Heart On The Window.

Chloe wondered if siding with the grumpy assassin was the right choice, possibly not. Trusting Yoongi was a great risk, but she knew she would have to jump to know if she would fall or fly.

"Here." She turned around to see Yoongi walking into the room. He crouched behind her to unbound her hands then walked in front of her, handing her a hair tie. "Tie your hair I borrowed this from Taehyung and change into these clothes."

Chloe froze looking at the hair tie and the bag of clothes he was holding in his other hand. "Clothes?"

Yoongi raised his brow. "Were you planning to escape this place in a gown? Here, take them. They should fit you. I brought them from Laira's room."

She took the bag from him and watched as he left the room to give her privacy. The black top was a little tight for her, but the jacket and pants were a comfortable fit. She tied her hair in a ponytail and lightly knocked on the door.

Just as she had expected, Yoongi was standing right outside. She had no hope to escape him. She looked inside the room one last time before following him out to the living room.

He placed a finger on his lips and gestured at the curtains. There was a shadow of someone patrolling outside the main exit. He then pulled her by her arm, guiding her up the staircase. "Taehyung is standing guard on the exit and Jungkook is outside Hoseok's room. We cannot make a sound, got it?"

She nodded her head. He pulled her inside an empty room and opened the nearby window. "Ever climbed the walls?" Yoongi asked.

"You should be concerned about your bullet-shot limb instead of me," she said as she gradually climbed out the window. Her feet found purchase in the gaps between the wood pipes and her hands gripped the outer edge of the window sill.

Yoongi followed right away, lowering his body until he was hanging from the window. "My limb is offended," he said and looked at her faking offense and then he jumped.

Chloe held back her gasp as she watched the assassin land on his feet like a kitten. The smirk was very visible on his face by the time she slowly climbed down.

"I wish you don't hop around and further damage yourself. We still have a long way to go."

Yoongi scrunched his nose, dramatically. "Further damage myself? Do I look like an old creaking bed to you?"

"No. An elderly with osteoporosis."

"Be grateful you brat. This elderly is rescuing you from two blood-thirsty vampires and their howling werewolf boss." He gestured for her to follow him as they walked through the bushes behind the center.

She clicked her tongue. "For a price. Don't gaslight yourself into thinking that you're doing me a favor." They crouched down when two men walked by the back gate.

"Yeah? I was indulging myself in the good guy role." He pointed to the stream running through the quiet forest. "Thanks for the reminder."

"You are far from a good guy, Min Yoongi." She rolled her eyes, following him to the lake.

"Trust me, only a demon can save you from this mess." He pointed to the running water. "I hope you know how to swim because this is our only exit. We cannot escape without getting noticed if we go by foot."

Chloe was soaking wet and shivering by the time they reached a remotely safe distance from Taiyo's training center. Yoongi had started fussing the moment he stepped foot into the water and didn't hold back from blaming Chloe for every ridiculous thing in the world.

"If only you had stabbed yourself with those chopsticks instead of stabbing me, Hoseok would have pitied you and allowed you to leave," he grumbled, shaking the water off of himself.

"And he would've been nice enough to hand you The Kagi like sugar Candy." She scoffed. "This isn't a one-way road, Min Yoongi. You are getting far more than you are getting, so stop complaining."

"We are yet to unfold that part of our deal. I hope I didn't waste my precious energy on you for nothing." He gazed at her head-to-toe with the ice-cold stare of an immoral being. "It's time for you to deliver your promise. Tell me the address. Where do we go from here? Tokyo? Fukuoka? Where does the mighty Park Jimin live?"

"I don't know," she blurted out and then cursed at herself. "That's not what I meant." Her eyes followed the way he let out an exhale, a step or two away from tackling her on the ground and burying her alive if need be. She cleared her throat. "I meant- that I- I don't know."

*

Laira woke up with a jolt from a nightmare of her parents pushing her into the water knowing she could not swim. As she drowned and drowned, she felt alone and abandoned.

But that wasn't something she sat there to dwell on. She made her way downstairs to catch up with the men for lunch. It was a lively atmosphere compared to the room she was confined to. Oddly, there were no signs of Jimin anywhere, and if Ben's words were anything to go by then Seokjin was also with Jimin in his room, discussing lord knows what, and Namjoon would be somewhere wandering.

She needed some of the wandering for herself too even with Jimin's men tailing her since last night. It did not matter to her as she wasn't planning to go on a solo mission again anyway.

As she strolled in the backyard, she realized she really was alone and abandoned. She sat near the giant tree, giving a rest to her restless feet. The longer she sat in the quiet, stabilizing her breath, the louder the sound grew of hustling trees knocking against the glass windows, swaying back and forth with the wind.

It was nearly evening and after all the time, she was almost convinced that last night was non-existent, but to her disappointment, it very much existed.

He was there and so was she.

Park Jimin had said hurtful things looking like they were costing him his life, and the brutality of his words never reached his eyes.

His eyes. They bothered her the most. Why do they never reveal the truth?

She sat there recalling each word that was said, but she could not fully comprehend them.

How can someone's words reveal so much and yet nothing at all?

How can someone give you so many reasons to leave, yet leave you standing exactly where you were?

To say Laira was confused, would be an understatement.

There was another thing she realized about Jimin. That she pegged him fewer credits for his acuity. He wasn't only difficult to observe, but very observant himself.

He could see what she had hidden under her skin for years, and he was heartless too, for using those things to wound her.

She wanted to break free of the role she was playing in this game, his game, of hurting and getting hurt. She cannot allow Park Jimin to toy with her life anymore, but a part of her subconscious snickered as it questioned, "Was it him or was it you, the one toying with your life?"

A part of her was humiliated because she could not answer that question.

Last night, she just got a taste of her own medicine, and now she understood why Chloe had said that it was Laira's one heart-wreaking line against people's countless mindless screaming.

"Your words leave our souls shaken, Laira. Don't make them so personal that it goes so deep." Chloe had scolded her one day, but Laira didn't know what her words did to people.

Maybe it was karma with silver hair and siren eyes.

"Here you are," Namjoon called out. Laira turned around to see him walking up to her. "You went on your hero's quest without stealing Jimin's Katana last night. I'm disappointed. I thought you were better than that."

A tired smile took over her lips. "And I thought you were smarter than letting Ben hang out with The Sniper."

Namjoon let out a big sigh before sitting down beside her. "You met the sniper already? Oh, gosh, Seokjin hyung isn't great at first expressions."

"Yes, I did. Twice, actually. And something tells me it's not just first expressions." She giggled. "Is Ben still with him?"

Namjoon gave a tight-lipped smile, giving way for his dimples to peek out. "He was until a few minutes ago, and now he is probably with Jimin."

"Ah, it keeps getting worse, I see. Who's next, that Taiyo clan's assassin, Min Yoongi?" she asked, quirking her brow.

Namjoon groaned, holding his face in his hands. "Don't take that name in front of me. First, that bloody intruder managed to escape from me, and then he kidnapped Chloe!"

"That's why I said he's worse than Master Jimin."

Namjoon gave her a flat look. "I know you have your reasons for judging Jimin, but the truth you believe in is only your wall of reality. Everybody has a different one. That doesn't mean what you know is false, but it's not the only reality."

"Well, maybe if the said realities were shown to me? I know it's partly my fault for never questioning him or you about why I was brought to this new life in the first place, but if he has a reason then shouldn't he explain himself?"

"Do you consider him as someone who explains his actions or words?"

Laira threw up her hands in frustration. "That's not a fair excuse! Just because of his ego-"

"Hold on, if you truly want a better excuse shouldn't you try talking to him? I'm not Jimin. I can never give the answers he would. All I can offer you is my assumptions, and trust me, settling on assumptions when you can have the real thing instead is foolish. Try talking to him."

She sighed. "Okay, I will. It's just that I want Chloe back before any of that."

"I promise you we will."

She nodded. "I promised myself the same thing."

Laira followed Namjoon to Jimin's room already meeting with loud noises the closer they reached. That was Seokjin's voice, seemingly bantering with Jimin.

The door was left ajar, so she peeked over Namjoon's shoulder to see Jimin on his bed, engulfed in a white fluffy sheet up to his chest.

His hair was messy and his cheeks a light hue of pink matching the top of his nose. So it appeared that the great assassin, Park Jimin, was not immune to sickness either.

Seokjin's words sniped one after another, eyes almost popping out in disbelief as he furiously accused Jimin of something.

Jimin sighed, pushing his hair back. "Hyung, I was not trying to send you on a suicide mission."

Seokjin scoffed. "Yeah? I'd like to see you convince me of that."

Laira was too stunned as that was her first time seeing someone treat Jimin like he was a pain in the nose. And Seokjin had a very pretty nose, she thought. Maybe instead of standing there and admiring the said man's nose, she should make her presence known.

She shifted on her feet, bowing in their direction. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Jimin mumbled. If she thought he would ignore her or death-glare her into tiny ashes, he didn't. In fact, he appeared very unbothered by her presence.

"Why is Seokjin hyung bubbling with anger on such a beautiful afternoon?" Namjoon asked, pulling Laira inside the room with himself.

"He is hurt." Jimin looked at Seokjin and then belatedly added with a grin. "Wounded. Because I was insensitive and malicious with my intent to endanger his precious life."

Seokjin scoffed. "That is exactly what you were doing. And my life is precious, thank you."

Namjoon made a face at Laira that she read as 'Don't be bothered by them.' He then went towards Jimin and rested his palm on his forehead. "You have a fever."

Jimin dismissed his concern with a wave of his hand. "I'm fine."

Laira stepped forward, her eyes reluctantly finding purchase on anything that was not Jimin's face, but before she could say something Seokjin interjected. "So you're the little sneaker who's giving Jimin headaches on a regular basis. You've made my job easier. Fancy officially meeting you, I'm Kim Seokjin."

"We officially met before," she said, slightly bowing her head. "Lovely meeting you too. I'm Laira Takai, from Trainer Namjoon's unit."

"Well, you eavesdropping on the said trainer's and the clan leader's conversation was how we met the first time. I wouldn't say that was official or even appropriate."

"She was doing what?" Namjoon asked in a panic, sending Laira a look to clarify.

"I was just-"

"Listening in to our plans after we got back home from Grace's Night," Jimin interjected.

"What? Wait- Did you know?" Namjoon turned to stare at Jimin in pure disbelief.

"Yes. And she wasn't discreet about it at all," Jimin said, sending Laira a pointed look.

She felt her ears flush in embarrassment. "I wasn't trying to be discreet."

Liar. You very much were. Her brain supplied, never helpful.

"That would've been a terrible attempt if you had been," Jimin said with something akin to a smile on his lips.

"How did you know I was there?" Laira asked despite her embarrassment.

"Your anxious feet strolling circles outside the room gave it away. You should've knocked on the door instead of standing with your ear against it," Jimin advised. His gaze easily floated around the room without the hint of intensity that always followed it.

Namjoon threw up his hands in defeat. "Is this a joke to you all?" He then pointed at Laira. "You. I need 100 laps after we return home for breaking the rules."

She nodded politely.

"Where's my son?" Namjoon then asked no one in particular. "Wasn't he supposed to be here?"

"He went downstairs to grab apples for himself. Apparently, my jellies are not delicious enough for him," Seokjin said with almost a pout forming on his plump lips.

Namjoon slumped down on the couch gesturing for Laira to take a seat. "Now, what's the matter?"

Jimin sat up, pulling the sheet down on his lap. His oversized white sweater almost drowned him. "It seems like my assumption was wrong about Hoseok's plan. I gave him the morning, but he didn't try to reach out. We can't wait anymore. We've already left our trainee there long enough. I have directions ready for the 2nd unit-"

Laira cleared her throat and fiddled with her fingers.

Should I tell him or not?

Ultimately, she decided to listen to her mind because she needed Jimin's help.

"Sorry, for interrupting. Actually, I have something," she let out in a small voice and walked closer to Jimin.

She fiddled with the pocket of her jacket, pulling out a neatly folded letter from inside.

Earlier, when she was looking for Namjoon in the backyard, she felt somebody following her. She first thought it was one of Jimin's men keeping an eye on her, but later she realized they were too clumsy to be a Tsuki assassin.

She confronted the assassin after luring him into a quiet back corner of the house. It was a Taiyo assassin, who struggled under her grip on his neck, screeching that he was only a messenger who came to deliver Hoseok's letter to her.

"So Jimin wasn't wrong about Hoseok's plan," Namjoon concluded.

Laira bit her lip nervously. Did he know Hoseok would send me a letter?

"Why are you giving this to me?" Jimin asked her, leaning on the pillow again.

"Because you seem eager to get her back just as much as me, perhaps. In your own, uh, stoic kind of way."

"Just because one of us isn't head-first diving on a one-man rescue mission, doesn't mean we are not concerned about our trainee," Seokjin said.

Laira felt the top of her cheeks burn in embarrassment. Right. I was foolish to attempt that solo endeavor, I get it.

Jimin just sat there, twirling the letter in his hand with his eyes studying her presence.

"Hyung, here." Jimin passed the letter to Namjoon. "What does it say?"

"Uh," Namjoon cleared his throat, making eye contact with Jimin as he began reading. "An offer for Laira from Hoseok. It says Laira can have Chloe back if she so desires. However, she must arrive at the Taiyo's training center by herself. There is more, uh, saying that Laira should not make him wait or-" Namjoon stopped himself. "Just threats."

"I will go there," Laira declared.

She could feel Jimin's gaze snatched on herself. "I'm sure you know better than to be irrational," he spoke. "They are toying with you."

"And how do I know you are not?" she questioned, caressing her fingers anxiously. It was uncomfortable. She didn't want to talk to him or act like she could be calm around him. He owed her answers and apologies after last night, or maybe after all these years.

"I have been anything but deceptive or dishonest. I don't have a knack for explaining my intentions all the time, but that does not mean I mislead anyone. As I see it, Hoseok is trying to use you to win something, and it's dangerous for you to give in."

"It might be dangerous for me, but I can save Chloe." She lifted her head to meet Jimin's eyes. They were ever so powerful and sharp.

"That's foolish, Laira," Namjoon stepped in before Jimin's fury could form into words. "This is what Hoseok wants from you. Don't fall for it-"

"What does Hoseok want?" Seokjin interjected. "Is that something we hold above our trainee's life?"

"No," Jimin was fast to declare, surprising Laira. "He wants The Kagi. It is a wooden sculpture that contains coordinates of an important place," he explained.

"So why don't we return it to him?" Seokjin asked.

"Because this is a trap. Hoseok will not return Chloe in exchange for The Kagi because he and his knights are furious with Laira for her last mission. If they want revenge, there's no way to ensure Laira's safety," Jimin said.

"What if you are wrong?" Laira questioned, feeling small the moment Jimin's gaze flicked on hers with vexation. "If Hoseok wanted something then he would have asked for it. He just asked me to show up at their center. Maybe he will release her after I apologize? Or, if he is planning for revenge then he can take me in place of Chloe. I-"

Jimin scoffed, running his hand backward in his hair. "Do you hear yourself? You think you can save your friend by sacrificing your life?"

"I-" She felt ridiculed by the way he looked at her as if she was just an inexperienced kid. "I trust that Hoseok will keep his word.

Jimin let out a bitter laugh, and she was taken aback to see the water gleaming in his eyes. Must be the fever. "I wouldn't recommend relying on Hoseok's word when it is concerning life or death situations.

"But he-"

"Laira stop." It was Namjoon who patted on her shoulder. "Enough. We are not allowing you to walk into danger."

"What else does the letter say?" Seokjin asked.

Namjoon looked at Jimin before he opened the letter again, and Laira felt her breath hitch the moment he read aloud the cruel words. 'If you make me wait or don't show up at all, I will gladly deliver your friend's corpse at your feet.'

Word count: 3K+

AN: It's me again! Just here to inform you guys that I re-read the new chapters before publishing them, but because these chapters are quite lengthy I'm not able to do that multiple times to ensure that they are 100% errorless, flawless, or perfect. If you happen to see a typographical or grammatical error, please don't mind it. I will probably proofread this book once it's finished.

Have a lovely day!