❧ supermarket

@hwang hyunjin a (not really) light flick to the forehead was what minkyung gave hyunjin, and she scoffed. "you've grown confident too, kid," though she would agree. hwang hyunjin had become truly beautiful, and if she had been as feminine as the others, she might have felt jealous about such beauty. she had long learned that beauty meant nothing in her line of work, even back when she was simply training for the military. heck, she'd only learned how to wear skirts more often after she was discharged from her former work, and that was only because it was easier to hide blades underneath a skirt rather than wearing a pair of pants. some would say, however, that her beauty was a waste — but she didn't care much.

she didn't need anyone to look at her like that, anyway.

"no," she said, waving a dismissive hand toward the younger. "keep it. i trust you're not stupid enough to pull any tricks with me." this wasn't overconfidence — this was a fact. after all, she was skilled enough to have infiltrated a whole base (though it wasn't the main) with only two other men to back her up, while the rest of her platoon then waited outside for reinforcements if need be. though she supposed she hadn't seen what kind of fighter hyunjin had grown to be, and that meant that she didn't know whether he had gotten stronger than her or not. no matter if he were stronger than her or not — she was quite proud of him getting this far.

her gaze immediately darkened at the mention of the younger's boss, a dull ache throbbing on her right arm, at the area where the prosthetic arm and her flesh connected. her eyes narrowed at hyunjin's words, and she couldn't help the click of her tongue. her irritation showed on her face — most likely one of her most expressive moments — and she averted her gaze. "i should have killed that man when i had the chance," she uttered lowly, her voice taking a dangerous tone.

dino and she went way back, she supposed. she'd already been aware of the man's existence and ways even before she decided to take hyunjin out of his base. ever since then, she felt as though he'd been pretty much set on pissing her off, lurking on her territory, sacrificing his men at her hands for reasons she didn't even want to know. and now she was discovering that hyunjin was, once again, under the hands of that bastard?

she closed her eyes as she exhaled deeply, an attempt to calm her raging heart, her mind already thinking of ways how to make the bastard suffer by her hands. when she met his eyes, her pupils held a threatening gleam. "we're not going to let him go alive," she said. "he's pissed me off long enough. it's time for him to learn his ing lesson."

she looked at her right hand, which was covered by a glove that reached up her elbow. it hid the metal arm that she donned two years ago — a reminder of the decision she'd made, the courage she held to disappoint her parents who were both six feet under the dirt by this time. she wondered, in the back of her mind, if she would begin to associate this metal arm with the man in front of her too.

@kim minkyung "you grew up well."

he couldn't help but laugh. grew up well? how did one define growing up well? surely it couldn't be being subjected to endless horrors day after day, practically being eaten alive by anyone who had an insatiable hunger towards the boy. or, perhaps it was being reminded of all the sins, all the deaths his own hands had committed. he couldn't even get a decent night of sleep without being haunted by his horrendous crimes, nightmares coming after to him just to swallow him up. was that growing up well?

he smiled.

"i did, didn't i? it's your first time being in the presence of someone this good-looking, huh?" the teasing showed no signs of teasing. his eyes caught a glimpse of her -- the way she searched for danger, for a threat, was just like him. keeping a brow raised as he locked his gaze with her, he lifted the hem of his hoodie to reveal a gun that was tucked into the waistline of his pants. "do you wanna take it or do you trust me enough to know i won't fire it at anyone who doesn't deserve it."

it was funny. somehow, he felt like he could be a regular boy around her. teasing, playful, goofy yet aloof. he knew better than to let his guard down around anyone, even those he allowed the most minimal amount of trust to, but it just felt ,,, different. clearly, she was dangerous. he had no doubt he might even be bested in a one on one fight against the female but, for some reason, he didn't view her as a threat.

"ah." right. this wasn't some high school reunion. he couldn't let himself get swept away in some fantasy of a normal life. "you remember my boss, papa dino, right? well, looks like your little rescue attempt backfired. i'm ,, he -- i'm back under his wing and i was wondering if you'd be interested in working with me. so, here's the laydown. i'm sure you don't want him causing any more trouble, doing any more damage. and i want freedom. i want him gone, i don't care if he's dead or locked up forever. i'm thinking with the two of us, we can bring that demon down. y'know, do a little service to this ty city."

@jung wooseok  Even after having her wings back for who knows how long it may last, Naeun could still feel tired and exhausted easily. Flying around earth especially with the change of weather and the effect of gravity it was more exhausting to keep her wings flapping like she wanted to. Being tired made her start to feel hungry just for the sake of regaining song her energy again, Naeun needed to find something to eat. She wondered around the streets until she saw a place with the name 'supermarket'on the entrance with a lot of light coming from inside. She only knew the word 'market' so she decided to walk inside. Once she stepped in a soft gasp escaped her lips in complete shock by what she was looking at. Everything in colourful packs some are even reflecting the lights on the place which made them look as if they were sparkling.

The curious angel started to walk around in hopes she finds something that she would recognise as food. The more she explored the more she was confused and more curious. Some packs had potato on but then it didn't look like potato at all. And bottles of colour liquids that didn't look like water or even fresh juice at all. Even the vegetables and fruits were in packs and Naeun wasn't even sure what they were anymore. As she was very curious and only focused on explore around the supermarket, Naeun didn't look where she was going. She didn't notice that someone was standing in her way until she dumped into him. Looking up with the most angelic innocent smile, Naeun apologised before she noticed the obviously human male hiding something. She wasn't sure what it was exactly but it had a picture of food on it. "oh.. Sorry I didn't mean to hit you.. Are you hurt by any chance? Oh what is that you're holding? " she asked obviously curious.

(hopefully this is good for a start)

@hwang hyunjin minkyung's hold and position didn't falter even as the man began to speak. she continued to eye the male down, face still half hidden by the hood he wore. without any semblance of gentleness, she moved her knife up, distance just enough to barely graze his skin as she pushed the hood backwards. right then, she was greeted with a sudden wave of familiarity, somewhat recognizing the pair of eyes that looked back at her with hints of amusement glinting on his irises. she stared at him for a few moments, thinking. where had she seen this pair before—

her eyebrows shot up in realization as a name came to her mind — or not really a name. a simple first name she'd heard once or twice in her life, paired with a face that was far younger than the one she was looking at right then. alright, perhaps not that much younger, but it still felt as though a little too many things changed in the two years they hadn't seen each other. although... she wasn't exactly sure how she'd know — it wasn't like she talked to him more than necessary. to her, he was only the man she'd saved at that camp — the very event that caused her to lose her position, though she supposed she didn't blame him.

it was her own decision, her own choice to save them, even when it went against orders.

"hm," she scoffed, and she stepped back, letting her arms fall back to her side while her hand still held the knife. only a fool would let their guard down completely. call her uptight or anything of the sort, but she couldn't simply forget all the teachings she'd undergone when she was younger. "well, pardon me for forgetting. it's not like we kept in touch over the two years we hadn't seen each other," she said, before she focused her gaze on the other once more.

she eyed him, quickly inspecting him (for his changes — and yes, any sort of weapons. one couldn't blame her, alright? she wouldn't be able to completely lower her guard down unless she was confident that the other truly didn't mean anything), before she hummed, nodding slowly. "you grew up well," she said. he was taller — or had he always been taller than her? (she didn't really notice; she was quite busy being lectured by her superiors at the time) their height difference wasn't much, as he seemed to be taller than her by only a few centimeters.

and the boy seemed to have grown prettier than she'd last seen him. it had been the first thing she'd noticed about him when she first saw him — his apparent beauty. it easily made him one of the prettiest people she had met so far, though it wasn't as though she remembered each of those faces. for all her skills and glory, faces she dubbed weren't (going to be) important to her were easily shut in the back of her mind.

"so—" she blinked and turned her head the other way as she put a hand on her waist, "—what did you want? i'm sure you weren't stalking me just for fun, were you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and slightly tilted her head toward him.

[] that ain't horrible at all peep alksjdff

@kim minkyung he almost didn't believe it. he had to take a moment and convince himself he wasn't dreaming when he had found the file, when he found the girl. never in his life did he think he would see her again and yet, there she was. pulled up on papa dino's computer. it was a mystery why his pigheaded, lowlife excuse for a boss would need information on the female but that was a puzzle that could be solved at a later time. for now, hyunjin just wanted to see her again. he didn't realize it, but he had correlated the feeling of hope with the girl and for the first time, he allowed himself a genuine smile at the thought that maybe, just maybe, he could finally be free once and for all. all with the help of one person. kim minkyung.

it had been a week since he discovered the file and now that he had managed to trace her down, he could only wish that he'd started sooner. he could see her, clear as day, no matter how unnoticeable she appeared in everyone else's eyes. the few goods thing about being taken in by papa dino, and this in itself was already a stretch, were his keen eye and natural ability to react to any given situation -- so when the female busied herself with a mirror, he smirked, knowing he had been found out. in any other situation, he would have been terrified to know that someone could sense him from so far away, terrified to know that there was someone out there who could outsmart him, but with minkyung, he only felt a stronger sense of reassurance. truly, she could be the one to set him free.

the only problem was knowing if she remembered him or not. of course, it had been several years since their very first encounter but she had made such an impact in his life, he couldn't shake off the memory. the boy, the one raised by years of torment and harassment, the one who saw nothing but cruelty and betrayal on a daily basis, who genuinely believed that there was no grace left for him, no salvation -- was the same boy who managed to find a sliver of hope. and she was standing just several feet away from him.

watching her disappear from his sight, hyunjin calmly followed her into the dark alley, ready to defend himself if needed -- and he didn't have to wait long. he simply let her lunge at him, putting in no effort to fight back as he crashed into the wall, raising a brow at the knife against him. "oh, i wouldn't do that if i were you. there are a few people who would be displeased to see this pretty face ruined. though, i'm flattered you think so highly of my looks." there was a light amusement in his tone, the smirk that rested on his features hardly showing signs of ceasing.

"y'know, i somewhat expected this, but i'm still a bit hurt. for someone who worked in the military, shouldn't your memory be a bit better when it comes to recognizing faces?"

[ roARS i tried to mirror but i gave up i apologize for this horrible reply my brain is fried ]

@hwang hyunjin Crowds had never been Minkyung's thing. Since childhood, she'd never been the type to socialize unless absolutely necessary. That was also the reason why she wasn't fond of going to parties that the military would hold after missions and skirmishes. It was also the reason why the only people who'd gotten close with her were those that belonged to her former unit, who, for a reason she couldn't fathom just yet, followed her out when she was honorably discharged. But as she walked through the masses, her guard went up on alert, her instincts telling her that there was someone observing her, following her every move right at this moment. She stopped in front of a stall, a wide table spread in front, different elegant hair ornaments and other accessories lined up in an organized display.

She reached down to take a mirror from the table, and lifted it up, positioned it in front of her, and she could vaguely hear the woman behind the table speak. Reflected on it was a portion of her face, and a clear view of what was behind her. Her height was an advantage — she could see over most of the people behind her. Bodies moved and walked, mingled and talked, but as she shifted the position of the mirror, there was one man amidst the sea that stood unnaturally still — or it would have been natural in the eyes of others, but there was no fooling Minkyung's experienced eyes and instincts. She scoffed, the corners of her lips rising into a hint of an amused smile. Covering oneself with a simple hoodie and blending without much effort into the background — whoever this brat was seemed to be underestimating her.

Her eyes closed as she put the mirror back down. Such a person wouldn't be much of a fight, she decided, before she opened her eyes once again, and gave the woman a small nod. Running a hand through her blue locks, she her heels, her body easily blending with the masses. She didn't walk faster — there was no need to hurry, after all. If this person wanted to do something to her, then they would have already done so even with the crowd. As for their intentions... she couldn't sense any killing intent.

But that didn't mean she appreciated being stalked.

For the first few minutes, she let the other keep track of her. She could easily feel the other's presence follow after her — it wasn't that hard when this person's eyes were the only pair that was constantly on her being. Once she caught sight of an alleyway, she ran toward it, disappearing within the shadows. There were crates, boxes, and everything that one could normally find in an alley which she supposed no one would often come to. However, she only waited by the large garbage bin, crouching as to hide her full body. She waited, and waited, until the stalker had finally come into sight in front of her. With swift movements, she lunged forward, pushed the stalker to the wall with her arm hard on their neck. Her other hand quickly went for the knife under her skirt, and she held the blade against the other's porcelain skin.

She narrowed her eyes, gaze a dark and deadly glare. "You should know that I do not appreciate being followed," she said lowly. "So what the are you stalking me for? Give me one good reason or I will not hesitate to cut your pretty face."