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“Mama?” Jihoon’s blood turned cold when he heard the small voice call out.
Sh*t. She had a child? He mentally scanned the file he received yesterday. 35 year old accountant, living alone, plays the guitar, organising a terrorist attack on National day. There was no mention of her being a mother!
“F*ck you Jisung,” He curses out his superior who hated him. That was no secret.
He hastily gathered the folders on the desk and stepped around the blood pooling around the lifeless corpse, cursing again because he noticed the splatter of blood on his brand new white Gucci sneakers. He dashed out the door and shut it behind him.
He crouched down to meet eyes with the toddler, no older than 3 years. He isn’t good with children. Hell, he hasn’t encountered one in 5 years.
“Your mama is bad so she is not going to come back. I have punished her. Are you going to be good and listen to me?” Jihoon explained as simply as he could, sparing the details of how he impaled her eye with the leg of the chair or how he slashed her carotid artery because he was too impatient to wait for his target to bleed out.
The toddler was starting to cry, wailing for his mother. Jihoon reached forward to lift him, balancing the boy on one arm and the pile of files on the other.
Just as he reached his car, a familiar black van drove into the driveway. The cleanup crew was right on time, as usual. Jihoon buckled the child into the passenger seat and drove off, smiling when he got a glimpse of the burning house from his rearview mirror.
Jihoon returned to the apartment, drained of all energy.
“Why are you so late today?” Minhyun asked the younger, “Got called into the agency again?”
Jihoon plopped down on the sofa seat beside Minhyun, “I had to go in. There was a…complication.”
“What kind? You made too big of a mess, they had to burn another house down?” Minhyun chuckled.
“They did but that was not why I went in. They omitted a crucial piece of information from the target’s files.” Jihoon sighed, not knowing how to tell the older.
“What kind?”
“She had a child. A boy. No older than 3.”
Jihoon’s heart sank as he watched Minhyun’s face lose its colour.
“Maybe they will take him to the orphanage?” Jihoon asked softly when Minhyun turned silent.
“They wouldn’t,” Minhyun’s voice turned steely cold, his eyes emotionless, just like how the agency trained him to be.
Jihoon attempted to change the subject, “Where are Seongwu hyung and Woojin? I thought I was late coming back but they are even later?”
As if on cue, the door handle rattled, indicating the boys’ return.
“What happened to your hand?” Minhyun rushed forward upon seeing Woojin’s bloody sleeve and bandaged hand.
“This fool tried to block a bullet with his palm,” Seongwu broke out into laughter, causing his partner to turn red in embarrassment.
“It was an instinct!” Woojin responded defensively. “I wasn’t blocking the bullet, my hand just went up subconsciously in panic!”
Jihoon stepped forward and cradled Woojin’s bandaged hand. “Does it hurt?”
“Yeah, but seeing your pretty face is enough to take away the pain,” Woojin replies with a smirk. “Can you nurse me back to health tonight too? AHHH!”
Woojin screams in pain as Jihoon applied pressure on his wound.
“Looks like I’m of no help after all? I don’t ease the pain.” Jihoon teased, returning to his seat on the sofa.
“So I win again!” Jihoon cheered at dinner. “I stabbed her in the eye with the leg of a chair, sliced open her carotids and, for good measure, punctured her liver. This was too easy of a win today!”
The boys bet on their kills every day, with the most creative one crowned victorious.
“Well then, who shall serve you today?” Woojin wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. Pick me! He mentally chanted.
“Minhyun hyung!” Jihoon announced, causing the other 2 boys to frown in disappointment. (not that they had a problem with that anyway since they dealt with their own sexual frustrations themselves that night. Seongwu was extremely worked up because of Woojin’s stupidity and the latter definitely paid for it)
“You alright?” Jihoon turned towards Minhyun. “What are you thinking of?”
Minhyun gently tugged the duvet to cover Jihoon, “Did you get his name?”
“Hm?”
“The little boy, did you get his name?” Minhyun spoke softly.
“No.”
“You are lucky to know yours. I was too young to remember mine.”
Jihoon’s heart broke for Minhyun, taken away as a mere infant and raised to become a cold-blooded killer. On days like this, Jihoon couldn’t help but imagine; what if they weren’t thrusted into this life? Jihoon would probably be in law school by now. As for Minhyun, Jihoon always pictured him to be the flower boy in the class, loved by many. Seongwu would be the class clown, popular with the masses. And Woojin would still be as annoying as he is now.
But what was the point of these fantasies? There was no chance for them to lead a normal life. None of them wanted this, but they had no choice. Were they going to kill for the rest of their lives? Probably, Jihoon came to the depressing realisation. The inevitable fact was that the only way they can finally quit was when they died on the job. Jihoon knew this. When their fellow teammate, Sungwoon, died, the agency replaced him the next day with Woojin.
Jihoon nestled closer into the Minhyun’s bare chest, hoping to somehow comfort him when he was feeling desolate himself.
The wrong place at the wrong time. Daniel had just decided to so some shopping for a new pair of sneakers when the shutters slammed shut, locking everyone in the store.
“This is not a robbery!” A male spoke through a bright red megaphone. “Can all the criminals and law offenders please step forward!”
“Seongwu hyung, you and your theatrics!” A shorter male with bright red hair shoved past the guy, grabbing his megaphone. “Anyone related to the Saturn gang, step forward. I’ll make it quick.”
Daniel stared at the red haired boy, stunned. But not by his beauty. No, this cannot be. There must have been a mistake. But the resemblance was too uncanny. He was supposed to be dead.
Men started charging towards the duo, breaking Daniel out of his thoughts. Both of them handled the mob of angry men very well. Daniel stared in awe as the red-haired boy sent a kick to the other’s face and then spinning to punch another.
Then, from the corner of his eye, he witnessed one of the gang members whip out a gun.
“He’s got a gun!” Daniel yelled impulsively, alerting the pair to dodge the rain of bullets.
“You coward, you brought a gun to the mall?” Red taunted the man, eyeing him incredulously before diving to take cover behind a bench as the bullets chased him.
When the shooter turned his attention towards Red, Seongwu ran towards him so fast that Daniel swore he flew. With a flying kick, he sent the shooter to the ground, his gun tossed aside. With a light kick, Seongwu sent the gun to Red, allowing the latter to send a bullet perfectly between the enemy’s eyebrows.
“Your aim has improved, Angel,” Seongwu praised, just as another group of men raided the store. Seongwu sighed, “Where do all these people come from?”
One of the men grabbed Red from behind, the other sending a kick to his chest. Red recoiled but quickly retaliated, using the other guy holding him down as an a pivot, pushing off the ground with his powerful thighs and sending a powerful kick to the guy in front of him. Then he whipped his head backwards, effectively knocking out the other guy.
With the gun still in his hand, he shot a couple of times, ending the lives of those men. What? He still had the gun this whole time and didn’t use it?
Another guy came out of nowhere to land a kick against Red’s wrist, knocking the gun out of his grip. In a fit of fury, Red tackled the guy and grabbed a pack of shoelaces. He wraps the shoelace around the guy’s neck and pulled. The guy struggled, hands desperately clawing his neck for air, face quickly turning bright red as Red strangles the life out of him.
Red rose from the ground with a triumphant grin. He turned to Seongwu and declared, “This one is my entry for today! Strangulation with shoelaces! I’m a genius!”
“Can you help me then, Angel? Please?” Seongwu pleaded as he was being held down by 2 men.
Red, not even breathless, dusted his pants and walked towards Seongwu, effectively tearing one of the men away and pinning him to the ground. He then pounded his face with his fist once, twice, thrice until a deafening crack could be heard. The man laid there, on the ground, bloodied and lifeless.
“I’m submitting this one,” Seongwu pants, rising from his stance. “Smashed his head into the stiletto heel. Bet that is more creative than yours!”
“No fair,” Red whined. “You already saw mine and one upped me!”
“That’s what you get when you brag, Angel.”
Angel? That was what Red was called a couple of times. Was that his name? Fitting for that face of his. Red casually scans the store, eyes finally settling on Daniel's. He freezes.
Under that mop of red hair, he looks the same—the same sparkly eyes, tall nose bridge, succulent lips. But he had matured, somewhat; long gone were those chubby cheeks, now replaced with a sharp jawline. His eyes turned icy cold, his jaw tensed. This was not the Jihoon Daniel recognised.
Then abruptly, Jihoon bent down to pickup the gun and aimed it at Daniel, causing him to lift both arms in surrender.
“What are you doing?” Seongwu rushed to Jihoon’s side.
“Civilian.” Jihoon mutters
“You can’t kill a civilian.”
“No one would know, less paperwork.” Jihoon’s eyes still dead set on Daniel.
Seongwu stepped in front of the barrel, grabbing the gun. He scanned Jihoon’s eyes, knowing that there was something going on. “Angel, let’s go. They may have called backup.”
Seongwu then turned to Daniel as Jihoon turned to walk out of the store, “You there, what’s your name?”
“D-Daniel”
“Daniel? Follow us.” Seongwu instructed Daniel and they tailed behind Red.
Daniel sat awkwardly in the back seat of the black Sedan, lost in his thoughts. Why was Jihoon still alive? What was Jihoon involved in? Did Jihoon really kill all those men?
“Hoon-ah,” Seongwu glanced to the passenger seat. “Stop pouting, I won fair and square.”
Jihoon stayed silent.
Seongwu sighed and pulled up on the side of the road. He turned to the younger and sandwiched Jihoon’s cheeks between his palms, “You have won 2 times in a row so don’t be mad. Plus, I’ll pick you tonight, ok? Stop sulking please?”
Jihoon sighed, squirming out of Seongwu’s hold, glancing at the rearview mirror. “I’m not sulking.”
“Jihoon, it’s really you, isn’t it?” Daniel stared at Jihoon through the mirror. “How are you still alive?”
Seongwu felt Jihoon tense, so Jihoon and Daniel knew each other before the agency?
“I don’t know who you are,” Jihoon spoke without an ounce of emotion in his voice. “How do you know my name?”
“Jihoon-ah, it’s me, Kang Daniel. We used to be neighbours before- Wait, so why did you disappear? The police said your body was found and- Do your parents know? Auntie was so depressed and uncle-”
“Shut up.” Jihoon growled, startling both boys in the car with him. “Hyung, drive.”
Seongwu didn’t need to be told twice, he pressed the ignition and took off. He had learned the hard way to never push Jihoon’s buttons when he was mad.
But Daniel didn’t know that, because within the next second, Daniel broke the silence, “Where are we going?”
Jihoon whipped his head around, hand pulling out a dagger and thrusting it into Daniel’s shin. Daniel screamed out in agony, blood seeping through his jeans.
“YOU STABBED ME!”
Seongwu smirked. Daniel had it coming.
Jihoon turned back to Daniel and yanked out the blade, causing Daniel to recoil once again. “I need the dagger back. It’s my favourite one.”
The rest of the ride was silent. Seongwu focused on the road ahead, Jihoon carefully wiping down his dagger and Daniel glaring holes through the back of Jihoon’s head, his hand placing pressure on his puncture wound.
“Who’s this?” Minhyun asked curiously when Daniel entered the apartment.
“I think Jihoon should do the explaining,” Seongwu replied.
But his partner was nowhere to be seen, stomping into his bedroom immediately upon arrival and slamming the door in Woojin’s face.
“Minhyun, can you patch up Daniel’s leg?” Seongwu opened the fridge to pull out a can of soda.
Minhyun pulled Daniel towards the sofa, rolling up his jeans to inspect the wound.
“Isn’t this done by Jihoon’s dagger?” Minhyun asked Seongwu who replied with a smirk.
Daniel looked at Minhyun incredulously. How did Minhyun know from the looks of the wound alone?
“Oh really! Let me see!” Woojin bounded excitedly towards their guest. “It’s been a while since Jihoon used it! Ohh that looks deep man.”
Jihoon heard the commotion through the walls of his bedroom. He laid in bed, staring straight at the ceiling. He could feel a migraine fester from the sides of his head. He shut his eyes, resting the back of his hand against his forehead.
God must be playing a cruel prank on him. Why Daniel? It had been 5 long years and yet his presence still affected him. A dull ache creeps up the sides of his head as he recalled the night everything changed.
It was Daniel’s fault he was living this life. It was Daniel’s fault he was so broken. It was Daniel’s fault that he kills. Why was he back in his life? What was he expected to do?
Jihoon was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that the living room had grown silent. There was a knock at his door, breaking Jihoon out of his reverie.
“I won since the other two didn’t have any targets today,” Seongwu poked his head through the door before entering. “I thought that you may have needed a distraction.”
“So you know Jihoon?” Minhyun asked Daniel while dressing his wound.
“Yes,” Daniel sighed. “And then he disappeared.”
Minhyun nodded in understanding as he cleaned up the mess around them.
“Are all of you- um” Daniel nervously asked.
“Assassins?” Minhyun filled in the blanks, “Yes.”
“We are part of the shadow system of the government,” Woojin explained. “When problems cannot be solved legally, we are employed to eliminate the threat.”
“Do you guys kill too?” Daniel shudders, recalling Jihoon’s and Seongwu’s killings.
Minhyun and Woojin nodded.
“Jihoon is the most soft-hearted person I’ve met, why would he do this?”
“None of us had a choice, Daniel,” Minhyun explained.
“There is always a choice.” Daniel protested defiantly.
“No, we didn’t,” Minhyun calmly responded. “My parents were killed in crossfire during one of the agency’s missions. The agency took me because I had nowhere else to go. I never had a choice.”
“My story was much simpler, either join the agency or return to my abusive father,” Woojin shrugs nonchalantly. “Best decision of my life actually.”
Minhyun deadpans towards Woojin.
“What about Jihoon?”
“That’s his story to tell, you should ask him instead.” Minhyun advised.
“Oh god, we haven’t even had dinner yet!” Woojin groaned, falling dramatically onto Minhyun’s lap with his hands over his ears. “Must they be so loud?”
Daniel’s heart sank as moans echoed through the walkway, guessing that they probably belong to the 2 missing guys.
What did Daniel expect? It’s been 5 years after all.
Jihoon was running away from his problems again.
That’s what you always do, Daniel’s voice played in his head.
Fat rain droplets started falling out of the sky, mirroring Jihoon’s eyes.
He should have known.
He shouldn’t have expected anything.
He shouldn’t have tried.
“We weren’t even dating, Jihoon,” Daniel ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “You knew that.”
Jihoon’s heart broke again as the scene replayed in his head again.
Daniel. Right in front of him. Naked. But this time, it was not for him.
“What are you doing, Daniel?” Jihoon’s voice shook as he spoke.
Daniel spun around to look at him, lips swollen, hair a mess.
“Really? I thought you were over her?” Jihoon spat in disgust.
Jihoon continued running, no destination in mind. The rain poured heavier, he couldn’t distinguish between the rain and his tears anymore.
Where will he go now? How will he face Daniel tomorrow?
Just then a black van screeched to a halt, blocking his path. The side door opened and out stepped out a man in black, holding an umbrella.
“Park Jihoon? Could you follow me?” He grabbed Jihoon’s arm.
In a state of panic, Jihoon used his quick reflexes and kneed him in the nuts, causing the man in black to buckle down in pain.
“Yah, why would you do that?” The man yelled at Jihoon.
He pounced onto Jihoon and tackled him to the ground, pinning him down by sitting on him. The umbrella was now forgotten on the ground Jihoon thrashed under his weight.
“Aish, I even wore a suit to look professional to recruit you.” The man grumbled. “Now I’m all wet.”
“Recruit?” Jihoon paused.
“Will you attack me again if I release you?”
Jihoon shook his head.
“Good,” Seongwu stood up, offering a helping hand to Jihoon. “My name is Ong Seongwu and the Agency would like to recruit you. I can definitely see why. Shall we talk in the car? We have towels and it’s warmer in there.”
“What’s on your pretty little mind?” Seongwu gently poked Jihoon’s temple, breaking him out of his thoughts.
Jihoon snuggled closer into Seongwu’s embrace. “Our first meeting?” Jihoon threw a playful smirk Seongwu’s way.
Almost as if it was an instinct, Seongwu’s hands disappeared from Jihoon’s sides to cup his manhood. “You should be thankful it is still functional.”
Both boys broke into laughter that slowly died down into a comfortable silence.
“It’s him, wasn’t it?” Seongwu questioned. “Kang Daniel was who you were running from that night?”
No response.
“Do you still love him?”
Not knowing the reason why, tears started pooling in Jihoon’s eyes. Seongwu’s features softened, wiping away the tears with his fingers.
“You need to talk to him, get some closure. You deserve that.”
“I don’t know why I’m like this,” Jihoon whimpered. “I don’t know why seeing him still hurts.”
Seongwu’s heart broke seeing Jihoon crumble in front of him. Ever since that night he recruited him, Jihoon had never shed a tear, not even during his toughest times. But now, the boy laid beside him, broken.
“You are Park Jihoon. Best in combat. Excellent precision rate. You are not the same boy from before. You face things straight on now. And no matter what happens, one thing’s for sure. Unlike 5 years ago, you are not alone anymore. Say the word and any of us would blow off his head in a heartbeat.”
“I didn’t notice this last night but you guys’ place is awesome!” Daniel exclaimed. “You guys must be paid very well to be able to afford the penthouse.”
“We don’t get paid.” Woojin answers from the couch. “We just get anything we want. Company card. Unlimited spending.”
Daniel’s eyes widened in awe, mouth agape; the boys lived in a 4-bedroom penthouse fully equipped with the all the latest gaming consoles and gadgets. Minhyun gave him a tour of their shared walk-in wardrobe earlier, which is basically the size of another bedroom, and it is stocked to the brim with branded clothing and shoes. The life Jihoon had been leading these past 5 years was nothing short from luxurious.
“It’s the least they can provide us with for doing their dirty work for them,” Seongwu entered the living room for the first time that morning. “Who’s making breakfast today?”
“Me,” Minhyun answered from the kitchen. “How’s Jihoon doing?”
Seongwu walked over to take a seat at the dining table. “I’m not going to wake the baby up. You do it.”
“Minhyun hyung, could you sleep through all that noise? How many times did you guys do it last night? ” Woojin commented.
Seongwu merely scoffs and directed a smirk towards Daniel.
“Don’t complain, Woojin-ah,” Minhyun placed the plate of eggs on the dining table. “You are the loudest out of us all.”
Minhyun and Seongwu burst out into boisterous laughter while Woojin grumbled from the couch. Daniel, on the other hand remained silent.
Right, it has been 5 years, Jihoon would have moved on. Daniel reminded himself.
“Wait, is today the 29th?” Minhyun’s eyes widened, staring straight at Seongwu.
“Sh*t!” Seongwu cursed as he dashed towards Jihoon’s door, rattling the handle but it wouldn’t budge. With his fist, he pounded on the door, but no sound came from the other end.
“Hoonie-ah, open up for me please?” Seongwu pleaded. “Unlock the door, Jihoon!”
There were too many voices from the outside. He just wanted them to shut up. All the laughter was making his head ache. Why were they so happy? Why was he the only one miserable? Why was he having such a hard time?
Happy birthday to me I guess. But why should he be happy to be born? His mother endured 18h of labor to bring him into this world and what does he do in return? He left her. He killed. He couldn’t even be a filial son. He hasn’t been home in 5 years. His family thinks he’s dead. Horrible son, he was. He shouldn’t have been born.
Jihoon trudged towards his bedroom door, clicking the door locked. No one would interrupt him, right? He just needed some time alone.
Jihoon settled into the farthest corner of the room, bringing his knees to his chest. His brain started to swirl, the air started to turn stale.
He hears pounding from the door. Looks like his peace was no more. He shuts his eyes, tears spilling from its corners. He rests his forehead against his knees, willing for everyone to just stop.
He missed his mum. He missed his dad. He missed his brother. But this was entirely his fault.
No. Daniel was to blame too.
If not for him, he wouldn’t have gone out in the first place.
If not for him, he wouldn’t have ran away.
If not for him, he wouldn’t have been recruited.
If not for him, he wouldn’t need to kill.
Jihoon lets out a bitter laugh. For someone who kills so efficiently, why was it so hard to for him to take his own life? He has failed twice now. Maybe third times a charm?
It was as if the last 30 minutes never happened. The boys were all sitting at the dining table having their breakfast. They only had 4 chairs so Daniel had volunteered to eat at the sofa but Woojin moved instead, explaining that he was the maknae of the dysfunctional household. Then, Jihoon took 2 eggs instead of one, leaving Daniel without one but none of the other boys dared to say anything. They were just happy that Jihoon was eating.
“Daniel, here, take my egg.” Minhyun volunteered his fried egg, placing it on Daniel’s plate, earning a glare of betrayal from Jihoon.
Woojin approached the dining table to serve himself more juice, instinctively taking Seongwu’s empty cup to refill it too. “Hoonie, do you have work today?” Woojin asked the other Park.
Jihoon shook his head.
“I have a heist to bust later, want to join?” Woojin spoke, so casually that Daniel likened it to an invite to the movies or something mundane like that.
“Sure,” Jihoon murmured nonchalantly, chewing on a sausage.
They all acted like Woojin hadn't just broken down Jihoon's door minutes ago.
They pretended that they hadn’t seen Jihoon’s red eyes and claw marks on his wrist.
They pretended for Jihoon’s sake because they knew Jihoon would open up, but without Daniel present.
They boys knew better than to push him.
“Today was no fun,” Woojin whined. “Jihoon gunned everyone down before I even had a chance!”
“I wanted to finish quick and go home.”
“Then you shouldn’t have tagged along!” Woojin exclaimed, exasperated.
“You invited me!” Jihoon stood up, arms akimbo.
Agitated, Woojin hurled the TV remote at Jihoon, hitting him right at the chest. Jihoon’s eyes widened, mouth agape and gasped. “You are so dead Park!” He tackled Woojin on the sofa, landing a few strong punches.
“Aren’t you going to stop them?” Daniel asked Minhyun who had relocated from the same sofa to stand behind Daniel instead.
“They need to let out some steam, don’t worry,” Minhyun placed a reassuring hand on Daniel’s shoulder before walking into his room.
Daniel couldn’t sleep that night; he laid on the living room sofa wide awake. Seeing Jihoon in such a state haunted him. Was he this distraught that night too? The night where he caught him with his ex? The night where he was recruited? He recalled how hard it was that night to not grovel on the ground to beg for forgiveness when Jihoon’s eyes glistened with tears. But Daniel blamed his ego for not doing so. Back then, he felt like he did no wrong. Sure, Jihoon and Daniel slept together a few times but that was it. Daniel never thought anything about it. Jihoon left on bad terms but Daniel knew that their friendship could take it. Tomorrow, they would talk it out and everything would be alright again. Jihoon always forgave him.
But Jihoon disappeared that night and that shattered Daniel’s world. Daniel learned that Jihoon never got home that night. With Jihoon now absent in his life, Daniel realised how important his best friend was.
Then they discovered Jihoon’s body. The police told them that Jihoon was so mutilated that they advised his family to not to view the body. There were no leads. A cold murder it seemed. Wrong place at the wrong time were their exact words, but Daniel couldn't help but think, if only he had sent him home that night.
And then he Jihoon’s mother handed Daniel Jihoon’s diary, filled with recounts of their time together. The final post would always haunt his mind: I will confess to you today.
But now Jihoon was alive. What happens now? He had obviously moved on from him, right?
Just then a door creaked open and padded footsteps drew near. Daniel shut his eyes on instinct. Whoever it was wanted to get a glass of water, it seemed. Daniel opened his eyes to look at the shadow, only to see a head of his bright red hair.
“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Jihoon murmured sleepily.
“No, I couldn’t sleep.”
Jihoon reached forward to turn off the lights and proceeded to walk back down the hallway.
“Do you want to know how your family are doing?”
Jihoon stills.
“Your brother is married now with a child, Byul. Your mother was in a very bad state but she is doing better now because of Byul. She said that her eyes sparkle like yours. Your father-”
“You must really love to hurt me, right?” Jihoon interrupted, voice cold as ice. “Too bad for you, I do not care about them anymore. It’s all in the past, the past that I’ve forgotten years ago. Did you think I’d cry in front of you? I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction.”
“I know that this wasn’t your choice. The others said-”
“What did they say?”
“Nothing! That's why I am asking you!” Daniel’s voice raised in volume.
“Do you want to know so badly? I’ll tell you then,” Jihoon spun to face Daniel, face still concealed by the dark. “They abducted me. Sedated me. And then gave me an ultimatum. I’d die with my family if I refused. So I picked the logical choice. The end.”
“I don’t want part of this,” Jihoon voice cracked as he was stared down by Jisung.
“No choice then, I’ll have to kill you because you know about us.” Jisung taunted.
“I wouldn’t tell anyone, I swear! Please let me go!”
“You are now a liability. I will have to kill you. Your family too.”
“NO! Just kill me then! Only me! They know nothing!”
“It doesn’t work this way,” Jisung sighed, sinking deeper into his chair. “Either you take my offer or reject it. Simple as.”
Jihoon’s heart broke into smithereens. Jihoon lost everyone he cared about that day.
“I’m sorry for everything, Jihoon-ah,” Daniel said, voice barely above a whisper.
In a moment of vulnerability, Jihoon turned to face his former best friend.
“I miss you,” Daniel’s voice cracked. His head dropped as he struggled to hold back his tears.
Then, a pair of feet appeared in his vision, causing him to look up.
Jihoon stood before his former best friend, not knowing what to do. He just stood there, silently.
“Do you hate me?” Daniel whispered, gaze returning to the floor again.
“Yes,” Jihoon affirmed, keeping his voice steady. “I have to, or I’d end up hating myself.”
Daniel rose from his seat, head still bowed. He took a step towards Jihoon, reaching for his wrists. “Please don’t hate me,” Daniel pleaded, looking longingly into Jihoon’s eyes.
Daniel stared, unblinking, desperately searching for any remnants of the old Jihoon that he could hold on to. The rush of old feelings overwhelmed Jihoon, unbeknownst to Daniel, as he stared back, struggling to keep his composure.
Maybe it was because he craved his old life. Maybe it was the familiarity of Daniel’s hold on him. Maybe it was because of how emotionally drained he was that day. Because Jihoon’s gaze slowly migrated down to Daniel’s lips before diverting back to Daniel’s eyes.
The glimpse of the pair of innocent doe eyes was enough affirmation for Daniel as he crashed his lips onto Jihoon’s, the latter reciprocating willingly. Jihoon melts into the kiss, his own hands roaming under Daniel’s shirt. He caressed Daniel’s more defined abs, firmer than Jihoon had remembered. Their kiss deepened, neither of them wanting to stop for air for they feared that this moment would end as quickly as it started. Daniel’s lips never left Jihoon’s skin as he trailed his jaw, wandering down his neck. He yanked Jihoon down on top of him as they both fell onto the sofa.
Jihoon stilled. “I can’t do this.”
“Please don’t leave,” Daniel entrapped Jihoon in a tight embrace when the younger made a move to leave. “We won’t do anything, just stay here with me please. Just until I fall asleep.”
Daniel loosened his hold when he felt Jihoon relax. Jihoon’s fingers traced the fire tattoo inked on Daniels shoulder, looking at the older in question.
“When I thought you died, I had a really hard time. I drank a lot, fought, gambled,” Daniel explained, observing Jihoon’s reaction to his words but found none as Jihoon had on a perfect pokerface. “I got involved with the Saturn gang because I owed them a lot of money. To pay them back, I worked for them.”
“Was that why you were there at the mall the other day?” Jihoon’s interrogated emotionlessly.
“Yes and no,” Daniel responded. “I managed to leave a couple of months ago because I have repaid my debt. But I went to the store because I had friends working there.”
“I killed them all.”
“I know.”
Daniel woke up alone. The sky was still dark. Had he dreamt all of that? Groggily, he walked towards the kitchen and upon seeing Jihoon’s mug in the sink, Daniel was reassured that Jihoon was with him earlier.
When had Jihoon left though? When had Daniel fallen asleep? Was Jihoon back in his own room?
Curious, Daniel approached Jihoon’s room, peering through the doorframe only to see the room empty. The door, broken down by Woojin’s sheer force earlier, was propped against the wall. Daniel scanned Jihoon’s room, noting the stark differences in comparison to Jihoon’s childhood room. His room now was minimalistic, only a bed and sofa in sight.
A continuous consistent pounding sound coming from Woojin’s room interrupted Daniel’s thoughts. Daniel stared at the adjacent wall in confusion.
‘I’m close, you have to stop now,” Woojin gasped, voice husky.
“We’ll go one more round then,” a familiar voice responded.
No. It can’t be.
Curiosity killed the cat, and it definitely killed all the hope in Daniel this time because when he peeked through the gap into Woojin’s room, he saw the head of bright red hair that belonged to the boy he loved.
The next morning, Jihoon walked into the living space, looking fairly energised.
“Good morning!” Jihoon greeted cheerfully as Woojoin grumbled behind him.
Everyone greeted the pair, except Daniel who stayed focused on the television screen.
“What’s his problem?” Woojin nudged Seongwu, although not really caring if he got an answer. Jihoon had crawled back into his bed last night, desperate for a distraction. After a lot of persistence, Woojin managed to get Jihoon to spill everything, from his relationship with Daniel in his past to what had happened that night.
Seongwu shrugged his shoulders, “He said he lost his appetite.”
“Daniel, if you aren’t eating, I’ll take the extra sausage!” Jihoon hollered.
Daniel’s eyes never left the TV as he scoffs in response. “Sure, take it. Got to eat all the wieners, right?”
The boys all frowned in confusion. What was wrong with this guy? But they say nothing, returning to their breakfast and usual banter.
“You slept in Woojin’s room last night?” Seongwu asked the red haired boy.
“He definitely did more than sleep in that bed last night,” Daniel snorts from the living room, interrupting the conversation once again.
Unable to control his anger anymore, Jihoon chucked his fork in Daniel’s direction, causing the other to dive out of the way. The knife embedded itself firmly in the wall ahead.
“THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ME!” Daniel yelled.
“I WANTED IT TO KILL YOU!”
“Woah, calm down,” Seongwu pushed Daniel away as he tried to approach Jihoon tauntingly.
“You shouldn’t be protecting him once you heard about what he did last night!” Daniel said, jabbing an insulting finger in Jihoon’s face, causing the latter to launch forwards to pin Daniel to the floor.
“Is this how you took control last night?” Daniel sneered in disgust.
Jihoon’s blood boiled. He retracted his arm to sock Daniel in the face.
Minhyun pulled Jihoon back in an attempt to restrain the raging beast. “Daniel, what are you trying to imply?”
“Pfft, Daniel is just angry because he thought he was getting some last night, but Jihoon came to me instead.” Woojin smirked, enjoying the spectacle in front of him.
“Woojin, shut up.” Jihoon warned.
“You guys did it last night?” Seongwu exclaimed with a grin. “Woojin-ah! I didn’t hear you this time! Finally learnt to be quiet?”
“We did it more than once actually. Thanks to Daniel here, I woke up in the middle of the night with Ji going-“
“Wait, you were mad about that?” Jihoon redirected his attention to Daniel. “What gave you the right?”
“Because f*ckboy Daniel thought he was getting laid last night but instead-” Woojin taunted, before getting interrupted by Daniel.
“F*ckboy?!”
The boys locked Daniel and Jihoon up in Woojin’s room, not before they confiscated all of the knives Jihoon had strapped onto his body of course.
“We are going to have to talk if you want them to let us out,” Daniel sighed, trying to be the voice of reason. “Were you really planning on killing me with all those blades?” Daniel shuddered as he recalled the scene when Seongwu cupped Jihoon’s groin, only to dig into his pants to pull out the 6th knife. “For emergencies,” Jihoon had claimed.
Jihoon maintained his silence.
“Ok, another question. You sleep with everyone now? What are you? A slut?”
“That’s rich coming from you, f*ckboy.” Jihoon spat back.
Daniel sighed again. “Why did you do it?”
“Do what? Have sex last night?” Jihoon scoffed. “You of all people should understand. I was horny and needed a distraction.”
“I thought we were getting better,” Daniel said, looking straight into Jihoon’s eyes. “We had a moment last night. And the next thing I know, you were pumping into another male.”
Jihoon’s eyes turned cold. His voice was composed as he muttered the familiar words, “We weren’t even dating. You knew that.”
“So what, this was all to get back at me?” Daniel stalked towards Jihoon, staring.
“Don't think so highly of yourself. I don’t care enough to waste my effort on that. I have sex with whoever and whenever I please. All the boys here do. So stop feeling so entitled just because I used to be exclusively yours. I don’t wish to warm up your bed for you anymore.”
“And yet you sleep with 2 out of the 3 guys in the house,” Daniel sneered. “What, is Minhyun hyung too pure for you?”
"I have sex with him too. We all do. We have all this sexual frustrations pent up and we are not allowed to invite anyone over for obvious reasons."
"So you sleep with everybody then? Can I have a go?"
Jihoon took a brave step forward and leaned in closer to Daniel. The tip of their noses touched as Jihoon's hand travelled to the back of Daniel's neck. His lips grazed Daniel's before he forcefully bit onto Daniel’s lower lip and released. “You disgust me. Even if you were a prostitute, I wouldn’t even sleep with you again, not even for free.”
Jihoon strutted towards the door and with his strong broad shoulders, he rammed the door open, breaking the door off its hinges. “Minhyun hyung, we’ve got another broken door!”
Jihoon was stuck on babysitting duty. He was the only one without work today and so he had to "look after" Daniel. He was lazing on the couch, playing a mobile game when the doorbell sounded.
"Come in! The door isn't locked!" Jihoon yelled to the visitor who turned out to be the carpenter, here to fix the doors.
"You guys don't lock the doors?" Daniel asked incredulously. "Isn't it dangerous?"
"It'll be more dangerous for the burglar should he be unlucky enough to rob a house of trained assassins," Jihoon answered nonchalantly, not once sparing Daniel a glance.
"If they are only fixing the doors, what's with all the other stuff?" Daniel questioned, scratching his head in confusion when more men entered the apartment, carrying what seemed to be a bedframe.
"To fix Woojin's bed."
"What happened to Woojin's bed?"
"Do you really want to know?" Jihoon smirked at Daniel, causing the latter to scowl in disgust.
"Um, Angel?" One of the men approached Jihoon with the card machine. "The total will be 2000. I assume you are paying by card as usual?"
Jihoon doesn't even get up from his seat; he wriggled the black card out of his back pocket and handed it to the man who proceeded to do the payment.
"They are done? That was fast?" Daniel commented when the men left a few minutes later.
"We paid for premium service." Jihoon replied.
"Why are you called Angel anyway?" Daniel asked Jihoon, moving to sit beside Jihoon. Habitually, Daniel lifted Jihoon's legs by the ankle and placed them on his lap after dropping into his seat. Jihoon noticed this and tried to yank his legs away but Daniel's grip remained firm.
"It is a codename," Jihoon mumbled. "Because I look like one."
"W-what?" Daniel struggles to keep his composure but failed. His lips stretched into a wide grin, eyes crinkling into crescents as he guffawed, earning a forceful kick in the ribs by Jihoon.
"I am often employed on female targets because I look harmless. Like an Angel, they said. The name stuck I guess."
Jihoon watched as Daniel's laughter eased. Their eyes met and it was almost like they were engaging in a secret conversation. Things would have been so different had Jihoon not been recruited that night. Would he have forgiven Daniel? Probably, he always does. Would they still be friends? Definitely, because before this Jihoon was fully depended on Daniel. He had no backbone, no confidence, whereas Daniel was the life of the party. Jihoon always wondered why Daniel even wanted to befriend Jihoon in the beginning, since no one else wanted to back then. Then the next logical thought would have been why did Daniel remain friends with Jihoon for so long? Even the new Jihoon now wouldn't befriend his old self, so why had Daniel?
"What's going to happen to me?" Daniel asked Jihoon, breaking Jihoon out of his thoughts. "I know your boss said I had to stay until the operation was over but how long would that be?"
Jihoon was afraid to answer because chances are, Daniel will not be able to return to his old life. Jisung had ordered Jihoon to take Daniel in for the sole purpose of tormenting him, reminding him of the upper hand he will always possess. "I don't know," Jihoon answered genuinely.
"What if I don't want to leave though?" Daniel stared straight into Jihoon's eyes. "I know you still hate me but I don't mind that. What if I want to stay? Maybe train into becoming one of you guys?"
Jisung would have a field day if he hears this. He usually had to threaten his recruits to take the job and here Daniel was, volunteering. Jihoon's hands balled into fists, nails painfully digging into his palms. How could Daniel say such a thing? A normal life was all Jihoon wanted and Daniel would throw it all away?
Just then, Minhyun, Seongwu and Woojin burst through the main door.
Minhyun's eyes were wide, "WE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW, THIS BUILDING HAS BEEN COMPROMISED!"
Jihoon and Daniel dashed out of the door just as an explosion was heard, causing all 5 boys to fall to the ground in shock.
Daniel's ears were ringing, everything was muted. Jihoon's handsome face came into his view, eyes opened wide, mouth moving exaggeratedly but Daniel hears nothing. Daniel's eyes squinted, trying to make out the words Jihoon was trying to say. Upon realising that Daniel couldn't hear him, Jihoon grabbed Daniel by the shoulders and yanked him off the ground. Before Daniel knew it, they were running.
All the boys were shaken. What on earth was going on? All of them managed to exit their apartment building after climbing down a flight of 20 stairs. (they were staying in the penthouse afterall) They jumped into their black Range Rover, with Minhyun taking the wheel, and sped off to their headquarters.
When they arrived, everything was disarrayed. Everyone was panicking, running around their offices. The boys charged into Jisung's office, dragging Daniel in tow and noted that the other recruits were present too.
"Good, now that you are all here, I can start the briefing," Jisung declared as the last of the assassins entered and closed the door behind them. "There has been a terrorist attack. 6 explosives were set off all across Seoul. Casualties unknown. Perpetrators suspected to be the Saturn gang. They have been planning the attack for a year now. Recruit Angel has eliminated the engineer of the explosives and together with Recruit Seal (A/N: that's Seongwu if you are lost) eliminated a substantial portion of the gang. We reckon that the Saturn gang decided to move up their plan of attack after that, suspicious that their plans are known. We previously received intel about a total of 16 bombs being made and since only 6 went off today, we expect more. All units will be deployed to investigate this case. This is code white. Unit W1, you will be deployed to their suspected base in Suwon. You are tasked to eliminate ALL members in sight. No exceptions. Is that understood?"
Jisung pointedly looked straight at Daniel, whose hearing was slowly returning to him. Daniel shuddered in fear, was this how he was going to die?
"Yes, sir!" everyone responded.
"As for the other units, you will be handed out folders on the potential locations of the explosives. You are to disarm all of them. Remember to evacuate everyone within radius. I want to minimise civilian deaths. Am I clear?" Jisung commanded again.
"Yes, sir!" they responded in unison.
"Remember, this is code white," Jisung's voice dipped incredibly low. "In lieu of this, we thank everyone for your service. And may you all return back safely."
"In emergencies, we have different codes." Minhyun explained to Daniel who was the only one awake in the car as they travelled to their destination.
All of the other boys were sleeping, taking time to rest before their gruelling mission that could very well be their last. Daniel couldn't sleep though. He had been traumatised. Jisung had specifically requested for Daniel's participation. Daniel had no idea why because before Jisung could explain their plan, Jihoon grabbed the superior by the arm and pulled him into a separate room, slamming the door in Daniel's face. Jihoon exited a couple minutes later, visibly pissed off.
"Red means all units to disintegrate temporarily until further notice. That one hasn't happened before, unfortunately," Minhyun chuckled bitterly. "And white means that all units are expected to complete the task at all costs."
"At all costs?"
"They mean that they expect us to die if we had to."
The car grew quiet, apart from the snores coming from the sleeping Woojin. Did this code apply to Daniel too? Was he expected to sacrifice his life too for this mission?
"You aren't going to die, Daniel," Jihoon awoke from his nap. "You won't be a part of this."
"Jihoon, this is not a time for you to go against their plans." Minhyun chided, voice turning stern. "I agree with Jisung hyung. This is the only way for this to work."
The younger scoffed and smirked, almost sarcastically. He glared at Minhyun through the rearview mirror, the latter's eyes blazing back. "We are all about to die and I can't believe that I would go hating you, hyung."
"We aren't going to die, Jihoon," Minhyun sighed, anger dissipating. "We are the best unit at the agency. I will make sure that all of you make it back in one piece."
The sky darkened and the boys stopped to rest at a hotel for the night.
Daniel was sleeping relatively soundly before he was forced awake. The stranger forcefully jerked Daniel out of the bed and blindfolded. He thrashed as hard as he could but they bounded his wrists and feet. A cloth, soaked with what Daniel assumes to be chlorofoam, was pressed against Daniel's nose and mouth. Daniel slowly relaxed and he felt himself being lifted off the ground before totally losing consciousness.
Jihoon charged towards his same-age friend and grabbed him by the collar. He lifted the boy off the ground and demanded, "WHERE DID THEY TAKE DANIEL?!"
Woojin sputtered, legs flailing in the air. "Minhyun hyung said you wouldn't have allowed it otherwise! We had no choice!"
"SO YOU AGREED THAT WE USE HIM AS BAIT?" Jihoon exploded, veins dilating across his neck. "AND YOU GUYS DISCUSSED THIS BEHIND MY BACK?"
"Put me down and I can explain."
Jihoon released his hold Woojin dropped to the floor like an abandoned rag doll. Woojin took deep breaths to keep his own anger in check. In their discussion the night before, Minhyun had advised Woojin to be patient with Jihoon as they were betraying his trust after all. But Jihoon was not making this easy at all. Woojin stood up, dusting his pants before turning to Jihoon. "Let's go to the car. I'll explain everything once we hit the road."
They entered the rental car they ordered last night and took off. Woojin informed Jihoon that Minhyun and Seongwu had "abducted" Daniel and that they were all at the base already. Daniel wandered into the base and was received by the gang members. Daniel was acting as a distraction as well as an affirmation that they were the legitimately the Saturn gang. They were now awaiting their arrival to execute the mass murder. And to Jihoon's relief, Daniel was instructed to run towards the appointed safehouse after their arrival.
Jihoon stomped out of the car, cracking his knuckles and rolling his neck to relieve the tension. His anger was on an all-time high and that could play in their favour. Jihoon could feel his blood boiling, adrenaline pumping in his ear. His fingers twitched, alike that for an addict, desperate for a high that could only be achieved with a bloodshed.
Jihoon trudged forward to join the other 2 boys, not sparing them a glance, otherwise he may waste all this pent up fury on his teammates.
"Let's get this party started, shall we?"
The group fight started and expectedly, the boys were dominating the fight despite being part of the minority. With their impeccable aim, they eliminated most of their targets with shots through their heads. In no time though, they were disarmed one by one and ended up using their blades and then their fists.
The outcome seemed predictable, they were going to win. When Jihoon took down the last man standing, the warehouse became eerily quiet. Then footsteps were heard. Jihoon looked up at the balcony only to see a battered Daniel being hoisted up like a trophy by the gangleader.
Jihoon grabbed his gun to aim at the man.
"No, you can't shoot Daniel, right Jihoon?" The man taunted, hiding behind the bleeding Daniel.
Daniel stirred awake at the mention of Jihoon, weakly struggling against the hold. "Just shoot Jihoon!" Daniel yelled.
Jihoon's eyes pooled with tears, reduced to the same blubbering mess of a boy he used to be 5 years ago, weak and uncertain. He shook his head furiously.
"Jihoon, just shoot!" Daniel urged again. "He is not going to let me die! Trust me! I know this man!"
"Ahhh young love," the man started descending down the stairs, pulling out a pistol to rest it against Daniel's temple. "I always knew leaving you with your mother would turn you soft and weak. And in love with another man no less! But I have to say, you have picked the prettiest man I've ever seen."
Jihoon stilled. The leader of the Saturn gang was Daniel's estranged father? Daniel was brought up singlehandedly by his mother and Jihoon often through nothing of it growing up. He always assumed that he would have been a foolish man to have abandoned his lovely wife and son but now he thinks otherwise. Thank goodness he left. Thank god Daniel grew up well without him. But now Jihoon's mind was ticking, desperate to remove Daniel from his toxic father, a poor excuse of a man.
"Jihoon, shoot him please! He won't bear to actually kill me. Jihoon PLEASE!" Daniel was crying now, tears leaking through his swollen eyes.
BANG!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The gang leader fell to the floor after Minhyun shot him in the foot from behind Jihoon.
Jihoon rushed forward to Daniel.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
"NO!" Jihoon screamed.
The first shot was directed at Daniel's back.
The second at Minhyun.
Before the leader could send another shot, Seongwu fired one between his eyebrows.
Daniel's breath quivered, pain radiated from his back from his gunshot wound. He reached out desperately, wanting to grab onto Jihoon's hand.
Mind a frenzy, Jihoon held onto Daniel's hand.
"Jihoon-ah," Daniel whispered.
Jihoon shook his head, "Please don't speak. I'm applying pressure to your wound. You will be alright! The ambulance is on their way!"
"Just let me say what I need to say" Daniel panted, eyes blinking droopily. "I want you to know that I am so happy you are alive. I am so sorry for everything I have done. You have lived very well without me and I know you will continue to do that too."
Daniel gasped as the pain overwhelmed him. He knew his next breath was going to be his last. He inhaled and whispered for the last time.
"Sorry."
Jihoon was soaked with Daniel's blood. He effortlessly lifted his lifeless body off the ground and walked towards the other boys, gasping when he noticed Minhyun on the ground, struggling to breathe.
No, he wasn't going to lose another person today.
Please not Minhyun hyung.
Epilogue
"I think we need to ask for a higher price for this!" Jihoon complained as they crawled across the dark room of a museum. "This is too much effort for a measly 10 grand."
"Shut up!" Seongwu hissed. "You are going to get us caught! Just do what you have to do and keep watch!"
Seongwu and Woojin approached their target.
"On the count of 3," Seongwu instructed.
"So on 3 or after 3?" Woojin whispered back.
"JUST DO IT!" Jihoon seethed.
Gently, Seongwu and Woojin lifted the massive frame off the wall and carefully placed it on the flo-
CRASH
"YOU HAD ONE JOB!" The voice crackled through their earpieces. "DO NOT DROP THE MONA LISA! AND YOU WENT AHEAD TO DROP THE MONA LISA! TAKE IT AND RUN NOW!"
The boys cringed as the voice boomed in their ears. Without having to be told twice, the boys ran out of the museum as the alarms went off. Luckily, they made it out of the door before the museum was put on lock down. They jumped into the black van and sped off into the night.
"You boys will be the death of me!"
"Minhyun hyung, you almost died once and even death didn't want to take you. Looks like you will be stuck with us forever!" Jihoon teased, earning a curse from the elder.
After that faithful day, Minhyun was rushed to the hospital where he underwent an extensive surgery to save his leg. They boys, however, had an escape plan planned. After Minhyun was out from surgery, they dashed out of the hospital and fled. That was their only chance to finally escape their lives as assassins.
Jihoon made sure that Daniel's body was taken care of, anonymously making a donation for funeral preparations. Unfortunately, much as Jihoon wanted to, he couldn't attend the funeral himself.
The first few months were tough. Jihoon struggled to deal with the loss all over again, but this time it was much worse. He struggled with the guilt, unable to put the blame onto anyone anymore. Jihoon managed though. He knew that Daniel would have wanted Jihoon to live.
The boys had a large amount of cash stowed for this escape plan of theirs, having made preparations for this 3 years ago. Now, they were thieves, the most renowned ones at the moment. They would plan elaborate heists and rob museums and estates of exquisite and priceless treasures and only selling it to the highest bidders in the exclusive black market.
"Is anyone chasing us?" Seongwu asked, slightly apologetic for their slip up.
"Not at the moment," Minhyun responded.
The boys got away scot free, just like their 4 other heists before that, and their heists after that.
END.