"Renjun!" Haechan ran forward, taking the older into a tight embrace. "I was worried sick about you! Don't you ever do that to me ever again, okay?" Haechan asked as he leaned back and cupped the olders face, staring deep into the boy's dark and sorrowful eyes. He nodded lightly, still not speaking much.

"Jaeminie! You're back!" Jeno yelled, excitedly throwing himself at the younger. "Where did you-" Jeno suddenly stopped what he was saying as his eyes landed on him.

Renjun.

Flashes of what happened flew through Jeno's head. Renjun taking him to the mental hospital, and what he had said..

"Jeno, you killed your own parents."

"N-no.. No Re-ren-" Jeno couldn't even finish breathing the name as he fell into Jaemin's arms, shaking and crying.

"Shhh Jeno it's alright its okay baby shh.." Jeno shook his head and fell to his knees, Jaemin following him to the ground. Jeno turned and looked up to Renjun.

"I-I didn't d-do it!! I-I didn't m-mean to! I-I..." Jeno looked down and cried into his hands. "I'm s-so sorry.. I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so sorry..."

Renjun felt all of the guilt rise up in his head and it hurt.

The boy on the ground before him, shaking and crying, his childhood ripped away from him.

It was all Renjun's doing.

"Do you even know what you're doing to him Renjun!!" Haechan yelled as he cried, standing in the living room and looking at Renjun who was holding a pistol in his hands. "Do you know how badly you're hurting him! This isn't going to make things any better! None of it will!! Mark is always going to keep you as his little slave if we don't try to take him down!" Renjun looked at him sternly.

"And maybe that's what I deserve for letting my mother die Haechan." And with that he had walked out the door, heading to the exact house Mark had told him.

"That Jaemin kid is the problem. We need him dead."

He snuck in the house, easily picking the lock and going up to the room.

They put up a good fight no doubt.

He cried through it all.

Mark had told him it was his last mission. This was it. He was almost free.

Then, he fired his gun-

And Jeno's shrill scream still rings in his ears even now.

Now Renjun notices the effect of everything he had done.

The shoulder wound bandaged, and the worst of the damages of course- the way he was cuddled on the ground, crying harder than he thought possible at the sight of Renjun.

It hurt, but he knew it was all his doing.

And he knew what he had to do next.

← t b c →