-twenty one-

The big concrete organization, with all the black suit men around the building, holding guns outside the gate. Killa sneaked into the building, but they didn't even know. Killa was the one who needed to bring Zadkiel out of the building and let two of them finish the plan she had ordered so they could come in for support. Killa sneaked herself inside by choking the man's throat person by person who was interacting with her or before seeing her. Knife by knife-like before. Killa remembered the map sharply and where to find Zadkiel. And finally, she was there. A dark room where a topless person was hanging up in the air; his arms were tied up on the ceiling, the blood and bruises showing off on his skin; noticing his spines obviously in her eyes

'Motherfucker...' Killa thought. She hurriedly walked behind two men in the room, pulled out her knife, and stabbed into the side of the man's neck.

"Hey!" Another man turned to Killa, but she definitely pulled the same knife out of the neck and stabbed it right under the other man's chin.

'Who...' Zadkiel thought inside his head and tried to open his sight to see the person in front of him. And then she ran toward Zadkiel immediately. 

"Zad, get up, "Killa said,

"Master...is it really you..?" Zad remembered that soft, gentle, and strong voice from her.

"I'll get you out of here," Killa said hectically,

"I.." Zadkiel didn't have enough energy to speak, not even open his eyes. Killa used a long, more substantial knife to cut the chain above his body.

Thud!

His body fell against the floor.

"Hang in there, Zad," Killa pulled him up and tried to drag him out of the darkroom 

One and a half hours later, the plan was finely finished. Zadkiel was out there alive and at the hospital. Ero and Joonwoo were perfectly fine, just like her master, except for the red blood on their skin, which wasn't theirs. 

Killa had been taking care of him at the hospital while she ordered Ero to find out what was behind this mess and what the real reason was.

After Killa's secret plan, it wasn't the secret anymore. Her family knew that she was here. Killa decided to go to the one who had given the order to Zadkiel, Yeongho. She went to Yeongho's office and asked him directly what was happening with the contract and why he had sent Zadkiel to do the mission. In Killa's opinion, she knew Yeongho well. When the mission must be finished entirely, he would send his own men or just send himself. Yeongho only told her about the problems between Capone and Lysander and the reason why he chose Zadkiel. Yeongho himself and his men weren't available to do the work because there was a bigger job at that time. And Zadkiel was the only one who was capable of facing the leader of the Capone alone. 

Killa left YeongHo's office without a scene. No matter how deep their feelings for each other were, they must keep them deep inside as well. Both of them knew that they were very cold but always had a soft spot for each other.

She chose to wear the outfit that said I don't fucking care about this place or Southland and never obey any rules of this place or even the Lysander. Even if she would wear whatever she wanted, she would wear a nice black outfit whenever she was out on the mission, but now she chooses to wear red. Killa went to the main Capone house to negotiate with Ero. Joonwoo was ordered to take care of Zadkiel at the hospital.

The Capone house.

Killa and Ero were welcomed by the Capone men as expected after she made a scene and did not back down, but the outfit that she was wearing concerned the Capone men and also their leader.

"I don't want to be involved with this, but..." Killa said,

"Yes, here you are." The leader of the Capone, Darcio, said,

"Of course, they need a teenage girl to fix the adult problems, or at least that's what they said." Killa's old habit of sarcasm had come out automatically. 

"You came all over here because of just a bodyguard, which was hard to believe for a Lysanders or just for the typical bosses. He must be your favorite." He noticed what she was wearing and tried not to make it the main topic. Killa was wearing a red rock band t-shirt with black shorts and white sneakers, just like a typical teenage girl walking around her neighborhood. Careless.

"Since I am already involved. Let's get to the point. Let the customers choose which one they want. About the old customers, we won't interfere or steal them from you. We keep doing what we do. You keep doing what you do. Now, it's up to the customers to decide, and we must respect and accept their decisions. That's all."

He listened to how fast she wanted to clear the mess and how coldblooded she gave to his house.

"Let's call the adult dealing business." Her sarcasm hit him again.

He smirked. "You would be a good leader for them someday...And I would like to do business with you...you know if you were still with them." Darcio said,

"It doesn't suit me," Killa said,

"Not the way I see it...Even I just met you in person...I know...you came all over here and cleared the shits for your family...and yes, for me too." Darcio admired her,

"This is the last time..." Killa called it out.

'We'll see,' Darcio thought. "I'm not gonna bring this up, but I like your shirt...you like Paramore?" Darcioa asked,

"They're my favorite," Killa answered.

"Seem like you come back to your comfortable home with your comfortable clothes," Darcio spoke his mind or was just being sarcastic back to her.

"This isn't my home," Killa said,

After the intense negotiation, Ero drove her back to see Zadkiel at the hospital. She ordered Ero to report to her father what she had made with Darcio because coming back to the castle and meeting him was the last thing she would like to do.

'Yeongho's plan is to give Zad to them...the problem with the contract between Lysander and them isn't that the big of the deal. Maybe he doesn't like the way Darcio over-controlled the business. He didn't send Zad to negotiate; he sent Zad to destroy the gang. I don't think Zad could be captured that easily. But why Zad?' Killa thought deeply inside her head while sitting in the back seat, heading to the hospital.

"Why are you out here?" Killa approached Zadkiel, who was sitting outside instead of in the patient's bed.

"To get fresh air," Zad said. Then she sat beside him. "I'm sorry," she listened, "I'm sorry that you have to come back because of me,"

"Why do every time we have a conversation you have to start with apologizing?" she asked,

"Because I am—sorry," he said,

"Yeah...I came back because of you, but it's my choice," she said. He said nothing, nothing but disappointment in himself,

"I'm the one who has to say sorry. If I was here, this thing couldn't happen." Killa said while staring at him like waiting for something to come out of his mouth.

"I went there with his crew," Zad said,

'Yeongho's men?' Killa thought.

"But he betrayed you." Killa started to understand the situation.

'The one who betrayed Zad is Yeongho. The plan was to blame Zad for betraying Lysander because Zad might have given the information to Darcio after Zad had been captured. Yeongho's men didn't intend to help Zad in the first place...Yeongho knows that Zad doesn't ever tell the secret of his family, but if he does, he would be glad; then the father will punish him or kill him because of betrayal. Either way, Yeongho wins both ways because he dislikes Darcio. Why did he want to kill Zad? Because of me?' Killa thought and figured it out by herself.

Zad didn't have to explain to her anymore. "Your eye..Is it hurt?" Killa changed the subject.

"Durable," he said, and she touched his eyepatch gently.

"Thank you for coming back for me," Zad sincerely said to her,

"You are important to me, Zad...even though I'm not your master. You are," Killa said. He gazes at her even with only one eye. "That's why I really don't like this...living a life like this is uneasy."

"I still think that you can rule all...not because you are good at this, but you are different, different than the rest...because you care little things." Zad spoke his mind as well.

"Maybe because I care too much, that's why I don't want to be involved with this industry. It's hard to see people I care about keep getting hurt. But it's harder when they get hurt, and you're away from them." Killa told him while looking at the sky.

Zadkiel knew and cleared the mist in his head about Killa. She truly cared for him. All this time, he had always been her man, no matter which status she put him in or even if she was an anonymous grandmother in the strange village. He knew that he would follow her there only she asked for him.

"That means you're going to stay here?" Zad asked,

"…I don't know,"

"Then what's it like? Living out there?" Zad asked.

"In two and a half years, I'll graduate from the University," Killa said proudly.

"Wow,"

"And I have a part-time job."

"Really?"

"Yes, I'm making coffee, cleaning, serving..."

"I can't imagine you do that working for someone." Zad. His words made her realize that she left him there without explanation. "Is your owner good to you?" Zad asked.

"Yes..."

"You seem to enjoy your life, Master...so this is the freedom you want." Zad's words again hit her with the way that she chose to live or think about freedom.

"I don't know what freedom really is anymore. I just want to live a life and do whatever I want. I crave it so much, but after I met Boss, he made me find my other self that I never thought I could be. I enjoy every minute with him. It's just staying with him—being with him. That makes me not want to look or seek other things anymore. Maybe he is my freedom."

Zad was sitting there listening to her.

"Sounds like you are in love with him," Zad said to her.

She paused and smiled, "I am,"