007.

               One thing that made Jieun and Jongin got along so well is both of them are field worker. They get down to business by setting their foot right on its (literal) ground. Both are the best schemer Father could ever have. They are the most valuable asset when it comes to demolishing threats and blocks. They would always be in the front line of the plan. They weren’t always the ones who clicks the gun, but they were always there to make sure that the bullet got into their heads just fine. But there were certain times that they have to be the one to shoot the bullet in order to pass the message.

               This is that time.

               Jongin and Jieun settled on snapping the Huang by passing a sudden and quick blow to their most valuable building. The building was located in the most strategic building complex in Gangnam. The building was actually a gift from Father to commemorate their first cooperation on their business in Gangnam. So, Jieun thought it would be such an irony to blow this building apart but Jongin couldn’t careless except that it would make the Huang loss millions of dollars. So, here they are, leaning on the car as they watch people rushing out from the building because a big fire started on the top floor.

               The windows were shattering apart as the fire got bigger. Black furry fumes converged on top of the building. The workers were frantic as the burn started to sting their eyes. The loud explosion of burnt electricity were heard. The building slowly and painfully came to its end and everyone knew. As the fire swiftly trailed to the first floor, everyone started to scatter and run into a safe distance.

               Jieun nudged Jongin on his arm as a man stood out from the running crowd. He wore a nice clean suit with nicely combed hair. He looked confused and scared—which is good for Jieun because she liked to deal with losers. Jongin held his gun that was hiden on his back holster and unlocked it. They walked towards the man and when they were close enough, Jieun pulled his back hair.

               The man shouted in pain as Jieun kept his head in control. Jieun turned his head to Jongin and Jongin could see his eyes quivered like a lost duck. He made sure that the man looked into his eyes. Jieun whispered to him, “Look down.”

As his eyes shifted down, he started to tremble when he saw Jongin slowly putting the silencer on his gun. Then, he shoved the assembled gun on his stomach. Jongin could hear his heavy breaths in the midst of sirens, clacking electricity, and the cries. Jongin leaned in to make sure he talked right on his ear.

               “You’ll be spared today, but only to deliver my message to your lord,” Jongin pressed his gun harder. “Tell him that Father does not condone your act of terrorism and will do any coercive actions to keep your conscience in check. Don’t reduce or requote me. Tell him the exact word as I did to you.”

               The man freezed in fear. Jongin waited for his response, poking his stomach with the gun. The man immediately nodded and cracked a ‘yes’. When Jongin had made sure that he got the message, Jongin leaned back and shoot the man’s feet with no hesitation. The man cried in pain and slumped on the ground. But the Kims stayed on their ground, looking at the man.

               “Oh, don’t be such a ,” Jieun bumped her feet with his injured feet—which replied with a loud cry. “I’ve been shot there and Chinese medicine is still more bitter.”

               Jongin saw a fire truck around the corner of the street. It was their sign to go. So, they paced fast to their car and jumped in. Tian instictively stepped on the gas, getting them out from the crime scene. The car went by the burning building as if it was a painting. The sirens of fire trucks rode pass them like a lullaby. Jieun laughed as she looked at her burning masterpiece. At last, Jongin could feel satisfaction building inside him and the rest of the world seemed ablur.

               Jongin suddenly remembered something. He told Tian, “Don’t forget to drop by the boba tea store.”

***

               Naeun was waiting for Jongin and Jieun in the front porch of Father’s house. Since she was able to walk on her own, she insisted on keeping up with Jongin’s schedule. She didn’t like to be alone in his apartment. It was too quiet for her liking, so she decided to tag along even though she could only wait for Jongin in Father’s house. It was merrier with people walking back and forth with guns in their side holster and several caretakers who greet her when she walked pass by.

               She didn’t like when she has to meet Father or Alan though. They had this strong impression up to make the opposite shrunk in place. They hardly went out from the office, but she had to meet him twice a day to do weekly update. They never directly rejected her presence, but everytime Naeun was in the same room as them, she felt like there was this invisible barrier between them and Naeun.

               They felt untouchable.

               Naeun felt fragile.

               A voice settled in her ears, “Is this seat taken?”

               Naeun whipped her head, only to find a young woman with cigarettes box in hands. She never saw her before, but she knew she was important by looking at her appearance. First, she looked foreign for Koreans but she was still definitely still Asian. Second, she looked pretty. Third, The way she dresses herself seemed expensive with flawless makeup on her face. She was too tidy for someone that takes order for Alan. The least presumption Naeun could have is she’s the direct blood of the Kims.

               Naeun let her take the seat. She sat comfortably next to her as she opened her cigar box. She took her time by offering Naeun a cigarette in which she kindly refused. Then, she took her lighter out and lit the cigarette effortlessly. Naeun tried to avert eye contact. There was an awkward tension between them—or at least for Naeun. She hoped inside of her heart that the lady wouldn’t plan on exchanging any conversation because she was too intimidated by her presence.

               She huffed her cigarette a few times before she talked, “I assume you’re the infamous Han Naeun?”

               Naeun cursed herself. She replied, “I think so…”

               “How are you doing? I heard you almost got blown up.” She retold her nightmare so easily that Naeun almost winced.

               “Just recovering, ma’am.”

               She laughed when she heard the last part, “What’s with the sudden formality?”

               “Then, how you’d like to be addressed, ma’am?”

               “Erika. Just Erika.”

               Naeun was enough to know that Erika Kim is Suho’s Japanese betrothed. She was the wife of the first heir of Kim Corporation. Jongin’s sister in law. And has direct family relation on one of the leaders of the Yakuza. She was single-handedly the second most untouchable person after Father.

               Naeun never had the chance to meet her—until now—but she heard the caretakers brag about her beauty and her relation towards the Yakuza in Japan. A few of Jongin’s documents also mentioned her name and Suho for several ownership issues. She was definitely familiar with the name, but now that the real person is sitting next to her, she felt terrible for herself.

               Erika smiled as she waited for Naeun response that never came, “I assume they talk about me.”

               “No. No. It’s nice to meet you.” Naeun tried her best to help herself.

               Erika puffed and the smoke evaporated right in front of her. She stayed silent, enjoying the pause between them. Naeun felt weird. She wanted to walk away, but it didn’t seem appropriate. So, she just tried to look at her by trying to find something fun to look at. But none to her luck, she just looked like an idiot.

               Erika noticed the weird tension that Naeun created for no reason. She said, “You reminded me when I just got to Korea.”

               “I-I’m sorry. I’m just an awkward person.” Naeun felt bad.

               “That’s okay. You’re just not used being a part of them—not that you will ever be.” She puffed another smoke.

                Naeun thought the remark was for Erika herself so she replied, “No. You look perfect, Erika.”

               “I miss wearing Kimono,” She told her. “I used to wear Kimono to go to meetings, but now I can’t dress like that.”

               “You must be missing Japan a lot.”

               “Bet,” She puffed the cigarette and huffed the smoke through the nose. “How about you?”

               The question caught her off, “Uh—me?”

               “Yeah, you. You must be missing your life before all of this,”—she wavered her hands, motioning something big midair— “happens.”

               Then, it struck her. She hadn’t really thought about herself. She didn’t even notice that she once had a completely normal life: part-time jobs, friends, blind dates, and college. She forgot that she had to work multiple jobs while doing college to pay her rent and her father’s medical bills. She forgot she ever hated her father for being too ill to wake up. She forgot that she was once normal.

               She forgot about herself.

               These past few months, she had been shifting her concentration on her job as a secretary and trying not to get killed. She remembered Jongin’s words the first night she came. She remembered the threat he made when she snapped at him. She recalled the words easily in mind. Sometimes, when she almost slipped into insanity, she remembered his threat and believed him. He made sure that she belonged to him.

               It made her forget that she belonged to herself.

               Erika only managed a bitter smile, “No guns, explosions, or death threats. You have lived a good life, Naeun.”

               Naeun blinked the tears away by looking at the ceiling. Then, after a moment, she answered, “I guess I did.”

               Erika smiled as she watched a black car pulling up to the porch. Naeun thought that it looked rather cunning, but she felt a hint of sincerity beneath those smile lines. Then, she turned her head on Naeun, “You’re cute, Naeun. I might keep you for a while.”

               Naeun didn’t have time to question her remark because the black car parked right in front of them and Jieun got out. Erika glanced at Naeun for the briefest time before she walked inside the house, leaving Naeun alone with Jieun’s perplexed expression.

               “You’re close with Erika?” She asked as she hugged Naeun.

               “Uh—no. We just met.” Naeun tried to shrug Erika’s words in her mind.

               She whispered in a bitter tone, “She’s weird. We don’t vibe.”

               Naeun nodded her statement away. She watched as Jongin got out from the car with a plastic cup in hand. When he was in front of Naeun, he extended the plastic cup on her. Naeun looked at the cup and Jongin back and forth, definitely confused of his goal.

               After a while, he sounded like he was questioning himself, “Jieun told me that you wanted a milk boba? Is that correct? A milk boba?”

               She was caught off guard, “Yes, sir. Thank you.”

               Naeun took the plastic cup from his hand and muttered a thank you. Jongin answered with a fast pacing into the house. Jieun laughed after watching her cousin weird behavior.

               As far as Jieun could tell, Jongin had managed to transform himself into a softer version of Jongin. It wasn’t necessarily that soft, but she acknowledged his effort. Through weeks of Naeun recovery, Jongin managed to come home quicker and helped Jieun. If she tried to think logically, Jongin decided to help Naeun because he was overwhelmed with the task and needed Naeun’s help as quick as he could (which is partly true). But she had known Jongin for such a long time to able to say that Jongin did it out of sincerity.

               She liked this version of Jongin.

               Jieun and Naeun walked inside the house and went into the second floor where Father’s work room resided. The work room was specifically hard to get into. The only ones who can go back and forth to his room was the direct family of Kim and Alan. Secretaries and gunmen would only be allowed into the room if they are deemed necessary for their presence. Other than that, the room cannot be walked into. There were also two gunmen guarding the door. So, when Naeun tried to walk into the room with Jieun, the gunmen stopped Naeun from coming.

               Jieun looked at Naeun, disappointed, but she said, “Save half the boba tea for me.”

               Then, the door swung closed and Naeun was once again left alone. She usually sat at the designated chair on the hall and waited for them. She never got impatient to wait for Jongin because it was one of her duty as his secretary. But today felt like her body grew tired of waiting. Her feet fidgeted continuously as she waited in that chair. She kept thinking about her college life: the late-night studies and the night outs. She vividly remembered how fun it was. Her friends would dragged her into a food tent and they would talk over soju and the late-night snacks.

               She remembered her memories with her dad in a continuous loop. She remembered he pushed her tricycle. She remembered how he would hug her every time she went to sleep. She remembered the first time he fell down in the bathroom and went unconscious. Little Naeun was the one who called the paramedics. She thought that he will be okay for the next following days, but little Naeun realized that her dad was painfully ill and he had to do treatments—painful treatments—to help him get better.

               Then, the memory jumped to when her dad decided to never regain conscious. His heart was beating, but doctors couldn’t find anything useful to make her dad opened his eyes. So, they recommended that her dad should stay there with expensive machines to keep him alive. Naeun agreed, but she struggled to find enough money.

               When Naeun shrugged off her memories, she found herself riding the black car on 130 mph and going straight to where her dad was.

***

               “Sir, the new girl escaped with a car.”

               Jongin was explaining his next move for the Huang family when the news broke out. The room went into a complete silence. Everyone, including Alan, was too shocked to continue the discussion. Jieun stood up so fast and Jongin looked at the gunman in disgust, denying everything. Erika looked intrigued and Suho didn’t look surprise. There was a brief tension in the air before finally everyone realized what has happened.

               “I guess this means new secretary for you, Jongin.” Suho said.

               Jongin almost banged his head against the wall but he managed to kept her calm and turned to Father, “Let me take care of this, Father.”

               “Yes, Father, let us take the responsibility of taking her back.” Jieun almost immediately added.

               Suho slumped back to his seat, ignoring the whole discussion because he didn’t care. Instead, he Erika’s hair and watched the argument to unravel. Erika did the same, simply because she could care less about the Kims personal conflict.

               Father looked at Alan. Alan took the stare as his mark. He beckoned at the gunman, “Please take care—”

               Jongin walked closer to his table, practically begging, “Father, please, let me help Alan to bring her back.”

               He only shrugged, “This is Alan’s territory of power.”

               Jongin turned to Alan. His voice turned firm, “Alan, let me be the one who put the bullet in her head if she ever refuses to cooperate.”

                Jieun went cold when she heard his words. She couldn’t even move a finger. Alan looked at both of them, contemplating. He shifted his eyes back and forth on the two of them for a while before he asked the gunman, “Do you check the car GPS?”

               The gunman immediately replied, “Yes, sir, it is currently heading straight to a certain hospital.”

               Alan almost laughed when he heard the answer. The girl brought up such a trivial problem to conduct a violation on their agreement. He had to laugh, but Jongin and Jieun seemed like they will not hesitate to bang his head on the ground if he ever laughed so he swallowed it. He sighed in defeat, “Very well. But I’m coming with you.”

***

               The room was awfully quiet with only repeating beeping sound of his heart machine. The lights were off because it was the hospital policy to turn the lights off when night came. Only the lights from the hallway trickle through the room, dimming a narrow space near the door. Naeun had already sat on a chair next to the bed. Naeun held her dad’s hand as her head rest on the matress.

               “Papa,” She said. “Did you miss me?”

               His dad showed no reply.

               “I’m sorry I didn’t get to look after you for these past months, but I hope you’re doing well. I miss you though,” Her voice almost cracked. “So, can you move your fingers for me if you miss me?”

               He didn’t move.

               “Well, a lot to talk about, but I found a way to keep you alive. I got a new job as a secretary. It’s fascinating, but suffocating. I miss my life,” She talked. “I miss my boring life with you.”

               “I did this because of you,” She continued. “I hope you regret for being a bad Papa.”

               He showed no remorse.

               There were urgent steps outside the room. But when Naeun stood, the steps came into a halt. Jongin came to her vision. He stood right on the dimmed space. He looked calm and collected, but Naeun knew enough to know that he used it this facade when he went to work. She was smart enough to know that Jongin came here to bid a negotiation. She knew she was in a deep trouble but she felt numb. She felt her legs floating and her fingers tingled.

               “Naeun,” He took small steps inside. “What are you doing here?”

               Every step that he made, Naeun stepped back. She answered, “I miss Papa.”

               “You could've told me. I would've helped you, Naeun.”

               There was a pause before she fired the question, “Are you here to kill me?”

               “I don’t have to.”

               “Are they here to kill me?” She beckoned at the hallway.

               Jongin shook his head, “I hope not.”

               “What did you exactly hope, Jongin?” Her voice trembled when she reached the last part. There was uncertainty in her tone.

               Jongin stopped when he heard his name. He contemplated his answer, “I hope that you and I could get out here alive.”

               “That’s not what you said the first night we saw each other.” She snapped.

               “I—”

               She didn't let him finish. She didn't need too, because the words that he had left for her bore a significant memory in the forefront of her mind. "You said that you’ll not hesitate to kill me when you see me go rogue.”

               “I don’t see a traitor in front of my eyes,” Jongin said. His voice lingered like a chamomile tea in the morning. “I see someone who misses her dad.”

               He beckoned at where her dad rested. Naeun looked at her dad. His relaxed posture and calm expression made her realize what she just did. Her fingers trembled great and her body started to shake. Her eyes welled up with tears. She knew she was afraid that she’d looked like her dad. She thought that dying next to him wasn’t gonna be scary because they’d be dead together anyway. But, now, the thought of death petrified her. It came to her that she didn’t want to be lifeless yet.

               Jongin walked and hugged her. He her back, waiting for her to calm down. He heard her whispered in a trembled voice, “I’m going to die, am I?”

               “No.”

               “I didn’t mean to escape. I—uh—I didn’t mean to be a traitor. I—I’m not—” Her words were scrambled everywhere but Jongin stood by his ground and pulled Naeun against him, her back gently. Her tears dampened his dark shirt, his favorite shirt and he didn't seem to mind because he held her tight. The arms her back, then her hair had left a prickling sensation that shouldn't arise in the first place. Naeun found herself follow the sound of Jongin’s calm breaths and began to regain control of her own emotions.

               Jongin broke the hug and she almost pulled herself against him again. The comfort he built upon her left her as quickly as his touch. , only to put both of his hands on her cheeks. Their faces were inches apart, but it was comforting. Naeun stared at Jongin. And she realized that the color of his eyes were misunderstood. It wasn't a deep black, but rather a shade of dark-brown—too dark, it almost seemed black—with a reflecting gleam of solicitude. Then, he whispered, “It’s not gonna be easy when we step out there, but I’ll be here.”

               Naeun nodded.

               “I won’t let you die.” He meant it and she knew.

               Naeun put her forehead against Jongin’s. Her entire energy was drained from the explosion that she had. Jongin let her. He knew that she was exhausted from the heavy breaths she pulled.

               They stayed still for a moment, embracing the comfortable silence that they won’t get for a long time. Jongin’s breath intertwined with Naeun’s but they felt a wave of comfort hearing one inhale responding to another inhale until it became a unison. Jongin waited for Naeun to be completely calm before he asked, “Are you ready?”

               She let out one heavy breath and eventually nodded.

               Jongin took her hand and both of them walked out of the room, revealing five gunmen with their guns ready to fire. Alan stood in the middle of them, beckoning them to put their guns down. He walked closer to them, intending to handcuff Naeun like any regular disciplinary action in the handbook. But as soon as he noticed the intertwining hands, Alan slid the handcuff back to his back pocket. He looked firmly at Naeun, “Han Naeun. As you just violated one of our terms, you’ll be put in disciplinary action.”

               Naeun realized a new bizarre thing when Alan spoke those words. It supposed to be scary—or at least, she supposed to be scared. But, it felt like his words mean less than nothing when she held Jongin’s hands.