(for everyone) Belle
For: everyone
Title: Belle
Genre sci-fi, slight!fluff, slight!crack
Rating: PG-13/14
Side Pairings (if any): none
Warnings: [Click to view]vulgar language
Word Count: ~3,7k
Summary: hitman do kyungsoo was assigned to use time traveling.
Author's Note: not the ten out of ten story everyone hopes for. here is i, to ruin everything and present the last-last fic ;v; for jul, c, m and our class president/my boo for reading this for me and complimenting me so much. thank you to writepop and so many sorry’s for the mods. this ends abruptly so that’s a warning beforehand, but i plan to continue after the end of this exchange. enjoy!
The first time Kyungsoo drank the unfamiliar sight of a machine presented by his play-innocent boss, also known as Kris, he was doubtful. He had never seen an odd metal work his whole experience - but to remind himself, he served to kill and he shouldn’t be surprised by anything given by the agency.
The instructions were unclear yet not. “Byun Baekhyun,” Kris had told him in his warmly lit office, sat before the wooden desk and his shiny nameplate. “Eliminate him by using the newest method: KDIR13.” He furrowed his brows at the strange mention and had uttered his query Kris simply ignored, “KDIR13?”
Jongdae was kind enough to tell him the basics. The KDIR13 or just ‘machine’ was a dangerous work because it consisted of time aiding you through your task. Kyungsoo didn’t get the explanation at first, but the moment the machine’s magic occurred and everything was a bit off, vague worry struck through Kyungsoo’s wondering head.
He was in a phone booth instead of a machine. Kyungsoo turned his head left and right to observe his sudden change of surroundings, and tapped his foot in fret. Though Kris was no longer with him and quite most changed, his physical appearance remained what it had been while he was in the agency. His velvet suit, the gun tucked in the pocket inside his bottom clothing and the earpiece tucked in his hear.
Earpiece, he comprehended.
“Hello?” Kyungsoo tried, hoping for answers. “C21, are you present? C21? C21? Jongdae? C21.”
“C21 Present!” A joyous cheer chimed in his right ear. Kyungsoo sighed in mere relief. “Sorry, K12. It glitched for a little bit. Just a little bit.” Jongdae chuckled.
Even with a mutual’s presence, Kyungsoo couldn’t carry the trouble atop his trying shoulders. “The system never glitches.” He told first with a furrow of his brows. Kyungsoo couldn’t hold himself nor his questions back any longer when he continued, still troubled. “Where am I, Jongdae? I’m not where I was just a minute ago. I was with Kris but now I’m somewhere else.” He explained in a wish of a decent reason.
“Calm down, K12. I have all the information in my trustworthy hands.” That was enough of Jongdae’s say for Kyungsoo to halt the pattering of his shoe against the floor. “Quickly, Dae.”
Jongdae immediately told him to shut up for a second or two or three. The rustling of papers with several cusses thrummed in his poor ear. Kyungsoo let go of an impatient breath when Jongdae finally spoke. “Alright, I got everything.”
“The KDIR13 is a piece formed by- I don’t want to do this. It’s just long stretched bull, honestly. Let me summarize it for you.” Jongdae sighed. “The KDIR13 is a time traveling machine. Kris and Suho thought it would be a good idea to bring it in as another form of method in elimination, so they did with the approval of most members. It’s confusing, I know, but you’re the fourth person who tried this out so feel proud. Anyways, this is how it’s gonna be from now on-”
“Is that the reason why the system glitched? Because I’m in the past?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
“Back to the topic.” Jongdae supplied within a cunning heartbeat, “You’re going to eliminate your given goals by messing shit up in the past. Our organization is batshit crazy, you and I know that. We somehow got all these cool info.”
“Okay,” Kyungsoo huffed. He turned on his heel and walked out of the phone booth, a little sure this time with Jongdae by his side. “Tell me what I’ll have to do.”
“Alright. We’re going to ‘kill’ Byun Baekhyun by making sure his parents’ relationship will go down the pathetic well. You can also make sure they won’t meet if you’re early, but they’ve already met with the time you’re visiting. You have been settled in the day of their first or second date, I believe.”
People who were rather dull in Kyungsoo’s eyes kept passing by. He was surprised that none seemed baffled by his abrupt appearance but that was most likely for the best. No one would like to know that a ‘killer’ suddenly appeared in their ‘dimension’.
“I hope it’s their second,” Kyungsoo mumbled as he started to walk along the chattering folk. “Ruining first dates are always sad to see.”
“For you, Kyungsoo. If this is their first date and you ruin it, perhaps they’ll immediately guess they’re not for each other.”
“You’re sadistic, Jongdae.”
“Do you even know where you’re going?“ Jongdae bit back. Kyungsoo grumbled im realization and stopped in his unknown tracks. The people continued on, not bothering themselves with the man in a fancy suit. “Tell me. I want to finish this as soon as possible - everything is too weird for me to handle.”
Jongdae comforted, “You’ll get used to it soon. It may be weird now and that’s because it’s your first time doing this.”
“Have you tried the machine yet?”
“No.”
Kyungsoo snickered. “Okay then. Tell me where I have to go and I’ll finish it in less than twenty minutes.”
“Aren’t you in for continuous task?” Jongdae questioned, a bit daring and Kyungsoo corrected. “Overtime. I got an offer from the head of another group and that was enough to piss Suho off. Funny enough, my victim is the boss.”
Jongin muttered a comedic holy shit in realization. There were more creaking of the supposed office chair and Kyungsoo was irritated - why was Jongdae moving so much? “You’re telling me that Byun Baekhyun.. a load of fuckery right there. Suho must like you a lot.”
Kyungsoo darted out his tongue to wet his dry lips. They were a bit chapped and he was aggravated when he realized he hadn’t used the honey-and-sugar technique for dead lip skin for a long. He sighed as loud as the passing by wind. “I’m not one to brag but you’re correct. Kris tells me that I’m a good keep because I’m quick with my hands.”
“You’ve had a bunch of good release then.”
“Jongdae, that’s not related to the topic. Quit it.”
He thought it could have been a figment of his imagination but Jongdae whispered a half-assed sorry. Kyungsoo took it and pretended it was still somewhat sincere. It didn’t take long for Kyungsoo to figure out his destination. According to what they had, Baekhyun’s mother and father had their first-second, Kyungsoo dared to argue-date in a flattering coffee shop. Even if he agreed that it was a cliché reverie, it wasn’t his business (though at the same time it was.)
Curious faces looked upon his appearance a couple of times, and Kyungsoo realized it might be because of his formal outfit. Honestly, he should be in a fancy car with fancy radio music and a fancy smile. Instead, he was strolling down the casual streets with casual people and a casual grimace decorated on his trembling lips. The only thing that was not-so-casual was the firearm in his slacks.
Jongdae stressed the directions to the objective place within impatient time. Kyungsoo made sure his strides were long yet somewhat short to take up lazy seconds. He scurried swift, a silent wish in his poor mind that no one found him odd. But at the same time, he didn’t worry too much because his and Jongdae’s teamwork was past okay - or, he hoped the tracking device in his suit doesn’t fail the both of them. He had gotten used to the slurring of the older man’s words and his random blunt statements through the tough and rough years.
(He was also used to Jongdae calling him by his codename ‘K12’ than his real name ‘Kyungsoo!’)
One step around the final alleyway Jongdae told him to undergo a minute or two ago, the heavy worry on his chest dissolves when Jaehyun’s Café appears in his sight. Kyungsoo squinted for a second to make sure it was what he was looking for. “Jong, I found it.” And Jongdae’s impressed clap came along his ear. “Also, I’m kind of dizzy.”
“It’s the side effect of time traveling. Don’t worry about it.“ Jongdae answered. “What we have to focus on now is the task. I don’t have to tell you to go inside, do I?”
Kyungsoo muttered a quiet “No, you don’t.” with a roll of his eyes. He sauntered across the road to reach the coffee shop and tucked his bottom lip under his front teeth. To say he was nervous was none other than the neat truth. Although the procedure of the goal was took to be easy-because all he had to do was break off Byun Baekhyun’s parents’s relationship and he could do that with a flirtatious wink alone-what if he finished with warm blood on his hands?
A trembling huff left his lips as he stepped foot inside. As he expected before his arrival, the aroma of coffee kept under his nose. Kyungsoo liked it - the smell of coffee and coffee in general. Through a careful whisper, he alarmed Jongdae of his entrance. The said man hummed in reply and instructed him to locate the targeted lovers and search for a table distance near their’s. The day Kris assigned the task to him, the taller gentleman gave him considerably small ID pictures of the mother and father of his unsuspicious victim.
Kyungsoo gathered the mentioned images from his pocket to his palm. He looked over once, observing both of their cheerful smiles. For a pitiful second, guilt ate of the pits of his belly and surprised Kyungsoo himself. He shoved the happy memories back to his pocket, and breathed his guilt out away. He began to observe each customer within a settled apathetic façade.
To his vague delight, there, at the very last table where exactly were his aims sat. To his brighter delight, the table at least a meter away beside their table was unoccupied. He scurried to the table within a confident heartbeat, gaze remained dead and intimidating along with his posture and style of walk. He was a bit distance off from the said table when all of a sudden, somebody clutched his wrist and stopped his needy stroll.
“It’s not everyday that you find a supposed hitman,” Said the teasing stranger with a click of his tongue.
Kyungsoo furrowed his brows and spoke under gritted teeth. “At least fix your position. This looks odd from another perspective.”
“Smart!” The man praised in a mumble. The stranger didn’t loosen his grip on Kyungsoo’s wrist as he posed himself beside the smaller man. Kyungsoo turned his head to the side to take a glance at the unfamiliar and scoffed in observation. “I have a gun, if you must know.” He whispered in order to not lure unwanted attraction.
“The Thompson M1928 turns me on,” The man smiled and Kyungsoo knew his fate was suddenly laced with a crazy bastard. “But there’s no way that’d fit in your slacks now, would it?”
“Smart,” Kyungsoo mimicked. The man looked forward- “Are you on your way to take that table, perhaps?” -then to Byun Baekhyun’s joyous parents. “And eliminate those two?”
“Let me sit down, we are standing far too long. Attention- I don’t want it.” Kyungsoo hissed under his breath. He rose his shoe to stomp on the man’s foot and so he did. The man bit his bottom lip to prevent any cuss. “Let.. us sit down, then.” The man rasped.
Whilst their way to the table, Jongdae chortled in his ear. “He never gives up, does he?”
“You..,” Kyungsoo mumbled and waved his hand to the stranger to alert that it wasn’t him he was talking to. “Why are you letting this happen? I’m not here to have a conversation with another..” He pinched a grateful glimpse at the latter who stared at him in reverie curiosity. “..hitman?” He questioned, and the man nodded with a sly upwards pull of his lips.
“Go along with it but stay aware, K12. You never know who he’s targeting for - actually, why don’t you ask him if it’s Byun Baekhyun?”
Kyungsoo took away from the conversation with a sigh and a light reminder. “You are a crazy bastard, too.”
He turned his focus to the man seated across him. He was still uncomfortable with the idea of having another of his job as company but destiny had already lit the long match. “Say,” He strived and cleared his throat. “Byun Baekhyun?”
That was all he had to ask to make the man bob his head in confirmation. Kyungsoo huffed. “Great.”
“Let me do the work for the both of us. My codename is D14 and I’m from Dove.” The man confessed all at once. Kyungsoo glanced at him, eyes wide in wonder. Why would he give such information so recklessly? “It’s only fair for me to know your codename and who’s got you, too.”
Jongdae didn’t even interrupt to tell him to not do it. Kyungsoo took that as a silent approval.
“K12.” He said, “Black Swan’s got me.”
“I got you, too.” The man said with no harebrained shame. “You look beyond tired, K12. You don’t have to worry about this task, sweetheart. My heart is golden.”
“Are you just going to throw a gorgeous smile and wink at her?” Kyungsoo bit with venom in the edge of his words. He looked at the mother of Baekhyun then D14. D14 nodded to his pleasant shock. “It’s the best plan. Being attractive.”
“Okay.” A surprising approval left his succulent mouth. His heart pattered akin to a pessimist who dwelled on unruly worries. Kris would surely be maddened if he heard the discovery of Kyungsoo’s meet with another paid killer from the labeled underworld. Bothering concerns buzzed in his sad excuse of a mind but he pushed them aside because he knew Jongdae wasn’t quite the teller. Jongdae had Kyungsoo’s trust in his palms. “It’s not the best plan but okay.”
“What do you got that’s better?”
Kyungsoo deadpanned. “Patience.”
D14 chuckled at the irritated remark. His mouth stretched to a sweet full smile and it made Kyungsoo think of a nice afternoon breeze visiting by. Flowers? The sun, too, maybe? “Like that.” Kyungsoo said silently, “Smile like that and you’ll have her swept off her feet.”
“You think I’m a charmer.” D14 replied instead. Kyungsoo treasured his silence and nodded to shut the latter too. In all honesty, he wanted to go back in the present moments of generation. “Do it.” Kyungsoo looked at Byun Baekhyun’s mother. D14 muttered a very small comply. Jongdae seemed to lost interest in much of the situation because all Kyungsoo heard was pitched whistling and OPM at the background.
The other man suddenly shifted his head to Kyungsoo. “How do I grab her attention?” He asked with the most innocent intentions. The sudden want to punch the other hitman happened in Kyungsoo’s mindless gut. “I thought you knew what to do?” Kyungsoo let a distressed sigh away. “Are you tricking me, Dove? Am I your target?”
The assumption pulled an unpleasant grimace from the taller man and Kyungsoo supposed he was incorrect yet not. D14 jutted out his bottom lip, forming an upset pout. “Do you not trust me?” He asked, showing of his own self-pity. Kyungsoo glanced at him and pursed his lips, like he was thinking of his answer.
“There’s no reason to.” Kyungsoo attempted to finish yet to no avail the second the other opened his mouth. “My name is Jongin.” He said in abrupt abandons. “Does that make you trust me?”
“The name doesn’t give much.”
“It’s what I own that people use the most.” Jongin informed with a glad and positive grin. It was a full smile once again, and the same thought made its way to Kyungsoo’s mind that never seemed to halt its ponder; a delightful blow of the late day’s air, blooms and the sun showering its rays upon the darkest and coldest.
Jongin was fairly handsome, Kyungsoo had thought. They had been in the coffee shop much more than a decent two to five minutes. Kyungsoo tapped his fingernails on the shiny marbles surface before him, rather fretful in his observation - he promised Jongdae (Jongdae did not actually care nor took him seriously) he would be done with his goal quicker than anything he had ever done in his previous assignments. “Alright then, Jongin,” He began, “You told me - you told me you could this for the both of us, right?”
Jongin nodded with a hum of assured confirmation. Kyungsoo looked at him with a pressing gaze. The noisy clinks of porcelain articles pranced from wall to wall and so did the chattering, footsteps, et cetera of the citizenry in the shop. “It’s a promise already.” He smiled, tender. “But help me gain her attention. How else can I make them break?”
“Thank you. I’ll try.” Kyungsoo responded. He whirled the direction of his vision to the lovely pair and inspected them, head to the very end of their shoes. “How’d you find out, by the way? That I’m a hitman?”
Jongin beamed from ear to ear at the unanticipated topic conversation. “I saw the pictures,” He enlightened. “I don’t know if I hold the capability of a genius but your whole outfit says it all, too. You might have to tell your group to slow down on the neckties. Tetris theme is not a design everyone would support.”
“Yours compares nothing to mine.” Kyungsoo retorted after scanning through Jongin’s appearance. “Piano necktie? Really? Just who thought of that?”
“You have to understand me - our boss used to be a pianist.” Jongin reasoned. Kyungsoo found himself cracking a miniature chuckle. “Alright then.” Their small chat stopped there as Kyungsoo breathed in and out in rushing nervousness. “C21, are you.. still there?”
“Of course! I was just tuning in with your small talk with Dove.”
Kyungsoo sighed. “We could use help?”
“Why is this so hard for you to do, K12? I’m pretty sure I’ve guided you through the same event several times before - making someone swoon, I mean.”
“I’m in the past.”
“The line ‘You’re the first woman who treated me like this’ existed back in the days. What’s the difference of being in the present and past when you decide to get it on with an individual?”
“Jongdae,” Kyungsoo wailed and made sure to look away from Jongin to avoid the creation of self-embarrassment and second hand embarrassment, too. “Please.”
“Okay. Jongin is hot, right?”
“It’s painful to admit but he looks like he can reach everyone’s standards.”
“Even yours?”
“Even yours.”
“I don’t sense a problem.” Jongdae declared. Kyungsoo felt as if the elder had ignored his yearning request completely, no mercy. “Let the man do his thing.”
Kyungsoo was on the verge to notify Jongin about the hasty plan he molded in his head in less than a petty long minute, when Baekhyun’s parents stood up and promptly sauntered off to their way. He and Jongin’s eyes expanded in shock and their bodies refused to react to the curt leave until a few passed seconds. “Come now!” Kyungsoo furrowed his brows. He rose to his feet and quickly but secretly attended along behind Baekhyun’s mother and father. They hid behind walls from time to time and tried to appear regular and no diverse from anyone else that was on the streets. “Jongin,” He uttered low. “I think we can do this even if we’re outside and out for a walk.”
Kyungsoo drove his sight upward to precious a glimpse of the taller male’s side view. As if planned from the beginning, Jongin looked down and their eyes met. “You think?” He smiled wide like he gave a challenge to the smaller man. Kyungsoo contemplated back to their pathway and took a step ahead than the other. “We can.” He boosted, relatively quiet. “I can.. you can..,”
“It’s not difficult if you set your mind to it. This is what we’re expected to do, Swan - to remove every trace of our assigned.” Although Kyungsoo stepped ahead of him in a sort of invitation to race, Jongin ambled in the calmest manner. He didn’t miss the small sigh Kyungsoo seemed to do every now and then. “You remind me of my Grandmother’s cat, Kyungsoo.” He gave away out of the blue.
Silence wrapped around the both of them comparable to a short while blanket made out of the roughest material. Kyungsoo mumbled a ‘why?’ to carry on their meaningless conversation while he observed Baekhyun’s father and mother’s way of stroll. Jongin resumed on their assumed subject and rambled something about how Kyungsoo’s eyes were as wide and appeared to be incapable of emotions like the cat, how his hair was as black as the feline’s fur - it made Kyungsoo light-headed. Jongin picked on every little thing in his appearance he’d be able to compare to with the cat.
“Jongin, wait.” Kyungsoo mumbled, stopping their follow. Jongin put an immediate end to his blabbering, rose a curious brow and turned his head to take a peek at their marks. Dread ran all over Kyungsoo when they noticed the lady and the man were on their merry way to enter their vehicle. The couple somehow kept leaving Jongin and Kyungsoo behind in a curt manner and it’d always leave them in immobile surprise. Kyungsoo’s heart clapped in the rhythm of the loudest thunderstorms. He turned his head to Jongin and, “Don’t let them get away!”
A bit of reassurance returned to Kyungsoo when Jongin started to establish a sporty pace in direction of their endgames. He was about to hurry, too, when a mirror broke and a crow was outside his window all of a sudden.
A vague device was pressed painfully at the back of his head. “Don’t move.” The person said behind him, “It won’t end pretty if you do. You know that, don’t you? Am I your victim, Do? Is that why you’re following my parents?” It was silent among Baekhyun and he, or maybe everyone who noticed the happening. Awareness brimmed in Kyungsoo’s offbeat mind in the moment he realized what the stranger strived to dig at the back of his head. He gulped the small, small relief he achieved a second ago and nodded because though he knew what to do and he had the exact skills to defend himself -
- But it was a pistol threatening to make his living a game. And Jongin..
He knew what to do, didn’t he?
Title: Belle
Genre sci-fi, slight!fluff, slight!crack
Rating: PG-13/14
Side Pairings (if any): none
Warnings: [Click to view]vulgar language
Word Count: ~3,7k
Summary: hitman do kyungsoo was assigned to use time traveling.
Author's Note: not the ten out of ten story everyone hopes for. here is i, to ruin everything and present the last-last fic ;v; for jul, c, m and our class president/my boo for reading this for me and complimenting me so much. thank you to writepop and so many sorry’s for the mods. this ends abruptly so that’s a warning beforehand, but i plan to continue after the end of this exchange. enjoy!
The first time Kyungsoo drank the unfamiliar sight of a machine presented by his play-innocent boss, also known as Kris, he was doubtful. He had never seen an odd metal work his whole experience - but to remind himself, he served to kill and he shouldn’t be surprised by anything given by the agency.
The instructions were unclear yet not. “Byun Baekhyun,” Kris had told him in his warmly lit office, sat before the wooden desk and his shiny nameplate. “Eliminate him by using the newest method: KDIR13.” He furrowed his brows at the strange mention and had uttered his query Kris simply ignored, “KDIR13?”
Jongdae was kind enough to tell him the basics. The KDIR13 or just ‘machine’ was a dangerous work because it consisted of time aiding you through your task. Kyungsoo didn’t get the explanation at first, but the moment the machine’s magic occurred and everything was a bit off, vague worry struck through Kyungsoo’s wondering head.
He was in a phone booth instead of a machine. Kyungsoo turned his head left and right to observe his sudden change of surroundings, and tapped his foot in fret. Though Kris was no longer with him and quite most changed, his physical appearance remained what it had been while he was in the agency. His velvet suit, the gun tucked in the pocket inside his bottom clothing and the earpiece tucked in his hear.
Earpiece, he comprehended.
“Hello?” Kyungsoo tried, hoping for answers. “C21, are you present? C21? C21? Jongdae? C21.”
“C21 Present!” A joyous cheer chimed in his right ear. Kyungsoo sighed in mere relief. “Sorry, K12. It glitched for a little bit. Just a little bit.” Jongdae chuckled.
Even with a mutual’s presence, Kyungsoo couldn’t carry the trouble atop his trying shoulders. “The system never glitches.” He told first with a furrow of his brows. Kyungsoo couldn’t hold himself nor his questions back any longer when he continued, still troubled. “Where am I, Jongdae? I’m not where I was just a minute ago. I was with Kris but now I’m somewhere else.” He explained in a wish of a decent reason.
“Calm down, K12. I have all the information in my trustworthy hands.” That was enough of Jongdae’s say for Kyungsoo to halt the pattering of his shoe against the floor. “Quickly, Dae.”
Jongdae immediately told him to shut up for a second or two or three. The rustling of papers with several cusses thrummed in his poor ear. Kyungsoo let go of an impatient breath when Jongdae finally spoke. “Alright, I got everything.”
“The KDIR13 is a piece formed by- I don’t want to do this. It’s just long stretched bull, honestly. Let me summarize it for you.” Jongdae sighed. “The KDIR13 is a time traveling machine. Kris and Suho thought it would be a good idea to bring it in as another form of method in elimination, so they did with the approval of most members. It’s confusing, I know, but you’re the fourth person who tried this out so feel proud. Anyways, this is how it’s gonna be from now on-”
“Is that the reason why the system glitched? Because I’m in the past?”
“Yes, I believe so.”
“Back to the topic.” Jongdae supplied within a cunning heartbeat, “You’re going to eliminate your given goals by messing shit up in the past. Our organization is batshit crazy, you and I know that. We somehow got all these cool info.”
“Okay,” Kyungsoo huffed. He turned on his heel and walked out of the phone booth, a little sure this time with Jongdae by his side. “Tell me what I’ll have to do.”
“Alright. We’re going to ‘kill’ Byun Baekhyun by making sure his parents’ relationship will go down the pathetic well. You can also make sure they won’t meet if you’re early, but they’ve already met with the time you’re visiting. You have been settled in the day of their first or second date, I believe.”
People who were rather dull in Kyungsoo’s eyes kept passing by. He was surprised that none seemed baffled by his abrupt appearance but that was most likely for the best. No one would like to know that a ‘killer’ suddenly appeared in their ‘dimension’.
“I hope it’s their second,” Kyungsoo mumbled as he started to walk along the chattering folk. “Ruining first dates are always sad to see.”
“For you, Kyungsoo. If this is their first date and you ruin it, perhaps they’ll immediately guess they’re not for each other.”
“You’re sadistic, Jongdae.”
“Do you even know where you’re going?“ Jongdae bit back. Kyungsoo grumbled im realization and stopped in his unknown tracks. The people continued on, not bothering themselves with the man in a fancy suit. “Tell me. I want to finish this as soon as possible - everything is too weird for me to handle.”
Jongdae comforted, “You’ll get used to it soon. It may be weird now and that’s because it’s your first time doing this.”
“Have you tried the machine yet?”
“No.”
Kyungsoo snickered. “Okay then. Tell me where I have to go and I’ll finish it in less than twenty minutes.”
“Aren’t you in for continuous task?” Jongdae questioned, a bit daring and Kyungsoo corrected. “Overtime. I got an offer from the head of another group and that was enough to piss Suho off. Funny enough, my victim is the boss.”
Jongin muttered a comedic holy shit in realization. There were more creaking of the supposed office chair and Kyungsoo was irritated - why was Jongdae moving so much? “You’re telling me that Byun Baekhyun.. a load of fuckery right there. Suho must like you a lot.”
Kyungsoo darted out his tongue to wet his dry lips. They were a bit chapped and he was aggravated when he realized he hadn’t used the honey-and-sugar technique for dead lip skin for a long. He sighed as loud as the passing by wind. “I’m not one to brag but you’re correct. Kris tells me that I’m a good keep because I’m quick with my hands.”
“You’ve had a bunch of good release then.”
“Jongdae, that’s not related to the topic. Quit it.”
He thought it could have been a figment of his imagination but Jongdae whispered a half-assed sorry. Kyungsoo took it and pretended it was still somewhat sincere. It didn’t take long for Kyungsoo to figure out his destination. According to what they had, Baekhyun’s mother and father had their first-second, Kyungsoo dared to argue-date in a flattering coffee shop. Even if he agreed that it was a cliché reverie, it wasn’t his business (though at the same time it was.)
Curious faces looked upon his appearance a couple of times, and Kyungsoo realized it might be because of his formal outfit. Honestly, he should be in a fancy car with fancy radio music and a fancy smile. Instead, he was strolling down the casual streets with casual people and a casual grimace decorated on his trembling lips. The only thing that was not-so-casual was the firearm in his slacks.
Jongdae stressed the directions to the objective place within impatient time. Kyungsoo made sure his strides were long yet somewhat short to take up lazy seconds. He scurried swift, a silent wish in his poor mind that no one found him odd. But at the same time, he didn’t worry too much because his and Jongdae’s teamwork was past okay - or, he hoped the tracking device in his suit doesn’t fail the both of them. He had gotten used to the slurring of the older man’s words and his random blunt statements through the tough and rough years.
(He was also used to Jongdae calling him by his codename ‘K12’ than his real name ‘Kyungsoo!’)
One step around the final alleyway Jongdae told him to undergo a minute or two ago, the heavy worry on his chest dissolves when Jaehyun’s Café appears in his sight. Kyungsoo squinted for a second to make sure it was what he was looking for. “Jong, I found it.” And Jongdae’s impressed clap came along his ear. “Also, I’m kind of dizzy.”
“It’s the side effect of time traveling. Don’t worry about it.“ Jongdae answered. “What we have to focus on now is the task. I don’t have to tell you to go inside, do I?”
Kyungsoo muttered a quiet “No, you don’t.” with a roll of his eyes. He sauntered across the road to reach the coffee shop and tucked his bottom lip under his front teeth. To say he was nervous was none other than the neat truth. Although the procedure of the goal was took to be easy-because all he had to do was break off Byun Baekhyun’s parents’s relationship and he could do that with a flirtatious wink alone-what if he finished with warm blood on his hands?
A trembling huff left his lips as he stepped foot inside. As he expected before his arrival, the aroma of coffee kept under his nose. Kyungsoo liked it - the smell of coffee and coffee in general. Through a careful whisper, he alarmed Jongdae of his entrance. The said man hummed in reply and instructed him to locate the targeted lovers and search for a table distance near their’s. The day Kris assigned the task to him, the taller gentleman gave him considerably small ID pictures of the mother and father of his unsuspicious victim.
Kyungsoo gathered the mentioned images from his pocket to his palm. He looked over once, observing both of their cheerful smiles. For a pitiful second, guilt ate of the pits of his belly and surprised Kyungsoo himself. He shoved the happy memories back to his pocket, and breathed his guilt out away. He began to observe each customer within a settled apathetic façade.
To his vague delight, there, at the very last table where exactly were his aims sat. To his brighter delight, the table at least a meter away beside their table was unoccupied. He scurried to the table within a confident heartbeat, gaze remained dead and intimidating along with his posture and style of walk. He was a bit distance off from the said table when all of a sudden, somebody clutched his wrist and stopped his needy stroll.
“It’s not everyday that you find a supposed hitman,” Said the teasing stranger with a click of his tongue.
Kyungsoo furrowed his brows and spoke under gritted teeth. “At least fix your position. This looks odd from another perspective.”
“Smart!” The man praised in a mumble. The stranger didn’t loosen his grip on Kyungsoo’s wrist as he posed himself beside the smaller man. Kyungsoo turned his head to the side to take a glance at the unfamiliar and scoffed in observation. “I have a gun, if you must know.” He whispered in order to not lure unwanted attraction.
“The Thompson M1928 turns me on,” The man smiled and Kyungsoo knew his fate was suddenly laced with a crazy bastard. “But there’s no way that’d fit in your slacks now, would it?”
“Smart,” Kyungsoo mimicked. The man looked forward- “Are you on your way to take that table, perhaps?” -then to Byun Baekhyun’s joyous parents. “And eliminate those two?”
“Let me sit down, we are standing far too long. Attention- I don’t want it.” Kyungsoo hissed under his breath. He rose his shoe to stomp on the man’s foot and so he did. The man bit his bottom lip to prevent any cuss. “Let.. us sit down, then.” The man rasped.
Whilst their way to the table, Jongdae chortled in his ear. “He never gives up, does he?”
“You..,” Kyungsoo mumbled and waved his hand to the stranger to alert that it wasn’t him he was talking to. “Why are you letting this happen? I’m not here to have a conversation with another..” He pinched a grateful glimpse at the latter who stared at him in reverie curiosity. “..hitman?” He questioned, and the man nodded with a sly upwards pull of his lips.
“Go along with it but stay aware, K12. You never know who he’s targeting for - actually, why don’t you ask him if it’s Byun Baekhyun?”
Kyungsoo took away from the conversation with a sigh and a light reminder. “You are a crazy bastard, too.”
He turned his focus to the man seated across him. He was still uncomfortable with the idea of having another of his job as company but destiny had already lit the long match. “Say,” He strived and cleared his throat. “Byun Baekhyun?”
That was all he had to ask to make the man bob his head in confirmation. Kyungsoo huffed. “Great.”
“Let me do the work for the both of us. My codename is D14 and I’m from Dove.” The man confessed all at once. Kyungsoo glanced at him, eyes wide in wonder. Why would he give such information so recklessly? “It’s only fair for me to know your codename and who’s got you, too.”
Jongdae didn’t even interrupt to tell him to not do it. Kyungsoo took that as a silent approval.
“K12.” He said, “Black Swan’s got me.”
“I got you, too.” The man said with no harebrained shame. “You look beyond tired, K12. You don’t have to worry about this task, sweetheart. My heart is golden.”
“Are you just going to throw a gorgeous smile and wink at her?” Kyungsoo bit with venom in the edge of his words. He looked at the mother of Baekhyun then D14. D14 nodded to his pleasant shock. “It’s the best plan. Being attractive.”
“Okay.” A surprising approval left his succulent mouth. His heart pattered akin to a pessimist who dwelled on unruly worries. Kris would surely be maddened if he heard the discovery of Kyungsoo’s meet with another paid killer from the labeled underworld. Bothering concerns buzzed in his sad excuse of a mind but he pushed them aside because he knew Jongdae wasn’t quite the teller. Jongdae had Kyungsoo’s trust in his palms. “It’s not the best plan but okay.”
“What do you got that’s better?”
Kyungsoo deadpanned. “Patience.”
D14 chuckled at the irritated remark. His mouth stretched to a sweet full smile and it made Kyungsoo think of a nice afternoon breeze visiting by. Flowers? The sun, too, maybe? “Like that.” Kyungsoo said silently, “Smile like that and you’ll have her swept off her feet.”
“You think I’m a charmer.” D14 replied instead. Kyungsoo treasured his silence and nodded to shut the latter too. In all honesty, he wanted to go back in the present moments of generation. “Do it.” Kyungsoo looked at Byun Baekhyun’s mother. D14 muttered a very small comply. Jongdae seemed to lost interest in much of the situation because all Kyungsoo heard was pitched whistling and OPM at the background.
The other man suddenly shifted his head to Kyungsoo. “How do I grab her attention?” He asked with the most innocent intentions. The sudden want to punch the other hitman happened in Kyungsoo’s mindless gut. “I thought you knew what to do?” Kyungsoo let a distressed sigh away. “Are you tricking me, Dove? Am I your target?”
The assumption pulled an unpleasant grimace from the taller man and Kyungsoo supposed he was incorrect yet not. D14 jutted out his bottom lip, forming an upset pout. “Do you not trust me?” He asked, showing of his own self-pity. Kyungsoo glanced at him and pursed his lips, like he was thinking of his answer.
“There’s no reason to.” Kyungsoo attempted to finish yet to no avail the second the other opened his mouth. “My name is Jongin.” He said in abrupt abandons. “Does that make you trust me?”
“The name doesn’t give much.”
“It’s what I own that people use the most.” Jongin informed with a glad and positive grin. It was a full smile once again, and the same thought made its way to Kyungsoo’s mind that never seemed to halt its ponder; a delightful blow of the late day’s air, blooms and the sun showering its rays upon the darkest and coldest.
Jongin was fairly handsome, Kyungsoo had thought. They had been in the coffee shop much more than a decent two to five minutes. Kyungsoo tapped his fingernails on the shiny marbles surface before him, rather fretful in his observation - he promised Jongdae (Jongdae did not actually care nor took him seriously) he would be done with his goal quicker than anything he had ever done in his previous assignments. “Alright then, Jongin,” He began, “You told me - you told me you could this for the both of us, right?”
Jongin nodded with a hum of assured confirmation. Kyungsoo looked at him with a pressing gaze. The noisy clinks of porcelain articles pranced from wall to wall and so did the chattering, footsteps, et cetera of the citizenry in the shop. “It’s a promise already.” He smiled, tender. “But help me gain her attention. How else can I make them break?”
“Thank you. I’ll try.” Kyungsoo responded. He whirled the direction of his vision to the lovely pair and inspected them, head to the very end of their shoes. “How’d you find out, by the way? That I’m a hitman?”
Jongin beamed from ear to ear at the unanticipated topic conversation. “I saw the pictures,” He enlightened. “I don’t know if I hold the capability of a genius but your whole outfit says it all, too. You might have to tell your group to slow down on the neckties. Tetris theme is not a design everyone would support.”
“Yours compares nothing to mine.” Kyungsoo retorted after scanning through Jongin’s appearance. “Piano necktie? Really? Just who thought of that?”
“You have to understand me - our boss used to be a pianist.” Jongin reasoned. Kyungsoo found himself cracking a miniature chuckle. “Alright then.” Their small chat stopped there as Kyungsoo breathed in and out in rushing nervousness. “C21, are you.. still there?”
“Of course! I was just tuning in with your small talk with Dove.”
Kyungsoo sighed. “We could use help?”
“Why is this so hard for you to do, K12? I’m pretty sure I’ve guided you through the same event several times before - making someone swoon, I mean.”
“I’m in the past.”
“The line ‘You’re the first woman who treated me like this’ existed back in the days. What’s the difference of being in the present and past when you decide to get it on with an individual?”
“Jongdae,” Kyungsoo wailed and made sure to look away from Jongin to avoid the creation of self-embarrassment and second hand embarrassment, too. “Please.”
“Okay. Jongin is hot, right?”
“It’s painful to admit but he looks like he can reach everyone’s standards.”
“Even yours?”
“Even yours.”
“I don’t sense a problem.” Jongdae declared. Kyungsoo felt as if the elder had ignored his yearning request completely, no mercy. “Let the man do his thing.”
Kyungsoo was on the verge to notify Jongin about the hasty plan he molded in his head in less than a petty long minute, when Baekhyun’s parents stood up and promptly sauntered off to their way. He and Jongin’s eyes expanded in shock and their bodies refused to react to the curt leave until a few passed seconds. “Come now!” Kyungsoo furrowed his brows. He rose to his feet and quickly but secretly attended along behind Baekhyun’s mother and father. They hid behind walls from time to time and tried to appear regular and no diverse from anyone else that was on the streets. “Jongin,” He uttered low. “I think we can do this even if we’re outside and out for a walk.”
Kyungsoo drove his sight upward to precious a glimpse of the taller male’s side view. As if planned from the beginning, Jongin looked down and their eyes met. “You think?” He smiled wide like he gave a challenge to the smaller man. Kyungsoo contemplated back to their pathway and took a step ahead than the other. “We can.” He boosted, relatively quiet. “I can.. you can..,”
“It’s not difficult if you set your mind to it. This is what we’re expected to do, Swan - to remove every trace of our assigned.” Although Kyungsoo stepped ahead of him in a sort of invitation to race, Jongin ambled in the calmest manner. He didn’t miss the small sigh Kyungsoo seemed to do every now and then. “You remind me of my Grandmother’s cat, Kyungsoo.” He gave away out of the blue.
Silence wrapped around the both of them comparable to a short while blanket made out of the roughest material. Kyungsoo mumbled a ‘why?’ to carry on their meaningless conversation while he observed Baekhyun’s father and mother’s way of stroll. Jongin resumed on their assumed subject and rambled something about how Kyungsoo’s eyes were as wide and appeared to be incapable of emotions like the cat, how his hair was as black as the feline’s fur - it made Kyungsoo light-headed. Jongin picked on every little thing in his appearance he’d be able to compare to with the cat.
“Jongin, wait.” Kyungsoo mumbled, stopping their follow. Jongin put an immediate end to his blabbering, rose a curious brow and turned his head to take a peek at their marks. Dread ran all over Kyungsoo when they noticed the lady and the man were on their merry way to enter their vehicle. The couple somehow kept leaving Jongin and Kyungsoo behind in a curt manner and it’d always leave them in immobile surprise. Kyungsoo’s heart clapped in the rhythm of the loudest thunderstorms. He turned his head to Jongin and, “Don’t let them get away!”
A bit of reassurance returned to Kyungsoo when Jongin started to establish a sporty pace in direction of their endgames. He was about to hurry, too, when a mirror broke and a crow was outside his window all of a sudden.
A vague device was pressed painfully at the back of his head. “Don’t move.” The person said behind him, “It won’t end pretty if you do. You know that, don’t you? Am I your victim, Do? Is that why you’re following my parents?” It was silent among Baekhyun and he, or maybe everyone who noticed the happening. Awareness brimmed in Kyungsoo’s offbeat mind in the moment he realized what the stranger strived to dig at the back of his head. He gulped the small, small relief he achieved a second ago and nodded because though he knew what to do and he had the exact skills to defend himself -
- But it was a pistol threatening to make his living a game. And Jongin..
He knew what to do, didn’t he?