picked out a black dress
won’t be tainted by anything else

Maybe 'exploded' was too dramatic a word.

The building didn't really explode, but that's what it seemed like. There was a burst of light, and the sound of thunder and gunshots, and someone yelling. Minho got up—no, he didn't get up, he was lifted, as if someone had fastened a hook to his collar and pulled him up. The pressure on my chest was relived, and I gasped, trying to drag in as much air as I could lest he should push down on me again.

Stars danced in my vision as I tried to get to my feet, coughing. The cut on my cheek stung as it made contact with the cold air, and the pain brought tears to my eyes. It was no shallow cut. I wondered what might have happened to me if Minho had continued with his carving project.

Through my blurry vision, I spotted Vernon, who had the knife-thrower pushed against a slot machine and was repeatedly punching him in the face. Minho's face was bloody, and I could barely make out his features under the gore. Wincing, I looked away, relief and shock mixing to give a jarring effect to my body. I felt like someone had broken a glass bottle inside my chest, and the shards were making me bleed out.

"Get up." The voice was close, but sounded like it was coming from far away, through layers of foam. The room was spinning, and my head hurt. "Come on."

A hand gripped my arm and pulled me to my feet. I leaned against the person for support, trying to blink away the dark spots in my vision. I had taken a hit to my head when I had fell, and it was bad from the looks of it. Very bad. My fingers tried to hold on to the clothing of the person I was holding on to, trying to find purchase.

Despite my disorientated state, I could sense my own confusion. How had they known where I was? Yeeun could have told them, but if she had wanted them to find me. And she was the one who had led me here in the first place.

I shook my head, trying to clear it. I felt like a mess, and I most probably looked like it too.

"Keep walking," the person said again, and I realized it was Jun. I felt like I had swallowed a block of ice.

Don't, I wanted to say, but my throat hurt too much. He pulled me along easily, leading me out of the building. I wanted to get him away from me because I couldn't face him, not after what I had said to him, but I was too weak to do that. And I needed the support, whether I liked it or not.

"Come on," he said again, his grip on me gentle but firm as we got out of the building, his body shielding me. Distantly, I could hear the onslaught of bullets, the screaming and the crashing, but it never reached us. It was as if Jun had managed to wrap us in a bubble of safety, and we got to the car untouched by the chaos.

Before I entered the car, I grabbed his arms, holding him in front of me with difficulty. Loose strands of hair fell into my eyes, and I looked up at him with unblinking eyes, hoping he could see the apology in them. "Taeyong," I said hoarsely, each syllable sounding like sandpaper rubbing against my tongue. My hands were shaking, and I tried to breathe. "Taeyong?"

Jun was pale, but his eyes weren't as red as they had been earlier. He looked more put-together generally, less scared but just as determined. He nodded once, firmly, before I released my grip on him and slid into the backseat gratefully.

He turned, probably to get back into the thick of things. I touched his elbow, and he looked back at me. "Where are you going?" I asked, slowly getting accustomed to the rough sound of my voice. It still hurt to speak, but not as much as before. Maybe it still hurt the same, and I was just used to the pain.

"Chaeyoung is in there," he answered, sniffling once. The muscles of my face slackened as his features turned rigid. So that was why he had looked like that. There was worry in the set of his jaw, the vice-like grip of his fingers on the gun in his hands. "I have to go get her."

I nodded, and he pursed his lips, giving me a long look before turning and shutting the door. I closed my eyes, leaning back against the seat.

"I would ask you if you wanted to leave or stay, but I'm guessing from the look on your face that you want to stay," Jennie said from the driver's seat. My eyes flew open. I hadn't even noticed her, but it wasn't really surprising.

Seulgi leaned into view from the shotgun seat, smiling. She did a two-fingered salute, winking. "You did a good job leading us here. We wouldn't have found the lair otherwise."

"Leading you?" I frowned. I was still breathless, and my panic was still rising like a tidal wave. "Yeeun—" I started, but stopped as a thought struck me. Yeeun already knew the location of the Lees, but maybe she didn't tell the racers that. Why? I had no idea, but it was probably for good reason. It was better if I didn't say anything about it. "Is everyone here?"

"Nothing but the full force of the squad to protect little Miss Hwang," Jennie said dryly, turning away from me and settling back against the seat. "You're Jungkook's number one priority."

Normally, I would have bitten my tongue to keep from spitting profanities about the manager, but Jennie sounded displeased when she said his name. I felt that there was potential for understanding regarding my grievances about him. "Why, though?" I scoffed, though it hurt to do so. "I've lived the past three years being told I'm important, but why? I get why the Lee heir would want revenge, but what's Jungkook getting out of it?"

"Power." Jennie shrugged. "He suspects you might have power in the clan, maybe because of your mother. These are unstable times for a criminal hierarchy, especially when the long-lost descendant is with the real heir."

I raised an eyebrow. "The real heir?"

"Most crime families go by the order of the killer," Seulgi chimed in, flicking her hair away from her face. "Since Taeyong is the one who killed his father, the previous head of the clan, he's the heir by tradition."

"But the clan members don't know he was the one who killed the head."

"Not all of them, that's true," she said. "The outer branches of the clan don't know, but the main family does."

"Like Taemin," Jennie explained. "Or Minho. Even Hyojong might know, even though he isn't part of the family, just because he's an important pawn on the chessboard."

"Hyojong, huh?" I mused, thinking back to the time I had been in Daejeon with the bikers, under his leadership. A sudden thought occurred to me, and I sat up, frowning. "Wait. He's a Kim, right? Does he have anything to do with the Kim clan?"

Jennie raised her eyebrows. "I see you've done your homework," she said. "Yes. He's a descendant of the original Kim clan, but they're not a recognized family anymore."

My head ached even more now, with all the thoughts and theories banging against my skull, trying to escape their confines. "Does that mean we're related?" I whispered, pressing the pads of my fingers against the bridge of my nose.

Seulgi laughed, but it sounded slightly strained. "Even if you are, the blood is too diluted," she said, glancing at Jennie. It was a quick, furtive glance, but I caught it, and my eyes narrowed. "He's a very distant cousin, at best."

I crossed my arms over my chest and rubbed at my biceps, trying to calm myself. The hairs on the back of my neck had stood up. There had always been something off about Jungkook, and the news that he wanted to use me for power play wasn't that surprising, but it was still offending, and my distrust grew with anger. I was being used under the pretense of protection, and I couldn't even do anything about it. If I confronted Jungkook about it or threatened to leave, he had nothing to lose either.

"You know him?" I asked Seulgi, referring to Hyojong.

Her already arched eyebrows rose by another fraction of an inch. "What makes you think that?"

I shrugged. "If you know he's a distant cousin to me, you must know more about him."

"That doesn't mean I know him, does it, honey?" She smiled alluring, but I had known her long enough to tell that she was avoiding the topic. I knew it to be the case every time she called me 'honey'. Especially with Jennie within hearing range.

"Cut it out," I said, but my voice was shaky. Instead of pursuing the subject further, I exhaled, looking out of the window. "Is Vernon still in there?" I asked, not bothering to hide my concern. There was no hiding when it came to Seulgi.

"Do you think we have any idea?" Jennie undid the seatbelt, and it slid back with a snap. She opened the door of the car. I felt for Jennie then, a feeling somewhat resembling pity, mingling with a strange, camaraderie, a sort of respect. "I'm going in. Hand me the AR-15."

I watched warily as Seulgi passed her a menacing-looking rifle. "I want to go."

"You've done enough damage already, sweetheart," Jennie said, before looking up at me with a flat smile, a dead smile. "You're lucky Lee isn't dead."

I looked at Seulgi questioningly, and she chuckled. "She means Taeyong," she answered as Jennie shut the door. We watched as she crossed the front of the car. "Landed on a car. He's lucky to escape without any major injuries."

"Major injuries?"

"He might have a broken wrist. And one shallow head wound—or two—but who's counting?"

I let out a frustrated breath, letting my head drop into my hands. "I fucked up, didn't I?"

"You sure did." She kicked her legs up, letting them rest on the dash. The hem of her dress rid up her thighs, revealing a holster hidden under the skirt. Seulgi pulled a revolver from it, cocking it, and lowered her legs again. "Pretty sure you're going to it again. Very soon."

Head still in hands, I made a sound at the back of my throat. "What? You gonna let me out of the cage?"

Something landed with a thump on the seat next to me. I turned my head to the side. It was a revolver, much like the one she's taken out of her thigh holster.

When I looked back up at Seulgi, she was grinning at me. She pushed open the car door and stepped out, pulling open the door at my side next. "Coming?"

I stared at her. She winked, not waiting for me to follow before turning. I watched the careless sway of her hips beneath the black dress as she walked towards the entrance without any cover, a primed gun in her hand. At that moment, she was more attractive than she was lying half-dressed on my couch.

Then I looked back at the revolver next to me, as if waiting for someone to pick it up. Well, better me than someone else. I picked it up, weighing it in my hand. It was bigger than the one I had previously used, but fit into my palm well.

Seulgi was still walking towards the building, not looking back once.

I sighed. "Coming, honey," I said dryly, smiling a little, and followed her back into the casino.