Eleven members of Wolf glared at Fang – Xiumin, obviously, wasn’t interested. Fang was unyielding, for they glared right back. Luhan stepped forward and put Jinah behind him, who grimaced. She didn’t need protection. “Don’t you dare,” Luhan growled.

          “You know,” Chunji said, his hands in his back pockets, flashing them that innocent, baby smile of his. “We released a Prix. Sure, we got a new one this year, but we released one, too. So we still have room for two more. Jinah would fit well into our collection, wouldn’t she? And she’s a fresh fish, too, I know.”

          Chanyeol wanted to punch Chunji, but quickly, Lay and Kris held him back. Good image, good money. “ing bastard, did you not ing learn your ing lesson yet?” Chanyeol bellowed, despite the stares from strangers he received. Chanyeol was the last person on earth to care about what others thought about him. The very last.

          “Jinah? Shin Jinah?!” a girly voice from the back said. “Ah, move please, that’s my friend – well, maybe, I don’t know yet…Shin Jinah? Jinah-yah?”

          As Wolf turned their heads to look at Jinah, Jinah frowned. She heard that high-pitched and bright voice from somewhere…just where? “Who – ?”

         “Oh! It’s really Jinah! Yah, Jinah!”

          After that, Jinah was attacked with a hug and Luhan stepped to the side to avoid being hugged too. Jinah stumbled back, and quickly, Luhan caught her by the arms from behind her to prevent her from falling. Jinah’s innocent surprise was in deep contrast with the ferocious makeup applied by Bora and Soyu. She pushed the girl off and saw a smiling, cheerful Tiff with pounds of foundation so that her face was lighter than the rest of her body. “T-Tiff?!”

          “Yeah! Hi! Well, my name’s actually Tiffany, but Seohyun insisted –”

          Jinah grabbed Tiff’s shoulders. “Whether your name is Tiffany or Tiff, we need to talk. A lot.” She had so many questions – where was Minjung? How was she? Everyone else? Liha, Miyu, Jaein, Yooni, Seohyun…did she know anything about how things were at dwellings and other gangs? Raves? How was Fang treating her? Was she safe and…well, unused? How was she holding up? Just – everything and anything. But luck wasn’t on her side.

          Baekhyun held her back. “We can’t. She’s their property.”

          “If Tiff wants to talk to Jinah, too, she can,” Kikwang said. “Right?” he turned to Junhyung, who nodded indifferently.

          “Well your filthy toy can’t talk to our precious Prix,” Suho snapped.

          “Suho, she’s a dwelling – mate. Friend,” Jinah insisted. “I have to talk to –”

          “Wolf! You’re on in about thirty seconds. Be ready!” a random man came by and told them before he muttered something in the microphone by his mouth.

          “See? Even time forbids. Let’s go.” At ‘go’, Suho grabbed Jinah’s arm and yanked her away.

          Jinah shoved Suho aside and stormed towards the brown-haired girl. Tiff’s eyelashes were too fake. She looked like a plastic doll. She looked better at the ceremony, where she looked gracious and classy – not wasted and trashy. Her eye shadow was overused, like an Intrepidus candidate’s. “Tiff, where’s your base?” Jinah demanded.

          “Negative. Tiff, you’re not allowed to tell them,” Dongwoon warned.

          Tiff pouted. “Why? I want to meet up with her!”

          “You empty-headed girl, do you not understand the risks of letting another gang know about your base?!” Dongwoon growled.

          “Nope,” Tiff said honestly with a glittery smile.

          Dongwoon lunged for Tiff but was held back by Ricky and Kikwang. “She’s our Prix and we’re in public,” hissed Kikwang, who was fully aware of the eyes on them. Everyone knew that females were ranked low and thought very little of, but to publicly show that would go against human rights – which were just barely intact, according to the government – would ruin their image.

          “Why? Why stop now?” Jinah challenged Dongwoon, lunging forward, but Chen grabbed one arm, D.O holding the other. She scoffed in disbelief, “You cut Soyu apart, didn’t you? Bet you did a whole lot more, aren’t I right?”

          “Jinah, stop it,” Chen whispered and tugged her back but Jinah pushed him and D.O back, away from their grasps.

          “Jinah. We’re in public,” D.O warned.

          Dongwoon smirked at Luhan. “Your Prix is uncontrollable. I wonder if she’s wild in bed, too?”

          “That’s all you care about, huh?” Jinah pressed on sharply. She advanced towards Dongwoon, step by step. Suho tried stopping her, but Kai pulled him back. He understood how Jinah was feeling – trapped, frustrated, and angry at the world. Violent, helpless, rash. Kai looked away. He used to feel like this all the time, especially at the Army, where everything was secured, measured, reviewed, and observed. He understood the feeling all too well. The publicity and the range would make all the difference between a light joking threat and an undeniable challenge. Jinah was much shorter than Dongwoon, so she had to look directly up at him. The close proximity made neither of them flinch; Dongwoon was used to it and Jinah didn’t care. Her voice was a whisper but her tone could freeze a desert. “That’s all girls are to you, right? Dolls. Play toys. Entertainment. You make me sick, you damned prick.”

          “Gentlemen and ladies! We’re back on with Nation News, G&P corner, featuring Wolf and their first Prix in twenty-two years, Shin Jinah! Wolf, please come in!”

          Their cue.

          Jinah couldn’t have hated her luck more.

          Dongwoon smirked ever so slightly in victory. “That’s your cue, princess.”

          Jinah raised her fist to punch him, but Suho grabbed her wrist. He yanked her back so that she faced him. She never remembered Suho wearing such a serious expression before. Her eyes widened threateningly, but the host wouldn’t keep closed.

          “Wolf, the Top Gang will be up momentarily! Wolf? Awuoo?”

          Jinah gritted her teeth. She looked around and saw people staring at them. Fights were not allowed in public places. Challenges and gang fights had to be alone, not somewhere this public. If it did, it would cause a scandal, and ruin the reputation of the gangs. She pursed her lips, but the host kept making howling noises and laughing awkwardly. Suho’s grip on Jinah’s wrist loosened and only then did she realize that he was holding her tightly. She stormed off to the curtains and the rest of Wolf quickly followed. Suho ran up to make the first appearance – the representative has their privileges and duties.

          “Wolf!” Cheonsa cried, and clapped for them, as the camera’s angles changed accordingly.

          At backstage, Fang and their Prixes were making their way to the elevator to exit the broadcast building. Dongwoon snorted. “As expected, Wolf’s Prix isn’t that much. Little , she is. Who does she think she is?”

          Niel’s face darkened. The pothead, jubilant aura was gone and he looked dull and void of emotion. His lips were a thin line, and he didn’t look very playful anymore. “Her cage is locked.”

          Dongwoon snorted again. “Of course it is. She’s a female. She can’t have an ability.”

          While the gang moved, one Fang stayed behind, looking back at the broadcast building. They were now outside, so the boy was looking up at the tall building from the outside. Precisely, the twenty-second floor. His eyes thinned at it as he watched the windows be shadowed over by thirteen different figures.

          Kikwang noticed the Fang sitting back. “Hey, Hyunseung? What’s keeping you?”

          The blonde boy slowly turned his head to Kikwang. “Nothing.” He leisurely walked towards Kikwang with his hands in his front pockets as the two resumed following the rest of the gang. After awhile, Hyunseung told Kikwang, “We need to do some more in-depth research.”

          The short boy furrowed his eyebrows with a slight smile, eager to help but not knowing what his help would be for. “On what?”

          “Not a what. A who.” He didn’t glance back behind him. He didn’t have to look back to remember. He had already seen her face enough times to have it imprinted on his mind, and he wasn’t planning on forgetting it. “Shin Jinah.”

“So, Jinah, what do you know about gangs?” Cheonsa asked curiously and dramatically. Her lips were bright red, and she had a beauty spot on her left cheekbone. Her skinny legs were crossed, and her arms rested on her knee, her chin on her hand. “What did you learn at your base?”

          Jinah really wasn’t in the mood to be all smiles and bright eyes. But she tried anyway. If she does good here, she needs to be credited with some of the income, right? No more relying on Wolf so much. Finally a chance for some independence. “Not much. But it’s really fe – err, sick, to, uh, try new things with the gang. It feels like I’m…not alone?” she chuckled awkwardly. Jinah, more, she told herself.

          “Aw, well, it looks like you found a lovely gang! What do those ‘new things’ consist of? Are you still a ?”

          Jinah’s eyes widened at the bold and direct question. She was shocked at how natural the question came out of the host’s mouth. But from the way she raised her eyebrows in suspicion, Cheonsa seemed to mistake her shock of the forwardness with shock from ‘how did you find out?!’ So Jinah recovered quickly. She forced a smile, her eyes forming painful crescents, “Yes, I am a , and I plan on staying one until I find myself an official job!” she giggled like Jaein. For once, she was glad she knew how to act stupid and girly. “I mean, it’s like, totally stupid to do it before, right? What’s the purpose? Everything in DE has a purpose, right? Plants, dwellings, Army…people.”

          Cheonsa smiled back, but it looked quite forced too. She seemed to catch the little taunting trail that Jinah had left. “How much do you know about the gang and gangs in general? The gang life must be very new for you, especially since you were just freed from dwelling boundaries and restrictions. Is the slang hard for you to adapt to? And the fights?”

          Jinah realized how Wolf hadn’t fought anyone in her time being with them. Baekhyun had said something about Smoke and taking money from them two weeks ago but she had never witnessed one. “The slang is alright. I’m adjusting.”

          “Is Wolf nice to you?” Cheonsa questioned.

          “Um, yeah. They are.”

          “Do you enjoy being in their company?”

          This was starting to look more like an interrogation than a friendly interview but Jinah played along. “Yes.”

          “All of them?”

          Jinah smiled convincingly. “All of them,” she lied.