❝beginnings are usually scary and endings are usually sad, but it's everything in between that makes it all worth living ❞
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I've been marked.
The same words kept on hammering in Lisa's mind for last four hours like a broken record. She has been marked by the oldest and arguably the most powerful criminal organisation in South Korea. Marked. Gangster. Mafia. Those things hold no sense at all, not in her own world where study, work and sleep only existed. And as a poster child for skepticism, her innate inquisitiveness compelled her to do an indepth examination of her own; which she deeply regretted soon after. The results generated from the web have sent a very disturbing shiver throughout her body, reaching into the deepest of her core.
Ssang Yong Pa. More commonly known for the nom de guerre 'The Dragons'. An infamous group famed for their notoriety in violence and murderous spree. Not only that, they have also established themselves in the world of business, both underground and legal. Rivals and friends alike feared and revered them; only fools would dare go against the dragons. Their influences have amplified immensely, infiltrating government agencies and chief political offices; making them almost untouchable by law.
However, their presence dwindled a decade ago and eventually became defunct. Rumors involving various factions within the organization itself has brought it in its own demise. The struggle for power among families has caused it to diminish from the present, never to return. But the recent news said otherwise. And from the card pinned on her vanity, etched with the unmistakable insignia of two intertwined dragons, Lisa feared the worst. That they have endured, slowly resurfacing to claim their former glory and power.
Most especially, she feared for her life. Dr. Park's words reverberated back and forth, a card is given to mark their next target. Torrents of gruesome thoughts crushed heavily on her already numb brain. Thoughts on how she will meet her end. Being shot through the head, dying in a staged car crash, or getting stabbed on the sidewalk were just to name a few scenarious she had pictured out.
Lisa repeatedly slapped her cheeks; if not for her temperimental attitude and foul mouth, she would not be tied in this kind of pinch. Nonetheless, regret would do nothing in the predicament at hand, logic would - or so she thought. But before intellect and reason can kick in, her defense mechanism took over; repulsing all feelings of guilt and anxiety. Denial and repression were one of them. Forcefully convincing herself that dying is nothing more but a natural phenomenon in the course of every human life. Everyone would ultimately die, in any way possible - hers would just happen to be in the hands of some mafia member, no big deal. Really.
Thinking about it wouldn't do her any good; she would die of stress first before they can even get to her. Grimacing, she made herself focus on the present matter at hand. That would be fixing the miserable girl staring back at her in the mirror. With dark, sullen eyes and dull, grayish complexion - she looked more like a ghost than the bright and blooming look she had hoped for. All those late night shifts and crammed schedules have evidently manifested themselves on her appearance. She couldn't care less on most days. Tonight, however, she must look like a lady at her absolute best; and looking like a lifeless, burnt-out teenager is not what a lady makes.
