Broken (Kim Jaejoong + OC) - requested

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 20th 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, pro