It had been a long time since Lu Han had been to Hong Kong. His family was originally from Beijing, but had moved to South Korea for work and a better life when he was only 10 years old. Over 20 years and seemingly many lives later, it was unbearably difficult to recognize the bustling vacation spot he’d often visited in his youth. Perhaps it was his loss of innocence, but the buildings no longer seemed to twinkle like they used to, catching his eye in the glinting sun. Instead they seemed lifeless and dirty, just essential cogs in a well-oiled machine.

In all his years of work, the main Family had never once called him back to their base of operations, but when they had heard about the deal between Japan and South Korea’s largest syndicates, they were in need of all their strongest members. It didn’t hurt that Lu Han was fluent in the language of the latter either. So hence, he was brought back and finally introduced to those he’d simply referred to as the top dogs for so long.

He reunited briefly with a few other equal generals he’d met before, and to be honest, it concerned him when he realized he was on their level. He’d never meant to climb so high up the proverbial ladder. But he’d hardly been given a choice in this business where everyone’s motto was ‘succeed or die.’

They were being briefed before-hand on what they knew of the deal going down in a few weeks’ time. But in perfect honesty, Lu Han didn’t see the point. It was not their goal to interrupt the deal, just to watch it take place. So why bother? For information, he was told. But he rolled his eyes, knowing it was all bull .

He knew very well there was a larger game at foot here. He just couldn’t be sure what. Hopefully in a few weeks he’d figure out what the higher-ups were planning.

But from experience, he knew there was no way it was good.

---

Aside from entertaining Baekhyun’s mother on the daily with drinking and stories, Chanyeol spent most of his days actively training with either Kris, Tao or someone of equal skill they prescribed for him. And though learning was tough, strangely enough he found the work rewarding.

Often enough, he would go home with bruises dappling his otherwise clear skin and sore muscles and aches to boot. But he never found himself feeling discouraged or angry. It was strange, but for the first time in his working career, he actually saw the effects of his work.

In those long years he sat in his cubicle crunching numbers, the closest he’d gotten to seeing their effects on the company was when he’d been promoted recently. And still it had never given him such satisfaction as watching with his own eyes as his muscles slowly grew. Their constant aching began to cease and soon the physicality of it all became less challenging than when he’d started.

Something Tao and Kris found out during this period was the extent of Chanyeol’s dedication. No matter the task, the other could throw himself into it. And though the latter would never admit it to Tao or their Boss, he could really start to admire someone so hardworking. Even if Chanyeol was still almost useless.

In some cases, like Tao and Kris, the length of appendages gave certain advantages to them in a fight. But for someone like Chanyeol, who was more naturally awkward than not, his gangly legs ended up tripping him up more often than any of them felt comfortable to admit. Though he was clearly stronger than when they’d begun their training, and after weeks he’d finally mastered basic level body-guarding techniques, physical fighting was not an area he excelled in.

However, the trio found out after weeks of practice that he could indeed aim a gun. After some very strict gun safety training by Kris, Chanyeol nervously held the gun in his hands. He took deep breaths to steady himself. But no matter what, his mind was acutely aware that what he held was a very dangerous weapon, no matter how cool it seemed.

But when he aimed and squeezed the trigger, he was surprised that it actually hit the corner of the target. And the time after that, one actually strayed into the circle. Even Kris nodded in approval after that session.

Those exercises improved with time. But he was always a little hesitant when the others would put up the human shaped targets. He knew what he was training for, but he hoped that it was all unnecessary. If the past was any indication, he was sure he could never shoot anyone, and he often wondered what he would have to sacrifice of himself to commit such a horrible deed.

Apparently, his skill had improved so dramatically that Baekhyun himself even showed up at the end of their final session, surprising both Kris and Chanyeol when he entered trailing behind Tao.

The short man had been watching Chanyeol with a small smirk on his face from the back and was obviously greatly delighted that he unnerved the tall man by being there. He scared Chanyeol half to death when he approached at his side and took an easy stance in the adjacent lane.

With a broad grin Baekhyun emptied the clip in what seemed like seconds, hitting each vital area on both his own target…and Chanyeol’s.

He removed his ear protection with a dramatic shake of his wavy black hair. Chanyeol could only stare as the other sassily cocked his hip to the side and emptied the magazine. “Seem familiar?” he laughed.

Chanyeol knew he was referring to the paintball incident, but he could do nothing but flush in embarrassment when his own target revealed less than accurate marks. (He blamed Baekhyun for unnerving him).

“Although, last time I had to hit something like that my target was ,” he said lowly.

Chanyeol felt his blush spread through the tips of his ears as the other laughed loudly and walked away.

Tao raised an eyebrow at Baekhyun when Kris and Chanyeol were out of earshot. “Flirting now?”

Baekhyun mimicked his expression. “Are you my mother?”

“You know I mean well.”

“Whatever, Panda. Either way, I’ve decided. We’re bringing him.”

Tao stopped in his tracks. “Excuse me? Please tell me you aren’t talking about Hong Kong.”

Baekhyun laughed at his expression. “And you know damn well that’s what I’m talking about.”

“There are plenty of other much more qualified people to choose from. Kris and I made a list last night and-“

“And I don’t want them.”

“Baekhyun! He’s not nearly ready.  If things were to go wrong it could kill him!”

“So you’re worried about him now? I thought you’d be saying how it’s too dangerous for me to go with someone unqualified and blah blah blah, like usual.”

Tao frowned. “It is! But you and I both know that you can defend yourself. Kris said that Chanyeol’s barely mastered the basics of judo! He doesn’t know any fighting other than defense. What is it that is possessing you to keep involving this boy in he isn’t ready for!?”

He grinned. “I told you, I’ll make something of him yet. And this trip will be the decider. I know you and Kris don’t see it yet, but you will soon if everything goes according to plan. You of all people should know how I see potential, so trust me. There’s just something about Park Chanyeol that makes him…necessary.”

---

Before Chanyeol could utter a word of protest, he was whisked away to Hong Kong.

He left abruptly, startling both his parents and his girlfriend when Tao and Kris once again interrupted a family dinner and dragged him away. He made a hurried and poor excuse, but he had no other choice, he was at his mental limits. Even he didn’t know where the two were taking him this time.

He was given thirty minutes in his apartment to throw together a small suitcase and grab his passport. Then without another word he was led onto the tarmac at the airport and into a small waiting jet. Baekhyun grinned at him from the front, casually relaxing in his expensive suit and sunglasses, a martini already in his hand.

“Nice of you to join us,” he sing-songed.

Tao pushed him to the back and wordlessly strapped him in a chair. Within minutes, the jet was rushing down the runway and lifting off in the air, leaving Chanyeol speechless and mouth agape. He wanted to ask what was happening and where he was going, but Kris’ silent glare from across the aisle made him keep his words to himself.

He idled by the three hours simply watching out the window as the world flew by. Money and time had never allowed him time to travel abroad before, so when they started over the ocean, he knew it would be a whole new experience.

Although with a gulp and a look at the three men around him, he was sure it would be no vacation.

---

The sight of Hong Kong left Chanyeol in awe. He’s seen it before in photos and television, but never before had he been so struck by the sheer height of it all, or the sheer enormity of the sprawling landscape. Large jutting mountains broke up the island next to equally tall skyscrapers. The waterway was large and deep and he could easily see how it was one of the largest shipping ports in the world. Stacks and stacks of gigantic and colorful steel box-containers were unloaded and loaded onto massive cargo ships and tugboats busied themselves in their wakes.

The streets were packed with taxis, cars, and buses of all sorts. They even crossed paths once or twice with the occasional double-decker trolley. Of course, a set of sleek black town cars had been waiting for them on the runway when they’d de-planed. Tao and Baekhyun had taken the first, leaving Chanyeol in the next stifling car with Kris and more than half their luggage. But even with Kris eyeing him wearily, he hadn’t been able to stop himself from bouncing around in his seat and swiveling his head around at the outside scenery.

Finally Kris gave a small sigh, “I know you have questions. Ask away.”

Chanyeol stared back at him as if waiting for second confirmation that it was really okay. When Kris raised an eyebrow in expectation, he took it as a cue.

“What are we doing in Hong Kong?”

Kris lolled his head back against the seat as if bored. “Tomorrow night we have a deal going down with a group from Tokyo. We’re meeting here because neither of us want the added insecurity of meeting on the other’s turf.”

Chanyeol nodded. “What kind of deal is it?”

“Hm…” he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, probably debating whether or nor not Chanyeol should be privy to such information. But then he gave a small shrug like it couldn’t possibly matter. “The Japanese want to start bringing booze through docks that we own but in exchange we want certain information on some of their major corporations.”

“So in other words…you guys are kind of white collar criminals.”

“One, you mean we now, kiddo. You’re a player in the game now, too. Two, yeah I guess you could call it that. I suppose white collar activities are our main source of income, but it’s nowhere near all we do.”

“I see…” Chanyeol squirmed uncomfortably in his seat and Kris seemed to notice right away.

“No more questions?” he prodded.

“Well…it’s just… is there any chance things could end up like…last time?”

Kris threw his head back with a great laugh then, startling Chanyeol with the sudden show of emotion. He wiped a fake tear from his eye. “There’s always a chance that something is going to happen. What do you think I’ve been training you for?”

“I just…I hoped maybe in vain that it was all precautionary measures.”

“It is precautionary. These things are supposed to be civil, but more often than not, they can turn hairy. It’s your job to be ready no matter what the situation. Look,” he began with a sigh. “Baekhyun chose you to come along for some reason. It beats me. But what I’m trying to say is…You can’t slack off. You can’t slip up. Your number one priority is that man’s safety.” His eyebrows narrowed dangerously and Chanyeol felt himself automatically sit up at attention. “I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situation. Why are you protecting Baekhyun?”

Chanyeol flinched when the question turned to him. “Why? Um… because if I don’t…then I’ll die?”

“Wrong,” he snapped. “I don’t know for what reasons or delusions you’ve been loyal to us so far, but I’m going to clear it all up right now. You’re are here to protect your precious friends and family.”

Chanyeol swallowed thickly, “…My friends and family?”

“Yes.” Kris smiled coldly and leaned back comfortably against the seat. “Because if Baekhyun gets hurt because of you, it’s not enough that we hurt you. What kind of motivation is that? No. If Baekhyun gets hurt, I’ll hurt every single person you care for. And that’s a promise. I already know where your parents live. It will only take one phone call to find your best friend’s house, his place of work, your girlfriend-“

“Stop!” Chanyeol shouted, a cold drop of sweat trailing down the back of his neck. “I get it! I get it! Please don’t hurt them! I’m already doing what you want just please….please don’t hurt them.”

“If you do your job right, I won’t have to.”

Chanyeol clamped his mouth shut then and blinked back the hateful tears that had welled up in the back of his eyes. Perhaps, he thought, he had grown too comfortable in the past few weeks. All it took was this simple reminder to shake him again, to realize exactly what company he was in.

No, these were not his friends. These people were not to be trusted.

---

After driving along the docks for some time, they finally stopped behind the other town car, parked at the end of a long wooden dock. However, the only boat moored there was a small vessel, hardly larger than a dingy. Ambiguous workers were there to greet them when they arrived and took their luggage from them, hauling it unceremoniously onto the small boat. Stepping out into the salty air, Chanyeol could hear Baekhyun’s voice carried by the wind, barking at the workers in seemingly fluent Mandarin. Apparently he did not want his designer bags to even touch the dock.

Eventually, the four were ushered onto the boat and Baekhyun, Tao and Kris presumed to fully occupy the remaining bench. This left Chanyeol unfortunately to squeeze himself tightly between two pieces of over-sized luggage. He saw Baekhyun snigger at him from behind his hand.

The ride was choppy and it didn’t take long for Chanyeol to find himself green in the face. As he fought nausea Kris looked at him in disgust, but he was comforted when it seemed like Tao was having the same issue. He, however, received much love from Baekhyun who sat by his side, babying him and oddly cradling his head in his lap.

It was a strange sight to see the former hard- known as Byun Baekhyun babying a man that looked twice his size, but Chanyeol found it an ample and hilarious distraction to the churning in his stomach. Eventually, the motor cut and he braved looking out at the water.

The boat slowed down and eventually tied to a yacht, anchored in Kowloon Bay, and Chanyeol couldn’t take his eyes off the impressive black and white specimen. It essentially had four floors and the bow spread longer than he could see. A man already on board grabbed his arm roughly and yanked him onto the deck when it was his turn, and his knees buckled slightly when he boarded. It was so large that the small ocean waves were hardly noticeable under the smooth deck.

The bottom floor where they boarded was dedicated to bedrooms and he was quickly shown to his own. It wasn’t wide-spread, but the bed and luxury bathroom were a million-dollar upgrade from the fishing boats he’d known in boyhood. It left his mouth agape and eyes in sparkles.

He wasn’t left long to settle in when Tao was knocking lightly on his door-frame and motioning for him to follow. He noted the younger looked much less irritable now that he was on semi-solid ground. They walked carefully up narrow staircases until they reached the third-floor, passing through a second floor kitchen area. There, they met Kris and Baekhyun, the latter already lounging and changed into fresh clothing, a cocktail in his free hand. With his other he examined and pointed at a large blue print spread on the table before them.

Baekhyun noticed them come in and signaled them closer. “Pay attention,” he snapped when he saw Chanyeol looking around at the various other men in the room. They were all grunts in black suits, Chinese from the look of it, hired for whatever mission they were on now.

“So,” he began and pointed to one of the upper floors of what looked like a very large side-cut out of a boat. “We’ll have rooms here, here, and here. Tao and Kris will be here on the far-side, but they’re only going to be observing the deal go down. They’ll only step in if things get hairy. Aside from that, we don’t know them and they’ll be out of sight. I’ll be roomed here, and you, kid, you’ll be in the adjoining room.”

Chanyeol pointed to himself in surprise. “Me?” he squeaked.

“Yeah, you. Your job this weekend is to stay by my side while I negotiate a deal. We’ll be on an enclosed ship with these heads for roughly twenty-four hours starting tomorrow evening, and it’s your job to make sure I get through in one piece.”

Chanyeol looked stunned and Baekhyun only laughed at him.

“Don’t look so scared, honey. Those Japanese bastards aren’t rash enough to start something in a location like this. That’s why we picked it. You’re my just-in-case bodyguard, and it really is just in case. The likelihood of something going wrong is one in twenty.”

“I’d still take those odds,” he muttered.

“And that’s exactly why you owe me so much money,” laughed the other. “Now back to schematics.”

Chanyeol paid attention diligently as Tao and Kris asked questions and explained details to him. What to do in case of certain scenarios, where to meet, how to communicate with each other, etc. And despite all the things his brain told him, he felt a little thrilled at the idea. Sure he was nervous above all else, but the adrenaline pumping through his system was something akin to excitement. It was like living out all his favorite spy dramas. Except the voice of reason always had to remind him that the dangers were very real.

He chewed his dinner silently and long after the night grew black he tossed and turned in bed unable to sleep. So he kicked off his stifling sheets and as quiet as a mouse he crept above deck to the outside area on the bow of the third floor. There were lounge cushions imbedded into the deck perfect for nighttime viewing.

As he slunk forward in the darkness he was careful to feel his way slowly lest he make a mistake and fall overboard. He let his eyes slowly adjust to the moonlight, but almost shrieked when he saw a figure already occupying one of the seats. Instead he froze in place, scream caught in his mouth, like a deer caught in the headlights. It took only seconds for the figure to take notice.

“I thought I heard a giraffe bumbling about,” laughed Baekhyun quietly. He sat up from where he’d been lounging across the flat couch and rubbed his eyes, shaking long black fringe from his face.

“S-sorry,” stuttered Chanyeol. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I’ll go back.”

“No!” said Baekhyun quickly. “Stay….You came to look at the sky right? You can’t see much because of the clouds, but it’s still beautiful.”

Chanyeol chanced a glance upward and couldn’t help but grin. The moon illuminated the clouds around it, and though the sky was gray, patches of bright speckles still shone through.

“Sit,” said the other, and waved Chanyeol toward him. He tentatively obeyed, sitting at the couch parallel. His kept a wary eye on Baekhyun’s small smile. “I already said I don’t bite,” he joked, folding his legs under him and relaxing an elbow onto the back of the couch.

Chanyeol gave a reluctant smile back, but it was forced, and not at all one he was used to giving. He tucked in his legs and stared upwards in silence. He’d been hoping to find some solace outside, but with Baekhyun marring the space, he no longer thought it was possible.

“Why the long face? Trouble sleeping I suppose?”

Chanyeol nodded slowly in return, but chose not to respond further.

But Baekhyun insisted. “If it makes you feel better, I can’t sleep either. But then again I hardly sleep at all anyway, and I can never sleep in unfamiliar places.”

“I just have a lot on my mind,” he said simply.

Baekhyun folded his slender fingers under his chin and prodded further. “Oh, do tell. I am an excellent listener.” His smile was a little unkind, and it made Chanyeol want to stab back.

“I don’t know if I can tell the chief source of my worries about my problems.”

Baekhyun laughed lightly and seemed to take his jab with good humor. “I am a bit of a pain in the . But what specifically have I done this time?”

“Well,” he began, but with pause. He was unsure if he should continue or not. Who knew how long Baekhyun’s good mood would last.

Baekhyun seemed to answer him like he’d read his mind. “I won’t get you in trouble. Pinky swear.” He held out his finger for good measure.

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. “Promise?”

“I promise. I don’t break those.”

Before he could protest or complain Chanyeol swiftly leaned across the table and locked their pinkies together. “It’s a promise,” he breathed quickly, then retreated to his spot. Baekhyun sat stiffly and surprised, finger still held out in the open air.

“Well, all right then,” he finally said softly and retracted his pinky s