Requester: Pararae

She held tightly onto his hands. With every step that she took alongside him, her heartbeat increased. She knew where they were heading. She knew very well what she was about to witness. Her small face cringed at the thought of what she saw the last time she was brought here. No girl, or boy for that matter, should be exposed to such a sight at such a young age. But her father took no heed of the notion. She is the sole heir, she needs to be reminded of what to expect in her future. She needs to get used to it, her father had told her. And she hated her father for that.

In the midst of the dimly lit hallway, she looked up to see the side profile of the only blood-family she has left in this world. Her father’s grip on her hand was strong, protective and assuring. She understood the affections her father held for his only daughter and she was grateful for that, however it will never justify the need for her to take over this business when he retires. Even if her life is threatened, she will never agree to fill in those shoes that had been tainted by so much blood and conspiracy. She can’t live in a world like that, unlike her father.

“Jaejoong,” she heard her father call out softly, but with enough firmness to indicate a command. “Take her now.”

The grip on her hand loosened and was replaced by different warmth. She looked up to the said young man, who smiled at her politely before pulling her to a corner. Perhaps he thought the smile could lessen her fears, her anxieties. She returned the smile weakly, letting him lead her to the usual corner where she would be out of reach but still be able to see what’s going on.

Out of her fourteen years of existence thus far, never once was she allowed to leave this room without first witnessing her father taking away innocent lives. Each time, he had told her that it was a necessary punishment for breaking the rules. Five years ago she would have accepted that reason blindly, but now, she knew it wasn’t right. Taking other people’s lives, no matter how bad a crime they’ve done, isn’t supposed to be up to them. The matter of life and death shouldn’t be played about like this.

She stood near Jaejoong and watched silently as the transaction took place. Her father was already taking a few steps towards the trembling man on the floor. This time her father’s prey came alone. It seemed like the contents in the briefcase hadn’t sum up to the agreed amount, and Raven knew no one should have dared to cheat on her father. Like many times before, she once again caught the image of her furious father raising an arm up high and back-handed the man’s face mercilessly, his rings ripping the man’s skin and drawing blood from the fresh cut that went all across the left side of his face. Raven hissed, imagining the sting.

“It won’t get any better,” Jaejoong reminded her in whispers when he saw that familiar look on her face. He knew what was on her mind and he wished that he were in the power to help her.

“Please… I have a family. Please…” she heard the poor man begged. But her father only chuckled as the others began to close in.

“Too late, smarty pants. You should’ve been aware of that fact from the beginning,” her father’s voice thundered. “You should’ve thought about them before you decided to cheat on my money. TWICE!” Mikeal then signalled for his men to take care of the rest as he watched with a smirk. Raven realised that her father had decided on a very slow death for the poor man, and she silently prayed that God would spare him the pain. She really couldn’t understand why it can’t be any other way.

“Jaejoong…” her voice called out painfully. She couldn’t bear to hear the screams let alone to watch them torture a defenceless soul. “Jaejoong, make it stop.” She flinched at every cry of pain that echoed throughout the room. Jaejoong could only hold on to her trembling figure.

“I would if I could, Raven. But you know it’s not in my place. If it doesn’t concern your life, I can’t do anything about it.”

Raven bit her lips at that and cursed inside. She knew she had to do something. Even the law has loopholes. There must be a way for her to turn all of this around.

~~~

Very soon after her 20^th birthday, Raven decided that it was finally time for her to disappear. She knew no good would come upon her life if she stayed any longer than this. Her father had been waiting for her to reach this age to formally name her as the next successor. A grand ceremony had been planned and prepared for, but unfortunately she had firmly set her mind on not participating or else she would have to spend the rest of her remaining life living her father’s. She had to run away.

She wasn’t completely out of places to run even as she knew that her father’s influence has reached continents. He may possess powerful connections with high international powers, but she wasn’t daddy’s little girl for nothing. With the help of her loyal bodyguard who had vowed to always place his own life before hers, both of them had managed to find a decent place to hide.

Raven had decided to enrol in a local college and Jaejoong would act as her guardian.

It hadn’t been easy for Raven. All her life, she had been home-schooled and was never exposed to such a crowded environment before. From martial arts to biology, she had been learning all of them in the comfort of her own home. Her father would arrange for one-to-one sessions for all of her subjects and would have her teachers sign some confidentiality documents prior to receiving their pay. Raven had absolutely no clue of what to expect out there in the real world, and she could only rely on Jaejoong’s own limited experience to blend in and survive.

“Just… try to avoid talking to anyone,” Jaejoong advised as he was dropping her off at the main entrance. “It’s best that you make no connections at all if you want people to keep away. Remember what I told you. Play nerd.” Jaejoong ruffled her hair with a smile and drove away in his Ducati after wishing her good luck.

She had been following his advices very diligently starting from day one. She trusted Jaejoong with her life and she knows Jaejoong would never betray her trust. She treasured each of Jaejoong’s words of wisdom and would act by it whenever she feels lost. Jaejoong was like the brother she never had. If she hadn’t known him almost all her life, for sure she would still be stuck in her father’s life like she was supposed to. She was grateful for the day Jaejoong decided to screw up on his military duties and gets sacked. Otherwise her father wouldn’t have gotten the chance to hire him as her protector, and Jaejoong wouldn’t have been there to save her life.

“Be careful,” Jaejoong would always remind her every day. “I may be your personal bodyguard, but I’m just one man. There’s only so much I can do if circumstances calls for it.”

~~~

Raven entered the huge classroom and immediately made her way towards her usual favourite seat by the window. She had always sat at that same spot ever since the beginning of the academic year and somehow making the arrangement pretty much permanent. She sat down and began unloading her stationaries to get ready for the class, which would commence in a few minutes.

“Excuse me, you dropped something,” the boy sitting next to her aisle pointed at the envelope near her left foot. She was about to say that it didn’t belong to her until she saw her name clearly written on the front of the envelope in perfect cursive. She took it from the floor and examined it briefly. Suddenly, her lips parted in recognition and her face began to burn as blood rushed to her head at the possibility that’s beginning to sink in.

They’ve found her.

Without bothering to find out what the contents of the envelope might be, she quickly stuffed it inside her bag and instead fished out her phone in such haste that she nearly dropped it onto the cold, tiled floor. She began texting like a madwoman under the table, pouring all the anxiety that had come rushing in to the only man she knew could make everything better.

‘Calm down, Raven. Try to focus in class. I’ll be there soon,’ was Jaejoong’s immediate reply, which didn’t help to ease her tension one bit.

She pursed her lips in annoyance and slumped back deeper into her seat just as the lecturer entered the classroom. She looked up and briefly met eyes with Jung Yunho and her mind changed almost immediately. At least she was in Professor Jung’s class. The lecturer had been nothing but nice to her, even when she had deliberately refused his help in numerous occasions which most of them had been none too kindly. He was terribly insistent and sometimes she felt pity for the way she treated him although there was nothing she could do about it. She can’t afford to open up to anyone. She can’t let other people know who she really is, also aside from the fact that she was told not to trust anybody. Having Kim Jaejoong by her side was more than enough in this life she currently possesses, others’ involvement in her private life was unnecessary.

Professor Jung was more enthusiastic than usual, she noticed. His elaboration of the concepts were wonderfully accompanied by animated gestures as if he was teaching little children, and he maintained cheerful eye-contact with all members of the classroom, trying to engage them in the supposed-to-be dull contents. It was rare and Raven was more interested in watching him than focusing on the topic he was explaining. It took her mind off of the envelope for a while and the next thing she knew, Jung Yunho was already releasing the students to proceed to their next class.

“Are you okay, Raven?” the lecturer suddenly called as she was passing the small teaching podium on her way out.

She moved away from the student current flowing out of the classroom so as to not block the traffic. “Yes, professor?”

“You seem distracted this whole period,” Jung Yunho clarified. “I was wondering if you managed to grasp today’s contents. If you missed anything you should come and see me. I’m worried.”

“I know, professor,” she smiled shyly. “Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.”

“Okay then,” he nodded in understanding. He gave her the most charming smile before he departed with all his teaching materials gathered in one arm.

Jung Yunho was definitely in a very good mood.

~~~

It was true.

After months of hiding, her father had finally found her. Jaejoong had momentarily snapped after he discovered the contents of the envelope with what was written in the letter, and insisted that they should’ve gone out of the country using fake IDs instead. If only Raven hadn’t been as equally insistent as he was in her own mission not to break any laws ever in her life, they could’ve managed to hide way longer than this if not for the rest of their lives.

Her father will be waiting for her to come home voluntarily, in which she knows will never happen again. She loved her father dearly, and it was enough to know that he was living well with a lot of people taking care of him. But for her to step into that household again and be forced to live a life surrounded by corruption and violence, she would rather die.

Letters after letters came in since then, in which all of them were persuading her to return and claim her rightful place as the new chief. It was annoying her so much, but there was nothing else she could do but to ignore every single one of them, hoping that her father won’t eventually resolve in barging in and forcefully drag her home himself. Jaejoong had been in constant watch of their surrounding to make sure his old colleagues weren’t in close proximity or in the areas surrounding it. If Raven doesn’t want to be found, then he will make sure that she gets what she wants.

Soon, small presents arrived instead of the letters, though they still served the same purpose. And from one delivery per day, she received two, then three, in which their sizes began to increase gradually as well. Her persistence to ignore was immense and it was a wonder how her father could keep his patience even until this date.

“We should consider moving away from here,” Jaejoong once suggested.

She declined the idea immediately. “I want to finish my studies here. I need to finish what I started.”

“Even if it means risking your father coming here to bring you home himself? Are you sure?”

She was silent for a moment. Jaejoong was right. She had wanted to run away from the beginning and it was only logical for her to want to escape again after knowing how close her father had come to finally finding her. But she had grown extremely comfortable with this new life to which the possibility of leaving it had never crossed her mind. She badly wished to stay, persuading herself to endure this matter with optimism. Her father may appear cruel and violent to others, but Raven will always be his precious pearl. She was confident her father won’t result to extremities, at least not while she had a valid reason of wanting to complete her studies. What happens after that, however, she will worry about them later.

“Let’s cross the bridge only when we get to it, okay?”

“Aren’t we at the bridge already?” Jaejoong frowned.

“Not quite,” she tried to smile encouragingly.

~~~

Jaejoong parked his Ducati at the usual spot near the entrance. His eyes roamed around the area on instinct. He was a half an hour early and it’s going to be a while before Raven’s classes would finish for the day.

He sighed softly. Since the first letter arrived, Jaejoong had changed their routines. He tried, but he just couldn’t shake this worry off of his mind. It was starting to drive him crazy to be honest, but he didn’t want to upset Raven further than she has been her entire life. Raven is never safe, he knows that, but at least he hoped that Raven would listen to him and grant him some peace of mind. And it’s not helping at all that he had this awful sinking feeling since this morning that he just couldn’t shake off.

He sighed and stared mildly at the few people passing by. Some of them took interest in him and glanced over for longer than necessary. He chuckled inwardly. It must’ve been because of his vintage, classic, black overcoat. Most people told him that it’s old fashioned, but he priced comfort higher than fashion, so he didn’t care. Besides, Raven claimed that she was very fond of it and that he shouldn’t be called Kim Jaejoong without it. He thought the latter reason was silly.

Jaejoong looked at his watch and noted that Raven should be out any minute now. He started the engine and drove closer to the gates where it will be easier for her to spot him. Just as he reached it, suddenly a black SUV drove past him so fast that he nearly got into an accident. He cursed silently and watched as the damn SUV turned the corner and disappeared. He turned his attention back to all the students on the sidewalk leaving, seeming oblivious of what had just occurred, and tried to spot for a girl with long, wavy, black hair amongst the crowd. He caught a few, but none of them were Raven. His heart started to pump a little faster.

People began to clear and the sinking feeling he had inside him became worse. Raven would never make him worry like this without a reason, he insisted. Raven wouldn’t let him worry like this at all. He knew then that something must’ve happened to her. He quickly pulled out his phone and began dialling her number, but no matter how many times he called, there was no response. This never happened before. Raven always, always answers his call. He looked around frantically, trying one last time in case circumstances were just playing with his mind. That was when he caught the sight of a certain educator whose name Raven had frequently brought up at home.

Jaejoong drove closer and noticed that Yunho was behaving frantically as well.

“Jung Yunho-sshi,” he called urgently. Yunho turned to him and his eyebrows scrunched in an attempt of recognition. “You’re Raven’s lecturer.”

The man relaxed only a little. “Yes, yes, I am. And you must be her guardian.”

Jaejoong nodded and the lecturer immediately shoved a piece of note on Jaejoong’s broad chest. “I went to the restrooms after class, and when I came back to fetch my teaching materials I found this on the podium. I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything to prevent this. It’s my fault; I should’ve paid more attention to my students, to Raven. I went to check if-”

“It’s fine, Jung-sshi. Let me take care of this,” he cut him off and quickly drove away, but his path was then blocked by two familiar suited men who he recognised as his once colleagues. “Changmin… Junsu…”

“What does it say?” the taller instantly demanded. “Give that to me.”

-$73 billion or pretty Raven’s life; find her where the sun sets at the horizon.-

“It’s them,” Junsu declared bitterly. “Sneaky bastards.”

“Wait, what are you both doing here? Have all of you been around all these while?”

Changmin eyed him annoyingly. “What do you think?”

Jaejoong hissed and revved his bike. “Damn it all of you. You’ve interfered enough! Don’t you dare get in my way again. She is my responsibility, so you both-”

“Shut up. You’ve screwed up, Jaejoong. You’ve done enough. We’re taking her home once we find her.”

“Get out of my way!!”

He snatched the note back and forced his way through the two men. He might’ve injured Junsu’s arm along the way but he couldn’t care less. He was suddenly sure the SUV he saw earlier has everything to do with this.

Jaejoong slammed a hand onto his bike in pure frustration. He couldn’t believe he had allowed things to get out of hand like this. He should’ve acted more vigilant than he already was. He picked up the speed and raced towards where the note had indicated. He smirked. He knew the place all too well, only like the back of his hand.

~~~

She pulled her knees closer to her chest and gritted the surface of her jeans in silent grief. She couldn’t remember exactly what happened before she fell unconscious but when she woke up, her hands were already tied up behind her back and her ankles were also tied up to the base of a tree. She looked around and all she could see were trees and more trees.

She picked up murmurs from behind one of those trees, but she couldn’t decide if they were men’s or women’s, or both. Though, she was glad that it was still daylight because at least she would be able to spot suspicious movements if it comes her way.

The murmurs suddenly turned into gasps and shouts, and Raven turned extremely alert of her surroundings. Her immediate thought was that, ‘Jaejoong is here!’

Her tears fell unconsciously at she eagerly waited if her assumptions were true. She knew Jaejoong would never fail her, and she knew that Jaejoong is an expert in jungle warfare. Raven is not in the slightest bit worried that he would get hurt trying to get to her. The trickiest part however, was how to get away from all these people. Raven might have been trained with various martial arts skills, but she rarely gets hands-on experience. She cursed thinking that she would only add to the burden already on Jaejoong’s shoulders. If ever Jaejoong gets hurt because of her, she would never be able to forgive herself.

“Raven!!” a very familiar voice whispered her name amidst the now silent forest. She turned her head towards the voice and all her walls crumbled at the sight of her one and only saviour. “Raven, are you alright?” He immediately worked on the ropes around her wrists and ankles.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she sniffed softly. “Jaejoong, how did you get here? How did you know where they took me? What happened to those guys? Are you hurt?”

“Everything’s fine, Raven. Now let’s go, before the more bad guys gets here.”

Raven obeyed and followed Jaejoong’s pull to safety. But as soon as she was on her feet, a gunshot echoed and Jaejoong groaned harshly. He reactively pulled out his revolver from under his overcoat and began shooting into that spot in the shadows. He shielded Raven with his body and continuously pushed both of them backwards and away from harm until Raven was sandwiched between his body and a large tree.

“Jaejoong, you’re hit!” she exclaimed horridly. She quickly took off her cardigan and tried to push it onto the deep wound but was shoved away by him.

“Not now, Raven. It’s nothing. Just stay down,” he instructed in mild panic. His eyes roamed in that particular area carefully, and then slowly, a man stepped up from the shadows. Jaejoong’s eyes bulged. “YOU!!”

“Yes. Me,” the other man chuckled.

Raven looked over Jaejoong’s shoulders to see who it was, and she gasped in horror. The only place she expected to see this man was in the classroom, and definitely not in the middle of a forest with a gun in his hands and grim on his face. This couldn’t be Jung Yunho.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Yunho reminded angrily. “The girl cannot go if the money isn’t here.”

Jaejoong smirked, “I’d never guess you’d be involved in this, the innocent educator who cares a bit too much about the students’ welfare. I bet Raven is the only student you’ve been looking out for in this career, am I right? You ing liar.”

“You degrade me too much, good sir. I do care for my students while I was at it, but Raven definitely is a special case. I won’t deny that, especially in the part where it involves her family's conflicts. Boy, ain’t I glad when Mikael finally finds out where his only daughter has been hiding,” he chuckled. “I’ve been trying to distract Raven’s annoying bodyguard all semester! Well, since you fail to have the money, then I’m afraid you won’t get to leave that easily.”

And just like that, another gunshot echoed. Both of them managed to duck and evade the bullet, though Raven could swear she felt it just inches from her ears. She heard Jaejoong curse and saw him held onto his shoulders tightly. His other hand was still steadily holding onto his revolver and was shooting bullets towards Jung Yunho. Both parties have taken cover behind the trees and bushes.

“Raven, run,” she heard him whisper. She hesitated, afraid that she hadn’t heard him correctly. “I said, run! Find Changmin. Find Junsu. They’re around here somewhere.”

“I won’t leave you here. No!”

“Raven, just go!!”

BANG!!

In just an intake of breath, the light in Jaejoong’s eye instantly dimmed and his body fell to the ground lifelessly. A harsh gasp escaped her lips. Time stopped. Everything turned numb and she could just stare at the blood flowing generously from the side of his head. Burning tears soon started to pool in her eyes and she gathered him in her arms with a crushed heart. She shook him frantically, just as another hand grabbed onto her shoulders. She shoved the hand away unknowingly and buried her face deep into Jaejoong neck, rocking their bodies back and forth in an attempt to make him open his eyes at least. She didn’t want the warmth to leave his body, not now, not like this.

Out of the corners of her eyes, she noticed several people gathered around her and Jaejoong in defence position when more gunshots were released. She guessed that Changmin and Junsu were amongst these people, but she really didn’t care. Jaejoong wasn’t waking up. He wasn’t even breathing anymore.

The rest became a blur, and she couldn’t recall correctly how she had snatched the automated gun away from Junsu’s grip and began shooting madly at Yunho’s direction. Tears were streaming wildly down her cheeks and she couldn’t possibly make a great aim. Junsu tried to calm her down while maintaining protection around her, but she kept pushing everyone out of her way. Her sobs were harsh and when that fateful bullet finally made its way through Yunho’s heart, her knees finally gave way and she let herself fall to the ground with a thud.

How she wished that the path in which Jaejoong just took were just as easy to follow…

~~~

Experience can change a person in more ways than one, in which trauma can help make that change permanent. After Jaejoong’s death, Raven took the 360 degrees turn in her life and decided that taking over the gang wasn’t such a bad idea after all. She was willing to accept any consequences now just as long as she was in the power to avenge Jaejoong’s life, the dear brother she had lost. She will not rest until she finds the person who had hired Yunho and everyone else involved, and kill them in the most painful, torturous way possible. Everyone who caused Jaejoong’s death should be killed!

And that might just include herself…

Since that day, Changmin and Junsu had kept to her side as her assistants and new bodyguards. They were also there to make sure that Raven never harms herself or attempts to commit suicide if left alone. After that incident, Raven was no longer the same. It broke her father’s heart terribly, but he insisted that the legacy must continue on no matter what has evolved around them. They would only have to constantly remind her that she still has a lot of people caring for her in this life, and there are people who looks up to her now that she’s significant in the underworld.

It will be a very long way before she could ever see Jaejoong again.