A month earlier…

The motorcycle groaned louder when Gary pulled the gas lever with his fingers. The sun was relentless on his back but the breeze helps with cooling him down. The travel back to the South is a days’ worth and he’s only started his journey three hours ago.

Only three hours ago when he had asked Jihyo to marry him. He didn’t know what came over him. It wasn’t part of his plan at all, he had only meant to tell Jihyo that he needed to leave. However, as she stood there with her forehead creasing in worry, Gary took a leap of faith and had bend down on his knee.

Go figure. Gary’s life is full of surprises.

First thing he needed to do when his mission is over is to purchase a ring for his fiancé. It has to be big to represent how precious Jihyo to him; with little diamonds embracing the whole ring. Or maybe…a gold band would do with his name engraved inside the ring.

Gary grins grow wider. The wedding would be small, only consisting of Nix and the adjussi unless Jihyo has friends she wanted to invite, Gary can live through it. He can already imagine the forest being the place where the wedding is going to take place, with everyone facing the waterfalls during the ceremony.

Nix will be the flower girl. She’s going to look like a princess, she’s going to walk Jihyo down the aisle. Both his girls would be safe and sound.

It was exactly ten hours when Gary takes a break. He finds shade to eat a piece of bread he had shoved in his duffel bag. He parks the motorcycle –a Harley with the Kang’s emblem painted on the right exhaust- and leans on it, his gun laying in front of him for efficiency if an ambush is to happen. Nothing happened and Gary continued his journey.

The moon is high in the sky, Gary observes, what a magnificent time to take down an empire.

He settles low on the ground, his chest inches away from the soil covering the ground. Gary’s eyes, trained from a young age, already spots ten guards roaming around the mansion. He takes a deep breath before jumping out of the bush knife slashing at the two men nearest to him.

Their bodies haven’t even hit the ground when Gary runs towards the third man slicing his throat with the machete he was holding in his left hand. He use the dead man’s body as a shield as he takes aim on the other five men running towards him. They all fall down in an instant, their brain exploded some landing on Gary’s face.

He reloaded and walk calmly towards the servant’s quarter where he encountered two more men. The machete punctured one of the men across the heart. Gary grabs the collar of the tenth man but before he can do any damage, he hears someone approach him from the back.

“Don’t even think about it,” Gary warns, growling.

“I wouldn’t dream of fighting you Gary-shi,” returns the voice that belongs to Suk Jin.

Gary looks over his shoulder. “Don’t take another step, Suk jin.”

The older man stops and lowers his head. “Let him go Gary-shi. How could you kill your own men?”

Gary grins. “I don’t care,” he chuckles darkly. Gary looks directly at the man weeping in his arms and feels no sorrow nor loyalty. “Good-bye.” Gary aims the barrel of the gun at the man’s temple and shoots.

“Gary! No!” Suk jin yells. It was too late, the man fell on the ground his head blown into pieces.

“Where is he?” ask Gary, when no answer came, Gary aims the gun at Suk jin’s forehead. “Where is he Suk jin?” That’s when Gary notices a huge gash across Suk jin’s face and some bruises on his neck. Gary recognizes torture anywhere and he feels like vomiting knowing that his father had done this to Suk Jin.

Lowering his gun in a moment of guilt, Gary walks to the older man. Without thinking, he places his hand on Suk Jin’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze hoping that it will give some comfort.

“I don’t need your pity, Gary-shi,” Suk jin’s voice cracks. “I-I…”

“Suk jin, what happened?”

Suk jin shoves Gary away. “Where were you hiding? Where the have you been hiding?” Gary is too surprise to answer. “ing hell. I couldn’t find you! L-Look at me! Look what you did to me!” Suk jin’s voice is loud and angry and all to unfamiliar in Gary’s ears.

Hesitantly, Gary once again raise his gun at Suk jin. “You have to calm down, Suk jin.”

“ you!” Suk jin screams then running frantically to Gary.

“No, Suk jin, no!” Gary warns.

Gary watch in horror as Suk jin raise a gun to point at him. As if in slow motion, Gary stumbles back, finger on the trigger ready to fire, he had a clear shot but he doesn’t fire…he couldn’t. Suk jin takes aim and fires. The bullet scrapes Gary’s arm before he could roll to the nearest wall to seek refuge. “Suk jin! Don’t make me shoot you!” Gary begs from behind the post.

But he hears Suk jin’s maniac steps heading his way. The Suk jin he had known since he was younger, the man who had tried to shield him from Jaesuk’s wrath is gone and have been turned into nothingness by his father. With eyes welling up with tears, Gary steps away from behind the wall and pulls the trigger. The bullet cleanly goes through Suk jin’s forehead.

Suk jin falls soundlessly onto the ground, the dirt flying around the body. He stares at the body thinking back when Suk Jin would hand him stolen sweets from the kitchen. Gary didn’t have time to mourn though. He didn’t have the luxury to apologize to the dead body. Instead of kneeling down to cry, he bolts to the passage way leading to the servant’s quarters.

Once inside, Gary finds the kitchen quiet and empty. His adrenaline further shot up thinking that this could all be a trap. He wouldn’t be surprise if his father knew all along he was going to attack today. A shuffling from another room caught Gary’s attention.

He struts like a cat, gun calmly swinging against his hips. Upon pushing the door open, he finds almost the entire population of servant crouched down with their head hanging low.

“What the-“ But Gary knows why they were there and it was only a matter of seconds before-

Gary tries to stay up but whatever object had hit him was proving to be quite effective in knocking him off of his feet. He lose consciousness after several seconds.  

-0-

Jae Suk taps his finger impatiently on the table as he watches his unconscious son across from him. He had instructed for one of the men to tie each of Gary’s limb to the chair with the strongest ropes they had. The tapping becomes louder as Jae Suk’s patience wears thin. Finally, he yells, “Get a bucket of water and dunk this son of a .”

Gary came to with a violent cough with eyes already focusing, just like he had taught his son. “ you,” Gary spits.

Not in the mood to chit chat, Jae Suk balls his fingers into a fist and punches Gary’s right cheek. The sound of cracking bones were loud. “You’re not in the position to talk Hee Gun.” The older man sits on the chair opposite to Gary. He regards his son for a moment, noticing immediately a difference in Gary’s demeanour. He can’t quite place it but the familiarity of it makes his chest ache.

Gary shakes his head. “Miss me?”

Ignoring the disrespectful comment, Jae Suk speaks in a loud voice. “I do not allow traitors Hee Gun I can kill you right now, it would be easier. However, we are family, so I will give you one more-“

“No.”

The irritation makes Jae Suk slam his hand on the wooden table. “Tread carefully,” he cautions, fingers finding its way to his hand gun.

Once again, Jae Suk finds himself studying his son’s feature noticing that the line that had formerly run across his forehead is now smooth. He wonders momentarily if he had looked like that when he met his wife. Shaking his own head, he motions for his men to take Gary into a cell.

He should execute Gary but he can’t seem to do it. Is it because Gary is his son?

Jae Suk gets up from his chair and pours himself a glass of whiskey. Gary had always been a good soldier; ready when needed to and emotionless when required. Jae Suk swears under his breathe feeling a loss that isn’t something to do with fatherly love but a loss of years of training and honing Gary’s skills.

His thoughts are interrupted when one of his men come stumbling through. It took all of Jae Suk’s self-control not to shoot the son of a . “What?” Taking a sip.

“Sir! Suk Jin…we found him dead at the courtyard.”

Jae Suk rub his temples. “Dispose of the body.”

“Y-Yes sir.”

The torture Suk Jin had gone through was not without merit. He needed to set an example and it was Suk Jin messing up at that moment. He doesn’t have any regrets on the contrary some pride swims around his chest knowing Gary is still able to assassinate.

He realizes then that the messenger is still standing in front of him. “What is it?” Voice full of controlled annoyance.

“Sir, we saw some movement at the Choi’s compound. Intel thinks they’re planning an attack.”

“Secure all entrances.” He walks toward a cupboard hidden behind a bookshelf. “Send a message to Seoul.”

“Yes, sir.”

The man hustles out of the office. He turns his attention to the cupboard, entering a pin onto the number pad. The screen displays in big letters ‘armed’. The drugs stored in warehouses all over Korea is one less thing he has to worry about now.

Without thinking, Jae Suk finds himself walking to the basement where Gary is being held. He sees the only occupied cell and unlocks it with the key he owns. He doesn’t know why he was there, all he knows is that he needed to see his son, he doesn’t know whether to kill him or to try to sway Gary back to his side.

Gary is a valuable asset he cannot lose.

“Where have you been hiding? You weren’t in Seoul.” It isn’t the best start to a conversation but it’s all his got. Gary continues to glare at him. “Where’s the girl?” And with that, he sees Gary’s stature darken and become aggressive. “What would it take for you to wake up? You’re an assassin. There’s no life for a man like you only death awaits.”

“Is that what you told mom?”

Jae Suk is blindsided by the anger surging into his chest. He ducks down wrapping his arms around Gary’s waist, pushing hard until Gary’s back slams against the wall of the cell. When Jae Suk finds his footing, he slams his fist at Gary’s face over and over again.  

He punches Gary a couple more times before halting when realization hits him that Gary haven’t fought back. Suspicion takes over and Jae Suk pulls his gun, the barrel touching Gary’s forehead menacingly. “One last chance, Hee Gun!” He yells almost begging for his most powerful weapon to comply.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing,” Gary replies, eyes glistening with danger.

Jae Suk snarls as he pulls the trigger expecting his own son’s brain matter to splatter across his face. On the contrary, nothing exploded.

 “One more chance, father,” Gary advises. Jae Suk looks down and sees the bullet from his gun in Gary’s hands. “Pay attention now.”

Jae Suk didn’t have time to react. The fist colliding his jaw makes him sees stars. Staggering to keep upright, Jae Suk holds on to the cell door bracing for another hit. When it comes, he feels the whole world spin out of the control. Jae Suk slams on the floor with a heavy thud.

He staggers on his feet. He can feel blood dripping from all over his face. Gary looks like he was ready to attack again with the way he lowers himself closer to the ground. But something made Gary’s stance falter and a frown on his face indicates that the attack has been halted for now.

Jae Suk looks over his shoulder and to his surprise sees Choi with a murderous smile. He couldn’t believe it. He doesn’t know how in the hell Choi got into the compound so easily. “Who let you in?”

Choi chuckles, belly moving in the process. “I think you’ve met Lee before?”

Lee, the traitor, emerges from the shadows as if on cue. “My lord,” Lee greets, tipping his head down in mock politeness.

A/N: Hello guys!! Im sorry for the late update, i was not satisfied with what i was writing so kept changing this chapter!! I was going to make it longer but i figured a part 3 is needed and probably an epilogue! Thank you for reading and commenting and 'up-voting' y'all so great!!