Dragon's Butterfly (Hiatus)

Pawn 030

Park Sandara

"Omma?" I asked first thing in the morning while we were eating breakfast. "Does Appa have any living relatives that know . . . what he does?"

Omma paused and sighed as she looked at me wearily. "Honestly, if I'd known one, I would've told you. His . . . job away from us always puzzled me. I don't know anyone; they all disappeared too."

"Oh," I mumbled, picking idly on my toast.

"Friends? Acquaintances?" Sanghyun queried. "Maybe they know too."

"Or not," Omma argued quietly. "You know what he told me after I . . . read it."

Bom and CL looked at each other, obviously not able to keep up with the conversation.

I sighed and put the plate on the sink, thinking deeply. I have to find something, something that would help me on this job. But there's nothing on the Internet that helped—

Wait.

"Sanghyun? You have your ways with computers, right?" I asked him.

"Well, chyeah. What is it?" he looked at me curiously, a toast in his mouth.

"I need your help. You too, C," I said.

"What for? I . . . uh, don't even know what you guys were talking earlier," CL said, her eyes confused.

"I'll just tell you later. Right now, I guess we gotta do our respective chores." I said, and we all started working.

Later on, in my room, CL and I decided to talk more about the underground world alone. We thought it was best if Bom and Sanghyun would only know the overview.

"But I can't promise you that all I'll tell you is enough," CL told me worriedly. "Seungri-oppa only gave me the information he thinks I only need to know."

"Seungri-oppa?" I repeated questioningly.

"He's actually the firstborn between us," she said sheepishly. "Anyway, Sanghyun told me you and Jaejoong had a . . . conversation in Busan High auditorium. What did you two talk about?"

I told her everything, except the part where Jaejoong said he knew I was Park Ji Soo's daughter. CL was listening attentively, nodding every now and then.

"Is that all, unnie?" CL asked after I was finished. I nodded.

"Um, unnie, on the part where Jaejoong said that Jiyong-oppa killed the Kim's and left a bloody note . . . it isn't actually true," she said quietly.

"What?!" I knew it.

"From what Seungri-oppa told me, the night Jaejoong's family was murdered, GD-oppa was with our foster uncle along with the two of us; I think I was asleep that time so I can't remember. When the day of the battle came, Jaejoong was blinded with fury and vengeance when he challenged GD-oppa; it was too early to start a fight that time because supposedly, they were supposed to fight the day after. GD-oppa never wanted to fight against Jaejoong, actually—or to be a Black Elite member. Oppa won, much to his shock, which kinda worsened when he remembered that BIGBANG won against Black Incubus. Because you see . . ." she trailed off, staring at nowhere.

"What, Chae?" I whispered.

She blinked and looked at me again. "BIGBANG . . . they were forced to become Black Elites, Jiyong-oppa actually. For what reason, Seungri-oppa never told me. But I could guess he actually didn't know the real reason, not even Taeyang-oppa or the rest of BIGBANG members."

"Why would he not tell them?" I wondered aloud.

"Jiyong-oppa's been very mysterious ever since I first met him when I was still a kid," she said softly. "He's aloof and cold most of the time, but he's very protective and brotherly towards us. He always had that dark, distant aura around him, sometimes it scares the living daylights out of me," she chuckled. "Not to mention that he has lots of secrets, secrets that not even Taeyang-oppa knows—well, more like Taeyang-oppa wouldn't even desire to know—or even TOP-oppa."

I can't help agreeing with her. He was always brooding and cold . . . and dangerous. But he can be so sweet in his own way . . .

"And then you came," she said, breaking my reverie. "You, Sandara-unnie, are the biggest miracle that ever happened to him." I looked at her in astonishment.

Her almond-shaped eyes twinkled as she gazed back at me. "You may not notice it, unnie, but those people around him—namely, I and the rest of BIGBANG—have seen it. Ever since he met you, the mysterious aura in him is slowly ebbing . . . and his face glows when he sees you or talks with you or touches your cheek . . ." she smiled, "And he's smiling again. It's been so long the last he smiled . . . and for that, we'll be forever thankful to you."

"You're welcome," I muttered, unable to say anything better than that.

She laughed and put an arm around my shoulders. "Don't think of it that way, unnie. What I meant is . . . I'd never seen Jiyong-oppa happy like that. And as his cousin . . . it's something that makes me happy too, maybe even BIGBANG as well. We'd always thought of him as someone who'll forever stay alone and cold . . . or so we thought."

I bit my lip, unable to speak. My heart was thudding abnormally again and my cheeks were burning.

"Oh, wait; remember when I told you that you shouldn't fall in love with GD-oppa?" CL suddenly asked, catching me off-guard. My face reddened further, remembering.

"W-why?" I stammered.

She then looked at me in the eye, both orbs serious. "Unnie . . . I'm taking it back."

I gasped, jumping a little in surprise. "B-but, why?!"

She just shook her head, her lips curled up in a smile. "That's all I can say for now, unnie. Now, why don't you call Sanghyun up here? I'd figured you'd need his help regarding computers . . ."

"Oh. Right." I crawled out of bed and walked clumsily out the door, calling Sanghyun.

What did CL mean? She once told me that I shouldn't fall for Jiyong . . . and now she's taking it back?