2019.
I wasn't sure how much time had passed. Just because Hyun-suk had agreed to meet with me did not mean that they let up. They all had their reasons to hate me considering the way I had gone up against them over and over again. I didn't blame them, but that didn't mean I was happy about it.
My biggest fear wasn't dying. I knew that in the life that I lived, death was always a possibility. I had come to terms with that a long time ago and made my peace with it. What scared me was the thought of dying without being able to say goodbye to Jisoo. She would never be able to understand why I had done what I had done. Even if Amelie did explain it to her, it wouldn't have made anything better. I knew how damaging it could be to suddenly lose people that you cared about. Especially when it happened with no warning.
It didn't matter. I had no intention of allowing myself to die before exacting my plan on Hyun-suk. Nor did they intend on killing me—doing so would not be taken well by their boss, especially since he was flying out to see me.
Of course, that didn't mean they planned on taking it easy on me. Clearly that was not the case.
I utilized every technique that I had learned over my years of experience to keep myself alive and sane. It didn't matter if you showed pain—it mattered if you let it break you. There was no shame in admitting pain. There was no point in pretending to be tough. It could be a useful tool at times if you wanted to unnerve your adversary, but in situations like this, it was pointless.
I stayed focused on Jisoo, on the girls. I recalled my happiest memories with them. I thought about what the future would bring and how wonderful it would be to finally be free of the shadows of everything that had plagued us for so long.
If I could just... hold out... a little longer.
I already knew I would be able to—the trick now was just actually doing it. I wondered what Amelie was thinking. I wondered how many times she had needed to convince herself to not come charging in. I imagined that since she could tell that no one had permanently left the building, she wasn't that worried yet.
Yet.
I could only imagine what was going through Jisoo's head. This had taken far longer than I had anticipated, which meant she had probably left America at this point. There was no way she thought that I had just disappeared again, but surely she realized that something had happened.
In either case, I swore to myself that once this was done, nothing would separate us again. This was the last time.
For now, all I could do was hold on and pray that time came soon. I needed her now more than ever.
---
Jisoo.
I felt guilty, but it couldn't be helped. I needed to do something and this was the only option that was still open to me. I didn't tell the girls what I was doing either, which only increased my guilt, but I didn't have a choice. Yoongi was my only hope at that point. I knew Lisa wouldn't be happy if she found out I was dragging Jungkook's friends into this again, but I had to.
I just had to.
Luckily, we were all on the same page on at least one thing. The girls agreed to help me buy a little more time in America before we needed to leave. It was necessary if I wanted to launch a rescue operation.
It only took Yoongi a day to get here. He sounded jetlag on the phone, but he promised me he was ready to go. He wanted me to meet him at a nearby hotel—one that was deliberately old and rundown. I promised him I could slip away from the YG people and make it to him in a few minutes.
I kept good on my promise. I had a lot of practice sneaking away from people who wanted to keep an eye on me, and this time was just as easy as any of the others.
The hotel he had picked was small and dirty and... to be honest, it was perfect. No one would think to find him or me there for any reason. I knocked lightly on the rusted door. I could hear someone moving on the other side, no doubt Yoongi checking through the peephole.
The door opened and he ushered me in.
On the inside of the room were two laptops and some other equipment I didn't recognize, along with a black duffle bag on the bed.
<I've been working on tracking his phone,> Yoongi said. I had given him the number when I had called him so he could get a head start. <He hasn't used it in a few days, probably since right before whatever happened.>
That made sense and it confirmed what I was almost already sure about—that something had happened to him and that he hadn't just left again.
<What about tracking it?>
<That's a little trickier. I tried my best, but I could only get a general area.>
I bit my lip. That wasn't good. If we couldn't find him, then Yoongi being here wouldn't even mean anything. He must have seen the look on my face, because he continued quickly.
<But I had an idea. I thought maybe if I could track Amelie's phone, then maybe that could give us somewhere to start.>
My heart jumped. I hadn't considered that. I didn't have any way to contact her, and she had never been my biggest fan anyway. To be fair, I hadn't been hers either.
<Did you find anything? And how did you get her number?>
<Oliver gave it to me before I left the last time. And... yes. It might not lead us right to him, but it gives us something to work with.>
<So now what?> I asked.
He looked at me blankly. <Now you wait here while I head off and take care of this. I have a radio here for you to communicate with me. It's more secure than a phone and more reliable too.>
<Wait here?> I could hear my voice rising indignantly. <What?! Then what was the point of me meeting you!>
<You're not coming with me,> he said with calm finality, walking over the duffle bag and starting to pull out equipment and weapons.
<Then what happens if something goes wrong?> I protested. <What will you do then?>
<You don't need to worry about that,> he said. <Everything will be fine.>
<You don't know that! You don't know how many times I have heard that same thing, over and over! How am I supposed to believe that anymore?> I was shouting, but I didn't care. There wasn't time to pretend to be calm. For all I knew, Ollie could be in danger right now.
Yoongi looked at me and I could see his annoyance hidden under his veil of calm.
<Let me go with you,> I said, lowering my voice. <I'll do whatever you tell me to. But don't leave me here to wait. I can't bear it. Not again.>
I thought of all the times I had been left before, of all the times I had spent wondering if Ollie would be okay. I thought about the injuries he had sustained while trying to protect—and eventually, while trying to do the right thing. I knew how he thought of himself—I knew how conflicted he was about the kind of person he had become.
But I knew that he was a good man. That no matter how far gone he thought he was, there was redemption waiting for him. All he had to do was accept it.
Yoongi sighed. <You have to promise to do whatever I say, no matter what it is. If I tell you to leave, you leave. If I tell you to hide, you hide. Do you understand?>
I opened my mouth to answer, but he cut me off. <There are no exceptions. There is no argument. You either accept this or you leave.>
<Okay!> I said. <I promise!>
He looked at me sternly for a moment before reaching into the bag and pulling something out. It was a gun, a small one, one that someone could hold in one hand. He reached out and offered it to me.
<What is this?> I asked, not understanding.
<This is going to be dangerous. I'll take the risks, but I want you to be armed just in case.>
I looked at it with apprehension. I had no training and only the smallest amount of knowledge as to how a gun worked. <I... don't know how,> I said.
He smiled, but it was a kind smile, not a condescending one. <I know. This one's easy. Point and shoot. This is the safety. Don't ever aim it unless you plan on using it. And don't ever plan on using it unless you have no other choice.>
I took it from him and was surprised at how heavy it was. I hefted it up and down. <Okay,> I said, trying to hide the fear that had suddenly filled my gut. <Got it.>
<It's okay,> he said, seemingly understanding what I was feeling. <You won't have to.>
I nodded. Of course. He would take care of everything. I would just be there if anything went wrong.
<Thank you,> I said.
He looked at me questioningly. <For the gun?>
<No,> I said. <For being here.>
His face softened. <Of course. We're going to find him. I promise you.>
---
Jisoo.
The drive to the place he had tracked the phone to was quiet and tense. I didn't know what to say to him, and he didn't seem interested in saying much to me. I wondered what was going through his head, if he regretted coming at all. I wanted to ask him how this had happened, where he had gotten these skills from. He had told Oliver that it was from his past, that he hadn't always been an idol, but that still left me with so many questions.
Now wasn't the time for questions though. It was the time for action. We needed to get there, and we needed to get there quickly.
Yoongi drove like he was possessed, speeding whenever possible, taking shortcuts that I would have never noticed. But even at the speed he was driving, it still felt too slow. The minutes passed like hours, and I found myself holding my breath.
<You love him,> he said to me as we drove. The words were so unexpected that I didn't even know how to respond at first. Eventually, I found my answer.
<I... it's complicated,> I said, but even I could tell how weak of an answer that was.
<If it was complicated, then you wouldn't be with me right now. I might not even be here. You wouldn't have called me. It's not complicated. You love him.> He never took his eyes off the road, but it felt like he was staring into my soul.
<I...> I hadn't said it out loud in so long.
<It's okay,> he said. <I know things didn't go the way you intended. Jin told me what happened mostly, and I put the rest of it together. You don't have to say anything. But take it from me, don't wait too long. You never know when you're not going to get another chance.>
I thought of what would happen if we found Ollie and he was dead. My heart broke just thinking of it. I would regret it for the rest of my life, I knew it.
I swallowed. <I... should have said something.>
<Well, now you know. You don't have to live with that regret. Just keep that in mind for when you see him.>
<I was too harsh,> I said, feeling despair. <I should have been more understanding. That wasn't fair to him.>
Yoongi shook his head. <You know it's not that simple. You followed your heart. He doesn't blame you for it, so you shouldn't blame yourself.>
I smiled. <It's one thing to say that...>
<And something else to do it,> he finished. <I know. But you have to try or else you'll drive yourself crazy.>
<I guess so,> I said. <Will he forgive me?>
Yoongi shook his head. <You're looking at it wrong. There's nothing to forgive. You never did anything that you shouldn't have.>
I nodded slowly. <I guess. It's just hard knowing what I know now.>
<That's life,> said Yoongi. <Sometimes you regret things, but you can't let that regret direct what comes next. Look at Oliver. He's let regret direct almost his entire life. It wasn't until he met you that he started to allow things to turn around again.>
<That's not true,> I protested, blushing. <It was the other girls too.>
He shrugged. <Sure. But you know that in the end, it really came down to you. You were the one who made the biggest difference.>
<How?>
He thought for a moment. <I don't know him as well as you do or as well as the other girls, but I think it was because you showed him that he could still be loved. Once you accept that sort of thing into your life, it can change everything.>
I considered the possibility that I could have had such a large effect on his life. He had said it before, but I had never truly taken it to heart, mostly because it seemed impossible that I could do something like that. I was just Kim Jisoo. I was just a girl who was lucky enough to be able to sing. There wasn't anything special about me.
But that wasn't what he had always told me, was it? Maybe it was time I started listening.
<I have a lot to say to him,> I whispered. <A lot that I should have told him earlier.>
Yoongi nodded and I felt the car speed up a little more. <You can tell him soon,> he said. <We're almost there.>
---
Oliver.
I knew before anyone said anything that Hyun-suk had arrived. I could tell in the way that the guards were acting, the nervousness that was apparent in the way they carried themselves. No one wanted to screw up in front of the boss. Not that it would matter if everything went according to my plan. Soon there would be no boss left to screw up in front of.
The room wasn't cleared, but the men were now mostly standing off to the side. My plan was to get Hyun-suk to send them out of the room. I didn't think it would be difficult. There were plenty of things he would not want the standard goons hearing, and it wouldn't be hard for me to remind him of that.
He walked in and looked me over, then started laughing.
<You've fallen far, Oliver James,> he said when he managed to get his laughter under control. <It's a shame this is what it had to come to.>
<It didn't have to,> I said. <You made this happen.>
He shrugged off my comment. <People like you will never understand.>
<That's funny,> I managed to say. <I was going to say the same thing to you.>
Speaking hurt. In fact, just about everything hurt, including breathing. But if it all went according to plan, then this would be over soon. I imagined that Amelie was preparing herself to come in, since she had likely seen Hyun-suk enter.
If she hadn't, that was fine. I could handle it myself. I had prepared for that.
<What was so important that you needed me to come all the way out here?> Hyun-suk asked after a moment.
<Ah,> I muttered. <That.>
His face darkened. <Don't screw with me.>
<I wouldn't. I never have. You remember the last time I had something important to tell you, don't you? Both Jisoo and I did. You were glad to hear that, weren't you?>
<You disrespectful little punk!> he growled stepping forward and raising a hand.
I started to laugh. <After all this time, you think you can threaten me? After everything that your men did to me, you think I'm scared of you? I know what's going on here. I know what you were trying to do. And unless you want all of your men to know as well, I suggest you have them leave the room.>
Hyun-suk's face took on a nervous tinge. He glanced around then waved a hand. The men hesitated. <Are you sure, boss?> one of them asked. <He's dangerous.>
<He's half dead and tied to a chair! How dangerous could he be? Yes, I'm sure!> His face was now full of anger. The men slowly backed out of the room looking doubtful.
After they left, Hyun-suk spun back to me. <What? What is it? How can you ruin my life more?>
<Me?> I started laughing again. <Ruin your life? You amaze me.>
<I'll kill you,> he said. <I swear to God, I'll do it.>
<I don't care,> I said. <Don't you get it? I don't care if you kill me. I never did. You can't threaten me with anything because I know what your plan is. You were going to give the girls to the Syndicate as your ticket into their organization. You'd be set for life. Think about how much money the four of them could bring in from an auction. The Syndicate would be glad to have you. And you got the idea from her being kidnapped, didn't you? You think you're clever. You think you have some master plan. But there's nothing special about you. You're just another small man, pretending to be a god.>
There was dried blood all over me, every part of my body ached, and I knew what I looked like. But even so, I couldn't help but taunt him. Because the words I were saying weren't empty bluster. They were true.
<We'll see who's laughing when this is all over,> he said. <Because I don't think you'll be making any noises at all. Now what? What is it that's so important? What sort of scheme have you worked out this time?>
I let my head sag, pretending that I needed to catch my breath before I continued speaking. Truthfully, I was only half-pretending. My speech had taken a lot of wind out of me.
He stepped closer to hear me.
<The Syndicate isn't playing by the same rules that you are,> I whispered.
He frowned. <What does that mean?>
I took a deep breath. <It means...>
He took another step.
Just one more, you heartless bastard.
<It means that they won't...>
He took the step. I didn't finish my sentence. I didn't have to. I had been preparing for this moment since I had gotten here.
I did what I had been trained to do.
To escape the bonds that tied me to the chair, I broke my wrist, ignoring the flash of pain that radiated upwards as I did so. I launched myself forward, still tied by my legs to the chair, crashing into Hyun-suk. I heard shouting coming from below us—someone, probably Amelie, had just entered.
Hyun-suk and I slammed into the ground. I pushed myself up and then threw myself backwards, making it so that the chair I was tied to slammed into the ground. The wood that comprised the chair shattered, and I was free.
Hyun-suk was scrambling back to his feet, and I could see him drawing a gun from the inside of his suit. I threw myself to the sound and every shot missed. The pain from what I had experienced was everywhere, threatening to push me into unconsciousness, but I forced myself to ignore it. There would be time for that later.
<Stay back!> he shouted. Then, in the next breath, he called out, <Guards! Quickly!>
I could hear gunshots below us now and I wondered if Amelie had run into more trouble than she had expected. <You're going to die, you son of a bitch,> I growled, trying not to wince. It felt like I had at least one cracked rib.
<Shut up and lay down,> he declared, firing at me again. <Stand still so I can put you out of your misery.> But it was clear that he had no experience with firearms, because every shot missed when he should have perforated me multiple times over.
I charged at him as fast as I could, and I saw the fear in his eyes. He fired, panicking, forcing me to dodge, then turned and ran out of the room.
I moved to follow him, only nearly run straight into two guards who entered as he left. They had their weapons out, but I was too close to them for it to matter. Before they even had a chance to aim, I was on them.
It was already obvious that my fighting skill was going to be significantly lessened by the past couple of days. I didn't bother with fancy disabling moves or any particular style of combat. Instead, I barreled into them like an animal, throwing wild haymaker punches.
My method of attack was so unexpected that I had both men on the floor in an instant. I delivered a swift kick to each of them, sending them into unconsciousness, and causing their guns to go scattering.
I picked up one of the firearms, checked the chamber, and stepped out of the room, worried that I had already given Hyun-suk too much of a head start.
Outside, chaos appeared to be unfolding. Guards were running to destinations that I was unaware of, shouting orders at each other in Korean. The gunshots were getting closer. My head spun and I saw Hyun-suk heading for a set of stairs on the far end. It seemed like we were in some sort of abandoned parking garage. I doubted the elevators were in commission and I breathed a silent prayer of thanks. Had he gotten on an elevator, I never would have managed to catch up to him.
I sprinted across the empty parking deck as fast as I could, ignoring the pandemonium that was happening. Most of the guards seemed to leave me alone, perhaps because I wasn't currently firing a gun at any of them.
My luck ran out once I got to the stairs and three armed men in suits charged at me.
I don't have time for this.
I raised the gun and realized that it was going to be difficult, if not impossible, for me to take all three of them down before one of them shot me. And in the meantime, Hyun-suk was heading down the stairs, no doubt for a getaway vehicle that would once again take him out of my reach.
Those thoughts crossed my mind in less than a second. But before anything else could occur, someone dropped down from the level above on the parking deck, landing directly next to where the men were standing.
It was Amelie, armed with two handguns. She was already firing, blowing away the three guards before they had a chance to react.
Then I had a thought.
If she's here... then who's below us?
I had assumed that she had been the one causing chaos, but as it turned out, that wasn't the case. Suddenly I had a sinking feeling.
"Who else is here?" I asked her as we made for the stairs.
She looked at me. "You thought that was me? Really? As if I would let them see me come in."
"It did seem a little amateurish."
Her eyes roved up and down my body. "You look like hell," she said.
"Thanks," I grumbled. "But yeah. That'll happen."
"Are you okay?"
"While I appreciate your concern, now is not the time. He's getting away and we need to move!"
I didn't need to tell her twice. She exploded into action alongside me and we took off in the direction that Hyun-suk had gone, racing down the stairs as fast as we possibly could. That meant of course that we were now headed to where the gunshots had been coming from. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I had a bad feeling it didn't mean anything good.
When we came running off the stairs, what I saw stopped me in my tracks.
Hyun-suk was there, and he wasn't alone. With him were a number of guards—some standing, some on the ground bleeding out, having clearly been shot.
But that wasn't what was most surprising to me. What truly stunned me was the identity of the shooters—or possibly, shooters. There were two of them, both of them with cloth bandanas tied around the lower half of their faces, but even so, I could easily tell who they were. Especially one of them, who I knew better than most people.
Yoongi and Jisoo were standing there, both holding guns, their weapons pointed across the parking garage at Hyun-suk and his men. The problem was that they were stuck in a standoff, as the YG guards had their weapons drawn and aimed too.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice sounding like it was coming from very far away. This was something I had not expected. She had come all the way here, and even recruited Yoongi to come with her. How had they even found me? How had they known where to go?
And there was another voice, a quieter one, one whispering in the back of my head that I couldn't kill Hyun-suk now, because if I did, she would see me do it, and that wasn't something that I could do in front of her.
Hyun-suk laughed, a loud hysterical laugh. <You didn't even know? Oh, that's funny. Couldn't even trust her enough to tell her what your plan was?>
<Your plan?> Jisoo asked, looking past the YG men to me. <What does he mean?>
I shook my head. <I don't know.>
Hyun-suk raised an eyebrow and lowered his gun to turn and face me. <You don't know? Don't play dumb. I see what you did now. It was painfully obvious and I'm frankly embarrassed to have fallen for it.>
<Shut up,> I said, brandishing my gun.
<I don't think so,> said Hyun-suk. <Don't you want to explain it to her? Tell her what you were going to do?>
I knew what he was attempting. He wanted to split us apart again—in the moment at least, it would give him enough time to run and escape. I wasn't that worried about what she would think. She might have been mad at first, but I had no doubt in my mind that she would forgive me quickly. After all, I hadn't really done anything.
I lifted the gun higher, making sure it was aimed at his head.
Some of the YG guards did the same—half aimed at Jisoo and Yoongi, half aimed at Amelie and me.
<Your little boyfriend let himself get caught,> said Hyun-suk. He glanced over my injured, tortured appearance. <I wonder if he regrets that now.>
<Why would he do that?> Jisoo demanded. <Stop spouting nonsense.>
Where had she gotten the gun? Had Yoongi given it to her? What had he even been thinking? I was annoyed until I remembered how stubborn she was. There was no way to convince her to not do something once she had set her mind to it.
<Because he wanted to kill me,> Hyun-suk said with obvious satisfaction. <Isn't that right? He thought he was so tough and so clever—dealing with all that torture, tricking me into coming all this way. Just so he could put a bullet in my skull.>
<Shut up,> I growled. I saw the way Jisoo was looking at me, and I didn't like it. <Shut up right now.>
<Why? Ashamed of the truth?>
That was the last straw. Something in me snapped. I was tired of it all, tired of everything. Tired of being taunted, tired of waiting for something that never felt like it was coming.
So I moved.
It was stupid, I knew. I had every chance of being shot and killed on the spot. But I couldn't hold myself back any longer. This was the closest I had ever come to ending it all and I wasn't going to waste my chance.
The guards opened fire, and the ones that were aiming at Jisoo and Yoongi turned to point their weapons at me. Amelie threw herself to the side while Jisoo and Yoongi did the same, attempting to find cover behind one of the pillars holding up the ceiling of the floor we were on.
A hail of bullets missed me as I dove, rolled, and came up in the middle of the armed guards. Despite the pain, the bruises, and possible fractures, I became a whirlwind, lashing out with whatever strength and speed I had left in me. I needed to disarm as many of them as I possibly could in as short a time as possible.
I was silent, my face a grimace of pain as my fists and legs connected with my targets, sending them crashing to the ground. I heard the crunch of a nose breaking as I slammed one man into the concrete, and the crack of a wrist snapping as I grabbed a gun and twisted.
I realized then that Yoongi had thrown himself into the fray too, and was laying out the rest of the men with a speed and precision that shocked me. I could only guess where he had developed these skills.
It was over in less than a minute. Hyun-suk remained standing, his hands shaking, the gun trembling in his grasp. Yoongi stepped back from what we had done and returned to where Jisoo was standing. She stepped out from behind the pillar.
Hyun-suk, who was now visibly terrified, raised his gun to me. <Stay back!>
I slapped it out of his hand so fast that he didn't have a chance to react. <Shut up.>
<You're not going to kill me,> he said, but the tone of his voice indicated that he wasn't confident in that statement. <You won't do it.>
<Try me,> I said, advancing on him. <Give me one reason why I shouldn't? I know what you were planning to do. I know what you've done. And once you're gone, maybe your company will be able to operate with a shred of decency.>
<You won't kill me because then she'll see you do it,> said Hyun-suk. <And what would you do then?>
I glanced back at Jisoo, who had taken off her half-mask and was looking at me with wide eyes. I couldn't read her expression at all.
<Maybe I don't care,> I said. <Maybe I'm just tired of this game and I want it all to end. And maybe I want her safe and this is the only way to do it!>
I stepped forward and pressed the gun into Hyun-suk's forehead. My trigger finger itched. One pull of a muscle was all it would take to send him to hell and to end this nightmare. There was no reason to hesitate. There was nothing stopping me. The police were obviously not coming—perhaps he had bought off or maybe the acoustics of the building had swallowed the noise, but at this point, the time had already passed.
<Have anything else to say?> I asked. <Because if not, I think we're done here.>
<Wait.>
But it wasn't Hyun-suk who spoke. It was Jisoo.
Yoongi reached out to stop her, but she shrugged off his grasp as she approached Hyun-suk and me. <Don't,> she said. <Don't do it.>
I looked at her as if she was insane. <What? You can't be serious. After what he did... after what he was planning to do!>
She was standing next to me now, looking up at me. The gun was still in her hand, but it was pointed downwards, and I could see that the safety was on. I wondered if she had ever turned it off.
<This isn't who you are,> she said softly. <You're not a killer.>
I pushed the gun harder into Hyun-suk's forehead. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter.
<Yes, it is,> I insisted. <This is what I've always been. Nothing's changed. I'm still me. And this is what it's going to take to keep you safe. To keep Jennie and Rosé and Lisa safe. He has to die. This won't be over until he's dead.>
<It doesn't have to be like that.> She wasn't pleading with me. She wasn't telling me what to do. She was... stating her truth. Telling me how she felt. She had taken a stand. <You can change.>
<I can't. Amelie was right. As long as I live in this world, this is what I have to do.> My words were firm, my voice was strong, but inside, I was... was I wavering? Was my voice only this strong because I was trying to pretend.
<No one can tell you who to be,> Jisoo said, putting her hand on my arm. <Only you can decide that. Not me, not him, not Amelie. No one.>
My hand was starting to shake. The gun felt heavier than ever. <This... this is the only way. This is the only way I can be sure. We'll never get a chance like this again, don't you get it? I have to!>
Her voice was solemn. <If that's what you have to do, then I understand. I can't tell you what to do."
It felt like a turning point. It felt like we were about to throw ourselves off a cliff without any idea what was beneath us. This was the moment where everything would change.
<I just want you to know,> she said. <There's... something I have to tell you.>
I turned my head to look at her and our eyes met.
"I love you," she said in English. "I love you so much. I have for a long time. I should have told you before... but now you know. I love you, Oliver James."
I stared at her, unable to speak.
"I pick you," she continued. "I think... I always did. I want to be with you."
My hand was now trembling violently. "Jisoo... I..."
"You don't have to answer," she said. "I just... wanted to say."
The gun fell from my hand. Hyun-suk took a terrified step backwards and almost fell to the ground. I turned my attention fully to Jisoo. "I love you too. I pick you."
I embraced her fully, pulling her head into my chest. I felt tears welling in my eyes. She had always, always believed in me, and I had been so willing to just throw that belief away. Not again. Never again. We would find an ending on our own, and we would do it our way.
Behind us, Yoongi kicked the gun away from Hyun-suk's grasp and made sure the CEO wouldn't be going anywhere.
I kissed Jisoo deeply and the rest of the world disappeared for a moment. This was my choice. I chose her and our future together. I didn't have to be what I had been in the past. I could be someone new. I could make something new. And I could do it with her.
<I'm here with you now,> I whispered to her. <I'm never going away. Not ever again.>
She didn't speak, only pulled herself closer to me. In a moment, we would find a way to end all of this. But for now, we could just enjoy the embrace and fully experience the depth of our love.
A/N: It's hard to believe there's only one chapter left. I've spent months with these characters, working almost every day on this story, and it's a strange feeling to recognize the end is almost here. This was probably the most important chapter in the whole story. The next chapter will wrap up some loose-ends and give you a look at the future, but the bulk of the story ends here. I really couldn't be happier with the way this story turned out. It was far bigger and far more work than I anticipated, but it was worth every minute.
Thank you for reading! If you've stuck around all this time or you're just discovering it for the first time, I am so happy that you're here.
Remember, there will be a third arc, but it will be much shorter and much simpler.
I am starting to think about what long term story I'll be working on next.... but I think first I might take some time off.
Thank you for reading, and remember to support the girls!