, but is afraid of ghosts.

 

Miyawaki Sakura. 20. Once tried to look up if fanfiction involving the Reaper exists on the internet.

 

_______________________________________________________________________



 

The Red Roses seem to do things with a bit more flair than most.

 

Take this infirmary she was currently in for example. The entire night had been a blur, what with fatigue setting in and disorienting Sakura to the point that she wasn’t quite sure of the exact sequence on events that placed her on this (extremely comfortable) hospital bed but looking around now it was certainly fancier than one would reasonably expect an infirmary to be.

 

She wasn’t very familiar with precious metals such as gold and silver, but she was pretty sure that the sleek, shiny streaks imbedded in the room’s crown moulding was actual gold. The Red Roses actually used gold as a pointless room decoration. Give her about 10 minutes and a brass toothbrush and she would probably be able to scrape off enough of the valuable metal to cover her rent for the rest of the year.

 

The furniture in the room was insanely posh as well. Sakura has only ever seen such fine works of leather within the pages of catalogs that she would occasionally sift through whenever she dared dream of a better life. She’s pretty sure she’s seen that exact Chesterfield couch in the pages of last month’s Higher Living. Why would you need such expensive furniture in a room of healing?

 

To afford this kind of luxury on just the hospital wards....It wasn’t normal.

 

Sakura has gotten herself involved with some abnormal people.

 

She tries to sit up, to correct her posture only to wince in pain and sink back into the bed. For a brief, blissful moment she forgot why she needed medical attention in the first place. Her forearms were covered in bruises and her cheek had swelled up to look like she was smuggling an orange in . Her entire body was sore from the abuse she received at the hands of Chaey—

 

A shudder crept up Sakura’s spine.

 

The mere mention of that name conjured up images she would much rather forget. 

 

She remembered pain. She remembered the feeling of cool metal pressed against her temple. She remembered manic laughter, chapped lips moving against her own, Kaeun’s fierce gaze, the sound of twin gunshots, the sound of blood as it spattered across the walls and concrete flooring....

 

A wave of nausea washed over her and she only barely managed to keep it down. 

 

Kaeun...murdered all those people for her. Because of her. She killed Chaeyeon right in front of her eyes. Sakura tightened her grip on the blanket covering her small body, feeling insanely cold inside despite the warm material draping over her. 

 

Was this really okay?

 

Was she really okay, being here? In the Red Roses headquarters? In probably the most dangerous place in all of Gwangju, if not the entire country?

 

A sudden knock on the door brought Sakura’s attention back to the present. She fought to compose herself. Needed to steel herself for what manner of person that was going to walk through that door but before she had the time to do so the door had already swung open rather purposefully.

 

“Oh. Hello.”

 

The woman that greeted her by the door was a lot younger than she initially envisioned, and a lot less hardy-looking. She looked like your run-of-the-mill college student, which Sakura notices was a theme with the Red Roses. Young, beautiful, undoubtedly dangerous women. Where were the men? Was this entire crime family all women?

 

“...Hi.” Sakura responded back uncertainly. 

 

“They sent me to wake you up.” The woman informed, sloshing around a jug full of water as if to show how exactly she planned on waking Sakura up.

 

That was a LOT of water.

 

“I’m awake.” Sakura replied a little too eagerly, noticing that the expression on the woman’s face wasn’t really changing much as she talked. As if Sakura already being awake didn’t put a damper on her plans to splash water on the Japanese girl at all.

 

“Can I pour this over your face anyways? I already went through the trouble of bringing it up here.”

 

Sakura stiffened, hating the fact that her guess was right. Granted she wasn’t even in her own clothes right now, but she highly doubts that they would give her an extra hospital gown if she asked for it. 

 

“I’d rather you didn’t, but I’m probably powerless to stop you.”

 

“You probably are.” The woman agreed with a shrug as she loomed in closer, threatening jug of water in hand. It didn’t seem like Sakura would be able to talk herself out of this one, so might as well get the name of this person so she would know who to (maybe) complain about to Kaeun later.

 

“...I’m Sakura. May I know who you are...?”

 

The woman takes a moment to contemplate answering. She takes just long enough to make Sakura second-guess herself for asking such a question, wondering if she had crossed a line somewhere. 

 

“Hyewon. Kang Hyewon.” 

 

Hyewon....she’s seen that name before. On the news articles mentioned alongside Kaeun and Yunjin, although the image of the doe-eyed woman standing before her did not match the cold-blooded killer the papers would make her out to be.

 

With Kaeun, all it took was one look into the Reaper’s eyes to know that the woman was not someone you would want to laugh at if she slipped on a banana peel. With Hyewon...Sakura just couldn’t tell. She wore her expressions like a mask, unchanging as she talked. Even the timbre of her voice barely fluctuated. It was like talking to a robot.

 

Perhaps Hyewon took Sakura’s silence as a request to elaborate because the woman did so without being prompted, answering a few questions that Sakura left unasked.

 

“I’m an Enforcer for the Red Roses, like Nako-chan. Have you met her? Short, looks like a complete psycho, like a fire-breathing leprechaun?”

 

Sakura can’t say that she has.

 

“Like Kaeun-ssi as well?”

 

“No, Kaeun-unnie doesn’t look like a leprechaun at all. Are you blind?”

 

“...I mean the Enforcer part. And maybe. I haven’t gotten my eyes checked. Too expensive.” Sakura shrugged. Truth be told her vision probably wasn’t anything to write home about, what with her penchant for late-night gaming under dim lighting. Electricity bills are expensive.

 

“Oh.” Hyewon tilted her head, finally understanding what Sakura was getting at. “Yes, I’m similar to Kaeun-unnie in that we’re both Enforcers, but that’s about as far as the similarities go. Kaeun-unnie is the highest ranked killer in the entire organisation.”

 

“It’s a ranking system?” 

 

“Yup. Spread throughout the entire organisation with it’s many branches and countries of operation. It determines how much use you are to the Red Roses.”

 

Sakura nods in understanding. If anything, at least she now knows how the internal hierarchy of the organization worked. Pretty useless information to be honest. She doesn’t even know were to begin applying the knowledge into something useful but at least it’s something new that she did not know a second ago, and Sakura was all about learning new things. Yuri tells her that self-betterment is the root of all happiness.

 

“Are you a high ranker, Hyewon-ssi?” Sakura asks out of curiosity.

 

“I’m 7th in the entire organization, and 2nd to Kaeun-unnie in the Gwangju branch.” Hyewon replies without missing a beat, obviously proud of her position although her stoic expression might not show it. “I was always 2nd in this branch though, even before Kaeun-unnie transferred in from Seoul.”

 

“I....I see.”

 

So Kaeun was from Seoul, which would explain a few things. For starters, they didn’t really make women as beautiful as that here in Gwangju. That seemed more like a Seoul thing, what with all the idols and actors and genetic perfection.

 

“I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. It’s confidential information. I might have to kill you after this.” Hyewon shrugs all too easily, while Sakura has a minor panic attack.

 

“O-Oh. Please, you don’t have to. I have horrible memory.”

 

They lock eyes for a moment, and Sakura still could not tell what Hyewon was thinking. Why was she so stoic?! If Hyewon were to try to kill

Sakura, was there even anything she could do to stop her? Heck she probably couldn’t even get away fast enough with this stupid hospital gown she was wearing hindering her movements.

 

There was a brief moment of crushing silence. Tense, as if the very air around them was strung on a piano wire. Tense, as Sakura forgets to breathe, waiting for Hyewon to make a decision as to what her plans for Sakura were. Was she going to kill her? If Sakura were to scream for help, would anybody even bother coming to her rescue this time?

 

“Eunbi-unnie is probably waiting for you in her office. You should go to her as soon as you’re able.”

 

Hyewon was nonchalant, as if she didn’t just make Sakura hold her breath in terror over the past minute of tense silence. Maybe Hyewon was oblivious to the distress she had caused. Sakura still couldn’t figure the woman out.

 

“Ah. I....I will.” Sakura didn’t mean to stutter. It was just a reflection of how uncomfortable and insecure she was currently. 

 

Hyewon suddenly leaned forward, placing her palms flat against the mattress of Sakura’s bed and barging into the Japanese girl’s personal space with no reservations.

 

“I wouldn’t really kill you though. I’d be crazy to even look at you funny after the Reaper laid her claim on you. Heard she took down an entire base again last night. What a showoff.”

 

Hyewon chuckles before turning to leave, and Sakura nearly allowed the breath she was holding to escape her lips when the woman turned around sharply to face Sakura again.

 

“Oh I nearly forgot!” 

 

Before Sakura could even question it, Hyewon had skipped over to her bedside and slowly tipped the jug of water over the Japanese girl’s head. Sakura sat there, motionless and powerless while Hyewon emptied the entire jug onto her, soaking her gown and her bed. 

 

She didn’t even have a change of clothes. How was she supposed to go and meet this “Eunbi-unnie” like this? 

 

Hyewon didn’t seem to care, as she gave a casual two- salute and waltzed out the door as if she didn’t just turn a hospital bed into a makeshift kiddy pool. 

 

This was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Now Sakura had to find a way to dry herself off before leaving this room.

 

 

*********************************

 

 

“....Why are you wet?”

 

To cut a long story short...

 

She didn’t manage to find a way to dry herself off before leaving the room.

 

Now she was seated in a plush chair, facing a charismatic young woman in an overly lavish office-like space, separated by a large wooden desk that probably costs more than Sakura’s entire studio apartment. 

 

What was this...? Mahogany, perhaps...?

 

“I’m wondering that myself.” Sakura said weakly, while this poised woman eyed her like she was the most incredulous thing to have ever stepped into this office. 

 

As far as gang-related things go, the office that Sakura currently found herself in was a far cry from the grimey, seedy, hell-pit that she had envisioned for a crime boss. There wasn’t a single ashtray or cigarette in sight, and the room actually smelled like fresh roses. With the rich wooden bookcases lining the walls and expensive persian carpets on the floor, it seemed like more of an aristocrat’s study instead of a crime boss’ base of operations.

 

Sakura’s eyes dart back and forth between the charismatic woman behind the desk, the unfamiliar tinier girl standing behind said woman, and a very familiar Lee Kaeun who was casually leaning against a bookcase off to the corner looking bored out of her mind.

 

The woman, who was probably the “Eunbi” that Hyewon spoke of, let out an exasperated sigh while massaging the bridge of her nose.

 

“Hyewon...Urgh that idiot.” Eunbi correctly guessed, making Sakura question Hyewon’s history with jugs full of water. “Hii-chan could you do us a favour?”

 

The smaller girl behind Eunbi nodded and rushed off somewhere, out of sight while Eunbi sighed a sigh that was all too telling of the things she had to deal with on the daily.

 

“I apologize for Hyewon’s behaviour. Our Enforcers have their little quirks...They can be hard to manage.”

 

“It’s okay Ma’am! It’s just water after all. I can hardly complain after you saved my life....” Sakura rushed to dismiss the apology, only to trail off uncertainly when Eunbi released another long, exasperated sigh.

 

“I didn’t do . I didn’t even give the order to save you. Kaeun here went off on her own. You see what I mean?! Terrible. What’s the point of having living weapons if they don’t listen to you?”

 

Eunbi gestured to Kaeun, who shrugged indifferently in reply. 

 

The last comment implying that Kaeun was nothing more than a living weapon pricked at Sakura’s conscience but she made a decision to not let it show. She was a guest, thus she needed to act like one.

 

“Still, I must thank you anyways Ma’am.”

 

Eunbi waved her off simply but with enough authority to imply that she was used to giving orders using such simple gestures. The mark of someone powerful. 

 

The girl from earlier, “Hii-chan”, as she was called, returned then with a large fluffy towel and Sakura accepted it with warm gratitude. It was starting to get uncomfortably cold in her wet clothes.

 

Another wave, and Hii-chan went back to her earlier post, standing watch behind Eunbi’s large chair.

 

“I’m Kwon Eunbi. First daughter of the Kwon family, leader of the Red Roses’ Gwangju branch.”

 

“Honor to meet you, Ma’am. I’m—“

 

“Miyawaki Sakura. 20 years old. No known living family members, first year Business Administration student in Chonnam National University.”

 

Oh. Okay. 

 

Someone’s done their homework.

 

Sakura wonders if that’s a good or bad thing.

 

“Yes. That’s me.”

 

Eunbi gives Sakura a once over, making her feel horribly small in her large plump chair as the eyes of the woman who ran the place blatantly gave her an ocular patdown. She wasn’t even being subtle in checking out Sakura.

 

“You don’t look like much.” Eunbi concluded, and Sakura wondered what took Eunbi so long to come to that conclusion.

 

“....That’s a fair call. I guess.”

 

“You also take being ridiculed far too lightly.”

 

“Looking around this room, I don’t think anything I’ve done is remarkable enough to impress any of you.”

 

“Ahh but there is ONE thing, young Sakura. You’ve impressed me greatly already!” Eunbi lights up, leaning forwards over her desk in such sudden exuberance that it alarmed Sakura.

 

“I-I-I have...?”

 

“You managed to get Lee Kaeun, known nationwide as the heartless Reaper, eater of children and destroyer of happiness, to vouch for you being here. I don’t think you’re aware of how significant that is!”

 

Sakura blinks back. Eater of children...?

 

“Hii-chan. How many years has Kaeun been serving the Red Roses?”

 

“20, ma’am.” The smaller girl answered, voice as small as her frame. Eunbi’s grin just grew ever wider at Hii-chan’s reply.

 

“And in those 20 years, how many people has she vouched for?”

 

“Zero, ma’am.”

 

Eunbi claps her hands, giggling gleefully before pausing to give Sakura another once-over. A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of Eunbi’s lips, unnerving Sakura with just how out of place it looked on the leader’s dignified features.

 

“I wonder what she sees in you, Miyawaki Sakura.”

 

“Stop talking as if I don’t exist, Eunbi.”

 

Eunbi went on as if Kaeun had never said anything, making the Reaper click her tongue in annoyance. It was an interesting relationship, these two shared. Sakura wondered if it was common for the Enforcers to be this candid with their boss.

 

Eunbi’s posture straightened, bringing Sakura’s attention back to the leader. It appears as if the time for teasing was over, and Sakura was about to find out the real reason as to why she was summoned here today.

 

“It would appear as if you’ve caused quite a ruckus in our world, Sakura.”

 

The tone was sharp. Authoritative. Accusing, and not open to interpretation. Sakura could only nod in agreement, not knowing what else to do.

 

It wasn’t her fault she got kidnapped.

 

Heck she would much rather that she didn’t.

 

“It would be in your best interest to stay with us here for a few days, Sakura. You will not be treated like a prisoner, but we can’t have you walking around these halls unaccompanied. Kaeun here will be your caretaker.”

 

Sakura does a double take, sees the seriousness in Eunbi’s face, turns to Kaeun to see the Reaper nodding along in agreement, and she wonders if she even had a say in this.

 

“O-Oh. I don’t need to stay! I’d hate to impose—“

 

“It would be in our best interest too if you were to stay, Sakura.”

 

Eunbi finished, and Sakura got the answer to her question. Her opinion was about as relevant as a comb for bald people.

 

“...I guess I’m staying then.”

 

Eunbi nodded once, satisfied with the Japanese girl’s obedience.

 

“Good. Kaeun will show you to your room and help you get settled in. You’ll be here for awhile.”

 

Awhile. Sakura was such a homebody she couldn’t even leave her home for school without missing her bed the moment she steps out the door, she wasn’t comfortable at all with the idea of being here “for awhile”. This place appeared well polished, but it was still the headquarters for a notorious crime organization. These concrete walls housed murderers and thieves. She was terrified at the very prospect of spending more time here than she needed to, but now she finds out she’ll be here for awhile? 

 

Sakura begins to panic.

 

“I don’t have a change of clothing with me. A-and I have things I need to—I have a cat! What about my cat? I need to feed Maru-chan!”

 

Eunbi waved her off with the flick of a hand. “It’s not a problem. We could easily give you money to buy some new clothes and a cat.”

 

A new cat? What! Why did she need a new cat?! What was she going to do with the old one?! They really didn’t expect her to just leave Maru-chan to starve at home did they?!

 

Seeing the obvious distress on Sakura’s face, Eunbi quickly tried to offer an alternative.

 

“—Or, Kaeun could accompany you to your house so that you could gather your bags...and your cat?”

 

Sakura lights up at that, positively beaming and nodding vigorously at Eunbi. As a crime boss Eunbi really had no business caring for something as trivial as a young girl’s attachment to her pet cat, especially after her top soldier had just saved the girl’s life the night before. She owed Sakura nothing, but seeing the approving look Kaeun was throwing her from the side and the sheer gratitude spilling out of Sakura’s pores, she decides that she could live with this decision.

 

“Cute. You’re so cute. She’s cute, isn’t she Hii-chan?”

 

Hii-chan nods along, even if it was out of compliance rather than actual agreement. 

 

 

 

**************************************

 

 

Sakura stares at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, giving herself an extra twirl for added measure. Nope. Still mediocre. She figured as much. This set of matching pastel pink tshirt and shorts ensemble she had on was absolutely cute though. She could definitely imagine herself picking the outfit out at a mall, if she ever had the money to shop at the mall.

 

This outfit, although incredibly simple, was probably very much out of her spending capacity. Sakura is learning that the Red Roses spared no expenses when it came to...well, everything, so it wouldn’t surprise her if the clothing they had given her to replace her wet hospital gown was worth a small fortune.

 

Sakura does a final checkup in the mirror, eyes scanning over the scars and cuts she received from Chaeyeon the night before. They honestly brought back awful memories, and Sakura would probably be spending the rest of her life having nightmares about the incident. Sighing, she at least tries to make sure her hair was somewhat presentable before walking out of the bathroom to meet Kaeun who was leaning casually on the wall facing her.

 

She leans on things a lot, Sakura notes. From walls to bookcases. Maybe she had problems standing up properly. Maybe her leg was still injured.

 

Kaeun looks up at the sound of the bathroom door opening and wordlessly nods her head off to the side, signalling to Sakura to follow her as she began walking.

 

It was silent for a moment, as Sakura awkwardly follows behind Kaeun as the taller girl leads her to God knows where. She carefully deliberates her next words, bounces them off her tongue for good measure and ends up swallowing them without saying anything. It goes on for a full minute, with Sakura staring at Kaeun’s broad back and shoulder-length hair. 

 

What an aura emanating off of this woman. 

 

The silence eventually gets to Sakura, and she forces herself to say something if only just for the sake of making conversation.

 

“T-Thanks for saving me Kaeun-ssi. And for the money you gave as well! I-I still have all of it if you want it back! It’s FAR too generous for me! I don’t—“

 

“Unnie.”

 

Sakura stops abruptly as Kaeun interrupts her with a single word, not even bothering to slow down her pace or spare the girl a glance over her shoulder.

 

“Huh?” Sakura asks, allowing her confusion to show in her words and actions. Noticing this, Kaeun finally slows down her brisk pace and elaborates.

 

“Call me unnie. Kaeun-ssi feels too formal.”

 

Sakura wasn’t aware that they’ve reached the stage in their relationship when they could be informal with each other, but she digresses. Such things were a boon, and she would be far remissed to look this gift horse in it’s mouth.

 

“U-Unnie. Kaeun-unnie.”

 

Maybe it was a good thing that Kaeun wasn’t looking at her right now. Her face was as red as the roses used as this organization’s namesake.

 

“—And the money is yours. Do with it as you wish. Set it on fire if you want to, but I suspect that you already have other uses for it.” Kaeun says as she resumes walking, startling Sakura into following closely behind the woman while she juggled her suspicions as to just how much Kaeun knew about her financial situation. 

 

“Just how detailed is that file you have on me...?”

 

“Very.” Kaeun replies simply, confirming to Sakura that such a file existed in the first place.

 

“I don’t like this...”

 

“The organization tends to get carried away when it comes to information gathering. Eunbi wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 

Sakura nods in understanding. Eunbi did seem the type to be thorough.

 

“Who was that other girl in the room, u-u-unnie? She looked Japanese like me.” Sakura barely made it through that question, so unused to addressing this scary mass murderer so informally.

 

“Does it surprise you to see another Japanese person? We actually have a lot in our organization. We’re tied closely to the Yakuza in Japan, so we have a few foreign imports. Hitomi is one of them.”

 

Based on the look of shock on Sakura’s face, apparently it does surprise her.

 

“Hitomi, or Doctor Hitomi as she’s formally known, is our resident medical expert. When she’s not patching up blown up limbs however, she’s in that office being that dumb git’s lapdog. Eunbi loves Hitomi more than all of us combined, I swear. A leader shouldn’t be playing favourites.”

 

Sakura doesn’t know which part to be more shocked by. The fact that such an innocent looking girl was a member of the Yakuza, or the fact that one so young could be a medical expert. Sakura was barely getting by in her Logistics class, and here we have an apparent teenager saving lives.

 

“She looks too young to be a doctor.”

 

Kaeun laughs as she presses a button on the wall to call for an elevator.

 

“All of us start young.”

 

The elevator arrives and Kaeun steps aside, gesturing for Sakura to enter it. The Japanese girl does so, albeit with trepidation and slight caution.

 

“Where are we going?” Sakura asks as soon as Kaeun steps in and the elevator doors close behind her. Kaeun chooses a floor before turning to Sakura.

 

“Hmm? To the cafeteria. Aren’t you hungry?”

 

“Y-Yeah. But how did you know?”

 

Kaeun simply shrugged in response to the question. “I read up on you, remember?”

 

“W-WHAT’S THAT EVEN MEAN?!”

 

Sakura shouts in panicked distress as the elevator doors coincidentally choose that time to open. Like something out of a bad comedy film, Sakura turns around to see an entire dining hall full of people pause in the middle of their meals to stare at both her and Kaeun.

 

There had to be at least 50 people there but you could hear a pin drop with how quiet everything suddenly became, with all of their attention fixed solely on the pair of them. Sakura froze in place, while Kaeun casually waltzed out of the elevator as if nothing was wrong.

 

Taking Kaeun’s cue, Sakura settles into a half-jog as she tries to catch up to the taller woman. Everyone around them rose to their feet and gave Kaeun a deep bow, an act that the Reaper barely even acknowledges. Kaeun continued walking briskly through the dining hall as if she didn’t have the eyes of every single person present fixed on her.

 

“This is a lot of attention.” Sakura mutters weakly, and like a cat she swears she sees Kaeun’s ears twitch in acknowledgement.

 

“Oh? Ignore them.”

 

“I can’t. I’m kinda not used to it.”

 

Kaeun takes a moment to contemplate that, before coming to a stop and runs a lithe index finger slowly across the gleaming surface of the polished silver pistol she had holstered to her hip. The act causes a flurry of movement from all around them, and Sakura notices everyone trying their best to look away from them now.

 

Sakura wasn’t sure if they feared that gun, or the connotation behind it but suddenly they weren’t the center of attention anymore, and Sakura couldn’t feel more relieved.

 

“Take a seat. I’ll get you your food.”

 

“What?! No! No I can do it—“

 

“You’ve had a rough night, Sakura. Allow me.” Kaeun’s voice was firm, and for the upteenth time that day Sakura found herself nodding in agreement to something that she didn’t really have much choice in agreeing to.

 

Appearing satisfied, Kaeun turns around and walks through a pair of double doors a little off to the side of the dining hall leaving Sakura to sit all by her lonesome. It was hard for her to ignore all the gazes that had returned to openly gawking at her with the absence of Kaeun and her trusted silver gun.

 

There were definitely many more women in the organization than men, and Sakura wonders why that was. Could it be a preference? A coincidence perhaps? From what she could gather, all the Enforcers were women, and this entire branch was run by a woman so maybe this was an outlier instead of the norm. Maybe this was the only branch that had this many women in charge. In saying that however, wasn’t Kaeun, a woman, ranked number 1 in the entire organization according to Hyewon?

 

As Sakura becomes lost in contemplation, a tray of food is placed in front of her and suddenly her senses were assaulted with delicious sights and aromas. She forgot just how hungry she was.

 

“Dig in.” Kaeun motioned before taking a seat opposite of Sakura.

 

The Japanese girl didn’t need telling twice. She dove into the bowl of bibimbap like an Olympic swimmer, attacking it with chopsticks and shoveling the food down in a manner most unbecoming of a woman.

 

“This is really delicious!” Sakura exclaimed in amazement, looking up from her food only to see Kaeun smiling at her and the Reaper looked so gorgeous she had to tear her eyes away and attach them back onto her food just so that Kaeun couldn’t see the blush on her cheeks.

 

“Chaewon’s a good cook.” Sakura hears Kaeun say, and the former nods repeatedly in agreement. “Good” was a gross understatement. This was the best bowl of bibimbap Sakura has ever had in her life!

 

They remain quiet as Sakura finishes the rest of her food, summoning every ounce of table etiquette her late uncle had taught her just to stop herself from the bowl clean.

 

Kaeun pushes a cup of water towards Sakura, who accepts it graciously. With her food gone, the silence that fell between them was somewhat deafening, and was quickly growing awkward again.

 

Sakura sought to remedy that, and quickly.

 

“C-Can I ask you something unnie?”

 

Kaeun shrugged, a habit that Sakura notices the older woman does a lot. Maybe Sakura is just paying too much attention to Kaeun’s miniscule details. 

 

“Mmm. What is it?”

 

Sakura takes in a breath before asking the question that had been bothering her the whole day. “Why did you save me last night? Why go through all that trouble?”

 

“It wasn’t really any trouble at all.”

 

Sakura wasn’t looking at Kaeun but she just knew that the Reaper was shrugging again, if the utter nonchalance dripping from the latter’s voice wasn’t indicative enough.

 

“P-Perhaps. But you still placed yourself in danger for me. I’m nobody, and you’re this—this incredible person who everyone looks up to. What if something happened to you last night? That would have been my fault! I would have taken you away from all these people!”

 

Sakura feels the table creak under added weight, and she looks up to see Kaeun leaning forwards towards her. There was a warm smile on the latter’s face that seemed to light up the entire building and suddenly Sakura forgot how to breathe.

 

“If something had happened to me last night, it would have been my own doing. Not yours.”

 

Kaeun punctuated that statement with a wink, and Sakura’s face nearly blew up from all the heat rushing to her cheeks at once. 

 

“...and I still owe you for that delicious pot of coffee you made. A month later and I’m still craving it.” Kaeun added with a chuckle.

 

Sakura is reminded that the woman had stolen her coffee pot back then. She briefly wonders if the Reaper still has it with her, before shaking the preposterous thought out of her head. Why would she even keep such a thing?

 

“Sorry I can’t make you any more. I...uh....kinda don’t have that job any more...or any job for that matter.” Sakura scratched her cheek in embarrassment, not proud of her current state of unemployment although the reason behind it was currently seated right across from her.

 

Kaeun unexpectedly mirrored her action, scratching her own cheek while looking sheepish. It was an expression that Sakura has yet to see the taller woman wear.

 

“I’m still really sorry for that. I did not mean to cause you any trouble that night. I’m sure I could talk our leader into giving you a sufficient compensation for your loss of income.”

 

“Oh no! No that won’t be necessary! You’ve already given more than enough! I probably couldn’t accept anything more.” Sakura was quick to wave Kaeun off, eyes wide at the offer being presented to her.

 

Kaeun looked as if she was going to insist, before locking eyes with Sakura and simply shrugging instead. Sakura couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her this time, having realised Kaeun’s little habit earlier on. She’s cute when she shrugs.

 

The insignificant habit actually helped to humanise the Reaper in Sakura’s eyes. 

 

“Could I ask you a question in turn, Sakura?” Kaeun asks, voice gentle and reassuring, as if to tell Sakura that she had the option of declining and staying mum. Not that she had a reason to. She barely had anything to hide.

 

“Shoot.” Sakura said, before hastily adding a  “but not literally”.

 

A smile tugged at the corners of Kaeun’s lips, and she played along with Sakura by pretending to shoot a finger gun at the Japanese girl. 

 

“Based on what we could find, you’ve held quite a number of jobs, sometimes simultaneously. Are you struggling financially, or is it just a means to kill time?”

 

The nature of the question made Sakura fidget in her seat from embarrassment, and she had a sneaking feeling that although those grey eyes were staring intensely at her waiting for an answer, Kaeun would completely forgive her if she had chosen not to provide one. Sakura decides to be honest though, because Kaeun had asked nicely, and because despite the uncomfortable topic, she felt oddly at ease while talking to the woman known as the Reaper.

 

“I wouldn’t say I’m struggling, but there are times when money could get a little bit tight....I mainly need it for university. To pay my fees, so that I can graduate. Education really isn’t cheap.”

 

Kaeun shakes her head along with what Sakura had said. “No, no it isn’t.”

 

“Did you attend a university too, Kaeun-ssi? Kaeun-unnie?” Sakura asked, curious and intrigued albeit still stumbling with her honorifics. It was still weird to be so informal with Kaeun. The woman was larger than life in many ways, Sakura must have been living under a rock to have not heard tales of the Reaper before the latter had walked into her life several months back.

 

Kaeun shakes her head as an answer to Sakura’s question. “No, no I didn’t. I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember. I don’t know how to do much else, but yes I can agree that education comes with a price.”

 

The tone Kaeun used gave off the impression that the “price” she was referring to was not monetary in nature, but Sakura had no intention on pushing the subject further. Instead, the topic of education reminded Sakura of her school, and Yuri and Yena.

 

“How long will I be stuck here, unnie? I have classes to attend to. I can’t just skip them.”

 

“I’m afraid that won’t be your priority at the moment. You’ll stay here, until I’ve gotten rid of every single person that would and could do you harm. I...I can’t risk having what happened last night happen to you again. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

 

Kaeun looked torn as she gazed at Sakura’s face, yet another new expression from the Reaper. Grey eyes scanned her features, and Sakura knew even without saying anything that Kaeun was looking at the scars on the former’s previously unblemished face. The angry cuts and bruises that coloured Sakura’s porcelain skin seemed to bring about a certain kind of sorrow in Kaeun’s eyes.

 

“Is it a long list of people?” Sakura asked timidly, shrinking underneath Kaeun’s scrutinizing stare.

 

“It’s getting shorter by the minute.” Kaeun replied with a soft smile but as magical and as breathtaking as that smile was, it still caused a wave of nausea to wash over Sakura’s body.

 

“I...don’t know how to feel about having people take lives to protect mine, Kaeun-ssi. I don’t know if my one life is worth all that blood being spilled.”

 

In response to that, Kaeun reached out across the table and laid both her hands out in front of Sakura, palms facing upwards as those grey eyes connected with Sakura’s dull brown ones.

 

“These hands are already stained with blood, Sakura. I’ve killed bigger men for lesser reasons. Yours is practically noble in comparison.”

 

Sakura stares at the hands being presented to her, and she doesn’t quite know what’s gotten into her but the next thing she realises she’s cradling Kaeun’s hands in her own, running her  fingers over the skin of the Reaper’s calloused palms and feeling every story those hands could tell with her own.

 

“They’re so rough....” Sakura mumbles, and Kaeun pulls her hands away swiftly in response.

 

“I-It comes with the territory. It’s not like I have the time to use lotion or moisturize or anything like t-that.” 

 

Kaeun was stuttering. And if her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, Sakura would swear that she sees a hint of red colouring Kaeun’s cheeks as well. She’s managed to make the most notorious killer in South Korea blush, and she was pretty sure that it was an achievement all on it’s own. Kaeun could be soft. Kaeun could be gentle. 

 

Sakura wonders just how this blushing mess currently sitting across from her could become the most dangerous individual the country has ever seen, with just the flick of a switch.

 

“Why do they call you the Reaper? Is it because you’ve killed a lot of people?”

 

Kaeun stills at the question, and Sakura could tell that the question has struck something.

 

“That name comes with the territory too.” Kaeun attempts to brush it off, but Sakura felt oddly curious about the answer. She wanted to know the backstory of the Reaper.

 

“Would you tell me?” She pleaded, and Kaeun looked to be just about ready to give in judging by the way the older woman was sighing.

 

“Why would you want to know that sort of thing?”

 

“I don’t really. I...just kinda like it when you talk. I like hearing it.” 

 

Kaeun coughs, trying to hide the unmistakable blush on her cheeks but Sakura sees it plain as day. Kaeun was silent for a long moment, and it was long enough to make Sakura think that there was no way that Kaeun was going to go along with her, but just before Sakura opened to change the subject the older woman finally spoke.

 

“A few years ago...I’m thinking maybe 7-ish years? I can’t really remember anymore. The previous Head Enforcer of this branch got into a spot of trouble. You might know her. Her name was Chaeyeon. She was the one who kidnapped you last night.”

 

The previous Head Enforcer...was the one who...

 

It finally clicked in Sakura’s head, and the young Japanese girl all but leapt to her feet at the surprising revelation.

 

“T-THAT CHAEYEON?!” Sakura yelled, failing to control the volume of her voice and earning several disapproving looks from the other Roses.

 

Kaeun ignores the outburst, and simply nods in confirmation. “The very same. Always had a thirst to prove herself. Ambitious to a fault. Pissed off the wrong people, and those very same people came knocking on our door one day. That was at our old base of operations. Eunbi hadn’t been leading this branch for long, so she wasn’t exactly the best at handling that kind of situation. We lost a lot of lives that night.”

 

Kaeun’s grey eyes turned solemn, and Sakura already started to regret asking about the origins of the Reaper’s name. It must have been a painful memory. One that Kaeun obviously had no business revisiting but the older woman seemed intent on continuing her story, so Sakura listens and hangs on to every word said.

 

“Hyewon and Chaeyeon were the only Enforcers left to defend the place at the time. Nako was still just a protégé. We didn’t have enough manpower to mount any sort of resistance. The head branch in Seoul sent me all the way here to clean up the mess and rescue their eldest daughter.”

 

“I’m sorry unnie...I can’t imagine...”

 

Kaeun shakes her head, as if to physically shake the mental image out of her head. “It was a bloodbath. It turned into something that keeps me awake at night until today. I killed so many people that night. There was...the walls were painted with blood. I killed the people that needed to be killed, and Chaeyeon fled soon after to avoid being punished for her foolishness. I was chosen to take over her position. I woke up the next day to a new job position and a new nickname.”

 

Kaeun finished with a dry smile, one that Sakura failed to replicate on her own face. So that was Kaeun’s relationship with Chaeyeon. That explains why the psychotic kidnapper was so obsessed with taking down Kaeun. The Reaper had essentially cleaned up her mess and made a fool of her in front of the entire criminal world.

 

It was actually a surprise to Sakura just how easy it was to dispatch of Chaeyeon the night before, if the stories relating to the former Enforcer were true. Chaeyeon sounded like a big deal, but she was taken down in the middle of one of her “evil villain” speeches.

 

Chaeyeon was impressive, but for Kaeun to come in and singlehandedly shift the tides of a losing battle...

 

Just how powerful was Lee Kaeun?

 

“That...must have been a lot harder than you make it out to be.” Sakura says, laughing weakly as Kaeun shrugged again.

 

“On the bright side, I killed so many people that day that nobody else has dared to try and attack us here. It’s been quite peaceful.”

 

Kaeun has a very weird definition of peaceful. Sakura had just gotten kidnapped last night. That didn’t seem even remotely peaceful to the Business Administration student.

 

“How did you get so good at it? Killing people? I don’t think I could ever...”

 

“Don’t you think that’s perfectly normal? Being unable to take a life? That’s how normal humans should act. Not like us. We are not good people, Sakura.”

 

There was something in the way Kaeun said that. She didn’t sound too proud of the fact, and Sakura received the impression that what had left Kaeun’s lips was more of a reminder to herself than for Sakura to take note.

 

“....I think you’re not too bad, unnie. You did save me a few times afterall.”

 

The corners of Kaeun’s lips curved into a thin smile, akin to a smirk but lacking the mischief required.

 

“...Maybe I just haven’t killed you yet.”

 

Sakura leaned forward, calling Kaeun on her veiled threat. “You promised you wouldn’t kill me.”

 

“And what makes you think I would honour such a feeble promise?”

 

“Because if you do, you’d never be able to taste the coffee I make any more.”

 

Kaeun laughed openly at the response, clearly not expecting it. Sakura herself couldn’t help but snigger along as a result. “...That would be a crime, wouldn’t it?”

 

Sakura nodded and grinned. This time, the ensuing silence was far from awkward. It felt warm and full, as if it was a silence shared between two people completely comfortable with each other.

 

“Are you not scared, Miyawaki Sakura? You’re in absolutely unfamiliar territory, surrounded by drug-dealers and murderers after having been kidnapped by a lunatic with a gun.”

 

Sakura admits she’s actually managed to forget that there were other people in the hall with them. For a brief, blissful moment the world only consisted of her and Kaeun and if Sakura was being completely honest that didn’t sound like a bad world to be living in. 

 

“I’m not scared, I’m terrified.”

 

“You’re wise.” Kaeun noted, grey eyes curving into crescents as she smiles widely at Sakura. 

 

“You’re also very pretty.”

 

Sakura’s head snaps in the direction of this new voice that’s somehow managed to startle her out of this moment she was having with Kaeun. Was it a moment? Was it a one-sided moment? Did Kaeun feel it too? 

 

Anyways, Yunjin ruined the moment with the interruption, and Sakura was trying her hardest to not let her frustration show.

 

“Go ahead unnie. Tell her how pretty she is. I’m rooting for you!” Yunjin insisted, nudging a visibly annoyed Kaeun with an elbow.

 

The older woman however, had no qualms with letting her annoyance be known.

 

“Someone left the window open. A mosquito flew in.” Kaeun grumbles, and Yunjin looks around the room in feigned confusion.

 

“We’re on the 10th floor unnie! Mosquitoes can’t fly this high!”

 

“...And yet, here you are.” Kaeun mumbles before standing up and turning to leave.

 

“Awww where are you going~?” Yunjin whined in a gratingly adorable voice but Kaeun continued walking away, not even bothering to turn around as she waved her protégé off.

 

“Smoke break. Look after her for a minute runt.”

 

Sakura watches as Kaeun makes her way towards a glassed-off corner of the dining hall, eyeing the older woman curiously as she fished through her pockets for her carton of cigarettes. The Reaper pulls out a stick, and she didn’t even need to bother with a lighter as three other men who were in the smoking area with her rushed to light up her cigarette. Sakura watches as Kaeun nods politely at them, watches as all three of them bow deeply at her at nearly 90 degrees...

 

Respect.

 

Lee Kaeun commands respect from all of these people. It was amazing to Sakura, how an important figure like that would risk her life and go out of her way to save a nobody like her.

 

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she Kkura-unnie? Like a piece of art that belongs in a museum.”

 

Yunjin startles Sakura out of her thoughts for the second time in the span of a few minutes, and it was only then did the Japanese girl realise she had been basically ogling the organization’s Head Enforcer from across the dining hall. The knowing look Yunjin throws at her makes her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

 

“She is.” Sakura admits despite herself. Beautiful...Beautiful didn’t quite describe it. Sakura would say that Kaeun was majestic, but that sounded like she was talking about a horse or something of the like.

 

No...Kaeun was more than beautiful. Practically regal, in everything she does. Sakura decides that she’s probably not intelligent enough to come up with the right set of words to adequately attach to Lee Kaeun, but maybe one day. Maybe one day it will come to her.

 

“She likes you, y’know?”

 

Sakura’s head whips to face Yunjin so fast she swears she heard something snap. “Wha—Did she tell you that?!”

 

Yunjin grins cheekily in return, flashing teeth that seemed too white to belong to a mafia member. The Red Roses must have a brilliant dental plan. Maybe Sakura should really shake off the grimy, shady mental image that she had of people in the mafia.

 

“She didn’t have to say anything. Didn’t you see? She couldn’t stop smiling while she was talking to you. Lee Kaeun almost NEVER smiles!”

 

“Was that considered a lot of smiling...?” Sakura wonders out loud, genuinely curious.

 

“You have to spend time around her to get used to it. You’ll see the differences.”

 

Sakura assumes that to be true, and to be fairly honest she isn’t opposed to the idea of spending more time with Kaeun. She isn’t opposed to that idea one bit.

 

“She protects us. It’s hard on her, but she never shows it.” Yunjin says, following Sakura’s gaze across the dining hall.

 

“How so?”

 

“The police don’t come for us because they’re afraid of her. Government officials enlist her services for assassination jobs and in return they turn a blind eye to us. Rival gangs don’t even come near us out of fear for her. They could bring an army, but we have the Reaper. It’s a burden she carries alone.”

 

From the sounds of it, the entire foundation of this organization—the very structure of how the Red Roses operates—was heavily dependent on Kaeun. Everything was resting on the Reaper’s shoulders, and with that much pressure Sakura really can’t blame Kaeun for taking up smoking as a stress reliever. Heck if it were Sakura she wouldn’t even know what to do to cope with all that stress and pressure.

 

“...She’s still so young.” Sakura says, part in awe, part in disbelief.

 

“Age is just a number, Kkura-unnie. So is a bodycount. It all doesn’t matter after awhile.”

 

Sakura would argue that the numbers do matter for at least ONE of those things, Sakura won’t point out which one of the two she’s referring to but if one were to chance a guess it shouldn’t be too difficult.

 

“Could you tell me Yunjin-ssi, just what does she mean by ‘protecting’ me? Exactly how much blood is going to be spilled because of me...?”

 

Yunjin bites her lip for a moment, scratching her head in contemplation before replying with more enthusiasm than Sakura would consider to be proper given the subject matter.

 

“A lot! I think Kkang-unnie plans to eliminate the entire Black Dahlia!”

 

“The entire...” Sakura repeats, before her brain finally catches up and her entire body recoils in shock and horror. “CAN SHE DO THAT?!”

 

Yunjin shrugs. “Well, yeah I guess. If it’s her, anything is possible. She took out an entire base last night didn’t she? What’s another 5? Or was it 8? I forgot how big the Dahlia are.”

 

“What’s another 5 indeed....” Sakura trails off, not knowing how Kaeun was planning on accomplishing such a feat and not really sure if she wanted to know. She hears stories of how powerful Kaeun is, and last night she even managed to see it firsthand.

 

Still...an entire organization? It sounded ridiculous. Why would she go through all that trouble?

 

As if reading Sakura’s mind (maybe she was a lot more transparent than she thought she was), Yunjin comes in with an explanation to the situation. “She might have told you this, but she feels responsible for the wounds you suffered last night. She probably won’t get a wink of sleep until she fixes the problem.”

 

Sakura shakes her head vigorously in denial. “It’s not her fault though.”

 

“Is it not? Would you even be here today in this situation if she didn’t choose to hole up in your bakery that night? She ruined your life with that decision, Sakura. You were doing alright before.”

 

Sakura stays mum at that, not denying Yunjin’s statement but not agreeing with it either. She sees Kaeun talk to an excitable shorter girl, both taking long drags from the cigarettes they were cradling between their fingers. Kaeun smiles at something the girl says, and Sakura could feel something in her dance and sing upon witnessing such a simple act.

 

No, Kaeun entering her life has turned it upside down and on it’s head, but Sakura wouldn’t exactly say that Kaeun’s ruined it. Not at all.

 

 

 

 

******Bonus Scene******

 

 

“Be quick. I’ll give you 15 minutes.”

 

Sakura nods to Kaeun as she unlocks the door to her house. 

 

It was odd to have so many visitors to her house all at once. To be fair it was really just Kaeun with her currently, but there were about 5 armed Roses hanging out by an ostentatiously loud limosine in her apartment complex’s ground floor. It seemed like overkill, but Eunbi insisted that she was doing all this for Sakura’s own well-being so she really couldn’t complain. She was a wanted figure now, so to speak.

 

Sakura pushes the door open, and smiles upon seeing her cat greeting her by the door. She runs towards Maru-chan, bending down to scoop him up into a crushing hug and bury her face deep into his fluffy belly.

 

Kaeun pushes past her, taking in the Japanese girl’s studio apartment with a grimace on her face.

 

“...make that 5 minutes.”

 

“That isn’t very polite, unnie!” Sakura scoffs while Kaeun just shrugs in indifference.

 

True, her studio apartment was...humble in size. Some would even call it tiny. Sakura calls it comfortable. She had everything she needed at the tip of her fingers, and most of the time she means that quite literally. It was very much possible to wash her hands in the kitchen sink while still lying down in bed. It just required a little extra stretching.

 

“C’mon Maru-chan. We’re going on a little trip.” Sakura cooed as the cat purred in her arms. She places the cat down momentarily to look for his carrier, and to pack her clothes. 15 minutes wasn’t much time at all, especially since she doesn’t even know how long she’ll be gone.

 

“That’s a fat cat.” Kaeun states offhandedly, and Sakura swears she sees Maru-chan glaring at the Reaper, if cats could even glare.

 

“That isn’t very polite, unnie.”

 

Kaeun shrugs. “I’m not really known for my manners.” 

 

Sakura continues rushing around the room, packing as much as she could into her suitcase and making sure nothing essential gets left behind. Undergarments? Check. Socks? Check. Comfortable hoodies? Check. Shampoo? ....Would she even need it?

 

“Unnie, would I need to bring my own shampoo?”

 

“Our headquarters was once a hotel, and we kept the wait staff around.”

 

That statement meant nothing to Sakura. She’s never really stayed in many hotels before. Do hotels normally come equipped with shampoo? Should she just bring some anyways? Deciding that it was much better to be safe than sorry, Sakura dumps an armful of toiletries into her awaiting suitcase and promptly zips it up. Now it was time to pack Maru-chan’s things...

 

“....Sorry for making fun of your cat.” Kaeun says after a moment. Sakura tries not to chuckle out loud as she wonders what brought about the sudden apology. 

 

Did the Reaper’s conscience get pricked?

 

“You can say sorry to Maru-chan, not me.” Sakura directs, finally finding Maru-chan’s cat carrier underneath a stack of manga. Sakura stops to ponder for a moment how was she going to bring all this cat food and kitty litter with her while Kaeun bends down to talk to her grumpy furball of a cat.

 

“Sorry, cat.” Kaeun says curtly, and Maru-chan gives a disinterested nod in return. The older woman reaches out to lightly scratch the underside of Maru-chan’s fat chin, and the cat immediately begins purring.

 

Sakura wanted to squeal. It was the most adorable sight she’s ever seen in her 20 years of living. Two Tsundere’s getting along together. She didn’t know if she wanted to hug her cat more or Kaeun.

 

“....You are pretty fat though.”

 

And the image is ruined with Kaeun’s unnecessary remark, as Maru-chan somehow understood what the Reaper said and began to nibble at Kaeun’s hand in retaliation. The taller girl yelped and began poking Maru-chan’s forehead in revenge, which started a tiny scuffle between Reaper and cat in Sakura’s cramped entryway.

 

“Please don’t harass my cat, unnie.”

 

Kaeun looks up, and sees Sakura standing there looking at her with her bags all packed, all ready to go.

 

“You done?”

 

“Yeah. Could you help me with Maru-chan?”

 

Sakura hands Kaeun the cat carrier, and the Reaper shrugs before unceremoniously picking the cat up and tossing it into the carrier in a fit of hisses and growls. Sakura should probably chastise the mistreatment of her cat, but Maru-chan has been a little anyways so maybe she somehow deserved it.

 

“Ready to go?” Kaeun asked, holding the door open for her with one hand while the other carried Maru-chan.

 

Sakura wasn’t sure how long she would be gone from this house of hers. She’s never ever been on a long holiday. She’s never had the money to, and this felt like an adventure. Despite the danger her life was in, (she literally had EVERY gang that calls themselves a rival of the Red Roses after her head) Sakura really couldn’t deny that this was the most exciting thing to have ever happened to her mundane life.

 

Sakura nods, and Kaeun steps aside to allow enough room for Sakura to slip past with her large suitcase and duffel bags. She’s rarely traveled, so she didn’t really know how to pack for trips.

 

Somehow...

 

Somehow Sakura could feel as if the next time she comes back to this house, her life would be vastly different than when she left it.

 

 

____________________________________________

 

Long footnotes!

 

Well, I’ll be completely honest in saying that this wasn’t my favourite chapter to write. There’s a lot of talking in this one, but it was essentially and unavoidable for the story. I hope all of you enjoyed reading it though. I’ll try to include more action and stuff in the next chapter!

 

This chapter honestly took longer than I expected to edit. I had to go on a tonne of business trips halfway through it and I just didn’t have the time. I swear the fic is getting better though, so I try to write it whenever I get the time to! Most I can do is commit to a bi-weekly schedule. I usually try to get it uploaded over the weekend so that it’ll give you guys time to read it but I’m just...so busy.

 

As for this chapter!

 

1) Sakura meets Hyewon, and Hyewon is formally introduced into the fic. In my head, Hyewon is a weird person. Like, she’s not weird weird, but her thought processes aren’t the same as everyone else’s, so she does weird things. It adds to her charm. Sometimes it’s cute, sometimes it turns a hospital bed into a swimming pool.

 

2) Sakura’s fate with the Red Roses is revealed! So she has to stay in the Red Roses’ hotel/headquarters for awhile. How long is awhile? Frankly even I’m not sure. I’m bad with the concept of time, but she’ll have to go back to uni someday, right? Can’t have her missing her classes....

 

3) Kaeun’s relationship with Chaeyeon is revealed! The entire backstory behind Chaeyeon’s disdain for Kaeun is explained. It’s basically the case of somebody coming in and doing your job better than you, resulting in you getting fired. It’s also the origin of the Reaper’s nickname. 

 

4) Sakura falls deeper and deeper for Kaeun! I try to make it seem natural. Gradual and slow. I made Sakura fall for the Reaper’s reverse-charms, but in this chapter I wanted to make Sakura fall for Lee Kaeun herself. This was the longest conversation they’ve had with each other to date, and I think I managed to add smidgens of mutual attraction in their interactions.

 

Just how strong is the Reaper? It’s a question I wanted to explore throughout this whole fic. There will be moments when Kaeun displays an insane and inhuman amount of strength, but that is only to further make her moments of weakness appear that much more prominent. I’m enjoying writing the Reaper so far.

 

Thank you so much for reading and for patiently waiting for this fic to be updated. Life is getting crazier but I promise I’ll ALWAYS come back to this fic. It’s my happy place!

 

And a BIG THANK YOU to all the upvotes I got during the last chapter! It’s the most I’ve ever gotten on a single chapter for this fic so far! Shoutouts to JMagayanes, djlover_sone, Agnes021, Mypinkboo, BigDinosaur, blueblueglassmoon, sageegg, Phibster12, duffy29 and buddy_molly!! I'm so, SO grateful!

 

Also, just because I don’t know where else I can share this information and have it be appreciated for the greatness that it is: I’ve been building a kpop corner in my house and it’s turning out great! I’m really proud of it!

 

Here’s some pics! 

I have a wall of autographed promo albums, about 300+ normal albums, and a few IU related things hahahaha! Oh and peep the pink Produce 101 jersey! A Class 4lyfeee! Next step is to get a TV that will play nothing but kpop MV’s and mount it on the walls maybe...but that's a lot of money...which means I have to hustle even harder! I’m a 26 year old male with a full beard on my face and that isn’t the usual image you associate with kpop fans so I’m kiiinda quiet about my love for kpop in public. I do have a twitter tho. Feel free to remind me of my horrible updating schedule on there. It usually helps guilt-trip me into writing!