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Mari and Wooyoung needed San a lot more than they really knew. It had only been a day since San left with her mother to meet the Triad and Yakuza, but that was long enough for them. Sure they hadn't been around San when he was guarding her mother, but his presence was still in the manor. They could see him whenever the two wanted to. But by now the two were in the colorful city of Japan, or maybe in the traditional cities around Beijing. Wherever they were, San wasn't close enough for Mari and Wooyoung to see.

"How long do you think that trip is gonna take?" Wooyoung asked his question slightly muffled by the pillow he had his head-on. He was sitting at the foot of Mari's bed, messing with her sheets as he tried to keep himself busy. The girl shrugged her shoulders, genuinely having no answers. Being a dealer for a mafia was no easy job. It could take days, weeks, or even months to get other mafia's to see their side of things. Even then, some mafia groups are very hard to appeal to, having dealers leaving with empty hands and no good news.

"Who knows. I know my mom is the best dealer this faction has ever seen but... I learned the Chinese Triad is hard to please." Mari responded, her eyes glued to her boring ceiling. Maybe she should hang or stick something up there to make it more appealing. Then again, she never really stared at the ceiling in boredom at that much. "Their current Underboss, Zhang Yixing, might as well just be their boss overall. He's got so much power not just in the Triad, but in China, it's almost unreal. He expects absolute perfection. It's probably why the Kim Faction never got to them in the first place."

Wooyoung nodded he listened to her words, a pout forming on his lips. "I hope San is okay. I miss him already." Mari hummed in agreement. The two looked absolutely pitiful, any person who might come by to see them would feel their gloomy aura just radiating off of them. "God we need to stop doing this. I can't remember the last time we've been this demotivated before? Does San really have that much of an effect on our lives?" The boy declared, turning over to get the girl's opinion. His determined expression dropped when Mari started drifting off into a short slumber.

He crawled onto the bed towards her, slapping her shoulder to wake her up. She hissed at the sudden ache, almost tumbling off the bed in retaliation. "What?" Mari asked him, rubbing her shoulder slightly. Though it took her a few seconds to process Wooyoung's words from earlier, she still replies to it. "Oh, yes. Yes, he does. San ties the whole trio together! Without his presence in the country, everything becomes boring! Food gets boring, pranks get boring, skipping school with each other gets boring, everything is boring without San!"

Don't get her wrong, Mari was ecstatic at San's chance of ascending the ranks. He was born into the Seo Faction, yet his parents weren't in a position of power like Yeosang and Mari's. He had to climb the ranks normally just like Wooyoung had to yet, he got no boost like her childhood friend did. He was truly working from the bottom and slowly reaching the top with his handwork and effort alone. San was only a few steps away from becoming the Underboss's potential successor. He'd be the first in his family to become one even. That's an accomplishment that Wooyoung and Mari wanted their friend to achieve.

They knew the Underboss had his eyes on San, the two of them always knew that. No matter how much Mari didn't respect him, she knew he was good. But he was getting old and becoming an easier target for others to take out. Since the Seo Faction relief heavily on not just their Boss but also their Underboss, a successor wasn't optional now. Especially when the Underboss had or has no children to take his place. San was the perfect fit as well. He's young, talented, born into the mafia, and the Seo Faction's own personal devil. The perfect person to catch the Underboss.

The only reason Wooyoung wasn't a candidate for the Underboss's successor is that her father already got his hands on him. Plus, his fierce loyalty and friendship towards Mari and Mari only made the Underboss think it'd be his downfall. The two snapped out of their somewhat of a daze to hear sudden knocking on her door. Which was odd. No one ever knocked on her door, usually, everyone just came in. She was fine with that, seeing as she was rarely ever doing anything "bad" in her room. Half the time she wasn't in her room. She was usually out and about either doing normal teen things with Wooyoung and San or on a mission.

"Come in?" She said though it sounded more like a question. Wooyoung sat up to look at the door, watching it slowly creaked open. It was almost as if the person behind it was hesitating whether to come in or not. "If you're knocking on this door, you either know who I am or you're extremely new to the mafia. It's best you come clean while you still can." Mari told them, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at the door. The door opened up a little bit more, finally revealing the mystery person behind it. "Kang Yeosang?"

"Is this a bad time?" He asked, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him. The boy seemed stiff, uncomfortable in Mari's room. Probably because he had never been inside before. The two of them shook their head in unison and he nodded his head, clearly at a loss for words. He wasn't emitting the same intimidating and powerful vibes he was the last time she had saw him. In fact, he seemed like he had jumped headfirst into this shy and soft demeanor. Completely hiding his terrifying persuasive ways under the big black sweater he donned. "I thought now would be an... okay time to talk about the thing."

The gears were slowly turning in Mari's head as stars slowly began to form in her eyes. She had totally forgotten about her goal in the first place, to show that she didn't need all the protection and benefits her father kept giving her. That she could be treated as an adult, not some horrified teenager with no knew what she was doing. Granted, she was doing a bad job of showing him what she could do on her own. She hadn't gone on a mission in what felt like forever but was probably only a few months. "I can't believe I forgot. I've been so wrapped up in everything else that I couldn't even remember my own goal."

"I can't forget. I'll be your consigliere one day." He shrugged, walking towards her bed and sitting on it with the two of them. Wooyoung and Mari grinned at each other as they made space for him, not wanting their only source of genuine to feel uncomfortable. Though matter what they did, he seemed as straight as log, never once relaxing in their presence. Mari couldn't tell whether or not he was nervous or if he was just genuinely like that all the time. "I tried to collect a bit of knowledge on all your father had done for you so far, which was a lot harder than expected. He really does keep you under wraps, doesn't he?"

She groaned at the thought, nodding her head in response. "Of course he does. If it wasn't for my mom trying to make me have a normal life outside of the mafia, I'd have heavier rules placed down on me. The only thing he has full control of is Wooyoung, seeing as he's my "bodyguard" or whatever. If anything happens to me on a mission or in life itself, it's perceived as Wooyoung's fault. Even if I was the reason it happened. It's completely unfair to me! It's half the reason we're hiding the fact that I snuck out of the manor that one night and got drunk."

"Well, you're a very important asset for the faction." Yeosang pointed out, giving her a skeptical look. "You're the heir to the Seo Faction and one of the most competent soldiers we have to date if we aren't counting Wooyoung and Choi San. Losing you would throw this faction into absolute chaos when the time comes for someone to take your father's place. We may all loyal now, but traitors are everywhere no matter where you look. You're not at risk from just the outside world or even an opposing faction. You have to be careful of those who are around you. Even those you consider being your allies, your own faction."

"That must be why he keeps you hidden, isn't?" Wooyoung suddenly intervened, turning to the girl in question. "He's worried that if at any given moment when he reveals his eighteen-year-old daughter, the next heir to the Seo Faction, might become a target. It's okay to be out and about as a soldier. Who really cares about the soldiers anyways, no one will pay much attention to you unless it's revealed that you have information. But this pure Seo bloodline can end with you if it really comes to that."

Mari opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She had nothing to counter their words with, what could she? They were right, she is important to the faction. And this empire of a mafia that those before her worked so hard to build up could come completely crashing down the moment Mari let her guard down. Her bloodline really did end with her, didn't it? "Well if I'm so important, why won't he even tell me that instead of shutting me out and treating me like a child instead of a person who has to lead an entire army of people one day?"

The two couldn't even react quick enough, not when an earsplitting scream echoed into Mari's room. It shook all three of them to the core, not expecting to hear such fear and horror in the scream. "What was that?" Wooyoung asked as they all turned to the door as if whatever was outside was going to come in. They turned quiet, hearing several footsteps run past the room in a frenzy. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Mari quickly jumped off the bed, rushing towards the door without another second wasted, "Mari? Where are you going?" Her friend called after her, but she was already out the door before he could get a response.

As soon as she stepped out, she was met with a sight she had never been seen before. Mari's usually peaceful manor was suddenly exploding with life, panic, and fear bouncing off the walls. Several soldiers, she had never even seen before went rushing down the hallway, trying to communicate the problem but getting lost in the chaos. She followed after them, trying to get as much information as possible. Yet it was different, she couldn't understand a word they were saying. They were speaking a completely different language, so all she assumed was that they were soldiers from the Yakuza.

Following them lead her to the main lobby of the manor, where the giant staircases that led to the rest of the manor was. It was even more crowded in the main lobby than it was in the hallways. She could barely see a thing, everything was practically in a blur. With languages meshing together as well, Mari couldn't pick up on the important details she was missing out on. But then, it hit her. A stench, a terrible stench. The smell of blood and death was lingering the air, something she hadn't caught wind off in a long time. "What's happening? What's going on?"

Short afterwards, Wooyoung and Yeosang arrived at her side. Yeosang seemed uncomfortable, the number of people and chaos in the room seemed to intimidate him when he wasn't on guard. Mari instinctively grabbing his sweater sleeve, keeping him close to them while the soldiers rushed into the room without regard for anyone else. Wooyoung caught onto the aura that was surrounding them, the smell of misfortune hitting him the same way it did her. "Follow me," He told her, taking ahold of her hand and leading her through the closely-knit crowd.

The three muttered apologizes for every soldier they pushed past, asking questions to try and receive any sort of information on what was going on. Every so often the trio was cut off by a soldier rushing out of the crowd with a first aid kit. Once and while they'd bring illegal doctors that the faction acquired, yet these doctors were only used for serious situations. What type of problem they encountered that they needed several of their doctors on the scene. Though after a few minutes of pushing through crowds of people, they came to an abrupt stop.

Mari opened her mouth to ask what was happening, they couldn't stop now. Not when they had Yeosang with them and were so close to breaking the edge of the crowd. Yet Wooyoung didn't even give her a chance to speak, turning around almost immediately and forcing Mari into a hug. He wrapped her arms around her protectively, refusing to move and blocking her line of sight. "Wooyoung what are you doing?" She asked him, pushing against his body to try and move him out of the way. But that only made his grip on her even right. "Wooyoung, move."

"Don't look," Was all that escaped his mouth, the word that triggered his sudden trembling. "Don't look, don't look, don't look. Please, don't look." He begged her. Mari struggling right get herself away from him, trying her best to push him off her. Yet Wooyoung refused, she had never seen him try so hard to stop Mari from doing something. This might have been one of the first times he's even pleaded with her to stop. "Mari, please," a voice crack was evident in his voice, "I'm begging you, I don't care how many times I have to say it. Don't look."

She stood there, contemplating on what she was doing to do. With a deep sigh, the girl nodded, caving into Wooyoung's wants. "Okay, I won't look." She reassured him. He seemed skeptical, but the number of emotions that were bubbling in his head made him believe it. Yet the moment he loosened his grip. Mari slipped away from him and ran right into the fray. Both of the boys called after her, telling her to stop before anything could happen. But their calls didn't reach her. But something did, something she never thought she'd imagine.

The stench of death hit her hard as soon as she broke the crowd, her dash faltering greatly before she came to a complete stop. In front of her laid a beaten and blood group of men, barely clinging onto consciousness or even life itself. The ground was cover in the crimson liquid that oozed out of each and every one of them, creating abstract art on the floor. This wasn't just any group of men, no, this was the group sent to meet the Triad and the Yakuza. This was the group her mother and San had left with. She turned to the left, spotting several doctors desperately trying to save a young man that got the worst injuries of the survivors. And the Underboss was crouching right next to him.

She stared with a horrified expression in her eyes before Wooyoung's voice suddenly echoed through the room, the loudest voice despite how noisy it was. Mari had only heard the amount of devastation in his voice once before. And that's when he had lost a family member. "San!" With nothing holding him back anymore, her friend rushing to the said boy's side, pure panic filling his entire body. Mari followed after almost immediately, comforting her friends as soon as the weight of the situation dawned on her. "San, stay with us alright? Please, you can't just drop out on us like this, you were so close!"

The beaten and blood boy cracked a weak smile, looking as though he wanted to crack a joke on how soft Wooyoung had got in just a single day. Yet he let out an agonizing yelp of pain as the doctored that surrounded him tried to fix his wounds, desperately trying to save him while they had the chance. "San, everything's going to be okay. I promise I'll find out who did this to you and give them hell. I swear on my life I won't let them get away with this," Mari told him, grabbing his face and forcing him to look at her. San looked like he wanted to laugh, he so desperately looked like he wanted to laugh. Yet all that came out of his mouth was blood.

Her head immediately snapped up, anger festering inside of her as she looked around for her father. She wanted an explanation, and she wanted one now. Who dared to try and harm the Seo Faction's best and most promising soldier? Who dared to try and harm one of her closest friends, one of the closest people she could have to keep her grip on reality. Mari spotted her father on the side of the space the crowd had created. He standing above a body that no doctor dared to even look at, staring down on it with an expression she couldn't read. "Who did this?" Mari asked as she marched towards him, trying her best to try and not take her anger out on him, "You let this mission go through. Who hurt them?"

Yet by the time she had reached him, he fell to his knees. It took Mari by surprise, shocking her so much that it blew out her wild candle flame inside of her. Her father slowly took the body in his arms, his entire body beginning to shake uncontrollably as he spoke. "I knew I shouldn't have let you go. I knew it was too dangerous for you to go. They were still after you weren't they? And I let you go. You didn't deserve me. You didn't deserve this." He spoke, his voice suddenly soft with an emotion she had never seen her father possess.

Mari crept around him, only to be met with the icy cold tears her father allowed to spill. Her breath hitched at the sight of her mother in his arms: eyes closed, a slitted throat, and a gunshot wound straight through the chest. Her clothes were stained with her own crimson blood scattered around her body like leaves in the wind. "No, is this... Is this some sick joke? This is a joke, you're joking." Mari stuttered, dropping down to them as grabbing her mother's hands. Unfortunately for her, they were unnaturally ice cold. A kind of cold only the deceased could achieve.

"This isn't fair, this isn't fair. I didn't even say goodbye. Please tell me you're joking, you're playing, right? This is all fake, you're just going to open your eyes, right? Right?!" Mari blurted out, tears streaming down her as she shook her mother's hand. "This is someone else, this isn't my mom. My mom is still alive this isn't her!" She started hyperventilating, the situation donning upon her much faster than she'd like to accept. She was shaking uncontrollably, unable to force herself to stop as her mind suddenly focused on one escape.

She let go of her mother's hand, watching it lifeless drop to the floor like a doll. Mari was choked up, she was frightened, she didn't want to accept the reality of what was happening. "Mari—" Her father began, holding his dead wife as he suddenly addressed his daughter. But he was too late. The girl fled the scene, fight or flight kicking in a little later than it should have. She needed a moment to herself, there was too much going on around her. The death of her mother, San's injuries, and the deafening loud room wasn't a good mix for her. So Mari ran, she ran out of the manor as fast as her legs could take her.