Suddenly, the colour of the carpet turned back into gray and he looked towards the door in astonishment. Sure enough, he could see a crowd of people on the street, walking away. He’d had his chance right there, but he had blown it yet again. Though he felt like kicking himself, Jinki knew that there was a high possibility of seeing him again. After all, he had an account with them. The easy way to find out the man’s details was just by checking their system, but Jinki preferred to be acquainted by himself. Off all the things he could be called, a ‘stalker’ certainly wasn’t one of them. After work, he changed, as usual, this time putting on even more eyeliner than the previous day. It was going to be a long night since he had to get the missing stud replaced before he lost it. As someone who always believed in perfection and balance, this one tiny thing was like a grain of sand in his eye, which would keep bothering him until he got it fixed.

As he entered the parking, he felt a shiver go down his spine, when he was able to see the reflective yellow paint, marking the way out. Swallowing nervously, Jinki observed all of the other colours he was finally able to see. He felt so blessed to see all the beautiful designs and shades of colour around him, that for a minute, he forgot why he was able to do this. As he walked towards his pride and joy, Jinki saw him again. Leaning against the bike as though he belonged there, the masked intruder with the two-toned hair seemed to be waiting for him.

“Can I help you?”

“Actually, I just wanted to show you something, goth boy”

Waving his new necklace in front of the other man’s face, Jonghyun got the exact reaction he had expected. For some reason, just watching his anger build up, brought him a lot of joy.

“So it was you! How dare you defile my motorbike?”

“Seriously?”

Unable to control himself any longer, Jonghyun collapsed on the floor, laughing as though he had never heard anything funnier than this in his life.

Jinki couldn’t believe that the rude person in front of him was supposed to be his soulmate. What kind of horrible trick was the universe playing with him? Given his luck, Jinki was sure that there was someone up there who was rolling on the floor in laughter, at his predicament. How on earth was he supposed to play nice with someone whose nose he was itching to break?

“I swear I’ll kill you”

“Try it, I have a bottle of gasoline with me, and all I have to do is pour it over your darling bike”

For the first time in his life, Jinki took a step back and controlled his anger. He could see the bottle that the other man was waving and immediately figured out that he wanted something. There was something about the intense expression in those chocolate brown eyes that made Jinki’s hair stand on edge.

“Alright, what do you want from me?”

“Quite fast on the understanding, aren’t we? You’re right. I do want something”

Jinki’s heart began to sink as he saw the gleam in Facemask’s eyes. What he was about to suggest, wouldn’t be something he’d like to do.

“Just tell me quickly, Facemask. I need to go”

He really had some nerve, calling him that when he was at such an obvious disadvantage. However, in his defence, the guy didn’t know his name at all. What Jonghyun really couldn’t figure out was why he seemed so drawn to this person. Normally, he would never push anyone like this, so it was just really weird and unusual for him.

“Well, I need you to pick me up day after tomorrow from the same place you dropped me last time. 7 pm. Don’t be late”

This was all so cryptic, as though it was a James Bond movie, and surprisingly, Jinki felt a little intrigued over what he should expect. It seemed as though he was finally going to get a bit of excitement in his monotonous life, which he was all for.

“Alright, I’ll be there”

What Jinki didn’t realize was how much these words were going to affect his life. As decided, he waited at the spot, half wishing that Facemask wouldn’t show up. It was utterly despicable of him to allow himself to be blackmailed, but unfortunately, he felt as though there was a sword over his neck, which forced him to comply. The thudding of his heart became louder as he saw his partner in crime approaching him.

“Hey, you. Don’t just stand there like an idiot, and start your stupid bike”

“Don’t you dare call my love stupid”

“You really are an idiot. Anyway, come on, I don’t have time to play around with you”

Hoisting himself onto the Harley, Jonghyun gripped the sides as they zoomed along the busy street, using his directions. As his personal chauffeur stopped outside an old mansion, Jonghyun walked in through the gates as though he belonged. It really wouldn’t do for him to find out about him so early, or else there was a high possibility of him being carted off to the police station even before he counted to three. It wasn’t hard to pick the lock to the mansion, but what Jonghyun wasn’t prepared for, was the loud alarm that sounded as soon as he put one foot inside. This had never happened before. He should have known better than to trust the words of the local pickpockets and petty thieves that he hung out with. When challenged to steal a painting from a seemingly vacant property, he really hadn’t expected it to be a trap.

Jinki, leaning against his bike, was alarmed to hear the loud noise that made his head start to hurt. Wishing that he could be anywhere but here, he covered his ears and waited for his blackmailer to return. Not believing his eyes when he saw the man rushing out with the speed of an Olympic athlete, Jinki smiled to himself as he realized the potential of how he could ruin him. All he needed to do was to pretend that his bike had a puncture, but somehow, it felt too mean. Better than that, would be if he got to the bottom of things, by pretending to let the man trust him. Keeping the ignition on for when his ‘supposed’ soulmate got on, Jinki waited patiently. The faster he drove, the more he realized what he had just done. He’d let a thief escape the law, and if they were ever caught, he would also be implicated. However, for some reason, instead of feeling dread, all Jinki felt was a sense of purpose and exhilaration. He felt...free