Long Journey || ATEEZ

A Night for the Sleepless and the Lonely

Four days later after striking a deal with the renowned boss of Cherries, Hongjoong moved to Taerrya.

Four days later after striking a deal with the renowned boss of Cherries, Hongjoong was told he had passed his job interview, and was to start working as soon as the weekend passed.

He and Seonghwa had barely talked, each minding their own business, but had managed to form a 'working relationship', of sorts. Awkward conversations were often and uncomfortable, and both preferred the silence. Seonghwa was a quiet, soft-spoken man, as he turned out to be, and Hongjoong was desperate to get to know him better.

Dark had fallen, both men had finished unpacking the little possessions they owned, and were now settling down with a simple dinner of instant cup ramen. Big Grey had provided a modest place in an apartment for them, filled with little luxuries (for Hongjoong, at least) like a television, a sofa, and a washing machine. They were currently sat at the circular table in the kitchen.

"So," Hongjoong said a while after finishing their meal, asking out of pure curiosity. "Why are you in Cherries, anyway? You don't really seem like the type of person to be in a gang."

It took a while for Seonghwa to answer. Hongjoong wondered if he had asked quite an invasive question, and cursed himself silently.

Still, though, he was quite curious; Seonghwa, despite being a demon, was gentle and soft. He was still closed-off and reserved around Hongjoong, but it wasn't that easy to conceal one's true colours fully. Hongjoong had quite the experience in reading people, from the years he had spent carefully keeping his place as a modest clerk.

So why was such a tender soul in such a violent gang?

"When I was young I.....I didn't have any friends or family. I was alone," the assassin started hesitantly, staring down at the table. "Then....Big Grey found me. Took me in. He raised me and gave me a place to stay."

"Oh," Hongjoong said. "What's your job in the gang?"

Seonghwa didn't meet Hongjoong's eyes, twirling his chopsticks between his fingers. His left hand tapped out an irregular rhythm against the table.

"I'm Big Grey's personal assassin," he said after a while. "If there's anyone he wants dead, they're dead. By my hand."

"Oh," Hongjoong said again. He couldn't think of anything else to say.

At least his response explained the rifle he had seen his companion unpacking earlier that day; it wasn't just for decoration.

The awkward silence between them settled again.

* * *

Hongjoong had been nothing but kind to Seonghwa since they had met. A little awkward, yes, but still kind nonetheless. He had insisted that Seonghwa take the bigger of the two rooms when they'd moved, and refused to let Seonghwa sleep on the sofa at his old home in Leania, instead forcing him to sleep in the only bedroom.

Seonghwa sighed as he settled on his bed, the only thing illuminating the room the soft orange light of his lamp, provided by Big Grey's vast fortune.

It was weird having his own home, away from Big Grey's prying eyes, even if he was sharing it with somebody else. Up until this point since the boss had taken him in, he had been staying in the dorms that Cherries provided for those of the gang that did not have their own home. Of course, his quarters had been separate from the others, a special area for the Reds, but it was still a place where Big Grey could keep an eye on him, where he could swoop in like he always did whenever he wanted or needed. Here, at least, he could relax a little.