HANA

by Rainyday9090

For the longest time I studied revenge to the exclusion of all else. I built my first torture chamber in the dark vaults of imagination. Lying on bloody sheets in the Healing Hall I discovered doors within my mind that I'd not found before, doors that even a child of nine knows should not be opened. Doors that never close again. I threw them wide. Revenge is what I want.

44. Chapter 44

Hello, Beautiful readers. Hope your new year is going well. As always, thank you all for the comments and suggestions. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

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" Where were you?" The moment she walked into the house, Ctrl asked the question he hadn't been able to find an answer for during the whole hour he had sat there and waited for her to return home. With her quick steps to the stairs, Jandi didn't respond and kept her focus on her steps. Where are you? What is going on? His questions have been frequent, and she knew she only had a short time left before he started snooping around. She was well aware he was already beginning to be suspicious of her. If he started digging into what she had been doing, she knew she could beg and make Ctrl swear not to tell Bom anything. She knew how to use his love for her against him. He wouldn't break his promise unless she were in danger. The only one she was scared of finding out was Bom. She was well aware she needed to end everything before he started being suspicious. She had used the hour she spent on the train to devise a tight plan that included using her newly formed friendship to get as much information as possible before any of her team members picked on what she had been doing to get the information that had been vital to them. Charming, spoiled rich people were her talent; mistakenly, she assumed adding one more could do no harm. Junpyo was just another rich millionaire she could entertain to get whatever she wanted out of him. It is what she was trained for; this was the ultimate test of what she would do to get what she wanted.

" I thought you were around here." Ctrl was ignored as she continued with her walk. Her cardigan pulled off her body, her right hand was busied with tying up all her hair with the rubber band from her right wrist. Her irritated legs landing hard steps on the wooden stairs; her room at the corner was her goal as she increased her speed. She only has a few minutes to dress and leave the house.

" He said to be there in 30." Ctrl had stopped by the edge of the stairs as he kept his eyes on Jandi, walking into her room and heading to her closet. Having lived for over a decade with this girl, he knew every one of her habits, and she wasn't in the mood to talk. She was already in mission mode. The girl who didn't even stand taller than his waist when he was a high school dropout stuck fixing people's phones in that tiny shop. He remembers the days she used to scan him with her deadly stares when they were introduced.

" I am not babysitting a girl," Ctrl had complained the day Bom decided to hide the two together.

" It took her a day to find who you are, where you lived, and leave that mark on your neck, and she is 10." Bom, smiling ear to ear and enjoying his snacks, was too happy with the arrangements he came up with to take Ctrl's complaints seriously. He had taken it as a test and assigned her a list of things to do, one of which was to find Ctrl, who was supposed to be hard to locate. Not only had she found him, but she had snuck into his so-called secured home and left the mark she was told to do to show she could have easily killed him in his sleep. All of which he wasn't aware of even after he woke up.

" She is going to be a beast." The wrestler, always next to Bom, still shaking his head at the little girl who had even attempted to fight him, added. Where he found this girl, a question he never asked Bom, he was the first to meet her. Sitting with Bom's leather jacket covering her whole freezing body, inhumanely shoving the dumplings into her patched lips. Her scary eyes had stayed on him, catching every move of his. The attempt he made to get close to her table, her right hand was quick to pick up the chopsticks by her side and attack his right hand sent to pat her head. The fury boiling in her eyes, the Wrestlers wasn't even mad about his hand as his startled eyes had just turned to Bom at the corner. Not even a single tear on her face; she was unlike any of the girls they had dealt with. Both men were quickly made aware of what they had found as they sat in the corner, watching the tiny girl, ready to kill anybody that got close.

" You two are going to be the best weapon we have. You need to be ghosts and live under the surface." Bom, still munching on his snacks, was enjoying Ctrl's annoyance with having to live with a kid.

"You're the only person I could trust her to live with. She also seems to like you since you're the only one she doesn't get anxious around." That was the day he somewhat agreed to live with the girl who would become his little sister. The room door she used to slam and lock on him, how things have changed to now where the door doesn't even close and he was allowed to walk in whenever. Times have changed.

Her cardigan thrown on the bed, her t-shirt was next as it was pulled away from her body. The few minutes she had to strip her body of the comfortable clothes and get into her uniform, she started with the tactile sports bra. Being a woman she thought of as a curse, the tactile bra she preferred to wear was chosen so she could hide any signs of the woman she has grown into. The attention she gets that has changed since she hit her teen years, she hated all of it and anything to hide it was preferred. And that was all the thought that goes into what she wears. The soft skin covering her body she doesn't like touching so she is not reminded of the soft skin of her mother she used to cling to, there was a reason she hated showing it. Lucky for her, she doesn't have to show much of it tonight.

The tall wall mirror to the side she rarely pays attention to; she had glanced at it once she was done with the underlayers that were put on to protect her from the cold and any sharp thing that might try to cut into her body. The special fabric covering her body from her ankle to her neck. it took her body a few seconds to recognize how much she missed these clothes. The black jeans she topped her leggings with, always went with the leather jacket that topped the turtleneck she had on. The custom-made leather jacket was designed for maximum protection and hidden pockets, one would assume there was much thought that went into making sure it also shaped her body perfectly. Her gloves shoved into her jacket's coat; she headed to the bathroom. A small amount of gel on her hands was enough to slick and stick all her hair together before it was tightly tied into a low bun. The cold water in her hands splashed on her face; she used it to wash any and every emotion of the day off her face.

One deep breath in, she was ready to give herself one look at the image reflected back to her. Her own eyes she wasn't fond of looking deep into it; it was easy to distract herself by accepting how tragic and ugly the reflection was. The black she covered herself with was the perfect color to match her unfortunate lack of energy to care about what the face looking back at her looked like. Even if she claimed she never cared about it, she had always found how people reacted to her face interesting. What people refer to as striking, she had mistakenly assumed it was because she was off-putting and enjoyed how it intimidated people to back off. Her all-black uniform, slick back hair, makeup-less face ready for battle; her deadly eyes were slightly graceful when looking at herself when she was dressed, ready to kill. This was the version of her she could tolerate enough to say she liked.

"Everything is on the table," Ctrl had screamed from downstairs, getting her attention to the time she didn't have. The water still dripping as she headed back into her room, her hand stretched for her bed to grab her phone that would be placed in her back pocket. Her knife, which she never leaves, was folded and placed in her jacket's inside pocket. Every other weapon she might need depends on what she was called for, and she trusted Bom would have everything ready. Rushing down the stairs, she headed to the kitchen table.

" Bom said to give it to you." Ctrl standing by the fridge, sipping at the juice he had poured, waiting to see if she would open the small box. He had taken his time scanning her up and down. There really was something that happens to her whenever she dressed like this. He can't explain it, but even how she walks changes radically. The tiny girl he watched train her body into exhaustion until she was the best killing weapon they had; the confidence that takes over whenever she is called to do what she is trained for, even he understood why Bom loved watching her execute the moves it had taken four different masters to train her.

" What is this?" her question only got a shrug from Ctrl.

" The twins are on the man you found, so I don't know why Bom needs you.'' He reminded her that Woobin's brother was being followed by two of their best, and what she was called for might not have anything to do with him. Her excitement about being called in, she had thought it was about Woobin's brother, and it not being about him was disappointing.

" He told me to be on standby," Ctrl added, taking more sips.

"Maybe he needs somebody to learn a lesson. You know how much he enjoys watching you beat jerks" the smirk he gave her, Jandi couldn't even hide the joy the words brought. The frustration and anger that had been begging for an outlet. The chance to release some of the pent-up energy in her body; she was happy that she might finally get it today. The tiny tingle of her fingers, they were already excited to have the chance to punch. Her eyes, which turn red right before she makes somebody taste their own blood, were smiling when she left the house.

In the 30 minutes she was given, it had taken her only 27 minutes when she walked into the club's back door. The security men giving her a nod; it took her two more minutes to cross the dance floor and walk past the bathroom and storage room to get to the office. Her greeting was saved for later as she placed the box on the table and sat down. Bom, holding the phone close to his ears, had given her a small smirk, which she immediately questioned. Something is off.

" That is not what we asked for." While he continued talking to whoever was on the other side, her eyes did a quick scan of the man she hadn't seen in days. The black ink-covered arm, she was quick to notice a new sign on it. Her eyes quickly shot up; the question she wanted to ask was done silently. Her eyes he could read, he tried ignoring her question. But it was useless as it was the first thing she asked about when he got off the call. A mark on his body meant somebody had died, and all she was curious about was who did it.

" Who was it?"

" No matter who, every loss is our failure," he responded, placing the phone in his pocket. Both his hands busy picking everything he needed from the desk; he was intentionally avoiding even looking in her direction. The path of revenge they were on, every loss of life on their side, was a permanent scar for Bom, who even marks it on his body. His emotions he doesn't have the luxury or time to deal with; it had been years since they had turned him into a cold-blooded killer. Nothing but the news of another life lost could pierce through his metal heart.

" Our only failure is not getting rid of these people quickly enough." The girl he had raised to be even more cold-blooded; what such news brought out for her was just pure fury. Her arms crossed, she stood before him. The sadness people would expect one to show when they heard such bad news, what connected Bom and her was how their bodies don't even waste a second for sadness and instantly get ready to hunt and kill. Every drop of tears poured out of them when it happened to the people they loved the most were ripped away from them; there were no tears left to give. Only revenge.

" Who did it?" she asked, waiting for him to explain. She had learned never to dig deep into things he doesn't tell her. She has learned to wait until he wants to tell her. How some burdens were saved only for his shoulders to bear, she hated how even if he tells her, she only gets a snippet of what actually goes on in his head.

" That is why you're here." he closed the conversation with one sentence. His coat thrown across his shoulders; she had kept her eyes on him as they left the club and started heading to his car. Her Bom she knew too well; she was quick to pick on even how his steps seemed off today. The way he lit the cigarette and placed it in between his lips. Even the way his eyes were avoiding her was something out of the usual. He always seemed a bit depressed whenever they lost someone, but this was a bit different. And she had sat in the passenger seat, leaving the silence to give her all the time she needed to analyze his body language. Most of the people that work for him she doesn't even know by name; she can never fully understand the type of guilt he feels whenever they lose one. The way he keeps her hidden from most of the people who report to him, she never liked how his identity was the most at risk and used to shield her and Ctrl away. These were the times she hated how she didn't even live with him, all for the sake of protecting her.

" I don't like it when you stare at me like that." his soft voice that brought her back to the inside of the car; her mind was quick to be reminded of the person who said it hours ago.

" Like what?" She asked, adjusting her seating. Her awakened reaction was a direct result of the smiling face with the adorable dimples she was reminded of. The weird similarities between the two were slowly starting to get annoying. The way Bom was smoking wasn't helping either as she glanced back to catch him switching the cigarette to his left hand.

" I thought you liked my eyes."

" I do," he said, giving her a slight smile. The annoyed look on her face was cute. She hadn't even been around him for more than 10 minutes, and her presence was already cheering him up.

" I like them because they scare people away," the white smoke breathed out to the opened window; he turned his eyes to Jandi. The small smile on her face was a result of seeing him smile. There was only one man whose emotions dictated hers and even a fake smile from him could get to her.

" Have you seen yours? They are horrifying"

" I thought maybe it was all this" his eyes glanced at his tattoos. He knew she was right but wanted to continue the light conversation. He needed it more than anything. It was a known fact that his eyes were so intimidating that sometimes he didn't even have to use words, and people would confess and crumble before he did anything.

" It's all of it." Both her hands were used to point at his body.

" You are this scary man covered in tattoos and those eyes; of course, people would be scared of you. Why would you be scared of tiny me?" She had positioned herself to be even smaller as she brought her body to his side.

" I thought I told you never to underestimate people based on appearance." Although her eyes turned back to the road, her attention was on his words.

" Your weakness is your strength if you know how to use it." His words carried the same message she had received when she asked why she was chosen. Nobody would ever suspect a high school girl, let alone one who looked like her. Most wouldn't dare raise their hands against such a girl either. Her high school uniforms on such a small figure, all she had to do was smile and use soft voices to charm most. Her smiles and girlish giggles she was trained to use; were her best weapons to disarm people. Why her thoughts had gone to the new friendship she formed when she thought it, she crossed her arms to question it. She had been foolish so far, and it had just clicked. But as fast as the idea came to her, it was dismissed as useless. There was no way the boy who dates supermodels would be charmed by anything she did. He is not some drunk old man. Why was she even thinking about him? She shook her head and ordered her mind to focus on the task.

The silence they drove in, she was too used to the nods and signals he had been getting since they drove into their neighborhood. The car shop she could see at the curve, she didn't ask why they were using the back door as he made a right turn. In the garage he drove into, the car was parked as he had led the way to the secret tire stocks used to hide the door to the basement. The code she saw him enter, even though she wasn't aware of the code of the door that opened. In the dark room they entered, she only needed his footsteps to guide her as she followed behind. The shipment containers used to hide everything that was stored in the basement; Jandi had found her answer to what would be waiting for them when she saw him press the passcode for one of the containers and the lights turned on.

The dark blue car she rarely sees, her eyes had gone to Bom the second she could tell it was that car. The look they exchanged, she didn't need words to understand what was going on. There were specific incidents Bom would ever pull out this car, and whatever had happened to the person whose name was added to his arm, she knew it was serious. This wasn't just another loss. At least not for Bom. She should have suspected it when she got the call from him. Whomever it was had meant something to Bom, and wondering how anybody could get this reaction out of him, she kept her eyes on Bom, walking to the driver's side and slowly driving the car out of the Toyota GR86 slowly rolled to come to her side; this car was really something. The causal-looking design of the car making it easy to blend in traffic. The years Bom had spent opening the whole car to pieces and customizing it. The car was rebuilt to help them escape any situation, and had taken even Ctrl's mind some years to optimize the car he wasn't allowed to drive. Mainly because he had the worst driving skill on the team. The number of weapons hidden in the car, her eyes couldn't help but glance at the trunk. The loaded guns he keeps hidden in the trunk, she couldn't help but pray they were coming with them today. Bom holding guns was a sight she never got tired of. Actually, watching men holding guns might be a thing for her, all thanks to Ctrl, who had made that hypothesis. Mrs. Kim had corrected him to protective men to the point they were willing to kill. In her mind, that made more sense. Only one man was willing to die or kill for her, and watching him hold any weapon was charming.

Jandi glanced at the black box he had placed in the back seat as she buckled her seat belt and started questioning what could be in it. She had a nice guess of what could be in that box, and when she thought about it, her curious eyes turned to Bom. What is going on?

" We're going on a hunt." Not turning her way, he responded to the question plastered in her eyes. What those few words did to her body, already ready to attack, was nothing short of an adrenaline shot. So she does in fact, get to release some pent-up energy today. The smile that escaped her lips was involuntary as she sat back. Whoever they were coming for, there was no place he could run or hide. When Bom says it's a hunt, it really was one. Their task was to find whoever it was and eliminate them. Usually, after she gets to use some of her moves, she doesn't get to practice on actual people. The car still warming up; even the sound of its engine was energizing as Jandi adjusted her seat to get comfortable. The shipment container-looking gate that keeps the basement hidden, the car was smooth as it drove up the slanted driveway of the hidden gate. The questions she was asking early, she would get the answers for once they left their neighborhood and headed to join the freeway to the other side of town, and she was directed to look for one of the phones he had placed by the cup holders.

The text messages she saw right when she opened the phone she started scrolling up. First things first, she didn't recognize the number that had sent the line of messages Bom hadn't responded to.

234048200 - I'm sorry, man. That is all I can get.

234048200 - Was she one of your girls?

234048200 - The police are not even opening a case. They are ruling it as a drug overdose. The body was found by a garbage truck. There were no witnesses or evidence.

234048200 - They said she ODd on the Special K that's new on the market. They found a large dosage in her blood system.

234048200 - They are keeping the body for three days for anybody to come and claim it. If not they are cremating it and keeping it as an unknown subject.

234048200 - If you want to get the body, they will send it to the city morgue after those three days. It's easier to get bodies from there without the hassle. Also, I know somebody who can arrange things for you. He is not that expensive.

234048200 - It's always interesting how fast they try to bury cases like this. I had one of the officers we pay to feed us information take these pictures. He wants 100,000 Won per picture.

The second she read the word photos, her right hand had slowed its movement. No amount of deep breathing could ever prepare her for the first picture she slid down. All the things she had seen in her short existence in this cursed world, she had thought she had seen it all, but the evil of this world was more than what her already broken heart could take. No matter how much she lies to herself about how much she doesn't care about anything, here she was, her whole body bleeding for a girl she had never ever met and would never ever meet. The tears she doesn't have left; what she was forced to feel was just fury. Unfiltered rage was what her fingers scrolling the line of photos felt as they started twitching.

The lifeless body not even properly labeled; her eyes couldn't even look away from how not even the blood had been cleaned before they had zipped and stored the body like it wasn't a human's. And here was her first clue as she turned her eyes to the new tattoo on Bom's arm. His sister's body he had identified in the same plastic bag, she had heard about it from Mrs. Kim to quickly pick on the similarity to the images in her hands. Her burning eyes she forced to take vivid mental pictures, staring at the long hair of the girl whose name she didn't know. The clear signs of the chunks of hair that were pulled out of her skull, Janid's eyes followed the strands of hair across the girl's lifeless face. The marks on her right eye, the cut on her eyelid, the blood running down from the clearly broken nose, Jandi knew, weren't just a result of punches but a hit against a hard surface. The blood streaming from the broken nose had dried compared to the dark blood filling the opened mouth. The broken teeth floating in a mixture of blood and foam, the number of teeth she counted have each sent her body into a complete rage as Jandi's fingers calmed down from their fidgeting. Her anxiety was silenced in an instant. Her brain had to order her to shut down. It had to shut the human side of her down before the unbearable pain she could never express took over. Her pain wasn't what was needed at that moment. What she needed was to let the darkness take over. The demons she keeps caged, she has to free them so she can turn into a robot that mercilessly executes their cruel demands.

Her bloodthirsty eyes tracing down the visible strangle marks on the girl's neck, she ignored the gush of hot blood her heart pumped out as she slid down another picture to get a full shot of the ripped-up dress, leaving the body marked at the feet naked. No516 stamped on the feet, it was hard for her to ignore how not even a single person had thought of covering up the body. Her eyes glancing at his arm, she couldn't even glance at the face of the man who had given her ife meaning so she could help him find the same men that have ruined hers. She was never strong enough to face him whenever she thought about who he had lost and who he does all of this for. The pain that connects them, it was less painful to look at the body covered in blood and broken bone. But even then, she didn't have the heart to continue once she saw the picture with the close-up of all the blood that hadn't even dried and was running down the inside of the girl's thighs.

The phone she shut down, her eyes had turned to the road Bom had kept his attention on. His eyes plastered to the road; he had intentionally tried not to even glancing her way. It had been over 24 hours since he got the pictures, and he had not even consumed a single bite since then. The familiar images had kept him awake without even a blink. There was no type of numbness he could get to that would make his heart not feel the pain these images cause. No amount of pain he can endure by himself amounts to even a percentage of what the images that took him right back to the police station where he last saw his little sister do to him. The number 313 tattooed by his heart, it always stings exactly there when he sees any pictures that resemble the last time he saw her body lying on the cold metal bed, her feet marked by the state.

" She was only one year older than you." The cigarette he lit placed between his lips, and his soft voice broke the silence.

" She was taking a gap year to save money and attend college next year" The lifeless body she had just seen, Jandi had to close her eyes to imagine what the girl might have looked like alive.

" She wanted to study business because she thought those people knew how to make money." The weird smirk that escaped him was scary.

" In high school, she used to work at the fruit shops and some workshops on the weekend; they trusted her with the money and papers. She had the brains for it."

" But even then she couldn't figure out how to make enough to support her sick mother, who is on gov't assistance." the pause he took, it was for himself. The endless smiles of the girl he still can't accept is gone, he needed to remove it all away.

" We caught her working for those shady bars a few times. They pay triple what she makes"

" She was even caught working with clients a few times. She promised me she wasn't going to do these jobs anymore." With the change in his voice, Jandi opened and sent her eyes his way only to catch this face surrounded by the white smoke. The cigarette he was inhaling as though it was oxygen; Jandi's heart had gotten another reason to bleed out once she recognized the pain and guilt that was displayed all over him.

"Apparently, she wasn't just working at the bar but was involved in their client service and even delivering goods to clients"

That was the last thing he said as the car drove past the bridge. She didn't need more information to piece together what happened to this girl. It was a similar story to many.

The silence inside the car was only disturbed by the raindrops that started hitting the car. The melody of the raindrops both were fond of; they had let the water drops drift them away to the heartbreaking realization that they might have wasted years with nothing but dead bodies to show for it. Not just dead bodies, lifeless and discarded bodies that were thrown out like one does to cockroaches after stepping on them. One after another, they have buried enough nameless young bodies to still have the energy to keep going. Maybe leaving this world and joining the dead might have been a better choice than living this cursed life. Maybe , just maybe the men they were trying to avenge were too powerful and too out of reach.

For Jandi, who had spent the last few weeks running around that school enjoying her day-to-day, this was a wake-up call. The somewhat normal life that was starting to slowly make her want things she couldn't have; this was a reminder of the reality she lived in. The long chats, the morning teas and lunches, the soft touches and kisses of Jihoo that had clouded her eyes for a few weeks, all of it was removed instantly the second she saw those images. This was her world. The savage and depraved world that seems to be the playground for the most sinful and barbaric humans that run it, she lived in the middle of it. And that was where she belonged. Until she either kills herself or kills them; that was where she belonged. The rain cleansing the city had even darkened the day to let that realization sink in. The sun that was nowhere to be found; it was time for her to set and she had stayed hidden behind the dark clouds. Jandi's unblinking eyes glued to the heavy rain didn't question him why when the car slowly pulled into the back of the grocery store parking lot. Her eyes kept on him as he left the car and headed to the store. Minutes later, he was back with a pack of cigarettes and gum. Both were thrown into her quick arms that grabbed both. He hopped back into the driver's side and started pulling out of the parking lot.

" Check," he ordered. Jandi picked the cigarettes first as she tore open the package to find nothing. The gum was next, and she had found a piece of paper inside. The gray paper unrolled, she read the address which she was directed to put into his phone's GPS.

" Get in the back." His order was followed without question. Her seat belt buckled, and her eyes couldn't help but glance his way as he increased the speed once they left the parking lot. The pieces of paper had a time and location; they needed to be there in less than 10 minutes, but the GPS told them it was a 15-minute drive. Her right hand still on the piece of paper, she had kept her attention on his scary focused eyes and every shortcut he was taking. The piece of paper in hand meant he had somebody giving him information. All the people that feed him information, she could only ponder how many people he is involved in. All of whom she didn't trust and knew would sell him out one day. And when that day came would be when they finally met her before she had them screaming for mercy. Drug lords, gang leaders, undercover cops, spies, and criminals, ... the list goes on for the type of people he was surrounded with and was forced to work with to get to their goal.

Her eyes from the road had turned to him when she saw his left hand join his right on the steering wheel. Both hands on the wheel were a rare sight, and she had turned her eyes to the road as she waited to witness his amazing driving skill. The line of cars they were passing, even the Red stop and no yield signs hadn't stopped him as the car rushed through the crazy traffic to get to the location a minute earlier. In the row of the restaurant, Jandi looked for the one that matched the address on the paper in her hand. The engine turned off; she turned her eyes when she saw his hands head to the glove compartment by the passenger side. The food takeaway bag & box he pulled were placed on the passenger seat. He started going through the neatly packaged items with both hands and pulled out the small device. The earpieces thrown to her, he placed the device on the inside of his jacket pocket. Everything was placed back into the glove compartment. Jandi placing the earpiece in her ears as she moved to the seat by the door closer to the restaurant. If he calls for backup, she needs to rush out as soon as possible.

" Sit tight," was the last thing said before closing the door. His phone placed in his pocket, he had taken a second to look at his car. With the tinted back seat window, he was sure there was no way anybody could see her. The node he gave her, he was gone in seconds. The black box she was sitting next to had gotten her attention until a voice she didn't recognize started talking in the earpiece she had placed in her left ear.

"You're on time," the old man-sounding voice forced her eyes to close and try to picture what type of face it could come from. She had never heard this voice before.

" I've ordered you the Jjamppong and pancake," the slightly happy-toned voice of the old man was quickly removed once he got nothing but silence and that deadly stare from Bom.

" You know I've been coming to this restaurant for 30 years. Their noodles are good. They make them by hand in the back."

" Nothing has changed except the people that come here to eat. "Looking around the restaurant, the old man scanned the customers scattered around. He looked at the watch above, it wasn't dinner time yet. The older man that went talking about the restaurant, Bom, had sat silently. Not even a small reaction from his stone face until the older lady brought them their order. Both men had thanked her as she left with the menu.

" They say the more things change, the more they stay the same." The old man, sipping his tea, had even forced Jandi to focus. His calm and collected voice signaled someone with authority. He didn't seem scared of Bom; instead, he felt like an older figure ready to give him some wisdom. Maybe somebody who has known him for years.

" You should eat," the older man said, pointing at the hot bowl in front of Bom.

" I do

" I said you should eat" The older man picking the chopsticks handed them to Bom.

" We have enough time to talk but not enough to savor the tastes when it's still hot" . With that, what she heard for the next three minutes was just eating. The old man glancing at Bom, had taken a few of the chicken pieces from his soup and added them to Bom's bowl.

" You need it" The old man had sliced the pancake to pieces and pushed it to Bom's side.

" When I was your age. I used to make sure my body was well-maintained by eating healthy. You look skinnier every time I see you. What's going on?

" Don't even bother with the I don't care about that" The old man dismissed the answer to his question displayed in Bom's eyes.

" It's part of the Job. You need to be your best at every given moment," the old man went on as Bom kept his eyes on the food he was being forced to eat in silence. Sitting in the back of the car, Jandi couldn't even come up with the last time she had a meal with him. She wasn't even sure who made sure he ate.

"I always tell the boys to eat and exercise. I tell even the girls that"

" But you know how they don't listen to me." The old man, startled by how quickly Bom had finished, couldn't help but wonder if Bom had eaten it this fast so they could cut the conversation short and get to the point. Maybe it was best to get to the point.

" I sent some people to some of the bars and clubs to find things." The mention of the bars got Jandi's attention back to the conversation.

" She worked double shifts on Friday at one bar and was sent on a delivery." The old man had glanced up to see the reaction on Bom, but that never happened. Both his hands went to his pocket, Bom's emotionless eyes had just stared back.

" You know we were moving her mom to the hospital as you asked and getting her a job at the cafe next week. We finished everything and were just waiting." Jandi, who had been questioning why Bom hadn't done anything for the girl, finally got her answer.

"The whole thing is tragic"

" If she had just waited the weekend" the old man sighed.

" We got a hold of one of the girls who works with her, and she said she owed money, and this was supposed to be her last delivery before the debt was canceled."

" I know she said she didn't have any money borrowed when we talked to her" This was the only thing that got a recession out of Bom.

" I don't know why she lied to us, but it's understandable considering she borrowed from The Sharks. They are not very nice with their money, as you know."

" I sent one of my boys to talk to my guy at The Sharks, and they even said they couldn't have done anything about it.."

" Apparently, it wasn't just a delivery, and she was sent to service important people." The old man, placing his chopsticks down, cleaned his lips with the napkin.

" I need names," Bom spoke for the first time since he sat down.

" I had my people work all day and night, and we could only come up with one.

" I had everybody working on you know how long it takes to get the

" Name?" Bom interrupted.

" Kim Min Su, Detective from the Seoul Police Narcotics" the old man pushed the folder to Bom's side. The old man, sipping his tea, kept his eye on the folder Bom opened.

" He has been a menace since the day he got that promotion, but he is not the only one." Bom flipped through the page and focused on the highlighted records of the detective's arrests.

" He is a paid cop. He rounds up a few people occasionally, but he is on the payroll even with the Kim Dragons. He has a case over The Sharks, so they pay him off and send him girls"

"They said he likes girls and they have kept him out of their business that way"

" There is no telling him no when he has that badge."

" Her coworker said he saw her at the bar several times and requested her personally. One of the other girls who had done the same job before said he takes them to somebody else." The folder Bom placed down, the old man had sat back as he took more sips of his tea.

" She couldn't say where or who. She doesn't remember what happened. She just remembers waking up in a hotel room with a stack of cash" The old man only had to stare at Bom to make sure he understood what that meant.

" What happen to her sucks, but we have been in this business too long to know she is not their first or last"

" I can find you others that would say the same thing by the end of day" the old man added as his words had forced Jandi to think of the girl her and Junpyo had picked yesterday. Somehow the scenario seemed similar.

" Both him and whomever he is working with, need to be dealt with," the old man placing his cup down, even the tone of his voice had changed as even Jandi sat straight up at how scary his voice had changed to.

" The girls at the bar, The Shark, even the men from the club, everybody risked their life sharing all this information with us, Bom." The old man had pushed the bowls to the side as he sat with both his hands on the table.

" Even if you can't find the rest, he needs to be dealt with"

" You're the only one I can trust to get this done without any trace leading it back to anybody"

" You don't even have to pay for all this information. I just want these bastards dealt with"

" Huh," the odd smirk on Bom, he didn't say anything as he stood up. His wallet he was getting ready to pull out; the old man fought against arguing this was on him. The confirmation he wasn't getting from Bom, the old man had learned to never question Bom on if he will get it done or how. It was always best to never ask any questions about the so-called ghost that worked for him the old had heard so much about but had never seen. He didn't even know much about Bom. The background check he did on him when they first started working together; that was the only time he had tried digging deep into the boy he had seen turn into a man since they first met.

" I'll keep my eyes on the news." The old man's eyes had followed as Bom picked up the folder and left the table.

The folder she was looking forward to reading was thrown to Jandi in the back seat before he even got in the car. The engine started, and the car was out of the parking lot in a few seconds. The folder she was reading carefully, she had repeatedly glanced at the image. It needed to get stuck in her head so she could confirm it with no errors when she saw him in person.

" Call Ctrl and tell him to find an address," Bom asked, pausing her reading; she squeezed her body to move to the passenger seat right after he made several turns away from the restaurant. The car coming to a halt at the red light had made it easier to switch seats and make the call.

"What's up?" Ctrl had picked with the first ring.

" Sending you some files. We need you to find an address." Jandi, taking pictures with Bom's phone, had sent the first three pages from the folder.

" Who is this?" Just with the image, Ctrl started his search by running it against the city residency register.

" Sending you more," she had snuck in the image of the girl. She needed Ctrl to be on his A-game; one picture was enough motivation. They had done this enough times for him to know it was a hunt.

" I need a few minutes," Was all Ctrl said as he found a picture of the Detective on the day he was promoted on the Seoul Police web page. For all the people who left a comment, he typed in a search word for the screen on the left to signal a comment with nine likes.

Dinner and drinks on me tonight- The page of the person that left the comment, Ctrl, had quickly found the picture from that night along with the restaurant they tagged. The smile escaped his lips; it was so embarrassing how easy it was to do this. He hacked the person's account in less than 3 minutes, and he was able to go through the DMs to find a housewarming party scheduled for the Detective. He could have used that info to find the detective's home address, but he knew what Bom wanted was the man's location. His busy fingers going through files, Ctrl was left alone while the two on the road waited for his call.

The folder placed by her feat, Jandi was the most eager one as she kept her eyes on the minutes that were adding up. The car driving around the shopping mall, Bom had even decided to park the car as they waited. When the clock hit 8 minutes after they parked, the phone rang.

" 465-9 Jangan-dong, Dongdaemun-gu. He is having dinner at the restaurant on the 2nd floor." Ctrl hadn't even finished his sentence as the address was typed into the car address by Jandi.

" By the way, he is not just a detective, he is either close or related to some city council members" Ctrl had added as Jandi glanced at Bom. It was already a hard job considering he was a police officer, and now it has become even more dangerous. The reason why nobody could touch him was becoming beyond clear with every fact Ctrl started adding for them. Something about the whole thing was starting to feel off and the glance Jandi and Bom exchanged, both were sure they could sense what was waiting for them.

" There is something weird about his file." Even Ctrl was in on the suspicion. All their six senses were aligned.

" Ctrl tell the boyz to open up shop and wrestlers to bring the delivery to the store." Bom gave an order that didn't surprise the others. Open up shop being a code for getting their backup ready and being on stand-by; Ctrl had delivered the message to the boys that would report to the car shop. What the message to the Wrestler ment, neither Ctrl nor Jandi understood. More than the backup, Jandi questioned the opposite direction in which he was driving the car. With the fast turns he was making, Ctrl was asked to locate them. The car he had worked hard on, it had taken him a few seconds to locate them and have them at the corner of one of his screens.

" He is having dinner with four other people" he shared the new information as he read the confirmation between their chats to reserved dinner for five.

" I have the visuals from the camera in front of the restaurant." Ctrl's fingers, working hard to hack into the restaurant camera system, had at least one visual. The camera with the perfect shot of the entrance to the building and the parking lot, Ctrl had kept his eyes on the cars parked in a row.

" Isn't this car?" Ctrl had sent the screenshot he took to the screen in the middle. The photo zoomed in, and he zeroed in on one of the cars in the parking lot that had been bugging him. The plate numbers were different, but the vintage Porsche was too unique for him to miss, even in the blurry image. His six senses he had learned to trust, he had run it against the registry to find nothing. His quick mind was fast as it ran the plate number with the vintage car dealerships that might have sold it.

" Oh My God," he shouted as a match single appeared, and he found the newly registered plate number attached to the name that was drilled into his head. The computer still pulling up the records of the retired officer who had bought the new plate numbers from the dealership; Ctrl was left motionless as the realization set in. Even his fingers had stopped moving as he just stared at the image on his screen. He wasn't prepared for this tonight.

" Officer Park's car is" the words that slipped his lips had stopped when he finally woke up from the mixture of fear and excitement that had taken over him. Jandi's eyes instantly shot up to Bom; she was the only one to notice that even the veins across his arm became visible as he squeezed the steering wheel with both hands. There was a reason even Ctrl couldn't say the whole word.

" That is really his car" Bom, sending his hands to his head started squeezing.

" Why is he here?" Ctrl kept asking the two who needed more time to accept what he just informed them about.

" What is going on?" Ctrl asked a question nobody had an answer for. In his utter disbelief, he was quiet as he sent the images their way. Her eyes confirming that it really was the same officer, she had sat with her finger sent to her lips. What on earth was Office Park who handled Bom's sister's case doing here. He was known for these types of cases but he is retired and supposed to be living his best life somewhere in Busan. Her mind running wild, her old habits were back as she started biting her nails. Her nails bit until she got to her skin; she was done with all her left fingers when Bom pulled to the abandoned dark parking lot. The scary parking in the middle of nowhere, only Ctrl knew of their location as the car came to a stop. Following Bom, her eyes were sent to the big truck she saw come to the same parking lot. She got her answer when she saw the car repair logo on the side of the truck parked beside them. Following Bom she got out of the car and headed to the truck.

" I got everything you asked." The wrestler, Jumping down from the driver's side, joined them as they all headed to the back of the truck Bom opened. Her bike sitting in the middle; that was what Jandi focused on as Bom jumped into the truck. Her bike the Wrestler would bring down, Bom was at the other corner changing his clothes. Her eyes, rather than being excited that she gets to be on her bike were on military boots she saw him change his sneakers to. The outfit he was changing, she knew why. The mission they were on had just become something bigger. The odd mixture of emotions she was processing, she couldn't trust herself to be excited that this might be it. It felt unreal that this might be their break to crack the case that has led them to a dead end for almost a decade. Could this really be it?

When he glanced her way, she changed her focus to what she was told to do. Heading back to the car, she had pulled all the devices from the glove compartment to change her earpiece. The tiny mic placed by the inside of the zipper of her leather jacket, she closed it all the way up after testing to make sure Ctrl can hear her. The new earpiece she had pulled out, she threw one to Bom, who jumped off of the truck. While Ctrl started testing both their earpieces, Bom's focus was on the back of his car. The big truck leaving them behind; neither were paying attention to it until they heard the Wrestler.

" Good Luck!" he shouted before driving off.

Her eyes from the truck had quickly shifted to the hood of the car Bom opened. Lifting the black carpet, he exposed the hidden shoe box he opened to reveal another box with a code. The number entered, the first thing he pulled out was the shoulder holster he threw over his shoulder. The two loaded guns he pulled out, Jandi couldn't help but react when she heard the click sound the guns made when he checked that they were fully loaded. The two guns handed to her, he pulled the other two and did the same check. All four he would hide under his seat until it was time; only the other sharp weapons were hidden away in the different pockets of his clothes. He threw the small box for Jandi. All the weapons she would need were in that box. As he continued dressing by covering himself with the hoodie and then jacket, Jandi placed everything she needed in her pockets.

" Are you guys ready?" Ctrl's question came when both were finished and the trunk was slammed shut. Her jacket's zipper zipped all the way back up, Jandi had sent her hands to her back as she waited for him. Once his eyes came her way, all the uncertainty she felt after she heard all the information Ctrl had added to the case was instantly removed. This was what she was trained for. And not only was he by her side, he was armed and ready.

"The first task is to find him'

" We need to make him talk. We need to find all the names and what is going on from him."

" What if he doesn't talk?' Ctrl asked, getting no answer. Not answering Bom's question was not an option once anybody was in their hands.

" Leave that to us. I need you to find out how he is connected to those old cases?" Bom gave Ctrl his main assignment.

" Anything you can find we can use to dig information out of him should be priority"

"And then?" Jandi, who was more curious about what the end goal was, asked.

" We eliminate as necessary." The message was clear and simple. His eyes, staring deep into hers, had made sure she understood what her role was. That was the last thing he said as he headed to the car's driver's side, leaving Jandi by the bike. Her right leg was moved across as she sat on the seat she had missed so much.

" There you are," Ctrl whispered as soon as her bike appeared on his map. She took a deep breath just to take in that she was finally on her bike and why. The fabric of her turtle neck she brought up to cover the lower half of her face was followed by the gloves she put on. After one last deep breath, the helmet was placed on top to cover her full face. Her body needed a second to adjust; she waited as she watched the car drive back to come to her side.

" If we lose connection," Bom pointed to the earpiece on his left ear.

" Do what you do" The small wink he gave her was the last thing she needed as she kept her eyes on the car that was rushed away from her.

" and if I lose you" Ctrl knew that was unacceptable situation but he also wanted to be a part of the encouragement Jandi was getting.

" I want you to fuck them all up" his words had caused the last small smile they shared.

The feel of the leather on her fingers as she squeezed the clutch on the right side, she closed her eyes when the engine started. Just the sound had sent a wave of energy through her body as she took a deep breath. Her right leg kicking the stand, both her hands were placed on the clutch as she kept her eyes on the road she needed to join. Covered in black from head to toe, she was indeed like a ghost as she gave the engine begging for some gas what it needed to speed out of the abandoned parking lot. The car she was following, the gush of cold wind she was riding against were adding to the adrenaline from the words of the two who would do everything to protect her. The speed she was adjusting, Bom was leading the way until they joined the freeway. The second he joined the traffic freeway, his eyes were sent to the rearview mirror to see the bike easily cruising through the cars and coming to pass him. Like the gush of the wind, she had rushed past him and headed down the road filled with cars.

Her eyes focused only on the crowded road ahead; the small movements of her fingers would direct the bike to switch lanes without even decreasing its speed. Once she reached the left lane, the gas was pressed and the bike would be asked to break the speed limit. With the reflective helmet masking her face, most couldn't even see the bike, let alone who was on it, as it passed them like the wind following her behind. The cold wind, once she broke 100km /hr, had started making the sound that brought some joy to her ears. Out of all the things that bring her even a tiny bit of joy, this one was in the top five. The feel of the wind, the leather glove covering her fingers, the way her body sits copying the shape of the bike...this felt like something she was meant for.

" Once you exit, make a left." Ctrl directing her was used to keeping his eyes on the blue dot of her bike that was faster than he was used to.

" You should get there in 13 and Bom in 22 minutes." Giving them their time, his focus was changed to finding everything about the retired officer who they knew very well. IIt felt odd to search for Offer Park who at some point they were even aware of every meal he ate. The years they spent trying to find anything concrete that could connect him to anybody else, Ctrl was the first person to know how there was nothing new to find. He had accepted it after years of working on this case but today. Something felt odd today. Somehow there seems to be some luck they were blessed with today. Maybe the heavens were finally going to bless them, Ctrl thought.

He was right on the clock as Jandi pulled into the parking lot, 13 minutes from when she started driving. The bike parked, hidden by the bushy trees, was the perfect location. Her helmet removed, she had kept her turtleneck to still cover half of her face as she started walking to the cars parked. Lucky for her, the street light wasn't that bright, and there weren't many people around. The Porsche she walked to, she had sent her hands to her jeans pocket to pull out the hairpin camera she turned on.

" Go to the front," Ctrl ordered as soon as the visual popped up on his feed. Jandi moving to the front, adjusted the hairpin to be closer to her left ear so he could have a better view. The car logo he was trying to see; she had moved her head down to scan for anything.

" Looks like a Porsche 901, Bom?" Ctrl asked as he prompted Bom to open the app on his phone that started streaming the view from the camera on her head.

"It's 911. I'll get to it"

Jandi, leaving that car behind, started looking at all the other cars parked next to it and their plates. In the screenshots Ctrl was taking from her view, he had 5 of his screens running each plate. Her steps slowed, and she returned back to her bike, which she would stand against as she saw Bom's car pull into the parking lot minutes later.

" Keep your eyes around, I only have visuals for the door," Ctrl reminded her as Bom parked the car in the only parking space left before he started walking to the Porsche. The metal rod in his hand, it hadn't even taken him a minute to unlock the Porsche. He was a trained mechanic after all. His gloved hands were quick as he started looking for anything they could use. In the glove compartment, he opened, a folder had dropped from the files he was moving around. The images of the body he had received 24 hours ago, it wasn't shocking to him that Officer Park already had a copy of this case. But it was all adding to the suspension that there was something bigger going on.

" They said there was no open case, but he has a case file with the same images," Bom taking pictures of the documents informed the rest. Jandi standing by her bike and keeping her eyes on the surroundings, was the one to give them the hint of why he might be involved

" Maybe he was the one that helped them cover it up. You know he is an expert at that." only she had smirked at how much she hated that retired cop who had worked effortlessly to make sure these rich and powerful me escaped the law. It disgusted her to even think about how he now gets to live a rich and calm life after all the things he has done. Her fingers were starting to itch as Ctrl would add more to their dilemma.

" Okay, two of the cars are owned by employees of the mayor's office." Ctrl's shaken voice was enough to signal even he was a bit scared of all the people involved with this detective.

" One of them had a sexual assault allegation case years back that was dismissed because of lack of evidence. Guess who worked the case?" Ctrl asked a question everyone knew the answer to.

" One of the other ones in the diner is also a detective. Most of his cases are not public records. I wonder why?" Ctrl was doing all the work as Bom finished checking for any clues. He had returned everything to its place before he locked the car.

" This seems very fishy to me. I think we might need to step back and strategies before doing anything." Ctrl getting overwhelmed with all the threads he was connecting suggested. With her hands in her pocket and standing against her bike, Jandi kept her eyes on Bom walking back to his car. She had stood there as he drove the car out of the parking lot and headed to the store parking across the street. She could tell he was thinking and needed some time.

" We should find out what connects them all before we do anything" Ctrl was still the one to talk. Glancing at the Bom across the street from her, Jandi waited for his decision. Ctrl was right; this was bigger than one girl, and they had spent so many years working hard to waste it all just to get rid of one man who could be useful if they dug deep into who he was. The time they didn't have to come up with the best decision, Ctrl was the one to bring their attention to the men who started coming down the building.

" Here we go '' All were ready to see their faces. The five men laughing ear to ear, stepping down one by one; Ctrl was taking a screenshot, which would be disregarded against the images Bom was taking from across the street. He is the one in the Brown coat coming down now; Ctrl forced Jandi's eyes to shift to her target. How all these evils seem to have the same smile. Her eyes moved to the retired officer Park they all knew very well, his ugly face hadn't changed at all. Just seemed older. With his glowing skin, none of them wanted to accept how well he was doing.

" He still looks as disgusting as ever." Ctrl was the only one expressing any emotion. Jandi's full focus, only her fingers had moved into a fist as she returned her eyes back to the detective's laugh. The image of the lifeless body playing side-by-side with his slow-motion laugh, her brain was taking note of every inch of his face. The second he started talking, his voice had become a trigger to remind her of the voice that filled her nightmares. His lips parted for another laugh, which she wanted to rip completely off his face, the imaginative demons of hers were already ready to take over as they started imagining all the ways she could make him pay.

" They make me sick" Ctrl had went on as the four bowed to the retired officer heading to his Porsche. One by one they would head to their car, not even a single one of them noticing Jandi at the corner. All were beyond powerful to even think anybody would dare do anything to them.

" Jandi find where he lives. I will take the Porsche" Bom gave the new plan.

" Ctrl I need to know how all these people know each other" He added disappointingly only Jandi who was not happy with the new plan. What if they just called it the end and killed all five here and there, she had thought about it for a second but knew that was a childish reaction. These men were big fishes but their goal was to get to the bigger ones these ones bow to. Even killing the retired officer wouldn't help considering he was a paid goon who was used to cover up cases for men who had all the money in the world to even have detectives bowing down to them. Those men were their target.

Her helmet placed back on, she adjusted herself back on the bike. The Porsche being the first to leave, she had caught Bom's car following it from across the street. As she was ordered, her eyes were returned to focus on her subject. The car he was driving slowly, she had to lean left to notice why he was so slow, he was on the phone. She waited until he joined the main road and made the left turn before she started her engine. She hated this. She hated having to follow them around and look at them without doing anything. This was the difficult part of the job. Especially having a fresh memory of what he was involved in. If he wasn't a cop she knew Bom would have suggested just placing a tracker, but that was risky with a detective's car. It has to be done manually, and here she was following behind the man whose face she wanted to scratch off. The bike following him from two cars behind, the detective doesn't seem to have noticed as he continued laughing about whatever he is talking about on the phone.

" Can she just beat him up a little bit, I want that laugh of his removed" Ctrl asked the question Jandi wouldn't dare.

" Do not make any contact" Bom's response was fast.

" Jandi?" he asked when he didn't get any response.

" I know" she whispered as she continued fighting whatever was trying to take over her body to return back to its cage.

Convincing herself it wasn't worth it considering what they could find if they just waited, had taken her the whole hour it took for him to get to his house. The location Ctrl took note of was added to the list of things he was compiling on the man he had to build a report on. She parked her bike and stood in front of his grand modern house. This was an expensive house one couldn't afford on a detective's pay. She needed time to let it sink in that this would be where she would butcher him to pieces once she got the green flag from Bom. Unfortunately, that wasn't tonight.

Unfortunately all the pent up emotions that were reaching a limit wouldn't find an outlet today. But the disappointment didn't cover up the eagerness that this case could be the glue they needed to connect all the dots. Maybe this could be how they discover the faceless powerful men, these scums were paid to protect. If this was going to be it, she needs to be on her A game and deal with her emotions that seem to be getting triggered easily. Woobin's brother, the girl from last night, the dead girl whose image was saved in her recent memory, her mind would be required to work overtime to find any link that might connect them. Her crowded thoughts somehow seemed useless to move away from this man's house.

Ctrl, who was expected to stay up all night, was the first to log off from both as Jandi removed the earpiece and mic from her outfit and turned them off. Even the weapons across her body were placed back into the box that would be placed in the small hard case on the side of the bike. The rage she was trying to simmer turning into pain, her back was already starting to lower as she tried to accept that he gets to sleep in his cozy bed while the lifeless girl lay lifeless in the freezer, still naked and marked by a number. All the images she had been scrolling through earlier, all the energy was sent to her own tongue she bit. The taste of blood her body was carving, she had given it her own as her body was ordered to fully shut down so she couldn't feel anything.

Not even the sting from her tongue or her lips she was biting was reaching her brain as she decided to get away. Her goal was to escape that place before she did anything reckless. Her mind couldn't get to focus on something else, she had thought any distraction would work as she placed her earphones in and pressed play on the radio station. The low volume was enough so she wasn't left alone with only her helmet placed back on, and she demanded the bike take her away to somewhere. She just needed to get away. The wind she was riding along, at least this time, was on her side as she decided to follow it. The numbness she was demanding of herself, her ultimate dream would be to be like the wind and just fly and float around without any weight.

10

20

30

...the minutes had gone on as the bike speeding through the night aided by the cold wind had helped the heavens give her what she wanted. To be numb to it all. To not feel any pain. No anger. Not even a smile. To not be alive.

The dark day that had turned into night, the hour drive she was on had turned to two as she had decided going home wasn't even an option with all she was trying not to process. Ctrl, who would lock himself in the basement. What was even the point of going home to force herself to sit all night? She knew any form of sleep would open the floodgates. Her nightmares have been getting worse, sleeping was an option tonight. She knew that her subconscious would use the images from today to drag her into her own hell. So she had unconsciously driven to the only thing she liked that helped her calm down. Water. Any sight of a large body of water.

The edge of this part of the city that was known for the rocky beaches, she had parked right by the road that stood only meters away from the sand leading to the water.

The bike she had parked on the empty road, she had stood against it as the day had turned to the next day. The soft melodies of the song she had increased, the words from the songs weren't reaching her mind that was somewhere else. Her eyes on the dark ocean waves; she had stood there as the clock hit midnight and the moon reached the middle of the dark sky, which was somehow clearer now. Her arms wrapped around her heart; she was doing her best to fight against the whispering voices that were working overtime to make the crashing waves the safest place just to lay and float away on. What would really happen if she did? The rhythm of the waves becomic melodic, her eyes were faithful to the endless darkness at the horizon. Would it even hurt?

Would it hurt as much as it does to stay alive? The permission her thoughts were granted, they had instantly taken control and taken her to the depth of where all her pain lives.

Would it really be a bad idea if she ends it all and finally gets to join the ones she missed so much that she can't even think about them for a second? Would it really be a bad idea to run to the heavens they had left her to go to?

Her numb body froze in time; her thoughts were following the waves as they took her away into the endless dark horizon. What could be on the other side? Who would be waiting for her on the other side? The first tear had rolled off when the soft voice of her mother came mixed in with the wave. The first and only trigger her body needed, it had erupted all the numbness she thought had shut down everything. It hurts. It hurts everywhere. Her whole body would start shaking, there was no saving it if she gives in to the voices pulling her. Her cries she couldn't even sound out; her knees were the first to give as they forced her tired body to land on the cold sand at her feet. Her exhausted body begging for a release had found one, as the tears rolling down her eyes started clouding the beautiful view of the waves that had become her closest friend. The internal battle not to let it take over, her shaking hands were fighting to wipe away any sign of the warm tears on her face. She wasn't allowed to cry. She wasn't allowed to feel any pain, Just anger. The emotion she had permission for was anger. Feeling sad would require thinking about what she had lost. That wasn't something she could do without losing her mind.

She had brought her anger back as she let it take control. It was better to be in constant rage than to feel anything was better to think back to the lifeless body and the anger it brought out of her. With every minute that went by, the cold breeze would let the anger turn into nothing. Sitting on the sand, her body resting against her bike on the curb that separated the sand from the pavement, she had let the waves float her away. The water a few meters away from where she was sitting was starting to look appealing as her eyes changed their focus to the way it would move up and down the sand. Would it really hurt if she left the endless water just floating her away into the horizon? The sounds of the waves turning into soft whispers, convincing her thoughtless mind to listen to their request to join them. The broken girl seconds away from disappearing into the dark waters, there were only a few people that could instantly drawn out all other voices and rescue her from it all; Ctrl locked in the bassment and Bom following the retired cop. Both in their own emotional turmoil to find answers rather than think about their little girl that needed them more than anything. The dark that always seemed to find the right time to take over, they were smart enough to only appear when she was alone and couldn't fight against them. Her perfect, still mind that was minutes away from convincing her to follow the movement of the water, was only disturbed by the buzz of her phone. The phone she had stared at for a few seconds, there was only a tiny voice convincing her to pick it up while she was going to turn it off completely. The second she picked it up, she would wonder why she even did it.

12:45 am- she glanced at the time before she picked up the unknown number.

" Hey" , unlike the number, the voice she heard was a familiar one.

" How come you're not asleep?" more than the question, what she paid attention to was the loud background noise. The loud music and the noise from all the people in the back, she didn't even want to waste a second guessing where he could be.

" What do you want?" she asked the same question she had been repeating for a while.

The door behind him closed, he took a deep breath while focusing his whole attention on the change in her voice. He has never heard her voice on the phone, but still. He could tell something was odd.

" What are you doing?" he asked, quickening his steps out of the building and to the parking lot.

" How did you get my number?" The more words she used, the more he was assured her voice was completely different from regular. The ear phones she was talking to him could be blamed but that wasn't it. There was something different about her tone and it was interesting how he could easily tell.

" I have my ways."

" Are you at home?" He asked as he pressed the button to unlock his car.

" Why are you calling me at 1 am?"

" Because we're friends, and I wanted to talk to you." he was embarrassed by what he said as he slammed his head against the headrest of the seat he sat on.

" Then talk," she commanded; even the anger in her voice sounded different today. The waves she was still looking at, their magical sound pulling her had somehow despaired the second she heard the raspy voice.

" Am I allowed to ask what happened?"

" No."

" What about why you're angry?

" No," she kept her answers short as she slowly started standing up from the sand. Adjusting her body to stand against her bike, she lied to herself that she was more annoyed by the call than anything but even then she didn't question why and how he could tell something happened.

" Are you at home?"

" Why don't you return to the noise and enjoy your night?" The club he was escaping from, his hands were sent to rest on his head which had been hurting after he connected his phone to the car. How she knew where he was, it probably was easy to guess where he would be on a Saturday night. His friends he hadn't even said bye to; he needed some time to manage the suffocating feeling he had run away from. The dinner he hadn't had being the main reason why he couldn't throw up in the bathroom he spent the last half an hour in. He had to use the walls as a guide even to make it out of the club hallway that closing in to keep him imprisoned. Both his hands sent to his hair, he brushed it all back as he sat there staring at the moon. The deep breaths he needed to regularly breathe, the cold air was perfect for helping ease his anxiety. But none of it was working as effectively as her voice.

" It's suffocating."

" Go home then," her suggestion was quick.

" I don't have one" this one had stung as he closed his eyes and sent both his hands to cover his face so he could go into complete darkness. There was some calm he found in the dark.

" I have houses," he whispered the truth just to himself.

" Why did you call me?" she knew to revert the conversation to the main topic before it derailed whatever his response had led her thoughts to. Her own misery she was sitting in, it was odd how he had disturbed just like that as even her hands were slowly calming down from their twitching.

" I was bored."

" I thought you said to be honest," the excuse he had thought she would accept; he was surprised she could tell he was lying.

" I wanted to hear your angry voice" his own body's reaction to his own words; it was scary to realize how easy it was for his lips to tell her the things he hadn't even accepted.

" I was with you in the morning."

" I know." his eyes opened, and he sat up as he brushed his hair back again.

" huh" she sighed as she decided not to ask the question that came to her mind. She deemed it useless to know why he would want to hear her voice. Just like how it was useless for her to know why he felt suffocated even though she was somewhat curious. Maybe it was something she could use against him; she had justified her curiosity that way. Having found something else to focus on, her body was taking its time to regulate it self from what it was contemplating to do.

" Are you at home?" the question asked for the third time; she needed some more time to calculate if she wanted to lie.

" Yes."
" Oh," the disappointment in his response was too obvious.

"What else would I be doing at 1 am?"

" I don't know" the sad voice of his was poking at something.

" I thought you might be somewhere in the city angrily staring at people" The car engine he started, he set the GPS to home.

" Why would you hope that?" she didn't want to accept the tiny, very tiny hint of smirk that wanted to form at the right edge of her lips she had been biting senselessly. What he said couldn't be more true than what she does usually.

" So I can join you and keep you entertained" The left turn he made to leave the parking lot, all his focus was on the road and not questioning her silence.

" Since we're friends now," he added, reaching for the radio and turning it on. At least he could enjoy the nice drive to his home. Her voice, accompanied by the soft music, along with the nice breeze of the night, it was a great way to end the day. Her face he would have loved to see; he had all his wild imagination for it as he rested his head against the headrest. His left hand playing with his hair, his right was enough to drive the car smoothly driving straight. His infatuation with her eyes; one would think they would have his attention when he thought of her, but tonight it was her voice. It was her voice and all the things they talked about in the morning that had kept bothering him until he had excused himself from the number of women who were rubbing themselves on him.

" Huh," although she kept sighing, she hadn't ended the call as both let the silence set the mood. Unbeknownst to each other, their eyes staring at the moon were wondering about the other as Jandi was the one more puzzled by why she wasn't just hanging up.

" When are you going to tell me what happened?" She asked a question she thought would force her mind to focus on a topic rather than roam free.

" When I figure out why you're so curious about it?"

"I am sure it's not because you want to get to know me." His small smile was saved for himself as he turned right to join the empty road he could take all the way to his house.

" Do I seem like I want to know you?" she was known to be great at attacking right where it stings, and Junpyo wasn't disappointed by where her words hit him. Somehow, it didn't hurt as much as he expected it would. Most of the things that come out of her lips don't hurt as much once her voice was deemed sweet.

" Yes. You seem very curious about who I am"

" Isn't that why I always catch you staring at me""

" I do no" she stopped herself. She didn't need to justify or explain anything to him.

" Huh," she sighed, knowing she needed to end this conversation now. Nothing good comes out of talking to this man. In fact, everything goes left whenever she talks to him.

" Could you just tell me why you called me and get it over with" The frustrated tone of her voice, he imagined how she probably had rolled her eyes at him. How cute she was when she gets annoyed, he was happy just imagining it.

"Miss. Miss' ' The loud scream had forced both to question where it was coming from. It had forced her attention to turn back to see the security guard in his car screaming for her attention.

" Are you okay?" the man flashing lights at her asked. The almost empty road, she was a suspicious figure as he had started driving around and checking on the parked cars.

" Yes. I am okay" trying to cover the phone so Junpyo couldn't hear,she respond.

" It's too late, you should go home. It gets really cold after a while":

" Why don't you go somewhere warm?" The old security had went on as Junpyo hearing all of it couldn't help but smile.

" I am fine. I will go home," she repeated again and again until the security guard weaned about staying too late before he drove away. Her eyes closed she took a deep breath before returning her attention to the phone. She knew what was waiting for her.

" So you were lying to me"

" I don't have to tell you the truth" Her defense mode on, she was fighting not to be called a liar. Which wasn't where his thoughts were.

" Where are you?"

" It's none of your business"

" I find it fascinating how you are afraid to even be around me" he started trying this angel as he slowed his speed. The questions he was pondering on, the images replying in his head had gone to the most common look he sees her with, her uniform. The uniform he had never worn, it only looked good on her.

" Oddly enough I don't think it is because of my last name" She was too smart to pick on what he was trying to hint at.

" Maybe it's because you are a bully"

"Haha" she heard his small laugh.

" Why don't you look at Woobin the same way then" she got her first reminder of why it would have been better to just hang up.

" He was the one to do it but somehow, your eyes seem to always find me" The realization hitting him as he was saying it, even though he was baffled by the observation he had made. No matter what he was happy he was getting a special treatment than all the rest. It might not have been as special as Jihoo but there was something about how she looks at him that he can't shake off.

" Have you figured out why you singled me out ?" he asked a question that slowly started fading away all her other thoughts of the night out of focus.

" Maybe you should tell me since we're friends now" he repeated the word he hated using.

" Why do I need a reason?"

" Also, I didn't single you out. I picked Jihoo out because he is different from you three" Both knew she was using Jihoo's name intentionally. The deep breath he took was used to calm him down from the irritation he felt hearing his best friend, her unofficial boyfriend's name. He was well aware she uses Jihoo's name to annoy him.

" Then why do I feel you tense up whenever I am around?" her defense crumbled with one sentence. Her body language he had been silently observing and learning, she knew he wasn't lying. It was true and even Yijeong has started picking on it. He hasn't been able to question it but even he was aware she acted different when Junpyo was around.

" Is it really because you think I will bully you?" his melancholy voice demanded an honest answer which he wouldn't get.

" You said we are friends now, and we should be honest?" The change in her voice was clear as she asked.

" Then tell me why you can't leave me alone"

" I don't know" his response was quick.

" I don't know what it is, but"

" But what?"

" Huh," he sighed as he questioned if it would be worth it to tell her.

" Like you said, I am bored out of my life and find you intriguing" he found a simple answer. Her tired heart, she didn't have the energy to argue his claim. She didn't want to either. Somehow the conversation had changed the melody of the waves she was staring at as even the wave had calmed down. The cold breeze turning warm had let some of the ease sneak into her metal gates.

" Since we're friends now, let me be honest and ask you for a favor"

" My life is already hard enough as it is, adding you into it only makes it harder" She got his whole world to pause with this one. How gentle her voice had turned, it felt like she was pleading more than asking.

" I don't have the time or energy to entertain you"

" Don't ask about Jihoo. He doesn't make me anxious"

" He actually gives me time away from all the mess I have to live with '' Her honesty was startling and scary for Junpyo, who didn't know what to make of it. The car he wanted to stop and take the conversation to a serious place, he chose not to unless he was doing it face-to-face. He can't get himself to poke at her pain when he isn't next to her.

" I can do that too, you know."

" He is your boyfriend, so not as good as him, but " he added. His own embarrassment at comparing himself to Jihoo caused him to slam his head on the steering wheel.

" You can't even entertain yourself self"

" I find you entertaining so it's an exchange. Isn't that what friendship is?" His question brought the silence back.

" I just want to be your friend. That is all," he added, honestly answering the question she had wasted countless hours thinking about and asking him again and again. The answer that never came, the phone was hung up making Junpyo smile at how irritated she probably was to hang up like this. She was so adorable when she got irritated by such tiny things. Considering he expected the call to be shorter than a minute, he was happy with how long he could have her attention. The shortcuts to his house he had missed, he busied himself with trying to see where he could find a freeway. It would take about five minutes before he could locate an entrance.

His speed he was getting ready to increase as he aimed for the freeway, all his attention was sent to his phone and the buzzing sound of his phone. The break he stepped on as he drove it to the emergency side of the road, both his hands were sent to the text he got. The pinned address he was sent from her number he hadn't found the right name to save under, so he had quickly added it to his car's GPS. The 45-minute drive would have been double the time if it was daytime and with the speed he was driving at, he was able to cut it to 30 minutes.

His speed slowed once he joined the small road that led to the red dot on his screen that was a few minutes away. The second he made out a person standing by bike he had guessed it was her, there was nobody else on the road. His speed even lowered, he had even turned off his light as he chose to use the silent feature of his car so as not to disturb the figure that looked focused staring at the water. Her bike he had seen before, he still wasn't able to see any logos or marks. The break he stepped on, he stopped the car enough distance away from her where he could get a good look at the girl unaware that he was there. Her eyes focused on the water, he lowered his eyes down as he scanned her body standing against the beautifully designed bike.

" My god" his words he didn't seem to be in control of couldn't help but whisper out as the leather jacket perfectly shaping her body led him to her legs that looked longer than usual. This is the coolest he has ever seen anybody look while not doing anything. Her face his infatuated eyes returned to, there was no lying to himself about how breathtaking she was to look at. Whether in her uniform, a fancy dress, in her home clothes, or covered in leather and jeans, it was easy to accept it wasn't what she wore, she was just bewitching to look at.

His right hand picking his phone, he had zoomed enough to get her along with the waves of the water she was staring at. Arms crossed and standing against her bike. The moon adding some glow to her face he was already smitten by; the image he took had perfectly captured it all. His phone thrown to the passenger seat, he turned the light on as he started driving. Her eyes that turned his way had forced a smile out of him instantly. His car he parked inches behind her bike, he had gotten out to be welcomed by the wind that was a bit aggressive in this part of town.

" It's cold" his hair flying left and right, his hands busy with closing his bomber jacket he was having a hard time zipping up; her eyes had taken a few seconds to look at the new car he had parked before it landed on him. How many cars does he have? Useless thoughts. She threw it away as her eyes were sent to find his face and could only come up with a visual of his unruly hair flying in every direction and covering it. The black bomber jacket he was fighting, she didn't focus on it as she made out the black shirt underneath and the necklace it was highlighting. The necklace didn't match the other jewelry he often wears. Her eyes sent to his ear and his hands, pickled on the earrings, rings, and bracelet to notice the necklace didn't match the dark jewelry he wore. It seemed feminine. Maybe it was a gift. She shook her head. What is she thinking about? Her eyes returning to his right hand, she made out the stamp. Whatever club he was at must have had a private event. The veins on his hand, her observant eyes were zoomed on the two thin rings on his pinky and ring finger. They have some engraving.

" Fuck" his frustration at his zipper, he had finally gotten it to zip all the way up. Both hands then asked to do something about his hair; he started collecting and brushing back. Her eyes forced to come back up as they followed his right hand, placing all his hair in a loose, low bun at his neck. She wasn't aware he had just realized she was carefully looking at him as her eyes left his ear for a more exciting subject: his neck.

" Hi," his raspy voice lowered a register; he gave her a smile. Her startled eyes zooming out had captured his smiling face. The embarrassment of being caught staring at his neck wasn't enough; his smile was making it all worse as his right dimple got her attention. She didn't know what to make of it all and she quickly turned her eyes to the water. The fingers on her right hand moving around her palm, she adjusted her stance when he started walking closer. Lucky for her, he wasn't coming to enter her personal space but the bike.

" This is a nice bike." Walking past her, he turned both their attention to the bike. Unlike her, he was aware of what had just happened, and he wanted to redirect his focus to something else. He couldn't look at her without doing anything after catching her staring at him like that. How she can claim to hate him so much but look at him the way she does, it was the biggest puzzle he was trying to understand. He knew his weakness and had found something else to focus on.

" Is it yours?" he asked, lowering his eyes to the engine to look for any mark. There still was none. Bom has done everything, removing everything so her bike could not be distinguished by any marks or logos. The step she took to move away from the bike, she turned around to look at what he was examining. The few strands of his hair that weren't long enough to be tied placed behind his ear, it was odd how different he looked when his face was fully visible. Which quickly made her question if she had ever seen him with his hair tied like this. No she hasn't. Has she seen his face this clearly before? No.

" It's beautiful" , his right hand touching the right clutch, her eyes were quickly redirected to his hand when he started touching the bike.

" Seems custom made." his words had gone in one ear and out the other as her hands followed the way his right hand had landed on the seat and softly felt the soft leather. His long fingers still on the black leather, she was lucky she stopped herself before she was caught staring at his right hand. Her thoughts she was trying to organize, she needs to just stop looking at him.

" It is." she responded, turning around and sending her eyes to the water. Her crossed arms tightened, and she stepped back as she landed and rested against the bike. She tried to ignore the man behind her for a few seconds. Whatever he found interesting about her bike, she wasn't concerned with. In her own world, she wasn't aware that giving him her back was never a good was also going against ehr training of never giving the enemy her back but somehow this was the clearest sign she didn't see him as one. Or atleast found him dangerous enough to attack her. His right hand moving to her helmet, his eyes had changed their focus to her. Her short hair, neatly tied, had left her right profile fully exposed to his eyes. Her turtleneck and leather jacket, he chose the latter to be fascinated by. He chose to keep the compliment he wanted to give her to himself. She looked so good in this jacket. Too good, if he had to be honest. Are biker girls his new thing now?

" Why don't you use this to get to school?" leaving the bike behind, he started walking towards her.

" It is not mine. I just borrow it when I need it," she lied as tried keeping her eyes on the water but had failed. Her eyes couldn't help but turn to him as he stood a few steps away from her. Walking past her, he gave the water his back and faced her. Thankfully, he wasn't right before her and was a step or two to the right. His hands sent to his jacket pocket, she caught how his legs were walking around in small steps. He can't seem to stand still. His long legs, she would follow back up to his bomber jacket. All the things the girls at school say about how good he looks in whatever he wears, she didn't have to accept it but was getting a good reason why. He was tall and had the right posture of those models who could make people buy anything. He also had an endless amount of money to pay enough people to make him look good. Does that mean she accepts that he looks good? She had to shake her body to stop herself front he useless thoughts he had been forcing her since he got here.

" Is this your hobby or something?"

" Yes"

" Why don't you buy one then?"

" Never mind," he dismissed his own question. Of course, the girl working as an escort wouldn't have money to buy a custom bike.

" Not a lot of us could just buy a custom bike." her eyes from him were sent to the water behind him. Somehow the slow movement of his were starting to mimic that of the water.

" but you would like to have one if you can?" his eyes from the small rocks he was kicking left and right were sent up to her.

" I would like to have a lot of things if I could"

" Like what" he returned his eyes to the rocks. He needs to pay close attention to anything she lists.

" I want to own Shinwa corporations" , the small smile of hers, she was trying to see if she could make him stop moving and distract her. And she was successful in doing as he stopped and brought his startled eyes to her. Was she smiling at him as she said it?

" You can if you want to"

" Oh really? How?" her small smile he was enjoying, he wasn't ready for it to turn into anything else when he responded.

" You just have to marry the person taking over"

Her smiling lips that started laughing were covered before he even saw it. Her right hand covering her lips, she tried silencing her laugh.

" What?" His question was a mindless one. All he was focused on was how different she looked even with a slight hint of a laugh. Not only could she laugh, he could make her laugh.

" You want me to marry" Her laugh was beyond infectious as he even started smiling. How her body moves when she laughs, he had just unlocked something new he would try to accomplish everytime they talk . Making her laugh. Seemed such a small thing. But as he stood there watching her try not to laugh, he found it such an intimate and sensual thing to make her smiles turn to these beautiful laughs.

" Isn't that you?" she asked, her right hand pointing at him. Her hand moved away from her lips, he finally got a full view of her laughing face.

" Technically it's my sister but she doesn't want it"

" You're funny" her right hand returned to her lips. Why she covers herself when she laughs would be a question for another time. For now, he was too lost falling head over heels with just seeing her laugh. Her voice, the sounds of her laugh were just as endearing as he thought they would be.

"In a million years, in another galaxy, I might marry your sister and take over"

" But there is no dimension of reality where I would marry you"

" On what planet would you marry me?" her smiling eyes were waving a sign at her but she had decided not to pay attention to them as she let his eyes do what they do.

" on planet earth" the smile on his face, both his dimples finally visible. Unlike them, his eyes were challenging her to see past his smile and realize he wasn't joking.

More than her, it was himself he left shocked as the thought he once deemed crazy, didn't seem as crazy now. Not only was it not crazy to want to marry her, it was easily accepted as the only option. The idea of marriage that often triggers his anxiety by itself, his smile had gotten bigger at how all of it was gone. There was no anxiety or even trigger that came with thinking of marrying her. Doing it was one thing by the fact that even thinking about it was not causing a nervous breakdown from him was a big deal.

" You must be high'

" You need to lay off those drugs and alcohol" Still laughing about the crazy scenarios they were talking about, Jandi didn't know him enough to notice the shocking relaxation he was having.

" You said you wanted it, I am just telling you how you could get it"

" Sure, I will marry you and take over. You know what I will do after. Day one, destroy it and leave you penniless"

" That is not how it works but sure" his heart danced even at the joking way she had said yes she would marry him, it was a bit frightening how he was feeling about all of this. This wasn't okay, even his mind was doubting what was happening to him.

" So what are we going to do about Ji Hoo?" he asked, sending his eyes to the rocks he started playing with again. He knew this was all an impossible joke but still.

" What about him?"

" You can't date him while marrying me" his eyes glancing up were sent just to catch her smile. All the energy his body didn't have, it was scary how her smiles were able to supplement that and relapse all the nutrients he needed to have his body reenergized. Her smiles were just enough to do that.

" I get jealous easily" he added his right hand sent to his hair. This one wasn't a joke.

" I am sure you do. You seem like the type"

" What is that supposed to mean?" she didn't respond, just shrugged it off.

" it would make sense since you seem like the type that had everything he wanted handed to him and doesn't like sharing"

" Who likes sharing?"

" Don't you?" she turned the question back at him.

" Don't you have girls in each neighborhood?"

" Am sure you will have mistresses?' her right arm returning to being folded across her left, the conversation was going in a dangerous direction.

" You don't seem like you would mind"' The laugh that escaped him was captured by his lower lip habit. Just the thought of being married to her was one thing but imaging her being okay with him having mistress was a hilarious thought.

" I don't give off jealous wife vibes?" her eyes as always were a victim of his lip-biting as they drifted to his laughing lips. The corner of his mouth, on the right side was where his lower lip was bitten this time.

" You give off I will kill you in your sleep if you dare vibes"

"That's true"

" I would kill you"

" I know" how casual the conversation had turned. How easily both were smiling at the scenario they had painted for themselves, only Junpyo was aware of how she was starting to slowly be at ease around him. Her personality he was starting to get glimpse of here and there, he was already starting to wonder what would be like to get to know the real her.

" But why would I have mistresses when you're my wife in the first place"

" Why are you always surrounded by women and sleeping with whomever now then?"

" Well for one, I am not married to you now" both could only laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing. Both his hands went to his hair, only Junpyo knew the level of weight the words he said carried. The moment his eyes returned to her, she was quick to notice the change in his gaze.

" Honestly, why do you do it?" she tried changing the subject from making her the focus.

" That's an odd question" his eyes sent away, she picked on that along with his hand being sent to his hair twice. He was nervous or uncomfortable about the question she asked.

" am just trying to understand"

"Are you?" his hand for the third time was sent to his hair.

" since we're friends" she knew exactly what to use to get an answer.

" Do you want an honest answer'

" Yes"

" then tell me why you're so curious about why and who I sleep with"

Their eyes were how they agreed to be honest about the answer they would have to give each other.

" Because you look miserable every time I see you surrounded by them"

" I don't know much but you don't seem like you enjoy it" Her eyes changed to the water, and now was when she noticed how the waves had stopped moving at all.

" You seem suffocated," she added, forcing his world to pause. All the staring she does, just like him , she has also learned how to read his body language.

"Wouldn't it be better if you found somebody you liked"

"Huh" His loud laugh.

" Sorry" he apologized for the laugh that escaped him. Did she really just say that? He had to smile it off. Was she playing games with him or dense enough not to pick on anything. The small hints he has been leaving here and there, that was all he can do without crossing a line with Ji Hoo. He knew he shouldn't even be here talking to her but if they were friends, he could use that to justify it all with and make himself feel better. But deep down he knew even looking at her was crossing a line and he was just digging his own grave Jihoo would bury him in. But there was nothing he could do about it. It wasn't even under his control anymore. His love for Jihoo he had promised himself he wouldn't cross a line but just be friends with this girl. He had promised but the promise seemed to have disappeared when she was standing right there smiling at him. Not just smiling at him but daring him to state the obvious.

" and if that person doesn't like me back?" his eyes waiting for her to return her attention to him weren't disappointed by the look on her face he was learning how to read. His heart she had poked at wanted to retaliate and did exactly that while their eyes were interlocked and she couldn't escape him.

" or hates my guts?" he added knowing she wasn't that dense not to understand what he was saying. She was too smart. Even smarter at reading what was unsaid. The tension between them was beyond visible for her to pretend she wasn't aware of it anymore. Her eyes weren't moving away from him, the change in her look was scary enough for him to regret his words.

"Huh," he could only smirk off the way her face had turned blank. She is shutting down. He expected her to fight back or redirect and she had done just that.

" You didn't answer my question" Her fighting fingers were the only place where her nervousness could be detected as everything else was shut down to protect her from whatever she wasn't aware of that was trying to mess with her mind that was already losing its focus whenever she was around this man. It was all too foreign and scary. Her anger and ready-to-fight mood were what she ordered to take over. That was the best way she could protect herself against him.

" I don't like being alone with my thoughts" She wasn't ready for his honesty.

" they provide a distraction" , his eyes returning to the rocks he started playing with, he added.

" they also don't ask many questions and could be paid off"

" That seems like a great arrangement than marriage" The conversation she was trying to turn back to when it was light and fun, she kept her eyes on Junpyo avoiding her as he, for the first time gave her his back and turned to look at the water.

" It is' ' his whisper was a reminder of how that was what he accepted as the way to live his life until she entered it. It had been what he saw for himself until she brought the wild scenario of marrying him.

" Then why would you want to get married?" he looked slightly different from the back. The still water behind him is the perfect background. The Moon was enough to light him as he started taking steps away from her and to the water. His lush hair that started moving to the gush of the soft wind, her curious eyes were moved to his right hand he pulled out of his pocket.

" I don't" Bending down he picked a few of the rocks he started throwing into the water. The Peebles landing far away weren't able to catch her attention as much as the man had. His right hand she had been zooming on since he got here, the rings weren't her focus this time but what they felt like when he held her. Her right hand he had grabbed, her fingers were the ones to react when she was reminded of it. Her nails scratching the jacket, along with everything else had paused functioning when he turned his face towards her.

His magical dark hair flying behind him, even the moon couldn't be blamed for how ethereal he looked while his dark eyes matched the spark of the stars covering the dark sky. The way her eyes couldn't look away as her whole body took note of the energy she could literally feel pulling her towards the waves that had abandoned her and had become his ally, there were no red flags given for her anxiety that took over. For a split second, her body didn't seem like it was even under her control. Needing to gain back control, she had ordered her lips to spit out whatever while her frantic hands were sent to her jacket pocket. As always, her unfiltered thoughts were okay with letting her subconscious lead.

" Would you have dated the girl for the clinic?" she asked a question that sent her own mind into a frenzy. Junpyo wasn't helping either as he turned around, his smiling kept for a minute as he started walking back up.

" Why?" he asked as he started cleaning his hands and slowing his steps once he was close enough to clearly see her face.

" I thought you didn't care" his hands went to his pocket, he started questioning why she wasn't looking at him eye-to-eye anymore.

" I don't"

He wanted to get to the bottom of why she was asking but she was too adorable when she was nervous and it was distracting him away from what he wanted to find out.

" You keep contradicting yourself" he chose to add to her chaos and enjoy her cute nerves.

" You say you don't care but ask these weird questions"

" She was hitting on you, how is it a weird question to ask if you would give her a chance?"

" She wasn't hitting on me?"

" her hands were on you" She finally looked right at his eyes as her right hand mimicked the movement of the girl that had caressed his thigh. The girl had done him a great favor as Junpyo couldn't help but smile at how bothered Jandi looked while she repeated the way he was touched.

" She wasn't trying to hit on me" his steps he started back up, he started walking closer to her.

" She was trying to see if you would be bothered by it" leaving her stunned, even his proximity which was decreasing with every step wasn't as scary as his eyes that didn't seem like they were even blinking as they stayed glued to her frantic ones. His lovely face in plain view, everything else was starting to blur out of her vision as his eyes demanded she accept how what she thought of his face had changed seconds ago. The beauty marks by his right eye, every freckle on his face, every detail was what became fascinating and impossible to ignore .

" Which you weren't"

"Something about not even caring if I slept with her," he added with a smirk. The two steps he left between them, that was his boundary. Once he was close enough to pick on her intoxicating smell, he knew not to get any closer. Her eyes he was trying to decode, he could sense she was fighting herself to keep them on him. She seemed uneasy.

" Do you lie to yourself as much as you lie to me" he whispered, his voice softening and becoming even softer when they reached her ears. His delicate voice, he had used another weapon alongside it as his eyes subtly changed their gaze to once and for all make her accept how deadly attractive they were.

" I did no huuuuuu" her words had turned into a deep breath as he took a large step and came to stand in front of her. The frenzy her body was sent into, it was scary how her hands were pulled out and ready to fight back but did nothing. No fight mode was triggered. With all the crazy emotions running through her body, her brain wasn't able to process them fast enough even to shut down.

" Why can't you look at me?" as though she wasn't seconds away from losing it all; his charming voice was sent as he lowered his head to find the eyes she was hiding. Her disturbed breathing, even her irregular heartbeat, wasn't something she could hide from him.

" Why do you look like you would crumble if I touched you?"

" Don't' her eyes rising; she had used all the energy she could muster to shout that at him.

" Why not?" his eyes she was captured by; she got a quick reminder of why she was avoiding them, as she lost the battle of being in control of them. Her eyes were just the first victim as her whole body, receiving direct orders from whatever was left of her logical mind, wasn't following any of it. Her deep breathing, her lung asking for more oxygen was doing more damage as the soft perfume he always wears entered her system. As her diluted eyes were forced to copy the salacious way he was looking at her, her senseless lips that didn't feel anything when she was aggressively biting them hours ago, somehow had gotten all their sense back the second his eyes landed on them. The lewd thoughts of his were fully unmasked as he pressed the right button to send her body into an unknown territory. Even her wild thoughts were corrupted in seconds as he took ownership. The suggestive thoughts commanded her eyes, it was fighting how they were directed to his full lips. His bottom lip moving, even when she expected it, his lip biting has had a tempting effect. She really had lost her mind as one and only one thought was left in her mind. Every little thing she was processing, she had blamed him, but even he wasn't in control of what had taken over. This wasn't like him. The only thing he was aware of was what he wanted to do to this girl at this very moment. His desires he wasn't good at hiding anymore; he was fighting his own battle with everything he had.

The battle he was losing, he had dared to take a step, leaving her enclosed between his tense body and the bike behind her. Her captured eyes, she had thought would've been enough, but they were followed by her legs that couldn't even move no matter how loudly they were commanded to when he took a step and closed the gap between them. The warm energy she could feel from the body separated from her by fabrics, it was dangerous how it was heating up her skin it hadn't touched. His tall posture that seemed like it had filled her world, whatever was happening to her was scary. The only energy she had left used on her right hand, which came to her defense and gently landed on his chest. The stiff muscles her soft hand landed on, she didn't even push as she just placed it on the Bomber jacket.

" Junpyo," she whispered his name, which she had never said out loud. Her eyes, accepting they had lost, were pleading as, in an instant, they had even gotten watery before she turned them to the ground. All she had left was used to whisper his name, which had caused just as much havoc to her as him. It took his name. It took just hearing his name in that gut-wrenching way she had used her sweet voice to deliver it for him to lose it all. Let alone having a functioning brain that could figure out what hearing his name had melted his heart into mush, he couldn't even breathe properly once he heard it.

" Please don't say my name like that." His response she took in with her eyes closed. She didn't even need words as she was damned for every inch of her body to feel exactly what he meant.

His self-control he would reward after this, only he had the energy to step away. His legs hadn't moved back but to the side. A few steps away from ehr was when he took his first deep breath. Both his hands sent to free the hair he uses as a mask, his legs were directed to leave this place. He needs to get away. Not just get away but take some serious pills to shut all of this down. The deep breaths he was taking, she was doing just the same as every step he took away was giving her more oxygen to help calm her down. All the control she had garnered back the moment his eyes looked away from her, her poisoned mind was already plotting the best way to protect her. That was the only thing it could do. Protect her from any and all foreign things that were deemed dangerous. At this moment, there was nothing more dangerous than that man and what he could do. All the excuses he had used to explain why she was scared of him, the real reason was becoming apparent with every second she spent around him.

" We shouldn't be friends." Her eyes turned to him right before he got into the car he opened. His hair covering the sides of his face, her eyes, as trained, were quick to notice any movement as they landed on his right hand tapping at the hood of his car.

" What should we be then?" his tapping stopped, he asked, slamming his door shut. Unlike her, his anxiety doesn't make him shut down. It actually helps him reveal everything disturbing him. Everything including the fact that he has even accepted her dating Jihoo, all the anger at that was triggered now.

" You are going to be around me all the time; what do you want me to do?

"Why would I be around you?

" Jihoo is my best friend," his angry voice was a bit scary.

" I don't," he stopped himself. His hands sent to his head he started squeezing as he started walking in circles.

"hu" his loud sigh, he had brushed all his hair back before his hands were sent down.

" What do you want me to do?" his defeated tone, he had given her all the power to decide. His eyes, faithful to hers, weren't looking away as he waited for her to come up with an answer.

" Promise me you won't do what you just did." She was the first to demand something out of their friendship.

" What did I do?"

" Promise you won't try to cross any boundaries." her arms uncrossed, she turned to face him.

" Is the boundary I crossed being next to you"
"Am I not going to be allowed to be next to you?"

" Yes'" her answer was short.

" This is ridiculous" he awkward smiles, he turned his attention to the sky as he started walking around.

" You're the one who wants this friendship" The power she assumed she had gave her the confidence to pursue this with full force.

" Promise you won't cross boundaries"

" Promise you won't tell anyone everything you know about me, including Jihoo." The first step she took away from her bike, she wanted a better view of him.

" Promise you will stop digging into who I am" she brought the main request to the table as she took more steps and stood by the edge of his car. She really was unaware of how she had this man wrapped around her fingers and what she thought of as a main request was an easy ask.

"Okay" he accepted. Keeping everything to himself was what he needed to do anyways. The fact that he knew her more than Jihoo was something he wanted to keep.

" What Else" he sent his hands to his pocket.

" Promise me you won't do what you just did"

" I did" he stopped his defense. It was useless.

" I promise"

" But I won't promise not to be next to you. That is physically impossible" The way he had meant it wasn't how she took it. She was in the literal world.

" That's okay."

" What else? Am I allowed to breathe around you?"

" am serious, Junpyo"

" Stop saying my name." His angry smirk; she wasn't prepared for the change in his voice as his right hand was pulled out and sent to his hair. His left hand pulled out something, it took her until the cigarette was placed in between his lips to figure out what it was. Her eyes keeping up with the way he lit the cigarette and the first inhale he took.

" am I going to get a list of your boundaries so I don't break them?" the white smoke he breathed out covering his already hidden face, every minute was changing him to a different person than the one she was smiling with minutes ago.

" You will know'

" and if I don't"

" Jun Pyo"

" Jandi," he had given her a mini heart attack as he gave her the same treatment he had gotten the first time she heard his name come from her lips. Her fidgeting fingers scratching at her skin, he had noticed it, but he was in his own state of anxiety to worry about her. Also, she was the one coming to him she was telling him to respect boundaries while somehow she was steps away from him.

" Do we have a deal?" forcing herself to focus on the promises she had made him make, she tried ignoring the array of emotions she was still trying to regulate. Whatever was between them, she knew she couldn't run away from it. The best solution was to keep it boxed, and she had thought this weird friendship would be the perfect box for it. This friendship was important in more ways than one.

" Do I get to ask for things?" The cigarette he was inhaling was helping calm him down.

" What do you want?'

" I want access to your world" his demand was simple but more powerful than any she had listed.

" Anything else?" she asked, getting a head shake.

" Deal" The three steps she took, she offered her hands for a shake. His eyes from her hand had slowly moved up to her eyes waiting for him.

" Am I allowed to touch you now?" the cigarette in his left hand lowered, he asked, smiling.

" Why are you being difficult?" His smirk was the response to her question. He knew she was trying to control the situation by having him play by her rules.

" Being difficult is what am good at"

" Forget it'

" Okay" her body she turned was turned back to him with his right hand that grabbed her wrist.

" Sorry" he apologized while his hand still stayed on her. She didn't seem to have even noticed he was holding her let alone be triggered by it.

" Are you really going to be my friend?" his eyes demanding an honest answer had tried to dig deeper but had reached a wall. She had slowly shut herself down from letting him get anything from her.

" I thought that is what you wanted?"

" So?" she asked, sending her words accompanied by a small smile. She was happy to have the upper hand and be the one who could make all the rules for this friendship she would use until she got everything she wanted. Then she thought she could easily discard him.

" Can I add not smiling at me to the list" his request had only broadened her smile. The cigarette he brought to his lips didn't reach him as her left hand snatched it away.

" This is not good for you." His startled eyes, she had only given him a "what are you looking at face when he looked at her.

" I need it for my anxiety"

" Find something else." The cigarette she threw to the ground was stepped on. His baffled eyes had glanced at her then at the cigarette twice. Did she just do that?

" Do you still want to do this?" she asked, her arms crossed as her right hand was freed from his loose grip.

" Of course," he accepted the offer they shook their hands on.