"A ruthless killer you seem to be."

Jaebum opened his eyes quickly as he sat up slowly. Again...the same sentence he heard in his dream. What did it mean? Looking around his surroundings, he found himself in a cell. A jail cell? Why was he here? He looked down at his leg and saw he was cuffed to the stone wall.  Jaebum slowly looked up and saw that this whole jail cell was just him in it. But why? What did he even do? A small throbbing pain crept its way to his head. Jaebum wanted to know what he even did but nothing came to his mind. It seemed his memories were wiped out but that didn't seem to be the case since he remembered his birthday and a little bit of his past. A lonely cold figure he had become over the years. His only friend was a kitten that he saw from time to time yet nothing popped up in his mind about what had happened before. Jaebum looked over to see a door beyond the cell he was in. The door was slowly opening and in stepped a man wearing all a white shirt and a pair of black jeans. He was smiling softly but Jaebum wasn't that easily fooled. The man stepped closer to Jaebum's cell slowly. Jaebum saw that this man had eyes the color of the sky and stared. The man only chuckled to himself before he spoke. "Are you finally awake, boy?" Jaebum blinked before nodding once. The man took a key and unlocked the door to Jaebum's jail cell. He then proceeded to step towards Jaebum. Jaebum quickly scrambled back out of fear. What did this man want from him? He knew he had to keep his defenses up as the man approached. The man simply kept smiling as he crouched down in front of Jaebum and extended his hand. "I want to free you," he said softly.

Jaebum didn't know how to respond so he just nodded his head once.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" the man asked.

Jaebum nodded his head once again out of fear.

"You are free from here but you are to live with me," the man smiply said. Jaebum looked up at the man with big eyes. Should he really go with him? He didn't even know the man's name. Should he trust him? Many thoughts were going through his head and the man seemed to notice that Jaebum was not sure whether to pick yes or no. The man smiled softly as he reached out to touch Jaebum's cheek lightly. "Come with me. I'll help you to recover," he said softly as he started to unchain Jaebum from the wall. Jaebum watched the man in complete silence as the chain from his ankle came off. What came next was unexpected. The man moved one strong arm to Jaebum's back and his other arm under Jaebum's legs as he lifted him up. "There. Now let's go home," the man smiled sincerely at Jaebum. Jaebum didn't know what to think of this before nodding his head slowly. The man walked out of the cell with Jaebum in his arms. Jaebum looked down at the man with a curious expression. Why did this man want to help him? Did he know why Jaebum was even locked up in the first place? So many questions went through his head and he hoped that each of them would be answered.

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What's your name?

Once the man and Jaebum arrived at the man's home, Jaebum was carried back inside the house and up the stairs to the bathroom. Staring blankly at what the man was doing, he watched as the man started to draw a bath for him. Internally, Jaebum felt as if he was being treated like a child when the man helped Jaebum take off his clothes. Then he was lifted up and lowered into the bathtub. What Jaebum was expecting was cold water but instead he was in a tub with warm water. Looking up at the man with a confused expression, Jaebum waited for the man to say something. The man could only laugh quietly to himself at this adorable human being, who was staring up at him. He then knelt down next to the bathtub and reached over to run his fingers through Jaebum's hair. "You're taking a long bath in warm water. Haven't you taken a bath before?" he asked softly. Jaebum didn't know how to answer that since most of his memories were clear out of his head. He merely shrugged as to answer "I don't really remember." to the man's question. The man could only smile in amusement as he then started to wash Jaebum up. Jaebum didn't fight it although he stuck his bottom lip out at the man to pout. The man gently poked Jaebum's pout with his index finger as he kept washing and rinsing Jaebum's hair. "Is there anything you want to ask me?" the man asked. Jaebum froze as he wasn't sure what to ask first. Was it polite to ask all these questions about what happened or should he ask who this person even was? The man figured that Jaebum wouldn't talk for a while so he merely chuckled. "You don't have to talk yet, you know?" he said but then Jaebum mumbled under his breath. The man was caught offguard before encouraging Jaebum to say it again.

"What is your name?" Jaebum asked in a shy voice. 

"I'm Mark Tuan. You're Jaebum," the man answered. Jaebum looked up at the man, Mark, with a short nod as he started to observe him quietly. He wanted to know more of his forgotten past and it seemed this Mark character could help answer a bunch of his questions.

While Mark was starting to rinse Jaebum's hair, he felt Jaebum staring at him intently. Why Mark had bailed Jaebum out was beyond his own imagination. All he knew was when he heard the guard say that Jaebum was allowed to be free under the supervision of someone, Mark had instantly jumped to the chance. While he felt that he was going to regret his decision, Mark knew that he was just giving himself an excuse. Jaebum was the person that his parents told him to protect as they slowly passed into death. But what connection does Jaebum have to his deceased parents? Jaebum was a well known killer but oddly, it seems that Jaebum doesn't even know that he killed many people. What happened that made Jaebum forget his murders? Mark wanted to know more about this guy but it seems as if it's going to take some time. Right now, Jaebum was hurting Mark's heart by being silent but cute with his responses. It was deadly to be this cute that Mark felt he could be distracted from his main goal. And to add...Jaebum's voice sounded so honey like to Mark's ears. Oh, what Mark would give just to have Jaebum speak more...

But, he shook his head quickly to get out his daydream and looked at Jaebum. Jaebum was all clean now and was currently trying to get out of the tub on his own. He reached for a towel and wrapped it around himself before looking down at Mark with questioning eyes. "Where do I stay?" Jaebum asked quietly. Mark hadn't thought that far before an idea formed inside his head. "How comfortable are you sleeping next to another male?" he suggested. Jaebum looked at Mark blankly before giving a small nod. "I don't mind...M...Mark," he answered while looking away. Mark chuckled to himself as he drained the water from the bathtub before heading towards the bedroom. Jaebum merely followed his footsteps while trying to dry himself with the towel.

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Are you scared?

Mark was laying down on his bed while reading a book...well not reading. He was using a book to cover his glances at Jaebum. He couldn't help but watch Jaebum timidly look through his closet for something to wear. The sight was just plain adorable. He wanted to help but figured not to. Jaebum had just slipped on a hoodie and a pair of sweats. Both articles of clothing barely fit his body but it would do. He glanced at Mark and wondered what he should do next. "Um...can...I borrow a sleeping bag and a pillow?" Jaebum asked softly. Mark put his book down and patted the spot next to him. "For a timid person, you sure know how to be cute when asking a simple question. Come sleep next to me. The sleeping bags I had are being used next door," he answered.

Jaebum looked over at a door right across from Mark's room. "Do you mean in there..?" he asked quietly.

"Mhm. Two of my friends are sleeping so I doubt you'll see them tonight," Mark smiled. Jaebum fidgeted slightly since he noticed that Mark kept patting the spot next to him. He didn't know if he should casually lay in someone else's bed but then...he hasn't laid down on a comfortable bed for a while. Mark sensed that Jaebum might be stuck in making a choice. He looked up at Jaebum with big fake puppy eyes and pouted. "Are you scared to lay down next to a man?" he asked in a cute tone. Jaebum felt his cheeks redden slightly at the cuteness of his savior. "No...I...don't know. I just wasn't sure...," he answered in a honest tone. Mark didn't know what was worse for his own good. Jaebum being honest to him or just him standing there with his cheeks reddening. He leaned over the bed and grabbed Jaebum's wrist gently before pulling him down into his arms. Jaebum's eyes widened in surprise when he landed on his side and his face was in Mark's chest. "Don't be scared around me. I'm not going to hurt you at all...I'm going to protect you," Mark said softly. Jaebum wasn't sure if he should trust what he heard but he knew that he should start trusting Mark slowly. Heck, he was the one who got Jaebum out of the jail cell. Yawning quietly, Jaebum slowly closed his eyes and hesitantly snuggled up to Mark. 

"Are you allowed to be this cute...?" Mark wondered as he quickly noticed Jaebum fell asleep on him. Not only that...Jaebum was snuggling up to him in the most adorable way ever. Ugh. If this guy wasn't bad in the slightest, Mark would probably be spoiling Jaebum forever. But that wasn't the case at all. Mark sighed quietly to himself as he wondered many questions.

What is the connection between you and my parents? 

Why can't you remember your past misdeeds?

Why did I decide to take care of you?

Was it because of mom and dad...?

Or were you a fascination to me from the start...? 

Either way, Mark was going to find answers but there had to be a way to get Jaebum to remember his past.  As he kept thinking to himself, Jaebum had opened his eyes halfway and started to think to himself as well. He couldn't understand why most of his memories were wiped out. Heck, he doesn't even know how he landed in a jail. All he can piece together is that he did something pretty terrible in the past but then...he remembered that one dream he had in the jail cell. A soft voice that could be proclaiming the reason why Jaebum was in the prison in the first place. But he quickly disregarded it. 

Disregarded that one sentence...out of fear or being right. Sighing quietly to himself, Jaebum closed his eyes again and went back into a deep slumber. He wanted to forget that voice from his dreams but really...he hoped he wasn't right at all. Mark looked down to see Jaebum trying his best to block out something. Either...Jaebum was starting to have a bad dream or he's slowly figuring out something that he had forgotten. Mark watched over Jaebum throughout the night, unsure how he should approach this situation.

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"Be very afraid, little Jaebummie. Be very afraid once you recover your precious memories."

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I don't like to talk. 

The next day, Mark was trying to figure out how to hide Jaebum at his home. Why? People would probably run away at the sight of a killer on the loose. Although...Jaebum wasn't on the loose anymore. He was just a regular person who lost his memories but Mark didn't want to take the risk. Speaking of Jaebum, he was walking towards Mark with the hoodie up. His stomach was growling a little bit in which Mark couldn't help but chuckle. Currently, Mark was eating breakfast at the kitchen table. It seemed that Jaebum was still sleepy. He patted the chair next to him as a signal for Jaebum to sit next to him but a sleepy Jaebum didn't catch that gesture and went straight to sitting down on Mark's lap. Mark was certainly caught offguard at the action but he chuckled as he watched Jaebum take a bite of whatever he was having for breakfast. A few bites after, Jaebum moved to sit next to Mark while staying silent. Mark wasn't sure what was going on so he was attempting to ask before he heard a couple of footsteps coming down the stairs. He sighed to himself as he knew that mornings were never quiet because of them. He looked over to smile at Jaebum but he wasn't at the kitchen table anymore. Jaebum didn't look at the direction of the noise but instead moved to sit in the living room while looking out at the window. Mark caught sight of Jaebum and smiled to himself. Maybe he wouldn't have to worry about his two friends coming down the stairs and noticing a stranger in the living room. But when he heard "Hey Mark. Who's that guy?", he knew that he spoke too soon. Jinyoung, the one who asked the question, was looking over at Jaebum. "He new around here?" Jackson asked as he glanced at Jaebum out of the corner of his eye.

While Mark was trying to find a way to explain this situation, Jaebum didn't take any notice as he kept staring out the window. Jinyoung and Jackson took the opportunity to walk over to Jaebum and look down at him. Jaebum felt two pairs of eyes on him so he decided to look up at them with a blank expression. Jinyoung reached out to take the hood off of Jaebum's head but Jaebum quickly grabbed Jinyoung's hand as he stared at him coldly. "Hey man...I wasn't going to hurt you if that's what you think," Jinyoung mumbled as he tried to yank his hand away from Jaebum's grasp. Jaebum didn't answer as he kept staring at Jinyoung. Mark was still sitting at the kitchen table with a slightly amused expression. He got up and walked over to sit next to Jaebum on the couch. Jackson and Jinyoung looked over at Mark with raised eyebrows. "Jinyoung. Jackson. This is Jaebum. He's going to be staying here for a while," Mark started.

"Eh? Where did you pick this guy up, Markie?" Jinyoung finally managed to move his hand away from Jaebum's hold.

"Remember where I went yesterday?" Mark mentioned as he knew fully well that neither Jackson nor Jinyoung knew what he was talking about.

"Oh...you went to the club without us?!" Jackson exclaimed. 

"What the--? I don't party like you two. You two know me by now that I don't like going out!" Mark replied while Jinyoung could only facepalm at Jackson's unnecessary question. Jaebum looked over at all three of them with his silent demeanor before standing up slowly. He started towards the stairs but someone had grabbed onto his left wrist and pulled him back. Turning slightly, Jaebum was stare down the person who had pulled him back. He didn't because Mark was the one who pulled him back. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" he asked as he looked at Jinyoung and Jackson.

Jaebum blinked in confusion at Mark's question. 

Really? What was Mark even thinking? Just because Mark freed Jaebum from his jail cell doesn't mean Jaebum was going to follow Mark like a sick puppy dog.

"Mark, it's okay if he doesn't want to talk to us just yet," Jinyoung offered while trying to shoot a friendly smile at Jaebum. Jaebum looked at Jinyoung before cracking a a small smile. Jinyoung, Jackson and Mark were surprised at the small smile.

In his mind, Mark had thought Jaebum was the type to stay silent and not even smile. 

Jackson had thought this stranger hated meeting new people because of how he treated Jinyoung.

Jinyoung thought this guy just flat out hated people who tried to touch him without permission.

While all three of them were still distracted by their impressions of him, Jaebum spoke softly. "I don't like to talk." Mark smiled at Jaebum and took off his hoodie before ruffling Jaebum's black hair. "What a honest kid you are," he mused. Jinyoung and Jackson watched the two of them interact but they both had a weird feeling that they have seen this person before but they just couldn't put their finger on it...yet. Jaebum looked up at Jinyoung and Jackson before bowing his head slightly. "I'm Jaebum," he whispered. 

Jaebum? It sounds familiar...

Jinyoung felt as if that name rang a bell but he couldn't remember where he heard or seen that name before. Jackson smiled brightly and moved to sit next to Jaebum. Then, he proceeded to chatter with Jaebum. Mark could only laugh as he watched Jaebum's expression changed from shy to slightly annoyed.  Jaebum then turned to look at Jinyoung before bowing his head slightly to apologize for his sudden action. Jinyoung shook his head as to say it was okay. While Jackson kept yaking Jaebum's ears off, Mark got up and pulled Jinyoung to the kitchen. Jinyoung looked really confused as to what was happening but Mark wanted to speak to Jinyoung for a little bit. "I need your help," he stated simply.

"For?" Jinyoung asked while raising an eyebrow. Mark knew he shouldn't be telling Jinyoung this but...he's going to need a lot of help with Jaebum. So he started to talk about what had happened the night before.

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