People are not rain or snow or autumn leaves.

They do not look pretty when they fall down.

Suga

V didn't mention again my blond Jungkook imply, and of course, I didn't either.

Then he asked me if it's possible to get high on car fumes.

Never heard of it before, but then again, Rei could turn anything into a game or a drug. She probably can find a way to get high by snorting the dust inside a vacuum cleaner. Or make everyone take a shot of gasoline every time her name is mentioned on the news.

Or... she knew that's what everyone would think and used it as an excuse to get away. The devil on my shoulder started nagging me to track her phone. I told him to fly the fuck away and finally went to have a shower.

It didn't work. The constant nagging tugged my gut, urging me to find where the fuck is she. I shoved away the nagging thought of with who is she. Cause I know well whose catchphrase is sweetheart.

See? Calm.

I'm definitely not having a stroke.

It's not like she is irresponsible and constantly gets into trouble. It's not like she finds creative ways to piss me off. It's not like she is wanted and her picture is everywhere.

Oh, wait a sec. It's exactly like that.

Fine, I gave up.

I didn't even have to use a tracker. I just opened a little app called, find my i-phone. And realized that for a genius, Rei is really stupid to not have checked out that her phone is registered as mine.

Or, she has figured it out and wants you to follow it. To throw you off track.

I didn't buy for a second that she is at RR.

A phone call to the manager there confirmed it.

"Are you sure?"

I could practically hear him fast-blinking and sweating.

"Yes...I mean...Of course!" Pause. "I would have recognized her...Her reserved table is empty." Pause again. "Mark, Jackson!" He hissed. "Go check again you fuckers!" A door slammed open and music poured. "Why, you lost the Oyabun? Should I call RM?" He was so nervous that he was getting on my nerves.

"No need. I'm coming there." I ended the call.

I got dressed after the shower and walked out, with one target in mind.

To find who is the traitor that she gives her phone to when she moves around.

I was calling the elevator when V appeared again, giving me the same mocking glare as before.

We really needed to stop meeting here.

"Going somewhere?"

"No, I was just checking to see if the elevator button still works."

He laughed, so I guess we were good.

"Want some company?" He lifted an eyebrow.

What is he cooking?

Did I though? I could play I was just going to get a drink.

"Where is Jungkook?" I really have no fucking filter, do I? But I guess it was a normal thing to ask since they were practically attached like Siamese twins.

"Definitely not in his room searching hot-Jav-tattooed-older-stepsister + breath play porn to add to his collection." He grinned for a full burn effect.

I think I am allowed to have that stroke now. And how the fuck does Jungkook knows Rei likes breath play?

"Wanna go knock on his door to see what lame excuse he will tell us for being locked in there for an hour?" He grinned again.

How could the fucker handle this so gracefully? If I was tempted to bash Jungkook's door down with a tank, V must internally be on the verge of finding me said tank and providing me the missiles.

Yet, he looked so calm and collected like everything was peachy as a pie.

But then again, I did the same for almost a month. And surely Rei wasn't just quietly and discreetly staying in her room watching porn.

"Get in," I closed my eyes and exhaled.

"Like this?" He looked down feigning shock, pointing at his clothes. He was wearing an oversized shirt that said, "Kneel to my beauty, bitches"—doesn't his mug say the same?—and jeans that had blots of red paint spilled all over. Actually, those jeans looked kinda handy. You can kill someone wearing them, and no one will ever know. Dude, you have ketchup on your crotch. -No, I just massacred someone.

That's what should have been on my mug. Or any other equally funny quote she came up with, like the others had on their mugs.

But with mine, Rei got vindictively creative. And that's why I called her heartless.

V strolled to his room, where I waited, leaning on his doorframe, watching him open his closet —Kanye West would be jealous of said closet— and crossing his arms, admiring his things like greek sculptures in a museum, before picking out some black jeans that now had white ink splatters—oh, come on, do I really need to comment what that looks like?— and an oversized white shirt that said, "Your girlfriend gives terrible blowjobs," white Prada sneakers that cost more than a car, and a beanie that I'm pretty sure it was made from the hair of a unicorn's ass or something. Where the fuck does he find this stuff? Somewhere in New York, there is a designer that snorts ten lines of cocaine daily, supported by V's addiction to weird clothes.

And the fucker looked like a million bucks in those weird clothes somehow.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

The music was dropping and the glass screens of the entrance trembled along with the bass in RR. The air smelled expensive vodka and desperate perfumes, courtesy of the patrons that night.

Apart from the main reason I had made Rei the oyabun, there were smaller, several reasons as well that had tipped the scale in my decision.

One of them: The clan life.

Not the bloody part—that's a story for some other time—the entertainment part.

I knew what was included in the casual we'll-go-for-one-drink-only night for the clan, and I definitely wanted her out and as far as possible from that.

What do I mean?

Just follow along.

The moment we entered RR, the hostess that came to welcome us threw me a sultry eye-fucking which gave me herpes by proxy. Why haven't we fired her yet?

Rei is a hundred times hotter than her even wearing... you know what? She could dress as a monastery nun and she would be still hotter than all seven sins. And I would convert myself immediately to whatever satanic religion she is preaching.

The smiling waitress who brought over our drinks didn't blink at our guns on the table, or the plumes of smoke that rippled from my lips. To be fair, what could she do? Tell the manager to call the police because one of her employers is smoking?

V didn't raise an eyebrow at me smoking either. I guess now, he knows, Jimin knows, J-hope knows, which equals to everyone in Seoul knows, according to how fast news among us spread.

"You can tuck your vagina back in. She's not here." He murmured amused, pulling the curtain beside him with one hand and scanning the dance floor with boredom, to find the girl he would disappear with to the next empty booth behind the curtains for twenty minutes.

"Check my fuckbag." I yawned sinking back into the plush couch.

"Suck a dick." He replied smiling, his eyes searching for prey.

"Any tips from a pro?" I smirked. No one can outmatch me in trash-talking, bashing, or debating.

"Let me call your not-girlfriend and ask." He grinned, sinking in the satisfaction of payback.

I guess I did deserve that.

No need to call her though. I believe if someone opens a history textbook, under legendary blowjobs, they will find Rei's picture. She should teach that shit.

"Did you just insult your Oyabun?" I smirked harder since he walked right into this one, and his face changed into seconds. I know he didn't mean to—they were so close, he was just forgetting hierarchies sometimes. They probably insulted each other way worse just for shits and giggles on the daily.

"Whatever. I'm in the mood for some ass." He turned and grabbed his drink.

Oh, come on. The fucker was begging to be teased. And honestly, I wish he would just get over it, admit it, and spit it out, so I could act normally and say every snarky remark I could come up with. That's what friends are for.

"You in?" He tilted his head, looking at me.

I stared at him blankly, as if the answer was obvious. I think I just perfected the art of making him feel like a dumbass for asking a simple question.

He took the hint, rolling his eyes, and clinked my drink murmuring geonbae mockingly.

"Haven't you wasted enough years?" He downed his drink and filled it again.

Oh, screw you V. Projecting your unreciprocated feelings much?

"Haven't you?" I clipped through a locked jaw. "You hate girls so much you won't even fuck them. Blowies are as far as you can go without being repulsed by human touch."

He narrowed his eyes on me. "At least I'm capable of feeling." He served a mocking grin.

"I am capable of feeling." I clipped.

"Sure you are. Hate. jealousy. Disdain." He shook his head with a bitter laugh, before taking another sip of his whiskey.

"Those definitely sound like feelings to me." I lifted a shoulder, feigning boredom.

"Drop dead." He rolled his eyes.

"Eventually I will, and at least not as a sheltered virgin." I grinned.

There was a moment where he boiled in his anger, but then he sported a smile that said he knew something about Rei that I didn't. But of course, he did—they probably had exchanged friendship bracelets at this point.

"You're unusually grumpy lately. No wonder she is fucking RM."

"WHAT?" It came out as a snarl. The sip of the drink I just had, came out from my nose, burning me. I actually anger-choked for a second there and if I wasn't so furious, I might have been turned on. I am seriously concerned about myself.

The fucker tilted his head back and burst into shoulder-shaking laughter, waving one arm dismissively.

"She's not, but oh, man, you should have seen your face. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. And to think that you used to consider pool-banging multiple chics as a water sport. Do you have a shrine for Rain and everything?"

"Shut up V."

I kept staring at him, thinking if I should just break his neck, shoot him to the head or make him eat the curtain behind him until he chokes. Yes, growing up with Nanami around, will make anyone examining multiple murder options while using the environment, in this case, the curtains.

"God, she's not!" He repeated, refilling his drink. "You're rabid. It's kinda sweet but also kinda creepy." He got up after knocking it back.

After he took a few poised steps on the crowded floor, I saw girls lining up around him. Not kidding. Girls willing, whispering, and giggling. Knowing what he was looking for.

V strolled past them silently, lighting a joint and clutching it between his teeth. There was no crack in his unshakable, hot-shot-grin, bad-natured, godlike persona. Which is an accomplishment if he looked all panty-melting-bad-boy-your-mother-warned-you-to-stay-away-from while wearing a t-shirt that said your girlfriend gives terrible blowjobs and cum-jeans.

But then again, we had in the clan J-hope who was covered in tattoos from chin and under, dressed in t-shirts and jeans so distressed that he looked just a little dirtier than a junkie just released from a night in prison and looking for his next fix, and Jin who was the deadliest of all and so sure about it that most of the time wore pink shirts. And don't forget RM who always wore suits, bless his Great Gatsby weird ass. —I'm still not over what the latter did, by the way. And don't even get me started about how Jimin dressed and flirted.

When we were in RR—or any other club we owned for that matter—our names were moaned and whispered like prayers among the buzzing girls, and drowned in the music's bass.

V had stopped to examine the line of girls. He stroked his chin, making a whole show of it.

"You." I saw him pointing at a girl with a blond bob. Like, seriously? The fucker couldn't be more obvious.

She exchanged looks with her friends—or ex-friends from the way they were staring at her now— giggling like an oblivious lamb. One of her friends pushed her to V, rolling her eyes. "Oh my god, Hyeri, just go!"

"Take pictures!" The other friend yelled as the girl followed V, bathing in the attention, smiling up at him with stars in her eyes, strutting in her pink high-heels and mini dress.

Because what happened in RR, didn't stay in RR. It spread. Everywhere. Like a bad case of hepatitis.

If the girls wanted to brag, that was their prerogative. And they always wanted.

Laughing, she swooped over the low-lying table in their private booth V guided her in, hidden from privy eyes with silky curtains.

And I knew that laughing, she would stumbled away back to the dance floor after V was done with her.

The girl got her story. V faked his.

I didn't stay to confirm it.

I got up and avoiding a few girls "accidentally" twerking against me, thinking I was looking for someone, like V did, and found the manager in his office. He didn't know anything about Rei. Why haven't I fired him yet?

It was nearing midnight and the acute sense of time running out slammed into me.

Great. Nanami's warning made me feel like I'll turn into a pumpkin when the clock strikes twelve.

Pushing the thought away, I focused on what got me here, which was finding the traitor.

The tracking app showed that Rei's phone was still in RR, with a red dot in the middle. Unfortunately, it couldn't be more exact and show if the person holding it was at the dancefloor, the tables, or the bathroom, so I just kept walking around. I asked all security guards if they saw someone familiar or subtly strange. Their answer was no.

Could be anyone. Had to be someone Rei met to give him the phone. Someone Ι didn't know.

Thinking how reckless she could be—shocker— walking and driving around through the whole city, compromising her freedom and the clan, I kept going around, looking at people's faces.

I had literally checked everyone out at this point. And realized it was completely pointless because literally the guy standing next to me could have the phone and I wouldn't have a fucking clue.

I thought of calling it to see if I could follow the ringing but the music was so loud that the thought passed quicker than it came. Also, 99% of the time Rei had her phone on silent. Not suspicious at all.

Come on, think.

If I was Rei's phone, where would I be?

Definitely inside her back pocket and on vibrate.

Think, idiot.

You know her. You know how she thinks. What would she have asked the person that keeps her phone to do?

Act normally?

Look like they are having fun?

. . .

How about informing her when they see me or one of us?

I started looking around for anyone texting, but unfortunately, it was still 2021 and almost everyone not dancing were on their phones to find a booty call or taking selfies while doing weird faces. #shots, #ilovethissong, #omgwegotinRR ,#Iamsooodrunk, #bestnightever

#FUCKINGEYEROLL

Deadend jackass.

Sweeping and zigzagging among a sea of drunken dancing people, my eye caught a girl dancing like she was trying to seduce the life out of the DJ, swiping her hands on her body, gathering her long blond hair up for a second, and I saw...

Obviously, I am having that stroke now.

Or some kind of hallucination.

Or seizure.

Or some kind of combo of all of the above cause that's the only explanation of what I'm seeing.

Stress-induced hallucination is a thing. Isn't it?

My eyes are definitely betraying me and I am definitely too tired or sex-deprived or something because there is no logical explanation of why this girl has the same tattoos as Rei.

Since when I have a new member in my clan?

You gotta be fucking kidding me.

That definitely was the seven seas mark. And no one gets it as a fashion statement.

Is this real? Am I having a twisted nightmare?

The girl kept dancing without a fucking care in the world.

Seven seas tattoo. Weird Viking triangles on the left side of the ribs tattoo. Weird-ass moth stabbed with a knife on right arm. Basic nautical stars on elbows she got one time when she was too young and too drunk.

Again, seven seas tattoo.

Same height. Weirdly familiar.

I lowered my eyes. Definitely not Rei's ass. I would have recognized it and picked it out from a line-up.

Did I mention she fucking has the SEVEN SEAS CLAN TATTOO?

Dear karma,

Seriously, you have to stop messing with me. I don't get what you're trying to do here, but I really, really, don't like it.

Peace, Yoongi.

Then she suddenly turned, her long ash-blond hair whipping from the movement.

She saw me and served me a sweet smile that screamed revenge.

Strangely familiar. Like some weird-ass suppressed memory.

Hey...

. . .

. . .

Loading. . .

Please wait and don't shut down or restart your brain. . .

. . .

. . .

? ? ?

! ! !

N O.

Realization was a black fog through which I saw everything clearly.

Everything—EVERYTHING collapsed in my mind. The earth tilted and became hell.

Hot and fiery and dark and repulsive and hateful like the anger boiling through my skin, yet my blood froze in my veins at the same time.

I could practically feel whatever calm I had left evaporating from my body.

Everything passed before me in a single second, as the memory surfaced in my mind.

How I felt a stabbing sensation in my stomach from her moans, produced by Rei's fingers.

How jealousy had burned like acid.

How I run away after she saw me and hissed to go fuck myself.

How the next days I was still thinking about it.

How I lied to Nanami for the first time ever.

Just a blond girl that coincidentally happened to be there for the first day of the rest of my life.

She was there then randomly. But she is here now purposely.

She recognized me too.

She knew. Me. Us. Everything. Rei had told her everything. I could tell from the smirk that was razor-thin and devilish on her face, like the cat that just ate the canary. She knew her role. She knew she was here just to piss me off and she didn't care.

A puzzle piece. A pawn. Because I took Rei's other pawns away.

Rei thought life is a big fucking puzzle, trying to match the fucking pieces.

Rei also thought life is a fucking chess game, using people like pawns.

Rei this.

Rei that.

I was dwelling. Obsessing. Fixating.

I was so fucking consumed by her, that I became blind.

I forgot that Rei wasn't the kind of sun that nourished life, but burned shit to the ground instead.

In the end, life was no fucking puzzle or chess.

Life was fucking Jenga.

And everything just fucking collapsed and crashed in a spectacular fashion around me.

Seeing here, now, the girl that Rei was semi-fucking in an alley all those years ago, was karma's way of telling me she hated me on a personal, profound, go-fuck-yourself way.

I'll just sit back and watch while karma fucks you up.

Yeah, screw you karma.

In the ass. Sans lube. Sans spit. Sans everything.

I did everything for Rei. Lied to Nanami. Made her Oyabun. Broke myself apart so she would feel more whole. Given her everything. A job, love, time, passion, my dick, and she was still working, planning, and finding ways to hurt me. To get back at me. To humiliate me. Wanting to get even just for hiding that I knew her. Just to win a fucking pissing competition/fake war that she started, instead of fucking apologizing in the first place.

She sought revenge. She craved my pain.

She brought her here.

And made her a member of my clan.

Un-fucking-believable.

I don't know how.

I don't know when.

I honestly don't know anything anymore.

Except that I warned Satan Jr.

That if she messes with me once more, I'll fucking ruin her.

I had a fresh hell to raise.

I guess Rei's Oyabun two-month free-trial just expired.

Nanami was right. I should have listened to her. And now the bitch is going to get what she wanted from the start.

I didn't turn into a pumpkin when the time was up. I turned to what I was supposed to be all this time. And now Rei needed a good wake-up call and a strong taste of her own medicine.

Trouble never comes alone and we just found trouble's plus one.

My mouth just opened, the irony of the situation was flowing in my blood like a familiar song, and the words fell from my still smirking lips like an endless curse.

"Fucking Snowflake"

https://youtu.be/dadyFvMkrSg

A/N

Question:

How the fuck no one ever had wondered who is Violet?

The clues were all over the place.

Also, for those who didn't get it, or can't remember, you can find a short —yet memorable— mention of her in chapter  27. There is no sin except stupidity.

❤️Happy Women's day my Queens!!!

Chin up! You are not who you were a year ago.

Celebrate it!

ANDDDD!!!!!!!!

🥁 🥁 🥁

Happy Birthday, Yoongi!

You are a true inspiration, not only for me but for millions of people.

A respectful artist that started from the bottom. Living proof that people should chase their dreams and fight for what they want. Motivation to work hard and with love for your passions. You never backed away from challenges but embraced them instead. You swam your way through life's hardships and kept your head high. A beautiful mind. A true artist. Devoted to your fans. You face your journey with courage, grace, and respect. You speak to our souls through your music and your talent. You won our hearts with your integrity and character.

You are truly one of a kind.

Keep following your intuition.

Never forget you have a whole loyal army that will back you up.

Never give up.

Never change for anyone.