A week later...

Arriving home after stocking up on their groceries, Taekwoon and Hongbin entered a mess for a home. Overturned cupboards and tables ripped up mattress and pillows, torn curtains and smashed windows. At least the damages do not apply for their appliances.

Examining the lock, Taekwoon took note that a bullet was involved. Hongbin looked distraught. Getting into action immediately and tidying the place up, Taekwoon though he was just upset at the mess created but he was in truth disturbed and more terrified of the fact that he had been discovered at last.

"Damn burglar!" Taekwoon growled despite knowing that nothing was taken. This is obviously not robbery just someone looking for something. Taekwoon strongly believes the syndicate have taken action at last at and he is not pleased that they have trashed up their personal haven that his lover had painstakingly kept so sparkling clean.

He had recently purchased a gun and it seems it will be of use to him soon. Entering the kitchen swiftly and digging out the device buried at the bottom of the rice bucket, Taekwoon dusted the weapon off and loaded it. "I'm going to talk to the security guard downstairs." Making his way out of the house with the weapon tucked safety in his belt and out of sight Taekwoon's top priority is to ensure no one is waiting in ambush for him. He cannot risk Hongbin getting hurt and the old security guy downstairs will definitely be more of a hindrance than help.

On the other hand, after Taekwoon's departure Hongbin proceeded to pick up the kitchen knife from the counter and surveyed the toilet, beneath the bed and tiny storeroom. Not necessarily to find anyone hiding but to find any out if they had left him a message. A message would be bad. Taekwoon would know and he does not want that.

There is nothing and he wondered briefly if he should play along with the burglar assumption since Taekwoon had already said so. It's not like there was other viable explanations.

Burglary it was after they are reunited. Neither is ready to expose their past. There was nothing glorious about their past and nothing left to reminisce about.

Taekwoon plans to confront the culprits and eradicate them if the need arises while Hongbin had something else in mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile...

"They are living together." Code name Ravi reports nonchalantly, playing with the lighter between his fingers.

"Is that a joke?" A man hidden in the shadows behind marble desk asked cynical.

"Nope." Ravi shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Do they know one another's identity?" The man asked after taking a deep breath. A certain twist of fate and Taekwoon's ex syndicate had started working with Hongbin's. They now share a common hit man pool.

"That remains unclear. But they are definitely sleeping together." Ravi mused, mirthless. He knows Taekwoon. They belonged to the same syndicate and Taekwoon is the best. Ravi is still a little disgruntled that they would choose him of everyone to hunt that man down.

"What is the likelihood of them hiding together?" The man asked. If Taekwoon and Hongbin had somehow met and are living together, that would be bad news. Since that would also mean that as they speak, the duo would be gone into hiding once again.

"That's unclear too. Two assassins living together?" Ravi raised an eyebrow.

"Why? Don't you live with N too?" Ravi never told anyone that he is currently sleeping with his fellow assassin codenamed N. They have only just moved in together too.

"We are different." The hit man replied. He has nothing else to say in his own defence.

"I see no difference." The man offered his argument and won. Nevertheless, he would be needing the hit man's expertise from now on. "I will need your help. Find out if they already know about one another." The odds of two assassins living together in hiding are not high since hit men often work alone and are not cut out to work in packs or even pairs. Even Ravi and N are assigned to work separately. However, if Hongbin and Taekwoon were to break that barrier they would be unstoppable.

"Then you guys better start soon. Good luck trying to separate them if they are really in love." Ravi rolled his eyes. He isn't about to go about breaking the couple up.

"Good luck to you. I wish you all the best in bringing one of them in." The man said conclusively and Ravi left, slamming the door behind him angrily. He knows Taekwoon is very hard to stop. Hongbin remains a mystery and that is even more unsettling. He would need N's help. They will tackle Hongbin first since Taekwoon would require a lot more than just the two of them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following day...

The night was passed in silence. No frolicking or the usual laughter. Both tenants remained deep in their own thoughts, minds apart for the first time in months. They almost always work in sync but not at this moment.

The morning is the same. Taekwoon had texted in to excuse himself for urgent matters whereas Hongbin had excuses himself from the office to hunt for a new hiding place. He had not discussed it with Taekwoon yet but has a feeling his plans to relocate would be approved. He have savings whereas Taekwoon is richer than he appears. Even though his past job was a slave contract without bounty, they do pay him allowance to pass his days.

However, he is also tempted to simply vanish from Taekwoon's side. He cannot hide them forever and he cannot lie to Taekwoon forever. Yet he cannot bear the thought of parting with Taekwoon. Now that he has had a taste of being love and being in love, he cannot withdraw himself. A little selfishness at this point won't hurt anyone right? He would rather kill himself than revert to singlehood and return to the dark world of death and gore again.

Feeling stalked as he goes apartment hunting with the different landlords, Hongbin regretted not bringing out the kitchen knife. He had grown quite fond of it instead of his trusty dagger. This is how much he had transformed: from assassin to housewife. That was a plot twist he hadn't expected when he chose to back out. He was too tired to think about the consequences back when he turned his back on his masters.

They had used him all his life. Took him from his grandmother's side, forced him to kill or be killed. Made him evil and forced him to live like a stray dog even though he used to have a nurturing grandparent to care for him. Now they will destroy him again. Hurt the person who means the most to him at the current moment. He will not allow that. They can try over his dead body.

Entering the dark alleyway and slipping into one of the gaps between the thick rusty pipes, he can hear two distinct set of footsteps as they remain hot on his heels. The two pursuers are confident and the way they walk sounded almost too relaxed for someone who is hunting a highly dangerous fugitive-hit man on the run. That also means they are probably very good at what they do.

Springing out from his hiding place and taking one of them by surprise when he pounces on him, Hongbin moved in for the kill. The duo came prepared and Hongbin could not penetrate the other's bullet proof vest. The tall tanner man he was attacking quickly turned the tables and pinned him to the ground. Their graceful scuffle ended prematurely when Hongbin regains the upper hand, knocking the man out temporarily with his elbow.

Launching himself into the other man in cap and fighting him halfway across the alley, Hongbin almost plunged his blade into the man's carotid but was shot in the leg by the man he taken out earlier. The bullet does not faze him. He has had multiple penetration wounds and survived. The scars are proof of the tough life he had lived, which is also why he greatly appreciated Taekwoon's habit of switching off all the lights before they strip to get down and dirty.

He had never showered with Taekwoon before either and he plans to make it part of his bucket list from now on.

Lunging at the man in cap again, he almost snapped the taller man’s neck but the shorter assailant is not about to let him succeed. He had never seen a tag team before and from the looks of it, they are more than just partners. The protective nature of the other assassin is making him extremely hesitant about hurting either of them. They remind him of him, and his unbridled empathetic and merciful side quickly takes over. He can't kill one in front of the other- couldn't do it.

Breaking free from them and running with his bad leg, Hongbin almost got away but the guy in cap had finally unleashed his full potential, knocking him out with hard blow to the back of his skull.

Hongbin saw Taekwoon's smirk like smile before the world went pitch black. The longing aching in his chest surpasses the pain in his limb. Maybe it is better this way. He would disappear and Taekwoon would finally be safe.

Ps: Navi as honourable mentions since they would make a deadly gorgeous couple. I simply cannot with the thought of Ravi playing hit man! ^^