The scorching heat of the sun burns Chanyeol's head and it's making him go crazy all the more as he sits on, yet again, a doorstep of a cafe. But this time it's not abandoned. This cafe is situated in the busy streets of Dongdaemun. A couple of kilometers away from where he last took action.

People are coming in and out of the shop, and Chanyeol eyes each one of them - from head to foot, weighing their worth. After he spots a girl, who is probably in her twenties, wearing a gold necklace in her neck, Chanyeol stands up and positions himself next to a huge tree.

Thankfully the tree is huge enough to keep him hidden as he waits for his victim to move, patiently. The countdown starts when the girl moves towards Chanyeol's direction, busily texting on her phone.

5...

4...

3...

2...

Chanyeol's breath hitch.

and 1...

He jumps in front of the girl, smirks at her surprised face, and grabs her necklace before bolting off. The wind pushes his hair back as he runs against the it's current. The commotion behind him gets drowned as the distance between him and the girl gets farther and farther by the second.

At last.  Adrenaline fills his veins again and he feels refreshed. Just like every single time. Running has been a very vital part of his life now and it’s something that makes him feel relevant and (not really) useful to the world. Well, not that he's happy doing these things. What makes him happy is that he is able to provide for his grandmother. Despite the crookedness of his reason, Chanyeol believes that doing this kind of job can’t be that bad.

The money is good here. One gold necklace can cost a thousand dollars. Basically the amount of money he needs to continue with his grandmother's medication. So he runs and run and runs, again. To save his life. And his grandmother's life.

---

The 'under' is a stinky place but Chanyeol doesn't mind. This is the place where they sell illegally acquired stuff such as stolen jewelries, stolen appliances, stolen anything. Of course, Chanyeol is here to sell the necklace clasped inside his hands. The 'under' is located on the basement of an old abandoned shopping mall near the countryside. Run by a young leader they call 'duizhang', the under is a place filled with booze and and drugs. Yes, sometimes Chanyeol feels at home in the presence of his 'colleagues' but sometimes, he also feels out of place and alone.

"Chanyeol," Someone pats his back. "Been a long time since you came down here."

Chanyeol turns his head to see his old friend, Luhan, smiling at him.  "Hey." They shake their hands and bow to each other slightly as a sign of respect.

"So, what have you got?" Luhan beams at him curiously.

"Oh. Just a gold necklace. It has small diamonds in it." Chanyeol replies shyly, almost silently, bowing his head low as if he's ashamed. His fingers fumble the necklace.

"Let me see?" Luhan opens his palms, where Chanyeol drops the necklace, and examines the item.

They sit in silence as Luhan squints his eyes and checks the gold item for any damages or discrepancies. Casually, the older male pouts his lips and nods his head slowly, impressed by the necklace.

"You really do have an eye for things."

Chanyeol chuckles. "No. I just get whatever catches my eyes." He takes the item away from Luhan. "Besides, i'm never better than you."

Luhan laughs with him. "Duizhang has got some mission." The half-chinese, half-korean male says, his fingers gesturing the quote sign.

"Oh...kay?" Chanyeol pulls a seat and settles in it, eager to listen to Luhan's mission.

"You know the Byuns?"

Chanyeol shakes his head.

"They're the biggest business conglomerate in Korea. One of the finest." Luhan smiles maniacally. Like a prevert.

Chanyeol nods. "Go on."

"We're attacking them the day after tomorrow."

The younger boy's eyes go wide in surprise. He's used to stealing but he's never went inside somebody else's house before because, for him, it's too much. His soul is already burning in hell and he doesn't want to add fuel to the fire so he shakes his head.

"You're not coming?"

"I- it's not my line.I- I've never done that." Chanyeol stutters.

"Hey. C'mon. It's a good training besides-" Luhan's words are cut off when a tall man, probably Chanyeol's height, approaches the table with a sinister smile on his face.

"Duizhang." Luhan bows.

Chanyeol lifts his head and sees the face he's been wondering about for years. The duizhang is young and good-looking. It has always been a mystery for him as to what the young leader looked like and now, he's here, personifying all of Chanyeol's fears - power and greed.

"Hello. Are you Chanyeol?" The words come out of the leader's mouth authoritatively.

"Y-yes, sir." Chanyeol hears cower in his voice and he feels like running away again.

"Luhan told me you're one of the best." The leader's hands are inside the pockets of his pants and Chanyeol can't help but gape at the power the man emits. Eyes are piercing Chanyeol's soul and he can only nod his head slowly, like one of those wobble head toys inside a car.

Luhan pats him in the shoulders. "But he said no."

Duizhang's left eyebrow perks up. "Why?"

Chanyeol fears for his life. And also his grandmother's. "I- I just came to s-sell this s-sir." Chanyeol says, changing the topic effectively when duizhang's eyes glint with appreciation for the gold necklace. 

"Beautiful." is all that comes out of the leader's mouth as he cradles the item inside his palms like a fragile baby. "How much do you want for this?"

"J-just. 1000, sir."

The duizhang laughs loudly that his whole body shakes and he looks towards Luhan, while his hand rests on Chanyeol's shoulder. "He's really innocent, Lu."

Luhan smiles, "But, he's got potential."

"You can get 3000 for this, kid. That's more than what you try to bargain this for." The leader reaches inside his wallet and hands Chanyeol three pieces of 1000 dollar bills. "Here, take this as a lesson, okay?"

Then, the leader leaves him and Luhan alone but not after patting Chanyeol's head.

Chanyeol nods. All of his attention is now focused on the money inside his palms. He's never held such huge amount of money and right now, his hearts is running at a thousand miles per hour speed.

"You'll get more than that if you come with us, you know." Luhan whispers beside him. A devil lurking someone to be his disciple.

Chanyeol is torn between rationality and need. If he takes the offer, he can get enough money to let his grandmother enjoy some peace and comfort before her end. If he refuses, he'll need to snatch some more item to pay for the hospital bills and their food.

After pondering for a few seconds, Chanyeol shakes his head. "This is enough for now."

"Are you sure?" Luhan smirks.

"Yes."

"Okay," Luhan hands him a piece of paper. "Call me if you change your mind."

Chanyeol opens his mouth to protest but Luhan has already taken off to join his friend's party.

He sighs and walks out of the place, leaving the thoughts of hijacking someone's house behind. 

---

As he makes his way home, hands inside his pocket, clutching the money tightly, constantly kicking small pebbles along the way, Chanyeol spots a small bakery. A brightly colored cake catches his attention and he's reminded that his grandmother's birthday is fast approaching. With a big smile on his face, he asks the saleslady to wrap the cake for him. He also requested the girl to write a short message in it. The smile on his face doesn't fall apart as he goes back to walking. At least, he has something for his grandmother. 

The hospital is silent and cold because it's already way past midnight and Chanyeol is sure his grandmother is already asleep. What surprises him is when he enters his grandmother's ward, he sees her curled up in bed, writhing in pain, silently whimpering as she clutches her stomach. 

"Nana!" Chanyeol screams, letting go of the box he holds in his hands. Nana, his grandmother's name, just groans in reply.

He turns the old woman's body around and sees the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Nana, what is happening to you?!"

Everything inside Chanyeol's body panics. He picks up the small and fragile body of his grandmother and runs towards the emergency room, completely forgetting that they're already inside an hospital. As he races down the halls, he calls out for help. But the world seems to be deaf. No one answers him. He barely makes it to the E.R because his knees feels weak and tired. This is the first time he doesn't feel alive while running. Instead, he feels like every single step he's taking, leads him closer to his deathbed. 

Losing Nana means losing his life. Nana is everything Chanyeol has and lives for. Without Nana, life has no meaning anymore. 

The doctors rush to help him. 

Then, they ask him to wait outside as Nana gets transferred to the operating room. Tears spill out of Chanyeol's eyes and into his palms. 

The hours go by and Chanyeol feels like he's slowly dying. Slowly stepping into his coffin. When the doctor comes out of the operating room, everything seems to be stuck inside Chanyeol's throat, making it hard for him to speak. 

"Chanyeol," The doctor, Kim Joonmyun, calls him. 

The young boy rubs his palms onto his face before facing the man who called out his attention. 

"I'd hate to break it to you but the faster, the better. Nana is not going well. The medications we use on her are far too weak now because the cancer cells are multiplyuing fast. I suggest we let her undergo surgery. But not today. She's too weak to go through. Prepare everything, Chanyeol. We need to do this as soon as possible." 

He knows what the doctor means. Money. That's what it's all about. Money. He sniffs, "How much?" 

"10,000." Dr. Kim answers bluntly.

"Okay." 

Chanyeol walks away, finds a telephone booth, and pulls out a piece of paper from his pocket. 

There's no other way. Another necklace would only cost him 3,000 at most. He needs the money. Even if he snatches jewelries again, he can't make 10,000 in a week. 

After two rings, someone answers. "Hello?" 

"Luhan, it's me. Chanyeol." 

He can see the older male smile from the other end of the line. "He- He- Hey! What's up?" 

Chanyeol is silent for a while. He counts to relax himself. 

5... 4... 3... 2... 1. This is a one-time thing Chanyeol, he convinces himself. 

Taking a deep breath, he says, "I'm in." 


--

a/n:

yehet~ 

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