Sandara pulled her multi colored knit scarf over her chin as she pushed open the glass door of “Angel In-Us Coffee.”

He hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a t-shirt with an army green military-like jacket hanging over her shoulders.

She looked around the café as she made her way to the counter to order the drinks, her black converse high-cuts squeaking against the shiny tiled floor.

“Juice and an Iced Americano please.” She told the person at the counter.

Sandara paid for the drinks as she moved to the side counter to wait, Zico probably wasn’t here yet…she was early.

Grabbing the tray with her skinny, slim fingers, Sandara proceeded to take a seat near the window.

“He’s late.” She thought to herself, pushing up the sleeve of her jacket to look at her watch.

Over at the Red Tiger gang’s dorm, the boys had just returned from their heist.

Taeil, PO and Kyung were huddled around the couch and PO was on the phone ordering take out.

“2 dukkbukki….5 kimbaps, 2 pork bone soups, 3 Chapjae!!” PO talked excitedly over the phone.

“Marinated squid!!” Kyung shouted.

“Oh…and marinated squid!” PO repeated.

“Hyung! Want anything?” PO asked, turning to Zico who was getting the beer out of the fridge.

“I’m good…you guys probably ordered a feast feat for a king!” Zico replied, smirking.

“Oh and Kimchi Pancake please!” PO finished, while repeating the address of their dorm.

“I’m so hungry! Hope the food comes soon!” PO remarked, rubbing his stomach.

“I hope the food comes soon too.” Zico thought as he stared at the wall clock, he was already late for his meeting with Dara.

Just then, B-bomb came out of the room with the two girls from earlier.

“Oppa…you’ll call us will you?” One of the girls asked, smiling ily at B-bomb.

“I said I’ll call you didn’t I?” B-bomb replied with a smirk on his face as he led the girls out of the door.

“Unnhhhh Oppaaaaa~ Do we have to leave now?” the other girl spoke, her voice was even more high pitched then the other.

“Mmmmm, it’s male bonding time now…I’ll call you okay jagiya?” B-bomb replied, slowly pushing the girls out the door and closing the door behind them.

Zico finally couldn’t take it and rolled his eyes, good thing B-bomb had his own room and no one had to share with him.

“Hyung!Let’s have a toast!” PO called out to B-bomb holding out a can of Hite beer.

B-bomb smirked as he made his way over to the boys, he was much satisfied with how the heist went today.

“Cheers!” B-bomb shouted, raising his can of beer out in front of him.

“Cheeerrrsss!!!” the rest of them said as they clanked their aluminum cans together.

Zico almost scoffed down the whole can in one shot, he really wanted to leave now.

He didn’t like to keep his Dara Nuna waiting.

“Yah, what’s the rush Zico…” B-bomb asked, looking at Zico who was scoffing the beer down.

“Uh, I kind of have an appointment.” Zico stated, gulping down the leftover beer in his mouth.

B-bomb smirked. “Why, you should enjoy yourself today…after all you did such a good job in the jewelry shop today.”

Zico nodded as B-bomb and him made eye contact.

He didn’t want to say anymore.

“Food’s here!!” PO exclaimed as he made his way to the door as the bell rang.

“You have an appointment with Dara nuna don’t you?” Kyung asked Zico, seeing that B-bomb had left to go collect the food too.

Zico nodded. “I’ll leave after eating a little.”

“Just go when you need to, we’ll take care of B-bomb hyung.” Kyung assured.

“Thanks.” Zico replied, he was glad he had a friend like Kyung in the gang…he always had his back.

“Let’s eat!” B-bomb said, as PO and Taeil started opening the containers.

“Ahhhhh, so delicious!” PO remarked, slurping up the chapjae.

“O….really delicious!” Kyung continued, chewing on the dukbukki.

Zico ate a mouthful of chapjae and 2 slices of Kimbap before lowering his chopsticks.

“O…Zico ah…don't you have an appointment, maybe you should leave first.” Kyung instigated.

Slowly, all the boys at the table started to look towards B-bomb.

“Mmmm…go ahead.” B-bomb simply said, as he raised his head from the food in front of him.

“I'll leave now then, I’ll be back later hyung.” Zico told B-bomb as he made his way towards the door.

“Mmmm…enjoy your date.”

Zico slipped on his white high-cut sneakers as he pushed open the front door, something about what B-bomb said sounded sarcastic.

He tried his best to keep Dara away from B-bomb, everyone knew what B-bomb was like with girls.

Zico adjusted his hair as he looked at his reflection in the walls of the lift, he had changed into a khaki brown checkered long sleeve shirt now with a light brown knitted pullover vest.

Upon leaving the apartment building of the dorm, Zico’s strides turned into a jog as he made his way to the café Dara was at as fast as he could.

He could see Dara’s figure against the glass windows of the café as he pulled open the door.

“Nuna!” he called, as he jogged towards the table.

“Oh, you’re here?” Dara replied, looking up at Zico.

“Mian….I’m late.” Zico said, with an apologetic smile on his face.

“It’s fine.” Dara replied, smiling at Zico.

She knew Zico had his reasons.

“I ordered you’re favorite Americano.” Dara said, pushing the glass towards Zico.

Zico’s lips curled into a smile as he took the glass and drank from it.

“Zico ah….” Dara started, pushing the straw of her juice with her fingers from left to right.

“What is it?” Zico asked, looking up at Dara.

“I don't mean to pressure you but….when are you going to leave the gang?” she asked, raising her eyes from her juice glass to look at Zico.

Zico bit his lip as he reached out and took Dara’s hand.

“Nuna…I know you’re worried. I promised you I’ll quite the gang and I definitely will…but now’s not the time yet.”

Dara sighed as she reached out and touched Zico’s face.

“Zico ah….I’m just afraid one day you might get hurt.”

“I know Nuna…I promise you it’ll be soon, I just have to wait for the right time.”

“You trust me right?”

Dara smiled as she nodded at Zico. “Arasso.”

“I’ve got something for you.” Zico said, as he let go of Dara’s hand and reached into his backpack.

“O…what is it?” Dara asked curiously, peering over the table.

Zico smiled as he placed the box on the table, it was white in color with a silver glittery ribbon on it.

He slowly took off the cover, taking the charm bracelet out of the box and slowly pulling Dara’s wrist towards him.

He attached the hook of the bracelet as it fell neatly around Dara’s wrist.

“Do you like it?” he asked, looking at Dara for a reaction.

“It’s beautiful.” Dara smiled, turning her wrist to look at it.

Zico felt happy seeing the delight in Dara’s eyes, he felt happy whenever she was happy.

Sad, whenever she was sad.

“Yah! You didn’t steal this did you!?” Dara, asked suddenly coming to a realization.

Zico laughed. “I bought this with my own money.”

Dara made a face at Zico as she smiled.

“Gomawo….”

Their meeting continued on as they chatted about life and drank their drinks.

As it started to get late, Zico walked Dara back to her house.

They entered the neighborhood where Zico too once used to live.

Zico stopped in his tracks as his old house came into view, it was empty now no one was living there. Zico used to live there with his Father, but when his Father died he left Zico with a mountain of debt and not even a penny.

The loansharks were coming over to the house everyday and Zico had to drop out of school because he didn’t have money to pay the school fees.

That was when B-bomb offered Zico the only route he had left, the gang.

He managed to pay off all his Father’s debts and had moved in with the boys in the dorm. But he was now stuck in the gang for life.

“Zico ah…”Dara’s called, as she wrapped her fingers around Zico’s hand.

“O…” Zico replied, snapping out of his thoughts.

“It’s cold, why don't you come in for a while.” Dara suggested as she pulled Zico into her house.

Dara’s house was small and cramped, there wasn’t even a heater inside.

Zico wanted to much to take Dara and leave this place, it wasn’t a place for a girl like her to live.

-Flashback-

It was back in middleschool, where Zico was still living next to Dara and she was in High School.

Zico knew about Dara, she was the most popular girl in that neighborhood but she didn’t really know who Zico was.

He was in his Middle School uniform and was walking back home when suddenly he saw a girl running towards him. It was Dara, she had a scratch on her forehead and there was blood on her lips.

Suddenly, she tripped on a rock and fell on the ground in front of Zico.

“Are you all right!?” Zico exclaimed, running over to her.

There were bruises all over her arms and legs.

“Come back here !!” Zico heard a man shout, as he looked up to see Sandara’s Father running towards them.

“Get behind me!” Zico shouted, as he pulled Sandara’s arm and swung her behind his back.

He raised out his arms in front of him as Sandara’s Father approached.

“Get away boy!!! This has nothing to do with you!” the man shouted.

“No! I’m not going anywhere!” Zico said firmly, standing his ground.

“You’re asking for it!!” the man shouted as he hurled himself towards Zico, grabbing his collar.

Zico kicked in the air as the man threw him aside, he landed on the sandy ground shoulder first.

He heard Sandara scream as the man raised his hand to hit her.

Pushing himself off the ground, Zico hurled himself at the man, punching him in the face.

He stood in front of Sandara.

“YAH!!!! Stupid boy!!!” the man shouted, wiping the blood off his face.

Zico fought the man with all he had, elbowing him in the face and kicking him in the stomach.

The one thing Zico knew, it was how to defend himself…..and the girl he liked.

By this time, Sandara’s Father was already squirming on the ground.

“Don't you dare try to hit her again!!” Zico shouted, taking a very shocked Sandara by her arm and pulling her into his house, locking the door behind him.

“Are you all right?” he asked, sitting Sandara down on the bench outside.

She gave a small nod as she looked up at Zico, face still terrified.

Zico gave her a smile.

“YAHHH OPEN UP!!!!” Sandara’s Father banged on the door, causing her to jump up in shock.

“It’s all right, he won’t be able to get you here.” Zico said, smiling reassuringly at Dara.

“I’ll go get the ointment for your wounds.” He said, as he went in the house and grabbed the first aid kit.

Dara flinched as Zico dabbed the ointment on her wounds.

“It’ll hurt just a little….”

Zico and Dara stared into each others eyes.

“Gomawo..” Dara thanked Zico, as he finished working on her wounds.

Zico smiled at her. “No problem, if Nuna has any problems next time…come to me…Zico will get rid of all her problems for her.”

For the first time, a small smile formed on Dara’s face as she gazed at Zico.

-end of flashback-

Sandara’s Father had since been put in jail for murder and wasn’t living with her anymore.

“Nuna…” Zico started as he sat next to Dara on the couch.

“Hmmmm?”

“I promise…I’ll take you away from here soon. I don’t want you living in a place like this…” Zico said, taking Dara’s hand.

She smiled at Zico. “Why are you suddenly saying all this?”

“Nuna…I love you…and I want to protect you, I promise I’ll leave the gang soon and bring you away from here…I promise.” Zico continued, gazing into Sandara’s eyes.

There was a shimmer in Dara’s eyes as she looked into Zico eyes. They were so sincere, she knew those were the eyes of the man who would do anything and everything for her.

“I love you too.” She smiled, as she moved her face closer to Zico’s, locking her lips with his.

Zico closed his eyes as he felt Dara’s lips slide against his…it was a sensation he never felt before.

He pressed his lips against hers and moved with the flow, fighting to gain control.

He never wanted to lose this woman…ever.