The music booming through the place, the people dancing to the beat of it, some unaware of their surroundings as the alcohol took full effects on their veins, no one giving a care on the world, everyone drinking their problems away while moving their heads to the fast beat of the music. None of them aware that probably there were celebrities merged with them, some looking at them with amused faces, some other totally ignoring their surroundings, a tequila shot in hand as they tried to drown their suffering with the alluring essence of alcohol.

“Why don’t you try and dance with the people? Enjoy the night!” the melodic voice of Youngbae whispered on Jiyong’s ears, but he just shook his head no. Jiyong wasn’t in the mood to be partying, he wasn’t in the mood to do anything less than try and search for that woman that made his whole world collapse into a million pieces, and not by her presence but by her absence. He looked around from his V.I.P lounge, and every blonde hair would make his heart stop, every winged eye-liner would make his breath stop, and he couldn’t take it anymore. With a loud sigh, he put down his untouched shot of tequila, it was the fourth that night, and stood up, walking towards the crowd of oblivious people.

He was pretty normal, that night, normal jeans, normal black high boots and normal black t-shirt with a normal leather jacket on top of it. He didn’t do his hair the way he usually did or put makeup on his face as he normally would. He tried to be invisible, but everyone knew about him, and as much as he wanted to forget, everyone was well aware that G-Dragon was in town; that G-Dragon was out clubbing and drinking his night away. He walked through the crowd of expectant eyes, waiting for him to do some scandal, to punch some faces or to smoke some weed. He scoffed as the silent thought crept to his mind, and as the slightly dressed women, short dresses, high heels and their faces decorated with brilliant colors –which reminded him of a circus – dance in front of him, all of them with the desperate need for him to touch their exposed bodies, but Jiyong, he wasn’t in the mood.

He walked towards the crystal doors that led towards the main entrance of the night club, the music slowly dying in the back as he gained distance. As he walked into the streets, hands forcefully hidden on the pockets of his jeans, he looked up, a tear slowly running down his face as he inhaled the polluted air of a very normal Seoul night. He looked to the front, and his heart got caught on his throat as he saw a slender figure of a woman walking towards his direction. Her hair was, to his surprise, pale blonde, but it was short and spiky, she wore a black coat to protect her petite body from the cold winter breeze that enveloped them both. She smiled at him, and as she approached him, he noticed with a hint of disappointment that this woman was completely different from her. This woman was short, slightly chubbier than her, and her hair, he noticed, was a blonde wig over a dark hair, the wind had moved it and the roots were visible.

She stood in front of him, and he stopped surprise at her tenacity of making him stop. She smiled at him, a smile that brought a chill through his spine. “Good evening, Kwon Jiyong.” She spoke and he widened his teary eyes at her.

“Who are you?” He asked her, all manners and politeness long gone from his body. She crooked her head and smiled, slowly moving her hand towards her coat, and, as she did, Jiyong moved his towards his jeans, where a dagger was well hidden. She smiled at him as she removed a piece of paper from her coat and handed it towards him.

“It’s not me who you have to protect yourself from.” She said and left, walking casually as she had done when she approached him. He turned around, the paper tightly clutched on his hand as he looked at her. She disappeared into the night, and he quickly opened the piece of paper, reading quickly the messy handwriting on it. And he widened his eyes, quickly running back towards the club.

It was a normal day on the States, the weather was cold, the snow already filling the streets and the people already wore thick coats outside. Chaerin walked quietly into her old apartment, dropping her luggage as she walked through the doors. It was the same, perfectly preserved for her to come back, and as she looked at it, it was as if the furniture was greeting at her with a gloomy expression. She kicked off her shoes and walked into her own living room, the white walls greeting her with the same gloomy and sorrowful feeling of loneliness, she was alone.

She threw herself on her sofa, her new phone clutched tight on her hand as she fought the urge to call him, to let him know she was alright, to know about him. She let out a painful sigh and looked to her right, her own black Gibson guitar shining with the lights of the New York afternoon. She smiled crookedly as she stood up, walking towards it. She took it on her hands, and a tear escaped her eyes as she saw the guitar on her hands, it was similar to his guitar. Without another thought, she started to play, it wasn’t a specific song, it was just sound, the sound of her broken heart, the sound of her rotting soul, the sound of the mask she put on herself the moment she left, the sound of the tears falling from her eyes, the sound of the blood running through her veins. It was just a sound, a sound that reminded her of him, of his kisses, the touches, the caress, the words, the looks, the eyes, those brown eyes shining brightly every time they looked at her, every time he looked at her.

And as the music sounded, an image of him ran through her mind, the moment she almost lost him, and her heart stopped, and as she tried to concentrate, the music was starting to distort, and the strength she used on her hand broke a string and it hit her face, cutting her deeply. She cursed and put a hand on her bleeding cheek and walked towards her bathroom, quickly cleaning the wound.

“!” She said, her hand bloody from the nonstop bleeding on her face. She grabbed a towel and put it on her face, and as she did, she looked at herself on the mirror. Her hair got stained with blood, but that wasn’t the thing that caught her attention. Her eyes, swollen, bloodshot, they reflected her own hatred, the pain, the agony her heart was feeling. And as she looked at them, the lump on formed again as the words she told him repeatedly screamed on her mind.

No, Jiyong… it’s over… we’re over, and I don’t love you anymore!

And she knew she had broken him completely with that, even if she didn’t really knew him, she knew, she was certain those words were the silent weapon that slowly killed him. His eyes spoke of that agony, the way he looked at her, the way his lips trembled, his hands balled into fist, the way he collapse to the floor, crying endless rivers of tears told her that she had broken him without repair. What does freedom really means if you have to destroy the ones you love? After all, Hyunseung was right; she still destroyed him in the end.

With a scream she punched the mirror, breaking in into million pieces, some shards sticking to her skin as she retreated her bloody hand. Now, the fresh blood from her broken knuckles mixed with the one on her face slowly fell on the floor, on the sink, and she closed her eyes, laughing hysterical as she let herself fall on the floor filled with shattered pieces of mirror, cutting her legs, her hands, everything. After all, it was better to feel this pain than to actually feel the guilt of having destroyed the only people she cared the most, of destroying the man she loved, the man who loved her. Everything was better than facing the fact that she would never see him again, that she would never touch him again or feel him close again.

Crying on the floor, she clutched her knees to her chest, closing her eyes as she most desperately hoped for death to greet her. But death wasn’t so merciful, and that day wasn’t being nice on Chaerin as some knocks on the door woke her from her eerie trance of lovable death. She glared at the door of the bathroom, hoping that with her thoughts filled with murder, of agony and torture would scare whoever was knocking away. But that person seemed to have some other plans, since she heard her door being unlocked, and a set of footsteps entering her living room. She cursed and looked to the floor, finding any piece of mirror big enough to kill someone. As soon as she found it, she stormed out of the bathroom –which was next to the living room – and jump on whoever entered her house, the shard of glass slightly cutting his throat.

“Who are you? What’re you doing here?!” She hissed as she dangerously put the shard closer to his neck, scarlet lines oozing hastily down his throat.

“Kim Jonghyun sent me,” he gasped, “he told me to deliver a message to you.” The man said, and Chaerin scowled at him as she her lips, the faint flavor of blood fresh on .

“Tell him I don’t care.” She said and the man shook his head, the shard cutting him as he did.

“It’s important.” He said and she pressed harder the shard before letting go. She stood up and set the shard on a table and sat on the chair next to it, her hand aching from new wounds on it. The man coughed and sat up, looking at her with wide eyes. “Are you ok?” He asked her, and his calmed and tender voice caught her by surprise.

“What do you care?” She said while crossing her legs and arms. The man shrugged and pulled out a handkerchief from his suit and cleaned the fresh blood that fell from his neck.

“I honestly don’t, I guess it’s just the chivalry spilling out of me.” He spoke as he sat in the sofa in front of Chaerin. She eyed him suspiciously as he moved, trying to point a finger where she had seen him, those set of Asian eyes that were so alluring, so beautiful. He was perfectly gorgeous, as if a Greek God had made him. His milky white skin looking paler by his black suit, the brown hair shimmering with the cheap bulbs on Chaerin’s apartment, the tall figure, he was godly handsome, but also, something about him spoke of danger. He smiled at her, his and she felt her own heart constricting at the young features he possessed.

“Who are you?” She asked again, and he nodded smiling.

“My apologies, my name’s Lee Taemin, CEO of SM Entertainments.” He said as he slowly handed her a card, which she took and put aside, not really looking at it.

“I thought Soo Man was the CEO of SM Entertainments.” She said and Taemin smiled wickedly at her.

“Yes, the late Lee Soo Man, my uncle, passed away a few days ago. Unfortunate accident I may say.” Taemin said, though his face didn’t look like felt the passing of the man. He looked please with it, in fact.

“And I take it Daewoo Group had something to do with it, am I right?” She said, now feeling curious about the sudden change of ownership.

“No, I don’t think you’re informed, but Daewoo Group no longer exists. Kim Woochoong sold it to YG entertainments a few months ago. He’s retired now.” Taemin explained and Chaerin nodded. She closed her eyes and caressed her temples as she tried to remember every façade they had. Usually, magnates of the underworld disguised their business with entertainment companies, such as SM Entertainments, YG Entertainments, ect. It was normal for a small company to suddenly make it big and have celebrities that were a hit. But what wasn’t normal was that those celebrities were, in fact, part of the underworld. Usually they were the most elaborated mask of the underworld, everyone would be well aware of their steps, forgetting their companies dirty jobs.

“I get it, now what do you want?” She said irritated, and Taemin smiled as she did.

“Kim Woochoong’s only son, Kim Jonghyun, wants to have a talk with you. He’s the one currently running Woochoong’s business, and we recently found out about you. You’re not to be taken lightly Lee Chaerin, I have been told about your skills, your efficiency in stealth. I want you to work with us on something. Care to go with me?” Taemin said and Chaerin scoffed.

“Woochoong brought me here and now his kids, who are now playing to be gangsters, want me to work with them. I couldn’t be more delighted, and I proudly tell you that I have no interest in your wanna-be-gangsters play little boy. Honestly, I couldn’t care less who you are, so please, get the out.” She said as she stood up, showing him the door.

Taemin smiled and stood up, slowly putting his hands on his pockets, and Chaerin quickly grabbed the shard of glass and pointed it at him. “I’m not going to hurt you Lee Chaerin, I just want you to collaborate,” Taemin said and Chaerin scoffed.

“Why don’t you collaborate in ing off-“

“For your idol.” He said, interrupting her cursing. She stopped and looked at him, a sudden electric current ran through her veins, and her hands started to shake from the anger she felt. Without another word, she launched towards him, but he blocked her, throwing her towards the wall. He pinned her there, his hands grabbing hers on top of her head as his legs pinned hers. She smirked and hit him with her head, but he just crushed her body with his on the wall. He was thin, but strong, and to her surprise, he was from the New Elite.

“I’m sick of you threatening me with him. Your dear boss secured his life, period. Leave him out of this!” She screamed, unable to move. Taemin laughed, lowering his head as he did.

“Did he told you that, really? Chaerin, I’ve been told you were smart.” He said, and she struggled to free herself, glaring at him. “I bet he told you he was a man of his words, right?” He said and she nodded, to which Taemin glared at her. “Bull!” He said and abruptly let go of her, letting her fall to the floor.

“What do you mean?” She said, slowly straightening herself. “He said they were all safe, that they were free.” Chaerin stubbornly said.

“No one’s free Chaerin, never.” Taemin told her as he walked towards the door; she looked at him as he opened the door. She could have stopped him, called him or run after him, but all she did was look at him with what she thought was the stupidest expression she ever had. “If you change your mind, just call me.” He said and left.

She grabbed her hair in exasperation and walked towards her room, throwing herself on bed. She smiled unconsciously as she felt the comfort of her long loved bed, and quickly fell asleep, all worries creeping through her as she dozed off into dreamland.