Ride or Die

The Chain

Dara is preparing herself for the forthcoming interrogation that will take place anytime soon. Jiyong has been strangely silent after TOP left. He prepared their breakfast and they ate in silence.

After eating, he asked Dara to stay seated in the table. He sat in front of her. Dara has this 'Oh, here it comes' face on.

"Dara. I have so many questions right now, I don't know where to start." He looked at her straight in the eyes, strangely though, this action didn't made her feel uncomfortable unlike the past occasions where she saw him. She thinks it was because during those times she was kind of lying to him. Now that she is ready to open up to him she feels more comfortable, relaxed. In fact she feels enthusiastic.

"Where have you been these past years?" he started. "I want the truth." He firmly said.

"It's a long story." It truly is a long story.

"We have all day." He rested on the backrest of the chair with his arms crossed in front of him. Dara really feels like she is being interrogated. But he deserves answers, and Dara realized that a little bit too late.

"Well... I stayed in the US first. I took entrance exams on different universities, and I got accepted in an Ivy League university. I continued my studies there." she stopped to look at him, but he just nodded. Dara realized that this is going to be a one way conversation.

"So... a few months later I found out I was pregnant." She stopped again to look at Jiyong, but Jiyong looked out the window. "I was frightened. I didn't know what to do. I called my younger brother Sanghyun to accompany me. We both studied there." she recounted.

"I gave birth to Faith a few months later. She's my gem. After giving birth, I juggled being a student and being a mother. After graduating from college I started studying... things."

"What things?" Jiyong asked.

"Uhm. First on my list back then was gun handling. Then self-defense. Then martial arts. Then languages. Then human behavior. You know... things." She stopped again and sighed. "Well this is awkward. I feel like I am being interviewed to be a part of this... organization..." Dara trailed off. "Well, you're the future boss after-all."

"I heard you worked in the west, then you moved to Japan." He inquired.

"Yeah. Well I... kind of helped them out for a while. I just hate the fact that they labeled me as an assassin."

"Well what are you, exactly?" He rested his elbows on the table, looking more closely at her.

"A bounty hunter." she answered truthfully.

"I track down fugitives, criminals, and law breakers in exchange for the monetary reward placed on their heads. That was how I earned my own money. Since then I stopped using the money provided by..." Dara stopped on her tracks.

"By my uncle. I know." He stopped for a while taking in what she just told him. "Why did you go out of your way to help them though?"

"I wanted to create a buzz without revealing who I was. With the power I acquired, I realized it wasn't hard to hide information to some. I thought it was impossible to hide things underground, but it wasn't. I wanted to create a buzz just loud enough to reach your uncle but not enough to know who I am." Dara sighed. "I guess it was petty of me but I wanted to prove him wrong. I wanted to be... worthy of you." This line tugged a string on Jiyong's heart.

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" this question broke Dara's heart.

"I don't think you would let me go, especially if you knew."