Poison and Bane

5. Baited.

The treadmill was at 2.6 km/hour and I still couldn't place my legs one after the other. They felt like they were made out of cement, but my eyelids were heavier.

Everything was spinning and blurred, and all I wanted to do was curl up on one of those bean bags and sleep through the week.

That was the problem though. I couldn't sleep. It's been this way for the past week now. Nightmares have been a constant in my life. But for once, the nightmares weren't about my past.

It was about the future. And it was about Woo Bin.

Only Van knew what happened last weekend. We were asked to keep the details minimum to those who asked about our mission. None of our wounds were obvious, except for the slight concussion Woo Bin had got.

As for the Monster, it was basically my personal vehicle of choice, so nobody looked for it.

It was unfair to sweep all this under the rug and wait for the dust to settle while danger could be lurking right around every corner. And the guilt was presenting itself in the form of nightmares.

Woo Bin was the victim in every single one of them and I was positively helpless. There had been nights when I walked about in my apartment, keeping awake, afraid of what I'd see if I fell asleep.

Then there was the matter of my blind date. It was today and my mind was torn between going to it and staying back to keep tabs on Woo Bin.

This past week I'd been breathing down his neck, more than just keeping tabs. He was an adult who was capable of taking care of himself. I needed to remind myself of that.

Yu Na kept giving me concerned looks from the treadmill next to mine. Every time she looked in my direction, I attempted to pick up the pace but my body just wouldn't listen.

"Sunbae, you okay?"

"Yes, yes. It's just the cold, cramping up my muscles."

I stretched my hands over my head for emphasis. She gave me a sceptical look, but didn't say anything.

For once, I'd spent the previous night obsessing over something other than the Magi and lycans. It was a welcome distraction. So, I'd stayed up all night, choosing and changing my choice of outfit every half an hour.

How was I going to tell Yu Na that I had a blind date set up for tonight?

Me who punched a guy at a bar, thinking he was spiking Yu Na's drink, when he was only getting her one on her request.

Me who had shut down any kind of intimacy with the dumber sex for so long, that I had forgotten how a date is supposed to be like.

Gwendoline Bane, the Assassin, was going on a blind date.

I decided I didn't want to hear that in the local gossip for as long as I lived with the gang.

Besides if I tell Yu Na, there was no such thing as 'just Yu Na'. If she knew, Kyro would too. Might as well announce it to the entire population of Seoul then.

My phone lit up from the holder, with a message. It was Min Ri.

*All set?! He'll meet you at Joonie's at 7:30. Don't even think about ditching like you did with me last weekend. Got it? *

After all that happened, I mostly regretted having to miss out on Gong Do's exemplary cooking.

Shit. There was only 3 hours to go. I still had sparring sessions with Woo Bin and I had to clean up after that and then shower. It was a good thing I had my outfit in my backpack.