Shin Se Kyung walked across the living room into the kitchen and preparing coffees as he settled down on her couch, sitting crossed legged comfortably. She eyed him hesitantly, pouring the coffee into the cups. She moved to the living room, handed him the cup and took a seat in front of him. He sipped up the coffee and gazed at her with a sly, alluring smile.

“Thank you for allowing me to stay. I really appreciated it.” He put the cup on the coffee table rested his back on the couch. “I’m Mark by the way.”

“Mark? Really, that’s your name? What is that? Is that kind of…a code name? You’re Korean, aren’t you?” She watched him laughed quietly before he answered.

“That’s the name that I let people knows.”

“And what is your real name?” she asked, taking a sip of her coffee. She waited for him to answered but when he just giving her a cold look, she started to feel impatient. “You’re staying at my place and I don’t even deserve to know your real name.” She put down the cup, stood up, walked to the threshold and held open the door. “ Well then, off you go.”

He sighed sharply. “Choi Seunghyun,” he grunted under his breath, looking at her with rage.

She smiled at him, feeling a little victorious after acquiring the information that she needs. She struts to her seat and bore her gaze to him. “So, Seunghyun-sshi. Who the hell are you? And who you were running away from? Did you commit any illegal act that maybe, police or FBI were searching for you? I don’t want to get involve in your sin and I definitely don’t want any trouble by helping you. ” She leaned closer to him. “Who are you? Secret spy? James Bond? Superman? Wanted alien? Just what are you?”

He smiled again and looked at her in the eyes. “You don’t really want to know. The least you know…the better.”

“But I want to. Don’t worry, I can handle it. I can keep a secret. My lips are sealed,” she zipped with her hands and gave him a reassuring smile.

“What if I’m not the good guys?”

Her gaze hardened. Her eyebrows wrinkled.

He sighed slowly and took a deep breath, letting the air filling up his lung. “I’m a murderer. It’s kind of…my job. I get paid for killing people.” He finally gave up and glanced to see her reaction. His profession didn’t really make him proud but he has to keep living and being a professional killer was the only way.

Se Kyung stiffened but managed to force a friendly smile. “Since when doctors and teachers became the least interested careers?” Her hands trembled and she balled up her fist so that she can hide the fact that she was quivering.

“Did I scare you?” he asked bemused.

“No.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Should I?”

“Normal people do. I mean, I’m a monster. I killed people and you’re not even afraid of me.”

“Someone has to take the job. You were paid right, so I guess you’re just doing your job,” she said casually, crossing her arms on her chest.

He burst out laughing and when he managed to stifle his laughter, he looked at her with admirable gaze. “You’re amusing.”

Both of them chatted for a few hours. She told him about her twisted life and he told her about his dangerous job. She ordered pepperoni pizza for lunch and they continued revealing more about themselves. For the first time in her life, she was comfortable to share her past, although not everything. She had filtered everything she said so that her life didn’t seem too bad. She was ashamed of what she was and she didn’t want him to think that she was a mess.

Opened up to someone she barely knew made her feel more relax as the fact that he knew nothing about her, just everything that she let him. He can’t judge her, making assumption or decision about how she was living her life. He was a stranger. His knowledge was limited.

“I have nobody else in this world, just my brother and he lives in Sydney. Occasionally, he came by to see how I live. He got married last year, before I’m moving here in March. I don’t really want to disturb the happy couple. So I came back.”

“As far as I know, I’m an orphan. I was abandoned in an orphanage in Busan, days after I born and after fifteen years I started to wander alone, scoring the Earth until one day I stumbled upon this job and I made a living out of it for another twelve years.”

She put down a slice of pizza on her place and swept the traces of sauce from her lips. “What happened back there when I first met you? You were bleeding and I doubt that was because of me. My car was barely moved.”

He grinned. “I’ve made a mistake. I tried to kill someone and I failed. He managed to shot my wrist and I was running away from his bodyguards before them trying to kill me.”

“So, that’s why you were hiding? Those people were after you.” Her eyes were wide and he can’t help but smiling at her concern.

“Yes, and so did people who paid me. The mission was undone and I need to finish it as soon as possible.” He took a napkin and dabbed it onto his lips. “Are you really okay with this? With my life…my work?”

“Why not? Your life seems to be more fun than mine.” She told him about her family. Her once happy family. As she closed her eyes just for a second, memories of his childhood flashed through her mind. She and Hyesung running into their parents’ bedroom and jumping into bed with them. Her beautiful mother’s arms opening wide to embrace them. Her big, rugged father smiling as he ruffled Hyesung’s hair and planted a kiss on her forehead.

She finished her meal and stood up on her feet. “I have to go to work. Are you okay by yourself? I’ll be back at eleven.”

“I’m fine. I’m just going to have a nap for a while. I’m borrowing your couch for a while if that’s okay with you.”

“Just help yourself. And try not to flood or bringing down my apartment. You may be good with guns but I doubt you are any better at housework.”

She grabbed her bag and reached for the doorknob. She turned it and opened the door.

“Why did you want to help me?” he asked suddenly.

She turned around to meet his eyes. “I’ve promise you to help. And I always keep my words.”

“Really? That’s the only reason?” He walked closer to her and they were half meter apart from each other. She could smell his musky cologne and she held her breath, keeping away from the sweet tempting scent.

“I have to go now.” She escaped the house, closing the door behind her and strode her way to her car in the parking lot.

It almost a year since she started working at Princess Café as a waitress. Her part time job enabled her to pay her rent, her college fees and her life. Although her brother sending her money every month that was enough for her to live without a need to work, she still wanted the experience of earning her income through sweats and pains.

She was tidying up a table when her mind wandered to the man that now staying at her apartment. His weird yet intriguing life had drawn her to him. She wanted to know more about him. About his past and how he ended up as being a murderer. Everything happens for a reason and she wanted to know his reason for being someone who was willing to end people’s live for money.

“Hey, are you okay? You seem a little…distracted?” asked Taeyang who came up behind her. She was too preoccupied to notice his presence.

“No, I-I’m fine,” she stuttered. “Just tired. I had class early in the morning,” she lied.

“Just take a rest for a while. Don’t push yourself. The manager will understand. You’re still a student after all and that’s a lot of burden. I know, I’ve been there.” He smiled brightly remembering his own college life that he had left a few years ago. He was one of the barista in the café and he has been working ever since finished his studies in economy in Sungkyunkwan. He wanted to open his own coffee shop and by working here, he can gain as much knowledge as possible to make him ready for his own.

Se Kyung smiled back at him and proceeded to the kitchen, filling up orders and served the customers. She worked every day except Sunday from five to eleven and she was paid five dollars every hour. And Sundays, she will lock up in her apartment, finishing her assignment, reading books and sometimes going out with her best friends.

She has a lot of friends in school, thanked to her friendly nature and easy going attitude. But her best friends always centred on two guys, Kang Daesung and Kwon Jiyong. Daesung was her first friend that she met when she registered herself in the college. He was helpful enough to take her tour around the neighbourhood and found her the apartment. She was grateful for him to find her a place to stay and tutored her for several subject. Both of them were taking the same course and that made it easier for her to venture herself into medical world.

Jiyong on the other hand was her childhood friend who was never giving up in finding her when they were split up as she moved to Sydney. They were accidently met at the café she was working and they were never been apart again. He was always there whenever she needs him, through hell and heaven. He was her neighbour back in Wonju and both she and her brother always playing with him at the park in the neighbourhood. He was six years older than her and he had the most beautiful smile she had seen.  The kinds of smile that can make ones forget their problems or misery .The smile that can light up a dim room and soothed her pain.

Although both of them were her most reliable companion, neither of them knew about her scar. She never told any of them. She kept it for herself and she never trusted them for her secret. No one should know about her pain. Not even them. She wanted to suffer in silent, torturing herself with the bitter memories.

Se Kyung rested her back on the hard cold metal in the elevator. She inhaled deeply, and she felt something fluttered in her stomach like a bunch of butterflies spreading out their wings. There’s someone waiting at her at the apartment. And she can’t help feeling giddy about it. She’s never felt that kind of feeling ever since she came back. The feeling of needed to come back into. It always her dark room greeted her every night and right now there’s someone will welcome her. She hoped that he will still be in her apartment and not fleeing into somebody else house.

She still has time to hold him hostages.

But not for long. That’s for sure. Tomorrow she has to let him go.

Or does she?

She does not sure herself.

She walked out from the elevator and straight to her door. She inserted the key and turned the doorknob. She flung open the door and her gaze crawled to the kitchen’s table where a candle had been lit up in the dark room, two plates of spaghetti and a tall figure of a man, leaning on the couch.

He smiled faintly in the dim room and whispered, “Welcome home.”

I hated every man around her. It can’t help that she was the most desirable among the men species but she was more than just an attractive woman. All the guys were a bastard who was only wants her for their bed, who wants to ravish her.

But I’m not like them.

I love her with all my heart.

Those people who had seen her with lewd eyes should die. They did not deserve to live. To even breath in your world, God.

You have to punish them. Let them face death after what they’ve done.

Or I will.