KIYEON

He looked so sad.

Frustration suddenly fills my mind when I look up at the Palace, my legs sore from riding two days straight. Why did I have to lead this life?

When I was young, I'd been ecstatic for being accepted into the Assassin group. And now, all I wanted was to just go back to Kira, to Taehyung.

"Welcome back, Ki!" Hyojin calls out to me, and I quickly erase all signs of anger and frustration off my face.

"Hey, Unnie."

"Did you have a nice break?" She teases, leading me to the training room. "I'll have to work you hard, hm? You're so close to being top assassin."

"Unnie?"

She looks up at me, brow raised. I hesitate a bit, before finally speaking what I'd had on my mind the moment I'd left Kira.

"When do you think I can have my next days off?"

"Hard to say." She muses, tapping her cheek. But then she looks up at me with an encouraging smile. "But I'm pretty sure if you score a big mission— you'll get a maximum trip."

Four days off.

That was the maximum amount of days an assassin could be given, which was somehow both a blessing and a curse.

I could see Taehyung. But only for a painfully small period of time.

"Right."

A mission. I'd have to do well in a large-scale mission, as soon as I was assigned one. As soon as possible.

_________________________

Two years.

"Excellent work." The leader says, and I stand there in front of his desk, tugging at my hands in anticipation. And then he says it, the words I'd been waiting for.

"I'm impressed. You certainly deserve some time off to yourself."

Yes.

He gives me four days, just like last time. And then I'm out of there, with an uncontrollable smile splitting my lips.

Taehyung. He's the only person I can think about as I spur my horse, directing it towards the village of Kira.

_______________________

"Oh my gosh! Noona!"

I burst into laughter when he drops a bucket he's carrying the moment he sees me. He ignores it though, rushing to me and wrapping his arms around my shoulders.

"Noona, it's been two years." He whispers, and I shiver at his lower voice. It's dipped a bit from the childish tone I remembered, a reminder that he was growing.

He pulls back, lips pressed into a familiar pout.

There it is.

"Is this going to be a cycle? I have to wait two years—"

"I try to come as soon as I can, I promise." I say, having to reach up higher now to touch his hair. "Taehyung, you're taller than me."

"I am." He says proudly, emphasizing the few-inch difference between us before burying his face into the crook of my shoulder. "I missed you. I missed you a lot."

I just press the back of my hand to his cheek, staring at him adoringly.

He blushes shyly.

"Noona, do I have something on my face?"

"You're so pretty, Taehyung." I say, before frowning. Bitterness laces into my voice when I realize what that meant. "I bet everyone wants to make friends with you now, hm?"

Especially other girls.

"Yeah, but you're my best friend!" He exclaims, shaking his head. "You're always going to be the most important, Noona. Because you were my first."

My heart warms at his words, and then I find myself blushing for the first time in my life when he suddenly pats my cheek softly.

"You're beautiful."

"Taehyung, where'd you learn to say things like that." I say, pulling up my collar to hide the red climbing my neck. He just smiles shyly again when I say that, latching onto me like a child.

Then his face suddenly turns more serious.

"Noona, what do you do?" He asks, tilting his head to the side. "I only see you—"

I avoid the question.

His face falls when I do, but I have to turn away the topic. I couldn't just tell him I was an assassin, someone who killed people. He'd hate me.

"But Noona." He starts again, even with my attempts. "It's because I'm actually really worried about—"

"I'm fine." I cut off, my voice coming out a bit sharper than I'd expected. He looks taken aback, and I know I have to make this better when I see hurt flash through his deep almond eyes.

Before I leave.

"Taehyung, I'm sorry." I whisper, and I hear him breathe out shakily when I clasp his hand. "I didn't mean to be like that."

"Noona..."

My eyes widen when I look up to see him crying. There's soft tears sliding down his cheeks, and I nearly have a panic attack then and there.

"I-I'm sorry." He whispers under his breath, while I'm not knowing what to do next. "You're not mad at me, right? I  shouldn't have pushed."

"No, I understand." I say quickly, wrapping my hands around his shaking figure. "And no! Why would I be mad at you, Taehyung. You're the absolute last person I'd be mad at."

"R-Really?"

I nod firmly, wiping away the tears glistening in his eyes. "Don't cry, Taehyung. I don't blame you for asking me— it's just that..."

My voice fades away.

"It's okay, Noona." I suddenly hear him sniffle, and press my lips together when he blinks to clear the tears. "You don't need to tell me."

I want to.

But you'd hate me.

"I—"

"You need to leave, don't you?" He says sadly, and the words cut off from my lips. I look up at him, to see sad acceptance in his eyes.

All I can do is apologize.

"Don't say sorry." He'd forced more optimism in his voice now, to make me feel better. "I'm fine."

And for the first time, I feel like crying.

"Taehyung—"

"Don't worry about me, Noona." He says lightly, pumping a fist in the air. "You're still going to come back though. This isn't the last time."

"No." I say firmly.

"This isn't the last time."

_________________________

"Unnie, I want to quit."

"What?" She looks up at me in shock. But the shock immediately turns to worry when she sees the expression on my face, and then she takes my hands.

"Ki. What are you saying? You can't quit— is there a problem?"

"Ah, unnie." I say painfully to my hands, looking up at her with broken eyes. "Don't tell this to the leader, please.

"Of course not."

And I tell her everything. About the mission to Kira more than four years ago. How I'd met Taehyung. And how I wanted to stay with him.

But when I finish, she's looking at me with a sad look.

"Ki. You're almost twenty now, aren't you."

When I nod, she sighs into her hands. I see her hesitating, watching her until a full minute passes. And then she finally looks up at me.

"Kiyeon. If you want to quit the group, you have to wait until you're over twenty four years old."

And my entire body grows still.

But it gets worse from there.

"And you can't go outside of the Palace anymore if you're planning to be released permanently from services."