© Official photo . Not my art.

Passengers boarding train 736 to Jeju please reach gate 13 for departure.

The lady in the speaker sounds bored. He can barely perceive the words through the bad quality of the communication system of the station. Wonsik stands, straighten his white suit, grabs his leather suitcase.

He should be on this train too.

Summertime makes the train difficult to ride in peace. Wonsik mentally snorts. Poor losers.

It takes three wagons before he finally finds the place he wants.

"Excuse me, sir. Is this place unoccupied?"

Courteousness never hurts, right?

The guy doesn't even answer, just invites Wonsik to sit with a simple hand gesture. Not the talkative type, uh? It doesn't matter. It suits Wonsik just right. Makes the job easier.

Wonsik gets ready for the endless train ride. His laptop open with fake paperwork, he knows he can easily play as a young and ambitious office worker. At a wealthy company, of course.

The guy does the same. Wonsik sees it out of the corner of his eye.

"Taekwoon" reads the main screen of the man's laptop. Just atop of the name stands a small photo of a furry ferocious lion.

Wonsik nicknames him Leo.

Leo looks like he does have actual paperwork to complete. He sips on a disposable coffee cup that smells rather strong. It's comforting. He spreads a portfolio open on his lap and starts sharply typing on the backlit keyboard.

They're 30 minutes into the trip now. The fun is starting.

Observation is Wonsik's favourite part of it. Know their habits. Know their soft spots. Know the weakness of the scheme.

Leo wears black. From the tip of his shoes to his undyed hair, it's all dark light-reflecting black. It contrasts with the paleness of his skin. And strangely enough also with the softness of his face.

Wonsik knows from experience that faces are only appearances. That steward, by example ('Hongbin' the nameplate says,) could be selling drugs or passing illegal weapons. A face like that erases everybody's suspicions.

Wonsik wonders what this guy did to make the sponsor hate him that much. Or maybe he does fear him. But Wonsik never asks questions.

1h22 into the trip. Leo stands up. He leaves the wagon.

Wonsik uses the opportunity to go through Leo's paperwork. Mostly numbers. The treasurer, uh?

Leo walks back to his place. From the back of the wagon to the front, Wonsik discretely watches the way he carries himself. He's got rather imposing shoulder and a strong waist. The black clothes give him a formal presence; his hair a discrete wealthy vibe. Wonsik notice that kind of things. It's impressive. Such a waste.

1h57. Wonsik understands the moves, the changes in the breathing intakes. Leo gets frustrated when the numbers don't add up. Also when the receipts pile gets too messy. His hair gets pulled back by a strong, impatient hand. The corner of his eye also squeeze a little. But his eyebrows are the most talkative. Right side jumping for a weird entry, deep frown for a missing one. Very eloquent.

3h14 and the huge pile of receipts and accountancy books are pushed away. Leo still holds his coffee, but instead of typing on his laptop, he plays some songs on his phone. Earphones in his (pierced) ears, he closes his eyes. The coffee almost falls when he falls asleep. It surprises Wonsik because it means that 1) he's letting his guard down and 2) Leo is more careless than the first appeared to be. Makes it easier. He catches the paper cup before it hits the ground, throws it away. What remains is cold anyways.

Leo's head rolls with a sudden outburst of the train. Damn railways are unstable. His head rolls and he doesn't put it back into its initial position. He's truly asleep. Wonsik scans his face while he doesn't risk getting caught. He is attractive once the solemn face is put to sleepiness.

4:42. Finally. Leo exits the train station and reaches the parking lot. On the third level, he reaches for his keys in his pocket and unlocks a Lexus a few feet away. Black. Just as everything surrounding him.

Wonsik dropped his leather suitcase earlier. It was useless anyways. His blade is slipped into its sheath at the back on his belt. The white suit hides it just fine. It's a good knife. His favourite, actually. The handle was once covered in brown polished leather. Iron does badly with leather so Wonsik cut it out long ago. What remains is a wooden handle, scratched from being carried around for too long. The blade itself has a notch into the sharpened part of it. A youth mistake. Now his blade doesn't get damaged anymore.

Wonsik knows that if Leo succeeds in entering his car, he'll fail. He can't take failure as a result. His own life depends on it.

The handle slips easily into his hand. An extension of his own hand. The weight of the metal comforting as a heavy blanket during a long stormy winter night.

Wonsik commences his grand entry. Controls his breathing, sticking it on Leo's rhythm. He takes his steps carefully yet precisely, with a speed gained only with macabre experience, repeated too many times to be considered healthy.

He knows he'll succeed once again. It's almost too easy. People are all the same careless s in the end.

He takes a last good look at Leo's frame. He would have been good at it, he thinks. People with that kind of body type are rare nowadays.

Now's the moment. Wonsik feels his heartbeat increase with adrenaline. It flows to his shoulders, forearms, wrists, fingertips. Controlling the mass of febrile limbs feels like controlling a puppet: so foreign yet familiar. Wonsik never gets tired of it. Of that moment where he feels his mind empty and his body do the job for him. Muscle memory. When he himself becomes a deadly machine.

Unpredictable. Unstoppable. Unavoidable.

His arm fly, slices the thick air of the parking lot.

But the blade never reaches anything.

There's a powerful fist around Wonsik's forearm. Before he knows it, his arm is twisted behind his head. His blade, his precious ally presses on the back of his head. The coldness of the weapon fells like red-hot metal against his spine. Freezes him on the spot. Burns his skin where it kisses it. Adrenaline increasing every little sensitive perception.

He can feel Leo breathing behind his back. He doesn't need to see him to know he's frowning. The iron grip still on his wrist prevents him from any manoeuvres he could try to escape. He feels like a cornered animal. It isn't good. How did this happen? Every parameter was correctly set. Where did he mess up?

For a second that feels like a century, everything stills. A hundred thoughts flash into Wonsik's blank mind.

Then, survival instincts kick in.

He heavily stomps on Leo's feet, which distracts him enough so he can drop the blade behind his head and grab the emergency one in the inside pocket of his white suit. The clash of the weapon echoes around them like thunder. Deafening.

In one swift motion, he spins on himself so he's facing Leo. The other still holds wrist, but at least he can use his other one. He presses the small blade under Leo's chin. On the vital pulse.

He could end him right now and then.

His hand won't move. There's something stopping him.

Something which isn't Leo's own blade tickling the bottom of his ribs.

Wonsik's been on the field long enough to recognize an instinct similar to his own. He can see it now. It's hidden deep in the endless darkness of Leo's eyes. The fearless strength of skills and power. This face is a flawless mask just as his own. Leo wasn't being careless earlier.

He was playing him.

Standing before him is a lion, wild and ready to catch his prey. But lions never kill without reason.

"Ravi"

Now, that takes Wonsik by surprise. It's like a slap in the face. The voice he never thought he would hear. It does not echo for it is soft and not louder than a whisper. Still, it's enough to wrap Wonsik in a whirlwind of contradicting emotions.

Nobody knows his 'stage' name, except for his boss.

How? But mostly: why?

"What the....!!?"

He growls and the sound comes out with more difficulty than usual due to the surprise leaving him speechless.

It's enough to give Leo the time to take a step back, pick up his keys on the floor and hop in his car. He is gone in less than 15 seconds with roaring motor and tires squealing on the concrete.

He leaves behind him a business card and a red stain on the front part of Wonsik's white suit.

Right under the ribs.

So, how was it!!?? not too boring, I hope!! :o

I'm sure everybody will write things like this about this concept, but it is so understandable seen how good the teaser are!!! 

Please tell me what you thought of it!! :D

Next part is HERE