HIT

10: safe house

Jimin might be okay with giving up his body, but he was not willing to die for a mission. His longing for life had compelled him to slice that gangster's throat because it had been the only safe way out, and it was what was making him eat right now although the food tasted like nothing and felt like stones in his stomach.

"We should be able to move in two days," the Hawk told him. The man was sitting opposite to him at the kitchen table in the tiny kitchen of the safe house and was looking at his phone. If Jimin could get hold of the phone, they would have direct access to the Hawks interactions. Those two guys from yesterday must be in his contact list and maybe some customers.

"Where?" Jimin asked instead of Why. He wanted to ask why the Hawk was dragging him along and giving him the chance to live, but he was too scared to hear the answer, yet. He had seen what this man could do without being fazed at all, the way he had spoken so calmly while laying out such a gruesome future for him and telling him how to properly slice someone's throat. It was scary to know how numb the Hawk was.

"We'll know once it's set," the hitman replied and stood up. "Finish that. I need to make a call."

Jimin nodded and looked down at his half-eaten breakfast plate. He felt sick at the thought of eating more. He wanted to go home to meet his mom and dad, even Superintendent Choi would be nice to see at this point. Was the team already wondering where he was? Would the force even have noticed if his body had vanished like the rest of the corpses, wrapped in plastic and transported to who-knew-where? After all he had told them that he was ready to go fully undercover from now on, so they probably would only get a sense of something being wrong once Jimin did not text them for a few days. He was on his own right now.

The Hawk stepped into the doorframe of the kitchen. "Let's go for groceries. All here's canned. It's upsetting my stomach," he said and gestured Jimin to follow him.

Jimin did not understand what was happening. They would go out? He would be allowed to go, too?

"Move," the Hawk called form the hallway and Jimin jumped up to comply, not willing to risk being sliced up like a pig. Once he was in the bedroom, the Hawk pressed a fresh black t-shirt and jeans into his arms, followed by a pair of boxers and socks, and then he instructed him to change before leaving him alone.

Still perplexed what was happening, Jimin did as he had been told and then followed the other into the hallway. He was handed a thin leather jacket and a base cap. "Wear this," the Hawk said bored and grabbed the keys from the hanger next to the door. Jimin quickly put on the items and slipped into his shoes to follow outside.

Five quiet minutes of walking later, they passed a CU and Jimin wondered why they were not going inside, but he did not ask. Maybe this was not normal grocery shopping after all.

"The veg at GS25 is better," the Hawk explained unasked, and Jimin was taken aback by the mundanity of it. He would not have picked the hitman as someone to care whether his salat and radish were the freshest or not, but apparently that was a thing.

Three blocks down the road, they found said store and the Hawk pressed a grocery basket into his hands. "Take whatever you like." And then he walked to the veg and fruit area and began to load his own basket. Jimin only stood there and stared at the hitman.

It was like watching two different movies at the same time. One was filled with coldness and death, the other was filled with sex and normalcy. The Hawk and Ahn. And Jimin was kept in the dark about when one movie would switch to the other.

Ahn looked at him and tilted his head in question. Jimin should move or he would be suspicious, so he began to pack random things before starting to think about what he actually wanted. It felt almost normal had it not been for the black shadow that was ghosting around him. The Hawk might give him the feeling of freedom, but he was watched closely. Jimin was sure that if he tried to run, he would end up with a knife between his rips in the backyard and the black duo would gut him for his organs and wrap him up to get disposed of.