In a dimly lit section of the base, Karina stood in front of a heavy punching bag, her fists covered in wraps. Her head hung low as she took a deep breath, focusing her energy and emotions into each punch. With each strike, the bag swung violently, reflecting her state of mind.
Sweat trickled down her forehead and her breathing intensified, drowning out the sound of her fists making contact with the bag. The bag swung back and forth like an opponent she was determined to conquer.
Each punch was a cathartic release, escaping the noise of the world, and all the inner turmoils that raged inside her.
"Karina."
Images of Ryujin flashed before her eyes, the yearning to destroy her emotionally and physically fueled her desire to hone her strength in breaking her down.
"Karina." The voice called out from behind her again.
As she threw her one final punch, the punching bag flew off the hinge, falling to the dusty ground with a loud bang. Her lips parted, drawing in the air that she desperately needed.
"What is it?" The leader said in a low, airy tone.
"She came back." Giselle replied, eyes glued onto the bag on the floor with a fisted-sized crater ripped into the fabric. "But she's severely injured."
Karina spun on her heels slowly, using her forearm to wipe the sweat off her creased eyebrows, "What happened?"
"You should come and see for yourself."
They quickly made their way to the bedroom, the sounds of their footsteps echoing loudly through the hallways. Giselle gripped the doorknob tightly with her head hung low.
"Karina." She said quietly as she took a deep breath, "I know you don't love her, but please show her some compassion."
She nodded and watched as the door gently swung open. Ningning sat beside the bed with Winter sleeping soundly beneath the covers. Karina walked past Giselle to closer observe the injured woman.
"Do we know what happened to her?" The leader asked coldly as she spotted the injuries that blemished her face.
"Not sure. She opened the door and just collapsed." The hacker replied, straightening the blanket.
"How bad are her injuries?" Her eyes locked on Winter's body, scanning for any wounds.
"Really bad." Ningning lifted up the blanket, revealing a bandage wrapped around where her left hand used to be.
Karina immediately shut her eyes tightly, wincing at the awful injury that was inflicted on someone she cared for.
"I took a look at the wound before patching her up." Giselle stood beside the leader, her sight locked on Winter. "It was cauterised as it... was cut off."
She drew in air through her chapped lips before turning to face the door, "Make sure she's okay. We need to be prepared."
"For what, Karina." Ningning said loudly before she looked back at Winter, hoping not to wake her up. "Why are you and Yongsun so deadset on killing Ryujin?!"
"We can't risk her falling into the wrong hands. If she does, she would be a detrimental factor in our downfall. We need to nip the problem in the bud." Karina said sternly, her back facing the hacker.
"Okay, fine. But we can't do anything yet, not when Winter is in this state." She retorted, frustrated with the leader's desperate attempts to carry out the mission. "Look what she did to your girlfriend. Ryujin is far too powerful, we need as many people we can get."
Karina let out an exasperated sigh, knowing that she was right. They needed to wait it out, recuperate and wait for the hitman's most vulnerable moment to strike.
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Over the course of a couple of weeks, Ryujin was able to recover most of her strength with the aid of her friends. She stayed in Yeji's guest bedroom to get her well-deserved rest by reading books and watching TV shows as the photographer completed her assignments and homework. The atmosphere between the two was friendly to say the least, Yeji would always prepare meals as Ryujin helped clean the apartment. Some nights, they'd relish in the comfort of the sofa, watching movies into the late hours of the night.
However, there was still a separation- a fractured wall that neither had the courage to break. Ryujin's guilt continued to consume her whenever the other was near. Her vulnerability was evident when Yeji would check her wounds, ensuring that it was not infected and was healing properly.
Yeji on the other hand, continued to feel pain as a result of Ryujin's actions. Some nights were restless, the idea of having her father's killer on the other side of her apartment left her in conflict, torn between pity and hatred for the hitman. Yes, Ryujin killed the only person that she had left. Hatred and detestation were granted, but the fact that Ryujin was genuinely apologetic and was oblivious to the fact that her victim was her father, she was empathetic.
She couldn't possibly fathom the immense culpability that Ryujin was facing, especially with the fact that she was sociopathic. Yeji knew that what the hitman was experiencing was all too foreign to her, terrifying even.
Maybe she was too forgiving. Or maybe she wanted to fill the Ryujin-sized hole in her heart that had been aching her since she left.
When Ryujin arrived back at her apartment, she took a step into her room. Her desk and shelves were covered in dust, reminding her of the time she resided in her old apartment the night of the confrontation. She dropped her bag beside the door and slowly lay on her bed.
She rested her forearm on her eyes but quickly retracted her arm back due to the slight stinging on her face. The healing process was slower than usual, which surprised her. Chaeryeong deemed it due to the malnutrition due to when she was isolated and it would take time for her to regain her health.
A sudden crash of glass breaking reverberated from the kitchen, Ryujin quickly swung her legs off the bed and sped out of her room. There, she saw Yuna kneeling on the floor, collecting the shards of glass with her hands. The older Shin took two pairs of slippers from her room and wore them before walking into the kitchen.
"Clumsy." The hitman mumbled as she passed the second pair of slippers to the younger.
Yuna looked up at her sister and hesitantly accepted the slippers and wore them. Ryujin recognised the nervousness from her, so she took a step back and began collecting the pieces.
A moment of silence passed between the sisters, neither of them had any idea how to address the issue that had been lingering in their minds. Ryujin would take small glances at her sister, noticing the dark circles beneath her eyes, assuming that Yuna hadn't been sleeping properly for a while.
"How's the cut?"
Ryujin's sight immediately darted over to her, watching Yuna concentrating on cleaning.
"It's okay."
"With your lifetime of experience, I expected you to not get hurt." Yuna joked dryly as she poured some of the glass into the trash bag.
"I guess clumsiness runs in the family."
The sisters chuckled quietly amongst themselves as they finished cleaning the shards. Once they finished cleaning, they both leaned on the cabinets beside each other.
"Ryujin, why didn't you tell me what happened after I woke up?" Yuna asked genuinely, peeking at her sister beside her.
"Witnessing a murder isn't something anyone would want to encounter, Yuna." The older said, fidgeting with her fingers. "Especially when it's your older sister killing our father."
"Why did you do it?" She asked inquisitively.
"Two reasons. First, because I didn't want him to hurt you." Ryujin sighed as she shut her eyes. "Secondly, because I wanted to."
Yuna furrowed her brows, "What do you mean?"
"Just... I wanted to."
The kitchen was filled with a heavy silence, Yuna then mustered the courage to speak her mind.
"Stop being a hitman, Ryu." Her voice was quiet yet firm, "I can't bear to see you get hurt anymore."
Ryujin's gaze remained fixed on the fridge in front of her, "It's the only thing I know. I've been doing it for so long, how could I just drop the only thing that I'm good at?"
Yuna's expression softened with a mixture of sadness and determination. She knew her sister well, but she had watched her change over the years, watched her become someone who was shrouded in a world of shadows.
"I'm not asking you to change overnight, but I want you to consider it." Yuna said gently, reaching over to Ryujin's hand that was on her lap. "For your own sake, I mean, look what happened."
Ryujin's hand tightened around Yuna's, her grip tight as she massaged the back of her hand. "I can't walk away, Yuna. I-... There's still things I need to sort out."
"I'd be lying if I say that I don't enjoy this. I do. But after everything that happened- all the pain I caused to the people around me... I'm tired." Ryujin admitted, looking back over at her sister who gave her a look of relief.
"Yeah, I figured." Yuna mumbled, "But I have to admit, you're a badass."
A small smile tugged at the corners of Ryujin's lips as Yuna's attempt to lighten the mood succeeded in momentarily lifting the weight that had settled in the kitchen. "Like killing people aside, you really know how to kick ass."
"You always know how to lift the mood, don't you?" She replied, a hint of playfulness in her tone. It was moments like these, when Yuna's lightheartedness managed to break through the darkness, that reminded Ryujin of the bond they shared.
"Well, someone's got to keep you on your toes, right? Plus, you've always had that 'don't fuck with me' vibe." Yuna grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Ryujin chuckled softly, her shoulders relaxing as the heaviness in the room began to dissipate, "I guess I do have a reputation to maintain."
The younger Shin's grin widened as she nudged Ryujin playfully. "Fuck yeah, you do. But I can beat your ass any day."
The hitman raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of her lips, "Oh really? You think you can take me down, huh?"
Yuna's smile didn't waver as she glared at her confidently, "Hell yeah, with my long limbs and your height, I can beat your ass."
Ryujin's mouth dropped before laughing genuinely amused by her sister's determination, "Alright then, you're on. Little rat..."
Without hesitation, Yuna tackled her sister to the ground. Ryujin immediately burst into laughter as Yuna's fingers danced across her sides, the unexpected attack catching her off guard. She squirmed and tried to wiggle away, but Yuna was relentless, her giggles blending with Ryujin's infectious laughter.
"AHHH!!! Get off me, rat!!" Ryujin screamed out, tears filling in her eyes as Yuna showed no mercy.
"NEVER!!"
Chaeryeong entered the kitchen with a playful smile, her eyes catching the scene of Yuna and Ryujin's battle. Her smile filled with relief that everything was slowly returning back to normal. As soon as she heard snorting coming from the older Shin, she decided to announce her presence.
"What's going on in here?" The blue-haired woman stepped over the sisters as she went to get a glass from the cupboard.
Yuna looked up from her tickle attack, her grin mischievous, "Just showing Ryujin that I can beat her ass any day of the week."
Ryujin managed to catch her breath, "H-help me, Chaer!!"
Chaeryeong raised both her hands up, "I can't interfere in sibling rivalry"
Ryujin's laughter had turned into a mixture of giggles of pleas for mercy, "Okay, okay, I surrender!" she screamed in between breaths.
Yuna finally relented, releasing her sister from the tickle attack, "And once again, victory is mine!!" she declared, throwing her arms up in triumph.
"Bro..." The older Shin exhaled out as she caught her breath, unable to wipe the smile off her face, "We need a rematch."
"Sore loser, ROUND TWO RIGHT NOW!!" Yuna yelled with determination.
"NO ROUND TWO!!" Chaeryeong yelled back before the kitchen became a warzone.
note:
okay okay, i'm sorry about the irregular updates~
since oppenheimer and barbie came out, i've been working a lot more and gaaaaaah it's tiring..
honestly, i think i like oppenheimer more than barbie, but damn, both great movies lmaoo