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Y/N's POV:
We sprinted down the walkway, the wooden planks clacking under our feet. I could hear the ocean waves crashing into the cliff face from here, even if I couldn't yet see it from the trees blocking my view.
"Y/N," said Jaeyun beside me, puffs of mist clouding with every breath. "How did Myungho know to come to that accounting place? It wasn't because Deok-su told him, was it."
I hesitated. Jaeyun was smart, and I knew he wouldn't believe me if I tried to play it off innocently. Even though Myungho had never told him anything, I wondered if Jaeyun had suspected something for a while.
"I think you should talk to Myungho and your brother when this is all over—"
The six of us ducked when we heard a shot echo through the biting air.
"Myungho!" called out a panicked-sounding Gyeo-wool just behind us, but I snapped my head back as Minho covered her mouth.
"Listen," he whispered.
The wind snatched many words, though two familiar voices could be heard.
"Wasted the last one..." called Myungho. "...think I know another reason...didn't want you in Dragon business. You couldn't shoot a bullseye in front of your face Chang—"
"Think I need this to kill you?...I don't recall shooting....what's his name? That teammate of yours...how's his head doing?"
That retort would've riled Myungho beyond reason so I scrambled up, dashed forward and around the winding rockside until coming out to the cliff's peak. I heard Jaeyun and the others right behind me.
"Myungho stop!" I shouted. Far closer to the edge than us, if Myungho tried to beat Changhoon, who still had his gun, someone would either get shot or they'd fall over the edge and hit the rocky, turbulent waters.
Both of them froze before turning back to see us. Myungho's expression was clearly surprised. A cut under his jaw was bleeding, and scrapes and bruising mottled his arms.
"Y/N? Jae—"
But I interrupted him. Hopefully this would reel Myungho back. "Seungheon, Yoonsung and Yeonseok are fine."
"Seungie's gonna make a full recovery," pitched in Jaeyun. "Doctor said so. He's okay, Myung-ah."
Myungho looked between us, still shocked like he thought that any good news was just a pipe dream.
I wanted to hug him and tell him it was okay.
"We just got a call from Jaeyun's dad!" I continued, competing with the ocean waves and wind. "Yeonseok's surgery went well too. He should wake up any day. And the doctors will wake up Yoonsung when he's rested enough!"
"But the news report," said Myungho, barely audible, looking haunted.
"It's not what you think." Mrs Jung had explained the circumstances as Haemin had told them to her. Before...it had happened. Haemin's mother had been so sweet in asking for me to help out. I didn't want to recall it so soon, unable to quell my feelings of guilt, but if it meant that Myungho would finally realise that it wasn't his fault, I would.
☆★☆
Yeona's POV:
"What, Yeona?"
Even if he didn't sound too happy to talk to me, I still took a moment to reply, shocked that he had actually answered my phone call. I didn't blame him for being pissed. I knew I had been a bitch, I knew that I had gone way too far, I knew that liking Haemin was no excuse. I was annoyed and embarrassed, more than anything, that it had taken working with that psycho Changhoon to realise all of that. It didn't mean I suddenly liked that Y/N chick, but still.
"I heard about the drama that went down at MNH with Chae-soo and Y/N...and then the police arresting all those gang members after the restaurant fire. Are you okay?" I began, also hearing that Haemin had been there at the national park when one of the first arrests was made. I was about to continue, but Haemin interrupted me.
"Am I okay? Seriously? Yes, Yeona, I'm fine. I didn't have horrible things spread about me due to a bitter and toxic girl who ruined my reputation and destroyed my school life. I wasn't embarrassed in front of the whole school by those false accusations. I did, however, have this girl who I thought was a friend try to sabotage my relationship with another girl I really liked just because she is vindictive and petty.
"And you want to know something funny?" he continued, and I swallowed a lump in my throat. "Y/N and I weren't even dating. It was all fake. I asked her to go along with it hoping you would realise I just wanted our friendship to stay exactly that, because everything else I said and did didn't seem to be working. And just when I was about to ask Y/N out for real, everything got screwed up and then that clip started circulating, and then people found out about her and Myungho, and then she got kidnapped by a gang. I guarantee that you starting that bs about her had something to do with it."
"So," he concluded with a sigh after a heavy silence, "I guess we both screwed up. Isn't that fun?"
I didn't know what to say. My eyes stung. I knew I'd screwed up. I had been trying to change our relationship to something more for a while now, ignoring Haemin's side of it. I had always just put it down to boys being stubborn boys.
"I don't know if I can ever properly make up for all of that," I said, trying to keep my voice from cracking. "But if it'll help, I'll tell everyone that I gave Chae-soo that video of Y/N. And I'll apologise to her. Can we still be friends?"
"I don't know," he said after a moment.
I guess I deserve that." I said quietly. "I'd still like to try to get you to not hate me though."
"Yeona—" he began.
"Please don't say anything now, Haemin." I'd probably cry if I heard his answer now. I'd known Jung Haemin my whole life. "But listen, there's something you should know. Changhoon came to me a while ago, offering to help me mess things up for Y/N if I helped him get dirt on Myungho. I didn't trust him for a second but...I was petty and vindictive, you're right about that.
"So I took him up on it," I continued. "He's the one who found that clip for me. I found out that Myungho had been talking with some guys called Won-sik and Helios, and that really seemed to interest Changhoon...so I maybe followed him at one point and took a video of him on the phone. I don't know if the voice on the other end was on speaker, but you can make it out a little in the video, and Changhoon sounded pissed. He called him Uncle Helios. Haemin, I can't be sure, but from what it sounded like, that Helios guy is part of the White Dragons, and if Y/N is in danger from them, maybe what I found can help?"
Another brief silence followed. "Are you okay?" he asked, because he was a nice guy.
I smiled a little even though I knew he still would've been pissed at me. "I'm fine. Changhoon never saw me."
"You should give that video to the police, Yeona."
"I will." I sent Haemin the video then brought the phone back to my ear. "But maybe you can show it to Y/N or Myungho first, if you want?"
My phone beeped, signifying I had received a text.
I heard him sigh again. "...Thanks, Yeona. I'll do that. I've gotta go."
"Okay." I tried to hide my disappointment, but he probably had basketball. Or he just wanted to get off the phone with me. Still, at least he had spoken to me.
Ew. The text from Chang-psycho himself. He wanted to meet.
That was the last thing I wanted to do, but maybe I'd be able to get more from him, which would help Y/N. And hopefully, in turn, make Haemin realise I was serious about changing. I didn't want to tell him that I was thinking of transferring to MNH until he forgave me. My mother and Haemin's mum told each other everything, but I had made her promise not to tell the other woman about my enrollment papers.
It's why I had bought the uniform to try on. I would've changed out of it, but Changhoon might've left if I took too long.
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Y/N's POV:
Myungho seemed frozen for a moment, eyes wide as it looked like my words were sinking in for him.
"What happened to Yeona was horrible," I told him. "But it wasn't your fault, Myungho. It had nothing to do with you."
Haemin had found out from his mother that Yeona had wanted to enrol at MNH. The woman must not have known that we weren't really dating, because she had called me to ask if I could come over and be there for Haemin. And of course I would if come over if Haemin wanted me to. After stopping Myungho from getting himself killed.
Changhoon snorted. "Well aren't you sweet and caring? I don't know if I want to laugh or cringe at how much this golden boy bitch needs his hand held. I really don't get what everyone sees in you, Myungho. But if I get screwed because of my uncle, then you will too. No baseball deals, no help from daddy's money this time."
Other than me, everyone else looked confused. Haemin would've known a little, and Jaeyun obviously had his suspicions, but I'd left out all White Dragon references when trying to talk Myungho down just then.
Changhoon looked past Myungho to me. "That Yeona bitch got what she deserved. She agreed to the deal, got that deep into it, then wants to back out like she's too good for it? Then I catch her trying to record me? All I did was push her." He shrugged. "It's not my fault she couldn't swim."
I looked at him with more disgust than I had ever looked at anything, but he only turned back to Myungho and smirked. Why was Changhoon acting calm and smug? We could all hear the sirens nearing now, and those two older ladies would direct them this way the moment they stopped at the accountant firm.
"It still wasn't satisfying like seeing the look on your teammate's face when he thought he was about to die. Especially when he knew he would've never been in that situation if he wasn't friends with you. You reckon that head knock will make him a vegetable, Golden Boy?"
I knew I had just lost Myungho's ear again, but I still tried to stop him when he stepped closer to Changhoon, seething.
The moment he did, Changhoon took something out of his pocket at rapid speed and shoved it into the gun.
"Who said that was my last bullet?" he said with a manic grin. "Had a whole other clip. You're so easy to mess with."
I froze when Changhoon pointed the gun at me.
"You really think I can't aim, Myungho?" he said. "Then I guess your dumb little girlfriend has nothing to worry about." Then he aimed at Jaeyun. "What about this smart ass here? Think I can't hit him?" He fired and the bullet clipped Jaeyun's shoe.
Jaeyun fliched back but stilled himself quickly.
Myungho glanced back at us, alarmed.
Changhoon laughed. "I guess all I have to do is aim up a bit..." he did just that, going back and forth between Jaeyun and me, who were the next closest "...and I'll put a hole in your chest—"
"Shoot then," goaded Myungho. The unexpectedness made us all look at him, Changhoon included. "That last shot jammed the gun. Even if you do get another shot it'll probably blow your fingers off. Good luck using that pitching hand ever again."
The second Changhoon hesitated to consider the gun, Myungho charged and tackled him. A shot went off but it went high, and though Jaeyun and I tried to get there in time, the impact sent both Myungho and Changhoon over the cliff's edge
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There it is, the last cliffhanger of this book 😭. The next chapter will be the last, and I had always had two possible endings in mind: the devastating one or the "happily ever after" one. It took me forever to decide which one to go with, so I hope you all like what I decided when/if you read the next chapter.
Also, being the last chapter, it'll be longer, possibly 3000 or more words. I hope that's okay?
~ Daci