Wretches & Kings

Hyun Ae rose from sleep slowly. Her eyes traveled about sluggishly, revealing that she was still in G-Dragon's hold. He was asleep, breathing soundly with an arm laid limply over her. She was eye level with his chest, felt his breath move about her head. And though confined in the close quarters of flesh, she felt safe.

Safe and warm and content for a few minor minutes before she noticed the sting in her wrist. The black cloth made her heart pinch with the recollection of what she had done the previous day. She was shameful. Just because life was at its lowest point didn't mean it had to end before it got a chance to rise. G-Dragon's words involving Daesung cut deep, to the heart. He was right; though she was heavily disadvantaged, she had to keep pushing forward.

“How are you feeling?” His voice startled her and she peered up at him. GD's eyes were still heavy with sleep as his knuckles trailed along her cheek.

Hyun Ae cleared a parch throat. “I'm fine.”

“You and I both know that's a lie,” he said and eyes dropped to his chest. “Hyun Ae, why didn't you come to me?”

“Because...” she whispered, “because its not your burden.”

“Not my burden? Everyone's problems are my burden. Their safety, their happiness, their lives; everything. Don't tell me your pain isn't my burden.” His voice had hardened, eyes glinting. Hyun Ae tried to shift away, but he held her tight. “I'm saying this because I care about you,” he said, tone softening. “Hyun Ae, I really care about you. A lot.” Those words seemed to echo in her mind. Another time, another man. “To see you in so much pain, I can't stand it.” His hand caressed her cheek. “The fact that it was so far as you tried to kill yourself—and I didn't see it...”

Her hand reached up, fingertips coming up to touch his lips. “You were right,” she said. “What you said about...Daesung.” He saw the tears pool at the corners of her eyes. “He would want me to keep going, to keep doing what he did.” The smallest of smiles, so beautiful in G-Dragon's eyes, crossed her pale lips. “Thank you for saying that. You helped me see what I had to do. Thank you.”

G-Dragon smiled. “Your strength never fails to amaze me.”

--

“Are you sure about this?” asked Seungri. A wary look cast over his face, reflecting from dark eyes.

“Yes,” Hyun Ae answered, eyes focused somewhere near his chest. I need to learn to fight without my sight.”

“Is it getting any better?

Slowly, Hyun Ae shook her head. “No it's not. That's why I need your help.” She swallowed. “I'm not becoming anyone's victim ever again.”

Seungri's wariness was replaced by sympathy. “I'm not sure how well I can teach you since...”

“Seungri, don't pity me. Fight me.”

“I can't fight someone who can't see; its unfair.”

“I can see, just not well,” Hyun Ae huffed. “I have to learn to live with this. I have to get stronger. Don't you want to help me?”

“Of course I want to, but—”

“Fine, that's all you need to think. Let's go.” Hyun Ae bowed into her defensive position, eyes intent on the beige and gray blur of her opponent.

Seungri sighed and half-heartedly came a her. He changed the trajectory of his fist last second when Hyun Ae failed to catch the attack, moving too slow. But she immediately caught on to his action of sparing her.

“Dammit, Seungri!” she snapped, lashing out. “You weren't this easy on me before!”

“That's beca—”

“No!” She struck out at his form, smacking him in the chest. He jolted back and rubbed at his sternum. “How am I supposed to learn, huh? If I fail at dodging something, don't help me! Treat me like I can see, dammit! I'm tired of this pity and people treating me like I'm made of glass! That didn’t' do anything to help before, it won't now. Alright?” She inhaled shakily and blinked her eyes to stop the stinging in her retinas.

Seungri stared at her. Never had he seen her lash out like that, seen her that upset and angered at someone. Finally, he sighed and let a nod loose. “Alright,” he agreed.

Hyun Ae returned a firm nod and returned her defensive position. “Again.”

--

G-Dragon sighed and sat back against the wall, surveying the five people in front of him. He. Seungri, and three others was all was all that remained of the original twelve that lead BigBang. Hyun Ae had joined to be one of the leading counterparts. The rest had either been taken and unable to be rescued or had been concluded dead. They looked so small and useless now with the shadowed eyes and broken souls as they sat or stood slouched in the small room.

“Our food supplies?” GD uttered the first request with a regretful tone.

“If we don't get a new supply in soon, we'll be out in a week,” reported Wan Min, the newly appointed leader of the Smugglers to replace Taeyang.

“And if we lessen rations?”

“Two, maybe two and half.”

“Everyone's already hungry,” Hyo Su spoke up. She was the woman that Hyun Ae had first seen when she'd been rescued by BigBang. It was a relief to see she was still alive.

“Better to have less than none at all,” Seungri interjected.

“If we can just get a contact inside,” Wan Min said. “Then, we could start transporting again.”

“But the likes of that are little to non,” GD stated sharply. He looked at his subjects. “We're running out of options.”

No one answered because they had nothing to contradict the disconsolate statement. The City that once fed and cared for them involuntarily had sealed its doors tight. There was no way to get in, all contacts that had been suspicion of “treason” by Doh-Chang had been executed. BigBang was truly isolated. They were helpless to die from starvation or pure grief. There was the whisper of an outbreak since most of there medical supplies had been destroyed. And their leader was at a loss, for once he wasn't sure what to do, if he could do anything. He glanced at the pale woman in front of him and his heart sank. He was failing his promise to her. To everyone.

Hyun Ae heard the desperation in his voice. Desperation that was accompanied by fear and urgency. She knew how much it tortured him to see his people suffering. However, he could do nothing to fix it. Her own heart clenched; she wanted to help him, but what could she really do?

“We'll lessen rations again,” their leader finally said, sighing in defeat. “If we can get by another two weeks, maybe something will change.”

“G, don't beat yourself up over this,” Hyo Su said. “You can't save the world. You can't save everyone. We tried and these people know it. No one is holding anything against you.”

But he held it all against himself. He was a fool to think that a man at the young age of twenty-four could change the world. An insolent idiot for thinking he could go against Doh-Chang, to even consider that he could keep a small civilization alive and content.

The meeting finished, everyone departed, but Hyun Ae. She stayed in her position, leaning a shoulder against the wall; G-Dragon remained sitting on the cold floor. “Do you need something?” he asked, trying to keep the sharpness out of his voice. The need to be alone and think things through, to open up to his despair and wallow in it for only a moment, was becoming hard to hold back.

Without a word, Hyun Ae approached him. Her steps were careful as she walked, afraid of the unclear ground beneath her feet. She knelt next to him and he turned his head away. “This isn't your fault, GD,” she said. “Like Hyo Su said, you can't save everyone.”

G-Dragon squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “I just wanted to make things right.”

“You did,” assured Hyun Ae. “You gave these people peace and safety. They'd rather die here than in Doh-Chang's clutches.”

“You don't believe in me anymore.”

Hyun Ae's face flashed with shock. “I didn't say that,” she said, searching for his hands before taking them into hers. “Listen to me; I will believe in you until the end. Its not over until its over. You didn't give up on me when I wanted to and I won't on you.”

GD turned his neck, eyes meeting hers though she could not see it. If she had been able to witness the look that flared in his eyes, she may have tried to stop it before it happened. He said nothing, only reached for her. His hand curled around her neck as he pressed his lips to hers, holding her in place. He felt her frame tense, clutching his arm, but she made no move to truly escape him. Her muscles went slack and he pulled away, peering into her face. Hyun Ae stared at him, eyes wide as she attempted to swallow.

“W—what—”

And he smashed their lips together again, too afraid to hear what she had to say. At last, he relinquished his grip and they parted slightly, breath intermingling. “I'm sorry,” he breathed. In reality, he wasn't. He'd craved to do that since he'd first fallen for Hyun Ae. She was beautiful in his eyes, painfully so because he thought he couldn't have her. But he needed companionship or some sort of relationship that made him feel more wanted.

She stared at him in the same matter as before, but slightly different. It was more in thought than in shock. “Tell me what you're thinking,” she said.

“I care about you,” he said as he had admitted earlier. “And dammit if I'm not a little in love with you.”

As she looked at him, the contours of his face blurred, she felt something ignite in her. All she could think was the man she'd loved was gone and here was a different one. One that she didn't love in the same way, but admired her. What she couldn't do or tell to Daesung...GD was merely a stand in for the affection she'd been stripped from. Without much hesitation, it was she who connected them again.