Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink.

 

It took me a number of blinks before my eyes were able to adjust. I groaned as I saw that I’m back in the chamber where Jiyong was being whipped before.

 

“How are you feeling?” a whisper came from beside me. I saw Jiyong’s shoulder leaning against the wall. I lifted my hand to reach him when I heard a rattling sound. I looked down and saw manacles on my wrists.

 

“I don’t know,” I answered belatedly and looked around. “Where are they?”

 

“Outside,” he answered. “So. . .” he hesitated.

 

“So what?” I urged on.

 

“You did the first move again,” he chuckled. “I must say, I’m pleased that you still find me irresistible despite my current. . . looks.”

 

“I can’t believe you still got the nerves to joke!” I rolled my eyes.

 

“I heard them,” he seriously said. “I heard them talked about you being in Woo’s care and all the lies he’s been feeding you about me. And yet, you ran to me. . .”

 

“I almost believed him,” I answered truthfully. “But it felt wrong in a way, so. . .” I shrugged then turned to him, my eyes slanted. “And you! You’re such a jerk!”

 

“What did I do?” he asked, surprised.

 

“Why did you show up in the Jangs’ residence just like that? You went straight there after you escaped this place, didn’t you? You’re really stupid, you know! You could have at least called for backup or something or at least changed your clothes, took a bath. You should have gone straight into the hospital. I must say, you smelled sweat and dirt!”

 

I think I saw him blushed. Aigoo! I can’t believe this. Kwon Jiyong, blushing? “I’m not proud of my actions,” he then said. “Actually, I didn’t expect that from myself. What I did was probably the lamest, dumbest and the most stupid thing an agent could do. But I wasn’t thinking straight anymore. All I could think of was you, your safety and that you went straight into the enemy’s arms after I let you escaped. That was pretty stupid, too.”

 

I blushed. “Well, you can’t really blame me, can you? I didn’t expect Wooyoung oppa’s involved in here but- wait! So, he’s really involved here?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And you knew all along?” I asked in disbelief.

 

“Not all along, just some time back.”

 

“Why didn’t you tell me? Aish!”

 

He snorted. “At the time I found out, you wouldn’t believe me. You were too SMITTEN with him.”

 

“But when we were being chased, you should have at least told me,” I said.

 

“Would you have believed me, then?”

 

Well, the truth? No, I wouldn’t believe him. But now, I do. Funny how I can take this so easily. Funny how I quickly accepted oppa’s true face. He’s the one who lied. It’s pretty much clear to me now. “He told me about the NGM,” I said. I told him everything oppa told me.

 

“Well,” he thoughtfully said. “He’s pretty much telling the truth about everything, except for the part about me being the real culprit.”

 

We turned silent. I still find it weird how I quickly accepted the fact that Wooyoung’s the real villain here, no violent reaction, whatsoever. But the weirdest thing was how I am having a casual talk with the pest right now when we should have been planning of ways to escape here. “This would be endless, wouldn’t it?” I broke the silence. “As long as they don’t get the NGM, this will go on and on and on.”

 

“They won’t kill you yet,” he said. “They need you for blackmail. The problem is, they don’t know where to contact him, your Dad, that’s why they’re keeping me alive themselves. They think I know how and where to contact them. Huh! They can wait forever but I won’t tell them anything.”

 

“He said he did some background check on you.”

 

“Oh well,” he shrugged, “Sang Won’s in league with them, so he pretty much told them everything, I think.”

 

“Having a good time?”

 

I looked up. I didn’t notice oppa entered the chamber. My heart squeezed upon seeing him. I trusted him, hero-worshipped him before, gone gaga over him and even worst, I loved him. Oh yes, I did. “Why are you doing this oppa?” I asked.

 

“Because he’s being ordered to,” Jiyong answered.

 

Oppa shot him a glare. “Shut up! You don’t know anything!”

 

“You might be surprised with what I know about you,” the pest menacingly said. “Two can play a game, Wooyoung.”

 

I saw oppa paled but he quickly composed himself. “It won’t help you in any way,” he said.

 

“True. But I can help you,” Jiyong said. “We can protect them.”

 

Oppa shook his head. “No, you won’t. They’ll be dead even before you save them. You don’t know my father.”

 

“What are you two talking about?” I inserted.

 

“And besides, I don’t need your help,” oppa continued, ignoring me.

 

“You can still do something,” Jiyong said.

 

Oppa smiled darkly. “I’m already too deep.”

 

“Ya! What are you two talking about?” I burst out loudly.

 

“You didn’t tell her?”

 

“No,” the pest answered.

 

Oppa laughed. “Oh well,” he shrugged. He looked up ahead, his eyes blank. After a while, he looked at me. There was an insane smile on his lips. “Just in case you want to know, I slept with all of your girlfriends. I even told Hyuna to spike your drink.”

 

“What?”

 

“You heard me right.”

 

“How could you?” I gasped. “I trusted you!”

 

“Well, you’re pretty easy to lead astray,” he shrugged. I was about to answer him when I heard Jiyong snort. Oppa heard this too because his head went to the pest.

 

“Are you laughing at me?” I snapped.

 

“He’s right, you know,” he calmly said. “You’re pretty much easy to lead astray.”

 

“Ya! You should be siding with me!” I whined.

 

“Look at you two. It’s as if you’re not in a. . . compromising situation,” oppa inserted. Wait. I should stop calling him oppa. “I think I understand what Jessica told me about you two.”

 

“Jessica?” I asked. How many people I know are involve in this? Dang it! Seems like everyone.

 

“I set her off to befriend Jiyong. But obviously, she failed.”

 

“Befriend is an understatement,” Jiyong remarked. Aish! How can they talk like they’re friends making up for lost times?

 

Wooyoung smirked. “Jessica’s one of the best in the art of seduction. I’ve experienced it firsthand.”

 

“You set Jessica to seduce Jiyong?!” I hysterically burst out. I stared at Wooyoung and noticed something seemed to bug him.

 

“It won’t work that way, Wooyoung,” the pest said. “Are you such a coward now that you’re finding an easy way out? Angering her won’t help.”

 

The double doors opened. Uncle went in, looking extremely satisfied.

 

“Dad,” Wooyoung greeted.

 

“Good job, my son. You did well,” Uncle said, patting his son’s back. Then, he turned to us.

 

“How could you do this?!” I shouted. “We treated you like a family! We trusted you!”

 

“I’m sorry about this, Dara. It wouldn’t end up like this if you’re father was kind enough to give me the NGM or if you only believed everything Wooyoung said.”

 

“Don’t apologize if you don’t mean it!” I hissed. He ignored me and looked at Jiyong instead. “I’ve been told you’re a tough one.”

 

“Got that right,” Jiyong snorted.

 

“What would it take you to tell us where the NGM is, huh? Tell me.”

 

“You’d do anything?” Jiyong asked eagerly. I turned to look at him. What the hell is he doing?!

 

“Anything!” Uncle answered urgently.

 

“It’s not that complicated,” Jiyong said. “Free Dara.”

 

Uncle looked surprised. “If I’m going to let her go, would you tell me where it is?”

 

“Oh, one more thing,” the pest said. “After freeing Dara, go to hell.”

 

Uncle’s face turned dangerously red. “I understand that you’re protecting her because it’s part of your job. But, is she really worth it to be protected?”

 

“Of course she is.”

 

“We’ll see then,” Uncle muttered, took out his phone and made a call.

 

 

Later. . .

 

The door opened again. I saw Sang Won entered, carrying something in his arms. I think it’s some sort of a player. I’m not really sure, I can’t see it fully. “Have you ever wondered why we found out about your location in that farm?”

 

I froze. Oh no!

 

“If I assumed it correctly, Dara didn’t tell you she called Wooyoung?”

 

My heart started beating hard against my chest. I looked at the pest but he wasn’t looking at me. He had his eyes fixed on Uncle.

 

“I take it you already know how that works, right? And to show you proof, I’ll play their recorded conversation.”

 

I closed my eyes as tears threatened to fall.

 

“. . . yes, it’s me. I just called to say that I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me. I can’t explain everything right now, so please understand. I will tell you everything once this is over.”

 

“Where are you?”

 

“I’m in an orange farm, somewhere. I’m not really sure where exactly ‘coz I fell asleep on the way and I’m not allowed to go out.”

 

“But who’s with you?”

 

“I’m with Jiyong and he’s going to be pissed if he found out I called you.”

 

“Jiyong?! Listen, you-“

 

“Yes, Kwon Jiyong, the pest. Listen, I’ll talk to you soon, okay? I just called because I wanted to hear your voice. I missed you already!”

 

“And I missed you so much, too. Listen, don’t trust-”

 

“I better go.”

 

“WAIT!”

 

“What?” I asked.

 

“I love you,” he whispered.

 

“And I love you too. I’ll see you soon, okay? I really should go now. Bye and take care of yourself.”

 

I opened my eyes and glanced up at Jiyong. He was looking at me, too. But his eyes. His eyes were empty- no emotions, nothing. I started crying. I’d rather see hatred in his eyes than this.

 

“So, you see. It’s her fault your grandparents died. We kind of traced the call. But I must say, if those two didn’t fight us, we might have spared them,” Sang Won sneered.

 

It’s over. He’s not going to fight anymore. He’s not going to fight FOR MY SAFETY anymore. I tried pleading with my eyes but his eyes remained dead. “Jiyong,” I cried weakly. “I’m so sorry!”

 

This is my fault.

 

A loud ring echoed through the chamber.

 

“Hello?” I heard Uncle said. I didn’t dare look, I was still pleading with Jiyong silently. “Really? That’s good news. So, what did you find out?”

 

“Jiyong,” I called again but I can’t reach out to him anymore, literally and figuratively.

 

“Thank you,” I heard Uncle said, sounding triumphant. “Finally.”

 

“Dad?” Wooyoung called.

 

“At last, the long search is over, my son.”

 

“Really? Where is it?” Wooyoung asked again. When Uncle didn’t answer at once, I looked away from Jiyong and looked up ahead. I saw uncle staring at me. Then, he turned away and gathered Wooyoung and Sang Won together. He then started talking in a low, silent voice making it impossible for me to hear what he’s saying.

 

Sang Won laughed while Wooyoung paled. “No!” Wooyoung loudly said. “You promised!”

 

It happened so fast. At first, they were in a circle, then the next thing I saw, Uncle hit Wooyoung’s head with the handle of his gun. He fell to the floor, unconscious. “How could you do that to your own son?” I gasped.

 

“It’s because Wooyoung is not his real son. He’s adopted,” Jiyong quietly said.