"Shhh..."  the girl in her highschool uniform nodded when the guy clamped and dragged her into an empty room. She shut her eyes close, inching away until her back hit the corner of the room. She's so scared,  and I  realized I have been mirroring her emotions all along because I know her.

I know her because... She's me. To my surprise, the girl was me.

"Tokki, don't be scared."  the guy lowered his hand to touch her face but she kept shaking. Dread start to fill me. 

"Shhh..." the guy kissed her forehead. "I'm here. "

I try to take a clearer look at the guy with a messy hair, his sleeves rolled up and he's wearing the familiar pair of sneakers I always see in my dreams. But my vision was so blurry. The girl hugged him...  I hugged him and I saw the boy kiss her head  as they stayed that way. How comforting. 

"I hate dad. I hate him." I hate dad??? Why do I hate him?

"Don't. He's a good man. He's doing this for you."

"No! Why won't he listen to me? Why can't we be?" the girl looked up to the guy and he wiped her tears away. He murmured some incoherent things while kissing her cheeks and soon he was kissing her lips.

And I felt a subtle kiss, a soft brush against my own. I open my eyes... The wind hits my face and I am reminded the balcony door is open. I force myself to ignore it. Either he's still there smoking or he's used it again for exit. I snap my eyes shut tightly and hugged my pillow. 

I don't want to think about it. I want to see the guy in my dreams... 

Somehow I  started to feel comfort and soon I am being lulled off to sleep again. 

It's early in the morning and I am definitely sure I woke up earlier than I had to. I stretch out my weak limbs as I yawn and I find myself damn so tired yet feeling satisfied all over that I  can almost imagine myself glowing. I turn, lying on my back and opening my eyes only to find the biggest surprise of my life. 

God. What do I have to do to wake up to this beautiful man beside me each and every morning of my life? I grin. 

He stayed. Kwon Jiyong stayed! I am close to giggling but I try my hardest to stop myself. 

I scoot closer gently so as not to wake him up. He is lying on his stomach and he's facing my way, and like a bewitched ordinary girl that I am, I find myself marveling this God's face. 

I carefully lift my forefinger and ease the forming furrow in between his eyebrows. I trace his pretty nose down to his red luscious lips that I don't even notice I'm already biting mine until I hit the part that bled last night. I jolt at the sudden pain. I clamp my mouth and slowly move away, careful to even make the slightest noise but even before I can do so, I see his hand grab my wrist and soon his low, husky morning voice greets my ears. 

"How sneaky..." he murmurs with his eyes closed. My cheeks burn as I shut my eyes. Damn it. Why does he always look y in everything he do? Even his voice can make my inner muscles clench.

"Sorry... I... I'm sorry. Go to sleep. I won't disturb you. You can let me go now." I try to pull away but he just shifts in my bed,  pulling me to him and wrapping his arms around me. My heart begins to ram wildly inside my chest. I know, I should really stop feeling like a teenage girl but how can I stop when he's being like this? I snuggle closer so I can kiss his chest. 

"Even taking advantage of my sleepiness. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." he feigns a disappointed tone and I close my eyes, enjoying his eargasmic y voice.

"Sorry." I purse my lips and I feel him kiss my head. 

"What time are you leaving for work? " he asks. 

Work??? I don't have any work!  I want to say. I just fought hard the urge to. 

"Ten. I'm working with CL on a case."

"I won't be busy. Let's just stay at home."

I pull away, checking for a sign of jest on his face but his eyes are still closed. Is he dreaming? No... Am I dreaming???  I kiss the forming stubbles on his chin. My dear dear stranger, as much as I want to,  I can't. I have my duties to fulfill. 

"I'm sorry. I can't." I peck his lips, wanting him to feel how sorry and disappointed I am for turning him down. 

"Fine... Then stay a bit here. It's too early." 

I find myself biting my lip and squirming with all these unfathomable emotions deep inside me. I'm uncertain,  giddy,  scared. I'm...  I'm everything not a single word can describe. But I'm happy. Very happy. I inch forward and rain kisses all over his face. 

"I'm very sorry for myself. I feel so bad I turned down such a tempting offer. But I really need to go to work. " I murmur against his slightly parted lips and he heaves a sigh.

He slowly opens his eyes and sleepily peers at me. 

"Temptress, do you know why I'm trying to keep my eyes close?" his tone is a warning and I can just shake my head in response. Did I do something wrong again??? I move away but he squints his eyes and his hand travels to my behind, pulling me closer and my eyes widen when I feel him against me. 

God. How can he be so ready in an instant? 

"You know now? I find you tempting even with your clothes on. What more when I know you're like this?"

"I'm sorry... I..." I purse my lips and swallow hard. How can you make any intelligible thought when you can feel his hard rock length against your skin? 

"Sorry? You've awoken someone up. You need to make up for it." he smirks and soon I'm a ball of frenzied thoughts as Kwon Jiyong start to kiss me all over. Mornings have never been this delicious since I started living on my own. 

Until I found this beautiful hot stranger. 

*********

"Yah! Answer me! Are you and Chief already dating???"

I pull CL into a corner, clamping . She's never stopped pestering me since I picked her up from Cheongnyangni station. I know, I owe her a lot but I've been hearing the same question for hours and I am in a very frustrated mood since someone's waiting for me at home. 

Yes. Kwon Jiyong said he's not leaving until tomorrow. 

Call me stupid for trusting a perfect stranger, a gangster... A killer.  A hired assassin. Hell I even want to whack my own head. But I feel so powerless when I'm with him.  And whether I admit it or not, there's this something, like a force that always draws me to him. It's as if I've known him all my life though he never spoke of anything about himself. 

I just tell myself I'm doing this for my own. I want to know more about the Lair right? Then I need to stick to him. 

"Hmmmmphhh!!! Hmpppphhh!!!"

My eyes went wide upon realizing I'm still clamping CL's mouth. She swats my arm and scowls at me. 

"That's it! You're spacing out the whole time because you're thinking about him! "

"What the hell are you talking about??? " 

"Yah. Should I remind you were supposed to pick me up yesterday from Cheongnyangni station??? And you forgot about me because of Choi Seunghyun! " she scowls at me before walking away and I quickly run after her. 

"CL... " I keep up with her and I thanked a few junior officers for going our  way and saluting to us for CL had to acknowledge them and I was able to reach her side. "Yah... Listen first, will you?" We walked past Daesung's desk and he must have noticed the situation. The next thing I know, he's following us already. 

"Just admit it,  okay. You and Choi Seunghyun are dating! "

I shut my eyes close. I hear Daesung gasp behind me and just in time, Seunghyun's door opens. . I want to wrestle CL down. 

"What's going on here?" Seunghyun's voice startles us and we all straightened up. CL nudges me. 

"We've been bestfriends for years now and I have never seen you dating that I thought you're even lesbo for me but now I understand. You like the dominant type." she whispers.

"Aww shut up!" I nudge her back. I turn to Daesung who is now grinning while looking at Seunghyun then back to me. I roll my eyes and look around the entire department. . All eyes are on us. My cheeks start to burn as murmurs echo in my ears.

"Everyone, go back to work." Seunghyun's order somewhat made me sigh in relief.

"Lee..." he turns to CL with his furrowed brows. "You were saying something earlier?"

"Me? Nothing, chief. We're just joking around, ya know! "

At my expense! I want to protest but I let it go. 

"Then if you're all done joking around you may come inside my office coz I need a few words with you... Including you, Daesung."

************

"Her name is Lee Soo Hyun, sixteen. She lives with her sick brother Chan Hyuk in Guryong... And we all know how life in Guryong goes. Their parents died just a couple of weeks ago according to Daesung's report." I lean on the desk and handed them the identity report I managed to get. "Just one of the few new recruits in that club."

"She needed to keep her brother alive." CL ticks her tongue. 

"She's just one of the few, CL. Who would want to sell just like that? I'm pretty sure some of them were forced too."

"Daesung's right." I agreed. "Lee Soohyun was forced to work there because their parents haven't fully paid the loansharks yet. So the loansharks sold her to that goddamn club."

"Who owns the club?" Seunghyun asks.

"A certain Gong Shindong... That's what the records in Cheongnyangni say. Local police say they tried numerous times to raid the place but it seems Gong always comes out innocent. No trace of trade. No trace of ion."

"I'm pretty sure someone's backing him up. " Daesung throws the file on table. "Count me in,  chief. I'll be most willing to help these two girls here."

"So what do you have in mind, Dara?" Seunghyun crosses his arms and leans back to his seat. I turn to CL and she nods.

"We're planning to take a new identity and apply for a job in that club." 

The room falls silent. Seunghyun drops his jaw in an instant and Daesung gasps beside me. 

"There's no other way..." CL interrupts. "Right chief? "

Seunghyun shuts his eyes close and when he opens them again, his gaze is directed to me. "I'll think about it."

Think???  I gape at him. There's no time to do that! 

"Chief... "

"Excuse me. I need to attend to some other things." he stands up, ready to leave and it infuriates me that he's using he's position and authority on us again right now.  I shoot up straight.

"You don't really give a damn, do you? " 

"Noona," Daesung pulls me but I shrug him off.

"If you're really in this case then you've got to decide now! " I yell. Hell, I'm mad. He'll never understand because he's not a woman. Seunghyun halts his step and looks back at me. 

"Wait for my orders or leave this case. You choose." that was all he said before finally turning around to leave us.

"I can't believe this! " I shake my head. What? If he's scared of putting us in this dangerous situation again then that's the most unprofessional excuse I've heard. Just because he's facing three of the people whose memories he's tried to tamper!

"Dara, calm down."

I look at the two. CL... Daesung... If you only know why he's being like this. 

"Maybe he's worried about you, above all, noona."

"We're not dating, okay? We're not." I just had to clarify that. 

What choice do we have but to follow Choi Seunghyun? It's as if I can tell these two about the truth right? 

"I'll talk to him." Daesung quickly follows him out leaving CL and me. 

"Yah... Dara."

"What?"

"I think there's something you have been wanting to tell me."

I blink at her. She stands up and walks towards me. "Chae–"

"I know you. You look so frustrated."

I've been itching to tell her. I need to tell her. But where do I start?

"Tell me about it. I've been waiting. "

*************

She's been drugged. I've been too. But she forgot, and I didn't. 

The Lair... The Aids... 

And everything I know... 

"Oh my God... My God..." CL is breathless. She pulls my hand and  holds it in hers for support.

Yes. I told her everything. I dragged her inside my car earlier, where I know it's safest to expose all the secrets I've been keeping. She stayed silent for a moment,  trying to digest everything I told her and now she's starting to get a hold of things. 

"Seunghyun is holding a big responsibility. I understand him. But he doesn't have to keep it all to him. This is our job. "

CL shakes her head. "Dara, I am not worried about that. I'm... I'm worried about you. "

Worried about me? Why?

"Dara... You are in deep and you didn't even tell me earlier? Like right now, I want to pull your hair so bad for keeping all these things from me. But I can't. Because... God. Those Aids whom you welcomed inside your apartment... Dara you're still keeping in touch with them behind Seunghyun's knowledge. Aren't you even scared? "

"They're good people."

"How do you know???  Dara if they're very particular about their rules, their existence,  that they had to make everyone who see them forget about them, then there must be something, there must be a reason! There's one thing about you that keeps them coming back to you."

"Something about me? "

"Yes. Aren't you even wondering? They know you didn't forget. Maybe they're after something... Or I don't know."

I shake my head. "They're not after me. I don't think it's like that."
 

"Then tell me why this Kwon Jiyong is still seeing you. Tell me why the hell you are still in touch with him."

I purse my lips. How do I ans