Chapter 5 - Target

“She suffered a great deal on our way here. The bones in both her arms were brutally shattered before I arrived,” Ja Young’s savior told his story.

“How did you know where she was?” Jong Up asked.

They were both in the kitchen sharing cups of tea, discussing about Ja Young’s condition and the situation. The man smiled softly and answered, “We’ve been watching her after she received the letter and Kai’s ring.”

“So it was your faction who sent them,” Jong Up realized, then something dawned on him. “If you were watching over her, does that mean her own ring...?”

“Yes. She’s reviving.”

“Is it only a matter of time or is there something specific she has to do in order to restore her abilities?”

“A little of both; I remembered Lu Han sharing with yesterday.”

“Is it possible to delay it as much as possible?” Jong Up asked with concern. The man furrowed his eyebrows.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that Ja Young is a very valuable member of the crew now. If she discovers the truth, she will stop at nothing to return to the society.”

“Yes, I know. I could feel it in her heart that she couldn’t bear to leave three years ago. But, I believe the time will be right when her abilities will return. What is your next move?”

“We know who the creator is. We are going to make arrangements for an all-out attack. His androids must be stopped.”

“You do understand you are walking to your deaths, am I right?”

“Yes, we do, but if Ja Young’s abilities will return then, it will save us.”

They nodded together and they stood up. Jong Up walked him to the door and a question formed in his mind, “Is he alright?”

The savior sighed and answered, “He was nearly dead when we brought him back, but yes, he is alive and almost well. I do warn you, Moon Jong Up, that the next time our faction or myself make an appearance before you, Kai’s ring will have to be returned.”

“What about Ja Young? Is she going to be alright now?”

The man chuckled, “Of course she will. Do you doubt me?”

“No, not anymore. Take care, my friend. Return safely, and thank you.” Jong Up opened the door for him, who bowed and left the house.

Dae Hyun sat by Ja Young’s bedside, holding her hand as she slept through the day. He was tired and exhausted, but he was wide awake when he saw her broken and defeated. When her savior left her room, he stayed with her until she would wake up.

He felt weak, and underestimated Kang Ta for being able to release a strong android to kill her. If he would have known, he wouldn’t have let Ja Young go by herself and she wouldn’t have been injured so horribly. His heart, however, was eased when he saw her face relaxed.

Earlier today, Jong Up gathered the crew into a meeting, relaying the conversation he had with Ja Young’s savior. Although Dae Hyun was initially glad that Kai was still alive, there was pain and some sort of jealously lingering. There was a deep and dark part of him that hoped that he was still missing in action. He stopped thinking so rashly when he thought about how Ja Young would feel if she found out about his quiet resentment towards him. If he truly loved her, then he would let her be reunited with him when the time would come.

Dae Hyun debated on what to do, now that he was sure about his feelings towards her. He wanted to let her go, but at the same time, he wanted to steal her away from Kai. He knew that she wouldn’t accept them but he wanted to find a way to tell her so that she knows that he couldn’t have her. He was also afraid of the heartbreak he would experience when she would reject him.

A squeeze on his hand pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned his head and saw Ja Young’s eyes half open.

“Dae Hyun?” her voice was hoarse and dry. He reached for the cup and pitcher of water by her bedside table and gave it to her to drink from the straw. She took only one small sip that was enough for her to moisten .

“How did I...?”

“Someone rescued you and brought you back here,” was all he could muster. He was so close to mention his name.

“Who?” she asked.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see him until I found you here,” he lied, and to his relief, she bought it.

“What happened to me?”

“He said your bones on your arms were broken up pretty bad. He healed them before he left.”

“He healed them?” Dae Hyun nodded.

“Was he an Argent?”

“Maybe,” he breathed.

“How’s Jong Up?” she asked, thinking that he may be the one injured the most.

“He’s safe. The androids couldn’t beat him,” he smiled a little. Ja Young did the same with an inaudible sigh of relief. Dae Hyun immediately panicked when she tried to move her arms and sit up.

“Ja Young, stay down-,” he started but she effortlessly hoisted herself into a seated position, who was surprised from feeling no traces of pain.

“Unless you’re alright,” he finished instead. Ja Young felt her arms and lightly squeezed them for any more signs, but they were perfectly healed as if the bones were never crushed. She turned her head to face him.

“What happened here?” Her eyes were wide with fear, but Dae Hyun remained calm about it and said, “I think it’s best if I show you instead.” He stood up from his spot and offered her a hand, who took it gratefully. Before they left her room, the door was timidly opened with a teary Min Soo peering up at his godmother.

“Aunt Ja Young, are you okay?” he blubbered through his hiccups. Ja Young’s expression softened as she knelt down in front of his. She caressed his small round face with gentle hands.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Did you check on your mom?” she tenderly asked. He nodded while wiping his tears with his tiny palms.

“Did either of you get hurt?” He shook his head fervently. Ja Young gave a quick peck on his head before sending him to Ji Eun. When he left, she turned to Dae Hyun who watched them a moment ago.

“Did they?” she wanted to make sure. Dae Hyun also shook his head.

“They’re not hurt.” She placed a hand on her chest, trying to ease herself. “But Yong Guk would want to see you right now. His face looked really clouded when you weren’t waking up.”

Ja Young nodded in understanding, but she was almost dreading it because she couldn’t fathom what he could say to her. She grabbed a sweater from her chair, slipped it on and made her way downstairs with Dae Hyun right behind her. She stopped for a moment to say to him, “Thanks.”

It was quiet and brief, but he didn’t care. It only made his heart even lighter. Ja Young couldn’t help but let the corner of her lips curl into a slight smile before she continued down the stairs.

Yong Guk paced back and forth in the space between the TV and the coffee table in front of Ja Young sitting on the couch. She was leaning back in her seat while keeping a firm grip on the end of her sweater.

The chief stopped and heaved a heavy sigh. “You do realize the danger you are in? Or better yet, how much?”

“Yes,” she answered monotonously.

“That’s all you have to say, knowing you were nearly killed that night?” he raised his voice.

“Yes,” she repeated.

“After seeing you beaten and broken, I can’t risk taking you in our next mission. You’ll only attract more trouble. Listen, I know you’re strong and I know you’re smart, but your injuries and recklessness is a poor way to demonstrate that!”

Ja Young’s fist tightened.

“For the past three years, this is the last straw, Hong Ja Young. You had too many close calls without us to back you up, and you decided them on your own. 

“Can I ask you something?” He was taken aback but he remained silent to hear what she had to say.

“How many times have you scolded your members on how close they were from dying?” There was no reply.

“How many times have you told them they were in danger?” There was still no reply.

“As much as I truly appreciate your concern for me from the bottom of my heart, I didn’t go through death and uselessness to hear any of that from anyone. It includes you.” Ja Young needed to make herself known that she wasn’t weak.

“Don’t go against me, private,” he spat.

“I don’t know what the crew is planning, but I won’t tolerate it if you exclude me from it. If it’s because I was an Argent, then tell that to Jong Up! If I know him well enough, he would feel insulted and mistrusted from his leader. Maybe I’m human, but for all I might not know, I could still be an Argent. Above all, I’m a part of this crew by your authorization. This is where my loyalty lies.”

“Are you just saying that because you still hope you can return to the society?” Yong Guk shot back, and she froze in her words. In fact, she was torn between herself and another identity she hoped to never think about again. Her alter ego, Zhang Yin, wanted to return to the society, no matter how little her Argentic abilities were. Ja Young wanted to keep her dignity of being a normal human who can still fight for herself.

From the top of the stairs, Dae Hyun managed to hear the entire conversation and was about to rush to her side to defend her, but Young Jae grabbed his shoulder and shook his head.

“If you defend her, think of the pride she’s going to get broken by you.”

Frustrated, he remained in the same spot and watched the rest of the argument from afar.

“You made a promise to yourself that you wouldn’t have to return. Keep your promises, private. You’ve broken enough.”

“Then what am I supposed to do when you guys go? What am I supposed to do if you won’t make it back alive? What if it makes all the difference if I do go with you?”

“You’re going to have to earn my trust before we do. You have twenty-four hours, private. Can you do that in time?”

Ja Young bit her lips, holding herself back from unleashing her anger. She could feel the pride she was lifting in her heart. Would this next fight be worth it? Piece by piece, she let it crumble and fall into dust.

“No,” she breathed. “I can’t.”

It was almost inaudible, but Yong Guk heard it, whose eyes widened just the slightest. They stayed in the exact positions without a word staring at each other without any signs of faltering. After what seemed like an eternity, he left the room and slammed the door behind him.

She didn’t flinch. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out Kai’s ring, fumbling with the metal. She realized that the rust wasn’t there anymore. She flipped it over and searched for any that remained, but it was spotless and clean. She gazed at it for another moment before placing a lingering kiss on it. She dropped it back in her pocket and left the room to make her way to the training room.

Jong Up finished teaching his group of trainees late and dismissed them before they would collapse. He was very gentle and understanding, but he was fairly strict on his students. He picked up stray weapons and towels off the floor and placed them where they needed to be.

With a happy smile, he turned off all the lights and systems before he left the facility. As he walked down the hall and back to the house for a good meal, he heard someone in a room nearby. It sounded like angry grunting and growling. There were also some hitting combined with the voice. It took a second for him to realize that Ja Young was in there. He tried opening the door, but it was locked and she configured the code to make sure no one disturbed her.

She must have been very upset, he figured.

The grunts and inflicts became more aggressive and violent until a loud crash startled him outside. In a hurry, he tried to open the door again, but it failed him. Without a choice, she took a few steps back, gathered his energy and tackled the door down in one hit.

Ja Young never used specialized gloves when she used the punching bag. She needed a challenge so she didn’t call anyone to hold it for her. While she kept hitting it with her brute strength, her mind kept wandering towards the conversation with Yong Guk earlier, but it only gave her more adrenaline to attack harder. Images of her past enemies also trailed into her mind, causing her to hallucinate. The punching bag turned into the daemen assailant that severed her arm. She collided her fists into its face with animalistic retaliation.

The daemen lord suddenly appeared and she quickly initiated rapid punches into its stomach with an overflowing desire to kill. Xiu Min appeared with a devilish grin and sadistic eyes. She punched until she would imagine the blood running down from his mouth, nose and eyes. Wu Fan morphed into her vision, but the hate and detest pushed her to the edge where she didn’t know when to rest.

An image of Hye Young appeared, but Ja Young stopped for a moment. Why would someone who kept her sane and human when she was alive, be a target for her venting? She finally saw herself, exactly the way she is, with taunting eyes. She yelled at the top of her lungs before she drew back one last punch and threw it with all her might, but it was so strong and powerful that the chain holding the bag snapped and the equipment flew into the wall and crashed.

At the same time, the door behind her fell open with a loud thud with Jong Up stumbling to his feet, regaining his balance.

They sat beside each other with their backs leaning against the cool wall. They didn’t speak to each other until he broke the silence. “We’re gonna need a new punching bag. Even if we reattach it back on the ceiling, it’s so banged up that we can’t use it anymore,” he chuckled a little.

“Sorry,” she muttered.

“Oh, no. It’s fine. It’s not a big deal. I mean, it’s not that expensive - although Yong Guk would throw a fit. He likes that punching bag too.”

Her face fell when he mentioned his name.

“What’s wrong, private?”

“Can you tell me what really happened here?” she asked. Jong Up tensed his body at her question but he confided and started to explain.

“It was terrible. Dae Hyun saw the first android sneak by the kitchen window until it detonated your tunnel entrance. More reinforcements arrived out from the darkness and outnumbered us in hundreds. Many of our trainees were killed, and only some survived. The crew barely made it out of the invasion with a lot of bruises and scratches.”

“Did most of them chase after you?”

“I suppose, but their abilities were strong enough to hurt me,” he said, showing some of his injuries in bandages.

“They’re that powerful, huh?”

“You know, Yong Guk was worried about you the most when that man arrived at our base.”

“He’s probably worried enough to force me not to do anything else with you.”

“That’s not true. He kept reminding us that no one gets left behind. You’re a part of the crew, so Yong Guk could still have some more faith in you. He’s just a pig-head when it comes to that.”

“Why did he tell me that then?”

“So that you could decide upon yourself whether you still have loyalty to them - to Yong Guk.”

“Why is he so keen to trust then?”

“He was actually part of the international army before forming the crew. He was a soldier in one of the battalions in a first world country a few years ago defending the enemy ranks. While fighting against them, his fellow soldiers fled from the battlefield, after swearing an oath to each other to never abandon one another. 

“Yong Guk was injured. He voided the oath and told the others to leave him, but his twin brother, Yong Nam, adamantly stayed beside him until he was killed while protecting his younger sibling. The enemy had been defeated when help arrived, but they were too late to save him. If he were to correct his mistakes, he would told his brother to stay at home with his parents instead of joining the war.”

Ja Young couldn’t speak. After hearing about his past, she couldn’t help but think that she and Yong Guk were so alike. He must have closed his heart to allow himself to trust in others. She had to do something to change his mind.

“So don’t worry so much, private. Our leader may have something for you to do or not. But what I suggest for you when we leave you here, is to do whatever it takes for him to trust you without having to be asked.” Jong Up gave a good hearty smile before pulling her head to his shoulder. When she relaxed against him, he could feel a familiar energy emitting from her and creating a friction against his body.

There was no mistake. Her inhumane strength was most definitely returning.