The man adjusted himself in his seat as the limousine wound its way through the freeway traffic towards its destination. Although dressed in his best suit, he knew this wasn’t just another party he was attending. Looking out the window, his sweet angelic face, palely glowing in the moonlight, belied the stern, gallant man that was Kim Junmyeon.

“I appreciate you doing this for me, Xiao-jun, although I know you really don’t have to.”

Junmyeon turned to look at the older man beside him. Smiling, he said, “It’s fine, Uncle Gao. At least I have an excuse to put off those reports for tonight.”

“That’s bull and we both know it,” the older man let out a hearty, belly laugh. “Junhae didn’t need to have you accompany me.”

“I am honored to accompany you, uncle,” Junmyeon smiled at his father’s best friend. “And besides, my father is still the Chief Executive Officer, so I have to follow orders.”

“Bah!” Gao grimaced. “When is that man going to retire? Your Auntie Mei always worried about me. She would always nag about stress and how it was destroying my body. I hope your mother is not doing the same.”

“You know how Father is, Uncle Gao,” Junmyeon sighed and gave the older one a wistful smile. “But after the debacle with Uncle Junyoung, even Mother is trying to get me to retire instead of her husband.”

The older man let out a chuckle. “Ahh yes, Junyoung. He always did look up to your father. I never would have thought he would be capable of doing such things. You can never really be too careful with your paper trail. I won’t say he deserved what came to him, but, in the long run, it would be better for all.”

Junmyeon was tasked by his father to accompany one of the most prominent businessmen in the country and his own best friend, Wu Gao, or Uncle Gao as what Junmyeon calls him. They were off to the annual charity ball that the Wu family has hosted for a long time. The event this year was quite different as the lady of the Wu family passed away almost a couple of months ago.

“How do you do it, uncle?” Junmyeon suddenly asked from out of nowhere.

"How do I do what, Xiao-jun?” answered the older man.

“How do you still face life with such optimism?”

Junmyeon did not know how he suddenly thought of such things. He did well in school and graduated at the upper percentile of his class at the university. He was happy with his job. His peers respected him, more than he ever hoped for just because they know that he did not arrive to where he was now in the company because of his father. He and his father did not agree on a lot of things, but Junmyeon knew that it was part of the job. Both father and son respected each other more from out of their many disagreements.

If anything else, it was just about Junmyeon’s mother who kept pestering him about getting married. His brother was happily married for a few years now and Junmyeon’s niece had already learned how to wrap her Ah-Jun-ssi around her little finger. He was arranged to marry his best friend, Jade, but both of them agreed to cut it off a few days after Junmyeon returned home after the kidnapping. It seemed like it had been a lifetime ago, but in actuality, it was a few weeks short of a year since the event.

Their parents did not try to intervene anymore after that, but Junmyeon’s mother had become doubly vocal about her younger son finding someone to spend his life with. It even came to a point when she told him that it didn’t matter what was in between the person’s legs, as long as her son was happy. To say that Junmyeon was shocked was an understatement, of course. He had wanted to introduce Kris to the family early on, but the other man told him to wait. Kris wanted to become settled first back into a common man’s life, and it would be strange if Junmyeon were to suddenly have someone new in his life just as soon after he was kidnapped as well as abruptly ending his engagement. Junmyeon reluctantly agreed with his lover.

The older man let out another laugh, knocking Junmyeon out of his thoughts. “I do not have a bulletproof heart, Xiao-jun. Sometimes life does get to me, especially when I think about your Auntie. In the end, I am grateful to be alive. I still need to be alive…”

As his Uncle Gao’s voice trailed off, Junmyeon mentally slapped himself for his callousness. He knew he should have just kept his mouth shut. He was about to apologize when their limo slowed down to a stop.

Getting out of the car, Junmyeon stuck close to his Uncle Gao's side as they made their way to the press area where the older man was to give his statements for press releases. Junmyeon, who was used to such public activities, just smiled to the cameras and gave a wave or two. He wasn’t just the scion of a well-known family for nothing. His father had many connections, even to the point of making his kidnapping become just a simple vacation, for him to have thought his engagement over.

I hope Kris is already inside, Junmyeon thought to himself. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t like all these cameras. The man barely takes any pictures of himself.

A couple of months after his mother’s tirade about his singleness, Junmyeon let it be known to the immediate family that he was dating someone and it was a man. Barely a week went by and Kris found himself frozen in place as he was being introduced to Junmyeon’s family, including some of its extended members. To say that Kris was overwhelmed was an understatement. The family patriarch gave him a nod of approval and Kris let out a silent sigh knowing his private parts would be safe for the time being. In one of the rare times that the family matriarch would act out of character, Kris was welcomed with open arms, but had a caveat involving more of his body parts should he even think about hurting her beloved younger son.

A few days ago, Junmyeon told Kris about the event and the other man balked at the thought initially. Of course, the younger man at this point already knew what made his boyfriend tic. With one well-timed pout, Kris couldn’t do anything else but agree, albeit reluctantly.

No ,Junmyeon mentally chastised himself, it was Kevin now.  In one of their dates just a couple of months after they ‘got back,’ Kris told his boyfriend his real name, Kevin Li. It was the name given to him by the man whom he knew as his own father as he grew up. It was also part of the reason why Kris wanted to ‘go back’ to a commoner’s life. Before he became a hired gun, Kris came upon a man from the underground acquainted with his father, who turned out to be not his real father at all. As Kevin Li, Kris wanted to know the truth.

Once they got inside, Junmyeon still stuck near his Uncle Gao as both made their way through a number of people, the older man greeting guests along the way. The host’s table already had a number of people sitting in it. Junmyeon’s parents were already there, as was his brother and wife. Junmyeon looked around and saw Jade. The young man immediately walked towards his former fiancée and kissed her cheek, before greeting her parents who were also there.

Junmyeon’s father, his Uncle Gao and Jade’s father were a powerful triumvirate of sorts in the business world, having most of the Far East and South East Asia as part of their unofficial empire. It would be of no wonder that the two children, rightful heirs in their own way, were supposed to have been married to each other. Both Junmyeon and Jade were glad though that both sets of parents have been very understanding.

“Okay, where is he?” Jade whispered loudly to the other man as she pulled him down to sit beside him.

“Where is who?” Junmyeon replied, feigning ignorance.

“Stop kidding around, Myeonnie,” the woman glared at him. “You said so yourself that you’d be introducing him to me tonight. Now, I’m excited to see who this mystery man is that made my Junmyeonnie’s heart flutter.”

“Ssh!” Junmyeon gestured. “I actually don’t know where he is yet. I’ve been with Uncle Gao all this time. He was supposed to meet me here inside, but I haven’t seen him yet.”

Junmyeon was interrupted by one of the uniformed valet service who handed him a folded note. He quickly scanned through the hastily written letter and suddenly stood up, catching everyone else at the table in surprise. Noting the reaction, Junmyeon apologized profusely before he went away.

The young man caught up to the valet and asked, “Excuse me, when did you get this?”

“Just now, sir,” answered the other one.

“Who gave it to you?” Junmyeon said, his voice slightly rising.

“Umm…” the other one stuttered. “I-it was a man, I guess around 6 feet tall-“

Before the other man could finish, Junmyeon had run off towards the entrance. When he got outside, it was quiet. The press people had already gone in as dinner was starting.

“Damn it,” Junmyeon muttered aloud. He knew asking the security personnel would be pointless. Knowing his boyfriend, Kris’d be long gone by now. Junmyeon did try looking around a bit though, hoping that there would be a glimpse of the man.

“Myeonnie?”

The man looked back and saw that Jade had followed him outside. “I’m sorry. I guess you won’t be meeting him tonight after all.”

Jade just smiled at her best friend. “Don’t worry. I’m sure he has a pretty good reason why he couldn’t make it. The men in our lives can’t just easily push us away without meaning to. I should know.”

Junmyeon could only give the woman a bittersweet smile. “You should go back in. I’ll stay here for a bit. I believe I’ve caused enough commotion for one night.”

The man took out his cellphone and tried calling Kris’ number. There was no reply. Knowing that he had to be back inside soon, Junmyeon just sent a text message. ‘I won’t be angry. Where are you?’

In another part of the city, Kris knocked loudly on the door of a dilapidated house. It took quite some time for him to track this man down, being one of the lucky ones to escape the clutches of the underground and still manage to be alive. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what was about to happen.

The door opened crack and Kris saw an eye peeking through before it was fully opened. The man behind it looked older than what his age really was. “Kevin,” he greeted the taller man.

A few minutes later and both were seated at the kitchen table. The older one tried to offer something to eat or drink but Kris graciously declined.

“I’ve thought about what you’ve said before, ahjussi,” said Kris, not wanting to waste time with small talk.

“It’s been six years, Kevin,” said the other man. “I never thought I’d see your face again.”

“Six years since Feng died,” replied the younger one.

“Even though his choices in life were less than stellar, your father was still a good man.”

Kris raised an eyebrow at the other’s statement. “Didn’t you tell me before that Li Feng wasn’t my father, ahjussi? Or did I come here for nothing?”

The older man let out a sigh. “This is going to be a long story, but I guess we could begin with a man named Jacob.”

The long story wound up to be at least three hours before Kris left the older man’s house. He was in a daze as he made his way back to the city, riding his motorcycle through the din of nighttime traffic. Kris tried to find answers but ended up with more questions than before. He thought he could get a lead and finally have a clear path before him to know who he really was, but instead he felt as if he stopped at a crossroads with no end in sight.

Kris turned into the street where his apartment was. As he approached, he saw that the lights were still off. ‘Junmyeon must still be at the party,’ he thought to himself.

The man stopped his motorcycle near the front of the gate, but he didn’t get off yet. Fishing out his cellphone, Kris read Junmyeon’s message. Letting out a sigh, he looked up to see the sliver of light just before the moon would completely disappear.

There goes his lover again, always the patient one, always the one understanding him. Junmyeon deserved better, deserved someone who at least knew himself. Kris thought he wasn’t that person, not yet. Was he Kris? Was he Kevin? He realized he couldn’t go home to the apartment right now, not when he knew that there was big chance that Junmyeon would be coming as soon as the party was over. Kris didn’t know if he could face the other man at the moment. He typed a quick reply on his cellphone, ‘I can’t go home yet.

With a kick, the motorcycle once more roared to life. Too many thoughts in his head, Kris failed to notice another vehicle that discreetly followed him at a distance.

“You can’t go home yet?” Junmyeon muttered to himself behind the wheel of his car. As soon as he got his boyfriend’s reply, he left the party.

“You disappear with barely a trace and then say you can’t go home yet? Stupid , what did you do this time? You went to that ahjussi, didn’t you? I told you not to do it without me there, but no, you just went ahead. Stupid! Stupid!”

Junmyeon knew that if someone was watching him at that moment, that person would think he was crazy. In reality though, he didn’t know what he was feeling. Was he happy that Kris at least replied, which meant that he was still alive? Was he angry at his boyfriend for not telling him where he was? Did he feel humiliated for being stood up? All of these questions were running through his head and there was only one man who could give him an answer.

The man stopped at Kris’ apartment just to see if the latter had eventually gone home. The lights were off and it might have meant one way or another. When Junmyeon saw that the motorcycle was nowhere to be found, he immediately knew that Kris was still gone even if the former went up to the apartment itself.

Next, Junmyeon went around to Kris’ recent favorite haunts, hoping to the heavens he would find the man there, but it was to no avail. There was only one place left to go. Kris hadn’t completely given up his old hideout, Junmyeon knew. The man went back there from time to time just to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Worried as he was, Junmyeon still drove carefully. Kris would be there or he wouldn’t. That was one thing they both had in common. If they found a place to settle in, they’d be there for more than just a short while. It was a trait that Junmyeon and some of his friends disagreed with. While they were off hopping to their third bar, the former would still be nursing a cocktail at his favorite jazz lounge.

Even from some distance, Junmyeon recognized Kris’ motorcycle. He let out the sigh he long kept to himself. Despite the contrary, he was still very much afraid that his lover would really disappear without a trace and not come back. Junmyeon knew that Kris was very much capable of doing this, and the fear has been the subject of many conversations between them. At the very least, they were both open about each of their worst nightmares.

Junmyeon parked haphazardly at the open space outside of the dilapidated building. After making sure that the doors were locked, Junmyeon walked towards the entrance. He still didn’t know why the city council had not yet demolished that ramshackle tenement of years past, but he was also glad that it was one of the places that he knew where to almost always find his boyfriend.

Looking around, Junmyeon noticed another motorcycle partially hidden on the far corner of the building. He suddenly became suspicious. While there were a few others who lived in the area, Junmyeon never knew anyone of them to own a motorcycle. He felt dread wash over him as his heart raced. He quickly made his way up towards the room on the rooftop. Two flights below his destination and he heard the gunshots.

The hired gun was one of the random dregs of the underground who was trying to make a name for himself. Ever since the news of Kris cutting off ties from the underground, many had become bold wanting to be known as the new top assassin. A couple of months before, the hit on Kris appeared. No one knew who placed it, and the reward wasn’t that substantial. Yet, many took on the job, knowing how much it would add to their reputation if they were the one to take down the former best gun of the underground, Kris.

The man was shrewd. He had someone else up top to help him look for Kris. It was hard to keep track of a man who, though infamous, did not give out any true information in the underground. As luck would have had it, the informant suddenly had a new co-worker named Kevin Li who had just finished the training module and looked uncannily like this Kris person without the long locks and full face of hair. Not wanting this information to leak anywhere else, the informant took a vacation at a nearby beach; a permanent one.

Before he became a hired gun, Kevin Li was able to graduate with a college degree which immensely helped him land the job. It may not have been one of the prestigious schools that his lover attended but it did prove that Kris was no slouch in the intellect department. And perhaps, it made him a deadlier assassin than the usual grunts in the underground.

With a name in hand, it was easy as pie to grab hold on the rest of this Kevin Li’s information, most especially his place of residence. The hired gun decided to make the hit that night. He went to the apartment’s address and saw that the lights were off. He decided to wait for a couple of hours. While some would have just given up, the assassin desperately wanted to make that hit. He could taste the sweetness of the added reputation once he put in this very important notch on his pole.

Five hours had passed before the hired gun saw a motorcycle pass by and stop in front of the apartment. He tried to see who it was, grateful that the other one was not wearing a helmet. The other man looked up to the window, and it was enough to reveal the face. It was Kris. The assassin was about to take out his gun when Kris went by him again and left. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he followed at a relatively safe distance.

They ended up at this rundown building in the outskirts of the city, with barely another soul in sight. The hired gun smiled to himself; Kris was making this whole thing easier for him especially without a witness to hinder the act. Quietly, he followed the former top assassin to the rooftop. He stayed in the shadows as he espied the man getting ready for bed through the open windows. He’d wait until his target was asleep.

Sometime later, the hired gun heard the rumbling of an approaching car. He checked and saw that there were headlights. In a slight panic, he had to finish the job right then and there. He quickly made his way to the room where his target was. Taking a deep breath, he kicked the door open and fired a round of bullets away.

“!” the hired gun exclaimed as he realized that the bed was empty and he stopped firing.

Suddenly, he felt pain as someone smacked him from behind. The hired gun turned around to see Kris and he immediately started firing a couple of shots. Kris quickly grabbed hold of the man’s hand and both struggled for the gun. The assassin suddenly shot his knee upward and hit Kris on his abdomen. The man kicked Kris back, causing him to stumble. Now with a chance to aim, the hitman fired, but Kris was able to dodge although the bullet managed to graze his shoulder.

Unmindful of the pain, Kris charged forward and tackled the other man. The assassin felt the wind knocked out of him as he was slammed against the wall, causing him to let go of the gun. As both struggled against each other again, the hitman slammed a fist down on Kris’ wound causing the latter to double over in pain. Kris received another blow to his stomach, before he was kicked away once more, this time causing to roll on the floor.

“Bastard!” The assassin screamed as he made his way to the other man on the floor and began kicking him. “Think you can hit me, huh?”

Kris only groaned out in reply, a hand gripping his wounded shoulder.

“Think that’s painful, huh?” The man continued to kick Kris.

With the gun in sight, Kris tried to reach for it but he received another kick on his flank.

“You want to shoot me, huh?” The assassin gave another kick, this time on Kris’ ribs. “To think you were once the top hitman! Now, you lie there helpless!”

Kris screamed out with every blow to his body.

“Are you afraid? It’s time for you to die.” The hitman was on top of Kris, about to punch him. Suddenly, he received a kick in the face and was thrown back on the floor.

Kris saw that it was Junmyeon who had appeared. The latter was about to land another kick on the assassin but his foot was caught on the other’s hands.  The assassin pushed Junmyeon’s foot back, causing him to lose balance and fall over. Not missing a beat, the other stood up and ended up on top of Junmyeon. He had his hands wrapped around the other’s neck, choking the shorter man. Kris finally had the opportunity to grab the gun and tried to fire it into the other man’s face. It was pointless though, as there were no more bullets.

Despite being strangled, Junmyeon found the strength to push his attacker back and was able to land a hard punch on the jaw. The hitman was once more thrown back, the blow causing him to fall on his face. Junmyeon went on top of him this time, trying to hold the hitman down as he struggled to get free.

“Let me go, !” The hired gun screamed.

Without any other alternative, Kris grabbed a piece of rubber hose nearby. Through the pain that made his vision hazy, he wrapped the hose around the hitman’s neck. Crossing the ends together, Kris pulled his hardest as the hitman made choking sounds. Both Kris and Junmyeon did not let go, until they felt the other man slump over; dead.

 “We’re expecting a light shower in the afternoon and…” The weather report was cut as the TV was suddenly turned off.

“Hey, I was watching that,” Junmyeon said, turning to face his boyfriend with a pout on his face.

“And we still need to talk about last night,” Kris stood in front of him, blocking the TV and putting the remote control out of the way. He was only draped in a towel and still had drops of moisture clinging to his skin.

Junmyeon eyed his boyfriend appreciatively, but the other man was having none of that.  “You could have been hurt, Junmyeon,” said Kris, his voice firm.

“Speak for yourself,” answered the other nonchalantly, leaning back and pointing with his lip the injury on the other man’s shoulder. It wasn’t on the same side as the other one almost a year before.

After last night’s incident with the hired gun who tried to kill Kris, both ended up back in Kris’ apartment. They had to dump the body first somewhere safe, including the hitman’s motorcycle. It would be best to leave as little evidence as possible from the police and from whoever hired that person.

“You deliberately placed yourself in danger,” Kris added.

“Well, you did that too. Do I worry? Yes. Do I overreact like what you are doing right now? No.” Junmyeon stood up then, even though he couldn’t even come close to the other’s height.

“You are completely missing the point.”

“I am exactly on point, Kevin. Look, we knew this was long overdue. I can bet you my life that it was Yunbok who sent out the hit. You said so yourself that the man holds a grudge.”

“We don’t know that for certain.” Kris folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve already contacted a few of the people I still trust in the underground. I may have to go back deep.”

“You can’t!” Junmyeon stood up to make his point, though his height could never come close to the other’s. “That’s what he would expect you to do. You’ll be safer up here than down there, Kevin.”

“You don’t know him like I do,” answered Kris. “The man is ruthless. If Yunbok really was the one who sent out a hit on me, this won’t stop with just one assassin. I don’t want to put anybody else in danger, especially you.”

Junmyeon scoffed loudly. “I told you I’ll be okay, Kevin. My father wouldn’t be head of one of the biggest multinational companies in Asia if he didn’t eat death threats for breakfast. It would be inevitable that I’d be following in his footsteps, although the threats may be from some other reason.”

Kris let out a sigh. If there was one thing he knew about his boyfriend, it was the man’s utter stubbornness. It would make sense for Kris to just give it up, but Junmyeon had to understand that what happened the night before wasn’t to be taken slightly. He might have taught Junmyeon some skills to help defend himself from the usual dregs of the underground, but he knew deep inside he would always worry.

“Look,” the shorter man whispered. “I knew from the moment we became together that this wasn’t going to be easy for both of us. But, hey, I kicked last night, didn’t I? Aren’t you glad you’ve taught me well, Master Kris?”

The other man had a glint in his eye. He knew that Junmyeon knew what the last two words would do to him. Kris couldn’t help but give a knowing smile at the other, as he began to lean forward.Suddenly, Junmyeon pressed a finger to the other man’s lips. “Hold that thought, babe. You still owe me for your absence last night.”

Kris groaned out loudly. He knew that there was something tenting already going on down there and his lover decides to call things off.

“There is someone I know who can help keep us, keep you safe,” said Junmyeon. “My Uncle Gao has the best men protecting him, considering the extent of his power and wealth in China, as well as other countries. I know for a fact that most of his men didn’t exactly have what you call of reputable training.”

“Oh?” Kris raised an eyebrow. He was intrigued.

“Yeah, and he also wants to meet you, so we are going to his house for lunch. He’s been away for some time because of Auntie Li Mei’s treatment and has only recently come back after Auntie was buried in her home town. I’d have already introduced the two of you last night, if only someone didn’t suddenly disappear and leave only a badly written note behind.”

“Damn,” Kris muttered softly. “Is that why you’re already dressed?”

Junmyeon tiptoed to give the other man a quick peck on the lips. “Mother already called while you were in the shower. She also sent the driver to make sure we’re not late.”

The edifice of modern architecture loomed before them, situated in the part of the city where high-end residential development was booming. Wu Gao, true to his lineage, had foreseen when the boom would occur and was able to grab a prime spot before price for land and buildings shot up. It also helped to be a third of one of the most powerful conglomerate alliances in this region of the world.

Kris peered out of the window of the car as they wound their way through the long driveway. In all honesty, he had already resigned himself to the fate of having to meet all of the important people in Junmyeon’s life, and even the not so important ones. He was even slightly jealous that his boyfriend was surrounded by all of these people, when he himself really didn’t have any family left in the world.

Technically, there was one and the man’s name was Yunbok. Yes, if there would be anyone in the world he could claim as his family, it would be his former handler. Yunbok wasn’t just the person who gave Kris his hits. The man took him in when he became an orphan, training him to become the assassin that he was. Under Yunbok’s tutelage, Kris became infamous as the best hitman to have graced the underground in less than a year since he started. Yunbok made him, and Kris knew that Yunbok could also break him.

Kris suddenly felt a hand covering his, and he froze up a bit. He turned his head towards the man who sat beside him, his reason for wanting to bask in the sunshine once more.

“Relax,” Junmyeon said softly to his boyfriend, a grin on his face. “You’ve survived my mother and father. Uncle Gao is the fun one.”

Minutes later and Kris found himself alone with Junmyeon’s parents. They had already gone past the point of awkwardness around each other and could easily strike a conversation. At the moment though, Kris was quietly looking at the framed photos on top of the fireplace. The circular structure itself was a conversation piece, being literally in the middle of the living area rather than its usual place on a wall. In fact, the whole house itself was an amalgamation of architectural prowess. Kris was impressed, as he, given the chance, would have wanted to go into architecture himself.

Kris heard his lover’s voice talking animatedly with who the former assumed to be his Uncle Gao. The voices and footsteps were growing louder. Kris turned towards the sounds just as the two appeared in the entryway.

“Come on, Uncle,” said Junmyeon to the older man beside him. “How many times do I have to apologize for leaving early last night? But seriously, you have to meet Kevin. I’m sure you’ll love him. I-“

Junmyeon’s words hung in the air when he realized that his Uncle Gao had stopped walking a couple of steps behind him. The other man had a stunned look on his face, making Junmyeon worry.

“I-I couldn’t believe them,” muttered Uncle Gao, still frozen on the spot. “I-I didn’t want to believe them.”

“Uncle?” asked Junmyeon, turning his head towards where the older man was looking at. “What are you saying?”

“Those private investigators were right,” said Uncle Gao, as a tear suddenly rolled down his face. “You really do have your mother’s face.”

“Huh?” said Kris, surprised at what the man who just came in with his boyfriend said. “I don’t know what you mean, Sir, but I never really knew my mother. My father said she died giving birth to me.”

“Is that what the bastard told you?” Gao’s face suddenly became stormy. “Where is he? I’d like to get my hands on him and-“

“Gao,” suddenly Junmyeon’s father, Kim Junhae, spoke up and went beside his friend. “Calm down. Kevin doesn’t yet understand what you are talking about.”

“Wait, what is happening?” Junmyeon piped up, getting more confused with every second.

“Kevin,” Junmyeon’s mother, Mina, approached the taller man. “I’m sorry that we’ve kept it a secret, but Gao, with a bit of Junhae’s help, has been keeping tabs on you through private investigators. About twenty-five years ago, a kidnapping happened. Gao and his wife’s three-year-old son disappeared without a trace.”

“You…” Kris began. “I… I’ve also been searching for my true family. I just had recent information that I wasn’t really the son of the man I’ve known to be my father and I’ve gotten a name on who he really is. You’re Jacob Wu?”

“That is my Anglicized name, yes,” Gao answered. “And you are… Wu Yifan. My son.”

It’s been a week since Kris met his real father. He finally knew who he really was. Wu Yifan.

“It does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” said Kris, staring goofily off into the distance.

“It’s so refreshing to see you this happy,” Junmyeon remarked.

The two were at the hideout. Kris had decided that he had to close that chapter in his life. He and Junmyeon were there to pick up a few things that Kris wanted to keep, mostly old pictures with the man he had known to be his father. As Kris and his real father bonded, Gao had come to accept that Li Feng, the man who kidnapped Kris all those years ago, would always be an important fixture in the younger Wu’s life.

Kris was reluctant to tell the older man that he was once a hitman, but Gao already had the information about it anyway. The private investigators he hired were very thorough when Kevin Li suddenly appeared as Junmyeon’s boyfriend. Gao, though, had devoted all his time to his wife’s cancer treatment and could barely be bothered about the investigators’ reports.

When he had the opportunity, Gao at first refused to believe that the man could really be his son. There were pictures of course; Yifan was the spitting image of his mother. Pictures would sometimes lie. Everything changed, of course, when the Kris and Gao finally met. Gao couldn’t explain the feeling of finally meeting his long-lost son, taken from him all those years ago.

“Junmyeon,” Kris’ voice suddenly dropped to a whisper. “I’ve never really thanked you, have I?”

“Why would you need to do that?” Junmyeon let out a nervous laugh.

Kris suddenly grabbed the other man into his arms, and gave him a tight embrace. “I just want to thank you… for everything. For appearing in my life. For being the blessing that you are.”

“I-“ Junmyeon began, but he was suddenly cut off by the ringing of Kris’ phone.

Kris checked out his phone but it was an unknown number. He answered it and a video feed came up of Yunbok’s face.

“Well, hello there, Kris,” said the man on the other end of the line. “Having fun away from the underground, are we?”

“How did you get my number, Yunbok?” Kris answered angrily.

“Oh, I have my sources,” said the other man. “Well, source really.”

“Bastard,” Kris muttered out loud.

“Such language from a law-abiding citizen,” Yunbok taunted.

“What do you want?”

“My, aren’t you all business,” replied the other. “Business it is. I have a little something to show you, my little pet. I knew for a fact that sending a hitman against one of your caliber would be useless. I just wanted to see if there’s one stupid enough to take the hit. And what a complete failure that was. So, I had to pull out the ace in my sleeve. You know me, Yifan. I don’t take betrayal too kindly.”

The video feed suddenly moved and when it stopped, Kris saw two people on the screen, Yunbok and his father.

"Motherer!” Kris screamed at his phone. “If you ever dare hurt even one strand of hair on my father’s head, I’ll - ”

“Can it, Kris!” Yunbok shouted back. “You have 4 hours. You know the place. Come alone and don’t be late. Or else, I can’t promise that this ace I have will see the light of day.”

The video call was cut off and Kris was standing there, stunned.

“What happened to Uncle Gao?” Junmyeon suddenly spoke up and Kris realized that his boyfriend was still there. “Tell me.”

“Junmyeon, take the box and wait for me at home,” Kris instructed.

“Where are you going?” said the other. “You can’t possibly go and face Yunbok alone. I’ll go with you”

“No!” Kris suddenly said out loud. “I need to go alone. This is not for you, Junmyeon. I promise I’ll get Father back.”

“But-“ Junmyeon began but Kris cut him off with a finger to his lips.

“Please,” Kris said softly, masking the anger boiling up inside him. “I need to know that you are safe. I can’t afford to have the two most important men in my life be in danger at the same time. I’ll take you home, but I’ll go to the factory alone.”

Junmyeon couldn’t say anything more and just nodded.

Kris arrived at the familiar metalworks factory way earlier than the expected time. He wanted to have the element of surprise, but it would seem that Yunbok’s goons were already on the alert anyway. Kris had no choice but to be escorted to where Yunbok was. He felt his heart race has he saw his father bound and gagged to a chair, just like what he saw earlier in the video call.

“I’m here, Yunbok. Now let my father go.”

“Kris, Kris, Kris,” said Yunbok, with gun in hand, as he paced around the cleared space in between the stacks of metalwork products in the factory. “Or should I call you Yifan now? After all those years that I treated you as my own child, this is how you repay me. How many fathers do I have to kill, Yifan, before it all stops?”

“You killed Feng?” Kris’ brows furrowed at the new information he had received.

“Of course. The bastard owed me a lot. It was really unfortunate that he wasn’t able to sell you off.  I always knew Li Feng was weak. It was supposed to be a simple job. The client badly wanted a child, and all Li Feng had to do was get one and deliver it to the client’s doorstep. No more, no less. Did you know what the man did? He goes off and disappears with the child he kidnapped because he was what? Guilty. You hear that? Guilt! I had to face the client because of the bastard’s mistakes, tried to threaten and out me to the police. Too bad he and his wife never got to see the light of day soon after.”

“You’re a monster.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, my son.”

Kris cringed.

“Feng had you for himself for far too long. Who do you think gave him the hit jobs to feed you and send you to school? I did. I have as much right to call you my own son as that bastard did. He even went ahead and sent you to college. I let him, of course, but as soon as you were ripe for the picking, Feng needed to be put out of the way. It had to be done.”

Kris closed his fist tightly, trying to hold down his anger. “You told me that Feng was killed on the job! That he was in great debt and I had to help pay for it.”

“Well, he was in debt, technically,” Yunbok grinned. “To me that is. And you were a marvelous hitman, Yifan! You could have gone even further, but you had to go fall in love.” The man spit to his side in disgust.

A goon entered and whispered something to Yunbok’s ears.

“Tsk, tsk! Yifan, Yifan… You’ve been a really bad boy, you know that? I told you to come alone,” said Yunbok as the goon moved back.

“I did come alone,” Kris replied.

“Don’t lie to my face, you son of a .” Yunbok gestured to his goons and the door behind him opened.

Kris saw a couple of Yunbok’s men drag Junmyeon in, his hands tied behind him. He tried his hardest to keep his face steady, even though inside he felt his heart break. He already told his boyfriend not to follow him, but it was no use. He’d have better results if he had bound Junmyeon to the bed before he left.

“Pretty, pretty Junmyeon,” said Yunbok, standing beside the young man as he his face.

Junmyeon tried to take a big bite out of the older man’s hand, but Yunbok was able to pull back in time.

“Feisty,” the crime lord sneered, as he suddenly slapped the younger ones cheek. “My grunt here says they caught you sneaking around back. I have that area especially guarded.”

Junmyeon scoffed, despite the stinging on his cheek. “Easy targets. They were sleeping on the job anyway. I just made it more permanent.”

Yunbok looked back at Kris and said, “Isn’t it my lucky day, Yifan? A three-for-one special! I am completely overjoyed. Someone up there must love me today. Now, what should I do first?”

The crime lord made his way to Gao, still bound and gagged to a chair. “Wu Gao, can I call you Gao?” asked Yunbok, not really expecting an answer.

Gao just glared at the criminal, trying to curse at him through his gag.

“Well, Gao, let me tell you a secret,” Yunbok began to speak again. “You see, your son wasn’t kidnapped just because of chance. That couple I mentioned earlier? You know them actually. It’s such a convoluted tale that you’d think it came from a soap opera.”

Kris tried to survey the area. There were too many goons situated in strategic places. He tried to figure out how to get Junmyeon and his father to safety.

“Do the Zhangs ring a bell, Gao?” asked Yunbok, causing the other man’s to wrinkle his forehead and then widen his eyes as recognition hit him.

“The mister was a jolly fellow, I believe,” continued the hardened criminal. “Quite easy to negotiate with. The couple wanted a child. I heard through the grapevine though that they just had a baby, but it seems like the missus wanted one specific child to be hers. You rich people and your problems; such a colorful story. Too bad it only ended up in bloody red.”

Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of sirens at the distance drawing near.

“What in the-?” said Yunbok, suddenly turning to Junmyeon. “You! You brought the police with you?”

“That’s not all I brought.”

Junmyeon suddenly slammed his heel on the foot of the goon holding him, and was quickly able to take away the gun he was holding. “Kris, let’s bounce!”

“So what happened next?” the police officer asked.

“I…” said the other man, his silence interrupted before staring off once more into space.

Right then, Junmyeon was in the police station to give his final statement regarding the abduction and the eventual rescue of the affluent Wu Gao. The families Kim and Wu were very influential and the investigation was being kept down low. Not wanting to trust anyone else, it was requested that the two detectives who Junmyeon’s father had put through police academy and advanced training himself were the ones to handle the whole affair. They were closely tied to the Kim family as one was Junmyeon’s cousin, Jongdae, and the other was Jongdae’s best friend, Park Chanyeol, who was somewhat related to the Wus by affinity.

“Myeon-ah?” asked Jongdae.

“Blood. That’s what I could remember,” Junmyeon replied. “There were shots everywhere and there was blood. I- I tried to look for Uncle Gao. H-he was bound. It was difficult for him to move around, with the guns being fired from all around us. It’s really hard to remember. All I could think was what extreme bad luck did I have that I ended up kidnapped again.”

The two detectives’ eyes grew wide at the other man’s statement. Chanyeol tried to get him to continue, “And you said this Kris guy was there. He was the one involved with your previous kidnapping, wasn’t he? What did he do?”

Junmyeon could only bow his head. “Yes… He wanted to kill Yunbok. Yunbok already had his goons hunting him. I- I was able to get to Uncle Gao just as Kris went for Yunbok. They… They fell out the window and onto the grassy field behind the factory. I- I tried to help Kris. It was the least I could do after he freed me, but it was too late. I saw Yunbok able to take away Kris’ gun and shot him on the head. I watched him as he tried to get back inside the factory, but the police sirens were already too loud, too near. He turned and ran away. Kris was… I-“

Chanyeol heard the other man choke. He saw Junmyeon’s chin tremble and his eyes fill with tears. He didn’t know what to do. Jongdae, on the other hand, had his eyebrows knot together. He was thinking hard, trying to put the pieces together.

Junmyeon checked his phone when he felt it vibrate. A text had come in from a familiar number which read, ‘Come outside when you’re done.’

“Is there anything else I can help you with, detectives?” said Junmyeon with a sigh, raising his head up towards the other two.

Chanyeol looked at his partner who was still scowling and shaking his head. He looked back at the man on the other side of the table and said, “I think that would be all. There are more than enough statements we’ve gathered for this case to go to court and have Yunbok convicted, but I trust your father’s decision.”

Jongdae muttered aloud, staring hard at his cousin, “I can’t believe Uncle won’t let this case go to court. Yunbok is a notorious criminal. He needs to be put behind bars.”

Junmyeon could only sigh once more in response. “You know how father is, Dae-ah. So, I’m done here, right? I need to go.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Jongdae said with a wave of his hand. “Just don’t go get kidnapped again anytime soon, please.”

The other man laughed, his eyes turning once more into those playful crescents. “I can’t promise that,” said Junymeon as he opened the door to leave the interrogation room. “But I’ll let you guys know where I’ll be disappearing to next time.”

Junmyeon stepped outside of the police station building to the blinding light of the late afternoon sun. He fished his cellphone out of his pocket once more and read the last text sent to him again. He had no idea why he was sent another cryptic message. He had been on enough adventures to last him a lifetime, at least.

“I heard you killed Kris back there.”

The man froze. Junmyeon would know that voice anywhere. He slowly turned to his left and saw a tall man leaning back against the wall of the building. Junmyeon took in the vision of him in a long coat, polo top and khakis. Junmyeon had to raise an eyebrow at the man’s choice of sneakers, but he was more intrigued in the shorter hair and its deep chestnut color.

Junmyeon had to swallow first in order to keep his sanity before he said, “I kind of like the hair.”

“I had a feeling you will,” the other man’s gummy smile lit up his face. “It’s been a long week, Suho.”

Junmyeon rolled his eyes, but had a grin on his face. It definitely has been a long week for them: from the hitman that tried to kill his boyfriend; to finding out that said boyfriend was really Wu Yifan, the long lost son of his Uncle Gao; to barely escaping the clutches of Yunbok.

“I thought we already established that my days as a guardian angel were over, Yifan.”

The taller man made his way towards Junmyeon. When he was close enough, Yifan reached out to touch the other man’s cheek. “You’ll always be my Suho, Junmyeon. And if you will, I’ll always be yours.”

With his other hand, Yifan pulled out a small box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a glittering diamond solitaire set in a platinum band.

Junmyeon gave a soft chuckle as he looked up to meet Yifan’s eyes. “Are you seriously proposing to me outside the police station, Yifan?”

“There’ll always be no time like the present,” the other man gave him a lopsided grin. Still holding out the box, Yifan tried hard not to look too expectant while preparing himself for a possibility of a rejection.

“As much as I want to thump you on the head for catching me off-guard once again,” said Junmyeon, the mirth evident in his voice. “I’m not sure I could stand Jongdae and Chanyeol teasing me for the rest of my life if they see this, so I’ll give you the answer right now.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to look as a young man walked towards the head table.

“Well, isn’t this such a solemn engagement party, Father?” said the man in greeting, as he went to kiss Gao on the check before turning to look at the other man beside him. “And you must be my Yifan-ge!”

“Yixing…”