The vacant silent of the morning was disturbed by the roaring engine of a motorcycle; right behind it was a car with tinted black windows. “,” he cursed, before increasing his speed towards the direction of the school. Half way there, Taemin managed to shake them off. He smirked, but he did not slow down. He continued speeding until he reaches the school campus.

             “Tae oppa!” He heard someone yelled as soon as he removed his helmet. There’s only one person who would call him Tae oppa and that would be his sister – Lee Hyehee.

              “Tae oppa!” Hyehee yelled again, waving her hand as she walked towards him with her eldest brother, Lee Jinki, by her side. “What do you want?” Taemin asked hostilely, taking a quick glance at the pair of siblings who used to be his family before adjusting his uniform after getting off the bike.

              “Taem—,”

            “Jinki, I don’t think we have anything to do with each other. It’s better for us not to talk in case someone thought that you, the role model of everyone, have something to do with someone like me, the hooligan.” Taemin cut Jinki off before he could say anything. Almost immediately, Jinki kept his mouth shut as he stared at Taemin.

              Hyehee saw Jinki’s disappointed expression and she diverted her eyes at Taemin who returned the glance. He swallowed. When he was sold to the mafia, no one cared about his disappointed expression. So why would he now?

              He sighed and turned his heels away from the siblings.

              Hyehee blinked, sighing as she looked up to Jinki and met his unfocused eyes. “Jin oppa…” Jinki swallowed, “he will understand someday.” He said, silently hoping that Taemin really will understand, as he ruffles Hyehee’s hair before giving her a light kiss on her forehead. “I’ll see you after school.”

              “Umm,” she smiled, and she watched as Jinki walks away. “Hyehee!”

              “Hey Minho!” Hyehee beamed when Minho appears behind her, towering over her. “Let’s go,” The tall boy smiled while curling his hand around hers, failing to notice that his actions casted a blush across Hyehee’s cheeks.

Taemin walked around the school aimlessly. It is lunch hour now and he doesn’t want to stay in the class with the smell of food polluting the air. Heck, why can’t they just go to the canteen for their lunch?

              He sighed and landed himself in the rooftop. Taking a deep breath, he strolled along the edge of the building, holding onto the railing. He sighed again while looking down from the high level, reminding himself of how many times he tried to end his life.

              If not for his friends, he’s probably dead.

              Taemin dug into his pocket to find his phone vibrating. He knew who will be calling to check on him. He smiled. “Sup.”

              “Hey Taem, eaten? At the rooftop?” Taemin could literally feel the concern his friend has for him from the other side of the line. “No appetite, and yes, I’m at the rooftop.”

              “Don’t jump okay,” Jonghyun laughed, and Taemin’s lips curved into a smile as he leaned on the railing. His eyes wandered around until he caught a glimpse of his sister with a tall guy. “Hey, I’ll call you back soon.” And he hung up the call. Taemin narrowed his eyes to take a better look at the two. Minho? He thought. Choi Minho is a year two student and he’s a nobody until he won the sports festival last year. What is Hyehee doing with Minho?

              The bell rang throughout the campus, indicating that lunch period was over. Taemin swallowed, shrugging the thoughts off as he took a final look at him.

              Minho, on the other hand, saw a figure at the rooftop from the corner of his eyes. He smirked.

“Look who is back?” Jonghyun’s voice echoed in the main room as soon as Taemin pushed the door open. “Is it the future head of Phoenix’s?” Key teased, coming out from the kitchen with a cup of water in his hand as he sipped on it.

              “Tch, shut up.” Taemin shook his head at the endless teasing while taking off his shoes. “Admit it, master likes you. You’re it.” Jonghyun slouched in his seat, carelessly playing with the remote control in his hand as he diverted his attention back at the television.

              Despite being here for only four years, Taemin somehow surpass the others and became the best at shooting, darting, and fighting. Alongside with Jonghyun and Key, the three of them looked after the clan when master wasn’t around.

              Suddenly, the big oak doors at the far end of the main room flew open and it startled the three of them who immediately snapped their heads back. “Master,” they greeted the old man who came out with a crutch on his right hand. “Phoenix pub, the ‘Dragons’ are here.” His low raspy voice echoed. Both Jonghyun and Key had their jaw dropped, the ‘Dragons’ never involves with the ‘Phoenixes’. Never.

Everywhere was a mess in the pub when Taemin pulled Minho up against a wall by his collar.

              “Why are you here?” Taemin asked lowly, tilting his head to one side and have his eyes fixed on the tall guy in front of him. He was pretty sure that Minho was a no one until the Sports Festival back then, so why is he involved with the ‘Dragons’?

              “What do you think?” Minho questioned with a small smirk playing on his lips, looking away as he wiped the corner of hip bloody lips with his thumb. “You’re from the Dragon.” Taemin narrowed his dagger eyes at him. “You’re from the mafia?”  He asked again.

              “And are you not?” Minho retorted, pushing Taemin away from him as he readjusted his collar. Taemin stepped back, “does Hyehee know about this?”

              The tall guy smirked, “and does she know about you?” and that response caused something snapped in Taemin’s head, he frowned, before pushing Minho to the wall again. “Look, if you ever hurt Hyehee in any ways, ANY, I’ll kill you.”

              “Why? Who are you to Hyehee?” Minho challenged, earning another death stare from Taemin.

              “Lee Taemin, Lee Hyehee’s second brother. Keep that in your ing mind.” He said aloud.

              The Dragon Clan, the strongest clan with the longest history in Seoul. With its 14^th generation boss leading the clan, nothing will go wrong. Well, at least nothing had gone wrong previously, until today.

              “Where is your boss?” Master raised his voice above the noisy surrounding, causing the commotion to stop all of a sudden. “The Dragons normally do not get involve with the Phoenixes; your boss should know that better.” Master said low, “who is the one leading today?”

              Minho, still under Taemin’s grip, pushed him away and stepped up to the front. “I did.”

              Taemin’s eyes widen, and it doesn’t take him long to realize that Minho is not only part of the Dragons, but also held a high position in it. “Hey!” Taemin stepped ahead and grabbed Minho on his shoulder, the latter jerked back but he gave Taemin a sharp stare that even Taemin, for a second thought that he should not mess with this guy.

When all of them came back from the pub, Taemin didn’t say a word at all. He couldn’t get Minho out of his head. Why is there a person in school that’s involved in mafia but he doesn’t even know. The guy even hit on his sister and he wasn’t even aware of it. Who the is this Minho…

              “Taem, what’s wrong? You’ve been in dazed ever since we came back.” Key asked as he passed by the main room before going up to his room. He noticed that Taemin has been sitting in that position ever since they came back. “Minho…” Taemin murmured to himself and the frown between his brows is enough to hold a card. “Minho?” Key raised a brow.

              “Do you know Minho?” Taemin finally turned his head to Key, and Key decided to come down from the stairs and go to Taemin. “Choi Minho? He’s the adopted son of the Dragon Boss. Why? Why are you interested in him?”

              Hyehee immediately came into Taemin’s mind but he shrugged it off before urging Key to continue.

              “Well, he’s known for his sharps eyes and ears. He was trained to be the next leader of the Dragon’s, there’s a dragon tattoo on his back.” Key said nonchalantly and Taemin frowned again at that. For a moment, he couldn’t comprehend the meaning. “What’s that got to do with dragon tattoo?”

              “Dragon tattoo simply means you’re part of the Dragon’s?” Key replied as a matter-of-factly, as though it was weird for Taemin not to know this fact.

“Jin oppa, Tae oppa’s 19^th birthday is coming. What are we getting for him?” Hyehee smiled at the thought of Taemin receiving their gift as she cuddled up next to Jinki while he watches the television. Jinki flinched at the name of Tae oppa, suddenly losing the smile he had from watching a comedy drama.

              “Why are you thinking of giving him a gift? He left for four years and you didn’t mention anything about giving him something on his birthday before.” Jinki questioned, staring blankly at the television screen and not watching anymore. “No idea, maybe I was still immature last time. But this year, I want to get something for him.” Hyehee’s smile became brighter.

              “Hyehee, why can’t you just forget your Tae oppa?”

              The little sister blinked, she wasn’t quite sure if she heard it right. Was her Jin oppa asking her to forget her second brother? Why?

              “What are you saying? He’s my second brother, your little brother. Why are you—,”

              “He’s not part of us anymore, remember?” Jinki turned this time, giving her a serious look that shows he wasn’t kidding. He sighed. “Just forget about him.”

              “But, how can—,”

              “Hyehee!” Jinki raised his voice, and immediately he regretted it. He, Lee Jinki, has never raised his voice before, not at anyone, and never at his baby sister. Hyehee too, was surprised.

              Jinki looked away from her as he swallowed a ball of saliva; he lowered his head with his fringe covering his remorseful eyes. “I’m sorry. But I hope you understand—,”

              Before he could finish his sentence, Hyehee had already got up from the couch and headed for the door. “Hyehee!” he shouted but didn’t chase after her when she slammed the door shut. “,” he cursed, and he never curses. Looks like the truth has to be known some days, he thought, before standing up and heading to his room.

              At the far end corner of his room was a study table, and he pulled the first drawer opened, revealing an old-looking metal box. Sighing, he touches the surface of it. Is the day coming whereby I had to say the truth in order to protect Hyehee?

              A yellowish letter was inside the box when Jinki decided to lift the cover.

Taemin stood half- in the bathroom as he stared at himself in the reflection on the fog up mirror after showering. His wet hair flattened and his fringe was stuck to his face. He breathed.

              “Well, he’s known for his sharps eyes and ears. He was trained to be the next leader of the Dragon’s, there’s a dragon tattoo on his back.”

              Key’s words were stuck in his head while he took a deep breath. Turning his body slightly, he continued staring at the reflection in the mirror.

              “Dragon tattoo simply means you’re part of the Dragon’s?”

              A small curled up dragon was seen at his right shoulder. The eyes of the dragon were closed, as if it was sleeping. The tattoo was small, that even wearing sleeveless singlet won’t reveal it, which exactly was why nobody ever knows that Taemin has a dragon tattoo.

              “A curled up sleeping dragon…” he mumbled under his breath, running a hand over the tattoo that has been on his body as far as he’s concerned. He tried asking his parents what that tattoo was and why he got it, but no one has ever told him anything.

              Is there something behind this tattoo?

              “Dragon tattoo…” he mouthed again.

“Taemin, you’re not supposed to show anyone this tattoo, you hear me?”

              Young Taemin doesn’t know what his father was talking about. He was just changing in school for physical education lesson when all his classmates were shocked at his tattoo. The teacher had to call Taemin’s parents for clarification about his tattoo, and if Taemin has been led astray.

              “Do you hear me??” his father raised his voice, shaking Taemin on his shoulder fiercely as he nodded.

“How old are you??”

              Taemin doesn’t know what happened but when he was going home after school that day, it was raining heavily and he doesn’t have an umbrella. He walked under the rain with his skin slick from the rain and his white uniform wet and stuck to his body; which probably was why someone caught his dragon tattoo.

              A group of guys stopped him and an old man walked up to him with teary eyes, and it seemed like the old man caught him while he was in the car because Taemin saw a black car not far away from where he was stopped.

              “I’m fifteen.” He said, and the old man almost cried.

              And that scares Taemin a lot.

And right after that, two days later, Taemin was sold to the Phoenix’s.