Chapter 3 - A New Threat

Ja Young came out of her bathroom wearing fresh clothing while drying her short hair with a white towel, the hot steam escaping into the cool bedroom. Her muscles were finally relaxed after a hard day’s work from Yong Guk’s hell training. It made her strong, but instantly drained.

“Ja Young!” Ji Eun called from below. Still drying her hair, she went downstairs into the kitchen where she was about to cook the rice. 

“Could you do me a big favor? Do you mind going to the supermarket in Notro to pick up the groceries for me?” Ja Young graciously shook her head.

“No, I can go,” she said. At that point, her hair was all dry, but messy. Dae Hyun also happened to walk in on their small conversation when Ji Eun’s face brightened and suggested, “Ah, Dae Hyun! Perfect timing! How about you tag along with Ja Young to the market? It’ll get the job done faster than just a pair of hands and legs.”

He shrugged but agreed. She handed them some money and sent them off. Dae Hyun led Ja Young to the garage where one of his many handmade cars were waiting for him. She has seen them all before and they still impressed her. They hopped inside a sleek black convertible and he sped off. He tossed her a pair of sunglasses before they went. The open roof with the rushing wind served her as an extreme hair-dryer with her brown-almost-blonde locks flying like a flag. They were quiet for the entire ride until they finally arrived at the bustling city.

Dae Hyun parked in the underground parking lot and they both went inside the market. They split up the work so they went into different directions. Ja Young picked up a box of radishes and slung a large sack of rice over her shoulder, since she was physically stronger than Dae Hyun. It was a comical sight because the roles were somewhat switched. He was carrying the meat and vegetables while she had the heavy load. Some customers stole curious glances at the two friends, which made her want to roll her eyes.

“Maybe Jong Up should have come instead of me,” he mused who earned a look from Ja Young.

“Feeling down because I’m stronger than you?” she teased. He recoiled by nudging her busy arm.

“Don’t get me started. A man’s gotta have some pride, you know?” They burst into laughter until they reached the cashier. Ja Young handed the money and they left the market carrying their own loads. They arrived at the convertible and placed the groceries in the back seat. Dae Hyun looked at his watch and said, “Hey, we have some time. Want to sneak in some coffee?”

Ja Young pondered for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”

Dae Hyun grinned and they went inside. Putting on sunglasses, he drove out of the parking lot and stopped in front of his usual cafe. He always went there to grab a cup of coffee whenever he was in town.

“Wait here. I’ll be right back.” He patted the shoulder of her chair and leapt out leaving the keys in the ignition. Ja Young sighed and took out her ring from her pocket. If memory served her well, she never used it when she was still an Argent. She slipped it on her left middle finger, and clenched her fist twice. It was strange because there was a very faint vibe emitting from the metal and into her hand. Before she could investigate further, Dae Hyun was already back balancing two cups of coffee in a tray. He handed her one and placed his in the holder. He did a double-take when he saw her blank and clouded face.

“What is it?” She snapped back to her senses and shook her head, “It’s nothing. Let’s go home.”

“Sure,” he smiled and drove back. Even while the convertible was running over some bumps and uneven ground, she still felt the vibe on her fingers. She couldn’t remember whether the ring acted this way when she put it on before for a brief moment. When Dae Hyun drove out of town and into the empty road, she suddenly shouted to him, “Stop the car!”

Startled, he hit the brakes in with a painfully loud squeal. There was something or someone standing in the middle of the road ahead of them, facing towards the car. It was a woman with long blonde hair pulled in a high ponytail wearing army-patterned attire consisting of a tank top and capris. She had black trainers and her empty eyes were crystal blue. It was as if she was waiting for them to arrive.

“What is this girl doing?” Dae Hyun wondered. “Hey! Can you get out of the way?” He hollered to her. She did something neither of them expected. She held out her palms and a beam of light was firing towards them.

“!” He cursed. They leapt out of the car before it exploded in a blink of an eye. They rolled on the ground and stood up again.

“What’s going on? Why is an Argent attacking us?” Ja Young asked, glancing at the destroyed convertible and groceries.

“Whatever happens now, the crew and Ji Eun won’t be really happy,” he drawled as he adjusted his gun on his belt. Ja Young reach back but realized she forgot her sword again. Instead, she swore under her breath and took out her leather gloves.

“Don’t kill her. We need to ask her questions,” he instructed, which she nodded firmly. “Go!”

They ran towards her first, evading the girl’s attacks and punched her. She easily blocked them and tried to counter-attack. It was almost impossible for the enemy because Ja Young’s and Dae Hyun’s close combat skills were superior in B.A.P. Dae Hyun was suddenly flipped over the girl’s shoulder and landed harshly on the ground with a sickening crack in his arm. Ja Young kicked her arm away from him, grabbed her neck across the road and tossed her in the air. She leapt up and kicked her in the stomach, sending her plummeting into the cement. The dust cleared and she warily walked towards it.

Ja Young’s heart was about to jump out of when the Argent dashed out of the crater, about to deliver a deadly blow. With no time to defend herself, she shielded herself.

Nothing came. She didn’t feel anything but a strong pair of arms protecting her. She could recognize the sturdiness of Jong Up holding her. Ja Young peered over his shoulder and spotted Yong Guk and Him Chan pinning the Argent down and breaking her neck, killing her. Young Jae helped Dae Hyun up to his feet, who had dislocated his arm during the skirmish.

“Are you okay?” Jong Up’s soft voice asked her. She pulled away from his arms and nodded in shock. “Yeah.” She looked over to the eldest members and the incapacitated enemy.

“How did you know?” she asked.

“We were tracking your car and rushed here when the signal disappeared. I guess things got a little more complicated,” Him Chan responded while carrying the girl over his shoulder. Ja Young looked back at the burnt car and her expression fell.

“Don’t worry about it,” Dae Hyun winked but winced at the pain. Her face only fell more as she was escorted to Yong Guk’s jeep nearby.

Nighttime fell in the base where the crew was in their meeting room. Jung Hana, Dae Hyun’s older sister, already (painfully) twisted his arm back into place and was currently giving him a massage to make it feel better. Hyo Sung, Him Chan’s girlfriend, was resting her head on his shoulder to have some comfort from the tense atmosphere. Ji Eun was beside Ja Young soothingly rubbing her back. Sun Hwa sat beside Young Jae who was still trying to find the mystery behind Kai’s ring and the letter. Yong Guk and Zelo were standing and thinking, and Jong Up sat beside Dae Hyun.

“You all won’t believe what we discovered about the attacker,” Young Jae spoke up after closing his laptop. Ja Young’s head perked up and gave her full attention to the Brain. He took out a sample of the body which was actually machine. Sweat began to form at the back of her neck.

“It looks like an android. Artificial Argents,” Dae Hyun guessed.

“Most likely,” Young Jae said.

“The question is who it was after,” Him Chan hypothesized.

“And why,” Jong Up added.

“Me,” Ja Young blurted for the first time. All heads turned to her as she gave her opinion. “I mean, if it was after us, there could have been more than one of these.”

Zelo mutely turned his head to his creator for his response. “I thought it was after Jong Up. He’s the only Argent here.” The Argent in the room froze in his seat.

“If it was a machine, then someone would know about us; about her,” Young Jae said.

“It has to be someone related to Argents or someone who has a grudge against them,” Yong Guk said.

“I don’t suppose this person is residing in the society,” Ji Eun wondered.

“Why can’t we just send Jong Up to the society and ask for some help?” Sun Hwa asked.

“Remember the letter? I think it’s so serious that they’re asking Ja Young to investigate instead. There’s where our next problem lies. This person knows her,” Young Jae answered.

“Of course, she’s the Heroine of Xiah who saved the world, after all,” Jong Up tried to give her some praise but she was still deep in her thoughts, trying to dig something up.

“In that case, you and Ja Young should stay hidden for a while until this calms down a little. You have to leave most of this investigation to us,” Yong Guk ordered. It angered Ja Young, so she raised her voice, “I need to help you. I can’t stay inside forever.”

“You’re going to help us more if you keep in the shadows for now,” he nearly shot back, careful not to let his temper flare in front of his wife.

“She’s right, Yong Guk. Aren’t they the strongest members in the crew? Without them, there will be more chance of you getting hurt,” Ji Eun supported Ja Young. Yong Guk answered, “That’s specifically how more of those androids will come. They know where we are, how we fight and how strong we are.”

“So you’re saying?” Jong Up realized his plan.

“If we can’t hold them down, Ja Young and Jong Up will finish the job instead.” There was a sullen atmosphere around the two. They looked at each other with sad eyes, and nodded.

“I found it!” Young Jae burst out in accomplishment. Ja Young immediately slid over to him for his results. Dae Hyun could feel his heart cringe a little at the sound of Kai’s news. He knew she loved him, but couldn’t he feel a little selfish for a little while?

“We were lucky. Kai must have been attacked by one android. I found some traces of that damn machine and matched them with the sample I plucked out.”

“And?”

“It’s not the girl. It was someone more powerful which means that he found a vital clue.”

“But did he survive?” Jong Up asked. Young Jae dismally looked away.

“I don’t know. The only way to find out is to go to the exact same place where he supposedly disappeared.” 

“If it was that strong, then what was that girl’s job? Was the person after Ja Young underestimating her?” Him Chan wondered.

“Most likely mocking her than testing her,” Young Jae concluded.

Ja Young immediately stood up from her spot, clenching her fists. She stormed out of the room, ignoring Ji Eun’s and Jong Up’s calls for her. She climbed up two stairs at a time, holding back her tears. She shoved the door open when she reached the top floor. The cold breeze of the night welcomed her to the rooftop where she could finally silently cry. She clutched onto her ring she still wore and her tears dropped on the silver metal.

“Kai,” she shakily mumbled. She could never accept his death yet, not when she kept away from him for three years. She had to see for herself to be sure, but she hadn’t so she couldn’t. “You can’t be dead, you idiot.” 

Ja Young felt a raindrop fall on her face where her tears already stained her hollow cheeks. She kept her eyes closed but she wasn’t getting wet. She heard rain pattering on something above her. She opened her eyes and saw heavy rain in front of her. There was someone behind her with a large umbrella sheltering them. The person held her hand while his other held the handle. He could feel her palms shaking from her bottled tears. She bit her lips and suppressed her sobs.

“Don’t cry, Ja Young,” Dae Hyun whispered. Now that she thought about it, Dae Hyun was the only person in B.A.P who saw her cry before. This was the third and the most hardest time he heard her ever since she arrived. “Believe in him, Ja Young. Keep hoping for the best.” It stung his heart to encourage her for someone that wasn’t him, but he wanted to comfort her nonetheless because he was encouraged to love.

Ja Young adamantly wrenched her hand free and ran out of the umbrella back into the base, but Dae Hyun did something he didn’t expect. He dropped the umbrella, firmly tugged her hand and crushed her to his chest, making her lips quiver and sob into him. He couldn’t hear the rain, or the sound of the sheltering object clattering on the floor. He only heard Ja Young and his thoughts to Kai. “If you left her like this because of your rash idiocy, I will not hesitate to take her for myself. Why aren’t you here when she misses you so much? Why can't you be a fool who would rather break rules for love than abide them?” 

Dae Hyun was so bitter that he could taste it of his thoughts. He would protect Ja Young this time, until Kai decides to make his appearance and take her away from him. Oh, it was such perfect timing when Dae Hyun had sorted out his feelings for a woman stronger than him.