Mornings were beginning to be the god awful time for Mark to be up; Wednesday morning, for example, made him lose his appetite when a picture of Happy Face flashed on the TV screen.

"17 year old Choi Youngjae, a junior at the infamous Seoul Arts High School, was reported missing late last night.

"According to the boy's parents, the last time he was supposedly heard from was at around 5pm, when he called to tell his mother he was staying at work. Since then, they have been unable to reach his phone, nor his boss, Jung Daehyun.

"The man in question-"

Tuan looked at the blank television screen wide-eyed, his remote at hand and his bag strapped tightly on his back. Throwing the small object down somewhere, he bolted out the door as fast as he could to the school building. His chest was hurting; his mind was racing; his emotions were exploding; everything was reacting at once. Running was also beginning to feel difficult, but he pushed himself to go faster.

He felt stupid; unable to comprehend his friend actually being taken like that. He never had this happen during a mission, nor had he ever felt this distressed. Then again, it was his fault that Youngjae was taken, or possibly...

'Don't think like that, Mark! He's not dead, he's not allowed to be dead!'

Such a stupid thought, but it didn't matter; he just had to know Youngjae wasn't dead.

Mark zoomed through the front entrance of the school, ramming into people left and right with small 'excuse me's and 'pardon me's and occasional 'watch it!'s. He was looking left and right through the crowded hallway for his friends or, if necessary, Junhong, hoping they were okay. He knew he wasn't the only one worried, what with the small whispers of Youngjae's floating around the hall, but he was getting scared at the thought of how Jinyoung was taking all of this.

"Mark-hyung!! Hyung, over here!!"

The boy turned around to see the familiar squishy face of BamBam, and behind him Yugyeom, Jackson, and Jaebum; Jinyoung was nowhere in sight. They all had a look of distress in their expressions, more Jaebum than anyone else; Jinyoung wasn't taking this situation lightly.

"Where's Jr.?" He asked, hoping he didn't sound too frantic.

"He hasn't left his house since he saw the news, and hasn't answered any of my calls or texts." Jaebum replied. There was no doubt he was concerned for his boyfriend, probably a little more than he was for Happy Face, and wanted to be there for him quickly.

Yugyeom interfered into the conversation by adding, "Mr. Park said that we were allowed to visit him now, but we have to return after lunch. Jaebum's driving us."

Never had Mark seen an anxious expression on the youngest's face like that, or see him cling onto anyone as tightly as he was to BamBam. Jackson, who was uncharacteristically quiet, was looking over from behind Jaebum with a concerned look. If this didn't mean something bad was happening, Mark didn't know what would. The Umma must really be in pain right now if it can cause this much worry.

"Then what are we doing here? Let's the hell outta here!"

_______xOperation Kill This Lovex_______

Why did all of Mark's friends have such fancy houses? It was really getting ridiculous; Jackson's house was huge, Yugyeom's was huge, and Jinyoung's too apparently.

Tuan, along with his gang, stepped outside their friend's vehicle, their shoes meeting the cushiony green earth surrounding the pale white house. The building looked elegant, but showed a small lack of a feminine touch, with a large porch covered in stools and a swing; it was a luxurious-looking country house. He would never imagine a teacher like Mr. Park to live at a place like this, but he could definitely see Jinyoung doing so. It completely stood out from the houses surrounding it, but it also looked more comfortable and homey than the rest.

All five boys walked the stone pavement to the small set of stairs, and of course to the wooden front door. Jaebum stepped up on the rugged welcome mat, and gently banged on the door a few times.

“Jirongie? It’s Jaebongi. The kids and I are here to check on you, can you please open up?”

No answer was given from the other side.

"Umma?" Yugyeom cried.

Still no answer.

Jaebum looked at the still door for a bit longer, then said, "He must either be listening to his music or in his room...I got this. I need you guys to step back a bit."

They did as instructed, the leader following in suit, leaving Jaebum enough room to kneel down to reach the mat. He flipped up one of the corners, revealing a key; it was old and rusty-looking, but it most likely still worked if the Parks didn't replace it yet. It took him a couple tries to grab it off the flat surface, and when he did, he stood up and placed it in the keyhole.

Click.

Jaebum swung the door open with little to no effort, and gestured the others to follow.

There was a lot of similarities between all the houses on the outside, but the Park Residence seemed to have more life on the inside. There seemed to be a color scheme within the interior, mainly involving dark reds, natural whites, beige, and dull browns; the furniture even had matching patterns that added personality into the home. Mark was wondering where their teacher had the inspiration to make his house looked so great, until he remembered that Jinyoung was his son; there would be no other explanation for this except for Jr. being the mastermind behind it all.

"Jinyoung?" Jackson hollered, "Are you here?"

"Of course he's here, idiot, we were driven here to his house for a reason." Yugyeom deadpanned.

Wang pouted at this and looked over to Mark, who was still in overall awe, and slowly wrapped his arm around Mark's. Thankfully, Tuan didn't seem to notice, but was then brought back when Jaebum cleared his throat; he still didn't shrug Jackson off.

"His bedroom is just around the corner.”

They all followed their guide slowly, Jackson walking right beside Mark and BamBam and Yugyeom staying close together. There was no particular reason for them to be in pairs, or to be as quiet as they were, but they couldn't and didn't think they should disturb the stillness. Jaebum then stopped at the end of the hallway, bearing a red oak door and a brass knob.

"He must be in here...and if he didn't hear us at the door, his ears are most likely preoccupied." Jaebum announced.

The male reached for the doorknob and slowly turned it, not wanting to make a sound. Small sniffles were leaving the small crack of the doorframe, making Jaebum to react in the most 'sneakiest' way possible; he pushed the door out of his way and bolted inside. The four boys, suddenly growing anxious, took slow and cautious steps towards the doorway, and took a small peek inside.

There were many things to catch someone's eye, like the many posters of Chris Brown hanging off the walls, the big keyboard standing next to the desk; but the two lumps on the large bed stood out like sore thumbs. One of them was of course Im Jaebum, caressing the other figure and burying his face deep into their neck in a loving gesture. The other, who was rolled up in a tight ball, was Park Jinyoung, sniffling and was seeming to shudder with every small sob he would let out. He looked like a mess, with his school clothes on but all ruffled and untidy, and his eyes looking red and puffy from the tears he’s been letting out.

As the others began to run out towards the whimpering male, Tuan couldn’t get himself to go with them, only able to stare with a pained expression. Mark couldn't help but feel guilt well up in his chest at the sight. There would be many things he would blame for this, but he knew that only had himself to blame for the poor guy’s tragic loss.

Youngjae, though he wasn’t the youngest, was still Jinyoung’s baby boy; his sweet child that gave him warm smiles and hope. There was nothing and no one that could replace Happy Face in Jr.'s family, and everyone knew this by heart. With this suddenly slapping him in the face, however, Jinyoung must've thought he would never be able to see his baby boy again; never be able to see his cute smile or warm eyes. He would most likely do anything to find the culprit that took one of his babies, even if it meant to put his own life on the line for him.

‘He doesn’t deserve to cry. Youngjae didn’t deserve to be pulled into this. None of them deserve to be in this.’

Slowly, he began walking to the small group and tried to find a spot available, which was Jinyoung’s front, and kneeled down in front of the ‘youngster’. Jinyoung didn’t seem to realize his presence, and if he did, he was too in mourning to care. What did catch his attention, however, was the sudden force that met his curled-up position. Mark had his arms as far as they would go around the latter’s body, his face hidden between the knees. There was an aura of depression around the small hoard, that would only grew more dark as Jinyoung felt a wet spot forming on his jeans.

His baby Mark, the one that would help him stay strong, was beginning to cry.

There was no doubt that Tuan would feel just as much pain as the Umma, considering Youngjae was one of the friendly faces that greeted him, but never would the latter realize that Mark could break down too. He slowly, but surely, slid his way out of the now painful position and embraced the redhead before him. Through his own hoarse and cracking voiced, he tried his best to shoosh the whimpering boy, the four others surrounding them with much needed affection.

Jackson, who at first felt uncomfortable and awkward with trying to help, was somehow able to stay quiet and held Mark by his waist, nuzzling his face within the smaller male’s back. BamBam and Yugyeom stayed at the sides of the two, and Jaebum was in his place behind his Jinyoung, copying Wang’s comforting movements unconsciously. And there they stayed for a large portion of their time; cuddling and saying encouraging words to one another, and most likely to themselves as well.

“He’s not dead.” One said.

“They’re going to find him, I’m sure of it!” another exclaimed.

“He can handle himself, he’s a strong boy.”

“Please don’t cry anymore.”

“It’ll all be alright.”

Mark felt the guilt grow stronger, his dire need to shout ‘It’s all my fault!’ resting patiently at his throat. They didn’t know why Youngjae was taken like Tuan did; didn’t know who took him like he did; didn’t know to get him back like he did. There was no way he could tell them without getting hated, or without them fearing what he was. And even if he did, they would still have to fear for their lives because they knew the real Mark Tuan; the assassin that started this madness.

Silence then fell upon the boys, who were still huddled together and didn’t plan on letting go; Jinyoung and Mark had stopped grieving by then, with no more tears leaking out of their puffy eyes. Taking this quiet time to look at his phone, Jaebum pulled it out of his pocket to check the time, a grim look coming across his face as a result.

“The lunch period is almost over already.” He muttered sadly.

A small whine came from the middle of the ball of boys, most likely from Jinyoung, as he unwillingly released Mark from his grasp. He seemed to look all better, but was probably still mourning internally. The others, who must’ve fallen asleep with all their tired groaning, gave the Umma space and started getting up.

“Can I come back with you?” Jr. asked with a tired pout.

Jaebum, who still had one arm around his boyfriend, shook his head and kissed the latter’s temple.

“I know you’re not emotionally ready yet, so get some rest, and hopefully you’ll be prepared tomorrow.”

The Umma sighed at this, but he knew that his Jaebongi was only looking out for him; his sweet fellow could read him like a book. With tired and somewhat faint goodbyes, the five young boys left Jr. in his room, but not without giving him another hug and wishes of feeling better. Mark, the last one to hug him farewell, seemed to cling longer than the rest, which sort of worried the mother-figure.

“Mark-hyung, do you think you’re able to go back to school?” He asked.

The other didn’t reply, and only hugged him and left the room with no given eye contact. Now usually, Jinyoung would feel concerned over behavior like this, especially if the behavior was coming from his strong Tuan, but he knew that he shouldn’t push. He knew he wasn’t the only one in pain over this, and he knew that whatever they were doing helped both him and Mark a lot; he didn’t know what he would do without those boys.

And though he understood the sadness, two dark figures outside the bedroom window only saw one thing: weakness.

_______xOperation Kill This Lovex_______

(Note: ...I’m actually upset. I made my poor baby Jinyoung upset, and now I’m all up and upset ;-; See, this is what I get for making this story about assassins!! Aha, anyways, I may or may not take a little longer to post something else within the week, mainly because exams are coming up...so please be patient! Only a few more days until Winter Break! As always, I’ll talk to you all later, my lovely Pyschopaths~