There is a difference between Kim Junmyeon and Suho.

 

The former is the second son of the Kim family. Junmyeon is a gentle person, always smiling, always caring. There’s a rumour that he even brings around a first aid kit wherever he goes because he’s always ready to help people, especially his friends. That there are two people in particular that Junmyeon often help patch up: Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun, Junmyeon’s closest friends, who are so clumsy that they always trip over their own two feet and fall on their faces.

 

The latter is the head of EXO, Seoul’s largest mafia group. Suho is a strict man, always silent, always glaring. There’s a rumour that he brings a handgun wherever he goes, regardless of how many bodyguards he has with him because he’s always being targeted by his rivals. That he’s always on his toes, regardless of how good D.O. and Kai, the best and the most loyal (almost to a fault) assassins Suho has under his organization, are.

 

There is a difference between Kim Junmyeon and Suho, yes, but it doesn’t mean that both accounts are false.

 

---

 

 

“There he goes again,” Baekhyun says, sitting on Jongdae’s desk, gesturing. Jongdae’s head snaps up so fast that Baekhyun winces, and there’s a dreamy sigh. Said dreamy sigh is something that Baekhyun is very familiar with, since Jongdae pulls it out every single time he sees Kim Junmyeon walk past his desk with a smile.

 

Who is Kim Junmyeon, you ask? Kim Junmyeon is Jongdae’s boss, and is the most mesmerizing man to ever walk the planet.

 

Baekhyun would beg to differ, but it wasn’t like Jongdae cared about Baekhyun’s opinions when it came to Junmyeon.

 

“How does he not care that you’re not doing your job at all?” Jongdae asks, jolting Baekhyun out of his reverie. “Every time he comes back to the office, you’re just here, sitting on my desk. You never do anything.”

 

Baekhyun laughs. “I’m just that efficient. No matter what I get up to, all his reports are always on his desk before he needs them. Unlike some people I could mention.”

 

Jongdae huffs, and turns back to his screen, furiously jabbing at his keyboard because he has yet to finish the report that Junmyeon had assigned to him.

 

He’s really too adorable for his own good, Baekhyun thinks. Naïve, as well. It’s technically not Jongdae’s fault at all, but sometimes Baekhyun feels a stab of guilt that he’s lying to Jongdae. That he’s been lying about everything.

 

See, the reason why Baekhyun gets away with not working during office hours is because he’s not actually hired to do office work. Sure, he has a desk – as does Chanyeol, who always sits at his desk pretending to do work when in reality he’s just playing Bejeweled again – and he has everything he needs to keep the pretense up, but Baekhyun isn’t exactly there to type up reports or give out presentations.

 

Baekhyun is there because he has to protect Kim Junmyeon. Because Kim Junmyeon, the smiling Adonis that Jongdae likes to fawn over is also the head of the mafia that Baekhyun is under. EXO is feared throughout South Korea, has connections that reach to China, and all the way to Canada, even. It would make sense then, that Kim Junmyeon, that Suho, is a target for many other rival organisations and needs Baekhyun’s protection. Chanyeol is there for exactly the same reason.

 

The thing is, Jongdae has no idea. Jongdae, as one of Junmyeon’s three secretaries – Chanyeol and Baekhyun masquerades as the other two since it allows them to sit right outside of their boss’ office – is the only one who actually does any work at all, since Baekhyun’s terrible with words and Chanyeol’s language skills are absolutely abysmal. They’re all the same age, and it’s this common factor that has struck up a friendship between them that is potentially dangerous for Jongdae.

 

Baekhyun likes to think that Jongdae has gotten over the strange quirks that comes with the office. Jongdae, for one, is never seen outside with Chanyeol and Baekhyun, much less Junmyeon. Baekhyun has seen the look of disappointment that crosses Jongdae’s face when his invitations to lunch – sometimes extended to Junmyeon as well, blushing and tentative – were turned down. Baekhyun hadn’t wanted to say no, and neither had Chanyeol – although who knew what Junmyeon was thinking half the time – but it had been for Jongdae’s own safety, clichéd as it was.

 

Baekhyun had passed the message along to Junmyeon, sitting on his boss’ desk, feet kicking the air. Junmyeon was lenient when he was Junmyeon, not Suho, and Baekhyun had taken full advantage of the fact. It’d taken a small glance at his secretary, and Junmyeon had decided that lunch would be delivered everyday to their office, and they’d have it together at the giant table in Junmyeon’s office that served no purpose other than this one.

Rich people, honestly.

 

Baekhyun sighs, bouncing over to the other side of the office to bother Chanyeol, since Jongdae is busy doing actual work, and sits himself in Chanyeol’s lap. Jongdae looks up to give them an expression of disgust, which Baekhyun retaliates by pressing a filthy kiss to Chanyeol’s lips. Jongdae shudders, attention back on his screen, and Baekhyun laughs.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun muses, pointing at Chanyeol’s screen to tell him which jewels to swap. His voice is quiet enough that it doesn’t carry, but Chanyeol hums his acknowledgement. “Do you ever feel bad about lying to Jongdae?”

 

Chanyeol pauses in his game and looks up at Jongdae, whose brow is furrowed as he continues to type out his report. He sighs and rests his chin on Baekhyun’s shoulder so that he can murmur his reply – Chanyeol’s not very good at being soft, but he makes do – into Baekhyun’s ear. “Sometimes,” he replies. “But it’s better than him getting into what we’re really doing here, isn’t it? We’re trained for this. He’d get himself killed in a matter of seconds.”

 

Baekhyun bites his lip as he considers Chanyeol’s words. His partner – partner in every sense of the word – isn’t wrong. Jongdae isn’t suited for a life in the mafia. He’s too innocent, too soft. He wouldn’t last a second in the life they had chosen. Perhaps, Baekhyun thinks, it’s a good thing that they will never truly be friends outside the office, no matter how much fun they have together inside of it.

It’s for Jongdae’s own good.

 

---

 

“It’s time for lunch,” Baekhyun sings, leaping out of Chanyeol’s lap and grabbing his hand. He tugs Chanyeol over to Jongdae’s desk even as his boyfriend whines about leaving his game and pouts at Jongdae until the other sighs and relents.

 

On cue, their lunch arrives. Jongdae knows Kyungsoo as “the delivery boy”, and likes to play around with him and teasingly call Kyungsoo his “saviour”. Chanyeol and Baekhyun know Kyungsoo as D.O., one of Junmyeon’s most trusted assassins and one of the - if not the most - capable.

 

It’s a mark of how adorable Jongdae is - or, you know, how much Junmyeon adores Jongdae - that Kyungsoo puts up with Jongdae’s cooing and giggling. It probably wouldn’t be in the assassin’s best interests if he were to let his temper flare and ‘accidentally’ put a bullet into Jongdae’s chest.

 

Kyungsoo disappears into Junmyeon’s office first, placing the food and laying the table. Junmyeon hardly looks up from his screen, and it’s only when Jongdae enters the room as well that Junmyeon tears his eyes away from the computer to smile at them. Well, Baekhyun knows he’s smiling at Jongdae. It’s always been Jongdae.

 

Baekhyun isn't jealous, because, well, this is Junmyeon they’re talking about. While Baekhyun appreciates and respects his leader, there is a difference between respect and the utter adoration that Junmyeon is directing at Jongdae, and it’s definitely not something Baekhyun wants to receive from his boss. Plus, he has seen the transformation between Junmyeon and Suho, and frankly, it’s terrifying.

 

Baekhyun hopes against hope that Jongdae will never have meet Suho.

 

“Hello, Jongdae,” Junmyeon greets, standing up and moving towards the table, where the food is being laid out. “Hungry?”

 

“Starving,” Jongdae replies, smiling bashfully at Junmyeon.

 

Baekhyun grumbles under his breath, sitting down as well. Junmyeon never asked him things like that. It's not as though Baekhyun wants it, but it is the principle of the thing, you know? Don’t ask him what ‘the thing’ is, because he wouldn’t be able to answer you.

 

“Ah!” Jongdae cheers when he opens the plastic container that contains his lunch. “Chicken!”

 

Junmyeon blinks up at Jongdae from where he had opened his own container. Junmyeon isn't very much into fried chicken, since he’s a health nut and the only chicken that he eats are bland, boiled chicken s. No one knows how he gets by with only that for protein, but it's evident that Kyungsoo has decided to take matters into his own hands by buying them disgustingly unhealthy, greasy, amazing fried chicken.

 

Thank the heavens for Do Kyungsoo.

 

“You like chicken?” Junmyeon asks.

 

Jongdae nods happily, already tearing into a drumstick. He looks utterly adorable, something even Chanyeol has to admit. Although, Chanyeol’s as smitten with Jongdae as they rest are, so it's not as though it was a very big deal. “I don’t have it very often, but it’s my favourite!”

 

The gears are working in Junmyeon’s head, Baekhyun could tell. There's something infinitely satisfying about pleasing Jongdae to the older man, and while it might the younger in danger, it's not as though they’re doing it in public, so it should be fine.

 

Right?

 

Right.

 

“We can have it more often for lunch, if you’d like,” Junmyeon mused, turning to Kyungsoo, who nods, his face still straight. Junmyeon smiles at his assistant, evidently satisfied, and turns back to his meal.

 

Kyungsoo moves towards the door, then, when he was just about to leave, he turns around and utters, “Maple syrup’s arrived.”

 

Junmyeon, Baekhyun and Chanyeol all perk up, Junmyeon giving Kyungsoo another nod. Junmyeon jerks his head at the other two, and they nod as well.

 

Maple syrup’s arrived, huh?

 

Well, at least they’d have lunch first.

 

---

 

“It’s rare for you to come all the way here without any prior warning,” Suho says, walking into his office. He moves past the guest sitting on the couch, his long legs draping over the armrest as he flips through a magazine.

 

Maple syrup, which is what the Seoul branch of EXO calls the leader of the Canadian Branch, or, Kris, sits up straight and throws the magazine onto the table. “Remember Henry?”

 

Suho laughs, sitting at his desk. “How could I forget?”

 

“We traced him from Canada,” Kris informs, looking utterly bored, as though he were a simple messenger and not a regional leader of EXO. “He’s here, in Seoul. We think he’s trying to find his teammates again.”

 

“Amber?” Suho tilts his head. “We took her out some time ago. The entire f(x) is down; We made sure of that.”

 

“I don’t know who he wants, Suho,” Kris shoots back, but Suho remains unflinching. “But he wants someone. It’s your job to find out who it is.”

 

With that, he swings his ridiculously long legs over the couch and walks out.

 

“,” Suho seethes, glaring at his door as it slams behind the taller man.

 

There's a giggle and Suho sighs. “Get out here, Lay.”

 

The agent slides out of the shadows, amused smile still on his face, as it always is. While Suho knows Lay personally - outside of EXO, at the very least - the leader of the China base does not normally come to Seoul. The gathering of leaders is something that happens very rarely, and for two of them to show up unannounced is dangerous.

 

“You’re being too riled up by Kris,” Lay comments, sliding onto the desk in front of Suho. His legs swings freely, leaning down to tug on Suho’s tie, smiling enigmatically. “You’re usually not strung this tight.”

 

Suho shakes his head, leaning back, tugging his tie out of Lay’s reach. Lay raises an eyebrow, his smile disappearing. Suho has never reacted like this, always willing to go along with Lay, willing to tease in return.

 

“You’ve found someone,” Lay deduces, leaning his weight onto one hand behind him. His eyes are piercing, the normal smile that he wears now nowhere to be found. “Who is it, Suho?”

 

Silence.

 

“They’re not from EXO, are they?” Lay hisses, eyes flashing. “Suho, you know how dangerous our line of work is. You know the amount of danger that you’re putting not only him, but also yourself in.”

 

“We’re not together,” Suho shoots back, his anger mirroring Lay’s. “We aren’t--”

 

The door slams open.

 

“What?!” Suho snarls at his subordinate, but Baekhyun’s eyes are serious, laced with panic, and that catches Suho’s attention.

 

“Kai managed to track Henry down,” Baekhyun informs, his entire stance tense and wired to go. “He’s targeting Chen.”

 

Suho bolts.

  

---

 

 

Jongdae is terrified.

 

He’d been walking home from meeting Minseok when he’d felt the telltale prickling on the back of his neck that tells him that someone is staring at him, following him. Instinct tells him to run, but fear paralyzes Jongdae. Why would someone be following him? It isn't as though he is anyone of importance, and the clothes that he's wearing doesn't exactly scream expensive. He works as a secretary, for god’s sake.

 

He keeps walking, slowly, his limbs almost frozen stiff. It's difficult to move, difficult to get himself to safety. He knows that he's in danger, but he doesn't know how to get himself out of it. He tries to speed up, hastening.

 

“Don’t move.”

 

Jongdae freezes.

 

The voice is entirely unfamiliar, and Jongdae knows that this isn't a prank on him, the way he would have expected on any other day.

 

“Are you Kim Jongdae?”

 

Jongdae remains silent, too afraid to say anything. A blade presses to his neck, the metal cold, harsh and terrifying.

 

“Are you Kim Jongdae?”

 

“Y-Yes.”

 

A scoff, and Jongdae wants to weep. While he isn't normally a coward, there's a difference between being unafraid of ghosts and being afraid when someone is holding a knife to your throat and threatening your life.

 

“Wonder what he sees in a scrawny rat like you.”

 

Scrawny rat?

 

“It’s nice to see you again, Henry.”

 

That voice sounds familiar.

 

Henry turns, raising an eyebrow at the man who is standing at the end of the alleyway, his face stern and so very, very different from what Jongdae is used to.

 

“Chanyeol?” Jongdae questions, stiffening. The Chanyeol that he knows is all silly smiles and goofy grins, happy hugs and two left feet. This Chanyeol is different, the confidence in his body line and the danger that is hidden under his skin so foreign to Jongdae.

 

“Hey, Jongdae.”

 

“Chanyeol, wh-what’s going on?”

 

“Shut up,” Henry hisses, pressing the blade even harder against Jongdae’s throat, drawing blood. “Who said you could talk?”

 

“Oh, dear,” Chanyeol says, as though he isn't looking at Jongdae under the threat of death. “He’s not going to be happy.”

 

“That’s the whole point, isn’t it?” Henry snarls. “To take away from him the most important person in his life. Never thought that it’d be this little rat here, but hey, he’s always had ty taste in everything.”

 

“Talk about him like that again,” a voice came, and Jongdae startles enough that the knife nicks further into him, blood dripping down. “Not that you’ll ever have the chance to do so again.”

 

The knife is abruptly wrenched away from Jongdae’s neck, and his attacker is flung to the floor. Jongdae quickly flattens himself to the wall, one hand pressing against his wound and his eyes wide, staring at his saviour.

 

“Junmyeon?”

 

A figure enters his line of vision, and the usually smiling face of Baekhyun is now etched with concern. Is everyone in his office part of this?

 

“Junmyeon?” Jongdae calls again, his eyebrows furrowing in worry as he lunges, and a flash of metal catches Jongdae’s eye before he screams and clamped his eyes shut.

 

“Shh,” he hears Baekhyun says soothingly, moving to hug Jongdae as he shakes his head fervently. “It’s okay, it’ll be okay, Jongdae.”

 

---

 

 

Jongdae blinks awake, turning in confusion, eyes unable to open fully with how bright it is, wherever this is.

 

“You’re awake,” comes a soft voice that has Jongdae instinctively curling in on himself. He whimpers, trying to shift away. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.”

 

“You’re scaring him, Junmyeon.”

 

“He--”

 

“You were Suho last night, Junmyeon. Give him some space.”

 

Jongdae’s eyes are now adjusted enough to the light to finally look at the man sitting at his bedside, eyes worried and laced with anger. “Junmyeon?”

 

Junmyeon turns to look at his secretary, his subordinate, his most important person. “Hello, Jongdae,” he says softly, as though Jongdae is a small animal and Junmyeon is trying not to scare him. “Are you feeling okay?”

 

“Yes,” Jongdae replies, breathing slowly. This is Junmyeon. This is the Junmyeon that is kind and caring and gentle, not… Not what he’d seen yesterday. “You-- Last night.”

 

“You were targeted by a rival organisation of ours,” Baekhyun informs from where he’s sitting on the couch further away from the bed. “We’re--”

 

“Baekhyun!”

 

“He has to know,” Baekhyun shoots back. “We’re members of EXO, Jongdae. Mafia. Junmyeon is Suho, the leader of the Seoul branch, and Chanyeol and I work under him.”

 

“So you’ve-- You’ve killed people,” Jongdae says, comprehension dawning, eyes widening in horror. “The guy from last night. You--”

 

“He targeted you because you’re important to me, Jongdae,” Junmyeon states solemnly, hand twitching as though he wants to hold onto Jongdae’s hand. “I can’t let anyone else know of your existence, much less have the information that you’re important to me be spread.”

 

“I-I’m sorry,” Jongdae shakes his head, tugging his hand back so Junmyeon can’t reach it and swallowing. “I can’t. Please, I need time alone, I can’t--”

 

“Okay,” Junmyeon says, standing up, but the sadness in his eyes is impossible for Jongdae to ignore. “We’ll leave you, then.”

 

Jongdae watches as the three of them walks out, and he cries.

 

---

 

 

“You have a guest, Mr. Kim,” Junmyeon’s new secretary, Sehun informs. “Should I send them in? They don’t have an appointment.”

 

Junmyeon raises an eyebrow, but waves a hand anyway, his other hand creeping down under his desk to close around the gun he has strapped beneath it. It turns out that he doesn't need it after all, because the one who walks into the room takes his breath away, without any use of firearms.

 

“Jongdae?”

 

“Junmyeon.”