Chapter 9
Cherry
Hoseok was right. Scarlets did indeed have to do with his wife and son’s murder but there was more to it then he knew; more than he could ever know. He was also right about me being a monster. It’s something I’ve had to deal with ever since my first kill.
I tried to blame it on the fact that I had no choice – on the fact that I was forced to make a choice, but there was no denying that I was good at what I do. What nobody knew was how many nights I have laid awake, crying about the monster that I was forced to become.
I felt the raindrops starting to fall and I cursed under my breath. Of course it had to start raining when I was having a *ty night already. I stopped and looked at the sky. I wished I could just scream and yell but I could do nothing.
I walked towards the bridge and stopped there. I rested my hands against the railing. I looked on to the sea beneath me just as the rain continued to pour. I let out a shaky laugh that seemed to crack. My mind went back to the words that Lady Scarlet always used to say to me.
*Flashback*
2010
‘You will never belong anywhere except with the Scarlets, Umbra,’ Lady Scarlet said to me as I stood on my knees. My shirt was torn and blood dripped from my back.
I refused to cry as she held on to the whip in her hand. I had refused to fight the other girl and for that reason, I got beaten. My mother always taught me not to use violence but for the past two years, violence is all I’ve been told to engage in.
‘Forget about who you were and focus on who you are and who you are becoming – a Scarlet. A Scarlet follows orders Umbra,’ she said as I felt the whip connect to my back. I bit my bottom lip and pressed my nails into my hands as I tried to hold in a scream. It hurt so much and I didn’t know how much longer I could last.
‘Your life is no longer your own. It will always belong to the Scarlets. The only way to escape is through death Umbra,’ she said as she hit me one more time. I nearly fell over but managed to keep my balance.
‘You can run. You can hide. You can disobey and you will be punished each time,’ she said as she cracked her whip against my skin another time.
‘In this world, no one will show you mercy so you have to be merciless yourself. You may hate me Umbra, but I am teaching you how to survive this cruel world,’ she said as she hit again.
No, I wanted to say. No, you’re teaching me to become someone I’m not. No, you’re taking away my freedom and who I am.
‘You will learn to bow your head and listen to orders Umbra,’ she said as she hit me again. She sighed, probably satisfied as I heard her move away. She stopped by the door and I dared to look up. She smiled bitterly as she shook her head.
‘You have such potential Umbra. You have the potential to be the best Scarlet of all time with your brain and strength. One day, you might even be able to inherit this legacy but you need to let go of your morals. They only exist as weakness in our world,’ she said just as she closed the door and locked it.
I waited until I was sure she was gone before I slumped to the ground. I did not have any energy to move – every bone in my body hurting and my skin burning. I laid on the cold ground, hoping the coldness could soothe me. As I laid down like a dog, I thought back to my parents and my brother.
Why? Why had my father done this to me? Did he not love me as much as he loved my little brother? Did my brother get better? Did my little brother miss me like I missed him? Even though father gave me to them, I still missed them. I wasn’t angry at him. I knew he did it to keep all four of us alive but it still hurt. Yet, no matter how much it hurt, I missed them and still loved them.
*End of Flashback*
I sighed as I shivered slightly. Her voice was still so clear in my head, even after all these years. For the past year, I’ve been hunted like an animal and there were so many times I was almost caught. I often wondered why I was not. Maybe there was some grand plan waiting to happen for me. I scoffed at how ridiculous the thought was.
My mind went back to the Kim mansion. How foolish was I to think I could belong there, but could I even blame them? Bangtan was known for the way they dealt with things. They were the biggest gang with the least death record among gangs. They refused to kill innocent people and they never used innocent people to threaten or blackmail with. Instead, they came together and brought people to their knees using other ways – hell, they even used legal ways.
Bangtan was known to having ties with the police force. It was rumours and whispers with no evidence but all the Scarlets knew it was the truth. Bangtan and the Chief of Police of Seoul worked hand in hand. Bangtan, unlike other gangs did not deal with drugs, prostitution or weapon trafficking. Instead, they focused on money laundering, counterfeit, gambling and betting, casinos and illegal cars and street racing. The police closed an eye for this because in return Bangtan helped them when it came to gang wars, drugs and even human trafficking. God knows how many human trafficking Bangtan has helped the police to stop. For the police, their crimes were not as “bad” as others so they struck deals with them.
But me? I was a killer. I was everything Bangtan was not. I could never belong with them – no matter how much I enjoyed Myung’s company or how much I liked spending time with Yoongi hacking or sparring with Jimin, Jungkook and Taehyung. Lady Scarlet was right, I would never belong anywhere else except with the Scarlets, but I would never go back there. I would rather go back to the shadows – be nothing and no one.
I sighed as I continued to walk. The rain started to pour even more as a thunder could be heard cracking. Maybe for tonight I could go back. I could stay at the mansion until I figured out what as going on. I started walking back to the mansion when suddenly, I felt a dart in my neck.
I stopped as my hand flew to my neck. I plucked it out and cursed. ‘*,’ I mumbled as I realized it was a tranquilizer dart. I went to take a step but my legs were numb and I fell down to the ground. My body was paralyzed and I could not move, but I could hear the sound of heels clicking coming towards me.
She knelt down as she held my face. I scoffed in disbelief. ‘Of—of course it’s you,’ I said before my vision become blurry and I was engulfed in darkness.
Min Yoongi
I was on my laptop, working and trying to find some information about the Scorpions and their potential leader. I frowned because I could barely find anything.
It was as if there was no one but it should not have been a surprise if it really could be a Scarlet. Those women, they were the scariest people I heard of in my life and I’ve met with some *s through my life. The more I saw Cherry, the more I realized how dangerous they could be. If they were willing to treat their own like that, what would they do to the rest of us?
I sighed as the door opened and Namjoon, Hoseok and Taehyung walked into the room. ‘Anything yet?’ Namjoon asked as they sat down.
‘Nothing. There’s not a single trace,’ I replied as I frowned once more.
‘Not really surprising, is it?’ Taehyung commented. ‘I just hope Cherry can find something soon. We need to nip this problem in the bud,’ he added.
‘Did… did you hear anything from her?’ Hoseok asked but there was a slight hesitation in his voice. Was he worried?
‘What? You’re starting to regret the way you talked to her?’ I asked and he shrugged.
‘I may have… judged too quickly,’ he said before he slumped into his seat. ‘All I was seeing was a Scarlet – an assassin, someone who kills for money. I was not seeing Cherry,’ he said.
‘You were seeing your wife’s and son’s killer,’ Namjoon said and Hoseok nodded.
‘It’s been two years but it still hurts as hell,’ he said as he fisted his hands. ‘I could not protect them. I let my own family die,’ he said.
‘Hyung, you weren’t even with them that day,’ Taehyung tried to comfort but Hoseok scoffed.
‘Exactly. I should have been Tae. Ae-Cha had begged me to go with them that morning but I was too busy. My son was just two months old and I was barely spending time with him,’ he said as his eyes glazed over. He touched the locket around his neck which I knew held their photos.
‘I’m sorry we never found out who did it or what really happened,’ Namjoon said. Hoseok nodded and closed his eyes.
‘I never blamed you for that Joon. You know that,’ he began. ‘Every time I saw Cherry, I was reminded of that. I saw a killer in front of my eyes and a part of me wondered – what if it was her who killed them? I’m sorry for letting my personal issues interfere with the work Namjoon,’ he said.
‘Don’t apologize to me for that. This, this more than work or a gang. The seven of us, we’re family. Your pain, is our pain and there is not a day I don’t regret not telling you to just go with them that day but none of us knew what was going to happen,’ Namjoon said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘But, if you want to apologize to someone, maybe you should apologize to Cherry. She’s not the monster she pretends to be,’ he said and I nodded.
‘She’s lonely and desperate for affection even if she pretends not to be bothered. I can’t imagine being on the run for a year, constantly being hunted,’ I said.
‘That’s what actually is worrying me,’ Taehyung commented as he bit his lower lip while we all looked at him. ‘She stormed out of the house hours ago but has not come back, not even when it started raining. I know she’s good at hiding in the shadows, but what if they found her or what if the Scorpions got her?’ Taehyung asked.
I heard Hoseok groan, probably as he felt guilty. He stood up as he sighed. ‘I’ll go look for her,’ he said just as my laptop started to work on its own.
‘What the * is going on with your laptop?’ Namjoon asked as I turned around and tried to work on it.
‘I’m getting hacked into,’ I replied. ‘Well, not exactly. Someone is sending a live feed and—’ I stopped as the screen changed to show a dark room. ‘What the-?’ I muttered just a woman appeared.
Her face was covered with a mask but I could see her pony tail swinging from side to side and the rose and sword tattoo on her neck. ‘*, isn’t that the Scarlet symbol?’ Taehyung asked as I nodded.
‘Taehyung, go get the others,’ Namjoon whispered as the woman nodded and clapped her hands.
‘I always knew you were smart but I did not expect you using a Scarlet. That was well played,’ she said as she held the camera and began to walk.
‘Where is she?’ Namjoon asked, already knowing we’re not going to like what’s coming next. She giggled and entered a dark room which was lit with two bulbs. I gasped a little as I saw Cherry tied to a chair. She looked unconscious and wet although not hurt.
‘Here she is although her name is not Cherry. It’s Domina Umbra,’ she said.
‘What did you do to her?’ Namjoon asked and she giggled once more. This woman was crazy.
‘Nothing much. I just put her to sleep but soon she’ll be out of it,’ the woman replied. ‘By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Domina Rosa, Rose in Latin in case you’re interested,’ she said.
‘Why are you calling us and showing us this? What do you want?’ I asked as she put the camera on a stand.
‘I’m going to show Domina Umbra why she should not have bothered to help you,’ she said as she came in front of the camera. ‘I will take over the shadow world in Seoul and I will use her to do that,’ she said.
‘Leave her out of this Domina Rosa. You wanted Bangtan, right? You have our attention. What do you want? Money? Weapons?’ Namjoon asked.
‘Am I hearing it right? Is the mighty Bangtan willing to pay for an assassin like her?’ she asked as she pointed to Cherry. ‘Interesting, but no. What I want is power and that means eliminating you. I know Umbra will help me. She will see I am right when I show her the light. She’ll help me eliminate you and I want you to watch what will happen. Ps, she won’t know she’s being seen,’ she said with a giggle.
She pressed something as I realized we were muted. ‘*, she just muted us. We can’t talk to her,’ I said just as the door opened and the others came into the room.
‘Myung what are you doing here?’ Namjoon said as he tried to keep her from seeing the screen.
‘I heard Taehyung telling the others. Is it true? Do they have her?’ Myung asked with clear distress on her face. Namjoon gulped as he nodded. I heard a fist clanging against the table and we all turned to look at Hoseok.
‘*, this is all my fault. If I kept my mouth shut, she would not have left,’ he said angrily.
‘Hoseok now is not the time to do the blame game. Yoongi,’ Jin said as he turned to me. ‘Can you track them?’ he asked.
‘I will try but I have a feeling they’ll be jumping servers. It will take time and I don’t know what they will do to her in that time,’ I replied.
‘What if they hurt her?’ Myung asked and Namjoon sighed.
‘Maybe not just yet. They want to turn her against us. I’m imagining Rosa will try to get information out of her about us. Umbra already knows a lot about us but…’ he stopped as he looked at us.
We all knew what the options were. She will either tell Rosa, a Scarlet like herself about us, giving her the information she wanted. Or, she does not say anything but risk getting punished. She already felt like she did not belong here so it would not be a surprise if she did speak. She owed us nothing. Yet, a part of me believed she won't say anything... and that worried me more.
‘I don’t care if she even turns against us to save herself. Just get her back home,’ Myung said. Namjoon nodded as he looked at me.
‘Try to locate them,’ Namjoon ordered.
What's this? A double update? I got so hyped about this scene that I could barely do the work. Then again I've been hyped all day. I am loving the love this story is getting as well as the mixed reactions for Hoseok and Cherry. I love it! I love to know what you all think about it. - Tae's Misfit (ps - we're almost at 100 hearts. Can we get there before chapter 10?)
"I never thought love was worth fighting for but then I looked into your eyes and I was ready for war."
