Warnings:
cursing, misogyny, mentions of assault, minor depictions of violence, ual implications (no explicit ), some mentions of blood

Length: 9.3k words

PROLOGUE

What’s the difference between a hero and a villain?

The hero swallows their hatred. The villain bleeds theirs.

SCENE 01 – berlin

It’s August 28th when Baekhyun peers through the viewfinder of his camera and adjusts its lens to bring a subject into focus. What becomes of the blurry image is a man; his shirt has been discarded, and a blonde woman in a sleek black dress has wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a kiss.

CLICK! Baekhyun takes a photo of the scene which occurs just across the balcony from his. He does this coolly—with nothing but precision and a straight face.

Jieun, who has been sitting next to Baekhyun for the last few hours, yawns. Although Baekhyun can hardly see in their pitch-black hotel room, his peripheral catches an outline of Jieun stretching her arms.

At 3:53AM, Baekhyun takes one last photo.

At 3:59 AM, Baekhyun receives a text from Irene telling him to let her in.

Before the clock can touch 4:00AM, Baekhyun has allowed Irene inside his room. Her blonde hair is messy and tangled, and she has changed from her black dress to sweatpants and a hoodie. In one hand is her purse and slung over her shoulder is a small duffel bag.

“Here’s your payment.” Baekhyun hands Irene a thin stack of euros held by a clip.

Irene examines the stack of bills for a moment before handing Baekhyun the duffel bag. She’s shoving the money into her purse when she says to him, “You said you’d tell me after I was done. What are the pictures for, and why do you need my clothes?”

“A little something called revenge.” Baekhyun finishes inspecting the bag; Irene has kept her end of the bargain. He looks at her again, and she doesn’t take her time leaving his room.

When the door is shut tight, Jieun approaches Baekhyun until they’re face to face. The single lamp at the corner of the room illuminates her gentle, fairylike features harshly. Her brows are furrowed and seem worried, but her soft voice is nothing but curious.

“What’s next?” Jieun inquires.

“We take the next flight out of Berlin,” Baekhyun murmurs with a shrug, “and we get married in Vegas.”

SCENE 02 – comeback

It’s September 4th when Jieun asks Baekhyun how they ended up in Los Angeles with wedding rings.

“How’d you talk me into this again?” she wonders out loud.

“Into what?” Baekhyun challenges. He’s smug and smirking as Jieun tightens his bowtie. “Getting married or homewrecking someone else’s marriage?”

Jieun scoffs, but she’s smiling too. “You know what I’m talking about,” she murmurs.

“Well…” Baekhyun looks at his dapper reflection in the mirror.

Baekhyun’s eyes had stung when he bleached his hair and dyed it white, but it was all worth it in the end. What’s a villain without a little flamboyance? Now standing beside him is Jieun, wearing a coral pink evening gown and resting her hands on his shoulders. If Baekhyun was none the wiser, he would have assumed they were just another pretty couple.

“You like having fun,” Baekhyun says, “I like getting what I deserve, and homewrecking—let’s just be honest there—gets us both.”

“I don’t remember you being this bold in high school,” Jieun muses.

“Well, we didn’t really know each other in high school, did we?”

“You were my neighbor when we went to the same university, though.”

“So you know how often I brought women home.”

“No, I was probably too busy spending the night with my professor.”

Baekhyun turns around to look at Jieun in amazement. He’s known her since high school, but they were never friends until the incident. Since then, Jieun has proven herself as the perfect partner-in-crime—as evident in brow-raising moments like these.

“Miss Lee,” Baekhyun murmurs, drawing closer to the grinning Jieun. “You’re something else, aren’t you?”

A ringing bell interrupts their small moment; the auction is starting.

“You ready?” Baekhyun asks.

“I’m ready,” Jieun says in her soft voice, “but you should kiss me at least once.” Her sudden proposal causes Baekhyun to laugh at the suggestion, but she keeps a straight face. “Since you’re my husband and all,” Jieun continues shamelessly. “We have to keep up appearances, don’t we?”

“Just say you’re dying to kiss me,” Baekhyun whispers into Jieun’s ear with a smile. He ends up kissing her on the forehead and grasping her hand as they make their way towards the main ballroom.

Biltmore Hotel’s expansive crystal ballroom is a beautiful mix of historic modernity. Crystal chandeliers decorate the frescoed ceiling, and draped balconies oversee the main floor. Tonight, the place is filled with pseudo-nobles all dressed in clothing fit for a royal ball. In this light, Baekhyun feels as if he and Jieun were 18th century villains, dressed to perfection with the aim to kill.

It’s been years since Baekhyun attended one of these “charity” auction galas, but he still recollects how his ex-girlfriend Minjoo adored them. She had money to burn, and she loved tasteless, overpriced art from contemporary scam artists. She saw value in modern pieces of blank yellow canvases named after sociology terms like anomie. All the while, Baekhyun never understood the appeal of Pollocks and Newmans. He only ever went to these events when Minjoo was dragging him along. It’s strange how he’s here now, on his own accord.

“Are you sure it’s okay if she sees us together?” Jieun asks Baekhyun. “Won’t it spoil the plan?”

“Not particularly. Do you remember what I said when you asked me why I wanted to marry you?”

“What’d you say?”

“Two words. Spousal privilege,” Baekhyun whispers into Jieun’s ear. “We don’t have to testify against each other in a court of law.”

It should be a dream. When two people get married, they usually have reasons for doing so. Sometimes, it’s for love. That would be the sweetest alternative. Most people don’t get married for spousal privilege and tax breaks—much less for revenge.

“Is she the one with the blue dress?” Jieun subtly nudges her head towards a familiar woman.

“How’d you know?” Baekhyun peers at the woman sitting by herself at a table. She’s looking towards their direction, but nothing seems to suggest that she recognizes Baekhyun.

“She’s wearing the second prettiest dress here,” Jieun hums, winking elusively. “Don’t forget about your wife and her dress. Now, shall we?”

They exchange smiles, and Baekhyun leads the way towards his ex with his wife in hand. In those moments, he thinks of the last time he saw Minjoo.

It was six years ago, just past midnight, tucked somewhere in the desert hills of Los Angeles. Minjoo was standing over Baekhyun with the intent to end his life. She had a gun in her hands and tears in her eyes. Baekhyun was sure she was going to finish the job that Sehun started, but she didn’t. She could have shot him in the head, but she shot him in the stomach. Since then, Baekhyun has wondered: did she still love me, or did she only want me to die painfully?

The unanswered questions have never mattered less. Minjoo left him to die, period.

“What a beautiful evening.” Baekhyun pulls out two seats next to the unsuspecting Minjoo so Jieun can sit with them. Minjoo is halfway through a glass of white wine when she notices him.

Six years have been well to Minjoo. She’s exactly like Baekhyun remembered her: long brown hair that frames her oval face, always a lip color because she wasn’t “that” girl, and a mouth that that seems to be in a perpetual state of displeased. There’s something about Minjoo that’s different, though, and Baekhyun can’t point it out. Maybe it’s just them being older now. Six years is enough to outgrow rose-tinted glasses. Now, Baekhyun can no longer see the beautiful woman he used to love; he only sees the girl with the gun who almost killed him.

“B-Baekhyun,” Minjoo stammers. Her eyes are wide, undoubtedly surprised, but she keeps herself composed in front of the beaming Jieun. “H-Hello.”

“Minjoo. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? This is my wife.” Baekhyun smiles at Jieun knowingly before turning back to Minjoo. “Jieun, this is Minjoo. I told you about her.”

“The two of you were friends in college,” Jieun says, repeating the script that she and Baekhyun rehearsed earlier. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Baekhyun said great things.”

“Where’s Sehun?” Baekhyun asks like he doesn’t already know. The expression on Minjoo face shifts from surprised to slightly disappointed. Of course. Sehun the busy businessman doesn’t make time for Minjoo’s passions.

“Business trip,” Minjoo answers tersely.

“That’s too bad,” Jieun remarks. She touches Baekhyun on the shoulder. “You told me he was very funny.”

“There’s other times.” Baekhyun shrugs and gives Minjoo a quick glance. “Also, sweetheart,” he says to Jieun. “Can you give us a moment?”

“Of course.” Jieun is still smiling when she stands and leaves the two.

Once Jieun is out of earshot, Minjoo’s true colors begin to show.

“You call her sweetheart.”

“I’m back from the dead, and that’s what you say to me?” Baekhyun smiles. He used to love Minjoo, after all, so he knows exactly what she’s like. She needs attention. Severely. Undoubtedly, her mind starts to run when Sehun’s not around. “She’s my wife, ‘Joo,” Baekhyun explains. “Why? Do I say it better than Sehun?”

Minjoo presses her lip into a thin line. “What are you doing here?” she asks sharply. Her sudden change in demeanor is telling; the subject of her marriage is touchier than a resurrected dead man. “I thought you…” Died, she should say, but she swallows instead. “W-Why are you here?”

“Something about a happy ending,” Baekhyun responds vaguely. “You remember, don’t you? I always wanted a big family.”

“You could have chosen a different city for that.”

“And not see you?” Baekhyun fights back a smirk. “And Sehun?” Minjoo lip twitches at Sehun’s name, and Baekhyun uses it as an opportunity. “Where is he anyway?”

“I told you already. Business trip.”

“No kids either?” Baekhyun asks this already knowing the answer.

“Sehun’s just focusing on work right now,” Minjoo murmurs, averting her gaze. “He’s busy.”

 “Too busy for what? Taking care of kids? Or making them?”

Minjoo draws herself back, visibly uncomfortable. “Why are you really here?” she questions. “What are you trying to start?”

“I’m not here to start anything,” Baekhyun says, “unless you want to.” He finally allows himself to smirk. “Sweetheart,” he adds, and Minjoo’s mouth falls slightly ajar.

“Does your wife know you talk to your exes like this?” Minjoo challenges.

“Look,” Baekhyun retorts in a whisper, “when you shot me, you didn’t kill me. You just killed everything good that was in me. But that’s okay. Good boy Baekhyun was always a bit of a pushover, wasn’t he? That’s why you cheated on him.”

Baekhyun keeps his voice low as Minjoo turns pale with the reminder of her disloyalty.

“It’s fine,” Baekhyun continues. “I like the new me anyways. He’s a bit of a bad boy. He doesn’t care about what his wife knows. And…” Baekhyun stands up, seeing that Minjoo won’t give in so easily. “He could give you a lot to think about. Just let him know.”

SCENE 03 – the envelope

It’s September 6th when Baekhyun begins to initiate the second part of his five-step plan. Jieun has stopped their car by a parking meter, and the two of them keep looking at the dashboard clock. Late afternoon sunlight filters through Jieun’s side, casting orange glows on her fair skin.

“Minjoo’s gonna take a while,” Baekhyun says, breaking the silence. “Six years later, and I still can’t flirt for my life.”

“I’m telling you,” Jieun muses. “If you’re going to get her to cheat on Sehun, you need to remind her on what she’s missing out on. You. And what only you can offer.”

“And what would that be?”

“I don’t know. Thrill. Attention.” Jieun shrugs and turns to Baekhyun with an impish grin. “She’s a bored housewife with no kids and a husband who’s always too busy for anything. You saw how lonely she looked last night. The affairs write themselves, Baek.”

Baekhyun feels himself begin to smile in the realization that Jieun is right, but the alarm on his phone goes off, signaling that it’s 4:30.

“Time to burn Sehun’s company,” Baekhyun mutters as he grabs the single envelope that will aid him in today’s battle.

“Good luck.”

“Don’t need it,” Baekhyun states confidently. He waves goodbye to Jieun and exits the car. “See you later, sweetheart.”

Sehun’s company headquarters is right across the street, in arguably one of the tallest buildings in LA. There’s a sign at its base stating the company name in bold black and blue letters: LIGHTSPEED.

When Baekhyun and Sehun founded their startup over a decade ago, the two were still in college, and “Lightspeed” had its headquarters at Sehun’s apartment. It was nowhere near the cybersecurity giant that it is now. Six years ago, Baekhyun was the chief financial officer, and they always seemed to be on the cusp of a million-dollar profit every quarter—but not quite yet. In those days, they dreamed of Fortune 500 lists and IPOs. Those dreams seem so little now.

Baekhyun strolls through the front doors relatively easily, but the real problem is getting to his person of interest. When he still worked for Lightspeed, they didn’t require mandatory employee IDs to enter the offices. They also didn’t have private security, and the new lobby is crawling with guards.

To improvise, Baekhyun speaks to the woman at the front desk, and thankfully, a new one has been hired since he was last here.

“Hi,” Baekhyun greets the receptionist. “I’m here for a meeting with Suho. My name is Baekhyun.”

The receptionist types something in her computer and shakes her head less than a second later. “Sorry,” she says. “You’re not listed here, and it’s 4:30. Suho doesn’t take meetings this late—”

“Call him and say Baekhyun wants a meeting,” Baekhyun interrupts cheerfully. Six years, and revenge doesn’t stop at the receptionist’s desk. “That’s B-a-e-k-h-y-u-n. Tell him it’s important, please.”

There’s a moment of hesitation from the receptionist. She glances over at the nearby guards and then at Baekhyun, presses her lips together, and picks up the phone. Baekhyun backs off to give her privacy—and in the case that she calls security—but he reads her lips from afar. Security doesn’t take that long to summon. The young receptionist’s face is flustered by the time she puts the phone down, and Baekhyun approaches her with a triumph grin.

“You need a visitor’s ID,” the receptionist tells Baekhyun curtly. She hands him a red lanyard with a pale card attached to it. “Suho is on the 50th floor. Just to the right.”

Baekhyun must remember to stop smiling when he steps into the elevator. He can only imagine how red Suho’s face must have been, hearing his name for the first time in years. There’s a sort of power in being back—in being alive when everyone thinks that you’ve been dead. It’s a power only gods must feel.

When Baekhyun arrives on the 50th floor, he’s almost overwhelmed by how wealthy Lightspeed has become. Six years ago, they owned a building in Glendale—not a skyscraper in Downtown Los Angeles. They didn’t have open floor plans with spanning views; they had cubicles for days.

Baekhyun clenches his jaw and makes his way towards the right side of the floor. Fortunately, Suho’s office isn’t hard to find when his name is engraved on a gold plaque.

SUHO KIM, the plaque states. CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.

Perhaps, this is what hurts most to Baekhyun. He spent so many sleepless nights looking after a company he cofounded, poring over its books, selling his soul to ensure they broke even ahead of schedule—only to have someone else’s name where his should be.

Baekhyun isn’t careful with allowing himself inside Suho’s office. He opens the door, strides to his desk, and tosses the manila envelope into Suho’s direction. This startles Suho who has his back turned. When he does turn to face Baekhyun, he grows pale like Minjoo’s did the other night.

“You’re—”

“Alive?” Baekhyun finishes for him. “What? Did you really think it’d be that easy to get rid of me?”

Suho looks stunned. He takes off his glasses and covers his mouth as if to stop himself from yelling. “Oh, my god,” he gasps. “H-How? I-I-I thought…”

“I don’t have time for this.” Baekhyun scoffs and motions to the envelope on Suho’s desk. “Open it,” he demands.

As shocked as Suho appears to be, he only hesitates slightly when opening the envelope. His fingers shake, but he manages to do it. When he empties the contents of the envelope, he drops it back on his desk almost immediately.

“Where did you get these?” Suho whispers harshly. He glances down at the full-sized photographs on his desk and covers them up with pieces of stationary. “N-No one was supposed to know—”

“That you cheated on your wife in Berlin? With a e?” Baekhyun wears a sardonic grin. “Listen to me carefully, Suho. I see everything. I know everything. I’m just waiting to ruin your life.” Baekhyun arches a brow. “Understand?”

“W-What do y-you want?” Suho stutters. “Please, just don’t tell my wife.”

Baekhyun pauses, knowing Suho can’t handle prolonged silences. He glances over at the nameplate on Suho’s desk.

“You have your name in a place where mine should be,” Baekhyun notes. “We both know you’re only CFO because you chose to cover up years of fraud and my own disappearance.”

“Please, t-that was—”

“Did I finish?” Baekhyun demands. He glares at Suho and leans slightly over his desk. “You’re going to give me access to Lightspeed’s books. I want all the financials from the last decade. I want—”

“I c-can’t,” Suho stammers. He shakes his head profusely. “Sehun will kill me if I-I-I do that. I can’t.”

“And you think I can’t do what Sehun can?” Baekhyun frowns. “Didn’t I tell you to listen to carefully?” Baekhyun lowers his voice. “Suho, you’re just the help. You think Sehun will care about you when his office gets raided by the FBI for wire fraud? He tried to kill me when I found out. Imagine what he’ll do to you when he gets caught. He’ll throw you under the bus—no hesitation.”

Suho visibly swallows at the suggestion. While he may be a pushover, he’s still a Harvard graduate; he still has some semblance of common sense.

“I-I-I want immunity,” Suho murmurs. “I’ll give you everything. Financials. Contracts. I just want—”

“Immunity,” Baekhyun repeats. “I got it, good boy. Give me what I want, and no one gets hurt.”

Of course, it’s a lie, but Suho doesn’t know that. He’s unfortunate enough to be a pawn, doomed when Sehun first hired him all those years ago, and damned by his own misdeeds when he chose to cover up crime instead of reporting it. For that, Baekhyun will never forgive him.

“My contact info’s on the photos,” Baekhyun says, straightening himself. “Just in case you want to tell anyone I’m back, you’ll have to show them what you’ve been doing in your spare time.”

Suho is silent as Baekhyun exits his office. Baekhyun never expected a challenge from him anyways. Six years may have passed, but Suho remains to be the coward that he always was. He’ll follow anyone who twists his arms.

As Baekhyun heads for the elevator, he catches a glimpse of the man who started this all.

Sehun.

He stands just a few steps away from Baekhyun, completely unaware of his presence.

His back may be turned, but he’s undeniably Sehun; he was always proud of his waist-to-shoulder ratio, and he never missed one day of any week without a navy-blue suit. Perhaps the only thing different about him is his black hair; six years ago, he was blond. But his face is as Baekhyun last remembered it: calm, steely, and sharp. Handsome. Of course, Sehun is the type of handsome that tempts infidelity.

“I need to get a new secretary,” Sehun says just loudly enough for Baekhyun to overhear in passing.

SCENE 04 – past lives  

It’s September 16th when Baekhyun begins to wrestle with the scope of Lightspeed’s crimes. Baekhyun thought Sehun wanted him dead upon the discovery of wire fraud. However, as it turns out, the pretty balance sheets stamped with the company logo hide far more sinister things.

“What does this say?” Jieun asks of the many documents Baekhyun has printed. Her bare legs lie over his lap as they try to make do with their tiny, rented studio apartment. “Fraudulent revenue recognition?”

“You’re bored, aren’t you?”

“I’ve done all I can,” Jieun huffs. She slumps further into the sofa and allows Baekhyun’s borrowed hoodie to swallow her more. “Intel on Minjoo? Check. She owns a gallery in the Arts District. Intel on Sehun? Check. He’s a workaholic—untouchable behind his meetings with banker boys at Providence.”

Baekhyun pauses to recognize how much of a problem this is for him. “Have you tried applying for his secretary position?” he asks after a moment.

“What’s in it for me?”

“Well, it would really hurt Minjoo if she found out her husband wasn’t faithful to her.”

“So being Sehun’s secretary is my way in,” Jieun concludes quickly. “Got it.”

“Wait.” Baekhyun stops Jieun in her tracks. She peers at him as he lifts his gaze to meet hers. “Do anything to get close to him,” Baekhyun instructs. “We need to tear his marriage into shreds, and you know how to do that better than anyone.”

Jieun draws herself back. They hardly ever talk about their past lives. No, they keep these memories tucked away.

“You want me to sleep with the enemy,” Jieun says, brows raised.

“If it comes to that…yeah.”

Jieun is quiet for a moment. She frowns at the floor and twists . “You wouldn’t