It was around nine the very same night when they began to leave their training room. Unlike the last time, however, their assigned guns were replenished and placed in the holsters that were strapped around their waists, with a knife in the extra pocket for precaution. After their morning 'mission' and reward of breakfast, they went straight to the basement, only allowed to go back up for bathroom breaks and lunch. Daehyun, who had proclaimed that he was going to be easy on them, wasn't as laid-back as they thought he would be; even Junhong was shocked at how humorless the man could become. For future reference, they kept in mind that if that was his definition of 'easy', they never wanted to find out what 'hard' was like.

 

“God, I feel like my fingers are numb from our trigger-happy session." Jackson whined. "Did you guys really have to go through all that for training?"

 

"Well, yeah, of course we did! I've never had such an intense trainer before though." Zelo replied as he was stretching out his fingers. "I never knew Daehyun could be that strict."

 

"With a job like this, and under these circumstances, I don't really blame him for coming off as that." Mark defended.

 

“Good point...let’s just hope he can make up for it in the kitchen."

 

They all chuckled, not acknowledging that BamBam was walking behind them, slowly and quietly.

 

"Hurry up, boys!" Daehyun hollered from the kitchen. "With the pace you guys are going at, it seems as if I'm not the only old guy here!"

 

“But, Dae-hyung, aren’t you only 21?” Zelo questioned.

 

“Yeah, but I'm older than all of you, so I'm the oldie! Now hurry up before your food gets cold! And don’t forget to take your holsters off before you sit at the table!”

 

“Yes, Dae-hyung!” The boys responded in unison, BamBam’s reply small and unheard. They each took off their leather belts and threw it in a messy pile on the living room couch, then proceeded to converse as they waltzed to the kitchen. Once there, they were greeted with plates of burgers and fries on the dark wooden table.

 

"The food of the Gods! Yes!" Mark exclaimed as he rushed to his chair and began to dig in.

 

"Mark!" Zelo laughed. "I didn't know you were a foodie!"

 

"Well, believe it!" Tuan replied cheerfully, engulfing his burger.

 

Daehyun had let out a chuckle, and said cheerfully, "Chow down boys! You'll need your bellies satisfied before we can hop into the van!"

 

No one had to be told twice; before Dae could even finish the word 'boys', they ran like moths to a flame to the table and began to grab their food. Well, except for BamBam. Daehyun grew a bit concerned of his Kunpi's slow pace, along with the pale skin that Dae apparently had somehow ignored.

 

'What the-? I could've sworn he was just fine the last time I checked up on him...'

 

Nevertheless, the elder gave BamBam a hesitant smile and made himself a small platter. The rest of his small team were chowing down as if they were malnourished; the hamburgers were quickly disappearing at the speed they were eating at. Daehyun, after grabbing a handful of curly fries, placed himself beside the sickly looking BamBam, who seemed to have eaten only a couple of his fries and a bite of his cheeseburger.

 

"Hey, Kunpi?" Daehyun asked softly. "Are you okay?"

 

The boy looked at his elder with dull brown eyes and nodded.

 

"Yes, Dae-hyung, I'm fine."

 

This small talk apparently caught Junhong's attention as, after finishing the bite he took, looked across and said, "You sure? Because, frankly, you don't look so hot."

 

BamBam glared softly at his slightly older companion, and replied, “I'm fine. I'm probably just clammy over...well, you know, what's gonna go down pretty soon..."

 

Mark stopped downing his food and looked over at the Thai boy with a hint of pity; he didn't really know what to do or say to help. Jackson, however, jumped from his chair and practically tackled BamBam into a bear hug.

 

"Jackson." BamBam grumbled. "Why are you-"

 

"Shoosh. Just let me hug you."

 

“Jackson.”

 

"Shoosh. We both know you need this right now, so be grateful."

 

BamBam sat there in silence for a moment, but then let himself cling to Jackson's arms, nuzzling his face into them. Mark, much to Daehyun's surprise, placed his burger down, stood up and joined the small hug-fest, wrappings his arms around both Jackson and Kunpimook. It was an endearing but sad sight, which was soon ruined when Zelo called out, "Aww, what a cute little family!"

 

" you, Junhong." Jackson grumbled, face turning red.

 

"Come on, Jackson-hyung, can't you see it? You're the Umma, Mark's the Appa, and Kunpi is your cute child!"

 

"Wait, why do I have to be the mom in the family?!"

 

"Well, Mark is manlier than you, obviously, so you gotta be the mom. And don't you try to defend yourself; we all know where the girly screech from this morning came from."

 

"What if it was the TV?!"

 

"The TV wasn't on!"

 

"Radio?!"

 

"Nope."

 

"Outside?"

 

"No sir."

 

"Downstairs?"

 

"Okay, now I know you're running out of excuses."

 

"Well, you're-"

 

"Ehehehe..."

 

The argument diminished from BamBam's small but audible chuckle, which soon turned into small eruptions of laughter.

 

"You guys are just the most idiotic!" The boy managed to breathe in between his laughs. " 'Oh, we know you're the girl of the family! No I'm not! Yes you are! No-uh! Uh-huh!' What's the point in this?"

 

Mark and Daehyun then began to laugh alongside BamBam, finally catching the oafish behavior the boys were displaying. Soon, Jackson and Zelo joined in; the kitchen table was filled with small chuckles, snickers, and overall laughter.

 

It was strange to Mark to hear such happy sounds, not because it came from people that were outside his family, but because of the timing. Although dinner was never a bad time to be funny, it was strange enough that their dinner was possibly the last one they would have together; before they went on the 'rescue' mission. It was almost heartbreaking to think of it, and even more so when he felt Jackson's arm wrap around his waist and squeeze him tightly.

 

'I hope we're able to laugh together like this after everything's over...if I'm still here to celebrate, that is.'

 

_______xOperation Kill This Lovex_______

 

Ten o'clock.

 

The laughter was long gone, replaced with the sound of tires bumping and rolling against the road. All of them were packed into the van, Dae being their driver, Zelo sitting next to him and reading the map. They were all dressed in the darkest clothes that the eldest could find to fit them, with their holsters strapped to each of their sides and extra artillery hidden in jacket pockets and, from personal preference, boots.

 

In the back, where the three others were placed, BamBam and Jackson were mindlessly playing Old Maid with the deck of cards Dae gave them prior to the ride, while Mark just sat and stared at his Beretta. His face was in a relaxed state, with tired-looking eyes and a flat line as his mouth; inside his mind, however, wasn't as calm. Racing through his mind were the many endings the hunting game of theirs would have in any given situation.

 

'What if one of us gets shot?'

 

'What if one of them are already dead?'

 

'What if...'

 

The 'what ifs' were always the worst to think of, especially when he shouldn't even do that; as a trained assassin, there should never be a what if, but a do it. Sadly, because of this one small mission, everything had suddenly changed for him, especially his emotion. It was funny though, that he never even had this issue before that time; he would usually be able to let his mind go numb and go on with life with little remorse during those times. Hell, there were even times that he would actually forget a mission because of his numbing process, and would take him a few days to regain some of those memories.

 

"What's with that anyways..." Mark mumbled.

 

"What's that, Mark-hyung?" Jackson asked, eyes still on the cards

 

"Nothing, Jackson. Just watch for the Old Maid."

 

"Oh trust me, I am. I'm not gonna lose on the first round!"

 

Mark let out a small chuckle.

 

'Ah, you're so adorable when you're competitive...'

 

It was strange how he still couldn’t figure out what exactly he had thought about the Wang at that moment in time; he knew he detested him at first, as Jackson was an annoying brat, but something had changed throughout the time they had known each other. He didn't know if it was the way that Jackson's eyes would gleam whenever he was interested in something, or how Jackson would get embarrassed if he tripped or stuttered in front of Mark, but there was something going on.

 

"Goddammit!!"

 

"Haha! I win!"

 

Tuan looked back over at the boys, BamBam waving his arms with a -eating grin and Jackson with his arms crossed over his chest and a pathetic pout.

 

"So, I'm guessing you did lose the first round?" Mark asked jokingly.

 

"Shut up, Mark! You're not helping!" Wang whined in reply.

 

"Oh, calm down, Jackson-hyung." Kunpi teased. "We can go another round if you wanna-"

 

The van came to a sudden halt. Though it was not abrupt, it was blunt enough to force a shove to the boys at the back.

 

"We're here!" Daehyun shouted from the front, which was followed by sounds of car doors opening and closing. "Tidy the back real quick!"

 

Jackson and BamBam began to straighten the card deck, whilst Mark put his Baby Beretta off the safety, and placed it back in the gun holster. As the three stood and straightened their attire, the doors began to open wide to reveal a grinning Daehyun and Zelo, who held the map tightly in his hand.

 

"You boys ready to roll?"

 

"Yes, sir!" The three said in unison.

 

"Then hop on out and start walking!"

 

They did as they were told, jumping out and beginning to follow the giant guide, Mark walking beside Jackson and BamBam and Daehyun walking in front. The sky was soon replaced by the trees of the forest, and the sounds of small bugs and nocturnal creatures added themselves to the crunching of dead leaves and grass. The waxing crescent moon's little lights were peeking through the trees as their only source of light, the small but noticeable winds brushing against them; it was quite peaceful, in Mark's opinion. He was so distracted by the peace, that he didn't realize that Jackson came closer and rested his arm around Mark's shoulder.

 

"Isn't it beautiful, Mark?" He asked quietly, looking to where Mark's attention was.

 

"Mhmm. It's been awhile since I've been able to go out and see something like this. Even though this is for a mission."

 

"Do your parents not take you out places, Hyung?"

 

"I've been busy with other things..."

 

"Really? God, why does everyone get so busy nowadays?! There's something called taking a break and getting fresh air!"

 

"Well, not everyone is as privileged as you are on being able to do so. Just like you, my family is my first priority, and I'm willing to do anything to make them proud.  not really my sort of thing, but I'm not doing it for myself; I'm doing it for my Dad."

 

Jackson stayed silent for a moment, which scared Mark into thinking he said something wrong, but felt relieved when he heard deep hearty chuckles.

 

"Man, Mark, you need to calm all that serious mojo you got there. Save that for when we're actually at the destination, Kay?"

 

Mark couldn't help but laugh and nod.

 

"And, after this, how about you and I go camping too! To celebrate, in a sense."

 

It was cute how Jackson immediately blushed after asking, which got Tuan to smile and nuzzle the boy's head with a chuckle. Before Mark would correctly reply, however, they accidentally walked into Dae's and BamBam's backs, who just happened to almost bumped into Zelo's.

 

"Found the car!!" The youngest in the group yelled.

 

When the others looked around him- since they couldn't look over his shoulder-, they were surprised to see (or somewhat see) a -out golf cart parked near a bushel.

 

"And how much do you guys wanna bet that the keys are in the glove compartment?" Dae joked as he walked towards the cart.

 

They all went and looked at the cart closer, but since it was so dark, Daehyun had to pull out his handy-dandy flashlight to see better. In th light, it was just shining the dark color, obviously showing that it was indeed painted, along with the interior; that was about as indepth as they wanted to be, as Zelo impatiently hopped in and went through the compartment to pull out the keys.

 

Daehyun kept looking at the golf cart with a puzzled face, which became shocked with realization. "Oh...."

 

"What's up Dae-hyung?"

 

"There's only four seats..."

 

"Mark can sit on my lap!" Jackson offered, earning a small slap on the back of the head.

 

"Uh...I can stay behind and head back to the van."

 

Everyone looked over to BamBam, who seemed to have turned sickly in the past few minutes.

 

"You sure, BamBam?" Jackson asked. "You can go instead of me-"

 

"Okay." Daehyun interrupted, earning a look of shock from Zelo; he simply ignored it and threw the van keys to the small boy. "There's pillows and blankets in the back under the bench in a cardboard box. There's also some baked goods in there with medicine, a couple bottles of water in case you need those."

 

"Okay...thank you, Dae-hyung." BamBam gave Daehyun a weak hug and walked off.

 

"Dae!" Zelo yelled. "Why're you letting him go? What if ShiShi and them come here and-!"

 

"He's not stupid, Junhong. He still has his gun, he can lock the van, and I don't want him to go with us in that condition. Now, do you have the cart keys?"

 

Junhong looked at Daehyun for a moment with a blank face, but nodded grudgingly.

 

"Good, now get in the cart so we can get this done."

 

"Yes, sir..."

 

Mark and Jackson looked at each other with worried and confused faces, but hopped to the back seats of the cart. When they were beginning to go, Mark felt Jackson hold onto him as to not fall, or maybe to reassure himself that it would be okay. Mark laid his head on Jackson's shoulder and nuzzled the boy's face (he still wondered why he would do that).

 

"It'll be alright Jackson...I'm here for you."

 

"I know...I can always trust you."

 

Tuan couldn't help himself from letting out a small and harsh chuckle, whispering to himself, "That's probably not the best decision you've ever made..."

 

_______xOperation Kill This Lovex_______

(Note: sO I DECIDED TO MAKE ANOTHER CHAPTER BECAUSE I'M A PATHETIC AUTHOR-NIM AND BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE THIS A GAZILLION PAGES LONG FOR Y'ALL. But anyways, I'm sorry I took a bit longer for this measly chapter, but I did say I wasn't going to actually be emotionally ready to end it. So, the NEXT one is going to be the end of OKTL. I'm giving all of us a bit more time before we have to let this go XD So, until the ULTIMATE end, I will talk to you later, my lovely Pyschopaths~