The sound of thunder clashing woke Hyehee up from her sleep and she ended up lying there in bed listening to the sudden sound of the soothing rain. She sighed, rolling over and taking a glimpse of her phone on the bedside table for the time. It was only 10 in the morning, and already raining so heavily with Taemin nowhere in sight. She sighed again.

              “Hyehee, are you up?” she heard Key’s voice outside the room. “Yup, please come in.” she got up from the bed and smiled when Key came in with a grumpy look on his face. “Morning, Key oppa.”

              “Morning,” he replied warmly. “It’s early and already raining so heavily.” Key said, walking over to the window with hands in his pockets, “and s have started happening.”

              Hyehee wished she heard it wrongly, “what…?”

              Key turned around, “they caught master. They threaten to kill him if Taemin doesn’t show up alone.”

              “…what?” Hyehee was at a loss for words, Key didn’t even mention who caught master but she already knew it must be the Dragon’s. “I told him that even if he showed up alone, they would still kill master but he doesn’t listen. He went back to his room and grabbed a gun and ran out without saying a thing.”

              It felt like something was stuck in Hyehee’s throat, words couldn’t form in for a second. “Gun…” she breathed before making a sharp turn to get over to Taemin’s side of the bed and open up the drawer of the bedside table. She gasped when she saw only bullets inside.

              “I’ll keep the gun here for emergency use. If anything happens, take it to protect yourself. Understand?”

              Hyehee was too tired to ask why Taemin wanted to keep a gun with him because normally, master doesn’t encourage them to carry a gun with them.

              Key walked over to her when he caught her shock expression and looked into the drawer. “Oppa emptied the gun cylinder…” Hyehee mumbled. “He brought an empty gun with him, what is he trying to do?” she looked at Key frantically.

              “,” Key cursed before leaving the room in hurry. “Get ready, we’re leaving in five.” He said before disappearing from Hyehee’s vision. “Jonghyun!” she heard him yelling.

              Hyehee gets off the bed hurriedly, oppa, please be safe.

              Please.

Taemin was almost drenched when he reached the sheltered back alley of BD. He admits that it was reckless of him to show up alone but he doesn’t want to take any chance. It was his grandfather after all.

              ”Are you not afraid of dying by coming alone?”

              Taemin turned back to the familiar voice, “Kwon Jiyong, why are you out here? Aren’t you supposed to be inside?”

              “Lee Jinki used to be my buddy,” Jiyong said out of nowhere. “You know right? He was with the Dragon’s before.”

              “I know,” Taemin answered. “But it’s surprising to know that someone as legendary as you, are good friends with my hyung.”

              Jiyong smirked, “legendary?” he walked towards Taemin. “Perhaps that legendary is why I became good friends with him.”

              Taemin sighed with a frown. What does Kwon Jiyong wants now? Why is he here talking about all these?

              “What do you want? I don’t have the time now to—”

              “Minho, and everybody else hated me back then,” Jiyong continued, ignoring Taemin. “Jinki was the only one who accepted me. He is a good person.”

              “Of course he is,” Taemin said, Jinki is the gentlest person he ever met, and that fact doesn’t change even after knowing he was once with the Dragon’s. “And then one day, he quitted.” Jiyong blinked, “and that’s when I quitted fighting too.”

              “You quitted fighting because of hyung?” Taemin didn’t expect that. He watch as Jiyong took out a stick from his cigarette pack and bite it. “You know that the Dragon’s know what happened right,” he said with the cigarette still in his mouth. “I know, that explains why I’m here right?” Taemin continued watching him as he lit up his stick.

              “Boss wanted to pass Minho the clan. No matter how much he hates him, he adopted a son for that reason.”

              “Are you trying to warn me now that your boss is after my life?” Taemin concluded. “Not only you. He is cruel; he will be after everyone that is related to you.”

              “Why are you helping me?” that’s one thing Taemin don’t understand. Jiyong has no obligation to help him, or give him forewarning. “Is it because I’m Jinki’s brother?”

              Jiyong breathed with smoke coming out from his nose. “I’m warning you because I'm certain you won’t kill Choi Siwon.”

              “What?” Taemin narrowed his eyes and met his glance. It was only a few seconds of staring but Taemin felt like Jiyong know something. “They’re inside, waiting for you.” The latter said, taking a quick last puff before throwing the stick on the ground. “Good luck.”

              Taemin watched as Jiyong walked out of the alley. He frowned slightly, what exactly does Jiyong know? He sighed, taking steps towards the backdoor. “Hey.”

              He turned around but before the person could hit him with the bat in his hand, Taemin caught it and yanked it away with force. That guy scrambled to the door and pushed it open; a few more guys were standing inside. “Master is waiting for you.” one of them said, opening up a way for Taemin. “Second floor, the last room.”

              The last room, the room that Jinki was killed.

              Taemin clenched his teeth as he takes big steps, making his way up to the second floor.

“What the ?? Why didn’t you tell me when Taemin went out? Why did you let him go alone? I will never let him go alone if I were to know.” Jonghyun hissed, looking at the rear mirror before cutting into another lane. “Isn’t that precisely why Taemin doesn’t want to let you know?”

              “I don’t remember you being so obedient, Mr. Key.”

              “Please, can the both of you stop arguing and just go faster.” Hyehee sighed, staring out from the window in the backseat, looking at the rain that poured down mercilessly.

“Master!”

              Taemin’s eyes widen at the old figure being tied up on a chair, full of bruises and cuts. “How careless of you, tonight is your handing over ceremony and yet you allow an old man like him to loiter around?” Siwon came out from the washroom with a blood stained handkerchief in his hand.

              “You—,” Taemin almost want to charge at him but he can’t understand why Siwon could be so harsh towards Master, isn’t master the father of the woman that he loved?

              “You killed Minho,” Siwon said, walking towards Taemin. “You killed the next Dragon’s head.”

              “He killed my brother,” Taemin retorted, “In THIS room. That sole reason is enough for me to hunt him down.”

              Siwon blinked, he looked around the room for a second before shrugging, “untie him.”

              A few men went over and untied master, but he was still slipping in and out of consciousness. “How could you do this to him?” Taemin raged. “You should be glad that I didn’t kill him.” Siwon quickly answered, as if not killing someone was supposed to be a surprise.

              Taemin sneered, hands clenching tightly by his sides. “He’s your girlfriend’s father.”

              “If he didn’t stop me from seeing Hyori, she won’t have died.”

              Jonghyun, Key and Hyehee came in through the door at this time. “Master!”  Key yelled, rushing over to the old man while pushing everyone away. Both Jonghyun and Hyehee walked towards Taemin but paused when he took out a gun from his back pocket. “Oppa!”

              “If you didn’t date her, she won’t have died.” Taemin said through his clenched teeth, he tightens his grip on the gun so much that his body was trembling. It was the first time that he finds it so hard to focus on his target.

              Yeah, if not for you, Hyori won’t die. If not for you, I won’t exist. If not for you, hyung and Hyehee will still be happily living together.

              “She won’t die if that old man allows us to be together.” Siwon calmly said, “she will be alive and kicking if that old man approves us. It’s all his fault.” He continued, pointing a finger at master who was lying in Key’s arm.

              “Pointing a gun at his father, Lee Taemin…what are you trying to do…” Jonghyun mumbled inaudibly, so soft that only Hyehee could hear him.

              Taemin chuckled, and soon, it became a loud laughter. “Do you know that Hyori had a son?” he questioned quietly with a small smirk, before noticing Siwon’s changed expression. “Do you know that because she doesn’t want her son to forget his identity, she inked him with a dragon when he was just a baby?”

              The room was quiet and Taemin’s gun was still pointing at Siwon, “a curled up sleeping dragon; a dragon that is always sleeping and curled up away from the reality. She doesn’t want her son to be found out and yet, she doesn’t want him to forget that he belongs to the Dragon’s.”

              “…Lies.” Siwon shakes his head, “you’re lying.”

              “YOU’RE LYING!” Siwon yelled so loud that Hyehee jumped; Jonghyun saw it and stood in front of her.

              “You know I’m not lying.” Taemin said, “But, you will never know who your son is.”

              He walked slowly towards Siwon, until the mouth of the pistol was pressing against Siwon’s forehead. “Because he’s dead, too.”

              It was a nerve wrecking moment for everyone in the room. Especially for those who know the truth; truth whereby Taemin was the real son of the Dragon’s and yet he just proclaimed that Siwon and Hyori’s son was dead.

              Siwon laughed, and Taemin wasn’t sure why he was laughing. “Shoot me.” He said.

              “I will,” Taemin’s hand trembles even more. Siwon’s forehead was filled with beads of perspiration. The older one grabbed Taemin’s hands.  “Shoot me!!”

              “I WOULD!”

              He triggered the empty gun.

              “Oppa!!”

              Hyehee swear her heart almost stopped when she saw Taemin and Siwon collapsing.

Taemin woke up to the smell of hospital scent. “You’re up.”

              “What happened?”

              “You fainted from exhaustion; you were drenched and so ing tensed up. You were unconscious for almost ten hours. I guess that gunshot turns off your body system.”

              I did? Did I? I was in the room, with my gun on Siwon’s…

              He raised his hand and took a look, the hand that held the gun. “I fired the gun.” He mumbled. “Yes, you did. But it was empty.” Jonghyun said.

              “I know, I emptied it.”

              “And why?” Jonghyun asked again. “I don’t understand why you’re doing all this, what are you trying to prove?”

              “I don’t know,” Taemin answered, “where is Hyehee? What about master?”

              “Key finally dragged Hyehee off your dead bed and brought her out for meal, she hasn’t been eating. And master is still under observation, doctor said he’s out of danger, but he hasn’t waked up though.”

              Taemin nodded briefly, staring at the ceiling thoughtlessly.

              “Choi Siwon is in the ICU too. Although the gun was empty, he fainted for some reason.” Jonghyun shrugged, standing up and walking to the side table for a glass of water.

              “I didn’t ask about him.”

              “But you want to know, don’t you?” he said, handing the glass of water to Taemin. “Why did you tell him that his son was dead?”

              Taemin sighed. “He has the right to know who his son is.” Jonghyun continued.

              “When can I be discharged?” Taemin closed his eyes, as if he was telling Jonghyun that he doesn’t want to hear all these anymore. “Once you’re up, you can leave.”

              “Great,” Taemin heaved a sigh before sitting up. He pulled out the needle from the drip off his wrist with a small frown. He looked around and spotted a backpack with clothes inside, “these are mine, right?” he asked as he grabbed it and headed to the washroom, leaving Jonghyun who can’t do anything about him.

              Taemin stood before the basin, staring at himself, hair messy and looking lethargic as . He shook his head as he the faucet and scooped a handful of water to wash his face. With a sigh, he watched himself in the mirror again with both palms on the either sides of the basin.

              “I will go to the counter to do paperwork for your discharge; I’ll be waiting for you in the carpark.” Jonghyun said with a knock on the door, and left without waiting for Taemin’s reply.

“Hey, where are you going?” Key bumped into Jonghyun who was just leaving the ward. “Discharge, Taemin woke up, he’s changing now. I told him that I will wait for him in the carpark.”

              ”He needs that much time to change?” Key questioned with a raised brow. “Do you not think he will go visit Choi Siwon?” Jonghyun asked with a small smirk, ensuring that he closed the ward door before answering Key.

              “You think so?” Both of them walked to the direction of the counter.

              “I know so.” Jonghyun said, with hands in his pockets. “Where’s Hyehee?”

              “She falls asleep in my car. I guess she was really tired.” Key sighed.

Taemin stood outside the ward with a heavy heart.

              What am I afraid of?

              His fingers run past the tag that says ‘Choi Siwon’, hesitating if he should go in or not.

              So what if I go in? Not like he’s conscious.

              But why am I not going in? Do I actually felt guilty for telling him that his son was dead? Does he deserve to know who his son was?

              Taemin turned around and leaned against the door. He quietly groaned, , he thought. He hated him for falling in love with Hyori, he hated the fact that Choi Siwon’s blood was running in his body. He hated Hyori for dumping him after giving birth to him, what right does she has to ruin his life like this? It’s all Siwon and Hyori’s fault that now Taemin doubts his own existence.

              He swallowed a ball of saliva as he pushed himself off the wall before walking in the direction of the carpark. I’m not taking back what I said, your son is dead and you will never know about him.

When Hyehee woke up, she was in Taemin’s room already. Rubbing her eyes, she pushed herself up on her elbow and squinted at the time on her phone, “aren’t you sleeping a little too much these days?” she heard someone asking, and she turned around.

              ”Oppa? When did you—” she was lost for words.

              Taemin was lying beside her, watching her as she sleeps. “I’m back,” he smiled, and Hyehee responded by snuggling against him. She took a deep breath, with her arm over Taemin, she let out a small sigh. “When I saw the bullets inside the drawer, I thought I was going to lose you.”

              Taemin pulled Hyehee closer to him, he leaned his chin on top of her head. “Sorry… for making you worry for me.”

              Hyehee sighed again, she closed her eyes. “Summer break is ending soon…” her voice came out muffled against his chest. “Yeah…” Taemin closed his eyes too and the both of them just laid there with their bodies pressed together. “So many things happened in such a short break. Jin oppa was still with us before the holiday.”

              Taemin’s eyes snapped open at the thought of Jinki.

              “Minho is not going to attend school with us anymore too,” Hyehee continued. But as long as I’ve my Taemin oppa with me…nothing else matters.

              “Oppa…”

              “Hmm?” Taemin breathed, staring at particularly nothing with his finger rubbing circles on Hyehee’s back.

              She paused for a while, “I realized I’ve been losing people all my life. When I was younger, you left; then father and mother left, and now Jin oppa left, but you were back. And now that you’re back with me, you were like a big safety net underneath me when I walk. Until you collapsed this morning…now every step scared me to death.”

              Taemin tighten his arms around Hyehee’s small frame. He didn’t actually know what he means to her, especially after she found out that he wasn’t her biological sister. Instead, just some random guy who randomly came into her life and randomly left her and now back again. Making her lost her real oppa and getting involved in all these s, he wasn’t even sure if he could be hugging her right now.

              “I’m sorry,” he said apologetically. “It’s my entire fault—,”

              “No…” Taemin looked down at her as she raised her head up, before noticing that Taemin’s lips were dangerously close to hers. She quickly lowered her head again. “I mean…I’m thankful that you were with me this entire time…and I actually… like to be with you...”

              He blinked. He wasn’t sure if what she said and what he understand was the same, but he would love to believe what he understand is correct.

              Taemin lifted Hyehee’s face up by her chin with his fingers. “Thank you, for being thankful, and for accepting me.”

              And he leaned in for her lips.