Dragon's Butterfly (Hiatus)

Pawn 047

Park Sandara

I nearly fell off the bed as I tried to get Shiro's phone. I put it on my left ear and whispered, "Jiyong?"

[Hello, butterfly,] he breathed, and I had to stifle a sob. The Shadows silently disappeared from the room, giving me and Jiyong enough privacy.

"Jiyong," I breathed shakily, tears oozing from my eyes.

[Oh, butterfly,] he murmured soothingly. [Please don't cry. I'm not there to kiss your tears. Are you all right? Are the Hunters treating you well?]

"H-Hunters?"

[Oh, I mean the Shadows with you. Those five are Hunting Shadows—a special group of Shadows that move as a team,] he clarified. [Are you all right?]

"Yeah."No, Jiyong, I'm not. "They're cool." I miss you. I need you.

[I see. I . . . I'm really sorry about all this. I'm not so sure if you'll understand, but it's all right. I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe and to make the underground matters stable.]

I bit my lip to stop an impending sob. "O-okay. How are the rest? My family?"

[Your family is safe, I assure you. The four monkeys here are just as busy and serious as I am.]

"Do you mind telling them I said hi?"

[Just hi, butterfly?] I could see his amused smile in my head.

"Yeah. Well, I can't think of anything to say at the moment."

[I will.] We were both silent for a moment.

"I miss you," There, I said it. And I feel terrible of what's going to happen next.

I heard a strangled gasp from the other line. Oh no. [I know, butterfly. Trust me. I feel half-dead without you in my sight. In fact, I'm dying to see you right now.]

"But you can't," I finished his thought.

He sighed. [Yes. But when all of this is over, I promise to come by as fast as I can. Please just wait for me, butterfly. I'll make it up to you. I promise.]

His words were so sincere, they threatened to crush my cracked heart.

"Okay," More tears flowed down my cheeks. "Be careful, okay?"

[Of course I will. I want to see you again.] He whispered, his voice raw.

My grip on the phone tightened, guilt and anguish lancing through my heart. At the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the time. 4:30 AM.

Almost sunrise. I had to tell him—some, at least.

"Jiyong, please remember this. Whatever happens, please, please . . . don't get mad. Don't get angry. Don't go reckless; use your head in deciding, not your emotions. Consider me as the Heiress, not as Park Sandara. Promise me! And—tell TOP to connect his laptop to the internet!"

[W-What?!Sandara, what are you talking about?]

"Just do it, okay? And one more thing, Ji . . ."

[D-Dara?] I could already hear panic and confusion in his voice.

"Please forgive me. I'm sorry. And I love you, Jiyong. A lot. Bye."

[Da—!!] I ended up the call, sobbing.

I'm sorry, Jiyong.

Grabbing my phone as I tossed Shiro's on the bed, I removed my old SIM card and replaced it with a new one. I reformatted the gadget's phone memory and copied all the files on the memory card to the phone memory, praying they would work. I hid the memory card at a hidden chink on the wall behind the drawer. As for the flash drive, I prayed it was still with TOP. He would need it.

After polishing everything that I had to do, I stashed it in my purse along with some hairpins. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Calm down, Sandara. If the Dragon Emperor can do things like gunning down enemies,

Maybe the daughter of his teacher can run without being seen.

Third POV

15 minutes before sunrise. Dara quickly jumped out the window, the purse in her hand. Praying that the Hunters won't realize she's gone, she silently ran through the trees . . . towards the place she was supposed to go.

But it was in vain, though. She later heard footsteps—and felt the five Shadows running behind her. She ran faster, ducking behind shrubs every now and then. Upon reaching the streets, she ran along the narrow alleyways and behind tall buildings. Occasionally she would jump above the fishing basins when she reached the fish port and skip along with the fish vendors. From afar, she could hear the Shadows' voices, barking orders and calling out her name.

Sh-t! Faster!

She then hid for a while to catch her breath and fasten her hairpins on the pocket of her jeans. Thankfully, they were the same color as her jeans so they won't be easily seen. Thinking that it would be all right to come out, she rolled out and started to run again. She was almost near when a strong grip on her arm stopped her. Turning, she realized it was Mino.

"Miss Dara!" he exclaimed, sighing in relief. "Why'd you suddenly run away? I found her, everyone!"

Dara struggled against his grip, but he was so strong. The four Hunters caught up, with Era and Neo jumping from a low roof.

"Look," Dara hissed. "Just let me go!"

"But why are you running away?!" Gummy demanded, her frilly white dress dancing against the sea breeze.

"Because--"

"Yes, Mino-kun, just let her go," Shiro quietly said. "It's not as if she's really running away."

"But, Shiro!"

Shiro's eyes gleamed wickedly, and all of a sudden, he grabbed his gun from the waistband of his jeans and rained bullets towards the stunned Shadows. They all fell down, staining the salty concrete with blood.

Dara stared and shivered in shock, not believing what she'd just seen. One moment they were with her, alive, and now they lay drenched in blood.

"It's a good thing you followed his wishes, Sandara-dono," he whispered menacingly towards her. "Otherwise, it would have been a dirtier job."

Sandara gasped as she blanched, finally realizing everything. "N-No way," she choked. "Y-You are the--"

The last thing she saw was Shiro's grin, and a pink handkerchief being pressed down her nose.

[A/N: I AM BAACCKKKKKK

Talk about a cute, blue-haired boy (and he says he's just the same age as Dara?) and a Judas Iscariot. Who would've thought that among the Hunters there was an enemy?

What could have been the reason why Dara cried by the shore?

Well, everything will make sense sooner or later, I promise. But I think there is still one more sacrifice to be done . . .

PS: I FEEL BAD KILLING THOSE FOUR HUNTING SHADOWS HONESTLY TTTTTTTTTTT]