The air was thick with tension, and the atmosphere overwhelmed Dara. Indeed, this was no ordinary racing event.

She could immediately sense that the spectators were filled with dangerous people.

It was a stark contrast to the previous races she had attended, where most people were laidback, chatting happily, and cheering together. Now, as she met a few glances mixed with curiosity and malice, she realized her attempt to blend in and stay low in the background had been futile. Most of these people were gangsters, criminals, or had connections to the underworld. And their interest in her was unwelcoming.

After all, Jiyong had placed her in a glassed box trailer that supposedly gave her a better view of the race below. But Dara quickly realized that this was no ordinary trailer box. No wonder she was attracting so many curious stares.

Their curiosity only intensified when they discovered the owner of the box. G-Dragon, the unbeatable drag racer of the underworld.

She could sense that Jiyong was infamous among these people, but she hadn't realized the extent of his reputation until now when people actually stopped in their tracks and bowed in respect when they caught sight of him.

Despite the attention, Jiyong mostly ignored them, either used to this level of recognition when he raced or simply focused on her.

What was more pressing to her was his sole attention to her.

He appeared anxious and on edge ever since their arrival and with good reason. He covered her head with the hoodie, though it hardly mattered for concealment. By now, many people knew that G-Dragon had someone precious by his side, and it wouldn't be long before they put a face to it.

She sighed and pushed him away gently. His overprotectiveness was becoming too much for her to handle.

"I think they're calling the racers now," she said, using it as an excuse to get him to stop treating her like a fragile doll. Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea after all.

Jiyong ignored her remark, glancing at Tae a few feet behind them, then at TOP standing by the door as a lookout. Other men were guarding the box as well. Jiyong had made sure of her safety, truly. He even enlisted the other BIGBANG members for guard duty today, except for Dae and Seung, who were participating in the race and currently doing a few test runs.

"Stay close to Tae and TOP. And don't talk to anybody else. Wait for me here until the race is over," Jiyong stated seriously, patting her back and double-checking her hoodie.

It was a bulletproof hoodie just like the glassed trailer box she was standing in.

She sighed but still smiled, tiptoeing to kiss him. "Good luck, GD."

He smirked, giving her one last passionate kiss before departing for the starting line.

"Jesus, finally," TOP commented.

Tae chuckled, shaking his head at TOP's rare reaction. "Can't blame our leader for worrying. This place is packed with snakes, after all. We're surrounded by enemies."

"Which is all the more reason she shouldn't have been here. She's a liability," TOP said, his frustration evident as he even glared at Dara.

Dara didn't know what to make of TOP's animosity towards her. He had never been openly hostile like this in the past.

Tae shot TOP a reprimanding look. "Stop it. Dara is part of our group now."

TOP tsked, turning his back on them. "Whatever," he muttered as he exited the room, heading outside. Soon after, the scent of cigarettes wafted in.

Tae sighed, casting an apologetic glance at Dara. "I'm sorry about that," he said.

Dara shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter. I kind of barged into your gangster world, after all. It'll take time for anyone to warm up to that."

Tae shook his head. "Still not an excuse to act like an ass. We've known you for two years already."

Right. But that was when she was just an ordinary coworker at -ONE.

She decided to change the subject.

"So, this is No Man's Land, huh?" she asked, surveying the barren landscape surrounding them, which served as the location for the race.

"One of them," Tae replied. "They call it No Man's Land because it can be anywhere, as long as the place has no affiliation with other districts. The gang leaders of this country can be quite twisted with their chosen sport, using it as a guise for peacekeeping to conceal their savagery."

Dara didn't ask Tae to elaborate further, as she sort of understood it.

No Man's Land.

Hmm. These were random places chosen to host the race biannually, ranging from deserts, farmlands, seashores, and mountains, to barren lands owned by no one.

It served as a gathering ground for the most dangerous people among the dangerous ones, disguised as a sport.

The rule in No Man's Land is simple — violence and attacks against other gangs are strictly prohibited here. Since it was owned by no one and not affiliated with any District gangs, strict compliance was required. It was meant to be a "safe" place for all the District gangsters and their leaders to gather.

When she first heard about it, she thought it was a load of bullshit.

Because, upon thinking deeply, this gathering presented good opportunities to gather intel and spy on other gangs, or to determine which District had...allies and affiliations with others.

She glanced at Tae, who was using his binoculars to spy on other attendees, a serious expression on his face.

Suddenly, Dara felt someone staring at her. She didn't have to look very far as she immediately made eye contact with someone with a malicious gaze and a sly foxy grin.

Woojae.

He stood outside, leaning on a red sports car. Based on the red racer suit he was wearing, it was obvious he was racing. Though surrounded by admirers, onlookers, and bodyguards, his gaze was solely directed at her.

Dara clenched her fist as she glared at the District 1's gang leader. Standing behind Woojae was the ever-buff and stoic man in a tuxedo, Big Teddy — Woojae's strongest and most trusted right-hand man.

She shivered at the memory of their last encounter: Big Teddy shooting guns at her and Jaejoong last year. The son-of-a-bitch was intent on killing them during that car chase.

Woojae waved at her so enthusiastically that she had the urge to instantly show him the middle finger.

"Ignore him," Tae said as if reading her mind. "The race is about to start. GD wants us to stay low."

She pouted but listened, paying no mind to Woojae and his party. It helped that the race was starting. She clutched her chest as she looked for Jiyong's car in the pack. He was at the back, revving his engines with black smoke billowing. She could still see his silhouette inside with his helmet on.

She didn't know what to expect at this racing event in particular, but she still prayed for his safety. After all, this was a race between gang members and criminals. She hoped Jiyong would finish the race quickly so they could go home.

Tae had told her earlier that Jiyong never missed the opportunity to race in this multi-gang event because he enjoyed beating them every time. As an unbeatable drag racer in the underworld, he stood at the top of the hierarchy, making him the most desirable leader in this dangerous world. This stamped him as a man not to be messed with.

The more allies, the better. The more people fear him, the better. But this also put the other gang leaders on edge about G-Dragon's growing influence, and there was no leader more furious about GD winning this "sport" all the time than Woojae.

District 1's leader had been hell-bent on beating GD at his own game but was never successful. So, he resorted to dirty tactics to increase his influence in the other districts outside of racing, aiming to diminish GD's power. Woojae followed the same principle as his predecessor, the great Vincenzo, in uniting all the districts, albeit in Woojae's own twisted way.

Dara was having a headache thinking about it after hearing it from the other BIGBANG members. The politics and power struggle is real even in the underworld. She didn't want to think about the possibility of Woojae knowing she was Vincenzo's daughter. That madman is a huge fanatic of her father. The horror.

She just hoped Jiyong was safe every time he races. But that's only a wistful thinking. There are dangers everywhere. This is a dangerous world, after all.

She heaved a deep sigh as she quietly watched the race.

Just like in Jiyong's previous races, her eyes were glued to his car. With more than thirty racers on the track, Jiyong had no problem zooming past them to the front, with Woojae's red car closely following behind. Cheers thundered as the cars raced furiously towards an unthinkable speed limit that Dara wouldn't dare to dream of.

The race overall made her hold her breath, the wheels spinning with every pass. They spun so fast and zoomed down the drag strip that she had trouble keeping an eye on Jiyong's car while also keeping tabs on Woojae's car and other sketchy racers who attempted to corner Jiyong at the curb. At some point, the bastards came dangerously close to crashing Jiyong into the track's side walls, but her man skillfully evaded those turns.

The sports cars were racing furiously fast, their wheels spinning so much they seemed almost stationary.

But at some point during the race, it was as if she was watching the scene unfold through someone else's eyes. One driver smashed his car into the car behind Jiyong's, and from there, it spiraled into a domino effect.

Dara gasped in horror.

"Fuck!" Tae cursed.

Cars careened in every direction, colliding and crashing into one another, flames billowing out. It was eerily silent at first from the spectators' side, then screams followed suit after.

"J-Jiyong...."

Tears flowed from her eyes as she watched in utter shock, seeing Jiyong's car engulfed in flames.

Ambulance sirens wailed, followed by flashing police lights. Police officers from different towns were seen rushing to the scene.

What are the cops doing here?

"It's an ambush!" someone yelled from the outside.

In the midst of chaos, Dara barely recognized the Mount Vernon and Malcom Police Departments as she was hurriedly dragged to safety by Tae and TOP.

"Jiyong!" She screamed to no one.

She barely saw Jiyong being dragged out of his car, bloodied and seemingly unconscious, as he was inhumanely handcuffed in that state.

Dara nearly passed out at the sight.

"Jiyong!" She screamed again as she tried to run in his direction but TOP strongly stopped her attempt.

"Are you stupid?! Get in the car!" TOP yelled at her, pushing her inside the car Tae drove away from the scene without delay.

Flames, smoke, sirens, yells, and curses filled the air. Everyone was running away. It was mayhem. It was chaos.

'What's going on?'

"Jiyong!"

They left him.

The realization hit her so hard that she passed out.

--//--//tbc

a/n: Whoah. How was it?

Thanks for reading, and welcome new readers!

When I first started daydreaming about writing this story what I had in mind was similar to Fast and Furious but then I realized it was actually hard to write racing scenes XD But I was determined to make this story my longest story to date yet lol, hope you're enjoying the story so far. See you in the next chapter!

love, siv