The Mafia's Dove (Hyunjin centric)

Syringe

Maybe I was just overthinking it.

"I don't really want to tattle, but . . . Something Changbin said has been on my mind for a while." I'm snapped out of my thoughts by Jisung's tentative voice, and I surrendered my attention to the clearly uncertain brunette beside me. "He said that you mentioned how all traces of you were wiped, and how you technically didn't exist. What did you mean by that?"

My face fell slightly, and he seemed to notice how caught off guard I was. He remained silent, however, clearly not willing to take back his words right out the gate. We were about a block away from the store, and I tried to not let my pace slow as we continued forward.

What was I willing to share?

I usually avoided even thinking about my past, but not telling him anything might end just as badly as it would if I told him everything.

"I know it's not cool to pry, but . . . we work with really delicate matters, and- I just don't want to risk . . . " He seemed unsure about how to phrase his words, and I turned to look at him with a calm smile.

"I haven't given you a reason to trust me. You know barely anything about me. It's ok to say it's suspicious. I won't get upset." He closed his eyes and sighed, hand squeezing mine gently, though it was hard to tell if he was trying to reassure me or himself.

"It's suspicious." His eyes fluttered open, and he stared at me blankly from his peripheral.

I nodded, well aware that trying to make light of the situation would fail miserably. I was quick to make a decision despite the nail biting debate still going on in my head, and I urged us to quicken our pace so we wouldn't stand out in the crowd still moseying about.

"I won't go into details, but I'll tell you the basics. But only if you promise not to ask any more questions on the matter." He eyed me, apparently taking note of my somber expression as he nodded.

I hadn't talked to anyone about my past, mainly because I had no one to tell, so giving even a vague description felt unnatural.

"I was raised with a very specific purpose in mind. However, when I failed one too many times, they decided to replace me."

"They?"

I raised my brow. "You promised not to ask any questions, so just let me talk." he nodded, though unenthusiastically, and we stepped into the parking lot of the market.

"They found the replacement they were looking for, and as I was no longer needed, they decided to dispose of me. They erased all traces of me ever existing, which was rather easy from the way they had me live, and then they faked my death. That's pretty much it."

He looked at me with wide eyes, and he yanked on my arm to stop me from continuing forward. I stopped walking and turned to him with a blank expression, and he blanched.

"What do you mean that's all? How did they have enough influence to erase all traces of you? How did you survive if they wanted you dead? How did you live up until the point of them trying to replace you? Who were they?"

"Jisung, you promised not to ask questions."

"I'm usually one to keep my promises, but I'll allow this to be an exception!" His voice was high and rather panicked as he prodded me for more information, and I opened my mouth to respond. I was interrupted, however, by the sound of a car honking.

We both looked to the side and noticed we were keeping a car from pulling out of their parking spot, and we scurried out of the way.

"Sorry!" My apology was ignored as the driver flipped us off, and Jisung and I returned the motion simultaneously.