A dim lamp flickered on a deserted street threatening to shut off at any moment. A lone car traveled down the street in the middle of the night and stopped at a dead end. The man in the car ran his fingers over the smooth barrel until his fingers reached the back of the gun, wrapping each of them around the grip. It was all too familiar, all too fitted. This time was the same thing again. And again. When D first gave him the job, he was half expecting something new. He shook his head and he chuckled to himself. Why would this time be different from any other time?  He finally sighed and shoved it in one of the pockets of his black coat before turning on the left blinker. He adjusted his blue Rolex watch and got out of the car.

The alley was in between a few broken down buildings. Trash was littered here and there and a thick cement wall stood at the end. The stench of alcohol and urine lingered in the air. Something about this location did not seem like his previous missions. For one, D never sent him to dead end streets since escaping would be difficult. Second, D usually gave him an exact description and location of a person before sending him out. This time though, the only message he got was “You’ll know when you see him.” At least there was one thing that was new: D was screwing him over. Why did he even agree to do this one last job for D? He went in expecting to turn in his gun and leave, but D insisted on doing this for old time’s sake. He knew she might be angry about leaving for a long time again, but he promised himself that this would be the last time. He almost slammed the door out of frustration before remembering that he had to be cautious on the job.

Making his way toward the alley, he pulled up both sleeves of his trench coat. One arm ready to take out the gun if necessary, the other so that he could check the time on his watch. Something seemed off. His senses were telling him to run. In the corner of his eye, he saw slight movement in the worn-down building in front of him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Must be a cat or something. Then he saw it again. The lean silhouette of a person with a gun.

It’s a trap. Hyunseung stopped in his tracks, turned around and started running.

Hyunseung first heard of Hyuna around school. She was the “golden girl.” Every guy wanted to date her and every girl wanted to be her, despite what they all said. She was from a wealthy family and would be driven to school in a limousine by a chauffeur. A lot of people thought she was a pretentious snob. He did also. Until he finally saw her for the first time in freshman year showing up in ripped jeans and a crop top. She chopped off her long hair and dyed it blond. Everyone whispered about it in the hallway but Hyunseung ignored them.

They first talked two months later. His father got wasted yet again and Hyunseung ended up with a nasty bruise on his face. His mother was working three jobs to make sure they had enough money to eat. She didn’t stop her husband, or else she would be the one receiving his fists. Although she wasn’t able to protect Hyunseung, she would always tend to him after the beatings. He never blamed her for some reason. In some twisted way, he loved her. She would always cry, but he never did. Not in front of her anyway. One day, he was hanging around after school, unable to go home as usual. That’s when Hyuna appeared. She was wearing a white dress with a ripped denim jacket. Her roots were starting to show through the blond hair which made him question why she didn’t wear a hat to cover them up before she dyed her hair again. Her eyes were inquisitive, but not judging. She decided against asking about the blue-black spot on his cheek and diverted her eyes to his.

“How are you?” She asked in a soft voice.

“Fine,” Hyunseung replied in a sharp tone, daring her to judge him.

They stared at each other for a moment, before she reached out her hand and his face. He was startled. No one other than his mother ever touched him like that before. Her face broke out into the sweetest smile. She her heel and her boots clicked against the ground every step as she walked away. He stared after her, wondering what just happened. He checked his worn-out plastic watch and made his way home.

They bought a trailer together, almost 100 miles from where they used to live. It was relatively small, but big enough for the two of them. There was only one bedroom with a bed barely covered by in a plaid red blanket. She left her parents, her wealthy life, and everything else behind to be with him. She never left his side when things got hard and she would always listen to his complaints. She knew everything about him and vice versa. When they first kissed, Hyunseu