The members of After School, now including Jooyeon, sit in a circle in Jungah and Jooyeon's room. Jooyeon looks up at Joonwook, who is leaning against the doorway. He looks at her with a smile.

"I'll be in the living room. I'll be on the lookout just in case," Joonwook says. Jooyeon nods as her friend leaves her alone with her members. She scans across the room, noticing how everyone's eyes are on her. Her heart thuds in her chest when she meets Nana's eyes, who took her place to the right of Jooyeon, for a split second, but long enough to notice and feel Nana's curiosity.

Jooyeon lets out a sigh before beginning. "This is going to be a long story. First off, I want to let you guys know that I'm part of an underground organization called The Hunters. We're basically trained bounty hunters but there are some that call themselves vigilantes as well. The Hunters was founded by my father and his old friend and partner, Haesuk, about 23 years ago."

At the mention of Jooyeon's father, Kahi, Jungah, Bekah, and Nana shoot quick glances at each other. Jooyeon notices but doesn't say anything and continues on with her story.

"The Hunters aren't part of the police force, but they do give us a list of wanted people who are serious drug dealers, people trying to be merchants of death, bank robbers or anyone else who causes problems. When we catch someone, Haesuk is the only one who goes to the police and turns the person in and receives the money. Then once he returns to the base, he distributes the reward money among the Hunter staff. Only the police knows that Haesuk is part of the Hunters, everyone else remains anonymous.

"When a Hunter is trying to catch someone, we refer to it as a 'hunt'. When a Hunter is in a middle of a hunt, he or she wears red contacts. It's just a symbol for us."

"So both you and your friend back there are Hunters? And you two were in the middle of these hunts?" Jungah asks as she stares into Jooyeon's red eyes.

"Yes, Joonwook and I are both Hunters. I was in the middle of a hunt while Joonwook finished his earlier and came to assist me," Jooyeon answers.

"You mean you've been part of such a dangerous organization this entire time?!" Kahi exclaims.

Jooyeon shakes her head. "No. I left The Hunters when I was 15. I rejoined The Hunters after I was attacked here in the dorm."

"You were a Hunter that young, Unnie...?" Nana's eyes widen.

(The Past of Jooyeon)

Jooyeon looks at her solemnly and nods. "As I've said, my father was one of the people who founded The Hunters. At that time, he was already married to my mother and I was only about 2 years old, according to Haesuk. He was the top Hunter, or as we say, the Ace Hunter. Surprisingly, my mother was okay that my father was doing such a dangerous job but my father did have a strong sense of justice, in his own way, I guess my mother loved him enough to support him. I think it was around when I was 7 years old I started to understand that my father's life could end any day.

"Fast forwarding to my life when I was 10 years old, my father survived a dangerous hunt involving the smuggling of weapons. Apparently, my father took the life of the gang leader who was in charge of the smuggling. The problem was that in the building where my father and his group of Hunters were, there were no signs of any smuggling activity. My father found a key inside the leader's coat and deduced that the weapons they had were located somewhere else and decided to search for the location in a few days. After Haesuk turned in the body to the police, my father came home much to my mother's joy, as well as mine."

Jooyeon grabs of the hem of her shirt with both hands and grips it so tightly her knuckles turn white. "This is where my life turns for the worst. You see, the leader had a second-in-command who was out that day when their hideout was infiltrated by The Hunters. His name is Jisoon. I don't know, even to this day... but he managed to find out where my family lived."

The members of After School gasp, afraid of what was about to be told, anxiety clawing at their stomachs.

"One afternoon, my father was home. I was reading out loud to my parents in the library room of our house. Suddenly, we heard a large crash coming from the living room. Our house resided on top of a hill among the forest so we didn't have any neighbors. My father immediately took out his gun, while I ran over to my mother and stayed in a corner of the room. Jisoon suddenly appeared in the doorway and he and my father began shooting at each other. Everyone happened so fast... The sound of gunshots continued to rang in my ears. Then suddenly...

... my father got shot in the heart and died instantly."

Jooyeon looks down at the floor, unable to look up because she doesn't want to see the aghast faces of her friends. Her voice begins to quiver and her breathing becomes short. Talking about her past like this is as if she is reliving the experience all over again. But Jooyeon doesn't stop her story. She cannot stop her story when she has come to this point.

"Jisoon grabs the key that my father took from his boss from my father and steps over his body and advances towards my mother and I. I was sobbing uncontrollably as he approached. He pointed his gun at us." Jooyeon pauses momentarily while her body begins to shake. "My mother got between us and Jisoon shot her twice. I remember feeling some of my mother's blood splatter on my face as I watch her body fall to the floor, feeling my eyes widening with horror on their own. At that point, I couldn't move, I couldn't speak... All I was able to do was silently cry and tremble as I look into the cold, merciless eyes of Jisoon as he points his gun at me... Lucky for me, Jisoon's gun ran out of bullets. He even grabbed the gun from my father's body but it was empty as well. In the end, Jisoon decided to let me live, saying that I'm not worth his time before he left. I guess I passed out after that because the next thing I remember was Haesuk shaking me desperately. The harsh reality crashed down on me again when I saw the lifeless bodies of my parents..."

Jooyeon squeezes her eyes shut, tears already beginning to leak out, and she pounds her fist against the floor angrily. "I was only 10 years old... but I could feel so much anger, so much sorrow, so much hatred forming inside my heart, directed at Jisoon; I wanted to kill him with my own hands. And I know it couldn't be helped, but I hated how I couldn't do anything to help my parents... I just sat there sobbing as I watched the chaos. That's why I demanded that Haesuk train me into becoming a Hunter. I wanted to kill Jisoon with my own hands more than anything." Jooyeon stops speaking for a moment to let the first half of her story sink into everyone's minds.

The spite in Jooyeon's tone scares Nana. Glancing at the shocked expression of her fellow members, Nana could only imagine her own. This isn't the Jooyeon Nana knows; it's as if the girl sitting next to her is a completely different person and she fears the cold air around Jooyeon. Despite this, Nana wishes to wrap her arms around the older girl. Nana knows that underneath all those dark emotions is the gentle, fragile Jooyeon she loves. Instead, Nana rests her hand on Jooyeon's knee, the skin with her thumb as a silent way of trying to comfort the older girl. Jooyeon looks up at Nana and smiles slightly, her anger slowly subsiding.

Few minutes pass and Kahi is the first to speak. "Jooyeon I..." The leader pauses, trying to properly convey what she feels into words. "I... I can't believe something so horrible happened to you. As the leader and your friend, I want to comfort you but I don't know what to do other than say I'm sorry..."

"I understand, Kahi unnie. Thank you," Jooyeon says softly.

"Jooyeon-ah... There's more to your story isn't there," Jungah says. The statement wasn't a question.

Jooyeon's eyes cloud with nostalgia and pain. "Yes... The second half of my story involves my life as a Hunter."

"We're sorry to have you retell and remember all these painful memories," Lizzy softly apologizes. Everyone else nods in agreement.

"No... Joonwook was right. After talking about my parents death to you guys, my heart feels lighter. All these years I haven't spoken about it, only thinking it in my head. I really should have told you all earlier, but I feared that the knowledge would endanger you all." Jooyeon hangs her head low. "Now look where my decision has put you all... I'm the one who should be sorry."

Nana slips her left hand into Jooyeon's. "Just know you're not alone anymore..."

Jooyeon looks down at Nana's left hand, eyes widening at the ring on her middle finger. "You still have it..." Jooyeon barely whispers, but it was audible enough for only Nana to hear. Her thumb gently brushes over the ring and Nana's skin around the accessory.

"Of course. I know how much this ring means to you because Kahi unnie, Jungah unnie, and Bekah unnie told me while you were gone," Nana says quietly, aware that Jooyeon's gentle cause a strange sensation to course throughout her body.

"Thank you, Nana," Raising her voice so everyone else would hear her, Jooyeon continues her story. "After Haesuk found me, I learned from him the reason why Jisoon was after my father was because he held the key to where the illegal shipment of weapons were at. Haesuk came over to our house to warn us, after discovering new intel on Jisoon's plans... but he was devastated to learn he was too late... A few days later after the death of my parents, Haesuk cremated my parents' bodies. The only thing I kept in remembrance of my parents is the ring you saw me wear often. It's my mother's wedding ring. Right now, Nana is wearing it but I'll explain that after the second half of my tale."

The rest of the members nod, and urge Jooyeon to continue on with their anxious gazes.

Jooyeon takes a breath to gather her thoughts before beginning. "As I've said, Haesuk cremated my parents' bodies and took care of me. After countless days of deep, dark depression, I finally snapped out it. That's when I demanded Haesuk to start training me to become a Hunter. Naturally, Haesuk didn't want to train a 10 year old girl to learn how to fight and wield a gun, but he also understood my desire for revenge because he also wanted Jisoon to pay for what he did to my father. After much persuasion, Haesuk finally agreed to train me. His training sessions were tiring, but soon after I turned 14, I became a full fledged Hunter. Other Hunters jeered and looked down on me because I was young, but their opinions of me changed after my first mission.

"While I was training for those years, Jisoon was trying to find those who were once followers of his former boss to re-establish their gang. He succeeded. Jisoon became a well known and dangerous illegal dealer of weapons. My first mission was to intercept a weapon deal between a group of Jisoon's men and dealers from the black market by myself. Hearing that men working for Jisoon were involved in my first mission really got my blood boiling."

Jooyeon closes her eyes and inhales deeply before exhaling slowly. "There was a dark beast inside me, growling in my mind to kill everyone. Because of the darkness of revenge in my heart I gave into the beast's demands. By the time Haesuk came to the scene to check up on me, he found everyone dead and the stench of blood filled the room. I stood in the middle of the room covered in blood. Worried, Haesuk immediately took me to the Hunter's main doctor, Hyeyoung, but she reported that I wasn't injured at all besides a few scratches and bruises. After that, none of the other Hunters looked down on me and granted me the title of Ace Hunter." Jooyeon opens her eyes but they were clouded with dark memories. "To be honest, I don't really remember all those moments where I go into slaughter mode... It's like that beast inside me takes over my body and mind."

"How many people have you... killed in your life?" Uee quietly asks.

"Most of my killings were when i was 14 and 15 years old. And honestly, I don't even know.. At least 60 people. I've lost count," Jooyeon says with a shrug.

No one could say anything to Jooyeon's statement.

Continuing, Jooyeon says, "As the Ace Hunter, I was recognized for my speed, dodging ability, and my skill in wielding a gun. Everyone respected me and yet at the same time feared me. Usually, I only involved myself with hunts related to Jisoon. Haesuk told me to stop killing off his men or we would never get any intel from them. Yet every time we captured one of Jisoon's henchmen, they would not tell us anything so, out of anger and frustration, I killed them, deeming them useless. I was ruthless..." Jooyeon forms a smile on her face, surprising the members. "But despite all I've done, one of the Hunters reached out to me and tried to get to know me. Her name was... Im Miya."

Everyone's ears perked up at the sound of Nana's surname. Nana looks at Jooyeon with a surprised expression, but Jooyeon avoids Nana's curious gaze and continues on.

"Before I joined the Hunters, she was the youngest Hunter. Much like myself, when she first joined she was criticized by the other Hunters because she was a girl and was 17 at the time she joined. When I joined, Miya turned 19 a few days prior. At first, I didn't want to get close to her because I didn't want to get involved in any attachments. But since I never had a friend before, I eventually let her in and we became friends. Miya was like the unnie I never had. Although I was the stronger fighter, she still looked out for me. She was the only one who could ease my anger and yearning for revenge when she believes I've gone too far.

"A couple of months after I became a Hunter, a 12 year old Joonwook joined to become a Hunter in-training. He was living off the streets because his parents abandoned him. Out of pity, Haesuk found him off the streets as he was turning in a wanted criminal. Most of the other Hunters didn't care for Joonwook, but Miya and I reached out for the little guy. The three of us became close friends because we all shared similar pain and understood each other very well. Next to Haesuk, who was like a father to me, Miya and Joonwook were the most important people in my life back then. They were the only ones that made me really smile. We were like the Three Musketeers; we were inseparable..."

The entire time Nana is listening to the story, something is bothering her. She is afraid of asking but at the same time she wants to know.

"Jooyeon unnie, we've seen Joonwook-sshi... But where is Miya-sshi?" Nana asks hesitantly.

Jooyeon stares into Nana's eyes with sorrowful eyes. "I was getting to that...

"About a year past since I became a Hunter. I turned 15 while Joonwook turned 13 in that time. Miya was still 19 but she would turn 20 in due time. One day, Haesuk brought to the attention of all the Hunter staff that he knew where Jisoon's hideout was. You could only imagine what my face looked like as I heard those words come from his mouth. The beast re-awoken inside me, wanting Jisoon's blood and I couldn't agree with it more. Hatred once again clouded my mind and my heart. Miya voiced out her worries about me, but all I said to her was to focus on the hunt. Since we were about to sabotage Jisoon at his hideout, Haesuk dispatched a total of 10 Hunters, me and Miya included. Our unit swiftly made its way to an abandon district of Seoul where there were rumors of a large warehouse in operation at random times of the night. That was where Jisoon's hideout was. After we surrounded the building, I gave the command to burst inside to take Jisoon and his men by surprise. Gunfire rang in the air followed by countless screams and yells. A lot of it was a blur for me. All I remember was that my eyes were constantly search for Jisoon. In the midst of all the gunshots, I saw Jisoon retreating to a backroom and I quickly ran after him alone..."

Jooyeon clenches her fists and bites down on her lips, eyes clouding with pain as she remembers what happened.

"That was my mistake. As soon as I entered the backroom, I found Jisoon by himself as well as unarmed. I kept my gun pointed at him and yelled spiteful words at him and how he killed my parents. He was shocked that I was the same girl he let live, but soon he let out a twisted laugh. Jisoon told me not to underestimate him..."

Flashback


"You shouldn't underestimate me, kid," Jisoon cockily says.

"I'm more than a match for you!" Jooyeon yells angrily at him. She puts her finger on the trigger but as soon as she does, Jooyeon cries in pain as she suddenly feels something sharp cut the skin on her forearm. Jooyeon drops her arm and grasps the cut on her forearm, feeling the warm blood leaking through wound. Jooyeon looks up at Jisoon and finds a slender woman standing next to Jisoon. The woman has jet-black hair and wore it in a ponytail and she is wearing a tight black leather suit, wielding knives in each hand. Jooyeon silent curses when she realizes one of the knives is stained red with her blood; she was reckless.

Jisoon flashes a smug grin at Jooyeon. "Little Hunter Jooyeon, I'd like you to meet Eunli. She's an assassin I hired to be my bodyguard for the time being. I bet you thought you had me because you saw me unarmed. Your mistake will cost you your life." Jisoon turns to Eunli. "Kill this girl. But do it slowly."

"As you order," Eunli obeys. She frowns as she realizes how young the girl was before her.

"DAMN YOU JISOON!" Jooyeon growls. She points her gun at Eunli and shoots, but the woman swiftly evades the bullet. Jooyeon panics and shoots several more bullets at Eunli, but the older woman is fast. Jooyeon couldn't believe there was someone just as fast as herself.

Eunli catches Jooyeon with her guard down and roughly kicks the gun out of Jooyeon's hand. Jooyeon retracts her hand in pain and puts up her hands in self-defense. Her efforts are all in vain as she is powerless to stop Eunli from continuing to slash at her body. Hand-to-hand combat is Jooyeon's weakness. Jooyeon lets out a grunt of pain every time she feels those cold steel blades cut across her flesh. She loses count at how many cuts she received from the assassin.

Jooyeon is backed up against the wall. From her arms, to her torso, and as well as her legs, Jooyeon's body is bloody from the numerous slashes she has received, blood continuing to slowly flow from each wound. Her skin is painfully on fire. The young Hunter curses under her breath. She is becoming light-headed from the blood loss and it's taking up all her energy just to remain standing against the wall. Her breathing increases and she feels her blood pumping painfully in her ears.

"So this ends your pitiful life," Jisoon remarks. Jooyeon is too exhausted to retort back. "You can kill her now, Eunli. This is what she gets for ruining my plans. When you've killed the girl, meet me outside."

"What about your men in the main room?" Eunli questions.

"Leave them. I can always recruit more men. I must save whatever I have left."

Eunli silently keeps her knife pointed at the wounded Jooyeon as she listens to Jisoon leaving. Eunli frowns at the young girl who was standing a couple meters away. "It really is a shame... Honestly, I don't want to kill you but orders are orders." Eunli prepares a single knife and clutches it with one hand.

Jooyeon's eyes widen in fear. She has come so far, but it was all for naught. Despite this, Jooyeon smiles crookedly through the pain.

'Forgive me Appa... Omma... I couldn't avenge your deaths... I hope God will let me in heaven to be with you both despite all the people I've killed...'

Eunli tightens her grip on the knife. With one leg, she pushes herself into a sprint, the tip of the knife pointed at Jooyeon. Once again, Jooyeon has the feeling of her life flashing before her eyes as Eunli inches closer with each step she took. From Jooyeon's eyes, every thing is is slow motion. Eunli, her breathing, her heartbeat... every thing seems more slow to the younger girl.

But someone appears to cause the flow of time to resume its normal flow.

Jooyeon's eyes widen.

"NO!"

Eunli stares at the girl she's stabbed, mouth slightly parted in surprised. She quickly pulls out the knife from the girl's stomach and steps back to look at the bloody girl.

It wasn't Jooyeon.

"MIYA!!" Jooyeon cries in horror. Miya coughs out blood and rests a hand on her wound where scarlet blood was making its way out. Miya slumps against Jooyeon and onto the floor. Tears form in Jooyeon's eyes as she holds her friend in her arms. "N-No... Miya... Why?"

Miya looks up and smiles, her face stained with drops of blood. "I-I have... to take care of my d-dongsaeng... right?" She coughs again, more blood coming out.

"MIYA!" Jooyeon cries again.

"Joo... Help me sit up..." Miya whispers and eyes towards their right. Jooyeon gently pushes her up while following Miya's eyes. She sees Eunli slowly walking to the door Jisoon left. Using the last of her strength, Miya pulls out her gun shoots 2 bullets at the assassin. Eunli silently screams in pain as the attack surprises her. She falls to the ground with a thud, not moving. The recoil from the gun makes Miya wince in pain and she drops her gun. Jooyeon places a hand behind Miya's head, slowly lowering it until the head was slightly elevated from the ground.
 

(Miya)

More blood is coming out from the wound. Jooyeon pulls out a cloth from her pocket and puts pressure on the wound, fervently praying the bleeding would slow down in order to get help for Miya. Jooyeon is now crying as she looks down at her friend who is now covered in blood. Miya, who usually looked strong and confident, now looked pale and frail. "Miya... I'm going to get you help! I'll get Hyeyoung! J-Just wait here... and hold onto that cloth... You're going to be alright... You're going to be-"

Miya places a hand on Jooyeon's hand that was on the wound, leaving the younger girl speechless. Jooyeon's eyes widen with sadness as she looks into Miya's eyes. Miya smiles again but more weakly. "I'm sorry, Jooyeon... I'm not... going to make it..."

"Shut up! Don't say that!" Jooyeon says angrily with tear-filled eyes. She lowers her head, tears dripping down. "You can't die...! You... You just can't..."

Miya lifts a blood-stained hand and cups Jooyeon's face, covering one side of Jooyeon's face with her blood. "I know you hate Jisoon... for taking away your parents... But don't let your hatred consume you... It hurt me seeing you become a monster... You look better when smile..."

Jooyeon chokes back a sob, unable to respond. Miya a few tears off Jooyeon's cheek with her thumb, her gentle smile never wavering.

"I'm sorry... my little Joo... Thank you for making my life brighter and more worthwhile..."

Miya's hand falls from Jooyeon's cheek, but Jooyeon catches her hand firmly.

"MIYA! No... DON'T DIE!!" Jooyeon cries desperately, but she could already feel the warmth slowly leaving Miya.

"Say... goodbye to... Joonwook for me..."

"MIYA PLEASE...!"

The light in Miya's eyes slowly fades away.

"I love you both..." she whispers. Miya's eyes close as her fire of life burns out.

Jooyeon looks down at Miya's serene face, eyes wide in disbelief. The hand she is holding suddenly becomes painfully cold and lonely. Miya pale gray body is colored by the dark red blood that is beginning to dry up. Jooyeon sits there, simply staring down at her now departed friend, the tears creating a never ending river on her delicate face and making her eyes swollen.

It was just like when she was a child. She was helpless as she watched her parents die at the hands of Jisoon; she couldn't do anything. Yet even now, as a trained Hunter, she couldn't do anything to save Miya, the next person she considered family and her first friend. Jooyeon feels so small.

"Miya..." Jooyeon whispers heavy with emotion, almost inaudibly. She brings Miya's body closer to her and buries her face in Miya's hair. "Don't... Don't leave me..."

Jooyeon's lips quiver as she lets out all her sorrow in one scream.

"MIYAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"


Moments later, a few Hunters enter the backroom after dealing with the rest of Jisoon's men. They find Jooyeon staring at the ceiling with a lifeless expression, tears still rolling down her cheeks and holding Miya's body as if she is still alive.


Jooyeon pauses as she chokes on a sob. Retelling her story brought back all the memories and feelings from the moment, causing Jooyeon to cry. Her story made the other members cry as empathy clutched their hearts like an iron claw. They felt all of Jooyeon's pain and suffering through her words. 

Finding the strength to continue, Jooyeon says, "Every thing ended in failure. I couldn't kill Jisoon and I lost someone dear to me again. After Miya's death, I don't know how many days past. All I remember was the sad eyes of Haesuk and the Hunters and Joonwook crying next to me. Every thing else was a blur. I spent a lot of time alone, reflecting on all the events that happened in my life. In time, I made the hard decision to leave the Hunters. I realized my lust for revenge was what ultimately killed Miya... I carelessly put my life on the line... and Miya got in the way to save me. I also realized if I pursued revenge on both Jisoon and Eunli... I feared that Joonwook would die as well. Haesuk didn't want me to leave but I begged him and told him my reasons. After thinking about my position, Haesuk once again agreed with my demands. We made arrangements and agreements. I would live by myself in an apartment and Haesuk would send me food, water, and anything else I need. I told him that if I needed anything, I would leave a note in my mail box, because once I moved in, I didn't want to see him or anyone part of the Hunters ever again. I wanted to start a new life, not as Hunter Jooyeon, but just as Lee Jooyeon. If I continue to see people from my past, I'll be tempted to become a Hunter again."

Jooyeon laughs bitterly.

"To make thinks simpler, I basically ran from my past. I made a mistake and unable to look at myself as a Hunter, I became someone new. Using the money I got from hunts, I bought clothes, a laptop, and a camera. I became an ulzzang in order to shed my identity as a Hunter. People always commented how pure and innocent I looked in my pictures... They would never have believed what kind of person I really am. Jooyeon the ulzzang was the mask Jooyeon the Hunter wore every day for that period of time. Eventually I kind of became well known in the ulzzang world. One day, I was at the supermarket when someone asked me if I was Lee Jooyeon. Due to my background, I instantly became defensive by her inquiry but she explained she was a representative from Pledis. She asked if I wanted to be a trainee for Pledis, and I said yes without really knowing what I was training for. After all, the only training I did was to become a Hunter. I eventually learned that I was training to debut as an idol, but I never thought I would actually debut in an idol group. I just became a trainee to keep my days busy and to keep my mind away from my past... So when they announced that I'd be part of a group called After School, I couldn't help but be surprised."

Jooyeon smiles at the people sitting around her. "But I'm grateful that they put me in After School. It created the opportunity for me to once again be part of an actual family who were also my friends. You all have changed me and without realizing it, you all helped me slowly recover from my past." Tears begin to slowly stream down Jooyeon's delicate cheeks. "That's why... even though I haven't heard from him in years, when I got a call from Haesuk that day before I was attacked that Jisoon is suddenly after me order to get my inheritance... all I could think about was how my parents and Miya died and that I feared their fate would happen to all of you... That was... is something I don't want... I think if I lose any of you I would literally fall apart and end my life... So I became a Hunter once again, hoping to stop Jisoon from hurting you guys in order to get to me... but honestly I'm so scared that history will repeat itself and in the end I'll lose someone dear to me again..."

The weight of her burdens cause Jooyeon to cry even harder and she buries her face into the palms of her hands. Nana watches Jooyeon's emotions overwhelm the young woman with tears in her own face. All this time, Nana believed Jooyeon was a strong woman with a personality that was as bright as the sun, who loved to laugh and make others laugh, and had the smile that made her heart swell with happiness. Now Nana sees the most fragile side of Jooyeon, who experienced pain, sorrow, and anger that she could never imagine.

Because there were no words she could say to calm Jooyeon, Nana moves herself closer to Jooyeon and gives her the most tender embrace, letting Jooyeon rest her against against her chest. She protectively wraps her arms around the older girl and presses her lips on the top of Jooyeon's head. Feeling secure in Nana's arms, Jooyeon's sobs die down and she feels tempted to close her eyes and enjoy the feeling of Nana and forget her pain.

But her moment of bliss is broken as everyone hears a couple of loud crashes and the scream of a man.

The members of After School freeze in their place, their eyes wide.

"W-What was that?" Raina dares to ask.

Jooyeon rubs the tears out of her eyes. "Joonwook! What's happening over there?"

No answer.

"Joonwook?" Jooyeon calls again, her heart racing with panic. "Joonwook!"

She hears footsteps coming closer to the room, but for a few seconds, her heart stops functioning as the person who appears in the doorway is not Joonwook... but Eunli.

"No..." Jooyeon sputters, fazed by the assassin's sudden appearance. "How did you-"

She doesn't get the chance to finish her sentence as Eunli immediately pulls out her knife and lunges for Jooyeon. Jooyeon hears her members screaming, but she pulls out the knife she brought earlier and manages to counter Eunli's . The two women swing their knives at each other, their knives frequently clanging and vibrating in the air. Jooyeon clashes her knife with Eunli's and the two women try to push each other's knife into one another. Jooyeon growls in attempt to overpower the other woman.

“I see you’ve been training in wielding a knife,” Eunli muses.

"Eunli, how the hell did you get in? What did you do to Joonwook?!" Jooyeon demands, gritting her teeth.

Eunli narrows her eyes. "I think you should be more concerned about yourself... and them."

Jooyeon suddenly sees three men coming from behind Eunli and moving past them. Jooyeon's eyes widen with horror as she hears multiple screams coming from behind her. Eunli takes this opportunity to knee Jooyeon in the stomach. Jooyeon drops her knife and falls to her knees, clutching her stomach. When she looks up, each of the three men hold Jungah, E-Young, and Nana hostage, pointing guns to their heads and keeping them in headlocks.

"JUNGAH!!" Kahi cries.

"K-Kahi unnie..." Jungah whimpers as she feels the barrel of the gun against her temple.

"I'm scared... I'm scared...." E-Young begins to cry, but the man grunts and tells her to shut up.

"E-YOUNG!" Uee and Raina both cry.

"Let them go!" Lizzy screams.

"Please don't hurt them!" Bekah cries.

Nana looks directly in Jooyeon's eyes, trying so hard not to cry.

"J-Jooyeon..."

Jooyeon immediately glares at Eunli. "Stop this! Let them go! Command these men to release my friends! I'm the one you want!"

"I'm glad you we're on the same page, Lee Jooyeon."

(Jisoon)

Jooyeon's eyes widen as an older looking Jisoon enters the room with a few more man, dragging a tied up and beaten up Joonwook with him. Horrified, Jooyeon screams. "JOONWOOK!"

Joonwook moves at the sound of Jooyeon's voice and slowly lifts up his head, revealing his bruised and slightly bloody face. "N-Noona..."

"It's been awhile hasn't it?" Jisoon sneers at Jooyeon. He drops Joonwook to the floor and Jooyeon hisses in anger. He takes out his gun and points it down at Joonwook. "Try anything and those girls and this man are dead."

"Why are you doing this?!" Jooyeon demands. "Why do you have to steal my inheritance?!"

"As you know, I want to become merchant of death. I want to manufacture powerful, destructive weapons and sell them to North Korea. Of course I need more money to do so. Rumor has it your father left you a big inheritance and I figure it'd be easier to take your inheritance first than to plan so much effort into a bank robbery," Jisoon says nonchalantly with a shrug. "I have to admit, I'm glad Eunli didn't kill you all those years ago. Otherwise, I would have never gotten access to your inheritance."

"Damn you, Jisoon!" Jooyeon curses.

"What's your answer? Are you going to come with me or will I have to kill one of your friends to convince you to follow my demands?" Jisoon questions sharply.

Jooyeon stands in place, her red eyes piercing deeply in Jisoon's eyes that were as black as coal. Here is the man who killed her parents and who was indirectly respondsible for Miya's death as well... He is in front of her once again, but he has the upper hand. Jooyeon glances at the terrified faces of Jungah, E-Young, and Nana and her beaten up friend; she can't take it anymore. Jooyeon is weary of it all.

"Please... Let them go," Jooyeon whispers. "I'll go with you... Just... let them go..."

"Jooyeon! You can't!" Kahi says, standing next to Jooyeon.

"Unnie, if I don't, Jungah unni, Nana, E-Young, and Joonwook are going to die!" Jooyeon protests. "I don't have a choice..."

"That's a good girl," Jisoon sneers.

"Jooyeon noona! You can't go with him!" Joonwook yells. "You know what's going to happen if you go with him!"

"Joonwook," Jooyeon looks at him sadly.

"YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!" Joonwook shouts desperately, fear in his voice. "After you open the door to your inheritance he's just going to kill you afterwards!"

"Shut up!" One of Jisoon's henchmen kicks Joonwook in the side to silence him.

"It's okay, Joonwook... As long as you are all safe, I don't care what will happen to me," Jooyeon says with a sad smile. Turning to Jisoon she says, "You better not hurt them, or I will definitely kill you."

Jisoon lets out a laugh. "Of course of course." He snaps his fingers and the men let go of Jungah, Nana, and E-Young. The girls run back to their other members, tears in their eyes and their hearts beating frantically. Next, one of them men bind Jooyeon's hands behind her back with a rope. Jisoon, Eunli, and the henchmen all put on gas masks. Jisoon drops a container and it releases sleeping gas. Jooyeon, Joonwook, and the rest of After School collapse onto the floor, falling unconscious.

"Pick up Jooyeon we're leaving now," Jisoon orders one of his men. The man picks up Jooyeon and throws her body over his shoulder. Jisoon looks down at the unconscious Nana through his gas mask. "Someone pick up this girl too."

Eunli comes up from behind. "Is it really necessary to bring her along as well?"

"If Jooyeon is as fiesty as she was back then, we'll need to take one of her friends hostage so she'll keep herself in check," Jisoon chuckles darkly. As soon as his men take Jooyeon and Nana away, Jisoon laughs.

"This was all too easy. Everything is happening in my favor."

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A/N: Hey everyone. I assume that was a huge load to read huh? I made the chapter much longer than I expected... I really put a lot of time and thought into this chapter, and it'd make me happy to know what you guys thought about this chapter.

If you can't already tell, the story is about to come to an end. So I made an ending teaser... to add to the drama, you know?

Click the link to watch it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok4ZkN6nQV0

I really want to thank my readers for sticking with me this entire time. I hope I don't disappoint you all with the ending. Till next time!