Chapter 31
(Landy�s POV)

�I�m leaving, I can�t take it,� I told the others as I made my way towards the elevator doors.

�Landy, did you see him?� Soo Min called out behind me.

�No.�

�Then why are you leaving?�

�We all need to leave!� I snapped, pressing hard on the elevator button, attempting to calm down. After seeing my aunt with Jong Min, a new realization had dawn on me about Boo Bae. This mysterious boy that she always talked about was no mystery at all.

�LANDY! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!!� I heard him call out for the whole world to hear.

You don�t know how good it was to hear his voice again, even if he was yelling.

Soo Hyun and Soo Min exchanged glances. �That�s him. That�s Jong Min!� Soo Min said, excitedly.

The elevator doors opened, crowded with people. My two siblings shouldered me out of the way and managed to squeezed themselves in there. When I wanted to do the same, Soo Hyun shoved me back out. Before I could hurt that little bastard, the doors were already closing. Soo Hyun managed to stick his tongue at me and said, �We�ll meet you in the lobby. Bye!�

�Landy?�

No. Not now. Even if I do want to see your face again, Jong Min, I can�t deal with all of this right now. Too much problems for a girl my age to handle. I stood there like a dummy, refusing to face him.

That�s when he came to spin me around. Gosh, he looked like he gotten skinnier and paler. His hair had gotten longer, messy as always. And he hadn�t shaven. Couldn�t blame him, he was under a coma. Don�t get me wrong. He still looked good. He was just a little on the rough side.

His sharp eyes scanned my face and the first thing he said was, �You�ve lost weight, Landy.�

�So did you. The only difference is, you were shot.�

�Yeah.�

Yeah? What the hell was yeah all about? He almost died and all he could say was yeah? I had to restrain myself from hurting him.

He stared at my face, thinking he could break down the heavy barrier of obstacles that stood between us.

Here�s our list of problems�

Problem #1 : Jong Min had been shot
Problem #2 : Woojin had been shot
Problem #3 : Cobra shot them both
Problem #4 : Anna is a b*tch and claims that she�s pregnant

Problem #5 : Jong Min or Seung Hoon might be the possible fathers
Problem #6 : Jong Min knew Boo Bae and knows my aunt. My aunt knows Jong Min
Problem #7 : I�m going crazy because I know I�m falling for Jong Min
Problem #8 : Jong Min is crazy for coming after me, knowing he could collapse any second

And the list could go on forever�

He lifted his face to angle his chin towards the elevator doors. �You were planning to leave without telling me again?�

�I do as I please.�

�I can see that.�

I went to press the button again. �So, I�m leaving.�

�I�m coming with you.�

�Jong Min, be serious here. You�re hurt. Mie Suk and the others are worried sick about you and besides you still need to check on Woojin. Don�t be stupid.�

The elevator door opened and I quickly slipped in. Stupid Jong Min followed me in too. No surprised there.

When the doors closed, he did something to the buttons to cause the elevator to come to a complete stop. The emergency lights went on. �Jong Min, what the hell are you doing, you crazy idiot?!�

He only smiled. �We need time alone. So why not the elevator?�

�But how---�

�My father is the president and CEO of this hospital. I can do as I please.�

Ever since I had known him, I don�t think he ever mention anything about his parents. �Jong Min please. Don�t do this.�

�I miss you.�

Oh gosh. Did he just admit that he missed me?

He took a step closer to me. �Don�t just stand there and pretend that there�s nothing between us.�

�Don�t you get it yet, Jong Min? There is something between us. Too much between us that�s why I can�t be here.�

�You�re always leaving me. You�re never there when I need you most.�

�Don�t!� I snapped. �I came. Doesn�t that mean anything to you? When you were stabbed, I was there. I was there for you every step of the way. When it was Boo Bae�s birthday, I was there. And now. Now I�m here. What more do you want from me? You left the city with Anna, why can�t I do the same?!�

Crap. The last line didn�t come out right.

�Nothing happened.�

�It doesn�t matter.� I quickly shook my head. �It shouldn�t matter to me what you do with Anna.�

�I didn�t do it because I wanted to get you upset, Landy. I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do at the time.�

�You thought wrong, huh? Now Anna�s claiming she�s pregnant.�

His face contorted in anger. �What? You�re not really going to believe that, are you?�

�I don�t know anymore, Jong Min.�

�Well hell Landy, if I was that desperate I might as well find myself some chick from a bar!�

�Is that what you do when---�

�I�m not done, don�t interrupt me,� he suddenly snapped.

Whoa�I really pissed him off this time.

�I did it because of you, Landy. I wanted to see if I was capable of going off with another girl without having to think about you constantly. Was it wrong of me to think that it could actually work out between me and Anna?�

Damn. I really didn�t need to hear that. He had me. UrGh!!

He looked deeply into my eyes when he said, �I need you, Landy. I want you---I want you by my side.�

�To be what? Your watcher? Your caretaker? I�m tired of it, Jong Min. After overhearing your conversation with my aunt, I finally come to realize that perhaps the reason why I�m still here is because I remind you of Boo Bae.�

�Perhaps you do remind me of Boo Bae but that doesn�t mean I see you as Boo Bae. I see you for you, Landy. The most stubborn, most irritating, loud, bravest and prettiest woman I ever met.�

Ahhhhhhhhh! Jong Min, I hate you for making me feel for you!!! That�s my heart screaming out to Jong Min in a good way.

He had me pulled against him already. His fingers were delicately stroking my hair back as he gazed into my eyes. His voice was so soft that it was barely audible. �Can�t you tell by now, that you�re the one I want to be with?�

That line was enough to make me forgive him for every stupid little thing he has ever done to me.

I stared at him, thinking that all of this couldn�t be real. Then I reached out to place a hand against his cheek just to be sure. �Jong Min?�

�Hmm?�

�This is real right? I�m not dreaming it?�

�As real as it could ever get. Why?�

�Because I�m feeling kind of dizzy again. Does that mean I�m going to faint any moment now?�

He inched his face a tad closer. �Nah, you�re just weak in the knees for me.�

Perhaps, I was? I couldn�t tell. �Jong Min?�

�What is it now?�

Damn. I couldn�t let him kiss me. Not that I mind, but in the elevator? �What are you doing?�

�What do you think?�

�But you just woke up from your coma!�

�Yes and I want to kiss you.�

�Ask me if I want to kiss you first.�

�Fine. Do you want to kiss me?�

�Yes.�

�So what are we waiting for?�

�Ask me if I want to kiss you here.�

�Landy, this could go on forever. If you don�t shut up, I will kiss you to shut up.�

�Then I�ll shut up so you don�t have to kiss me.�

�You�re making this difficult.�

�How?�

He broke away, irritated. �What do you want me to do then?�

�Get this elevator moving again so we can get out of here.�

He gave me a smirk. �And then I�ll have that kiss?�

�I�ll think about it after I get the real Jong Min back.�

�What do you mean?�

�You should take a look at yourself in the mirror.� Pulling him towards the button, I made him start the elevator again.

Chapter 32
What�s a relationship without making some sacrifices? My aunt didn�t mind that me and Jong Min were together, she only mind the fact that I refused to tell my parents about him.

In the end I had to tell them. I had to endure the longest lecture from my mother, and I made the twins join me. By the end of it, she was sobbing uncontrollably and my grandmother was laughing at her. When Soo Hyun had asked her why she was crying, she blurted that her oldest daughter was finally growing up. I guess that�s her way of telling me that she could do nothing about it. I confronted my father about it afterward because he always made more sense than my mother. He simply told me that if it made me happy, then there was nothing he could do about it either. Seeing that my father was being honest with me, I came out with my other secret concerning my job.

He just smiled and said, �You think I don�t know that by now?�

�Who told you?�

�Your uncle of course. He knows he can�t lie to me about it. I would have his neck for it.�

�Umma, still doesn�t know. I don�t think I plan on telling her any time sooner. She�s still crying over the fact that I�ve gotten myself a boy---a friend that�s a boy.�

�A boyfriend you mean?�

�I really don�t like how that sounds, Appa.�

In spite of all of that, I couldn�t be happy in peace. Every time I was with Jong Min, I was worried that Cobra might just magically appear and shoot at him again. If I wasn�t thinking about Anna and Seung Hoon, I was worried about what Mie Suk might think, knowing we were spending time together.

Jong Min had recently told me that Mie Suk was too occupied with Woojin. Ever since Woojin had nearly lost his life, she was spending every moment with him. Woojin was probably loving every moment of it. As for Seung Hoon and Anna, I haven�t talked to them since the last time of the confrontation at the hospital. I hope Anna had enough sense to realize that Seung Hoon was more than a good friend, and that I was always there for her no matter what. With all the pressure of her parents, I can grasp where she was coming from and why she felt so attached to Jong Min.

�What are you thinking about?� Jong Min had asked me as we sat in a caf� shop.

�Nothing,� I answered.

�Liar,� he accused.

I lifted my face to look at him. He was back to looking like the real Jong Min because he didn�t appear sickly like he did in the hospital. Although this time, he had darken his hair to a deeper shade to his previous flaming colored hair. His new haircut was indeed a drastic change. Whereas his hair used to be long enough to tie back, his new do was shorter and less messy.

You know what else he made me do? I had to keep every single strand that the was cut off. I couldn�t blame him. We did it for Boo Bae.

Over the past week, I�ve come to discover a lot about Jong Min. I learned about his childhood, and his first meeting with Boo Bae. The ironic thing was, the first time they met, I was there too, along with Seung Hoon. I just didn�t pay attention to the boy with funny hair and scraped knees. I called him dirty and did my best to stay away from him instead. Jong Min said that he thought of me as a boy then, because I used to wear all my hair under a cap, so he paid no attention to me either. What a good first impression we made on each other, huh?

Then when he told me of his parents abandoning him and how he befriended Woojin and Mie Suk, I had cried. I know it was stupid of me because I should have been trying to comfort him instead.

There was something about the way he looked at me when he spoke. He always angled his face just enough to look at me, proving nonetheless that he was paying attention. I have to admit, sometimes I couldn�t stand it when he did that. He made me want to grab his face, set it right, so I could kiss him. If I didn�t know any better, I would have thought he did it intentionally. That bastard. I hated him for that.

�Let�s leave it alone. I don�t feel like talking about it,� I said.

He reached for my hand to intertwine his fingers with mine. Without looking at me, he said, �Fine. If that makes you feel better, you can keep it to yourself.�

�It doesn�t make me feel better.�

He raised his brow. �Oh?�

�I don�t know what I�m thinking anymore.�

�Can I guess?�

I shrugged in response.

He shifted in closer to me, staring at my face. �You�re still upset because of Anna.�

�Gee, that wasn�t so hard, huh?�

He shot me a warning look. �I�m not done, Landy.�

�Sorry.�

�You�re afraid that Cobra might return to hurt me.�

Damn. He was good.

�And you can�t stand the fact that you�re dating a gang leader.�

�Urgh!�

�You�re angry because I�m right?�

�No.�

�Why?�

�Because I can�t hide anything from you, that�s why!�

�Why are you raising your voice?�

I did that often and Jong always had to remind me to keep my voice down. �It�s---the way I like to speak, you know that.�

All of a sudden, we heard loud voices coming through the door of the caf�. Hana and her two followers came striding in with a man who was carrying a camera. �He�s over there!� Hana said, pointing to our direction.

Jong Min cursed, �Damn!�

I wanted to ask him what�s wrong when he quickly pulled up his hood attempting to hide himself. There are disadvantages when you�re tall and handsome. You can�t always get away from everything.

Hana had reached us, ignoring me by shoving her butt in my face close enough that it had me falling off my chair. The other two hurried to block my view of everything.

People in the caf� were staring at us in curiosity. Quickly getting up, I grabbed two ditz and yanked them behind me, causing them to squeal in unison.

Hana was introducing the man with the camera to Jong Min. �This is Kim Jong Min, the man who will walk that runway for you.� Hana made her way to Jong Min�s side and locked her arms in his. �He�ll look perfect with me, don�t you think?�

I wanted to hurt her. Really, I did. And why wasn't Jong Min doing anything?

The man nodded his head in agreement. Then he grabbed Jong Min�s chin and turned his head from side to side. �Good profile. Nice cheekbones. Tall and handsome. Kwon Sang Woo has got nothing on you.�

I rolled my eyes. Oh gosh, someone save me now!

Come to think about it, the only person who needed saving was this strange man who had just touched Jong Min�s face without permission.

Before I could do anything, Jong Min already grabbed the guy by his shirt collar and slammed him against the table. �Touch me like that again and I�ll detached your arms off right off, understand?�

The frighten man cowered beneath Jong Min�s grasp. �Sorry. I�m really sorry.�

Jong Min released him. �Good. Now as for this modeling thing.� He turned to face Hana. �I�m not doing it.�

�But you agreed that day!� she argued.

�I didn�t agree to nothing.�

Hana finally flickered her gaze over to me. �It�s her, isn�t it?�

I asked, �What about me?�

�He�s not going to be in the fashion show because of you!�

There goes Hana again, playing the blaming game. I always seem to be the target. �I know nothing about this stupid fashion show and even if I did, I wouldn�t care if he�s participating or not.�

�Landy,� Jong Min warned.

�What?�

Hana suddenly pulled Jong Min close to her, placing a hand on his chest just to spite me. �So you wouldn�t care if I steal him, would you?�

�Go ahead, if it makes you feel better. But I suggest you ask Jong Min first. Wait a second---there�s no need, is there? Jong Min already stated that he wasn�t doing it.�

Jong Min smiled and came to stand by my side and then he took my hand, squeezed it and led me out of the caf�, having Hana shouting out curses behind us.

Once we were far enough, he pulled me closer to his side. �You�re always being a smartass.�

�I�m naturally a smartass,� I said, elbowing him playfully.

He chuckled. And it wasn�t like any chuckle I heard before. This one was somewhat meaningful. It was nice to hear him loosen up.

�What�s this fashion show all about?� I asked.

�It�s nothing. Hana�s aunt had asked me at the party and I agreed because I heard Cobra was in on it. Now that Cobra is missing and I have a jealous girlfriend, what�s the point? Besides, like that idiot said earlier, Kwon Sang Woo ain�t got nuttin� on me.�

It would have been nice, wouldn�t it? To see Jong Min and Cobra facing off on the runway? To be honest, I was no longer curious in where he ran off too. No one knew where he was except for one person. And that person was my uncle. Just two days ago, I went to ask if he could do anything to track him down. My uncle told me that I wouldn�t have to worry about Cobra anymore. He had him taken care of. When I wanted to ask him if he done anything to hurt Cobra, my uncle stated that Cobra was left untouched. Let�s hope my uncle stayed true to his words. Even if I hated Cobra, that didn�t mean I wanted to see him dead.

�Jealous, yeah right buddy.�

�I saw your expression inside that caf�.�

�It wasn�t jealousy.�

�What do I have to do to get you jealous?� He stopped walking. �Maybe I should just turn right around and agree to do the fashion show with Hana hangin' on to me?�

At the mention of Hana, I grabbed him a fistful of his shirt to pull him back. �YOU GO AND YOU DIE, JONG MIN!�

I could tell he was trying hard to contain his laughter. �Are you jealous now?�

I puffed. �What do you think?!�

He linked his arm into mine. �Good, let�s go.�

Chapter 33
I hate life. I was angry again. Angry at the fact that my parents decided that I would go overseas to stay with my other aunt in America. My aunt had called recently, mentioning that she had enrolled me in some college without bothering to discuss it with me first. She said she wanted me to improve on my English, and further my education and expand my horizons. The stuff she would say to get to go to America. Gosh, I hate English. I have nothing against the language itself but it drives me nuts when my aunt complains about my pronunciation. To be honest, I suck. The only words I knew of English are the western alcohol drinks from the bar.

To make matters worst, stupid Jong Min seemed unbothered by the fact that I was going away.

He simply shrugged his shoulders and said, �So you�re leaving, should I be unhappy?�

�Well duh, I won�t be coming back until my schooling is done. That means�� I trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

�Means what?�

That we won�t be able to see each other for a long time, you idiot! I wanted to scream out. He was trudging on my very last nerve. Seriously, I don�t know what was wrong with him. Ever since we left my house, he seem to be quiet, distant and uncaring.

�What do you think it means?�

�You have a problem of admitting things, you know that Landy.�

He was right about that one. I hated that he was speaking to me indirectly, so I reached out to make him face me. �Tell me how you really feel about this.�

�You want me to be sad about it? Isn�t it a good thing that you�re finally going somewhere new, doing new things, meeting new people?�

�Well, maybe I don�t want all of that. Maybe I want to stay here.�

He turned from me. �Don�t stay because of me, it�s not worth it.�

What the hell did he mean by that? Tugging on his arm, I asked, �Jong Min, what the hell is your problem?�

�Nothing.�

�Liar!�

He spun around so quickly that I nearly stumbled back by the sudden force. �What do you expect me to say, Landy?!� he exploded.

If he intended to burst my bubble, he did. It was the last thing I needed from him.

�You know what, forget you Jong Min. I�m going home. Don�t bother calling me, we�re done!�

�Landy---�

�F*ck off, Jong Min!� I yelled over my shoulder and started to take off down the street as fast I could, hoping he wouldn�t catch up to me.


* * *

Damn, I shouldn�t have return home. Everyone of my family members were out except for the annoying Soo Hyun who had invited his strange friends over. I was more surprised to find out that Soo Min had gone out without her sidekick.

For the past hour, I was hounded by them. They did make me forget about Jong Min while it lasted.

Three of them were girls, except for one whose name was Andy Park. Andy didn�t really look Korean but he spoke it fluently. Andy was a mixed race and claims himself a Korean. His eyes were undeniably blue and his skin was slightly tan. I�ve always told him he looked good without the dark contacts. There was no need to hide his true color eyes. That�s when he decided go off wearing shades. I�ve never met someone who had over one hundred pairs of shades before. His hair on the other hand, was another matter. He had the messy style, similar to Jong Min, although Jong Min had healthier hair. I don�t know what�s wrong with Korean teenagers boys and having to color, streak, dye and style their hair to the extent that it became ridiculous. Andy was an example of that. He was cute and adorable, nonetheless. Only because he was politely referred to me as Nuna.

�My father was an American. He went back to his country, left my mother pregnant. And since then, he�s never returned. I don�t like to be reminded that I�m half.�

There were still Sung Joo Eun, the petite cute girl who had a bigger mouth than I did. She didn�t have to raise her voice when she spoke. Hers came naturally. If you didn�t know where Joo Eun was, all you have to do is yell out for her. She will yell out louder in return. Joo Eun is one of those hot-tempered violent girls who will likely hurt you if you pissed her off. Her innocent face gave nothing away. Only her mouth did. Soo Hyun tells me he�s never been beaten by Joo Eun because he knew just what to say to her. That cocky little bastard always knew just what to say when it comes to girls.

�I slapped most, if not, all of the guys in my class. There was this one guy I punched and I was kind of shock that he would have the nerve to punch me back. I couldn�t blame him, we were in elementary then. That guy was Soo Hyun.�

Next to that, I was introduced to the lovely young girl that Soo Min had boasted highly of. She was Soo Hyun�s lab partner named Ji Hwan. He called her four eyes to piss her off intentionally. Ji Hwan is the exact replica of every geeky girl from a novel. Appearance wise, that is. Other than that, she wasn�t your typical geek. Not with the blunt and snappy remarks she used on Soo Hyun. How Soo Hyun befriended her? I do not know. Come to think of it, I don�t even think they�re even friends.

�I let him copy my homework. That�s the only reason why he�s trying to be nice to me. Don�t get me wrong, just because I hang around Soo Hyun doesn�t mean I want to be cool. I know for a fact that your brother isn�t the coolest guy in our school. I mean, since when does being short makes you so cool?�

I was glad that Soo Hyun didn�t have to hear that. If he did, all hell would break loose. That last line was enough to make him cry a river.

Then there was Yoon Kyon, the observer and the longtime friend of Soo Hyun. She was a little on the dark side and the strangest of them . People say that she was gifted with the sixth sense. The students even labeled her as the witch around school. It wasn�t her humble attitude or the fact that she rarely speaks a word. It was her unnaturally dark hair color that distinguished her from everyone else. Her hair was so dark, it appeared almost blue in the light.

�I�ve always been perceived that way. It�s not gonna change anything. You know, I don�t really give a damn what they think of me. Eh, by the way, tell Soo Min that I thank her for sending me those pictures of Soo Hyun wearing girl clothes. I even made a wallpaper of it. It�s on my desktop.�

I�ve just realized that Soo Hyun wasn�t normal either. Being labeled the coolest guy in the school, he hung around with the most uncoolest people. They were good people, no doubt, but seeing that Soo Hyun seem to bond with them so well, gave me some insight on him and his friends. He was your average type of guy who doesn't seem to be as arrogant as he made himself to be.

I suddenly felt jealous of him. Where were my friends when I needed them?

�Sis, the movie is over. Why are you still staring at the blank screen?� Soo Hyun had asked me.

I snapped from my wandering mind and turned to face my younger brother. Reaching out to touch his shoulder, I said, �It�s a good thing you have friends, Soo Hyun.�

He chuckled and agreed, �I guess.�

Sensing that something was wrong, he said, �Thought you were supposed to be out with your boyfriend?�

�Boyfriend huh?� My eyes suddenly watered. �I have no boyfriend.�

Anger washed over his face. �What?! What did the bastard do to you?!�

�I don�t want to talk about it. I�m going to my room.�

When I got up ready to escape to my room, the phone rang, stopping me in motion. Something told me that the phone was meant for me.

Soo Hyun hurried to answer it. I watch him turned to face me. �It�s Soo Min, she says she�s spotted Jong Min in Hana�s club. And it doesn�t look good. She says for you to come quick.�

Chapter 34
(Jong Min�s POV)

++ Inside The Zone ++

Nothing ever goes right when you want it to. My secret was out. My foster parents were upset of my involvement in a gang. They were also disappointed that I refused to see Anna again. They were more upset by the fact that I hadn�t confronted them any sooner about my true feelings towards her. Not longer after, I told them about Landy. If they had been my real parents, I wouldn�t see the light of day. I had worried that they would end up turning against me, they didn�t. Why did I ever think that they would abandoned me the same way my real parents had? I felt ashamed for thinking that in the first place. They were nothing like my real parents. I had vowed when I was taken under their roof that I would abandoned every thought, every memory of my parents. However, I couldn�t deny the fact that everything thing I did now was because of them.

Everything started because of me.

The only person to blame was myself. If I had told Anna earlier, Landy would still have her friend.

And now Landy was leaving me.

When I was over at her house the day before, her father had pulled me aside and told me of their arrangements of sending her overseas. And then he went on saying that perhaps it wasn�t the right time for us to be together, considering that they wanted her to focus on her studies. What was I to say? I had no choice but to agree with him.

I had caught the expression on her face when I exploded on her. I would have done everything to remove the pain from her eyes. I hate myself for not doing that then. Slamming my fists repeatedly against the table in frustration, I yelled, �F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! What the hell did I just do?�

�You screwed it up big time man,� came the reply from Woojin� mouth as he took a swig of his beer.

I glared at him. �I didn�t ask you.�

�You don�t need to.� He shifted in closer, grabbing another bottle off the table to hand to me. �Drink, it�ll help.�

I had more than enough. �Help with what?�

He eyed me. �Well f*ck man, didn�t you just tell me that you broke it off with Landy? That�s why we�re here, to drink away our misery.�

I refused to believe that it was over between us. Not like that. Not in that way. �I don�t know what I did.�

Woojin snorted. �You�re just f*cked, that�s all. Don�t you know, that once she�s gone, she�ll forget that you even existed. It�s how it works. The next thing you know, she�ll return home, bringing along some smart white guy, claiming that she�s engaged to him.�

My fists were clenched. I had to refrain myself from punching Woojin. If he intended to give me some reality check to help me, he wasn�t helping at all. �You�re drunk,� I told him.

�No, you�re drunk. I never get drunk,� he exclaimed.

�That�s my line.�

�Whatever, you stole it from me,� Woojin argued.

�Why are you here, Woojin? Are you here because you�re trying to be a good friend or is it because of Mie Suk?�

�Let�s not mention her name, okay? I�m tired of it. Tired of all this bullsh*t!� he yelled aloud.

Seems lately, nothing has been going right for everyone. Mie Suk and Woojin got into another argument the previous night. Woojin was upset because he believes Mie Suk still had feelings for me. I had a talk with her about the situation. She was too stubborn to admit her feelings for Woojin. She said that if he couldn�t tell that she liked him, then what was the point in telling him? I was pretty certain that the real reason Woojin dragged me here was because he wanted to know if I felt the same towards Mie Suk.

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and locked his eyes with mine. �Woojin, it�s not what you think. Mie Suk and I are like brothers and sister. Get it through that thick skull of yours. If you continue to do this to yourself, you�re going to regret it.�

He still looked unconvinced as he shoved my hands away. �Screw this, I suggest we go find us some new women.�

That was Woojin for you. He never knows how to resolve his problems. He only made things worst.

With a gesture of his index finger, the girls seated a table away were suddenly surrounding us like they were cast under his spell. Woojin placed his arms around two of the girls. �How about we dance?�

The three of them took off dancing. Woojin was indeed a good dancer like everyone said he was. The two girls were unable keep up with him.

I was too occupied watching him dance that I forgotten about the other girl who had simultaneously wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed herself up against me. �Hey there sexy,� she purred.

She was young, pretty, wearing very little and so very drunk.

I disengaged myself from her. �Sorry, not in the mood.�

She didn�t at all seem offended, instead she shoved me back against the wall, placing her arms on either side of me. She had me trapped. �Tell me you want me.�

�Get away from him, b*tch!�

I craned my head to see that Hana had appeared. When the girl tried to ignore her, Hana grabbed her by her hair and shoved her away. �I said, get away from him!�

When the girl tried to retaliate, the two security guards had her backing away. Hana gestured for them to show her out.

When they were out of sight, Hana finally turned to face me. �Jong Min, you�re losing it.�

�Losing what?�

�Where�s that crazy girlfriend of yours?� she inquired. �Isn�t she suppose to be keeping b*tches like that away from you?�

I didn�t answer her. She reached out for my hand. �Wait a second, I think I see her.�

She pointed to the direction of dance floor. There she was, wearing a pleaded skirt, with some fancy black top, her hair in curls and hoopy earrings, dancing with some loser who had his arms on her waist.

I strode up to the loser and spun him around, throwing a punch to knock him back. Then I reached for her arm and turned her around. The girl wasn�t Landy. Damn. My bad.

Someone tapped my shoulder. I looked down at Hana. �Landy�s right there,� she pointed out to the woman leaning against the wall with a hooded sweatshirt pulled up to conceal her face. Her eyes shot daggers at me. Then with one final look, she turned to leave.

Before I could get to her, Woojin had me by the arm. �Sh*t, what the f*ck is wrong with you?!�

I didn�t care. Pushing away from Woojin, I was rushing towards where Landy had disappeared off to.

Once I was outside, I heard her footsteps. �Landy!� I called out desperately.

No answer.

�Landy, come out right now!� I shouted.

Still no answer.

�Landy if you don�t come out, you�ll regret it!�

�I HATE YOU, KIM JONG MIN! GO DIE!!� she cried out from somewhere. I sensed the pain in her tone. I knew she hated me. She had every right to hate me.

�I�m sorry,� was all I could muster out.

�YOU�RE SORRY?! ARE YOU ADMITTING THAT YOU DID THAT INTENTIONALLY?!�

�No. I�m not admitting anything because what just happened wasn�t meant to happen. She was drunk and came onto me---�

�I SAW HER PRESSING HERSELF AGAINST YOU, JONG MIN. WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO THINK?�

She appeared before me, the hood still concealing her face. Her fists were clenched at her sides. �If that was your message in breaking up, you sure as hell showed it to me.�

She was crying now. Again, I hated seeing her cry.

I tried to go to her but she stopped me. �Stay where you are, I don�t want you coming near me.�

I took another step closer. �I don�t care, Landy. Your words are not gonna stop me from going to you.�

�Then maybe I will,� came the voice from behind me.

When I turned around to see who it was, the blow caught me off guard. The person had me pinned against the wall in an instant. I could feel the blood seeping from my nose. When my visions became clear again. I finally saw who it was.

Cobra stared at me with his one eye, his grip tightening around my windpipes. �You f*cked up this time, huh Jong Min? You broke Landy�s heart.�

Anger suddenly flooded me. That�s when I banged my forehead against his and threw an uppercut below his chin, followed by kick to his stomach. He fell against the opposite wall and this time I grabbed the collar of his jacket and threw another hard blow to his face.

I heard Landy begging me to stop but I refused to listen. My anger was at its boiling point. I was on Cobra again, until someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me away.

I turned to see that Woojin had me locked in his grip. �F*ck, Woojin. Let me go or I�ll hurt you!�

�Calm the f*ck down first!� he shouted at me. �She�s gone. Landy�s gone.�

That�s when I realized that she was no longer standing there. I fell to my knees and closed my eyes, muttering to myself. �It�s over. It�s really over.�

Chapter 35
(Landy�s POV)

I threw myself in his arms, the moment our eyes met. He stroked my hair and whispered words of comfort while I cried on his shoulder. The scent of him, I would always remember. Memories of our childhood conveyed in my mind and I found myself lost in those memories. I wished that very moment to return to where I once was; sitting beside him and watching the night sky filled with scattering stars, stretching to the unknown.

�It�s okay, Landy. You�re going to be okay,� he would assure me, as he did now.

I knew I could depend on him, as I did now.

He drew me far enough so he could look me in the face, and reached out to wipe the tears from my eyes. �You know, I hate to see my strong girl crying.�

That line would make me smile. �Thank you, Seung Hoon.�

Stroking my hair back from my face, he leaned to whisper with warm breath tickling against my ear. �You could always jump on my back.�

I slapped in playfully on the chest. �I�m not a kid no more.�

He smiled. �Still. If it would make you happy, you can jump on my back anytime.�

For a moment, we just stared at each other�s face. I didn�t know what I was looking for, but somehow I had this insatiable urge to kiss him. Were my feelings cheating me? Why was I looking at Seung Hoon the way I looked at Jong Min? Maybe because I admired him for so long? Or maybe because of Jong Min? Or maybe I was only trying to test myself? Perhaps if I kissed him, I would get over Jong Min? That couldn�t work. It wouldn�t! Why was I so confused?

In spite of my own protests, Seung Hoon drew me closer to him and angled his face towards me. Gosh, he really intended to kiss me. I found myself grabbing his face in my hands and stopped him, pressing forehead against his instead. �I�m sorry, Seung Hoon. I can�t do this,� I said, feeling the tears slipping from my eyes.

He said, �It�s alright. I don�t know what came over me. I�m sorry, I didn�t mean---�

�I know you didn�t. I�m glad you didn�t. It would only make us grow further apart. There would be nothing more between us.�

He touched the side of my face. �Sometimes I wonder why choose to like Anna.�

With that, he held me against him. �Nothing ever goes right when you want it to.�

�It�s over, Seung Hoon. It�s really over,� I told him.

�I refuse to believe that, Landy. It�s not over for you or anybody else.�

I broke away to search his face, discovering that he had meant what he said. �What makes you so sure?�

�Because your heart cries out for him.�

�How can you tell?�

�You�re upset.�

�Besides that.�

�I just can.�

�I don�t want to talk about---�

�We don�t have to talk about him. But we could try and settle this certain problem between you and him. And the only way to do that, you�d have to talk to him again.�

I turned away from him, not wanting him to see that I was pouting. �You�re not my father.�

�I�m your friend. One that cares. Stop pouting.�

�I�m not pouting.�

�Then turn around and face me.�

I stomped my feet against the ground like a spoiled child. �No.�

�You�re a stubborn chicken, that�s what you are.�

That remark made me spin around wildly. �What did you just call me?�

He rolled his eyes to the side when he said, �You heard me.�

�I will hurt you, Seung Hoon.�

�Cheap threat.�

That�s when I stomped my feet on his toes, causing him to jump back in reaction, with his mouth hanging open. �My threats are not cheap! Come here so I can tear your arms off!�

He was already running away from me as I started after him.


* * *

(Jong Min�s POV)

I held her hands in my and I kissed them softly. She giggled in response, her face so bright and beautiful, like some goddess appearing before me to steal my breath away. She guided me into a shrouded white cloudy mist. I still held on, allowing her to guide me through. �Where are you taking me, Landy?�

�Don�t ask. Just follow,� she told me.

Her voice was soft and melodic. Like a voice of an angel. I stopped my pace and pulled her against me instead. �Not yet. I want to kiss you.�

She smiled at me. �You can�t be serious.�

She was teasing me. That only tempted me more. Lowering my face, I kissed her.

And she kissed me in return�

And I was still kissing her as I opened my eyes, to find the light had vanished and I was surrounded in darkness. She was still there, kissing me as I kissed her back. But the person wasn�t Landy. This kiss wasn�t soft and sweet, it was rather demanding and forceful.

Pushing her away from me, I scrambled to turn on my lamp. Rubbing my eyes, I turned to find Anna on the bed with me.

Her eyes looked teary, as if she�s been crying. �What? What are you doing here, Anna? How did you get into my room?�

�It doesn�t matter,� she answered as she moved towards me again.

Holding her back, I said in a serious tone. �Yes, it does.�

She pushed forward and threw her body weight against me. Then she rested her head against my bare chest. �I can�t take it anymore, Jong Min. You have to help me.�

I remained completely immobile, unsure what to do. �Anna---�

She clung tighter to me. �I saw them together, Jong Min. They were in each other�s embrace.�

My heart leaped. �Who?� I asked, even when I knew it had to do with Landy.

�Seung Hoon and Landy.�

I disengaged myself from her and got off the bed and picked up a t-shirt lying on the floor to pull over my head, trying hard to restrain the anger that was building up quickly. �I need to know where they are, Anna.�

�I�m not telling you.�

I spun around and reached for her arm. �Anna, please.�

�Only if�,� she trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished and the message clear.

I stared at her for a moment, repulsed by her actions. �How can you do this, Anna? Don�t you see what you�re doing to yourself? Don�t you understand by now that,� I stopped fumbling for the right words, �that I love Landy.�

She lowered her eyes as she clutched tightly onto the bed sheets.

I found myself repeating those very words aloud as if I was telling myself too. �I love Landy.�

And then I was almost out the door when she shouted out for me to wait.

I waited. Waited for her response. She was sobbing again and finally said, �They�re at the park.�

I was out of my apartment in a flash, taking down the street, feeling the rush of the night wind whipping against my flesh. When I turned the corner, a metal bat struck me hard in the stomach.

I stumbled back and was unable to block the next hit to my shoulder. One of them was attacking me with a bat while the other came from behind me. The one behind me, had me locked in his tight grip while the other one continued beat me with his bat. I heard cracking of my ribs and felt the pain jolting through my entire body.

�F*ck him up, real good! He�s that little bastard that we didn�t kill when we had the chance.�

I recognized their voices. They were no doubt the street gang members that had shot my brother.

I did nothing in return. I don�t think I had any strength left in my body. For the longest moment, I lost the will to fight back, allowing them to beat me senseless, throwing me against the wall, slamming their foot into my broken ribs, bruising my face. If this was death, than I welcomed it.

�We�ve finally found you, and now you�re screwed!� one of them shouted planting his foot against my back.

Die. Just die, Jong Min.

Somewhere in my head another voice spoken. No. If you have any breath left in you, then fight for it. Don�t allow them to play with you. Don�t let them do to you what they did to your brother. Think of Boo Bae, your parents, your foster parents, and mostly Landy. If you died, she would not let you rest in peace. Every breath you take, should be for her. Get up now!

Slowly and painfully, I did. �My turn,� I managed to utter out.

The guy that held me down by his feet, removed it and crouched low. �What the f*ck did you just say? Couldn�t hear you. All that blood must be drowning out your cries.�

My fists were balled. I was ready. �My turn�to f***�you�both up,� I said, finally finishing what I wanted to say.

I didn�t wait. Right after I said that, I swung up and slammed my fist hard against the side of his face, hearing something crack. Must be his jaw.

I sent a high kick to his face again, followed by another blow to his stomach until he back reeled against the wall, bleeding from the mouth.

At the sound of something swinging in mid-air I spun around quickly and grabbed the bat, jerking it from the bastard�s grasp and slammed the butt of it against his nose, hearing that crack too. Then I threw the bat away, reaching for him by his throat and squeeze tightly. �You wanna know what pain is like, I�ll show you pain.�

He gasped for air.

�Choking, aren�t we?�

He tried to strike out at me but I simply swiped his arm aside, keeping a good grip on his throat. �You�re turning blue. How does it feel?�

He gasped, squirmed and choked under my hold.

It would have been worth it to watch him die slowly. But after going through so much, I�ve come to realized that vengeance wasn�t everything. I would get the joy of their death but then it would be over in a heartbeat. I wasn�t going to bet their lives in my hand. I was going to let fate decide that.

I threw him down on the ground and kicked him full in the ribs until I was sure enough that he had broken enough ribs like I had.

�We can continue to do this if, you�d like. You could still seek me out and try and kill me and in the end, I�ll still end up alive.�

With that, I crouched low and reach out to him and he cowered back. It was hard to recognize his face with all the blood. �I�m done with hurting you.� Then I pulled him forward a bit, reached into his jacket pocket and fished out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

I stood up and placed a cigarette in between my bruised lips, discarding the pack behind me. Then I lit the cigarette and took one long savoring moment, thinking it could do me good, and then exhaled slowly. �Thanks,� I said nudging him with my shoe and threw down the unfinished cigarette.

I turned from them and from the moment I turned around, I sensed something was wrong. The sound of a gun shot went off. I whirled around to find that the one I had threw against the wall was slumped dead, with a bullet embedded in his forehead. Blood poured from his wound. Standing over him, was a man with his blond hair tied back, donning a leather overcoat, leather gloves and holding onto a gun.

He pointed to the dead man. �He�s a sad motherf*cker. Just look at him.�

I didn�t say anything I couldn�t. I did what he told me to do. I looked at the man more closely to find that he held onto a gun. That was when I realized that Cobra had saved me from meeting death. Ironic, isn�t it?

�You didn�t have to shoot him,� I blurted unknowingly.

�I had to,� was all he said as he turned around and faced me. �It doesn�t matter anyway. Let�s just say I owe you one,� he paused to shrug, �besides, criminal here. Can�t change it.�

�Why are you really doing this?�

�Like I said, I owe you one. I shot you before, remember?�

�You tried to kill me,� I corrected him.

�Wrong. If I wanted to kill you, I would have aimed for your head,� he corrected me in return. �Let�s just say I couldn�t stop myself from wanting to hurt you. Don�t get me wrong, I still hate you, Jong Min.�

�No surprise there. But how come I feel there�s more to this?�

�Maybe there is.�

�What is it?�

�I�m doing this for Landy.�

�You care for her?�

�Do you?� he asked in return.

�Yes.�

�Then, yes. I do care for her,� he admitted. �The same damn way you care for her. I gotta admit though, I�m leaning more on the side of lust. She�s hot, have you seen that stomach on her, she�s---�

When the hell did Cobra had a peek of Landy�s stomach? �Shut up, Cobra.�

�Jealous, aren�t we?�

I didn�t have to explain anything to him.

He took a step closer. �Truthfully, Jong Min. I think Landy deserves someone better.�

I gritted my teeth. �Like yourself?�

He shrugged, reaching into his jacket for a cigarette and found one. �Probably,� he finally answered, before putting the cigarette into his mouth.

�And your point?�

He spoke through the cigarette in his mouth as he dug into his coat pocket for a lighter.

I offered him the one I took from the fallen man. He took it from me and lit the lighter and then pocketed it. �Just make her happy. Keep her happy. Don�t you notice that she seems to frown a lot?�

I didn�t answer him, as I watch him blow out a stream of smoke.

�Anything else?�

�Yes. Mie Suk. Take care of her for me. She could never forgive me for shooting you.�

I found myself saying, �Maybe---maybe you should see her yourself.�

He shook his head as he rolled his eyes. �I just killed someone now. You think I�d be able to face her now?�

On second thought, I take back my word. I didn�t want Cobra anywhere near Mie Suk. Cobra or no Cobra. He was still dangerous. Dangerous and very secretive.

He had his gaze lowered when he said, �Just tell her that---that I�ll always care for her no matter where she is.�

I could sense his pain. It was all I could see that moment. A very rare moment for Cobra. Perhaps he wasn�t as cold as I thought he was.

We heard sirens in a distance. He looked up to meet my gaze. �Go, I�ll take care of this.�

�How?�

He tssk at me, throwing away his unfinished cigarette. �A question you shouldn�t ask.�

I made an inclination of my head to show him that I understood. I trust he did know what he was doing. And I didn�t want to know. I began walking away, when he said, �One more thing, Jong Min.�

�What?� I asked, without turning to face him.

�You look terrible.�

I looked down at myself and realized that Cobra was right. I had blood all over me. Damn.