Seungho’s eyes had been spitting fire when Mir left. Joon and Thunder had wisely chose to fade into the background the moment the leader strode into their training room with his face as dark as the shadows under his eyes. In all honesty, Mir was surprised it took him this long to find out. It had been almost a week since his encounter with Ja Yeon and he had spent the days training himself, building up the muscles which were so vital to staying alive. It was on the 5^th day when Seungho stalked in and disrupted their training – something which he only did if someone was going to die.

 

 

This time, it was Mir. Hooray!

 

 

 

Mir spent a good 15 minutes getting yelled at while Seungho worked himself into a fit about how Mir could be stupid enough to save some random girl not 5 minutes after killing off a gang leader without even thinking of the consequences. No, he just had to be some knight in shining armour and beat up the would-be who just happens to be from the same gang whose leader he killed. So now the gang has 2 reasons to butcher Mir the next time they meet and can he please explain how is this called lying low?

 

 

 

G.O had intervened when Seungho paused to catch his breath, hastily shoving Mir out of the door to buy some tofu for their dinner. With only a warning for him to stay out of trouble, G.O vanished back inside, presumably to calm Seungho down before he broke a table. The convenience store was only a short walk away from their base and Mir decided to take a walk on the streets for a while. He wasn’t confident that Seungho wouldn’t throw a dumbbell at his head if he returned now.

 

 

 

The walk reminded him of Ja Yeon, who was annoyingly stuck in his head despite his best attempts to rid it. He couldn’t stop thinking about her every so often, she was like a female counterpart of him. Independent, strong, and obviously had the potential to become a lethal fighter. From the first time they met, Mir had felt the sense of recognition and familiarity in her, like a panther recognizing its mate. He saw her as someone who could be his partner, someone who could be his other half. The last thought had come in without warning, stunning Mir. He had been so focused on his thoughts that he had barely noticed where he was walking to.

 

 

 

Shaking his head angrily, Mir berated himself silently. He couldn’t let his emotions interfere with his work. Not now, not ever. That brief moment of irritation caused Mir to let down his guard, something he would never have done if he had blanked his mind. On most days, this wouldn’t have had much of an effect. Unluckily for him, Mir was out of luck today. The fist that flew out of the corner took Mir entirely by surprise and it caught him beneath the jaw squarely.

 

 

 

Before he knew it, he was surrounded by more than 20 men. Mir fought valiantly, but despite his skills in fighting, the sheer numbers overwhelmed him. He was a good fighter, but even the best of fighter had their limits. So here he was 10 minutes later, lying in a pool of blood on the disgusting floor of an alley while the thugs beat him up. What hurt more than his body was his pride. He was a skilled assassin who trained under the Lee Joon but now he was subjected to being a punching bag for a bunch of fools who were no more than pups. Oh, the humiliation.

 

 

 

‘You think it’s funny? Huh? Killing our boss and beating up our brother in the same night?’ one of them yelled as he delivered a particularly vicious kick to his ribs.

 

 

 

Spitting out a wad of blood, Mir growled, ‘If you mean that pathetic slimeball who resorted to girls, then yeah. I found his pitiful attempts at fighting hilarious.’ That earned him a few more kicks to his ribs which were numb with pain by now. Mir refused to make a sound as they beat him up, even when a crack sounded in the dank alley and his right side turned into a blaze of white hot pain.

 

 

 

‘How does it feel, pretty boy? We’re returning the favour to you!’ the same thug from before sneered as he stomped on Mir.

 

 

 

Mir wasn’t the kind to shut up even on his deathbed. Any other rational human being would take the beating meekly, hoping to leave the place alive. Not Mir, he would laugh at the devil if he felt like it. ‘It’s insulting, I’m sure I hit much harder than you fools.’ He gritted out, managing his trademark smirk despite his shortness of breath from his broken rib. That only served to fuel their anger and one of them snarled incoherently and yanked out a knife to press against Mir’s throat. Just as he was about to slash open Mir’s neck, an alarm shrieked, as piercing as a banshee. Following the insistent wailing was the sound of running footsteps and cries of ‘Police!’.

 

 

Disgustedly, the thug shoved Mir back onto the floor and the gang took off running. By the time they left Mir’s body hurt so much he could barely think straight. He tried to force himself up after a while but his body refused to support him. The muscles which he had trained so ruthlessly to obey him under any circumstances were disobeying him now. After struggling for a few minutes, Mir’s body flopped weakly onto the floor again with a groan.

 

 

 

The bag of tofu was lying a little distance from him, its contents spilling out. Mir rolled onto his back to face the dark sky overhead. The area was peaceful now, the alarm shut off and the police gone. It was just him and the night, the stars glittering like tiny diamonds on the velvety blackness. There was a song he had heard somewhere, what was it called? Beautiful night? Yes, that was it. It was a beautiful night to die; the place wasn’t to his taste and neither were his conditions but who was he to complain?

 

 

 

He felt a bit regretful that he never got to pass G.O the tofu, or apologise to Seungho for risking the gang or even to Thunder for always annoying the crap out of him. He felt sorry to Joon, his mentor, for not putting up a better fight and letting himself die in such an embarrassing way. Weirdly though, he was sorry for not getting to know Ja Yeon better. Black spots danced at the edge of his eyes and he felt the numbness of unconsciousness tug at him, a relief from the agony that was his body. Just before his eyes closed, he thought he heard a familiar voice call his name and the distinct scent of shampoo and warm skin invading his nostrils. Great, now I’m hallucinating. He thought groggily before he passed out.

 

 

__________________________

 

 

Ja Yeon had been finishing up her shift at the convenience store when she heard the sounds of fighting. Despite Mir’s warning, she had felt a need, almost a compulsion, to see what was happening. It was a good thing she did because the last thing she expected to see was Mir getting kicked around like a rag doll on the floor. She heard his husky voice insulting the thugs as though he didn’t care what happened to him so long as he managed to spite them. At that point in time, Ja Yeon was conflicted. Scraping through life had taught her that the only way to survive is to mind your own business and be totally independent. Helping someone once would lead to another, and another, until they became your responsibility.

 

 

 

On the other hand, Ja Yeon couldn’t leave him behind. He had saved her, and she had not forgotten the reckless promise she had made him. She wasn’t in the right state of mind that night, she had been rendered irrational by Mir. His presence made her feel powerful and confident, as though nothing could stand in their way. There was an undeniable attraction to him that she couldn’t understand herself. When he fought, his eyes had been so intense, so full of youthful energy. His movements had been fluid and strong, each strike was a masterpiece of its own. Although she wouldn’t admit it to herself, Ja Yeon wanted to see him again.

 

 

 

Her instinct for survival and sense of honour had fought a valiant battle in her mind. It was only when she saw the glint of a knife that she made her decision. Quickly and efficiently, Ja Yeon had yanked a pin out of her hair and picked the lock of the closed store she was standing next to. It only took a moment before the glass door swung open and tripped the alarm. Slinking into the shadows, Ja Yeon watched as the thugs left the scene, and the police soon after.

 

 

 

When they were gone, Ja Yeon knew it was time for her to go too. She had repaid her debt – there was no need to stay on any longer. But as much as she tried to convince herself, she couldn’t take her eyes off Mir, who was struggling to get to his feet. She knew that she shouldn’t help him anymore, if the gang from earlier saw her with him, there was no end to what they would do to her if they ever found out. She shook her head, clearing her mind of any stupid ideas and turned to leave. An unmistakable groan froze her mid-step.

 

 

 

Mir never made a sound when he was getting beat up. There was no way out of this now. Ja Yeon silently cursed her conscience and hurried to the bloody boy. Slinging her bag across her body, Ja Yeon hefted the unconscious boy up and threw his arm across her shoulder while she wrapped her arm around his taut waist. Damn, he was heavier than the boxes she lugged at the convenience store, probably because of all the muscle.

 

 

 

The flesh under her hand was lean and firm without a hint of softness within them. Ja Yeon panted as she half-carried, half-dragged Mir to her apartment. Mir’s head was lolling on his shoulders, his face dangerously close to hers as they moved. Once or twice a sudden movement on Ja Yeon’s part caused his lips to brush her cheek, which would flame in response. Ja Yeon wondered if the speeding of her heart was because of the exercise or of their proximity. They finally made it to her home and Ja Yeon fumbled in her bag for her keys. Her bag was wedged between them, making it harder for her to retrieve the keys without dropping him.

 

 

 

Laying Mir gently onto the couch, Ja Yeon set about tugging his jacket and shirt off to set his rib. Coming from a poor family whose of a father dumped them for a rich woman, she was used to getting bullied and even beaten up at school. On the streets, the kids were equally rough when they played. Anyone who showed weakness was out casted. It wasn’t long before she learned to patch herself up after a particularly nasty day. Mir’s chest was distractingly toned, Ja Yeon tried not to stare too hard as she probed his side gently with long fingers, coming to the conclusion that it was a fracture. As she bandaged him and cleaned his cuts, she wondered again why she had saved him and brought him back to her house. Helping an obvious gangster was as good as waving a red flag to any potential aggressors.

 

 

 

Sighing, Ja Yeon wiped the blood away from his face. She hadn’t felt so confused for a long time and this was driving her nuts. Mir was surprisingly handsome, something that the darkness and blood had concealed from her before. His lashes were dark crescents on his cheeks and his facial structure was almost elegant. As though he felt her gaze, his lashes fluttered and his eyes opened. Smoky eyes fixed onto her instantly as Mir awoke.

 

 

__________________________

 

 

 

‘Wow, I died and went to heaven?’ Mir was sure he was dead, there was no way this could be real. Ja Yeon was looming above him, her eyes wide with concern and her lovely hair hanging on either sides of her slim neck.

 

 

 

‘As opposed to hell?’ she raised an eyebrow questioningly and sat back, a smile tugging on her lips and the concern in her eyes relaxing somewhat.

 

 

 

‘If this was hell, Joon would be here yelling at me to get up.’ He explained, ‘You’re here so this has to be heaven.’ At his words Ja Yeon’s cheeks reddened and she looked away. Mir followed her gaze around the vaguely familiar room before the realization hit him. Oh god, did he just say all those words? ‘Why did you save me, anyway?’ he asked, more for the sake of covering up his embarrassment.

 

 

 

‘Why did you help me?’ she countered.

 

 

 

Mir clicked his tongue, vaguely annoyed. He himself didn’t quite understand why he stuck his nose into the affairs of the street. ‘I don’t know, but my mom told me before that guys should always treat ladies with respect.’ He felt a dull ache in his chest, more of nostalgia than anything else. His family had been a happy family – once – before his father became a victim of drink and his mother drugs. They borrowed incessantly from gangs to feed their own addiction but were unable to pay their debts. The last straw came when one gang got fed up of hounding them and decided to teach them a lesson. That gang was MBLAQ, and it was the first time Mir had seen Joon.

 

 

 

His parents, probably guessing what was about to happen, immediately offered up their own son in exchange for their skins. Mir could vividly recall the sting of pain and betrayal he had felt, and the icy crust which had formed around his heart after that. Joon always told him it was because he saw potential in Mir, but Mir knew that Joon probably wanted to save him from his miserable existence. Despite his toughness, Joon still had a heart.

 

 

 

‘I just wanted to repay my debt. I owe you one, remember?’ Mir blinked, he had almost forgotten her for a moment. It was the second time that night that he had let his guard down, and it was all because of Ja Yeon. As a hunter, you never ever let your guard down, or you were dead meat. In frustration, he stood up and paced the room, ignoring how the movement caused his ribs to flare up again.

 

 

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Mir saw Ja Yeon was eyeing him warily and a bit awkwardly. Oh right, he haven’t put on his shirt yet. Sighing, he sank back onto the couch and inspected himself. His cuts were cleaned up and his bandaged rib didn’t hurt as much as before. ‘Nice job. You took first aid class?’ he enquired.

 

 

 

‘Nah, I just learned to patch myself up. It’s rough play on the streets.’ She answered, still watching him with that warily, as though unsure of what to make of him. Mir shifted, settling himself more comfortably on the couch. ‘I’m a gangster, as you know by now. Bringing me back here is as good as dragging a load of trouble with you. I could save myself.’

 

 

 

Ja Yeon snorted. ‘Sure, you could. If that alarm didn’t go off your neck would be split by now.’ As Mir looked at her in confusion, she continued, ‘I broke into a store and set the alarm off. I brought you back when they were gone.’ Despite himself, Mir was impressed, not many girls had the nerve to do something like that. An awkward silence settled over them, neither knowing what to say.

 

 

 

‘Mir.’ She started and broke off, endearingly shy. He liked the way she said his name, not that he would ever admit it. ‘I was thinking…that since you’re injured and that gang is bound to come after you and finish you off…why don’t you stay here for a few days?’ When Mir opened his mouth to reply, she rushed on. ‘You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I figured that you would want to be a bit more prepared when they take you on again, so you could kick their butts or whatever.’

 

 

 

Mir was a bit overwhelmed. It was the longest sentence she had said to him, and by far most animated. He struggled with himself for a while, agreeing with her reason but unwilling to accept help from an outsider. His heart, that stupid thing, was egging him on to accept. ‘Fine,’ he grunted grudgingly, mumbling a thanks afterwards. All in the name of survival, he convinced himself weakly. Know your enemy well and prepare yourself. Even if is mind refused to accept it, Mir found himself more interested in the girl than he should, melting a little bit of the ice around his heart.