The Tiger King (Chaelisa)

87| Tell Me (No) Lies Pt.2

(trigger warning: graphic depictions of violence)

Hidden in the corner behind the door as she fiddled with the walkie-talkie Chanyeol gave her, Jennie hoped and hoped that no camera or microphone could pick up what she was doing exactly. She had turned on the shower and let the water run to try and mask sounds, but decided stepping into the shower fully clothed would arouse more suspicion than hiding behind a door.

Either way, if Hani looked over surveillance she was going to have questions, but Jennie would do what she did best: lie and make excuses.

"Checking in. Over." Jennie muttered, pushing away the ever-present twinge of guilt as she nervously rubbed her tattoo. Chanyeol had said he'd be on the look out for a message from her, implying he kept his radio on all the time so she hoped he'd be able to reply quick.

He had given her the walkie-talkie to keep their conversations as secret as possible. Jennie had been able to stash away the device in her pocket: it was quite small, no bigger than her palm, even with the short antenna. For a moment when in bed with Jisoo, she had forgotten all about it, had barely felt it digging into her thigh.

Afterwards—when she was hurrying away like a murderer fleeing from a crime scene—did she remember how close Jisoo would have been to discovering the gadget and potentially forcing Jennie to lie to her face to cover up her secret plan.

If Jisoo or Rosé knew, they wouldn't let me do this. If Hani knew, she'd kill me.

A burst of static snapped Jennie out of her brooding, letting her know Chanyeol had received her transmission. She waited, tapping her foot and listening to the sound of running water. 

Hani was going to get a high water bill.

"Jen, I'm here," Chanyeol said several agonisingly long moments later, his voice garbled with static. "Sorry, had to go to the roof, I'm at HQ right now. What is it?"

"Did you get the names?" Jennie said anxiously. "We should get started right away."

"Yes I got them. I crunched the list overnight—"

"Don't you ever sleep?" Jennie wondered, taken aback.

"Crime doesn't sleep. Now, the names: Im Yoon-ah, Choi Soo-young and Kim Ki-bum. Those are the journalists that fit our criteria."

"That's a small number," Jennie frowned.

"All the more easy to choose. We need to be careful who we give your story to. They have to be knowledgeable and specific to our case—"

"I know, I remember."

Chanyeol had lectured Jennie on choosing the right candidates to handle this delicate exposé the night before when they talked on the roof. He offered to weed out the possible options and narrow down the pool to the journalists that were credible, grounded, worked tirelessly to defend the voiceless and expose corruption, worked for reputable news sites, were veterans of the industry and had robust legal protection because as Chanyeol said, Jinyoung will strike back and they needed to be prepared.

"Are you still planning to include the Dasoni in the exposé?" Chanyeol asked.

"I'm more convinced than ever that I should," Jennie said immediately. Her fingers brushed against the crackling piece of paper containing the cult's address in her pocket, wincing upon contact as though it burned. She had slid it out from Rosé's hiding place in the pillowcase in the dead of night and hoped that Rosé wouldn't go look for it.

"Do...do the other girls know? You should...you ought to talk. Once authorities get a hold of you, you have an uncertain future ahead of you. We can't rule out deportation for your situation. You might never see them again," Chanyeol said hesitantly, probably anticipating the answer, probably knowing Jennie hadn't changed her mind since last night and wasn't going to.

"No. They don't need to know. Not knowing will keep them out of harm's way," Jennie said tersely, repeating what she had been telling herself to stop the twinge of guilt from turning into a tidal wave that ripped her apart. "Chanyeol, I have to do this alone. I'm already asking the others to make a big sacrifice. There's a big chance they won't see me again already. And seeing Rosie just now...she's in shambles but still, she's holding on so strong. And so is her daughter.

Jisoo...Jisoo will hurt the most but I'm hoping she will come to understand that I'm doing this because I care about her. I love her so much. It will hurt me too, but I can take it, as long as she's safe. And Hani...she's out of control. Jinyoung too, all the mobsters he's slaughtering while linking up with politicians. All this madness has to stop. And if I can do something to finish it, I will."

Chanyeol was silent for a beat. "Dasoni could hurt your friends," he said softly.

"Which is why I'm counting on you to protect them," Jennie said.

"How?"

"Sticking close by from now on. Even though you and Hani are fighting. We need to hide the girls from her somehow."

Chanyeol didn't reply right away and Jennie braced for his response.

"Jennie, this is a dangerous game you're playing. You don't strike me as the rash and hasty type when it comes to planning so we shouldn't rush into this with only some vague idea—"

"Whenever we plan, nothing works out."

"You mentioned last night, yes, but this is—"

"My friends' life on the line. I know. I fucking know, okay?" Jennie hissed in agitation. "I'm just—I'm trying to keep it together and prevent more deaths. We're running out of time. If Rosie or Jisoo or Ella are hurt, I don't know what I'll do. I don't...I don't—"

"Slow down. Take a deep breath. Go on, breathe right now. That's it. Keep it up. In and out. In...out...In...out...It's going to be okay. We'll plan it out. Planning helps, it always does, even when things go to shit. Especially because things go to shit," Chanyeol said softly.

Jennie heaved a sigh, significantly calmer after the impromptu breathing exercise but no less anxious. She had spoken her fear out loud, and Chanyeol basically confirmed her worries: she was being too rash and hasty. Her decision-making suffered when she was cornered but she couldn't afford to make poor choices this time, not when the lives of people she cared were on the line.

She couldn't repeat mistakes.

"Is this the right choice?" Jennie whispered, the paper in her pocket grazing her hand like odious fingers beckoning her towards doom. "Am I making a horrible mistake?"

Chanyeol took even longer to reply this time. "I think the only mistake is leaving the other girls in the dark. Because otherwise, being brave and doing the right thing is always going to be scary and oftentimes dangerous. Because doing the right thing is rarely easy."

Jennie shook her head, forgetting that he can't see her. Telling the others was out of question. They would only make her drop the idea and press her not to give herself up and take the fall, pushing them back to square one and still being under the Dasoni's thumb.

You don't make a cake without breaking some eggs. And if something needed to break to free them all, Jennie decided that it would be herself.

"Did Dasoni come by today?" Chanyeol said.

"Yeah. Both of them dropped by, gave the others their new identities and documents. Like I said, we need to figure out some plan to smuggle the girls out and hide them, let them restart. Hani letting me go out of the condo this morning was a big exception, and it's only because she trusts you with me. She won't let the others just go out."

"...you, you think she trusts me?" Chanyeol said at last after several minutes of dead air. "I was under the impression..."

"What?" Jennie asked.

Chanyeol sighed. "Nothing just...technically I'm not working with her anymore. We...have our differences that we can't reconcile with."

Though intrigued by his cryptic answer, the spark of curiosity wasn't enough to push Jennie to ask. Whatever had happened between Chanyeol and Hani wasn't her business. Besides, she had plenty to deal with and had no need for additional drama.

"Well, whatever happened, she still seems to trust you. We can work with that, maybe. But that's for later. How do I choose which journalist to talk with?"

"Im Yoon-ah has worked on several high-profile corruption cases and thanks to her rallying efforts, managed to unite the public to pressure authorities into action," Chanyeol said, rattling off facts like a robot. "Kim Ki-bum is an extremely meticulous and fearless journalist. He even infiltrated an asylum once and underwent the same torture the inmates did to expose their terrible institutional practices. Choi Soo-young has many connections across all spheres of Seoul, she is usually one of the first to pick up on something foul going down outside of public attention, she is always the first to break some big story."

He sounded wry. "And she is probably the police's biggest critic. I have had to face off against her hard-hitting questions many times. But I appreciate her. Without people like her fighting for the truth, the democratic institutions would collapse. That Burning Sun incident, she reported on it. So she's already probably looking at trails and sniffing around. We just need to crack the door wide open, because Jinyoung has a tight leash."

"How do we know they're not working for him?" Jennie fretted. "And if not them, how do you know their own superiors aren't?"

She gripped the walkie-talkie tighter, forcing herself to keep her voice low even as her high-strung emotions were all over the place. "You said it yourself, Jinyoung has control. Burning Sun, all those people that got trampled and burned...and just a few days ago, Rosie told me he and Bang Chan were on TV at the Blue House, lapping it up with all those hotshot politicians."

"I know it's scary to trust," Chanyeol said softly. "But trust me. Those three reporters have been vocally sceptical about such business deals. And it's not only them. You're not alone, Jennie. There's other people out there, fighting with all they have."

"I think you're being naive."

"Maybe so. And I won't deny, you can get burned badly by trusting. But nothing good comes out of isolating yourself either," Chanyeol said. "Jinyoung has power and resources. We have very little. We need to gather all that we can, not take it on all by ourselves."

Jennie clicked her teeth, struck by his earnest reply.

Although he was a detective and likely had seen his fair share of the horrid side of humanity plenty times, it was inspiring that Chanyeol still seemed to believe in people and willing to give chances. His answer gently chided her, subtly asking her to reconsider leaving her friends in the dark but on that point Jennie wouldn't budge: the less Rosé and Jisoo knew, the better protected they would be.

"Alright. Here's what we'll do: we should contact all three of them. Combine forces. There's strength in numbers, like you're saying," Jennie said thoughtfully. "They can work together. With their combined expertise and rep, people will pay attention. These three just have to believe me enough to conduct their own investigations."

"That's a good idea, that's a really great idea. And they will. I'll vouch for you. They will do the rest. Regardless if they got other investigations going, I know that this is too big for them not to jump on it," Chanyeol promised. "I will contact all three of them and give them a time and secret place to meet. Then I will take you there on some excuse. Do you have anything you need to step out for?"

Jennie smiled wistfully before she remembered he can't see her. "There is, but...I don't want to be in more debt to you. I'll pay you back for the flowers someday, somehow, I promise."

"Jennie, you don't have to. I'm just helping out. Tell me what you need," Chanyeol said patiently.

"It's silly really. I had...plans. For a...date."

"So we're thinking a bigger bouquet? A whole flower wreath?"

She heard the slight smile in his voice, indulging her. Jennie felt a rush of gratitude towards him, how he seamlessly stepped in and filled a gaping hole in her life and fleshed out the role of a guardian, a big brother figure that was unquestionably there for her. In a way, he reminded her of Irene, probably the closest to a mother figure she'd had.

And even that connection had splintered now that she was fending off for herself, trying her hardest to minimise damage.

She badly needed someone with no stakes to claim in this whole mess, to offer advice and guidance. Stoic but kind, Chanyeol seemed to fit the bill.

She had only seen him as an extension of Hani before, like the Kwon twins, but Chanyeol's detachment from the mobster presented him in a new, unseen light to Jennie.

"More like sleeping bags and a tent," she muttered, feeling her cheeks warm.

"What was that?"

She repeated herself, louder, and Chanyeol actually chuckled. Jennie wasn't sure she had ever heard that noise from him.

"Ah I see. A night under the stars. I'm not sure you'd be allowed to stay out."

"I was planning on having it on the roof. There's enough space, you saw it," Jennie said.

"Oh the roof? A little more feasible, if Dasoni allows it, that is. And yes, getting that equipment would be a good excuse to step out. Don't worry about the money."

Jennie fidgeted. Being in debt still made her anxious. "When do we get them?"

"Did you have any day in mind for your date?"

"No. But the sooner the better, preferably before the end of the week."

"Then I will contact them and let them know of our delicate situation," Chanyeol said. "Baby steps. Hang in there, Jennie."

"Yeah. It's all I can do these days."

"Do you need anything else? I gotta go, my phone's been buzzing. Probably the Chief, to give me an earful."

"I'm sorry, I hope you're not in too much trouble. And no that's all...for now."

"Don't worry about me," Chanyeol said breezily. "Let me know if you need anything. Now run along, I'm sure you'd rather be with your girlfriend."

"I will. Thank you," Jennie said quietly.

She frowned at the swell of anxiety that bloomed the moment the crackling static present throughout their conversation abruptly cut off, leaving Jennie alone in the bathroom with the sound of water rushing as fast her thoughts.

>

Chanyeol didn't bother picking up the call knowing he was in for a barrage of scolding the moment he showed back up at the office. However to his surprise, nobody was waiting to tell him off for disappearing. All the other officers present were bent over their paperwork or chatting in the pantry area over coffee, or noisily slurping noodles.

Chanyeol shrugged. He shouldn't have been too surprised. Few people cared where he went and since he had the solid reputation of being a workaholic, nobody kicked up a fuss if he disappeared for short intervals. After all, he was shunned by pretty much all of his colleagues as though he had the plague.

His phone kept buzzing until Chanyeol fished it out in a huff.

"What is it, Chief?" he said impatiently. "I was about to get back to my desk."

"Detective Park, what a busy man you are. Couldn't get a hold of you anywhere," greeted a man pleasantly. "I hope I'm not interrupting something important?"

Chanyeol frowned, trying to place the caller's voice. For some reason, he felt himself tense up, as though his body could sense danger that his brain had somehow not caught on to.

"Who is this?"

"Ah that's right, I don't believe we ever had a formal introduction. My name is Park Jinyoung. Ring a bell?"

Chanyeol froze on the spot, felt his heart stutter as Jinyoung chuckled.

"You," Chanyeol gritted, his momentary shock rapidly transforming into anger as he marched out of the offices with as much calm as he could muster—this conversation was not for any careless eavesdropper. "I'll have you know this call is monitored—"

"Since when did you deal in fibs, Detective?" Jinyoung drawled. "I thought you were concerned with truth. Dasoni must have rubbed off on you."

Chanyeol burst out on the roof once more, hastily checking that he was alone as he clenched his phone until he was sure it was going to break.

"What do you want?" he said roughly.

"That reminds me. Have you been keeping in close touch with Dasoni?" Jinyoung said, ignoring his question.

Chanyeol weighed his options. Jinyoung was toying with him, baiting him. Should he entertain him, keep him talking?

But for Jinyoung to have gotten a hold of his private number and called had to mean something. And Chanyeol concluded that it couldn't be anything good. Jennie and her friends flashed though his head as he gripped the railing tightly.

"Cut the crap, Jinyoung. What do you want? If you've called to threaten me, move along. You don't scare me."

"Why so hostile, Detective? It was an innocent question, wasn't it?"

"You have exactly five seconds to tell me what the hell you want—"

"Fine, fine. Dasoni sure chose a serious one," Jinyoung sighed. "I'm calling to warn you: she might be in dire danger as we speak."

"What?"

"You heard me, Detective." Gone was the pleasant, placid tone, replaced with a chilling edge that made cold sweat break out on Chanyeol's brow: Jinyoung wasn't doling out an empty threat.

"Are you scared now, Detective? You've gone awfully quiet," Jinyoung sneered when Chanyeol didn't say anything.

"It will take more than an arrogant spoiled chaebol spouting hot air to do that," Chanyeol spat. He clenched his jaw, mind racing as Jinyoung laughed.

The recent spate of gang murders that had the police baffled surfaced in his mind's eye and Chanyeol's dismay doubled: he had known Jinyoung was behind the grisly murders, without a doubt.

But this call just confirmed his fears: Jinyoung had selected his next target.

He had to warn Hani.

"You wound me, Detective. But oh well, I thought I would be gracious and give you a head's up to let you know she's currently at her hospital on visitation duty, just in case you felt like rescuing your damsel in distress. And believe me, she will be in distress, and soon."

"Dasoni doesn't need rescuing. She's perfectly capable of handling herself," Chanyeol couldn't help but blurt out. He gritted his teeth when Jinyoung laughed again.

"I suppose I'll see you at her funeral then."

"Why are you doing this?" Chanyeol demanded.

"Don't be late, Detective," Jinyoung said.

The call cut off and Chanyeol didn't think—he whirled away from the railing and ran.

>

"I'm going to step out for a smoke, oppa," Hani said, standing up from the bedside when her brother returned with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Sure. Noona and I will just be over here, trading family secrets," Haein smiled. His eyes followed his youngest sister closely. "You alright?"

"Fine fine I'm...everything is fine," Hani said bitterly. She had blithely danced around the incident at the safehouse even after they left, pretending nothing had happened. Haein had let her be. Like the big brother that somehow intuitively knew when to ask and when to back off, Haein hadn't pressed her with questions.

Now, however, it seemed like he wasn't going to be satisfied with a flippant answer.

"Hani, I know that you hate looking weak more than anything," Haein said quietly. He tapped her jacket sleeve, smiling when he felt the hard spine of the blade hidden there. "It's why I taught you how to rig up the knives in your sleeves."

"I feel like there's more to that statement, but I'm not going to hang around for that. Not in the mood," Hani grouched, attempting to push past him.

He slid to the side, blocking her exit with his broad chest. Before she knew it, his thick arm was around her back, holding her fast against his body in a one-armed hug.

"It's only your family here now," Haein said softly. "You don't have to pretend all the time."

Hani squeezed her eyes shut, fighting the deluge of emotion threatening to break over her.

"What is this, some intervention?"

"In a manner of speaking. I just...worry about you, you know?"

She knew. And she knew why he had been the one to accept the elder's summons instead of their eldest brother, much as he detested being at their beck and call.

In the aftermath of Sollji's kidnapping, her brothers had grown even more protective of their little sister, especially Haein, who was closer to her than Siwon, the eldest. Haein had always been secretly her favourite brother, but also the one that annoyed her most too. He had cultivated an uncanny ability to read her, and was dogged in his pursuits to have her open up to him and the rest of the family, especially in the wake of Solji's tragedy.

"You don't have to worry. I'm fine."

"Of course. But I still want to hold you a bit more," he said and didn't let go. Hani's resolve melted little by little until she slumped against him in defeat.

"I hate you," she grumbled. He didn't humour her as his fingers gently combed through her hair.

"The girls made some striking observations," he said quietly. "About throwing your allies under the bus."

Hani had known it was coming, but she was ready with her answer.

"Oppa, I want people to respect me. People don't do that when you're soft and—and gentle. They just don't. They walk all over you. They treat you like dirt. But people respect power, they revere people who have power, they show respect. They wouldn't dare trample over me. I have to have that if I'm to survive all this. Tiger King is the key to all that so even if it means the girls have to go, what's two girls over earning some damn respect? You understand," she added, almost pleading.

Haein hummed. "So they're not your allies at all."

She stepped away from him, stiff as a board, and looked him directly in the eye. "They're all tools. Allies will never last. Look at...look at the twins. Seven years...I thought I knew Youngdeuk. I trusted them, him. They were my right hand people for god's sake. I thought they were always going to be there. Turns out, I knew shit. People wouldn't do that to me if they respected me."

Their deaths didn't sting so much as the betrayal that wounded her deeply, poisoning all her other attachments. Overnight, all the people around her turned into liabilities.

The shock dismantled all her confidence and trust in her henchmen, throwing the clan into disarray. Being grilled and berated for weeks on end by the elders for her reckless, incapable leadership hardened her, eroded her relationship with Chanyeol and the girls as seeds of doubt flourished.

Power was wrenched out of your grasp because you're too soft, declared the elders, sneering from behind their silk screens in the great ancestral hall, sheltered from the world like spoiled fat chickens. You bring shame to the family name.

They were right. She had forgotten herself. She had forgotten how hard she had fought to prove herself. She had grown too soft, gave too many chances, exposed her vulnerabilities and insecurities, grown too attached.

Because of you, the Dasoni will fall. You will no longer be recognised as the head of the clan. No second chances.

But they were also wrong. The Dasoni would not fall, because she was going to be the one who saved it and took back power from Jinyoung, the root of all the madness and chaos.

Tiger King was the key to restore her honour and reverse the Dasoni's fall from grace, even if it meant throwing aside her previous promises to Jennie. She wasn't sure she was ever going to keep it in the first place: Tiger King was too powerful a tool to just give up for sentimentalities but Hani had been focused on getting it first. Moral dilemmas would be dealt with after.

The elders had given up on her but not Haein, who still consulted with her and listened to her plans and took them on board, encouraging her.

That alone pushed her to seize the opportunity to have Tiger King. She might not have been given a second chance, but she was going to make one for herself, by herself, without anyone's help.

"I think you're equating respect with fear," Haein said.

"Are you preaching me or something?" Hani demanded. "How do you make people toe the line then?" 

Haein sighed. "Fear, I suppose. Strict rules and punishments. Hani, I didn't say it's wrong. I just said there's a difference and you ought to differentiate between them."

"They're one and the same. Two names for the same thing," Hani said stubbornly. "I was betrayed because I wasn't feared enough. Tiger King will change that."

"Not everyone is going to be a traitor," Haein said quietly. 

"You won't be able to tell until it's too late." Hani tossed her head and stalked past her brother. "Good try oppa, but leave the talking to shrinks."

>

She was contemplating the skyline as she smoked her third cigarette (chainsmoking had become a habit lately) when her phone buzzed. She flinched when she saw Chanyeol's number on display.

"Not now," she muttered, hurriedly cutting the call and dropping her phone back in her pocket. "I don't need this right now. Why didn't I block his number? What does he want anyway?"

But she refused to answer, even as her phone buzzed relentlessly against her leg. She ended the call two more times and lit up her fourth cigarette, cursing when her phone started ringing anew.

"Jeez he's persistent, what the hell is up?" she grumbled, grabbing the phone and swiping to take the call. "What the fuck do you want, Chanyeol?"

"Ah, bad timing?" Jinyoung asked.

Hani turned to stone, her cigarette falling from her grasp. "You."

She glanced at the number on display, seething to see the unknown ID caller on screen. How did he get a hold of her private number? Had Youngdeuk given it to him? Was it some other mole?

"How have you been, Dasoni?"

"What the fuck do you want, Jinyoung?" Hani snarled, recovering her composure. "You have ten seconds before I'm cutting you off."

"Not so fast. I want answers," Jinyoung said, his voice turning icy. "Since when did you turn into a martyr?

Hani blinked in bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

"Im Yoon-ah, Choi Soo-young and Kim Ki-bum," Jinyoung recited. "You certainly pulled out the big guns, let me tell you. And for such a high price too. I had no idea you had such...virtuous inclinations. But I accept the challenge."

A strange burst of heat scaled up her spine, setting off sparks in her head. She recognised the names: all three were journalists of celebratory acclaim, renowned for their crusade against corruption and the Seoul criminal underworld. Nobody had as yet been able to muzzle them. Hearing their names alone bred unease in the heart of every criminal, Hani included.

"What the hell are you talking about, Jinyoung?" she snarled again.

"Your plan to expose Tiger King to the public. The whole mess of it. Taking down your own clan," Jinyoung retorted, making Hani's heart stop dead. "Are you really going to abandon ship so soon? I expected better from you. Maybe you're really as weak as they say. Are you going to run away to the States or something?"

"Has all the TK gone to your head? I have no clue what the fuck you're saying," Hani said. "Who's feeding you all this crap? I'm not running to any reporter, least of all to turn my own family in."

"You're not? But then, could it possibly be that you don't even know..." Jinyoung trailed off but Hani caught the smug undertone in his words loud and clear.

He was playing with her, he knew that she had no idea what he was talking about and he was holding it over her head, like a carrot in front of a donkey.

She felt like one currently.

The knot of unease in her chest flared up into full-blown anxiety, even as she steeled her voice to demand answers.

"You have five seconds to explain where you got such information."

"You should be keeping a closer watch on your little detective and his associates," Jinyoung murmured, instantly making Hani tense up. "Seems like you've been neglecting him lately. He's not as loyal as you think."

Chanyeol.

No. He wouldn't. They had talked about it. He wouldn't.

Would he?

"What do you mean?" Hani rasped.

Leave him alone, if you touch a hair on his head you're dead, she wanted to yell but she was in no position to make demands, not when Jinyoung seemingly held the upper hand. Cool, calm and collected, the opposite of her frazzled self right now.

He was in control and she wasn't.

And she didn't like that at all.

"I've been paying closer attention than you have. Eavesdropping on some...interesting conversations he's been having. You really have no idea what he's been up to, do you?"

The sneer that grinded on her nerves like nails on a blackboard had her doubling down, refusing to surrender to her fear.

"You're just bluffing."

"Whatever lets you sleep at night,"Jinyoung said smoothly. "Get your act together and stop his meddling, or else the next thing you know he will turn up dead. That is a promise."

The call cut off with a click. Hani tore the phone away from her ear and started to pace in agitation, her mind running haywire as Jinyoung's chilling words reverberated in her head.

Chanyeol wouldn't betray her like that. He wouldn't go up against her like that.

He was too upright. Too moralistic. He wasn't like her. Once he gave his word, he kept it, no matter if they were on opposite sides of the fight. She knew her dark knight.

Or did she?

What if...whispered the little voice in her ear. What if he wasn't acting alone? What if somebody else coerced him into exposing Tiger King?

Don't do it, people will kill you for the truth, she had pleaded, not even caring about the consequences to her own clan. Her only thought had been seeing him lifeless with a bullet to the head.

She thought he had listened. She thought he had understood. Had he no self-preservation instinct at all?

You should keep a closer watch on your little detective and his associates...Interesting conversations he's been having, Jinyoung sneered, soft as a snake's hiss in her ear.

With whom?

The only reason I haven't gone public with all this is because I'm protecting Jennie and the girls, Chanyeol had said.

All her thoughts juddered to a halt as realisation dawned on Hani in a cold flash.

Jennie. 

Of course.

It had to be Jennie.

Jennie had asked to speak with Chanyeol privately, with some lame excuse that Hani had been too careless to probe further.

Jennie was the one who said 'I don't trust you' to her face.

Jennie was the one who had been insubordinate since day one.

Jennie was the one actively gunning to take her down so she and the girls would walk away free.

Jennie was the one who had turned Chanyeol against her.

Jennie was the one that ruined her life.

Fuming, Hani stormed back into the ward with staff scrambling out of her way as she marched into Solji's room, startling Haein and Dr. Kim who had been in conversation.

"Oppa it's an emergency, get your men! We have to go back!"

"What happened?" Haein said, relaxing his stance as he withdrew his knife. He had leapt protectively in front of Dr. Kim in a moment of instinct, caught off-guard by Hani's thunderous entrance. "Slow down and explain."

"Dr. Kim, the surveillance tablet. Do you have it on you?" Hani barked. "I need to check something."

"Yes, of course, here," Dr. Kim said meekly, blinking rapidly behind her glasses as Hani snatched the tablet and tapped furiously.

"Hani, mind explaining what's going on?" Haein tried again.

Hani never replied as she cycled through surveillance footage of Jisoo's apartment in the safehouse. Her eyes narrowed and she inhaled sharply as she finally found proof of her suspicions.

"You little snake," she hissed at the screen.

Haein and Dr. Kim crowded behind her. They stared down in bemusement as the clip played, showing Jennie slipping furtively from the bedroom in a dishevelled state and head for the bathroom. 

The bathroom camera showed Jennie turning on the shower but she didn't strip. Although the screen blurred for privacy, they could still make out the dark blob that was Jennie disappearing behind a larger dark blob close to the edge of the screen—the bathroom door.

"She turned on the shower and then stayed there. It's not for undressing. Then for what?" Dr. Kim frowned as several long seconds passed without any movement.

"To contact someone secretly, most likely. She even turned on the shower to mask sound. Clever girl," Haein muttered. "But who could she be talking to—"

"Chanyeol. She was talking to Chanyeol," Hani said feverishly, fiddling with audio controls as she desperately cranked up the volume to try and capture any sliver of sound she could. The deafening noise of rushing water filled the room but beneath it all, they heard it clearly: the crackle of radio static, along with inaudible mutterings.

"That ungrateful little bitch," Hani roared. "I protected her, I took her under my wing and she dares turn around and bite the hand that feeds her? I'm going to annihilate her."

"Hani, what—"

"She's going public," Hani snapped, "her and Chanyeol, they're going to expose the whole Tiger King story and take us down in one fell swoop. They've already selected out the reporters they're going to call. It's a race against time to stop them, we don't have a moment to lose. Come on!"

"How do you know?" Haein said urgently, rushing to keep up with his furious sister. Dr. Kim followed uncertainly, shaking her head firmly at bewildered staff as they ran past on the way down to the parking garage.

"Jinyoung he...god, I suspected he had moles in the police force, I suspected he's been tapping into police radio, so of course he's been observing Chanyeol. He phoned just now to taunt me about it." Hani trembled, with rage or fear, she wasn't sure.

"What if he's lying? Look at the facts. If Jennie exposes Tiger King, she'll be outing herself too. She'll likely never see the others again. Why would she do that?" Haein pointed out.

"That is precisely something she would do, because she's always on her self-sacrificing high horse!" Hani snarled. Too fired up to take the elevator, she headed for the nearest emergency exit stairway and clattered down the stairs two at a time. "Hurry up and round up your guys! I'm ending this today."

"Hani—"

She ignored all their calls, her mind set on one single goal: wringing Jennie's neck with her bare hands. She dug out her phone when it started ringing again, seething when she saw Chanyeol's name on display.

"What do you want, you cowardly piece of shit?" Hani spat. "I bet you're dying to gloat about it in my face, huh? Fuck you!"

Blind with fury, Hani hurled the phone to the ground and stamped on it hard, smiling grimly when it finally stopped ringing. She didn't stop to contemplate how the shattered pieces resembled her shattered heart; she was off running before her brother and Dr. Kim could catch up.

Bursting out of the emergency exit into the desolate underground carpark, Hani paused in her frenetic dash when she found none of the henchmen waiting around the car like usual. The whole place looked deserted. No sound reached them, the echo of her footsteps and harsh breathing oddly stifled by the heavy silence.

The back of Hani's neck prickled as she scanned her surroundings, forcing herself to empty her mind of rage and focus on the distinct unease building in her chest.

Something felt off.

"Hani, we'll make them pay, I promise, but you have to rein in your emotions for now, understand?" Haein said, finally catching up to his sister. He stopped, and Hani could almost sense his frown as he scanned the area, lit up only by fluorescent tubes. The exit passage to the outside was the only source of natural light, weak and distant.

"Did you tell the men to go somewhere?" Hani said tersely. "There's nobody with the car." The black Mercedes they arrived in sat alone in the deserted carpark, sleek and menacing. Hani found herself hesitant to even step out from the exit doorway.

"No I didn't. They were supposed to wait here, all three of them," Haein frowned. Dr. Kim finally caught up, panting.

"Hani, please reconsider," she gasped out. "I know I am stepping out of line here but violence won't help—"

"Quiet," Haein said softly as he slipped out a blade. "Something's not right. I'm going to scope out the car. You two stay here."

"Oppa—"

"Keep a lookout," Haein said and moved forward stealthily. But before he even made it three steps, the sound of a roaring car engine firing on all cylinders deafened them.

Hani stared as blazing headlights flooded the carpark, momentarily blinding her as she shielded her face from the incoming vehicle. The driver braked hard and the car came to a screeching halt a short distance away. A familiar lanky man in dark blue uniform leapt out before he had even killed the engine, waving his arms frantically.

"Oh thank goodness! You're okay," Chanyeol exclaimed. "I thought I was too late! You need to go, now!"

"Why?" Haein demanded. "Nobody's moving till I say so. Where are our men?"

"There's no time. Listen to me, you have to get away from here," Chanyeol urged.

Hani's heart stopped for one moment, taking in Chanyeol's desperation. He looked at her now, his face a cross between frantic and relieved.

"Hani," he whispered. He looked like a hunted animal. The way he said her name had chills rippling through her chest, and they were not the pleasant kind.

Something was wrong— Chanyeol didn't get frightened. That was a wrong emotion to describe Chanyeol.

Was he afraid of her now that he had gone against her, behind her back?

Anger clouded her senses as hurt bubbled up to the surface and eclipsed all sense of rational thought.

How dare he show his face with such brazen audacity after backstabbing her?

"Did you come here to personally deliver me in chains to your reporters?" Hani asked coldly. "Are you trying to lure me into some trap? What did you do to our men? Did you round them up and now you've come back for me?"

"What? Reporters?" Chanyeol said confused before his face cleared, his mouth falling open as he shook his head. He took a step forward. "No. No no no Dasoni...this isn't...I didn't—"

Hani never got to hear what else he had to say because someone—something—peeled away from the shadows at the very back without warning.

Like the wind, it breezed past Chanyeol in a blur and leapt on to their Mercedes, startling them all with the loud sound as it crouched on the car roof like a cat poised to jump. It wore all black, background light highlighting the bulging muscles straining beneath the fabric as it sat perfectly still, head bent and face hidden by a hood.

"What the hell? Who are you?" Haein demanded, pulling out his knife. "Did you take our men?"

The figure raised its head to look directly at them and everything else vanished.

All thoughts fled when Hani's gaze collided with murderous yellow eyes gleaming beneath the black hood. The figure's rattling breath echoed, its mouth covered by a mask that had faint outlines of vials containing yellow liquid arranged in a clock face pattern.

Tiger King.

Why here? Why now?

Her thoughts froze along with her feet and she could only stare in horror at the creature looming over them.

"Oppa," Hani whispered.

"Go," Haein said under his breath, quiet and calm. He was gripping his blade tightly at his side, his body tense like a coiled spring, and he never turned to look at her.

Hani glanced in Chanyeol's direction. He was back to stoic cop mode: his previous agitation had vanished and in its place was grim determination as he set his jaw and his fingers inched painstakingly slow towards his holster. His narrowed eyes never left Tiger King.

Shoot shoot shoot, Hani pleaded silently, desperately. She had seen the Tiger Kings in action in the Slammer arena. Knives would make no difference. Guns would be their only hope to make it out alive.

"Hani, come back in here," Dr. Kim whispered behind her. "Slowly."

But Hani was a statue, watching the unfolding stand-off with her heart thundering and her breath coming out in shallow harsh gusts as tension mounted. Tiger King remained motionless, its sinister gaze roving, studying them.

Was it Lisa, Jennie's sister, staring down at them? Was this the monster Rosé was so desperately, hopelessly fighting for? Was this creature the reason why Hani's entire life was crumbling before her eyes?

Tiger King's yellow eyes settled on Hani. She now noticed it wore black gloves that covered up to its elbows, tipped with razor sharp black fingernails like a hawk's talons, or a tiger's claws. Hani tried to swallow but her mouth was too dry.

What was it doing here? What was it waiting for?

Hani forced herself to keep staring right into its baleful gaze, refusing to succumb, refusing to surrender. If the monster detected weakness, Hani knew she was done for.

Who was going to crack first? Time stretched into infinity until Hani thought they were going to stay frozen in a stalemate.

But then an eerie high-pitched ringing filled her ears, making her wince. Chanyeol's face tightened—he had heard the sound as well. It was almost inaudible, like a dog whistle.

Tiger King broke eye contact and raised its head sharply, listening. At the same time, Hani's stomach lurched as the puzzle clicked into place.

Jinyoung had sent Tiger King to end them like he had all the other mob leaders!

With a vicious snarl, Tiger King sprang into the air and all hell broke loose.

>

Hani's accusations left Chanyeol reeling, his panic doubling when he realised she knew of his and Jennie's plans.

But he barely had time to recover when Tiger King joined the fray, shoving all thoughts aside as his instincts kicked in, all screaming at him to run.

But he fought to stay calm, to reach for his weapon and to thwart Jinyoung's plans before it was too late. Chanyeol understood now that it was all a set-up, pulling him into the intended massacre of the Dasoni siblings and neatly tie off loose ends.

Tiger King sprang on to Haein just as Chanyeol whipped out his gun. He fired multiple rounds, missing the monster by inches as the bullets skidded across the car roof and hit the walls with earsplitting cracks.

"Haein!" Hani cried.

Haein surged forward to meet Tiger King head-on, knife poised to strike, his lips peeled back in a snarl.

Transfixed, Chanyeol could only look on as Tiger King slashed at Haein with wickedly sharp claws. Haein struck out with the knife. They collided in a volley of kicks and punches: metal clashed, sparks flew, blood spattered.

Haein slammed face-first to the ground with a groan but Tiger King landed gracefully and rolled. It came to a stop in a crouch a few paces away, not even panting as it sat still, watching.

Its hoodie had fallen back in the scuffle, revealing a shaved head, glaring inflamed eyes and sickly yellow skin, as though it had a terrible case of jaundice. But Chanyeol knew that unnatural skin and eye colour was no symptom of disease.

"Shit," Chanyeol whispered when Haein slowly climbed to his feet, leaving his arm behind. They all stared down at the mangled limb, severed from just above the elbow. The hand still gripped the knife.

Tiger King had taken the first strike and ripped out Haein's arm in the process.

"Oppa," Hani said in a tiny voice. Dr. Kim covered her mouth, shaking.

Haein slowly bent down to pluck the knife out of his dismembered hand. His face was pale and he grimaced horribly as he straightened back up, squeezing his stump with his remaining hand whilst holding the knife. Sweat beaded on his brow, his harsh breaths echoing.

Chanyeol's stomach churned when he spied the severed bone protruding past the flesh. It surprised him that there wasn't more blood gushing out but even so, the tattered remains of the shirt around the area was soaked through with blood, and there were even blood splatters on Haein's face.

Swaying, Haein momentarily stumbled but righted himself just in time with a grunt, gripping his blade tightly as he raised his head to face Tiger King again, quiet and determined. He made no taunts but his glittering eyes delivered the silent challenge anyway.

"No! Haein you're hurt! Get away from it!" Hani said, her voice quaking with true fear, the kind that Chanyeol had only heard when they rushed to Jennie's aid and found her getting strangled within an inch of her life.

"Quiet," Haein gritted out. Chanyeol wanted to yell at her too—Haein was bravely trying to keep Tiger King's attention focused on himself, to protect his sister.

Chanyeol would have done the same in his place.

"Back here, now!" Dr. Kim urged, pulling a struggling Hani towards the exit stairways. But too late, Tiger King's attention snapped to the source of the scuffle. Its eyes narrowed.

"No!" Chanyeol and Haein shouted in unison but Tiger King had already leapt.

Chanyeol fired again, missed—Tiger King moved too fast.

"Fight me you brute, come on!" Haein snarled as he charged towards it, brandishing his blade poised for a killing strike, coming up behind Tiger King. "Fight me!"

Tiger King abruptly changed course and spun around before Haein could leap back. Chanyeol glimpsed its yellow eyes flash as it surged upwards, colliding with Haein mid-air.

Haein never stood a chance to retaliate. With two violent slashes to his chest, Tiger King hurled him down like a limp ragdoll. Haein's head cracked against hard concrete making him cry out. Blood sprayed from his shredded chest as he gasped for breath, the blade fallen uselessly from his grip.

"Haein!" Hani shrieked from far away and Tiger King whipped around.

Chanyeol charged, his pulse roaring in his head. Pure adrenaline moved his legs, his arms, his fingers, because all he could see on replay was the ruthless monster effortlessly taking down an armed man.

Hani can't die like that.

Taking aim, he yelled to get Tiger King's attention as he ran and fired off rounds at the monster. One bullet ricocheted off its back—bulletproof kevlar, Chanyeol noted grimly—narrowly missing his leg. Dr. Kim covered Hani's head and dived for cover behind the exit door even as Hani shouted and cried.

The lucky hit seemed to do the trick and spook it: Tiger King growled, turned tails and fled, leaping over the car again and hopping off with the nimble agility of a parkour runner.

"No!" Chanyeol shouted in frustration. "It's getting away!"

He gave chase, anger pounding through his veins as he squeezed the trigger of his useless gun over and over until it clicked—empty. He threw it aside and could only watch, heaving as the taunting figure of Tiger King grew smaller and smaller, escaping from right under his nose.

"Damn it," Chanyeol cursed when it vanished out of the garage. He squatted to the ground, hands trembling as he covered his face. His heart thundered, overwhelmed by the violent encounter that had him escape miraculously unscathed.

Had this been Jinyoung's plan along? Was he only targeting Haein, the current leader of the Dasoni? Was he intending to break Hani this way?

"Fucking hell Jinyoung, you fucking bastard," Chanyeol spat.

"Haein! Haein talk to me!"

Loud sobs broke him out of his spiralling and he whipped around. His stomach dropped when he took in Hani leaning over her brother and shaking him from his shoulders as she cried, on the verge of hysterics.

Shit.

Now that he was more cognisant of his surroundings, Chanyeol took in the three men in black laid side by side on the ground next to the Dasoni's car, their necks stuck at gruesomely odd angles.

Tiger King had been here, waiting for them, Chanyeol thought chillingly.

"Don't just stand there! Get help!" Hani shouted at Dr. Kim.

"Yes, at once!" Dr. Kim gabbled, feverishly fumbling for her phone. She was a far cry from the calm, dependable doctor Chanyeol was used to, badly shaken as her trembling fingers dialled.

Watching a monster brutally rip apart one of your bosses like a plush toy probably had to shake up even the most seasoned practitioner: Chanyeol himself could still feel his whole body thrumming like a livewire.

"There's more here, the henchmen are back here. They're...beyond our help," Chanyeol said as he rushed to Hani's side and knelt next to her. The strict trained professional side of him had taken over, moving his legs and voice, clinically scrutinising the murder scene.

"Haein! Haein please...oppa, hang in there," Hani wept. Chanyeol bent down next to her, wincing at the mess. 

Haein's shirt was torn, revealing his jagged chest lacerations that extended from shoulder to hip in a trio of gruesome parallel lines. A congealing pool of blood beneath him had Chanyeol sucking in his breath, and not because of the stench.

Haein was already displaying symptoms of shock, his waxy complexion and clammy hands coupled with his weak movements more than enough proof. His gasps for air were agonising, making Chanyeol clench his hands in helpless fury.

Haein was dying, no matter what they did. He knew it from the resigned expression on Dr. Kim's face as she barked out instructions and details to the staff upstairs, so close but so hopelessly far.

Hani, however, was still in denial.

"Haein, please..."

Haein focused on her, pulling on every ounce of strength he had left to speak. Blood dribbled from his lips and Hani wiped it away with such tenderness it made Chanyeol's numb heart ache.

"I'm...sorry. Don't...be afraid. You...hear me?" Haein breathed.

"No no no no," Hani bawled, tears dripping. "Hang in there, we're getting you help!"

Haein winced even as he threw his sister a faint smile and gripped her hand. His gaze slid over to Chanyeol, brimming with remorse.

I'll look after her, Chanyeol wanted to say. But who was he to even voice out such a desperate promise when he was an active accomplice to a plot to bring down their family? In the end, Chanyeol wrenched is gaze away to look at Hani.

She looked so lost, her face screwed up into a pained mask. However, anger sparked when she locked eyes with Chanyeol.

"Why didn't you kill it? Why didn't you do something?" she snapped. "Nobody...nobody...I didn't even...I couldn't..." she broke down in sobs.

Chanyeol didn't say a word. He badly wanted to hug her, his hands itching to wrap her in his arms and hold her head against his shoulder. She was so close, practically brushing shoulders, but he didn't dare bridge the gap.

"Help is on the way," Dr. Kim said gently, kneeling next to them. Her sad face didn't go unnoticed by Chanyeol as she looked down at Haein who was still struggling to breathe. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed with effort as his harsh laboured breaths echoed.

"Don't look like that. Do something! He's not going to die," Hani said savagely. "You're a doctor! Save him!"

"There's nothing I can do right now," Dr. Kim said. She didn't blink when Hani flicked out her blade and thrust it in her face.

"Dasoni," Chanyeol pleaded.

"Do anything!" Hani ordered.

"He has internal hemorrhaging, and he's in shock," Dr. Kim said softly, back to her professional calm demeanour.

"Bullshit! I'll have you fired! " Hani shook like a leaf in a gale, her bloodshot eyes swimming in grief. The knife she was holding was less of a threat and more of a pitiful attempt to project an image of control.

"Oppa has been through worse shit," Hani insisted, "he's not going to die and leave...me..."

Her words trailed off as Haein's hand dropped from his cheek where he had been holding his sister's hand. His chest abruptly stopped moving altogether and his jaw fell slack.

"Haein?" Hani said in disbelief.

Dr. Kim silently pressed two fingers against his neck. Chanyeol couldn't tear his eyes away and held his breath, as though the outcome could be any different from the horrible reality that he was sure they all knew.

He could feel Hani next to him, sitting still like a ticking timebomb about to go off, the calm before a storm is about to strike.

Dr. Kim took an age to turn back and look at them, shaking her head. A chill descended on Chanyeol as the fact sank in. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hani draw a shuddering breath. And then the storm struck, sweeping Hani away in an all consuming wail that swelled like a wave and echoed all around them.

Chanyeol pulled Hani against his chest and pressed her head into his shoulder, holding on tightly and rocking her whilst she screamed and screamed and screamed.

>

"And it's a royal flush!" Ella announced triumphantly as she splayed her hand of cards with flourish. Jennie and Jisoo groaned simultaneously and threw down their cards in defeat.

"My pocky," Jisoo said mournfully as Ella collected her winning shares gleefully.

"Fucking hell, I'm going broke," Jennie said just as morosely, adding two of her very last pocky sticks to Ella's plate. Hers already had twenty, testament to her winning streak from the card games they had been playing after dinner.

"Jennie! That's the third time in ten minutes!" Rosé exclaimed from the couch. She was watching TV and surfing though channels at random, seemingly in better spirits than earlier that afternoon, at least in Jennie's eyes.

"What? You want me to cuss less? Tell your kid to win less often, she's too good," Jennie defended. "Isn't that right, Hwa-young?"

She winked at Ella who winked back as she collected the cards to shuffle. They had agreed to start practising their new names, which made Jennie's heart ache a little because it hammered home the reality of their situation and cemented the fact that their time together was limited. But seeing Ella treat it as a game helped.

"Aunty Ji—I mean Young-ro, do you wanna go first this time?"

"Ah ah, you know the rules. Give me back my pocky," Jennie piped up, holding out her hand expectantly. Ella pouted.

"I didn't say her name all the way, come on!"

"Yeah Jen, since when did you turn into such a buzzkill?" Jisoo teased.

"You're siding with her? She's clearing us out and you're siding with her?" Jennie gawked, holding her chest. "Betrayal!"

"Hey, maybe I'm using my head," Jisoo winked. "She's more likely to share all that pocky with me than with you, right Hwa-young?"

"Absolutely Aunty Young-ro," Ella giggled, high-fiving Jisoo.

"You won't share any pocky you get with me then?" Jennie pouted.

"Sorry jagiya, pocky is too good to give up," Jisoo chuckled.

"Is that so?" Jennie hummed, sitting back and throwing Jisoo a sickly sweet smile. "And what if I were to, I don't know, throw in a little...incentive into the mix, are you sure you'd still want to hang on to your pocky?"

Jisoo's eyes narrowed, cottoning on to Jennie's implication. "What's the incentive?"

"No no no don't listen to her," Ella begged.

"Oh nothing much," Jennie reassured. "A mere trifle really, nothing too important than pocky, I assure you. In fact, forget about it. Let's play again."

"Jennie," Jisoo said, a heated warning behind her words. Jennie smiled in victory, especially when she saw Jisoo's eyes glaze over.

She leaned forward again, smirking. "Well since you love pocky so much, I was thinking we'd skip out on...fun times altogether later. I mean, who needs that when you've got pocky, am I right? You're right, pocky is too good to give up, so enjoy your pocky. I mean, pocky is way more tasty than..." she trailed off and pointed at herself, winking as Jisoo's jaw dropped, her eyes round.

"Moooom, Jennie unnie is saying naughty stuff again!" Ella complained.

"Guys," Rosé groaned exasperatedly from the couch. "Keep it family-friendly, please? And to think you all used to say Lisa and I were too much!"

"Snitches end up in ditches, Hwa-young, I'm sure I've told you that before," Jisoo said, her cheeks splotched pink.

"I wasn't Hwa-young when you told me so it doesn't count," Ella said cheekily, making the adults laugh.

Jennie shook her head. "This is why I gotta be a buzzkill, Young-ro. You give the girl an inch, she'll take a mile and you will never know. Hwa-young keeps you on your toes."

Ella rolled her eyes making Jennie grin.

"Less of that attitude, missy, but alright, fine. Since you didn't say her name all the way, give me one pocky back and we cool. Cool?"

"Fiiiiiiiiine, here. Aunty Young-ro, do you want to go first?" Ella asked with exaggerated emphasis whilst Jennie and Jisoo laughed.

"Like that makes any difference, you little scamp," Jisoo said fondly as she snuggled Dalgom. She pointed a finger at Ella. "Go ahead, deal me, but I warn you, I'm watching you closely. And so is Dalgom."

On cue, Dalgom gave a little snore, which had all of them chuckle, even Rosé.

It had been a pleasant afternoon blending into early onset of evening. Jennie had eaten lunch after her secret conversation with Chanyeol then joined Jisoo for an afternoon snooze. It had been easy to fall asleep nestled next to her girlfriend just like they used to. It had even started to rain, the soothing pitter-patter creating a cosy atmosphere perfect for snuggling.

The peace didn't last long: she was roused from her sleep when Jisoo started thrashing around, her face scrunched up. Jennie thought it was a nightmare and moved to shake her awake but Jisoo shook her head.

"Signal," she gasped out once it ended, flopping on to her back, limp and drained.

"That's the second time today," Jennie frowned, unable to stifle the knot of unease in her chest. "What the hell is he up to?"

"Maybe he's trying to wipe me out or something," Jisoo groaned. "Great, now my headache's back." She cracked her eyes open, smiling tiredly at Jennie's concerned face. "I'm not sure the quickie route will help right now. Not really in the mood. Sorry."

"Sorry for what? You have nothing to apologise for. I'm here to do anything you want me to, not the other way round," Jennie said tenderly, stroking her face. "What I can do?"

Jisoo sighed, closing her eyes again. "I just want things to stop."

Jennie pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, her heart giving a pang. They will stop, I'll make sure of it, she wanted to say.

"Tell you what, why don't I get you something to eat? You need energy or that damn signal gonna sap at what little strength you have left," Jennie said, tactfully changing the subject, "and you'll faint on me again. We can't have you going back to starving after all the progress, Dr. Kim will skin me."

She was pleased to see Jisoo's faint smile.

"What can I say, you tired me out real good. I forgot all about eating," Jisoo grinned. "But I think I could eat now, yeah."

"I'm gonna bring you some of the gimbap Rosie made. Stay there."

Jisoo proved to be ravenous after she fully woke up, and they even had to visit the kitchen to grab more food. Rosé swiftly reheated the main leftovers and plated more after being informed of the situation. She had guessed the signal had struck again, because Dalgom had a brief whining spell as she and Ella cuddled with him on the couch.

"Maybe Jinyoung has Tiger King on the move," Rosé had said carefully as she handed Jisoo her third bowl of noodles. "I told you about the gang murders didn't I? It's been quiet the past few days. Maybe he's making a move now. Careful, don't choke," she added as Jisoo slurped and gulped down like no tomorrow.

"It's good," Jisoo said thickly. "Already feel much better."

"I'm glad," Rosé smiled. She spied Jennie frowning. "What's up?"

"You're saying he's using the signal because Tiger King is prowling around moving in on the next target, right?" Jennie said. She fidgeted, reluctant to voice out her worry. "What if...it's targeting...here?"

Rosé shook her head. "I doubt it. Jinyoung isn't after us, at the moment anyway." She looked out the rain-blurred window, her face unreadable. "If anyone should worry, it's probably Hani. She said he might target her."

Jennie frowned, disturbed by Rosé's conclusion. She was grateful when Rosé suggested they all play games to take their mind off things. Since Ella wasn't going to school anymore, entertaining her was a good distraction, especially when she proved to be more than a match for Jennie and Jisoo.

"One more game and then Jisoo needs to go rest again," Jennie said now and snapped her fingers. "Deal us."

"I'm fine now Jen, it's not as bad as before," Jisoo reassured.

"So you don't want to cuddle?" Jennie demanded, making Jisoo laugh and shake her head.

"How can I say no to that face? Of course I want to—"

"Oh my god!" Rosé jumped to her feet with a shout, startling them all. She whipped around, her eyes wild. "Haein's dead!"

"What?" Jennie and Jisoo spluttered. Rosé motioned at the TV where Haein's photo was displayed next to a newscaster's grave face as he relayed the harrowing news.

"...survived by his older brother and younger sister. The Dasoni family have requested for their privacy to be respected during this time of grief and bereavement, and have called on the general public to co-operate with investigations that could shed light on the gruesome crime. Earlier, the representative spokesperson for the Dasoni announced a two-week shutdown of their various portfolios for a period of mourning in the wake of this unexpected tragedy..."

A dull roar filled Jennie's ears as the newscaster droned on and on.

"What the hell?" Jisoo whispered. "Did it say who did it?"

Rosé flicked back to the beginning of the report but nothing of the sort was mentioned, only the words 'brutally murdered in cold blood'.

"It does't even say how he was killed, or where. They're keeping a tight wrap on details," Rosé said tersely, drawing Ella close and hugging her tightly. "That can only mean one thing." She exchanged meaningful glances with Jennie and Jisoo.

Jennie knew they were all thinking the same thing: Jinyoung and Tiger King had struck.

"Hani's still alive," Jennie breathed, but she didn't know if the emotion swelling in her chest was relief or disappointment. More worryingly, if this was indeed an attack mounted by Jinyoung and Tiger King, were they going to be the next targets? What happens to them now that Haein was gone?

Although he hadn't given her much of a leeway when it came to Lisa, he had seemed to be slightly more reasonable than his spitfire sister.

Had Chanyeol not heard of this news?

Jennie patted her pocket, where the walkie talkie was concealed. She had to edge away from the others who were transfixed by the TV to try and contact him.

This new development, though tragic, changed a lot of things so maybe, now was the time to strike while the Dasoni were thrown into disarray.

"We need to contact Hani," Rosé said urgently. "The guards outside—"

"I'll get them," Jennie said, glad to be moving. She went and knocked on the front door. "Oi, you two! We need to call Hani."

Silence responded her. Jennie hammered on the door harder.

"Have y'all fallen asleep or something? Hello?" Jennie frowned. She jiggled the knob without thinking, the furrow in her brow deepening when the door gave way and opened.

Had Hani forgotten to lock the door after her departure? It was likely, she had left in a huff. The lit hallway was deserted and while nothing seemed out of ordinary, there were no sign of the two henchmen, nor of their belongings.

Uneasy, Jennie turned back to the others. "They're not here. Maybe they're on the roof? I'm going to go look."

"I'll go with you," Jisoo said, joining her. "Dalgom, come on, let's go walkies."

Jennie tried to school her face into neutral and didn't budge from the doorway, keeping the door ajar. The opportunity to contact Chanyeol was threatened.

"No, stay here. If Hani finds you had been out and about, she'll be mad. I'll risk it."

"You're doing that again. Trying to protect me and take the brunt of things." Jisoo put her hand out, gently squeezing Jennie's arm. Her eyes were solemn.

"Stop treating me like fragile china, Jendeuk. Let's go look for the guys. You know bad things happen when people split up in horror movies, right?"

"This isn't a horror movie. They probably went out for some air, or Hani called them away or something," Jennie said.

"Don't care. I'm still coming with you. If anything, it's a quick outing. I haven't been outside in forever." Jisoo smiled wanly. "Besides, you owe me some stargazing, remember?"

Jennie bit her lip. The terrible guilt that seemed to have claimed a permanent home in her chest had her bow her head and whisper 'okay', giving in with little fight. But when she spied Jisoo's ankle monitor, she raised her head again, remembering an important detail.

"Wait, won't we trip the ankle monitor?" Jennie frowned. She almost regretted bringing it up when Jisoo's face fell.

"Oh...yeah, you're right. I guess I can't go after all."

"Oh not necessarily," Rosé smiled, surprising them. "El, get me the foil will you?"

Ella bounded to the kitchen counter and returned with the roll of foil that Rosé had brought along to wrap leftover food.

"We don't have the tools to cut it off, and maybe it's safer to leave the monitor on for now," Rosé said as she took a sheet of tinfoil and knelt next to Jisoo's foot. She wrapped it snugly around the ankle bracelet as she spoke. "We also want to contact Hani. So I'm going to block the signal by wrapping it in foil, which won't trip the alarm system. However, since they will lose the signal, they might be alerted that something is up if they're still paying attention to us. Your last pinged location will let them know where you had been but otherwise, you can roam around. Maybe this way, she'll come to us faster."

She shrugged when they blinked at her. "Perks of working with criminals. You pick up a thing or two."

"Neat," Jisoo said happily and skipped out the door. Jennie had been fearfully expecting her to be zapped on the spot, or for alarm bells to blare, but nothing happened.

"Come on Jen!" Jisoo called as Dalgom joined her.

"We'll be waiting for you guys here. We'll be fine," Rosé reassured at Jennie's questioning gaze.

"Barricade the door, just in case," Jennie said.

>

"There we go, doesn't it feel good to breathe some fresh air?" Jisoo cooed at Dalgom scampering through puddles and sniffing around the roof. "Here Dalgom-ah, you're going to get your coat dirty!"

Jennie leaned against the railing, watching them with a heavy heart. The walkie-talkie felt like a dead weight against her leg, keeping her on edge.

Contacting Chanyeol right now was impossible without giving away that she was in cahoots with him behind all their backs, unless she was able to come up with some new excuse. But Jennie was tired of giving excuses and half-truths: it was better to not say anything at all then spin a new lie.

The railing was all wet from the recent rain but she didn't care as she leaned her weight back against it, letting the cool wetness soak through her shirt and into her skin. She tipped her head back to watch the night sky, shrouded with clouds that hid most of the stars from view. It would probably rain again later.

Weak moonlight from a waxing moon joined the streetlights from below that illuminated the roof just enough for them to see the shapes of their surroundings.

"Guess it's not exactly ideal for stargazing huh?" Jisoo commented, joining Jennie at the railing. "Bummer."

Jennie smiled over at her. "It sucks yeah, but as long as you're here, it's still nice. I couldn't ask for more."

She slipped her hand in Jisoo's, rubbing the back of her hand with her thumb as she squeezed it tightly, trying to bring her mind to the present, to focus on Jisoo and nothing but Jisoo.

"I wonder where the guards went," Jisoo said.

"Hani probably called them away earlier and we didn't notice," Jennie shrugged. She pulled Jisoo closer, wrapped her arms around her waist and snuggled in the crook of her shoulder, her eyes falling shut as she inhaled deeply. Jisoo's scent always had a calming effect but tonight, it was eclipsed by a feeling of guilt so acute that she couldn't ignore.

Her heart warred with her head, remembering Chanyeol's plea to let the girls in on her exposé plan.

"Clingy Jendeukie," Jisoo teased, turning around fully to hug Jennie. "And here I was worrying you didn't want me around."

"I always want you around. I just..." Jennie sighed, trailing off when Jisoo peppered her face with tender feather-light kisses.

"I know. You want to protect me when things look risky, so you take off, to face it all by yourself," Jisoo said softly. "But you know something? Maybe I want to make sure you're safe, too. You have to stop running and let me catch up."

That did it: the guilt rushed up her throat like vile acid and Jennie only managed to swallow it back down in the nick of time before she blurted out everything.

Instead, she leaned against Jisoo until their foreheads connected and stood absorbing the night air, the sound of Jisoo's breath, the sensation of their bodies touching, holding each other. She stood on the edge of a precipice, a feeling of deja vu pulling her back to the fateful night when her whole life was upended by Jinyoung.

"Something's on your mind," Jisoo said gently, and Jennie knew she was waiting for her to elaborate.

It was no use hiding from her sharp girlfriend. Sooner or later, Jisoo was bound to find out.

But Jennie hesitated. She was a coward; an excuse was on the tip of her tongue, ready to silence her conscience.

"Jisoo I..."

She faltered when she raised her eyes. Jisoo looked at her with so much love and adoration that Jennie cracked. 

She had made the mistake of keeping things from her before, until it was too late, and she lost the chance to tell her side of the story leading Jisoo to suffer in uncertainty, disoriented by lies and muddled facts.

That's what killed me most, Jen: I didn't know what was going on.

"Chu, I'm scared," Jennie whispered, her confession swallowed up by the darkness and by Jisoo's bright eyes, like twin stars.

"I'm scared too. Haein's gone, and now who's going to be in charge? Will they switch up things on us again?" Jisoo whispered back.

"That's...that's not what scares me. There's...something else." Jennie was on the verge of hyperventilating. "Chu, there's something else. You'll hate me for it, that's why I'm scared."

Jisoo's eyes widened, her hands tightening around Jennie. "Tell me," she said gently and Jennie could have wept.

Despite everything, despite what Jisoo herself said, she hadn't changed. Always patient, always trusting, always loving, and maybe that was the problem: Jennie didn't do well with gentleness; she needed the truth beaten out of her.

"Jen, you can tell me anything," Jisoo said, oblivious to the turmoil in Jennie's head. Or maybe she was all too well aware as she leaned in, lips just shy of brushing her own. "Don't think. I'm not going anywhere. Close your eyes and say it."

"I don't know how," Jennie said, anguished. "I swear, the problem isn't you. It's me."

She froze when Jisoo's arms fell away from around her body.

"Then maybe you need more time," Jisoo said quietly and Jennie didn't miss the disappointment in her voice as she turned away. "I won't force you to come to me, but whenever you're ready, I'm waiting."

But Jennie clung on to Jisoo and held her impossibly closer, shaking her head.

"No. None of that. If you keep giving me space, I'll keep waiting and waiting and never spit it out." She dropped her face against the nape of Jisoo's neck. "I just want to protect you from everything but I keep doing it wrong."

"Oh Jen." Jisoo turned in her arms and hugged her tightly as Jennie sniffled.

"I still think it's bad to tell you but I can't hide it anymore. When I'm with you, I can't forget the guilt."

"We talked about this, didn't we?" Jisoo chided gently. "How we're going to be more honest with each other. It's the better way to face things, together."

"Yes but what if it also makes us disagree and keep us in a deadlock? What if it endangers us if we keep stalling?"

"You have to talk for us to find out. I told you, don't keep assuming what I'll do. Maybe I'll surprise you," Jisoo added with a little wink that had Jennie sigh.

"You're right. You're an angel for not getting angry, but you have full permission to—"

"How can I be angry when you're shaking so much?"

Jisoo cupped Jennie's face, kissing her tenderly, reassuringly. "I love you, Jendeuk. Talk to me."

Jennie nodded, taking heart to blurt it out in one go. "Jisoo, I—"

Dalgom barked sharply, startling them and making them spring apart. Next second, Ella hurtled out through the roof exit door, shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Unnie unnie, they've got Mommy! They've got Mom!"

Jisoo caught her as Ella shot straight into their midst, crying incoherently.

"What? Ella, what's wrong?" Jennie said urgently, all previous fear flying out of her head. "Who's got—"

"Hani," Ella blurted out in tears, turning Jennie's blood to ice. "She...she said to get you. Unnie please, she's going to hurt Mom, she's super mad, you've got to—"

"There you are, lovebirds," Hani drawled, stepping out on to the roof. There was an ominous undercurrent in her words. "The little squirt got away but lucky us, she led me straight to you."

Both Jennie and Jisoo gasped when a squad of burly henchmen trooped out from behind her. They all had torches that made Jennie squint against the harsh glare. The last two henchmen brought out a struggling Rosé, mouth taped shut with her hands tied behind her back.

"What the hell?" Jisoo gasped.

"Let go of her," Jennie snapped at the same time. Ella quivered against her thigh while Dalgom growled, all his hackles raised.

Hani threw a disdainful look over at Dalgom. "Muzzle the mutt or he'll be the first to go. And no funny business."

Jisoo hurriedly scooped him up and retreated to Jennie's side, edging closer to Jennie which lent her strength. The situation looked bad. They were surrounded, with only the railing at their back.

Chanyeol. Where is he? Did Hani find out about their plans and do something to him?

Jennie swallowed, pushing the harrowing thought aside. "Hani, what's up?"

"Oh nothing much," Hani all but snarled as she savagely pulled Rosé forward and shoved her to her knees in front of them. "Just wondering if slicing this bitch up will make you talk."

"Don't hurt her!" Ella yelled, struggling furiously against Jennie's hold.

"Talk about what?" Jennie said, her mouth very dry. She gripped Ella's shoulders tightly, feeling the girl tremble beneath her grasp. It made her heart ache. "Hani, whatever is going on, whatever you have against me, leave the others out of it."

"Oh you still have the nerve to make demands too?" Hani said incredulously. "I don't believe this!"

To Jennie's bewilderment, Hani threw her head back and laughed mirthlessly.

"You really think you can get away with it, huh, Ace? If you've got the balls, say it to my face. Go ahead, say it." Hani waved her hand around. "Tell all those gathered how you were going to betray us all. Betray even your little sluts."

Jennie's face grew hot but she fought to keep calm, even as she sensed Jisoo, Rosé and Ella's gazes switch to her, confused.

"That's right. She's been working behind all our backs to bring the whole Dasoni down. And do you know how? Why don't you tell them, Jen?"

When Jennie didn't say anything, Hani tossed her head. "Figured as much. You always need incentives to talk."

Jennie held her breath when Hani's blade flicked out with a sharp shlick. Rosé heard it too, her wide eyes flitting to Jennie, terrified. Dalgom didn't stop growling and Jisoo next to her trembled.

"Hani," Jennie began.

Hani seized Rosé from her hair and wrenched her head back. Rosé cried out behind her tape, muffled and in pain, whimpering as Hani raised the knife to her throat.

"Talk or I'm drawing blood," Hani threatened.

"Mom!" Ella screamed. Next second, she tore out of Jennie's hold and attacked Hani, pummelling into her with unbridled fury.

Chaos erupted as Hani lost her grip and fell back with Ella on top. The henchmen rushed forward but Jennie beat them, diving into the fray to pull Ella off and immediately push her away into Jisoo's arms.

"Jen!" Jisoo cried. Her warning came seconds too late as Hani's blade sliced flesh and Jennie cried out, stumbling a few feet away and grabbing her arm.

"Do you feel it burn?" Hani hissed in her ear as her fingers closed around Jennie's throat. "I bet my brother felt worse when your sister  tore his arm out."

Hani's fingers squeezed unforgivably, cutting off air and Jennie understood: Hani was blaming her. She wanted to make her pay.

It's all your fault he's dead.

"You were supposed to be getting your freak sister back. But instead, she killed my brother."

"Am I my sister's keeper?" Jennie wheezed, eyes screwed shut as pain exploded over her scalp: it felt like it was going to detach from her skull any moment. She choked when Hani squeezed harder.

"Get—off," Jennie choked out, scrabbling frantically at Hani's hand.

"Chanyeol's not coming to save you," Hani said, her voice a low growl. "I made sure to stall him. So get talking."

"Let her go! I'm warning you," Jisoo yelled. Jennie couldn't see, her head tilted back as Hani wrenched her hair and gnashed her teeth, right next to her ear.

"Hani, stop it," Rosé begged from far off. Hani paid no heed that her prisoner had gotten free.

"Listen you little shit. I know all about what you were planning behind my back. How dare you?" Hani said in a terrible voice, making Jennie freeze. "I took you in and you dare bite the hand that fed you? Say it. Say it out loud for everyone to hear. Say it."

She shoved Jennie forward, and Jennie slammed face-first into a puddle. The cold water made her gasp as she retched and flopped on her back, wheezing and coughing. Her throat burned and throbbed, as though her thundering heart had taken up residence there.

Jennie dared to glance back at Jisoo, sweet relief flooding her body when she saw Rosé huddled with Jisoo, Ella and Dalgom, free of her bonds.

"Jen," Rosé said shakily.

"Say it," Hani ordered, looming over her. Rage glinted in her eyes like sharp glass, cold and hot at the same time.

Jennie took a deep breath and focused back on Hani. "I was working with Chanyeol. I was going to expose the whole Tiger King story to the press. I was going to three reporters to give them the story and only expose myself. The others would remain anonymous so that they're not targeted by authorities or anyone else, and they would get to live peacefully away from everything, so that they could start over. I was going to name Dasoni and Jinyoung to bring an end to all this, to set the girls free. They didn't know anything about it. They're innocent. They have nothing to do with it."

Far from appeasing Hani, it only seemed to stoke the flames of anger.

Hani kicked her, splashing water, and she didn't stop, letting loose with savage fury as she unleashed all her rage on Jennie. 

Jennie cried out, curling up into a ball and covering her head. She arched and gasped as Hani's heel struck her back, the hard blows landing like hammer strikes. The assault was too fast and overwhelming for Jennie to fight back and she could only protect herself the best she could as Jisoo's and Rosé's screams rang out.

"No!"

"Jennie!"

Above the torrent of insults Hani was throwing at her, Jennie heard the henchmen move, possibly to subdue the other girls.

"Don't hurt them!" Jennie shouted, her voice joining the chaos. "Please I just—"

The barrage of kicks abruptly stopped and when Jennie dared to turn around, Hani punched her, flipping her head back. Jennie's teeth rattled and she slumped to the ground on her back with a groan. 

But Hani seized her up from her shirt, lifting her to sit up. The crazy movement of the torches' beams showed Jennie just enough of Hani's bloodshot, mad gaze. Jisoo and Rosé were still clamouring from somewhere behind her but Jennie's vision tunnelled to Hani, and nothing else existed in that moment except the seething woman in front of her.

"You have the nerve to make demands of me?" Hani growled, practically frothing at the mouth. "You pathetic piece of shit. Everything is going to shit because of you."

"I know," Jennie whispered. She gritted her teeth as new aches flared up when Hani slammed her down to the ground and leaned over her, holding her down. She raised the other hand with the knife above their heads.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," Hani said dangerously. "One damn fucking good reason."

Jennie's heart was going to explode, her mind racing to find the right answer before the glinting point of Hani's blade stabbed her eye out.

"No!" Jisoo's terrible cry caught Jennie's attention as she glanced back, seeing her hemmed in by the henchmen all holding taser guns and knives. Rosé was covering Ella while Jisoo herself held Dalgom. Jisoo looked straight at Jennie in despair.

But Jennie smiled. She had her answer. Whether it would spare her from Hani's wrath or not, it was a damn fucking good reason either way.

"Because I'm like you," Jennie said clearly and Hani immediately froze. "Because I'm trying to survive, just like you. Because I care for my sister, just like you. Because I'm trying to save the people I care about, the people that I love. Because I'm so scared and alone but fuck if I care. Because I'm willing to go through hell if it means they live. I'm willing to throw my life away, if it means they live."

"Jennie," Jisoo whispered, her voice cracking. Jennie didn't look at her, knew she was past forgiveness.

Hani had turned into a statue, staring down at her with eyes so wide that Jennie could make out the gleaming white of her eyeballs. Everything had fallen silent around them, as though the air itself was holding its breath.

Hani brought the knife down whistling through the air with a wretched yell, the blade whizzing past wisps of hair at Jennie's temple and hitting the ground with a dull clunk just by her ear.

And then Hani was bent over her, gnashing her teeth as her shoulders convulsed from silent sobs. Jennie laid still as a corpse and despite Hani's cruelty, despite her body aching and bleeding, despite everything—Jennie was still moved to pity.

"My brother...is dead," Hani gritted out. "I saw it happen right in front of me. I had to take care of his body, everything...after he was gone. He's...gone."

"I know," Jennie croaked.

A drop of water fell on to Jennie's cheek but it wasn't raining, and she wasn't crying.

Jennie lifted her arm on impulse without really knowing why, only knowing that the broken-hearted woman straddling her was making her heart ache.

Hani slapped Jennie's hand away before Jennie could touch her face, her mouth hardening into a straight line. Her vulnerability was gone in an instant, replaced with cold, brittle detachment as Hani sat back and stood up, composed and in control. She still held her knife.

"You're dead to me," Hani said stiffly. "I'm letting you go. If you think about contacting those reporters, my men will shoot you. They will be watching." She gestured at Rosé, Jisoo, Ella and Dalgom. "And they will die too."

"What's...what's going to happen to them?" Jennie puffed out, wincing as she sat up.

"They're staying here until you carry out the original plan. Take down Jinyoung and bring me Tiger King." Hani's eyes flashed dangerously. "It's personal now. I'm going to kill it."

"No," Rosé gasped.

"Torture it and flay it, just to make it understand what it's like to make an enemy of a Dasoni," Hani growled. "Just to give it ten times worse what it did to Haein."

"No! Hani, she doesn't know what she's doing, she's under the TK influence, please..."

Rosé's pleas fell on deaf ears. Hani ignored her and turned away from them all as she walked to the railing, looking out to the cloudy night sky.

"Tonight, Ace dies," she said. "But Jennie Kim the terrorist comes back to life."

"What?" Jennie's heart kicked in her chest as Hani turned around.

"You heard me. The authorities will be looking for you. You're on your own."

"How can you?" Jisoo said, aghast.

"Why are you doing this?" Rosé burst out angrily. "Why the hell—"

"Because I'm not dumb," Hani said steadily. "If she walks free out of here, she will just waltz into the nearest police station. Speaking of, hand over whatever you were using to talk with Chanyeol."

Jennie shook her head bitterly as she reached into her pocket for the walkie-talkie and tossed it at Hani's feet. There was no use in fighting her—she held the upper hand.

Hani had essentially sentenced her to death. If Jinyoung didn't kill her, the authorities would show no mercy once they got their hands on her. And if she miraculously managed to evade all that, Hani was going to kill Lisa.

Would she really be able to deliver Tiger King—no, Lisa—to her death? Just to spare Jisoo and Rosé and Ella?

Impossible choices, stacked on top of impossible tasks. And Jennie, as always, was facing it alone.

Jennie didn't know why she felt so calm. It was probably shock, slipping into numbness: nothing felt real anymore. Her fleeting blissful moments with Jisoo already felt like a decade ago. Exhaustion, deep in her bones, seeped into her mind: I just want it all to end.

She glanced at Jisoo now, remorse making all words desert her.

Jisoo's eyes brimmed with emotion. She mouthed I love you. But even as her heart gave a pang, Jennie turned away. Saying I love you back felt like an act of hypocrisy, because how could she say that when she had all but guaranteed their doom?

Failure to protect, yet again.

"One more thing," Hani said after she had crushed the walkie-talkie beneath her heel. "Stand up, Jennie."

Jennie obeyed slowly as her back protested. Her legs quaked but she finally stood up straight, facing Hani head-on. Hani's face was unreadable as she held out her hand.

"Your hand."

Foreboding twisted in her gut but once more, Jennie obeyed, slowly raising her arm. Alarm bells blared in her head when Hani impatiently snatched her hand from the wrist and held it up to the light of the torch beams. The jet-black wasp tattoo stood to attention.

"You won't need that anymore," Hani said and in a flash of silver, she slashed at Jennie's wrist.

Fireworks exploded in her arm as Jennie dropped to the ground with a terrible scream, curling into a ball and grinding her teeth. People were yelling but she couldn't recognise voices, she wasn't sure if it was Jisoo or it was all in her head. 

Her hand burned like she'd been stung by a hive of vicious wasps. Pain eclipsed all other senses as she squeezed her hand, gasping with her eyes screwed shut, rocking back and forth.

"Dr. Kim," Hani said from far-off.

Cool hands gently pushed back hair from her face, caressing and comforting even as the fingers shook. Their touch was familiar.

Jisoo.

"Jennie, I need to see your hand," Dr. Kim's steady firm voice said, cutting through the chaos. Jennie cracked her eyes open, squinting through the bright lights focused on her face.

"This will sting. Jisoo, tie her arm up. Like that good. Rosé, can you clean the area? I'm going to thread the needle. Jennie, I'm doing stitches. Hang in there okay?"

"Jisoo," Jennie moaned, trying to focus on the bleary shapes looming over her. The hand holding her shoulder tightened and Jennie scrambled to touch it with her free hand.

"Keep her still!"

"How much longer is this going to take?" Hani grouched from far away.

"Sssh ssh, I'm here. I'm here," Jisoo whispered from directly overhead and then trembling lips were pressing to Jennie's brow, chilled but tender. "I'm right here, jagiya."

"I'm sorry," Jennie said, her eyes watering. "I failed."

"No. You're so brave and strong." Jisoo's voice bobbed from one side to the other and Jennie's head was spinning. But Jisoo wiped her tears with her thumb, grounding her along with the sharp pinches of Dr. Kim's needle as she stitched the gash back together. They kept Jennie from fully falling away into the darkness, even as her eyes fluttered.

"Jen don't sleep, keep your eyes open," Rosé barked. "There's so much blood..."

"Unnie, unnie don't sleep!" That was Ella, patting her face urgently, forcing Jennie's eyes open. "You've got to fight! You're one of the good guys. You're gonna fight, okay?"

Jennie cracked a smile. "I will," she croaked around the lump in her throat.

"You better," Rosé said. She swam into focus when Jennie followed the sound of her voice. Her drawn harrowed face only lightened when she gave a small smile. "I'll whoop your ass for hiding stuff from us when you come back so don't you dare try to get out of it."

Jennie felt her smile grow. A promise of return was the only thing she could give them to hang on right now, even if she didn't quite believe it herself. But she needed it to hang on, as much as they needed it themselves. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Jennie, you have to come back okay? Come back to me," Jisoo said, bent over to look directly in her eyes. Jennie focused on her upside down face, the lump in her throat melting just enough to let her speak when their gazes collided.

"I'll come back. I'll make you happy," Jennie slurred. "It's all I ever want. I want to be happy...with you."

Jisoo nodded tearfully. "Yes, yes so keep that in mind okay? I can't wait to have that with you."

"I'm sorry for hiding all this," Jennie mumbled quietly. "Wanted to protect you."

"I know. Dammit, you always do that. I should have known." Jisoo's tone was far from admonishing as she stroked Jennie's cheek, her bottom lip trembling. "Jen, I love you—"

"Finished," Dr. Kim announced, undoing the tourniquet. Hani immediately swooped in.

"Aaaaaaaand that's all folks. Take them back to the apartment."

"Wait! Jen!" Rosé hollered as she and Ella were snatched away. Dalgom went yapping at their heels but he was swiftly snagged from the scruff of his neck and carried away as well.

"No! Jennie! Jennie!" Jisoo screamed, struggling against the men tugging her away. 

Two were not enough as Jisoo struggled furiously, so two more men had to join efforts and pull her away from Jennie lying prostrate on the ground. Wetness from the puddle had seeped into her back but all Jennie could focus on was Jisoo reaching out to her in desperation. 

Jennie reached out as well, distraught and too dazed to string a sentence. "Jisoo..."

"Jennie! You have to come back! You have to promise!" Jisoo shouted one last time before the men shoved her down the stairs to join the other girls. Jennie blinked and turned to look up at the night sky instead. The clouds were darker, heavy with rain, covering almost all of the moonlight. It would rain shortly.

And suddenly, it was only her, Dr. Kim and Hani left on the roof. Hani looked down impassively as Dr. Kim finished tying up a clean bandage around Jennie's stitches. 

"Breathe deep," Dr. Kim instructed. She brought out a canteen from her bag. "Drink some water, here."

After several sips, Jennie felt a little more present in her surroundings and the haziness cleared. Dr. Kim's eyes were sad, her touch was exceedingly gentle when she stroked Jennie's face once done and stood up.

"Do you need me for anything else?" Dr. Kim said with a distinctly hard edge to her tone.

"You'll accompany us to make sure she doesn't faint or some shit like that."

"She should be okay, unless some sort of infection sets in over the next couple days. Jennie, you have to be careful with it okay? Try to clean the area...if you can."

Jennie nodded, even as Dr. Kim turned away, probably aware how useless those instructions sounded when Hani was about to kick her out on to the streets.

"I'll do what I can," she said hoarsely.

"We'll drop you off at Banpo Hangang park," Hani said. "The original deadline still stands. I suggest you hurry. My older brother Siwon will probably come to be the new head. He's not going to be happy with the girls leeching off us. And I'll have you know he's less tolerable of leeches than...he was."

"I'm sorry about Haein," Jennie said, daring to say his name. It seemed important to at least let Hani know that she sympathised, that she knew loss at the hands of violence through Tiger King.

Hani turned her back on Jennie. "Sorry won't bring him back. Let's go."

Jennie hobbled after Hani with Dr. Kim's silent help. She saw no sign of Jisoo or the others on their way down and could only hope they were safe in the apartment.

The car ride to the park was suffocating. Jennie rode with Dr. Kim in the back, while Hani took shotgun. 

All throughout the drive, Jennie's mind ran blank. It was like somebody had pressed pause on her thoughts and here she was, a hollow vessel devoid of feelings and humanity, numb to every sensation. There was no past, present or future: she was simply existing.

It was only when they dropped her off in the dead of night at the northern-most, isolated point of the park and stole away as swiftly as they had come that Jennie woke up to a very important epiphany:

She had never said I love you back to Jisoo. She had never kissed Jisoo one last time. She had never promised Jisoo she'd return.

What if I never see her again? What have I done?

Jennie finally broke down and sobbed as the first drops of rain fell.

>

"Cheers to another successful raid!" Bang Chan said as he clinked glasses with Jacob Elordi and Jinyoung. He knocked back the wine enthusiastically, as did Jacob. 

"More or less," Jinyoung shrugged absently. 

He didn't drink as he swirled his glass around, his attention focused instead on the gigantic suspension tank next to them. 

Inside it floated Tiger King, suspended in yellow TK solution, and Jinyoung was mesmerised. 

It wore a silvery bodysuit molded to its body, designed to enhance absorption of the solution through the skin. Its eyes were closed, and the glow of overhead lights within made it look ghostly. 

Little bubbles of air floated intermittently from the oxygen mask Tiger King had strapped to its face. Two chains around its ankles anchored it to the bottom of the tank. Around the tank itself were coils and coils of cables and wires, some of them thick as a man's arm. Connecting to those were the overhead platform which was used to lower Tiger King into it and below that, a wall of monitors and screens, knobs, switches and dials that closely monitored the tank's environment and maintained its smooth operation.

The whole set up plus the suspension tank itself—a tall glass cylinder customised to specific modifications—had only recently been finished and put to use. It wasn't cheap but for Jinyoung, it was worth every won. They were able to supplement Tiger King with even larger volumes of TK this way, ensuring its success. 

Jinyoung was sparing no expense to improve on his father's designs.

"What do you mean, more or less?" Chan frowned. "We struck down the Dasoni head, our teams are poised to snatch up the rest of the assets—"

"Something on your mind, Jinyoung?" Jacob asked.  Although he wasn't as exuberant as Chan, Jacob tended to read the room better.

Jinyoung turned back to them. "Tiger King is on my mind."

Chan laughed uneasily. "Tiger Kin is always on your mind Jin, what else is new?"

"Yes. It all comes back to it. The TK demand. The turnover rate for fresh subjects. The conditioning program." He turned back to the suspension tank, touching the glass with reverence. "My father."

He saw Jacob and Chan's reflections glance at each other but he didn't blame them. Since his father's death, he hadn't mentioned him beyond the dry media statement he gave the day after, and burial arrangements. He hadn't even visited his grave. 

He was too busy taking over Seoul's mobs (the ones that opposed him or proved disloyal at least) and advancing business takeovers, political alliances both national and international and bolstering his burgeoning little empire.

Besides, sparing his father any thought was time wasted. The old man was dead and finally resting. Who needed him? There was so much work to do and oversee.

And yet... 

"Your father?" Jacob prompted.

"My father was a nuisance. With him around, nothing I did was right. He always found something to criticise. Always something not to his liking." 

Jinyoung peered into his wineglass, smiling down at his reflection. "He challenged me. Made me constantly innovate to improve and be better than he ever was. He was useful in that sense. And he also admonished me when he felt I was losing sight of the end goal. That I was getting distracted by Jennie."

"You? Distracted? Pah! Your old man couldn't have found a more dedicated person for this job!" 

"Thank you Chan but you see, maybe my father was right. Not about Jennie though." 

They stared at him in stunned silence. He let his gaze slide back to Tiger King. He never tired of watching his creation. Whether it was in action or floating in slumber, he observed it with pride swelling in his chest.

He couldn't have it be ruined. Not on his watch. He wouldn't repeat his father's mistakes.

Listen to me boy, his father used to wheeze. Don't get distracted.

"Tiger King responds to emotional triggers. To make sure its conditioning is complete, you sever its ties. My father had it kill its parents. But then it befriended the doctor in charge of its care, which messed with the conditioning."

"But we've taken care of that, haven't we?" Chan frowned. "It wouldn't be performing this well if it still retained uh, emotional capacity for human emotions."

"To some extent, we have." Jinyoung's brow furrowed. "But there's one detail that has been bothering me lately. I should have addressed it earlier because it can prove to be a liability."

"You've had a lot of work to do. Don't be so hard on yourself. It mustn't be that urgent because you would have tackled it," Jacob pointed out.

"I wonder." Jinyoung gave a faint smile. He swirled his glass, then took a sip, smacking his lips. "At the Slammer, Tiger King performed perfectly, except for one moment. And it has been nagging me at the back of my head until I realised what it is. This could be a symptom of a problem that can be disastrous if we don't tackle it."

"Don't leave us in suspense," Chan said lightly.

Jinyoung nodded thoughtfully then spilled out his observation. "Tiger King didn't kill Yang's runner."

"Oh, that tall brunette chick we met at the Slammer? That was her right? Her name is Roses something."

"Rosé," Jacob supplied. "It didn't kill her?"

"No. It ignored her, even when Rosé called it. They were romantically linked before all this, but it was still quite a fresh relationship."

"Must have been quite impactful, despite the short timeframe," Jacob commented.

"You didn't order Tiger King to slay her? Why not?" Chan asked.

"No I didn't. Truthfully, I have nothing against the girl. It seemed excessive to do so, especially since Tiger King didn't react to her. Though come to think of it, I remember it turned back when Rosé called its old name, but I assumed it was because of the noise, not out of recognition. I couldn't be sure. But in hindsight, I admit I was careless."

"But they're unlikely to meet again," Chan said uncertainly, fiddling with his glass. "Tiger King operates under strict surveillance of our operatives, and that Rosé girl is probably still in hiding with the Dasoni. She has her daughter on the line. I'm sure she wouldn't risk being around dangerous situations."

"Valid points but let's suppose they do indeed cross paths," Jinyoung said. "Because Life has a funny way of catching you off-guard. Let's say they do encounter each other, accidentally. What will the outcome be? Will Tiger King ignore Rosé and carry out its mission? Will it attack her? Will seeing her trigger something in Tiger King? Those are all variables that don't comfort me at all. They're too vague, too uncontrolled."

"And how are you thinking to tackle this problem?" Jacob asked. 

Jinyoung turned his gaze up to Tiger King. "I don't want to take chances now that we're aware of the problem. We should go back to the basics."

"You're saying..." Chan began delicately.

Jinyoung nodded, his smile broad. "Have Tiger King get rid of any sort of emotional attachment that could interfere with its conditioning. That includes Rosé. It needs to happen in a controlled environment. It needs to happen here."

"You'll leave her daughter an orphan?" Jacob asked.

"We'll get the daughter too then," Jinyoung said easily.

He was still gazing up at Tiger King as though nothing else existed, his eyes gleaming yellow in the light.

**********

back again with your dose of angst, you're welcome :P XD 

 thanks for being patient and thanks for the votes, reads and comments, they make my day! 

vent out any feelings/theories/curses below XD