Ji Ah didn't exactly expect her birthday to go the way it did.

It started off fine. She took the day off at the clinic, snuggled up underneath multiple blankets, and watched a few k-dramas while feasting on various foods. By 4 in the afternoon, she was ready to be productive.

She tossed her food to the side and got off of the couch, letting out a long stretch. She walked to the front door and reluctantly slipped on her gray bomber jacket she'd left lying on the floor. She flung open the front door and began a mental checklist of what she needed at the supermarket.

The market was only a ten minutes away, leaving Ji Ah to reasonably decide it was best to just walk. It wasn't too cold out, and it didn't look like it was going to storm. Besides, she could really use the exercise. 

Ji Ah strolled down the sidewalk, headphones in her ears. She danced along to the music and tried to enjoy herself.

She entered the grocery store dancing and grinning, but suddenly encountered an old acquaintance, and the mood was killed.

As she checked out, her eyes wandered to the tv up front that was displaying the news. The headline read, "EXO, gang, once again is released due to lack of evidence."

This had been a normal occurrence, unfortunately for every law enforcer in the country. Korea had first heard of EXO when lead politician, Choi Se Jun, had been murdered at 35. There had been a number of gangs and mobs in Korea, but none have made an appearance this big, an appearance involving assassinating a political figure. After a police investigation, a witness came forward, saying the culprits were a well known gang called EXO, and that they killed Se Jun. Although this was a good lead, it was never enough evidence to get the twelve of them acquitted. As more important figures fell, their names spread, and they were the prime suspects and the talk of all major news outlets. But without the right evidence, they kept getting released.

Ji Ah sighed, exiting the store. Maybe she should've majored in law enforcement instead of health and medicine and finally condemned EXO. The police should've been able to do it by now, especially if their kill count had supposedly risen to over 20 well protected politicians.

Ji Ah wandered back up the street, stuffing her headphones in her pocket. Her expired Spotify premium trial and the unexpected meetup had destroyed her mood, despite it being her birthday.

Just as she reached the crosswalk, she heard a muffled shout behind her. She stopped dead in her tracks, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Be smart, Ji Ah. Put that GPA to good use, please.

But she wasn't as logical as anyone thought, because she backtracked to investigate.

The noise came from an alley on her right. Her hands grazed the red bricks as she peered over the corner. She leaned in, trying to see the people above the rusted green trash cans.

Heart pounding, she counted three men, four if she were to count the one on the ground clutching his stomach in pain. She winced as she noticed the deep gash along his cheek.

The three standing were dressed in black, one was wearing leather and multiple lip rings, the other was wearing black pants and army boots, topped with a jacket with a red dragon on the back, and the last was wearing a red shirt with a sweatshirt on top with black ripped jeans.

Then it hit her.

The lip rings. She'd seen them all over the news. They belonged to Baekhyun, a known member of EXO. One of the few they'd managed to get visuals on.

She scrambled inside her purse for her phone, desperately trying to get a video. She quickly found it underneath the piles of receipts and opened the camera app.

Scalpel [EXO Gang AU] DISCONTINUEDWhere stories live. Discover now