TW: Mentions of r*pe (more like the possibility of it), albeit NO specific portrayal. Will be quite brief so feel free to scroll through! Double update, so start with the last chapter if you haven’t!!

While one person heals, another sleeps, and another finally crawls into her bed at home, a man dressed in all black is racing South on his motorbike. As the brisk night air whips around him, Kai’s mind plays back the conversation he had with the man with the comical nose—which, to be precise, would be better described as damaged now:

“Now I know where I’ve seen her before,” the man grins, despite the blood trickling down his face. “She was one of your es, wasn’t she? Funny, without you being around her anymore I thought it’d be okay to have some fun wi—”

Kai punches the man so forcefully that he’s knocked out in one blow, but he doesn’t stop there. He. Needs. To. Die.

“Kai!” Somebody calls behind him, flicking off his switch. He gets up, cracking his knuckles, and gestures at his men to tie the unconscious body up and take it with them for further questioning. For now, he has enough additional information to deal with.

The man’s name is Yang Yoseob and he works with 3 other drug dealers mainly based in the outskirts of Seoul. They don’t just deal drugs like pot and crack, they apparently have a variative stash of more advanced compounds like the one he slipped Iseul tonight.

Kai doesn’t give a rat’s about Yoseob and his filthy gang. Their supplier is who Kai is looking to track down.

Because it sounds awfully related to what Kim Youngmin is doing.

Kim Youngmin may or may not be directly responsible for Yoseob targeting Iseul tonight. Either way, Kai doesn’t care. He’s going to make all of them pay, and he’s going to do that now.

Kai walks over to Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Suho, who came after him and are waiting by the back door of the club. Sehun and D.O. are still in the VVIP section keeping an eye on Suzy, resuming Kai’s role after he dashed outside unexpectedly. Suho is on high alert—he knows that Kai is ing livid and it’ll only be a matter of how he’ll take his anger out tonight.

Sure, that guy got beat up already.

But Iseul could have been tonight.

That’s the most cardinal sin Kai would never let go of—someone physically and mentally harming what’s his. Tainting it. Violating its purity. He knows it, everyone knows it—even Suzy. Try to deny it as they might, they know that to Kai, Iseul is still his.

“I ing told Suzy,” Kai speaks through gritted teeth, “that if anything happened to her, I won’t just stand back.”

No one responds. They know they’re better off letting Kai continue first.

“I’m not letting anyone get away with this. So tell her,” Kai begins ominously, “that I’m going to hunt that er’s friends and suppliers down, and I’m going to do that right now. They’re probably moving as we speak, so I’m not going to wait until she’s on board with this plan. No one is going to hear from me until I’m done settling up with them or unless I need something.”

Suho begins the protest. “Kai, that sounds like a very dumb and risky plan. We can go with you—or we can go for you, even. You’re Suzy’s Guardian, you need to stay with her—”

“Tell her that if she had much sense as she claims to have, she’ll be able to keep herself alive. Really, all this is just formality basically, isn’t it? She doesn’t need me for that. Our lives don’t need to be bound to each other, and I don’t need to be bound to her.”

“Kai, but still—going alone for something like this is a bit rash—”

“There are a lot of things we need to do. All of you are still needed here. Tracking down the people this bastard works with has now been added to that list, and that one’s on me,” Kai responds, walking over to mount his motorbike. “Look, you won’t be able to stop me, Suho. You know I’m not gonna let this one go.”

“What about Jongguk? Or what about Iseul? Don’t you rather make sure she’s fine?” Baekhyun calls out this time.

Kai stops short.

“Jongguk is having a sleepover tonight, but I’ll make sure he’s taken care of by my guys. Dae, Taeyong and his team—they only answer to me. Of course, I’d ask if you could help check on him once he gets back from school tomorrow, but I won’t do that if you’re just going to ask me to listen to you in return. As for Iseul…” Kai trails off and puts his helmet on. “She has enough people making sure she’ll be okay tonight. I’m going to make sure she stays okay, even long after tonight.”

“Kai, going against the HOC is not going to do you any good. If you’re not going to talk to Suzy, at least talk to us.”

“I think Suzy needs to be reminded that I’m not just something she can order around even when it doesn’t make sense,” Kai answers. “She doesn’t want me with Iseul? Fine. But I still want her to realize how dead serious I will always be when it comes to Seo Iseul.”

With that, he revs his bike and speeds off.

The dense streets of Seoul are far behind him already. Now, the landscape is barren, and bus stops and shops are getting sparse. Heading straight for the location his team has extracted from Yoseob’s phone, Kai wonders what went down after he left—after Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Suho rejoin the rest of their group in the VVIP area.

Tonight’s party is just like any other party the HOC is known to throw for their allies in the underground network. The only difference is that this time, the attendee list includes Suzy.

Seated on the sofa in the middle of the room, she observes her surroundings while also keeping an eye on the velvet curtains. What was the issue anyway? A part of her worries about Iseul, but she seemed to be with all her friends doing completely fine. But Kai… Kai wouldn’t have run off with Iseul just like that, right? He wouldn’t have gone against his orders just like that… right?

But the moment Baekhyun, Chanyeol, and Suho reenter without the fourth—and most important—person, Suzy knows something is wrong. Blood rushes to her head as she jumps to her feet. Sehun and D.O. have also noticed—the look of alert on their face is unmistakable.

“What happened?” She asks, watching Suho’s expression.

With a sigh, he recounts what happened. From Kai spotting Iseul looking dizzy on the bar while an unknown man holds her up by the shoulders, to Kai going completely ballistic when he found out what the man has done, to Kai heading off to settle up with them but not before leaving a message for Suzy.

Suzy’s eyes widen when Suho relays it to her. “What the hell does he mean by that? So he’s just gonna go try to take those dealers down all by himself and go MIA?”

To her, this basically sounds like a fit.

“Yeah, but I say this is just him needing some time,” Suho says. “He’ll come back in the morning—he just needs to blow off some steam. You gotta realize that that guy was reunited with his undead father and saw someone almost harming the person he cared about the most in one night.”

Suzy crosses her arms, chewing on her inner cheeks as she processes this. Yes, on the surface that’s it—that’s all that’s happening. But she knows that this is just the beginning. Kai is never going to cooperate as long as she separates Iseul from him.

 And now that Iseul was almost harmed, she just knows that Kai is getting farther away from her side than he already is.

But still, isn’t she doing the right thing? Isn’t this the sensible thing to do? No offense to Iseul, but as someone at the top of South Korea’s largest underground community, why Iseul? How could his choice be Iseul?

After learning what happened between him and Victoria, Suzy had assumed that Kai would’ve learned his lesson—who he is and how he lives will never be suitable for any outside woman. His best match would be someone also in the HOC. Someone strong and cunning like him.

Maybe someone like her.

Suzy knows that Kai and her being together is out of the question because are distantly related. But she had thought that maybe, just like how it was when they were kids, they would still be each other’s person.

The person they would run to for anything—anything scary, happy, sad, and everything in between. Like when they were children, they would be each other’s priority. Being in the HOC doesn’t really allow you to lead a normal life with marriage, kids, and a happy retirement. But Suzy was always fine with it, because what she’d have is enough anyway if Kai was her person.

And of course, if she was his.

But it was clear to her now that Kai and her are not the super duo that stuck to each other like glue anymore. Nothing could ever bring back her cherished memories of back then. Kai is so far gone from being on her side. Maybe this… this the part she’s struggling with the most.

“Suzy?” Suho calls.

Suzy looks at him, thinking of her best next course of action. This reminds her of a game theory course she took as an elective—unironically, with Iseul. When one firm might act a certain way, what is your best possible course of action?

Suzy is stubborn, but she isn’t dumb. She’s realistic, and she knows a dead end when she sees it.

“You’re okay, aren’t you? Listen, I know you might be worried about Kai, but try not to. He’ll be fine, and so will you. You’re with us.”

Suzy looks at Suho, speechless for an entire minute because of how this is the nicest anyone has been to her in a really long time.

“He’s not getting over her, is he?” Suzy sighs. “I thought I… I thought I’d done the right thing but it’s only been counterproductive…”

Suho shakes his head. “You might be questioning why, but Iseul has an effect on Kai that only she can produce. She makes him a smarter fighter and a better human since he now has something to protect and stay alive for. Sure, he has Jongguk, but when he’s at work, Jongguk only concerns him. Iseul helps with that too. He may seem distracted, but she’s really the one helping him function. It has always been harder for him without her around. She’s his linchpin, and I don’t know if you can get over such a person.”

Suzy laughs bitterly at how ironically the word ‘person’ is being used against her now.

“What?” Suho asks, not expecting the laugh.

“Nothing,” Suzy shakes her head. “Just something about the word ‘person’.”

As he continues riding off alone into the pitch-black night, Kai hopes that however it went, Suho, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol got his point across to Suzy. He is not going to let people cross him just because he’s her Guardian. He may be legally obligated to stay beside her, but they are not on the same side. Especially not when it comes to Seo Iseul.

ISEUL’S POV

The first thing I feel is sunlight smacking me square in the face. Which normally would be something I’d complain about, but that’s nothing compared to the painful full-body ache I feel once consciousness fully seeps in.

“What the…” I whisper, opening my eyes and sitting up.

My head automatically turns to examine my left arm, because that’s where the ache is the worse after my skull (which literally feels like it might split open any minute). Holy , there’s an IV drip attached to it. , why am I attached to an IV drip again?

“Oh ,” I breathe, realizing the predicament I’m in. I feel myself go cold. Hospital gown, hospital bed, hospital monitor, wait, why does my room look so fancy—wait , the guy at the bar—did he do any of this?

The fear I feel in the next few seconds is sharp and unreal. Memories of last night come rushing back and I instinctively press my legs together. . No. God, please… no, no, no….

I frantically look around, and—

“AAAH!” I scream upon seeing a sleeping male figure on the couch. , who is that? I swear if anything actually happened I’m going to die—

“Huh!” The sleeping figure gasps and bolts upright, awakened by my piercing scream. When he does, all thoughts of escape flew out the window for a second, because I had to double-take to make sure I’m not hallucinating. Hold on, Lucas?

“Lucas?” I whisper, still unsure of how to make sense of all this. Lucas’s eyes widen like he has just realized where he is, and without saying a word, he bolts over to me and grabs my free hand.

“Oh thank God you’re awake. How are you? How do you feel? Does anything hurt? Oh God, did the sun wake you up? I forgot to close the curtains and now I’m overwhelming you, aren’t I? But don’t worry, Seul. Nothing happened last night, okay? You’re okay. You’re okay,” Lucas says, going a hundred miles an hour in the beginning but finishing at zero in a hushed, soothing voice.

“I… I’m okay?” I repeat, still trying to process the fact that I’m in some fancyass hospital room that looks reserved for the chairmen of blue-chip companies with Lucas. “I… what happened? How do you know I’m okay? I swear that bastard at the bar, he was about to…”

I couldn’t say it. I stop, swallowing.

Lucas shushes me and briefly steps away to grab me a bottle of water. “Here. Have some water. I can tell you what happened.”

I listen as Lucas retells everything from last night, to him spotting the man trying to grab me, to the group rushing to the hospital and getting this VVIP suite for free, to Lucas deciding to stay overnight in case anything happened after everyone else left. I’m speechless—I don’t know what to respond to first. But by the time Lucas gets to the end of his recount, all I know is that I have never known relief like this.

“And so that’s it. That’s how we got here. Sorry, I know I said long story short like five times but I ended up telling you the unabridged director’s cut version of it—”

“Don’t apologize!” I say quickly, looking at him like he’s insane. “Are you crazy? I want to hear every single detail about last night, and if you’re downplaying anything you did Lucas I swear—”

It might be my eyes playing tricks on me but Lucas blushes a bit. “I mean, I told you all of it. I—I just rushed over the second I saw some unknown guy try to grab you, and I carried you to and from the cab and everything but that’s basically it.”

“I can’t believe everyone had to go through all that because of me. God I never should’ve closed my eyes. I should’ve seen the guy approach me—wait, so what did you say happen to him? A stranger got to him too?”

“Yeah, um… this is where it gets a bit funny,” Lucas scratches his head. “Sorry, I think I may have glossed over this before. But as I was heading for you there was another guy dressed in all black—I couldn’t see his face though—”

And that’s when a second wave of emotion hits me.

Brutally.

, it felt like so long ago already but I can’t believe this also happened last night. The man standing in front of the VVIP entrance. The fact that I think I saw Kai…

To be fair, we don’t have proof if this guy who came in to beat the crap out of the bar stranger is Kai or not, but—

“—he didn’t answer clearly when I asked if he knew that bar stranger or you. But he said something weird—he said he’d find out if I did anything…”

Okay, now we do.

I’m completely frozen. This expensive hospital suite then… even though Lucas said it’s because the hospital was full, I think he—

Beside me, Lucas is still blabbering on. “—I mean, not that I’m planning to of course, but I just—I don’t know, is he someone you know? Is this related to why you sort of… freaked out back at our table?”

I look at him, my head spinning. I didn’t catch a word he said—all I can think of is this hospital suite.

If Kai’s behind this, then what does it mean? He… does he care enough about me to put me in a VVIP suite?

“Lucas, what did the second stranger say again?”

Lucas blinks. “He said he was going to find out what the bar stranger did to you, and he said that if… if I tried anything weird, he’d find out too.”

His words sink into me like a ton of bricks. What the—what does this even mean? This sounds like Kai, but then if it is… after everything he said to me the last day we met—what—what does he mean by all this?

“And after he dragged that stranger out, you didn’t see him again, did you? Like, he didn’t come here or anything?”

“What? No!” Lucas shakes his head. “It was just our group and by the time I finally slept it was long past visiting hours already.”

Somehow, this is exactly what I expected. Before I can stop myself, I start crying.

“Iseul?!” Lucas yelps, looking at me in concern. “Oh God, I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong? You knew that second person, do you? Did he hurt you before? Is he the reason you freaked out before you went to the bathroom—”

“No!” I flat-out lie, because I can’t deal with this right now. I quickly wipe my face. “I don’t know. I—I might have an idea, but I’m not sure. And I don’t want to talk about it. Please, can we talk about something else? Do you have my phone? I want to say thanks to Bom and contact several other people.”

“Oh… o-okay, but seriously, if you need to report that second guy to the police or anything, I can go with you. I caught a glimpse of the lower half of his face—”

“Wait, you did?” I ask sharply. My heart is thundering in my chest and I feel like it’s on the brink of malfunctioning.

“It wasn’t the best look because it was dark and he had a cap on, on top of that but he… just… sharp jaw, thick lips…”

After the last two words, I wish I could instantaneously disappear. I need to break down in peace, unseen, because what the actual is going on? Kai tells me to get lost from his life but then comes back in months later playing the hero and mysterious benefactor?

What the is he trying to accomplish?

All I want to do is scream and run to someone I can talk to about all this. Oh God—Jae. I really, really need to talk about this with Jae. But then again… , I’ve just decided that I’m moving on from all this HOC business once and for all. If I talk to Jae, isn’t this just going to bring everything back to square one?

Still, I guess I should talk to her. Because before anything else—we’re family. She’s my sister.

I want to laugh at how absurdly twisted all the characters in this plot are. Okay, I think I know what I want to do next. I’m going to take the easy way out and live in ignorance.

“I don’t think that’s going to be enough. You know what? You said the bar stranger was already taken care of too, right? Then let’s just get out of here, forget everything that happened last night, and get some food. What do you want? My treat!”

“Wait wait, what?” Lucas looks at me like I’ve grown an extra head. “That’s it?”

“Well he was being handled already, right?”

Anyway, what would happen if I reported Kai?

The look of disbelief on Lucas’s face is unparalleled. “But still, we need to report this to the police! That bar stranger drugged you, Iseul, you know what he was planning to do next—”

“Okay yes, let’s go and report him,” quickly say, wincing at the reminder. “But let’s just let that other one be. He didn’t do anything wrong and we wouldn’t even be able to identify him anyway.”

What would happen if I reported Kai?  If he did play a part in saving me, then I don’t want anything bad happening to him. I’m terrified. I don’t want to think about what could’ve happened if Lucas and… Kai didn’t get there in time.

Whatever. I’m rushing to forget all this because I don’t want to dwell on the potentially even scarier details like who the stranger is and if why Kai had anything to do with him.

I can’t. It’s just going to consume me and I won’t let that happen. Not when I was supposed to have a good time last night. Not when I’ve just started learning how to handle all this.

Not when I’m finally starting to feel fine.

“But after we go eat,” I quickly add, brushing the thought away again. “I’m famished.”

Lucas says nothing—he just looks at me silently.

“You keep looking at me like that I’ll chomp your head off like Kirby,” I deadpan. “I’m serious, I feel fine, I’m fine, and what