A small woman with purple hair, a long black t-shirt and dark blue denim shorts, white sneakers, walked cautiously down an alley at a quick pace, she kept looking over her shoulder, her breathing rapid and her cheeks red, as though she had been running. Loud footsteps and the sound of multiple male voices started to come from around the corner, only meters away from the girl. "Fuck" she mumbled under her breath as she looked around frantically for a place to hide.
"She ran through here!"
"Don't these assholes give up? Damn..." the purple haired girl spotted a ladder half way up one of the walls that lead to a fire escape from an apartment, she ran and jumped up to grab onto it and started to climb. Before she was able to climb up, she felt a hand around her ankle and was soon pulled down violently onto the ground. The fall wasn't that high but enough to really hurt, if she had hit her head she would of cracked it open but luckily she didn't. As she lay on her back in this dark alley, three hooded men in masks stood over her. The masks were white and had a different facial expression on each one, they looked like theatrical masks people wear in drama school. One mask expressed happiness, one sadness and the third was anger. Anger reached into the pocket of his black hooded jacket and pulled out a knife, the purple haired girl's eyes widened in fear, she held her hand out as the masked man suddenly lunged the blade down towards her chest.
"No, please don't!"
"Excuse me" Tiffany shouted over the bar of the excessively loud nightclub, "have you seen Turtles?". A tall barman in a white tank top and blue jeans put down the glass he was cleaning to attend to Tiffany, "Turtles did you say?". "Yes" she responded. The barman took a quick glance around the club, "aww have you lost your pets? They've probably been trampled to death if they ran into this place darling but I'll tell the staff to keep an eye out for you". The dark haired woman shook her head before trying to explain that she was in fact looking for a person called Turtles but the barman had already gone to talk to one of the other staff members next to him. "So I just asked my friend and he says he hasn't seen your turtles but he knows a guy that sells stingray for cheap prices, if you're interested?". Namjoon smirked to himself as he leaned up against the bar, hearing the exchange between his friend and the barman. Tiffany sighed, "I'll think about it...thanks".
"Optimistic, Tiff" Namjoon said in a smug tone. Tiffany slapped his arm, "shut up, she's hardly likely to tell people in here that she's called Lisa is she?" The man puffed his cheeks out, "even if the barman knew who you were talking about, he wouldn't tell you where she is. The staff know their customers are all law breakers, you can't just go around asking for people, you'll get us kicked out. We'll come back tomorrow night, she's not here". "Yeah you're right, we should go. I don't like leaving Jen alone in the car anyway" she replied as the two friends made their way out of the nightclub.
Tiffany and Namjoon entered the black Mercedes as Jennie sat anxiously in the backseat, looking at her own hands, scared to face Lisa if the Thai was with them. "She wasn't here, we'll try again tomorrow night" the silver haired lawyer said as he fastened his seatbelt and started the car. Jennie couldn't deny that she felt her heart sink a little, she wasn't sure if Lisa was even safe right now and deep down, the older girl did still really want to see her ex cellmate. "Oh...ok then. Let's just go home, I guess" she mumbled despondently, earning a sympathetic back rub from her best friend Tiffany. Namjoon looked back at Jennie through the rear view mirror, "we'll find her Jen, she's kept herself alive and even found the time to go partying in nightclubs, she's obviously very capable and can take of herself. Try not to worry, ok?". Jennie nodded slowly, still looking at her hands.
*Phone rings*
Seulgi: "Sergeant?"
Sergeant Cho: "Kang, sorry about this business with NIS. Had no idea they'd pull a coup like this on the case"
Seulgi: "Not your fault boss, I'm just pissed as fuck. Kim got into some sort of trouble, she very nearly told me about it. I'm so close to getting her to give me information. She trusts me boss"
Sergeant Cho: "Then that is very good news because I'm calling to tell you we need Kim and the others as soon as possible. If the Taeyang murder is related to the Kim's, then it is only a matter of time before the NIS take over our entire investigation. Get me those targets Kang. Soon"
Seulgi: "Understood, sir".
The detective once again sat in her car outside of Jennie's apartment building, after witnessing the former prison inmate and her two friends entering the building a few minutes earlier. She had sent a text message to Jennie, pretending to miss the girl and asking if she was ok in hope that Jennie would confide in her, but received no response. Seulgi lifted up a tape recorder to her mouth to make notes. "I believe fugitive Jennie Kim came close to revealing her identity tonight, till her friend got in the way. Stephanie Hwang and Namjoon Kim are an obstacle, they don't trust me, or are very protective of Jennie. She won't give me anything while they're around. I need to find a way to isolate her from them".
Seulgi yawned deeply as she had to drag her head up from the steering wheel, most of her days and nights were spent either with Jennie Kim, or surveillance outside of her apartment, sleep wasn't a luxury the black haired cop could afford right now. ~I need a permanent coffee supply injected into my veins~ she thought to herself as she again yawned, rubbing her eyes. She soon became more alert as she spotted Namjoon and Tiffany leaving Jennie's apartment, both getting into the man's car and driving away. The friends leaving wasn't what interested Seulgi, it was the flashing light coming from a near by car that concerned her, it seemed like a camera flash. Someone else was observing the Kim house.
The detective grabbed her gun from its holster and got out of her car to approach the mysterious camera flash. She tapped on the tinted window of the expensive blue sports car, keeping her gun ready in case she needed to defend herself.
"Missed me did you?" the sadly familiar voice of J-Hope called from the car as the window lowered, the same arrogant smirk on his face. Seulgi sighed loudly with frustration as she put her gun away, "what the fuck are you doing here? This is my operation, fuck off". Hoseok opened his door and got out of the car, he rested his elbow on the roof, leaning backwards as he looked Seulgi up and down flirtatiously, causing the girl to roll her eyes. "I'm not interested in your corporate girlfriend, relax. But if she hired Lone Wolf then she may be in contact with them" he said while still appreciating the detective's body. Seulgi raised her eyebrow, "Lone Wolf doesn't meet anyone personally, the people who hire the assassin don't even know their real identity, their gender or anything. That's something the secret services should know. So again I ask the question, what the fuck are you doing here?". Hoseok laughed and held his hands up, "ok you got me. I'm here to see you, and seen as Jennie Kim is probably the one hiring Lone Wolf's services then it gives me the excuse to be here". She sighed again, "why do you want to see me? Stop fucking around, I've got a job to do". J-Hope reached his hand over and gently brushed a few stray hairs out of Seulgi's face, "I want to ask you out on a date". The detective burst out laughing believing the NIS agent to be joking, her face soon went serious when she realised that he wasn't "A date...? Um really no. Bye", she turned around and walked back towards her own car before the man could even respond, as she got into her driver's seat she took one last look at him to make sure he was leaving, as Hoseok drove away he winked at Seulgi. ~I rejected him so why is he still fucking smiling like that? God he's annoying~.
Seulgi took out her phone and called her boss.
Seulgi: "Hello Sergeant? We have a big problem"
Sergeant Cho: "Jennie Kim?"
Seulgi: "J-Hope"
Sergeant Cho: "What has happened? Are the NIS interfering with your case?"
Seulgi: "No sir, and that's the problem. He already suspects Jennie hired the Lone Wolf to take out Taeyang, but he isn't interested in her. He came here to ask me on a date, took a few photos of the apartment and left. The Kim family case is one of the biggest criminal scandals in the country's recent history, so why the hell is some hired gun of more importance to the government than the Kims are?"
Sergeant Cho: "That's a very good point Kang. They are so desperate to find this assassin that they're prepared to keep vital information that would help with the Kim case hidden. They have a lot of evidence related to the Taeyang assassination that they're refusing to show the police. Are you getting the feeling that the government know who Lone Wolf is?"
Seulgi: "Yes sir I am, and whoever Lone Wolf is, obviously worries the government. The government see Lone Wolf as a bigger threat than the entire Kim family and the SHK, so why are they only sending this J-Hope guy to deal with it? I think Hoseok might be a government assassin, sir. He isn't going to arrest Lone Wolf, he's going to kill them"
Sergeant Cho: "Lone Wolf isn't our business anymore Kang, focus on Kim. Lone wolf is a criminal and a murderer, if J-Hope kills them, that is one less scumbag in the world"
Seulgi: "With all due respect sir, you can fuck off if you think I'm letting this one go. Lone Wolf has performed assassinations for major crime syndicates and mafia families all over the world, many of which in this country. Think how much dirty information the assassin has on people? How many of the rich and powerful could be brought down if the Lone Wolf was in our custody, spilling their secrets? The Kims are just the tip of the iceberg, with the Lone Wolf's information we could destroy every corrupt fucker in the country and maybe even other countries too. And it would be us, our names that would go down in history as the ones who cleaned up the filth. We'd become legends sir, this would be the biggest criminal investigation on the entire planet. If you think I'm just going to let the government sweep it under the rug then you're crazy"
Sergeant Cho: "Let's for one second, hypothetically speaking, say we managed to catch Lone Wolf before Hoseok kills them. What makes you think they would tell us anything?"
Seulgi: "This is a person who kills people for a living. If they don't possess humanity when taking away someone's life, I doubt they would care who went to prison because of them. It's all about the pay out. I'm suggesting, for the sake of the greater good, we offer Lone Wolf a trade. All the names and information about the people that have hired them both now and in the past, in exchange for money and their freedom. This would have to be off record, sir"
Sergeant Cho: "What you're suggesting is highly unorthodox Kang. But I'll think about it. For now, get me Kim and Manoban"
Seulgi: "Yes, sir".
Jennie stood in her bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror, wearing only her dark blue underwear. She traced her finger across a tiny scar on her neck, the only physical reminder she had of her relationship with Lisa, a small souvenir from a passionate night in prison. That night Lisa got a bit too excited and bit down too hard, causing Jennie to bleed, not that she minded. "I miss you" the brunette whispered softly as she left the bathroom into her bedroom, a large luxury room that possessed everything any rich young woman could ever need, and a lot of things she'd never need at all, just wanted. So far away from the basic small cell she once shared with the Thai. A basic, small, cold cell that she strangely missed quite a lot, not because of the room itself but because of what it meant to her, for a while the cell was home, because that's where her whole world was. Where is she now? ~Fucking some shady bitch in a dirty club probably~ she thought to herself as she aggressively hit the switch on her bedside lamp. ~Why can't I stop thinking about you? You obviously aren't thinking about me. I wonder how long it took before you started sleeping with people again. Months, weeks. Was it days? Were you sleeping with girls while I cried myself to sleep over you?~ .
"LISA LOOK OUT!" Bobby yelled as three masked men ran out into the road, nearly getting hit by the Thai who was still driving her friend's car. The red head quickly slammed down onto the breaks, bringing the car to a screeching halt, hurling Irene and Jihyo forwards in the backseat, thankfully they both had their belts on. "Fucking morons!" Bobby shouted out of the window at the idiotic men. Lisa grabbed the boy's tank top and pulled him back into the car. "Lis...are you ok?" he enquired with concern after seeing the pale and panicked expression on the girl's face. Lisa shook her head, "Bobby, those men with the masks. I've seen them before, a couple of months after we broke out of prison, masked guys chased me through the markets with knives, but I got away. There was only two of them, but the masks were just like that. I think they might be bounty hunters hired by Jen's dad". "Oh shit" Jihyo said from the backseat. Irene leaned in between Bobby and Lisa's seats and pointed to a dark alley at the side of the road, "they came running out of there". The four people in the car all looked closely at the alleyway, deciding whether they should go in or not.
"It could be a trap" Irene protested. Jihyo disagreed, "how would they know that Lisa would be driving down this exact road at that exact time, and nearly getting themselves run over in the process, they could be chasing someone". "I don't know, it looked more like they were running away than chasing to me, besides, we didn't see anyone else" Bobby added. "Who would they be chasing?" Irene asked. "Jennie" Lisa said in a shaky voice, still not knowing that her former girlfriend was safe in her apartment. The group quickly got out of the car and cautiously ran towards the alleyway where the masked men had exited. It was dark and shadowy and the group struggled to see much until Jihyo spotted a person laying motionless on the ground, "guys! there's some girl on the floor, she kinda looks like....oh no".
"Jisoo!" Lisa screamed in agony at the sight of her best friend on the floor, she charged over, closely followed by Bobby and the two other girls. "Chu, can you hear me? Fuck Bobby she's bleeding a lot", the Thai said in tears as she rested Jisoo's head on her lap and tried to stop the bleeding from the purple haired girl's chest with her hands. Bobby also got on the floor, slapping Jisoo's cheeks lightly to try and wake her up, before leaning in close to her face to check if she was alive, "she's still breathing, but not much, she's going to die if we don't get help". "If we take her to hospital we'll all end up back in prison and then she'll be killed anyway" Irene said almost indifferently. Lisa froze for a while, helpless as her best friend slowly died in her arms, when she suddenly had an idea, she pulled out her phone from the shirt of Bobby's she was wearing as a dress, and dialled a number, "Bobby stay with Chu, keep her alive, I'm getting help". Bobby nodded as he continued to try and wake Jisoo up. "You know her too?" Jihyo asked, while helping Bobby. The boy wiped away his tears, "yes, me Jisoo and Lisa went to high school together. She was one of my best friends, we lost touch after she went to prison". "I'm sorry" she replied.
Bobby's tears increased as Jisoo's breathing began to fade, till the girl suddenly coughed out blood and moved slightly, she was still fighting, "Jisoo? Can you hear me? It's Bobby, just hold on baby, Lisa is here she's getting help, you'll be ok". Jisoo's eyes began to twitch at the mention of the Thai's name, "..L-lis..." she attempted to force from her mouth before slipping back into unconsciousness.
Lisa paced back and forth anxiously, listening to the ringing tone of the number she'd dialled, praying the person would answer soon. "Sunmi unnie? Don't freak out ok, it's me, Lisa. I know it's really late and I'm sorry but I really need your help. Jisoo has been stabbed, she's dying unnie, please come and help her, you know we can't go to a hospital, she'll die if she doesn't see a doctor soon. Please, I am begging you. I've already lost Dahyun, I can't lose my best friend too". "I'm coming hold on, maintain pressure on Jisoo's wound to stop the bleeding until I arrive, tell me where you are, and keep hidden". "Thank you so so much unnie, I will make this up to you I promise".
Doctor Lee had tended to Jisoo's wounds in emergency in the alleyway and the group and the doctor were now in Bobby's apartment. Doctor Lee had agreed to stay with Jisoo for as long as possible until she could be sure the purple haired girl was going to be alright.
"Where are you going?!" Bobby asked frantically as he saw Lisa putting on one of his black leather jackets and grabbing his car keys. "Jisoo is sleeping, I can't do anything in here to help her and I trust Sunmi to save her, she's in good hands. But I need to find out what I can about these masked bastards. They nearly killed my best friend, my sister. I'll kill every last one of the sons of bitches" the Thai spat, filled with rage. Bobby grabbed Lisa trying to calm her down, "so what are you going to do Lis? Drive around until you find them? You think they're just going to be sitting down eating a sandwich with their masks on?". Lisa sighed, "I'm heading back to the Neon-X, I'm going to ask around, see what people know. Give me the drugs you got earlier, I'll use them as payment for info". The boy reluctantly handed the drugs over to his friend, "let me come with you" he said. Lisa shook her head, "No, stay with Jisoo, Doctor Lee might need something. Besides..." Jihyo and Irene both walked over to the Thai, standing either side of the door, waiting to exit, "I'm well protected" the red head continued, winking at the girls who smirked in response.
"Fuck this!" Jennie yelled as she got out of bed, "I'm not just going to wait around for Namjoon and Tiffany to fix everything for me. I survived prison, if Lisa can handle herself out there then so can I". The brunette pulled on a white cropped t-shirt over her head and a beige chequered skirt, heeled boots. She ordered a cab from her phone and got a large pair of shades from her cupboard so she could cover her face, just in case she was recognised. She was determined. She was going to go the Neon-X, and she was going to find out where Lisa was.
"Keep an eye out for anyone acting suspicious while I ask around ok?" Lisa ordered Jihyo and Irene who just nodded in response, glancing around the club for anyone who looked like they might be dodgy, which pretty much everyone in the building looked like anyway, "you aren't here to be my bodyguards so don't start shit, if you see anything weird, come tell me".
Lisa talked to everyone in the club she knew, exhausted all of her contacts, gave away all the drugs she had and flirted with every man and woman she met who looked like they might have access to information, but she got nothing. ~This is fucking useless~ she thought as she headed to the bar, hoping the barman would tell her something, though she knew she had nothing to bargain with.
"Come on Kai, you must know something. Dudes, masks. Please" the red head pleaded with the barman. He sighed and shook his head "I'm sorry, I can't help you. Don't pout at me like that, you know I like you babe, you're a nice kid but you're talking about shit I can't get involved with. I know the kind of dudes you're talking about and that kinda shit is way beyond me. I keep getting asked the weirdest stuff tonight. Some chick came in earlier asking if we'd seen her pets. Just go home darling, go home and get snuggly in bed because you're messing with stuff you don't want to be messing with".
Lisa walked away from the bar towards the dancefloor, ready to give up and go back to Jisoo, when she was approached by a young man with black hair, "hey, you've been asking around about masked guys right? I think you should get out of here, there's some girl in here asking around for a Thai girl with doe eyes. It sounds like she's describing you". Lisa's eyes widened, "what girl? where is she?". The guy looked around before quickly turning back to the red head, trying to discretely point at the young woman who had just walked next to him. He hurriedly rushed away, not that the Thai girl noticed, her gaze was fixed totally on the woman in front of her.
The woman's gaze was also intensely focused on the red head.
"Lisa?"
"...Jen?"