Secrets and Lies

22.

How could she have been so stupid?Not that she gave a damn about what the other students at school thought of her. Though, the girl had kissed Daehyun inside the girls' restroom. Jiyoo was still unsure to how they'd ended up there together. Not that it matter that much anymore. It'd taken place and Jiyoo had to move on, to dwell about that was the least of her problems. It was quite obvious that her feelings for Yongguk had changed; otherwise wouldn't she have involved herself with Zelo and Daehyun. The girl had almost taken Zelo's virginity three times and then kissed the other blonde boy.

Two years had passed since Jiyoo and Yongguk began their relationship. Just like any other couple had there been ups and downs. But they had always, somehow, managed to make it through. Whatever it was money, Jiyoo's idiotic father or something else. Cheating had never sparked any problems before, mainly because none of them had been interested in anyone else. That was obviously different now. Therefore had she, due to that, made a decision. It had to end.

Yongguk had been in the midst of a fight when his cell phone rang. He got slightly taken aback when seeing Jiyoo's name on the screen. Two weeks had gone by since they'd decided to take a break. The boy would never cheat on her; it was an ordeal he knew that Jiyoo hated. Still, Yongguk couldn't tell the truth either, his life would end if he did. The gang had clearly stated that consequences would follow if someone were to spill information about their business. His love for Jiyoo wouldn't be worth anything if he couldn't be alive to feel it.

"Dongyeol take over." He wandered off towards a more quiet part of the warehouse before taking the call, "hello." To say that he was anxious would be an understatement. "Hello." Yongguk savored her voice; so many days had passed since he'd last heard Jiyoo's sweet, melodic voice. He missed her, and wanted her back.

"Do you have time, I really need to speak to you?" instantly did he get a bad feeling, the way she'd voiced out the words caused his heart to squeeze in pain, "Yeah." Jiyoo was more important than anything else, but it wouldn't be fair to say that she was the reason to why he was living life like that. He'd chosen it himself, "okay, see you soon." The line died and Yongguk's anger level increased massively. Why hadn't he just gotten a real job instead, why couldn't he have just listened to Jiyoo?

"Yo, where are you going?We need to finish this up." the only acknowledge Dongyeol got was, "I need to take care of something. Finish it up yourself." The younger boy simply shrugged his shoulders; a smile graced his lips when he pulled out a gun he'd hidden in the waistband of his jeans. The weapon felt heavy in Dongyeol's hand. It was unusual for him to use a firearm, a simply knife was more normal for him. "Please, I don't want to die." The boy lying on the ground had regained consciousness and was now pleading for his life.

"You should've thought about that before revealing stuff about our organization out in the open. Hyung-nim is pissed off now." Everyone in the gang knew about the consequences, yet, there was those who still decided to oppose them. "But -"a gunshot rippled through the early night, the sound bounced off the walls and created an echo. The lifeless body of a fifteen year old toppled down on the ground. Dongyeol and Yongguk had both gotten an ultimatum. Kill the boy or get killed.

Jiyoo, totally unaware of what her soon to be ex-boyfriend had been occupying himself with when she'd called, smiled when they met. The break-up was going to be hard, but nonetheless necessary. The girl hadn't been faithful, nor had he either. Tension filled the air around them quite immediately and Jiyoo wondered how they'd ended up like that. Their relationship couldn't have changed so drastically within just a day or two. It was something that took weeks -months.

It was with an uneasy feeling that she parted her lips and spoke, "I think you already know what I want." It was no doubt about it; the boy knew more than well what she wanted. Unfortunately was it a matter he had to accept. It was better for Jiyoo to believe that he'd cheated then for her to know about his gang activities. The girl's life didn't need to be put at danger, too. "I can only be sorry for my actions." The sentence had a double meaning, him apologizing for how everything had ended up and then for the fact that he was involving himself with illegal stuff. The latter of the two was the whole reason to why they were breaking up.

The red mark Jiyoo had spotted on his nape wasn't what she'd thought. It was a cigarette burn and nothing else. Apparently was that some sort of ritual for the gang, everyone had the burn of a cigarette on the same exact place. That way was tattoos, which was going to attract attention, not needed as the cigarette burn would leave a distinct scar behind. It was a way for the members to know who belonged in the gang and who didn't.

"You cheated and -." The sentence was cut short as Jiyoo remembered what her mother had done. Crying in public wasn't one of her strongest points. "You don't need to, I know." Yongguk knew all about the younger girl's past, including the suicide of her mother. "I'll always be here for you, okay?" their relationship might've come to an end but he was always going to be there in case she needed him. The emotions lingering in the air was so thick that you could almost touch them. Yongguk had been her first boyfriend and it was quite obvious that it would take some time before the feelings would fade.

Jiyoo could feel the tears when nodding her head. She had to keep telling herself that it was for the best. To see the tear-stained face of his former girlfriend made Yongguk feel ever worse, especially since she hadn't gotten to know the real truth. He felt even more pathetic when telling her to get another boyfriend, one who could really make her happy.

"Don't say that." Jiyoo could honestly not imagine someone being a better boyfriend than him, with an exception of the cheating part. They shared so many memories together. Even the simplest things, such as spending a whole day in bed just cuddling or sharing a cup of noodles at the supermarket, were imprinted in her memory for infinity.

All of that belonged to the past now.

It was with much pain and longing she watched Yongguk retreat down the street, away from her. The tears she'd kept to herself welled up and disappeared down her cheeks. There was a slight possibility that the two of them would never meet again, as Jiyoo had already brought all her stuff over from the apartment to the house. Maybe that was for the best, to not see each other.

The sound of her cell phone distracted the girl from further thoughts, "Mm?" Jiyoo had forgotten to check the ID of the caller and had therefore no idea of who it was. The reply she received was so low that she couldn't even hear it, "you'll have to speak louder." A loud, distant screech could be heard from the other end and Jiyoo felt a chill run down her spine when hearing Ahri cry, "Unnie, someone is here." The girl was speechless, "Just keep yourself hidden and unnie will be there soon." Was Ahri really implying that someone had broken into their home?