Yul rolled her eyes as she inhaled the cigarette deeply, turning the white stick into ashes while pressing her phone to her ear with the other hand. There was a loud, hoarse voice yelling at the other end of the line. Most of the words were consisted of obscenities, but none affect her as her caller had hoped.

“I told you. It’s really simple. If you don’t want our relationship to be revealed in the public, just give me the money. If you don’t, then I have nothing to lose.” Yul flicked the cigarette carelessly, not caring if she had littered the toilet floor. She ended the phone call even when the person at the end of the line was still trying to reason with her, in a barbaric, uncivilized way of speech anyway. Staring into the toilet mirror, she re-arranged her fringe to the side and made sure her makeup was perfect.

Yul checked the time on her phone. 7.00 p.m. She should be getting ready because she needed to walk the runway in another hour. Everyone must be frantically looking for her in the dressing room.

Yul straightened her posture and turned around, ready to leave the empty, eerily quiet toilet. Her steps were halted when she saw a familiar person standing in the middle of the door.

“Taec!” Her eyes opened wide, followed by a pleasant grin on her lips, “Taec, is that you?”

She ran to Taecyeon and wrapped her hands around him.

“Taec! I can’t believe it! Right in the middle of Paris? Did you miss me that much?” She asked and laughed happily. Taecyeon didn’t budge an inch, nor did he react to her warm response. He just stood there like a statue, staring into her eyes with that grim expression of his. Yul was used to that. Taecyeon wasn’t one who expresses himself much.

Yul fiddled with his neck tie, alluringly stared back into his cold eyes.

“Hey, you know what? I have a bit more time, so… How about a little quickie?” Yul pulled on his necktie. There was a lack of response from Taecyeon, which she regarded as a sign of agreement as always. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him into one of the toilet stall. She pushed him against the partition and crushed her lips on his. The way she roughly moved her lips on his mouth caused her bright, chili red lipstick to smudge all over Taecyeon’s lips. She pulled back with a satisfied look on her face. She began to run her fingers down his abdomen and stopped on the buckle of his belt.

“I still can’t believe you flew all the way from Korea to see me here. Is today a special day?” She whispered on his neck and continued to leave kisses there as her fingers worked to undo his belt. Taecyeon grabbed her slim wrists and pushed her hands away from him. Yul looked up at him in confusion.  

“I didn’t come here to see you,” Taecyeon told her, “I’m here for my job.”

“Your job…” Yul laughed in disbelief, subtly shaking her head, “what do you mean?”

Taecyeon pulled out a gun from its holster on his waist and aimed it right towards Yul’s head.

“T-Taec…” Yul shook in fear. She knew the nature of his career well, but she had never imagined that there would come a day when Taecyeon would put a gun on her head.

“Say your prayers,” his deep, husky voice commanded.

“Wait, Taec. You can’t do this. I love y-”

-

Taecyeon was sitting at the backseat of the taxi, heading towards the airport. He was a busy man. As soon as he finished a job, a new one came up on the list. He needed to get back to Seoul before tomorrow comes.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and put it on his ear.

“Yes,” he said into the phone, “yes, she’s dead.”

“Did you clean up the place? Make sure it looks like nothing happened?”

“No.”

“No?! What if police began investigating and words got out? The election is coming up, what if the public knows that I hired a-”

“I’m an assassin, not your personal assistant. If you need her body to be disposed, send someone else.”

 Taecyeon ended the call. Before he managed to put back the phone in his pocket, the phone vibrated again. It came from a different number this time.

“Hey, is this Taec?”

“Yes. May I help you?”

“Yeah, so I heard you’re up for assassination job.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Okay, so here’s the deal.”

-