Your heart dropped when Taehyun’s grip around your hands tighten. He remains indifferent in his expression, casually slipping the ray-bans off his head over his eyes as he tugs you a little closer.

“Don’t look back –someone’s onto us.” He says quietly and you feel his thumb rubbing circles on your skin in a silent apology.

Panic crawls through you, but over the years, you’ve learnt how to keep a straight face, almost as well as he does.

“ing kidding me –really? On our honeymoon?” You tasted the bitterness in his tone and you bite back your own disapproval. You knew damn well what you got yourself into the moment you realized that you’ve recklessly fallen for a fugitive.

You said nothing as you pretend to take interest in the handmade souvenirs dangling off the market stalls. Taehyun senses your uneasiness, his lip before he wraps a secure arm around your waist.

“You know the drill.” He murmurs into your hair, his hand sliding up to your shoulder to give it a reassuring squeeze.

“Of course I do. Being a hostage is my specialty, remember?” Taehyun frowns at your lukewarm smile, clearly disturbed by your comment.

“Baby, don’t say that.” He presses sternly through a clenched jaw, “I need you to stay with Jinwoo.” 

Your wary eyes dart over his shoulders, catching a glimpse of two men standing on guard. Jinwoo held your gaze, unaffected by the faint smile you offered while Seunghoon simply looks away. They must have picked up your discomfort over the fact that they were tagging along on your damn honeymoon, convinced that they weren’t so fond of the idea either. But if it means keeping Taehyun in one piece, you were in no place to object.

“Tae– ”

“Stay alive, I know.” His fingers curled around yours when he cuts your protest short.

“I hate you, oh god I hate you.” You breathe out a whisper as you stifle back a cry. And he could only stare in remorse when you turn away before you break down completely.

You felt ill when realization hits you, as morbid as it sounds, those could be the last words you could leave him with. Being with Taehyun, you never really know. It could be twenty years from now, a month or a second before one of you ends up dead.

“Mrs. Nam–” Before you could take it back, Jinwoo appears from out of nowhere to grab your wrist. You reacted by holding on to Taehyun like your life depended on it and even through his dark shades you could see his eyes begging for you to leave him and stay safe.

Taehyun kept his focus to the space behind you, presumably to whoever it was that hunted him down. Barely sparing you a last glance, he brushes past you with mindless ease. The subtle squeeze of your hand being his only assurance and goodbye, almost hearing him say I’ll see you soon, I promise.

As empty as that promise sounds, you secretly pray that he’d keep it. Just as he always does.

It was when someone opened fire and you didn’t dare to look back, leaving your suspicions unanswered. You knew what Taehyun was capable of but you could never bring yourself to see it with your own eyes.

Jinwoo wastes no time, dismissing the usual courtesy as he yanks you from your stance. The both of you raced past Seunghoon who already had his gun out, assisting their first in command. 

He sprints through the streets, paving into tiny alleyways effortlessly and your lungs were on fire with each frantic step. Plenty of times you were whisked away this way, but Jinwoo’s quick and sharp movements were somewhat fleeting, invisible to the eye. This never fails to amaze you and you understood why Taehyun paid no mind in the amount he pays Jinwoo to keep you safe.

Yet with his abilities, Jinwoo could do better and it surprised you to know that he’d declined other strikingly attractive offers, further proving his loyalty towards Taehyun. 

He guides you into a cramped alley, enough for two bodies to squeeze through and his wide eyes signals you to remain calm.

“We lost them.” He pants, nodding towards you then to his side, checking through the open space for any suspecting men.

“Are you okay, Mrs. Nam?” His brown eyes darts back to you and you were still breathless from the chase. You could only nod in response and he steps out carefully after your confirmation.

“We don’t have much time, our car is just by the corner. If I bring it over–”

For someone so smart, Jinwoo could be so blindly stupid. He was only looking out for your best interests, probably coming from Taehyun himself. There was no time to spare for him to act like a damn valet just so you won’t have to break out another bead of sweat.

His eyes flew open, stunned by your decision to make a run for it, grabbing his arm along the way. “Hurry!”

At the sight of the car, Jinwoo holds out an arm to swiftly click the locks open and the car beeps loudly throughout the market street. You burst into the passenger side and the rush within you numbs the burning contact of your skin to the heated leather seat, blazed by the summer heat.  

The car screeches when Jinwoo punches the accelerator, weaving through the crowd as you escaped the gang of men finally appearing in the rear view mirror. He taps his earpiece, She’s safe, Tae –leaving his lips and you still wonder why he doesn’t drop the formalities with you, ignoring the honorifics like he does with Taehyun.  

“Where is he?”

“He’ll see you back at the hotel, Mrs. Nam.”

You didn’t question him any further. You’d been to three different places the past week, just to avoid things like these and you were past complaining.

 “Is he alright?” You ask, finding it hard to swallow the lump forming in your throat.

“Taehyun’s fine, he keeps his promises.” The tension in his tone disappears, seemingly more relaxed than he’s ever been with you. His sudden change left you in a slight daze and he fills your silence while he has the chance to.

 “Since he met you, he takes care of himself.” You catch a smile twitching the pout of his lips, “He’d die for you, you know that?”

“Are you allowed to tell me that?” It finally felt like you were conversing with a friend and you were surprised, knowing well that he was recalling a private conversation with his boss, one that he shouldn’t be spilling out to you for that matter.

Taehyun’s whole life was a death wish on its own. You’d always thought that he didn’t need anyone to die for and to hear that he would for you, was something you couldn’t comprehend.

“Probably not, but he needs me more than I need him.” Jinwoo breathes out a short laugh, shaking his head gently as he does so.

“Why is that?” You couldn’t lie and say that you weren’t thrown by his remark, curious as to why Taehyun would need him more.

“He thinks he can’t keep you safe.” Jinwoo confesses and you find yourself staring at his words as he keeps his gaze fixed to the road in front, unmoved once again.  

Silence envelops the space between you and him, your thoughts drifting elsewhere. The entire journey back to the hotel was quicker than expected and you were thankful that Jinwoo probably caught onto your hint of wanting nothing more than to be with Taehyun.

He lost you halfway, when you rushed out the elevator, leaving him to keep an eye on you from a distant. It was safe enough anyway, now that you were only a few rooms away from the suite that you stayed in.

You were close to ramming the door yourself when Seunghoon took a little too long, almost tripping over him on the way in.

“Taehyun?” A measly whisper was all you could manage, feeling like your heart might just burst out of your chest any minute now.

Upon resting his eyes on your figure, Taehyun jolts up from the edge of the bed, not an ounce of reluctance in him when he hurls you into his arms. You couldn’t find the words to scold him for that busted lip or the mess of his parted hair, he looked like hell but you didn’t care. Taehyun buries his face into your hair, swollen lips placing frantic kisses on your forehead. Your silent cries made him pull you closer to him, strong arms locked behind your back.

It was with him that you felt the safest, the irony sends a pang to your chest and you know that nothing would convince him to believe that.

“Shh, you’re safe. I won’t let go of you.”

Maybe, just maybe, he believed it after all.

//