Legs crossed, hand holding her chin as her eyes looked down. The night was cold, and the little reunion continued. Everyone was laughing, smiling and hugging as they talked. Family reunions. People she didn’t even remembered walked towards her, dressed in all fancy, expensive clothes, giving her condolences, then, not long after, drinking and treating the night as if it was any other party. Hypocrisy, it was all Chaerin could see in the faces of the people that called themselves ‘her family’.

The place was really crowded, and she didn’t had any clue who the owner of the house was, and she wasn’t particularly curious either. It was a huge house, really modern, really expensive, and really uncomfortable. After her very much dramatic entrance, which gather everyone’s attention, she had quietly scooped her way towards a sofa that was in the farthest area of the living room, which was now turned into a type of mini bar. No one, after her entrance, remembered she was there, or that she was the deceased’s daughter. She was a big no one in that place, yet she was everything. From time to time, she could see some people looking at her by the corner of their eyes. Some with admiration, some with sadness, then others with pure envy and hatred. She didn’t even knew them, yet they hated her for what she was.

“It’s your money they envy.” Taemin murmured as he sat next to her. She smiled and crooked her head, looking at him as she had always do, with love and protection.

“What money? I’m dead poor.” She said and Taemin chuckled, patting her knee.

“Father made me quit my job,” He said, sipping from his drink. “Nothing to get impress, but yours, he left you a fortune.”

“Well then, where is it? I badly needed it now.”

“You have the key, and like our dear fathers always do, you have to find it. It is their damned habit.” He said and she nodded, chuckling.

“Taemin, I know you’re no longer an agent but, can you tell me anything about his death? My father’s I mean.” She asked and Taemin looked down at his drink, then let out a sigh. He looked at her, his eyes filled with pain as he put a hand over hers.

“I don’t think now’s the time.” He said.

“I need to know Taemin, and Kikwang won’t tell me anything. I need to know.” She begged, but Taemin just shook his head.

“Kikwang only wants to protect us. He’s the eldest, and unlike our parents, he really cares about our feelings.”

“Sometimes I think he’s not that different from them.” Chaerin murmured.

“Kikwang’s good, and he loves us, he’s just too rude.” Taemin said and Chaerin nodded, looking at him with a soft smile. A smile that, vanished completely as she thought again of her father’s murder.

“Is there a lead at least?” She asked and Taemin let out another sigh, nodding.

“There’s a lead.”

His eyes would always stare at the same spot of his very dark apartment. It seemed like ages had passed since her scent was gone, and yet, he could still smell her, feel her. That night, he had wished to come back to her, to hug her, to touch her, but a very short and quick text message turned him off of all his wishes and desires. She wasn’t home. His home, her home, a place where he wanted to make theirs, a place where he could be himself without any regrets.

She wasn’t there, she wasn’t with him. In her stead, his living room was filled with his comrades, planning their tactics, marking their positions and readying the guns. He let out a soft breath as he rested his sore back on his chair, now looking at them as they crowded his expensive coffee table. As an instinct, he scanned his expensive and white rug, trying to spot any stain on it. The Dragon would be set free if there was one, but his comrades knew him better. They had spent almost all their lives together, especially Youngbae.

Jiyong could always rely on Youngbae, whenever he needed that man, that man would come running to his aid. For as long as he could remember, Youngbae had been more than his friend, had been his savior. “In there, we can give Jiyong a free space for him to make his magic.” Seungri spoke as he rested his body on the palm of his hands. Jiyong lifted his head and looked at him at the mention of his own name.

“My magic?” Jiyong echoed and Seungri just shrugged.

“Just kill the man when we open the window.” Seungri said. Jiyong smirked and nodded. It was as easy as eating a piece of cake.

“Are we not going to stop and think for a moment?” Jiyong said. Everyone looked at him with raised eyebrows, all of them wearing the same strange and confused expression.

“Think about what?” Youngbae asked. “You go, kill your target and live happily ever after.”

“Can’t you realize what this job means?” Jiyong said and Youngbae crooked his head.

“We know.” He said softly.

“But we can’t do much, can we?” Seunghyun said right after Youngbae.

“I am the only heir of the Kwon family, the heir of the Dragon Clan. Of course we can do something.” Jiyong said.

“Jiyong, I’m sorry but, as long as your father lives, you have as much power as nothing on this.” Youngbae said. Jiyong looked at him, didn’t glared, didn’t flinched or stared, just looked at him as if he had told him the truest truth of them all. It struck him like thunder, and what gave him the worst feeling was that he was right.

But, what he was about to do next, turned everything he believed in upside down. Everything he ever hoped for or everything he longed. It would change everything he lived for, or what he thought he lived for. He closed his eyes as he nodded softly, slowly standing up as he opened his eyes again, looking at the crystal walls of his apartment. “Then we will have to go against him.”

“Do you want me to drop you off now?” Taemin whispered at Chaerin’s ears. She smiled softly and nodded, looking at him with what she hoped were soft eyes. But she knew, deep inside, that they looked as strong as ever. “Let’s face it, Ki’s drunk and he’s being an .”

“I know.” She said as she stared at her eldest cousin. Kikwang was holding a beer as he spoke to a few businessmen that attended the small reunion. It was supposed to be a family reunion, but now, everyone was laughing and cheering and some even planning on how to kill the man that ended her father’s life. Nothing had become more uncomfortable that being there, watching her eldest cousin act like she had never seen him before. It was as if those acts gave reality to the real life he unveiled. Everything was real.

Her phone, clutched in her hands, never rang, never vibrated after the last ‘ok’ message she received. The hours passed by longer than she expected, and whenever she looked at her phone, every minute would have turned into hours, and the hours into years. He hadn’t contacted her. And she had never desired anything else in her life as much as she desired to be with him. Her source of strength, in the most wicked and strange way, he was her breath, her beating heart. And for the first time, she had never noticed how her heart escaped her chest to find another home, a place to never come back. She was lost to him, completely and extremely lost to that mysterious man, that was as dangerous as he was beautiful, as cunning as he was charming.

“What are you thinking about?” Taemin spoke next to her, and she looked at him with wide eyes, totally caught off guard as he stared at her. With a strong gulp and a nervous smile, she shook her head, removing some bangs off her face.

“Nothing.” She spoke. Taemin smiled and nodded, standing up.

“Alright, tell me whenever you want to go. I’ll drop you off.” He said and walked away. She continued to look at him until he reached his father, Sooman. She quickly changed her gaze, not wanting to look at that man more than necessary. And it was the worst move, since now her gaze landed upon her mother, who was now looking at her with the most irrational, irritating smile she could ever wear.

“Chaerin!” She screamed as she hurriedly walked towards her. It was too late to run, to avoid her, so she simply nodded and raised an eyebrow at her. It was obvious both her uncle and her mother had just arrived, together.

“Mother.” She said as she stood up, watching her mother walk towards her. Her stomach gave turns as she looked at her mother’s attire. New clothes, new shoes, new haircut, but the worst could have been the lack of ring on her hand. She gulped as her mother stood in front of her, making an inhuman effort to prevent herself from shouting at her hypocrite mother right in front of those people.

“My Chaerin! Where have you been? I’ve missed you so much!” She said and forcefully hugged her. Chaerin her front teeth and slightly pushed her mother away.

“I’ve been working.” She said. Her mother raised an eyebrow at her, then looked around, getting closer to her.

“But why? There’s no need for you to do such thing. Your uncle can give you anything you want.” She whispered, almost too slow for Chaerin herself hear.

“I see that’s what he’s been doing to you, right?” She said, sarcasm and hatred spilling out of her like torrents of water.

“Well, I am living, thanks to him. I am good, thanks to him. I have a bed to sleep, a house to live. What more can I ask for?” Her mother said, and Chaerin felt how her veins boiled inside of her skin.

“A bed, I assume, it’s well packed.” She said. Her mother gasped and slapped her, fast, hard and loud. Chaerin’s face burned in pain as she looked to the side. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look at them.

“You will respect me young lady, or you will see.” Her mother hissed. Everything fake and happy about her was quickly replaced by a menacing tone. One Chaerin knew too well, and wasn’t afraid of.

“And you will never put another hand on me, or you will not see, you will feel. You hypocrite !” Chaerin screamed. Her mother lifted her hand to slap her again, but Chaerin held her. It was so quick she couldn’t believe she actually did, but she did. Her mother widened her eyes as Chaerin held with all her strength the trembling arm of her mother.

“Chaerin!” Sooman yelled as he walked towards them, but Taemin stopped him, getting on his way.

“No, father. This does not concerns you.” Taemin said and his father glared at him. With that stare, Chaerin would have thought Taemin would also get slapped, but he didn’t. Sooman simply held in his anger and looked at Chaerin. She forcefully pushed her mother aside, walking towards the door. She could hear footsteps after her, but she didn’t turned around to look. Her goal was to reach the door as fast as she could manage. And when she held the doorknob, a smile was plastered on her face. And when she opened it and stepped out, she could breathe again.

Without having any idea of what she had just done, she grabbed her phone and started to text the only person she felt could help her at that moment. As she walked, she texted, trying to put it as soft as she could with smileys and everything. ‘Hi, are you busy? Can we talk? ^^’ She let out a sigh as she sat on a bench in a park that was stupidly near to her uncle’s rented apartment for the day.

As she watched the people walking by, and regretting not bringing her coat, her phone vibrated and the screen flashed. ‘I’m never busy for you. Want me to call you?’ He answered. Her heart beat fast and she quickly dialed his phone, tapping her fingers on the bench as the phone rang.

“I thought I was the one making the call.” He said as he answered. Chaerin smiled softly, letting out a soft chuckle.

“You calling, me calling. What’s the difference? The call was going to be made eventually.” She said and Jiyong laughed.

“Are you, by any chance, outside at this late hour?” He said, and she held her breath, looking around the park. It was cold, and it was definitely late.

“I am at my balcony, just breathing.” She said. He stayed silent for a few seconds, then talked.

“Want me to come over?” He said. Chaerin lifted her gaze, and saw Taemin walking towards her with a jacket on and another one on his hands. She smiled at him, then let out a sigh and shook her head.

“No, I am about to sleep. Just wanted to hear you.” She said.

“Oh,” He simply said. “Then good night.”

“Yes, good night.”

“I love you.” He spoke. She bit her lip as she felt her eyes burning with tears. She needed him. More than anything, she needed him. But what would be her excuse? That her mother was sleeping with her uncle, all the while her father was to be buried the very next day? That would be something he wouldn’t want to hear about, something she wouldn’t talk about.

“I love you too. Bye.” She said softly as tears fell from her eyes. She quickly ended the call before Jiyong could ask anything else. Taemin handed her the jacket, and she held it, crying quietly as she put it on, hugging her body.

“Want to talk about it?” He said as he sat next to her. She shook her head as tears continued to fall from her eyes.

“I’m done talking.” She said softly. Taemin chuckled quietly and put an arm around her shoulders.

“Then I’m worried, you usually never talk that much.” He said, and she nodded, smiling softly.

“I hope I could do so more.” She said. Images of Jiyong appeared fresh in her mind. The guilt of lying to him was eating her alive. She wanted to tell him everything, what she was, who she was, who she just found out to be, but she couldn’t. They forbid her to do so.

“You can talk all you want to, no one’s going to shut you up.” He said and she scoffed.

“What is so great about being a Lee heir when you can’t do anything but watch the people you love get hurt?” She said and he stopped caressing her shoulder.

“Is that what’s burdening you?” He asked and she nodded, then shook her head.

“Not just that. Everything! About our family, about our fathers, about my father, about Kikwang being a complete now, about my mother ing your father. About everything.” She vented. Taemin simply listened to her. Her hand went towards as she finished talking, almost dreading Taemin’s outburst, but to her surprise, he just looked at her as he always did.

“When life s you, it harder Chaerin.” He said. She looked at him with watery eyes, almost hanging open as she listened to her younger cousin, her little brother talking like that. “And when you it, make sure to vent all your problems away. Don’t let it get the best of you.” She stared at him as he looked at her, and in that moment, she realized he was a total different person. He had changed, so much but so subtle she couldn’t notice before. His eyes seemed darker, almost hollow as his expression warned the people that surrounded him. He was no longer a child, he was no longer innocent, and she gasped realizing only the obvious. He had taken life with his own hands.

The phone alarm buzzed angrily until it fell from the table, making him sat upright, almost gasping as he tried to recover from his dream. Everything was so vividly, her thin figure within his grasp felt almost too real, and the blood that came from it, from her open mouth, from her rising chest. He put a hand over his forehead as he took deep breaths, almost screaming in exasperation as her dying image wouldn’t get out of his mind. “Jiyong, it’s time.” Youngbae said at his door. He shook his head quickly and nodded, blinking as he tried to shrug off the dream.

With difficulty, he got out of bed, his chest and abdomen dripping in sweat as he grabbed his towel and walked into his bathroom. His leg was throbbing in pain, but the anger that ran through him was enough for him to forget about it. He stopped in front of his full panel mirror and glared. “Over my dead body.” He hissed and the faucet, trying to cleanse his anger, his clouded thoughts and his pain. It was just a dream.

With a towel wrapped around his waist, he walked out into his kitchen, where Seunghyun was pouring himself a glass of orange juice. “Give me one.” Jiyong said and Seunghyun handed him the one he had just filled. Jiyong took a sip and walked into his living room, where both Seungri and Youngbae were cleaning the guns.

“I just hope you’re not planning on going like that to the funeral.” Seungri said and Jiyong glared at him. Youngbae, who was looking at Jiyong’s legs, stood up and set the gun aside.

“Back to the room, that wound needs some cleaning.” Youngbae said. Jiyong looked down at his legs and made a nauseated gesture.

“It looks nastier with the passing minutes.” Jiyong murmured as Youngbae held his arm and pushed him back into the hallway.

“Guess what, it’s getting infected.” Youngbae said and pushed him into the room, quickly grabbing the cleaning kit next to Jiyong’s bed.

“I don’t even know how, Chaerin cleaned it yesterday.” Jiyong said as he looked at the wound. Youngbae scoffed and put on the sterile globes, quickly taking out the dirty and bloody bandage on his leg.

“And did you cleaned it after her?” Youngbae said and purposely pulled the gauze hard, making Jiyong flinch in pain.

“No, I didn’t know I had to!” Jiyong panted as he threw his head back, biting his lip as he tried to take deep breaths. It was throbbing, the skin was feeling like it was being tore apart, and whenever Youngbae touched it, felt like a needle was being inserted into his skin.

“Well, flash news, you actually have to clean it AT LEAST three times a day.” Youngbae said and poured some liquid on his wound. Jiyong’s eyes turned white as he suppressed a scream. The only thing he could manage to do was lie completely on bed as his hands held his face with force. Such force he thought he would crack his skull open.

“, you’re enjoying this!” Jiyong yelled, not as loud as he wished, but loud enough for everyone to hear him. He was in pain, them all.

“I actually am. Look how I have the almighty Kwon Jiyong, whimpering at my touch.” Youngbae said with a hint of humor, a humor Jiyong was far from feeling.

“That’s nice, don’t make me put a bullet in your , joker.”

“You wouldn’t do it, even if I begged you.” Youngbae said and pressed another gauze on his skin. Jiyong took a deep breath as everything seemed to turn distant. He managed to get into the state where his brain would simply shut out every pain his body would get. And, no matter how much it hurt, he wouldn’t feel it as hard as it was supposed to be. It was almost as if knowing it hurt, yet not being able to feel it. “Jiyong?” Youngbae said, but Jiyong remained still, looking at the ceiling as he let his arms numbly fall on his side.

“Hey, hey listen. Jiyong, wake up.” Youngbae said, now slightly slapping his shirt. Jiyong blinked, looking at him with the same distant feeling of being away. “I’m done now, come back bro.” He said, and Jiyong blinked again, sitting up as Youngbae helped him. He was feeling light headed, trying to get a hold of himself.

“Let’s go.” He murmured, cracking his head as he closed his eyes, slowly feeling the pain on his leg again.

“Do you want me to help you get ready?” Youngbae said and Jiyong looked at him, his head hanging low, but his eyes were still on his best friend.

“Where’s Chaerin?” He said, his voice too soft, as if he was drugged. Truth was, he had learned to shut out everything around him. Whatever thing that bothered him, he would shut it out, until one day, he learned to get into that state of complete relaxation. He had used it to shut out his parents when his was younger, now he used it whenever he killed, or tried to sleep. It would even help him write the best lyrics, the darkest and the most emotional music.

“I don’t know, at her home I guess?” Youngbae said and Jiyong shook his head, holding his phone.

“Yesterday, she was out. I don’t know where, but she wasn’t at her house. I want one of you to watch over her. From a distance.”

“We need the team complete.” Youngbae argue, but Jiyong lifted a hand, cutting him off.

“I need someone taking care of her while I’m out. I won’t be able to focus while knowing she’s not safe.” Jiyong said and Youngbae finally nodded.

“Alright, I’ll just send Daesung.” Youngbae said, but Jiyong shook his head.

“No, I need him, he’s the tech-. Send Seungri, he’s the fastest, not to mention, his thief skills can help him remain unknown.”

“Alright, I’ll talk to him now. Get ready, the funeral’s starting in an hour.” Youngbae said and walked out of the room, closing the door after him. Jiyong nodded and stood up, looking at himself in the mirror. Without looking, he grabbed a black shirt and a pair of leathered pants. With difficulty, he managed to dress up, wishing for her to be there helping him. And he wished he didn’t needed her that much, because now, she was a weakness for him. If everyone found out what he felt for her, it would mean her endangered life, and he couldn’t allow that. Over my dead body.

Gily's Notes: Extra LONG chapter for my days of absence...

I feel this is more me... this chapter... something about it make me remember my style of writing, which I thought I had lost forever!!! *hits myself* BUT, it is not gone, it was only sleeping... *lazy *

Thank you all who leave those lovely comments! I read them all and smile when I do. You guys make my days brighter!

I love you, and I am grateful to you!

Happy Reading ~

Gily ♥