1.1 - A Night To Remember

The sounds of hurrying footsteps could barely be heard in the dark alleys of Barden City. From a corner, a light figure barreled out. Behind her, burly shapes were following quickly. The light figure jumped past the dumpster blocking the way. The less nimble individuals on her trail were forced to pause and push the dumpster away, this allowed the running figure to gain ground on the pursuers.

The chase continued for another 30 minutes before coming to an abrupt stop due to a dead end. The burly men as their figure indicated, came to a stop. Their chests were rising and falling violently showing that their prey gave them a good workout.

"Miss Yerin, we understand that you may not have been aware of the briefcase's contents but we can't let you escape scot-free. An explanation for our boss is needed. I hope you understand." A less burly man came out of the group. He was different from his company. The others looked like street thugs which were forced to dress convenably while he possessed a smidgen of elegance wearing the black suit and red tie.

"Joseph, I worked for your boss before. I always showcased professionalism when it comes to delivery. I would have never tried to collude with one of your enemies to kill you all. I don't know why the content of the case changed. When it was handed to me, it merely had cash in it." The lithe figure that gave so many hardships to the group of men finally spoke. Her tone was light and even amused.

Those who didn't now would believe that she wasn't in danger at the moment.

"While that may have been true, you know I can't take your words for a fact. Our boss wouldn't accept it." With dexterity, a knife slid into the man's open palm. It seemed the hour of explanations came to an end.

The girl stopped trying to explain as it became apparent that they wouldn't listen. She let the backpack she was wearing fall on the ground and removed the hood from her head. Before the burly men, appeared an elfin beauty. She was average in height but had dream-like proportions.

Separately each of her traits was delicate and beautiful. Put together, she looked like she had just walked out of a painting. Even the casual streetwear she sported didn't diminish the appeal of her natural and moderate curves.

Looking at this god-like countenance joseph also felt it to be a pity. Still, it couldn't be helped who told her to deliver a trapped briefcase to their boss. She almost caused everybody, including herself, to die from the neurotoxic gas the thing released.

To his surprise and that of the whole group, Yerin entered a stance as if she was intending to fight them.

"You can't be serious. I know you're an excellent delivery agent and quite good at fighting but we are armed and you are outnumbered. Also, not to be sexist you are a woman. Shouldn't you...you know be more afraid in your circumstances?" Joseph was incredulous.

"Who knows? I could win. I mean it's my life we are talking about, I should have the right to defend it." She responded, a smile adorning her face.

Joseph couldn't understand. What made this woman so courageous? On what she was relying to face them even outnumbered?

He even felt admiration for her, despite that she still needed to be made an example of. As such, he pointed at her with his chin. Two goons behind him walked toward Yerin, in their hands they had steel poles.

Naturally, their goal wasn't to disfigure her. After all, her value lay in her face. The boss also instructed them to bring her to him if possible. They just wanted to subdue her. Yet, they could have never thought that they were underestimating her.

Yerin wasn't afraid. On the contrary, she could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She wasn't a battle junkie but the fear of getting hurt or worse had been permanently beaten out of her a long time ago.

She shifted her balance to her forward foot when one of the goons got in range. Smoothly, as if she had executed this movement a hundred times. Her leg whipped and landed on the fool's neck. People who knew her well understood how dangerous it was to come in a certain range from her.

When she started learning martial arts, it was mostly for protection. After all, she was a girl working in the darkness of this city. Before long she became addicted, the feeling of control she received from the practice hooked her. Also, her experience before she left home left a mark on her mind. A mark that only started to fade when she became a competent fighter.

The goon wasn't able to react let alone avoid the blow, he fell like a heavy sack. A momentary silence settled on the scene. There was a feeling of disbelief permeating the atmosphere.

"This-" Joseph was badly startled. He instantly understood one thing. They needed to stop underestimating this little girl.

"Why are you immobile, get her!!!" He rallied his troops with a powerful voice.

The other goon who had paused upon his friend's abrupt dismissal came back to his senses. He screamed and brandished the steel baton toward Yerin. She adeptly avoided by weaving under the blow. The baton continued its trajectory causing it to meet the wall.

The shock stunned the goon, Yerin capitalized on his open side and unbalanced gait to punish his stomach with a knee blow. The guy doubled forward his hand on his knees, the baton on the ground. Yerin didn't let him breathe and brought his face to her knee.

CRUNCH.

The sound of a nose shattering was heard in the alley. The man fell for good soon after that. The other goons behind joseph wanted a piece of the action too. Unfortunately, she downed them as fast as they came. The restrained alley gave Yerin the perfect tactical advantage.

Joseph was silent. The gentlemanly demeanor he affected until now was completely broken. His face was now distorted in a disgusted expression.

"I understand now, that in a one-on-one fight or even a group we are no match for you given the expertise you demonstrated. No wonder your nickname in the underworld is the violent princess. Impressive, managing to get rid of my guys like this. Sadly, this is real life and not movies." Joseph seemed exasperated he sheathed back his knife which now felt incredibly inappropriate.

Instead, he brought out a gun. The body of the weapon was entirely black. Its outline was barely visible in the night.

"Ah, that is not good." Yerin grimaced while raising her palms.

"You see, Yerin. Can I call you Yerin? Yerin, I have always been a believer in practicality in all matters. You know how to fight. I would say that you are an expert, maybe a master. Still, nothing beat a gun." He sounded smug now. The earlier beatdown of his crew must have seriously pissed him off.

"Yeah, indeed, nothing beat a gun. I didn't know you were carrying one on your person. This is unfortunate." Yerin nodded as if she was stating a mundane fact without any relevance to her.

"You!!" He didn't understand her. She was an absolute lunatic. Her expression showed that she could care less whether he shot or not. She didn't seem afraid at all. Not because she had an ace like earlier. No, this was a complete disregard for life and death.

"Me, what?" She seemed amused. Inwardly she thought.

* There is no way I am following him, so I will most likely die tonight. Will dad shed a tear when he learns of my passing? Impossible, he didn't even try to stop me back then. 'He' will certainly be delighted, after all, he is the one that made me leave in the first place

"Hey, do you have the time to be distracted? Come with me! The boss ordered that if possible, we are to bring you back."

"I refuse," Yerin answered plainly.

Joseph's face darkened. "Are you going to be like this?" To be honest, he was tired. This 2-hour long pursuit all over the city, then the subsequent fight. Even if he appreciated her beauty, there was only so much a seasoned killer like him was willing to accept.

"Since that's the case, I hope you have a peaceful rest wherever you are going." Yerin felt the gun muzzle on her forehead. The cold weapon caused goosebumps to rise on her sensitive skin.

*So this is it. The end of the road. Well, even if my life was not that good. These last two years of liberty and pure trill were awesome. I don't regret it.

Yerin closed her eyes.

As the finger started pressing on the trigger...