𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐲 ―𝐝.𝐨.𝐝

Chapter 41

[ Cho Seungmin's POV ]

When I woke up, Moondae hyung was sleeping soundly two feet away from me. Leaning closer, I brushed a finger near his upper cheek a few times.

No sign of eyes fluttering.

He was in deep sleep.

Silently, I slid off the bed and walked to my wardrobe, turning on the dimmest light setting. I changed into a white dress shirt and black dress pants. Then I pressed a button hidden within the wall. A small door clicked open, and I picked a few things from inside. A simple underarm holster with a polished colt. Imported from Cuba.

Once it was strapped tightly on me, I slipped on my jacket to hide it. I had a small bag with me as well that had my mask inside.

When I went out into the hall again, I glanced at Moondae hyung. His blonde hair was glowing slightly in the moonlight.

It would be hard to hide all this while he was staying. I wasn't usually that impulsive, but the words to let him stay with me rolled off my tongue before I knew it.

"Tedious."

My eyes lulled back to the stairs, and I walked down.

I paused by the kitchen.

There was a pad of sticky notes and a pen there for whenever the other members would stop by while I was gone.

"If you order any food, please direct it to the receptionist of 'Gardenia Apartments' under the name Seungmin. It will be paid and delivered to the room. There are also ingredients you can use here," I wrote.

I would just tell the receptionist to send the receipts to me later--I could pay them when I'm free.

I stuck the note to the fridge and stepped away.

It was time to work.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

I got back home in the middle of the evening the next day.

Tired and weary from tailing people for hours, I trudged into my apartment. My jacket, holster, and mask were back in the bag that I dropped at the doorway.

"Seungmin," Moondae hyung greeted. He was in the living room and stood up when I returned. His eyes looked me up and down before his eyebrows quirked in confusion.

"...Do you work?"

It was a reasonable conclusion seeing my dress shirt. I just nodded my head and went up the stairs. I would usually sleep right after a shower, but I couldn't with a guest. I didn't want to sleep when Moondae hyung was awake.

"Moondae hyung," I mumbled once I was out of the shower, "did you eat yet?"

"No, I asked when you were coming back and if you wanted to order anything, but there wasn't a response." He was sitting in the living room again in his own clothes. It smelled like my detergent.

I sat on the couch next to him.

"I'm sorry, hyung. You...can order anything you want. My work schedule isn't set, and I don't have time to check...my phone."

I cracked open a beer in one hand and took a refreshing gulp.

"No, it's fine. I'll order something now."

I nodded.

I hated tailing more than all other work. It consisted of watching a person every second until they got to a destination. No adrenaline-filled fights, no breaks. And today, I did twice the workload. One for my dad, something for myself: I tailed the stalkers and left them a few presents.