hi♡ @lunarkitten97 - Tumblr Blog

pairing: fighter!jihoon x fem!fighter!reader

wc: 27,158

au: non-idol au | fighter au

summary: Lee Jihoon was a defensive fighter, someone who absorbed more punches than he delivered. He was kind, too kind for your liking. You weren’t sure why your boss recruited him into your field of work but you weren’t planning on paying much attention to him, even as your new business partner. Business that you knew could be his death one day, but that was the consequence that seemed he accepted so you couldn’t stop him.

And you discovered that Jihoon had his own reasons to put his life on the line. Suddenly, a years-long quest to avenge what you lost became much more than just a simple revenge spree when you and Jihoon got wrapped up in each other. For the first time since you were recruited, you felt like you had something to lose.

rating: 18+, MDNI explicit violence, explicit sexual content

genre: action | romance

fic tags: bloodhounds inspired au, strangers to lovers, non-idol au, action, fighter au, hand-to-hand kombat, angst with a happy ending, mentions of death, very tragic backstory, kind of heartless reader, i will emotionally destroy them i am sorry in advance, seokmin feature in the fic! tension, violence, explicit murder and torture scenes, torture by machine and salt water, revenge arc for reader, p in v sex, fingering, oral (f. receiving), protected p in v sex dw guys it's very safe

a/n: @gent1es3xy was the inspiration behind it and ruby basically became our child. i hope you're proud of her <3 thank you @woncheolisms for proofreading this beast lmao, your comments and feedback were a delight <3

Your determination was your strength. You hadn’t grown up with boxing. Nobody pushed you into it, either. One day, you just decided that it was worth picking up the skills and there you were, in the semi-finals of an amateur boxing tournament. The prize money: ten million won. You’d fought yourself through the first rounds with ease. Swift on your feet, harsh in your punches. You were trained to provoke, to crawl under your opponent’s skin and strike when they were at their angriest. It would blind them and you could bring them to their knees with one good punch. Or multiple, whenever you felt like toying with them more.

The strategy had taken you through every round of every tournament and you walked away with the prize money every time for the past year. It was enough to pay your bills and keep the spare for your work. You removed the towel from your neck and put your mouth guard in. While walking to the middle of the ring, you rolled your shoulders back. The world around you became a silent afterthought. You’d stood across your opponent before. Jung Byungmin was his name. A good fighter, but sloppy in his punches. He was quick to anger. It didn’t even need a punch because one dodge from you was more than enough to get him riled up. Trained to never miss, although he’d been slacking since the moment he stepped into the ring. Byungmin’s eyes looked you up and down when you looked at him, as if he was studying you. He probably had been studying you, looking for a way to get around your provocations. The bell sounded and for a couple of seconds, neither of you did anything. You circled around him, your gloves propped in front of your face. Byungmin followed your movements as if you were dancing around the ring. You lunged at his side, he dodged by jumping to the right and immediately striking. You ducked, a choreography you’d performed plenty of times. One that only you seemed to be aware of. Byungmin grunted before lunging again. You jumped backwards and his eyes widened in surprise. The adrenaline rang in your ears, pushing you towards him. With a big hook, you punched his cheek. Your heart thumped in your chest as you watched him collapse to the ground. All that came out of his mouth were groans. Byungmin tried to push himself up, but he stuck to the ground like glue. After just two minutes of fighting, you were declared the winner and you moved to the finals. The stadium erupted into muffled cheers, growing louder when you stepped out of the ring. There was no one else that came to support you except from your boss and trainer, who shook your shoulders heavily when your feet made contact with the ground underneath you. It felt good to have people cheering for you, even if it was just because of the punch you delivered to Byungmin. He glared your way before stomping to the dressing rooms. Mister Kang raved about your spot in the finals, even though he hadn’t expected anything else of you. He was an ex-marine who yelled in your face at training more than anything else, but as your boss he was like a mentor to you, the one that kept you from going off the rails. He’d filled your water bottle and gave it to you, wrapping the towel around your neck. You took your spots in the front seats, watching the other semi-final while you released the tension between your shoulders. Both were incredible fighters, but nobody stood out to you like Lee Jihoon did. He’d recently entered competitions, his talent did the rounds at the center you trained at. You hadn’t gotten the honours to stand across from him and hadn’t seen him fight yet. His opponent was as much of a hothead as Byungmin was, if not more. He was easy to beat with the right strategy. Lee Jihoon was a defensive fighter, taking more punches than he delivered. His arms blocked his face as his opponent beat him up to no avail. He tensed his muscles in such a way that they seemed to absorb the pain. It frustrated his opponent to no end, who swung again but missed because Jihoon dodged. Jihoon lowered his arms and delivered his first punch of the match, right to the liver. You shot forward with big eyes. It was so perfectly placed, there was no doubt in your mind that he practiced it endlessly. “Brutal,” you heard Mister Kang muttering next to you. When you looked to your side, he was leaning on his thighs, his eyes glued to the ring. The countdown in the background snapped your attention back to the ring as well. You watched Jihoon walking back to the side, as if he knew the match was over. His name echoed through the stadium, his trainer cheered even harder than Mister Kang did for you. With one look over his shoulder and a bow, he left the ring.

That was it. Someone who delivered the perfect solar plexus punch would be the only thing standing between you and ten million won. You rolled your shoulders back and watched how the poor guy, barely able to walk by himself, left the ring as well. “Do you know what to do?” Mister Kang asked. “Not get punched in the liver?” You retorted as a matter-of-fact. When you turned to look at him, you shrugged. “It’s fairly obvious that I should knock him out first.” “But don’t overextend it like your predecessors,” he warned you. “He can take every punch you deliver. It’s a very deliberate strategy to throw you off.” You took one last swig from your bottle and sprayed some over your mouth guard before moving to the edge of the ring, mister Kang following on foot. You ducked underneath the ropes and stepped in, taking your place in one corner while Jihoon was across from you in the other. His fairly small, but broad figure was loosely hugged by a robe. His back was turned to you as he was talking to his trainer and you absorbed the words that yours threw at you while your eyes were on him. Jihoon removed his robe and every muscle on his back was visible. It was expected that your opponents were fit, but none were as defined as this one. He turned around and walked to the middle so you followed suit. Your gloves bumped each other and just like with Byungmin, you started moving around the ring together. The moves were not unfamiliar, but the dread settled in your chest realising that you were the one having to throw the first punch. Jihoon played the waiting game even longer than you did. You charged and missed by a hair, your glove brushing his black locks. You dodged when Jihoon swung his arm your way and you punched him in the side. He absorbed it like a sponge. Don’t overextend it. You let him attack again, but he didn’t. Your heart thumped in your ears and you swung again, right against his arm. Lee Jihoon was a defensive fighter, taking more punches than he delivered. If you were able to wear him out, he had to fight back. But don’t overextend it. He seemed to sense your hesitation and moved forward, driving you towards the edge of the ring. You jumped to the side and he turned your way again. Your instincts were telling you to charge, to punch him until he couldn’t take it anymore. That was exactly what he wanted. You hit his side when you charged, but the blow wasn’t enough to get him to his knees. Jihoon specifically trained to take the hits and your skin started prickling. You lunged forward, but missed again. The blow he delivered made you stumble and for a second you seemed to absorb the pain. Your knees buckled and you fell, the world around you spinning as you hit the ground. You wanted to get up, but you barely felt your legs. The countdown reached five. Something sour hit the back of your throat and your sight got blurry. The countdown reached ten. In one last attempt, you tried to get up, but your arms were giving in as well. The referee declared you KO. Lee Jihoon won ten million won. Someone pushed you down when you wanted to get up, making you scream out in pain. You felt the sour taste travelling upwards and swallowed. You heard voices in the distance, but they were too vague to make up who it was. You finally managed to regain your strength and pushed yourself up, supporting yourself with your arms. The scent of sandalwood mixed with sweat hit your nose. “Are you alright?” You heard a soft tone. Your skin prickled when you glared up. “Fine,” you bristled and waved in dismissal, letting mister Kang help you up. Your leg buckled as a pain shot to your right side, making you groan out in pain. Without another word, mister Kang supported you to the dressing rooms and sat you down on the bench. You declared you wanted to take a shower so he turned away from you.

You faltered towards the showers with your stuff and carefully took your sports bra off. You looked down at your side, already showing the first signs of bruising. You’d be in a lot of pain for the rest of the night. You switched your sports attire for a hoodie and loose jeans, sitting back down on the bench with a wince. He sat down next to you while you leaned backwards, feeling the stinging fade a little. You breathed out softly. “Are you tight right now?” He asked. You shrugged weakly. “Bills are due after the weekend. I’ll get some money elsewhere.” Mister Kang had the annoying habit of taking pity on you. He made it seem like he cared more about you than just an employee – one of two, at that moment – and it was misleading. He rummaged in his pocket and pulled his wallet out. You would’ve protested if your side wasn’t about to make you throw up the second you sat straight again. Instead, you watched with a thumping heart as he pulled out a 50.000 bill. He held it out to you with a small smile. “You can use it much harder than I do, so buy yourself some dinner tonight and save your own money for your bills.” He would’ve covered those too if you hadn’t almost strangled him over it. You took it, wincing when you leaned forward. Mister Kang got up and ruffled your hair before he walked out of the doors, leaving you behind with his pity money. You stuffed it in the pocket of your jacket and slowly came up, grabbing your bag with your left hand and throwing it over your shoulder. Stepping outside, you ran into Jihoon. You walked past him. Guessing by the hurried footsteps behind you, he was following you. Exactly what you were waiting for after he liver-punched you out of the ten million won. Your ten million won. “It was a good fight,” he told you. When you didn’t answer, he took that as a sign to continue. “You’re a good fighter. I watched your semi-final and was in awe of how quickly you took him out.” You trailed next to him in silence. “I hope your side doesn’t hurt too badly,” Jihoon said again. The anger prickled under your skin as you balled your fists. “Let me buy you dinner, as an apology.” You scoffed and walked towards the exit. That was a way to rub his victory in your face. “I’m serious,” he insisted. “You can choose where we’ll eat.” You halted in your tracks, your fingers tracing the bill in your pocket. In all honesty, you could use all the money you could get your hands on. The 50.000 won that mister Kang gave you wasn’t enough by a mile, but it was one less skipped meal. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath before turning around. “Fine,” you agreed tautly. “We’re going to a barbecue.” The place was empty apart from one or two tables. It wasn’t weird considering it was eight pm and the restaurant would close in an hour. You put on your best smile with the owner, who was probably sick of you by now, but she gave you a table anyway. The throbbing pain in your side ebbed away when you sat down. You opted for a glass of water, not being able to stomach a pint of beer. “Have you been fighting for long?” Jihoon asked when the owner brought a plate of meat. He thanked her with a smile and took the kimchi and lettuce from her. You shrugged. “Six years, or so. Maybe longer.” He raised his upper lip with a nod. “You’ve fought in many tournaments?” “Yep.” He nodded again and smiled. “You can tell. You’re very skilled.” You shrugged and took a sip, a silence washing over you. You watched as Jihoon took a slice of meat and put it on the grill. When you locked eyes, he smiled. You didn’t move a muscle. “I just started,” he told you as he flipped the meat, even though you never asked him to speak. “Two years ago, maybe? Yeah, two years at best.” He looked up at you. You gave him a cold stare, arms crossed over each other. Without wasting much more words, he placed a piece of meat on your plate. “You should eat it with lettuce.” “I know,” you replied tautly.

Jihoon flashed you a smile before giving himself a piece of meat as well. He rolled it up in a lettuce leaf and took a big bite. A satisfied groan left his mouth. You raised your eyebrows while rolling your eyes, diving in as well. Jihoon’s company was nothing more than a convenience for you. If he wanted to waste his prize money on treating you to dinner, some sort of sick apology, you would let him. The rest of the dinner went by in silence, apart from Jihoon’s obnoxious chewing sounds. You had to refrain yourself from lunging at him and dragging him over the table, but you reminded yourself that your side still hurt. You watched as he paid while you hoisted yourself out of your chair, a sharp pain shooting through your right side. You swung your bag over your shoulder and walked out of the restaurant. Jihoon sped after you. “Shall I walk you home?” “No.” His mouth formed an ‘O’ shape before he offered you a smile. “That’s fine. You live nearby, then?” You met him with silence and picked up the pace. “See you around!” He yelled after you. You hoped you wouldn’t. It would take more than a miracle to run into him again.

Your mission was simple: stay hidden and only fight when they are onto you. If you did it well, they wouldn’t be. It had been a subway station in the middle of the night, where they’d been singling out the homeless since you followed them around. You’d watched them doing it before, although you had no idea what for. That was what you’d been trying to figure out for six years. Nothing had brought you closer to your goal by staying hidden and doing nothing. So you’d taken matters in your own hands. Again. You heard something crack as you punched the goon’s nose. Your heart drummed in your ears when you watched him stumbling backwards. You landed another punch in his stomach. He bent over before he collapsed to the floor. Cracking your knuckles, you lifted him up. He lunged at you, but you dodged and punched him in the cheek. You dragged him away from the others before they’d see you. The adrenaline pumped through your veins, your legs growing heavier with every step away up the subway stairs and your side started stinging again. You weren’t even after them, but they were the key to the people higher up. You were fully aware that they might not even know who they were working for, but you had a name that would rattle their bones when you said it aloud. You threw the man to the ground again, kneeling down in front of him. “Yong Hyunwoo. Where can I find him?” The man stared at you. You folded your hands together with a tight smile. “I’ll ask you kindly once more.” You leaned forward. “Where can I find Yong Hyunwoo?” The man didn’t respond, a bitter chuckle rolling off his lips. You lifted him up and wrapped your arm around his throat, pressing him into your chest. You were met with silence before he started coughing. “I’ll let go if you tell me where to find your boss,” you said in a low tone. Nothing. As you pressed down harder, he gasped for air. “I don’t think he’d care if you die in his name,” you continued. “He can replace you just like that.” The goon tried to fight back, scratching your arm and kicking around. “Are you going to tell me where to find him?” Against your chest, you felt him shake his head weakly. “Fine,” you scoffed and tightened your grip. “You’ll have your way.” “Wait,” the man choked out. “I’ll… tell… you.” You cocked an eyebrow as you looked at him. “Please…” He gasped. “...let me… go…” You loosened your grip. “If you make a run for it, I will kill you.” He nodded weakly. You pushed him to the ground, watching him gasp and cough. When he turned to you, his face was a deep shade of red. You kneeled down with him again. “Where is Yong Hyunwoo?” “I don’t know,” he said hoarsely. He started waving his arms around frantically when you raised your fist. “But I know the company he works for.” You stared him down. His chest rose and fell in short and quick motions. “Myung and Ga Insurances. They’re mostly off the record, but you should look there.” His eyes welled with tears. “Please, let me go…” His voice cracked. “I just need the money… I don’t mean any harm…” You turned on your heel and walked out of the subway station, all the way to the end of the street to retrieve your car. Once on the road, you called mister Kang. “And?” His voice sounded through the vehicle. “Myung and Ga Insurances,” you told him. “Have you heard of the company before?” “In passing, yes,” Mister Kang answered. “What about it?” “Yong Hyunwoo has ties with them, if I were to believe the goon who told me that.” It was silent on his side of the line. You took the turn onto the highway. “What now?” You grumbled. “We’ll talk when you’re back.” “Who’s–” Mister Kang hung up.

You slammed on the gas. It was always the same with him. He could never answer a proper question over the phone, always wanting to wait until you were back. He’d give you a lecture about being careful, which you were. Mister Kang begged to differ every time you threw yourself in a fight. You fought your way out of any situation, even if it wasn’t required of you to do so. Mister Kang recognised this when he put you through training: you’d always fall back on your fighting skills. He trained you to do so, but he disagreed whenever you put it to practice. For once, you wanted him to make up his mind. You parked the car behind the property and walked up the long set of stairs, your side throbbing in pain. You ignored it and pushed the doors open, meeting with your boss eye to eye. “What are you going to tell me now? That you question my methods of acquiring information?” Mister Kang turned around, his chestnut brown hair falling in front of his face in loose strands. He was out of his usual attire, simply wearing a shirt and a set of pants. “I simply want to discuss the information with you. If you desire to share your method, then you’re free to do so.” “We could’ve done that over the phone.” “Which could be tapped.” You were inclined to agree with him and threw yourself on the couch. “He just gave me the name, told me they mostly do business off the record and that we can find Yong there.” He rubbed his chin before he crossed his arms. “So how exactly do you plan on finding out more about Myung and Ga?” You shrugged. “Choke more goons, I guess.” Mister Kang wasn’t fazed, but you saw a hint of conflict in his eyes before he bobbed his head. “Right.” You tilted your head with a pointed glare. “What are you up to now?” “I’ve had another talk with Mister Han.” You raised your eyebrows. “He’s your boss. I assume you have to answer to him.” “We’re getting you a partner.” “No.” “That wasn’t a question,” Mister Kang said calmly, but his voice had a firm edge. “We are getting you a partner. You’ve been putting yourself in too much danger.” You scoffed, feeling your chest tighten. “Oh, really now? Isn’t that the entire reason I’m here, doing the dirty work you’re getting too old for?” “I’m merely forty years old.” “That’s old in my book,” you said with a shrug. Mister Kang had grown accustomed to you talking back to him. Most of the time he had no issue with it. Something was different today because he looked like the steam would erupt from his ears any second. It wasn’t the first time you called him old, either. That wasn’t the issue. “I was recruited because I don’t shy away from danger,” you continued. “I’ve been able to handle this myself for years, why should I need someone now?” “Because you’re getting out of control.” All you could do was scoff at him. “You’re putting yourself in these impossible situations. And today was a mild one,” Mister Kang said, firmness replaced by anger. “You need to live in order to avenge what they took from you. You can’t do that if you’re dead, can you now?” You clenched your jaw as your heart pounded in your chest. He locked eyes with you. “You’re getting a partner, bud. If I or mister Han can’t keep you in check, then someone else will.” “Don’t pair me up with Seokmin,” you urged. “Again.” Mister Kang narrowed his eyes, pressing his lips together. “Still not funny.” He raised his upper lip with a tilt of his head. “Well–” “If that’s funny, I won’t get a partner.” As he crossed his arms, he flashed you a grin. “I’ll let you know when we find someone suitable.” “I’m surprised you’re not dragging the first person off the streets you come across,” you commented.

“And risk having them end up dead under our care? No, thank you.” Mister Kang shot you a smile. “Get some rest. And make sure you take a day off tomorrow.” You hoisted yourself off the couch with a sigh. “Yes, boss.” When you wanted to get out of his way, he called your name again. “We’re doing this to protect you,” he said, his voice much softer than before. “When we took you in, we promised to do so until our last breath.” “Someone else won’t be able to do the job, mister Kang,” you replied as calmly as you were able to. “I’m protecting me. I’ve always done and will always do.” Not that mister Kang gave a single shit about your input. He told you to take a day off to rest and at the crack of dawn – ten in the morning to your standards – you were dragged out of bed to speak to mister Han. The elder man had taken pity on you after it happened. Nothing else had motivated him to take you under his wing. You’d told yourself that for the first couple of weeks, until it became clear that you were in it for the exact same goal. Revenge. Revenge became the foundation of your relationship with mister Han. He wheeled himself towards you with a smile, crinkles decorating his face as he did. “Good morning, kiddo. My apologies for waking you so suddenly, but I have a busy day ahead of me. This was my only opportunity to speak to you.” “Before you lure someone to their death?” You moved past him to your breakfast. If you were up anyway, you might as well eat. Mister Han chuckled. “Mister Kang broke the news last night, didn’t he?” “In true mister Kang fashion.” You turned around with a piece of buttered toast. “Listen, I’m well protected. I don’t need someone else to drag me back into place. This is what you taught me to do.” “We taught you to defend yourself, to analyse the situation and to handle accordingly,” he explained in his usual calm and friendly fashion. “You’ve been blinding yourself recently, letting anger and injustice guide you. And as long as you do that, we don’t see any other solution than to assign you a partner.” “To leash me.” “If that’s how you want to see it.” He pushed the wheels of his wheelchair towards you. “But that is not our intention. All we want is to keep you safe, to give you an extra pair of hands to help you out. It doesn’t hurt anybody.” You scoffed and finished your toast. “I’m going back to bed. I’ve not rested enough for this shit.” “We’ll see each other at dinner tonight, kiddo.” Mister Han offered a smile. His eyes burned into you as you walked back up the stairs. You had little faith that they would succeed and for a good week, you hadn’t heard of any progress. Who was willing to step into a business where every day could be your last? One wrong person in front of you and you were done for. When you stepped in at nineteen years old, you could be molded into the person they wanted you to be. That you wanted to be. If they wanted someone to match your age, it became an entirely different story. And you didn’t expect them to drag someone off the streets who was barely an adult. They would not be able to survive one hour in your presence. That Seokmin, two years older than you, still stood on his feet after all the time he spent with you was a miracle in itself. You ran into him on your way to the gym on your property, but you ignored him. You wanted nothing to do with him. Following your usual routine, you kept pondering over a new partner. No matter how many times you said no, if mister Han thought you needed one, you got one. You’d been able to keep yourself in check long enough up until now. You despised that you were proving your bosses wrong. With a towel around your neck you walked back to the main house, your entire body dripping in sweat. Your chest rose and fell heavily and your cheeks were flushed with heat. You halted in your tracks at the sight of mister Han and mister Kang. They were clearly waiting for you to come back, as if they were performing some kind of stupid welcome ceremony for you.

Between them was a man, black hair framing his pale face. When he looked at you, his lips twisted into a smile. You turned to mister Kang. “What is he doing here?” He patted the guy’s shoulder. “Meet your new business partner, buddy. I’m very sure you remember him.” There was no way for you to forget the guy who liver-punched you and tried to make it up to you by buying you barbecue. “Wasn’t ten million won enough for you?” You snapped at him. Jihoon didn’t waver, instead he just walked up to you and bowed. You cocked an eyebrow at your bosses. “Was this the only option you had?” “We reconsidered Seokmin,” mister Kang retorted. You glared at him before turning on your heel. “I give him a day before he’s out.” “Thank you for giving me a chance!” Jihoon called after you. He wouldn’t even last a day in this business.

Mornings hadn’t been the same anymore.

You’d either wake up to Seokmin and Jihoon’s loud conversations – Seokmin was rather loud – or you forgot Jihoon was even there at all because you spent the night at your own place. The moment you walked through the doors, you were reminded that you had a business partner again.

You fought tooth and nail to keep your own place, but the bills were piling up. Mister Kang had given you more pity money so you could survive another month, but you knew that he wouldn’t keep doing it and the inevitable was right around the corner.

Moving into mister Han’s mansion and having to live with Seokmin. And now Jihoon as well, if your sources were correct.

You stayed over at mister Han’s the morning of your mission. It was quiet when you woke up and you were able to ease into the day without any trouble, stretching your body and telling yourself that you had a chance to survive the day with two idiots ruining your mood.

Three, if mister Kang was there.

You hoisted yourself in sweatpants, tucking in the sleeveless top you slept in as you walked towards the bedroom door. Without a second thought, you yanked the door open.

A silhouette stopped in their tracks.

You yelped as you clutched your chest. “Fucking–” You halted in you tracks and your face fell into its usual coldness. “Jihoon.”

Jihoon bowed. “I’m sorry for startling you,” he said as he came up. “I was just on my way downstairs.”

You nodded once and brushed past him, walking down the stairs.

He followed you.

Your fingertips prickled.

Mister Kang was in the kitchen, dressed up in a blouse and pants. His back was facing you, but you saw the strings of a light blue apron wrapped around his waist.

You snorted at the sight and crossed your arms. “I see you’re embracing your domestic side today.”

“I have three mouths to feed, buddy,” he responded without turning around. “And yours is a big one.”

You rolled your eyes and sat down, across from Seokmin.

His eyes flicked up to you shortly before they fell on his book again. “Good morning, sunshine.”

“Blow me, Seokmin.”

He grinned as he turned the page. “I hoped you’d loosen up a little with our new guest, but my hopes have been too high.”

“I will actually kill you, you know that?”

“I’m well aware of that, since you threw me in front of a group of goons the last time we worked together and let me figure it out on my own.”

You shrugged. “You got out.”

“Yeah, barely,” Seokmin retorted and looked up again. “No thanks to you, but the extra practice was welcome.”

“Oh, can you fight as well?” Jihoon asked.

His eyes didn’t leave you. “I actually can.”

You curled your upper lip and ripped into the pancakes that mister Kang put in front of your nose, ruffling your hair. You pushed his hand away and started eating.

“Remind me again, Jihoon,” Seokmin said. “Who won that ten million?”

Your fork froze mid-air and your chest tightened. You met his eyes in a cold stare.

Jihoon shifted in his seat. “Um,” he shifted in his seat. “I… I did, but that’s not to say that the fight was easy.” He eyed you with a small smile.

“I want to see you do those tournaments,” you bit at Seokmin. “You wouldn’t survive one match.”

“You don’t need to do those tournaments if you stop being stubborn,” he answered with a shrug. “We all know you don’t like doing them. You’d rather be in the field earning your money with life-threatening missions. At least killing someone is justified that way.”

You lunged at him and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him over the table. Your faces were mere inches away from each other. “I do what needs to be done, Seokmin,” you said in a low tone. “You can’t even slap me in the face without feeling guilty, so I really wonder what you’re doing here if you’re not willing to step up for what they took from us.”

Mister Kang called out your name in the distance.

“This is and will always be a matter of life and death. You knew when you stepped into the business with me. It’s a shame that you let yourself be weak, emotional.”

Mister Kang called for you again, his voice laced in anger.

For a split second, you saw the fear in Seokmin’s eyes. You pushed him back in his seat.

Seokmin nearly toppled over, but was able to grab the table. He glared at you and balled his fists.

“I’m sorry, Jihoon,” you heard mister Kang behind you. “These two haven’t been getting along the past couple of years.”

“I wonder why,” Seokmin spat.

You finished your breakfast and rolled your shoulders back. You got up, but mister Kang pushed you back in your seat. You looked up at him with a frown.

He didn’t say anything and grabbed the other empty plates from the table. He cleaned everything up until there wasn’t a spot left in the kitchen before he joined you at the table. “As you know, you’re going on a mission in a couple of hours.”

Your eyes fell on the apron before they flicked up at his face. You glanced at Seokmin, who narrowed his eyes. Jihoon stayed quiet, his eyes as kind and friendly as they always were. You hadn’t made up your mind about whether that was out of genuine kindness or if he was trying to be polite. He’d known mister Kang for a couple of days at best.

It was annoying, that was for sure.

“We were able to find out where the insurance company is located,” your boss continued and crossed his legs. His eyes locked onto you. “You’re going over there to scout and see what we’re dealing with.”

You pressed your lips together.

His eyes scanned every inch of your face. “What are you laughing about?”

“You look absolutely ridiculous talking about a mission in that apron.”

Mister Kang looked down and excused himself. He got up from his seat and untied the strings, tossing the apron aside. “Anyway, scouting to see what we’re dealing with. As expected, Seokmin wasn’t able to find much on the company so you’re going to have to do a lot of field work.”

You opened your mouth as he spoke up.

“Plural, before you hold it against me.”

You rolled your eyes. “I understood that.”

“Just covering myself.” Mister Kang looked at Jihoon. “Try to keep fighting as a last resort, alright? They can’t know we’re onto them.”

“Yes, sir.” Jihoon nodded. “I will make sure that we can get out unnoticed.”

“Good, your business partner can’t guarantee the same thing so I’m relieved to hear you say it.”

You kicked his shin.

Mister Kang ignored it. “And if she’s giving you any trouble, don’t hesitate to let us know. She can be stubborn, and mean.”

“Sitting right here.”

“You need to hear it.” He slapped his thigh as he got up. “It’s you two tonight. I need Seokmin for other jobs.”

Seokmin patted Jihoon’s shoulder. “I’ll know where to look when you end up dead.”

He laughed in response. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad.”

You didn’t laugh, nor did you say anything. You just kept affirming yourself that the day would be over before you knew it and you would have two men less to deal with. Men who liked to band against you.

And one was your boss.

That was the thing about mister Kang. He’d never been just your boss, he trained you until you couldn’t anymore and beyond, drilling you like you expected of a retired captain of the army. You expected a stern, cold man, someone who only yelled and got angry.

Mister Kang took care of you, gave you shelter, made sure you had something to eat every night. He guided you, supported you and closed the distance that a boss usually had with their employee.

All it did was confuse you.

You crossed your arms with a scoff. “So that’s all? We’re going over there and… scout?”

“We’ll have to know if what that goon said was true,” mister Kang said. “If you see Hyunwoo, shadow him.”

“Shadow?” Jihoon asked.

Your eyes fell on him, watching him swallow. “Following him without him noticing. You know, like a shadow.”

“Right.” He chuckled dryly. “That makes a lot of sense actually."

You almost smiled if you didn’t know any better.

Mister Kang told you to get ready and hurried you out of the kitchen. He waved his hands when you looked over your shoulder.

You rolled your eyes and jogged up the stairs. Jihoon was following you in silence and you parted ways at the top of the stairs. You hoisted yourself into black, loose jeans and a tank top, layering your black leather jacket over it. Your hair was the usual and you were collecting your gear when there was a knock on the door.

“It’s open,” you said tautly, but it wasn’t enough to make the person on the other end go away. You were putting your watch on when Jihoon peeked his head around the corner.

Of course it was him.

“I’m very sorry to interrupt,” he started and pushed the door open gently. His eyes scanned you up and down before he looked at the hoodie in his hand.

You cocked your eyebrow.

A smile decorated his face. “You look nice.”

“Why are you here?”

He shook his head. “Right! Sorry, I just wanted to ask if wearing a hoodie was okay. I don’t have any cool clothing.”

You rummaged through your desk drawers. “As long as you don’t stand out, wear nothing for all I care.”

“Okay, thank you!”

Your door closed and your chest fell. It physically hurt to admit that he was kind of cute for asking that.

You were already downstairs when Jihoon came down, his broad shoulders loosely hugged by the hoodie that was in his hand before. He wore jeans similar to yours, but his was dark blue and tighter around his thighs. His black locks were tucked away underneath a cap and he smiled at you when you locked eyes.

You looked away.

Mister Kang threw you the keys. “Go easy on him, bud. It’s his first day.”

You caught them and turned on your heel.

Jihoon followed you to the garage and a soft gasp left his lips when you unlocked the car. “Wow.”

You slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine, your partner following suit.

He scrambled into the seat, putting his belt on as you drove away. “So, what’s the plan?”

“You’re going to wait in the car while I’m going to shadow Hyunwoo,” you replied and navigated your way through town. As you turned onto the driveway, you glanced at Jihoon.

His brows knitted together. “But, why should I wait in the car?”

“Because I say so.”

He bobbed his head as he looked out of the window.

“Put the address in the GPS for me,” you told him.

Jihoon muttered it to himself as he typed it in. His face relaxed when the route popped on screen. “Oh, we’re almost there.”

You took a sharp turn into the exit, bringing you straight to the tunnel towards the upper side of the city.

He was pressed into his seat. “Do you always drive so…”

“Adventurous?”

“Yeah, sure.” He forced a smile and swallowed. “Let’s keep it at that.”

You pulled into a parking lot a couple of metres away from the address and cut the engine. Your eyes were fixated on the building, a ten story building that didn’t leave much up to imagination with the amount of windows. You observed it, a variety of banners in front of the windows.

“Company complex,” you said. “They’re hiding among a variety of companies, most of them are financial and well-known in the city.” You pointed at the fifth story. “Investment, Moon and Gil. I’ve never heard of that one before, though.”

From the corner of your eye, Jihoon followed your line of sight. You looked aside. “Write it down, Jihoon.”

Jihoon scrambled up and grabbed his phone, filling one entire page with information.

“Send it to mister Kang, highlight Moon and Gil.”

He did. “So, what do we do now?”

“I’m going to wait until Hyunwoo walks out of that building and follow him,” you said. Your eyes were locked on the entrance, but you could see your partner shifting in his seat. “I’ll track his movements, see what I can find out.”

“And me?”

A man exited the building, strands of light brown hair neatly put into place. A pair of round eyes scanned the environment before his slender legs came into motion.

You shot out of your seat, but Jihoon called your name.

“Go back,” you ordered, your eyes fixated on the brunet. “I’ll see you there.”

“But–”

You slammed the door shut and crossed the street in a hurry.

Hyunwoo turned around the corner, walking straight towards the subway station. He walked past it and crossed the street towards the back of the building. From a distance, you watched how he went into a parking lot. He took big strides towards a black car similar to yours and got in the backseat.

You cursed underneath your breath and grabbed your phone. The car that he was in passed you and you saw another man in the front seat. The tinted windows at the back made it impossible to see who was in the backseat.

You snapped a picture of the man and waited a bit so you could take a picture of the license plate. You sent everything to Mister Kang before you called Jihoon.

“Is everything alright?” His voice sounded in your ears.

“Where are you?”

“I’m still in the parking lot.”

Usually you’d lash out because he didn’t listen to you. You did the same to Seokmin when he stayed behind after specifically instructing him to go back. Now the timing was just perfectly right.

You sent the picture to Jihoon. “Look at the message, can you see that car?”

It was silent for a while. “Yeah, it’s waiting in front of the red light at the end of the street.”

“Go there as fast as you can.”

“But–”

“Now!” You barked. “I’ll get in when I can!”

There was ruffling on the other side of the line before you heard an engine start. You ran towards the front of the street and saw the lights turning green. The cars started driving away and the black car with Hyunwoo in it passed you again.

The light went red.

In the blink of an eye, Jihoon stood in front of the traffic light. You dove into the passenger’s seat. The light turned green when you shut the door and Jihoon slammed on the gas, following the line of cars that passed the round before him.

You pointed the car out a couple of metres in front of you and sent a text to mister Kang. “Try to come closer without making it suspicious.”

“It’s a busy street,” Jihoon responded. “I can’t pass without drawing attention.”

The car took the left lane to go onto the highway, so you told Jihoon to do the same. It drove all the way to your side of town, where it stopped in front of a small, old shop. There was a chipped, green sign on the top but you couldn’t read what it said. The driver stayed in the car, but Hyunwoo got out. So did the man in front before the car drove off. His black hair reached his neck, strands falling in front of his face. He looked a couple of years younger than Hyunwoo.

They walked towards the entrance and Hyunwoo knocked on the door. They waited outside a bit, their mouths moving before they both stepped inside.

“Stay here.”

Jihoon called out to you.

“Now go back for real. We’re a ten minute-drive away from mister Han’s.”

“What about you?” He questioned, but you shut the door and walked towards the entrance of the shop.

Jihoon passed you when you stood in front of it.

You rattled the door, but it was shut. Probably locked. When you observed the rest, you concluded there were no cameras in sight. You made pictures of everything and sent them all to mister Kang, including the address.

A big, modern building with various other companies and Hyunwoo went all the way to this side of town for an old, abandoned shop. Something had to be inside, or underneath it. It couldn’t be that interesting for an insurance company that was located in the most prestigious side of town.

Yong Hyunwoo took the subway, one of his employees had once said. And it turned out to be true the first time he was on your radar. It’d been the only time that you saw him, but he did take the subway and you shadowed him until he got lost in the crowd.

He sat in the backseat of a car, with a man in the front that you’d never seen before.

The goon that told you about it was dead, so he couldn’t have informed Hyunwoo that he was on your radar. He probably didn’t even know who it could be, so it was probably something he did out of precaution.

Your heart stopped when you heard voices on the other side and quickly stepped away. You went on your way and walked up the street, deciding that you needed the time to walk home. There was a lot that you needed to make sense of.

You jogged up the stairs of mister Han’s house and closed the door behind you.

Mister Kang was already waiting for you, his eyes clouded over and his arms crossed. Next to him was Jihoon, who smiled when he saw you.

“That was fast. Did you find anything?”

“That doesn’t matter right now, Jihoon,” mister Kang said calmly. The kind of calm before a storm.

You rolled your shoulders back and nodded at the phone in his hand. “It’s all right there.”

“Oh, I saw.” He nodded his head at Jihoon. “So explain to me why he comes back here, telling me that you sent him home. Twice.”

You shrugged and plopped on the couch.

Mister Kang excused Jihoon and turned to you. Jihoon himself looked over his shoulder, scanning you up and down before he left.

You stared at him, your heart throbbing in your throat. There’d been moments where you pissed him off, but you hadn’t seen him this angry. Not the kind where he yelled at you, where you saw the vein in his neck pulsing. The kind where he was beyond all of that. His eyes were empty, his entire body was stiff and at first glance it just looked like he was mildly agitated like he usually was.

When it was Seokmin, he’d been angry but he could understand that you hadn’t been getting along well. Not like you had before. Something was different with Jihoon, as if the stakes were more personal.

Like they were with you.

“I want you to talk,” mister Kang said, his voice trembling. He pointed his finger at you and stomped forward. “I want you to explain everything.”

“I told you,” you responded with a shrug. “There’s no need for a business partner. You knew how this was going to go and you still did it.”

He gritted his teeth. “If this is you trying to give me a taste of my own medicine, don’t do it by putting another human life at stake. Jihoon could’ve died and it would’ve been me that was responsible.”

“Exactly.”

“You haven’t come any closer to Hyunwoo until today, and it was because you had Jihoon with you.”

You arched an eyebrow. “Oh, so suddenly I’m incapable of doing it on my own? Is that what you’re saying?”

“You are very capable, but you can’t keep pushing everyone away,” mister Kang’s tone shifted from anger to concern.

With a scoff, you got up from the couch. “You always do this. You lecture me, get angry and then suddenly you try to make me believe you worry about me.”

“I do worry about you. Why on Earth would you think I encouraged mister Han to assign you a partner?” He kneeled down in front of you, calling your name softly. “I know that this means a lot to you, which is why I want to keep you as safe as possible.”

Your chest tightened and you looked away from him, the tears welling in your eyes.

“But you need to learn to work together with someone else again, buddy.” He tilted your chin his way. “Jihoon is a good guy and he knows what he’s in for. He knows what he’s risking by doing this, but he’s willing to do it, just like you.”

You bobbed your head slowly.

“Alright.” He patted your thigh and got up. “Let’s discuss what you found, shall we? You did a good job, even though you left Jihoon to his own devices.”

“He’s a good fighter,” you replied with a shrug. “He can manage himself.”

Mister Kang told you to wait and retrieved Jihoon from the kitchen.

Jihoon trailed after him curiously and smiled when he saw you. “So, what did you find?”

You glanced at mister Kang, who nodded his head. “Well,” you sat upright. “Hyunwoo got into a car with another man and they drove to a small, abandoned shop. I don’t know what they’re doing so far away from their prestigious neighbourhood, but I assume it’s like a secret hideout, or something.”

“Or potentially misleading.”

You snapped up at Jihoon.

“Maybe he knew that we were following him, so they drove there to mislead us,” he offered.

“That doesn’t explain that somebody was already there to invite them in.”

He shrugged. “Maybe a call when they were on their way?”

You kept the idea in the back of your mind as you continued. “For whatever reason they went there, we need to go inside. The shop seems too specific to just randomly go there.”

Mister Kang agreed and pointed at the picture on his phone. “Who’s the other man?”

“I don’t know,” you answered. “I was kind of surprised to see him there. All I could make out when they got out of the car was that he was younger than Yong Hyunwoo.”

“A bodyguard, maybe?” Jihoon suggested.

You hummed. “Could be. They seem to be friendly with each other, so they know each other well. It’s no coincidence that they were in the same car.”

“Was he already in the car when Hyunwoo got in?”

“Yep.”

“So maybe it was planned, then.” Jihoon rubbed his chin. “Can there be something inside?”

“Or underneath.”

His brows pushed together and his eyes scanned your face. “Do you mean how some buildings have a basement with garage doors?”

You nodded.

“Oh, yeah that makes sense.” Jihoon nodded, his lips curving into a smile. “We should definitely check it out, then.”

You looked at mister Kang.

“I’ll see if Seokmin can find anything with the pictures you sent,” he said. “No promises, though, so you should try to see if you can come closer.”

“Could we scout the shop?”

You turned to Jihoon and tilted your head. Your eyes darted to mister Kang, who looked as puzzled as you did.

“What did you have in mind?”

Jihoon shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Well, maybe we can camp out for a while, track who goes in and out.” He turned to you. “We can take shifts, if that’s what you like?”

You glanced at mister Kang, your throat already narrowing. “Yeah, I think that’s for the best,” you said tightly.

“Alright,” mister Kang slapped your back. “then you’ll be up first tonight, bud. Jihoon will take over in the morning.” He turned on his heel and left.

You got up as well and rolled your shoulders back.

“Can I ask you something?” Jihoon spoke up.

You turned to look at him.

“Why did you go after him on foot?”

“Because I was told that he takes the subway,” you answered and crossed your arms. “Why? Did you think that it was a wrong call?”

He shook his head quickly. “No, not at all! I just wondered why because he was in a car, but that makes sense. Thank you for clarifying.” He smiled. “I would’ve done the same thing.”

You narrowed your eyes. “Yeah, sure.”

A silence followed. All Jihoon did was look at you and smile when you locked eyes.

You curled your upper lip. “Was that all, or?”

“Oh!” Jihoon nodded heavily. “Yes, that was all.”

You brushed past him and went upstairs.

“Good luck tonight!” He called after you.

You needed all the rest you could get and slid into bed, praying to yourself that he would cave in soon.

It became apparent very early on that the shop wasn’t a shop.

You and Jihoon both tracked a dozen men walking in and out of the shop. Always leaving at night and coming back in the morning. Sometimes perfectly clean, sometimes you could see blood stains on their clothes and faces.

You even recognised some of them, one being the goon that you nearly choked to death. You assumed that the word hadn’t gotten out yet, otherwise he would’ve been dead.

After two weeks, mister Kang gave the green light to go inside and you went in as Jihoon waited out front. You weren’t even five minutes in and Jihoon called you to say that people were coming.

Mister Kang got angry because Jihoon was supposed to come inside with you and he could’ve been spotted. You told him it wouldn’t happen anymore, but did it again the second time you went in.

Jihoon still smiled at you when you came back, but it was much tighter than usual. He clenched his jaw when you got in the car without saying anything and when you got back, he went straight to his room while mister Kang lectured you.

The man that was with Hyunwoo earlier had shown up once more. Jihoon took a picture, but all Seokmin managed to find was a name.

You were seated in the car a couple of buildings away, munching on your fries. “We don’t know if someone stayed behind,” you entertained.

“We just have to hope they didn’t,” Jihoon replied tightly.

You threw the last couple of fries in your mouth and sat up. “The last one just left. We can go inside.”

“Thanks for clarifying it’s we this time.”

You cocked an eyebrow, but Jihoon just got out of the car. You followed suit and watched him rattle the door. Before you could even open your mouth, he looked over his shoulder. “Give me the lockpicker.”

“Do you–”

“The last time you picked the lock, you locked me outside,” he bit back. “Give me the bloody thing.”

You threw it at his face. “Catch.”

Jihoon glared at you and picked them up from the floor. He did exactly what he watched you do before, as if he studied every move. His hands moved like he’d done it a million times before and the lock clicked. He pushed the door open and shoved the pickers in his own pockets.

You followed him inside and closed the door behind you, your heart throbbing in your chest. When you wanted to open your mouth, he slammed the door in your face and walked down the stairs.

The pressure on your chest increased and you pushed the doors open. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Oh, how kind. You care about me,” Jihoon snarled, his stomps echoing through the stairwell.

“You’re an asshole.”

“Now you know how that feels!” He pushed through the doors at the bottom.

You ran after him and pulled him back by his shoulder. “You’re going to tell me what the fuck’s your problem right now, Jihoon,” you hissed.

“Or what? You’ll kill me?”

You balled your fist as you glared at him.

Jihoon broke free with a scoff. “You’re just angry that I’m tired of taking your shit. Go fuck yourself, man.”

“I didn’t ask for this, either.”

“So you just put my life on the line at every chance you get so you can prove a point?”

You gritted your teeth.

He stared at you with ice running through his veins. “If you want to treat me as a throwaway, just realise it doesn’t make you any better than the very people that we’re going after. The people that just woke up one day and decided that the things and people we love were theirs to take away.”

Jihoon stepped towards you and you swallowed. “My mother might’ve survived, but she could’ve been one of their many victims. Guess what, though? Her shop is still in shambles and it’s the only thing that keeps us afloat. I have to do this. For her.”

You lowered your eyes and nodded. “Okay.”

He turned on his heel and walked through the hallways.

All the doors were shut. Either that meant that nobody was home or that they pretended to ambush you. You preferred the first, but assumed the second.

“There’s cameras everywhere.”

“Yep.” You nodded at one. “Shall we wave at them?”

Jihoon looked over his shoulder, his eyes flickering between annoyed and amused.

You gave him a shrug. “We can try to break in, but if they’re smart they left someone here.”

Something rattled behind you.

You turned around. On one of the shutters, little stripes appeared before it was hoisted up. You looked at Jihoon, whose eyes were glued to the window.

“So, when you said someone,” he started. “Did you mean just one person or about, say, ten of them?”

You followed his line of sight and the door busted open. Before you remotely had a chance to intervene, Jihoon punched one of the goons in the face. Another one received the same punch in the liver as you did and you winced.

Someone stormed your way and lunged, but you ducked away, punching him in the side. When he bent over, you pushed him down and kneeled in front of him. “Hi, sweetheart.”

The goon spat in your face.

You wiped it away with a smile. You lifted your arm and punched him in the nose. “What can you tell me about Im Jangho?”

The blood streamed down as he looked at you. “I’m not telling you anything, you little shit.”

“Okay.”

The goon laughed when you wrapped your arm around his throat. “Do you really think you can impress me with that?”

You pressed him into your chest. “Im Jangho, what do you know?”

He reached for your arm, trying to pull it away. His nails dug into your skin and he started coughing. “Fuck you.”

“I don’t think he or Yong Hyunwoo would care if you die here today,” you continued, ignoring the stinging pain in your arm. “They would laugh if they heard that a little shit – a girl, nonetheless – choked you to death.”

The goon wheezed for air. “Let… go…”

“Will you tell me about Im Jangho?”

His head weakly brushed your chest from right to left.

You pressed as hard as you could until he went limp in your arms. You threw him to the ground and blew a lock of hair out of your face.

Jihoon called out to you and you snapped your head. He was surrounded by four men, two already lying by his feet.

You sprinted up to him and punched one of them in the temple. When you turned to Jihoon, someone swung at you. You ducked and punched his cheek. You were too late to dodge the retaliation and a sharp pain shot through your side. You swung at his face again and hit his mouth.

Something cracked.

The man stumbled backwards and spat something out, so you took your chance and lunged at his temple.

Your chest rose and fell heavily when you looked at Jihoon, his cheeks flushed red and strands of black hair sticking to his forehead.

“Let’s get out of here,” he panted. “More might be on their way.”

You agreed and ran up the stairs of the building, Jihoon right behind you. You pushed the door open and sprinted to the car. As you started the engine, Jihoon dove into the passenger’s seat and you drove off.

“Anything?” Jihoon asked, but you shook your head. You heard him curse underneath his breath as he threw his head back. “We have to go back at some point. Or at least corner another one of them.”

“We’ve already been inside three times,” you countered. “We have to follow one of the goons to get information. There’s one of them who might be willing to talk if he knows something.”

Jihoon kept to himself, looking out of the window as you turned around the corner towards your neighbourhood.

Your heart pounded in your chest, your side stung and your knuckles hurt when you clenched them, but it wasn’t the worst.

“That man isn’t dead, is he?”

You glanced aside shortly before you focused on the road again. “I don’t know,” you said honestly.

That was the end of your conversation. Jihoon got out when you parked the car and went inside. You watched him close the door and lowered your eyes, unable to shake the conversation you had with him.

You’d truly and firmly believed that mister Kang roped him into it because he was a good fighter. He’d seen it for himself at the rink. You thought that he had no idea what he would be in for, his kindness and genuinity nothing more than a form of protection against what was waiting for him.

Jihoon had become a victim himself, just like you were.

You walked inside and another pain shot through your side. You winced as you closed the door and took a silent breath. Jihoon was already talking to mister Kang so you let him, brushing right past them to go upstairs.

Mister Kang halted you, but you assured him it was fine.

“He’s got it,” you said with a weak smile and disappeared into your room with an ice pack. You removed your jacket and put the ice pack on, the cold seeping into your side. You let out a trembling breath and closed your eyes.

You had to do it again. You had to face a group of them with Jihoon, who told you everything that everyone else was afraid to tell you. Or when they did, it didn’t get through. You didn’t know what made him successful.

You hadn’t shown up at dinner, so mister Kang brought something up to your room instead. He didn’t ask about anything, just announced that you’d be on your way again the next night to corner the goon that gave you the name of the company.

Your side hurt, but you ignored it and got into the passenger’s seat. Jihoon drove to the shop, his hands clutching the wheel until his knuckles were white.

The ride had been the most silent one you ever had. Even when Jihoon still bent over to your every will, you’d said more to him than you did now. There was a lot you wanted to say, but the words stuck in the back of your throat, blocking all air from coming through.

You sunk back in your seat and waited until the goon came out. He was with two others and they walked right past your car. When they were almost at the end of the street, you and Jihoon got out and followed them.

They went into the subway station.

Jihoon’s sharp eyes were fixated on the road ahead, his hands in the pockets of his new denim jacket. His black hair framed his pale face, and you couldn’t help but notice how nice he looked.

You adjusted the cap and picked up the pace, following them down the stairs. You kept at a distance and watched them approach a sleeping woman, a thin woven blanket the only thing keeping her remotely warm. They circled around her, friendly and caring.

“What are they doing?” Jihoon whispered.

“Scamming homeless people,” you whispered back and motioned your head, moving closer to see them. One of the goons turned and you pulled Jihoon behind a pillar with you.

You peeked around the corner and saw that his attention was back on the homeless woman. You could overhear bits of the conversation, asking her for an ID so they could complete the process.

She lashed out, yelling at them that she knew what they were doing.

They started beating her up, taking turns in punching her. The woman wailed and it echoed through the station.

You turned back to Jihoon.

He ran off and punched the ringleader, who stumbled backwards. He lunged forward, but Jihoon did what he was best at. He held his fists in front of his face and locked his elbows into his sides, absorbing every punch that was thrown at him.

And brought him down with one punch to the liver.

You watched in awe.

Jihoon moved on to the next, who lunged at him immediately.

His partner ran off.

You went after him, sprinting until your legs couldn’t anymore. You lunged at him, latching onto his back and dragging him down to the floor with you. You scrambled up and hovered over him, locking him between your feet.

“Y-you,” he stammered. “What do you want?”

“Hi, buddy,” you said with a smile. “I have another name for you.”

He shook his head, his lip quivering. “I don’t… I don’t know anyone else. I swear.”

“Not even Im Jangho?”

The goon shook his head again.

You kneeled down and scanned every inch of his face. Sweat was building on his forehead and his eyes filled with tears. “I give you one more chance to be honest with me, otherwise we’ll have to do this the hard way again.”

“I… I promise,” he said with a trembling voice. “I’ve never heard of Im Jangho. I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

You narrowed your eyes and got up.

Jihoon stopped at your side. His knuckles were red and his lip swollen and bloody. “And?”

“He swears he doesn’t know anything,” you answered.

He pulled the goon up and waved his hand. “Go on.”

“Th…thank you.” The goon bowed, tears rolling down his cheeks. He ran away without looking back.

You looked at Jihoon. “That was noble of you.”

“They were pouncing an innocent woman,” Jihoon answered. “I couldn’t stand back and do nothing.”

When he looked at you, you broke out in a small smile. “You did well.”

He blinked in surprise before he smiled as well.

You walked up the stairs and shoved your hands into your pockets. “I want to apologise for my behaviour the past month, if you’ll let me.”

Jihoon turned his head, his eyes scanning you curiously.

“I’ve been so incredibly rough on you, all because I felt like mister Kang and mister Han didn’t trust me enough to do this on my own.” You lowered your eyes. “I came to realise lately that what we’re doing, what we’re chasing, spans so much bigger than I previously thought and it’s something I can’t do on my own without truly putting my life at stake.”

You sighed deeply. “I thought you had stepped in without knowing the full scale and I truly underestimated you, Jihoon. I’m sorry.”

“Mister Kang told me you’d be difficult,” Jihoon said as you turned around the corner, the car appearing on the horizon. “I don’t know what happened that led you to this point, but I keep in mind that it’s the reason why you shield yourself so much.” He nudged you lightly. “Thank you for apologising. And for finally trusting me to land a punch. Maybe you can let me do the fighting more often”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself now.”

Jihoon snickered and unlocked the car. “Shall we get some food? I’m fucking starving.”

“Please.” You groaned and slid in the passenger’s seat.

He started the engine and drove off. He took you to a drive-in and told you to order anything you wanted. He would treat you.

“Without liver punching you this time,” he commented, making you chuckle.

You were in the car in the middle of the night, munching on a box of twenty chili cheese nuggets and a large portion of fries.

Jihoon was on his second menu.

You looked at him. “Can I ask you something?”

He smiled. “Always.”

“What happened?”

“With my mother, you mean?”

You nodded.

“She owns a little coffee shop,” Jihoon started and looked out of the window. “For a year or so, she's been struggling to make ends meet and I help her out with the prize money from tournaments.”

You were a horrible person for feeling cheated out of the ten million that Jihoon won.

“She signed a contract with a man, who assured her that they would lend her money so she could keep the business open.”

Your throat narrowed.

Jihoon smiled weakly. “I don’t blame her for falling for it. They market it well, and I’m happy she made it out alive. I know it can be different for others.”

You nodded and stuffed a nugget in your mouth.

He let a silence fall, eating the rest of your meal with soft music playing in the background. Jihoon offered to throw everything away when you were both done and you watched him walking towards the nearest bin.

Jihoon was kind, and genuine. You thought he wouldn’t survive a day in this business, but he fought with a humanity that you starved out. You were sure once that it couldn’t co-exist with your new life, but he brought that into question the second that he walked in.

Maybe that was what scared you so much about a new business partner before. You couldn’t quite remember what you had to be scared of when you were with Jihoon.

And it made your heart flutter.

In the end – and after a near fistfight with mister Kang – you moved into mister Han’s mansion. All of them helped you move: Jihoon, mister Kang, mister Han helped where he could. Even Seokmin showed up. He didn’t say much, but the fact he was there was enough for you.

Your stuff was still in boxes, but the second you sat down your eyes felt heavy. You sank into your chair with your eyes closed and the next moment, Jihoon stood by your side.

He chuckled. “I see the unpacking is going well.”

Your cheeks flushed with heat and you scrambled out of the chair. “Uh, yeah. I was going to get to that.”

Jihoon offered a smile. “If you do your clothes, I’ll unpack the rest.”

“Jihoon–“ You tried, but he already had a box in hand. You rubbed your eyes and yawned, opening the box you labelled ‘shirts and tops’. Because you left some of your stuff at mister Han’s, the box wasn’t completely full. You placed everything on the shelves and unpacked the other two boxes.

You stuffed your lingerie in hastily and looked over your shoulder, where Jihoon was turned towards your desk. “I’m done,” you called out.

His attention snapped away from the desk. When he found your eyes, he smiled. “One last box left. I don’t know where you want to put it, though.”

You shot up and speed walked over to him, taking the box out of his hand. “I’ll do that myself.”

Jihoon scanned your face, but all he did was nod. He stepped away and cleared his throat. “Of course. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise.” You put the box on your desk and rubbed your eyes. “I’ll do that one tomorrow, I’ll think it over for a night.”

He nodded again, offering you a smile. “Would you like to have dinner with us? Mister Kang is cooking right now.” Before you could speak up, he did. “You seemed tired so I understand if you want to rest. I just wanted to invite you, in case you wanted to,” he added quickly.

You smiled weakly. “Yeah, I’ll have dinner with you.”

Jihoon returned it brightly. “Okay! It’ll be done in an hour or so, I believe, so you go take a proper rest and I’ll come get you when it’s ready, okay?”

You couldn’t help but feel the warmth spreading through your chest and nodded. ‘Thank you, Jihoon. That is sweet of you.”

His cheeks tinted a light pink. He shuffled towards the door and grabbed the handle. He closed his eyes before he looked at you.

You watched him, balancing on the balls of your feet.

He smiled and gave one last nod before walking out of the door.

Your heart jumped, although you weren’t sure what it was expecting him to say. Without trying to overthink it too much, you slid under the covers and closed your eyes.

Jihoon really seemed to want something off his chest, as if he’d been thinking of what to say for much longer than today. He looked at you with a glimmer in his eyes that you hadn’t seen before. His flushed cheeks were out of shyness, not the adrenaline that pumped through his veins whenever he was fighting.

He was difficult to look away from when he fought.

Your skin prickled when you thought back of your last mission together. The way he fought the goons, how you were nailed to the ground for a solid couple of minutes and you only came into motion because one was getting away.

Not because you wanted to be doing something else.

As soon as you fell into a sleep, those thoughts ebbed away. Like always, your sleep was dreamless.

You followed Jihoon downstairs as you rubbed the slumber out of your eyes, the scent of grilled pork making your stomach rumble. You greeted mister Kang and when your eyes fell on Seokmin, your breath caught in your throat.

The air grew thick between you, but not like it usually did.

Seokmin offered you a small smile and pulled on a chair. “Saved a seat for you.”

You nodded and sat down at the head of the table, Seokmin on your left and Jihoon on your right. Mister Kang sat down next to Jihoon and mister Han wheeled himself into the empty spot next to Seokmin.

For the first time in years, you were complete during dinner.

You watched how everyone filled their plate, your hands stuffed underneath your legs. Mister Kang went all out, something he did more often. He cooked three types of meat, made a variety of side dishes and toppings and cooked one whole pot of rice, a pot of noodles and a broth for everyone to enjoy.

When you looked down, your bowl was filled with broth. You glanced up and saw Seokmin putting the pot away. When you locked eyes, he was grabbing the spiced pork and noodles and put some of it in your broth. He put the kimchi in between you and offered you a smile.

You stared at him, tears prickling behind your eyes. You started eating before anyone had a chance to ask if you were alright. With your first bite, you closed your eyes and took a soft breath.

When you looked at mister Kang, he was already looking at you. He offered a smile. “Do you like it, bud?”

“It’s delicious,” you said in a half-whisper. You tried to return the smile, but a tear rolled down your cheek instead. You put your spoon down and got up. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

You felt a hand on yours and your head snapped to your left.

“Take your time,” Seokmin told you softly. “I’ll come check on you in a minute.”

Once you were outside, your legs buckled. You fell in the grass and buried your head in your hands, sobs escaping your lips. Everything changed when you were plucked off the streets. You hadn’t realised it until you sat at that dinner table, at the head where you’d always used to sit, eating dinner with people that had only wanted to take care of you. You only shut them out, opting that you wanted to use dinner time to be alone.

But there they sat again, leaving the spot at the head of the table for you. And you suddenly started to wonder how long they’d been doing it.

The second that Jihoon stepped in, everything returned to normal. You returned to normal.

Without a tear left to spill, you stared ahead of you. Your heart throbbed in your ears and your breath hitched. You wiped your cheeks with a sniffle.

Behind you, a door closed. The gravel crunched underneath the footsteps. You looked up when something moved into the corner of your eye.

Seokmin held the bowl out to you and sat down next to you, his fingers brushing the grass gently.

You held the bowl in your lap and sniffled. “Thank you.”

“Kind of brings you back, huh?”

You glanced aside, Seokmin observing the garden in front of you.

“It’s been a while since we did this,” he continued. “Mister Kang actually advised against inviting you. I only thought it was fair to try again.”

Your eyes lowered, prickling with tears again.

“I know the past couple of years have been rough for us. So rough that we couldn’t even work together anymore.” Seokmin didn’t sound anything short of gentle, and understanding. “That’s not very like us, is it?”

You shook your head and took a sip of the broth. “I don’t know why I went so hard on you, Seokmin. I just…” You closed your eyes. “I felt like this was the best way to protect myself but we should’ve been one unit. We’re all that’s left.”

“I never blamed you for it.”

You snapped up at him.

He shot you a small, understanding smile. “We all cope differently. And such events all change us in a different way. It’s not your fault that you wanted to protect yourself from more harm.”

You wiped a tear rolling down your cheek. “You’ve always been too sweet for this world.”

“And you’ve always been stubborn.” Seokmin nudged you and nodded at your bowl. “Eat up before it gets cold, sis. I’ll give you some time to process.”

You got up with the bowl in hand, to Seokmin’s surprise. “I want to stop processing for once and just… I don’t know, be here.”

He smiled and nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.”

You stuffed some of the noodles and vegetables in your mouth as you followed Seokmin inside.

When he turned around, he belted a laugh. He quickly composed himself. “Sorry, you looked ridiculous with your mouth so full.”

You kicked in his direction and swallowed your bite. “So much for the caring act.”

He grinned and sat down in front of his empty plate.

You bowed. “I’m sorry. I just needed a minute.”

“That’s more than okay, kiddo,” mister Han said sweetly. “I’m just happy to see you and your brother seem to get along again.”

You shot him a small smile and sat back down, finishing the rest of your meal. You had room for exactly one piece of kimchi before your stomach gave out on you.

Mister Han addressed the three of you, his soft eyes twinkling under the light of the dinner table. “You kids have been doing an excellent job the past couple of months, which is why mister Kang and I agreed on giving you a couple of days off after today, to rest up and get back out in the real world.”

You looked at him curiously. “But what about–”

“Mister Kang and I will see to it for now, kiddo.” He shot you a warm smile. “When we need your help, you’ll hear from us. Go have some fun.” He wheeled himself away from the table and out of the kitchen.

When mister Kang was done, he did the same.

You were left with Jihoon and Seokmin. Their conversation became your background noise as you retreated back into your thoughts. You were majoring in cinematography, always with a camera in hand either filming your surroundings or the people around you. You’d been excited to finally start college, even though it was two hours away from your parents. They’d grown accustomed to an empty nest when Seokmin left a couple of years before you, happily encouraging the both of you to spread your wings.

You were on the same campus, in the same building. The only difference was Seokmin majoring in musical theatre. He’d always loved performing and had his mind set to become a household name in the theatre world. You’d always loved his voice and when you were younger, he would sing you to sleep when you woke up with nightmares.

You hadn’t heard him sing since mister Kang found you.

When you started college, you hadn’t dared to imagine that your life would look like this: dealing in lives, fighting for your own survival, chasing a man that you often doubted even existed at all.

And suddenly he was on your radar, he was the starting point of unraveling what you’d desired to know for years. You hadn’t decided how you felt about that yet other than terrified.

Seokmin ruled in favour of going to the living room and took a bottle of red wine with him. You followed behind him with three glasses and Jihoon just went along.

“This has been her favourite drink for years,” you heard your brother say. When you turned your head, he grinned from ear to ear. “Ever since she was nine years old–”

You pinched the bridge of your nose with a loud groan and threw yourself on the couch. “Not this again.”

Jihoon looked at you curiously, your heart skipping a beat when you locked eyes.

“On a birthday party, dad was drinking red wine and when he wasn’t paying attention, she took a sip,” Seokmin continued. He was so amused with himself that you took the bottle out of his grip and poured the wine for him. “She then turned to him with the infamous words, ‘Dad, you shouldn’t drink the grape juice. It’s gone bad.’”

Your chest felt tight at the memory.

“The panic that set in among the adults was priceless! My parents learned to never leave their glass of wine unattended again.”

“They did learn to point out that it’s red wine and not grape juice every time they had a glass of wine,” you added without looking up. The warm laugh that rumbled in your brother’s throat sent tears to your eyes, but you swallowed them quickly.

Seokmin on his own knocked back at least one bottle of wine, a haze over his eyes by the time he announced he would be going to bed. When he brushed past you, the smell of alcohol followed him. He squeezed your shoulder and smiled before he went upstairs.

Jihoon had switched out wine for soda after the first sip. He shoved the glass towards you, which you passed onto Seokmin.

‘I don’t like red wine that much,’ you’d whispered to him. His chuckles had made your heart flutter.

You were sitting in front of the couch, right next to Jihoon’s legs. You twirled the bottle of beer around with a hum.

“Would you like to go into town with me tomorrow?” Jihoon asked.

You looked up at him and tilted your head. “Do you have something in mind?”

“Not particularly.” He shrugged. “We can just let the day unfold as we go.”

You were getting the feeling that the day would not unfold as you went.

Jihoon gradually steered you into a part of town that was home to a very specific set of leisure activities, skimming through the shopping streets with a little more haste than someone who was letting the day unfold. Whenever you lingered by clothing racks, you’d see him shift from one foot to the other in the corner of your eye.

So you lingered even longer.

With a bag that Jihoon insisted he wanted to carry for you, you stood in front of an arcade.

You looked aside. “This is not seeing where we will end up, is it?”

Jihoon shot you a sheepish smile. “I wanted to make it seem like it was and come here by pure accident, but I kind of failed at that, didn’t I?”

Bobbing your head, you confirmed that thought.

He walked towards the entrance and held the door open for you, while you froze in your tracks.

“You’re serious?”

“Yeah? Why wouldn’t I be?” Jihoon motioned his head. “Are you coming?”

You smiled and walked inside, Jihoon following close behind. His presence was a warmth travelling up your back, feeling his chest brushing your shoulders. His hand found the small of your back, gently pushing you forward. Your cheeks flushed as you came into motion.

Jihoon – like always – let you take the lead. He watched as you hopped onto the snowboard simulator, grabbing your arm as you nearly lost your balance. He gladly raced against you and you couldn’t prove it, but he was letting you win.

When you were seated for a drink break, you bounced your leg as you looked around. “We should go to the other side, they have a lot of old arcade machines there.” You slapped his bicep repeatedly. “Oh! And the basketball thing.”

He offered you a warm smile. “You lead, I follow.”

You returned his smile and finished your drink. You were falling, you just hoped that Jihoon was there to catch you.

Through Seokmin’s efforts in the days that followed – apparently his break hadn’t really been a break after all – an apartment got on your radar. It belonged to a man named Beomseok. When his face popped up, Jihoon was quick to recognise him as the ringleader of the ones that were in the subway station and you had no trouble believing that they set out for another one soon.

Despite a high possibility that Beomseok knew he was being followed, you camped out in front of his apartment at night, slumped into the passenger’s seat while Jihoon was in the back.

You were going over the information on your phone when Seokmin, your driver for the first time in years, called them out. You scrambled up and fastened your seatbelt. Your eyes were fixated on the black van, where a handful of men got in. All dressed like homeless people.

Seokmin followed the van from a distance and parked on the side of the road when they did as well.

The men got out and walked past your car into the station.

He turned to you and Jihoon. “I’ll park my car somewhere secluded. See you in a bit.”

Jihoon nodded and got out of the car, adjusting the cap on his head.

You opened the door when your brother stopped you. Looking over your shoulder, you saw him smiling at you.

“For them.”

You nodded. “For them.”

Seokmin gave you an encouraging nod as you got out. You slammed the door shut and caught up to Jihoon, falling into step with him as you walked down the stairs.

His arm lightly brushed against yours, making your stomach tingle. “I hate to say it, but if they don’t want to cooperate, fight them like your life depends on it.”

You turned your head with a surprised smile. “Oh? And what prompted you to say that?”

His eyes were staring straight ahead. “We’re getting closer,” he answered. “We can’t afford to lose out now. We have to do everything in our might to end this. Once and for all.”

“I agree.”

Your arms brushed against each other again, much more deliberate. When you studied him you could see a glimmer in his eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Your eyes peeled away from him and landed on the group before you.

All of them turned your way.

You scanned the crowd for Beomseok wearing a fake beard and had smears of paint on his face. He wore clothes that looked deliberately torn up and cut open, his plump figure merely hugged by a thin, brown jacket. You spotted him near the other entrance across from yours and tapped the back of Jihoon’s arm.

Jihoon walked back up the stairs while you stayed, keeping your eye on Beomseok. He carried himself with a sense of calmness and indifference that made the goons halt in their tracks, as if they were honing in on the wrong person.

Their attention shifted to you.

“It…it’s her,” a voice called from the crowd.

They all lunged forward, as if six pairs of hands could all grab you at once. You hopped back up the stairs before swinging your arm. Your fist hit someone’s cheek. The man stumbled backwards and toppled off the stairs, taking two others with him.

You punched another one in the side, but didn’t hit the liver like you practiced with Jihoon. You hit him in the stomach and pushed him down the stairs as well. From the other side of the station, you saw Jihoon dragging Beomseok away from them, two men lying on the bottom of the stairs.

One came at you with a pipe. You ducked away and grabbed the other end, pulling on it with everything you had. Your arm started to give out, but you bit through the pain. As you gave it one big pull, the goon on the other hand stumbled forward. Without a second thought, you snatched it out of his hand and hit him against the head.

The final one was the goon you punched in the face. Once again he lunged straight at you, but you swung the pipe at him, the metal clang echoing through the station. He collapsed through the ground as you made a run for it. You tossed the pipe to the side and turned into the direction you saw Jihoon earlier.

Something moved from the corner of your eye, but you were too late to see what it was. You had no time to find out and ran towards Jihoon, who was keeping Beomseok occupied with a fight.

His attention was on the goon, but you knew that he noticed you. Instead of letting himself get distracted, his sharp eyes were honing in on Beomseok. Right when Beomseok swung at him, he locked his elbows into his side. Jihoon was good at predicting his opponent’s moves, that much you learnt over the past months.

You ran up to them. “Sorry for being late. They kept me busy.”

“So it’s you two who were camping out of my apartment,” Beomseok said with a chuckle. “Very impressive, kids.”

“Have you gotten anything yet?”

“I left the fun part up to you,” Jihoon said tightly and stood down. He stepped backwards and crossed his arms behind his back.

Beomseok saw it as an opportunity to swing at you. He yelped when you twisted his arm by the fist.

“Good try.” You pushed him to the ground and kneeled down. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about Im Jangho and what his relation is to Yong Hyunwoo.”

Jihoon was a lingering presence behind you, ready to back you up when you needed it. His eyes peeked at the goon curiously, no hint of animosity or disgust whatsoever. He had never been the type to shred himself of the very thing that grounded him.

“I promise you, Beomseok,” you continued and stared at him coldly, watching his eyes widen. “It’ll be much easier if you just talk.”

Beomseok couldn’t do anything but scoff. “How do you know my name? Who are you? Who do you work for?”

“Get your head in the game, sweetheart.” You patted his cheek with a smile. “Im Jangho, who is he?”

“Jangho is a bodyguard,” he said. “He’s always there. Every business meeting, every deal, he’s the extra set of eyes. He’s the fiercest, most loyal one, if you don’t count Hyunwoo himself.”

Your brows were knitted together. “What do you mean, Hyunwoo himself? He doesn’t have to answer to anyone.”

Beomseok chuckled. “You’ll have to pay me to find that out.”

You slapped him across the face.

He whistled lowly and glanced up at Jihoon. “A feisty one, that lady of yours.”

“She can manage her own,” he responded tautly and nodded his head toward you. “I suggest you listen to her. I promise you, you won’t like what’ll come next if you don’t.”

You turned back to Beomseok with your eyebrow raised, a grin tugging at your lips.

“It’s not just Jangho and Hyunwoo, you know,” he continued. “They would’ve ran the business into the ground if it was just the two of them.”

“If scamming people for fun is what you call a business,” you replied. “What you do to those homeless people is for extra money, isn’t it? Stealing their ID’s and taking out loans in their name.”

“You gotta do what you gotta do.” Beomseok shrugged. “It’s how I earn my money, you earn yours by getting to people like me. That’s how this world works, love.”

“Doesn’t make it fair.”

“If you’re in it for fairness, you’re in the wrong place.”

You leaned forward a little. “Who else runs this scheme?”

“I know who you work for.” Beomseok belted out a laugh. “It’s that Han guy, isn’t it? Hyunwoo’s old mentor. The old, paralysed man.”

“Names, Beomseok,” you hissed, the anger prickling under your fingertips.

“I heard a couple of guys about this.” He sat up and looked at you. “Han recruits people who have been victims of Myung and Ga. You are so young, though. You can’t possibly have been a victim. Unless–”

You slapped him again, harsher than the previous time. Your hand tingled at the sensation. The spot was fiercely red, white spots indicating where your fingers made contact with his skin.

Jihoon pulled you up and his hand found the small of your back. He leaned in, his lips brushing the shell of your ear. “I’ll take over,” he whispered.

You closed your eyes and crossed your arms over your body. When they fluttered open, Jihoon was moving towards the goon.

“All we want are the names, Beomseok,” He said gently and kneeled down in front of him. “We’re not after you, okay? We’re after the ones who decided that they can play God with people who just want to stay afloat.”

Beomseok glanced at you before he turned back to Jihoon. “Im Jangho, Yong Hyunwoo, Choi Sooyun, Na Byeol. They make up the top of Myung and Ga.”

Jihoon looked back at you.

You offered a nod.

He got up and from where you were standing, you could see that he shot Beomseok a smile. “Thank you, Beomseok. You’ve been a big help to us.”

You turned on your heel when he called out to you. While you stayed put, Jihoon did turn back around.

“Let me help you out,” Beomseok spoke. By the ruffling of a jacket, you guessed that he was grabbing something out of his pocket. “This is where you can call me for help, okay? I will be there.”

You motioned your head towards Jihoon and you walked out of the subway together. As you ascended the stairs, you spoke up. “We’ll trace the number when we’re back.”

“Yeah.” Jihoon hummed and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Weird, how he just… switched sides.”

“People like him do what serves them best,” you said as a-matter-of-fact and walked down the street, following the location that Seokmin sent you. “He’s better off helping us at this point, knowing that one of them gets him killed if they find out that he spoke to us. And you need to know that it’s not just killing him.”

He bobbed his head. “I know.”

You saw Seokmin leaning against the car, his face bruised and bleeding. You picked up the pace to the point of running, grinding to a halt in front of him. “What happened here?”

“Guessing by the looks of it, Seokmin had some extra practice,” Jihoon commented and crossed his arms. “Were there more?”

“Apparently,” Seokmin answered and spat some blood out.

You looked around at the unconscious men. “There’s like, six of them.”

“Seven, one ran away.” He squeezed his eyes shut before popping them open. “Fuck, my head hurts.”

Jihoon grabbed the keys from him with a smile. “I’ll drive back.”

You glanced at him, knowing that your eyes lingered on him for too long. You looked away when Jihoon noticed you and got in the passenger’s seat, letting Seokmin take the back.

The latter pinched the bridge of his nose as he muttered underneath his breath. “So, did you find anything out at least? Then the headache won’t be for nothing.”

“There’s four of them,” you explained as Jihoon drove away. “Including Im Jangho and Yong Hyunwoo. Na Byeol and… Sooyun…”

“Choi,” Jihoon added, his eyes on the road.

“I’ll get to it tomorrow.”

Seokmin stayed in bed with a pounding headache. You brought him soup and occasionally gave him some paracetamol to get him through the day, but the remainder of the day you stayed put.

Dinner was just you and Jihoon so you ordered in. Sushi, to be exact. You were huddled together in front of the coffee table, your skin prickling at every touch. When he looked at you, your cheeks flushed. When he smiled, you did. Whenever his eyes flicked to your lips, you hoped he would do more.

You went upstairs after dinner and stayed there for the rest of the night, far beyond midnight. What for? You weren’t sure. You knew that you needed to be alone with your thoughts, with the fact that you were getting closer and closer to the end. An end that you hadn’t predicted would come at all. You’d grown accustomed to your new reality, but there was no denying that it wasn’t what you wanted anymore.

You weren’t sure what you wanted. You knew that there was a big question mark around Jihoon. A person that you chewed out a couple of months ago was the reason that you were moving in the right direction. Not only with your mission, but in your life as well. You were reverting to how you once were. You knew that going back to that version of you was impossible, but he made something shift.

You had no plans to fall, but you hoped that Jihoon was there to catch you anyway.

“Hey.”

Your heart jumped in your chest.

Without looking his way, you greeted him back.

Jihoon’s presence lingered in the doorframe. You could feel it as you were standing by the window, watching over the city in its nightly glory.

“I thought you were still awake,” you heard him behind you, a warmth brushing up your back not much later. As you closed your eyes, you took in the scent of sandalwood, picking up on the vanilla as an afterthought.

“I didn’t feel like going to sleep just yet,” you muttered. Your eyes fluttered open again and you turned around.

Jihoon was smiling at you. It was small, nothing short of genuine compared to how brightly and uplifting it usually was. There was a sliver of understanding between you in that moment, something that pushed you right towards him.

And for once, you didn’t feel like protesting it.

“Tomorrow’s the day,” Jihoon spoke up.

“Yeah.” You hummed and wrapped your arms around yourself. “It is.”

His smile faltered. “You don’t seem…”

“Excited?” You managed a weak chuckle. “I doubt you know what that looks like on me.”

“Your eyes twinkle, and you get a little bouncy in your seat, or when you stand up you hop from one foot to the other.”

Your breath caught in your throat.

Jihoon shot you a sheepish smile. “I think I do know.”

You were able to brush this off just barely. “I just…” Your eyes averted to the window. “It still feels miles away, like it has for all those years I’ve been doing this. Now it’s within reach and I can’t help but wonder if it was worth it, what I pushed myself through. If I should be proud of ripping the girl apart and rebuilding her into the ruthless, heartless fighter I am now.” Your sight was blurry, the pressure on your chest hurt. “Would that girl be proud of me for doing this? All she wanted was revenge and I gave it to her, but did I go too far?”

When Jihoon opened your mouth, you shook your head.

“I’m sorry.” You quickly rubbed your eyes and sniffled. “You don’t even know what this is about. I shouldn’t be burdening you with this.”

“I want you to.”

Your head snapped at him.

Jihoon’s eyes were locked onto you, had been the entire time. “You know my share, but I never got to know yours. How you got so wrapped up in a business like this.”

“The loan sharks, the ones that I’ve been trying to locate for years, they’ve been active for a long time,” you started, crossing your arms over your chest. “The restaurant was booming when our parents first opened it. Business was well for a couple of years before it started dwindling and they struggled to keep it open.” You wiped the tear off your cheek that managed its way down. “Our parents took out a loan. It turned out to be a scam, because they barged in the place demanding the money they owed. They didn’t have it and they had twenty-four hours.”

You bit your lip harshly and looked away. “I just started college, came home for the fall break with Seokmin to find the restaurant in shambles. Our parents were in the back and they…” The words were stuck in the back of your throat and all you could do was choke over them.

“You came here for them,” Jihoon concluded softly. From the corner of your eye, you saw him moving in front of you. “We’re in it for the same reason, then.”

“I gave up on trying to find out why their lives were so valuable to a bunch of scammers and I can’t begin to care anymore.” You wiped your cheeks with a sniffle. “It doesn’t bring them back. And neither does killing Hyunwoo, but he deserves it. Every last drop of blood that streams out of him.”

Jihoon didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to and you didn’t want him to. He just wrapped his arms around you, letting you melt into his chest.

You closed your eyes, surrounded by sandalwood and vanilla again. Your heart pounded in your chest. If it wasn’t from the emotional weight that just dropped off you, then it was because of Jihoon.

Jihoon, who was recruited by mister Kang after his mother’s coffee shop was brutally attacked. You felt for him, but it was buried deeply underneath a layer of coldness and distance. Every smile that he gave you melted that part of you until it was just a puddle at your feet. Every attempt that he made to get close to you, no matter how harshly you pushed him away, he would always come back to try again.

You didn’t deserve the kindness and patience that Jihoon had treated you with, yet there you were. Buried in his arms.

Safe.

Jihoon looked at you when you pulled away, but his arms stayed where they were.

Your eyes flicked to his lips and before you could reconsider, you pressed your lips together.

He didn’t return it.

Your heart pounded when you pulled back, freeing yourself from your arms. “Sorry, I just…” You shook your head. “This was stupid and–”

Jihoon leaped at you and smashed your lips together. The taste of vanilla hit you, mixed with the bourbon he enjoyed before you went upstairs. Your teeth sank into his bottom lip slightly and he opened his mouth. Your tongue swirled over his as you moved towards the bed. Your chest fell and rose heavily when you pulled back, the kindness he usually carried himself with was overridden by hunger.

You pushed his shirt up until he removed it, tossing your own aside before you pushed him on the bed. You kissed his jaw and trailed down to his neck, feeling Jihoon shiver under your touch. Your lips explored every inch, nipping at his pulse.

Jihoon rewarded you with soft whimpers.

You looked up at him from under your lashes, your stomach twisting in excitement. “Looks pretty, sounds pretty. I think I got myself a package deal.”

His cheeks flushed a deep shade of red before you moved down. Your lips connected with his collarbone, your kisses trailing all the way down his chest. His gasps made you flutter, your mind fogging as you travelled even further down. You felt something press against your chest, your eyes fluttering up at him.

His chest rose and fell heavily, his cheeks flushed red and sweat was already building on his forehead. He was burning up under your touch and he whimpered when you dragged your nails over his stomach.

You hooked one finger around the edge of his sweatpants, but you were underneath him before you could register.

“You’re skipping an opportunity for head? That’s a first.”

Jihoon hovered above you as a laugh rolled off his lips. “Well, in that case.”

“Nope, you wasted your moment now.” You felt your lips curving into a smile when you looked at him. “I’m fine, Jihoon.”

“It’s your turn to sit back now,” he told you.

Your body didn’t protest when he kissed your neck, your stomach twisting in excitement. Soft gasps escaped your lips as he found your sweet spot. You tilted your head to the side and bit your lip.

Jihoon wanted to move down, but you lifted yourself up and tossed your sports bra to the side. His eyes flicked to your face.

“You’re allowed to look, you know.”

They flicked back down and widened. “Uh…”

You arched an eyebrow, unable to fight the grin that was tugging at your lips.

“Stop looking at me like that.”

“You act like this is the first time you’ve seen tits in your life.”

Jihoon tripped over his words, his eyes flicking to you before they travelled back down to your chest. “I’ve never seen you without a sports bra before and you look good–” He looked at you with widened eyes. “Wait, I didn’t spy on you–”

You deadpanned him.

“I should stop talking, shouldn’t I?”

“More action, Jihoon. A girl has needs.”

Jihoon did as he was told and kissed you again, his tongue trailing down your bottom lip. His hand tugged at your sweatpants and you moved your hips up, pushing up against him. He groaned into your mouth and pulled back.

You watched how he tossed your sweatpants and string aside without a second thought, pushing your legs apart. His eyes observed you before they flicked back up at you. With flaming hot cheeks, you nodded.

His thumb rubbed over your clit and a pit of excitement formed in your lower belly. You gritted your teeth and looked at him. You gasped when he slid his fingers inside, clenching the sheets between your fists. A soft moan escaped your lips as he moved them back and forth, your head fogging when his tongue swirled over your clit.

The pit in your stomach grew with every thrust. Jihoon picked up on this and moved faster. You rewarded him with a moan as you rode your high, your eyes squeezed shut and your knuckles white.

When you met his eyes, they were holding the same kindness mixed with something you’d never seen on him before. He had completely snapped out of his stumble from before, like he was acting on nothing but desire.

You pushed yourself up, but Jihoon pushed you back down gently. You could only watch as he removed his sweatpants. The tip was already pressing against his boxers, springing free when he tossed them aside.

You couldn’t bring yourself to protest when his hand wrapped around his cock and he pumped it. You fluttered at the sight, the whimpers that came out of him and the way he threw his head back. Your cheeks flushed with heat when he locked eyes with you and you looked away, your heart drumming in your chest.

“Are you ready?”

Your head snapped back at him. Jihoon was standing by the edge of the bed, smiling at you. You nodded and spread your legs, watching as he positioned himself in between them. The tip teased your hole and your stomach clenched together. You bit your lip harshly.

Jihoon pushed inside gently, a harmony of groans and moans coming from both of you.

Your nails brushed his arm and his eyes fluttered open. He seemed to understand exactly what you wanted and hovered over you before he started moving his hips. Your heart thumped in your ears, the pit of excitement building in your gut again.

Jihoon connected your lips in a kiss, releasing soft moans into your mouth. You pulled him further down until your chests were practically melting together, your hands gripping his shoulders.

Your eyes locked again and he bit his lip. “I…”

“You don’t have to say anything,” you panted with a smile. “Let it happen.”

He closed his eyes and muttered underneath his breath, thrusting deeper into you.

You felt the excitement twisting in a knot and threw your head back into the pillows. Your mind blanked out as you climaxed. Moans broke free from you and Jihoon, riding out your high together with him, your faces inches away from each other.

Jihoon was a mess when he pulled out, panting and cheeks flushed a deep shade of red.

You looked at him and smiled. It was more than enough at that moment.

He pulled the condom off and threw it in the bin, snatching his clothing from the floor.

You scrambled up, watching him with your breath caught in your throat. He hoisted himself back into his boxers and smiled, holding out his shirt to you. The tension released from your shoulders as you took it.

“I thought you were going to leave,” you heard yourself say, pulling the shirt over your head.

Jihoon slid into bed next to you. “Sounds like a dick move.”

“It is a dick move.” You turned your head to look at him. “You’re not a dick.”

“Aw, you’re giving me a compliment.”

“You know what? Leaving doesn’t sound so dicky anymore.”

Jihoon chuckled, making your heart flutter. He wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his chest. He ran his fingers through your hair with a hum. “I won’t leave. Ever.”

You closed your eyes with a small nod. “Okay.”

He repeated it back to you softly before pressing a kiss in your hair. “What are we going to tell Seokmin?”

“To keep his mouth shut.”

Jihoon snorted. “Your default, I believe.”

You looked back at him. “I like that your first thought after sex is ‘What are we going to tell Seokmin?’”

“He will probably make fun of me. And he is your brother so the possibility of murder–”

“Is zero.” You shrugged. “You got bagged and he has never even touched a woman. He has no leg to stand on, sweetheart.”

Jihoon chuckled. “Bagged?”

“You made love,” you spoke. “If I were to believe Seokmin without any experience, that is what real men do.”

“I thought he had no leg to stand on.”

“He doesn’t, but he isn’t a prick.” You pointed a firm finger at him. “Don’t tell him I said that.”

“Yes, boss.”

You gave him a playful push, a wave of exhaustion washing over you when you sank back into his arms. You leaned against his arm and closed your eyes.

You hadn’t fallen asleep so quickly as you did when you were in Jihoon’s arms. And frankly, you could get used to it.

You were already dressed by the time Jihoon woke up, watching him from your desk.

His arm was draped over your empty spot, his fingers tracing over the sheet as if they acted like his eyes. He shot up and locked eyes with you, a smile tugging at his lips. “I thought you were gone.”

You shook your head as you bit your nail.

Jihoon slid out of bed and walked over to you. His hand wrapped around your shoulder and pulled you into his chest. His fingers brushed your hair gently.

You stared ahead of you, listening to his steady breathing. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

“I think we can never be ready for a moment like this.”

“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” you whispered almost inaudibly. You knew that Jihoon couldn’t guarantee his safety. Neither could you. You didn’t want him to, it was based on loose promises anyway.

“I don’t know where we’re going to end up, but it’ll be the two of us together,” he said softly. “Always.”

You looked up at him with a small smile. “Always.”

Jihoon possessed the gift to know exactly what he needed to say, putting your racing thoughts at ease. He knew how to get through in a way that nobody else could.

He pulled you up from your chair, his hands sliding to your hips. He closed the distance between you, but lingered. You felt his hot breath on your lips and your breath hitched. Your fists clutched the fabric of his shirt and you closed your eyes.

His lips brushed past yours, leaving a trail of heat. You leaned in and connected them in a kiss.

The door of your bedroom swung open and you jumped away from Jihoon.

“I have…” Seokmin paused, his eyes darting from you to Jihoon before they widened. “Oh–”

You glared at him. “Don’t say a word.”

“That’s what I heard last night.” He bobbed his head and turned to Jihoon. “Congratulations, Jihoon. You straightened out the boss.”

You whacked your brother’s arm harshly.

Jihoon’s cheeks were a deep shade of red when he glared at Seokmin. “Piss off if you don’t have anything of value to say.”

Your brother whistled lowly. “A little bite looks good on you, Jihoon.”

You slapped him again.

“I know where to find Jangho.”

You, Seokmin and Jihoon followed him all the way to a remote warehouse. The stench of fish greeted you from a mile away and you struggled to keep it down. You pinched your nose and sunk back in your seat.

Seokmin turned to Jihoon and tapped his shoulder. “This is her worst nightmare.”

You saw him frowning from the corner of your eye, his eyes on the road ahead. His hand rested on your thigh. “Didn’t your parents have a sushi restaurant?”

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” you said nasally. “This is an overwhelming stench of fish and I have no idea why Jangho would come here.”

“A cover, probably,” Your brother offered. “They won’t look here because the smell is absolutely spine-chilling.”

You looked over your shoulder. “What do you think they’re doing here?”

“Illegal transfers.”

“You’re saying that with a lot of certainty.”

Seokmin shrugged. “I watched a lot of movies.”

Your upper lip curved upwards, your brows pushed together. You glanced at Jihoon, who shot a quick look back before his eyes darted back to the road.

“Oh, what? Now you’re able to communicate telepathically? You had sex last night.”

Jihoon’s cheeks turned a furiously deep shade of red. “I… Well–”

“He’s messing with you,” you assured Jihoon. “He will not let this go for the next couple of years.”

Seokmin leaned back in his seat with a grin. “If tonight won’t be my last night on Earth, definitely.”

You shot him a glare.

“You never know, sis. We could die tonight.”

“You are not dying on me.” You turned to Jihoon. “And neither are you. I’ve lost enough people for someone my age.”

Seokmin’s grin was replaced by a smile. “You shouldn’t die either, then.”

Jihoon parked the car next to the road and you got out.

You froze in your tracks when someone came outside. His broad, muscular frame was hugged by a black suit and white blouse, barely visible under the dim lights.

“Fuck,” Seokmin muttered behind you. “That’s him.”

You glanced aside at Jihoon, your heart hammering in your chest.

He looked back and smiled. “This is it.”

Your legs came in motion. Jihoon followed suit while Seokmin stayed behind, making sure you had a quick escape route if you needed it. When you were close enough, you saw that he was taking a call. You could barely hear what it was about, but one sentence was loud and clear.

“There’s a chance I’ve been followed here. Keep on the lookout for strange activity.”

You muttered underneath your breath and tapped Jihoon. “We have to act now,” you whispered. “There’s no moment to lose now anymore. He’s onto us.”

Jihoon nodded and wanted to get up, but you pulled him back down. Your lips connected in a kiss and the world around you was forgotten for a moment.

“Be safe,” you whispered. “Please.”

He pressed your foreheads together before he got up and disappeared into the night.

You watched him walk all the way around the parking lot, until he was right behind Jangho. When he threatened to turn around, you put your fingers to your mouth and blew. A loud whistle echoed over the terrain.

Jihoon swung at his side, but Jangho turned around and grabbed his fist. He ducked and lunged for his other side, hitting Jangho in the ribs. He was able to break free and held his fists in front of his face.

Something moved in the corner of your eye.

Three men came outside, completely dressed in black. One was considerably larger than the others, a wicked grin across his face when they sauntered up to Jihoon.

Na Byeol.

You scrambled up and walked into the parking lot. As you whistled again, the three men turned to you. With a smile, you wiggled your fingers in a wave. Byeol turned his attention to Jangho and Jihoon while the other two lunged at you.

You rolled your shoulders back and held your fists ready. You were trained to provoke, to crawl under your opponent’s skin and strike when they were at their angriest. It would blind them and you could bring them to their knees with one good punch. Or multiple, whenever you felt like toying with them more. Swift on your feet, harsh in your punches. Offensive to the point of aggravation.

You jumped to the side when one of them swung. When he tried to counter, you ducked, lunging at his side. He dodged by jumping to the right and immediately striking. You ducked again, a choreography you’d performed plenty of times. You imagined yourself in the boxing rink, across from Byungmin. Two of him, to be exact.

A good fighter, but sloppy in his punches. He was quick to anger. It didn’t even need a punch because one dodge from you was more than enough to get him riled up. How did you deal with them? Simple. You dodged once and punched him in the stomach, watching him collapse to the ground with a loud groan.

You jumped backwards when the other reached for your stomach, striking him in the eye. He lost momentum as he brought his hands up to his face and you knew there wasn’t a moment to waste. You raised your right arm and swung at his side. He stopped in his tracks and put a step backwards. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.

Without a second thought, you grabbed the iron cord from your belt and ran up to Jangho. You swung yourself at him and wrapped it around his throat. “I’ll let go if you talk,” you hissed in his ear.

Jangho managed a broken laugh. “Send Han my regards, sweetheart. I won’t say anything.” He relaxed into your grip and looked ahead. “Do it.”

You tightened it slightly, watching the air squeezing out of his lungs. “One more chance, Im Jangho,” you said. “I have no need to kill you, but I will if you’re so sure about dying for this.”

“Do it, sweetheart. I know you want to.”

You looked at Jihoon, who was nailed to the ground. The man that he was fighting earlier was floundering by his feet like a fish on dry land, holding his right side.

“Do it!”

You released the cord.

Jangho stumbled forward with a laugh rumbling in his throat. “You have some humanity left in you, sweetheart. It surprises me.”

You grabbed a knife from your belt and plunged it in his neck. While you looked at him, you pulled it out, your heart pounding in your ears. You stood over him in his final moments. The light disappeared from his eyes, a stream of blood travelling down the corner of his mouth. You couldn’t bring yourself to care. To feel something about his death other than satisfaction.

You looked at Jihoon, whose eyes darted away from you. “We should go,” you spoke gently and nodded at Byeol. “Take him with you. I’ll call mister Kang.”

Jihoon did as he was told without another word, dragging Byeol with him.

You walked ahead of him and turned around, halting in your tracks. “Shall I help you?”

“Please.”

You grabbed Byeol’s legs and together, you dragged him all the way back to your car. You ignored Seokmin’s questioning look and told him to open the trunk. You and Jihoon threw Byeol in, propping his arms and legs together so he fitted. With a loud thud, you closed it and slid into the passenger’s seat.

Seokmin sat behind the wheel, Jihoon taking his place in the backseat. You could feel every word on his mind hanging between you, but he kept silent.

Your bloody knife sat in its belt, spats decorated your face and hair. You touched the screen and went into Seokmin’s contacts. Mister Kang was right at the top, underneath your name. You clicked on it and the line connected almost immediately.

“Do you have an update?” Mister Kang sounded on the other side.

“Jangho is dead,” you spoke up. That was all you needed to say for him to understand. “We have Byeol in the trunk of the car.”

“Bring him to the workplace. I’ll see you there.”

You hung up and leaned back in your seat, staring out of the window. The workplace had merely been a term in mister Kang’s training, a place that was a pool of unspoken tragedy. You’d never prepared yourself for the moment you had to bring someone there.

You looked at Jihoon through the rearview mirror, but he looked away when you locked eyes. “I want you to be prepared for what’s coming,” you said to him.

His eyes flicked back to you.

Your chest felt heavy when you turned around to him. “The workplace is a fifty-fifty chance that Byeol makes it out alive, Jihoon. You will not like what you’re going to see there.”

“Do we have to be there?”

“Mister Kang wants us to.”

Jihoon swallowed and looked out of the window.

The rest of the drive was silent. Nothing any of you wanted to say mattered enough and nobody would be put at ease anyway. Seokmin tried to slice through the silence with a lighthearted talk about the music that was playing, but neither Jihoon nor you took the offer.

Seokmin pulled into the lot of the workplace. In the headlights of the car, you saw the figure of mister Kang, his lean figure hugged by a long black coat. His chestnut brown hair was tucked away underneath a beanie, his nose and mouth covered by a black mask.

You got out of the car and opened the trunk.

Mister Kang’s eyes darted to you before he looked at the man in the trunk. He reached into his pockets and covered Byeol’s eyes and mouth before dragging him out. He dragged him towards the big garage door and told Seokmin to open it.

You trailed next to Jihoon and reached for his hand, lacing your fingers together. You felt a light squeeze and gave him a reassuring nod. When you walked inside, mister Kang was tying Byeol to a chair with another man.

“Donghyun,” you muttered.

He turned around at the sound of his name, the cold stare he gave you nailing you to the ground. Donghyun, mister Kang’s brother, someone who only showed up when they needed someone to be dealt with. An ex-military with a sense of ruthlessness in him that had only been amplified by the missions he was deployed on.

“Get some salt water for me,” mister Kang told you. His voice was rid of the warmth that it usually carried.

You swallowed and let go of Jihoon’s hand, grabbing the bucket and back of salt from the floor. Jihoon followed you outside and turned to you. You turned the bag upside down, watching the content fill the bucket. Jihoon loaded it up with water and brought it back inside.

You’d never seen mister Kang like that, but you didn’t like it.

Seokmin joined the two of you, mister Kang seated in front of Byeol.

The bucket of water was at his feet as he grabbed a pair of gloves. “My pet peeve is people not talking when they say they’re going to,” he started, pulling one over his hand. “That means you’ll nod your head only when you have something to say to me.”

You didn’t need to face him to see the ice running through his veins.

Donghyun turned on a machine and the whirling sound made your blood run cold. You wanted to look away, but you couldn’t. Your stomach turned when the sander etched into Byeol’s thigh.

Byeol’s groans were muffled. His body tensed up.

Mister Kang stirred through the salt water before he lifted his hand. The water dripped down in the bucket, every drop another beat that your heart skipped. He placed his hand right on top of the wound, staring at the blindfolded Byeol.

Byeol screamed, panting when mister Kang released his hand.

“No talking? Alright then.”

You looked at Jihoon. His face was white as a sheet, his eyes blown wide open and filled with tears. You looked at Byeol again, who gruffed underneath the pain of another wound.

Mister Kang grabbed a handful of salt and splashed it onto his other thigh, right into the wound that his brother had made.

You felt yourself reaching for Jihoon’s hand and grabbed it. You felt him squeeze when Donghyun etched another wound into Byeol’s skin.

Wood tapped against the concrete floor behind you and you released his hand, going up to mister Han.

“Walk outside with me, kiddo,” he offered kindly.

You joined him, the whirling of the sander replaced by mister Han’s crutches. “Im Jangho is dead.”

“So I’ve heard,” mister Han’s gruff voice sounded in your ears. “There’s no doubt they’re looking for you now, especially because you abducted one of their people.”

“I’m prepared.”

“Good.” Mister Han nodded. “In order to take down an organisation, all you need is dispersion and diversion. People tend to trust those who empathise with them. If you’re not able to gain their trust, it’s your organisation ending up divided.”

You halted in your tracks. “Why are you telling me all of this?”

He stopped as well and turned to you. “This won’t end until someone dies, kiddo. And there’s no guarantee that that someone won’t be me. I know Hyunwoo, I’ve worked with him before, long ago, and he’s cruel and violent. If you ever were to fight Hyunwoo, you need to be able to protect the others, for me.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat and nodded slowly. “Okay.”

Mister Han walked back towards the entrance, the whirling of the sander and Byeol’s screams settling into your bones again. You pulled the tarp aside and walked in after him, watching him sit down right across from Byeol.

He pointed at the tape. “Take that off.”

Mister Kang ripped it off, a whimper leaving Byeol’s lips. His eyes scanned every one of you before they locked onto mister Han, his chest rising and falling heavily.

“Na Byeol?” Mister Han’s calmth radiated through the coldness of the workplace. “I have reason to believe you may be the one that understands Hyunwoo the best out of all of his men.”

Byeol’s eyes faltered only slightly, almost unnoticeably.

“Hyunwoo is a very violent, cruel man, but he’s capable of reading people like a book,” your boss continued. “He truly gets them. I’m sure most men take him at his word, but you’re smarter. You know Hyunwoo. You know he doesn’t ever empathise with one of his people. He’s cold and calculating, always thinking about how to utilise his men as his next little move.”

Byeol visibly swallowed.

“You knew all of this and still decided to work for him.” Mister Han leaned forward. “At first you were led by greed. He paid you in one year what a corporate would do in five. Graduating from the Police Academy was supposed to give you authority, but you only ended up getting yourself demoted. It was all about your pride, and I suppose that was the real reason you were fine working for him after all.”

You watched, feeling the dread etching into your skin.

“If he ended up having a reason to kill you, you would just run off with the money he paid you. You never lost your agency anyway.” A smile appeared on the older man’s face. “I like that plan.”

Jihoon tensed up next to you, clutching to your arm.

“If I decided to send that photo to him right now, and said that you gave me the names of the people he had you kill, he would surely believe me over you.”

Byeol’s eyes widened and he squirmed in his seat.

You felt your chest tighten.

“After all, who wouldn’t crumble in the position that you’re finding yourself in right now? He’d call back all the men he set out to find you, release a pack of bloodhounds and they’d kill you in no time.”

From the corner of your eye, you saw Seokmin bobbing his head.

“You know him just as well as I do,” mister Han said. “If I plant even the smallest seed of doubt about you to Hyunwoo, you are a dead man.”

Byeol muttered underneath his breath, wiggling in his seat as if he tried to break himself free. “Why should I die?!”

Mister Han called out to him, but all he did was scream.

You watched as your boss raised his hand and slapped him across the face, wincing.

“Get yourself together!” mister Han yelled. “If you don’t get yourself together, you will die!”

Byeol stared at him like a deer in headlights.

“If you tell me everything,” he calmly continued. “I’ll send you away to a safe place with enough money to live off.” He leaned forward again. “I taught Hyunwoo everything, and know of places he hasn’t even heard of before. That’s a promise.”

Byeol released a shaky breath.

“You were planning on leaving sooner or later. I’m giving you the chance to do it.”

“If I talk,” he spoke in a raspy tone. “How much money?”

Mister Kang took off his glove and reached for his throat. “I’d answer quickly if I were you.”

Byeol coughed as he was released, glaring at mister Han.

“Hyunwoo and Myung and Ga Insurance are going down for good, but you’ll have plenty enough to start a new life.”

You saw the flash of hesitation in his eyes and you were sure your bosses did, too. You huddled closer to Jihoon.

“Get him some clothes,” mister Han ordered.

Donghyun threw a jacket around Byeol’s shoulders and grabbed his phone to press record.

The information spilled out of Byeol as if he was holding it back all this time. He talked about ensuring that his illegal dealings went under police radar. How he made sure everything went smoothly when the police did snuff around. He talked about handling small stuff with Jangho, about the ways they would get money out of big investors by blackmailing them. How the big stuff was handled through a financial service company.

And the way they got the money out of struggling businesses.

You stretched your fingers, your heart galloping in your chest.

You learned of the service company that was run by Choi Sooyun, though it was rather a gang than a company. She was basically Hyunwoo’s guard dog and wouldn’t go down without a fight according to Byeol.

She was also the one in charge of discarding the bodies via a three-ton fish truck. The way she spoke to the driver, she did this a lot. Byeol had seen it with his own eyes when Hyunwoo had killed a man with his bare hands.

You didn’t hesitate to get back outside when they were transporting Byeol to the hospital. “We’re going to Sooyun.”

Jihoon called out to you, but you ignored him and got in the car. He slid into the passenger’s seat and closed the door behind him. “Hey.”

You turned to him, your stare cold. “I looked the possible murderer of my parents right in the eyes. He told us where to find Sooyun and we will end this. Once and for all.”

He retreated his hand and looked away from you.

“Is Seokmin coming?”

“He’s taking mister Han home.”

You started the engine and drove off, telling Jihoon to put the address in that Byeol had given you. Mister Kang hadn’t said anything when you left in a hurry, but you knew that he was the last person to stop you.

He wanted to get it over with as much as you did.

Your GPS brought you to the docks across town, a place you assumed Sooyun was occupied with since you’d gotten to Jangho at the start of the night. Or she was always there, which is why Byeol was quick to give you that address. You decided there was no time to mire over it and got out of the car.

Jihoon scrambled out as well and followed you, nearly tripping over himself as he did so. “We need to think about this.” Your name rolled off his lips sweetly and you’d stop to walk back in his arms if you didn’t know better.

“It’s simple,” you replied and picked up the pace. “We take care of Choi Sooyun.”

The air between you became so thick that you heard Jihoon struggling to breathe. You scanned the area, trying to locate the woman behind the scheme. Since Seokmin pulled up her picture, you studied every inch of her; long hair that she recently dyed blonde, a pair of wide set doe eyes easily able to lure in its prey, a lean, athletic build and long legs that you couldn’t help but feel envious of. She either wore a suit or a tight compression shirt on top of cargo pants, depending whether she came to fight or to do business.

Jihoon stayed behind you, having no other choice but to follow you, so he said.

You turned around to him. “You do have a choice, Jihoon. You can still get out of here.”

“I’m not going to leave you alone,” he said resolutely.

“I don’t just mean now.” You caressed his cheek with a weak smile, feeling them heating up under your touch. “You can leave this business behind. It’s not too late for you yet.”

He grabbed your hand, taking it in his. He pressed a kiss to it and laced your fingers together. “We’re going to do this together.”

You didn’t have the heart to tell him how messy it was going to be.

Without wasting another second, you kept on the lookout for Sooyun. At least an hour went by without any trace of her and a small seed of doubt planted in your head; maybe you’d been naive to believe Byeol was telling the truth. That what mister Han said about him was right and it was a catalyst for Byeol to finally get out.

A woman got out of a truck, taking big strides right into your direction. Her long blonde hair swayed from left to right, in the same rhythm as her hips did. Her upper body was hugged by a tight compression shirt, on top of a cargo pants. Behind her were at least a dozen men.

Jihoon swallowed the lump in his throat and rolled his shoulders back. “Okay, well, here goes nothing. I guess.”

“If Sooyun attacks you, direct her to me,” you told him and balled your fists, nails digging into your skin. “I’ll deal with her.”

Sooyun’s yell echoed over the docks, the men behind her coming into motion. She cracked her knuckles, her doe eyes fixated on you.

Jihoon was engulfed in goons, most of which he took out with one punch. You fought them off of you by dancing around them until they got so angry, they fell out of step and you punched them to the ground. Once, sometimes even twice depending on how eager they were to take you down.

A sharp pain shot through your left side. You bit through it as you got up, redirecting your attention to Sooyun. Her grin was wicked, her eyes so dark that there couldn’t be anything else than Hell trapped in them.

You crinkled your nose and held your fists in front of your face. It earned you a laugh from her.

“Very eager, I see.” She crackled her knuckles, her biceps flexing through the shirt. “Well, then, pup. Show me what you got.”

You were an offensive fighter, driving your opponent to the farthest borders of their sanity. Usually it worked by just one simple dodge, the way they fell out of their usual rhythm became obvious in the little missteps they made.

Sooyun kept her composure, circling around you as if she handed the lead over to you, but you knew that she was in control. If she wanted you to attack, then you would.

You stepped backwards and bumped right into something hard. When you looked over your shoulder, you saw Jihoon looking back at you.

“Try to hit the liver,” he whispered to you, his eyes locked on the goon in front of him. “She keeps her arms next to her body to keep her sides off limits. Play dirty with her.”

You nodded once and ran up to her, diving straight for her and taking her with you to the ground. You wrapped your legs around her throat and started squeezing, but she flipped you around. As she hovered over you, her hands found your throat and she squeezed.

You coughed, desperately trying to claw your way out of her grip. She pressed down harder on you to the point you started seeing stars and the world around you started fading away. When you looked down, you heard Jihoon in the back of your head. Or in the distance, you couldn’t be sure. You raised your right arm and swung, your fist connecting with her side.

Nothing happened.

You felt a tingling travelling up your arm before it fell next to your body.

The pressure on your throat released. With a big gasp for air, you scrambled away from her. You coughed your throat sore, blowing your eyes wide open while tears streamed down.

Sooyun was on the floor, doubled over.

Before your mind registered, you had her in a headlock. “Tell me where to find Hyunwoo and I’ll consider letting you go,” you said lowly. “No promises, though.”

Sooyun laughed in response.

“Alright, then.” You pulled her into your chest, clenching the arm that was around her neck. She clawed at her throat, gasping as the air squeezed out of her lungs. Tears stung behind your eyes as she started coughing. “You should’ve never crossed paths with me, Sooyun. You deserve what is coming to you.”

Sooyun went limp into your arms.

You threw her to the ground and wiped your cheeks with a sniffle. When you looked at Jihoon, his knees buckled. He fell to the ground with loud sobs, his face buried in his hands.

“Jihoon-“

“Why did you kill her?” He looked up at you, tears streaming down his face. “We never agreed on killing her. We never agreed on killing anyone.”

Your chest tightened, tears prickling behind your eyes. “I had to, Jihoon. This will never end if they don’t die. There will just be new people in their place.”

“And… and Byeol. What’s going to happen to him?”

“He’ll be safe, as mister Han promised. Because he helped us.”

He chuckled bitterly. “So that’s the deal, then. You live to see another day only if you’re on our side.”

It was the way business went. Mister Kang had told you the same on your first mission where someone died. You came home bawling your eyes out, not even remotely in the mood to hear his speech. But there was a truth in his words, albeit a bit controversial as comforting words nonetheless.

You remembered the way you felt ten times worse about it, and how you were standing in front of Jihoon right now, how it had probably started right in that very moment six years ago. The words were lost on you when you wrapped your arms around him, but you knew one thing for sure: you did not want him to lose the very thing that you got rid of.

Humanity.

“I hope we can get out of this soon, Jihoon,” you murmured and rested your head against his. “I promise you, it’s almost over, but we need to finish this. Hyunwoo has to die.”

Jihoon met you with silence, burying his head in the crook of your neck. He hadn’t said anything for the entire ride back, or when he followed you upstairs to your room. He was just there with you, falling asleep at the crack of dawn, when your mission had finally come to an end.

And the worst hadn’t even come.

Sleeping hadn’t exactly been in the cards for you since you killed Sooyun.

On nothing else than willpower and caffeine, you helped Seokmin to try and locate Yong Hyunwoo, the last remaining executive still standing. The boss that watched his team thinning out one by one was untraceable.

Jihoon hadn’t come out of bed since, which left you and Seokmin alone on most of your missions. Mister Kang had left you to deal with him, even though he’d returned to his usual warmth and hospitality after what happened. He was aware that Jihoon didn’t even want to look him in the eyes.

He watched you kill someone and yet, you were the only person that he responded to.

You sat by him, brushing your fingers through his hair while he slept. Rays of the afternoon sun lit your room, making Jihoon’s skin glow. He looked ethereal, at peace even amidst the blood you’d spilled.

Your eyes fell on your desk. Since moving back, you hadn’t touched the box that Jihoon opened for you. It sat there, waiting to be unpacked. You couldn’t bring it in yourself to do so, not in this place.

You retreated your hand from Jihoon’s hair and walked up to your desk. With a hammering heart, you closed the box and grabbed a marker.

‘OPEN IT WHEN YOU’VE STARTED OVER’

You stored it in the bottom of your closet safely and sat back down on the bed, your hand finding his shoulder. You rubbed it gently and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “We’re going to be okay,” you whispered to him. “One last mission and then we can get out of here.”

Jihoon mumbled something before he rolled on his other side, his chest falling and rising in soft motions.

You left him alone and gently closed the door behind you, hopping down the stairs. You joined Seokmin in the basement, where he was stationed behind a desk. Two screens were in front of him, full of CCTV.

“When Donghyun was shadowing him, he noticed that Hyunwoo stays until late,” he said and looked over his shoulder. “I’ve been tracking CCTV of the area the past week and this is true only on Wednesday.”

“That’s today.” You looked at Seokmin. “We have to go, before we run the risk of being attacked first. I’m surprised nothing has happened for an entire week.”

Seokmin offered a sympathetic smile. “Jihoon is still under the weather, sis. There’s no other choice but to wait.”

You eyed him knowingly.

He swallowed and nodded. “I see.”

“This has been our battle from the first second mister Kang brought us in,” you told him, your voice rid of its usual edge. “Jihoon might not be up for the task at the moment and I don’t blame him, but you are. I know that you want nothing more than to put an end to this, maybe even more than I do.”

Seokmin closed his eyes as he chewed on his lip. A soft sigh escaped him. “He leaves at 8pm tonight. We have to make sure to be in the building when he does,” he spoke determinedly. “We’ll ask mister Kang to look after Jihoon while we’re gone.”

Your lips curved into a smile.

“We’re going to get rid of him, once and for all.”

You laid next to Jihoon after dinner, facing him as he played with your hair. “I’ll be back before you know it,” you told him, your eyelids falling shut at his tender touches. “And then it’ll be over. No more fighting, no more killing.”

“No more death,” Jihoon murmured.

You offered a small smile. “None of that.”

He didn’t return your smile. His eyes were glossy, as if he was staring right through you. Hollow, empty glances that jabbed at you. The joyish spark they held had died and you couldn’t help but feel responsible for it. You once thought that pushing him away would make him go away, but he stayed. You once thought that warning him, trying to protect him from the things you would see and do would make it easier to absorb the blow, exactly like he did when he was fighting.

You once thought that this was the curse of feeling too much, but maybe Jihoon was exactly what you needed to remind yourself of the cruelty you’d lived through the past years. That your reality had never been normal, no matter how used you’d gotten to it.

And it shouldn’t be normal.

“I have to go now,” you said and got up. “I left some dinner on the nightstand, so please eat something, okay? Even if it’s just one bite.”

Jihoon bobbed his head weakly.

You pecked his lips and got up, pushing your arms through the sleeve of your leather jacket one after the other. You turned on your heel.

“I love you.”

You didn’t hear anything else over your heart pulsing in your ears. You couldn’t even yourself think, let alone that you heard yourself say it back. All you could do was smile when you looked at him.

“I’ll see you tonight,” he murmured as his eyelids fell shut. Within seconds he’d drifted off to sleep.

You didn’t even get a chance to say it back.

When you joined your brother downstairs, he clipped a knife on his belt and grabbed the keys. “Mister Kang will check on Jihoon in an hour or so, to see if he ate anything. Donghyun’s driving us.”

You glanced at Donghyun, who took the keys from him. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be on the lookout, so if something goes wrong I expect you outside in a matter of minutes.”

You nodded and got in the car. You tried your best to relax in your seat while Donghyun drove away, but every turn made your stomach twist. When the building came into view, your heart stopped.

This was it. The man responsible for everything, ripping dozens of families apart for his own means, would die at your hands tonight.

“It’s 7:45pm,” your brother announced when Donghyun parked the car. He turned to you. “Ready?”

You nodded and unbuckled your seatbelt. “Do you remember the floor to hide in?”

“The sixth, you will chase him there.”

With a satisfied nod, you got out of the car.

Donghyun called out to you before you could close the door. He offered a nod. “I want you to get back here with good news only, hm? Make mister Kang proud.”

You saluted him and closed the door, following Seokmin towards the entrance. Donghyun had explained to you how to slip past the front desk without being suspicious.

“Can you call to the fifth floor?” You asked, looking at the woman with big eyes. “Dad’s at work here and she doesn’t pick up her phone, so I thought I’d come to check if she’s alright. She should’ve been home an hour ago.”

The woman extended a warm smile. “What’s the name of your father, dear?”

“Mister Park, ma’ am. Park Jisoo.”

She turned on her heel to walk to the back, into a small office with windows.

You kept an eye on the window as Seokmin reached over the desk to grab the batch, shoving it in his pocket as you walked to the elevator. You stepped in and scanned the batch before clicking on the sixth and tenth floor.

The ride towards your floors was silent, the waiting music in the background your only source of sound. When it announced the sixth floor, Seokmin squeezed your shoulder and got out. He waited until the doors were closed, smiling before he disappeared.

Whatever was happening inside of you drowned out when you stepped onto the tenth floor, the clock signalling 8pm. You scanned the content of the map until you spotted the name of his company.

Myung and Ga Insurances was right around the corner. Hyunwoo could come through any minute. You rolled your shoulders back when you heard a door closing on your right and leaned against the wall.

Around the corner walked a man, strands of light brown hair neatly put into place. A pair of round eyes scanned the environment before his slender legs came into motion. His eyes were cold, but he greeted you nonetheless as he waited for the elevator.

You pushed yourself up from the wall and grabbed him by the neck. Yanking him backwards, you punched him in the face.

Hyunwoo grunted and held his bloody nose, but he soon started laughing. “Mister Han’s new personnel,” he said. His voice was deep, pleasant to listen to and if you weren’t more aware of the person across from you, you’d fall for it.

You held your fists up, rolling your shoulders back.

Hyunwoo put his bag down and placed his coat on top of it, rolling up the sleeves of his blouse. He lunged at you, but you jumped backwards. You stepped forwards and he took the bait, swinging at you again. You ducked and hit his side.

He was an offensive fighter, aggressive and violent. He hoped by being quick enough, he could take you out in one sweep. You kept provoking him until he started chasing you. He was quick to anger, no matter how cold or calculated mister Han had made him out to be. You made use of it and pushed through the doors of the staircase, running down four sets of stairs as quickly as you could.

You slammed the door open to Seokmin’s floor, who was engulfed in a group of goons. Just like you, he danced around them until they got blinded by anger and took them out in one punch.

Hyunwoo ran through the doors, halting in his tracks when he saw you. He started laughing again. “Clever little girl, aren’t you? You brought some company.”

“I see you did, too.” You cracked your knuckles. “Were you expecting us?”

“I have since the day your parents died.”

Your blood ran cold.

“Such good people, I visited their restaurant with pleasure.” Hyunwoo flashed a wicked grin. “Shame that it had to end that way.”

You lunged at him, but Hyunwoo threw you against the wall. You groaned and got up, a sharp pain shooting through your back.

Quick to anger, someone who knew how to fight well. You had to do something else.

Hyunwoo lunged at you again and this time you took it. You locked your arms into your side, holding your arms in front of your face. He punched again, the pain sharp and stinging but you bit through it. Was this how Jihoon absorbed them, too? On the verge of tears and the pain so overwhelming that you couldn’t think of anything else?

You heard him grunt and when you looked up, he was studying you. You took that moment of hesitation as the last one you’d have. You raised your right arm and hit his side.

Hyunwoo was surprised by the impact, but he was still standing. He stepped forward, but his legs buckled and he fell to the ground. He grabbed his side, doubled over and groaned in pain.

You grabbed the cord and wrapped it around his throat. You pulled on it, but not tight enough to kill him off in one go. You wanted it to be slow and agonising. To have him beg for your mercy.

He could only laugh.

You tightened it. “This one’s for my parents, whom you cheated out of trying to stay afloat.” Your voice came out shaky, but you had no bone left in you to care. And even tighter. “This one’s for Jihoon and his mother, because he wouldn’t even be here if you left them alone.” When you locked it into the tightest position, you brought your lips to his ear. “And this one’s for me, because you ruined my life before I could even start living one.”

Gasping for air, you felt him squirming in your grip. He was almost there, you could feel him weakening in your arms. When you looked at Seokmin, he gave you an encouraging nod.

Something jabbed your leg harshly.

You let go with a loud scream, the knife sticking out of your thigh.

Hyunwoo ripped your cord and coughed loudly, scrambling up. He hovered over you, his eyes so black you could see yourself in them. He pulled the knife out of your leg and plunged it into your shoulder. Tears shot to your eyes, the pain making your head pound.

“Someone has to die today to end this feud, sweetheart,” he panted. “And I can assure you that it’s not going to be me.” He pulled the knife out of your shoulder and traced your cheek lightly. “You look exactly like your mother.”

The blood spat on your face when the knife was pulled out of his neck. It gushed out of him, streaming all the way down his clothes.

Hyunwoo clawed at the wound, his eyes blown wide open. He collapsed to the ground and gasped. He looked right at you when the light disappeared from his eyes.

You glanced at Seokmin, who let the bloody knife clatter to the floor. Your head started spinning, but you gave him a weak smile. “You did it, Seok,” you croaked out.

Seokmin called out to you and kneeled down. “I’m going to call Donghyun. He needs to get you out of here before you bleed out.”

You closed your eyes.

“Stay with me, sis.” He lifted you up, but you cried out in pain. “Just a little longer, okay? Donghyun will be here as soon as he can.”

The last thing you saw was how he grabbed his phone before the world around you went black, the pain too overwhelming to bear.

Your leg still hurt when you stood on it for too long, but at least you were out of the wheelchair.

While you spent the first two weeks after Hyunwoo’s death in the hospital, Jihoon spent his moving all of your stuff to a new apartment. Your new apartment, to be exact. According to Seokmin, he’d done his best to make it a home you could enjoy.

Jihoon didn’t want to show you any pictures whenever he came to visit, assuring you could see everything for yourself. When you were dismissed from the hospital, you parted ways with mister Kang and mister Han, who gave you enough money for two lifetimes. Mister Han disappeared from your life, but mister Kang lingered. He couldn’t help but check up on you when you went too long without calling him.

His record? Two days without standing on your doorstep.

Jihoon moved back home with his mother, who had been staying at a women’s shelter in case they would come back for her. He invested nearly half of the money into the business, moving it to your side of town. Business was booming again and you regularly visited, his mother taking you in as her own.

Two months after Hyunwoo died and you had a feeling that you were still getting back on your feet.

You recognised the same in Jihoon, who regularly woke you up because he was screaming or crying in his sleep. You woke him up and stayed up with him until he fell back asleep. It cost you precious hours of sleep, but you gladly sacrificed it for Jihoon.

You never discussed where you were standing. You had to rehabilitate, while Jihoon had to recover from the things he’d seen. There was no room in your life to think about your feelings for him, but it didn’t make them go away either.

Neither did they go away for Jihoon, but you danced around them like it was your opponent in a boxing ring. Jihoon still did tournaments as a way to relieve his stress, but every punch he delivered reminded him of all of it too much so he quit.

Every time Jihoon told you he loved you before he drifted back off to sleep, you regretted not telling him the same. Just like the night when you…

The thought made your stomach twist, so you pushed it away.

The place you stayed in had been a solace for the first couple of months, until you looked at it and didn’t recognise your home anymore. The picture frames on the wall were your only reminder that it was yours, but you felt like someone else was living there instead, not you.

Jihoon’s hand was on the small of your back as you walked through the neighbourhood. The air, as always, was thick between you, but today it was something you couldn’t ignore anymore.

“I want to get out of here.”

You felt his hand clutching your shirt before he let go. “You do?”

You nodded. “I want to start over somewhere else completely, where not every street reminds me of the things I’ve done.” You halted in your tracks and placed your hand on Jihoon’s arm. “And maybe that’s running away from my past, but I just… I can’t take it anymore. And I can’t take it seeing you like this, either.”

Jihoon shoved his hands in his pockets and hummed. His eyes lowered.

“Come with me.”

His head shot up.

“Actually,” you turned to him. “I expect you to.”

Jihoon’s lips curved into a smile, the most genuine one you’d seen in months. He pulled his hands out of his pocket and crossed his arms. “Really now? And what should we do, then?”

“I don’t know.” You shrugged. “All I know is that I’ll go wherever you are.”

His cheeks tinted a furious shade of red.

“I don’t care where we’re going, or what we’re doing. I just want you with me.” Your eyes flicked to his lips before going up to his eyes. “I love you too, Jihoon.”

He connected your lips in a kiss, his hands sliding to your waist. His lips were soft, tasting of the strawberry yoghurt he ate this morning. You tasted a hint of the coffee he shared with you before you took a walk. Your hands clutched the sweater that he didn’t stop wearing after you cooed about it.

For the first time in months, you managed a smile yourself.

Jihoon rested his forehead against yours, his eyes closed. All you could do was admire him.

”We’ll get out of here,” he muttered. “Start over somewhere new, truly putting this all behind us.”

You let yourself fall, wrapping your arms around him. The thought that he would disappear on you faded to the back of your mind. All that mattered was you and him, no matter where you’d end up. Jihoon would be there to catch you.

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