N i n e t e e n & B r o k e n .
The Assassin's Love Story.
Hera's Side.
It was terrible. It's been only 3 days that I came back to the mansion and I regretted it already. But I know this is the right decision to make, because by staying with Hoya and the guys, I'd just put them in danger. I'm no ordinary human, I'm an Infinite and an assassin at that, I don't belong in their world, no matter how much I wanted to.
Gyuri ordered me to be grounded until she comes back someday later this week, then she'll decide what to do with me. I shiver at the thought of what she might do with me, for escaping and mostly, for not returning sooner. I could always defend myself by saying that I didn't know my way back which was believable because I'd never been outside the mansion by myself.
I am locked in the underground basement. Contrary to the clean white furnitures and walls on the upper floors, the basement is dirty, dark and neglected. There's only a small window letting a small sliver of light in.
Myungsoo came by to visit me a few times, trying to cheer me up in his awkward ways. I could tell he never tried to make anyone feel better before by the way he looked so uncomfortable when he was trying to make me happy. I ignored him though; I'm still mad at him for not coming back for me sooner before I knew what life outside, life with Hoya and the guys were like. Before I knew a guy like Hoya exist.
I thought of Hoya, wondering how he must be feeling. Does he miss me? I know I do. It's only been a few months that we'd known each other, so I don't understand it myself how we can bond so well for me to miss him so much now. Strangely, I know he must miss me too. The way he held me in his arms and kissed me on top of my head on our last day, the way he doesn't want to let go.
I miss him dearly.
I heard the lock rattled and I looked upwards, expecting to see Myungsoo again, as he always comes to visit me a few times a day even though I always ignore him. Myungsoo is confusing lately; since I came back after a few months, it almost seems like he cares for me. He didn't have to make me happy, he didn't have come visit me, he didn't have to check up on me especially since I refuse to even look at him. I even expected him to yell at me for not coming back to the mansion myself, but he didn't. He doesn't yell at me like he used to, instead he spoke to me gently now, always trying to get me to look him in the eyes even though months back, he always avoid eye contact.
Myungsoo; confusing and mysterious as always.
But instead, it was Sungjong at the gate. I had to admit, I was a little disappointed.
"Annyong, Hera,' Sungjong said with a tired smile.
Sungjong looked exhausted and pale. Sometimes I forget Sungjong is the same age as me. He looked especially tired today. He must have been out on a mission, which explains why he didn't come visit me in the first 3 days.
"Where did you go? I missed you. Hyungs won't tell me where you went and they kept sending me out on missions because they knew I'd go look for you otherwise. I just came back from my 4th mission this week," Sungjong spoke in a low voice. Then, he unlocked the lock and came in. He only took 3 steps to sit beside me; because the room was so narrow.
"I don't know. Some guys found me unconscious during the ball and they took me in and healed me. I think I was in the west side, but I'm not too sure," I spoke.
'Were they nice to you?"
"They're extremely nice. They don't know I'm an Infinite though," I explained.
"That's good. Myungsoo hyung would kill them if they hurt a strand of your hair.'
I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh, "I doubt that."
Sungjong turned to look at me, "you still have no idea, do you?"
"What?' I cocked my head to the side.
"About Myungsoo hyung. He's not good in showing it, but he does care for you. I don't even know why, he had never cared for anyone before, ever."
"Somehow I found that hard to believe. If he cared for me, he would have found me sooner."
"When you were gone, Myungsoo was a mess. I'd never seen him that way. He keeps looking for you day and night; abandoning his missions. Woohyun and I had to step in to cover for his missions otherwise Gyuri would realize that he hadn't been completing his missions.'
I grew silent. Was it possible that Myungsoo, quiet and impassive Myungsoo, really cared for me?
I pushed that thought to the back of my mind. I was just too tired. It must have been at least 2 a.m now.
"I'm so tired, Sungjong.'
'Me too.'
Suddenly, I pitied both myself and Sungjong. We are merely 19, whereas other normal 19-year-olds are busy having fun without a care in the world, here we are in an underground basement; Sungjong must have killed plenty of people this week since he's been out on 4 missions this week alone. We're just tired.
"How many people did you kill, Sungjong?"
It was out of the blue, but Sungjong didn't react. He was calm.
"I know I killed the least among us assassins, but still plenty. I just killed a few people today. The target was the leader of a huge underground gang. It was supposed to be Myungsoo's mission but he left it to me since Woohyun's on his own mission. I almost couldn't make it home, I was bleeding too much on my way home. There were more people than I'd expected."
I shivered at the thought of Sungjong, poor Sungjong, against a group of armed violent men, fighting to death.
"I accomplished the mission though,' Sungjong said again. His eyelids were starting to droop.
"Do you feel anything when you kill?"
"Always. I'd think of their family somewhere mourning their lost. But if I don't kill them, I'd be killed. And right now, the most important thing is my survival," his voice is starting to wander off and his eyes are starting to close.
'Let's just get to sleep," I rested my head on his shoulder, and his head rested on top of my head.
And we slept.
Myungsoo's Side.
"If you came here to plead me not to kill Hera, save it. I'd already made a decision,' Gyuri said the moment I walked in the room. We are now in one of our branches outside Seoul. We have a lot of private mansions all over South Korea and a few in Japan, in case if we get sent on more intricate missions outside Seoul. Currently, we are in Tokyo, Japan.
"But Gyuri, please just listen to me--"
"Shut it. I won't kill her.'
I was stoned; that was the complete opposite of what I was expecting.
"Sungjong already came in this morning and pleaded for Hera. He told me a rather interesting thing that managed to change my mind," Gyuri started.
Sungjong? What could Sungjong say to save Hera's life when I couldn't?
"There's 3 things we found from Hera's little escapade. One; you managed to find the Good Infinite's whereabouts, which will be very useful when we plan a surprise ambush on them. Two; Sungjong told me that the Good Infinites don't know that Hera's the eight Infinite, which means there's a high chance they might not even know there is an eight Infinite.'
I decided to let out the fact that Hera doesn't know that she had been living with the Good Infinites either. She thought they were normal people; which was how I managed to get her to come back. From the looks of things, Sungjong didn't tell her that those guys are Infinites too.
'And three,' Gyuri continued, "the Good Infinites trusted Hera enough to take her into their hideout and heal her, then let her stay for 3 months. Hera must have gained their trust somehow, and after 3 months of living with them, she must know a few things about them."
I froze. I already knew where this is going, and I don't like it.
"I would send her back to the Good Infinites and make her spy for us, but right now that would be too risky since she's obviously not trained enough or slick enough to be a spy and mostly, we can't risk the Good Infinites finding out she's an Infinite and keep her. We would be far outnumbered if that happens. The only advantage we have against the Good Infinites now is that we have an eight Infinite that they don't know about, so we have to make full use of that."
I was relieved; at least Hera doesn't have to go back there. I can't afford to lose her again when I had just found her.
"So let's hope she managed to find out enough about the Good Infinites in the 3 months she had lived with them. Knowing how she is; she would be reluctant to give out the information for sure. Force the truth out of her; give her the electric chair torture.'
"WHAT?!" My heart dropped. The electric chair was one of the most painful torture devices I'd experienced. That was what the Trackers had used to torture me before.
"Oh calm down. She's an Infinite after all, a little electric won't kill her. But she will suffer enough. Hopefully enough to let out useful information to save her life. And I know how Woohyun loves to use the electric chair," Gyuri said with a dismissal wave of her hands. It was as if she's bored already.
"You can't do that--"
"Don't forget your place, Kim Myungsoo," Gyuri said with a stern voice and that's how I know I'd almost crossed the lines, "the only reason I didn't kill you now is because you're the best assassin I have. I don't know what's gotten into you and why you are acting unprofessional lately, but frankly I don't care how or why, but you better get your acts together or I will dispose of both you and Hera. While you'd been trying to find your little student and neglecting your missions when she was off resting with those Good Infinites, Woohyun had been training and doing your missions for you. He's this close to replacing you as the best assassin. When that happens, you won't be as important to me anymore."
I remained silent. I know I hadn't been training or doing any of my missions. I know Woohyun had been improving. But my arrogance and ego always made me believe that no matter how much the others trained and how I didn't, I would always be a better assassin then them. But hearing otherwise from Gyuri, I'm starting to doubt it.
"It's either the electric chair or death for Hera. Take your pick, Myungsoo."
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