Mi Hwa’s eyes brimmed with tears as they appeared at the center of the Plaza Mall. She felt so sad, so hopeless, now that G-Dragon was gone. And she had absolute no idea of how to save him.

“Don’t do anything reckless and stupid, Mimi,” Seunghyun told her. “We’ll save him. Don’t worry.”

Chaerin nodded encouragingly.

The others came rushing toward them, asking all sorts of questions. “Where’s G-Dragon-sshi? And Dara-ssi? Did you find her? Why aren’t they here? What’s going on? What happened? Why does Mi Hwa look so sad?”

Mi Hwa just sobbed even harder than before. She ran into her room and flung herself on the bed and cried as hard as she could. She wanted to be alone and undisturbed by the rest.

What’s the point in living when the person she loved the most isn’t there? Without G-Dragon, there’s no point living. He was the air she breathed. He was her oxygen. The only reason why she lived. And Jihyun had taken him away from her for who knows how long.

“Mama?”

She looked up and all the reasons to why she shouldn’t die came back. Her son needs her. “Oh, Yongie,” she said through her tears. He ran quickly into her opened arms.

“Where’s Appa?”

“Appa will be back soon,” she said, crying. She tried to smile. “It’s all right, my dear. Its fine, Yongie. Mama’s just sad.”

“I want Appa,” her son muttered, resting his little head on her shoulders, clenching his little fist into a tight ball. He closed his eyes. “I miss Appa. Appa not here, Mama sad. I don’t like Mama sad.”

She only cried harder. She couldn’t take the pain. Only he could take it away from her. “Oh, oppa, why?” she cried, hugging Yongie tighter. “Why?”

Chaerin and Seunghyun watched from the window. Chaerin turned to Seunghyun. “We have to get him back. I don’t know what Mi Hwa would do if we don’t,” she said, feeling helpless.

“Probably do nothing good,” Seunghyun sighed, feeling just as helpless as she did. But he was also taken by surprised by Mi Hwa’s behavior. He had never seen her like this before. She was usually so strong, always able to hide her feelings well. He hated seeing her like this. It broke his heart into tiny pieces, watching her life fall apart before him. There’s got to be a way to help her. He paused, thinking hard. “I’ll go.”

Chaerin understood what he meant and began to shake her head, her heart thudding wildly with fear. “You can’t go out there by yourself. It’s too dangerous.”

But Seunghyun was persistent. “I’ve been going out so many times on my own, CL,” he argued. “I can’t just sit back and not do anything for her. I’m pretty sure that I can handle it.”

She sighed, knowing that she couldn’t argue with him. Once he set his mind to something, he sticks with it. “Are you sure?” She was reluctant. She didn’t want to lose him, too.

“I’m sure.” He kissed her gently. “I’ll be back before you know. I’ll bring him back.”

“Be careful.”

“I will. I love you.”

Seunghyun set out and Chaerin went inside the room to comfort the poor, sobbing Mi Hwa. She put her arms around her.

“I can’t believe he did that. I can’t believe he would just throw everything he had away just like that,” Mi Hwa cried into her hug.

“I know,” she replied soothingly, her hair. “Just know that he did it to save us, all right?”

“Babo.” Mi Hwa only sobbed harder.

Bom came in. “Um, it’s time for dinner,” she said timidly.

“Yongie, go for dinner,” Mi Hwa told her son, who gladly complied.

“Me hungry!” he was shouting, jumping up and running out of the room.

“We’ll be out soon,” Chaerin told Bom, who nodded and followed out after Yongie. She turned back to the sobbing, heartbroken girl in her arms. She tried to think of something encouraging that she could say. “Mi Hwa, it’s okay. I’m sure he’ll be back as soon as you know it.” She hoped.

But Mi Hwa just shook her head. “You don’t know Jihyun-ssi like I do, unnie,” she said miserably. She looked away and wouldn’t meet Chaerin’s eyes. “GD is never coming back. She’ll keep him there forever.”

Meanwhile, Seunghyun stealthily entered the dark and miserable Zaifhers’ Head Quarters. He glanced around cautiously just to make sure that no one was there before slipping further in. He turned right and left, following his instincts — and nearly crashed into two Zaifhers guards that were patrolling the corridor. As quickly as he could, he backed up behind a pillar, holding his breath.

“We’re going to have a huge feast!” one of them was saying to his friend. “The great G-Dragon is back as our leader once again!”

Seunghyun froze as he heard the Zaifhers talking among themselves. Did they say G-Dragon? Had he heard right?

“It’s going to be held tonight. Great Leader G-Dragon said he is not to be disturbed until the party.”

“Where is he now?”

“Second door on the left. The same room he always sleeps in before he left.”

The voices drifted away until it became a soft murmur and Seunghyun headed toward his brother’s room. Relieved that no one was there, he knocked on the door.

“Door is open! Enter at your own risk!” a deep, husky voice called from the other side of the red, iron door.

He sounds just like his old, ruthless self, he thought sardonically as he pushed opened the metal door and found his brother lying down on the king-sized bed. He was confused. He imagined his brother to be pacing around, thinking of a plan, not lazing around in his bed. “What are you doing?” he asked.

G-Dragon sat up shocked to hear a familiar voice and then turned to find in amazement that his brother was there. “Hyung! How did you —?” he began to ask.

“I snuck in here,” he replied, cutting him off. “I came to rescue you. So let’s go!”

“I can’t,” G-Dragon replied flatly. He avoided his brother’s glance. “I have to stay. I can’t just leave. Not right now, anyway.”

Seunghyun just stared at him in disbelief. “You’re joking,” he said hoarsely.

“Unfortunately, I’m not,” he replied, shaking his head.

Seunghyun would not put up with this. He didn’t come all the way here for nothing. “What are you planning to do about Mi Hwa and Yongie?” he demanded to know. “Did you know that Mi Hwa was crying so hard once we got back to the Mall? She was so heartbroken! Yongie even asked for you! Are you planning to just leave them alone?”

G-Dragon looked sad when he heard the news. He didn’t want Mi Hwa to be like this. She needed to stay strong for Yongie’s sake. “You know, I’m doing this for them, hyung,” he said softly.

Seunghyun was getting angrier as each second passed. He clenched his fist into a tight ball and bit his tongue to stop from firing hurtful words at his brother. Counting to ten, he waited until he was calmed enough to reply in an even tone of voice. “What are you talking about?” he asked, his voice slightly shaking. “How is abandoning them doing them a favor, especially when Mi Hwa is lying miserably in bed! What are you going to do?”

“I’ll lead the Zaifhers far away from them,” G-Dragon replied in a calm voice. “But I cannot leave now with you. I cannot let Jihyun run this place into havoc.”

Something inside of him snapped. “You’ve been letting her run this dark clan for three years!” Seunghyun shouted, forgetting how to control his temper. He was so mad he was practically shaking with anger. “You can’t just abandon your girlfriend and your son! You have responsibilities over Mi Hwa and —”

“Jihyun has Rae Ah,” G-Dragon said before he could finish.

Seunghyun forgot what he was going to say. This certainly changes everything. “No way . . .” he said in a hushed tone.

G-Dragon nodded gloomily. “I don’t care what she does to Dara, but she is not laying a finger on my daughter.”

“We’ll help you,” Seunghyun said lamely, his anger gone now that he knew why his brother cannot come back — or rather why he doesn’t want to come back. “Just . . . come back. Come back to the mall. Come back to Mi Hwa and Ji Yong.”

He sighed, walking over to his small dressing table. “It’s not that simple as it seems. There is no point of explaining to you because you just simply wouldn’t understand.” He turned to face his elder brother and smiled sadly. “Just in case anything happens to me, please take care of Mi Hwa and Yongie for me. Tell them that I love them very much and that I’ll come home to them soon. But I cannot come home now. I’ve got some unfinished business to do here.”

“Are you sure? Are you very sure?” Seunghyun said hoping that G-Dragon might change his mind.

He nodded. “I’ve got a plan.”

Mi Hwa woke up, feeling movements on the bed. She turned to see Seunghyun getting in bed with her. “Where’s GD, oppa? Did he come back with you?” she asked, sitting up. She looked hopeful that Seunghyun didn’t know how to break it to her that he wasn’t.

He just hugged her. “He’ll be back soon,” he replied. “But don’t worry. He’s being kept safe, okay? He told me to tell you that he loves both you and Yongie a lot.”

She closed her eyes. “I’m glad,” she whispered. “I’m sure he’ll love Ji Hwa, too.”

There was a long pause as Mi Hwa’s words sunk in. Seunghyun abruptly sat upright. “Kim Mi Hwa, are you pregnant again?” he asked in the darkness.

“Yes,” she replied softly.

He stared at her, who was facing her back on him. He heard her sniffle and realized that she was crying. He put his arms around her. He knew she was feeling scared. After all, she was going to be the mother of two! And the dad was at the enemy’s lair.

“He’ll come home soon,” he said quietly, tucking her in to sleep. “I promise.”

Reassured by those words, she fell asleep. But Seunghyun lay awake. He felt bad for lying to Mi Hwa, but she really didn’t need the extra stress. Not right now with another baby on its way.