She could not stop running.

Her heart was beating violently in her chest, and her bare feet was rubbing against the cold, hard ground. She could almost feel the skin of her sole tearing apart, yet she could afford no halt. The chilling night air enveloped her, stifling her into terror, for she knew it was eternal night that awaited her.

She could hear his footsteps trailing closely behind, the sound of his breathing amplifying behind her. He was nearing...nearing...but there was no one to help her. No one at all.

Held with a gun, he quickened his steps as his target zoomed in his sight. Just a few more steps and he would accomplish his job. Slowly, he raised his gun, and aimed most carefully towards the back of her heart. Hesitated not a second, he fired right towards her.

The silence of the night shattered with a gunshot. She froze in her steps, her breath choked in . Blood started to run down her chest as her knees dropped to the ground. Solid. A dark puddle of blood soon surrounded her body, as life slowly drained away from her. Light began to diminish in her sight as the heaviness of her eyelids weighed her down. Finally, as she could resist the calling of Death no longer, her head dropped low while she remained in her kneeling posture.

The ninety-ninth person that died in his hands.

"Nice job done once again, T.O.P." A dark figure appeared from behind him, clapping silently. T.O.P looked up from his dead victim to the new intruder, his face wore no expression.

"Mr. Ludovicus," T.O.P greeted, his head bowed low before his godfather, "I have carried out your command."

Mr. Ludovicus let out a laugh, "My top assassin indeed." He walked towards the dead body before him and took a pity sight at it, shaking his head sarcastically. And with a light push on the head of the dead with his finger, the body fell stiffly onto the ground.

"You have a new task," Mr. Ludovicus began again, his focus back on his godson. Slipping his hand into his left pocket, he took out a crumpled photograph.

"I want you to get near her and establish a close relationship with her," Mr. Ludovicus ordered as he passed T.O.P the photograph in his hand, "but do not kill her until I tell you to."

T.O.P nodded as he took a look at the photograph. It was a picture of a nightclub girl looking seductively into the camera. She was one of the rarest beauties...a pity that she would have to die early. But she had no choice.

And neither did him.

As if predestined to be a lifetime assassin, he was carefully picked out from an orphanage to be trained to work under Mr. Ludovicus since he was little. He had no name, no parents, but only an identity as an assassin. T.O.P was his appellation. It symbolized his topmost position in the team. He was taught to be ruthless; to be emotionless; to be cold-blooded. He knew not the meaning of love, for he had never come in touch with it. There was only loyalty and obedience in his world of vocabulary, and only to Mr. Ludovicus did he hold such to.

"This is the address of the nightclub that she works at."

Brushing away his thoughts, T.O.P looked up at Mr. Ludovicus once again to find in his hand a piece of paper. Taking it over, T.O.P folded the paper back into a square and placed it in his own pocket.

"Start action tomorrow night."

T.O.P nodded in response, mentally preparing himself for his new assigned task.

■■■

The music pumped hard, its vigorous beat palpitated the hearts of the many. Shimmering lights illuminated the disco stage, adding to the atmosphere a sense of ecstasy. The air was filled with excitement: there were the provocative dancers making their showdown on stage, the funky DJs playing around with the music mixtures, and the night-clubbers grooving to and immersed in the music.

T.O.P held his breath as he squeezed through the crowd. As much as he was used to seeing those night entertainment outlets at times during his missions, it was his first time actually being in there. The overbearing stench of alcohol and cigarette was suffocating him.

Damn it, this place is hell. He cursed silently in his mind.

Looking around, he tried to locate his target among the many faces. It was not easy at all. The apparition of these faces in the crowd seemed a blur to him. He was getting giddy, and the unpleasant smell of the place was worsening his dizziness.

"Wanna get a drink with me?" A flirtatious voice entered his senses while he was still trying to fight off his vertigo.

Turning around, he was confronted by a skimpily dressed nightclub girl.

"Are you alone? Well, I can keep you company." She continued with her seduction, seeing that she had caught his attention.

Straining his eyes, he attempted to get a clearer view of the girl before him. Pieces of recollection of the photograph given by Mr. Ludovicus started to form in his mind as he did a match of it with the girl.

Not the one he was looking for, unfortunately.

Without making any response to the girl, he turned to walk away. However, the girl did not seem to want to give up. Unsatisfied with his reaction, she doubled up on her seduction, wrapping her arms around him.

"Hey, don't walk away so soon."

He shoved her hands off his shoulders the next second, not at all enchanted by her magic. He shot back at her a cold stare which sent chills down her body. Sensing that the man before her was not to be messed with, the nightclub girl stumbled back a few steps before she hurriedly went away.

His disgust of the place was intensified. Subconsciously, he headed for the exit, for he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. He was about to leave the place when a commotion at the other end of the club caught his attention.

"Come back, you b*tch!" A shout broke through the carousing atmosphere. A moment of silence soon followed after as everyone stopped what they were doing. All attentions were turned towards the source of the discord. Murmurings among the crowd were then heard, with everyone confused about the situation.

"Don't you dare run away from me!" The man shouted again, getting up from his seat furiously.

T.O.P took a closer observation of the situation, thoughts running through his head. It didn't seem like the usual conflicts that frequented the undergrounds, there was something atypical about the protagonist: he possessed a great amount of weapons, all of the latest models. They were neatly arranged and displayed in a couple of suitcases which were held up by his followers. Why the hell would someone choose to carry out such momentous trades in a nightclub? T.O.P didn't understand.

"Save me!" A girl's sudden outcry brought him out of his thoughts, "he wants to kill me!"

It was then that he realized that a girl had fled to his back, her head hid from the course of her hunter.

"You better stay out of this, kiddo," the man had arrived before him, warning him sternly, "It is not for you to handle."

Before T.O.P could make any reply, the girl had kneeled down beside him, holding tightly to his leg. She looked up with a fearful countenance, desperately pleading him to help. Caught sight of her looks, he immediately recognized her as his new assigned target after slight scrutiny. He knew he had to interfere with this matter. He had to keep her alive until Mr. Ludovicus orders to kill her.

Without a word, he swiftly took out his gun and shot with perfect accuracy at the man before him. He retained neither hesitation nor mercy. Well, it wouldn't hurt to add another figure to his long list of victims since his hands were used to the dirty stains of blood. Being hit at the lethal part of his body, the man fell flat onto the ground, dead.

Screams pierced into the air, elevating the tension in the atmosphere. Everybody started to flee in different directions: some heading for the main entrance, the others heading for the back door. The place was full of chaos.

Grabbing hold of the hand of the girl, T.O.P led her out of the nightclub and to a deserted alley. Seeing that they were now temporarily safe, he stopped running and let go of her hand.

"Thank you for saving my life," the girl began, "What's your name?"

T.O.P was startled. It was the first time someone asked for his name. He didn't know how to answer her for a moment, for he had no name.

Recollecting himself, he mumbled in his usual inanimate coolness, "Call me...T.O.P."

"T.O.P..." She repeated, looking thoughtful, "what an unusual name."

Her beauty was breathtaking. Despite her identity as a nightclub girl, it didn't lessen her extraordinary noble charisma at all.

"Well," she paused for a second, smiling sweetly.

"I'm Hyori."

■■■

Months had passed since their first encounter. Their relationship had developed from acquaintances to something more intimate. They were not just friends, of course, since T.O.P was never instructed to keep it that simple, but they were not exactly lovers, either. So what were they? T.O.P didn't know. Its sophistication was much beyond what one could easily reason out.

He had protected her from the underworld's track down and satisfied her material wishes. He would be there whenever she needed him, and even at times when she didn't mind solitary. She, on the other hand, was always the initiative one. She filled in the gaps of his indifference and detachments, and provided warmth and laughter between them.

Eventually, his task had slipped out of his head. Strangely, too, Mr. Ludovicus had never contacted him or given him any further instructions ever since the last time they had met. Life carried on peacefully, undisturbed. It was as if his past had just been a dream; an evanescence. But little did he know that it was all only a facade. His past and identity would soon be back to haunt him; to bite at him...