Kill me softly - Minsung

Chapter 5

Pedestrians were passing by. One after the other. Fathers running after their children, women with their dogs, students jogging across the path, because they were running late to class and businessmen who frantically spoke into their phones, gripping their bags tight. Minho liked to watch these people and often found himself imagining being a normal person. Wondering what it must feel like – having an ordinary life and contributing to society. He always wondered. Wondered, what it must feel like, stressing about a test you didn't study hard enough for. What it must feel like, stressing about whether or not your crush liked you back? What must it feel like, being ordinary?
Minho was recruited by Jung-ho into his business when he was 14 and ever since then, he was learning and studying to become the agent and assassin they wanted him to be. He didn't have any other choice. If he hadn't done what they wanted they would've killed him.
It was quite a horrible time. His life didn't belong to him. He wasn't seen as an individual, as a human being with own wishes, anxieties and dreams. He was just one of the many young agents they trained. The only difference was that he was one of the survivors, unlike 47 of the other teenagers that were recruited.
Minho's life became better, as he moved out of the dorm that he was first assigned as he was inhabited by them. To call it a dorm, actually was an overstatement. It was hardly a room. Minho was able to turn around if he wouldn't stretch his arms out. He was able to fit a mattress, a very small cupboard and some books he had to study out of in his room. It was all he had until he got 16.
After moving out, he felt more in charge of his own life again, he even picked up dancing classes again, a passion of him ever since. He wasn't able to go to them as regularly as he'd like to though, hence to his 'job' but he still went whenever he had the time and was in a fitting circumstance.
Someone sat down on the bench beside him. Minho glanced over, the person was wearing a face mask and a hat, brown hair covering his eyes.
"A wonderful day.", Minho's heart dropped. Why were they here? He wasn't supposed to meet anyone.
"Quite cloudy.", Minho stuttered.
"Nah, I actually don't think it is, can't you see the bright sky?", the person responded, took off his face mask and tugged his hair into the beanie so that his forehead was exposed.
"Hyunjin, you fucking ass! I actually thought you were one of Jung-ho's people!", Minho shoved Hyunjin's shoulder harshly since he had been seriously concerned.
"Ouch! Damn where's the good assassin you once were?", he rubbed his shoulder. What a drama queen, Minho hadn't even hurt him that bad. He knew that Hyunjin had had injuries that were way worse.
"I still am a good assassin!", Minho defended himself.
"Says the one who just got fooled by one of his best friends but go off, I guess.", Hyunjin just shrugged.
"Bugger off.", Minho said despite having a smile on his face. It was refreshing to be able to interact with someone from whom he didn't have to hide anything.
"Why did you call me here. I know there's always something up."
"Yes, otherwise I wouldn't put you in such a danger.", Minho's expression hardened again. Meeting up with Hyunjin, even staying in contact with him was dangerous for both Hyunjin and Minho wouldn't do it if he didn't have to.
"I am not in danger as long as I don't put myself in it. Right now we're just chilling and chatting. Nothing they need to worry about.", with them, Hyunjin meant Jung-ho's people.
"They will decide for themselves if they have to worry about you or not. If they see you and they think I am spilling some kind of secrets, they won't even bother hearing you out.", Minho looked around the park the whole time, afraid of seeing someone who might've looked at them for just a bit too long or just a way too concerned.
"Oh my god stop worrying. I've been fine for the last 2 years now.", It was true. Hyunjin was already out of the stupid system in which Minho was still stuck. Hopefully not long anymore.
"6 months.", he looked at Hyunjin who frowned. "They gave me 6 months for my last mission."
Hyunjin's expression switched into a surprised one.
"Minho-Hyung. Do you know what that means? 6 months until you are free!", Hyunjin threw his arms up.
"I wouldn't be so quick on that. You know that Jung-ho isn't the most trustworthy man alive.", Minho didn't feel the relief he thought he would feel. Instead, he felt a nervousness and trouble inside him.
"You know what you have to do after you finished it, don't you?", Hyunjin looked concerned again.
"Destroy all the papers, all the information.", Minho knew. It was one of the first things he learned from the older recruits.
"That's not enough. You basically have to erase yourself. Lee Know won't exist anymore. It's probably better if Minho doesn't exist anymore, too. And if you piss them off, you have to move countries.", he explained.
"You didn't do any of this. You just destroyed your agent ID and moved cities.", Minho wondered.
"Yes because I didn't give them a reason to be mad with me as I left.", Hyunjin crossed his arms.
"What makes you think, that I'd piss them off?", Minho copied Hyunjin by crossing his own arms.
"Because I know you.", Minho just huffed.
"Jung-ho has his people all around the globe. Moving away won't help much then.", outrunning him would be next to impossible and Minho just hoped he wouldn't actually need to do so.
"Yes but there are countries to which he doesn't have that many connections and it will give you time to figure everything out.", Minho looked at the park around him.
"But I don't want to leave.", he whispered. Seoul was the city he moved to after the two years of constant training. He felt at home for the first time in such a long time, that Seoul now had a special place in his heart.
"Then just do as you are told and don't piss them off.", Hyunjin simply said.
"That's easier said than done.", Minho looked back at him. "Also, speak a bit more respectful with your Hyung!", Minho shoved Hyunjin causing him to nearly fall of the bench but he quickly caught Minho's arm and twirled it around, a sharp sting ran through his arm due to the unnatural position.
"Don't. shove. me.", Minho just laughed as he easily pulled out of Hyunjin's grip.
"I hope that someday we can talk about other things than just the business.", Hyunjin huffed and Minho strongly agreed. He was so sick of the fact that him being an agent always was the most important thing in his life. Always on the run of the police and in fear of doing anything that might anger any of Jung-ho's people. Because that either meant prison or death, both things that weren't exactly points on his bucket list. He had been fighting for his life for the past ten years and trained to become an assassin at the age of 14 only to, one day, be free and just enjoy living.
"6 months, Hyunjin. Only 6 more months.", Minho looked in the distance again. A big wave of warm air hit them and twirled through their hair and their clothes as if it wanted to take some of their sad feelings and memories with it and Minho desperately wished it actually could just take some of the things with it.
"Yes, only 6 more moths. You're gonna have to think about your life afterward. Make friends with some people, get a new hobby, maybe even find somebody you'd wanna spend your life with.",  Hyunjin got really excited but Minho could only lazily smile about the younger's excitement.
"Well as far as that goes...", he smiled teasingly.
"Wait, you found someone? You got in a relationship?"
"No, you know damn well that that is way too dangerous. I'd never do that to anyone.", and that was the truth. The whole damn truth. Minho maybe could burn all the folders, which contained information about him. He could maybe change his identity to whomever he'd wanted to and he could maybe move to whatever country he liked, but in the end, his past would always be the same. And he'd always have to live with the constant fear of getting attacked. Doing something wrong. That maybe, some of his actions were discovered. Heck, he was about to find out everything about a person, right now, only to then kill them! He'd always live differently, but he knew that, and he came to terms with it but, by the love of God, he knew how hard it was to come to terms with it and just accept that it just is the way it is, that he wouldn't put another person through this.
"If, by the age of 40, we're still single.", Hyunjin declared, "we're just gonna marry each other.", Minho chuckled lightly.
"Very optimistic of you, to think that we're actually gonna live long enough to become 40 but sure, let's to it.", Minho held out his hand and Hyunjin looked at it.
"You-", he threw his head back and laughed his absolute adorable laugh before he bashed his hand into Minho's and shook it.