"Never trust anyone. Know one thing : everything you see around you is fake except us. They're lies wearing human skin," I said while we checked the gear.
The cold wind of winter hit us sharply, like any knife. But we've faced sharper blades than this.
My team of four hitmen nodded like it was common sense.
For them, it was a rule. For me, it was survival.
"Roger," Number 22 whispered.
"I'll follow the party members," Number 45 added.
"And I'll follow Soakjin and get the suitcase under risk. Things are sensitive there," I whispered, my cold breath clouding the air in front of me.
We moved clean into the restaurant named Sin into Wine. Our soundless footsteps didn't draw anyone's attention inside the fancy place. The celebration of Mr. Park Yujin's election echoed between the parties.
I came in from the backyard-- no worker was there; everyone was busy serving customers.
"Number 23 and 43, stay until I call. Guard the whole place and give me updates if something happens," I whispered through my mask into the earphone clinging to my right ear.
"Yes, sir, Rain," both of them answered at once, their voices faint through the speakers.
I gave the signal and moved forward smoothly.
I was already dressed in a waiter's uniform, perfectly prepared. A random waiter walked by with a tray of wine. I hit him from behind, right at the back of his neck. He whimpered and collapsed silently. I took the tray from him and dragged his body into the washroom.
Then I mixed a drug into one of the glasses of wine .
"Any risk?" I asked quietly while walking into the hall with the drinks. My red eyes darted around, searching for tonight's target.
"Not yet, sir. According to our mini drone camera, the target Soakjin is with his party. The suitcase is also with them," Number 45 said.
My heart clenched with the excitement of being thirty percent successful already. The suitcase hadn't been handed over yet.
The fewer people involved, the less blood rain.
And the more blood there is, the more evidence gets left behind.
"Roger. Number 23 and 43, climb up to the rooftop for the backup plan. Others, come inside-- don't look suspicious," I ordered, not paying much attention when they answered back.
And there he was-- the new president of the partner party, working under Mr. Park Yujin.
He looked around suspiciously. His cold black eyes reflected no light-- only lies. He sat in his costly seat, waiting for someone anxiously.
His eyes snapped to me when I approached with the order.
"Here is your wine, sir," I said smoothly, like tenderness wrapped around blood, and served him the glass politely.
It still felt like slavery, which I'm clearly not.
But for the sake of the mission, I can borrow a teasing night with another man too--but I refuse to be the bottom in anything..
"Thank you," he said politely, his smile masked, leaking darkness that felt like needles through the air.
He was no fool. He was analyzing me as if he already knew how many faces worked here.
"Well…" he purred, placing the suitcase beside his seat.
It was close-- close enough that I could feel how heavy it was, packed with black money and diamonds, even without touching it.
His voice was smooth and darkly teasing.
"Never saw you here before. Your name?" he murmured after drinking the wine in one go--then another, and another.
The drug made it addictive. I watched it burn down his throat silently.
"Soak Woo... sir."
I had already prepared this name-- the finest lie.
My mask covered my expression, but my red eyes gave a fake shine like any normal human.
"Soak Woo… I see. Fine name to be any waiter."
He said it both like a mock and a compliment. He clearly didn't believe me but searched for proof. He glanced at my nameplate with the restaurant's name, perfectly copied for tonight.
He didn't pay much attention again, not as the drug weakened his sense. The dose worked fast but balanced enough that he couldn't separate the difference between the wine's taste and the drug's pull.
He stood up quickly as the sharp pain hit his head from drinking too much, too fast.
Right timing. Now for the finest part.
"You're alright, sir? Need water?" I asked softly, holding his arm.
He nodded no, his head lowering, but his hand gripped my shirt tightly from behind.
"Boys, cover up for me," I whispered into my earphone.
"Yes, sir. On it," they echoed back.
Within seconds, Number 45 kept the others busy while Number 22 stood beside me for backup.
"Sir, you seem sober. Would you like to rest in any private chamber?" Number 22 said, standing close to the suitcase, ready to act.
The way he said it made me smirk under the mask.
The whole situation felt funny- yet tense.
"Yes. Take me there. I need space," the man said heavily, his voice fading.
Then he reached for his suitcase, but 22 quickly stepped in.
"Sir, let me carry it for you."
"Hmph…" he hummed..probably didn't even hear what number 22 said .
I think the dose was too much for him...
" Soak Woo stays with me until I'm better. My body feels too heavy too Carry on by myself "he ordered stubbornly, trying to stand straight.
Even in that moment, my teammate seemed to be enjoying himself.
Sure, we were close enough, but he was clearly amused by the double meaning of what was happening.
It's not an everyday mission that turns this… interesting.
Sometimes, we call them fakes. But deep down, I wonder who built my mask first- them, or me.
Just when Number 22 was about to take the suitcase, Soakjin spoke again.
"No... not you. He may carry it. You just bring some cold drinks into the private chamber."
Number 22 froze, then looked at me with that same weird look...the kind that said, seriously? Why always him? I smell something odd.
"As you say, sir," Number 22 obeyed, his eyes showing the smile he's hiding behind his mask . He looked at me once again and used a coded hand sign, saying: Now you've got two tasks together, sir... take the suitcase and spill out the secrets he's hiding.
I rolled my eyes, giving him a slight glance that meant, that's a piece of my favorite chocolate cake.
"Yes, sir," I said to Soakjin gently, then took the suitcase from 22's hand. I carried Soakjin into one of the private rooms and closed the door behind us with a soft thud.
Silence filled every corner of the room. The ticking of my wristwatch echoed faintly-- ten minutes..fifty minutes...
Then a sudden gunshot split the air...
I ran out of the room with the suitcase in hand. My earphone glitched as my teammate's voice came through.
"Sir Rain! They're here-- more than thirty men! We can't make it out smoothly if we're late!" Number 45 shouted through the comms.
Everything else... just remained an interesting flashback of this spy's story.
To be continued....
Chapter 2 (Spoiler)
"Stop playing and give me what I need!" Soakjin hissed through clenched teeth, his bloodshot eyes wide with anger and desperation.
I smirked faintly, gripping his tie and forcing him to look at me. The sound that left him was closer to a moan than a whimper.
"Answer my question first... then maybe," I leaned closer, my breath ghosting against his skin, "I'll give you a little taste...only."
It sounded less like a promise, and more like an order-- tangled around a dark proposal....