“Why did you save us? Over-” Jungsoo is partially breathless, and he trails off slightly.

There’s a soft click as Heechul turns the knob to his house. “I have my reasons.”

“Thank you for saving my life as well.” Donghae sticks close to Jungsoo, offering Heechul a stiff bow out of gratitude that the slightly older man waves away indifferently.

Heechul sets about getting water for them, placing a glass of water in their hands; they gulp it down as if they hadn’t drank water in a week, simultaneously downing the water in a single breath.

“You can go.”

Donghae hesitates, his limbs going rigid as he sees Heechul’s somewhat austere gaze resting on him. “M - me?” He hates the way his voice shakes, the way he can’t seem to stay calm around the assassin. “What about Jungsoo?”

Don’t you dare.

“I’ll let him go back to Youngwoon.” Donghae doesn’t know how much of Heechul’s words he can believe.

Assassins lie, don’t they?

“I’ll be fine, go back,” Jungsoo promises him gently, “Heechul is telling the truth.”

He gazes at his friend. Do you really think that you know everything?

“Let me speak to Jungsoo before I leave,” he requests of Heechul; the assassin understands his implication immediately, swiftly parting from the two of them to give them privacy. Donghae hears the sound of a door shutting, waits a few seconds before he starts.

He grabs Jungsoo’s hands in his; they’re still a little cold, with small tremors. “Jungsoo,” he can hear his own voice catching in his throat, and he forces a harsher emotion, making his voice even more choked and pleading, “Let’s run away together, away from here.”

“Why? They’ll come after me,” the laughter in Jungsoo’s tone makes his heart beat all the more faster, “It’s safer here, with him.”

Have you fallen for it? “You can’t trust him, Jungsoo, you can’t trust any of them-” His words are practically spilling over each other in his franticness now, his heart thudding harshly against his ribcage. “You’re going to end up dead, just like all the rest. You can’t trust them, they’re just going to kill you! Jungsoo, come back to your senses, don’t tell me you’re really trusting this killer?”

“If he kills me,” Jungsoo pauses, and Donghae feels a rush of emotion seeing the faint smile on his lips, “Then I guess I’m a fool.”

Is this how it’s going to be?

I gave you the chance to run away with me and yet you chose to stay.

So were you a fool all along, Jungsoo?

Will I lose you?

I know the outcome better than you know it, Jungsoo.

“I promise I won’t let myself get killed so easily,” Jungsoo smiles at him, “He’s only been protecting me all this while.”

But you’re his target.

“Hyukjae was never a target, and yet his life was taken.” Donghae’s voice is quiet, and his gaze lingers on Jungsoo with a solemn melancholy. “Don’t forget that, Jungsoo. If you decide to run one day, my door will always be open.”

When he opens the door and steps out, Jungsoo doesn’t follow.

He watches as Donghae exits, hears the door opening as Heechul steps out. “Why didn’t you leave?”

“Because I trust you.” He pauses. “Kind of.”

“I don’t think anyone has said that to me before,” Heechul comments with the arch of an eyebrow, “But thank you.” He turns to stare out of the window instead of facing Jungsoo, his fingers tapping idly against the sill. “Do you want to go back?”

“Youngwoon will be worried out of his mind. I need to go back,” Jungsoo murmurs. Will he let me go back, just like that?

“Okay.”

The words fall out of his mouth easily, and he sees the surprise pass Jungsoo’s face at his calm agreement.

“Why do you protect me?” Jungsoo blurts.

He hesitates.

“You don’t need to know that.”

I killed your family, but I saved your life more than once.

He gazes at Jungsoo. Do you hate me? It’s a rather conflicting decision, isn’t it?

I know.

I’ve been saved by the same one who killed my family.

But he’s dead now.

“Go back to Youngwoon,” he instructs, “I have my own business to settle.”

“I don’t know which way it is.”

Heechul beckons for him to follow, and he makes haste; the scenery outside is quite beautiful when Heechul opens the door, revealing a scorching orange-red sun bleeding into the warmer colours of dusk past the tall repetitive buildings plastered across the grounds. The wind blows strong, and he shudders, still wearing the oversized shirt he had borrowed from Youngwoon.

A quiet sigh escapes Heechul’s lips. “You’re going to freeze to death in that shirt. And it stinks.” He pushes the door back open, gesturing for Jungsoo to follow; a moment later, the latter finds folded clothes placed in his hands - plain, simple, but functional enough. “Hurry up and change.” His tone is brusque.

For a moment, he stands awkwardly - do I go to his bathroom? - before Heechul sighs and turns around, walking towards his room. “I’m not going to look at you, even though I’ve already seen enough.”

He can feel his cheeks going red as he removes the shirt and replaces it with the one that Heechul gave him. It smells like