▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

C H A P T E R F O U R
➍

»It is better to be hated for what you are
than to be loved for what you are not.«
– André Gide, Autumn Leaves

────────⊲❈⊳────────

"Q&A? Questions and Answers? Seriously, Cami, where do you live? It's a... you know what? Nevermind. Just tell me, what worries you? I'll give you honest answers to every question of yours."

"It's just..."

"No, no, really, say what you think. What seems odd to you? Let's get it, come on."

"Okay. Then tell me, why is it so quiet in here as if the building's empty? Where are your so-called new people? Why is it so damn cold? Where are Doyoung, Sicheng, Ten and Jungwoo? Who are you really working with? Where does the information come from? Are you 100% sure that your informant is right and that Nakamoto is the villain? And, Mark, don't come with that classified information shit."

He took a deep breath. He probably hadn't expected to answer so many questions at once. I didn't ask all the questions that were in my head, because I thought it'd be better not to bombard him with all my current doubt; one by one was a better decision.

"Woah, okay, so.. uh where do I start?" he thought aloud and rubbed his hands. "Okay, it's so quiet because the building is actually empty except for you, me and Lucas. Our recruits are all working on the Nakamoto mission, secretly observing, inspecting the company building, preparing everything for your arrival, be it in real life or on the internet. Another, small part is in the new headquarters, because it's so cold here."

"New headquarter?"

"Yes. Actually it's J– um I mean, your father's old hotel building. Well, it looks like the power has been shut down here, so now it's all up to the old rusty generator. Thus, heaters and hot water don't work properly, we just managed to keep Lucas' and my room reasonably warm. Well, and that's why most of them aren't here for now. They don't want to freeze." Mark explained and I believed him. I once experienced a power failure in the headquarters when I was 14 and even then, the generator in the basement had been of little to no help.

"Hm... my room temperature was okay too." I let him know.

"I know." How could he know, when he just talked about only two rooms...

"Wait – it's that Lucas guy's room isn't it?" I let Mark know with my facial expression that I didn't like that at all. So, he was telling me, I slept the whole night in a stranger's room and that stranger turned out to be the most annoying kind of person there is?

"Um... yeah... somehow. But he never stays here anyway. He's on missions at night and during the day when he isn't needed, then he sleeps in the new headquarters."

"What's the reason we're here and not there?" I asked, right before someone knocked on the door.

"Wait a second, Cami." Mark turned his head to the door. "Yeah, come in."

I breathed out annoyedly and rolled my eyes. I didn't need to look to the door to know that Lucas would be standing there. I knew the moment this door opened, he'd come in, grab a seat and ask what's taking so long. I expected him to be that kind of guy who'd put his shoes up the table, maybe show off the new weapons he'd found in the depot, make Mark laugh by telling a joke (probably with sexual implies) and then he'd look at me, smirking and winking.

I put two fingers to my temple and annoyedly looked forward to the scenario I predicted "Please get rid of him." I whispered to Mark without looking his way.

"Is that what you want?"

No way! I couldn't believe who's voice I just heard.

The voice... the sweet voice that made my head shot up in a second. I could live a thousand years and still not forget this calming voice. The voice that always used to make cursing sound cute. The voice that could be sweet but venomous at the same time, like rainbow muffins sprinkled with poison.

Next thing I knew, I looked into his eyes.

The eyes... the innocent eyes that looked at me right there, right then. From under his hair peeked eyes of gold and honey. They shone like sunlight on polished stone and hid a wealth of well justified mistrust.

Before I could justify myself or even say anything, why I was here, why I had broken my promise, why I hadn't listened to him, I was already in those same arms I had missed for so long.

"I'm so sorry." I managed to say, my face was pressed on his jacket – oh, I mean chest. Whatever, I just hoped my make-up was touch-proof and wouldn't ruin the expensive looking clothing and its beautiful color.

"Later." He whispered back so that Mark wouldn't hear us. I knew this later wouldn't be fun.

"Awww, what a perfect example of a happy family reunion!" Mark announced and if I was right, he even took a picture of us hugging. He really loved to show and proof me that he was still the old boy he used to be.

When we broke away from the hug, I looked at him. He was taller than me and seemed to have grown in my absence.

"You can sit here, Jungwoo," Mark pointed to the empty seat next to him. "You're just right. I was about to give our dear Cami a summary of what she has missed."

Jungwoo smiled at me, put his hand gently on my shoulder and sat down next to me. "I'm good here."

"So where were we?" Mark asked and looked at me. "Ah yeah, I know, the others..." He smiled at me, then at Jungwoo and back at me. "So why don't we start with Jungwoo? Bro, tell her what you're doing."

I looked to my right and smiled at Jungwoo. Even if my decision to come back was questionable, seeing him again was worth it. Fact.

"What I'm doing?" He asked innocently and I nodded. He seemed to think about the question and then shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Not much actually."

"Oh come on, being the CEO of the worldwide renowned Rose Garden Hotels is not not much." Mark threw in the information that made my eyebrow raise in astonishment. The Rose Garden Hotels used to be the epitome of doing dirty business.

"Really?" I asked Jungwoo. He nodded.

"Yes, um, our father thought it's time that I start leading the family business." The same father who removed my rights from any inheritance claims. "It has it's pros and cons." A hesitant smile followed.

"I see. That's why the old hotel building is the new headquarter, huh? Because of your approval." I assumed.

"New? I thought it's temporary?" Jungwoo quickly looked at Mark who looked at me.

"Yeah... yeah true. Of course. Temporary." A nervous laugh, before he started typing something in his phone.

"And," I turned back to Jungwoo, "what's with the rest? Doyoung?"

"I don't know how much you know from Mark," he started.

Nothing, I added in my mind.

"But all of us kind of started focussing on our careers in our society. You know, we all have our responsibilities and must follow the footsteps of our families: This is why Doyoung is now a beloved lawyer who occasionally takes care of the personal affairs of us."

"Not that we got noticed by a law court or anything, but here and there you need someone who moves certain things right, if you understand." Mark interrupted without showing up from his phone display.

I understood very well. Which mafia organization didn't need a personal lawyer?

"Thus," Jungwoo continued, "he took over his father's law firm."

"Cami, if you saw the bills he sends us, you'd think he wants us to go bankrupt. He is by far the most expensive lawyer. And we're a family after all - or so to speak. Believe me, he's the king of rip-off's!" Mark's indignation made me smile a bit.

"It's his job, Mark." Jungwoo reminded him matter of factly. "Next time, don't break the law and there won't be a bill to pay."

"I'm not breaking the law!"

"Then there's no need to worry about legal expenses." I realized that I missed this so much. This slight bickering. The interaction. Them. For a short second, it felt normal that we were here and talked about everything and nothing.

"Tell me about Sicheng." I asked Jungwoo sweetly. "Is he the chief doctor of the Dong Hospitals?"

"Ah, Winwin." Jungwoo grinned. "He is a doctor, yes, and an amazing one for that matter buuuut..."

"But?"

"He's not the chief doctor. His father hasn't retired yet. That's a good thing though, we're frequently in contact and he's still our personal medical." Jungwoo winked because he knew what I was thinking of when he said that. Sicheng had probably learned more about medicine and healing people when he was with us, than in college. It felt like yesterday, when he'd sew up Ten's motorbike wounds, or treated Jaehyun's bruises from a street fight or answered Mark's questions about the heredity of dimples. As times went by, the wounds got worse and the questions more difficult. I lost count on how many bullets and stitches he took care of. I learned many things from him; how to clean wounds, how to do stitches the proper way, how to react in an emergency situation, how to stop the bleeding.

"Good girl, we need someone when Winwin's not here. Keep learning." had Doyoung commented one day watching over my shoulder as I disinfected Ten's gunshot wounds.

"I think he believes in that whole karma shit, so he wants to make up for everything bad he has done in the past by helping people. But what can I say, people like us are desperately in need of connections with doctors." I was not surprised to hear that from Mark. Of course you needed a good doctor nearby, if you were constantly surrounded by weapons. That made me think of...

"How's Ten doing?" I looked at Jungwoo for an answer.

"Oh, Ten is still good ol' Ten. You ask for a gun? He's your man." No, that was not Jungwoo's answer, but came rather from the youngest person in this room. He was still on his phone, but I had no idea if he was playing a game or messaging someone; I would even trust him to do both at the same time.

"Like Mark said, he's the same." Jungwoo still replied. "He's currently in Bangkok for business, I guess. I think he will be back in a week, or maybe not. You know how he is."

Oh, I knew how he could be.

"Business my ass!" Mark proclaimed. "I saw the video he posted on instagram last night, and haaaallelujah... I doubt that all those girls are business."

"Yes I've seen it." Jungwoo commented.

I want to see it, too. Or maybe not?

"Man, what was that for a bomb-as-fuck club? Looked soo lit! He always visits the best places whenever he goes by himself, I swear he does it on purpose."

"You could ask him next time and maybe he'll take you with him?" Jungwoo suggested innocently.

I smiled to myself. To be back, apparently also had its good sides. The way Jungwoo dealt with Mark sweetened my morning.
But now I wondered what had happened to the remaining two persons from the old crew. The question was burning on my tongue and I was reluctant to say it aloud. Was it better to ask and pretend not to be interested in the answer or not to ask and risk dying of curiosity?

▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂▂

A/N

This chapter turned out longer than I thought, that's why I had to split it.
Expect the next update to be very soon! 😏