- 2 Days Later -

"We should launch the operation now, my daughter's life is at stake!"

"Exactly! Who knows what's going inside those yakuzas' base right now, they could be torturing our children!" the meeting room remained quiet, it frustrated the man that Tsuyoshi didn't look concerned at all. He just continued sipping his tea. "You two!" he pointed to Akatsuki and Yeonhye who gave him a look of confusion. "Why are you just sitting there? Your son is held captive too you know?"

Akatsuki clears his throat. "We're highly aware of that Mr. Hillman but please calm down-"

"Calm down?" he questioned in rage. "How should I when your family conflicts caused all this to happen. If my daughter wasn't friends with your children, she would be back at home with my family, safe and sound!"

As much as it hurts to admit it, Nina's father was right. Following the years after his wife's death, the cruelty of life never once failed to drag him and his children to a dead-end. The answer to the majority of his problems, until now was yet to be answered. Up until the present time, it felt like he hasn't achieved anything worth praising at all. Except for raising two children solo, and establishing a small dance company back in Okinawa. But other than that, it was one hell of a rollercoaster ride with constant suffering, depression, and a series of disappointing events. It's infuriating actually. 

Then the second he takes his eyes off his son, he just disappeared. His life, now, at the tip of a mountain. With one wrong move, he'll be joining his mother up in the skies. Yoshi knew he was the human form of bad luck however it never came upon him that he'd drag three more minors with his issues. He was a solid fuck-up.

"I apologize for causing such trouble, I am. I didn't mean to drag your children into this mess, so if you please, let me handle the operation and I'll make sure that every one of your sons and daughters will return to your homes before sunrise. Our operation will take place once the sun has set. Reinforcements are all armed and geared, the medics are just behind us so you don't have to worry about anything."

Julian Hillman snickers. "It better not."

The man hums in response. Directing his eyes to the farther left corner of the room, Yoshi softens at the sight of Roh Hyun-gi comforting his wife. The two had just arrived from Sejong City after the news of their missing daughter had broken out, he heard that Liyoung - Hyun-gi's wife, had been crying for the last few days. Although he was the person to blame, Saeyoung's parents approached him with kindness. Taking a stroll back in the days when Riki was talking with Konon through skype, his little boy would mention Hyun-gi's daughter now and then. 

With two steaming hot cups of coffee in hand, Yoshi carefully went his way to the couple. "I promise to retrieve your daughter back in your arms, I will do everything in my power to do so. I'm so sorry for dragging her to my problems but, thank you. . ."

Saeyoung's father slowly took the cup Yoshi had offered. "Thank you. . . for what exactly?"

"I heard your daughter is good friends with my son. I want to express how grateful I am for your daughter who's always looking out for him in school. It means a lot."

With the pieces coming into place, Nina flashed a smile at her finished product. After six long hours of knitting at the dining room, the japanese-american female released a sigh of relief. She never realized knitting a pair of mittens would consume a whole afternoon, nevertheless, she had fun and now she has a present to deliver to her grandmother back in the States. Feeling confident enough, Nina is in hopes she could return home soon and go back to her normal and ever so stressful high school life.

"Finished already?" the teen nods at the older woman. Like a proud mother, Nagi congratulates her for her small achievement. "You have quite the talented hands, Nina! You know, you could start a small business with that."

The girl hums in response. Nagi is such a kind woman, she still has a chance in life and to change her ways for the better good but why would she go as far as working with yakuzas and abduct innocent teenagers who already have enough problems to deal with. Nina's face darkens, even adults like her could use a lecture or two.

Noticing the change in expression, Nagi wondered what was going on inside the girl's thoughts. Did something happen? Maybe it's just a headache. "Nina is there something bothe-"

"Did you reflect on our conversation we had two hours ago?"

"I-"

"Do you think Soul would be proud to have a mother who secretly kept the true whereabouts of his biological parents, manipulating, giving them false information, and sending them to different countries, when all they wanted was to meet their son? Did you honestly think Ni-ki would easily just accept you in the family after working with bad guys, threatening his family and possibly leading them to their deaths because of your selfish plans?" Nagi starts to quiver, her eyes looking so troubled. . . just as Nina expected. She needs to break her. "And if Mister Tsuyoshi dies, who's fault is it gonna be? Koshino?" the girl snickers. "He isn't the one with the plan, he was just following your command."

"S-S-Shut u-up. . ." she managed to say through heavy breaths. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Nagi lightly pulls the strands of her hair. Staring right down at the ground with widened eyes and wearing a wicked grin. She was starting to look like a psycho. "It's not my fault. . . It's not my fault. . . It's not my fault. . . . I was just in love. . ." Nagi whispers to herself trying to calm her nerves. 

Nina moves back at the sight, it was better to create distance just in case she concludes attacking. This is not the end yet. She knows that this was a stupid idea from the beginning however that won't stop her from shoving the harsh reality inside her little mind. "You call yourself a grown-up? Act like one! Put your heart aside for once and go with your head! No matter how many times you try, you will never replace Tsuyoshi's wife! You will never be Riki's mother!"

You will never be Riki's mother!

Those words lingered in Nagi's ears, the way it kept on repeating only drove her mad. From loud heavy breaths to terrifying shrieks, Nina slowly takes a step away. Talking about mental and emotional disorders, she is a psycho. An obsessive and lovesick psycho.

Why must love be so powerful? It's a feeling that everyone would die just to get a taste of. It's an affection that people would yearn to be reciprocated by a significant other, turning a blind eye to the consequences if one chose to act recklessly and allow his or her world to revolve around their lover. 

"So. . . I saw you dancing with Ni-ki earlier"

Saeyoung blushed. "Y-Y-You saw that?" turning her head away, she could feel her cheeks burning from the embarrassment. Not to mention, Soul still had a thing for her, it only made the situation more awkward than it is. "L-Listen it's not what you think-"

"I have to say, it kind of did hurt. . ." he was lying to himself, it hurt a lot. He likes her so much that he couldn't help but wish that Ni-ki didn't exist at all or to be less cruel, Saeyoung not having feelings for him in the first place. The raven-haired japanese knew that he was in no place to be mad at what the two had for each other. He wasn't her boyfriend, okay. But Ni-ki? His half-brother is in a relationship. It just doesn't make sense.

It isn't fair for him. 

Soul wanted to try to get a moment alone with his crush but sadly, luck wasn't on his side. Instead, it chose to side with Ni-ki. Soul asks himself, what did his past self do to deserve this? Was Ni-ki a hero before? And he was the villain? But now it looks more like he's the second male lead and Ni-ki's the lead of the story. "Look, I respect what you two have. . . I like you. . . and he's my brother. I don't wanna ruin that relationship we have."

"But, I still am expecting an answer once I get back from Japan."

"What do you mean, Soul?"

"I have never expected this to happen but before all this, I and Ni-ki are set to go back to Japan for a while. We wanted to see our mother's grave and get the closure we needed. And once I'm gone, I was planning on giving you time to think if you could give me a chance and maybe. . . enter a relationship?" the boy blushes, he never thought he could be able to say something this embarrassing in front of a girl. It sounded cringy. He's contemplating whether he should continue this conversation or not. "B-B-But! I'm not expecting a yes, okay? I-I. . ." Soul brings his knees up close to his chest, now fidgeting with his finger, the boy pouts as his eyes wander off at the starry night sky. "I-I j-just want an a-answer. . ."

Saeyoung chuckles. How adorable, he looks like an embarrassed primary student who's too ashamed to show up in front of his crush. Now if only Ni-ki would have only been this cute to look at, she would've gone a lot softer on him when it comes to small talks. "I don't know, I need time to think about it. But no matter what answer I give you, let's stay close by each other yeah?"

Soul hums in response, followed by his small pats in the head, the girl giggles like a child. He realized how lucky Ni-ki is to have such wonderful girls like Saeyoung and Takara by his side. He was spoiled by their affection and it made him jealous. All he wanted is nothing but a Roh Saeyoung but even the universe is against his wishes. Soul could only hope and wait for the unexpected, just to hear one simple 'yes' from her, that's what he wanted the most. But he doubts he'll be getting one anytime soon. 

No matter what happens in the future, if not her love, the boy is already grateful enough to have the girl's trust and friendship. 

"Saeyoung-"

"Aaahhh!" a loud scream was heard near their area. Just seconds later, sounds of fired gunshots conquered the cold night atmosphere causing terror and fear to everyone inside the mansion. War is about to break loose and they can feel it.

"That scream. . . isn't that Miss Nagi-"

"Hey, you two!" approached one of Koshino's men. "You're coming with me." he held them by the arm and dragged them to the dining area, where they regrouped with Ni-ki and Nina - also guarded by Koshino and Nagi's men. 

Speaking of Nagi, the middle-aged woman sat down on the chair, blood dripping out of her arm. The teens watched in horror as Nagi cried and flinched while getting her arm treated by Koshino's medics, trying to fight the pain she felt. Seeing her wounded like this, everyone in the room can conclude that this is a declaration of war.

It was no longer fun and games once weapons were prepared on top of the table, knives sharpened, guns ready and supplied by a large number of bullets, and bombs they manage to save over the last few days. This is it. . . a fight to the death.

"Are the children together?" questioned their captain through the other line of the walkie-talkie. 

"Yes sir. We have them here in the dining room."

"Good. Nishimura Tsuyoshi has brought a good team this time. Make sure everyone is set and ready, go spread into groups and give them a nice element of surprise."

"Roger. And the four kids?"

The captain laughs menacingly. "I'm pretty sure, Koshino already gave you the instructions for that." 

Once the line was cut, he separated Soul and Ni-ki from the girls and had them assigned to different groups. "Group A, go up to the front line and reinforce those already in battle. Group B, you're in charge of far-range attacks. Back them up in the field and snipe the targets from afar. Group C, guard and escort these two boys outside, they are our main priority here. Keep them hostage and near, Koshino. And Group D? Same objective as C. However, Koshino doesn't need them. These girls are the last thing we should worry about. If anything goes out of the plan, save them for our final resort." the man glances over to Nagi then back to the leader of Group D. "Take that woman with you, she's just going to cause trouble."

Nagi cries in pain. Angered, the man shot her a look. "For fucks sake woman, shut the fuck up!" grabbing his gun, he points the tip to Nagi's forehead. The woman could only tremble. "You better stop acting like a maniac or you'll never see the light of day ever again!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Koshino Murizaki, surrender now and return the children back to Tsuyoshi Nishimura. I repeat, surrender and return the children back to Mr. Tsuyoshi Nishimura." up riding a chopper, a member of the federal bureau repeats by the use of a megaphone.

Koshino throws a block of concrete in the air and directly hits the now broken glass window of the chopper. As an act of retaliation, a member of his crew was shot directly in the forehead. "Damn it!" he mutters underneath his breath. His team's numbers had largely decreased and if he continues to fight, there's a high risk of him getting killed. And if he chose to run? There's another chance of him getting ambushed along the way. Tsuyoshi and his dirty tricks. . . he brought along more men than he predicted.

"General!" bang! called Minato who came running from behind trying to hit the chopper's engine. Behind him was another man dragging along Riki and Soul. 

Koshino was in relief. 

The man behind Minato pushed Riki towards his general. Setting the young teen a hostage, he points the tip of his gun under the boy's jaw and looked up to the chopper. "You want me to return his son? Bring him here! Let me and Tsuyoshi settle this. I'm not leaving Korea without a fight!" the man demanded. 

Ni-ki could only keep his eyes shut and take deep breaths. On their way here, some of Koshino's men gave him and Soul a short beating for a trick they recklessly pulled earlier at the mansion. They shrugged off the thought of hesitation and proceeded to try and snatch the gun out of Minato's hand, but failed after two attempts. It almost cost Nina's life.

At the tallest tree located 2 kilometers away from where Koshino is, hid a sniper from Yoshi's team. With target on sight, he brings a finger ready to pull the trigger. "Target spotted. Just give me the signal, Mr. Nishimura and I'll fire-"

"Don't. I know what Koshino wants. Just stay put, and don't do anything unless I give you a sign." Yoshi took of his jacket and came running to Koshino. The sniper sighs, all he head to do is fire and Koshino's gone. Didn't know the chief would take things the hard way. "Let go of my son, you bastard!"

"Dad!"

"Mr. Nishimura!"

Koshino smirks. He shoves Riki off to the sideline and fired bullets towards Tsuyoshi. Yoshi ran and swiftly avoided the bullets. For a man, approaching his fifty's, he was surprised that he could still pull off small tricks without straining his back and experiencing cramps right after. 

Riki watched his father in amazement, who knew he was a man of action? For an old guy, he'll probably do fine. Although, he and Soul better try and come up with a fast plan and help out. There was no way he's going to miss out on the action. . . oh right, Nina and Kitty. He needs to find them asap.

Sitting right under the shade of a tree, Saeyoung and Nina could only stare at the dark horizon. With five men on guard, watching their little movements, there was no way the two could be able to brain storm a plan. Individually, they could come up with one but it's going to be difficult to send a direct message to the other when two pairs of eyes are watching them while the other three where on the look out.

"What's with the smoke coming out over the other side?" one man questioned.

"Probably the college students, Haruyi spotted nearby."

"What for?"

"Camping, you dick-"

The man was interrupted by Nagi who started screaming out of the blue. It has been over an hour and Nagi casually having her daily tantrum was probably even more scarier than the fight going on. She had been shouting non-stop and at the same time, beaten by Koshino's men. The woman knows no control, it started to send shivers up, Nina's spine.

This man named, Naoto pulled Hinagiku by the hair and stabbed her in the arm where she was shot with a dagger. How rude. . . Hinagiku could only scream louder and the next, she was down unconscious. Head bleeding after another man beside Naoto struck her in the forehead with the back of his gun. The two girls would only watch in horror as the man picks up Nagi and turns to their group leader, Ikugi.

"Feel free to kill her, Koshino doesn't need her anymore." before he could even ask, Ikugi beats him to it and gave his member the permission he needed. He wasn't the type to hurt women but after spending one annoying hour with her, Ikugi was sure that Hinagiku was someone to get rid off. Besides, she was no longer important in this mission.

With that being said, the man carried off into the woods in search of a nice spot to kill the woman.

Nina and Saeyoung wanted to stop him but they were too much of a coward to even mention one single word in front of dreadful yakuzas.

"Naoto, Gurasaki, I just received a message from Hiroshi and they need you two to back them up. Ryo, you remain here with me." Naoto and Gurasaki gave a salute to their leader before scurrying off, now leaving two men to guard the girls. 

Unbeknownst to them, Saeyoung has already come up with a plan. Now that it was only Ikugi and Ryo, luck seemed to side with them. . . well that's how she thinks of it. May her plan of action work, though it has it's flaws and doubts. It could somehow be a test of luck and speed but it's better than doing nothing. Now that Nagi's been taken away and Koshino in control, they can't guarantee Ikugi and Ryo would be kind enough to let them run alive.

The Korean girl tugs her friend's sleeve and started to whisper her plan - which was immediately noticed by Ikugi a minute later.

"What's with the whispering? Trying to escape?"

Saeyoung shot them a look. "Since when did monthly period be related to escaping? Why? You interested? Because for sure blood coming out of a girl's vagina is much scarier than. . . that." she points to Ryo who's nose started to bleed.

Ikugi rolls his eyes. Putting his gun down for a while, he grabs a tissue from his pocket. Saeyoung jerks her head and without further ado, Saeyoung stood and jumped right behind Ryo, strangling him. This action alarmed Ikuji but before he could be able to grab the gun and point it  at Saeyoung, Nina was fast enough to pick up a medium-sized stone and ruthlessly pounded his head three times until he finally lost all consciousness.

"Nina!" her friend called from behind. Coming to her aid, the girl gave Ryo a big blow making the stone part into two pieces, and Ryo's head bleeding quite severely. Is he dead? . . . Nina's hands' started to quiver. . . it was a matter of self-defense, right? She's not a murderer. . .

Catching her breath, Saeyoung grabs hold of Nina's shoulders, snapping her out of her daze. "Listen, you did nothing wrong! You had no choice, we don't have time to procrastinate and stay put okay? It's not your fault why they chose to follow a path that could lead them to their deaths." her friend nodded, her eyes screaming fear and lips parted. "Go and find Ni-ki and Soul. Follow the path that leads to that small hill and you'll probably come across Ni-ki's father and his team but be careful! Don't go out in the open and carefully run along the woods and stick beside a tree. We don't know who you'll be encountering first but it's better to play safe and stay on a low profile." Saeyoung stole Ryo's gun and loaded it with the remaining bullets he has left, and gave it to Nina.

"W-Wait, what about you? I'll go with you, we're in this together."

Saeyoung shook her head. "It'll be too risky if you tag along. I will be the one to go after Nagi. Do you want to help? Find a member of the federal bureau then come to rescue us, for sure they didn't take her in that far, right?"

"A-And if you get. . . k-killed you bitch!?" 

"If you'll be able to return alive, then so will I. You're smart Nina, you can survive this." Saeyoung took Ikugi's gun with her and forced a smile. "You trust me right? Then we'll surely meet afterward okay?"

Nina sniffled, she went in and gave her best friend a hug. 

"Go now! . . . . Run!" the japanese-american teen nodded and sprinted off leaving Saeyoung to find and rescue Nagi. She felt hesitant and cold, who knows who's lurking around this area trying to find the perfect time to jump out of the shadows and attack, or maybe even snipe. She picked up Ikugi's gun then proceeded to sought shelter in the forest and did her best to stay hidden behind the trees as she slowly forces her legs to stop shaking and take a step forth to look for Nagi. Seconds turns to minutes, Saeyoung could feel herself shiver at the cold atmosphere, fear swallowing her as a whole, she started to think if she should continue this idea of hers. 

Luck was on her side when she and Nina took down Ikugi and Ryo but being left all alone with a gun that only has one last bullet left for just one shot, the risk of her dying remained high. Plus, she doesn't even know how to shoot. Ironic how she was able to load a gun but can't shoot properly.

The night has grown quiet. A few minutes ago, the presence of war, the smell of blood, and the sound of triggers being pulled were heard and felt even at areas as far as this. Now that it has died down, the girl is stuck between confusion, relief, and concern. She could easily disregard confusion but should she feel relieved because it's all over and Ni-ki's dad emerged victoriously? Or was it Koshino? Concerned because something strange took its place on the battlefield? Or maybe it's herself who she should be concerned about? Either way, it was the negatives that reigned upon her little mind.

Her head shifting from right to left, the young girl froze at her spot when she felt her feet hit something odd. Facing down, fell back down on the ground, a small gasp escaping her lips. She couldn't believe it. . . Hinagiku Aikawa is dead.

Taking a few steps back, Saeyoung felt the hair of her skin stand at the sound of a man chuckling. Shifting her gaze up behind her, her eyes widened at the wicked smirked he had displayed. She knew she was done for. 

"You're so young and pretty. . . but you know what they say. It is always the prettiest flowers first picked up in a beautiful garden." And. . . . . . bang! With the shot taken, the man pushes her body off with the use of his leg and ran off, trying to re-group with his team. 

As she rolls down the hill, her body is ever so light and weak, leaving a nice trail of blood. Dirt and leaves sticking onto her skin, small branches and twigs trying to pierce through her. The young girl grunts. Her chest felt heavy trying to collect as much air as possible to keep herself awake, nevertheless, the bullet began to dig deeper into her left pectoral causing her to feel another level of pain. 

As the pace slows down and finally went to a halt, Saeyoung found herself staring at the starry night sky. Even with her body looking so lifeless and deeply bruised, she felt at peace. The sound of firing guns died down, the sound of gushing water down the stream calms her nerves and the chirping crickets ended it all, making the night look more tranquil and relaxing knowing that her last moments will be spent here. . . alone and cold.

Looks like this is the end. . .

A bitter smile forms on her lips. Guess death arrives in the most unexpected situation. . . the girl releases a sigh. At least her friends are safe now, it's just sad that she wasn't blessed with the opportunity to see her family's faces for the last time. She guesses, leaving quietly and unknowingly was the best form of goodbyes. . . fuck that! Saeyoung herself knows that leaving without bidding a proper goodbye would cause more pain and grief to her loved ones but she was hopeless, she'd probably die on the spot before the medics would come for her aid. The girl expected nothing more. . . accepting her faith was the only thing she could do now.

but you, the love you want

you need to meet someone better than me

and be happy

[ Hope Not - BLACKPINK ]

"I'm so sorry Riki. . . I wish you a happy life" she mutters her last words with a smile. Seconds later, her vision started to blur, her eyes ever so heavy that she couldn't fight to keep herself awake. 

Facing her side, she sees a black cap and a gun lying right beside her but before her eyes could wander where it came from or to whom it belonged, everything went pitch black. With that, Saeyoung was gone.

To our friendship, I will never wave goodbye

- Roh Saeyoung to Nishimura Riki

____________________________________

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No need to rub it in my face, this chapter sucks and I was quite cruel with some of ya'll. . .

I'm so sorry if I couldn't be able to keep my promise and finish the book in the first or second week this month, things came up and I felt drained and lazy the last few days but trust me when I say that the next chapter [ finale ] is already finished and is set to be uploaded tomorrow! 

This is a promise, I'll be sure to keep so stay tuned ;)