Prompt: You know my name, not my story. You’ve heard what I’ve done, not what I’ve been through.

Jay stood in the living room of the house he lived in with the other assassins and mercenaries, listening to his boss. They had worked together several times, but this time was different. His boss had just told him that he had a job for him to do himself. The young man glanced at his friend, Injun, who smiled back at him tightly. They all felt the tension, and it wasn’t a good feeling at all. He turned away from Injun to their leader, keeping any trace of a smile off of his face. “Sir, you wanted me?”

The older man nodded, glancing at the other people in the room. “Come with me to the back porch. I would like to speak with you in private, if you don’t mind.”

Jay nodded, swallowing hard. His nerves were catching up with him now, but he was able to gain a bit of comfort from Injun’s encouraging grin. He followed him out to the porch, closing the sliding glass door behind them. “What did you need to speak with me about, sir?”

His boss sighed, sitting down in one of the lawn chairs and motioning for Jay to do the same. Once they were both seated, he pulled out a manila envelope and removed some pictures. “This will be your first real job, Jay. Do you remember that Karam left us a few months ago? Well, he was on a mission, but it went badly,” he winced, appearing to be sad. “I hate to be the bearer or bad news, but Karam lost his fight against the man he was fighting, and he didn’t survive it. He was killed two days ago, Jay,” he said, speaking quietly.

Jay stared at him, feeling as if he had been stabbed in the heart, and the room started spinning. “No…no,” the leader touched him on the arm, but Jay didn’t even feeling him. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me about this? Karam?!”

“Jay, I didn’t tell you yet, because I didn’t know for sure. Now I know that he was killed, and I have evidence that it actually happened. Look at this video,” he popped a DVD into his computer and hit ‘play.’ Jay felt numb as he saw his hyung, Karam, walking out to his car with a smile and also a hand on his gun. There was no way it could have been a mistake, since it was definitely Karam. Jay was certain of it. He felt increasingly uneasy as Karam got closer to his car. As he opened the door, the car blew up. A dark figure walked away from the car seconds later, and Jay grit his teeth as he recognized the man walking away.

“Where is he?” Jay asked, his voice low and angry. “Is that my job?” He shook his head, staring at the screen. He was in shock, both from his hyung’s death and the person who did it. He was tall and lean, with longish hair, and Jay was certain that he should know that person somewhere…unless he really was mistaken.

His boss stopped the video, smiling at him. “Yes, that’s your job. Find Mika and bring him in. I want him alive, so don’t kill him. You can find him in Japan. He fled there after killing Karam. You’ll head out on a plane tomorrow afternoon.” He touched the young man on the arm, and Jay flinched away. “I’m sorry, Jihwan. I know that you were close.”

Jay shook his head quietly. “I’ll be ready to go. Thank you, sir.” He didn’t really feel anything as he stood up and walked out.

Jay couldn’t sleep very well that night, dreaming about Karam’s death over and over. However, every time he saw the killer, his features were blurred. He never saw his face, which was confusing to the young man. By morning, he felt as if he hadn’t slept at all, and he had dark circles under his eyes, when he looked in the mirror. Changing quickly, he tucked his gun into the holster that had been built into his pocket. If anyone saw him from a distance, they would think he was merely a tourist, and not an assassin who was hunting the man who had previously been a close friend and brother.

He left the hotel and walked to a coffee shop. Mika had been spotted close by, so there wasn’t a reason for him to rent a car. He ordered his coffee and an onion bagel with cream cheese, then left the shop quietly. Eating as he walked, he studied the instructions on his phone. Mika would likely be found at his hotel, which was only a short distance from his own. He reached the hotel, sitting at one of the benches outside with his hat pulled down and his dark sun glasses on. He hadn’t seen the older man in three years, and he had changed quite a bit in his own appearance, since then, so he doubted Mika would recognize him.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Jay saw the other man emerge from the hotel lobby. He also had a black coat and sunglasses, but his hair was dyed blond and shaved on one side, leaving the rest to blow in the wind. Jay remembered that Mika had always preferred keeping his hair slightly long and that hadn’t changed at all. The young man took note of the black coat, blond hair, sunglasses and tall, black boots he wore. These details would make it easier to keep track of him, or find him if case he happened to slip away.

He waited until the other man had started walking down the street to follow him. He noticed that Mika made his way to a bus stop, so he walked to the next one up so that he could get on after him. Mika was smart, and if he did happen to recognize Jay, he wouldn’t attack him once they were on a bus, around other people. He may have murdered one of the most beautiful people on the planet, but he wasn’t stupid; just a ruthless killer.

Jay got on the bus a short time later, watching Mika the entire time. As he had suspected, Mika didn’t even acknowledge his presence. He simply sat in his seat, removing his sunglasses to read his book. Jay frowned when he saw that the book was unmarked, so he couldn’t see what the title was. It didn’t really matter, but Jay had to admit to being curious about what he had been up to in the last three years. Cursing lightly, he shook his head, thinking about Karam. It didn’t matter what he had been up to. He had killed Karam, and nothing else mattered.

Mika got off of the bus shortly after, so Jay got off at the same stop. However, he was confused when he couldn’t find Mika in the crowd or on the street. He had already lost him. Shaking his head in irritation, he began looking around again. Thinking about what Mika would likely do if he was running from someone, Jay walked down one of the alleys, staying alert. He still didn’t find him, and turned to check his gun while he had the chance.

In the second it took him to check his gun, he felt someone behind him, and a leather glove covered his mouth before he could do anything. Freezing, he did the first thing that came to his mind, kicking straight back. He heard a sharp intake of breath as his connected with a kneecap. When his attacker stumbled backward, he used the offered space to turn around and face his attacker. As he had suspected, it was Mika, and he grabbed for the older man’s arm. However, Mika was too quick, tripping him and taking him down to the ground and pinning him.

Mika stared into his eyes, searching him. “Give me your gun, and I’ll explain everything, okay?” Jay noticed that it wasn’t a request, but an order. He reached to his side, reluctantly pulling his gun and swinging it over to hit Mika. The other man scoffed at him, grabbing his wrist and squeezing. “I told you to drop it, Jay. Let me explain, damn it!” He didn’t seem angry, but more frustrated, and Jay THOUGHT that he remembered that about his personality.

Glaring at the other man, Jay knew that there wasn’t anything he could do against him, so he handed him his gun. Mika stuck it into his bag, forcing Jay to his feet. As soon as they were standing, Jay spoke again. “Why did you kill Karam? How COULD you?” His deep voice cracked with emotion as he uttered the words he had never thought he would ever say.

Mika sighed, pushing him forward. “We’re getting on another bus and going back to my hotel room. I’ll explain things there,” he paused, and Jay heard emotion in his voice for the first time. “I didn’t kill Hyunchul. No one did. I’ll prove it to you and tell you everything else. Just trust me, okay?”

Jay nodded, feeling as if Mika’s words were true. “Okay,” he replied quietly. None of it made sense to him yet. He wanted answers, so he would cooperate with Mika. They got onto the next bus, stopping near Mika’s hotel.

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