“Do I make myself clear, L?” the rough voice demanded.

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

“Good. Now go and do as you’re told.”

“Yes, sir. I will, sir.”

Myungsoo bowed deeply, pushing his pride down once again. Pride didn’t serve any purpose in a life like his. Pride was nothing but a nuisance. There had been a time when he had had lots of pride, but that time was over now. He knew he could never afford something like that again. He was already in too deep for that.

-

“The target is 18, tall and gangly, chocolate-colored hair. He enjoys playing video games, reading, owns a dog. He is friendly and talkative, easily persuaded, not especially smart. His weakest point is his habit of trusting people before making sure they are trustworthy. This will be your greatest advantage.” The tall man in the suit finished the rapport and looked at Myungsoo.

“I understand,” Myungsoo affirmed, quickly memorizing the facts.

“I believe this will be an easy mission for you, L,” the man in the suit continued. “It is precisely within your field of expertize.”

“Thank you, hyung-nim,” Myungsoo said. “I will be sure not to disappoint.”

“As you should. Now get going. The school starts at eight o’clock sharp, so you have ten minutes to turn into a student.”

“Roger that,” Myungsoo nodded. “And I only need five.”

Because he had been trained to be quick, it took him only a matter of minutes to change into the target’s school uniform and style his hair into that of an average student.

He then exited the black van and walked around the corner, arriving at the entrance of the high school he would be attending from today onwards until he had fulfilled his mission.

Other students were milling around aimlessly, making Myungsoo feel slightly suffocated. He didn’t like being in places where there were lots of people. He didn’t really like being with people at all.

“Do you need any help finding your classroom?” a friendly voice asked.

Myungsoo turned, seeing a tall boy with chocolate-colored hair standing in front of him with a big smile plastered on his face. Bingo.

“Actually, yes. That would be pretty nice,” Myungsoo said, feigning innocent ignorance. “I’m Myungsoo, by the way. Kim Myungsoo.”

“Lee Sungyeol,” the target replied, grinning pleasantly. “You’re new here, I guess?”

“Yeah, pretty much. My dad’s job made him relocate and stuff, so we had to move.” Myungsoo didn’t have a hard time small talking. It was a skill he needed in order to perform his duties. He had been trained strictly and efficiently, with no room for error. His superiors did not like errors. Errors lead to punishments, and L knew enough about punishments to not want any more of them.

“Ah, that must have been tough,” Sungyeol said sympathetically. “I can’t even imagine having to move. I’ve lived in this town my whole life.”

“Yeah, it can be rough at times. But it’s not the first time, so I’m used to it,” Myungsoo lied flawlessly, the untruths smoothly flowing from his mouth. “It’s a bit weird at first, but then it gets better. And if you look on the bright side, you can always make new friends.”

“That’s true!” Sungyeol smiled, as if he already considered himself one of Myungsoo’s new friends. He probably does. Fool.

“Well, this is my classroom,” Sungyeol said, pointing to the door ahead of them. “What class are you going to be in?”

“Class C,” Myungsoo replied.

“Oh, but that’s my class!” Sungyeol exclaimed, looking excited. Like I didn’t already know that. “That means we get to be in the same class!”

“What a coincidence,” Myungsoo commented, smiling. “I guess I have good luck.”

“I guess I have pretty good luck too,” Sungyeol beamed.

Actually, I would say your luck is rather lousy.

-

Tree weeks later

“Myungsoo-ah!” Sungyeol yelled, trying to catch his new friend’s attention.

The black-haired boy in front of him turned, smiling once he saw who had called him.

What a great guy he is, Sungyeol thought, smiling in return. He’s so friendly and nice to me. It’s like we’re a match made in heaven.

Sungyeol couldn’t deny the fact that he was starting to like this boy more than any of his other friends. Myungsoo was quickly becoming his favorite friend.

“Sungyeol-ah. What are you doing here?” Myungsoo asked, looking mildly surprised.

“I came to hang out with you, of course,” Sungyeol replied immediately.

“But I’m going to the library to study though…” Myungsoo explained, his voice making it clear that he would rather do anything else.

“I know. I’ll just sit next to you and read a book or something,” Sungyeol smiled.

“Are you sure you won’t be bored?” Myungsoo inquired. Despite his question, it seemed like he was hoping that Sungyeol would in fact join him. Sungyeol couldn’t help but feel warm inside, realizing this.

“Of course not. I love hanging out with you.”

Myungsoo smiled pleasantly, once again making Sungyeol’s insides quiver with happiness. I can’t help liking him. He’s so sweet and kind and cute. He’s like everything one could ever ask for in a friend.

Sungyeol had quickly taken a liking to the shorter boy and his dark, deep eyes. He was quieter than Sungyeol, but that only made Myungsoo even more likable in Sungyeol’s eyes. To Sungyeol, they were a perfect match; they complemented each other flawlessly.

“Then I guess we better get going to the library,” Myungsoo said.

“Let’s go!” Sungyeol chimed in, grabbing the shorter by the arm and pulling him along.

-

Watching Myungsoo study had become one of Sungyeol’s favorite things to do. It meant he could look at him without having to seem weird for staring. He would look at Myungsoo’s black, long lashes; the way they curled so gently and softly. He would look at his tousled hair that never seemed to be able to be kept in place. He couldn’t help but smile to himself when he watched Myungsoo studying so diligently, flipping through pages of the text books like his life was at stake.

“Wanna come over to my place this weekend?” Myungsoo suddenly asked, his eyes still on the page in front of him.

“I’d love to!” Sungyeol exclaimed excitedly, thrilled at the thought of being given the honor of entering Myungsoo’s home.

“I can pick you up by the school gates on Saturday at around noon?”

“Sure,” Sungyeol nodded eagerly. “Do I need to bring anything? Like some snacks or something? Pizza?”

“Nah, you’re good. We can just buy that on the way to my house,” Myungsoo said. “Thanks for offering though.” And he smiled genuinely.

“No problem. Anything for my… can I call you my best friend?” Sungyeol asked, abruptly feeling a bit shy for some unexplainable reason.   

“Of course,” Myungsoo grinned. “You’re my best friend too.”

Sungyeol suddenly felt extremely happy, like he had forgotten that it was his birthday and then somebody had reminded him.

-

Myungsoo was finding his mission harder to finish by the day. He had initially thought it would be easy; a no-brainer. All he needed was to befriend the target and make the guy trust him. It wasn’t supposed to be difficult. But as the days went by, he had noticed that he was starting to like the boy a bit more than he should. He wasn’t supposed to grow attached to his own targets. And yet the boy was so genuinely pleasant and kind that it was hard not to take a liking to him.

This isn’t supposed to happen.

Myungsoo sighed, running his hands through his fingers. He didn’t know what to do any longer. Of course he knew what he had to do. He had to finish his mission. He had to obey orders. Follow his superiors. He didn’t have any choice in the matter, and he knew this well.

But that was the reason why it was hard. Because he didn’t want any harm to come to the tall boy. He didn’t want to hurt his feelings or put him in danger. He wanted his friend to be safe. My friend? Myungsoo shook his head in resignation. Now you’re even thinking of him as your friend? Goodness, you’re stupid.

The worst part – the part that made Myungsoo’s stomach clench uncomfortably and his insides squirm in protest – was the fact that when the time came when Sungyeol would realize what was going on, he would hate Myungsoo to no end. He would hate him and despise him and loathe him, and Myungsoo would never be able to hear Sungyeol call him his best friend ever again.

Once again, Myungsoo ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, feeling like he was trapped in a corner with no way to escape.

-

Sungyeol watched as a black van pulled up in front of him, and Myungsoo opened the side door and climbed out.

“Hey, Sungyeol-ah,” he said, his smile tinted by something hiding behind his eyes.

“Hi, Myungsoo-ah,” Sungyeol replied instantly, feeling happier already. He couldn’t help but smile when he looked at the raven-haired boy.

Myungsoo’s smile faltered, and for a moment he just stood there by the car door, staring at Sungyeol with a sort of apologetic look on his face.

“What is it?” Sungyeol asked, slightly confused.

“Nothing,” Myungsoo replied. “Come on. Hop in.” And he entered the car again, signaling for Sungyeol to do the same. Sungyeol climbed in after him and closed the door.

“You have your own driver?” Sungyeol said in wonder.

“Yeah. My dad’s pretty rich,” Myungsoo confessed.

“Is your house far away?” Sungyeol asked.

“A bit.”

“How long?”

“About half an hour.”

“Do you mind if I sleep for a bit?” Sungyeol inquired.

“Not at all.”

“Can I borrow your shoulder?”

Myungsoo looked at Sungyeol for a moment, his eyes full of some unspoken emotion. “Of course,” he said, giving Sungyeol a crooked smile.

“Thanks, Myungie,” Sungyeol breathed and laid his head down on Myungsoo’s shoulder. It only took him a couple of minutes to fall asleep.

-

Knowing it would be the last time Sungyeol would ever look at him like that – like Myungsoo was a nice person; like he was someone special – made Myungsoo’s chest constrict painfully. When Sungyeol fell asleep on his shoulder, he almost started laughing at how easy the taller boy was making everything. You’re basically giving yourself to me like an offering.

Silently, he had hoped that Sungyeol wouldn't show up today. He had hoped the taller would suddenly get sick, or that he would forget their appointment altogether. But of course Myungsoo knew better. He knew the older boy liked him, and that he would do almost anything to hang out with him. And just like Myungsoo’s hyung-nim had said, that was Sungyeol’s greatest flaw: trusting people too easily. Trusting the wrong people. Trusting people he should have stayed away from.  

Myungsoo sighed, feeling his throat tighten. I have no choice.

He gently – making sure not to wake the unsuspecting boy – retrieved a small handkerchief and a bottle of liquid from his pocket. He silently poured the liquid on the handkerchief, making sure not to breathe in the smell. Then he brought the cloth to Sungyeol’s nose and mouth, holding it there until he felt the older boy’s body go limp, falling onto his lap. He held the kerchief over Sungyeol’s nose for another minute for good measure. When he knew there was no chance of the taller waking up for a good while, he threw the handkerchief into a zip-lock bag. After finishing, he looked down at the boy who was resting peacefully on his lap. Myungsoo closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose, and leaned his head backwards, trying to rid himself of the guilt. 

Author's Note: Goodness, it makes me nervous to write something like this, since I've never tried it before, so I don't know if any of you will like it... :/ Oh well... I guess I'll just go with it. Sorry if it . Just tell me if I should stick with fluff instead > . <