Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1
Pildo and Jiwoo are both quiet as they drove back into the city. They are both clueless on where to go; well at least for Pildo but Jiwoo has an idea on her head. She sensed that Pildo's waiting for her to talk.
“Where do you plan to go?” Pildo asked out to break their silence.
Jiwoo sighed and looked outside the window of the car. “Police station; I’ll face them.”
There is no response from Pildo so she stared outside savoring the scenery passing through her eyes. This is what his father wanted: to live and walk by the beach shore. Her current situation is a hot mess but experiencing the life in that beach just for a while, she feels contented. She feels alive. She feels… Jiwoo again.
For almost five years, she’s been living in a fake identity: Oh Hyejin. Big part of her is aware that she did not who she really is. Thus, it's like a fever dream to her when all of a sudden, the truth about her life has been presented like an open book.
Jiwoo inhaled sharply and started tapping her fingers in the windowsill. Her father ought to catch Choi Mujin and let the law punish him. This is also her sunbae's argument to her.
However, she is not confident with that option. Huge part of her still desires to kill Choi Mujin for him to stop.
Jiwoo secretly glanced at Pildo who is too immense on his driving; or maybe he is also thinking. Whenever she laid her eyes at him, there is strange feeling inside her stomach. She doesn’t know when it started but the feeling did not fade away.
The other emotion that she needs to face right now is guiltiness. She is trying to discern an excuse as her being also a victim of the situation. However, it is not justifiable, given that her revenge led to such catastrophe. What an idiot, she scolded herself.
Jiwoo sighed and rubbed her knuckles to control her overflowing feelings. She feels like… crying. It’s been a while since she bawled her eyes out, maybe it is a good time to feel that again....
“Jiwoo-ssi”
Or not?
She stiffened when he called her by her name... her true name. As she turned her head to face him, he is still focused at the road but there is something in his eyes. That expression is familiar, just like last night; the way he assured her for being by her side now. Those eyes that are full of softness, full of concern. She doesn’t expect it also coming from him because he always acted so cool and intimidating when they are in their mission.
She even deceived him too, that made her wonder why he did choose to help her.
“I can count on how many times you sighed already,” Pildo stated that made Jiwoo frown. “Are you sure about your decision?”
“I’m sure, I’m just contemplating things.”
Her sunbae nodded, somehow satisfied by her answer. “I’ll make sure to visit you on the prison.” He joked.
Jiwoo cannot help herself but to laugh. “That’s so very thoughtful of you.”
“Are you not scared?” Pildo shifted to being serious again. He couldn't even look at her.
“Don’t be scared, we’re cop.” Jiwoo uttered to lighten up the mood. Her lips curved into small smile when she heard him laughed.
“Is that your mantra now?” He questioned mockingly.
“Thank you, sunbae. I do not know why you are doing this now but I am really thankful."
Pildo moved his head to face her and gave a small reassuring smile.
Jiwoo, just to brighten their atmosphere, attempted to start a conversation. “Are you going to call me Jiwoo now?”
“You’re Song Jiwoo, of course that is what I am going to call you.”
Pildo is sincere with all his words in the past night, she can feel it. But the new feeling arises: she’s scared. What if they targeted Pildo if they figure out that he's a big part of her life now? She cannot bear to lose someone in her life again.
“Thank you, sunbae.”
Again, Jiwoo did not get any response from him but he held her hand with his free hand.
A silent hour passed by between them and they are now approaching the city. Jiwoo’s nervousness is creeping now. To hide it, she unclasped their intertwined hands. Pildo did not protest, already getting the point and let Jiwoo stared outside the window to give her space.
He slowed down when he became familiar of the places surrounding them; they are almost in the police station.
“Jiwoo-ssi, are you sure?” He asked again, still worried for her.
Jiwoo nodded. “I’m going to be okay, sunbae,” and she shifted her gaze to his direction. “Let’s go, don’t slow down. You’re trying to stall.”
The station is on their sight now but they stopped when the stoplight became red. Pildo spotted Daesoo and Gunpyeong walked out of the station, probably ready on investigating where they have gone. That moment, he knew that the impending consequences will be piled up to him but he doesn’t care that much as of now.
Pildo is not ignorant rather he is a person who respects the law very much, given that his profession is to make sure that it was implemented well. The things is, he chose to offer himself to Jiwoo, he chose to help her and stay by her side. The rage that clouding Jiwoo is very familiar to him; he was also in the same spot way back many years. He is on the verge of destructing himself; physically, mentally and emotionally and it almost ruined everything to him.
Seeing Jiwoo now, the only action that he wanted to do is to help her fight every demon looming inside her. Jiwoo is important to him, that part he is sure. So it will be hard for him to see Jiwoo destroying herself totally. Just looking at her condition right now made his chest tightened.
“It’ll be hard; the whole world will condemn you. And you’ll be incarcerated.”
“I know,” she said with full conviction and met his eyes. “I’m prepared.”
Pildo held her hand again to reassure her. “Whatever you go through, I’ll be by your side.”
Jiwoo nodded and gave him a weak smile. As she averted her sight to Pildo's side, a man in motorcycle stopped beside their car. Her instincts kicked up and noticed that the man is moving his arms from inside the jacket. Choi Mujin.
“Drive!” She shouted but Pildo did not get it immediately. As a result, Jiwoo pulled him down with all her strength. They both heard the shattering of glasses.
Pildo hissed loudly and Jiwoo's eyes widened. “Fck!” He has been shot in the shoulder but started to drive just before the light turns into green.
They both looked at the rearview mirror to see if the man in the motorcycle followed them… And he did.
“Hold tight,” Pildo instructed and drove faster, dodging all the cars in front of them. He is sure that Daesoo and Gunpyeong saw their rushing car; hence he’s hoping that they will get a backup sooner.
Pildo looked at the rearview mirror again and the pain sensation in his shoulder intensified... and in his upper torso. He's been shot twice and did not even realized it right away.
“Stop here,” Jiwoo said as she noticed that Mujin was gone in their back. Now, the sirens of the police car are nearby.
“Stop the car!” She shouted again but Pildo shook his head.
“I know what you are going to do, Jiwoo. You’re going to be killed,” Pildo commented, the hint of pain can be heard in his voice.
He keeps on driving but when she saw that they are approaching the intersection, she quickly unlocked the door beside her. “Sunbae, please stay alive. Don’t look for me.”
Just before Pildo can react, Jiwoo jumped out of the car and kicked the door for it to be closed. Jiwoo rolled on the ground making her hissed loudly. Her wounds are still on the process of healing but she's ready for the action again.
Jiwoo knowing how stubborn Pildo is, ran quickly onto the streets because he will certainly catch her. Police sirens are not that far away and their will be police officers deployed to look for her.
As she turned into the right, she was surprised by the presence of two police officers. “Stop!” They shouted but she already ran fast to stall them out.
Destiny sided with her when she spotted the way out of the road and there is a red light. She took it as an advantage and ran as fast as lightning bolt, with the help of the flow of the pedestrians. She stopped running for a while to catch her breath, still assessing the place around her. After formulating the direction in getting on Mujin's lair, she started running again.
At first, there are doubts: that it is better to make Choi Mujin pay by the hands of the law. However, events escalated quickly and that one thing is certain now: she’s is going to kill Choi Mujin by her own hands.
He will not stop if he doesn’t make her life miserable; just to show that he is the superior between the both of them. That he will remain the predator that he thinks he is.
If she does not stop Choi Mujin, everything that she’s trying to gain in this second life will disappear before her eyes.
Jiwoo is almost out of breath when she arrived at the hotel. As she regained every breaths that she needed, the men came running out from the hotel. They did not waste any time and started attacking her and Jiwoo countered all of it.
Kick, punches and stabbing has been exchanged from the men to Jiwoo. The amount of men attacking her right now is a statement from Mujin that she is alone and cannot go through him without facing all of his guards.
This is to show that it is easier for him to finish her but it is harder for her to finish him.
Making sure that all of the men in the front of the hotel is down, she quickly ran in the elevator and pushed the button to open. As it opened, all men are all ready to attack her but they did not saw her: she is hiding beside the elevator. When all the men dispersed outside the elevator, she took the opportunity, ran inside and quickly pushed the button of the penthouse. She smirked to all the men who just watched her ascending in the elevator.
Inside the elevator, the first thing that she noticed is the security camera directly pointing at her. She smirked directly on it, knowing that Choi Mujin will see her.
She got her dagger in the back pocket and stabbed it so that Mujin will not see her actions and as a statement that she is coming for him; to kill him.
While gasping for air, her mind is running to formulate a defense. As she looked up in the ceiling of the elevator, there are small bars that can be handles. She inhaled some air and jumped to reach the small bars.
Hanging from the ceiling and waiting for the floor of the penthouse, her mind shifted to Pildo.
“Please live,” Jiwoo whispered and heard the ting of the elevator. The door opened and she looked down. As expected, men are waiting for her, ready to attack. She waited for them to walk inside the elevator itself, and when they do, she jumped out of the ceiling, surprising them with her kick.
There are more men waiting for her in the hallway heading to Mujin’s office. They started attacking her with punches, kicks and stabs. Almost all of the attacks from the men, she dodged it. However, exhaustion’s consuming her because of the energy that she exerted for their attack. Additionally, she has been stabbed in the waist and slashed in the right arm.
Panting, she walked in the direction of Mujin’s office. Just before she can reach the door, one of his greatest fighters, faced her.
Jiwoo exhaled sharply. This time, she is the one who attacked first but as expected, he dodged it and in return he kicked her in the back. She coughed out but quickly stood up already and rushed onto him again.
The kicks and punches have been changed between them but Jiwoo is the underdog. As she stood up again from the nth time, the dagger at the back of her pants has been charged and slashed him in the thigh. That resulted from him falling in the floor which gave Jiwoo the advantage of kicking him in the face and stabbing him in the shoulder. However, those attacks unfazed him and he already got his own dagger.
They both stood up again and the exchanged of attacks between them continued. When Jiwoo saw an opening to stab him in the stomach, she was countered again by his dagger and gave her a deeper stab in her arm again. Jiwoo used the situation as an advantage; tried her best to kick him in the stomach, making him down in the floor again.
But still he grabbed her foot, pulled her on the ground that resulted a loud thud; her dagger slipped far away from her. She tried to kick his face again but he stabbed her in the thigh earning her a loud scream. Jiwoo ignored the pain and with the use of her other thigh kicked him again in the face, much harder, hence him letting go of her foot.
They both tried to stand up and Jiwoo saw that he still got his own dagger. Leaning on the wall, catching her breath, she saw that he is ready to attack her with the dagger.
Just before he can stab her directly to her chest, she already got the gun from her pocket and shot him.
He was quickly down on the floor and she is convinced that he is dead.
She sighed and slowly walked towards the office of the predator: Choi Mujin. She opened the door and saw him sitting in the armchair behind his desk, gun pointing at her. Her instinct already tells her to also point the gun to him and position the dagger below her hands.
“You look tired.” Choi Mujin started, still sitting on his chair.
“It’s bearable. I still have enough energy to kill you.”
Every word Jiwoo’s saying, she is panting for some air. She has multiple stabs now and was physically exhausted with kicks and punches. However, even with all of these factors, she feels numb. This needs to end; he needs to be ended.
She locked the door of the office, to make sure there will be no interruption and additional men to attack her.
“Sure, of course,” Mujin said mockingly and walked slowly out of his chair. “Donghoon was weak. He had several chances to kill me but he lacked the courage.” He stopped in the center of his office while looking at her; she’s still pointing the gun onto him and he is weaponless. “He was born to be the prey; himself, his daughter, me. So weak he made everyone around him miserable.”
Mujin looked at her straight into her eyes. That stare, the stare that is trying to manipulate her again. She was very accustomed with that that made Jiwoo wanted to stab his eyes out. “But you were different, you acted without fear, so why? Haven’t you been waiting for this moment?” Jiwoo tightened the hold onto the gun. “So why, why did you hesitate?”
As he finished talking, Jiwoo saw the picture of his dad together with Mujin in the floor. She slowly kneeled, put down the gun and took the photo.
“That’s right; I hesitated because I want to live as a human being. You asked me if I wanted to get revenge regardless of the price, I didn’t know what you meant back then, but I do now.” She ripped the photo in half. “The price of revenge is becoming a monster; a monster like you.” As she finished ripping the photo, she quickly looked at the face of her father and put it on her pocket.
Mujin, on the other hand, started to walk towards her direction, looking composed with his hands in his pockets. “That’s right; you’re a lot like me. Can you become a monster?” He asked, challenging.
Jiwoo started to wrap the bandage on her hand together with the knife. “Because I hesitated, another person precious to me almost died. Someone who understand my pain, the one person I can lean on. Now, he’s been trying to fight death with me because of you and I’ll make sure that you pay in everything that you’ve done to my whole life.” She sounded vulnerable but gave him a dagger look which if filled with so much anger, so much rage. “I’ll become a monster. And I’ll watch you slowly as you took your last breath.”
As she finished wrapping the bandage, she attacked him with the knife. He dodged all of her attacks and kicked and punched her away. In every attack she’s been doing, he just dodged it very coolly; he’s not even unfazed.
“Can you kill me like that?” He mocked as she tried to get up. Mujin also got his own dagger and Jiwoo started to attack him again, not sparing any moment.
That moment, Jiwoo can slashed him in every part.
However, whenever she did it, he’s coming back to her much more.
Jiwoo has been stabbed in the waist again, making her fell. She quickly stood up, ignoring the ache. They started to attack each other again and Jiwoo can get onto Mujin now, but still, their dynamics are still not match. Mujin is still attacking her much more.
When Jiwoo has been stabbed in the abdomen again, she also saw an opening and stabbed Mujin in the waist, making sure that it will get deeper. He groaned in pain and Jiwoo tried to stab him again in other parts of his body.
He counterattacked her again trying to stop the dagger with his own dagger, making it flew out of their hands.
They are now both panting and weaponless: Mujin holding his waist where Jiwoo stabbed him, Jiwoo still on the floor trying to reach for the dagger.
“It won’t end until one of us dies,” he heard Mujin said as she grabbed the dagger. She slowly stood up pointing the dagger to him but Mujin is pointing the gun that she is holding a while ago.
“This is where it ends for you. Accept it. You cannot become a monster,” He stated and pulled the trigger but the shocked occupied his system when it is point blank. Jiwoo did not hesitate now, running towards him and stabbed him straight to the heart. She made the stabbed deeper and pushed him onto the wall.
“I told you, I’ll watch you slowly as you took your last breath,” Jiwoo said while panting.
Mujin still tried to push her away but he is breathless now. Blood started to drip out of his mouth and that is when Jiwoo smirked.
“This is for my father, for Pildo who you tried to kill, for all the people that you’ve tried to ruin and killed and lastly..." And she deepened the dagger much more. “And for me. As you took your last breath, Oh Hyejin is also dead.”
Mujin slowly fell onto the floor and Jiwoo released her hands at the dagger, stepping away from him.
The adrenaline rushed out of her system. She can feel the wobbling of her knees, all the tiredness kicked her in and the physical exhaustion is starting to consume her.
Jiwoo started to walk slowly, trying to find her balance but her knees are so weak. She didn’t know how she can barely walk inside the elevator. As she pushed the button of the elevator, she sat on the floor, the black void is creeping her in slowly.
“Pildo, please live,” she whispered again.