Adam Jung 
 
 Ten hours earlier...

 I've been up here at an aparment's rooftop for a while. I check my watch, it says 1034H. Seriously, how long is this going to take? I peek through my binoculars, looking around and silently waiting for my target to come out.

 Conor had told me to terminate this man named So Hong Jun, one of his colleagues' men that is about to turn himself in. I obviously need to kill him because that So Hong Jun is one of my uncle's men. Yes, Conor and my uncle Chandler know each other for years. But Conor doesn't know that I'm Chandler's nephew. Uncle Chandler doesn't want my identity to surface up to anyone. He wants it to keep it hidden. They were the most wanted criminals back then, obviously, until now. 

 I wait for another thirty minutes. I peek through my binoculars again. And while looking around, I see the not-so-friendly creature--I mean girl--whom I've been crossing paths for a while. She is leaning on a lamp post of a street intersection, wearing a baseball cap that covers the half of her face. "Seriously, Courtney, what are you doing there?" I mutter to myself.

 I finally spot Hong Jun; he's walking towards Courtney's direction.

 I see Courtney abandoning her post and starts walking toward Hong Jun. I ruffle my hair violently before standing into a crouching stance. I start running along the rooftop before leaping towards another building. I've just jumped to another building when I see Hong Jun walks away slowly from her before he breaks into a run, with Courtney on his tail. 

 I run across the rooftops, following them. I'm at the corner of the building's rooftop when Hong Jun swerves to his left and I see Courtney running at the street parallel to which Hong Jun had gone. She runs through the alley separating the building where I am  now to the establishment at the left side of it. 

 I look down and see that Courtney had intercepted Hong Jun and punches him hardly on the face before dragging him back to the alley she went through. 

 "What the do you want?" I hear Hong Jun demand.

  "You dare to talk to me like that?" Courtney says before advancing toward him, causing Hong Jun to back away instantly. "Don't worry, man. It'll just hurt a little, then it'll be over soon," she says. 

 He stands up. "Conor sent you, didn't he?" 

 "Yeah, sure," she replies.

  Then it suddenly hits me. "Let's see how fast you can do your job," Conor had said. Then I realize that Conor is testing me, testing us. "Screw you, Conor," I curse. 

  "I knew it," Hong Jun mutters. "I shouldn't have joined their group. I never thought they're crazy."

 "You should've known better." Courtney gets a gun from her jacket and points it at Hong Jun. 

 A teenager, who had just happened to pass by, sees Courtney holding a gun, and the kid just stands there with his mouth open.
Courtney whirls around and glowers at the kid. "This isn't a place for you, kid. Scram," she says to the kid. 

 I waste no time jumping down the twenty-foot building and landing on the ground in a crouch. I've hidden behind the large garbage bin just as she turns her attention back to Hong Jun.  

 "They're planning something big. You should know," he says. I frown at his statement. Something big? What the heck are they planning to do again? I my gun and hold it with my right hand.

 "I already know that they're planning something big," she replies. Wait, what? She knows something? "Just shut up. Goodbye, buddy." 

 I come out from my hiding place, point my gun on Hong Jun, and shoot him in the head. He falls to the ground with a thud. I look up and meet her blazing eyes. She puts her gun inside her jacket before shouting, "What the heck?!" 

 "You're too slow to kill. Tsk, poor you," I say and shake my head. 

 "Shut up, pal. You just killed my target. I mean, what the , I got here first and he's my kill, my money!" she continues to shout at me.

  "Look, I don't care if he's your target or whatever he was to you. I just need to kill him for my own good, for my own money, of course," I calmly reply.

 "I'm gonna kill you, seriously," she grumbles.

 "Well, I guess you would. But not now. I still have other things to do. Maybe next time? You'll have your chance, don't worry. Adios," I say before turning around and running off fast. I can hear her steps from behind. I swiftly round the corner and start scaling the building on my right. I've already reached the top when she comes out of the alley. She looks around and kicks the trashcan near her. I chuckle silently. "Probably not your good day, huh, Courtney?" 

 I walk across the establishment's roof when someone shouts, "That's her!" I turn around to see where the shout came from. I look down and see the kid from earlier, standing beside a police. "She pointed a gun at the man!" 

 I see Courtney break into a run with the police running after her. " doesn't know how to play it cool." I roll my eyes.

 Then suddenly, I find myself following her, watching her carefully from above, jumping from roof to roof just to follow her. She runs through different alleys and streets but the cops are still on her tail. Then a shot is fired, and I see her clutchin her side. She's been shot, but she still keeps on running. Then another shot is fired, it hits her on the shoulder this time. She goes to an alley near the building where I've been watching her. I go to the rear of the building and jump down. Good thing the back of the building is just an empty pasture. 

 I can hear the police sirens from the other end of the alley. I peek to the alley and see her clutching her side and grimaces. "Really a ," I comment.

 If she didn't run away like that earlier, she wouldn't have been in this situation. Alright, why do I suddenly feel that I should care for her? "For heavens' sake, what the heck has gotten to me?" I tell myself.

 I my gun and come out from the wall. I point my gun on one of the polices' vehicles and fire. It explodes into pieces along with the other vehicles. I use it to be a distraction to them and go to Courtney. She's already passed out. With a groan, I hoist her up to my back and carry her. 

"What do you with you, huh?" I say while looking around. We make our way across the pasture that leads to another street. I set her down first, then remove my jacket and put it around her. The bullet hole on her shoulder might give way. I also put her cap lower to cover her face. Afterwards, I carry her on my back again and start walking to the street.

 Some people look suspiciously at our way, but I ignore them. "Where the heck did I park my car again?" I walk around the place, trying to figure out where my car is. When we finally come to the street intersection where she was earlier, I sigh in relief. I see my car parked on the end of the street. I get my keys in my pocket and open the passenger's door and set her down. I close the door and go to the drivers' side. I start the engine and drive off. 

 We arrive at my place in the village. I remove my jacket off her before setting her down carefully on my bed. I get my first aid kit and some tools in a cabinet before I start working on her wounds.
 I carefully put a gauze on her side and shoulder after I get the bullet out. She's still unconcious, though. I go to a chair at the end of my room and sit. Then I doze off. 

 My eyes shoot open when I hear someone groans, then I see that she's struggling to rise to a sitting position. I roll my eyes. "You shouldn't force yourself to sit. Your wound's deep. Luckily, I got the bullet out," I say. She frowns and looks around, then her eyes fall on me and falls open.

 I scoff. "You look pretty surprised. Let me guess, you weren't expecting that I would save you." 

 Her face distorts. "Yeah, seriously. Why'd you save me? And, where the heck am I?"

 "At my place, obviously," I reply. I get up, get my chair and walk towards her. I put it beside the bed and I sit on it again. I notice her staring at me. "What?" I demand.

 "You still haven't answered my question," she says sternly. "Why'd you save me?"

  "Wow. Impatient, are we?" I say. "Alright, let me get this to you straight. I saw you running away from the police and I also saw you've been shot. I kind of pitied you so--" 

 "Pitied me? I thought you said that killers don't have have those feelings?" she cuts me off. 

 I find myself out of words. I scratch my temple. "Hey, look, just be grateful I helped you. You'd be dying in that alley if it wasn't for me. Just--"

 "NO," she says angrily and I flinch back a bit. 

 I'm starting to get annoyed with this girl. "What the do you really want to know? I've already told you the reason why I saved you," I snap.

  "No, not that," she snaps back. "Why did you kill Hong Jun?"

 I roll my eyes and scoff.  "Orders, obviously."

 She narrows her eyes on me. "From who?"

 I scoff again. "As if I would tell you."

 "Tell me or I'll--" 

 "Or what?" I challenge her.  "Shoot me? Pulverize me?"

 "Seriously, Adam, you're not gonna tell me?" she says my name with a tone like she's known me for years.

 "Seriously, Courtney, no," I say sarcastically, emphasizing her name.

 She smiles slyly. "Okay, then. Why'd you save me?" Seriously, I'm near exploding with her question. 

"What, are we going back there again?" I scowl and get up from my chair. I ruffle my hair violently. "FINE, FINE. I'll tell you so you can shut up now," I say. Alright, I give up. There's no way this girl's going to shut up if don't tell her the truth. 

 She laughs a little. "Now we're getting somewhere," she says. "All right then, fire away."

  "I got orders from your damn boss, kay?" I say finally.

  falls open. "Wait, what?"

 I roll my eyes. Is she dumb or is she just REALLY dumb? "What, are you deaf or something? Want me to repeat it again? Okay, then," I say. "I got orders from your boss. Conor. Then when I saw you running from the police and got shot, and yes, I kinda pitied you, but it's not all pity." It's true. I shouldn't have saved her back there. Why did I suddenly feel like--like I owe her something big?

 "Then what is it?" she says.

 I lean on the wall beside the window and look out.  "I don't know, but I just suddenly felt that I owe you something. Something--" I trail off, and I look back at her. "I just don't know. Kinda weird, right?" I finally find the urge to smile again after a while. 

 She stares at me for a long time. I raise my eyebrow. "What?" I demand. She doesn't reply and I smile again. "What, are you thinking that I'm not capable of smiling?" 

 "Well, I'm just not used to you like this," she says.

 I shake my head. "C'mon. I'm not made of stone, you idiot. Of course I still smile," I say. "You know what, you're one lucky . It's a good thing your wearing your cap and the police didn't identify your face. A job well done." 

 "Yeah, nailed it." she smiles.

 There's something in they way she smiles that makes me forget what I really am. A killer. I shake these thoughts away. "Get some rest. So we can fight each other again." I say and walk towards the door. "Just come out when you're able." 

"Hey," she calls out and I stop abruptly at the door. I look back at her. "Thanks a lot," she says.

 I smile. "Just don't overstep yourself, biscuit." I get out of the room and shut the door. 

 My breaths turn uneven right after I shut the door. My heart thunders in my chest and I calm it down. Really, what has gotten into me?