"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

She groggily opened her eyes and saw a blurry figure in front of her. After she sleepily rubbed her eyes, the figure came into focus and she almost fell out of her bed from shock. "What are you doing here?!"

"I'm taking you out on a date," Wooyoung answered cheerfully, flashing her a bright smile.

"What?!"

"Well, we're in a relationship now. We should go on a few dates before you meet my brother next month," Wooyoung explained as he grabbed her arms and pulled her up into a sitting position.

She shook his arms off and hastily pulled her blankets around her. "How did you get in?"

"Oh, I just told Ryeowook that I'm a friend of yours and that we're hanging out today," Wooyoung answered carelessly as he looked around her room.

"Where's Taeyang? He'd never leave me alone," she said, forgetting the bodyguard's alias and fake background story.

"Taeyang? Who's that?"

She colored immediately and quickly replied, "I mean, Young Bae. Taeyang is my nickname for him."

Wooyoung arched an eyebrow and commented casually, "You seem awfully attached to him, even though you two are only cousins."

"What's wrong with that?" she retorted with a glare.

"Nothing. Anyway, I don't know where he is and Ryeowook left on some errand after he let me in. So where shall we go?"

Something wasn't right. Taeyang would never leave her like that. Even if he was an annoying little nag at times, he took his job seriously. Nothing could deter him from following her around everywhere. To be honest, she missed his constant presence. Just a little.

"Um, anywhere is fine, I guess."

"Well, you might want to get dressed. Unless you're OK with going out in your nightgown. I don't mind," Wooyoung added cheekily. He quickly fled the room before he could be hit by a barrage of pillows and stuffed animals.

"Out! Get out!"

--

Wooyoung decided to take her on a stroll through the park to allow them a chance to talk and get to know each other better. Not the most original site for a date, but she didn't really care where they went. This was strictly a business obligation.

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about your brother and what I should expect from him?"

Wooyoung pouted and replied, "What about me? I'm much more important than him."

"Can it with the boyfriend persona. I'm not here to play games."

"Then what are you here for?" he asked in a low, expressionless voice.

She stopped in her tracks and bit her tongue, afraid that something important would slip. "I'm doing it because I feel obligated to do it," she answered stiffly, hoping they would move on from this.

"And why would you feel that?" he continued in that same unfathomable tone.

"Because...you practically begged me to help you," she replied, desperately trying to grasp straws. "And I feel bad that you were getting forced into an arranged marriage."

Wooyoung's face lost its stoic expression and he grinned widely as he pinched her left cheek. "Aw, so you do care about me." She sighed, wondering how she could ever figure out who the real Wooyoung was if he kept changing personalities. "I know you don't really want to be with me, so thank you for helping me out."

"No problem," she answered weakly. Every time he actually seemed human, she could feel her hate for him dissipate little by little.

"Now, about my brother, he's very strict and no fun at all."

"Like you when you're at school."

"That, my dear girl, is a different matter altogether. I need to be in the zone in order to do well. My brother is like that all of the time," Wooyoung explained, trying to defend himself. "So be polite when you meet him and don't blow our cover. He's very perceptive."

"So am I supposed to fawn over your every word?" she asked wryly.

"If that's what it takes to make it seem believable, then go for it," he answered, not catching onto the sarcasm. Or if he did, he chose to ignore it. "I'm sure you've been in love before. Just recreate the actions that go along with the feelings."

Had she been in love before? Had she truly loved Taemin back then? All of those times he had coddled her and made her feel like the queen of his world now seemed so fake. Like a passing dream. Oh, she just didn't know anymore.

Besides, she didn't know how to fake love. Love was supposed to be sincere and come from the heart. This just seemed like an insulting mockery of a beautiful emotion.

Well, if it kept Wooyoung's brother from suspecting anything and if it gave her the opportunity to carry out this dreadful mission, she had no choice but to comply.

Hooray.

--

"Where are you taking me?" She settled into the passenger seat of Taeyang's silver Mercedes-Benz as he revved up the engine.

"You'll see."

She groaned in response before leaning into the comfy leather seat. The smooth purr of the engine combined with Taeyang's silence lulled her to sleep. When she woke up, she could see nothing. It was pitch black. "W-where am I?" Her heart pounded as she clutched the arms of her seat, terrified out of her wits.

"We're in the basement."

She let out a scream upon hearing Taeyang's voice come out of nowhere.

"Shhh, calm down!" Taeyang flipped the switch on the ceiling of the car, flooding the inside with light.

"B-basement of what?" she choked out as her heart rate gradually decreased.

"The warehouse."

"Why'd you bring me back here?" she demanded as she undid her seatbelt.

Taeyang raised an eyebrow and answered, "Don't you remember? You promised Key and T.O.P that you'd briefly train again. They wanted you to start right after you agreed to the mission, but I convinced them to have you start now, because you had school earlier."

She was surprised by his consideration, but brushed it out of her mind. She really wished she hadn't agreed to this. There were so many other things she could be doing with this time. Playing video games and hanging out with the Lee cousins. Choreographing a new dance routine with Ryeowook. Figuring out how to eliminate Wooyoung. Just a normal high school student's summer vacation.

"So why're we in the basement?"

"It doubles as a parking lot." Taeyang gestured to the dozens of cars that were parked on the floor. He opened the door and stepped out of the car. "Let's go. We don't want to be late."

She reluctantly stepped out of the car and follow Taeyang as he strode through the basement to an elevator. He jabbed the up arrow button which opened the doors. They stepped inside and as the doors closed, Taeyang pressed the button for the fifth floor. The elevator rumbled as it slowly began its ascent.

"You'll be coming here every day for the next two weeks for intensive training," Taeyang informed her. "After that, we'll be placing you with some of our other rookie assassins. There's no reason you shouldn't be at the top of your class once you've finished intensive training." By the time he finished speaking, the elevator doors opened the reveal a dark, gloomy hallway. "After you." Taeyang slightly bowed as he ushered her out of the elevator.

They walked silently down the hallway until Taeyang stopped at a light bronze door that she recognized as one that led to one of the martial arts training rooms. Taeyang knocked once before opening the door. The room was dimly lit with the mafia's signature blue-flamed lanterns and a dark silhouette could be seen in the middle of the room.

"Hello, Young Mistress. It's been awhile." 

She froze in the doorway, paling as she recognized the voice. "C-CL..."

The figure snapped her fingers and the room was lit with a dim red light. A slim, golden-haired female wearing a tight black body suit with her hair tied up in a bun stood with her arms crossed and a haughty smirk on her face. "I was wondering when you'd come crawling back to us, but I'll admit, I didn't expect you to be here so soon," CL commented dryly as the stunned dancer stared at her in horror.

"Young Mistress, you'll be training with CL again," Taeyang informed her quietly. He sensed how tense she was and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'll be here to supervise, all right?"

She gritted her teeth and forced herself to walk up to her old mentor. "How are you, CL." It wasn't a question. She could care less about this cold, harsh, unfeeling woman. But it was best to tread carefully. For now.

CL began circling the dancer as she responded, "I'm fine. But you're looking quite peaky. Why don't I help you get some color running in your cheeks!"

Without warning, CL aimed a punch at her right side. Luckily, having trained under CL before had prepared her for CL's surprise attack and she was able to narrowly dodge the hit with her quick footwork, sharpened by years of dance.

"Not bad," CL mused after this failed attempt. "But this time, you're not going to be so lucky."

The experienced fighter quickly swung a foot under the dancer, literally sweeping her off of her feet. She landed painfully on the wooden floor and pushed herself up, only to face a barrage of punches from her instructor.

"This is too easy. Hurry up and hit me," CL taunted as she used the side of her flattened right hand to strike her pupil's right shoulder. She went down with a groan before painfully hauling herself back up. "You weren't my star student for no reason. Fight back, you useless child!"

She could ignore any other insults tossed her way, but she absolutely REFUSED to be called useless. Not after being labeled as useless by the rest of her family. With a battle cry, she threw a punch at CL, who easily blocked it with her own hands. "This is better. Now actually try to score a hit!" the fighter goaded with a satisfied sneer on her face.

Taeyang watched from the sidelines as Key's younger sister grew angrier and angrier, transitioning from letting herself get beaten up to throwing herself into the heat of battle and striking back. He observed her technique, noticing flaws and areas for improvement. He was slightly impressed that she had managed to retain the skills she had learned from a year ago. She was more like Key than she'd ever admit.

"That's enough." CL held up a hand with her palm facing outward, signaling for her pupil to stop.

She panted heavily, trying to regain her breath. The last time she'd fought this hard was against the only other rookie at the time, Bae Su Ji. Come to think of it, she didn't know what had happened to Su Ji since leaving the mafia. She made a mental note to ask Taeyang about her old training partner when she got the chance.

Speak of the devil, the bodyguard was making his way to her. A large bottle of red Gatorade was held in one hand and a small beige towel was clutched in the other. "Here."

"Thanks." She gratefully received the two items, and immediately began wiping away the perspiration that accumulated on her neck and forehead. Once the grime and sticky sweat was cleaned away, she twiste