The moon is high in the sky, its blueish glow bright and eerie. Choi’s pace increases as he sees the silhouette of the person he was meaning to speak with, after so many years. He brought along a couple of men, just in case things get heavy. Choi lifts his collar closer to his neck unable to contain a shiver from under the layers of clothing. Age is not an old man’s friend after all.

Choi stops with a great distance between him and the man standing beside a tomb stone. “I knew I will find you here.” His voice loud but friendly.

The man turns squaring his shoulder, his face hard to read. “What the do you want?”

Choi chuckles. “Always with the foul language.” He takes a couple of step forward but decides to stop when the man lifts his coat showing off his gun. Slightly taken aback, Choi lifts his hands to show that he doesn’t mean any harm. “Jae suk, all I want to do is talk.”

The man, Jae suk, confidently walks toward them, face completely blank. Choi’s men is on alert their hands hovering over their guns. “Not here. And, if you step foot in this grounds again, I will cut your legs and feed it to your son.” And Jae suk disappears within the fog, leaving Choi a bit dumbstruck. He had forgotten how brash and commanding Jae suk. Choi takes a cigarette out and light it up, the first inhale burns his throat but it gives him something to do while he takes control of his nerves. He can’t let his men see him unnerved.

The clock strike two and Choi hears a knock on his door. Always on time.

He goes to the door and pulls it open coming face to face with Jae suk. Choi motions for his men to keep clear of his study and closes the door behind Jae suk. “Do you still drink? Whiskey?”

“No. I don’t drink anymore.”

Choi shrugs and pours himself some rum in a clear glass. The alcohol burns his throat when he swallows a mouthful, he chuckles in satisfaction. “Are you sure? This one is imported.” This earns him a frown and he knows he is pushing his luck with the man in front of him.

“I met your son,” he starts. “Quite a temper on him but he is young.” He sits on his chair, across from Jae suk. “We both know killing each other will do us no good. I have many supporters here, Jae suk, don’t underestimate me,” he warns his voice turning cold.

He was surprise when Jae suk snickers. “Did you just threaten me?”

Choi chooses his words carefully. Yes, he meant for it as a cautionary words, but by acknowledging the threat he knows that Jae suk will take and run with it. “Yes.” The glare Jae suk gives him sends shiver down his spine. He is not stupid, he is very aware what Jae suk can do, and this gives him a moment of vulnerability. Choi regains his posture and he takes a sip of his drink.

He watch intently as Jae suk leans forward both elbows resting on his desk. “I said it before and I will say it again, Choi. You need to back away from this area or you will find yourself dead.” Jae suk’s voice is low but assertive.

“Then I will apologize in advance. I can’t do that, I will welcome the-“

Due to his reflects being slower, he only sees Jae suk swing the switchblade smoothly down his right hand, he feels his mouth freeze as the pain from his hand reaches his brain. “.” He let out a string of curse words. The door swings open and his men comes in with their weapons pointed at Jae suk. “No! Leave us.” Choi yells his face clearly in agony.

The men nods and hesitantly locks the door. Blood is dripping down his hand already drying in neat streaks. Choi holds Jae suk’s eyes and pulls out the knife without a sound. “Was that supposed to scare me?” He flicks the knife to remove his own blood from the edge, and pushes it towards Jae suk.

The smile on Jae suk’s never vanished. “Yes.”

“I don’t think it worked.”

Jae suk gets up from the chair and smirks. “Oh, it worked.” He walks to the door and turns the heavy knob to the right. Without turning, Jae suk says, “Choi, I know you have people in my organization. I just hope it’s some low class bastards you have hired because I will kill them slowly.”

Choi didn’t say anything and watch the man leave. The adrenaline from earlier is already diminishing and he can already feel the sting of the wound. After all these years, Jae suk still possess the skills of an assassin that Choi wishes he still has. Jae suk still has the upper hand even after all the planning Choi and his organization made. Feeling tired, Choi pours himself more alcohol.

He goes to one of the cabinets in his office and pulls out a gauze. He examines the wound and see that the knife punctured deeply between the flesh. Choi curses as he wraps his hand with the white bandage.

The phone beside rings suddenly and he struggles a bit to pick it up, when he does his voice sounds uneven. “Yes?”

The man on the other line hesitates before speaking. “Sir. We have a problem.”

“What is it?” asks Choi securing the bandage with a clear medical tape. Now is not really a good time.

“Sir, our lookout from the river just called. They are under attack, they need back up.”

The glass holding the alcohol shatters as Choi stands in shock. “WHAT?” He yells. A pump of adrenaline is already starting to take effect, and everything seems brighter.

The other line was silent for a moment but the voice spoke again. “Sir, our squad is almost by the river. I can see smoke-“

The line went dead before Choi can interrogate. “Hello? Hello? .”

-0-

Nix soaks the white cloth in hot water her hands feeling the burn until she lifts the cloth and twist it to rid of the water. She quickly runs to her room towel in hand, and immediately squats down in front of her unnie. “This is going to sting a little,” says Nix holding it up to Jihyo’s forehead.

“Thank you little one,” Jihyo smiles and takes the warm towel and press it down on the open wound near her eyes. Nix in return bites down on her lower lip as she watches her unnie’s face twist in pain. “Ugh. T-That was exhilarating,” her unnie laughs, and it makes Nix smile. She clasp on Jihyo’s hand and rest her forehead on Jihyo’s lap.

“I’m sorry, unnie.” Nix had been holding down her tears since her unnie and her got dragged down to the basement, but now the guilt engulfs her and she cannot control her tears from rolling down her cheeks. It was all her fault.

Nix’s shoulder shakes and her cries –she might add it sounded like a 5 month old baby- gets louder. “Why are you sorry, Nix? You didn’t do anything wrong.” Nix feels some movement, and she finds herself sitting on her unnie’s lap, her head resting on her chest. She feels a hand pet her hair, humming a song she didn’t know. The guilt and fear evaporates in the air taking the tears with it.

After a while, Nix feels her body relax and her eyes feels so heavy she was having a hard time keeping them open. She somewhat hears Jihyo laugh, but it could be her imagination, next thing she knows she was warm under a pile of blankets, her unnie sleeping beside her.

The sunlight wakes her up from a dreamless sleep. Nix yawns and rub her eyes trying to wake herself up. She notice her unnie missing, she panics a little, but she remembers that Jihyo goes to the market with the cooks every morning.

Walking in the staff hallway seems to take her longer than usual, she feels like she was dragging her feet from underneath her. A loud bang startles her, making her jump a few feet from where she was originally standing. After she calms down, she runs to the kitchen and discovers that one of the cooks had dropped a big pot of boiling water, and Jihyo was on the floor with a cloth in hand. “Unnie!”

Jihyo looks up from the floor and smiles, but continues to clean up the mess. Nix is not needed until later therefore she runs toward the garden where she usually spends her mornings, looking down the pond. Before she realize, her feet stops on its own and she almost trips on her own feet.

The pond.

Her stomach painfully twists. Maybe the pond is off limits today –or forever-. Nix turns around to go back to the staff area when she sees Gary standing not too far from her. A burst of anger shoots up throughout her body, she wants to yell at the man in front of her, she wants him to apologize for hurting her unnie. However, the feeling dwindles when she sees Gary’s eyes; they were full of regret and something else Nix cannot place.

“Go back to work, Nix,” she hears her master say in a voice so low she barely hears it. Without bowing or showing any acknowledgement –she hopes this will annoy him somewhat- she marches to the kitchen.

-0-

Gary’s eyes follow Suk jin’s movement as he pace around Gary’s room. The whole South knows about the upcoming wedding, including Suk jin making Gary shudder in disgust. He trusts Suk jin with his life, and now he feels like he had disappointed his old friend somehow. “I cannot say no,” Gary finally breaks the tension.

Suk jin stops mid step. “I know, Gary-shi. I know. Is there anything I can do?”

Gary sighs and gets up from his bed. “You can start by not looking so…so, I don’t know. Don’t pity me, Suk jin.” The words comes out like hot lava and Gary’s creased forehead deepens.

“Yes. Forgive me, my Lord.”

Gary goes to the balcony which connects to his room, seeking air instead the morning light hits his face. He hears some shuffling and he knows Suk jin is preparing to leave Gary. However, Gary senses that Suk jin is hanging back, so without looking back, Gary calls out, “What is it?”

“The woman and the child-“Gary tenses but doesn’t say anything, “-are fine. The master had sent them away last night.” The door closes softly leaving Gary all alone.

Damn it.

It feels like everything is out of his control and he doesn’t like it. First of all, his emotions are out of whack. When he saw Jihyo and Nix under his father’s mercy last night, the fear that ran along his body almost made him vomit. He wasn’t fearful for his life, he was frightened for them and what he finds more terrifying is that he didn’t know how to protect them from his father. Fear is not something you need when your job is to assassinate, and to have this particular emotion makes Gary question everything about his life.

And, by how things are going, Gary is slowly realizing that he only knows the surface of his father’s business. Being the heir of the most powerful family should give him the highest priority with information within the organization but ironically he doesn’t, Kwangso probably knows more than he does.

Gary cracks his knuckles to release some tension.

From where he is sitting, he can see the pond with the koi swimming around peacefully. He feels an ache around his chest as he watches the fish swim, trapped in their own prison.

Gary feels thirsty suddenly, and instead of calling for a maid, he steps out his room and head towards the kitchen on the west wing of the mansion. He knows Jihyo and Nix won’t be in that area since they are always stationed on the main kitchen so he takes the longer way to decrease the likelihood he will bump into them.

But Gary’s luck is a and he sees one of the two people he was avoiding, staring at him. Gary stays rooted on the floor. He checks quickly for any sign of bruises or wounds on Nix’s exposed body part, and to his relief he didn’t see any. He can tell that Nix was surprised though her expression changes into something Gary is more use to from his enemies.

Rage.

Nix is livid and it is directed to him. Gary is somewhat surprise, but he keeps his face blank hoping that the little girl will flee. When she didn’t, Gary could no longer bare her angry face and he mutters, “Go back to work, Nix.”

Her face softens a little more and without saying a word, walks away. Gary feels a pinch in his gut as he watch Nix’s back walk away; her long hair swinging back and forth. He contemplates for a moment why Jihyo didn’t tie Nix’s hair, but he mentally shakes himself. Gary accepts the cold shoulder from the little girl, he deserves it, but his guts churn painfully and the only thing he can do is sigh.

The water tasted like and he feels thirstier.

Later that day, Kwangso finds him in his car, his head hanging out the window like a dog. “Your father had been looking for you, my Lord.”

Gary swears under his breath but didn’t say anything else.

“Um. He wants you to patrol the border later tonight, he said to bring Jung In with you.”

“No.” Gary feels like a ten year old boy not wanting to do his chores.

Gary lifts his head when Kwangso laughs. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think we have choice. I will let Jung In-shi know about tonight.” He leaves and Gary feels more desperate than ever.

After speaking with Kwangso, all Gary did was sleep and sulk in his car. Next thing he knows, the sun is setting and Jung In is standing near the car, wearing nothing but a black crop top and a black mini skirt. “It’s been awhile?” She leans down for a kiss and  to her surprise Gary lets her. Her lips cold but soft, and Gary surge forward and inside . They kiss for a while, Gary’s torso hanging out the passenger door while Jung In’s head is low.

-0-

The debris was immense and such a sore to the eyes, Choi had to blink his eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real. The ambush was quick and efficient, by the time Choi and his other men arrived, most of his guards was dead, and the warehouse containing this year’s drugs destroyed. They had contained the fire but the people around the area will ask questions. Choi feels a headache coming on.

Dong hoon, his son, stands only three feet away, his eyes clearly in a frenzy. Both men looks at each other, silently speaking without using words. Dong hoon opens his mouth to speak but Choi beats him to it. “Not now. He have work to do.”

It was mid-afternoon when Choi arrived to the local coffee shop. Not many people visits during the daytime and that’s how he likes it. The table near the window is occupied, a little bit ticked off, he begrudgingly takes the table near the entrance. The waitress by the counter smiles kindly.

Less than a minute of siting peacefully, he is interrupted by a young woman, who sits on the empty chair across him. “I’m surprise you didn’t fight for your table,” says the woman, smiling.

“Not today,” he chuckles slightly feeling less tired.

The woman touches his clasped hands. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.

Choi engulfs the smaller hands. “You wouldn’t have known. He is a leader for a reason.”

Before any of them can speak, the waitress places two mugs on their table and fills it up with coffee. When she leaves, the woman in front of him smile sadly. “I am still sorry.”

Choi lets go of the hands and takes the mug. “What did you want to say? Must be important, this is risky.”

The woman straightens up. “His son is getting married tomorrow. And I didn’t even have a chance, Choi. Their relationship isn’t the best shape to begin with and-“

“Thanks to you,” he interrupts.

She shakes her head. “No, it was already strained by the looks of it. But, he sent his son scouting yesterday near the edge of the farmland, it might be their real headquarters. Lee’s mansion is empty, I’ve checked many times. “

Choi listens intently, his coffee tasting better as she spoke. However, he loses focus when he notice a wound on her forehead, red and swollen. “What happened?”

The woman unconsciously lifts her hand to the wound. “Um…”

Choi raises an eyebrow. “Jihyo,” he says sternly.

She clears before speaking. “He knew his son was harbouring affections towards the little girl. He sent thugs after her after dinner-“

“And you fought back?” Choi’s eyes studying Jihyo’s features trying to figure out something. He can’t quite place what it is, but Jihyo seem to have changed.

Jihyo nods. “Yes. I-I had to…they-“

“You could have blown your cover.”

“I know,” Jihyo says defeated.

Choi press on. “Why? Why risk it?”

“I’m sorry. The little girl….she was scared she was fighting back, and the thugs started to beat her and-“

Choi exhales, he should have known. “Jihyo, you can’t let the kid cloud your judgement.”

“I’m trying…I really am…” she stays silent, fidgeting with her grey, long sleeves. The restaurant grew louder as lunch time approached.

Choi finishes his coffee in on gulp. “I have to go. Keep an eye on his son, stay out of trouble, and just keep watch.” He gets up from his chair, followed by Jihyo.

They smile at each other.

Choi breaks the moment and left without saying anymore.

-0-

Gary sees the fading smoke from his bedroom. He goes to the balcony and squints his eyes trying to make out the area where the smoke is coming from. He sees the river, and some houses surrounding the area where the smoke is concentrated on. The fire had started last night, Jung In and Gary had seen it from the border during their patrol.

A warm hands suddenly appears around his torso and he feels a kiss on the nape of his neck. “Must have a been a bad fire,” he hears Jung In whisper.

Gary turns a little and looks down to where Jung In was resting her head on his shoulder. “Smells like burnt wheat.”

Jung In places another kiss near his ear. “Hm. Farmers must have been having a party.”

Gary lets himself chuckle. “Must have been one hell of a party.”