The jungle was apparently in her good mood today - the temperature was a little lower than the usual scorching hotness one usually experiences in Maltaka even in the morning and the air was sweet and crisp which was refreshing - and that made today's trip even better and the male driving the truck smile in satisfaction.

Park Chanyeol purposely started to slow down a little at the clearing so that the tourists in the back could look around and take those pictures that will never see the daylight after they got taken - he was glad he was not on foot otherwise he is certain that fifty percent of his customers would ask him to capture them in front of every other tree and usually that meant not one, and not two pictures, resulting in wasted time which he couldn't afford right now when his business wasn't that successful. 

There were months like that occasionally, it was not something he should've worry about but he liked it when he had enough money to do and buy what he wanted. Park Unlimited was an all-round service provider and it had no competition in the area yet so he was free to do anything. Chanyeol usually did guided tours around the jungle and little villages for those who were brave and adventurous enough to be here - like right now -, but he was alright with simple transportation, shipping and other jobs - if it was paid well, of course. 

"Mr. Park," one of his passengers called him and he turned his head a little to show that he heard the middle-aged woman beside her husband. "I read something about a mythical creature, beast the people believe in, here, in La Mista. Can you tell us more about that?" 

Chanyeol adjusted his cap with a smirk because it was his favourite tale to attract tourists with - some of them even paid him for private tours to search for said being, so if the woman didn't mention it he would've made the conversation towards it anyways. 

"Sure, madam," he nodded. "It's called the Darak'na, the 'shadow' and basically that's what he is because he seems to be dark as the night. According to the villagers, he is a fast, strong, cat-like creature with razor-sharp claws like of a tiger, his shout is horrifying and he is a merciless killer if someone attempts to harm the jungle, his territory. I hope he doesn't resent me for touring you all around, though." 

It made everyone laugh as it was intended but none of them asked any further than that and Chanyeol knew from it that there will be no additional money he can squeeze out of them this time. He tried to be extra kind and helpful through the rest of the journey though, and that resulted in some good tips, so it was not all that bad in the end. 

After bidding goodbye to the people and parking his truck before Park Unlimited, he stepped out of the vehicle to stretch his aching muscles - it was a long tour and those always made him a little compressed. He missed those days when he could squat or stand in one place without moving an inch, watching through the rifle scope as the target moved instead. 

He was a good sniper back in the CIA - he wouldn't brag at all if he said he was one of the best. The codename Jericho as far as he knew was still uttered often with respect amongst some circles, even though he quit the organization years ago to come to Africa. The bitter taste which appeared on his tongue was ignored in favor of a good coffee - he walked inside the building and made his way towards the kitchen while hollering a greeting to his housemate slash colleague. 

"I'm back!" he said, but there was no response - typical of Kyungsoo, if he was being honest. The guy was the kind of person who didn't like to say anything unnecessarily and had a sort of attitude which needed some time getting used to, but he was a good friend even if he seemed like he hated the world and everyone in it. When Chanyeol came here, he didn't exactly have a clue what to do with his free time fresh out of the CIA quarters but meeting Kyungsoo in a bar made his life so much easier, and he will be forever grateful for his help in setting up and helping with his business. 

Reaching the counter, he was suprised to see that there was still some leftover coffee from that morning so he didn't bother to make another batch, he just only warmed it up. After he added some cream and a little bit of sugar, he went to the other side of the house to find Kyungsoo. The building wasn't anything luxurious, but it was really convenient: the office where everything happened was at the front, there was a kitchen with a living room in one space and a bathroom at the back while they lived upstairs in separate rooms. If Kyungsoo wasn't watching TV in plain sight, he could be found at the office for sure. 

Nearing the room, he heard the chime - it was actually a cow bell but it had a good sound and made its job well - notifying him that someone came in but he stayed behind the wall and only peaked through the curtains hanged in the doorway. He couldn't really see the customer, only Kyungsoo with his emotionless and bored face, rearranging their brochures on the table in front of him while reciting his usual greeting. 

"Welcome at Park Unlimited, I'm Do Kyungsoo, nice to meet you. We have a variety of tours available -" 

"If you're not Park, I don't want to talk to you," he heard the other man speak lowly, making a chill run down on Chanyeol's spine from the tone and making his bell ringing wildly inside him, the one that usually tells him to watch out. Others maybe call it gut feeling but he liked to think that it's a little protective spirit who begrudgingly wakes up and rings an actual bell in his heart every time there was danger. Sadly, it happened quite often and Chanyeol liked to brush away the warnings despite them almost always being right which explained his companion's constant bad mood. Who would want to be a protective spirit when your owner is basically a trouble-maker? Right, no one.

Kyungsoo paused in his speech but only blinked calmly before he straightened up and looked square in the eyes of the rude customer. 

"You're not Angelina Jolie either but I'm making the effort," he said nonchalantly, then turned towards the door and shouted his name. "Chanyeol!" 

He didn't care about show, so he didn't wait even a second before he pushed the curtain aside and stepped into the room looking towards the man. He was tall, almost taller than Chanyeol which was an achievement in itself, had dark hair with a bald spot on the top of his head. He was around forty or fifty, and even his beard and mustache couldn't hide the smirk he got on his face. His eyes were cunning as well but Chanyeol said nothing. Kyungsoo pat him in the back and pushed him a little forward before he looked at the douche from the doorway. 

"Attitude, meet attitude," he said, before he went out of the room and left the two inside. Chanyeol shook his head with a smile. The slight sweat on his skin made him a little cold now that he was under shelter and not outside under the sunlight, only in his white wife-beater. 

"So, what can Park Unlimited do for you today?" he asked as if he didn't already know that the man was here with possibly an u