◐

Shin's parties are always graced with many visitors — everyone who's anyone in Korea are invited, and moreover, glad to have attended at least one. If he was not a businessman, he would surely win the elections.

All the more he had to tighten his security. Even though Shin was loved by the masses, there were a few who were overwhelmingly jealous with his wealth and popularity.

He also had to especially protect his children — not because he loved them, but because he needed someone to inherit his properties. In everything, Shin is always business-minded.

Shin would always pick the topmost floor of the building in his parties. That way, he could establish security in every floor below. He would also hire guards disguised as guests to avoid any suspicion.

And at the main door of his party, each guest had to be taken a blood test, an eye and taste sensor, as well as a background check done by his team. It was THAT tight.

But, Jungkook's assassins always loved the challenge.

"Look at Soobin!" The group turned to look at their male leader who was fixing his tie while entering the room.

It would be an understatement to say he looked handsome — he was ethereal, one who would have the innate ability to command the angels. For an assassin, he looked quite the contrary of it.

"I don't have money to treat all of you food," Soobin frowned. "Get money from appa or something."

"I think Shin Yuna will look at Soobin hyung more than me," Kai pouted while Ryujin was fixing his tie. He moved so much that the girl had to glare at him. "Okay, noona. I'm sorry!"

Amidst all of this, a certain lady was seen looking away due to her blushing face. Lia would not dare look at Soobin in the eye — especially now that her heart was beating so fast.

When she turned her head, her brows furrowed when Yeonjun was smirking at her.

"What?" Lia asked, making the latter chuckle.

"He looks pretty, right?" Yeonjun grinned as the girl rolled her eyes. "For someone who's hiding her feelings, you're so obvious."

"Wait," she said. "When did you notice?"

"Pretty much years ago," the boy shrugged. "But don't worry, I won't tell the others."

"Including Yeji?" The latter's brow arched.

"Especially her." Yeonjun drank from his cola. "She is a very anti-relationship person."

"When the both of you are the first ones who liked each other here," Lia fired back, making the fox-like boy pout.

"Well..." Yeonjun scooted closer to her. "Why don't you make a move on Soobin?"

"I..." Lia looked down and fidgeted with her fingers. "He's the leader... I can't... It's impossible."

"Soobin's not like Yeji," the latter reassured her. "You can try. You're our ace for a reason, Jisu."

Yeonjun stood up before patting her shoulder. As Lia dozed off with her thoughts, that was the cue for the latter to leave. She could not stop thinking about making the first move.

But, save that for later.

"Kids! Let's do this!"

◐

"Let's take Taehyun to the tech room first," Yeji told Ryujin who was bothered for the reason everyone knew about.

"Have you encoded your background checks?" Soobin had to make sure before he let them go.

"Yeah," Taehyun nodded. "All clear."

"I don't really look much like Ryujin," Ryujin muttered as she looked in the mirror. "You made me Han Sohee!"

"Thank me!" Chaeryeong proudly exclaimed, earning the glares of their leaders who were serious in this situation.

"Okay," Yeji put on her contact lenses. "Let's go."

Taehyun offered an arm for Ryujin to hold on to — they were supposed to act like a couple for tonight. On the other hand, Yeji would be on lookout before she enters the party.

The boy noticed his partner's breathing getting rapid by the second.

"Noona," Taehyun stopped before facing Ryujin. "Look at me."

"You can do this." He then started to demonstrate breathing exercises to her. "Inhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale."

"T-thank you," Ryujin managed to spit out those words. In a blink, she calmed herself down. Afterwards, they continued walking towards the venue's door.

"If you ever feel like collapsing, you can break my arm." Ryujin chuckled with what the latter said. "Just hold on to me."

"What a gentleman," she chuckled.

And that was it — they were already in front of the security.

"Name?" The guard asked.

"Sim Jaeyun," Taehyun said. "The beautiful lady beside me is Kim Minjung, my fiancé."

Beomgyu, hearing that through their in-earplug, slightly cringed. To him, it did not feel good — although, he did not know the reason why. But, hey, why should he care?

A lady then walked towards them and injected their arms to get blood. Sim Jaeyun and Kim Minjung were one of the most prominent figures in the Medical sector. It was fortunate that Taehyun and Ryujin matched their blood types.

With that, a sensor was held in front of them. Their eyes were sensed first before their tongue. Taehyun smirked when the light turned green, indicating that they were good to go.

"Doctor Sim Jaeyun and Doctor Kim Minjung..." The guard said as he looked in his monitor — that was already the background check. "You may now enter. Enjoy the party!"

Ryujin heaved a sigh of relief when the door opened for them. She glanced at her partner who only smiled at her. What greeted them was a crowd full of South Korea's most powerful people.

"Wow," Taehyun was in awe. "So many criminals here."

Before Ryujin could see her father, she immediately dragged Taehyun to the tech room, much to his surprise. However, the girl knew that if she saw him, she would do something she would regret.

"I'm sorry..." She caught her breath. "I can't stay much in there."

What Yeonjun said through his in-earplug made her at peace.

"You did well, Ryu," he said. "Don't worry about it. We'll handle your old man."

"Thanks," Ryujin whispered before gesturing Taehyun to set up all he needed to hack the systems.

"Yeji noona, you may now enter," he finally said. After five minutes, the three of them were now together.

◐

On the other hand, Beomgyu and Lia had to blend in with the waiters — it was their job to make sure that Shin and the people in his table, including Yuna and Leeknow, would not leave the premises easily.

"Listen up!" The head chef gestured them to bundle up. "Tonight, we have to go for the extra mile. No slouching and no laziness! We're serving the finest of the finest today. Is that clear?!"

"Yes, chef!" They shouted in unison. After that, the duo went to their stations to prepare the food.

Beomgyu and Lia were assigned to serve Shin and his table's food — which were done through Leeknow's connections. Once the dinner starts, it would be their time to shine.

"Welcome to tonight's little gathering!" Shin was heard through the microphone.

"So that is his voice..." Beomgyu whispered while his hands rummaged through the food, plating them to perfection.

"I wonder how Ryujin is now," Lia sighed.

The boy blinked twice — for some odd reason, Beomgyu felt worry and sympathy for his nemesis. This case would be very hard for her, moreover, she had to endure.

"It still makes me wonder..." Beomgyu said. "Why is Ryujin taken under appa? Why can't Shin raise her on his own?"

That would remain a question to the eight assassins — all they knew was Leeknow and Ryujin used to be close. However, their relationship broke when he took her to Jungkook.

"Is this good?" Lia showed Beomgyu the dish she plated, making the latter nod.

"Stop chitchatting!" The head chef startled them. "This is no time for gossip! Tick tock! We're serving them in a few minutes!"

When the head chef left, Lia took out a knife and glared at him. Beomgyu laughed at his partner's deteriorating temper.

"I swear I'm going to kill him," Lia said through gritted teeth.

"Kill who?" They almost forgot their conversation was heard through their in-earplug — which would mean that Ryujin was aware of everything they said.

"This head chef is making us lose our temper," Beomgyu hissed. "Noona has a knife here."

"Damn, I thought you're curious about my life," Ryujin replied.

"Okay, we didn't mean to talk about you," Lia felt guilty for talking about Ryujin's life. "I'm sorry."

"Don't stress about it," she said. "Cheerio!"

The duo smirked when the host announced that the floor is now open for the people to dance.

◐

"Omg!" "Who is he?" "He's so handsome!"

Kai illuminated the whole party — what was then a tense one became lighter due to his presence. His unending charisma caught the eye of many personalities.

"Hey! Kim Sero from Kim Enterprises," someone blocked his away and offered a hand to him. "It's the first time I saw you here. What do you do?"

"I own an aviation company," Kai returned the handshake. "Park Jungil."

The boy was heavily interested in airplanes so his knowledge about those charmed the CEOs present in the party. However, he was yet to see his target — the one he should be using his charisma on.

Everyone in the party were staring at the tall broody boy — some were even dying to get his number.

However, his eyes remained searching for only one in the room.

"You're a big shot in this crowd," a lady went near him. "Does my dad know you?"

"I'm sure I must have transacted with him before," Kai replied. "Han Corporations, right?"

"Yes," she held out her hand. "I'm Han Aeri. We can... ditch this party if you want."

As if on cue, Kai's eyes landed to a petite lady flashing a gorgeous smile at the crowd. Her pink strapless dress emphasized her curves — if the women's eyes were on his, then the men would be on hers.

"Please excuse me," he said before walking away.

Kai seemed pretty charming to look at one lady while everyone's eyes were stuck on him — he was the epitome of seduction. He pushed his hair back as he walked towards Shin and his daughter, Shin Yuna.

"Mr. Shin," Kai extended his hand. "Park Jungil from FlyKorea Airlines."

"Ah, so that's you..." Shin chuckled before returning the handshake. "Many of my people told me you're quite the charmer of this party."

Kai did not fail to notice the irritation in Shin's voice. Of course, he hated when someone else got his spotlight.

On the other hand, he glanced at Yuna who was silent in the corner. She heard all the rumors about Kai — but seeing him now, she grew more curious about the mysterious star shining the brightest in their party.

"If there's anyone who's charming here, that's you," Kai replied. "It's fascinating to see all the powerful men in the country in one party."

"You know..." He added. "I was looking forward to partnering with you."

"It's quite flattering," Shin glanced at Yuna. "By the way, this is my daughter, Shin Yuna. She's the brightest among my children."

As soon as Ryujin heard that, her hands balled into fists. Leeknow did not mind it — heck, he was glad not to have been introduced that way.

"Dad!" Leeknow called Shin before taking a look at Kai. That was a part of their plan. "Let me introduce you to the owners of Lee Enterprises."

"Will you excuse me?" Yuna and Kai nodded at Shin. The girl was about to walk away not until Kai talked.

"He seems to be so proud of you," Kai said, making Yuna break out a forced chuckle.

"It's funny because I can't deal with these people like he did," Yuna replied. "I take Medical Biology for a reason, for Pete's sake."

"Want to learn a thing or two?" He suggested. "These people here are really yet surprisingly easy to seduce."

"Don't tell me you read The Art of Seduction," Yuna crossed her arms. "I heard all the rumors about you. Are you seducing me now?"

"Damn, do I need to enter the room now?" Soobin asked, anxious as to whether Kai would effectively seduce Yuna or not.

"No," Kai answered to both Yuna and Soobin. "I can't help it if you're already enchanted by me."

Yuna got caught off-guard for a moment before regaining her composure. She looked around to see everyone's eyes on them — the eye of jealousy. That made Yuna somehow proud.

"Everyone's looking at us," she pointed out.

"But I'm only looking at you," Kai smoothly said. Through his in-earplug, he could hear his friends cheering for him.

It was a no-brainer that Yuna immediately blushed with the latter's remark. Her heart was also pounding very badly. But of course, she had to be mindful of his seduction skills.

"Dad will be mad to know someone is flirting with me," she said.

"Then let me borrow you for tonight," Kai smiled before lending his hand. "Dance with me?"

As if Yuna was intoxicated, she mindlessly trailed her hands on the latter's, intertwining it in the process. She was in awe with how chivalrous he seemed.

Kai guided her to the dance floor then snaked an arm over her waist, pulling her closer. He chuckled when he saw her rose-filled cheeks before swaying her slowly sideways.

"How old are you?" Yuna asked such a personal question — in Kai's perspective. Truth be told, she was really interested in the boy. So, she tried flirting back.

"Just the right age for you to date me," he swiftly answered. Actually, Kai was in awe with her beauty but he did not want to compromise the mission.

He concluded that she was still holding back — maybe because of the limitations set by her father.

"I'm graduating next year," Yuna answered. "You look like you're at the same age as me but you're already a CEO. How is that possible?"

Smart. Kai thought.

"I inherited the company at an early age," Kai followed the backstory of the real Park Jungil.

"Is it hard? Are you still studying now?" She asked again.

"Yeah," he nodded. "I juggle both. How about you? Are you going to inherit your father's company?"

"No," she shook her head. "I want to head straight to med school after graduation. I'll just deal with that... At a later time."

It should be against the rules for Kai to be interested with his client's life. But hearing her story, he wanted to give her the freedom and independence she always wanted.

"Say, want to hang ou—"

Kai was cut off by a large explosion.

◐

"Do it now," Yeji ordered Taehyun.

Taehyun nodded before punching all the codes to lock all the doors and disarm the CCTV cameras. It was now their time to shine.

"Make it rain?" He smirked at Yeji who chuckled at him before nodding.

"Chaeryeong, go," Soobin ordered when he saw that the coast was clear. Their only criteria was whether or not Yuna was already entranced by Kai's presence.

The masked assassin entered the room with a gun behind her. She did not care if people saw her — because that was the purpose of it. They needed to cause a ruckus.

"She has a gun!" A woman pointed at Chaeryeong.

Chaeryeong then pulled Yuna harshly before pointing the gun on her head. The guards immediately rushed to her, preparing to shoot at Chaeryeong who was only smirking.

"Who are you?" Shin walked, passing by the middle of the crowd. "What do you want?"

Yuna looked at Kai worriedly — her breathing was getting calculated by the second. The boy, still in his act, pretended to pacify Chaeryeong.

"Please..." Kai negotiated. "Maybe we can talk about this."

"I only want one thing..." Chaeryeong smirked. "I want to make it rain."

And with Taehyun's press of a button, it rained on the room.

"Ah!" "What's happening?!" "Check the tech room!"

Several screams were heard here and there from the guests and by Shin himself. Everyone were running back and forth, however, their next instinct was to leave the place.

"It's locked!" Someone shouted. Shin's eyes widened in anger. His party was compromised!

The guards did not hesitate to blast gunshots at Chaeryeong who dodged all of them since she used Yuna as a shield. Shin was the first to stop his men from shooting.

"Stop shooting! Stop shooting!" He begged.

"J-Jungil..." Yuna muttered. That was the cue for Kai to follow them. Chaeryeong dragged Yuna to the room where a masked Soobin and Yeonjun were waiting.

"Jungil!" She screamed. "Help me!"

Yuna was screaming so loud that Chaeryeong was getting impatient by the second. She shook her head before wrapping a handkerchief over her mouth.

"Hmp!" She fought back while Yeonjun blindfolded her eyes. Once her sight was gone, Kai took the chance to tie her hands and feet.

However, Yuna was extremely noisy so Soobin poured chloroform into his handkerchief before placing it on her nose.

And yes, they successfully kidnapped Shin Yuna.

In the tech room, Ryujin clutched her dagger when she saw someone approaching their location. She waited for this moment — her eyes were bloodshot while looking at Shin from the cameras... On his way to the tech room.

"Ryujin," Yeji glared. "Do not do it."

"Noona, not now!" Taehyun scolded as he held a chloroform in his hand. "We are not getting punished today."

"I... I want to kill him..." Ryujin sounded possessed — by the devil who made her angry at the world. "Please... Let me..."

Hearing this, Lia and Beomgyu decided to do something before everything gets worse. The duo wore their masks before taking their weapons.

Afterwards, they headed outside and started charging at the guards. That would give the tech room team enough time to transfer to Soobin's room.

"Who are you?!" Shin angrily shouted as his guards covered him.

"Guess you could say your worst nightmare," Lia shrugged before throwing a dagger at another guard.

Someone was about to shoot Beomgyu but he was quick to throw his arrows at the aforesaid. The latter flashed a small smile when he saw Ryujin, Yeji, and Taehyun making their way towards Soobin and the others.

"Hey," Beomgyu whispered to Lia. "They're already going there."

"Okay, let's wrap it up," Lia nodded.

They were about to leave but Shin pointed his gun at them. Beomgyu had the urge to kill him, just how Ryujin would have wanted, but who was she to him? Why would he want to do that for her?

"What are we going to do?" Lia asked. Truth be told, neither of them knew how to escape this.

They heaved a sigh of relief when someone shot the chandelier on top, sending it falling just a little inches near Shin. That gave Lia and Beomgyu enough time to run away.

"Thank you," Lia smiled at Soobin.

And with that, they headed back to their headquarters.

◐

Where am I?

That was the first thought on Yuna's mind.

She tried to open her eyes but it was blindfolded. She also wanted to open her mouth to speak but there was a cloth around it. Panicking, she wiggled back and forth but her hands and feet were tied.

"Hmp!" Yuna screamed out loud, hot tears flowing down her face.

"Appa, shall I take it off?" She heard a man's voice said, catching her by surprise. After a few seconds, the handkerchief in her mouth was taken off.

"Who are you?!" She yelled. "What do you want from me?! What did I do to you?!"

"We're going to tell you," a woman's voice followed. "But we need you to be quiet first. We'll explain everything."

Yuna was hesitant... But she needed the blindfold in her eyes to be taken off so she could look around and find somewhere to escape. She did not want to spend even a night away from her home.

"O-okay..." She nodded.

With that, her blindfold was slowly taken off, revealing a man and woman before her. She was not familiar who they were.. Why did they even kidnap her for? Was it for ransom? Those thoughts flooded her mind.

"First things first, I'm Soobin," he introduced himself before pointing at the girl beside him. "And this is Lia."

"We can explain it to you right now but you wouldn't believe us," Lia said. "So I believe he should be the one to explain it to you."

Yuna's eyes widened when Leeknow entered the room.

"O-oppa... Why..." Her eyes brimmed with tears. "What is happening?"

"Baby... Baby..." Leeknow immediately rushed to his sister to wipe her tears using his thumb. "Soob, can you take her ropes off?"

Soobin nodded before obliging. Afterwards, Lia and Soobin decided to give them privacy.

"W-who are they?" Yuna asked.

"It's not safe in our home," he admitted. "I have to take you here for the meantime. They will protect you... Just follow what they say."

"Why is it not safe?" Her brows furrowed. "Is appa a murderer?"

"I— I can't tell you for now," the latter sighed. "But promise me when I tell you that I will keep you safe. Just trust me on this... Please."

Yuna stared at him for a moment before nodding.

"Are they gangsters?" Leeknow could not help but chuckle at Yuna's questions. He knew that his little sister loved reading those books online so he was aware of what she meant.

"Not those type of gangsters, Yuna," he answered. "Some of them are my friends."

"Can you introduce me to them?" Yuna was excited. However, it dawned on her that she might not meet Jungil for a long time.

He really stuck a string on her.

"You okay?" Leeknow asked when he noticed Yuna's expression falter. "Are you hurt?"

"Park Jungil..." She whispered. "I want to meet him again soon. Is he bad too? Can't we set up a meeting or something?"

Leeknow squinted his eyes out of confusion but his eyes widened when he realized something. Yuna furrowed her brows when her brother started laughing loudly.

"Are YOU okay?" She asked back. It took quite a few seconds for Leeknow to calm down. He replied, "Before you meet Park Jungil again..."

"I want you to meet your sister first," Leeknow finally said.

Yuna's eyes expanded an inch as her hand trailed to her mouth, covering it out of shock. She was immensely confused right now. Her father told her that she was missing for years. How could this happen?

"She's already found?!" Yuna could not stop her tears from falling. She loved her sister before ever knowing who she was.

"Yuna..." Leeknow walked towards her. "She was... She was never lost. She is taken here for years. Appa... did not want her as his responsibility."

"H-huh?" Yuna asked. "Why?"

Yuna was the youngest among them and Ryujin would be the middle child. Why would her father reject her second-born but love her youngest so much?

"Appa abused her," he admitted. "I did not want to let her suffer more so I took her here. She's still... angry. But I want to introduce you to her."

"Okay," she smiled.

Leeknow then headed outside to take Ryujin. Yuna blinked twice when she heard screams from outside. Wow, her sister really was THAT angry.

"Let go of me! You fucker!"

"Ryujin!" He shouted, making Yuna flinch from her place.

Yuna could not believe her eyes when Ryujin entered the room. She slowly walked towards the latter and opened her arms for the girl to embrace. Yuna really wanted to know who her sister was.

"Unnie..." Her voice cracked.

However, Ryujin stared at her with pure wrath in her eyes. Her blood was boiling and she could not seem to calm herself down. Seeing the two siblings whom her father treasured was more than enough to fume her anger.

"Get your face away from me," she sternly said. Yuna looked hurt as she stepped back. Although, the younger thought her sister was not ready for this.

"Ryujin..." Leeknow took a deep breath. "This is Yuna, your younger sister."

"Huh?" Ryujin scoffed. "I have no sister. You are not even my family. Do me a favor by fucking leave me alone."

Leeknow flashed a painful smile at Yuna who was watching Ryujin leave the room. Of course, what would he expect? He left his sister with Jungkook and did not even tell her why.

"Let's get you rest," Yuna nodded at what her brother said.

As they stepped out of the room, Yuna's eyes widened when she saw a familiar face passing by them. She felt a mix of confusion and anger at the sight.

"Jungil??"