a/n: revelations... drama...OH! someone getting shot! i'm evil!!!

enjoy darlings!

One of the older women fussed over her wedding gown, another woman putting final touches on the make-up over her face. The guests were waiting and the ceremony ready to begin in a few minutes.  Everyone she knew, and knew of, was present and even those people who she has no idea who were, came to witness the wedding. It was no simple wedding after all, but a marriage between the granddaughter of Raijin, and the son of a prominent businessman in the country. The alliance of two powerful forces that governs the underground world of Japan.

Yet, as she look at herself in the mirror, all dressed up in an elaborately decorated white wedding gown, hair done up in soft curls and falling in waves down her shoulders, her face dolled up with make up, she couldn’t help but feel nothing. Her eyes were empty, and looking at them through the mirror makes her cringe. Who is this person looking back at her? Where did Seirin go?

Another figure appeared in the mirror. Chen. He was handsomely dressed as well, in his black tuxedo, and hair swiped up with fringes framing his face accenting his sharp eyes and handsome features. Looking at him, she couldn’t feel anything at all by now. Everything he had revealed to her, it doesn’t make her angry, or disappointed, or sad anymore. She’s numb. And feeling numb scares her more.  She feels cold and lifeless, as if her spirit is gone for good.

Was anyone ever going to save her? Or would she spend the rest of her life being the lifeless puppet that her grandfather, and Chen, had made her to be?

“Are you okay?” Chen asked as he walked closer to her.

She dropped her gaze and let Chen maneuvered her so they were facing each other. He cupped her face and made her look at him. She could easily see the concern and love radiating from his eyes. But for the life of her, she still wasn’t able to feel anything for him anymore. Her thoughts and heart is so muddled and even the fact that she was going to be married to her best friend had not fully sunk in yet.

“I… I am tired.” she replied, shying away from his touch and taking a step back.

Chen sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. “Sei… please don’t hate me. I only want you to be happy. I love you so much. Even though I know you’re only marrying me to save the family you have grown to love…” he let out a frustrated breath. “What do you want me to do so you could start loving me, Seirin? What do you want me to do so we can go back to what we were before you left for Korea?”

Seirin would have felt something tug at her heart hearing Chen sound so sorry, but she just won’t. “Please, Chen… don’t ask me for something more. You’ve already made me leave the only family I’ve even known. I don’t think I have anything else to give up. Please don’t ask more from because there’s nothing else I can give.”

“Is it really hard to love me, Seirin? I’ve always been here for you. Even when you were away in Korea, I still went out of my way to save you. Even it was against my father’s decisions, I contacted Lay so he can-”

“Lay?” Seirin’s head snapped to look at Chen. “You mean Lay was only befriending me so he could keep an eye on me… for you?”

Chen was silent, looking intently at the floor with his fist closed tightly. His jaw was set and there was a hard look in his face.

“Leave me alone, Chen. Please go out.” Seirin uttered shakily, a renewed feeling of disappointment surging through her. How many times would Chen break her trust before this whole wedding thing is over? “Please… I don’t think I would be able to take anymore of this… please don’t make me really hate you, Chen.”

Chen kept standing there for a few moments before he turned to leave. The scene gave Seirin a déjà vu feeling, but her thoughts were full of things she had discovered ever since she had arrived from Korea. How many revelations will Chen be making? Can she take more?

“Seirin…” Chen called out before he left the room completely, he kept his back on Seirin though, “I did all of this because I love you. Please don’t forget that.”

Seirin didn’t answer, so Chen left. And there was only silence and Seirin’s thoughts that she wished would be erased from her memory. But sadly, the truths that Chen had uncovered won’t just go away. It was there to stay. And Seirin would remember them in every waking day of her life.

A few minutes later, she was being ushered through the halls and soon she was walking down the isle. She passed by unfamiliar faces, felling lightheaded. Everything felt surreal. She had never imagined that she’d be this miserable on her own wedding day. She couldn’t even hear the music, everything was blurry and unclear. She blinked her eyes, hoping that it would make everything clearer. That’s when she felt something warm and wet running down her cheeks.

She was actually crying, the reason why everything was so cloudy. Realizing how miserable she really was, her chest started aching and it was getting harder for her to breath. The wedding gown started to feel suffocating, every step she took felt so heavy that it seemed like she’s wearing lead shoes instead of the fancy heels she had. She was trembling so bad that she briefly wonders how she managed to walked all the way to Chen in the altar.

“Seirin? Are you okay?” Chen whispered as he wrapped a hand on Seirin’s trembling hands, his face filled with worry.

Seirin didn’t dare answer, afraid that she would either start running out of there or start crying uncontrollably. She’s afraid that if she uttered a single word, all her resolve to continue with this wedding would crumble.

Looking at the side where her grandfather and uncle was seated, she kept on telling himself why she was there in the first place. It was for Joonmyun. For Sehun and Hyoyeon. For Kris. She’s sacrificing her happiness so the people she loves would live freely.

A slight tug from a concerned Chen had Seirin facing the altar once again. She’s thankful for the thick veil and waterproof make-up. The one who designed her wedding gown and the one who had put on her make-up must have anticipated her reaction.

With a slight nod, she let Chen help her towards the place where they were standing before the priest who was going to marry them. Honestly, she’s a bit surprised at the wedding ceremony. One would think that a wedding between a yakuza and a not-so-upright businessman would not be preceded by a religious person, but here they were with a priest standing in front of them and starting to unite them as husband and wife as if they were the most upright and normal citizens of the country.

“If anyone objects to the union of these two people here, speak up now, or forever hold your peace.”  the priest called out.

Seirin closed her eyes. She wished that the priest would just proceed with the darn ceremony. She wished this is all over. She doesn’t want this suffering to take too long. She doesn’t want to keep on hoping that someone would barge in and save her from her fate. Because there was no one who will come for her. Knowing that no one would rescue her hurts so bad. And she just want to get it over and done with, like how one would rip a Band-Aid off hastily to not feel pain.

“Well, then.” the priest nodded to no one in particular. “Let’s procee-”

“NO!” someone roared. “She’s not marrying him!”

Everyone looked at the person who had shouted.

Seirin frowned. “Minseok-sshi?”

Minseok grinned, waving. “Anniyeong, Seirin! Sorry to crash your wedding! But yeah, I can’t let you get married.” he turned serious.

Seirin let out a half sob and half laugh. She was happy to see Minseok, happy that all her wishful thinking wasn’t actually in vain… but she wished it was someone else who had stopped the wedding.

Chen blocked Seirin from Minseok’s view. The guest started panicking because the members of the yakuza as well as the people working under Chen and his father had also stood up, drawing guns of different calibers, ready to defend their bosses if needed.

“Leave now and no one will get hurt.” Chen warned, holding one of Seirin’s wrist tightly.

“We will only leave if you give me back my girlfriend.”

Seirin turned to her side and her eyes widened. It was him. The person that she had been thinking about all this time. The person she knows she should stay away from but she can’t help but wait to come and rescue her.

“Kris…”

“She’s marrying me, Kris. She’s not going to go with you.” Chen stated firmly.

“That’s for her to decide.” Kris replied, his voice cold while his face was dark with anger.

“Even if you ask her, she won’t go with you. She had made her decision.” Chen growled.

“Maybe she won’t go with him… but I’m pretty sure I can persuade her.” another voice said.

Joonmyun.

It happened as if they were in movies, everything slowing down like time decided to stall. When Joonmyun’s eyes met with Seirin, tears started running down her face. He might not see her clearly past the thick veil, but it was as if they were feeling the same, and maybe they were, because Joonmyun’s eyes were moist with unshed tears, a longing smile on his face as he took in the sight of Seirin in a wedding dress.

“Hello… Seirin.” Joonmyun uttered, voice thick.

Seirin’s voice is caught in . She just wants to go hug him. She just wants to feel his warmth, to feel that safe haven she knows waiting for her inside his arms. She just wants to be home.

“So we meet again.” a raspy voice said. “Kim Joonmyun.”

Seirin turned, hearing her grandfather’s voice for the first time again since that day before she left. Even after all this time, her grandfather still holds that authority in his voice. That power.

Joonmyun’s face was suddenly a face of cold anger that Seirin couldn’t even recognize him. She doesn’t know what had happened between Joonmyun and her grandfather, but she could easily tell that the anger and tension in them is as great as it had been then.

“And I’m back to take what is rightfully mine.” Joonmyun growled.

“Yours?” Kurosaki Satoshi scoffed, a smirk appearing on his wrinkled face. “You left like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs back then. And you are claiming things now?” he mocked Joonmyun.

Joonmyun glared, his jaw set and face dark with fury. “You purposely beat me up to death so Mariko would be forced to stay away! And you even kept me from finding out about Seirin! You kept her from me! You kept her from her family!” he spat.

“I am his family!” Satoshi roared, voice powerful even at his age. “You were the one who into this family and destroyed it! First it was my daughter! What made you think that I would let you steal my granddaughter too?”

“She is my daughter! If she is your family, then you should have made her happy! But you did the opposite! If she was happy here with you, then she would have never ran away!” Joonmyun bellowed angrily.

“And you think she would be happy with you?” Satoshi scoffed. “Even if she’s not married today, she won’t be able to deny her true colors. She is a daughter of Raijin. This clan is her family.”

“This is her tower.” Joonmyun said, voice dying down, but the intensity of his anger not abating. “And you are keeping her from her freedom.”

Seirin could only watch the exchange with her heart thundering inside her chest. What was to happen now? If there is God, will He allow her to leave with Joonmyun and be with his family? Or will she be staying captured inside her grandfather’s grasp?

“Maybe so.” Satoshi adapted his calm demeanor once again, though the deadly fire in his eyes never left. “But that’s not what is important now. I admit that I have been waiting for your return, Kim Joonmyun. Back then when you came back for Mariko, I couldn’t put a finger on you. I was bound by my word to my own daughter. In this world, the word is law. And because of that, you had been lucky. But your luck has already ran out.”
With one signal from Satoshi, his minions started advancing to where Joonmyun was standing side by side with Kris. As soon as the members of Raijin made their move, agents and officers that had came with Joonmyun came out of their hiding positions, guns drawn and ready to defend their comrades.

And all hell breaks lose.

Seirin barely managed to scream a warning towards Joonmyun before she was yanked rather harshly out of the chaos. Guns were being fired and everyone were running for their lives.

Seirin kept looking back towards where Joonmyun and Kris were ducking behind upturned tables and chairs, trying to keep themselves from being shot. She wanted to help them but an insistent hand kept on tugging at her, forcing her to run away.

“Come on, Seirin! We got to get out of here!” Chen yelled, his baritone voice barely heard above the chaotic sound of gunshots.

“No! Joonmyun’s out there! I’ve got help him!” Seirin tugged at her hand desperately but Chen kept her in a tight grip.

“You can’t help him, Sierin! You’re only be getting in the way or worse, you’re going to get hurt! And I am not going to stand by and watch you get shot! We’re leaving for somewhere safe! Come on!” Chen urged, running as fast as he could while dragging a reluctant Seirin behind him.

“Chen! Please, let me go!” Seirin pleaded, her feet aching unbearably. She just wanted to kick her heels off but there were broken glass and splintered woods on their path, the hallways being assaulted with stray bullets as well that they had to duck now and again.

“No, Sei. We’re leaving! Please listen to me!”

“I’ve been listening to you and look at where it had taken me!” Seirin shouted.

Chen suddenly slowed to a stop, the gunshots a little far behind them, the hallway surrounding them a little quiet than the rest of the wedding venue. When Chen turned to Seirin, she cringed inwardly at the pain evident in his eyes.

But she didn’t have time to feel guilty because the next thing she knew, someone had yanked her away from Chen, and then Chen was down on the floor with a bloody nose.

What Seirin realized next was that she was facing a familiar back of person. He was tall and she remembers feeling like a dwarf when she’s standing next to him. There’s that familiar wide shoulders that always gives her comfort. Kris.

“That’s for taking her away.” Kris growled. “You’re such an , Chen. How could you betray your own best friend?”

Chen slowly stood up, wiping the blood from his nose and giving Kris an equally cold glare. “Don’t you think I wouldn’t have done it any other way if there was? Don’t start lecturing me because you know nothing, Kris.”

“I know enough!” Kris roared. “I may not know everything but I know that Seirin is not happy with any of this! You said you care for her-”

“I do!”

“Then why the hell did you go and force her to marry you?”

“Because I love her!” Chen bellowed. “And there isn’t any other way to save her from being truly miserable! If you were on my shoes then you would do the same! As much as I don’t like you, I wouldn’t have her get married to some brat either! It was this or that!”

“Or she could have stayed in Korea. With me.” Kris shouted. “I would have protected her!”

“There is no way you could protect her! Her father couldn’t even protect her mom back then! What made you think there would be a difference now? It’s not that easy! And the only way to save her is if she marry me!” Chen thundered. “Do you think I’m happy that she hates me now? Huh? She is going to marry me but she loves you! Do you think I’m happy?”

Tears cascaded down Seirin’s eyes. Her heart is aching for Chen. How could the world be so cruel? They were all suffering. They were all victims.

Kris was silent as a tear fell from Chen’s eyes. Chen’s shoulder’s were slumped as if he was already defeated and Seirin had this urge to hug her best friend. But Kris was on the way and even if he wasn’t, she’s not sure if she could muster the strength to go up to Chen and comfort him. The soft spot she got for Chen inside her heart is clouded by the disappointment and hurt that she holds against him for everything he had caused her.

“Well, well, well. Isn’t this such a sweet reunion for the three of you?” someone sneered.

When Seirin turned, she felt her blood boil and freeze at the same time. It was her uncle. And he was holding a gun aimed towards the general direction where the three of them were at.

Kris was fast to hold Seirin back, partially hiding her from view. Seirin’s uncle smirked, cocking the gun at them with practiced ease.

“Pathetic, the three of you, really. One is a princess trying to escape her fate. One is a stupid idiot who thinks he can be the princess’ knight in a shining armor. And yet the other one is trying to be the prince and capture princess’ heart even if he knows that she had already given it to someone else. Huh! You are all so disgusting.” he spat. “I should just kill you now, I’d be doing the world a favor.”

“Please, uncle. They have nothing to do with this. Just take me! Leave them alone!” Seirin pleaded through gritted teeth.

Seirin’s uncle started laughing like a maniac. “Take you? Please, you little prick. If there is anywhere I’d be taking you it’d be to your death!” he smirked, pointing the gun at Chen, “You! You think I didn’t know what game your father is playing? I know you want to take over Raijin! That’s the reason your father landed that deal with my own father! But I admit, sending my little niece to Joonmyun was a nice trick.”

Seirin’s ears perked up at the mention of the person who sent her to Korea. So Chen indeed know that person like how she had suspected? Who is that person then?

“Shut up!” Chen gritted, unfazed by the gun aimed at him.

Seirin’s uncle started chucking evilly once again, “Shut up? Oh! I get it! You haven’t told her!”

“I said shut up!” Chen yelled, the gun pointed straight at him keeping him from advancing and beating the hell out of the older man.
Seirin frowned. What is happening? What is her uncle saying?

She didn’t have to wonder any longer because her uncle chuckled before spilling whatever more secrets Chen was hiding from her.

“The one who helped you on that little dingy bar that night…” her uncle trailed with a devilish smile.

Wait, how did her uncle knew the conversation in the bar? No one was supposed to know what other than Joonmyun.

“It was Kai.” her uncle said with a smirk. “Kim Jongin.”

It took a few fogged up seconds before her uncle’s words properly sunk in. Kai. Chen’s father. He was that person who had sent her the picture. The one that told her about Joonmyun. The one who owes her mother.

Just when she thought that everything is finally clearing up a bit, even with the things being revealed and turning her world upside down as if it wasn’t chaotic enough, new questions are being asked. What the hell happened? How are they all connected to what happened before Seirin was even born?

“I must admit that it was clever of your father to use Seirin to worm his way up to my father‘s place. Using my niece’s sudden disappearance to distract my father from how he was slowly taking control of the clan. But if my father’s judgment had been dulled with age, you forgot one teeny-weeny detail.” Seirin’s uncle cocked the gun dangerously, playing with the trigger. “Me. You forgot about me. And if you thought that you were the only ones clever enough to use the situation to take over the clan, then you are wrong.” he smirked. “Once I put the three of you away, then there would be no one to hinder me from taking over. Kai would surely die anyways, my father would assure that. Or at least Joonmyun. Everyone knows Kai owes Joonmyun a lot. And when everyone is gone, then I would finish that old jerk myself. He’s had enough of his golden years. It’s time for new leadership.”

Seirin wanted to punch her own uncle, beat up him real good. It’s not as if they were real blood relatives anyways. He was just one orphaned boy taken in because her grandparents had wanted a son. If only they had known that they were raising a snake.

“Let Kris and Chen go. It’s me who you want.” Seirin said.

Kris frowned at her, holding her wrist warningly. She stiffened at the touch. How she missed him. But it is wrong, feeling this way towards Kris is so wrong. So she pried his hands away from him gently, slowly dying inside.

“Well, aren’t you eager to get to your death?” her uncle chuckled evilly. “Since I’m a good uncle, I’ll grant your wish.” and then he pulled the trigger.
 

BANG!
 

a/n: idk if you noticed but i like this cliffhangers where someone gets to be shot... hahahaha... am i evil or what???

well... the next chapter would sadly be the second to the last... yes... because i need tp update my other fics which are being neglected because i'm concentrating on finishing this one... and also i have to write a script for a school play since my classmates are being the lazy bums and unoficially giving all the work to me (they are very lucky i'm a good older sister and i love them even if they give me headache most of the time)

anyways... please anticipate the next chapter!!!