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100 Bad - Tommy Genesis ft. Charli xcx
10/10 - COBRAH
10:35 - Tiësto ft. Tate McRae
10 Freaky Girls - Metro Boomin ft. 21 Savage
151 Rum - JID
2 hands - Tate McRae
2077 - do not resurrect
24hr Dog - FKA twigs
3D (Alternate Ver.) - Jung Kook
4ÆM - Grimes
4eva - Shygirl ft. Empress Of, Kingdom, Club Shy
5G - Heidi Montag
7 Heads in a Duffel Bag - do not resurrect
77% - do not resurrect
Abracadabra - Lady Gaga
Accelerator - Lauren's Version - Blusher
ACTIVATE - COBRAH
Afterlife - Thai McGrath ft. JustCosplaySings
Airplane - j-hope
AirplaneMode - BONES
Airplane pt.2 - BTS
Alibi - Sevdaliza ft. Pabllo Vittar, Yseult
Alive - Krewella
All About U - 2Pac ft. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, Fatal, Yani Hadati
All Eyez On Me - 2Pac ft. Big Syke
All Night - The Dare
All Night Long - LMFAO ft. Lisa
American Doll - Rebecca Black
AMERICAN HORROR SHOW - Snow Wife
Ambitionz Az A Ridah - 2Pac
Andromeda - Gorillaz ft. DRAM
Angel - Massive Attack
Angel in the Dark - Anyma ft. Massano, Nathan Nicholson
Angel Of My Dreams - FOR THE CLUB - JADE
Animosity - XATASHI ft. do not resurrect
Annihilation - i_o ft. Lights
Another Level - i_o
Anxious Alien - HANA
Anything - Alison Wonderland ft. Valentino Khan
APT. - ROSÉ ft. Bruno Mars
Archangel - SAMURAI
Arintintin - Rico Nasty ft. Boys Noize
Armageddon - aespa
ARMORY - Ak3k ft. do not resurrect
Army of Me - Björk
Arson - j-hope
Automatic Love - Die Form
Baby - Charli xcx
Babydoll - do not resurrect
Back 2 Life - EDDIE
Bad Boy! - Bella Poarch
Bad Girls - M.I.A.
BADGRRRL - LISA
Bad Habits - Maiah Manser
Bad Romance - Lady Gaga
Bad Things - No Mana ft. i_o, Fay
Back for blood - Fidi ft. Mango The Only, do not resurrect, Biv, Gullyspit
The Ballad Of Buck Ravers - SAMURAI
BARRACUDA.WAV - DELIRIUM ft. do not resurrect
Bastard Sword - do not resurrect ft. MERCYKILL
BAWDY - Shygirl
BDE - Shy POV - Shygirl
Beat on the Brat - Ramones
Best Of Me - BTS
Big Dreams - IZ
Bigger Man - Konrad OldMoney ft. Droox, Taelor Yung
Big Subwoofer - MOUNT WESTMORE ft. Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40, Too $hort
Bitch Better Have My Money - Rihanna
BIZCOCHITO - ROSALÍA
Black Dog - SAMURAI
Black Dress - 070 Shake ft. Anyma
BlackMold - BONES
Black Orchid - HANA
Black Sheep - Metric
Black Widow - In This Moment
Blood Sweat & Tears - BTS
Blow - Kesha
Bodies - Drowning Pool
Body Rock - i_o
Bonfire - Felix Jaehn ft. ALMA, Chris Lake
Bonnie & Clyde - YUQI
Bourbon - Megan Thee Stallion
Boys Like U - ZAND
BOYS TASTE LIKE DRUGS - Cailin Russo
Boy With Luv - BTS ft. Halsey
Boyz with Fun - BTS
BRING WET CUNT - Zheani
BTS Cypher Pt.3: Killer - BTS ft. Supreme Boi
Bullet With Butterfly Wings - The Smashing Pumpkins
Bullseye - Aly & AJ
Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine
Bunny Is A Rider - Caroline Polachek
Burning Up (Fire) - BTS
Busy Girl - Tove Lo ft. SG Lewis
Butterfly - Crazy Town
California Love - 2Pac ft. Roger, Dr. Dre
Can't Get You out of My Head - Kylie Minogue
CARDIAC - Pebbles&TamTam
Carnage - Jazmin Bean ft. Lucy Loone
Case Closed - Pebbles&TamTam
CaseSensitive - BONES
CHAINS - ZillaKami
Change (In the House of Flies) - Alexis Munroe
Chimera 2.0 - HANA
Chippin' In - SAMURAI
Choke Hold - IDRIS
Chokehold Cherry Python - Ashnikko
Church - Tommy Genesis ft. Austin Millz
Church - T-Pain ft. Teddy Verseti
Cinema - Benny Benassi ft. Gary Go, Skrillex
Cinema - Harry Styles
The City Is at War - Cobra Starship
Clip Boss - Konrad OldMoney ft. Sugarcook, Johnny Gr4ves, Anak Konda
Closer to You - Jung Kook ft. Major Lazer
Club classics - Charli xcx
A Cold Day in Hell - do not resurrect ft. adjacen7
Come Baby Come - K7
Come Back Home - BTS
Come Check This - FETISH
ConnectingToServer - BONES
Cosmic - Red Velvet
CRAZY - LE SSERAFIM
Crazy - Snow Wife
Criminal - Britney Spears
Crumbs - Rebecca Black
crystallized - Poppy
Crystal Roses - Spiritbox
CtrlAltDelete - BONES
Daechwita - Agust D
Ddaeng - BTS
Daisy - Ashnikko
Daisy 2.0 - Ashnikko ft. Hatsune Miku
Dancing With My Ak - Montana of 300
Danger - Deathpact
Danger - BTS
DANGER - South Arcade
Dangerous - Big Data ft. Joywave, Oliver
Day of Dead - Konrad OldMoney ft. HAPS, Taelor Yung
dead af - Krewella
TheDeadMansTrunk - BONES
Death of Me - PVRIS
Death & Romance - Magdalena Bay
Deep Down Low - Valentino Khan
Deja Vu - Post Malone ft. Justin Bieber
Delicate Weapon - Grimes
Designer Sadness - Zheani
Desire - Tove Lo ft. SG Lewis
Die For You - Excision ft. Akylla
Dionysus - BTS
DIP N DRIP - COBRAH
Dirtbike - Zheani
Dirty Little Freak - Brooke Candy
Dirty Roses - OnenO ft. Perilous Futur
Dis-ease - BTS
Disgusting - Lil Mariko ft. Zheani
Disgusting - Miranda Cosgrove
Dishonor - Konrad OldMoney ft. ICHIBANCHI
DNA - BTS
Dog Eat Dog - AC/DC
Doe Eyed - Rebecca Black
Do It So Good - WARGASM (UK)
Dolls - Bella Poarch
Draco - Eraze ft. do not resurrect
Dr. Feelgood - Mötley Crüe
Drift Away - i_o ft. Lights
A Drug From God - Chris Lake ft. Grimes, NPC
Drums of Death - FKA twigs ft. Koreless
earthquake - JISOO
Easy Money - Lights
EAT MY ACID - EMM
Eat the Rich - Mötorhead
Eko - yuele
Elevation - The Dare
El Tiempo - Skin On Flesh
encore - Shygirl ft. Danny L Harle, Club Shy
Enjoy the Ride - Krewella
Erotic Electronic - Slayyyter
Escapism. - RAYE ft. 070 Shake
Eternity - Anyma ft. Chris Avantgarde
Euphoria - BTS
Eusexua - FKA twigs
Eusexua - FKA twigs ft. Anyma
Evacuate the Dancefloor - Cascada
Eye For An Eye - Rina Sawayama
Eyes on Fire - Blue Foundation
FAKE LOVE - BTS
FANCY - TWICE
Fantasy - JADE
Fatal Blows - MERCYKILL ft. do not resurrect
THE FEELS - TWICE
Feel Special - TWICE
fetish - Tommy Genesis ft. Charlie Heat
First Time - Seven Lions ft. SLANDER, Dabin, Dylan Matthew
F*Me - Shygirl ft. Club Shy, Yseult
FML - Zheani
Fool For Ya - DVBBS
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Fortune - Krewella ft. Diskord
Fourfold Funeral - do not resurrect ft. adjacen7
Freal Luv - Far East Movement ft. CHANYEOL, Marshmello, Tinashe
Freak On a Leash - Korn
Friday Night Fire Fight - Aligns ft. Rubicones
Frosted 5.56 - MERCYKILL ft. do not resurrect
Fuck the Hollywood Cult - Zheani
Gangsta - Kehlani
Gangsta's Paradise - Coolio ft. L.V.
GASLIGHT! - Maggie Lindemann ft. Siiickbrain
Gasoline - Halsey
Genesis - Grimes
Gentleman - PSY
Get Busy - Sean Paul
Get Nasty - 6arelyhuman ft. Rico Nasty, Whethan
GET UP BITCH! shake ya ass - Victoria ft. Anitta
Ghost in the Machine - i_o
Girl Feels Good - FKA twigs
Girls - The Dare
Girls, Girls, Girls - Mötley Crüe
Girls In Bikinis - Poppy
Girls Like Me (Got You Spinning) - AMARA ctk100 ft. Big Softy
give it to me - Agust D
Glory And Gore - Lorde
Glow - Snow Wife
Go - Grimes ft. Blood Diamonds
Go Blaze - Konrad OldMoney ft. DNE, Chanarah, Cidro Onetoo, G'Natt
Go Crazy - Megan Thee Stallion ft. Big Sean, 2 Chainz
Go Go - BTS
GO HARD - TWICE
Gold (Stupid Love) - Excision ft. ILLENIUM, Shallows
GOMF - DVBBS ft. BRIDGE
Good Girl - Benny Benassi
Good PusS - COBRAH ft. cupcakKe
Good Time - The Dare
GOOEY FLUID GIRLS - COBRAH
Government Hooker - Lady Gaga
Gravedigger - MXMS
Groin - RM
Guess - Charli xcx
Gunpowder Milkshake - do not resurrect
G.U.Y. - Lady Gaga
Haegeum - Agust D
Half Of It - Abraxis ft. Seven Lions, Dimibo
HAMMERHEAD - Zheani
The Hand That Feeds - Nine Inch Nails
HANGSANG - j-hope ft. Supreme Boi
Hardcore - Eliza Legzdina ft. SLATIN
have you had enough? - Poppy
HDMI - BONES
Head Like A Hole - Nine Inch Nails
Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Heat Signature - do not resurrect
Heave Ho - Konrad OldMoney ft. XerzeX, Frawst
HECTIC - Dexndre ft. do not resurrect, Fidi
HECTIC2 - Dexndre ft. do not resurrect, Fidi
Hella Good - No Doubt
Hello - Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette
HIT EM LIKE - DIESEL ft. Chassi, Kozmoz
Hit Me Hard - Noisuf-X
HMU for a Good Time - Tinashe ft. Channel Tres
Hold It Against Me - Britney Spears
Holiday - Little Mix
Hooked - NOTION
HOTEL LOBBY (Unc & Phew) - Quavo ft. Takeoff
How We Party - R3HAB ft. VINAI
How You Love Me - 3LAU ft. Bright Lights
HUMBLE. - Kendrick Lamar
Hunedz - E-40 ft. Rick Rock
Hungry Like the Wold - Duran Duran
Hurricane - Halsey ft. ARTY
The Hydra - LE SSERAFIM
Hypnotized - Anyma ft. Ellie Goulding
Hyung - Dumbfoundead ft. Dok2, Simon Dominic, Tiger JK
I Am Not A Whore - LMFAO
I CAN'T STOP ME (English Version) - TWICE
Icon - Jaden
I Destroyed Disco - The Dare
I Disagree - Poppy
IDOL - BTS
I Don't Know Why - NOTD ft. Astrid S
IDORU - Grimes
IF LOOKS COULD KILL - guccihighwaters ft. TOOPOOR
If You Want It To Be Good Girl (Get Yourself a Bad Boy) - Backstreet Boys
I GOT YOU - TWICE
I KNOW WHAT U LIKE - Sizzy Rocket ft. chloe mk
I Like It Pt. 2 - BTS
I'LL SHOW YOU - K/DA ft. TWICE, Bekuh Boom, Annika Wells, Leage of Legends
Illusion - aespa
Image - Magdalena Bay
Image - Magdalena Bay ft. Grimes
I'm Fine - BTS
Immaculate - Shygirl ft. Club Shy, Saweetie
Interlude : Shadow - BTS
In Too Deep - B3RROR ft. MAY BBY
Intro : Persona - BTS
I Only Want You - Chrissy Chlapecka
I Really Want to Stay at Your House - Rosa Walton ft. Hallie Coggins
I Shake, I Move - LMFAO
I Spit On Your Grave - ZAND
IT girl - JADE
It's All Your Fault - Nekrokick ft. Zheani
It's A Raid - Ozzy Osbourne ft. Post Malone
I Wanna Be Software - Grimes ft. Illangelo
I Wanna Fuck You - Snoop Dogg ft. Akon
I Want You - Alison Wonderland
i wonder... - j-hope ft. Jung Kook
JOYRIDE - Kesha
Jump - Rihanna
JUMP OUT - Excision ft. Juelz
Just One Day - BTS
KAIJU - Softwilly ft. do not resurrect, Chills, Isaacwhy
KARMA - Michael Medrano
Keep Our Love Alive - AFROJACK ft. Matthew Koma
KeepTellingYourselfThat - BONES
Kickstart My Heart - Mötley Crüe
KILLA - Softwilly ft. do not resurrect, Chills, Isaacwhy
Killah - Lady Gaga ft. Gesaffelstein
KILLA KILLA - GALXARA
Killing In The Name - Rage Against The Machine
Killin' It - Krewella
Kill Kill - Le Destroy ft. The Bait
Kill Or Be Killed - Muse
Killshot - Magdalena Bay
Killshot - Frost ft. Justtjokay, Dubbygotbars, Knyvez
Kill the Messenger - Rezodrone ft. The Cartesian Duelists
Kill V. Maim - Grimes
Kingslayer - Bring Me The Horizon ft. BABYMETAL
Kiss Me Thru The Phone - Soulja Boy ft. Sammie
Kool-Aid - Bring Me The Horizon
LADY GAGA - Peso Pluma ft. Gabito Ballesteros, Junior H
La La La - LMFAO
Lapdance - N.E.R.D. ft. Vita, Lee Harvey
Legendary - Smash Stereo
Legends Never Die - League of Legends ft. Against The Current
Let It Go As If You Wander - HARU NEMURI
Let me go OH OH - Tove Lo ft. SG Lewis
Let's Play Revenge! - Night Club
Lie - BTS
Lifestyle - LISA
The Light - Anyma
Lightning - Little Mix
Lights Camera Action - Kylie Minogue
Like a Freak - Megan Thee Stallion
Like A G6 - Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs, DEV
Like Crazy - Jimin
Like It Rough - FETISH
A Like Supreme - SAMURAI
Like Whoa - Aly & AJ
Lilith - Halsey
Live for the Night - Krewella
Lonely Gun - Cyn
Look Here - BTS
LOOKING DOWN - babychaos
Looks That Kill - Mötley Crüe
Look Through My Kiroshi's (The Solo Life) - D.O.H. Dollahz Ova Hoez
LOST! - RM
Lost Together - i_o ft. Lights
Love at First Sight - Kylie Minogue
Love Bites - Nelly Furtado ft. Don Diablo, Tove Lo, SG Lewis
LoveGame - Lady Gaga
Love Maze - BTS
Low - i_o
LOYALTY - Kendrick Lamar ft. Rihanna
Lucretia My Reflection - Sisters of Mercy
Lulu - Zheani
MACHINE GIRL - ADÉLA
Ma City - BTS
MAGIC - Gryffin ft. babyidontlikeyou
Makes Me Feel Better - OnenO ft. Slavoj McAllister
Make You Mine - Madison Beer
Mamushi - Megan Thee Stallion ft. TWICE
The Man - The Killers
Maneater - Daryl Hall & John Oates
Mantra - JENNIE
Mayhem - Steve Aoki ft. Quintino
Medieval Warfare - Grimes
Mercurial World - Magdalena Bay
Messy - Quavo ft. Takeoff
MIC Drop - BTS
MIC Drop - BTS ft. Desiigner, Steve Aoki
MIC Drop - BTS ft. Steve Aoki
Midnight City - M83
Midnight Cowboy - JADE
Mikrokosmos - BTS
MONA LISA - j-hope
Money Don't Sleep - Ilkay Sencan ft. Tima Dee
Money In the Bag - Lights ft. Kiesza
MONEY ON THE DASH - Elly Duhé ft. Whethan
Monster Truck - Jazmin Bean ft. Zheani
MOONLIGHT - TWICE
MOONLIGHT SUNRISE - TWICE
MORE - K/DA ft. Madison Beer (G)I-DLE, Lexie Liu, Jaira Burns, Seraphine, League of Legends
MORE & MORE - TWICE
Motion - Megan Thee Stallion
MOTOMAMI - ROSALÍA
Motorbike - Poppy
Movement - The Dare
Muerto Thrash - Konrad OldMoney ft. FKxU, Blackheart NC
Murder In My Mind - Kordhell
Murder On The Dancefloor - Sophie Ellis-Bextor ft. PNAU
Muses from the Underworld - Georgia Bliss
My 45 - Cuco ft. Jean Carter
My City's On Fire - Jimi Jules ft. Anyma, Cassian
My Love - Leigh-Anne ft. Ayra Starr
My Name Is Dark - Grimes
Naked Soul - Last Heroes ft. Liel Kolet
Name in Blood - Sidewalks and Skeletons ft. CASHFORGOLD
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) - My Chemical Romance
Napalm - Zheani
Nasty - Shygirl
Neva Play - Megan Thee Stallion ft. RM
Never Fade Away - SAMURAI
Never Let Me Down Again - Depeche Mode
New Woman - LISA ft. ROSALÍA
Next Level - aespa
Night City - R E L ft. Artemis Delta
Night City Aliens - The Armed ft. Homeschool Dropouts
Night Crawling - Miley Cyrus ft. Billy Idol
Night Drive - Red Velvet
nihilist blues - Bring Me The Horizon ft. Grimes
N.O - BTS
No Comma - Slayyyter
Nocturnal - Talley Of 300
No Mercy - DeathbyRomy
No More Dream - BTS
No Save Point - Run The Jewels ft. EI-P, Killer Mike
Not Gonna Get Us - t.A.T.u.
Nothing Lasts Forever - Sevdaliza ft. Grimes
Not Today - BTS
Now Or Never - Anyma ft. IVERSON
Nuclear Seasons - Charli xcx
Nuclear Winter - Ak3k ft. do not resurrect
Null and Void - do not resurrect ft. MERCYKILL
Oblivion - Grimes
Obsessed - Sophie Powers ft. Ashley Sienna
Occam's Razor - do not resurrect
ON - BTS
ON FIRE - Snow Wife
The Only Hope for Me Is You - My Chemical Romance
Only Love Can Save Us Now - Kesha
On & On - Alok ft. Dynoro
Open Up - The Dare
O.P.P - Naughty By Nature
Orbital Insertion - Hagop Tchaparian ft. No Strings Attached
ORCA - HANA
Outro: Wings - BTS
Overglow - Jade's Version - Blusher
Padam Padam - Kylie Minogue
Pain - Le Destroy - The Red Glare
Pain - Boy Harsher
Paint The Town Blue - Ashnikko ft. Arcane, League of Legends
Paper Planes - M.I.A.
papi bones - FKA twigs ft. Shygirl
Paradise - Krewella ft. Asim Azhar
Paramedic! - SOB X RBE
THE PENTHOUSE - Michael Medrano
People disappear here - Halsey
Perfect (Exceeder) - Dub Mix - Mason ft. Princess Superstar
Perfect Stranger - FKA twigs
Personal - Khalid ft. Normani
Philosophy of a Knife - do not resurrect
Piece Of Your Heart - MEDUZA ft. Goodboys
PILLOWTALK - ZAYN
PINK LIKE SUKI - Pebbles&TamTam
Player Of Games - Grimes
pl4yg1rl - Lolo Zouaï
Play Destroy - Poppy ft. Grimes
Playgirl - Ladytron
Please Don't Change - Jung Kook ft. DJ Snake
Pluck U - Konrad OldMoney ft. Triple-B, DED STARK, Gun-Fu
Plug In Baby - Muse
POGO - Brooke Candy
Poker Face - Lady Gaga
POP GIRL - Lexie Liu
PORNSTAR ☆ - Michael Medrano
Power - Siiickbrain ft. Pussy Riot
Praise The Lord (Da Shine) - A$AP Rocky ft. Skepta
Premeditated - FETISH
Press It - bludnymph
Pretty Girls Do Ugly Things - Night Club
Pretty Vicious - The Struts
PSILOCYBIN & DAISIES - Jessie Reyez
PUSH 2 START - Tyla
push go - Poppy
PUT EM IN THE FRIDGE - Peso Pluma ft. Cardi B
RACER - Blusher
RATATATA - BABYMETAL ft. Electric Callboy
Regulate - Warren G ft. Nate Dogg
RestInPeace - BONES
Ride - Lolo Zouaï
Ride Or Die - Sevdaliza ft. Villano Antillano
RINSE&REPEAT - Pebbles&TamTam
Rock'n Me - Steve Miller Band
Rockstar - The Struts
Rollercoaster - Perrie
Rumble - Excision ft. Space Laces
Run - BTS
Run BTS - BTS
Russian Roulette - Red Velvet
safeword - Halsey
Saints of Los Angeles - Mötley Crüe
Salvation - Rebecca Black
Samsara - Anyma ft. Sevdaliza
Sanctuary - Joji
Satellite - Harry Styles
Satellite - Khalid
Satisfaction - Benny Benassi ft. The Biz
Save Me - Anyma ft. Cassian, Poppy Baskcomb
Save Me - BTS
SCIENTIST - TWICE ft. R3HAB
Scream My Name - LMFAO
Search And Destroy - Skunk Anansie
Secrets (Your Fire) - Magdalena Bay
Seoul City - JENNIE
Seraphim - Izzy Camina
Serendipity - BTS
Set Me Free Pt.2 - Jimin
Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes ft. The Glitch Mob
Sexxx Dreams - Lady Gaga
SEX MACHINA - bludnymph
Sex Never Dies - Zheani
Sexy - French Affair
SEXY NUKIM - Balming Tiger ft. Omega Sapien, bk wnjn, Mudd the student, RM
SHAKE AH - Tyla ft. Tony Duardo, Optimist Music ZA, Ez Maestro
Shinigami Eyes - Grimes
Shook Ones, Pt. II - Mobb Deep
Shoot to Thrill - AC/DC
Shut Up - Death Blooms ft. WARGASM (UK)
SHUT UP - Jessie Reyez ft. Big Sean
Shut Up And Drive - Rihanna
Silver Spoon - BTS
Simulation - Anyma ft. Chris Avantgarde
Skullcrusher - yuele
SLIME - Shygirl
Smoke - Dynamicduo ft. Lee Young Ji
Smoke Sprite - So!YoON! ft. RM
Snubnose - Ak3k ft. do not resurrect
So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth - Grimes
So & So - HANA
Soul - BUZZ
Sour Candy - Lady Gaga ft. BLACKPINK, Shygirl, Mura Masa
Sour Diesel - ZAYN
So What - BTS
Spine Breaker - BTS
Spoiler - Recoil - Hyper ft. WARGASM (US)
Sports car - Tate McRae
Spring breakers - Charli xcx
Stabbed Her to Death - Zheani ft. Cameron Azi
Stadium Love - Metric
Standing Next to You - Jung Kook
start a war - JENNIE
Stay - BTS
Stay The Night - Zedd ft. Hayley Williams
Stole My Heart - One Direction
Strategy - TWICE ft. Megan Thee Stallion
Striptease - FKA twigs
STUPID - Ashnikko ft. Baby Tate
Sucker - Charli xcx
Sugar Water Cyanide - Rebecca Black
Supermassive Black Hole - Muse
Supernova - aespa
Supernova - aespa ft. Grimes
Supernova Love - IVE ft. David Guetta
SUPERSCAR - ADÉLA
Surround Sound - JID ft. 21 Savage, Baby Tate
Sweet Dreams - j-hope ft. Miguel
Switchblade - Black Tiger Sex Machine ft. EDDIE
Synthetik - do not resurrect ft. MERCYKILL
Syren - Anyma ft. Rebūke
SystemPreferences - BONES
t9 - i_o ft. Lights
Take It Off - Kesha
TakingOutTheTrash - BONES
Tapout - Zheani
Tarantino - do not resurrect
TEETHSUCKER (YEA3x) - Rico Nasty
Telepathy - BTS
Temperature - Sean Paul
THANK YOU FOR RUINING MY LIFE - EMM
THAT'S HOT! - Zheani
think later - Tate McRae
Tomorrow - BTS
Tomorrow Never Knows - Carla Azar ft. Alison Mosshart
Tongue Tied - GROUPLOVE
Tony Montana - Agust D ft. Yankie
TOO MUCH - The Kid LAROI ft. Jung Kook, Central Cee
Torch - NGHTMRE ft. A$AP Ferg, Bekon
Torture - NGHTMRE ft. Franky Nuts, DeathbyRomy
TOUCH - AMARA ctk100
Touchin on My - 3OH!3
Trillion$ - Malibu Babie ft. bludnymph
True Religion - Shygirl ft. Club Shy, Isabella Lovestory, PinkPantheress
TRUST! - Rebecca Black
TT - TWICE
Turn On The Lights again.. - Swedish House Mafia ft. Anyma, Future, Fred again..
Twist The Knife - Rebecca Black
TYG - Megan Thee Stallion ft. Spiritbox
UGH! - BTS
uh oh - Tate McRae
UNFORGIVEN - LE SSERAFIM ft. Nile Rodgers
Unholy - Sam Smith ft. Kim Petras
UP N DOWN - Izzy Camina
Uprising - Muse
Up There - Post Malone
V.A.N - Bad Omens ft. Poppy
Venus Fly - Grimes ft. Janelle Monáe
Vibez - ZAYN
Victory Lap - Nipsey Hussle ft. Stacy Barthe
Violence - Dope
Violence - Grimes ft. i_o, REZZ
visions - Charli xcx
Von dutch - Charli xcx
Vroom Vroom - Charli xcx
Walking With A Ghost - Anyma ft. Delhia De France
Walls Could Talk - Halsey
War of Hormone - BTS
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
Wasabi - Little Mix
Watch Me - Jaden
Water - Dumbfoundead ft. GSoul
The Way I Are - Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson, D.O.E.
We Appreciate Power - Grimes ft. HANA
We Are Bulletproof Pt. 2 - BTS
Welcome To MY World - aespa ft. nævis
Welcome To The Opera - Anyma ft. Grimes
We On - BTS
What Am I Gonna Do With You - Rebecca Black
What I Like - Charli xcx
When I'm With You - LISA ft. Tyla
When The Summer Dies - deadmau5 ft. Lights
WHERE ARE YOU TONIGHT - Gryffin ft. ZOHARA
Where Have You Been - Rihanna
Whiplash - aespa
Who's Ready for Tomorrow - RAT BOY ft. IBDY
wild child - Tommy Genesis
Wild Side - Mötley Crüe
Wild Side - Not Your Dope ft. Oly
With A Guillotine! - Lucy Loone
With A Heavy Heart (I Regret To Inform You) - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
with the IE (way up) - JENNIE
World Eater - Ashnikko
World Princess part II - Grimes
Worms - Ashnikko
WOW - Tiësto
Wrath - Freddie Dredd
X - Poppy
XXXhibitionist - DeathbyRomy
Yakuza - do not resurrect
Yes or No - Jung Kook
Yippy Ky Yay - Zheani
Yoga - Brooke Candy ft. Only Fire
You Can Never Go Home - The Dare
You Make Me Sick! - Ashnikko
You Saw - Zheani
YOUtopia - Bring Me The Horizon
Yuck - Charli xcx
ZEN - JENNIE
Zero - Vitamjn ft. do not resurrect
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“I can erase everything that you know. I am death and I am not alone.”
-V.A.N by, Bad Omens ft. Poppy
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Jeongguk grew up alongside Judy Álvarez in Laguna Bend, a small town located in the Badlands, near the southern border of Night City.In the early 2060s, the price of rent in Laguna Bend abruptly skyrocketed. The land had been purchased by a corporation (known as NC Dam Ltd.), who planned to construct a dam and turn the small town into a reservoir. Some residents moved into temporary housing provided by the corporation, while others remained in protest. Those who stayed were labeled “agents of public unrest,” which led public opinion to turn against the people of Laguna Bend.
The conflict turned deadly in July of 2062, when a protester climbed a crane, in an attempt to delay the dam’s construction. The operator of said crane lost control of the load it’d been carrying, which subsequently crashed into a nearby house, killing the family inside. As a result, many of the protesters packed their things and left the area to start anew elsewhere. Others remained, only to be forced off the land by the police.Jeongguk, Judy, and their families had been among the first to leave Laguna Bend, after the protests began. They moved to the Watson district of Night City, where they struggled to make ends meet, until Jeongguk and Judy were old enough to live on their own. That’s when his parents, and her grandparents, ultimately decided to leave the Free City. Jeongguk and Judy remained living in Kabuki, where they hoped to make a name for themselves, by putting their respective talents to good use.
While Judy’s grandpa taught her everything he knew about technology, Jeongguk’s father taught him how to tune up cars. It was really no wonder why he got into illegal street racing as a teenager, much to his parents’ dismay. He’d been arrested by the NCPD a handful of times, but the more he practiced, the less he got caught, and the more prize money he earned.Jeongguk was well aware it wasn’t a reliable source of income, which is why he applied for just about any job that would accept his application, only for him to end up capitalizing off his appearance as a sex worker on Jig Jig Street. He didn’t exactly enjoy it, but it paid the bills.Eventually, between the races he won and his occupation as a joytoy, Jeongguk saved up enough money to invest in his first major cyberware implant; A doll chip, which would grant him the ability to allow an artificial intelligence to take over his mind and control his body, during sessions with his clients. In the meantime, he would be rendered unaware of anything that happened to him, and as soon as the session ended, the AI would wipe the experience from his memory.A doll chip would also enable Jeongguk to work as a proxy, of which his clients would be able to control and speak through, without actually having to be there in person. Some considered them messengers, while others considered them puppets. Nevertheless, Jeongguk was sure the implant would expand his horizons far beyond the limits of Kabuki.Japantown, in the Westbrook district, is where Jeongguk found himself a new job at Clouds. It was one of the most expensive and technologically advanced nightclubs/dollhouses in Night City, and Jeongguk had been rather surprised to discover his childhood friend Judy was also an employee.Judy was a braindance technician, who was paid to edit whatever their clients wished to record. To watch a braindance was to relive someone else's memory through their eyes, simultaneously experiencing every emotion and every sensation they felt at the time. Naturally, this meant Judy spent most of her time on the clock scrolling through people's self-made pornography, all so they could have the opportunity to relive it whenever they pleased.
She wasn’t necessarily thrilled to be fine-tuning amateur porn for a living. Nevertheless, by the late 2070s, she established friendships with some of her fellow employees (Evelyn, Tom, and Roxanne), as well as a romantic relationship with a doll named Maiko.
These connections made it all worthwhile, until Judy began to realize Maiko cared far more about her own personal gain than she did about their relationship. Out of the kindness of her heart, Judy made a few tweaks to Maiko’s doll chip, which helped earn her a major promotion.
Since then, Maiko had seemingly become an entirely different person.
Although they were the same age, Jeongguk had always been like a little brother to Judy. Therefore, he initially didn't think anything of it, when she spontaneously invited him to join her for drinks at Lizzie’s Bar.
They imbibed a few rounds, before Judy came clean about the real reason she invited him.“I think I’m gonna quit,” she said.“What? Why?”“I need a change of scenery,” Judy shrugged, “and things haven't exactly been going great with Maiko lately.”“How so?”“I went to visit her new office today,” she explained. “Wanted to congratulate her on the promotion, but security wouldn't let me in. She told them not to let me in. Don’t even get me started on how often I have to ask her to stop flirting with every other woman who works with us.”
“Yikes. I’m sorry to hear that,” Jeongguk sympathized. “If you're seriously planning to quit, where will you go next?”“Honestly? I was thinking about applying here,” Judy revealed. “I wanna join the Mox. I wanna make a difference.”“By joining a gang…?”“Do you even know how the Mox became a thing?”“No,” Jeongguk answered, “but I’ve heard the Tyger Claws had something to do with it.”“Lizzie’s was a strip club, back in the ‘60s, until a group of Claws decided to gang-rape and murder one of the girls. Lizzie Borden chopped ‘em up with her ax, put their bodies on display out front, and made an example out of ‘em. Said if anyone dared to hurt another one of her workers, she’d kill them, too.”“Damn,” Jeongguk commented, around another sip of his Broseph Ale.“Needless to say, the Tygers were hellbent on revenge. They raided the place, and destroyed everything in their path, including Lizzie herself. Riots broke out all over Night City, and the Tygers were the main targets.”“And the Mox?”“They rebuilt the place in Lizzie’s honor, turned it into a braindance club, and joined forces to help protect the oppressed. I’m meeting with their leader, Susie Q, this weekend. Gonna see about becoming their new techie.”For a moment, Jeongguk pondered the pros and cons of quitting Clouds and joining the gang at Lizzie’s. Part of him thought it sounded too good to be true, but the rest of him could definitely see the appeal.
Although his doll chip made it so he wouldn’t have to remember what happened to him during sessions with his clients, his body still retained the evidence, in the form of bruises, cuts, and broken bones. At one point, it’d gotten bad enough for Jeongguk to seriously consider paying a ripperdoc to replace his organic bones with titanium.If he worked at Lizzie’s, he could potentially put all of that behind him, and if he joined the Mox, he’d have an entire gang’s worth of protection at his disposal, should he ever need it.“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to put in a good word for me with Susie?” Jeongguk asked.
He knew it was a longshot, but he figured the worst Judy could do was say no.“You wanna work at Lizzie’s?”“I could work security, or I could bartend,” Jeongguk shrugged. “Whatever Susie would have me do, I’m sure it’d beat working at Clouds.”“Did something happen?” Judy correctly assumed.“It’s nothing,” he dismissively shook his head, but she was determined to get to the bottom of whatever was clearly bothering him.She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye, as she asked him, “what happened?”Instead of providing a verbal response, however, Jeongguk hesitantly proceeded to lift the hem of his t-shirt. The entire left side of his ribcage was bruised, painting his skin in deep shades of red, blue, and purple.
Sure, clients had been rough with him in the past, but never like this.
“Jesus, hermano,” Judy’s brows raised out of genuine concern. “You need to see a ripperdoc.”“I already have,” Jeongguk assured her, letting the fabric of his shirt fall back into place. “Went to see Vik, but there’s not much that can be done about broken ribs. He gave me a MaxDoc, and offered to install a Pain Editor, so I let him. I can’t feel the pain anymore, but--”“--it’s not just physical pain you’re dealing with.”“Exactly,” he said, chugging the last half of his Broseph, before he placed the empty bottle on the bar with a heavy sigh.“Okay,” Judy decided, “I’ll put in a good word. No promises, though.”“Thanks, Jude,” he managed a grateful smile, as the side of his head momentarily came to rest against her shoulder. “You’re the best.”“Yeah, yeah,” she chuckled, affectionately ruffling his long, black hair with her fingertips. “I’ll let you know how it goes.”
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That weekend, as Judy met with Susie Q, Jeongguk paid Viktor Vektor another visit.He used most of his savings to upgrade his cyberware because, it didn’t matter to him if he worked at Clouds or Lizzie’s, he was done being his clients’ punching bag. He invested in several new implants (Titanium Bones, Subdermal Armor, Jenkin’s Tendons, Gorilla Arms, and Kerenzikov), which greatly enhanced his natural speed, strength, and agility.
He ran track in high school, earned a black belt in Taekwondo, and participated in underground boxing matches as an adult. Viktor Vektor was an avid fan of the sport, who introduced himself to Jeongguk, shortly after he watched him win his first fight. They became fast friends, and Vik had been his go-to ripperdoc ever since.With a little help from his friends, Jeongguk left Clouds for Lizzie’s, where he and Judy were both hired. They joined the Mox together soon after, and while Susie had initially been hesitant to initiate them, they managed to prove themselves valuable assets to their cause in no time.By 2077, Judy was considered by many as the most talented braindance technician in Night City, while Jeongguk was considered one of the city’s most reputable bouncers.
People knew not to fuck around whenever Jeongguk was around, unless they wished to find out what it was like to get their lights knocked out by his mechanical fists. He was fiercely protective of those he considered his family, and he wasn’t afraid to put his own life at risk, in favor of keeping his fellow Moxes (especially Judy) out of harm’s way.Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing Jeongguk could’ve done to save his own mother.He’d been standing outside Lizzie’s, smoking a cigarette during one of his 10 minute breaks, when his father called. Apparently, his mother was sick and the doctors caught it far too late. The disease had progressed beyond the point of cybernetic intervention, meaning there were no doctors, medications, nor implants in the world that would’ve been capable of saving her life.At that point, all they could do was attempt to ease her discomfort.
Therefore, in desperate need of money, Jeongguk wiped the tears from his cheeks and met Judy down in the club’s basement, where most of her editing equipment had been set up.
“Oh, hey, JK,” she casually greeted him, when he entered her makeshift office space. “What’s up?”“You wouldn’t happen to know anybody who could help me get my foot in the door with the local fixers, would you?” Jeongguk inquired.“Wait, what?” Judy’s brows confusedly furrowed, as she stood from her desk chair.“I can be hired muscle, a getaway driver, a proxy--” he listed off, before Judy interrupted him.“Jeongguk, slow down. What happened? Why have you been crying?”“I need the money.”“Okay, well, boxing matches and street races are one thing,” she said. “Mercenary work is an entirely different ball game. Once people start edgerunning, they rarely make it out unscathed. The city either chews them up and spits them back out, or digs them an early grave--”“My mom is dying,” he confessed so quietly, she wouldn’t have been able to hear him, had they not been standing so close to one another.Without hesitation, Judy pulled him into her arms, and held him as tight as she could manage.
“I’m so sorry, hermano,” she frowned, feeling him hug her back just as tight.“I need the money,” he sorrowfully reiterated, which ultimately convinced her to help him find some.“I’ll see what I can do,” Judy sighed, giving in, despite the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that this was a terrible idea.
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As fate would have it, one of the best mercenaries in Night City received a rescue gig from Wakako Okada, the top fixer of the Westbrook district.On a seemingly ordinary Friday morning, YN had been enjoying a cup of coffee in Tom’s Diner, when Wakako called.“Hello, darling,” the fixer greeted the merc over the holophone. “My sincerest apologies for disturbing you on such a fine morning.”“It’s whatever,” YN easily let it slide, seeing as she’d grown accustomed to such untimely interruptions, from the various fixers she worked for throughout her career. “What’ve you got for me?”“That is the very sort of enthusiasm that keeps your phone ringing and your wallet full,” Wakako praised, before she finally got on with it. “I have been asked to help locate a missing teenage girl from Charter Hill. As I’m sure you can imagine, her parents are as distraught as they are wealthy. They are willing to pay as much as you wish, in exchange for their daughter’s safe return home, as well as your discretion. More details can be found in the attachment I’ve sent you. Good luck.”With that, Wakako ended the call, leaving YN to study the attachment and decide where to go from there. All of the girl’s personal information was listed, including her class schedule and her most recent yearbook photo.She didn’t bother asking why the girl’s parents didn’t take it up with the police, considering they wanted the matter to be handled as discreetly as possible.
Apart from that, it costed €$5.00 per minute to call the emergency number, and the NCPD was notorious for purposely leaving people on hold. The vast majority of the department was corrupt, and they couldn’t have cared less about helping people. They were only in it for the money and/or the authority. This was one of the primary reasons why many people in Night City considered themselves relatively lucky that it wasn’t explicitly illegal to work as a mercenary.According to the attachment, it’d been roughly 2 days since the teen was first reported missing. Seeing as the first 48 hours are considered the most crucial in a missing persons case, this significantly decreased YN’s chances of finding the girl alive. At the very least, the merc was confident she would be able to discreetly return the girl's body to her parents.The last person the teen had been seen with was a member of the Tyger Claws, and (thanks to Wakako) all of the Tyger’s personal information had been listed in the attachment, including his criminal record. The guy had a history of gang violence and various trafficking charges, which led YN to suspect that he planned to traffic the teen out of Night City, if he hadn’t already succeeded in doing so.YN also didn’t bother asking why Wakako was seemingly unbothered about this gig revolving around a member of the very gang her late husbands were all a part of. Frankly, she didn’t care what happened to the Tygers, so long as said Tygers weren’t her eight sons. Wakako did her absolute best to keep them all in line and prevent them from becoming involved in any one of the gigs she passed on to her mercenary contacts.YN continued scrolling through the attachment, and made a mental note of the recurring appointments the Tyger had scheduled at Clouds. Every Friday night, at 9PM, he would visit the exact same doll.
It seemed breaking into Clouds would be the merc's best bet at apprehending the gangster and interrogating him about the missing teen.
She scrolled back up to the girl’s yearbook photo and quietly sighed. She reminded YN of her younger self, which only further motivated her to begin formulating a plan.
This led her to Lizzie’s Bar, where she managed to track down an old friend. They hadn’t talked in a while, given everything that happened to them in the last decade, but there was certainly no love lost between them.“Judy, my beloved BD tech,” YN spontaneously greeted her, down in her office.“YN??” Judy wore a beaming grin, as she immediately stood to hug the merc. “It’s been so long!”“Too long,” YN agreed, squeezing her tight, before they ultimately let go of one another.“What brings you to Lizzie’s?”“You’re still in touch with your buddies at Clouds, right?”
“Why do you ask?”“I need someone with a doll chip. Someone who’s not afraid to get their hands dirty.”“How dirty are we talking exactly?”“I’ll need them to pose as an employee and distract a client, so I can sneak in and interrogate them,” YN explained. “I need someone who’s willing to help me hide the body, if it comes to that.”“Is this for a gig, or is it personal?”
“A little column A, a little column B,” YN shamelessly admitted.She was positive Arasaka had something to do with her parents’ mysterious demise, and she’d do just about anything to get under the corporation’s skin, such as take on their precious Tyger Claws.“I think I know somebody who might be willing to help,” Judy sighed, taking a seat at her desk, before she made a quick phone call. Her irises began to glow bright orange, as she did so. To the person on the other end, she said, “hey. I need you downstairs.”It wasn’t long after the call ended, that a blue haired man rushed down the basement steps and into Judy’s office. Fearing there might have been some sort of security issue, Jeongguk arrived so quickly, one could assume he had a Sandevistan implanted, had they not been so difficult to come by.“Everything okay?” Jeongguk asked, sparing a wary glance at the stranger of a mercenary standing next to Judy’s desk.In return, YN gave the man a solid once over. He was dressed in all black, including the beanie and the tank top he wore. His face was pierced, and one of his arms was covered in a sleeve of colorful tattoos, from his knuckles to his shoulder. A bulletproof vest protected his torso, and there was a handgun holstered in the waistband of his jeans, right next to his--“YN,” Judy unknowingly distracted the merc from her wandering train of thought, “this is JK. He’s new to edgerunning, but he used to work at Clouds as a doll. He knows the place like the back of his hand.”“You trust him?” YN asked.“With my life,” Judy nodded. “We grew up together, and he has yet to let me down.”“Anybody wanna tell me what the hell is going on?” Jeongguk chimed in.
“YN has a gig for you, if you’re interested.”“What kind of gig?”“I need to break into Clouds without being detected,” YN explained. “There’s a regular there with the intel I need.”“Okay, so where exactly would I fit in this equation?”
“I’ll need you to pose as a doll, and keep him distracted, until I can sneak in and interrogate him.”Jeongguk reluctantly sighed. He wasn’t looking forward to activating his doll chip again, but he found himself willing to do just about anything, if it meant he could ease his mother’s ailing in the slightest.“I can forward the attachment Wakako sent me,” YN offered, “if you’d like more info.”“Go ahead,” he agreed, leading the merc to transfer the data to him. She watched his irises glow as blue as his hair, as he carefully scanned the information. Once he was finished, however, his starry eyes reverted to their natural brown shade.
“Seems simple enough,” he said. “I’ll do it.”“If you don’t mind me asking, what’s in it for you?”“I just want to help make a difference.”“Spoken like a true Mox,” YN fondly smiled at him. “Seriously, though. What do you hope to gain from doing this?”“I…” Jeongguk sighed once more. “I desperately need the money.”“Thank you for your honesty. That just leaves me with one question.”“Shoot.”“How do we make sure Clouds’ matchmaking system pairs the Tyger with you, instead of his usual doll?”
“I should be able to help with that,” Judy assured them. “Give me a day or two. I’ll get back to you.”“Thanks, Judy,” YN appreciatively grinned. “You’re the best.”“So I’ve been told.”
“I promise, I’ll split the eddies between the three of us, the second they hit my account.”“Don’t sweat it,” Judy politely dismissed her. “I’ll just chalk it up as a favor to an old friend. Split the money with JK, instead. He’s the one who needs it most.”“Agreed,” YN nodded, directly addressing Jeongguk once more. “In the meantime, I’m curious to see how well you’ll do in the field, before we take on such a risky gig together.”“I have a boxing match scheduled for tomorrow night,” he said, confidently offering his hand. “You could come watch.”“Okay,” she said, slotting her hand against his own, in order to finalize their agreement with a firm handshake. “I will.”Judy pretended not to notice the rising tension between the pair, as Jeongguk promptly forwarded a copy of the flyer to YN, who appeared rather excited to see him fight.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Do you even wanna go free? Let me in the ring. I’ll show you what that big word means.”
-Glory And Gore by, Lorde
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It may not have been YN’s first time in Animal territory, but that didn’t make her any less wary of those surrounding her, the night of Jeongguk’s boxing match.The merc knew what she was getting herself into, from the moment she scanned the flyer he sent her. Even so, she made sure to keep an eye out for signs of trouble, while she sat in the front row of Jeongguk’s corner.
The Animals were a gang known for their irascibility and unwavering desire for physical power. They'd do whatever it took to be considered the biggest and baddest, including implanting cyberware that enhanced their overall size and strength, as well as consuming a steroid-like substance known as Juice. Some members even had implants installed that caused them to appear more animalistic than human.YN would’ve been lying if she said she wasn’t worried for Jeongguk. The size difference between himself and his Juicehead opponent was akin to that of David and Goliath, and the merc could only hope that, not unlike David, Jeongguk would be the one to come out on top.
Then again, if he were to win, the Animals would be highly unlikely to show good sportsmanship. Statistically, they would win against their competitors more often than not. But in the rare instances they didn’t win, most Animals were sore losers, who weren’t above attacking their opponent for beating them. It didn’t matter to them, if said opponent won fair and square.No matter which way the chips would inevitably fall, YN was certain they wouldn't be leaving the Tripple Extreme Gym without a hitch. Jeongguk was well aware of the risks, but he wasn’t about to let his guard down for a second. Not even with one of the hottest mercenaries in all of Night City sitting just a few feet away.
This was to be his first fight using his new implants, and Jeongguk was eager to show the crowd what he could do. Even before he upgraded his cyberware, he had yet to lose a match, and he would be damned if he was going to allow his opponent an opportunity to get the best of him, Animal or otherwise.After the bell rang and the fight commenced, YN began to think she just might’ve struck gold, having Jeongguk as her partner in crime. He was fast enough to evade most of his opponent’s attacks, and strong enough to deal a significant amount of damage in return, despite the Animal’s incredibly tough armor. By the third and final round, it was clear Jeongguk had successfully worn the Animal out. He was moving far slower, and throwing his punches far weaker than he had in the first two rounds.
The Animal didn’t seem anywhere near as cocky as he’d been in the beginning, either. It appeared all of the shit he’d been talking before the fight had been for nought, as Jeongguk made him double over with a clean punch to the gut, then knocked him flat on his back with a swift uppercut to the chin.
The referee known as Coach Fred began the ten count, as the Animal writhed in pain on the mat. Half of the spectators surrounding the ring were on their feet, supportively cheering, while the other half heckled and sneered. Regardless, the Animal was too weak to get up in time.Once the count was complete, Coach Fred reached for Jeongguk’s wrist and raised his gloved hand in the air, declaring him the victor.
As the crowd went wild, Jeongguk basked in the glory of their praise, as well as the amount of eddies that were simultaneously deposited into his bank account. YN, on the other hand, didn’t fail to notice the way his opponent proceeded to crawl toward his corner and grumble something to some of his Animal buddies. As a result, every last Animal in the vicinity drew their various weapons and prepared to avenge their fellow pack member.“JK, get down!!” YN warned him, as she drew her own pistol from her hip and aimed it over his shoulder.
Jeongguk ducked his head, just in time to miss a blow from the massive hammer that came swinging at it, and YN didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger in retaliation. The crowd around them immediately dispersed, and the merc didn’t blame them, given how expensive it was to invest in and/or upgrade one’s cyberware. Many of the spectators were mostly (if not fully) organic, and even with the amount of cyberware YN had implanted over the years, the Animals were still incredibly difficult to defeat. Especially as a pack.In the next instant, Jeongguk activated his Kerenzikov implant, which slowed time just long enough for him to escape the ring, haul YN over his shoulder, and begin sprinting toward the nearest exit. In real time, he moved so quickly, they’d practically teleported to the parking lot.Before she had the opportunity to curiously inquire about his implants, however, Jeongguk set YN down and rushed to the street, prompting her to run alongside him. The boxer ditched his gloves, and summoned his all black ARCH Nazaré “Racer," as they ran. Within less than a minute, the self-driving motorcycle was pulling up to the sidewalk, extending its own kickstand, and patiently awaiting its owner’s arrival.
The Animals were hot on their tail, so YN continued to provide cover with her pistol, as Jeongguk quickly mounted his bike. She hopped up onto the passenger seat immediately after, prompting the pack to give chase in vehicles of their own. None of them were aware of Jeongguk’s experience as a street racer, which is why the merc wrapped her free arm around his waist and made sure to hold on tight, as he nudged the kickstand out of the way and sped away from the scene.
Regardless of how anxious she felt at the time, YN continued to watch Jeongguk’s six, whilst they raced through the streets of Santo Domingo. When one of the Animals’ cars got a little too close for comfort, she quick-hacked it, activating the emergency brakes and causing it to come to a screeching halt in the middle of the road.The high speed chase led them onto the highway, where Jeongguk switched off his lights and skillfully maneuvered his bike between lanes and around other vehicles, making it all the more difficult for their assailants to catch them. Though, it wasn’t until they were flying beneath the neon lights of City Center that YN felt the coast was clear enough for her to holster her gun.“Head into Watson!” she said to Jeongguk, who felt his heart skip a beat, when she took to clinging to his middle with both arms. “Let’s hit the Afterlife!”“Yes, ma’am!” he agreed, despite never having been to the club she spoke of.The Afterlife was well known for its mercenary clientele, such as the owner, the legendary Rogue Amendiares. Rogue was the top fixer of the Watson district. Before that, she was the girlfriend of rockerboy Johnny Silverhand, both of whom had been involved in the nuclear bombing of the Arasaka Towers back in 2023; The event known as the Night City Holocaust.The club’s bouncer, Emmerick, easily recognized YN as a regular. He would’ve let her in without question, had it not been for the stranger of a man by her side.“Who’s this?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest, as he gave Jeongguk a cautious once over.“This is JK. He’s with me,” YN vouched for him, so Emmerick stepped aside to allow them in, trusting the merc to keep her friend in check.“Jeongguk??” the bartender called his name, the second she spotted him descending the steps.“Claire!” Jeongguk appeared just as surprised to see her, as he quickly made his way to the bar.“Hey, Claire,” YN casually greeted her, once she caught up to Jeongguk. “I see you two have met.”“Yeah. We used to race against each other,” Claire said, “back when Dean was still around.”“Dean was your husband?” Jeongguk recalled, and when she somberly nodded, he sincerely told her, “I’m very sorry for your loss.”“Thanks, JK,” she managed a half-smile for him. “What are you doing here, anyway?”“Working,” he vaguely answered, wishing not to worry her with the details.“What’re you an edgerunner now?”“Something like that.”“He’s helping me with a gig,” YN clarified, “but it’s a one and done deal.”“I see,” Claire accepted the explanation, whether she believed it or not. “Well, I suppose it’s none of my business. Can I get you guys anything?”“Two Davids,” the merc requested.“Coming right up,” the bartender nodded, mixing two glasses of the drink named after one David Martinez.Having briefly scanned the menu, Jeongguk asked, “are all of the drinks named after Night City legends?”“Just the dead ones,” YN replied. “It’s Afterlife tradition.”“Enjoy,” Claire bid them, sliding their drinks across the bartop, before she moved to help another patron.“To the dead ones,” Jeongguk raised his glass in a toast.“To the dead ones,” YN amusedly grinned, as they took a simultaneous sip. “Let’s find a table.”The table in question had been the extended tray of a mortuary drawer, considering the Afterlife was once a morgue, which had been repurposed into an exclusive club.“I didn’t know you were a racer,” YN thought aloud, where she sat across from Jeongguk in a secluded corner. “Guess that explains the expert getaway driving.”“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”“Likewise,” the merc concurred, “and I think, if we’re going to be working together, we should get to know each other better.”“Okay,” Jeongguk agreeably nodded. “What would you like to know?”“Can’t say I’m not curious about your cyberware,” YN admitted, glancing down at his cybernetic arms, as a way to momentarily distract herself from his dreamy gaze. “When the Animals attacked, how did you manage to get us out of the gym so fast?”“Kerenzikov,” he answered, “and Jenkin’s Tendons.”“Of course,” she shook her head, as though the answer was glaringly obvious. “At first, I thought you might’ve had a Sandy.”“I fucking wish,” he softly laughed around another sip of his drink. “What about you? What kind of chrome are you packing?”“A merc never reveals her secrets,” YN half-jokingly replied, earning a fond little smirk from the man before her.“I showed you mine…”“You could always guess,” she suggested, so Jeongguk leaned in a bit closer, in favor of giving her a thorough once over.
He could’ve quick-scanned her for the answers he sought, but where was the fun in that? Besides, Jeongguk thought YN looked rather cute when she was flustered, and that’s exactly how she felt, as he confidently studied her appearance that night.
“Top of the line Kiroshis,” he guessed, regarding her eyes. “I’m assuming either Stalkers or Clairvoyants… something with target assisting.”“Close.”“How close are we talking?”"Oracles,” she said, causing his brows to raise toward his dark hairline.The Kiroshi Oracles were currently the most expensive optics on the market, and it reminded Jeongguk of how much money he could potentially make, if he were to become a full-time edgerunner.“Monowires,” he gestured to her wrists, which were in fact equipped with thin, whip-like wires, sharp enough to cut a man in half.“How could you tell?” YN asked, considering she used Realskinn to camouflage them.
“As a bouncer, it’s my job to keep an eye out for potential threats,” he answered. “As a doll, I had plenty of opportunities to study my clients’ cyberware up close.”Considering many of his clients at Clouds had ties to Arasaka, it was safe to say Jeongguk had seen quite a bit of top shelf chrome in his lifetime.It was obvious both wished to know so much more, but Judy called, before either one of them had a chance to ask any more questions.“Hey, guys,” she greeted them in her holographic form, before she cut straight to the chase. “I found a way to override the matchmaker.”“That was fast,” YN commented.“That’s good ol’ Punchin’ Judy for you,” Jeongguk proudly praised. “Nice work.”“Thanks,” Judy smiled, before she released an audible sigh. “I can only hope all of this will be worth it in the end.”“It has to be,” he said.“It will be,” YN assured them.“Swing by Lizzie’s, before the gig,” Judy concluded. “I’ll explain the detes.”“We’ll be there.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Sometimes I feel like I wanna push down the accelerator, when I’m lookin’ at you.”
-Accelerator - Lauren’s Version by, Blusher
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Sunday morning, YN had been at the 2nd Amendment shooting range in Little China, when Jeongguk unexpectedly texted.JK: Hey!Could I ask a favor of you?YN: You know if you wanted to see me again you could’ve just said so JK:I’ll be sure to keep that in mind ;)
Seriously though I have a problem that only a seasoned merc like yourself might be able to help me solveYN: What’s up? JK:I’ve been at the garage making sure my car’s ready for the next race, but my usual gunner flaked on me. If I can’t find a replacement by Tuesday, I’ll have to back out of the race and I really don’t want to have to do that :(YN completely understood why Jeongguk couldn’t simply drop out of the race, for it wasn’t just his own reputation on the line, but the Moxes’ as well. He couldn’t just sit back and let the city drag their name through the mud.
The merc certainly didn’t want to let that happen either, regardless of the fact that she’d known the guy for less than a week. Because of this, YN agreed to be Jeongguk’s gunner, before he even had a chance to directly ask her.
YN:
Okay. I’ll be your gunner
JK: Whoa! Really? :DI didn’t expect you to volunteer but I really appreciate it!I’ll split the prize money of course YN: Better hope we win then My services aren’t free nor are they cheap She was only teasing him, of course, but Jeongguk didn’t appear fazed in the slightest.
JK:
With you as my partner I’m sure we’ll do just fine
YN’s teeth momentarily sunk into her lower lip, as she couldn’t help but feel flattered by his statement. She’d never even participated in a street race before, and yet, Jeongguk was certain she’d be able to help him win.
He was either incredibly confident or completely insane, but even so, the merc felt excited to see him again. That, and it seemed only fair for her to help him out, in exchange for him so eagerly agreeing to help her with her gig.A moment later, Jeongguk sent her the location of the starting line.
JK:
We’ll meet here at sunset
YN:
See you then
JK:
Can’t wait! :)
---
Tuesday evening, YN met up with Jeongguk in Arroyo, on the west side of the Santo Domingo district. The race was to begin there, and lead them through the suburbs of Rancho Coronado, all the way to the finish line on the eastern half of the district.Though, the merc didn’t really care about the exact route they’d be taking. The only thing she really needed to concern herself with was defending Jeongguk while he drove. There weren’t any rules, apart from staying on the track, which meant their opponents could play as dirty as they wanted.Fortunately for Jeongguk, his gunner had zero qualms about playing dirty.
Spectators stood on the sidewalk, to either side of the starting line. There were quite a few NCPD officers standing by as well, and it was blatantly obvious to YN that they were crooked cops with skin in the game. It was really no wonder why the city’s crime rate was so high. The badges were clearly too busy placing bets on illegal street races.YN knew she didn’t have much room to talk, when she was meant to be tracking down a missing teenager, but she didn’t allow the guilt to eat away at her. Considering Clouds was their only lead, all she could really do at that point was hope and pray that said teen was still alive, wherever in the world she was.In total, six vehicles would be racing that day, and it didn’t take very long for YN to discern which one was Jeongguk’s.
He drove a gold wrapped Quadra Type-66 640 TS, a Ford Mustang-esque sports coupe, with his nickname “Golden Maknae” spray painted in Hangul across both doors. The rear end was covered in various decals, including the Moxes’ logo and a bumper sticker promoting the gang’s fashion line, “BITCH V.13.”As soon as he spotted YN approaching his vehicle, Jeongguk completely disregarded the conversation he’d been having with one of their opponents, in favor of greeting her.“Hey, YN!” he waved, with a grin that beamed like a ray of sunshine.
“Hey. Mind if I set this up here?” she asked, in reference to the large case she was carrying.“Go ahead,” Jeongguk nodded, granting her permission to carefully place it upon the hood of his car. There was a sense of pride in her gaze, as she opened it up to reveal just one of the many SMGs in her collection. “Preem.”“Thanks,” YN smiled, removing the gun from its case and making sure the safety was switched on, before she hoisted the strap over her shoulder.“You ready for this?”“As I’ll ever be,” she shrugged. “This is my first race.”“Think of it like a thievery gig,” Jeongguk advised. “I’m your getaway driver, and the rest of these assholes are after the loot. Only, in this case, the loot is the finish line.”“Seems simple enough.”“In the meantime, I’ll keep my eyes on the road and my foot on the chooh,” he said. “I’ll warn you about the turns, too, so you don’t fall out of the car. You’re too cute to be roadkill.”“Right…” YN comprehensively nodded, despite the way her cheeks flushed profusely, in response to Jeongguk’s shameless flirting.She wasn’t so sure what it was about him that had her blood rushing to her face, and her heart beating fast, like a schoolgirl in the presence of her crush. Sure, he was attractive, but at the end of the day, YN hardly knew him.
The merc managed to survive countless near death experiences, by listening to her brain, rather than her heart. That’s why she initially opted to ignore the funny feeling in her chest and focus solely on the race instead.When Jeongguk casually inserted a datashard into one of the two slots behind his right ear, she curiously inquired, “what’s with the shard?”“Highlights the route. Can’t afford to miss any of the checkpoints,” he explained, popping the trunk of his car for the merc to place her gun case inside. He kindly opened the passenger door for her as well. “Hop in.”Once she was in and settled, Jeongguk shut the door and rounded the hood to get in on the driver’s side. YN could practically feel the fervency radiating from his being, as she watched him drum his fingers against the steering wheel.
“Excited?” she prompted, sporting an amused expression.“Hell yeah,” he answered, without hesitation. “I was born to do this. There’s nothin’ else like it.”“Not even sex?”“Well, now that you mention it--” Jeongguk smirked, but the announcer’s booming voice interrupted him, before he could conclude his statement.“Last chance to place your bets! Everybody ready?!”In response, the racers started their cars and revved the engines, while the gunners loaded their weapons and readied themselves for combat. As the countdown began, YN rolled down her window and moved to sit upon the door.
“Hold on tight!” Jeongguk reminded her.“I’ve got this!” she assured him, flipping her gun’s safety off, and aiming for the back tires of the car directly in front of them.At the sound of the air horn, Jeongguk put the pedal to the metal, just as YN pulled the trigger. Within mere seconds, the car ahead of them was swerving toward the sidewalk and crashing into a lamp post.
“See ya!” Jeongguk laughed, immediately speeding up to take their place.Five vehicles remained racing down the street toward the first checkpoint. Given that these races weren’t legal, the streets weren’t blocked off for the safety of the public. Therefore, the drivers risked crashing into traffic and running over pedestrians, while the gunners simultaneously risked turning them into Swiss cheese.For this to be his drug of choice, YN was certain Jeongguk had to be insane, but she didn’t judge him for it. It would’ve been quite hypocritical of her, if she did, given the vast amount of downright immoral things she’d done.“Sharp right ahead, then a left on the next block!” Jeongguk warned her, just in time for her to grasp the frame of the door, before he took the sharp turns. “Taking another right in about a quarter mile!"“Roger that!” she replied, shifting to aim behind them, after Jeongguk took the lead. “Nice work!”“Thank you!” his grin widened, but he kept his eyes on the road so as to avoid missing the next checkpoint, no matter how tempted he was to catch another glimpse of the merc in action. “Another right on El Camino!"With that, YN slipped back into her seat and set the safety on her SMG. She drew her pistol instead, when the car in second place rolled up alongside them. She aimed for their front tire and popped it, bringing them to a halt, and leading the car in third place to rear-end them. The rest narrowly avoided the same fate, by swerving around the crash.“You’re doing great!” Jeongguk commented, earning an appreciative smile from YN.“And I have yet to use a single hack!”“Save your RAM for now! It might come in handy later!”“Yes, sir!” she agreed, conserving her ammo as well, until another one of their opponents would attempt to pass them.
"Sharp left on Monte Diablo, then we'll be heading onto the freeway!”The pair maintained the leading position throughout the race, no matter what obstacles dared to stand in their way of the finish line. The only time YN felt it necessary to quick-hack anything, had been right before the freeway, when a civilian’s car stopped in the middle of the intersection ahead of them.
An elderly woman had been behind the wheel, and she was clearly unaware of the racers that were swiftly approaching. Even as other civilians honked their horns and yelled at her to get out of the way, she remained stagnant like a rock in a river, waiting for the red light to turn green so the person in front of her could go.“Fuck!” Jeongguk cursed, preparing to engage the emergency brake because (regardless of how badly he wanted to win) he’d much rather lose the race than have a little old lady’s blood on his hands.
Fortunately, YN’s netrunning skills were adept enough for her to hack the woman’s car, take control, and reverse out of the way, just in time to avoid getting t-boned by Jeongguk’s Quadra.
“That was close!” he thought aloud, exhaling a sigh of relief, as they sped around the curve of the freeway entrance.“You’re welcome!” the merc not-so-humbly replied, despite knowing it'd been a combination of their respective skillsets that enabled them to carry on through Rancho Coronado, hitting every checkpoint with practiced ease. Unlike some of their less experienced opponents, who lagged behind, struggling to navigate the compact suburban streets.YN held on with white knuckles, amidst the final stretch of the race, as Jeongguk expertly drifted around the winding turns that led uphill to the Dam Viewpoint.“Almost there!”“Go, go, go!” she encouraged, glancing back to gauge the proximity of the nearest racer, once the track straightened out again.The roaring sound of the engine raised in both pitch and volume, as Jeongguk pushed the accelerator, sending them flying toward the checkered finish line. The moment they crossed it, the announcer exclaimed, “and first place goes to JK and YN!”The prize money appeared in Jeongguk’s account immediately after.“You did it!” YN cheered.“We did it!” he insisted, steadily slowing down, before he pulled up to the viewpoint and killed the engine.
He interrupted the peaceful silence that ensued to say, “thank you. I couldn’t have done it without a gunner.”“We make a good team,” the merc admitted, appearing uncharacteristically bashful, “and that was pretty fun. I can see why you enjoy it so much.”“Like I said, there’s nothing like it,” Jeongguk reiterated, before he teasingly added, “except for sex, of course.”YN didn’t bother to hold back the fond little giggle he managed to coax from her.
“We should do this again sometime,” he suggested.“We’ll see.”“Oh, shit,” his eyes comically widened, when he realized, “I almost forgot to wire your half of the prize money.”“Keep it,” YN shook her head.“I thought your services weren’t cheap…?”“They aren’t,” she said, rolling her eyes at the sight of his smug little grin, “but I still want you to keep it.”“If you’re sure…”“Of course, you’ll have to find a way to make it up to me,” the merc half-joked.“Okay,” Jeongguk easily accepted the challenge. “Let me take you out.”“What, like on a date?” her brows raised.“We can call it whatever you’d like,” he smoothly answered, “and we can go anywhere you want to go.”“Okay…” YN ultimately agreed, finding herself compelled to listen to her heart for a change. “I’ll go out with you.”“Nova. I can pick you up tomorrow night, after my shift,” he offered, “unless that’s too soon.”“What about tonight?”“Yeah,” Jeongguk nodded, eagerly following her spontaneous lead. “Tonight works.”
---
“Ouch,” Jeongguk winced, where he sat with YN at El Coyote Cojo, for they’d just witnessed someone snap their own broken nose back into place at the far end of the bar.
“That’s V,” YN told him, having easily recognized the fellow merc. "Comes here pretty often."“You from Heywood?”“No,” she shook her head. “But most of my mom’s side of the family are Valentinos, so they tend to treat me like family around here.”“I see,” he comprehensively nodded, figuring it was only fair to reveal something about himself in return. “My dad grew up here, but he never joined. He moved to Laguna Bend with my mom, after they got pregnant with me.”“You guys live there long?”“Until the protests.”“Where did you guys end up?”“Watson. My parents left NC, once I was old enough to look out for myself, but I still live in the same ol’ apartment in Kabuki,” he answered. “What about you? Where are you from?”“I lived in Westbrook with my parents, until they passed.”“Oh,” Jeongguk said. “My condolences.”YN appreciated his words, just as much as she appreciated that he didn't press for details, no matter how curious he was about her growing up in one of the wealthier parts of the city.
As she took the final swig of her beer, she realized Jeongguk’s bottle was nearly empty as well.“I’m gonna grab another beer," she decided. "You want one?”“Sure,” he accepted her offer, sincerely hoping he hadn't upset her, as he watched her stand from her seat and head over to the bar.“Hey, Pepe,” she dapped up the bartender, “let me get another round?”“You got it,” he fulfilled her request, grabbing a pair of bottles from the fridge, before he handed them over. “Who’s the guy? Your new input?”
“Just a friend,” YN claimed, which might've been the truth, but Pepe could tell the merc was interested in Jeongguk, even if she refused to admit it.As she was making her way back to her seat, she realized the man in question had moved to the pool table.
“Solid or stripes?” Jeongguk asked, trading her a wooden pool cue in exchange for one of the bottles she’d retrieved.“Solid.”“Loser takes a double shot?”“You’re on,” YN smirked, never one to shy away from a little friendly competition.Though, Jeongguk wasn't afraid to be affectionate toward her, and the more they drank, the more receptive she became. He shot her a wink when he made his first pocket, then placed a hand on the small of her back, while she was lining up her own shot.YN figured he was probably just trying to distract her, but she didn't seem to mind all that much, if the way she leaned into his touch was anything to go off of.“Just a friend…” Pepe chuckled to himself, having watched the pair flirt over a game of pool, “mis cojones.”They spent most of the night like that, teasing one another when they’d lose, and gloating when they’d win. Jeongguk won the first game, but lost the second, which led them to play one last time to break the tie.
“Looks like another double shot for you,” YN said, as she prepared to pocket her final ball.“Might not want to count that chicken ‘til it hatches,” Jeongguk replied, hysterically laughing when she missed, only to defeatedly groan, when he accidentally pocketed the 8-ball during his next turn. “Damn it.”“Beautiful,” the merc giggled, earning herself a fond grin from the man across the table, as she triumphantly clapped. “Come on, loser.”“How rude,” Jeongguk called her, as he let her lead the way back to the bar.“A round of doubles for the road,” YN requested of Pepe, opting to take a shot as well, despite winning best two out of three.“I’ll call a cab,” the bartender said, seeing as both of them were too drunk to drive by that point.“You’re a godsend, Pepe!”After necking their shots, they waited outside for the Delamain to arrive, whereupon YN ushered Jeongguk into the back seat of the self-driving cab. An artificial intelligence recited the company's slogan, as she did so.“Welcome to the Delamain service. Leave your problems at the door.”When YN closed said door behind him, Jeongguk rolled the window down to speak to her.“You’re not getting in?”“Nah,” she shook her head, fearing she wouldn't be able to resist him any longer, if she did. “But Del will make sure you make it home in one piece.”The AI chimed in once more, saying, “that is correct.”“Get some sleep,” YN continued, “and drink plenty of water.”“Okay,” Jeongguk nodded, despite his indifference. He knew she could handle herself, but that didn't make him any less concerned about her safety. “Text me when you get to… wherever you're headed?”“I will,” she promised, feeling rather endeared by his unwavering inclination to protect her.
“See you Friday?”
“See you Friday,” she confirmed, and with that, they were heading their separate ways.Jeongguk returned to his apartment in Kabuki, while YN called a cab of her own to bring her to the Sunshine Motel, out in the Badlands.She texted him as soon as she arrived, much to his relief, before they reluctantly bid one another goodnight. Though, both were so eager to see each other again, they proceeded to toss and turn, inwardly reminiscing about the time they spent together, until they inevitably passed out from sheer exhaustion.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Once I hit you with that backspace, you ain’t comin’ back. Ctrl, Alt, Delete you. Give me space like tab.”
-CtrlAltDelete by, BONES
---
Friday evening, Jeongguk met YN down in Judy’s office, after his shift.Thanks to her friends who still worked at Clouds, Judy managed to secure an employee uniform for YN to wear, while she impersonated the club’s receptionist. Jeongguk, on the other hand, had already packed his own disguise into the duffle bag he carried.“Now, in order to override the matchmaker, you’ll need to insert this shard,” Judy said, handing the datashard to YN. “After that, all you’ll have to do is connect your personal link and upload the program to the system. The shard will take care of the rest.”“Piece of cake,” the merc thought aloud, as she was inserting the shard into the back of her skull.“Just… be careful,” Judy insisted, even going so far as to provide both of them with a digital copy of her apartment key, “and feel free to stay at my place, if you guys need somewhere to lay low for a little while.”“Thanks, Judy,” they told her in unison, which led the pair to briefly smile at one another, as Judy returned to her seat at her desk.“I’ll link with you guys on comms, too,” she added, “just in case the shard decides not to work, for whatever reason.”“What do we do, if that happens?” Jeongguk asked YN, trusting the merc had a backup plan.“I’ll have to knock the Tyger out at the front desk, and hope none of his buddies catch me tossing his gonk ass into the trunk of my car,” she answered. “If that happens, you might be stuck finding your own way out.”“Shouldn’t be a problem,” he assured her. “Like Judy said, I know the place like the back of my hand.”
---
YN and Jeongguk reconvened at Clouds’ entrance, roughly half an hour before the Tyger Claw’s appointment.
This provided the merc with just enough time to temporarily blind the receptionist with a quick-hack, knock her unconscious, then promptly take her place behind the front desk. YN used the computer to disable the club’s security system, and made sure to wipe the receptionist’s memory as well, before she discreetly hid her body in a nearby storage closet.“Cameras are offline,” she spoke quietly over comms, cueing Jeongguk to enter the club and sneak his way over to booth 07, where the Tyger’s session was scheduled to take place.Needless to say, the doll he planned to see had been rather surprised to see Jeongguk walk in. Not only did he quit working there several months ago, he also knew better than to waltz into another doll’s booth without warning. Especially if they were expecting a client.“JK…?” Mistral raised an eyebrow, as he watched the door automatically close behind his ex-coworker. “What are you doing here? I thought you quit.”“I did,” he confirmed, simultaneously moving in close enough to corner the doll in the soundproof booth. “Don’t take this personally.”“Wha--??” Mistral’s eyes widened, but Jeongguk’s fist was the last thing he saw, before he was knocked unconscious.
Jeongguk hid his body under the king size bed, before he set his duffle on the comforter, and proceeded to change into his disguise.“Mistral’s out cold,” he informed YN and Judy, as he quickly undressed himself, trading his athletic tracksuit for edgy fetish wear.“I’ll be sure to wipe his memory, before we leave,” the merc replied, pulling the wire of her personal link from her palm and plugging it into the receptionist’s computer. “I’m sorry you had to do that.”“Don’t sweat it,” Jeongguk nonchalantly shrugged it off. “Dude’s a total asshole.”YN couldn’t help but smirk in response to his assessment.“Override program is uploading as we speak.”As she waited for it to finish, she pulled up the Tyger Claw’s file and made a quick mental note of his safe word.
“How’s it going over there?” Judy curiously chimed in.“Upload complete,” YN replied, disconnecting from the computer, as her target was approaching the front desk. “Here he comes.”“Right on time.”“You ready, JK?”“Let’s do this,” he answered, where he sat beside his duffle bag, securing the laces of his chunky combat boots.“Welcome to Clouds, where we know what you’re looking for,” YN greeted the Tyger Claw, putting on her best customer service voice. “Please connect your personal link.”The Tyger didn’t say a word as he did so, but his brows confusedly furrowed, when the system matched him with someone who most definitely wasn’t the doll he paid to see. Thank God for Judy Álvarez, YN thought to herself, quietly exhaling a sigh of relief, as she watched Jeongguk's old profile appear on the computer screen.“Hey, what gives?” the Tyger asked. “Where’s Mistral?”“I’m afraid I cannot disclose that information,” YN said. "I apologize for the inconvenience, but rest assured, JK will take great care of you. He is one of our highest rated dolls, after all.”“Cute,” Jeongguk chuckled.“I will also refund your payment, so you can enjoy the session free of charge.”“Sure,” the Tyger Claw ultimately agreed to go in. “Whatever.”“Nice save,” Judy commented.“JK awaits you in booth 07. Please disconnect from the terminal, and be sure to leave all weapons here with me,” the merc gestured toward the lockers on the far side of the lobby, “per our strict no-weapons policy--”“Yeah, yeah,” the Tyger interrupted, having heard it all before. He deposited his weapons, before he made his way into the club, without a second thought.“Heading your way, JK,” YN warned him.“You have his safe word, right?” Jeongguk asked, not wishing to have his doll chip active any longer than necessary.“Yes,” she promised him. “I’ll pull you out as soon as possible.”He believed her. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath to try and calm his nerves, as the Tyger Claw subsequently reached his booth.“See you on the other side,” Jeongguk sighed, for he knew his chip was going to activate, the second the door opened. As soon as it closed, the AI forced him to stand from the foot of the bed, in favor of slowly approaching his client.
“Hey, Jiro,” the doll introduced himself with a wicked smile, “I’m JK.”The Tyger Claw curiously studied him, from his glowing purple irises to his scanty black outfit, comprised of see-through lace, shredded denim, and leather harnesses.“You’re no Mistral… but you’ll do.”“Did I tell you to speak?” Jeongguk asked because (according to his file) Jiro was really into BDSM, and he particularly enjoyed submitting to rough Dominants.“N-No,” the Tyger answered, and the doll triumphantly grinned, in response to his client’s swift attitude adjustment.
“Then I’d suggest you shut the fuck up,” Jeongguk spoke in a tone so cold, YN felt a chill run down her spine, “and get on your knees.”“Right, so I’m gonna hang up now,” Judy told the merc, who completely understood why.“See you later,” YN bid her, right before she disconnected.When Jiro hesitated to kneel, however, Jeongguk’s smile immediately faded.“Now,” he demanded, to which the Tyger obediently knelt before him. “That’s more like it.”Jiro anxiously gulped, as he watched the doll remove his shirt, providing his client with an opportunity to gawk at the sight of his fit torso. The Tyger initially thought nothing of it, when he allowed Jeongguk to gag him with the sheer fabric, wrap it around his head, and tie it in a knot at the base of his skull.“There. That oughta shut you up,” Jeongguk smirked, undoing the buckle of his belt next, which led Jiro’s gaze to fall to his waistline. “Stand.”The Tyger did as he was told, already shivering with anticipation, while he watched Jeongguk slowly circle around him, like a shark with its prey. He paused, only to grab hold of Jiro’s wrists and bind them behind his back, using his belt.“Don’t want you touching anything just yet,” the doll explained, placing a hand between his client's shoulder blades, in order to force him back onto his knees. “Be a good little bitch, and I’ll consider letting you go.”That was YN’s cue to intervene, which she nearly missed because she might not have been able to see him, but apparently Jeongguk’s voice alone was enough to distract her from the task at hand.
She made her way through the club, avoiding other staff members, until she made it to booth 07. Using the employee ID she stole from the receptionist, the merc opened the door and stepped inside. She spoke the Tyger’s safe word, thus interrupting the session, as the door was closing behind her.
Jeongguk’s doll chip wiped the experience from his memory, before his eyes reverted to their natural color, and he regained full control of his body. He was visibly disoriented at first, but he got his head in the game rather quickly, when Jiro stood and attempted to run out of the room. Before he could get very far, Jeongguk grabbed hold of his shoulders and shoved him onto his knees once more.
“You’re not going anywhere, until you tell my friend everything she needs to know,” Jeongguk muttered, holding Jiro in place, while YN interrogated him.The Tyger had the audacity to look at her with a confused expression, as though he hadn’t the faintest idea as to what he’d done for her to seek him out.
YN started off by sending Jiro an image of the missing teen girl, and she could tell it must’ve jogged his memory because his eyes fearfully widened. He realized his chances of making it out alive were slim to none, which is why he began to beg for mercy around the lace in his mouth.“You were the last person seen with this girl, before she disappeared,” YN said. “What did you do to her?”
“Please, please!” Jiro whimpered, after Jeongguk ungagged him. “I swear, I didn’t hurt her!”“What happened to her?”“I-I don’t know!” the Tyger claimed, groaning from the pain, when YN angrily socked him in the face.“Don’t play dumb with me!" she raised her voice. "Where did she go?!”“I don't know!!” he reiterated, with blood-stained teeth. “Th-They tell me who they want!! I just get paid to lure people in!!”YN punched him again, for the simple fact that he even agreed to do such a thing in the first place.
“Who are they?!” she asked next. “Where did you lure the poor girl?!”“I can’t tell you!!” Jiro cried. “They’ll kill me!!”“You tell her, they kill you. You don’t tell her, she kills you,” Jeongguk spelled it out for him. “Seems like you’re fucked either way. Might as well spend your final moments doing some good for a change.”“There's an underground casino in Charter Hill!!” the Tyger exasperatedly revealed, sending YN the exact coordinates, and simultaneously ratting out his own gang members, in a last ditch effort to save his own skin. “Th-They told me to take her there, so I did!! I never saw her again after that!! You have to believe me!!”“Unfortunately, I do,” she replied, concluding her interrogation, by quick-hacking him.“NO!! PLEASE, DON’T--!!” he pleaded, watching her eyes glow a fiery orange, as she burned his synapses and essentially fried his brain to a crisp.Jeongguk was taken aback, for he’d never witnessed an assassination in person, but he didn't allow his shock to hinder his helping the merc dispose of the body.Jeongguk lifted Jiro's corpse, while YN wiped Mistral’s memory, just as she’d done to the receptionist. Then, she grabbed Jeongguk’s duffle bag and proceeded to stealthily lead the way out of the dollhouse. Together, they managed to smuggle the Tyger’s lifeless body onto the skyscraper’s elevator, and into the trunk of YN’s car, without being caught.Neither one of them said a word, while the merc drove several miles to the outskirts of the city. They dumped Jiro’s body in the massive landfill out in the Badlands, before they hopped right back in the car, and headed straight to Judy’s apartment.She wasn’t there when they arrived, but there was a handwritten note on the kitchen counter, encouraging them to make themselves at home.
YN was the first to break the silence, by saying, “I’m gonna take a quick shower.”Jeongguk didn’t protest. In fact, he didn't really react at all, and YN didn't blame him. It’d been just another day on the job for her, but it would surely take some time for him to process everything that happened.A short while later, YN left the bathroom, dressed in the comfortable clothes she packed before the gig and the towel she wrapped her hair with. Jeongguk inadvertently provided her with the slightest bit of comfort, by softly smiling at her, as he passed her on his way to the bathroom.YN settled on the living room sofa, while Jeongguk took his turn in the shower. After which, he changed into comfortable clothes of his own, and stopped by the kitchen to retrieve a pair of beer bottles from the fridge. He used the edge of the countertop to pop the caps off both, before he joined the merc on the couch.“Thank you,” YN told him, gratefully accepting a bottle, when he offered one. “For everything.”“Don’t mention it."“That was your first time seeing someone get flatlined, wasn't it?”Jeongguk affirmatively nodded his head, staring down at the label of his beer, before he took a prolonged swig.
“I won’t apologize for killing him,” she shook her head, “but I am sorry you had to see it.”“I knew what I was getting myself into, when I agreed to help you,” he brushed it off."Still..."YN knew he was a grown man, who was capable of making decisions for himself, but even so, she couldn't help but feel wholly responsible for Jeongguk's dissociative demeanor.
After another tense pause, he inquired, "Arasaka won’t notice they’re down a Tyger?"Of course, the merc was inwardly annoyed by the mere mention of the corrupt corporation, but she refrained from venting to him about it for the time being.“Even if they notice, they’ll never know it was us. We didn't leave a trace,” YN assured him, placing her bottle on the coffee table, before she turned to face him directly. Resting a gentle hand upon the back of his larger one, she said, "trust me. We have nothing to worry about."Therefore, chock-full of adrenaline and pent up sexual frustration, Jeongguk rather hastily set his bottle beside YN’s, in favor of cupping her stunned face in his hands. He kissed her hard in the next instant, like one or both of them would be dead, come morning.Considering their circumstances, it was certainly a possibility.YN kissed him back with just as much urgency, sliding her palms upward along his pecs, in order to grab hold of his broad shoulders. She used the newfound leverage to straddle his thighs and sit in his lap, earning a keen little grin from Jeongguk, whose hands naturally found a home upon her waist.Their tongues met soon after, and YN softly moaned into his mouth, as his touch steadily migrated south, until he was firmly grasping her ass. She could feel just how hard he already was, when she experimentally began to palm him, through the soft material of his sweatpants.
“Mm,” Jeongguk pleasurably hummed, blindly reaching to remove the towel from her head, just as the front door unexpectedly opened.
“Jesus, guys,” Judy laughed, watching them immediately separate from one another, like a pair of horny teenagers who’d just been caught in the act by one of their parents. “Get a room.”Both softly panted, as they caught their breath. YN ran her fingers through her damp hair, slicking it back and out of her flushed face, while Jeongguk awkwardly leaned forward in an attempt to hide the obvious bulge of his erection.
“I had a feeling you were into each other,” Judy admitted, grabbing herself a beer from the fridge, before she joined them in the living room. “I just didn’t think it would escalate that quickly… and on my couch, no less.”“Sorry, Jude,” Jeongguk sincerely apologized.
“It won’t happen again,” YN added, much to the dismay of the man beside her.
“Relax. I’m only teasing,” Judy told them, taking a seat upon the coffee table, before she continued. “I don’t care if you guys are hooking up. I just wanna know how things went over at Clouds. Were you able to get the intel you needed?”“Yes,” YN confirmed, reaching for her beer and taking a sip, before she began to fill Judy in on the details; How the merc ended the session, and when their target attempted to run, Jeongguk sprang into action and prevented him from escaping, despite having no idea what had taken place in the minutes leading up to that moment.
“You’ve really impressed me this week,” she said to Jeongguk, "and I’d be more than happy to mention you to the fixers I work with, if that’s something you’d be interested in.”“Thank you,” he agreeably nodded. “I’d really appreciate that.”
---
The following morning, YN gathered her things and left Judy’s apartment.
Given how early it was, the merc hadn’t necessarily been expecting to run into Jeongguk out on the fire escape, where he’d been in the midst of smoking a cigarette.“Good morning,” he tiredly bid her. “Leaving so soon?”“I’ve got somewhere to be,” she answered. Regardless, when Jeongguk offered his cigarette, she decided to indulge in a puff. “Figured you guys would still be asleep.”“I tried,” he claimed, “but after a few hours, I decided to say fuck it. Came out here to watch the sunrise instead.”“Well, I hope you can get some sleep,” YN replied, taking one last drag of his cigarette, before she passed it back to him. “Thank you, again.”“You’re gonna go check out that casino, aren’t you?” Jeongguk surmised.“I am,” she admitted.“Am I ever gonna see you again?”“I really hope so.”As YN turned to make her leave, Jeongguk reached for her hand to prevent her from doing so. It didn’t take much more than that for him to persuade the merc to stick around a little longer, in favor of being passionately kissed.“Be careful,” he requested of her, upon reluctantly breaking their liplock.“I will,” she promised, causing Jeongguk’s elated grin to widen as he let her go, for YN had yet to break any one of her promises.
She summoned her silver Quadra Type-66 Avenger, while she was descending the metal steps to the parking lot behind the building. Jeongguk watched YN get in behind the wheel and peel off.“Preem,” he thought aloud, extinguishing his cigarette, before he inevitably returned to Judy’s apartment.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Love me at my lowest, I’ll love you when you’re barely holdin’ on. Lighting up the darkness. I can be a shoulder when you’re not strong.”
-Closer to You by, Jung Kook ft. Major Lazer
--- Searching the Tyger Claws’ casino had been far easier than YN expected.
She had to pay her way inside, which was certainly inconvenient, but she let it go. She could afford the entrance fee, but she couldn’t afford to lose focus. The last thing she needed was to draw unwanted attention to herself and have the entire den of Tygers descending upon her.
The merc played it cool, as she surveyed her surroundings. There were armed guards as well as several security cameras scattered throughout the casino, but other than that, security wasn’t very tight. YN discreetly scanned the cameras and disabled them, one by one, as she walked beyond the roulette tables. She spent a few eddies and played a few rounds of an arcade game in the back, while she patiently awaited an opportunity to make her next move.
A lone Tyger stood guarding the stairs to the second floor, and as soon as she thought she could get away with it, YN quick-hacked an unoccupied machine at the far side of the room. It began to malfunction, thus distracting the guard and leading him to abandon his position, in favor of checking it out. In the meantime, YN successfully managed to sneak upstairs undetected.
Slowly but surely, she worked her way to the security room, disabling cameras and avoiding Tygers along the way. She strangled the guard sitting at the computer, shoved his body out of the seat, and promptly took his place so she could begin digging through the files. She left no stone unturned in her investigation. She spent hours reading every message and cracking every encryption, until she happened upon a recently deleted conversation between Tyger Claws.
They vaguely spoke about an armored truck, which was apparently scheduled to leave Night City, the following afternoon. Although there was no further information about the truck’s cargo, its origin point, nor its exact destination, the merc had a hunch the Tygers would be using this truck to smuggle something (or someone) across the border.She followed her hunch to the Badlands, the very next day.
---
YN sat in her air-conditioned Quadra, where she parked off to the side of the interstate, in the middle of seemingly nowhere.
Surrounded by nothing but the scorching desert, it was practically impossible for her to miss something as glaringly obvious as an armored truck on its way out of the city. She scanned every one that passed, cross-checking their specifications with that of the Tygers’, until she found the one that matched.
YN immediately began to tail the truck. Using her advanced optics, she scanned through the walls of it, and the heat signatures of several people could be seen inside.Speeding up a bit, she got in front of the truck and scanned the driver through her rear-view mirror. The moment she confirmed his affiliation with the Tyger Claws, she hacked the truck and activated the emergency brake. As it came to a halt, YN made a swift U-turn and parked directly in front of it.Using her door as a makeshift shield, the merc stepped out of the car and quick-hacked the truck’s driver, as he was climbing out of it. Seconds later, he was drawing the smart pistol from his hip, bringing the barrel to his temple, and pulling the trigger against his will.
With the Tyger out of the way, YN pressed on toward the back of the truck. She cautiously drew her own gun, before she reached for the door handle and pulled it open. The people trapped inside were understandably wary of her, for they’d already been bound, gagged, and tossed in the back of a truck. There was no telling what was going to happen, now that a mercenary had unexpectedly intercepted their involuntary journey across the border.YN briefly took in each of their terrified expressions. Their ages ranged from small children to full grown adults, and when she spotted the missing teenager she’d been searching for all along, YN inwardly rejoiced at the fact that she was still alive.“Alice?” she called the teen’s name, which caused her to perk up a bit. “I’m YN. Your parents hired me to bring you home.”Alice exhaled a sigh of relief through her nose, and the others seemed to relax a bit as well, while they watched YN holster her pistol and hoist herself up into the back of the truck. She flicked open her pocket knife, with the sole intention of freeing everyone from their restraints, only for their eyes to widen with fear once more.“I’m not here to hurt anyone. I’m just trying to cut you free,” she swore, entirely unaware of the group of Tyger Claws that were steadily approaching, until she heard the telltale rumbling of their motorcycles. “Shit.” With that, YN quickly got a move on, removing the cloth gag from Alice’s mouth and cutting the rope that bound her wrists behind her back.
“Free the others, but stay put ‘til I get back,” the merc instructed, handing her knife over to the teen, who accepted it with trembling hands.“O-Okay,” Alice comprehensively nodded.
Despite the obvious state of shock she was in, she did as she was told, while YN hopped down from the truck and shut the door behind her.
She hacked her Quadra and sent it zooming into the desert, before she crawled underneath the truck, and proceeded to hold herself up against the undercarriage. Off the ground and out of sight, YN was well aware that she was vastly outnumbered and essentially cornered. There was nowhere for her to run and hardly anywhere to hide, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to stay hidden forever.
She could’ve hopped in the driver’s seat and began a high speed chase, but their assailants would catch up to them in no time. The truck might’ve been bulletproof, but it was also slow and hefty. It was highly likely the victims would be injured or far worse in the process, and the merc obviously couldn’t allow that to happen, nor could she allow the Tyger Claws to regain control of the truck.Therefore, in dire need of assistance, YN called the very first person who came to mind.
She felt a surge of relief, alongside the adrenaline that rushed through her veins, when Jeongguk’s pleasantly surprised expression appeared in the top left corner of her field of vision.“YN? Hey--” he greeted her, only to be cut off, by her immediately sharing her location with him.
Jeongguk’s brows confusedly furrowed in response to the unexpected data transference, but he listened attentively, as YN explained her situation.
“I need help,” she anxiously confessed. “I’m on the interstate, out in the Badlands, and I’m about to be swarmed by Tygers--”“On my way,” he assured her, already rushing out of his apartment, en route to his car.“Bring backup,” she implored him, right before she ended the call.YN was left with no other choice but to wait it out. While the Tyger Claws surrounded the truck and dismounted their bikes, she remained as silent as possible, hoping none of them possessed the ability to see her through the truck. They spoke amongst one another in Mandarin, while they investigated the area, until they stumbled upon the lifeless body of the truck's driver.“Come on out!” they began to taunt her, knowing the culprit couldn’t have gone far without them noticing. “Don’t be shy!”Minutes passed, which felt more like hours, before another roar of engines could be heard in the distance. This led YN and the Tygers to look toward the city, where they noticed an even larger group of vehicles approaching. Judging by their bold paint jobs and kitschy decals, the cavalry appeared to be comprised entirely of Moxes. YN easily recognized Jeongguk’s gold Quadra on the front lines, and when she zoomed in to get a closer look, a hopeful grin stretched her lips. Judy sat upon the passenger side door, with her shotgun primed and ready for battle.
The merc’s grin turned smug, for it was now the Tygers who were outmatched.
They completely disregarded the truck, in favor of hopping back on their bikes and confronting the other gangsters, roughly half a mile down the road. YN crawled out from under the truck, just as the first gunshot rang out and a firefight ensued. She couldn’t tell who shot first, and she wouldn’t be finding out anytime soon.
Before she even had a chance to draw a weapon, one of the Tygers appeared before her within the blink of an eye.“For Jiro,” he muttered, giving YN little time to react, with the way he abruptly stabbed her in the gut with one of his Mantis Blades.“F-Fuck you…” she cursed, spitting a bit of her blood at his feet, as she fell to her knees.“YN!!” Judy screamed her name amidst the chaos, when she caught sight of her friend collapsing upon the sandy asphalt. It was clear the Tyger planned to join the fight, and leave the merc to die a slow and agonizing death, but Jeongguk wasn't going to allow him the satisfaction. His implants enabled him to appear between them, just in the nick of time.
Jeongguk showed no mercy, as he grabbed a firm hold of the Tyger’s skull and crushed it with his bare hands.He’d never killed a person before, but he didn’t exactly have time to process that fact, while YN was actively bleeding out. He was kneeling at her side, in the next instant. Her eyes were wide with shock, and her vision was blurred by the tears that ran along her temples and disappeared into her hairline.When she realized he was there with her, she vulnerably whimpered, “J-Jeongguk…?”Until then, she’d only ever called him by his street name.
“It’s okay,” Jeongguk spoke as calmly as he could manage, despite visibly panicking. “You're gonna be okay--”YN cried out, after he reached for her hands and pressed them flat against her bloody abdomen, encouraging her to help him apply pressure to her wound.
“I know, baby. I'm sorry,” he frowned, feeling terrible for increasing her pain, although he knew it was absolutely necessary, if he wished to prevent her from bleeding out so quickly.Judy pulled up in his Quadra as he spoke. She hopped out from behind the wheel, and opened up the passenger door, as he was lifting YN from a pool of her own blood.“Fuck,” Judy stressfully ran her fingers through her colorful hair. “She needs a ripperdoc, bad--”“I’m taking her straight to Vik’s,” Jeongguk said, essentially running on autopilot, in his haste to place YN in the passenger seat and secure her seatbelt.“Th-There are people... in the truck,” the merc told him, as he was getting in behind the wheel. “Alice...”Jeongguk relayed the message to his gang, who stayed behind to release the Tygers' captives, while he raced against time in his valiant efforts to help save YN's life. She watched his brown eyes glow orange, as he called Viktor to warn him about their impending arrival, and the ripperdoc assured him that he would be ready and waiting.Jeongguk did his best to suppress his anxiety, as he gripped the steering wheel with shaky hands. His brows were furrowed, his jaw was set, and his knuckles were white beneath the red of the blood that stained them, as well as the car’s interior. Had it been anyone else, under any other circumstances, he would've been pissed at them for making a mess in his ride. But any irritation he felt that day had been solely reserved for the Tyger Claws.
Jeongguk was mostly scared that no matter how well he drove, or how fast, he was going to lose this race and lose YN in turn.As if she could hear his thoughts, the merc summoned enough strength to reach a hand out toward him. Jeongguk laced their fingers together without question, and there were tears in his eyes, as he dared to spare a glance at her.“You're gonna be okay,” he reiterated, even if he wasn't so sure of it at the time. “Just stay with me.”“I'm r-right here,” she weakly assured him, to which he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze.“Good. Keep talking.”“About... w-what?”“Anything,” Jeongguk shrugged because it didn't really matter what their topic of conversation was. He just needed a way of knowing if she was still conscious.
His panic increased tenfold, however, when her hand went limp in his grasp. YN didn’t respond when he called her name, either, and he spared her another glance to find that she passed out.Nevertheless, Jeongguk held her hand all the way to Vik’s.He repeatedly honked the horn, as they were closing in on their destination, urging the nearby pedestrians to move out of the way, so as to avoid getting run over. He parked in the alleyway right outside of the clinic, leaving skid marks on the pavement, before he killed the engine and rushed over to the passenger side.Some passersby were prepared to give Jeongguk a piece of their mind, but they let it go, once they realized why exactly he’d been driving so recklessly. They watched him unbuckle YN’s seatbelt, lift her unconscious body, and abandon his car in a flash. He didn’t even bother to nudge the door shut because he figured, if someone were to steal his car, then so be it.
Unlike YN, his Quadra could be replaced. Viktor had been standing at the entrance of his clinic, readily awaiting the arrival of his patient, just as he promised. He quickly stepped aside, allowing Jeongguk enough room to bring YN inside.“Set her in the chair,” the ripperdoc instructed, and Jeongguk obliged. “Now get out of here.”“Vik--” he attempted to argue against it, but it seemed Viktor wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.“That wasn’t a suggestion,” he said, selecting a set of scissors from his table of medical tools, so he could begin cutting the fabric of YN’s shirt open.“I’m not leaving her,” Jeongguk stubbornly declared, no matter how difficult it was for him to watch more of YN’s blood seep from the gaping wound in her abdomen.“Fine. Go wait next door. As soon as she’s stable, I’ll tell Misty to send you back,” Vik said, referring to the owner of the esoteric shop across the alley.
Misty’s Esoterica held an ethereally zen vibe, capable of calming even the most high strung of its patrons. Misty’s kindhearted nature in and of itself was a major factor in retaining her shop’s tranquil reputation. She was a good friend of Viktor’s, and by that point, Jeongguk knew both of them well enough to trust them.
Reluctantly, he exited the clinic, leaving the ripperdoc to do everything in his power to stabilize YN in her critical condition.Given the circumstances, Misty knew there wasn’t much that she could say or do to put Jeongguk’s mind at ease, but she didn’t need to say a word. Her simply keeping him company was enough for him.
Viktor was still operating, when Judy caught up to Jeongguk, a few hours later. She was just about to descend the steps into the clinic, when she glanced into Misty’s and spotted Jeongguk through the open doorway. He was standing before a shrine toward the back of the shop, where a large golden statue of a four-armed monk stood tall upon the table, surrounded by several burning candles. “Didn’t take you for a man of faith,” Judy gently broke the ice, leading Jeongguk’s teary-eyed gaze to meet hers.“I’m not,” he concurred, “but I might feel more inclined to believe, if she pulls through--”“When she pulls through,” she gently corrected him. “I’m no psychic, but YN’s one of the strongest people I know. No matter what the city throws at her, she always manages to bounce back--” “And if she doesn’t?” “Hermano--”
“I can’t lose her, too,” Jeongguk shook his head and closed his eyes, causing his tears to drip down his cheeks.He didn’t need to elaborate for Judy to understand what he meant; He was already losing his mother, and he didn’t think he could stand to lose anyone else.
A heavy silence fell over the pair, as the weight of his words rendered Judy momentarily speechless. She knew Jeongguk cared about YN, but it was then that she realized the merc meant far more to him than she initially thought.Judy placed a hand upon his shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze, before she segued to an entirely different topic, wishing to remain optimistic for YN’s sake.“You remember that old church in Laguna Bend? The one with the wonky bell tone?” she reminisced, earning an affirmative nod from Jeongguk. “It’s still down there, under all that water.”“How do you know?”“I’ve seen it,” Judy answered. “I suited up and took a dive one day, just to see what it was like.”“Probably a good idea to avoid that area altogether,” Jeongguk advised. “That water is toxic as fuck.”“True,” she agreed, “but it was worth it, getting to see what’s become of our old neighborhood. Surprisingly, it hasn't changed all that much. Felt like I was swimming in a time capsule.”It was clear that Jeongguk had no idea where she was going with this, however, so Judy cut straight to the chase.“You're treading toxic water,” she said, graciously thumbing the tears from his cheeks, “but you’ll never know what sort of treasure might be hiding beneath the surface, unless you suit up and dive in.”“You should consider a career in motivational speaking,” Jeongguk half-joked, and Judy considered it a victory, when the ghost of a smile stretched his lips.“Vik just called,” Misty chimed in, where she’d been sitting at her desk, unintentionally eavesdropping on their conversation. “Your friend is stable now, and you’re both welcome to go see her.”Jeongguk didn’t need to be told twice. He disappeared out of the shop, down the steps, and into the clinic, proving once again just how much he truly cared about YN.“That was beautiful,” Misty said to Judy, before she could get too far, “what you said to him just then.”“Thanks, chica,” Judy smiled.“Anytime,” Misty smiled as well, feeling glad to know YN was going to be okay, even if she hardly knew the merc. “Have a good night.”“You, too.”YN had still been unconscious when Jeongguk returned, but she was indeed stable, thanks to Viktor. He couldn’t find the words to tell Vik how grateful he was, but the ripperdoc was wise enough in his years to know Jeongguk appreciated his help without needing to be told. Viktor could see it in his eyes, from the moment he suddenly appeared in the doorway.
Jeongguk disappeared once more, then reappeared next to YN. He was taking her bloody hand in his, when Judy joined him, and both remained seated at the merc's bedside, until well after midnight.
“It’s getting pretty late,” Judy said, punctuating her statement with a yawn. “I’m gonna head home.”“If it’s alright with Vik, I’m gonna stick around,” Jeongguk decided, as he softly traced the pad of his thumb over YN’s scarred knuckles. “I want to be here when she wakes up.”“Fine by me, kid,” Viktor shrugged, where he’d been sitting at his computer on the opposite side of the room, with his eyes characteristically glued to a live boxing match.“Try to get some rest, okay?” Judy encouraged Jeongguk, giving his bicep a backhanded pat, even if they all knew he wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon. “Keep me posted.”“I will,” he nodded. “Be safe.”
---
YN regained consciousness, shortly before sunrise.Jeongguk’s eyelids were heavy, and he’d been close to falling asleep, but any and all traces of exhaustion left his body, when he felt her fingers twitch in his grasp.“YN,” he exhaled her name like a sigh of relief.“Hey,” she sleepily grinned, as she watched him stand from his seat.Reality hadn’t quite set in yet, which is why the merc attempted to sit up, only to cry out due to the pain it caused her. Then, all at once, everything that happened the day before came flooding back into the forefront of her mind.
“Fuck, that hurt,” she winced, pausing to take a deep breath, before she let Jeongguk slowly guide her upright. “Fuckin’ Tyger Claws. If they want me dead that badly, they’re gonna have to try a hell of a lot harder than a blade to the gut.” “Careful,” he said, folding her pillow in half, so she could prop herself up against it. “Don’t want to pop a stitch.”“I’ve been through worse,” YN flippantly waved it off. “This is practically a scratch.”“You almost died.”“I didn’t, though, did I?” she countered. “Because you saved my life.”“Vik did most of the hard work--”“--and he wouldn’t have been able to do anything, if you hadn’t managed to get me here in time.” Jeongguk modestly shrugged in response, finding it hard to match her optimistic energy. All he wanted to do was tell her how much it terrified him to think he was going to lose her.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, Viktor rolled over in his desk chair.
The ripperdoc introduced himself to YN, before he went on to explain what he fixed, as well as which drugs he’d be prescribing her. He told her it would take several weeks, but he was certain she would make a full recovery. She was free to go, but Viktor implored her to take it easy in the meantime.“No strenuous activities, like exercise or sex--”
“We get it, Vik,” Jeongguk droned, crossing his arms over his chest with a roll of his eyes.“--and I’d highly recommend having someone there to help take care of you.”“I don't need anyone to take care of me,” YN claimed, but Jeongguk was quick to call her on her bluff.“Bullshit,” he scoffed, which Viktor took as his cue to roll himself out of the room. “You’re coming home with me.”“You saved my life. You’ve done enough already,” the merc argued, “and I don’t enjoy owing people favors.”“YN, you don't owe me a thing,” Jeongguk shook his head, looking her in the eye to convey his sincerity, as he took a seat upon the edge of the bed. “I saved your life because it was the right thing to do--”“Jeongguk--” she sighed, but he cut her off before she could continue arguing with him.
“--and I can’t stand the thought of losing you,” he concluded, causing her features to soften with his brave confession. “Let me take care of you.”YN didn’t know many people who were kind for the sake of being kind, but Jeongguk was clearly determined to prove that he was one of them.“Okay,” she gave in, figuring it was only fair that she give him a chance.That's when Viktor returned on foot, pushing an empty wheelchair in front of him. YN quietly hissed, as she wrapped her arms around Jeongguk’s neck, allowing him to lift her from the bed and gently place her in the seat.
“What’s the damage, doc?” she asked Viktor, wondering how much she owed him for all the work he did.“Ask me again, when you’re back on your feet,” he told her, setting a bagful of prescription meds in her lap, before he promptly sent them on their way.
Jeongguk carried YN up the stairs, wheelchair and all, then set her down in the alleyway. She was glad she was facing away from him, as he rolled her toward his car, because it meant he couldn’t see the way her cheeks flushed in response to his show of strength.“Sheesh,” YN cringed, after Jeongguk placed her in the passenger seat. She assumed she passed out from shock. She hadn’t realized how much blood she lost on the way to Vik’s. Coupled with the amount she lost on the interstate, it was really no wonder why Jeongguk claimed she nearly died.
He folded her wheelchair and stored it in the trunk, before he got in the car and took off toward his apartment. It was a good thing Kabuki was just a stone’s throw away from Little China, considering Jeongguk hadn’t slept in over 24 hours. YN inadvertently helped him stay awake by talking with him as he drove.“I’m sorry for fucking up your ride,” she apologized, but he shrugged it off, as per usual.“A choom of mine’s gonna detail it for me,” he informed her. “I’m gonna drop it off at his shop this afternoon and take my motorcycle to Lizzie’s from there.” “Nova,” she nodded. “What about Alice and the others?” “The Mox brought ‘em all home, while I brought you to Vik’s.”“Good,” YN relaxed a bit, letting her head loll back against the leather seat, as she felt the weight of it all lifting from her shoulders. “Glad to hear I didn’t almost die for nothing.”They took the elevator up to Jeongguk’s apartment, once they reached his complex, and as he was unlocking the front door, he offered to start the shower for her.YN agreed, "on one condition.”“And what would that be?” he wondered, sporting an amused expression, as he wheeled her into the bathroom.“You have to join me.”“Oh?”
“To conserve water and whatnot.”“You know,” he dipped his head down to speak near her ear, “if you wanted to see me naked, you could’ve just said so.”“Doc said no sex,” she reminded him. “Now help me out of these clothes.”“Bossy,” he called her, taking both of her hands in his, so he could gently pull her onto her feet.“You’re the one who volunteered to be my caretaker.”“Touché.”Jeongguk hooked one of YN's arms around the back of his neck, allowing her to lean against him, while they walked toward the shower, one slow step at a time. He started the water, and while it was warming up, he removed the plain white tank top YN was wearing.Viktor had to cut the merc’s top in order to operate on her, but he replaced it with one of his own, as soon as he was finished stitching her back together. Her midriff was wrapped in several layers of gauze, which Jeongguk left alone, in favor of unclasping her bra. She held onto his shoulders for support, when he knelt down to help her step out of her pants.When YN pictured him undressing her for the first time, she didn’t think to consider the probability of her being in recovery for an injury that nearly took her life. In hindsight, it wasn’t all that surprising to either one of them. Her line of work was incredibly dangerous and life-threatening injuries came with the territory.
You reap what you sow and all that jazz.Regardless, she felt disappointed that of all the times she could barely have the strength to walk on her own, it had to be then. Had she been right as rain, she would’ve climbed Jeongguk like a tree, the moment they set foot in the elevator. The way he mischievously smiled at her, as he was sliding her panties down her legs, certainly wasn’t helping. “Don’t do that,” YN whined, avoiding eye contact with him when he stood up straight, causing her hands to fall from his shoulders to his pecs.“Do what?” he teased, using the side of his index finger to tilt her chin upward, so she’d meet his gaze again.“That!” “I can't look at you?”“No!” she adorably giggled.“Fine,” Jeongguk laughed with her, covering his eyes with one hand, while the other reached past the shower curtain to check the temperature of the water. Deeming it warm enough, he helped YN step into the tub, then he gave her a moment alone, so he could undress.Placing her palms on the wall to steady herself, the merc faced the shower head, allowing the water to begin washing all of the blood and grime from the day before down the drain. When the curtain eventually opened, and Jeongguk stepped in behind her, she slowly turned to face him instead.“Here, let me,” he insisted, removing most of the distance between them, as he reached above her to unhook the shower head from the wall.YN didn’t protest against him manually rinsing her, then himself, before he put the shower head back. He was careful to avoid her middle, while he used a soapy loofah to scrub her down, and he watched her eyelids blissfully flutter shut, as he was lathering her hair with shampoo.While the water washed the suds away, Jeongguk brought YN into his embrace, and she tiredly let the side of her head come to rest against his chest, feeling him rub a soothing hand up and down her back. He only pulled away to finish washing up, and as soon as they were both squeaky clean, he shut the water off.Jeongguk secured a towel around his waist, and wrapped another around YN’s shoulders, before he helped her step out of the shower and take a seat upon the edge of the tub.“I’ll be right back,” he said, before he left the bathroom. Dressed in a snug pair of boxers, Jeongguk soon returned with a baggy t-shirt in his hand, as well as a pair of basketball shorts and some briefs for YN to wear, once she was dry.“You see what happened to the Tyger who did this to me?” she curiously inquired, holding the hem of her shirt up, so he could unravel the gauze around her waist.“I killed him,” Jeongguk revealed. “Crushed his head in my hands like a soda can.”“Fuck…” the merc winced, trying not to move too much, as he replaced her bandages, using what he had in his first-aid kit. “He tried to kill you?”“He tried to kill you,” Jeongguk clarified, causing YN's brows to raise and her lips to part, for she hadn’t expected to hear him say he killed a man for her. “I wasn’t about to let him get away with it.” Jeongguk wrapped her middle with fresh gauze, before he made them something quick to eat. They enjoyed their meal in a peaceful silence on his living room sofa, and when they were finished, Jeongguk offered up his bed. He said he’d sleep on the couch, and YN thought it was cute of him to be nervous about sleeping next to her. Especially since they’d been naked together in the shower, less than an hour beforehand.“You don't want to sleep with me?” she playfully pouted, as he was carrying her to his bed.“I do,” he assured her, peeling the blankets back, before he laid her down.“Come on then,” she easily persuaded him, patting the opposite side of the bed with her palm.“Okay.”Jeongguk joined YN between the sheets and felt his heart swell with endearment, when she immediately cuddled up to his side. He brought his tattooed arm around her, prompting her to lay her head on his shoulder, and he appreciatively hummed, as she began to trace her fingertips along the bare skin of his chest.“Goodnight, Jeongguk,” she bid him, despite the sunlight peeking through the blinds.“Goodnight, YN,” he smiled, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of her head, all before he finally allowed his exhaustion to overtake him.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Kiss me right where it hurts. Wash away all the falling dust. Worried I’ll make you worse, but you’re teaching me how to trust in us.”
-Mercurial World by, Magdalena Bay
--- Jeongguk woke up before YN, shortly after noon.
Reluctantly, he slipped out of bed and started getting ready for work, being careful not to wake her in the process. He had to leave earlier than usual, so he’d have enough time to bring his car to get detailed, before he had to clock in. Still, he took a moment to admire the sight of her sleeping soundly in his bed, feeling compelled to give her a gentle kiss on the cheek, before he forced himself to leave the apartment.When YN eventually stirred awake and realized the other side of the bed was empty, she felt a pang of disappointment in her chest, as she assumed Jeongguk must’ve already left. Her assumption was proven correct, when she checked her messages to find that he texted her.JK: Left for work Make yourself at home YN: Okay. Hope you have a good day JK: Would be even better if I was there with you
YN:
Cute :)
JK::) I should be back before midnightYN: See you thenStay safeJK: Sure thing baby Call me if you need anything YN bit back the smile he put on her face, even if he couldn’t see it. Things between them had become so domestic, and she wasn’t accustomed to it at all, but Jeongguk made her feel like she could get used to it.
Though, she donned her best poker face, not wishing to appear like some sort of lovesick teenager, when she called Wakako. Having already heard about what happened the day before, the fixer offered her sympathies for the merc’s injuries, but YN naturally brushed it off, as she was carefully sitting upright.“It’s all part of the job,” she said, and Wakako commended her for her toughness, before she transferred her fee, along with an ample bonus.Apparently, the families of the victims got together and decided to reward YN for her heroic deed. After all, she’d only been tasked with saving a single person, and yet, she managed to help several others escape captivity as well. Not to mention, she nearly lost her life in the process.It was safe to say, YN’s street cred had increased immensely.“As always, it’s been a pleasure doing business,” Wakako bid her, but just before she could hang up, YN made sure to mention that she didn’t do it alone. “Yes, I heard you had some help from the Mox--”“I mean, I had a partner,” she clarified, leading the fixer’s brows to raise out of surprise, as YN proceeded to tell Wakako all about Jeongguk, his skillset, and everything he did to help her locate Alice.
In all of the years they’d known each other, the merc had never spoken so highly of anyone else. She always preferred to work alone, as opposed to running with a crew. Especially after what happened to David Martinez and his crew, the year before. That’d really solidified YN’s status as a lone wolf. “I’ll be sure to keep this JK in mind,” Wakako promised, appearing to have a genuine interest in working with the person who single-handedly managed to enlighten YN about the benefits of having a partner in crime. “Until next time.” Immediately after Wakako hung up, YN called Jeongguk, who’d been dutifully standing guard outside the front doors of Lizzie’s. “Hey,” he answered on the first ring. With a concerned look on his face, he asked, “is everything okay?”“Everything’s fine,” she assured him, which caused him to visibly relax. “Just got off the phone with Wakako. Figured I ought to wire your half of the fee.”YN amusedly grinned, as Jeongguk’s eyes comically widened, in response to the amount of money she promptly deposited into his account.“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining at all, but this kind of seems like a lot…?” “I threw in the reward money from the victims' families,” she nonchalantly explained.“You gave me all of it??”
“Consider it a token of my gratitude.”“YN, I couldn’t possibly--” Jeongguk attempted to deny the full reward, but she wouldn’t let him.
“Give some to your choom, for detailing my blood out of your car,” she suggested. “Just don’t make me regret telling Wakako about you. I do have a reputation to maintain.”“I should’ve started edgerunning a long time ago,” he half-joked, earning a laugh from YN, who felt a sharp jolt of pain shoot through her abdomen. She winced because of it and Jeongguk’s expression turned serious again. He hated to see her in pain. “You know where your meds are?”“Yeah,” she nodded, already carefully getting out of bed, so she could take them. She grabbed the bag of medications from Vik, which had been sitting on the nightstand, before she slowly made her way to the kitchen.
“Want me to come home?” Jeongguk offered, partly because he was looking for just about any excuse to spend more time with her, but mostly because he wanted her to know how serious he was about taking care of her. He was fully prepared to clock out early, and head back home to continue nursing YN back to health, even if that was a sure-fire way to get an earful from Susie Q. “Just say the word.”“I already told you, everything’s fine,” the merc dismissively shook her head, as she was grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, “but it’s nice to know you’re so worried about me.”“I am very worried,” Jeongguk shamelessly admitted, “but I also need you to hurry and recover, so I can take you out again.” “I knew you had ulterior motives,” YN teased, popping the appropriate pills in her mouth, before she washed them down with a drink of water. “Are we calling it a date this time?”“Yes,” he confidently grinned, leading her to do the same.“Okay. Name the time and place.”“Lizzie’s. This Friday.” “For drinking or braindancing?”“How about a secret third thing?”“It’s a date,” YN agreeably nodded her head, knowing that no matter what Jeongguk had in mind, she could count on him to show her a good time.--- Friday afternoon, while Jeongguk was still at work, YN left his apartment, summoned her Quadra, and drove to her hideout in Northside.
She listened to her favorite local radio station, as she took her time pampering herself and gussying up for their date. She went through the steps of her skincare routine (which she’d admittedly been neglecting as of late), did her hair and makeup, then changed into something sexy. She walked through a spritz of her perfume, and gave herself a quick once over in her bathroom mirror, for good measure.YN’s lips stretched into a self-assured smirk because she knew she looked good, but she soon abandoned her reflection, in favor of heading to Lizzie’s. Jeongguk was scheduled to clock out soon, and she’d been half expecting to run into him at the door, but the merc was met with a pair of unfamiliar Moxes instead. “Hey, gorgeous,” one of the bouncers greeted her. “First time at Lizzie’s?” “Nah,” she answered. “I’m here to see JK, when he’s off.”“Head on in,” they stepped aside, boosting her ego even further by unabashedly checking her out, as she passed them by. “We’ll let him know you’re here.”YN made her way around the dance floor to the bar, where she ordered herself a drink to try and calm her nerves. She might’ve been confident about her looks, but she could hardly even remember the last time she went on a date with someone.
Sure, she’d gone out with Jeongguk before (multiple times, in fact), but this time was entirely different. This time, they were more than mere acquaintances, who agreed to complete a gig together. They were friends, whose relationship had been teetering along the fine line between platonic and romantic, ever since the night they made out with one another on Judy’s couch.Jeongguk had been in the employee dressing room, changing into the outfit he packed for their date, when he’d been informed that someone was there to see him. He quickly finished up and left the room, in favor of searching the club for his visitor. He nearly tripped over his own feet, however, when he spotted YN sitting at the bar, sipping from her glassful of liquid courage, beneath the neon lights overhead.She wore a form fitting top with a sweetheart neckline, which revealed a tasteful amount of her cleavage, a mini skirt that accentuated her legs, and a pair of heels that matched her top. Jeongguk wouldn’t have faulted her for it, if she chose to dress comfortably that night, but he certainly wasn’t going to complain about her appearance because, to put it quite frankly, he thought she looked fine as hell.
YN clearly felt the same way about him, if the way her teeth sunk into her glossy lower lip when she spotted him from across the club was anything to go off of. He was typically dressed in all black, from his t-shirt and jeans, to his leather boots and jacket, as well as the beanie he was wearing the day they first met.
“Hey,” Jeongguk greeted YN with a hug, and he smelled so good, she had to refrain from disappointedly pouting when they inevitably let go of one another. “Did you drive here?”“I walked, actually,” she joked, causing him to knowingly tilt his head to the side. “Yes, I drove.”“In those?” he raised a brow, gesturing to her heels.
“I took them off…”Instead of lecturing her about driving without shoes on, however, Jeongguk simply smiled at her, saying, “well, either way, you look hot.”“So do you,” she returned the compliment, leading his smile to turn smug, as he took one of her hands in his.
“Ready?” he asked, catching YN a little off guard, as she hadn’t necessarily been expecting to leave Lizzie’s.
Though, she wasn’t against the idea, and she was certainly curious to find out what Jeongguk had in store for the two of them, so she let him lead her out of the club altogether.“Where are we headed?” she wondered, following him to the sidewalk, where he summoned his freshly-detailed Quadra. “You’ll see,” he told her, watching her face light up, when the car pulled itself up to the curb.“She’s out of the shop!” YN cheered.“Just in time for our date,” Jeongguk smiled, as he chivalrously opened the passenger door for her to get in.The merc was pleased to see the interior didn’t look like a crime scene anymore. In fact, it looked good as new, and she made sure to let Jeongguk know, as soon as he got in behind the wheel.“Your choom really knows what he’s doing.”“Yeah, he does," he agreed, resting a hand upon her bare thigh, where she let it remain, until they arrived at their destination--Pacifica Pier. As he was helping her step out of the car without flashing anybody, YN thought aloud, “I think that's the first time I’ve seen you drive without speeding.”“No reason to rush this time,” Jeongguk shrugged, lacing their fingers together, before he began to lead the way down to the beach.They removed their shoes, opting to carry them in their free hands, while they walked across the sand. There were vendors stationed along the shoreline, selling food, drinks, clothes and various trinkets. Some people were building sand castles, while others were chatting, drinking, and/or dancing with one another to the upbeat music playing over the loudspeakers.
A stage had been set up, and a few techies were clearly in the midst of preparing it for some sort of performance, but no matter how many times YN asked him about it, Jeongguk refused to spoil the surprise. He could be rather stubborn when he wanted, but the merc soon realized it was just one of the many aspects of his personality that drew her to him, like a moth to a flame. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, appearing as though it was slowly sinking into the ocean, when they found an unoccupied table off to the side of the stage. Jeongguk momentarily left to fetch them both a drink and something to eat, while they waited for the performance to begin.YN was healing quickly, and feeling better every day, but they both knew she still had a ways to go before she'd be fully recovered. That’s why she agreed to stay put, and hold Jeongguk’s seat for him, until he returned.
The show began once night fell, and a rookie group of rappers performed first. They were decent, but they clearly had some work to do, if they wished to make it big.
YN tried her best not to seem rude, when she asked Jeongguk, “was that it…?”“Oh, no,” he amusedly chuckled around a sip of his drink. “This is it.” YN easily put two and two together, when a trio of Moxes promptly took the rookies’ place onstage; Jeongguk had taken her to see his friends compete in an underground rap battle.RM, Suga, and J-Hope performed a medley of tracks with a mixture of English and Korean lyrics. They had excellent chemistry and phenomenal stage presence, and it was obvious they had the competition on lock. The crowd was far more energetic than it had been, during the previous act.
When their performance ended, the audience gave them a well-deserved round of applause. YN joined everyone on their feet, supportively clapping her hands. Jeongguk even went so far as to stand on his chair, place the tips of his thumb and forefinger in his mouth, and whistle as loudly as he could manage.
The trio humbly bowed, receiving their prize money, as they left the stage. Upbeat music continued playing over the speakers, while a DJ began to set up his booth.As the Moxes were walking by, Jeongguk called out, “hyung!” prompting the three of them to crane their heads in his direction. Their elated grins widened, when they realized he was there, and they immediately moved to join him and his date at their table.“YN, this is Namjoon, Yoongi, and Hoseok,” Jeongguk proudly introduced them. “They were part of the crew that brought Alice and the others back to their families.”“It’s nice to officially meet you,” Namjoon told the merc, offering her a respectful nod that she sincerely returned.“Likewise. Thank you all so much for your help,” she said, “and congrats on the win. You guys were incredible.”“Thanks,” Hoseok grinned. “You seem to be recovering well.”“I am,” YN nodded once more.“Glad to hear it,” Yoongi spoke up. “From the way JK’s been moping around at work, we were beginning to worry you might’ve taken a turn for the worse.”“Hyung,” Jeongguk huffed, with an embarrassed flush to his cheeks.“Well, we should probably get a move on,” Namjoon stepped in to try and spare the younger man any further humiliation. “Enjoy the rest of your night, you two.”“Later!” YN waved the three of them goodbye, before she knocked back the rest of her drink, took Jeongguk’s hand in hers, and led him over to the edge of the crowd.
Feeling both protective and possessive of her, Jeongguk essentially glued himself to YN, while they danced to the electronic beats of the DJ’s set. She faced away from him at first, winding her hips and enticing him to grind with her. That was, until he eventually took it upon himself to turn her around.Their eyes met, they smiled at one another, and just like that, the rest of the world seemed to disappear.
To anyone else, they were just an ordinary couple of lovebirds (as opposed to a cutthroat mercenary and an iron-willed gangster) out on their first official date, which made it that much easier for the pair to set their respective responsibilities on the back burner for the time being.Unable to resist the temptation any longer, Jeongguk kissed YN, who draped her arms over his shoulders and stood on her toes, in favor of sensually kissing him back.It was no surprise to either one of them, how soon they ended up heading back to his apartment.They struggled to keep their hands to themselves in the car, but as soon as they set foot in the elevator, it was open season. YN grasped the collar of Jeongguk’s shirt and drove him into the corner. He couldn’t help but smirk into their next kiss, feeling her playfully nibble his lower lip, before she began to tease his tongue with the tip of her own.It wasn’t often that YN allowed anyone to get this close to her, and most of her previous partners ran for the hills, once they found out what she did for a living, but Jeongguk wasn’t going anywhere. If anything, it only made him want her even more, knowing she trusted him enough to let him knock her walls down and be with her on such an intimate level.He knew what the merc was capable of, how dangerous she was, and that she could end his life in a heartbeat, if she wanted. Regardless, he let her pin him to the spot and kiss him breathless, while he blindly reached for the touchscreen button that would send the elevator up to the correct floor.YN only pulled away, when the doors split apart to let them out. She gestured for Jeongguk to lead the way, but he did her one better. He noticed the way she reacted whenever he did any sort of heavy lifting, which is why he decided to pick her up and carry her down the hall instead.
One second they were standing in the elevator, and the next, YN found herself clinging to Jeongguk’s torso like a koala, while he unlocked his front door. He brought her straight to his desk, and she delightedly laughed, as he carelessly swiped everything off the surface, before he placed her upon it.
They wanted one another so badly, they didn’t even bother taking all of their clothes off. YN hastily undid Jeongguk’s belt buckle, then the button and zipper of his pants, while he hiked the hem of her skirt up and slipped the crotch of her panties to the side. She pleasurably gasped, feeling him press two of his fingers inside of her, as she reached beyond the elastic waistline of his boxers and wrapped her fingers around his prominent erection.“Should I grab a condom?” Jeongguk asked, peppering her throat with open-mouthed kisses, while they began to get one another off in tandem.“D-Don’t have to,” YN stuttered, as his free hand tugged the bust of her top down, just far enough to reveal her breasts. “I have a contraceptive implant.”“Fuck,” he all but growled at the thought of fucking her without any sort of barrier in the way. Though, regardless of how excited he was, he double checked. “You sure?” “Jeongguk, please, just fuck me,” she pleaded, with her eyes and her voice.How could he possibly deny her, when she looked at him like that? “Okay,” he grinned, removing his fingers from her, in order to push his pants and boxers down to his thighs. He wasted little time fulfilling her request, by feeding the head of his cock to her weeping pussy.Jeongguk took it easy at first because, not only was YN still healing, she was tighter than a vice. Inch by inch, he slowly pressed deeper, stretching her open and giving her walls a moment to adjust to his size, once he bottomed out completely.
All the while, they held one another close and locked lips, like their lives depended on it.
“Tell me… if it hurts,” Jeongguk spoke to her between kisses. “I’ll stop.”“I’m okay,” YN assured him, whereupon they both glanced down to watch him draw his hips back, then subsequently thrust them forward.“God,” he blissfully sighed, cupping her breasts in his hands, before he dipped his head down to suck one of her peaked nipples into his mouth.“Feels so good,” she whimpered, kicking her heels off and crossing her ankles behind his back, so as to bring him even closer.“Mm,” Jeongguk hummed in response to her praise, turning his head to give her other nipple some attention.“You can go faster… harder,” she told him. “I can take it.” Therefore, using his implants to hasten his movements once again, Jeongguk lifted YN off the desk and brought her over to the couch in the living room. He laid her flat upon her back, removed her panties, and swiftly tossed them aside, before he pressed back inside of her. His teeth raked over his lower lip, as he picked up the pace, watching her tits bounce in time with each forceful thrust of his hips.“Touch yourself,” he said, and YN was more than happy to oblige. She slipped two of her fingers into her mouth, ensuring they were nice and wet, before she brought them between her thighs. Her fingertips circled her clit, and the sound of her brazen moans melodically echoing off the ceiling was like music to his ears. “Good girl.”Jeongguk was positive he was going to receive a noise complaint, but he couldn't have cared less. His top priority that night had been to please YN. Given that her back arched off the couch, and her voice raised (in both pitch and volume), as he was avidly pounding her into the cushions, Jeongguk figured he must’ve been doing a pretty decent job.
Besides, this was the first time in a while that he’d gotten laid without his doll chip being active, and he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to let himself enjoy it.
YN's free hand reached for the thick silver chains around his neck, which she used to guide him down for another series of tender kisses. Their lips met, their tongues danced, and Jeongguk only pulled away, when they could no longer breathe.“You’re so good,” she panted, letting go of his chains and allowing them to dangle freely in the space between them, while she caressed his scarred cheek instead. “S-So good to me, baby.”Ever the hopeless romantic he was, Jeongguk wore an enamored smile in response to the pet name, as he turned his head just enough to press an appreciative kiss to her palm. She teased the pad of her thumb along the parted seam of his lips, so he took the digit into his mouth and gently suckled, earning himself a playful giggle from YN.
When he opted to sit up straight and shrug his jacket off, she let her hand fall to Jeongguk's chest. Her fingertips brushed downward along the length of his clothed torso, before she self-indulgently slipped them beneath the hem of his t-shirt. His tan skin was hot to the touch, and his chiseled abs repeatedly flexed, as he pistoned his hips forward.Keeping YN’s thighs spread with one hand, Jeongguk used the other to nudge hers away from her pussy. She watched him lick the pad of his own thumb, before he began to massage her clit with it, causing her to toss her head back with an alluring moan.It was difficult for the merc to refrain from feeling like a total pillow princess, as Jeongguk was doing the vast majority of the work, but who could really blame her for behaving as such, when Vik said she wasn’t even supposed to be having sex in the first place?
YN figured what the ripperdoc didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, as she surrendered her body to Jeongguk entirely, finding herself thinking she’d allow him to do virtually anything he wanted to her, so long as he stayed in her good graces.
“Fuck!” she cursed at the ceiling, when he leaned back and changed the angle of his hips. “There!” “Yeah?” Jeongguk groaned, feeling her tighten around him. “Want me there?”“Yes! Please, don’t stop!”“Didn’t plan to,” he assured her, rolling his hips, playing with her clit, and feeling her tighten around him the longer he kept at it. “Wanna make you cum first.”“Jeongguk!” YN cried his name, for he did exactly what he set out to do, with just a few more well-aimed thrusts of his hips. “Just like that,” he victoriously smirked, watching her fall apart beneath him (because of him), as he graciously fucked her through it. “Fuck, I’m so close.” “Cum for me,” she mewled, due to the overstimulation.Jeongguk nearly busted right then and there because of it, but he managed to hold out just a little bit longer.“Wh-Where should I--?”“Baby, cum for me,” YN insisted, and that was all the permission he needed to finish inside of her.
“Mm,” he moaned against her lips, having leaned in to kiss her, whilst he rode out the aftershocks of his orgasm. He checked on her as well because he didn’t fail to notice the way she winced, as he was pulling out. “You okay?”“I’m fantastic,” she beamed, keenly accepting the helping hands he used to guide her on top of him.
Both were glowing amidst their post-coital bliss, as YN laid upon Jeongguk's chest, listening to the sound of his heart rapidly beating against her cheek, while they steadily caught their breath.When he reached for her hand in order to spontaneously transfer a digital copy of his apartment key, however, the merc was obviously taken aback, so Jeongguk quickly began to explain.“I know what it looks like, but I don’t expect you to drop everything and move in,” he shook his head, after she lifted hers, in favor of curiously meeting his gaze. “I just want you to know, you’re welcome here anytime. Whether you need a place to lay low, or you simply feel like saying hi.”"And if I feel like getting my brains fucked out again…?” she wondered.“I’m your man,” Jeongguk smoothly replied. “All you have to do is ask.”My man, huh? YN thought to herself, I could definitely get used to this.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“An eye for an eye. A life for a life. I’ll see you in Hell on the other side.”
-Eye For An Eye by, Rina Sawayama
---
Even after she made a full recovery, YN preferred to spend her nights with Jeongguk in his apartment. But the merc would almost always be gone by morning, and by this point, Jeongguk had grown accustomed to waking up alone again.
Despite how much it disappointed him to wake up without her by his side, he never complained. Though, he also couldn’t deny how much it worried him, sometimes going days without hearing a single word from her. Jeongguk knew they weren’t exclusive, and that YN didn’t owe him a thing, but he’d certainly sleep a lot better at night, if he knew she was alive, at the very least.
It was never in her intentions to worry him, which is why she allowed Jeongguk to assume she was simply busy completing ordinary gigs around the city. It wasn’t all that far from the truth, anyhow. The only real difference being, it had been a few weeks since YN had accepted a gig from any one of the fixers she worked with. Instead, she’d been discreetly carrying out missions of her own, with the intention of gathering more intel about the fate of her parents.
This is ultimately what led the merc to take what was, without a doubt, one of the biggest risks she’d ever taken in her career; YN managed to infiltrate Arasaka HQ, wherein she investigated her father’s final workplace, and promptly klepped any and all data pertaining to her parents. She made it out of the building unscathed, and with Judy’s help, they spent the entire weekend sifting through said data, searching for any sort of lead they could find.It was early one Monday morning, when Judy happened upon a questionable thread of emails, between YN’s father and one of his fellow Arasaka elites. The merc’s brows furrowed and her jaw set tight, as she scrolled through each and every message, only to discover that her father had apparently been cheating on her mother with one of his coworkers.For several months, they blatantly flirted with one another, agreed to meet up after their shifts, and attempted to hide their affair, by communicating via their work emails as opposed to their personal addresses.Needless to say, YN was beyond pissed off about her father’s infidelity, but she did her best to keep her cool, as she made sure to politely thank Judy for her help, all before she made her leave. She figured she ought to channel her anger toward something productive, and what better way for her to go about doing so than digging for more details about her father’s mistress?YN was wholeheartedly determined to get to the bottom of all of this, for both of her parents’ sakes. Because her father may have been unfaithful, but she didn’t believe that meant he deserved to die.
Besides, she'd already come too far, and risked too much, to sit back and allow all of her hard work and dedication to be for nought. One way or another, she was going to find the answers to all of the questions she’d been asking herself for years on end.It didn’t take much effort for YN to find the penthouse her father’s mistress lived in, nor did it take much effort for the merc to let herself inside, through a hatch on the roof of the building. YN disabled the security system, before she essentially turned the entire place inside out, searching for clues and stealing whatever she pleased along the way.Though, it was in the bedroom, beneath the false-bottom drawer of the nightstand, where YN found an illegal braindance (XBD)--the title of which happened to be the exact date of her parents’ death.
Fortunately, she knew better than to load up a random braindance and watch it, without at least consulting a trustworthy braindance technician first. Especially not an XBD. That was a rookie mistake YN wisely refused to make. Despite the risks, Judy was more than happy to edit said XBD from the comfort of her in-home studio, if it meant she’d be helping the merc get that much closer to cracking this murder mystery.Unfortunately for Jeongguk, this meant he’d be going another night without hearing from YN, seeing as she passed out on Judy’s living room sofa, while the technician worked overnight to fine-tune the XBD. Shortly after sunrise, however, Judy woke YN by placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.Judging by the somber expression on Judy’s face, whatever was on that XBD obviously wasn’t pleasant, and it only served to make YN feel all the more reluctant to watch it. Either way, she bravely followed Judy into her studio, and took a seat in the chair on the far side of the room. YN accepted the braindance wreath from Judy and placed it on her head, inhaling a deep breath and sighing on the exhale, before she nodded her head to show that she was as ready as she was going to get.Judy told YN to, “brace yourself…” which did nothing to help ease her nerves. “You shouldn’t feel any physical pain, but… it’s not gonna be pretty.”“Great,” was the merc's sarcastic reply. “Fire it up. Let’s get this over with.”Judy agreeably nodded, her brown eyes glowing blue, as the XBD began to play. YN immediately recognized Arasaka HQ as the location of the recording, considering she’d successfully infiltrated the building a few days prior.
She could also feel the heartbroken rage of the person who recorded the XBD, as they took an elevator up to one of the building’s highest floors, and marched down the hallway to the door labeled with her father’s full name and rank. Without knocking, they let themselves into his office, wherein he was caught in the act with his mistress. He’d been in the midst of fucking her over his desk, but he quickly withdrew himself and pulled up his slacks, with a startled expression on his face.The person recording exclaimed, “I knew it!!” and that’s when YN realized, she was experiencing the minutes leading up to her parents’ deaths, through her mother's point of view.She must’ve known about her husband’s infidelity for some time, to have felt compelled to record herself not only walking in on him and his mistress, but pulling a gun on them as well. Blinded by the pain of his betrayal, she saw red, as she drew her pistol and aimed for her husband’s heart. But she hesitated, and in that split second, his mistress seized the opportunity to snatch the smart pistol from his desk drawer, aim it at his wife, and pull the trigger without a second thought.“NO!!” YN’s father screamed, as he watched his wife subsequently drop to her knees and collapse upon the floor. As she wheezed and gasped for air, her blood stained the carpet crimson red, and her trembling hands fruitlessly attempted to apply pressure to the wound in her chest.
It was a good thing Judy adjusted the settings and made it impossible for YN to feel the full extent of the physical pain her mother felt that day. Regardless, the merc was painfully aware that the dull, splitting ache of her heart couldn’t possibly hold a candle to getting shot in the lung.
Through her mother’s bleary gaze, fading in and out of focus, YN watched her father attempt to strangle his mistress in retaliation. He furiously lunged at her, wrapped his hands around her neck, and began to squeeze the life out of her. Before he could do so, his mistress crippled his movement with a quick-hack, rendering him temporarily incapable of moving. Then, she pressed the barrel of his smart pistol against his chest and pulled the trigger.
In his final moments, YN’s father apologized profusely, as he struggled to crawl toward his wife. He sobbed and sputtered, splattering drops of his blood on his chin, only for his mistress to silence him for good with a bullet to the back of his head.
In her final moments, YN’s mother weakly reached a hand out toward her husband’s corpse, and gently caressed his cheek, just as a squad of Arasaka security guards burst into the room. Another gunshot rang out, at which point the recording glitched and abruptly ended, making it clear that one of the guards shot her in the head.It was also clear that the corporation then proceeded to cover it all up, for there was no way in hell they would ever willingly risk further damage to their controversial reputation, by allowing any of this to go public. YN knew Arasaka must've stolen the recording from the remnants of her mother’s brain, before they went about disposing of her parents’ bodies. This XBD surely wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
As soon as the recording ended, Judy quickly shut it down, bringing YN back to reality.“Fuck!” she panted, sitting up straight and stressfully running her fingers through her hair, once Judy kindly removed the braindance wreath from her head.
“I know. Just breathe,” Judy attempted to console her, but to no avail.Before she could manage to get another word in, YN swiftly got to her feet and rushed out of Judy's apartment. Instead of summoning her Quadra, she opted to go for a walk amidst her state of shock, without any specific destination in mind.A few blocks down the road, her eyes welled with tears, and she couldn’t help but cry. She hadn’t felt this overwhelmed in a long time, and that was really saying something. She also wasn’t used to crying on peoples’ shoulders, which is part of the reason why she bolted out of Judy’s apartment, before she could be caught shedding a single tear.YN walked several more blocks, before she finally began to accept the fact that a dependable shoulder just might've been exactly what she needed to help her cope. Although, she couldn’t bring herself to go back to Judy’s apartment right away--not after what she’d just experienced.It seemed there was only one person her aching heart longed to heal with. YN didn’t think she deserved his attention, after she spent the last several days ghosting him, but she called him anyway.As per usual, Jeongguk answered on the first ring.“Oh, baby,” he sympathetically frowned, upon taking one look at her mournful expression. He’d never seen her so sad before. “What’s the matter?”“I need you,” she brokenly confessed, and that was all Jeongguk needed to hear, for him to come rushing to her aid once again.He asked her to send her location, and as soon as she did, he was on his way to pick her up. A few minutes later, Jeongguk pulled up to the curb, parked his car, and left it behind, in favor of enveloping YN in his comforting embrace.
“I-It’s my parents,” she began to explain what happened, resting her forehead against his chest, while he held her close. “I found this XBD my mom recorded. I-I guess my dad was having an affair and she found out. She walked in on him and his side bitch, and then she pulled a gun on him, and--”“It’s okay,” Jeongguk gently interrupted, even going so far as to cradle the back of her head in his palm. “You don’t have to tell me, if--”“No, I…” she sorrowfully shook her head. “I need to say it.”“Okay,” he understandingly nodded. “I’m listening.”YN had never opened up to him like this before, but she was determined to see it through, and it made Jeongguk realize how much she truly trusted him.By the time she concluded her explanation, the merc was quietly sobbing against his chest. Her tears were undoubtedly beginning to soak through the fabric of his t-shirt, but Jeongguk didn’t care about that. He held her tight, and he didn’t let her go, not even after she eventually calmed down.
When YN looked up at him through her wet lashes, Jeongguk pressed an amorous kiss to her forehead, leading her to close her eyes and take a deep breath.“I’m so sorry you had to see that,” he said to her. “I can’t imagine how difficult that must’ve been.”“At least I finally know what happened to them,” YN rather optimistically replied, having gained the slightest bit of closure amidst her grief.
“So what comes next?” Jeongguk curiously inquired, gently swiping her tears away with his thumbs, in the meantime.
“I honestly haven’t thought that far ahead just yet,” she tiredly shrugged, feeling thoroughly burnt out. “All I know is, I like being around you…”“I like being around you, too,” he smiled.“...and I’m really sorry for ghosting you,” she added.“You have nothing to apologize for. You don’t owe me a thing,” he reminded her.“But I--”“Shh,” he softly shushed her, kissing the top of her head this time around. “You wanna get out of here?”“Take me home…?” YN sheepishly requested, upon looking Jeongguk in the eye once more.“Okay, baby,” he agreeably nodded, reaching for her hands, so as to give them an affectionate little squeeze. “Let’s go home.”
---
The following morning, Jeongguk disappointedly sighed, after he turned to face the opposite half of the bed. He wasn’t exactly surprised to find that it was cold and empty once again.Still, he didn’t complain.
Jeongguk didn’t have any intention of trying to change YN, nor persuade her to try a different career path. Especially not since he’d been made aware of the personal nature of her latest missions. He knew, if he was in the merc’s shoes, he surely wouldn’t have been able to rest, until his parents were avenged.He may not’ve been a religious man, either, but Jeongguk had faith YN would always find her way back home to him eventually. No matter how long it would take, he’d always be right there patiently awaiting her safe return.JK: Thinking of you Stay safe, babyYN was well aware that he was worried sick about her, and she couldn’t deny the guilt she felt gnawing at her, as she read the texts he sent her. She just couldn't bring herself to respond to such sweet messages, while she was in the midst of planning out the eradication of every last person involved in covering up what happened to her parents.
As a matter of fact, YN didn’t contact anybody, until she finally had all the kinks worked out.
That weekend, the Arasaka supercarrier known as the Kujira arrived in Del Coronado Bay, upon completing its voyage from Japan.
Onboard the warship was the corporation’s CEO, Saburo Arasaka, as well as his daughter, Hanako. Not long after their arrival, Saburo unexpectedly passed away, leading his son, Yorinobu, to step up and take over as Arasaka’s new CEO.Yorinobu then publicly blamed Militech for his father’s death, thus increasing the tension between the corporations, who were two of the biggest players in the Unification War of 2069.To put it quite simply, Arasaka found itself in a bit of a sticky situation, and YN was just one of many in Night City who sought to take advantage of the corporation’s unforeseen instance of vulnerability.Mere days after Saburo’s death, the Arasaka sponsored Aratama-Matsuri Festival took place in Japantown. Hanako Arasaka was scheduled to deliver a eulogy for her father, during the Dashi Parade, which meant most (if not all) of Arasaka’s employees were in attendance--be it out of loyalty and respect for their previous CEO, or solely for security purposes.Before she willingly subjected herself to the commotion, however, YN called Jeongguk, using a burner phone. He answered, of course, but was obviously confused as to who was calling.“It's me,” YN softly spoke into the receiver.
“Oh, hey, baby,” Jeongguk greeted her, upon instantaneously recognizing her voice. “What's up?”“I just wanted to hear your voice... and tell you I’m sorry.”“We’ve been through this already,” he told her, with a soft chuckle. “You have nothing to apologize for.”“Either way, there’s a pretty huge possibility that I might die tonight,” she continued, which wiped any trace of amusement from his tone of voice, “which is why I want you to know how much you mean to me.”There was a brief pause, as Jeongguk seemed to contemplate what he wanted to say next. He didn’t press for details, but he had to ask, “whatever you’re about to do… is it worth the risk?”Of course, there was a part of YN that would always be tempted to abandon her mission, head back home to Jeongguk, and live happily ever after. But the rest of her simply refused to let this go. She never could stand the bitter taste in her mouth, knowing those who were responsible for her parents’ demise were still out there, living lavishly on Arasaka’s dime.
Without hesitation, YN said, “this is just… something I have to do.”Whether he liked it or not, Jeongguk accepted her answer.“Okay.”“Jeongguk, I--”“Don’t say it,” he requested. “At least, not over the phone. I want you to say it to my face, after you make it out of there alive.”“See you on the other side,” YN agreed, reminding Jeongguk of what he said to her the day they infiltrated Clouds, before she ended the call, pulled on her balaclava, and got to work.First, she moved to take out the snipers, three of which had been strategically perched above the spectators of the parade. After she reached the first sniper’s nest, only to find that he’d already been incapacitated, YN raised a curious brow, but quickly got a move on.Clearly, there was another mercenary running around, and YN didn’t intend to be caught up in the crossfire, on the off chance said mercenary’s own mission ended up going sideways. She could only hope they weren’t some rookie, attempting to bite off more than they could chew, as she carried on stalking her prey and mercilessly picking them off, one by one.YN was relatively lucky, in the sense that she successfully assassinated every last one of her targets, and lived to tell the tale. That, and Hanako Arasaka had apparently been abducted from one of the parade floats, before she could deliver her eulogy for her late father. This obviously meant the corporation’s top priority that night had been to locate Hanako.YN’s luck soon began to run out, however, after Hanako was rescued by a team of Arasaka soldiers, led by one Adam Smasher.Smasher was the head of Arasaka’s security, and a full borg, meaning he’d undergone a full body conversion to become almost entirely cybernetic. The guy (if you could call him that) was certainly a Night City legend, but for all the wrong reasons. He was the stuff of nightmares, pure evil, and entirely unfeeling, with the exception of his unwavering lust for the blood of Arasaka’s enemies.The corporation inevitably realized they lost several elites, throughout the duration of the festival, and as a result, just about every mercenary in the city became a suspect.Those who were smart went into hiding, and those who were wise skipped town altogether. YN, being among the wise, ultimately found herself standing near the Pacifica Serenity Bible Church, warily surveying the heavily guarded gates of Dogtown.Dogtown was a lawless zone, home to a booming black market, and crawling with some of the shadiest people in the country. Including Colonel Kurt Hansen, and his highly trained Barghest soldiers. The soldiers patrolled the streets and monitored the gates 24/7, and with Hansen as their Colonel, Dogtown’s reputation was arguably worse than that of Night City.Formerly soldiers of the NUSA’s Militech, Hansen and his men had been tasked with securing a position in Pacifica, in preparation for an attack on Night City, during the Unification War.However, when the Arvin Accord was signed in 2070, the war between the NUSA and the Free States came to an end. The President of the NUSA ordered Hansen and his men to stand down and retreat, but they refused to follow orders. Instead, they put down roots in Pacifica, and built highly fortified walls all around the area currently known as Dogtown.
The only reason YN was even allowed to enter was because she’d become acquainted with Pacifica’s top fixer, the elusive Mr. Hands, who offered to add her to Dogtown’s database, in exchange for her completing a few gigs for him.The merc agreed, passed through the gates, and made her way down to Longshore Stacks. While she waited for Hands to contact her about her first gig, she found herself a seat in a secluded corner of a bar called The Moth, where she called Jeongguk on the holophone and let him know she made it out alive.“I knew you would,” he proudly smiled at her, earning the ghost of a grin from YN in return.“It’s done,” she thought aloud, exhaling a sigh of relief, around a sip of the beer she ordered. “My parents finally got the justice they deserved.”“How do you feel?” Jeongguk wondered.“Free,” she answered, which was rather ironic, given how she was currently laying low (in Dogtown, of all godforsaken places) and watching her back for Arasaka agents. “Even if I have to spend the rest of my life with a target on my back… I don’t regret what I did. Every second was worth it.”“I take it, this means you won’t be coming home any time soon…?” he reluctantly surmised, for he had a feeling YN was going to confirm his assumption, and that’s exactly what she did.She shook her head just as reluctantly, saying, “I have to lay low for a while.”“How long do you think?”“Honestly, I’m not sure.”“Is there anything I can do to help?” Jeongguk offered.In any other circumstance, she would’ve gladly accepted his help, but her and Hands had only agreed to add her information to Dogtown’s database. If Jeongguk were to try to pass through the gates without clearance, the automated turrets would surely mow him down, long before the Barghest soldiers would even get the chance.YN also didn’t want to risk souring her acquaintanceship with Hands, by asking him for more favors. Especially since she’d never worked with the fixer before.
“Not this time,” she shook her head once more, “but don’t worry, baby. I’ll be seeing you again, as soon as this all blows over.”“Good,” Jeongguk softly sighed, and YN fondly smiled at the sight of his endearing pout. “I miss you…”“I miss you, too,” she said sincerely. “I’ll call you every night, while I’m away. How does that sound?”This caused Jeongguk’s entire face to light up with hope.“Promise?”“I promise.”