Kim Yuhan sat at his desk, the scratch of his pen echoed in the silent office as he worked through the stack of documents piling on his desk.
Dark circles under his eyes were telling the story of sleepless night drowning behind these documents. He massaged the nape of his neck while stretching his neck to ease the pain.
The door creaked opened, a maid stepped in, bowing.
"Your Majesty," she said softly, "Elite Officer Kim Taekwon of the Second Division has arrived."
Yuhan gave a curt nod. "Send him in."
Moments later, the officer entered, bowing low. "How is Your Majesty today?"
"I would have been fine," Yuhan said coldly, not looking up, "if you were doing your job properly."
The officer stiffened but kept his composure. "Your Majesty, you have always been harsh on me. I even had to dirty my hands for you, and I did that without any questioning."
"Yeah! Yeah!" Yuhan rolled his eyes, annoyed. "And, what about the kid?"
The officer smiled and got closer to the desk. "The job is done."
Yuhan's eyes narrowed. "Is it?" He always had to be careful around these types of people, don't know when they stab him behind his back.
Kim Taekwon stepped forward and handed over the file. Yuhan glared at him before taking it, flipping it open. Inside were several photographs of a small child lay lifeless, head severed from the neck. The face was turned away, showing only the back.
Yuhan studied the image for a long moment before nodding slightly. "It might be that kid."
He set the file down and fixed the officer with a piercing stare. "If I find out you're lying, or these pictures are fake… I'll send your family the gift of your head."
"That won't be necessary, Your Majesty," the officer replied firmly.
Yuhan was silent for a second, heaved a long sigh, said, "Fine. You'll be transferred to the First Division."
A smile flickered across Kim Taekwon's face as he bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Yeah, yeah! Now leave. I have work to do."
The officer bowed again, murmured his thanks, and left.
Yuhan watched the door for a while before returning to his paperwork. The door closed behind Kim Taekwon, and out in the hallway, a faint smirk displayed on officer's lips. These types of bastards are always easy to fool.
"What if," he began, tone almost casual, "we tell them we took care of him… provided fabricated evidence?"
"Are you crazy?" One of them shouted with urgency. "You do realize what you are saying? You'll get us all killed."
"Let me finish myself first," everyone gave a look to Jayoung. "I know this seems ridiculous and dangerous."
"If you know that-"
"But, think…" jayoung tried to reasoned with them. "It's the best idea. And, about it being dangerous, we all know…"
Taekwon stared at him taking the hint at what Jayoung was trying to point at. "Yeah, His Majesty is the biggest fool. He will never know."
"You're right, Sir." Jayoung place a hand on one of the panicked guard's shoulder, ensuring him. "His Majesty doesn't have capabilities to get hint of it. He's just a little bitch, always listening to His Highness. He won't be posing any threat to us."
One of the younger men paled, "if we get caught-"
"Ah, about that," Jayoung interrupted smoothly, stepping forward. "We don't stop the operation. We continue… quietly. We hunt him down in the shadows, when no one's watching… we rid ourselves of that brat for good." The air around them seemed to grow colder.
___
Suho sat alone on the bench, eyes dull, posture slouched. It had been a nearly a day since he almost got caught by the elite officers sent by King Yuhan. But his mind was somewhere else.
He stared at the thing in his hand, blankly. His fingers toyed with small leather wallet. It was worn out at some edges, but useable. He thought for a second.
"…"
He hesitantly opened it. There wasn't much in the wallet. ID cards, business cards and some coupons. There were some other cards too that Suho didn't know what they were for.
What catches his eye were the crumpled bills. He stared at them. He clutched the wallet tightly as he remembered how he got these.
Suho was ashamed. His mother never taught such things to him. But he can't even undone this. He stole the wallet from a man.
It happened three hours before, when he was going around, restaurants, cafes and convenience stores. He saw one man leaving convenience store hurriedly.
He was in office attire, must be late. But the man didn't realized he had dropped the wallet, sped off. Suho tried to call for him, but he had already disappeared.
Suho took the wallet. He looked around then at the wallet. He bit his lips and here he was. He knew he should feel guilty, and somewhere deep inside, he did. But hunger clouded his reasoning.
His gaze across the park and landed on the food truck. The scent of grilled meat drifted over, making his stomach churn. He watched other customers devouring the burger. His mouth watered.
Suho looked down on the money, then back at the truck. He bit his lower lip hard before getting up and made his way to the truck.
The owner, a middle aged man with sharp eyes, looked him over with suspicion. Suho pointed at the burger on the menu. The man wordlessly wrapped one up and handed it to him, waiting for payment.
Suho slipped a bill from the wallet and passed it over. The man took it but didn't move right away. His gaze lingered on Suho's thin frame and ragged clothes. After a long time, he sighed, handed the money back, and said quietly, "Don't steal, kid. You're still young. Don't ruin your future."
Suho froze for a moment, then bowed deeply in thanks before stepping away.
He sat on the bench, carefully unwrapped the burger. He swallowed dryly before taking a big bite. He quickly melted at the taste and devoured it quickly. When it was gone, he wiped his mouth, tossed the wrapper in a nearby bin and began to walk.
That was when he saw him.
A boy about his own age stood by the roadside. He was smaller and paler than Suho, white hair and green eyes wearing uniform and backpack hanging loosely from his shoulders.
It appears he was waiting for someone. Suho stared at the boy for a moment, studying him quietly. So, he studies at Elite Magician School.
His gaze settled on the boy as the pulled up and two huge men wearing suits appeared. They opened the door for him and the boy slipped inside without any word. The door shut, and the car pulled away.
Suho stared as the car disappeared from his gaze. Some people just have everything.