“Stop!” she yelled at the top of her voice, her eyes were crimson red like they were bleeding inside. She kept on screaming, her scream was like a baby in a tumble dryer, garbled, muffled, intermittent but nonetheless distressing and intense. Her voice was hoarse from all the crying and yelling only made it worse. Although she knew that yelping would not do her any good, she forced herself to beg for their mercy. She did not want them to hurt him. “Please don’t hurt him, it was never his idea!”

Jinri felt lost and scared, tears started to well up in her eyes again when she looked down at the man before her who was tied down to their dining chair, looking so weak, almost lifeless. Blood continuously flowed out of his body without a sign of stopping and splattered onto the wooden floor. It seemed into every corner of the room and made the once beauty of the mansion was ruined by the gore of his blood.

She almost thought he was already dead, until the golden eyes met with hers. His lips could not form a smile, the pain was just too much that grimace was shown clearly on his face. But from his eyes, Jinri knows, she knows that he was happy seeing her.

He took a deep breath and as he tried to speak, the words came sputtering out of him. “Jinri, don’t cry.“ He bit his lips as he gave her the assuring look of his. “I’m alright. I promise you, we will make it out of here,” he croaked, so hoarse he was not certain he had even spoken.

Darkness suddenly came like the thick velvet curtains that they used in the theatres. She felt the walls closing in, trapping both of them. In the grip of silent panic, she felt suffocated, her eyes went wild as its pupils dilated. She freezed and could not think, it was as if her brain had turned to ice. In her dread, she began sobbing so hard she almost threw up.

With every second she practically felt the rise of her blood pressure, she squeezed her eyes shut and cried out his name.

“Taemin!”

“Jinri...” She opened her tired eyes, puzzling at the concerned face that was only a few inches away from hers. She could not move and yet she knew that her cheek was wet. She remained silent and went deep into her thoughts, trying to figure out what had actually happened.

And when she knew that was not real, she immediately throwed herself onto his well-built torso and hugged him tightly. She could feel him her long black hair as he pulled her into his chest. Tears then came down like the rain, wetting his favorite black T-shirt.

“It’s okay.” He said. “It’s okay, it’s not real.” He rubbed her back gently. “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.” She heard him chanting until her eyes felt heavy, drifting into a deep sleep in his arms.

…

“Taemin.” He turned his head away from the tablet and looked up to pay a full attention at the girl who was peeking through the half opened door. She smiled as she made her way towards him, settling on his lap casually. “Can you please go out and do some chores for me? We’re running out of groceries,” she pursed her lips.

“Already?” he groaned, dreading the idea of the mall with so many girls who Jinri claimed to be his fans. Plus, buying groceries was not his forte, there was one time when he spent an hour choosing the ‘best-looking’ fish. “Didn’t we bought loads of them last week?”

“Last two weeks,” she corrected him. When she saw that displeased expression on his face, she huffed in annoyance. “Aw, come on. I’m not asking you to build the goddamn mall. Just go and buy some foods for us to survive, will ya?”

An idea popped in her head when she remembered the garden. They had some broccolis growing there, it was planted by the previous owner and Jinri had chosen to keep it. “Or you’ll be eating your favorite broccoli soup for the rest of the year,” she warned, lifting the corner of her lips into a smirk.

Taemin squirmed at the idea, shivers went all over his body. A year of broccoli soup? That greenish disgustingness? Not to exaggerate but he would rather eat vege burgers for a whole year than having to make that choice. At least the patty in them had the tiniest taste of real chicken.

“Alright, alright, fine. I’ll go,” he sighed in a defeated way.

“Yeay,” she squeezed his shoulders and bopped his nose with her own. “You’re the best.” She was about to leave him with whatever he was doing earlier when he pulled her in for a hug, resting his chin on her shoulder comfortably. Settling in her warmth, he indulged his favorite scent on her, jasmine.

Despite the heaviness in her stomach that was unknown to Taemin, she too fluttered at the feeling of her body pressed against his. She let her body sag, her muscles become loose as she sunk into the warmth of his chest, appreciative of the simple gesture.

His touch always made the room warmer somehow, her future within its walls seeming a little less bleak. She smiled faintly at the thought of her happiness, and from that moment, she chose to believe that there was still hope.

“Hope”, she whispered to herself.

…

The sun had gone to take his beauty rest before carrying on his duty again, the moon swiftly took his place as the darkness began to surround the little town. Taemin had always loved the night, it hid his flaws, his imperfections, both inside and outside. The scars that burned onto his flesh, the marks that the gun gave everytime its bullets grazed onto his golden skin and the stabs of knives left behind, all gone eaten by the night.

He looked up to count the lingering stars on the sky but soon gave up when he felt his eyes blinded by the bright light of the full moon. He rummaged in his pocket for the cigarettes he had bought earlier at the convenient store, casually lighting it up before putting it in between his lips.

He the smoke deep into his lungs remembering all the warnings, especially Jinri’s but not caring. He was not an addict, he would only smoke one when he feels like doing so. He did not know why he was smoking at that moment but somehow there was a strong and stern voice that told him to do it.

The voice told him it would help him to feel at ease. And he must admit, he really did feel better.

The memory from the other night came rushing like water into his mind again, this time it was so clear like it was some sort of warning. It almost felt like he was not looking at the scene he had witnessed before and instead his mind showed him what he should have seen.

It was strongly vivid, like the images were created by himself.

The image of Jinri crying her heart out, red tears coming out from her beautiful brown eyes. He knew it was not real, it was merely his imagination, what he had created for himself. But he could not just let it go, because he was sure, so sure, that she was not herself that night.

He eyed the red liquid and the golden glow of the glass-like cubes he had left on the table next to him previously. He then shifted his eyes at the cigarette between his fingers. It was almost short enough to burn his fingers. With an effort, he leaned forward to crush it out.

He took a sip of the liquor and a sour and vile taste slipped into his mouth, nullifying him as it instantly stole away reality in favor of fantasy. It felt good and he smiled to himself. The bitterness was really the cure.

Just seconds after he let himself rest on the armchair by his window, he felt a hot breath on his neck, then the tender brush of her plump lips. The kiss was short but it soothed his pain, it was definitely better than the red wine.

Her arms circled his neck and they both looked up to the sky that had turned somewhat darker. “You seemed to be lost in thought,” she murmured.

“Yeah, I figured I did.” He lit up another cigarette before he spoke again. “I think I might be stressed out too.”

“We both are,” she softly muttered against his bare neck. “But it’s alright, we have the whole night for ourselves today. Say, I was thinking that the front garden needs a new look. Would you like to do it with me tomorrow?”

He gave her the look as he furrowed his eyebrows and Jinri laughed. “Yes Taemin, I am asking you on a date.”

“That’s a one lame date,” he chuckled, feeling content. “But sure, I mean who would reject an offer from a beau – ” His sentence was effectively cut off by the buzzer of his phone that went off like an annoyed rattlesnake. He sighed and scooped it up, turning his way towards Jinri as he tilted his head sideways apologetically.

He answered it and listened for a long moment before nodding unconsciously. “We will be there,” he said as he closed his eyes in frustration.

His expression alerted her and she immediately knew with whom Taemin had been talking to. When their eyes met, Jinri gave him an assuring smile, trying to change the solemn look on his face. “When are we leaving?” she asked.

“Tomorrow morning. To Las Vegas,” he murmured. He came closer to Jinri and simply kissed her hand. He leaned a little closer, their foreheads touching. Her very smell was flooding his senses, and he eagerly kissed the tip of her nose before brushing his lips against hers.

The world fell silent and they had long forgotten about their worries of tomorrow when they indulged deeper into the kiss. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words could never be. His hand rested below her left ear, his thumb caressing her cheek. She pulled him closer until there was no space left between them as their breaths mingled.

She made him feel whole.

And he wanted to stay like that forever, but it was never possible.

…

Tapping her burgundy nails on the steering wheel Jinri nervously waited for Taemin to come out from the hotel. It was called Bellavia Las Vegas and as he had already told her beforehand, it was one of the most luxurious in the whole of Nevada. The plan was Taemin dealing with the millionaire all by himself, he told her it was fine and that she only just had to wait for him in the car for their run.

It was odd, she thought at first. They would always go together but he was so stressed on her not coming with him. She then glanced on the diamond watch on her wrist, it was a gift from Taemin, and when she saw the time she bit her lips.

He was late.

Eight minutes had already gone by and Jinri knew she could not wait any longer. She took a tentative step outside and closed the door. She wrapped the coat tightly around her body, it was freezing. She quickly ran her way to the main entrance, smiling at the doorman trying to make herself look less suspicious.

The hotel lobby is sparse on the usual ornate detailing, it was far more classical than city like. The colors are in the palate of a historical museum, every hue from golden trophies to the pure white of a statue. The floors were marble, and there was a huge waiting area before the receptionist desk. The whole look was exceptionally spectacular and she found herself stunned by the view.

Realizing she was wasting time, she dashed towards the elevator and pressed the button to the thirtieth floor. The thought that something could have happened to Taemin terrified her so much she began shaking a little. He was good at what he does, in fact, he was their favorite. He was incredibly smart and this was not the first time that he went on a mission alone.

He was not entirely alone though this time, Jinri was with him. But still, she could not wash away the heaviness in her stomach. She was feeling unusually so, so scared.

She should not be acting like this, she thought. She took her coat off and slipped her hand under her long black dress. Her hand steadily took a grip on the gun hidden at her lower thigh. She brought the gun to her side holding it close, kept her posture straight and remained calm as she had the usual poker face on while waiting for the door to open.

Jinri was then greeted by the oddly comforting silent hallways, there was no one around except her. She left her coat on the floor of the elevator and unlocked the safety of the gun. She carefully made her way towards the room numbered ‘582’ when suddenly, a hand clamped over , muffling her scream.