Author's POV

The plane ride was the only source of rest the four assassins were given until their arrival at the safe house provided to them. Because they had less than 48 hours until the mission, they needed to make sure every single detail of the plan was deep inside their heads, just like their names.

A briefing session with Baekhyun was the first thing they had to go through. The operation chief had arrived days beforehand, having to make deals with his clients and get an advance overview of everything. Yes, they've had many briefings before, but as it may seem obvious, it was crucial to make sure everyone was on the same page and knew what was going to happen. Points that they had to look out for, any changes in the guest list, or details in the plan were mentioned.

So right after the meeting, all of the members got to work and made a final check over all pieces of equipment, devices, identities, and every single detail.

•──────•~❉᯽❉~•──────•

Agust D. and Victor stood inside a confined laboratory with safety gear covering them all over.

"The bomb works best if the target already has ingested food; something like a full lunch makes it easier for the weapon to create a more drastic result," Yoongi explained with his muffled voice from behind the mask.

"So, the lesser the ingested amount of food, the less likely it is for them to fully die?" I asked Victor with a similar suppressed voice.

"Indeed," he shrugged. "That's why, looking at the given schedule of the event, the auction is the first thing that takes place; during that time, complimentary appetisers will be served. Therefore, it gives us a good time to have them consume the weapon as the first thing. And until the cake is cut, they will have enough content ingested in their stomachs." The genius assassin was revealed with slight pride. He had all the right to be proud of his work.

"But if the bomb is going to be inside for that long, wouldn't the content and acids of the stomach at some point end up melting through it, killing the victims at the wrong time?" Victor raised another question with scepticism in his mind and caution in his voice.

Agust's cheeks rose from behind his mask. "The acids can't particularly melt through metal and that's what the outer layer of the weapon is covered in. But I HAVE created a similar environment to test it and see if the bomb lasts up to 24 hours," he points towards the big, highly sealed box on the laboratory table in the centre of the room.

"One last question, when the victims go under autopsy, will the remains of the bomb still be inside them?" The male tilted his head, his eyes on the sealed box as he observed it.

"Nope, when the explosion happens, the chemicals inside the bomb will melt the metal away and blend into the activity of the stomach, taking away everything. So, no matter how many tests they do for any metals, it will all be the same solution as the stomach acid by the time they even get to the hospital."

"Interesting, so let's test it then." Victor pointed at it and without a pause, Yoongi strolled towards the box before carefully opening it with his gloved hands. As soon as the solution was exposed, a foul stench danced around the room, annoyingly passing through their masks.

In an attempt to stop himself from throwing up, Victor covered his mouth with his handkerchief and turned his head away. But he did get a glance at what was inside. Dead turkey, like with the feathers and everything.

"Seems like you like Thanks Giving, " he coughed out as the other simply chuckled before heading back towards him.

"Well, we should be very thankful that this turkey died for... research purposes, " he commented with a literally masked smile.

"After you, Doctor," he said, nodding towards Agust.

The said male activated his digital contacts (he was testing those as well, to make sure they worked). "Hope it's a proper kaboom!" He chimed with a smirk before looking back at the turkey, both of them walking a bit back now and ducking.

•──────•~❉᯽❉~•──────•

Julian walked through the hallways, past the laboratories. He was looking through the file of the identity that he was going to be impersonating. He was heading towards one of the empty meeting rooms while being in his focus mode. However, that was all shattered when the loud booming of an explosion echoed throughout the entire place, resulting in him almost flinching.

However, since there was no loud siren or alarm, everyone was aware it was just a practical going on. Julian snapped his head towards the laboratory on his side, which had the disgusting skin of some sort of animal and blood all over the glass windows.

The assassin shook his head as he brought his attention back to the file inside his hands, once again moving his legs to the desired location.

"It definitely works," he scoffed.

Before he could even notice, he stood in front of the modern-looking, pale wooden door. He clenched his jaw as he slowly put the file to his side. He knew who he had to face, regardless of everything that happened. But he couldn't risk ruining his personal life by endangering the one job he truly loved.

Professionalism mattered.

Stepping inside the room, the air of new tension poured into his face. There he saw his chief sitting on the far end of the table, like a king. Levinor silently sat beside him on the right side of the table, reading through his own files as he effortlessly memorised his new identity.

Baekhyun's eyes were already on Julian's icy ones. "You ready?" The chief asked without any worry. He didn't have to; he was awfully aware of how well Julian could impersonate any given identity.

The standing assassin nodded lightly before strolling towards the seat right in front of the man he loathes, giving him a quick glance before taking a seat.

"Ok, we will be checking how well you are already into your characters. Let's start, then!" He announced it quickly, not wanting to waste any precious time.

The two close their files and look up to bore their eyes into each other's. Levinor gulps, maintaining his expressionless face. Jin clenches his jaw, keeping his eyes hooded behind his dark bangs.

"Can you both please introduce yourselves?" His calm voice echoed through the wall-like, thick tension that kept building by the second.

"I'm Alessio Bianchi, an Italian with a slight Japanese inheritance due to my grandfather being one." He answered nonchalantly.

Baekhyun looked over to Levinor to do the same.

"I'm Hiroki Caputo Takahashi, but as Alessio's husband, I'm a Bianchi as well. I'm from an almost fully Japanese family, but I'm a Japanese-Italian because my father is from Milan."

"Perfect. Would you like to tell me about your family background as well?" He asked again, expecting answers in the same order.

"I'm from a prestigious Italian family. We are known for our historical collection of art pieces and artefacts. My family, including me and some of our well-known ancestors, have travelled all across Europe to thoroughly study and observe art history and to master expertise in the field. However, they are not only known for trading pure art but illegally marketed art pieces in return for high-end deals across the black market." Julian recited everything in his own words, as if he had gobbled up an artistic script.

"My family is filled with internationally famous painters and artists, along with businessmen. So growing up, I put my focus on the field we were known for, became a well-known art connoisseur and opened a variety of different museums to help aspiring artists. We also yearn to spread the beauty of Japanese art around the world. Yet on the bitter side, my job includes drug smuggling to a variety of private parties through the trade of our art pieces." Levinor's eyes were hollow as he stared at the table, naturally spewing out information as if this were all true about him.

"You two are known for owning many of the world's best-known museums. When did you start it and what is the dark side of your business?" Baekhyun asked with his eyes on Jin.

"We started it after our marriage, which was 7 years ago. We simply continue the deeds that our family has done for generations. Illegal trade of artefacts, smuggling, and human trafficking." Julian's demeanor seemed robotic yet natural at the same time; it was as if he were trying to act like a human.

"The most important question is, how did you two meet and get married?" A smile childishly crept up on the pleasant face of the chief. It was truly ironic to him how they were basically enemies yet were forced into an act of forever bonding.

"We met..." Levinor breathed, taking small pauses in between his words, trying to gulp away the lump now unusually forming in his throat. His eyes still gazed at a random spot on the table, yet oddly, his hair spiked up when he felt Jin's eyes slowly turning towards him.

"at an art exhibition in Rome. I was staring at the most beloved piece of the place. I remember being completely focused until someone decided to rudely interrupt my silent observation." Another pause, and unintentionally, his eyes started travelling up towards Jin's. His voice hushed as he continued. Baekhyun raised a brow at the new unknowingness behind their eyes.

"And it was none other than Alessio, the owner of the art piece and exhibition itself. However, I wasn't aware of that, so it was hate... at first." The mumbling assassin fumbled with his fingers as he lowered his gaze. "He didn't do much but ask if I liked the painting. To me, he was just so annoying yet charming; it was absolutely frustrating."

Baekhyun's eyes narrowed. All three knew that it wasn't necessary for Levinor to go into such detail yet he was still doing so. There was a deeper meaning to it, which was genuine, and the chief could definitely sense it, resulting in him simply listening. Jin, on the other hand, looked away as he scratched his forehead, getting an annoying flashback from a similar incident in his life.

"At some point, he fell in love with me but I was still stuck in my stubborn hatred. I am not willing to open up to a man who is almost the polar opposite of me. However, he wouldn't give up. Alessio was just as stubborn, not willing to leave me alone. And so...the more we forcefully hung out, the more we realised we had a lot in common." Levinor gulped as he swiped his fingers through his hair. "In the end, he made me fall in love and soon after a year or two, we got married after persuading our parents." The lad muttered quickly, almost breaking a sweat.

Julian sighed as he looked at Baekhyun with the 'Are we done yet?' look. Stealing a glance, the chief cleared his throat. "Well, that was quite detailed, but I'm glad you remember it so thoroughly. Now, onto some casual talk. How's your father now?" He changed the topic abruptly, not only to break the uncomfortable silence but also to check how many tiny details the two could remember about the fake family from the top of their heads.

"Well, my father's heart surgery went very well. The doctor said he needs to take plenty of rest. Regardless of facing such tough open heart surgery, my dad is healing greatly." Namjoon answered swiftly, wanting to now get done with all of this, resulting in a bored look on his face.

"And Alessio, how's the progress of your uncle's vineyard?"

"Well, Uncle Luca has decided to fully invest in his precious vineyard and is trying to expand on a couple of thousand acres of land for it. I'd recently seen the land; it's healthier than anyone's; definitely a good retirement plan."

Baekhyun nodded as he flipped through the pages of the file. He trusted his men, but it was only for his sake that he was even checking whether they were prepared.

"Well then, gentlemen! You have done quite well; you may now head back to whatever you were doing." Before he could even finish his sentence, the door had already slammed twice, leaving him the only person in the room.

•──────•~❉᯽❉~•──────•

"So it's because of that night with Jin that you were depressed?" Jimin's worried voice rang out of the phone. Namjoon held close to his ears as he sat inside his room, staring out the window.

Beforehand, he had been checking over all the intel and programmes the digital devices had, making sure they were operating and fixing any codes if something needed tweaking. It had been a couple of hours since the interview with Baekhyun and he decided he might as well take a break and reveal all the lingering poison in his head to his best friend; he felt like he really needed to.

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds like it was just a petty phase." The devil rolled his eyes.

"No offence, but it did seem like it."

"Oh, shut the fuck up! You're supposed to be nice to me right now!" Laughter could be heard from the other line at the younger's loud whining.

"Fine, fine, I'm sorry and I was actually worried to the bone, you know. You...were really concerning me," his words hushed by the end of the sentence as there was more of an apologetic tone in them.

A small smile crept up Namjoon's face. "I know you were," his voice soothing.

"But all of a sudden, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do, Jimin. Like before, I had a purpose, but now I feel like all of this was for nothing. I even lost my spirit, knowing that no matter what I do, I could never make him mine."

"That's what you are doing wrong, Namjoon, " the prince cut him off, not being able to hear the low self-esteem speaking. "No matter what happens—he never ever loves you, or everything around you falls apart—you can't lose yourself. Do you remember the times when you had nothing? It was the natural spirit inside you that built the empire you live in. If you lose that, then everything will crumble, Namjoon. And without that spirit, how will I ever have a best friend?" Without even seeing it, Namjoon knew that the older man was pouting.

The younger man chuckled with subtle sadness at the back of his throat. "I suppose you are right."

"I know it's hard for you as well. But you don't want to lose what you already have, right?"

Namjoon shook him, forgetting that this friend couldn't quite see him. "No, not at all."

"You can't change how he reacts to you, but what you can change is how you react. Seeing how you described him beforehand, I'm sure something happened and that's for sure the reason he's reacting this way, Namjoon. You need to give the man some time to figure out what is happening to him first."

"Speaking of that, I had a... I had a nightmare the other night. His voice faded as he cautiously stated, not sure whether to explain further or not.

"Oh?" Jimin expressed his carefulness. He knew that it was beyond unusual for his friend to suffer from such things, and even if he did, Namjoon never spoke of them. So since they were in such a situation, Jimin had to make sure that he didn't scare the other away from telling what was on his mind. Maybe that could also be one of the reasons behind Namjoon's dullness.

"Would you like to tell me what it was about?" His voice was tender, as if he were speaking to a frightened child.

"Promise you won't judge me for having one." Namjoon's own voice was light and secretive but he genuinely wondered if he could trust the other.

A calm chuckle rang through: "I would never, my precious Devil."

Time passed by as the younger man narrated his tremendous memory, often frowning and not wanting to continue. But it was a friend's reassurance that brought him to finally feel relieved that he got all of this off his chest.

"So you saw Jin's traumatic memory from his perspective?" Jimin couldn't hold his disbelief any longer.

"I suppose so," the younger ran his fingers through his locks with agitation. "What could it mean, though, Jimin?" Desperation was brimming out of his words.

"Namjoon, perhaps someone did a secret spell on you or slipped something in your food?"

"I didn't take a step out of my room nor eat anything, Jimin; I don't think it's because of that, " he informed, forgetting a simple detail that he should have mentioned.

There was a subtle pause. "Ok, this might sound crazy but... what if it's something to do for him?" He questioned, his voice alarming and blood-chilling.

Namjoon's brows furrowed further if possible. He scratched his head as something dropped inside his stomach, knowing exactly who he was talking about.

"It's not possible! He left the kingdom centuries ago! Father banished him! You remember that too, don't you?" He exclaimed, trying to deny any possibility of him.

"But Namjoon thinks about it: if there's even the slight possibility that someone's manipulating your dreams, it can only be him. He's the only one who's the best at it."

"I don't know Jimin, but why now, out of all times?"

"That's the million-dollar question."

•──────•~❉᯽❉~•──────•

Most of the preparation was finished for the day. Every member had checked over everything at least a million times. All the equipment worked to its best ability. All the useful data was ready to be used. The assassins had also come over with a predicted location of where the USB key might be so that it wouldn't take them long to retrieve it.

Having done everything for the day, Jin stood on his room's balcony, staring into the emptiness of the dark night. Nothing of interest, just him trying to clear his brain and mentally prepare himself for his very first mission after his long hiatus.

Things at the interview with Baekhyun had just ruined his state up until now, but it was the silence that was mending everything. He let out a deep breath before he heard a loud knock echoing from his door.

Without looking behind him, he yelled out with fatigue, "Who is it?"

"Victor," the manly voice from behind informed back with a calm tone.

"Come in."

The door quietly creaked open. "Did I disturb your silence?" The male asked, entering and closing the door behind him.

"You sure did," his tone bored and almost unwilling of any interaction.

Regardless of how obvious that was, Jinyoung stood beside the dense man, not here for some casual talk but for his own secretive advantage.

"Why are you here?" Jin questioned without taking his eyes off the empty abyss.

Wordlessly, Jinyoung slides a large can of beer in front of the man, his own eyes plainly boring into the nothingness.

Jin's head drops down slightly, starting at the can on the risky balcony. "You needed a drinking buddy?" His voice quietens as the silence of their surroundings gets louder. The other man does nothing but nod his head before popping the can open with the familiar sizzling click of the metal.

The taller man tilts his head as he wonders whether the can contains something other than just the alcoholic beverage.

"It isn't spiked, if that's what you're wondering," he bluntly revealed with no interest, as if he read the mind of the man beside him.

"How can I believe you?" He raised a brow, still scanning the can.

"I need you for a mission. And if you are dead, then that would be a great disadvantage to me. So it's not in my interest to harm you till the mission ends."

Impressed by the reasonable answer, Jin swiftly opened the can, taking a sip of the alcohol. Beer wasn't his favourite, but he truly needed to feel the subtle burn down his throat. For not an easy-going, fascinated person, Jin was utterly surprised at how much of a liking he had taken towards the other agent. By liking, in his vocabulary, it meant that he wouldn't kill the other without a solid reason.

Jinyoung acted exactly as Jin preferred, not speaking unless spoken to, not a man of small talk, blunt, straight to the point, and factual. He fitted the characteristic of Jin himself, which got the man suspicious, thus making him not completely trust the other and show his liking.

On the other hand, Jinyoung is far from a blunt man. Being an annoying, playful bastard himself, it was awfully difficult for him to keep his facade intact. He had tried to study everything that could annoy the man and acted in the opposite direction. It was way easier than he thought to even get to have the male speak to him. Yet this was all just for the sake of digging out any piece of information for others.

"Have you memorised your identity yet?" Jinyoung glanced at the other.

"As if it's the holiest book that gives me salvation," Jin said, rolling his eyes.

Jinyoung chuckled. "Holiness, are you religious?" He tried not to be too straightforward, as if to already alert the man that he was trying to get something out of him.

Jin raised a brow once again, turning towards the other. "It's the shittiest thing people have come to believe. Nothing's more unrealistic. The concept of a god-like creature is foreign to me, " he said.

Jinyoung hummed as he took a huge gulp of his beer. "Then is the existence of the devil just as petty to you?"

A pause stood in the air as Jin crushed the now-empty can. "We all have petty myths that we put our interest in, regardless of knowing they aren't real."

A glint passed through the shorter male's eyes at the answer. For some reason, that brought inner excitement to the dilemma. Perhaps overexcited. "I take it; you are interested in the devils. So you must know plenty about them, I suppose?"

Jin shrugged, slowly growing suspicious of all the unusual questioning. Without realising it, Jinyoung was starting to lose his cover.

"Well, is it because you find yourself almost similar to them? Dark, evil, sinful, and more?" He was hinting at something. And the immediate thought that came to Jin's head brought back the traumatic experience he had been trying to get over for days.

A sharp glare pierced towards the Gelmna, making him realise how much the thrill had clouded his mind and taken over his cover. "Stay in your lane, Victor. Perhaps the alcohol is already getting to you," he grumbled with poison in his voice and eyes of venom. "I suggest you step out of here now."

Jinyoung apologetically nodded his head, his lips slightly twitching at how he had just a pressure point in the human in front. Yes, it had ruined his image in front of the man but it made Glemna's suspicions right.

"I apologise for making you uncomfortable," he said, stepping away and taking his can with him. "But you know, these things will never be myths after all." He purred his name before turning on his heels with an alarming smirk on his face.

Jin's jaw clenched. He knew it; the other was too perfect to be real. He knew something about Jin and nothing infuriated the said man more than that at the current moment.

However, it was the eyes of the shadow beside them that held the most bubbling fury inside. A soul from the balcony beside them had secretively eavesdropped without noticing.

It's like bro WANTS to sucide-