＃

The firm is dark save for the office in the far back corner. Even at this distance, Chanyeol can see the other meticulously working on his blueprint, hunched over the desk.

“Late night again?” he asks as he steps inside, shutting the door behind him.

“Mnn, sorry. We have a project going on and need the layout finalized ASAP,” Kris looks up, noticing the bag in his hand. “What’s that?”

“Because I am a super awesome boyfriend,” Chanyeol proclaims, setting the bag on the table. “I bought you food! Chinese take-out. I’m sure you’re hungry by now.”

“More like you just want to get me fat,” Kris retorts with a smirk. “That, or you’re hungry yourself. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re the one more fond of Chinese food between us, even though I’m the one who’s Chinese.”

“You got me,” the younger sticks out his tongue while taking out the two boxes, revealing matching sets of beef chow fun. “I am actually hungry. I just finished my shift at the bar and thought I’d come keep you company. So be thankful!”

“I am thankful,” Kris says, and his tone might sound sarcastic, but his eyes are soft, and the smile is too genuine to not be true. Chanyeol pulls him towards the couch so they can eat together, squeezed side-by-side because they’re both giants on that tiny couch.

“Do you remember,” Chanyeol starts, chopsticks poking around the beef slices, “we used to eat like this, squeezed in a small corner before, too. Except it was much darker. We were hiding in an alleyway waiting for our target to come out of his house to ambush him.”

“I remember,” Kris snorts. “It was my mission but you insisted on tagging along because you wanted to ‘cultivate experience on how an assassination mission works’, and I was against it because I liked working alone and didn’t want to drag a deadweight around.”

“Hey, I wasn’t deadweight!” Chanyeol shouts. “I took out at least a dozen of his bodyguards, didn’t I?”

“Yes. You were surprisingly good with a gun, I was shocked. I could see that you were very determined to climb up the ranking ladder. So I recommended you to Kai.”

“You know, there were a lot of protests at first,” Chanyeol mumbles, head dropping. “They said I used my connection with you to become an Elite. That I whored myself out to you to get my position.”

“I know,” Kris says, not looking at him when he continues, “…Didn’t the rumors and whispers all quiet down within a week, though?”

Chanyeol blinks. “Oh. Now that you mentioned it, you’re right! It was faster than I expected. I heard Luhan’s rumors on his quick promotion lasted much longer. How come―” He scans over Kris’s calm but undecipherable expression, and gasps. “Wait, was it you? Did you―”

“I killed anyone who dared to whisper it in any corner of the street, and soon enough everyone knew better than to degrade you of all people,” Kris states nonchalantly, shrugging. “I wasn’t going to let them badmouth you. They will die by my hands first before they can even think of hurting you in any way.”

Chanyeol’s eyes soften, biting on his lip. Truthfully, he should feel horrified that Kris murdered many people so casually just for speaking badly about Chanyeol, but that is how the mafia works: you either eat or get eaten, depending on how smart you are and knowing when to rebel or keep your mouth shut.

“Still, slaughtering your own Exo members, though,” Chanyeol nudges him. “Was Kai okay with that?”

“You know how well Kai treated us,” Kris says, and the younger silently agrees. Even when he was an undercover cop and knew this didn’t mean anything, Kai had always treated the Elites with respect and indulgence.

Perhaps that was why they’re all so loyal to him. Why they can’t let go.

“Besides, I was his best assassin. He wouldn’t choose even hundreds of his lackeys over me.”

And Chanyeol knows it was true. After Kai, only Kris and maybe Kyungsoo had held the most power in Exo. That was why Kris was his mission in the first place, for Suho knew the Chinese man had been with Exo from the very beginning, and had access to many important, private information about the organization.

Kris was someone who was so feared, renowned all throughout the country and even internationally, too. He was so revered, so powerful.

Exo’s number one killer.

And yet, he is here, sitting in a small private firm, eating beef chow fun on a tiny couch and working a nine-to-five desk job.

“Do you miss it?” Chanyeol asks quietly.

“Huh?”

“Being in Exo.”

Kris sets his food down, looking at the younger. “You know it was something I did because I didn’t know what else to do.”

Chanyeol knows this is true, too. Kris killed because it was his job. Because he was good at it, and that was the easiest way he saw to make money. He didn’t have a lust for blood, for conquest, to torture his victims in delight, unlike Luhan and many other well-known killers like G-Dragon of Big Bang.

Kris killed because he had been killing all his life and didn’t know what else to do, didn’t know another way to live.

Until he met Chanyeol.

“Why are you looking all gloomy? You know I chose this, right? I want to be with you.”

“Kris…”

There’s a hand at his cheek, cupping his face. “That limelight. Those riches and power. You know they didn’t matter to me. I told you, before I had met you, I was like a robot functioning day to day on drugs, alcohol, , and bloody bodies. I was nothing more than an empty shell. You gave my life a new meaning, Chanyeol.”

Chanyeol sniffs, trying to crack a grin and punches the other on the shoulder lightly to hide how touched he is. “Stop it, you sweet-talker!”

“No, I mean it,” Kris tugs at both of Chanyeol’s arms, sending him crashing forward into the older’s chest in a hug. “I love you, Chanyeol. I would do anything for you.”

Chanyeol’s eyes soften, dropping his head to rest on the broad shoulder. “I know,” he murmurs.

Chanyeol does know.

He knows that Kris loves him. He knows those feelings aren’t a lie.

But he also knows Kris well enough to know about his principles, too.

Kris has his own codes. He isn’t the type to play dirty or cheat like Luhan, Baekhyun, Jongdae, and most of the Exo members. He simply uses his insurmountable strength and skills to overpower anyone. He either kills them or they kill him, no need for petty tricks.

He’s been smitten with Chanyeol since that day he saw the younger at the club, so many years ago. He’s still in love with Chanyeol.

Chanyeol knows what type of person Kris is.

He’s loyal. The type to stay faithful.

Loyal and faithful to Chanyeol, his one and only love, and loyal and faithful, too, to the person who had built up Exo and turned it into something much bigger and grandiose than anyone could’ve ever imagined, who had treated him well all this time.

The one who had given Kris free reign to do anything he wished ever since he had taken command. The one who allowed a no-name like Chanyeol to be an Elite just because Kris recommended so. The one who never pushed Kris to do anything he didn’t want to, unlike the old boss.

The one who let Kris go when he wanted out of the mafia, no questions asked. The one who didn’t hunt after them for the betrayal unlike what other mafia bosses would do.

Kris is the honorable, straightforward type who treats someone exactly like how they’ve treated him.

This means Kris is loyal to Kai, and Chanyeol can’t believe he didn’t notice it until now. Didn’t put all the pieces together.

The first alarm should’ve been when he found out Kris conspired with Luhan to hand Kai over to Super Junior, because―how