Personally, I wasn't even surprised to see him here. It wasn't unusual to find members of the arena in creepy alleys. ''Jackson,'' I breathed, narrowing my eyes.
''Stay away from her you idiots,'' he hissed at the last two guys standing, almost like a mother giving out to her misbehaving children, yet with a tad more venom. ''You're no match for our little princess here, despite what you may or may not have learned from me."
He circled me, his sculptured features mere inches away from my face. ''Zee...'' he whispered tauntingly into my ear. I was frozen, not from fear but rather curiosity.
He laid a hand on my arm and I yanked it away, making him smile.
''Calm down, sweetheart. I won't hurt you. I'm...'' he lashed out with his arm. I blocked the hit millimetres away from my face. He nodded in approval. ''...just testing you.''
''I like you to be honest. You're not like those stupid, inexperienced sluts who come to our place for attention. Their choice of clothing, frankly, does not cover their bruises. But you...hmm, I don't even know what to make of you. A little bird told me your name is... Yoon Ah?''
I bristled at the name. He only laughed, the sound echoing through the alley. ''What a great name for someone like you. Innocent child.''
My fist was stopped before it reached its target. ''Careful now,'' he warned, twisting my knuckle slowly and painfully. ''I'm not Yugyeom.''
He made me feel like an kid in the grips of a predator and I despised feeling weak. I yanked my hand back, glaring. ''What do you want?'' It came out more shaky than I desired. He smirked.
''What I want? Oh that's easy...I wan't you.''
My heart stilled as he leaned closer towards me, our lips nearly touching. Thankfully defiance was always my thing. I headbutted him.
His goons stepped forward as their leader reeled backward, clutching a bloodied nose. I readied myself for a fight. ''Stop,'' Jackson's voice rasped, breathless.
His men stepped back and I saw that he was laughing. Blood dripped through his fingers, staining both the ground and his shirt, red against the white cotton.
He looked at me appreciatively. ''Very nice.'' I spat in his direction. ''Get away from me, you son of a bitch,'' I growled.
''Easy there sweetheart. That wasn't actually what I wanted. That would be a lie, really but let's just say it wasn't my intention for this visit." His eyes twinkled wickedly." I have a proposal. We want you to join GOT7.''
Even his men looked shell-shocked. ''Very funny,'' I muttered. ''If you don't have anything else stupid to do or say, I'm leaving.''
Jackson grabbed my arm, and an electric current passed through me. ''You're not going anywhere, until I say so,'' he hissed, now impatient. For the first time, I actually felt a pang of fear.
''And you will do as I say or I will ruin that pretty little face of yours, you understand?'' he hissed, his eyes turning feral. I nodded weakly, cowering away as though a sheep in the jaws of a wolf.
He released me, satisfied. ''Good. You don't wan't me to lose my temper do you?''
''Go fuck yourself,'' I said calmly, and kicked him full force in the chest.
He crashed into the barrels behind him, the whole pile coming down on top of him. I heard his curses and threats behind me, loud and clear, but I was already busy. Running.
* * * * *
A purple flower was blooming on my face, as I looked at myself in the mirror of our grimy bathroom. It stood out against my pale face. My father was never an understanding person.
''Zee, where'd you get those?'' G-Dragon muttered, pointing at the bruises on my face. I winced anyway. ''The arena. Where else?'' I said, trying to shake him off. He narrowed his eyes. ''You know you always look at your feet when you are lying? If it were the arena, I would've noticed.''
My eyes betrayed nothing. ''I just came, c'mon I want to practise before...''
He got it in seconds. ''It was your father wasn't it?'' he muttered, shocked. He looked at me, not with sympathy, but with annoyance. ''Why didn't you tell me earlier?''
''Because it was none of your business, that's why!'' I shouted, like a little kid having a tantrum. He touched my cheek gently, shocking all the anger out of me. ''Well you should have. I was worried.'' His other hand clenched into a fist.
''He will never do that again, or he'll have me to answer to. I don't care if he's your father or not.'' I was alarmed. ''It's OK, Ji Yong. Let him, he feels better afterwards...''
''Well I don't give a fuck about what he feels. It's not your fault your mother died, and don't you ever forget that.'' He clutched me to his chest protectively.
I suddenly noticed a pair of scissors on the counter. I picked them up, toying with them before finally coming to the conclusion that I wanted a change. I brought the scissors up to my temple and cut the lock of hair there, leaving about an inch or so. The peaceful snipping of the scissors gave me a second breath.
A girl with short spiky hair and dark eyes met my gaze in the mirror. I still wasn't satisfied.
I left the house within seconds, grabbing the only money I had from the beaded bag under my matress. There wasn't much, but I scraped together about 20,000 won. I didn't even realise I had that much. Nor was I really wanting to remember how I obtained it.
The streetlamps were already on, but the sky wasn't too dark yet. The shops should be opened. I practically ran across Seoul, trying to find the right shop. Eventually, I stumbled into one of the ones G-Dragon always used. My hand reached out and grabbed a random bottle of hair dye off the shelf. It just happened to be crimson.
I paid for it and left.
* * * * *
The dye that clutched to my remaining strands was washed away by the water, creating a river of blood red that flowed down my naked body and into the drain. Hopefully the plumbers wouldn't think someone was murdered.
I couldn't recognise myself in the grimy mirror anymore. This girl was no longer the one that used to model for her mother's fashion magazines. With her short red hair and wild eyes, she could be labelled as one thing. Dangerous.
I grabbed my battered leather jacket and a cap, and closed the door just as my father began to stir. That was one conversation I didn't want to engage in.
Part of me knew it wasn't safe, even in the arena for me right now. Jackson was no doubt pissed at me. But I couldn't just stay at home and do nothing. I was never that kind of person.
My other half was screaming for a fight. A good one. Not with Yugyeom. I had promised no revenge after all. And I wanted to keep he promise for as long as I could. No, I wanted someone else. Perhaps Mark..or maybe Bambam or Junior. I wanted to take down GOT7 one by one, for being the obnoxious bastards they were.
I sighed. Trust me to go where Jackson is least expecting it. Right into his jaws.
* * * * *
The tunnels under Seoul seemed more like home than anywhere else to me. The rusty pipes and the smell of polluted water were almost welcoming at this stage. The first time I'd been here was rather memorable.
''Clear off girl!'' I stomped my high heeled foot in fury. ''How dare you? My father will...'' The man sneered. ''You don't get it, do you chic? I don't care who you are. I don't care how rich your family is, or who your father might be.''
The material of my white coat was stained and soiled, and my shoes looked like they were second hand. I looked more like a beggar, than the child of a successful business owner.
''Then what do you care about?'' I shouted. The sound echoed along the tunnels. He only smirked. ''I like fire, girl. I need fighters, not fluffy little girls who think so high of themselves.''
''So you want fighters?'' I demanded, despite my growing intrigue. His eyes narrowed, as if he'd said to much.''That's right. And if you're not going to provide anything worthwhile, I'm leaving. There is a rather interesting brawl going on back there.''
I never had a good temper.
The guard whirled around, a bruise forming where the high heeled shoe hit him. He didn't look like he was all too happy. Until he burst out laughing.
''Now that's more like it girl!'' He winked and tossed me the shoe. ''Now why don't you put that back on, and I'll show you around. How's that?''
I shrugged and adjusted the straps in the heels. ''Good enough.'' He guffawed.
My temper still hasn't improved, I thought to myself ruefully, as I pushed open the door to the arena. The guards nodded at me, but none showed recognition. Good. Jackson won't know what hit him.
I made my way towards the announcer. ''Is there anyone free from GOT7 to spar?'' The man looked at me suspiciously. No one volunteered for GOT7. Ever. ''There's Bambam...''
Just my luck to get stuck with the innocent looking one. Well then again, he wasn't in GOT7 for his charm. I sighed. ''Fine. Sign me in.'' He shrugged and took out a pen. ''Name and time?''
''Name:Zee''
''Time: request effective immediately"