[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER 18[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]           "This." Minseok gestures dumbly to the soaring tower of perfection. "This is where you live?"

           "It's where my apartment is, yes," Sehun answers airily, as if it's no big deal to him that he lives in a modern day castle. "It was picked because it was the nearest building to Yixing's condo. His parents deemed it too suspicious if I were to stay in the same building as him, so this was the best option."

           "Well, that's not creepy and controlling of them at all," Yixing mumbles. "Thanks for trusting me, mom and dad."

           "Rich people," Minseok mutters. He glances around the neighborhood warily, "Are you sure we're allowed to come in? It looks like if you aren't wearing any designer clothing you're going to get kicked out of here."

           "Just relax and get in the apartment," Sehun rolls his eyes. "It's just a building, not hell."

           "It must be nice to be able to afford all of this," Kai whistles as they headed inside. It was even more gorgeous in the tower. They walked into an elevator that was four times the size of a regular one, and Sehun presses on the highest floor. "You live in a penthouse?" Kai's eyes widen.

           "The perks of working for Zhang Lab Corps," Sehun explains. "Once we get in there, just make yourselves comfortable. You're free to spend the night—I have spare guest rooms and clothes."

           "Don't mind if I do," Yixing grins. "It'll be nice to live in a house that's actually inhabited with someone other than yourself for once."

           "Kai and I might need to ask our parents first," Minseok strolls out of the elevator, mouth still open from excitement. "If your apartment is as fancy as Yixing's, it's a definite yes from us."

           It was as fancy as Yixing's condo. Sleek, chic furniture and an enormous TV. It was anything anyone could ask for. The Kim brothers could feel the drool threatening to slip from their lips when they saw how big the flat screen television was.

           "Make yourselves at home," Sehun gestures, before strutting into the kitchen. "I'll be making food and drinks if you need me."

           Five minutes later, his bronze boyfriend comes in the kitchen, his eyes everywhere but Sehun. His brown, wondering orbs roamed the rest of the expensive kitchen, and he accidentally bumps into Sehun from behind.

           He lets out a squeak as his boyfriend falls forward and drops his cup of coffee from his hands onto the marble table, the hot, burning expresso catching onto Sehun's white school shirt and staining it in a blink of an eye.

           "Oh my god, Sehun," Kai bemoans, spinning his lover around to face him as he looks worriedly at the paler boy's shirt. "I'm so sorry—here, have some napkins," he turns sideways and grabs a handful of the paper towels and gives them to his boyfriend.

           "It's fine, Jongin. Can you get me a new shirt?" Sehun groans, dabbing the wet coffee patch with the napkins Kai gave him. "My room is the first room on the left."

           "Yeah, of course," Kai squeaks, still frazzled from what just happened. "Again, I am so, so sorry Sehun, I didn't see where I was going and..."

           "It's fine," Sehun shuts him up with a soft peck. "Just get me a shirt." Face red from the innocent kiss, he looks around the dining room warily to see if Minseok or Yixing saw. Their new relationship was kept a secret until he could find a way to break it to them gently, and he didn't want anyone seeing them kissing. "No one saw us," Sehun rolls his eyes. "They're both in the living room watching TV. I will be, too. Just go, Jongin."

           "Yeah," Kai says, dazed. He walks to what he presumes is his boyfriend's room and is blown away by how extravagant it was. Grandiose, modern furniture and an imposing crystal chandelier hung on the high ceilings. The main colors were white, gold, and black, and although it sounded simplistic, Kai knew even a lamp here was worth a fortune.

           A large window and a balcony graced the back wall, blessing the owner of the room with a beautiful view of the rich section of the town. Kai was envious. Sehun's job of being Yixing's bodyguard must pay extremely well for him to be living such a lavish life. Spotting a smaller door, Kai realizes that it must be the closet and heads to it.

           He opens Sehun's closet door and was surprised by how small it was compared to the rest of the house. The closet was about the same size as Kai's back home, and deeply contrasted the grand and colossal penthouse. He expected it to be bigger, like Yixing's. Shrugging, Kai rummages through the hung clothes and tried to pick a suitable one to replace Sehun's stained shirt.

           Quietly giggling to himself, Kai pulls out an ugly, red and blue flannel shirt. It was the only vibrant shirt in the boring room, and he thought Sehun could use a little color in his life. He was about to close the closet door and leave with the shirt in hand, but something shiny caught his attention.

           The slightest glint of metal peeked from back wall, blending in with the background so well Kai almost didn't see it. The tan boy pokes his head back in the closet, his interest captured.

           He reaches a hand out to touch the circular metal object, and was surprised when it turned out to be a doorknob. Twisting it open, Kai ignores the warning whispers in his head, and pushes the door open.

           He couldn't see much at first—the light in the secret room was so white and blinding it took him a moment to get used to.

           Tiptoeing into the room with guarded footsteps, he rubs his eyes with his unoccupied hand until he could see. And then, when he finally saw, he wishes he hadn't.

           The room was almost as large as Sehun's living room and was devoid of the tiniest specks of dirt and dust. What had bothered Kai, however, was what was inside the room.

           A whole array of lethal weaponry was laid out neatly, right in front of his appalled eyes. Small hand guns, big, intimidating rifles, a hundred of different kinds of daggers decorated the room. In the center of the sick room was a small, circular wooden table with a thick stack of papers meticulously held together by a folder labeled 'work'.

           Trembling, the shocked brunet opens the folder and reads over the paper with a sinking heart. The papers all virtually looked the same—a face of someone, their name and other basic information at the bottom, and the weapon that killed them.

           Kai wants to vomit. He wants to run out of here and pretends this never happened, that his boyfriend isn't who Kai thinks he is.

           Then, when he reaches the last of the stack of papers, his worst fears were confirmed.

           Stuck to the back of the folder was a small sticky note adorned with beautiful, cursive handwriting. It reads,

           'Don't let our Emperor down, Skull Reaper'.

           At first, Kai was filled with broken sorrow. Now, he's enraged and full of disbelief. Scanning the room, he spots a white, ivory wig and a black mask with a skull emblazoned on it.

           Skull Reaper wearing a skull mask.

           How fitting. In his blind rage, Kai discards the ugly flannel shirt and grabs the folder and the first weapon he sees from the closet and storms to the living room for an explanation. The loud, thundering footsteps alerted the others, and they were all waiting for him with questioning gazes.

           "Who knew?" Kai asks flatly. His right hand was clutching the folder of files tightly, his other hand on a random gun he found in the weapon stash.

           "Knew what?" Sehun turns around, then drops his TV remote in shock when he sees what his lover was holding in his hands. "I—Jongin—please, I can explain—"

           "Explain what?! Ho