𝘈𝘍𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘔𝘐𝘋𝘕𝘐𝘎𝘏𝘛 | 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘑𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘨

02

02 : Who Are You?

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The white moonlight sliced through the clouds that dared to block it. The rain had ceased its storm, leaving the silver clouds to linger in the midnight sky.

Silence engulfed the entire car ride. She drove in isolation at this point. Her car drove on these lonely roads, lightened up only from time to time by dim lampposts. Her right hand gripped the top of the steering wheel as her other arm rested on the car's armrest.

From a far distance, Soyoung's sharp eyes had spotted a building—the abandoned factory. Soyoung checked her rearview mirror again, perceiving the good sign of how no one was behind her.

Soyoung wasn't nervous at all. Murders and drug dealing have been normalized ever since joining the Black Roses. She was only 19 years into her life...and had she concluded that she might die one day? Yes.

Being a mafia gang member was life risking, and Soyoung had accepted that fact long before. When becoming a gang member, dedicating your entire life is only a promise you have to make. Soyoung didn't have anything to lose anyway.

Soyoung carried no memories of her parents. Her parents didn't exist in her life, for she was an orphan. Her parents and family lived in the unknown, so she had no idea where she had come from. Sweet memories of traditional family gatherings and heartfelt moments in a warm living room simply never blessed her cold, lonely life. 

After meeting the realization that only backstabbers and liars roamed the world, she only had one route to go. Many turned to the Mafia due to the lack of good income, or to find a sense of meaning and belonging. However, Soyoung didn't work in the mafia for anyone but herself. She only craved jobs and goals to complete. Life is just a business, nothing more after all.

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The atmosphere was dead. Color had vanished in this factory long ago. Nothing but the perilous unknown replaced its life. The air shivered, blowing gentle yet deadly cold winds.

Soyoung arrived at the abandoned factory soon enough, and she took note of a few cars in the parking lot, assuming they belonged to the targets she needed to assassinate. Soyoung parked far from those cars, and she quietly closed her car door with her hip while briskly tying her hair up in a high ponytail. She pulled out her gun, heating the grip's cold metal by the warmth of her palm.

She eventually snuck her way into the abandoned factory. The ceiling was created of glass, welcoming the luminous moonlight into the building. Soyoung's eyes adjusted through the thick shadows while taking steady steps. Only a few more steps in, and she could already hear chattering voices from the very center. Soyoung immediately hid behind a pole and large rusted metal tanks–the pistol held close to her chest as she stayed hidden.

All she had to do was wipe out the group of men, which shouldn't be a problem for her.

Soyoung inhaled deeply, readying herself as she lifted her back off the pole. While exhaling, Soyoung peeked at the five men in the center.

Good. The five of them are gathered together.

Soyoung took a step back behind the rusted tanks, only to hit something which oddly felt like a person's body...because it was. Her eyes shot open, and she swiftly spun around, pointing the pistol right at the figure. The person mirrored her motions.

Soyoung couldn't shape out the person due to the lack of light, but the only thing she knew, for now, was that they were tall.

"Who are you?" The boy whispered, darkness absorbing his deep voice.

"Who are you?" Soyoung shot back, curtly nodding up at him.

"I'm not answering unless you tell me first," The boy refused.

Soyoung's hands remained on her pistol, but they tightened. She would've typically smacked the guy in the head with the gun and ran off to shoot the others but...her gut was telling her not to.

"What are you here for?" Soyoung interrogated, ignoring the identification question.

The guy remained silent momentarily, seemingly going through a short thought process. His eyes gleamed in the little light that hit them, and they narrowed. "I'm here to kill the group of men in the center," the boy stated—still in a whispering voice.

Soyoung tilted her head, though she kept her stance. "Wait but...I'm here to do that," Soyoung also stated, puzzled. Soyoung constantly blinked, urging her sight to adjust to the darkness. No matter how many times she blinked, Soyoung just couldn't figure out the boy's face. Soyoung exhaled quietly, and she ordered, "tell me who you are or I'll shoot you."

"Then I'll do the same."

Soyoung dug her teeth into her bottom lip. Think, think, think.

"We clearly both have the same targets. Who are you?" The boy asked once again, jerking his gun.

"I'm Karen."

"Well...I'm Chad."

The two remained in their same positions, staring right at each other.

They both knew they were lying.

"This is wasting my time," Soyoung muttered.

"What—"

Soyoung kneed the boy in the stomach without a care. She disregarded his groan and darted out from the shadows, automatically shooting at her targets in the center.

"There's someone here!" A man growled.

"No shit! Kill them!" Another man yelled.

Several guns went off, bullets running in several directions. Soyoung's eyebrows knitted together as she entered full concentration mode. She aimed perfectly nonetheless less, disposing of two bodies with hot bullets.

She only needed to take down five, and she had already killed two of them. The last three headed towards her, two with knives and one holding a gun. Quickly noticing, Soyoung wiped out the gunned man in the head and spun around, executing a backflip. She lifted herself on her arms, shooting her legs into a face. Finally, her gun rammed into the third man's chest as she landed on her feet.

The bullet instantly fired through the man's core. His eyes rolled back as his body collapsed onto the dusty concrete floor. Soyoung shot them again to guarantee they were gone.

Soyoung's chest rose and fell every two seconds. A ringing sang through her eardrums as she watched blood spill out from the five men's wounds.

However, Soyoung's ears perked up as she heard footsteps approaching from behind. Soyoung turned, but the person was quick enough to straddle the girl's neck. Soyoung gasped, and she grunted while attempting to release herself. As she lifted her pistol, it had been ripped out of her hands.

There's more of them...shit.

"You just killed our friends!" The guy spat, tightening his grasp. "Who are you?"

"But she killed all five of them...She's got skill," another middle-aged man remarked. He flicked his hand at the man strangling Soyoung. The heavy hand finally unhooked from her neck. Soyoung planted her hands on her neck, coughing helplessly.

Observing from the corners of her teary eyes, Soyoung noticed more men starting to circle her. She flung her leg at the man in front of her, but her attempt was shut down. Two more men grabbed her by the arms and shoulders, leaving her no space to move.

"Let go of me!" Soyoung barked at them furiously, trying to tug out of their hold. "I'm warning you!"

"You're the one who killed my friends first, sweetheart...Now it's time for you to repay," The middle-aged man explained. A low chuckle left him, and he eyed Soyoung slowly, "with your body."

His words were followed by revolting snickers. Soyoung gulped the lump in her throat, but she grasped onto her undaunted expression.

"You're all fucked if you don't release me," Soyoung threatened, teeth gritting.

"What's your name?" The middle-aged man inquired curiously, reaching out his hand to Soyoung's chin. He lifted her head back, examining her face.

Her mouth screwed shut, scowling down at the old man.

"Who do you work for?" His thumb rubbed against Soyoung's cheek. The man hovered closer and closer. Soyoung chewed on her tongue. She ran through multiple scenarios in her head, planning an escape. However, only panic and anxiety washed over her thoughts.

She hadn't been this close to being killed in the longest time. Soyoung never needed help or assistance, but she knew she needed to call one of the other girls for backup. She couldn't reach her device to call Olivia, or Kim Lip, or Irene, or anyone.

Suddenly, a gunshot fired and all the men snapped their heads at the blaring sound, including the man in front of Soyoung.