"If you ever love somebody in this world, remember to hold them close to your heart and let them know that you love them... Let them know before you lose them, before it's too late."

Mum...

"I love you, my little moon."

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I woke in a startle, still feeling the lingering effect of a gentle caress, of that touch nobody could ever replicate.

A mother feels her child from the time she is pregnant. Although, a lot of women claim they didn’t feel maternal till they actually gave birth. A child is someone you have nurtured inside your body and with your body. This makes the love for your child boundless and limitless.

And she did.

My mother loved me as much as I could have ever imagined of. And it was on these thunderous nights that I wanted her. I always got her. I always had her. Whenever, wherever.

My father was usually busy, he was a military man. He loved us too. He took small leaves once in a while just to celebrate my brother's and my birthdays. He used to send flowers and gifts to mum on her anniversary.

But it was the plays of destiny that took him away from us, earlier than we imagined it to happen. Then, even my mum.

It was just Jimin and I.

And Dami, of course.

But till the day she lived, she taught me to love every moment I had. We never know how life progresses. How missions progress. How journeys may halt.

"Y/n, you're okay?" I turned my vision towards the source of the voice, finding Soobin staring at me. His bare chest lay well visible. He was a soft boy, I can tell that.

I responded with a hum, affirmatively, and inhaled deep breaths. That dream, of my mum on her death bed, had brought back memories. My heart has a suitcase, a suitcase that I can't take through. It has all that belongs to me, all of my emotions and feelings and memories. Everything.

Often I feel like leaving my shoes on the street and dance bare feet on the ground, so that someone would carry me. Just like my mum.

"Bad dream, hmm?" His lips drew a smile and I nodded again, closing my eyes momentarily to feel the Stygian lacuna building up in my mind.

"What did you see? You can tell me if that lessens the storm you're controling." He brushed my hair with his pale, slender fingers. Resting his head on the firmer pillow, he smiled at me again. I reciprocated. He makes me smile without any force. I don't know how.

"I just...," I sighed. Holding storms were hard but letting them go was harder. "I dreamt of my mother. I loved her. I miss her."

I hadn't realised how a teardrop had escaped the brim of my eyes and cascaded down my cheeks. He smudged them away and caressed my hair.

"I know. But I don't feel the same as you. I never loved my mother. But I did love someone. And I lost her. I lose everyone I ever love."

"Whom did you lose?"

"My mama. Yeonjun's mama, mother. She... She was just the perfect woman I had ever known. Beautiful, talented and caring. Just, fate wasn't in her favour that she welcomed trouble in her home, herself."

"Trouble? Who?"

"Krampus."

"Krampus? What?"

"Let it be. So, what's the plan tonight? You're the leader now, my brother chose you."

I stared at him, getting up and searching for the time. It was quarter past noon and I was still in the bed. Soobin started laughing, annoying me.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because you panicked." He laughed harder.

"Of course I am. It's so late and in still in the bed."

"Don't worry, it ain't. That's my phone and that time is a part of the wallpaper. It's barely 8 in the morning. You had ample sleep to last the day." He sniffed as he ceased his mad laughter. I huffed at him, shooting my pillows on his beautiful face.

"Where's Yeonjun?" I asked, fuzzing about how I got pranked as soon as I woke up.

"On the floor, there." I turned to look at the direction he was pointing and found Yeonjun cuddling a pillow on the floor. He looked cute, I must agree. But I felt guilty for letting him lie on the cold floor.

"Can you wake him up untill I take a shower and change?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Thanks. And a last question."

"Mhm?"

"Why is Yeonjun's mother your mama? Do you call her differently?"

"Yes and no. Yeonjun also called her the same. But she didn't birth me. Yeonjun is my step brother. My mum was our father's mistress and she abandoned me when I was child. It was my luck that Yeonjun stopped by the roadside and offered me food when I hadn't eaten in days. And my mama saw the necklace I wore. It was hers, which our father gave to my mum when mama divorced him. And I wore it. My mum had expired by then. She was a prostitute for many and it was one such customer of hers that went overboard to kill her. Didn't matter, I never mattered in her life. Mama adopted me and I had a family."

"Oh! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you that..."

"It's okay. You should know. I don't have a very solid background. I don't know what I am supposed to say when my parental identity would be asked. And I have too many criminal acts revolving around me. Nobody understands what it was for me."

Soobin looked down on the floor beneath our feet, composing himself to not cry. But I knew, he was broken. Shattered.

"Yet, I apologise."

◂⊱⊰▸◂⊱⊰▸

"So, what is the plan?" Dami puffed her chubby cheeks with the last touch up as she directed her question to the only living soul, asides her, me.

"Honestly, I don't know why Jimin's dragging you in this. What if something goes wrong? Who's going to be responsible for that overgrown kid?" I threw my limbs in the air as I ranted about how mad, exaggerated maybe, I was with my brother.

"Exactly, that's what I'm going for. To take care of him. I suggested him that we go. So that I can stop him from interfering with your work. Plus, if there are drug dealers, he gets to arrest them. Promotion is a gift on that." She laughed. Of course, my brother isn't smart enough to want to tag along. It had to be my sincere Dami's sinical side.

"Anyways, what were you saying?" I asked. She opened the door of her room and both Jimin and Soobin were waiting outside, dressed in some pretty fascinating garments.

Jimin wore his favourite teal shirt made of satin with its top buttons left open to flatter his chest. On the other hand, Mr Soobin Choi wore a simpler look. With a linen yellow shirt hugging his biceps, he had adorned himself with a golden face chain. Both their hairs were sleeked back with some hair falling on the sides of their faces. Just that Jimin's one was longer than Soobin's. The common thing was their black pants that hugged their thick thighs.

Astonishingly, neither was arguing. Rather smiling and sharing small talks. I wasn't the only nonplussed person there, Dami and Yeonjun were equally shocked.

"Ahem, we're ready." Dami cleared her throat and alerted the two about her probably unwanted presence.

"Yeah, let's go then."

"Did you drop Sena at Beomgyu's?" Dami questioned, throwing her bag over her shoulders.

"Yes, ma'am!" Jimin made a weird expression that resembled a clown (not that he wasn't one already) and replied in a robotic tone, gaining an eye roll from his wife.

"Alright, before we leave, Y/n and I have approached to a common decision. And that's our plan. Yeonjun will knock the Dj out. That place looks over the whole party. He will act as our instructor from there. Y/n and I will try to melt among the drugged crowd. Noona, try to keep yourself out of the site of some of the guys there. And Jimin-ssi, you're responsible to find all the dealers there. They could give details about our suspect and they're criminals anyways so you can have them all for yourself."

"Suits?" I asked, looking at everyone for any different opinion.

Everyone nodded as we walked our feets faster and hurried towards the door. Jimin was driving us all. Dami would sit next to him, us behind him and Yeonjun in the last one.

"Y/n, can I have a moment?" I felt Soobin's hands grabbing me by my wrist as I stopped to listen to him.

His eyes scanned me, head to toe. He lifted his hand to trace my whole face while I tried to move back. But, I was frozen. It felt like the time had stopped and I wanted him to continue.

"Your neck feels empty. I have something for you." I watched his hands go through his pockets and bring out a thread of pearls. He gently placed it on my neck and fastened the clasp at the back. He placed a tiny kiss over the swan pendent.

I saw it, it was beautiful. It was real. The pearls were the South sea gold pearls. And many. Each pearl was sold at a cost of a thousand dollars. And it was a string of many pearls, worth millions.

"This is the reason why our fates collided. And I want you to wear it."

◂⊱⊰▸◂⊱⊰▸

My mind hadn't stopped thinking about the necklace when we got off the car. The security let anyone who looked attractive pass through the gates. Age didn't matter. Nobody asked for identity card.

The inside was hazardous. The crowd was massive. Obviously, this was the biggest party of the month. The blasting music and the roars of the youth stung my ears badly. I wasn't used to so loud noises.

My eyes looked all through to find our suspect but as much as my site went, all that I saw was a number of human souls getting drunk.

"Yeonjun, go ahead. Soobin, Y/n, good luck. I'm getting all these people fined for underage drinking and smoking."

I grabbed a drink from the counter and walked through the crowd, followed by Soobin. A man fell upon me, deliberately drunk. Soobin had however, managed to pull the man before he touched my body.

We locked our positions but we could see nobody. Yeonjun changed the song to a sick beat, speaking over to us on our hearing devices. He confirmed the coast to be clear, no one in view.

"The suspect isn't here." I whispered as I moved my body to the rhythm. Soobin was doing his best to avoid getting hit by someone.

He mumbled, "Song Taeju sells only to them who appear young, rich and good for them to shoot sex frauds."

"So? How do I get his attention on me?"

"Hyung, play my playlist. I know how we can." The music changed. Softer but harder. Until now the body that stood rigidly, started flowing to the melody.

He hooked his feet on the ground as his expressions changed. Sensual and perfect. And then, we were on the main stage.

The universe is a dance, as is the galaxy and our own solar system. The orbits, and the spinning of the planets, are nothing more than a different dance. The motion of oceans, seas, lakes and rivers are as a dance. Clouds passing overhead, the same. Animals and their interactions, regardless of what is happening, is a dance. Even if we get into the subatomic realms of quanta, there is a dance.

We fell in step, letting the rhythm control our movements. All the scenery and people around us dissolved. It was jus him and I, alone.

His brown globese glistened, and a smile spread across his beautiful face.

Uncontrollable feelings surged through my body, and my fingers tingled in delight. His hand brushed across my cheek. My body was acting on its own, no chains to hold me back from this pure paradise.

He drew me close to his chest, and wrapped his arms around my hips.

His ebony locks fell over his eyes, like a curtain blocking out the sunlight. I desired to see those ocean eyes.

Hee began to withdraw his hand to brush away his hair, but my hand clutched onto his. I delicately tucked his lock behind his ear, and those mysterious eyes twinkled back at me in greeting.

His lips went to my ear as he whispered ever so softly.

“Our suspect is on the coast.”

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Hey Rosairises!!

You can hope for a double update today and tomorrow, perhaps.
I wrote this pretty fast and I'm excited for the last 3 chapters.
So, gear up.

We're at the climax.