White. Pink. Yellow. Green. Blue. Red.

These colors of glowing streaks are fascinating in Sehun's eyes. It gives him serenity along with the sound of rain pattering against the windshield as he drives through the streets bustling of nightlife. Inside the car, the radio isn't . It's one of those moments where he doesn't want any noise and just wants to bask in tranquility. It would've been pretty quiet in the vehicle if it weren't for the constant pinging of Kai's phone, notifying him of the messages being received. His companion doesn't even bother putting it on silent mode, unaware of how the sound slightly gets in Sehun's nerves.

Sehun steals a glance at his side and sees a smile ghosting on Kai's face while he was typing a reply at his phone.

"Do I have to drop you elsewhere now?" he asks with an implication that Kai might desire to meet one of his concubines tonight because that is usually the case every time they finish some rounds of drinking at one of the underground clubs they operate.

Unlike Kai, he doesn't get faced no matter how much alcohol he chugs down, so he's always asked by his drunkard of a friend to drive him to his concubine's place. It used to be a frequent occurrence. Lately, though, not anymore. Kai can also hold his alcohol now. This sudden change of behavior was odd to say the least.

But at last, tonight will finally be seemingly different from all of the other nights in which Kai was not yet back to his old ways.

"Nope. Still the headquarters."

Wrong.

Sehun should be relieved that he won't have to maneuver the car in a different direction due to a last-minute change of destination, but he isn't. He's troubled. Nowadays, Kai wasn't himself. He often wonders what brought the change.

Soon enough, the annoying ping can no longer be heard. They are driving in silence. Until Kai decides to break the ice, that is.

"Sehun?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever been in love?" The question makes Sehun frown. It came out of nowhere. He briefly glances at Kai who is no longer holding his phone and is instead wearing a serious expression on his face while waiting for an answer from him.

"Shouldn't you know the answer to that already? We practically spent most of our life with each other," he replies a matter-of-factly, eyes going back to the road.

They have been best friends for as long as he could remember. They grew up together. Just like their fathers. It was to be expected that they would also join the mob world to follow their footsteps. No one knows about Oh Sehun better than Kai does. He, out of all people, should know how Sehun has never been in love. He has never been with anyone. ually, yes. There had been many. Romantically, none.

"It's not like it would be impossible for you to keep secrets from me."

"I don't keep any secrets from you, though. I tell you everything."

"Really?" Kai chuckles, "That makes me feel guilty."

When Sehun is about to prod him of his intent on asking, Kai is quick enough to swerve the conversation in his favor.

"Even Boss Wu has a lover, you know."

At that point, Sehun picks up where he's getting at. Typical Kai would want to beat around the bush and not get straight to it.

"Funny story you have there, Kai," Sehun remarks in a noncommittal tone.

"I kid you not. There's no point in lying anyway."

Wu Yi Fan, whom Kai called 'Boss Wu' is the son of the current head of their organization and also the successor of the said position. He is cold and ruthless to most, but he can also be warm and gentle to a select few. That being said, it still surprised Sehun that their boss has a lover although he has tons of responsibilities on his shoulders and barely has time to rest. In a matter of months, those responsibilities will be multiplied because his dad's days are numbered due to terminal illness.

"That's news, then," he could only say as he doesn't know how to react to it.

Silence falls between them again as they round a bend and a high-rise office building comes into the view. To the clueless, the establishment is just as mentioned, but if they had known better, they'd probably cower in fear at the knowledge that it's the headquarters for the South Korea chapter of the 14K Triad. When their car moves close at the entrance gate, the automated barriers allow it access as soon as it electronically verifies and authenticates the vehicle which has an adhesive sticker of their organization's logo—a red silhouette of a dragon—attached to its windshield.

"Sehun... Don't you have plans of settling down someday?" Kai poses another question the second Sehun pulls into a vacant space that he finds in between two SUVs in the parking area.

There's something Kai wants to tell him and Sehun knows even without the former having to be direct about it. He patiently waits for him to open up as he has already figured out that the cause of the change in Kai isn't a 'what', as he initially guessed. It's a who.

He turns off the engine before responding, "With the kind of lifestyle we have? Hell no. It will drive me nuts if they get in danger because of me and I'm not able to protect them in the end." Kai nods in understanding, agreeing with Sehun's point.

"I used to think the same. But then..."

This was it, Sehun thinks.

"I was able to meet this person. And suddenly, I'm willing to risk it all for him."

The first sentence comes as no surprise to Sehun because he already had a hunch but the last one did it. Him. For a womanizer like Kai, that was quite a revelation.

"The next thing I'm going to say will probably shock you and you will most definitely think that I've lost all the screws in my head for this gamble I'm about to make."

"Out with it."

"I'm planning on leaving," Kai confesses, dropping the bomb. As predicted, Sehun's eyes widen in horror.

"What the , Kai. Are you out of your goddamn mind!?" The gravity of the situation begins weighing on him as well as the consequences Kai will be facing because of his treachery which is making him frantic. "I'm just reminding you, in case your forget, the only way out is death."

When one decides to enter the mob and gets initiated, they have to do a little blood ritual and they're in it for life after that. There's no turning back. However, if one plans on leaving, they leave through death. It was "Blood in, blood out." The strength and weakness of the mob lie in the brotherhood bonds through which their members are connected and a rite like this establishes a ritual kinship. Any member could not simply quit because they're privy to so much that there's no assurance that they could keep the secrets with them to their grave.

"I know exactly the danger that this entails. But I really want to be with him, Sehun. I'm tired of our set-up where I couldn't see him as much as I want because we're far apart and my obligation here could only allow me to meet him every three months or so. And if I continue to stay, I could die without him knowing. I could die and I just couldn't bear the thought of not seeing him again. I finally came to a point in my life where I'm scared of getting killed," Kai's voice cracks as he continues, "To die fighting for the Triad is an honor. But for him, Sehun, I want to live and the kind of life I want to continue living is a peaceful one... not like this."

Sehun scoffs. Kai has really lost it. He finds it ridiculous too see his friend getting vulnerable.

"We made an oath, Kai," he grits his teeth. "When they say jump, we ask 'how high?'" He can't stress enough how extremely perilous it is to break the rules and go against the mob. Nonetheless, Kai was anything but perturbed.

"Like I still care about that at this point," There's a fiery determination in Kai's eyes that makes Sehun's jaw clench. It seems like he will remain firm with his decision no matter what he says.

"You could still die in our hands if you leave and it will be a shame," this was his last vain attempt in convincing him. Yet again, Kai brushes off the warning, "Not with a perfectly-executed runaway plan."

"And if thi