{12} "House Of Cards."

"The calm before the storm." —Icychica_

Gokk do drove Soo-ah to my house deciding it was best that she spent the night with me. It felt really good to be back home, safe and sound, I wouldn't say I was really scared tonight, but I still felt fear, not for my life but for Soo-ah's, I wouldn't have wanted her to die or be hurt because of me, she had a son. I didn't think I'd be able to live with myself if that happened.

"You guys should shower, I'll order some dinner, then I'll treat your swollen hands." Gokk do said once we entered the house.

"Okay." I replied as Soo-ah and went upstairs to my room.

"Here Soo-ah." I gave her the clothes she left at my place the other day.

"Thanks." she said, exiting the room going into the bathroom.

After unwinding with a shower we were all seated in the living room, having Chinese food as an awkward silence fell over us. I somehow knew Gokk do wanted to say something but he choose not to.

He was kind enough to wait until we were finished eating and spoke after bandaging our hands.

"Now, mind telling me what the hell you two were thinking? You could've been killed today." I knew he was holding in just how upset he really was.

"It was an accident, I didn't think that they would've been there and because I was drunk, I didn't realize it was Taeyong till the last minute, though I've never met him face to face." Soo-ah looked up at him apologetically.

"Good, at least you understand that this is your fault." Gokk do grumbled, folding his arms as he glared at Soo-ah.

"Wait, why are you blaming her? I'm the one who ditched you and lied to Lucas." I said in her defense.

"As much as I hate to admit it. Sagwa, he's right, I put you in danger, it's my fault. Recently, I noticed your distress with always being guarded so I thought I'd give you one night to yourself and this happened instead."

"But it wasn't, I knew you were only trying to make me feel better, I don't blame you at all, you fought alongside me and I'm grateful for that." I said holding her hand.

"You wouldn't be in this mess if she hadn't convinced you to do this, it wasn't your place to do that Soo-ah regardless of if you like me or not, I'm her bodyguard I need to be by her side!" Gokk do yelled harshly to Soo-ah, usually she would be sassy and defend herself but this time she didn't.

"I... I'm sorry, I... should leave." Soo-ah choked out, gathering her stuff and standing up.

"Wait! Soo-ah don't go!" I called out to her but she didn't listen and preceded to leave. "Gokk do, go and apologize to her, right now!" I snapped at him.

He sighed. "Fine, I'm going."

"Be nice!" I called after him.

"I'm always nice!" he yelled back, his figure soon disappearing from sight.

...

I ran outside behind Soo-ah grabbing her hand, when I caught up to her, she turned around to look at me with her brown eyes; they shimmered in the moonlight.

"I'm guessing Sagwa made you come after me." she scuffed, turning away from me.

"She didn't make me alright." She then looked me up and down suspiciously. "Okay so maybe she did." I admitted.

"As I thought. Look if it's a burden then don't apologize if you don't mean it." she sighed, turning around to leave again before I grabbed her, this time pulling her to meet my chest, she looked up at me puzzled, our faces inches away from each other's.

Time seemed to stop as we gazed at eachother, it was then I realized how cute she really was, her plump lips, adorable nose and big brown eyes complimented her round face and model like body figure. She truly did look a lot like her older brother. I felt like I never knew anything about her because she never gave me the time of day, one thing was for sure she was beautiful and completely a mystery to me. As the wind blew her short black her into her face, I reached my fingers out, brushing the loose strands behind her ear.

"Allow me to apologize to you properly, how about dinner?" I asked and she quickly moved out of my arms, the warmth of her body leaving me.

"Are you Jeon Gokk do, asking me out?" she retorted, raising her eyebrow, obviously not taking me seriously.

"I just want to apologize for being so rash with you, I was fearful for your safety, both yours and Sagwa's, so my anger got the best of me, it's an apology dinner, but if you want it to be something more..." I stepped forward cornering her with a hand beside her face, before finishing with a smirk. "...that can be arranged."

She looked taken back by my gesture before scuffing and placing a hand on my chest to create some space between us. "Yeah... I'll take the apology dinner nothing more nothing less."

Geez, well she's as closed off as always.

"Let's go back inside." she said brushing past me and I followed behind her.

...

I happily spied on them from a window not entire sure what they were saying, but it kinda looked like Gokk do was flirting with Soo-ah, I couldn't help but giggle as I watched her push him away with a faint blush on her cheeks, when it looked like they were coming back inside, I ran back to the couch pretending I wasn't just spying on them, all innocent like, twiddling my thumbs.

"Did it go well?" I asked as they came in, but I already knew the answer.

"You can say that." Soo-ah said, taking her original seat next to me.

"I'm taking her to dinner as an apology." Gokk do added.

"That's great, glad you guys made up." I smiled. "Now no more arguing between you, okay?" I said looking between the two.

"Only if he behaves himself, then we'll be fine." Soo-ah said, rather playfully, eyeing Gokk do.

"There she is! There's the Soo-ah we know and love." he responded, with a smile causing her to smile back.

"Aren't you two cute." I teased them making Soo-ah look away from him a bit flustered.

"All matters aside, I still need to know who those people from earlier were."

Soo-ah sighed. "That was Taeyong and his girlfriend Go Mingi. Taeyong is the Heir to the So Gang, his father is a very powerful man, they hate Kazuchika and his father, they'd do almost anything to bring this gang down, a war would have started already if it wasn't for Kazuchika's patience and the fact that he doesn't want to put any of us in danger because of them, he does everything he can to keep them at bay."

"Oh, I see." I nodded, as things became clearer.

"And... they were the ones who planted Jaemin into our gang." she added meeting my gaze knowingly.

"I see why you despise them so much, they caused you maybe the most pain, didn't they?" I gently rubbed her hand.

"Who is Jaemin?" Gokk do suddenly asked in confusion.

"That's right, you came here one year after that incident so you wouldn't have known, they did agree never to talk about it again, mostly for my sake. I'll tell you the details later but for now Jaemin was a traitor to our gang, he almost caused its destruction and he was... taken care of."

"Taken care of?" he asked, wanting her to be more specific.

"I shot him in the head." she clarified looking at him.

"Ah." He nodded. "But wait, now I have so many questions."

"Like I said before, I'll explain later," Soo-ah sternly replied. "As I was saying, Mingi is more dangerous than her boyfriend, at least her mouth is, she's known for her ability to kiss up to rich business men and she uses those 'connections' for the Gang's own good. The more connections you have the harder it is for the authorities to touch you. We've been trying to take them out quietly for some time but so far it hasn't gone as planned. We're not the only enemies they've made, a lot of other gangs want them gone as well, they do nothing but disturb the peace we have." she elucidated.

"So she's sycophant."

"Basically yes, we need a way to take them down before they try something even worst this time, they're that one gang that goes around making trouble amongst other gangs, if something isn't done about them soon a war will surely begin." she sighed.

"But why do they hate us?" I asked not sure if this was just the usual gang rivalry.

"Because we are the Black Spades. We represent everything that Gangs usual aren't, we're the outcasts," she replied showing me the tattoo of a Black Spade on her left wrist. "That's why we wear this mark with pride."

"Oh." I answered holding her wrist as I looked at the tattoo.

"In this world the opinion on what Gangs are is twisted. Kazuchika is half Korean and Japanese as you know, this entire gang has half's, in their eyes Korean gangs should be made up solely of Koreans, they can't accept that they have lost to half bloods. We kill only when necessary, we don't believe in hurting the innocent to get what we want.

"Here we are all a family and if you want out, we let you go, trust and loyalty means everything to us, those who betray us... die. They have even nicknamed us the house of cards, they think we're fragile and easily broken and that we'll soon crumble like a house made of cards, but our bond is stronger than that."

"So in the future Sagwa, try not to wonder off on your own." Gokk do added.

"Yeah, I know that now. I've learnt my lesson, come on Soo-ah we should go to bed," I said standing up reaching my hand out for her to take. "Gokk do, you as well." I added as Soo-ah and I headed up stairs.

"I will after I figure out a way to explain everything to Okada when he gets here soon without being killed."

...

"Don't worry too much about it, he won't hurt you Gokk do, fighting!" Sagwa said cheerfully before they disappeared up the stairs and almost instantly I heard his car pull into the driveway, making me mentally prepare myself for what was to come.

"Daddy's home!" he expressed, when he entered the house indicating he had no idea of the earlier events, he then looked around seeing no one in sight as his eyes landed on me.

Before speaking I took a deep breath. "I have something to tell you, please don't freak out."

"I won't, what is it?" he asked me with a raised eyebrow.

"You might wanna sit down and listen." I told him as he took a seat. I told him everything that occurred hours before. He immediately jumped back up in anger and I flinched slightly.

"Where are they now?!" he asked, and I knew he was pissed, he made his way to the stairs.

"Calm down. They're probably asleep by now, they weren't hurt." I did my best to reassure him.

"That doesn't change the fact that they could have been!" he raised his voice at me.

"Shh, you'll wake them," I whispered with a finger to my lips. "Look, I know it sounds pretty bad but it won't happen again. I'm never going to leave her side this time. I promise, you should be grateful to Soo-ah, if she wasn't there to fight with her, I don't know what would've happened."

"Soo-ah is one of the strongest women I know and she loves Sagwa like a sister, I don't want to see her lay her life down for her or anyone. I brought Soo-ah and Jin into this gang, it's my job to protect them not the other way around. Everything I've been doing was to ensure something like this wouldn't happen, I don't want them to be involved in this war." he sighed with a stressed out look.

"We'll find a solution soon and when we do it'll be easy to make the So's pay for what they did."

...

I laid peacefully beside Soo-ah as I watched her sleep, I took my hand and gently brushed her hair away from her face as I whispered to her before falling asleep as well: "Nae chingugadoeeo jwoseo gomawo." (Thank you for being my friend.)

...