《My Hitman System》 Chapter 1: Start A cacophony of various sounds engulfed the surroundings as several passengers boarded the train. Most of them were office workers. It was evening and they all were now going back from work. Without anything unusual happening the train left the tform leaving behind a rtively empty tform. Jin, with a broom in his hand, once again started cleaning the tform. It was his 50th time sweeping this ce in today''s work shift. ''Can''t these bastards see the trash can?!'' He rebuked in his mind but could only ept reality for what it was and continued with the cleaning. He had always done it and will continue to do so. The next train was about toe so he stopped with the sweeping as the tform once again started getting filled with a fresh batch ofmuters. He took out a small stic bottle from one of the pockets of his Janitor''s uniform. He shook the bottle a bit to see the little water that was left in it and poured it all into his mouth. He waited for the tform to clear out once again before continuing with his job. At around ten in the evening, his shift was finally over and after changing back to his normal clothes he dragged his body out of the railway station. This was how his usual day went. From Monday to Saturday, he swept the railway tform for hours before dragging his exhausted body back home. The pay was meagre but since he was his only family¡­it was sufficient. He was satisfied with what little he got and had zero aspirations for the future. The thought of spending the rest of his life doing the same thing he has been doing now didn''t affect him at all, it instead calmed his nerves. There was no uncertainty in his life as a result. That''s how he always felt until Sunday arrived. It was the only day when he was free and didn''t need to go to work. He used to roam around the city along with the acquaintances he made in his workce. Unlike him they wanted a bit of variety in their almost certain lifestyle so they visited several different ces on their Sundays. It wasn''t much but it expanded Jin''s worldview bit by bit which he wasn''t very fond of. Whenever he went out with his colleagues to the city the realization that he was wasting his life while living in the slums often mmed him right in the face. The fact that he was poor and living a life that almost no one would want to live became apparent under these circumstances. The feeling of envy spreads all over his being and he loses his mental bnce. Thankfully, the Sundays always ended with a few sses of rum at a nearby rum shack. As a result, they could shout out all their insecurities and continue with their work the next day with a clearer mind. This time the same thing happened aswell and Jin was currently making his way back to his house. Under the influence of alcohol, Jin was wearily making his way back home through the narrow streets of the slums. The dogs asionally weed him with their barks but he was long used to them and only smiled back at them in his drunk state. "I love you too you bastard¡­" Jin sent a flying kiss towards a dog which suddenly came out of a corner just to bark at him. Jin sensed a movement from his sides and saw a figure rushing past him after pushing him towards the wall. Jin was confused for a few moments but soon realized that he could no longer feel his wallet. "Fuck! Wait, you bastard!..." Jin wanted to rush but knew that he wouldn''t be able to catch up with this person. His gaze shifted towards a rock nearby and without a second thought he grabbed hold of it and threw it towards the perpetrator with all his strength. Jin hears a shout and sees the person mming down on the ground. "That''s what you get you bastard¡­" Jin cheered for himself as he rushed toward the person. He saw his wallet in the thief''s hands and recovered it. The guy was bleeding from the back of his head when he saw Jin taking back the wallet from him. It was too dark for Jin to notice the bleeding in the dark surroundings.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om After recovering his wallet Jin checked its contents and found everything intact, he red at the thief, kicked him hard in his stomach twice and hurled a few abuses at him before walking back to his house. The thief who was now in a much worse shape than before could only see Jin''s back fade with distance as he slowly lost consciousness. ¡­ The next day, "What the hell is this?" Jin eximed. Since the moment he opened his eyes this morning this weird panel was in front of his eyes. He rubbed his eyes a few times but it was all to no avail. When he moved his head to the right, the panel moved to the right and vice versa. It was as if it was fixed to his vision. Wherever his eyes went, this panel would appear right in the middle of his vision. The panel had something written on it. Thanks to the little knowledge he had grasped while working as a newspaper delivery boy for a few years, he could understand what was written on it. *Say ''HITMAN'' to continue* That''s what the panel said. Jin was confused for a bit but seeing that the panel had no intention to go away by itself he decided to say the word out loud. "Hitman" To his surprise, the moment he said the word ''Hitman'', the earlier panel disappeared and a translucent panel came in its ce. On which three words were written in bold red colour. *HITMAN SYSTEM UNLOCKED* Chapter 2: System ''Huh?'' With the appearance of the three words, the panel expanded down a bit as more words became visible. ***HITMAN SYSTEM*** Name- Jin Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 58 kg Body Constitution- Extremely Poor Mental Constitution- Poor ...¡­.. "Ok¡­what the hell is this shit¡­" Jin was lost for words. He had no idea what the hell was happening. ''Stats? Is this a fucking game? Was my life a lie all along?'' All sorts of questions entered his mind but he had no answer to any of them just then another small panel ovepped the stat panel it read: im First Kill Reward ''First Kill Reward?'' Jin murmured in confusion as the panel disappeared and new items were added to the original stat panel. ***HITMAN SYSTEM*** Name- Jin Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 58 kg Body Constitution-Extremely Poor Mental Constitution- Poor Ability - Training (NEW!), Morph (NEW!) Kill Points- 10 ...¡­.. The new information in the panel made Jin furrow his brows. ''I don''t know what''s going on¡­but I''ll go along with it¡­this might even be one of those vivid dreams people talk about,'' With this thought in mind, Jin pressed one of the abilities which were being shown on the panel. The moment he did a small panel popped up exining about the given ability. ***Training*** 1. The host can Summon a Shadow Dummy and use it to practice various melee assassination techniques. [SUMMON] 2. Once the host is in possession of a ranged weapon, he can use it for practice in the mental shooting range. [ENTER] .... Jin gave it a read and found what he was reading a bit unbelievable but still just to try out his luck he moved his finger over the text ''Summon'' and pressed it. The moment he did a ck figure appeared in front of his eyes. "AHH!" Jin eximed in fright as he took a few steps back and fell on his butt. "W-who are you?" Jin asked the ck figure. "¡­" The figure remained silent. "Do you understand me?" Jin once again asked and was met with no response. Seeing that the figure was unresponsive Jin''s fear died down a bit as he cautiously stood up and observed the ck figure. It had the same height and build as him. The only difference was that the figure waspletely ck from head to toe. It was as if his shadow had taken a human form and was now standing right in front of him. "Is that why it''s called a shadow dummy?" Jin attempted to touch the shadow dummy and all of a sudden, a list became visible at the top right corner of his vision. It was a long list but currently, only one thing was decipherable for him and the rest were blurred. ''Chokehold'' That was the name of the number one thing on the list. ''Interesting,'' Without thinking further, he pressed it and immediately after doing that the shadow dummy moved. It turned around and was currently showing Jin its back. Just when Jin was confused about what to do next a string of instructions appeared in front of his vision: Sneak behind the target and attempt a chokehold. Jin was a bit familiar with the chokehold as it was a move which had been used upon him a lot by the bullies in the slum when he was young. So, he wasn''t totally unaware of what he needed to do. "I feel like I''m in a game. I hope this is not a one-time dream and I will be able to experience this again in the future¡­ although the chances of that happening are unlikely," Jin said to himself as he sneaked behind the shadow dummy and then positioned his arms around the neck of the dummy in a familiar manner. He then started adding pressure on the shadow dummy''s neck in an attempt to suffocate it. As he did that, a bar appeared beside his vision and Jin soon understood that this bar was representing the intensity with which he was pressing the shadow''s neck.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Currently, the bar was in the 60% range so Jin understood his assignment and increased his strength. He saw the bar slowly rising up and reached the 68% mark before going back to zero. Jin was all exhausted by now and immediately let go of the dummy and sat down on his buttocks to take a breather. While he was panting for air the following words entered his vision: Chokehold (Proficiency: 2%) "This is the first time I''ve experienced a game-like dream and I can''t get enough of it," Jin said with excitement as he moved his attention to the 2nd point of the ''Training'' ability. His finger soon pressed over the text ''Enter'' but to his great disappointment nothing happened. "Hmm? Is it because I do not have a range weapon with me?" Jin shook his head and shifted his attention to testing out the next ability named ''Morph'' RING~ "My Phone?" Jin furrowed his eyes as he moved his hand under his nket a few times and finally found his phone. It was his colleague, Ken. ''Now this seems too real to be a dream¡­'' With his heart beating a bit faster than normal Jin picked up his phone. "Bro, why aren''t you here yet? The Team Leader is furious and is waiting for you! Come quickly!" Ken''s voice blurted out from his phone. "Where?" Jin asked¡­ ''Isn''t this all a dream¡­where do I need to do?'' "Are you still drunk from yesterday you moron? Today''s Monday and it''s already noon! Come quickly to report at your station. I can''t save your ass for long!" With that Ken cut off his phone. Jin''s eyes went towards the wall clock. He then pinched his arm with his other hand to remove thest inklings of doubt in his mind. He immediately grimaced in pain. "Dream my ass!" Jin eximed in frustration as he got ready in a rush. A few minutester he exited his house and rushed towards the station for his work. Chapter 3: First Kill On the way to the railway station, Jin noticed a crowd surrounding a ce not far from his house. He was a bit curious but he let go of his curiosity since he was gettingte. Twenty minutester he arrived at the station covered in sweat from top to bottom. "I''m sorry," Jin apologized to his superior who red at him and gave him an earful. "You better not repeat this, let''s get back to work," The superior said and he went towards his ce. ''Sigh'' Jin sighed as he made his way towards his area. While making his way he nced at the system panel that was appearing and disappearing with just a thought of his mind. At this moment even if he wanted to believe this was all a dream he no longer could. ''Is this even possible?...and even if it is why give it to someone like me....Hitman? Aren''t they people who kill people? Why would I even kill someone and make life difficult for myself?'' With a lot of questions roaming around in his mind, Jin continued with his work and before long it was alreadyte at night and time for him to get off work. On his way back home he noticed that there was still a crowd in the area from where he had passed this morning. ''Just what exactly is happening here? A movie shooting?'' Unable to control the curiosity in his mind Jin made his way towards the ce. The ce was blocked with yellow tape and a couple of police officers were standing there and asking questions to the people around among the murmur of the crowd. Jin had thought of asking someone what exactly happened here but before he did that he automatically got his answer from the discussion some men were having nearby. "Who would have thought that Jimmy would die so young?" A man sighed. "Indeed, I thought at worst he would be caught and go to jail. Never did I imagine that he would be murdered," A bearded man added. "Killing someone just for an attempted theft is too much...he was just 17 years old as well..." The man sighed again. As the two men were continuing with their discussion few images shed right past Jin''s mind. He had thrown a rock at a thief...the thief fell...he kicked the thief a few times and left... When the blurry images became clearer, Jin was forced to look at his surroundings. He realized that this was the same ce where that incident had happened. His heartbeat increased all of a sudden as he looked all around him furtively. Noticing that he had not attracted any attention towards himself he slowly retreated from the crowd and when there was enough distance between him and the crowd he rushed back home. m! Jin mmed the door shut and rested his sweat-drenched back on it. He was panting for air as various thoughts ran past his disoriented mind. "D-did I k-kill someone...?" Jin was finding it hard to believe but all the evidence suggested that it was indeed him who did it... "N-No! I don''t want to go to jail...no it can''t be..." The more he thought over it the more worried he became. ''But I didn''t leave any evidence...even if it was I who did it they won''t find out,'' Jin thought and was about to rx but an rming thought soon entered his mind ''The stone!'' He had grabbed that stone and it must contain his fingerprints! "I''m doomed!" Jin thought to himself as his figure which was leaning on the door slid down onto the floor in despair. Tears of frustration started flowing out of his eyes as he had no idea what he needed to do now. He stayed still on the floor for what felt like an hour as he imagined the life which awaited him in the prison. Thinking of how his frail self would be treated in the prison he shivered...there was even a chance that he might end up dead there. "No...I can''t settle for this...there''s still hope," Jin''scklustre eyes suddenly gained back its vitality. It looked like he had finally made a decision. "The stone might still be in the area...if I''m lucky they might have not yet discovered the stone!" Jin didn''t quite remember the stone but he clearly remembered how the stone felt in his hand. If he was to grab the stone again he could easily recognize it.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Jin looked at the clock. It was half past eleven. He felt like this was a good time to take action. He pushed himself off the floor and started changing his clothes. He had a worn-out ck t-shirt which he rarely used but had kept thinking that he might need it in the future. It was finally time to make good use of it. He put it on and then opened his working kit. There was a pair of gloves and a mask which he used for his job. He put them on and then moved towards the kitchen. He hesitated a bit but firmed his mind again and grabbed a knife and stuck it in between his pants and belt. "I hope I don''t need to use it..." Jin thought to himself as he sat on the chair with his eyes glued to the wall clock He had initially nned to go out at midnight but after thinking over it a bit more he decided to be a bit more careful. He sat there and waited until the clock''s small finger was pointing at one. Jin took a few deep breaths to calm his anxious self and discreetly left his house through the window. Under the cover of the night, his figure was barely noticeable as he made his way towards the site where the incident took ce. Chapter 4: Discovered When he arrived at the ce Jin took a deep sigh of relief when he saw that the ce was empty. ''I thought they might have ced someone to guard the ce,'' Even though he was relieved Jin didn''t let his guard down and discreetly made his way towards the ce where the figure of a lying man was made with chalk on the ground. When he arrived there Jin closed his eyes. He tried to remember how things happened between him and that thiefst night and tried to remember the trajectory of the stone. ''I think at that time I heard the voice of the stone striking the ground from ahead,'' With this thought in mind Jin walked towards the suspected area. He took out his phone and under the light of the back shlight started examining the area. To make sure that the light didn''t attract unwanted attention he squatted down and held the phone very close to the ground. It had not even been a minute and Jin was all covered up in sweat. Although the humid night yed some part the main faulty in his tense mental state. After rummaging through one area Jin moved to another. He was bing more stressed with time and doubts started entering his mind. ''Did the police already find the stone?'' ''God dammit! I shouldn''t have gone out to drink yesterday...'' ''Please...please be here,'' As his mind was weing all kinds of thoughts Jin didn''t stop his hands from rummaging around for the stone for even a second. A few minutester his mask was all soiled with his sweat so he pulled it down and continued with the search. He changed locations five times and each time he found nothing. Anxiety was about to fully consume Jin but as if luck was still on his side he suddenly felt a familiar feeling when he grabbed one of the stones. His whole being paused as his eyes focused fully on that particr rock. He rolled that stone in his palm and under the light of the shlight he examined it in great detail. He soon noticed a small reddish tint which was barely visible and a wide smile appeared on his face. He almost wanted to jump in excitement but he contained himself. His eyes once again examined the stone. ''With this, I don''t need to worry about anything,'' Jin''s breathing stopped all of a sudden. He could feel his heart beating faster and faster to the point that he wouldn''t be surprised if it burst out of his chest. The reason for the sudden change in mood was a hand that had suddenly grabbed Jin''s left shoulder. Jin slowly turned around to see who it was. The face wasn''t visible but through the lights from his phone, the man''s sleeves were visible. It was the typical blue colour representing the police uniform. It was also at this moment he realized that his face was no longer being covered by a mask... "What are you doing here you rasca-" Before the man could say anything further Jin smashed the stone in his hand right at the man''s face. Jin had lost control of his rational thoughts as the fear of going to prison fully took over him. Seeing the disoriented policeman wobbling a few steps backwards after being hit by the stone, Jin grabbed the knife''s hilt and pulled it out of his belt. Without a second thought in his mind, he rushed towards the man to stab him to death. Seeing Jin''s figure rushing towards him the policeman panicked and tripped down. He groaned from the pain. Without further ado, Jin pounced at him. Before the man could make any more noise Jin shoved his forearm into the man''s mouth and plunged the knife into his neck. The man who had just gotten plunged with a knife into his neck bit onto Jin''s forearm since he was unable to scream. Jin grimaced in pain but no sound came out of his mouth. He instead tightened his grip on the hilt and twisted the de. Blood squirted out of the man''s neck and covered Jin''s hands and a few parts of his clothes. Jin didn''t care about that. At this moment his focus was only on the man''s eyes. He was staring right into the policeman''s eyes. He saw all sorts of emotions welling up in the man''s eyes. Fear, anger, resentment and finally regret...regret that it was his watch tonight...he wouldn''t have been dead if he was not on duty tonight.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Jin kept the knife plunged until he saw the man''s vitality going away from his eyes. He finally let go a few seconds after the man''s eyes became vacant. By now a stem of rity had been brought back in Jin''s mind. He had no time for remorse. If he hadn''t done that then he would be in jail the next moment. Jin wiped the blood off the de and stuck it back in his belt. He had no intention of leaving the killing tool behind this time. He picked up his phone and looked around a bit and soon discovered the stone with which he had smashed the man''s face. Jin ced the stone in his pocket and surveyed the area. Only after ensuring that he had not left anything behind did he leave the scene. He didn''t forget to put back his mask while doing so. Jin made his way through the dark narrow streets of the slum once again and made it back to his house. It took him much longerpared to when he was going because, throughout the return journey, he was keeping a close eye on his surroundings. When he entered his house Jin made sure not to turn on the lights as he didn''t want to alert any of his neighbours. He then proceeded to wash the blood stains off his knife and cleaned it thoroughly in the sink with soap. After thinking a bit he did the same with the stone and rinsed it with soap. He just felt that doing so would reduce his chances of getting caught so he did it. The next step was washing the blood off his clothes and himself. After about an hour Jin was all freshened up and exhausted so he dragged his weary body to his bed. He had thought that the thought of killing people would haunt him and he would not be able to sleep but nothing of that sort happened. The moment his head hit the pillow he fell asleep. Chapter 5: Morph Ability Staring at the still-wet clothes he had put up for drying Jin sighed. When he woke up the thoughts of yesterday''s events shed in his mind. He tried to calm himself by saying that it was all a dream and nothing of that sort happened but his vision soon turned towards the clothes which he had put up for dryingst night after killing that cop. Jin pushed the nket off him and sat on his bed with various thoughts lingering in his mind. He felt a sting on his forearm and shifted his vacant gaze towards it. It was the bite mark he got yesterday when he tried to stop the cop from shouting. A part of him was angry at himself but another part of him was amazed. How was it that he was able to kill that cop in the most efficient manner he could have thought of? Shouldn''t a normal person who had never murdered a person before run away the moment he is faced with such a situation? ''Am I a talented killer or what?'' Jinmpooned himself with a dry chuckle. He shook his head in derision and that was when he suddenly remembered about the ''Hitman System'' which he had seen yesterday. Too much had happened the night before and the thought of this system never entered his mind until now. He thought of disying the Hitman System panel in front of him and the transparent panel soon appeared in front of him. ***HITMAN SYSTEM*** Name- Jin Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 58 kg Body Constitution-Extremely Poor Mental Constitution- Poor Ability - Training (NEW!), Morph (NEW!) Kill Points- 60 ...¡­.. Jin noticed that his ''Kill Points'' increased by 50 points. ''Is it because I killed a cop?'' He thought to himself. The other day when he identally killed a thief he got only 10 points but now he got 50 points all of a sudden. "I don''t know what these points do but is this system trying to turn me into a mass killer or what?" Jin mused out his thoughts. Even if that was the case Jin shook his head. He knew well for a fact that if he went on a killing spree like a madman then sooner orter he was going to get caught and put behind bars. His eyes then nced at the ability ''Morph'' which he didn''t check yesterday. He raised his finger and tapped on the ability and a small panel opened up. ***Morph*** The host can change his appearance as per his will. |Appearance (0/10)| |Activate| Conditions: 1. The host must have physically touched the individual after pushing the ''Activate'' button. 2. The number of appearances that can be stored at a time is 10. It is preferable to look for individuals with the same physique as the host. 3. No time limit. The host can take on the new appearance for an indefinite period. 4. To choose an appearance press the ''Appearance'' button and choose the appearance you desire. Number 1 is by default host''s appearance. ... Jin''s eyebrows furrowed when he looked at the long list of conditions that appeared in front of him but he still pushed himself and read it because the more he read the more excited he became. ''I no longer need to worry about being caught!'' Jin thought to himself in jubtion as he once again read through the conditions to make sure that he remembered them all by heart. Once he read through it again ideas started popping up in Jin''s mind regarding how he could utilize this ability to make sure that he won''t ever be caught. Even now there were chances of the police conducting a thorough forensic check in order to find the culprit...but what would happen if the culprit started changing his appearance each time the police were on the verge of catching him? ''Hehe...they''ll never catch me,'' Arge portion of the tension which was brewing in his mind disappeared because of this. Jin looked at the time and it was close to eleven in the morning. His stomach growled soon after. After eating breakfast Jin started getting ready for work. A part of him wanted to escape from this area as soon as possible but he knew that today of all days he must go to work. If he didn''t then the suspicion around him would increase by a lot. Jin soon left his house. On the way to the station, he noticed that the number of people surrounding the murder site had increased considerably. He could sense how tense the environment was there from a distance. He didn''t go to enquire like yesterday because unlike yesterday he was clearly aware that this was all his doing. Jin walked briskly towards the railway station and managed to reach there on time. His colleague ''Ken'' was d to see him in time. "I would have given you an earful along with the team leader if you werete even today," he joked to which Jin only chuckled. He had only a surface level of rtionship with everyone...he didn''t remember when it started but since the death of his parents all the rtionships he formed were only surface-level ones.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The team leader soon arrived and after signing on the registers they all went to their designated posts for cleaning. Jin had initially thought of doing his work as usual but an idea suddenly popped up in his mind. Wasn''t he looking for a few suitable appearances? What could be a better ce than a crowded railway station where people didn''t mind if they were ''identally'' touched by someone? With this in mind, Jin activated the Morph ability and started looking for individuals whose physiques were not much different than his. It didn''t take a lot of effort from his side to find them. With a broom in his hand, Jin moved towards the first target. He tapped him on his shoulder and requested him to move aside. The man gave a cursory nce to Jin and moved aside. Jin then squatted down to collect the stic waste nearby with a wide grin on his face. Chapter 6: Morphing into someone else ***Morph*** The host can change his appearance as per his will. |Appearance (10/10)| |Activate| Conditions: 1. The host must have physically touched the individual after pushing the ''Activate'' button.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om 2. The number of appearances that can be stored at a time is 10. It is preferable to look for individuals with the same physique as the host. 3. No time limit. The host can take on the new appearance for an indefinite period. 4. To choose an appearance press the ''Appearance'' button and choose the appearance you desire. Number 1 is by default host''s appearance. ... Jin was staring at the panel in front of him with a grin which looked almost wicked. His luck was quite good and he was able to fill all the ten slots with suitable appearances. All that was left was to test it out. In the evening afterpleting his shift, Jin returned to the changing room and removed all his cleaning kit before keeping them all in his bag. As luck would have it, he was thest one in the changing room. After doing a second check Jin finally couldn''t control himself any longer and pressed the ''Appearance''button in the Morph ability panel. A wide sub-panel opened up in front of him and on it was shown the faces of all the ten individuals whom he had touched along with their names and age. "Impressive," Jin voiced out his thoughts. Jin thought over whose appearance to choose from for a couple of seconds before deciding to take the appearance of the man who seemed to be a bit well off. Jin kept his eyes stuck to the mirror in front of him and saw his face change into that of of man in his thirties. His skin tone changed from an almond colour to a lighter shade. A brown beard and moustache appeared on his face. His messy dark hair turned brown and was now quite orderly. "God damn!" Jin eximed as he saw the whole transformation right in front of his eyes. He touched his face, hair, and teeth. He found that everything had changed. His neck had slumped down a bit thus affecting his original posture. It was the same for his whole body. He could feel that he had suddenly aged and his lotive skills had deteriorated. At this moment a certain question popped into Jin''s mind which made him open up his trousers. He stretched out the stic of his underwear and his eyes widened. "What the actual fuck..." Jin didn''t know what to feel about this. He felt that his body was no longer his own and instead, he had possessed someone else''s body. This feeling was too freaky and weird for him and he immediately switched back to his original appearance. Just to be sure he once again checked the contents inside his underwear and drew a sigh of relief. Jin then took all his belongings and walked back home. On the way back he heard all the conversations which were going around in the slum. The police had decided to conduct a thorough investigation regarding it and had requested anyone who had some idea about the incident toe and report it to them. They were all looking for witnesses. He also heard that the police had approached quite a few nearby houses for inquiry. Jin''s eyebrows creased a little but he kept his calm and finally entered his house. ''I wanted to escape this ce as fast as possible but now I can''t...If I shifted before the police came for an inquiry it would surely raise their rms.'' ''Hopefully, they''ll knock at my doors within a week. Meanwhile, I should look for a new job somewhere far away, like a city. It should give me enough reason to shift my house.'' Jin thought over his next moves as he freshened up and then prepared his dinner. If it was earlier then he would have watched some movie on the television and gone to sleep but now he didn''t. He had a system to explore now. He still remembered his ''Training'' ability and summoned his shadow dummy. The dummy appeared in front of him just as before. Jin chose to train his ''chokehold'' since it was the only option on the list. Earlier he had achieved a 2% proficiency. He wondered at what percentage of proficiency he would be at by the end of today''s session. Instructions simr to the previous time appeared at the corner of his vision and he sneaked behind the Dummy to attempt a chokehold just like before. Jin continued doing this ten more times and was now sitting on the floor panting for air. He was drenched in sweat. His intensity had reduced from the maximum of 67% on his first try to a meagre 42% at the moment. Jin nced at his proficiency:Chokehold (Proficiency: 4%) Jin was very disappointed seeing this number. Unlike before he had performed a chokehold ten times! He was expecting at least a 10% increase but all his aspirations were shattered when he saw that proficiency percentage. Jin realized that relying on quantity won''t suffice. ''Is the system telling me to improve my technique? How should I do that...'' Jin thought of using the inte so he opened up his phone and searched ''Chokehold techniques''. A lot of sites appeared and each of them exined ways to perform a chokehold in the most optimum way. Jin tried reading them a bit but he soon gave up. He wasn''t fond of reading and learning...If he was then he wouldn''t be doing the job of a janitor at a railway station. With a defeated sigh Jin switched off his phone and dragged his tired body to the bed. ''I''ll just depend on quantity if that''s the case...'' he thought to himself. He felt that doing more chokeholds was much easierpared to reading and learning chokehold techniques.With that thought Jin closed his eyes. The next day Jin was woken up by loud knockings on his door. Chapter 7: Taking Statements Jin''s gaze first went towards the wall clock when he woke up. ''9 AM?'' He thought to himself as he pushed himself off the bed. Another knock came from the door which roused him awake from his semi-sleepy state. ''Who could it be?'' This thought entered Jin''s mind as he made his way towards the door. While opening the door a possibility entered his mind ''Could it be the cops?'' and he was dead right. Two policemen in uniform with impatient expressions were staring at him as he opened up his door. Seeing this whatever little sleepiness was left in Jin sped away and he was wide awake. "Y-yes officers..." Jin said clumsily while trying hard to hide his nervousness. "You sure took your while didn''t you," One of the two policemen huffed in irritation. "I''m sorry about that I''m a deep sleeper," Jin apologised. "It''s alright, don''t mind him. Can I see your ID please," The other policeman said gently. Seeing the stark difference in the two''s personalities Jin thought to himself ''Are they ying good cop or a bad cop with me or what...'' It was only a passing thought as he quickly replied to the policeman. "Right away Sir!" The two looked around his house from the doorway while Jin got hold of his wallet and took out his ID from it. "Here''s my ID officer," Jin brought the ID to the officer with a gentle temperament and stood there as he nced at his information. "Jin ker...22 years old..." The man murmured his initial information as his eyes nced through the rest of it before passing the ID back to Jin. "It''s just for statement purposes and is rted to the recent murders so Jin, can you tell me where you were yesterday night?" The man asked. "Well...my work shift finished between 9 to 10 PM and then I returned home by half past ten. Then I freshened up, made my dinner and went to sleep," Jane said after a brief pause at the start. "Mhmm is that so?" The man noted down a few things and asked further, "What about the night before?" "It was the same schedule, sir," Jin responded. He concentrated on not saying anything more than what was asked of him to reduce the likelihood of saying anything suspicious. "I see, How about Sunday night? You surely weren''t at work that day were you?" The man asked with a smirk. Jin could only respond with a dry chuckle at his expression and said, "Yes I wasn''t. I was out along with my office colleagues the whole day. We roamed around the city and then after eating out we returned back home," Jin wanted to hide the fact that they drank that night but the man was one step ahead and asked, "So did you all drink alcohol that night?" Jin''s heart pace increased by a beat but he maintained a strong front and responded, "Well since we all were out together it was natural to take a couple of shots," "Only a couple?" He further inquired. To this Jin scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner as he said, "We were short on money...so we stopped at two," "I see," The man noted a few more things in his diary and closed it. "Thank you for your co-operation. We''ll be going then," The man said and went away with his colleague. Jin too thanked the two policemen and saw them going to the next house before closing the door. "Do you find him suspicious?" The cop who came out as aggressive to Jin asked the gentler one. "Do you think with such a scrawny build he could deal do two murders? Even if that''s possible let''s say...why would he still be here? This is not a case of serial murder so the killer is someone new. A new criminal is likely to be nervous and make a lot of mistakes." "With that said, I expect the killer to run away from the area or be absent from his work for a few days...Taking all this into ount, I find no reason to find him suspicious," The man finished his analysis.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ''Or it could be that this guy is a pro at acting innocent...'' A passing thought entered the man''s mind but he shook it away. "I see..." The other cop listened on and nodded as things made sense to him. With that, he knocked on the doors of the next house. "Phew..." Jin leaned his sweat-covered back to the door. His heart was pounding like a drum as various thoughts entered his mind. He was able to maintain a strong face in front of those two cops but there was no one he couldn''t do so anymore. Jin raised his left hand up and could clearly see it shivering. That was how tense he was during the earlier conversation. Thankfully he held on. "Hopefully that was enough to put them off," Jin said to himself. Since he no longer felt sleepy Jin decided to freshen up and prepare his breakfast. While he was eating his food he was searching for a suitable job for him in his mobile app. He put on the location of search to the nearest city which was Bing City. Compared to the slum area where he lived, Bing City was muchrger and had much more opportunities. Jin remembered that during one Sunday outing, he had once mused over the thought of using all his saved-up money to shift from this slum area to the city in the hope of a better life. The next day the thought got buried at the back of his head like several other thoughts he had during other Sundays. Jin searched for a while but he was able to find only one job which he was suitable for. For the others, he was unqualified. It was a job simr to his current one just the location has changed to that of a public school. Chapter 8: Shifting ''A school huh...'' Jin wasn''t very fond of the idea of working at a school because there would be a lot of variables with the children involved. He searched for a bit more in other apps and found that he had no choice other than to work at that school if he wanted to stay there. All the other jobs asked for experience and he only had experience as a janitor which narrowed his scope of search. ''Bing High School'' Jin searched about it on the inte. The school had a very good reputation. That exined why it wanted even the janitors to have at least 4 years of experience. "If it''s reputable then there won''t be much of a problem...the sry''s pretty good too," Jin thought to himself. Jin had been in this cleaning business of cleaning since he was 17 years old so he easily qualified for the job. He applied for the job through the online portal and submitted his contact details. ''A letter of reference...alright,'' He could ask his team leader''s help with this one. Jin looked at the clock and it was half past ten. The team leader would be arriving by half past eleven so I should go early to see him. With his mind made up, Jin left his home after getting ready. He discussed his intention of leaving the job to work in the city. The team leader was sometimes harsh at them when they didn''t do their jobs properly but overall he was an understanding individual. When Jin exined to him how he wanted to improve his circumstances by finding more opportunities in the city the team leader understood and helped him with the reference letter. "You''ve been here for several years, and I thought that you were just wasting your potential here...it''s good that you''re going there. I wish you luck haha!" The team leader patted Jin''s shoulder as he left towards the admin office to make his letter of reference. Jin went on with his work as usual. In the evening he received a message to arrive at the school with the required documents theing Sunday. By the end of the day, he was handed his reference letter by the leader in the changing room. This invited a series of inquiries from his colleagues and they all cheered for him and wished him good luck. On asking when he would be leaving the job Jin said that it would most probably be by the end of this week. Days kept on passing by and during these days the inquiry regarding the murders seemed to have settled. Jin learned from the word of mouth of others that the police were unable to find any clues and this would most likely end up as a cold case.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Jin was relieved after hearing this but he still didn''t let down his guard. He was adamant about leaving this ce and going far away from here as soon as possible. Sunday arrived. With his documents in hand, Jin went to the railway station to catch a train to Bing city. He arrived at the city by half past ten in the morning. He was told to report at the school at noon. He had a light breakfast from the nearby store and asked the shopkeeper where Bing High School was from his current location. The shopkeeper exined it to him and soon Jin left for the ce. The ce was only three kilometres away from here so Jin decided to go there on foot. On the way, Jin looked around the city and couldn''t help but feel pleasant. The environment here was more pleasant than the slums and he could live his lifefortably once again here. The thought of the system often entered his mind but he shoved it aside. He should be a hitman just because a system wanted him to? Like hell, he would. He cherished his earlierfortable life and had no intention of entering this grim path. Around 30 minutester Jin was at the school. Since it was a Sunday there were no students around and Jin easily made his way to the admin building and told them the reason for his arrival. The staff present verified his documents thoroughly. Since it was a reputable school they weren''tx on the verification part even a bit. The whole process took about an hour and Jin was soon handed an ID. "You cane to work starting tomorrow. The cleaning staff''s room is room number 34 on the first floor. Report there by 8:00 AM. The supervisor will exin your work to you there and then you can start on with your work." Thedy said after passing Jin his ID. Jin nced at his ID which had his photo and all the necessary information in it and nodded to thedy "Thanks," "You''re wee," She smiled back at him and carried on with her work. Jin soon left the school building and started looking for houses which were on rent. The area nearby the school was very expensive so that was out of the question for him so he narrowed his search area to areas more than 5kms away from the school. It was the age of the inte and everything could be found on the inte. After browsing the ''House on rent'' application for half an hour he was able to find a suitable ce for him. He immediately contacted the owner and discussed the contract with him. All the necessary documentation was done by five in the evening and Jin handed the security money along with an advance for the next couple of months. The rent in the city was naturally very high. Three-fourths of Jin''s savings were now depleted as a result. Jin didn''t mind it and travelled back home. He had already packed all the necessary things he would be needing there. He didn''t have a refrigerator or any other heavy appliances. The only expensive things he owned were his television and his mobile phone. He only took the important stuff with him and all of them were arranged in a carton. The other stuff he buried them in his backpack. He nned toe back for televisionter when he got time. After locking the door of his old house Jin went to the railway station to board the next train to Bing city along with his luggage. He boarded the train and reached his rented ce by 9 in the evening. Chapter 9: A Scene From The Past The house had two rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. Compared to his earlier single-room shack of a home, this was on another level. The rent was indeed high and given his earlier sry he wouldn''t have been able to rent it but now things changed. The janitor''s work at the school paid quite handsomely so Jin did not care about the price and immediately bought it. The location was convenient. He could use a bus stop nearby to travel to the school early in the morning. Luckily, the house already had a few furniture like a bed and a couch. After doing a bit of cleaning Jin arranged his clothes in the wall-mounted wardrobe. He was all set for tomorrow. After arranging all the necessary toiletries he fell on the bed. He was all spent up. Today had been a long day and tomorrow would mark a new beginning of his life. He had initially thought of going along with the system and increasing his proficiency on that chokehold but after the police came to his house and were all cleared of suspicion a question appeared in his mind: for what? For what should he risk his life and attempt to kill people? For the so-called ''kill points''? He found it all worthless. He wasfortable with the way things were going. Even though he faced a few ups and downs because of the idental death of the thief which was followed by him killing a cop...he did all that for the sake of protecting his current life...protecting his peace! He had no intention of deliberately making hisfortable life difficult. ''Living a normal life is great,'' This was thest thought that passed his mind as his consciousness faded. The next day. Jin arrived half an hour before the said time of arrival since this was his first day. It was around 7:40 AM and the school started at 8:00 AM. Jin saw arge crowd of studentsing in through the school gates. They all wore the same uniform, schools polished, and hair styled properly. It was clear to anyone''s eyes that they had someone who cared for them. The scene made Jin remember the days when he used to go to school. ''It was till the 5th grade I think...'' Jin thought. His parents died after that and he was no longer in a position to attend school...Jin''s eyebrows furrowed all of a sudden as a memory that had been slumbering deep in his mind erupted all of a sudden. It was on the day his parents had died. An old man in a suit came that day at the hospital. He handled everything that needed to be handled there and took Jin who was sitting alone in the waiting room back with him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om For some reason, the man knew where Jin lived and he took him back to his house. He stayed with Jin for the next 7 days in the house. Every day he talked to him for an hour and exined to Jin what he needed to know to survive alone. He left the 7th day leaving behind a few words. "Keep your head low all your life and don''t attract attention. Otherwise, the ones who came for your parents wille for you aswell..." The man disappeared in the darkness of the night leaving a confused Jin standing at the doorway. Jin''s whole being shivered as this memory became more and more pronounced. He knew for a fact that this had happened in the past and was not a figment of his imagination. When he was a child he was unable to make sense of what that old man had told me...the only thing he understood was that he shouldn''t stand out much and should not aspire for more. It was something that the old man had told me again and again during those 7 days. Now that he was already 22 years old...how could he not understand the meaning behind that old man''sst words? He meant that what happened to his parents was not an ident. That Carbon Monoxide poisoning which happened that winter was not an ident... ''My parents were killed? Why?'' Jin didn''t know how to react to this news. It felt as if all his life had been a lie. He was always in the know of the truth but for some reason, his subconscious had blocked this memory until today... Various thoughts were churning in his mind but he was soon brought out of his world by the ring of the school bell. It was already 8:00 AM. Chapter 10: Back On Track "Hmmm," The supervisor looked at Jin from top to down and frowned a little."You could havee here in something more presentable,"She said. "I''m sorry but these are the only decent clothes which I have..." Jin said apologetically. "Is that so..." A hint of sympathy appeared in her eyes as she continued, "Your hair is all messed up...since it seems you''vee from a difficult background I''ll let it go for today. Tomorrow I don''t care about your clothes much but I want you to have a tidy haircut. Your hair looks more like a bird''s nest at the moment, you understand?" "Yes, ma''am," Jin nodded sincerely. The supervisor nodded, "Alright, your locker number is 16. ce your belongings there and change into the cleaning kit. I''ll be waiting for you here." Jin listened to her and went to the male locker room to change into his cleaning kit. Jin found that the school spends arge amount of money on the cleaning department as well since the cleaning kit was in very good condition. He quickly changed into his new clothes and reported back to the supervisor. She nced at her wristwatch watch and seeing that he only took 5 minutes to change she nodded in agreement. "Now I''ll tell you what all you need to do during the whole day and I expect this work to be done properly young man. I won''t go easy on you just because your circumstances are difficult you understand?" The supervisor asked with a strict gaze. "I understand," Jin agreed. For the next twenty minutes, Jin was shown around the areas he was responsible for cleaning today. The cleaning department was short-staffed since not many applied for it, the reason being the long experience which was required to apply for the job. As a result, the number of areas Jin was responsible for was also quite a lot and these areas supposedly kept on rotating among the other staff members each week. "You''ve remembered everything?" The supervisor asked. "Yes, I have," Jin showed a small memo which was in his hand. He had noted down all that he needed to do there. "It''s good to have a proactive individual," She nodded and left for her other tasks. Jin was now on his own. ''So what was the first task...Cleaning toilets on the 3rd floor...alright,''Since it was the first period going on now all the students were in the ssroom. Therefore, it was the most convenient time to clean the toilets. Jin had already been familiarized with the area so the moment he reached there he began with the cleaning. One after another hepleted his given work and before long it was lunchtime. He bought a sandwich from the cafeteria and went back to the cleaning staff''s room. There he found his other colleagues. He had already seen a few of them while working today and greeted them by far. He nodded at them once again when he entered their room. "It''s good to see some young blood among us old people," An olddy said with a smile. "Hello Aunty," Jin wished her with a smile and turned towards others and did the same. He was the only one there in his 20s the rest were nearing their 40s or were already in their 40s. "You''re only going to eat that?" thedy asked as her gaze fell on the sandwich he was holding in his hand. "Yes?" Jin said with a hint of confusion apparent in his eyes. "Look at how thin you are and you''re still going to eat just that? Come here, I have packed a bit extra today," Thedy invited Jin to her table and passed a portion of her food to him. He had initially thought of refusing it but since it was his first day he thought that it would be a bit rude so he thanked her instead, "Thank you for the food Aunty," "Look at you being polite," She smiled and asked, "Come on, tell me how it tastes," "It tastes great," Jin said as he made an okay gesture with his hand. "That''s good, that''s good. Eat more," Thedy said and passed a bit more to Jin''s te even after his refusal. "No need to act reserved. We are all colleagues now," Thedy said and dismissed Jin''s resistance. The others looked at their interaction with a smile on their face. The food was all finished and Jin thanked thedy once again for the food. "So where do live young man?" Thedy asked. "Around Block 57. I just shifted yesterday," Jin replied. "Oh, that''s a nice ce. Not too far and also not too close to the school. What about your parents?" She enquired. "Well, they had expired when I was in 5th grade," Jin said "I''m sorry for making you remember that," Thedy apologised. Jin just nodded to her. Seeing his mood has downed a little thedy cheerfully pped his shoulders and said, "Don''t be so downcastd, if you need any help then don''t hesitate to ask me, Aunty Julie or anyone else here for help," The others present there nodded their head in acknowledgement. "I''ll remember that then," Jin said in an embarrassed manner while scratching the back of his head.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om A few otherdies also chimed in and enquired about a lot of things about him. Jin didn''t mind that and also asked them a few doubts that had entered his mind rted to his job while he was working in the morning. Ring The school bell rang indicating the start of the afternoon sses. They bid each other goodbyes and went back to work. Jin dedicated himself to his work and by the time it was four in the evening it was all finished up. The school had finished up at two and it was now the time for the cleaning staff to depart for their home. After bidding each other goodbye. Jin sat on the bus to his rental ce. Looking out of the window Jin smiled. He was quite satisfied with how the day went today. His life was finally back on track at the pace he was mostfortable in. Chapter 11: New Move The next couple of weeks went without any issues. Jin had assimted himself into his new workce and had gotten a hang of it by now. Although externally everything seemed to be going on alright inside Jin''s head a storm was brewing. He didn''t showcase it but throughout this entire period, his thoughts had constantly been around the death of his parents. His consciousness shifted between various emotions: Anger, bitterness, sadness, powerlessness, nervousness and worry. To make sure his mind stayed in order Jin went back on his words and started training with the system once again just a couple of days after starting his new work. His Chokehold Proficiency was at 15%. He was dedicating almost an hour and a half after work to this. It didn''t mean that Jin had decided to be a hitman instead he had seen this system''s ability as a way to settle his unsettled self. Tonight he also discovered another thing about the shadow dummy. Out of frustration, he punched the shadow dummy expecting nothing to happen but to his surprise, the shadow dummy was affected by the impact and took a few steps back to brace the punch before standing back again. "Interesting," Jin said as a few words appeared in front of his eyes.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Hand-to-Hand Combat (Proficiency: 0%) Jin tapped the dummy in the list of moves apart from the chokehold, Hand-to-Handbat was also now visible. He attempted to tap on it to see if something would happen and it indeed did. A red-like boundary which was earlier over ''Chokehold'' now shifted to ''Hand-to-Hand Combat''. The moment it did the shadow dummy which was earlier standing normally took a fighting stance. An instruction appeared: Red- Punch, Blue- Kick A few circles of red and blue colour appeared in certain regions of the shadow dummy. Jin understood what he needed to do. He punched the dummy right on its face on which a red colour was shown. The dummy braced the impact and took a few steps back. "Sweet!" Jin felt exhrated. This was much more funpared to the one-dimensional choking practice he was doing earlier. He moved ahead and kept on pushing the dummy back with each of his punches. Left abdomen, right abdomen, the sr plexus, the head...Jin continued on with his barrage of punches. If a trained fighter saw Jin''s punches right now he would haveughed his heart out because of how clumsy it looked but Jin didn''t mind it. He was just focused on the dopamine rush he was getting. Because of his scrawny appearance, he had never provoked anyone in his life and luckily as a result never got involved in a fistfight. In short, he had never thrown a punch at anyone, so this feeling was reinvigorating for him. The dummy was now backed to the wall with no space for retreat. Now, that the dummy didn''t retreat anymore each punch felt even more revitalizing. The feeling of his hand making contact with him felt surreal. Although the shadow dummy was just a dummy the feeling one would get when they touched it would be simr to that of touching a human. So Jin knew that what he was feeling was exactly how he would feel if he punched a fellow human. This further fueled his excitement. His body was covered in sweat, he was panting loudly for air but his hands didn''t stop. Even though he felt that his arms were bing heavier he didn''t stop. He kept on punching. He finally stopped after fifteen minutes. Not because he wanted but because he was unable to lift his arms up any longer. Jin looked at the beads of sweat dripping down his chin onto the floor as both his twitched from being strained for so long. At this moment a message appeared:Hand-to-Hand Combat (Proficiency: 10%) "Well that was quick," Jin said as hey on the ground to recover his breath. He felt a lot better now. After 15 minutes he stood up and freshened himself up before going to sleep. He needed to wake up early since he had a bus to catch for work. The next day after getting off the bus Jin started walking towards the school gate. He saw a few kids in the school uniform surrounding one another. ''Bullying huh?'' Jin thought as he ignored it and made his way in. During thest week, his impression of the school deteriorated a bit. He had seen several such cases of bullying happen from time to time. He thought that since this was a reputable school such cases would be negligible. It was not. Jin had no intention of getting involved in this thing. He wasn''t a superhero...and even if he wanted to be one he couldn''t since these kids looked much fitter than his scrawny self. ''I should start working out and gaining weight,'' Jin thought. Now that his pay was much betterpared to earlier he could afford to buy a few cheap second-hand gym equipment. ''Let''s do that after getting my first payment,'' There were still two weeks left till the payday so Jin postponed this idea until then and made his way to the changing room. Chapter 12: Payday "Hello, Mr Jin..." A boy who appeared to be around 17 years old said meekly with an unnatural smile stered on his face. "This is the fourth time in 2 weeks..." Jin said as he looked at thed who was locked in the toilet a few minutes before. "I''m sorry...it just so happened,"The boy apologised. Jin just nced at him and got back to his work. He didn''t want to get involved in this thing. The boy had been pondering something for a long time and couldn''t help but ask Jin about it now, "Aren''t you curious about why they do this to me?" "Do I need to be?" Jin responded. "You don''t...but still isn''t it normal for an adult to enquire about these things?" the raised another question. "You''re way too talkative for someone who is being bullied," Jin paused and met his gaze with the boy for a few seconds before continuing with mopping the floor. Under Mr. Jin''s gaze, the boy felt unnerved and he quickly apologized and said before going back to the ssroom, "Just like before...please don''t tell anyone about this matter," He bowed and left. "Even if you wanted me to I wouldn''t," Jin said under his breath. A few hourster it was time for lunch like usual. During the lunch, the staff ranted about how the children were bing rowdier with time. Auntie Julie suddenly reminded Jin, "Jin you need to be careful with these children, you''re young so its normal to act impulsive but nothing goodes from getting involved in their matters," "Auntie this is the 7th time you''re telling me this," Jin smiled at her. "Sigh...I can''t just help it. With what happened with your predecessor it is only natural for me to keep on reminding you," Auntie Julie said as once again talked about what happened to that person. Jin could just listen to it once again for the nth time. He knew that she was worried about him so he didn''t cut her off and let her exin the same story to him once again. The person whose post-Jin had taken was a man in histe thirties. Wanting to help a bullied student he reported his findings to the teachers. Actions were taken by the school staff and the bully was suspended soon after. The man was grateful that he could be of help and continued with his job as normal. A few dayster a girl student approached him. Long story short, he waster framed for molestation and was terminated from his post and was now serving jail time. The school administration naturally took the girl''s side because molestation charges were a serious thing and could very negatively affect the school''s reputation. Many students came out as witnesses aswell which only made things worse for the man. The staff knew that the man could never do such a thing. They had known him for years and were very clear about his character. They could only sigh at their powerlessness to help him. ''No matter how many times I hear this it still sends a shiver down my spine...kids these days are scary,'' Jin thought to himself. The more times Jin listened to her the more firm his decision of not meddling in the student''s affairs became. The break was soon over and he left to do the remaining work. It was his turn to throw trash today. Collecting the garbage bag from the cafeteria he walked towards the back of the main building to dump it. It was a secluded ce mostly because of the dumpster which was ced there. Students had a natural disgust towards such area so they kept their distance. However, that was not so the case today. When he arrived at the ce he saw two students being intimate with each other. The boy had his back towards Jin while the girl was leaning her back on the wall with her hands wrapped around the boy''s back. The boy was ravishing the girl''s neck like an animal while the girl hugged him tightly and enjoyed the process. Sensing someone''s arrival she opened her closed eyes and looked at Jin who was wearing the cleaning uniform with a garbage bag in his hand. "Ah!" She immediately pushed the boy off her and ran towards the main building in embarrassment. The boy looked towards the running girl with a confused expression before his gaze turned towards Jin. He soon understood what had happened and he was annoyed. Annoyed as hell. It was clearly shown on his face.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Trash!" The boy said and spat towards Jin and made his way out. His spitnded a few centimetres away from Jin''s feet. Jin didn''t look bothered by this as he watched the student disappear after a right turn. Jin sighed. ''This incident won''t snowball into something big right?.." Jin dumped the garbage in the dumpster as he made his way back to handle other tasks. Another 2 weeks passed by without anything major happening. Just like Jin had hoped the incident didn''t turn into something big. In fact, he never encountered the boy and the girl after that. The school was big so that was quite normal. He had received his sry today and was very jubnt. On the way back from school Jin bought a a barbell and a few weight tes. Luckily, the sports store was close to his ce. After going back and forth four times everything was finally at his house. He made space for the barbell and ced it on the rubber mat which he had bought along with it. With that, an exercise corner was all ready for Jin. He looked at it with excitement written on his face. Carrying the weights home was exhausting as it is so Jin could only postpone working out with them until tomorrow. He trained with his shadow dummy for half an hour or so. After freshening up, he had his dinner and went to sleep. Chapter 13: Escalation "Mister...do you remember me?" A girl came up to Jin while he was sweeping the school grounds after the school got over. "Huh? Do I know you?" Jin feigned a confused face when he heard her question. He had seen hering towards her from a distance so this helped him in controlling his facial expression. "You don''t? That day...well nothing. Have a great day mister," She said and left the ce. "It''s good that he doesn''t," She said under her breath and walked away. She walked back to her group of friends who were waiting for her and walked home with them. A weekter, at the school. Jin finished up with his work by 4 like usual and left the school. "The moment he walked out of the gates Jin was pulled by his cor by a guy and at the same time he was surrounded by three students behind him. "Remember me you trash? Let us go somewhere else where we can talk properly shall we?" The guy said as he pulled Jin by his cor and led him to a nearby alleyway. "This ce''s good," The guy said and the next moment punched Jin in his stomach making him bend forward in pain. "Yes, bow like a trash should, don''t even know the basics," The guy took out a cigarette from his pocket and ced it in his mouth as his buddy helped him light it up. "Remember how you prevented me from reaching beyond the second base that day? I didn''t do anything against you that day thinking I might be able to do itter so I didn''tsh my anger at you..." "...but do you know what happened today? That bitch dumped! She didn''t even let me see her naked and dumped me, David, just like that! Does she take me for a joke? Tell me, do you think I''m a joke?" David grabbed Jin who was still grabbing his stomach in pain by his hair and looked right into his eyes. "Why ain''t you speaking you trash?" In response, Jin just stared straight into David''s eyes without responding to him at all, David felt pressured by Jin''s vacant eyes so he punched Jin in his stomach to try to change that gaze of his, "What are you staring at me for like that you fucker? How about now?n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Jin''s eyes showed the pain which he felt but he continued to stare at that bastard. "David I think that''s enough," One of his friends suggested. This guy still worked at the school and was older than them. It was better to let things go now. "What are you scared of? He''s just a cleaner, a trash! I bet he won''t even dare to open his mouth if someone questions him about us. Isn''t that right you trash?" David red at Jin. Jin finally showed a reaction on his face. A response that David and his friends were not at all expecting. A smile appeared on his face. Complemented by his vacant gaze this smile of Jin looked very unsettling to all of them. "I''m going, David...I don''t want to get involved in this anymore," One of his friends said. "Me too..." another one added and left. David was now left with only one guy who could only look at the situation unfolding helplessly. "What you still smirking you bitch," Unable to curb his anger David punched Jin in his face making Jin cough up some blood. "Disgusting," David said as he nced at Jin''s weak figure leaning on the wall for support. "You look quite young to be a trash in this school, let me guess your whore of a mother left with her boyfriend leaving you behind when you were young didn''t she?" A trace of anger immediately appeared on Jin''s face. Seeing this reaction David was very pleased. He was finally able to move this immovable rock. He continued. "See his reaction! I got it right the first time!" David said in joy as he looked towards his friend who could only nod awkwardly in response. "Do you even know who your father is? Since hordes of men obviously railed your mother I doubt that you would even know his name," David teased. ''Yes, give me that face, that face of anger. I love it,'' David thought in his mind. "Oh, you''re getting angry now? You better notsh out you know...see," David took out something from one of his pockets and showed the object to Jin. "See this knife you trash?"..." Guess how many people I have killed with this..." He tried to intimidate Jin but there was no response. Feeling pressured he once again shifted back to his degrading tactic. "Coming back to your mother...I want to know her better. Who knows her thot-like self willtch onto me like a dog. A pity I don''t know her yet...If I did I would have fucked her right in front of your eyes like a bitch just to see your reacti-" Before David could finish he felt the knife which was in his hand being forcefully snatched. He tried to resist it but it happened way too quickly for him to react. The next moment the knife plunged into his Jur vein and blood sprayed around like it was a scene from a film. The face of David''s friend became horrified by this spectacle. He tried to retreat but in his anxiousness, he stumbled down on the ground thereby attracting Jin''s attention. Jin pulled the knife out of David''s neck. Jin''s blood-sttered face watched coldly as David drowned in his blood. This was a good chance for David to escape but this gory scene hadpletely shattered his fragile mind leading him to freeze from fear. "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you..." Jin said with a smile as he approached David''s friend. He ced his hand on the guy''s shoulder like a good elder brother and smiled while saying "...as long as you tell me the names and addresses of your friends who just ran away," Chapter 14: Crazy Bastard "See you then Edward," Jin waved his bloodied hand towards Edward as he saw him run away. ''I''m saved!'' Edward breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Jin was not following him any longer but he still kept on running. He wanted to be as far away from Jin as possible ''That madman!'' the scene of him murdering David was still vivid in his mind. He increased his pace further. Jin looked at the paper in his hand, a page on which Edward had desperately scribbled earlier to save his life. "Jake and Ray, Luckily they both live not far from here," Jin mused for a while and walked back towards David''s body. He observed him for a while, particrly his uniform. "It''s still usable" He muttered. The blood was mostly absorbed by the blue zer and the white shirt inside wasn''t damaged. A few minutester Jin was now wearing David''s school uniform. He had left the zer and had worn the rest. Jin was simr in build to these kids if their physical health was not considered. They were much fitter than him. That worked in his favour. Jin opened up the system, made a few adjustments and morphed his appearance. He was now Edward. No one could doubt it if they saw him now. Jin then dragged the body of David to a nearby dumpster and dumped it in. This would dy the inevitable. He wiped the blood on the ground with the zer to reduce its visibility. While doing so he noticed there was something in one of the pockets. "A phone?" He grabbed it and tried to switch it on. It didn''t even have a password! Jin smiled when he saw this. "Well, that makes things easier..." After tossing the zer along with David''s bag in the dumpster Jin ced his clothes in his bag which had his cleaning clothes and exited the alleyway. Jin decided to visit Jack first. He had already created a n in his mind and didn''t have much time to waste so he rushed towards Jack''s house. ... "Jake! It''s me, Edward! You finally picked up your phone you bastard..." a voice came from the other side of the phone. "Edward? Why are you calling me from David''s phone though? Look I''m sorry for earlier but I just didn''t want to be part of that..." Edward exined. He felt that this was rted to earlier. "Fuck that dude. Something serious happened and I need your help!"Edward exined in a hurry. It was clear that he was very tense. "What happened? Why are you so worked up?" Jake frowned. It was rare for Edward to lose his cool so Jake became tense. "That bastard stabbed David in the leg and ran! He''s bleeding all around but still refuses to go to the hospital! I need your help to carry him back! I''m almost near your house now. Come out I''m waiting..." Edward said and cut the call. "What the actual fuck! I told them we shouldn''t have gotten involved," Jake put on his shoes and immediately rushed out of his house and ran towards the ce where he had left earlier. He soon saw Edward who was currently covered in sweat all over. "Y-you''re finally here...Let''s go!" Edward said while panting for air.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "How''s his condition?" Jake tried to learn more about the situation as the two were rushing towards that alley. "I wrapped my zer around his wound to stop the bleeding. It should be manageable. Let''s hurry and take him home," Edward said. Jin nodded as the two rushed. The two soon arrived at the ce. Seeing the traces of blood on the ground Edward knitted his eyebrows. "Where''s David?" He asked Edward. Instead of a reply, a knife rushed towards his neck and stabbed right into it. "WHA-" He tried to express his words but the blood rushed into hisrynx and prevented him from speaking any further. He could only look at Edward in confusion whose cold eyes confused him even further. ''Why...'' These were Jake''sst thoughts as he saw drowned in his own blood under Jin''s cold gazes. "One gone one to go..." Jin said as he dragged Jake''s body to the same dumpster and dumped him in. Jin followed the same thing with Ray and soon brought him into the alley. It took more time than he had thought. It was almost dusk now. "Where''s David?" He too asked in confusion after seeing the bloodied environment. "Before that...can you open that dumpster...I heard a voice from there," Edward said with a confused expression. Seeing Edward''s confused expression Ray too became confused but he followed his words and opened the lid of the dumpster. "AH!" He shrieked in fright and fell to the ground behind. "J-jake....E-edward..." He started mumbling like a mental patient after he witnessed the sight. "Ray!" Edward rushed towards Ray in confusion. "What happened?! Ray Tell me what happened?!" Edward shook Ray a few times and asked. "J-Jake-huh?" Ray who was brought out of his stupor by Ray tried to exin things to him but he suddenly felt something pain in his abdomen. He looked down and saw a knife plunged into his stomach...he traced back the hand which was holding the knife and Edward''s cold face soon appeared in front of him, "Too bad...I''m not interested anymore," Jin twisted the knife in his hand which made Ray howl out in pain. "Fuck you!" Ray managed to unleash some strength all of a sudden and pushed Jin backwards making Jin fall back. Ray pushed himself up while wobbling. He wanted to get out of this alley as fast as possible. "HELP!" "SOMEE!" Ray shouted in the hope that someone would rush into the alley. Jin propped himself up and saw the back of struggling Ray with a smile. The area outside the alley had a lot of peopleing and going so it was natural for some of them to hear Ray''s pleading. "DIEEE YOU BASTARD"Jin shouted while rushing towards Ray with the knife in his hand. He could see a few figures in the distance who were facing towards the alley. He didn''t mind and stabbed Ray in the back. "SAVE MEEEEE!" Ray gave out hisst cry for help as he fell on his face after being pushed down to the ground by Jin. Jin didn''t stop and kept on stabbing Ray''s back as he yelped for help every time he stabbed him. Jin was just buying enough time. He wanted the spectators to look at his appearance. He also saw a few shes and realized a few photographs were also taken by some good citizens. ''That''s good, let''s end this now,'' He smiled as pulled Ray''s head back by his hair and under the gazes of many slit his neck like a crazy bastard. The crazy smile that was stered on his face while he did so horrified the corwd as they all subconsciously took a few steps back. Jin found a gap in the crowd as a result and immediately rushed out of the scene. No one dared to chase him. Chapter 15: Falsely Accused Jin ran as far as possible before entering a secluded ce. He immediately removed all his clothes and changed into the clothes he had ced in his bag earlier. He wiped the blood stains on his face and body using water from his water bottle and wiped his face clean with his handkerchief. With that done he changed back to his original appearance. Jin finally took a sigh of relief after he had done all this. He adjusted his heavy breathing for a few seconds before returning to the streets like a regr citizen. He stood on the bus stand and waited for the next bus. Jin saw an ambnce and two police vehicles pass by him during this time. He didn''t care. The bus soon arrived and he got on it. When he arrived home without removing his clothes he just fell on his bed. He was exhausted. He had never done so much running in years as he did today. Add to that the mental stress and there was not much energy left in him. Jin''s vision blurred and he soon drifted into sleep. The next day he woke up early, around four in the morning. The images of what had happened yesterday were still very clear in his mind. "I''ll see how things go today..." Jin muttered as he went to the mirror to freshen up. "It left a mark huh..." The right side of Jin''s face was a little bruised from yesterday''s event. David''s hand punched him there. ''If someone asks about it I''ll just say thatI bumped into a pole while going through my phone...'' Jin thought and started brushing his teeth. An hourter he was all freshened up. He looked at the knife he had used yesterday for the kill and cleaned it thoroughly. Jin had killed three people yesterday. It should have been very normal for him to feel stressed but he felt that it was quite strange that his nerves were controlled. ''Is it because I did all that with Edward''s appearance?... Most probably'' It was clear in everyone''s eyes that it was Edward who did the killing. No one would me a newly employed janitor for something like this. He soon had his breakfast and went to work. When he arrived at school he saw a notice outside the school gate: Closed Jin nced at the security boot at the gate and found his fellow workers talking with the school guard. From what the discussion was going on. It was only in the morning that they got the order to close the school. Therefore they were unable to inform everyone about it in time. "A murder?" One of the workers gasped. The security guard nodded and told them all that he knew so far. Jin too joined the group and listened on. "The police had found three dead bodies. They all are our students. The killer is likely one of our students as well so therefore the school has been shut for today," "Oh my god, how could this be?" Quite a few of them gasped this time. "Do you know who it is?" Someone asked the guard. The guard just shook as head. Another set of discussions took ce among the group before they all finally settled. Since there was no work today they all soon left. "A holiday huh? I wonder what I should do?" Jin mused to himself. "What happened to your face Jin?" Auntie Julie asked the moment she saw Jin''s face. "That?... I bumped into a pole while walking with my phone," Jin said while scratching his head. That invited a few chuckles from the old men who listened to him. Auntie Julie red at them for a few seconds before scolding Jin, "How could you do this? You should be more careful Jin. What if it was a car instead of a pole?" Jin nodded in understanding and promised that he wouldn''t be using his phone while walking only then did Auntie Julie let him be. As he sat on a bus home Jin massaged his thighs and calves due to yesterday''s events "I should get an ice packter," He mused to himself and turned his head towards the window. ''Ah, I didn''t check the system. There might be some changes.'' With that thought, he opened up the system interface. ***HITMAN SYSTEM*** Name- Jin ker Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 58kg->60 kg Body Constitution- Extremely Poor-> Poor Mental Constitution- Poor Ability - Training, Morph Kill Points- 60-> 90 ...¡­.. ''Well...the kill points increased by 30 points. So for normal citizens, it''s 10 points and for a cop, it''s 50 points,'' Jin concluded in his mind. He was still confused as to what is the use of these points. ''Maybe something will happen if it reaches 100...'' Jin thought. ..... An hourter, Bing City Police Station.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om A guy was brought out of a police car. Fear and uncertainty were apparent in his face. When he exited the car various reporters came up to him and started asking him questions. "Why did you kill your friends?" A reporter''s question entered Edward''s ears the moment he exited the police car in handcuffs. "I didn''t kill them!" He shouted hysterically. It was clear that he was not in the right mental order. The surrounding voice dimmed but only for a few seconds as the next moment a barrage of questions were raised. "Then who was the guy in the picture? Your ghost?!" "Do you take us for fools? You heartless murderer!" "Rot in hell, you bastard" Edward whose mind was already in a very fragile state was unable to handle such false usations. He wanted to deny all of it but he had no way of doing so. Why was he in that picture? Did he really do it? All sorts of questions were popping up in his mind to the point that he was questioning his sanity. "No! I didn''t do it!" Edward covered his ears and continuously denied the usations. The police surrounding him finally took action and made space between Edward and the reporters as they guided him inside the station. Chapter 16: System Store "It''s not me, it''s that young janitor! He killed David right in front of my eyes!" Edward screeched hysterically. "Do you take us for a fool? Who''s this in this picture then? What about this video that someone took of you stabbing your friend to death?" The police officer asked. "I don''t know! He must have done it somehow! It''s not me! Before letting me go he asked Ray and Jake''s address. He must have nned to me everything on me." Edward had finally realized what that janitor had nned and blurted out his findings. "Sure," The police officer pped Edward''s file on the table and stood up. "I''m telling the truth, you must believe me! It''s not me, it''s him!" Edward tried to convince the police officer for the nth time but he didn''t stop to listen and exited the interrogation room. "What should we do sir?" The officer asked his senior who had been watching everything inside the interrogation room through a one-way mirror. "What do you think?"His senior asked him instead as he eyed Edward who was muttering some gibberish to himself. "Sir, I think we should interrogate the worker he''s talking about..." The man suggested. "Sigh..." His senior sighed. "It''s a waste of public resources, the case is clear and there is no ounce of doubt who the killer is. Let''s leave it at that," He got up from his seat and patted his junior officer''s shoulders a couple of times before he left. Jimmy could only shake his head in resignation. ''Maybe I''m just overthinking, it''s not like a criminal would readily admit that he''s guilty The court proceedings soon began and Edward was dered guilty. The court proceedings were quite lively and became the talk of the town. All the newspapers talked about the proceedings and discussions took ce all over among people in Bing city. ording to thew children above 15 years old were no longer protected by Juvenilews. Edward being 16 years old was therefore not protected under it and under the bashings of various parties was sentenced to death. A date was given for his execution and he was to be hanged till death. Jin heard all about this during the afternoon breaks from his colleagues. It went on for a couple of weeks before news topics of discussion were introduced. It seemed everyone had forgotten about the incident except the ones involved. A monthter. Jin was reading an article on his phone whilemuting to school. Edward was to be executed today. During this period there were several days that Jin had med himself for his extreme actions but there were also times when he had justified his actions. In the end, he decided to end this debate in his mind. ming himself would lead to living a life full of guilt while justifying his actions would allow him to live in the manner he had been living until now. It was clear what he needed to choose. ''Don''t me me, me yourself for having such a friend,'' Jin looked at the article for onest time before averting his eyes. The day went on like usual. He was bing better and better with his work. The wages were pretty good aswell and allowed him to live a good life. Overall, Jin was content with his life. After the noon break when Jin got back to work a system panel appeared in front of Jin''s eyes all of a sudden. A hint of surprise and confusion was apparent on his face when he read what the panel read. System Store Unlocked ''System store? Why did it appear only now?'' Jin thought. Curious he checked the main panel. ***HITMAN SYSTEM*** Name- Jin ker Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 62 kg Body Constitution-Poor Mental Constitution- Poor Abilities - Training, Morph Kill Points- 90->100 (STORE UNLOCKED) ...¡­.. ''My kill points increased by 10? Why? I clearly didn''t kill anyone?'' Jin thought over it very seriously. An idea soon entered his mind and he immediately checked the time, "If I''m not wrong then Edward was to be hanged afternoon...it matches the current time... so an indirect death is also counted in kill points," Jin muttered under his breath. He tapped on the ''Store'' and a store panel opened up. -----------------System Store----------------- 1) Hand to Hand Combat Techniques - 100 KP 2) Knife Fighting Techniques- 100 KP 3) Firearm Techniques - 100KP ------------------------------------------------ ''You call it a store with only three things in it?'' Jin berated in his mind. He contemted a bit on what to choose among the three. He was most keen on learning the Hand to Hand Combat Techniques...but then a thought passed his mind that in all his killings until now except the first one...he had resorted to knife. As a result, he was now inkling towards the Knife Techniques more but then another thought countered his decision ''If not for your weakbat ability would you have resorted to using a knife? You could have even managed the earlier situation without escting it...'' It made sense. Jin without wasting any more time Clicked on the ''Hand to Hand Combat Techniques'' and bought it. His 100KP turned to 0 and a bunch of techniques flooded his mind. They were all rted tobat skills. The amount of information that was entering his mind felt shocking to Jin. One after another, different techniques, different names, different moves, different ways to execute those moves...all of it were being assimted into Jin. He felt exhrated but kept his calm and continued to see various images sh in his mind. It continued on for the next five minutes but for Jin, it felt like years.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The knowledge that a normal person would have taken at least five years to understand and assimte, Jin had done it in 5 minutes! Jin immediately rushed to a secluded ce. He wanted to try out what he had learnt as soon as possible. Chapter 17: Incremental Improvements Jin double-checked to see whether there was anyone else nearby. Finally confirming that he was the only one in his ce Jin called out his shadow dummy. ( A/N:- From now on I''m just gonna call this thing a dummy, pain in the ass to always call it a shadow dummy...I even typoed it as a shadow clone once...sigh) He selected the option of Hand-to-Handbat and distanced himself a bit from the clone. There was a hint of anticipation rising up in his heart as he looked at the clone''s head, his target. The next moment Jin twisted his upper body around and using the momentum he gained turned his whole body backwards and performed a fantastic reverse turning kick whichnded right on the dummy''s head. PAP! His feet pped the dummy just the way he expected but before Jin could cheer in celebration he was weed by a stinging pain in his hip. He had pulled his hip flexors. "Argh!" He groaned as he massaged his upper thighs in the hope of alleviating the pain, it did not. Jin wobbled back to his designated spot and continued on with the cleaning. ''At least it felt good...though only for a bit,'' Jin cated himself. Today''s experience fired Jin up. There were so many moves which he wanted to try but he was unable to perform them. Not because he didn''t know them but because he did not meet the required physical standards to perform. ''I''ll increase the intensity of my working out." Jin said to himself. He also decided to start going out for a run in the morning to increase his stamina. With a clear goal in his mind, the execution became simpler. The next morning he woke up early and went for a run. After his body heated up a bit it was time for him to practice various moves he had in his mind. Muay Thai, Jujutsu, boxing, Taekwondo, Kali,Wing Chun, Kripayattu and a lot more. Jin''s head was flooded with knowledge that stemmed from all these martial arts. What was even better was that some of these martial arts also taught fighting with melee weapons. Jin thought that he made a very good decision by not choosing to buy Knife fighting techniques from the store as what he got now was aplete package. Jin practised various moves one after another. Since it was early morning there were very few people around so his moves which looked clumsy at first didn''t attract a lot of gazes. His body was not yet adept with the techniques. The more he practiced the more he realized howrge the gap was. It was soon time for work so he went back and got ready for his work. When he returned home from work in the evening he shifted to lifting weights to strengthen his body then freshened up and after a hearty meal finally got to bed. Jin followed this routine for the next two months. With time he added more and more variations to the exercises he did as his strength improved. His skin had developed a healthy glow and he no longer looked like a stick. "Rosie, don''t you think that Jin is bing more and more handsome with each passing day?" Auntie Julie said as she looked at Jin''s figure from afar who was sweeping a corner of the school ground.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Auntie Rosie, who was simr in age to Auntie Julie, adjusted her spectacles and said after staring at Jin for a few seconds, "Indeed, I would haveshed at him if I was young," "You hag saying such cheap things at your age," Auntie Julie rebuked. "I''m just telling the truth though," Auntie Rosie didn''t care about Aunt Julie''s opinion and just shrugged her shoulders. "It''s good that he''s taking care of himself now. Just how low was his earlier wage that he wasn''t even able to feed himself properly," Auntie Julie shook her head a little. "Indeed, young men should be like that. Hard-working and strong like an ox, my husband was the same back then," Auntie Rosie agreed. Jin was unaware of the discussion that was taking ce between Auntie Julie and Rosie. His mind was engrossed in new moves he would try the next day as he was sweeping the yground. During this time his proficiency in "Hand-to-Handbat" had already reached 49%. Jin was very proud of this achievement. With the usage of proper techniques, the rate at which the proficiency improved couldn''t bepared to earlier. The next morning Jin was about to start practicing moves in the park near his house along with his dummy. He had realized that apart from him no one else could see his dummy which was quite convenient for him. Just like usual he was performing the moves which had grown very familiar with. In between thebination of moves, a system notification panel suddenly popped up. Minimum Requirements Met.... Issuing First Mission... ''First Mission?'' A frown appeared on Jin''s face as he looked at his panel. Chapter 18: First Mission ----------------MISSION----------------- Objective: Eliminate the Target Target name: George Mathew Target Age: 59 years old Target Location: [CLICK] Reward: 100 kill points Time Limit: 48 hours Penalty: Death Intel:- George Mathew, a retired corporate worker. All his children are settled abroad and he came back to the country to sell his remaining property. He''s currently checked in at TrueComfort Hotel, Room number 24. Eliminate him. -------------------------------------------- Jin frowned when he looked at the Mission page. He didn''t know who this guy was but from the intel which has been given to him, it was clear that he was an innocent person. Though Jin wasn''t a saint of any kind still killing someone just for the sake of killing made him feel conflicted. All the people he had killed so far, Jin didn''t regret it since his motive had always been to not get arrested. If not for the penalty of death Jin would have ignored this mission and continued with his life. Why would he bother to make his life moreplicated than it already is? but now he cannot do so. As to whether the system can kill him or not he had no doubts regarding that. A system like this did not need to lie to him. With a sigh, he tapped on the Target location and a small map opened in front of his eyes. ''Now that''s interesting,'' Jin observed the map. On the map, he was marked green and his location could clearly be seen. Another location was marked red. ''That should be the target,'' Jin concluded. He tried to y a bit with the map and found that he could zoom in and zoom out from the map just like he could on his phone. Upon zooming in, his current location was very clear to him and the names of the nearby buildings were also visible. The n view of all the buildings and locations was shown on the map just like how it''s shown on normal GPS apps.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Jin had no idea where this ''TrueComfort hotel'' was so this feature was very convenient for him. He could always keep an eye on the movement of the target with its help. Jin returned home and freshened up. After being done with that he called in sick for work and exited his home. Since he needed to eliminate the target anyway he might aswell do it now rather than dy till the end. He took a bus from the bus stand to the location. An hourter he was standing outside the said hotel. "TrueComfort Hotel huh?..." Jin muttered as he looked at the signboard of the hotel and made his way in. It was a 3-star hotel. Not too big, not too small. Though much better than what Jin had seen so far in his life. Jin had once worked as a dishwasher in a local restaurant so he was aware of how the check-in procedures in a hotel were...almost. He walked towards the receptionist. It was a pretty woman in her twenties. She blended in very well with the background. "How may I help you sir?" She asked with a professional expression on her face. "I would like to book a room till tomorrow morning," Jin said. Thedy asked Jin for his ID for identity proof and made him fill out a form. Finally, after all the procedures were done she gave him a keycard. "Your room number is 45. It''s on the third floor, sir, Have a pleasant stay," She said. "Thank you," Jin epted the room''s keycard and was soon guided to his room by another front-office worker. "Here''s your room sir, I hope you enjoy your stay," The young man said after he showed Jin around his room and made him familiar with all the facilities that were there in the room. "Alright," Jin saw the worker go out and then closed the door. Jin sighed. "It''s so expensive..." He muttered now that no one was around. Just booking this room until tomorrow morning had put a major dent in his wallet. Shaking his head in dejection he turned around. His gaze paused on the huge king-sized bed that was there in front of him. It was his first time seeing a bed that looked so royal and cosy. His intrusive thoughts took over him and he leaped towards the bed. ''Wow,'' Jin thought as his whole bodynded smoothly on the bed. He was the mostfortable he had ever been. He loved this feeling. ''How wonderful it would be if I could sleep on this every day...'' Jinmented in his mind. He turned around on the bed and now his face was ncing at the ceiling right up. He pulled up the system and navigated a bit to open up the map. The map of his current location was clear to him. Since he and the target''s location seemed to be ovepping from far Jin zoomed in on the map and finally got a clear location of the target. When he was close enough to the building''s ce view. The building shed a bit. Curious Jin clicked on it and a series of options appeared in front of him. ..... -Basement -1st Floor -2nd Floor -3rd Floor .... "Well, that''s impressive." Jin blurted as he tapped on the 2nd floor. The nned view of the entire floor became crystal clear to him. Everything was marked and Jin could see all the room numbers and other areas on the floor. "This system keeps on giving me a surprise," On the map, a green pointer was clearly shown in room number 45, that was him. ''Room number 24 was it'' Jin thought as he opened up the n view of the 1st floor. Jin saw the red pointer in room number 24. "Got you, Mr George," Jin smiled to himself as he looked at the red dot that kept on blinking from time to time. Chapter 19: Mission Accomplished. Jin watched the dot indicating his market as a series of ns came up in his mind. He rejected quite a few of them and finally decided to enact one which felt the most convenient to him, the one which attracted the least attention. "It''s decided then," Jin said with a sigh and set an rm on his phone for noon. Since he was not hungry now he decided to wait for noon. It was a good chance to experience how sleeping on such a luxurious bed felt. He ced his phone at a distance from him on the pet table. The AC was already running so he just covered himself in the nket and snuggled himself in. "Hah, sofortable!" Jin sighed and tried to sleep. Since he had exercised in the morning it didn''t take long for him and a few momentster he was long asleep. 12:30 PM Beep Beep...Beep Beep... The rm rang and woke Jin up. He stood up from the bed and stretched his body a bit before going to the washroom to wash his face. He adjusted the few wrinkles that were on his clothes and finally finding himself presentable he left the bathroom and walked towards the main door. Jin soon exited the hotel. First, it was part of his n and second, the food at the hotel''s restaurant was expensive af. After having a tasty and economical meal Jin soon returned to the hotel. The receptionist was still the samedy, he walked towards her while scratching the back of his head and said with an embarrassed expression, "Uhmm...The thing is I forgot my keycard...I only remembered about it now..." "I understand sir, Let me call someone to help you with that," The woman said with an understanding smile and called someone from the room service. A man soon arrived and guided Jin to his room. He pulled out a keycard from the back pocket of his trousers and ced it on the door scanner. The door was opened. "If you need anything else Sir, you can call me anytime on the phone, the number is 02." The man said. "Alright, I''ll keep that in mind. Thank you so much," Jin thanked the man for helping him out and soon entered the room. Jin had aimed to confirm a few things this afternoon and he had sessfully done it. He was checking this time as to whether the room service personnel always had a master keycard with them or not. From the looks of it, they do. ''That makes things easier'' He thought to himself. The rest was just a waiting game for Jin. Jin opened up the map function. Mr George was roaming in the city. It would be odd if he just sat pent up in a room so Jin didn''t find that concerning. When the nightes he would have to return to rest anyway. Byte evening the target returned to the hotel as predicted. He spent around an hour in the hotel''s restaurant before proceeding to his room. At half past eleven, Jin dialled the 02 through thendline. "Yes sir, How may I help you?" A voice from the other side asked. "My room''s AC''s remote is not working...I think the batteries died. Can you help me with this?" Jin asked. "Sure sir, someone will be there within 10 minutes," The [erson said. "Alright," Jin put down the phone. He waited in his room. When it was close to six minutes he heard a knock on his door. "Coming," Jin walked towards the door and opened it up. "Sir, I heard your AC''s remote''s not working," The man asked. Coincidentally, he was the same one whom he met in the afternoon. "Oh you look exhaustedpared to when Ist saw you," Jin made a surprised expression. "Do I? Haha, Just too much work today," The manughed it off. Jin guided him to the room and handed him the remote. The man tried to switch on the AC but it didn''t turn on. Jin had already removed its batteries. He was about to open the remote''s back cover when Jin''s index fingernded on the man''s neck and he slumped to the ground. Jin had pressed one of the man''s very delicate pressure points. It was very difficult to pinpoint this area but when one can do so, the blood to the brain is immediately cut off for a couple of seconds and the person in question loses consciousness. It was one of the moves he had learnt from teachings from Kripayattu which he gained. (A/N: Since Kripayattu is not very widely known I''m using that to my advantage. As to whether such a move exists or not. I have no idea) Jin bent down and took out the keycard from the man''s trousers. He then changed his appearance. Jin''s hair turned brown and his skin shade turned lighter. With this appearance, he exited the room. It was close to midnight now. From the movements of the target, which Jin has been observing from time to time,he is fast asleep. He was soon outside room number 24. Jin looked around him a bit and swiped the keycard. The door unlocked. Jin slowly opened the door and made his way in.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om He noticed the sleeping figure on the bed and turned around to close the door as gently as possible. When the door closed the light inside the room once again dimmed but the nightlight was sufficient for Jin to look around the room. Jin didn''t want to use a knife. He was not in the mood to deal with blood on his clothes. He walked his way towards the sleeping figure. Just as the mission panel said, the target was 59 years old. He looked frail and weak. ''What''s the point of killing someone like him?'' Jin thought as he reached for a pillow. With a pillow now in his hand he looked at the old man for a few more seconds. ''I''m sorry old man,'' Jin pressed the pillow over the man''s face. The old man soon realized that something was wrong and started struggling with his legs. Jin jumped on the bed and with his body right on top of the old man pressed his face with all his body weight. The man struggled, his arms and legs iled in several directions. Jin kept his calm and pressed the pillow over his face with all his might. He could hear the man''s muffled voice that was probably asking for help...Jin remained unaffected. He stayed in that position for more than 3 minutes before the old man''s body stopped showing all signs of resistance...he was dead. Chapter 20: Tying Up Loose Ends Mission Aplished Reward: 100 KP When this message popped up only then did Jin rx his hands. He took a moment to breathe and rx his breath. ''Just why do I have to do this kind of stuff...'' He thought to himself before getting off the corpse. He looked at the lifeless body for a few seconds before him and thought for a few seconds. "It''s best to make things more difficult for people who wille to investigate thister on..." Jin thought to himself and propped the corpse up. He carried it to the bathroom and ced it in the bathtub. He opened the tap water and allowed it to fill the tub. ''Some soapy foam will make it look like he identally died while taking a bath,'' Jin grabbed hold of the soap and made the water soapy. A few minutester it was filled with foam. "That''s enough I think. In the best-case scenario they''ll think it was an ident and in the worst¡ªthey''ll be dyed." Jin finished up with everything and exited the bathroom. He suddenly thought of something and walked to the side of the bed and opened the drawers. "Sweet!" Jin said as he took out a wallet and opened it up. "10k cash huh? That will do!" With this not only did Jin recover the amount he spent on booking a room in this hotel but he also made a profit of 5k. In the wallet, apany''s card was there. It had the name George Mathew written on it. ''Former Managing Director, Heavy Electronics Limited'' The card read. "That sounds like a high position," Jin said as thepany symbol attracted his gaze. He furrowed his eyebrows, ''This looks familiar...is this a very famouspany?'' He thought but didn''t ponder much over it. When he was about to keep the wallet back in the drawer he suddenly thought: "Won''t those investigators find it suspicious if the wallet has no cash?" Jin took three thousand from his pocket and ced it into the man''s wallet. ''I''ll take a little loss, it''s better than making things moreplicated for him in the future,'' With that thought he ced the wallet in its original ce. His gaze fell on a briefcase that wasid there on a study table. ''Nah, it''s better to not get involved with more things, I already took some of his money,'' Jin was about to go when a system message popped up. ..................... Side Mission Generated -Mission: Check the Briefcase. -Reward: 50 KPn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om -Penalty: None ...................... ''Well...it''s free 50 points'' Jin thought and made his way to the briefcase. He wanted to open it up but on second thought decided to do it when he was back in his room. Grabbing the ck briefcase Jin made his way out of the room. He had already gotten familiar with the ces where the CCTVs were ced. They were ced at the entrance of the floor and in the lift. Jin had deliberately taken the fire exit stairs to avoid them when he came down from the 2nd floor. He once again entered the fire exit door and started walking up. ''This ce seems good enough to check the contents,'' Jin thought to himself and stopped to open up the briefcase. He propped the briefcase on the railings and opened it up. Jin''s eyes widened when he saw a gun lying there. ''I''ve gotten involved in some deep mess...'' He thought. How could a regr member of the society possess a gun? With how strict the gunw was it was very difficult for a regr citizen to acquire one... Jin reached into the briefcase and brought the gun out. He looked at its shiny finish and traced his hands over the barrel. A name was written on the side of the barrel, "PIETRO BERETTA..." Jin muttered. Jin had never heard this name before but it sounded pretty cool to him. At this time a system message indicating his sessfulpletion of the mission also appeared. The briefcase only had the gun and a small ammo box. Jin carefully ced the gun under his waist and put the ammo box in one of his pockets. With that, he left the briefcase on the stairs and walked up to the 2nd floor. When he arrived on the 2nd floor he changed his appearance to someone else''s and walked towards his room. Near the room there was no CCTV so Jin didn''t need to worry about anything. He soon made his way in and changed back to his original appearance. The guy from the room service was still lying on the ground. It was time to wake him up. Jin dragged the man and ced him on the bed and then sprinkled some water over his face and saw him slowly open his eyes. Jin looked at the man with a worried expression as he said. "Hey! Hey you can hear me?" He asked as the man struggled to open his eyes. "You fell unconscious all of a sudden. Thank god you''re alright," Jin said with a sigh of relief when he saw the man''s eyes opening up further. "What happened..." He muttered. "I have no idea, you were standing there checking my remote for one second and the next second you mmed on the ground. Do you know how worried I was!" "Is that so?..." The man asked as his eyebrows furrowed. He couldn''t understand how he had lost consciousness all of as sudden. "Indeed. I thought it must be due to overworking you so I let you rest here for some time. If you had not woken up after another 10 minutes I would have called for help," Jin emphasized. "I see...Thank you, Sir," The man thanked Jin and asked, "How long was I asleep," He asked while trying to get up from the bed. "Not for long, just around 30 minutes," Jin said. "30 minutes!" He soon got up on his feet but lost his bnce for a second. Jin grabbed him by his shoulder and supported him, "Be careful there," "Yes, thank you, Sir, I''m sorry for bothering you all this while," The man said apologetically. "It''s alright, It''s important to take care of your health you know, you should let your body rest more," Jin suggested. "I''ll keep that in mind, Oh! I forgot about your AC remote sir!" The man eximed. Jin chuckled when he saw that and said, "Oh, it''s alright. I don''t know what happened but when the remote fell on the floor earlier it all of a sudden started working," The man paused for a while to interpret what was said and while rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed manner he said, "I''m d...I''ll be going then sir, Thank you for helping me earlier," With that, he left the room. Jin soon opened up the system panel. He wanted to see if he could buy anything interesting with the Kill points he had acquired till now. Chapter 21: Inventory ***HITMAN SYSTEM*** Name- Jin ker Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 69 kg Body Constitution- Good Mental Constitution- Average Abilities - Training, Morph Kill Points-150 (OPEN STORE) ...¡­.. After opening his system panel Jin tapped on the store and opened it up. -----------------------System Store---------------------- 1) Inventory - 150 KP 2) Knife Fighting Techniques - 100 KP 3) Firearm Techniques - 100 KP ----------------------------------------------------------- Jin looked at the items. Jin had discovered during thest couple of months that if he possessed zero kill points then he was unable to open the system store. Therefore, this was his first time opening the system store after buying the "Hand to Hand Combat Techniques" earlier. Two items were the same asst time but a new item was added to the list of three. "Inventory huh?" Jin muttered. It sounded useless to him but when he was about to choose "Firearm Techniques" this time he hesitated all of a sudden. His gut told him to go for the inventory instead. "It shouldn''t be useless, right? Otherwise, it won''t be more expensive than the other two skills..." Jin tried to give some logic to his intuition and finally decided to go for the inventory. "Fuck it, I''ll just buy it," Jin bought the item and a message appeared. --------------------------------------------------------- Inventory Function Activated: The inventory function istes the item from the surroundings by shifting it to a small portable space which is unaffected by the host''s surroundings Instructions: 1) Tap an item 4 times to put it in inventory. 2) Snap the finger 4 times in a row to call out the item. 3) Only 1 item can be stored in the inventory at a time. --------------------------------------------------------- "Hmm?" Jin brought out the gun from his waist and tapped it 4 times with his finger. The gun vanished without any trace. It was as if the gun didn''t exist in the first ce. Jin then snapped his finger 4 times and a gun appeared in the air right in front of him. Jin wasn''t quick enough to catch it and it fell down. ''I hope it didn''t break...'' Jin picked the gun up and checked it around to see if there were any cracks or not. He found none and took a sigh of relief. "This is a very interesting ability," Jin said out loud. The gun was transported to a separate space...didn''t it mean that Jin could take a gun along with him anywhere he wanted to? All the security checks were of no issue to him! ''My future missions will be a lot easier thanks to this," Jin pondered. He looked at the wall clock. In fifteen minutes it would be one in the morning. ''I should catch some sleep it would be a bother if I feel sleepy all day at work tomorrow,'' Jin muttered and went to sleep. At five in the morning, he left the hotel without any issue. He decided to skip working out for today and just took a bath before preparing his meal and then went out for work. It was only the next morning when the old man''s body was discovered by the hotel staff. The news was shown on the television aswell but not for long because not many people cared about an individual who had died in a hotel. Jin however had been keeping an eye on the news rted to the incident. From thetest articles he read the cause of death was shown to be drowning...though after an autopsy Jin didn''t know whether it would change to ''murder'' or not.... Now that his head was much clearer he was able to think of several incidents that might have made things difficult for him if his luck was bad. Although he had made sure to not get caught in the camera this time if not for that he could most likely be tracked! The problem was that while he took the appearance of others his clothes remained the same! He was wearing the same clothes no matter the appearance. Although he would not be discovered now this could make things difficult for him in the future if the areas where he would be operating in the future had much higher surveince. So while the police were investigating Jin''s deeds Jin was busy retrospecting his actions. He was trying to find all the things which could have been avoided so that he would be able to do the future missions in the most efficient manner as possible.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 22: Visit What Jin had feared came true and a few days after the hotel scene he was visited by two men in police uniform. "Good morning Sir, As you''ve already been informed we are just questioning everyone who had checked out of the hotel that morning and you need not worry, it''s all part of the protocol and we''ll leave after asking a few questions," A police officer and his buddy visited Jin at his house. They had already informed him about the visit. Thanks to this he had already prepared himself to face them. Luckily, it was Sunday and he didn''t need to ask the school for another holiday, they may not see it in a good light. Jin guided them inside and brought water for the two. "So what about that day do you want to know?" Jin asked. They had already told him about their reason for visit so Jin directly asked. "We just wanted to know about how you spent your time there at the hotel and if you saw anything suspicious while at it," The man said. "Suspicious...I don''t think so. As for the stay, it was veryfortable and I felt that all my money was spent well there," Jin said. "Is that so?" The man said and noted something down on his notepad before continuing. "May I also inquire why you visited that hotel all of a sudden?" ''You may not!'' Jin wanted to say that but he kept his expression and said with a smile, "I''ve been saving money for a while to visit a good hotel. It had always been a dream for me and so I finally visited it when I had collected enough money," A reminiscing expression was stered on Jin''s face as though he was still thinking about that day. The man noted it and asked another question, "Why did you only stay for a day?" "Because I only had that much money to spare," Jin shrugged. "I see..." The man noted it down and after a couple more questions about other people who he had seen in the hotel that day he finally finished the questioning. With a professional smile on his face stood up and shook hands with Jin "That''s it, Mr. Jin. Thank you for cooperating with us," "Alright, d to be of some help to you," Jin saw them off. Phew He sighed in relief when the cops were finally out of his house. ''If only he could have a fake ID...'' Jin thought. If he had a fake ID then he would have easily checked in that hotel with that identity. No one would havee knocking on his door in that case... Jin pondered over it for a while and in frustration he just ended up searching ''how to get hands on a fake ID'' on Google. To his utter surprise, several answers appeared when he opened a forum. ''Are people on the inte so helpful?'' Jin thought. This was his first time inquiring about something illegal like this on the inte. ''ckmarket? I don''t know where that is and it requires money...''n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ''Dark web? Mhmm sounds better...oh it requires lots of money...I''ll pass...'' Jin went through all of them and most of them required him to pay arge amount of money to someone. "I can only put it aside for now...maybe in the future I might get enough money," Jin said. Just like in the previous mission where he was able to acquire some money out of the old man''s wallet. "I wonder what the next mission would be..." Jin thought and sat down on the chair as he wondered "What should I do now..." Jin reached his right hand towards his pocket and took out his wallet. ''Well...should I watch a movie?'' Earlier a thought like this would have never entered Jin''s mind but as his living situation became better his thinking process also evolved. ''In another week it''s the payday once again...'' A thought entered Jin''s mind as if trying to sway the little resistance he had left...and it seeded. Jin changed into a simple navy blue shirt and paired it with beige coloured trousers. Now that his economic conditions were much better Jin no longer wore clothes that were torn here and there. He walked to the bus stand to take a bus. "Hopefully, there would be good films to watch there..." It had been a long while since Jin had watched a film. Thest one he had watched was on his old television set a few months back. When he went back after a week to take the television with him to the new rented ce he found his house''s lock to be broken and his television was no longer there... In the end, he could only shake his head in annoyance and leave the ce. He did not want to return to that rotten ce ever again. The bus soon arrived and Jin entered the bus. His destination was the Bluebird Theatre around two kilometres from his ce. Chapter 23: Horseshit Outside Bluebird Theatre, Jin was currently stuck in a dilemma. He was looking at the three movies shed on the giant screen just above the theatre building.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om One was action involving a lot of fighting, another one was suspense and thriller about a detective and thest one was a romantic one. Jin''s countenance soured as he looked at them. Like any other man, he had been an avid fan of action and thriller movies, however, his preference suddenly changed. He was looking for a movie from the slice-of-life genre, but now that his life was filled with actions and suspense he no longer was interested in watching such movies...he wanted a breather. Unfortunately, the only one that came close to that genre was a romantic movie. It was not like he hated such movies but after trying them a couple of times Jin deliberately avoided watching such movies. They invoked a sense of loneliness inside him which was second to the one he felt whenever he thought about his parents. He knew that with the way he was before, there was no hope for him to find a woman, get married, make kids and see them grow. He never dared to entertain such a thought. He was barely able to maintain himself with his meagre sry so the thought of maintaining someone else aswell was frightening to him. He wanted to go back home but a sudden thought held him back. Now that his economic status had be betterpared to before would he still despise watching a romantic movie? All those uncles and aunties working at school were married...so it wasn''t such an unrealistic dream. Jin hesitated at the entrance for a couple of minutes but finally decided to try the movie. He walked into the counter and bought the ticket. "How many tickets do you want sir?" The woman behind the counter asked. "One" Jin replied. She raised her gaze which was earlier directed towards theputer screen to look at Jin. It was weird for a man to watch a romantic movie alone so she was surprised a bit before replying. "Alright sir," She processed the tickets and soon gave them to Jin. Jin took the ticket and soon found his way into the hall. He had been to a theatre before with his parents. The memory of that time which was almost on the verge of dissipating was once again revitalized by his sudden visit. The good times he spent with them during that time wereing back to him. A smile appeared on his face as a result. ''It wasn''t a waste in the end,'' Jin thought to himself. Even if the movie wasn''t up to his liking at least he got to cherish these memories once again aftering in here. Jin soon found his seat. It was on the front row. The movie was released today only and all the rest of the seats were all the other good seats were booked by the time Jin arrived. As a result, he had to be satisfied with this corner seat in the front row. "Heh! At least there''s a lot of space..." Jin tried to console himself. The crowd slowly started filling up the room and before long everyone was seated. Jin could see that there were a lot of couples there. From the whisperings he heard so far, they had all been waiting for this movie for a long time. This raised Jin''s hope for the movie and he started looking forward to it. The lights dimmed and the advertisements started ying on the big screen indicating that it was almost time for the movie to premiere. Just then Jin noticed a woman entering from the sides in a hurry. "Number 9 Number 9...there it is!" She rushed towards her seat and after nestling herself to her seat properly she sighed, "Thankfully, the movie hasn''t started...I waited for months for this day it would be a pity if I missed it," Jin didn''t put the mutterings of his neighbour to his mind and tilted his head up to look at the big screen. That was the plight of those who sat in the first row but Jin wasn''t very inconvenienced by it. The movie soon started. The movie starts with an idental encounter between the male lead and the female. They got into a conflict due to some reasons and their first meeting ends on a sour note. The female soon realizes that the man with whom she had got into a conflict was her new manager in the following days. Embarrassment takes over her and she goes to the man to apologize to him. The man takes advantage of the situation and starts overworking her from that point on. The two''s rtionship worsens even further and finally, the woman resigns. The man realizes that he might have overstepped his boundaries and goes to the woman''s home to apologize to him. He realizes that she has a younger brother who''s been affected by cancer. Guilt overtakes the man and tries to make the woman join back but she refuses because she feels it humiliating. After a series of tries the woman finally epts it and from then on office romance takes ce from time to time and a few yearster the two get married. ''Is this even interesting...'' Jin thought to himself as he looked around. The actors looked good so Jin could understand why they would fall in love with each other...but that''s all...he looked around him and saw that everyone including his neighbour had their eyes engrossed in the movie. ''Maybe I''ll find something interesting if I keep watching'' With this thought Jin continued to watch. Jin had thought a climax would ur but it didn''t...the two leads just got married and had children and the movie ended with the two of them seeing their children grow older and experience life. When the movie ended cheers started pouring out, making Jin question everyone''s sanity. "What a load of horseshit..." Jin muttered to himself in annoyance and made his way out of the theatre hall. He heard hurried footsteps from behind and thought that somebody might be controlling their dder for a long time but he was wrong. When the steps were almost near him it stopped and he heard a woman''s voice. "Wait!" Chapter 24: Unrestrained Anger Jin was unsure whether the woman behind him was telling him to wait but a cursory look towards his front made it obvious that the person her words were directed towards was him. "Yes?" Jin turned around to look at the person. He was a bit surprised as she was the woman who was sitting right next to him in the hall. ''Why is she here? Did I forget something on my seat?'' Jin thought as he ced his hands over his pockets to see if his wallet and mobile were still there, they were. With a gaze filled with confusion, he looked towards the woman who instead of replying to him was now huffing for breath while cing her hand on the wall next to her for support. Jin wanted to ask her again but he saw her raising her other hand towards him telling him to wait. Ten secondster the woman had finally recovered her breath and the first thing she said was an unreasonable gibberish "You walk so fast! Can''t you walk slower?!" "Why should I?" Jin asked. He raised his eyebrows at her words. "Because I said so!" She rebuked. Her breathing had almost be normal by now. Jin didn''t want to get involved with such an unreasonable person any further so he directly asked her, "So why was it that you were trying to catch up to me?" "Because I wanted to say something to you," She red. "And that is?" Jin felt a trace of anger in her eyes which further increased his confusion. "I wanted to say FUCK OFF! You bastard do you know how much I waited for that movie??? I even sneaked away from my house just to watch it! I was enjoying every second of it and wanted to savour it to the end but I end up hearing you say that it''s horseshit?! You dumbfuck do you even know what horseshit looks like? If you did then you would have taken a look at your face before calling the movie Horsehit! That''s not all! Do you know who the actor is?? Compared to him you''re not....." Jin who was initially interested in what had caused this woman to be angry at him soon lost his interest as she kept bbering on like a broken clock. Initially, he just wanted to ignore the woman and turn around but the longer she bbered the more annoying it became. Especially when she kept on insulting after every couple of seconds. Jin was only human and he too had his limit, which was soon breached... PAP- A bright red mark appeared on the woman''s right cheek. The mark resembled that of a hand. cing her hand on her cheek the woman a trace of confusion appeared in her eyes. Something like this has never happened to her. The stinging pain from her cheek reminded her that this was reality as a sense of shame and anger flooded her heart. She immediately let out the next moment, "You motherfucker! I''ll Kil-" Before she could continue any further Jin grabbed her by her neck and pushed her against the wall. "I''ll make sure that rotten mouth of yours never opens again," Jin enunciated each of his words clearly for the woman to hear as he lifted her body to the wall. The trace of anger was no longer visible on her face and was reced with that of utter dread. When she looked into Jin''s eyes after he said those words she did not doubt them. He was going to kill her for real. ''No! I can''t die I have so much more to do...'' She thought as her frail body was lifted from the wall. She tried to il her legs as ast sign of struggle but it was of no result. She slowly started losing consciousness. Upon the realization of her impending doom, tears welled up in her eyes but it was all for nought. No trace of sympathy could be seen in Jin''s eyes as his hold against her neck continued to tighten. However, fate seemed to be on her side. The crowd of people had started exiting the movie hall and their sounds of chatter soon brought Jin out of his mental state.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om He let go of the woman''s neck. She fell on the ground like a broken kite and started coughing as her life depended on it. Her tear-filled gaze looked towards the man who had almost killed her a few moments back. His belittling gaze carried a trace of anger in it. With onest re, he immediately left the scene leaving the woman to take care of herself. "I lost myself to anger again..." Jin muttered as he exited the movie hall. The same thing had happened before when he had killed that boy outside the school. He still vividly remembered that at that time to clean the mess he had created how many lives he had to im. Luckily he was brought out of his state by the sound of the crowd, if not he would have created another set of problems for himself. "I just went out for a movie and I almost killed someone..." Jin shook his head in annoyance. He needed to control his anger. Whenever someone told him anything wrong about his parents he would get blinded by anger and end up doing something unthinkable... With these thoughts in his mind, Jin made his way back home. ..... The woman after being left alone by Jin wanted to cry her heart out in relief but the thought of being caught by the approaching crowd in such a state made her reconsider it. She pushed herself up to the ground and dragged her weary body out of the hall. "Young miss, what happened?" Her assistant who had been waiting for her in the car asked in shock when she saw her state. "Make a fuss and I''ll fire you the next moment!" She hollered and entered the car. The assistant could only listen to it and drove the car back to the mansion. Chapter 25: Going back to the Slums A few dayster, Bang! Bang! Bang! ''I''ve fired more than a thousand times at this thing, but my proficiency is still at 60%'' Jin thought to himself. He was currently using his ''Training'' ability. Now that he had a gun he was able to enter the mental shooting range which he was unable to earlier. (A/N: wasst mentioned in chapter 2...even I almost forgot about this one xD) There wasn''t much to see in this ce. It was just a shooting range and the target was in the shape of a man with several points marked around his body. Jin could adjust the distance as per his liking and the best thing about the ce was that Jin had an infinite amount of ammo. At first, Jin was quite happy and started shooting at the targets one after another but soon realized that after an hour and a half of doing so, he became mentally exhausted. When he exited the mental space drowsiness attacked him and he immediately went to sleep. Now that he had be somewhat used to the ce he had managed to increase his time to 2 hours. After being done with his practice Jin finally called it a day and went to sleep. The next day as per his routine he exercised and practised his skills in the morning and then went to work. While he was on his way to school the thing he had been anticipating for the whole ofst week finally happened. A panel with the following words appeared in front of him. -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-MISSION-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- +Objective: Eliminate and steal the target''s identity. +Target name: Agent William +Target Age: 35 years old +Target Location: [CLICK] +Reward: 500KP +Time Limit: 24 hours +Penalty: System will disappear Intel:- Agent William has been tasked with kidnapping a certain individual. He has currently taken hold of his target and is currently hiding in his hideout for things to calm down. Find him, kill him and be him. -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- Jin went through the details of the mission and after going through it he checked the target''s location. ''What a coincidence...'' Jin thought after seeing the ce where his target was currently hiding. It was the slums where he used to live earlier. Jin zoomed in and soon realized the exact location of the target. He was very familiar with the area around the slums and was able to easily imagine where exactly the guy was hiding. ''It won''t be convenient to do the job during the day and at night this area is not very well lit, I can use that to my advantage and kill him,'' Jin made up a n in his mind. At first, he was thinking about calling it a day today from work but now that he knew that the location of the target was in the slums, he calmed down a bit. The best moment to strike would be at night so naturally he could attend his work normally today. Jin soon arrived at the school. Upon entering he noticed that there was a lot more hustle and bustle among the staff. He inquired about it in the changing room and got to know that today the school was going to be visited by the daughter of the school''s leading sponsor. Even though the school was a public school everything from education to all the facilities it provided was top-notch. It was all thanks to the sponsors which the school had. "Is there a particr reason she''s visiting?" Jin curiously asked. "From what I''ve heard, she just wanted to check whether the money they are investing in this school is being used properly," Uncle Tim said.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "That''s right, I also heard that she has recently joined her father''spany and is getting familiar with everything so that she could take care of it in the future...she must be very dedicated," Uncle John added. They all soon changed into their uniform and got to work. They were in more of a rush than usual because the visitors would be arriving soon. So everyone busied themselves with the work and managed to finish it all before nine in the morning. At the gates, the principal and the vice principal waited for the visitors along with a few administrative staff. Three cars soon stopped at the gates and a woman along with a few people in office suits were soon weed by the school staff. "Good morning Miss Flora," The principal greeted the chairman''s daughter. "Good morning Mrs. Smith. I''ll be in your care for now," The woman smiled and was soon led by the principal to see the school. She was shown all the facilities around the school and also passed by some of the sses where the students were being taught. Naturally, Jin and the other workers were also able to catch a glimpse of her as she also wanted to meet all the school workers to ask them about their working conditions. ''As expected from an upper-ss woman,'' Jin thought. Even though Jin was only able to observe the woman for a brief moment he was enamoured by her way of carrying herself with grace and confidence. It was the same with everyone present. An irrational thought of trying to win her heart even entered his mind for a second but Jin immediately shook those away. ''How could a person with such a high upbringing take an interest in him, a person who came from the slums?'' Jinmpooned in his mind The delegation stayed at the school for almost 2 hours before finally leaving and everyone got back to their respective work. In the evening, Jin grabbed a bus to the railway station. Instead of returning to his home first and then from there going to the target''s location he had decided to go there directly. In the station, he entered the toilet and changed his appearance to that of someone else. His face''splexion was quite dull and looked unhealthy and his body also shrivelled up a bit. A physique like this won''t raise any eyebrows in the slum area so Jin had decided to take on this appearance. With that done, Jin caught thetest local train to his earlier ce of residence, the slum. Chapter 26: Taking Action When Jin reached the slums, it was nine in the evening. It was still too early to act, so he wandered around the ce. He went to his old home. There was someone else staying there. It was natural since Jin had given up on it and didn''t put a lock on the gates thest time he visited. Not that putting a lock would matter much... it''s the slums we are talking about. Jin didn''t disturb the people inside and continued to loiter around the ce. He had started to grow hungry a bit but he controlled him. A hungry lion is the most dangerous. Jin didn''t want to let his guard down by rxing.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om He soon found a ce in the darkness and sat there while waiting for time to pass. He observed that target from time to time to understand his movements. The target went to a local food store and came back to his hideout. After that, he didn''te out of the ce. Time passed... 3 hourster. Jin was currently snuck behind a worn-out wall of the hideout. His surroundings were mostly dark so it helped him further in hiding. The bad thing about slums was that there were no toilets inside the houses. So if someone wanted to release their pressure, the only ce was in the bushes or a fewmunity toilets ced here and there. Jin knew this fact quite well. He had been keeping an eye on the target for all this while and the man had not stepped out of the hideout even once until now. Jin was sure that the man''s dder was about to give in and he coulde out any moment and that''s what happened. A minuteter the sound of a door opening soon entered Jin''s ears. It was a little dark for Jin to make out but he could see a figureing out of the hideout. He cross-checked it on the map and the target was indeed on the move. The man soon walked towards the side of his hideout and started discharging his pent-up fluids. Ah~ Jin who had sessfully sneaked right behind the man by now heard him moan lightly, ''You sure are enjoying it...'' Jin thought to himself. Jin initially wanted to wait for the man to finish up before taking his life but he soon changed his mood. A few droplets sshed behind the man after hitting the wall...and to Jin''s luck...it was on his face. His mood soon soured and the n to wait for the man to finish disappeared. While the man was on cloud nine he felt a hand wrap around his neck. It immediately awakened him from his daze and out of reflex he hit his elbow behind him. A muffled sound came. Jin was hit right in the stomach. If not for his regr exercise that had strengthed his abs somewhat Jin knew that he might have let go of the man''s neck. The pain inflicted on him instead made Jin tighten his hold on the man''s neck even further as he dragged him backwards to create a distance between his body and the man''s. The man tried to stay on his legs but Jin''s continued retreat made him fall backward. This added an additional strain on his neck and further prevented the blood from entering the brain. "Y-you b-bastar-" the man tried to reach his hands back. He wanted to poke Jin''s eyeballs so that he could get a chance to escape but Jin didn''t let him. Whenever the man''s hands reached close to his head Jin moved his head away. ''He sure is a tough one,'' Jin thought as he continued on with his chokehold as the man struggled. Finally, after 3 minutes of intense struggling the man''s movement slowed down. Jin held onto him for another few seconds to make sure that he was really unconscious. He didn''t want him to die. Jin was still unsure as to whether he could take the appearance of someone dead...he had never tried it...and if that was not possible then he would end up losing his system! That was uneptable! Therefore, rather than just killing the man he went through this arduous route of choking him. As to whether taking the identity of a dead person...Jin would verify itter on when the stakes were not so high. ''If only it wasn''t so dark and I was able to pinpoint his neck''s pressure points...'' Jin thought as he used his morph ability to acquire the appearance of the man into his system. Once that was done Jin crouched down on the ground and grabbed the man''s neck. SNAP A voice rang and a notification panel appeared in front of Jin telling him about his mission''s sess. Mission Aplished Reward:500KP Jin saw the notification and felt a sense of aplishment was felt by him. ''This has started to be fun...'' Jin thought. He grabbed the lifeless body and dragged it into the hideout before closing the door. Jin could hear a muffled sound of breathing when he entered so he knew that he wasn''t alone in the ce, ''That must be the person who was kidnapped,'' Jin reached for the lights and switched them on. A dim light soon illuminated the ce and the beaten-up body of a scrawny middle-aged man was lying unconscious in front of him. If not for the light breathing sound Jin would have thought he was dead. The man had his eyes tied with a cloth and his mouth taped. His hands and legs were restrained aswell. There was no way for him to escape if Jin didn''t help him. When Jin was wondering whether to help the man or to let him be another mission panel popped up. -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-MISSION-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- +Objective: Deliver the kidnapped man to the Client +Reward: 100KP +Time Limit: 7 hours +Penalty: System will disappear Hint: Check the new item in the store -X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X- Chapter 27: Agent William While reading the new mission that had just popped up Jin was worrying about how he would find the client''s address. Before he thought more on the issue he saw something new... ''Hint?'' Jin thought. "Let''s check the store first," Jin mumbled after reading the hint and opened up the system store. -----------------------System Store---------------------- 1) Inventory Space(+1) - 1500 KP 2) Memory Chip (Agent William) - 500KP 3) Knife Fighting Techniques - 100 KP 4) Firearm Techniques - 100 KP Bnce: 500 KP ----------------------------------------------------------- ''Two new items'' Those were the first things that attracted Jin''s attention. "1500 KP!" Jin eximed. That was a freaking lot whenpared to the meagre kill points he receive afterpleting the missions. His gaze then saw the second item. ''So that''s what the system was hinting towards...'' Jin read the name of the item and checked the amount of kill points it required. "Not a single point more nor a single point less..." He muttered in annoyance. He had thought that with the KPs he had got he could buy the firearms and knife fighting techniques...but now those things would have to wait. Jin bought the item and a flush of memories entered his mind the next moment. His body froze in its spot for the next five seconds. Five secondster Jin''s eyes gained back their vibrance and the first thing he did after recovering was to move towards the dead body. He picked out a mobile phone and a wallet from the man''s Jeans. Although the phone looked normal it was not. It had been given to the man by the organization behind him. The phone had a password and If the password was typed wrong even once the phone was programmed to delete all its data. However, Jin didn''t need to worry about that. Jin typed in the password which had appeared in his mind and unlocked the phone soon after. He went to thetest messages received by the man and opened it up. On it were the details of his current mission and the client''s name. The man was supposed to take the kidnapped person to the client by around 4 in the morning and had already informed him about it. Jin checked the time, it was almost one in the morning. There was still time left so he sat down on the ground with his back on the wall. He stared at the kidnapped man who was lying unconscious on the ground. The man had dosed him with a strong sedative in his dinner so he won''t be waking up till morning. Jin once again took out the man''s phone and started going through the messages. There were a total of 13 messages and all of them had been missions. The name of the organization behind the man was unknown to Jin, the reason being that even the man wasn''t aware of it. He was a criminal on the run for years. Thankfully he was able to get a new identity through the ck market but his gratefulness was short-lived. He was soon ckmailed into working for this organization if he didn''t want to get his identity exposed and end up in prison.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om It had only been a year since he had been in this business, that was also the reason why Jin was able to take care of him with just a chokehold. Through the man''s memories, Jin had seen some other hitmen who were way more skilled than the man, this made Jin thank his lucky stars. Time passed as Jin analysed the man''s memories one by one and it was already 3 in the morning. Thinking that it was better to leave a bit early, Jin stood up from his spot. He changed his appearance into that of Agent Wiim. A thirty-five-year-old man who was fit and looked good for his age. The man had hidden his car in an alley not far away from here. Jin walked out and after a few minutes arrived at the front of the hideout in the car. He dragged the body of the unconscious man in the backseat and was about to enter the car but a thought stopped him. Jin walked back into the house and dragged back the dead body. He tucked it into the car trunk. ''I''ll deal with this first,'' Jin thought. It would be a problem if any of the man''s colleagues caught hold of the dead body. Jin drove the car through the muddy roads in the dead of night and soon stopped. It was an isted region with no sign of humans nearby, even if there were...Jin didn''t care. He brought out the corpse of the man and left it there to be food for the wild animals. The car soon left the ce leaving a dusty trail. An hourter a bunch of wolves dragged the body deeper into the forest. Chapter 28: A New Chapter Jin drove the car for a while and reached the designated spot. It was a basement parking of a building that had not yet opened up for the public. Jin drove the car through the entrance of the basement. He parked the car at a side not far from the entrance and got out to remove the unconscious man from the backseat. After he was done with all this he waited for the client to arrive at the ce. At 4:05 AM the sounds of cars filled the basement floor as Jin eyed towards the entrance. A ck luxury sedan slowly entered. It was followed by an SUV of the same colour. Jin was deliberately standing in a very conspicuous position so the client didn''t find it hard to locate him in here. The ck sedan stopped a few meters away from Jin. The door opened and an old man with a monocle exited the car. The moment he got out he was immediately apanied by two of his bodyguards who rushed from the SUV. The old man walked towards Jin. "So you''re the agent that was assigned," The old man smiled. He looked at the unconscious man beside Jin who was all tied up and nodded at one of his men. While the bodyguard was dragging the unconscious man towards the SUV the client thanked Jin for his service. "With that, everything''s done," The client pressed a few buttons on his phone and soon Jin received a message on his cellphone that the mission was aplished and his own system also notified him about it. "By the way, I have a private mission for you. Would you like to ept?" The old man asked with the same smile. Jin didn''t fear refusing because he had trust in the organization behind him. If something happened to him then the old man would also won''t escape scot-free. Therefore, Jin was going to refuse it. "I''m so-... on a second thought, I will," Jin said as he paused at the beginning to rephrase himself. The reason? A wild mission popped up. ----------------------Side Mission------------------- -Mission: ept the private mission -Reward: 100 KP -Penalty: None ------------------------------------------------------- With the 100 extra points, Jin would be able to buy the items he wanted to buy from the store. He had no reason to refuse. "Great," The old man said when he heard Jin''s reply. His expression however turned dark pretty quickly when he started discussing the mission with Jin. "Here''s how it is..." "You understand?" The old man asked after he had finished briefing Jin about the mission. "For how long?" Jin asked. "There''s no time limit. I want you to do that until you can find something worthwhile for me that I can use against them. Don''t worry about the payment though, for each day I''ll be paying you 10k for your time and if you find anything significant then naturally I''m going to give extra benefits," The old man said. Jin wanted to refuse since the task required him to monitor the ce 24/7. That was difficult for him because of his job. However, when the old man talked about how much he would be paying to Jin for the mission Jin''s eyes widened a little. "We''ve got a deal," Jin said. Though he would have to leave his current job he didn''t mind it at all! His current sry was 25k for a month and this guy was paying him an enormous amount whenpared to that. "Good, I''ll call you to brief you more about the mission in a couple of days, be ready by then," The old man said and walked away. The sedan and the SUV soon left the ce. Jin who had been controlling his urge all this while had a huge grin on his face now. "So much money! My time has finallye!" All the things that he wanted to do but controlled himself because he didn''t have money, he could finally try them all! Jin then entered the car and left the basement as well. The car was quite convenient and Jin didn''t want to abandon it. So he drove it to not his ce but the original owner''s ce. If he suddenly brought a car back to his residence questions would arise from many people since he was just a janitor at a school. Jin soon reached the apartment. "Looks far better than my ce," Jin said as he looked around the ce. An idea of staying here instead of his rented ce entered his mind but the idea of staying in the house of someone whom he had killed bothered him a bit so he shook that thought away. Jin then caught an early bus to his ce. He freshened up and got ready for work, he didn''t get any time to exercise this morning because he was short on time. Today Jin was going to resign from his job. Jin approached the supervisor when he arrived and talked to her about his decision. She asked him a few questions and Jin answered them all ordingly. In the end, she agreed to his request and said that it would get processed by the end of the day. "Alright," Jin said. "Take care, you''re still young so it''s good that you''re taking the initiative to earn more money, your future wife will be proud," The supervisor said as she bid Jin goodbye. Jin didn''t think much over her words and thanked her anyway. Jin then disclosed this news to all the other cleaning staff in the changing room. They all were very understanding and wished Jin good luck. "Take care Jin," Auntie Julie said. "Yes, also get a beautiful wife quickly," Auntie Rosie added "If I find someone as beautiful as you I definitely will," Jin joked. Seeing Auntie Rosie''s embarrassed face they allughed. The rtionship between them had already be close enough to crack such jokes so no one took offence. The rest of the day was spent doing the cleaning work and finally, the day was all over. It was the beginning of another new chapter in his life.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 29: Carrying on Mr. Roberts Mission The next day, Jin had finished with his morning workout and was now taking a breather on the sofa after freshening up. "Let''s buy the techniques," Jin finally made up his mind and opened up the system store. -----------------------System Store---------------------- 1) Inventory Space(+1) - 1500 KP 2) Cartridge (9x19mm) x50 - 50 KP 3) Knife Fighting Techniques - 100 KP 4) Firearm Techniques - 100 KP Bnce: 200 KP ----------------------------------------------------------- "Woah we now have cartridges in the store aswell? Sweet!" Jin eximed. Although he had never been forced to use his gun until now he still had been worried about how he was going to get the required ammo in the future. With this, the future problem was solved. He''ll be able to buy the ammo when the need be. Jin''s amount of KPs soon reduced to zero but in return of that, his mind was filled with various techniques regarding knifebat techniques and firearm techniques. He became familiar with various techniques of using the Knife and also on how to use different guns. He even gained knowledge on how to overhaul guns for regr maintenance. It was truly a worthy deal. Wanting to try his newly gained knowledge Jin snapped his fingers four times and grabbed his gun which appeared out of thin air in front of him. He ced it on the centre table. His fingers were tingling to practice what he had learnt just now. He revisited his memories for a second and began. The familiar tingling of metal parts sounded out in his room as Jin started by taking the slide off, then removing the barrel of the gun and taking out the springs... ''This is more fun than I thought'' Jin grinned as he removed even the little parts which were only removed for major overhauling. He wanted to savour the feeling of putting them all back once they were out since he was confident in his ability to put it all back. If he had a gun cleaning kit he would taken his time with each part but since he didn''t have that, Jin could only savour what he could. A few minutester the gun was reassembled into its former shape. "Phew, I feel fairly content after doing this..." Jin said as he wiped a little sweat from his forehead. Growl~ His stomach reminded him about the breakfast and Jin went to prepare it. A few moments after Jin had filled up his stomach he received a call on his phone, more precisely Agent William''s phone. "I''ve contacted you regarding the mission Agent William, you''re ready?" A familiar voice came from the other side of the phone.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Yes, Mr. Robert," Jin responded. The name of the caller was already saved on the mobile so Jin said without a second thought. "Great! Note down the address which I''m telling you now..." Jin noted down the address on a notebook and waited for further instructions. "It''s a securitypany. I''ve already rmended you to the owner. Go there and you''ll be recruited. After that, you along with a few others will be sent to that man''s mansion for selection. I hope you don''t disappoint me with your skills and end up getting rejected," Robert said. "It will all go as nned Mr Robert," Jin replied inly. "That''s good haha!" Robert replied with augh. He was satisfied with Jin''s confident reply. The call soon ended after Mr Robert briefed Jin about other misceneous things he needed to take care of once he had infiltrated the mansion. "Let''s go then," Jin left his house after a few minutes. He won''t being back here for a while. He had already paid the rent in advance so leaving his house unattended won''t be a problem. Jin soon reached Agent Williams''s home. There he picked some clothes out of his wardrobe and changed into them. Jin''s outfit was a bit tighter for Agent William''s body so he decided to change into these. After that, he grabbed a bag and ced a few more pairs into it for future use. With all this done, Jin left the apartment. He had already searched the address on his phone and was on his way there. A car would be a liability so he didn''t use it and took a bus to the ce. ''Wanton Security Company'' Jin looked at the signboard of the building and soon made his way in. At the reception, he mentioned his name ''William'' and stated that he had a meeting scheduled with Mr. Johnson. He was soon guided to a room. Before Jin could open his mouth the man started speaking, "I know who you are, We do not have much time so let''s keep this brief," Jin nodded, "In thirty minutes, You''ll be in a bus along with my boys and will be treated as one of our own. Mind you, only a handful would be selected so if you''re not selected that has nothing to do with me. I''m already taking enough risks as it is," The man said. "I understand," Jin replied. The man named Johnson pressed a button and an assistant soon arrived. "Take him to the waiting point," The man said. "Right, sir. Please," The assistant acknowledged and guided Jin to the ce where the other people were waiting. Chapter 30: Karma When Jin arrived at the waiting spot he saw 20 men waiting there. They all had good heights and looked quite fit. "Sir you get to wait here when the bus arrives we''ll inform you," The assistant said and left the scene. When Jin had entered the room the conversation which was going on in the room earlier suddenly stopped. All eyes were on Jin. As Jin made his way towards an empty corner he could hear a few whispers from his surroundings. "Is it him? The rich kid?" "I guess it is, He could get a spot in here by just his connections," "So what? He won''t be able to get selected there by connections aswell. The White Heart mansion is known for its strict selection criteria," "Haha That''s true, I don''t know how dumb he is, if he had money he could have gone somewhere safe why would he want to be a bodyguard," "Anyways, he should be the first one to get kicked out today so we have one lesspetitor," ... A variety of voices entered Jin''s ears as he managed to get an overall view of the situation. He was being seen as someone who had used his connections to get in. ''Well, that''s convenient for me,'' Jin muttered under his breath. "Hey bastard did you say something?" a man who already had an intention to pick a fight with him asked when he found a chance. Jin looked at his aggressive stance and clearly understood his intentions. He just continued to stare at him without saying a word. "Are you mute you motherfucker? I just asked you a question, didn''t I? The man felt insulted by Jin''s silence and rebuked. He was about to walk towards Jin and grab his cor but just then the door of the room opened and the assistant informed everyone that the bus had arrived. Jin''s eyes had sharpened a bit when he heard the man''s words but just like the man he too was distracted by the sudden words of the assistant. "Looks like the luck is on your side chicken, ptooey" The man spat on the ground whichnded a few centimetres away from Jin''s shoes. HAHAHA! The sound of other men making fun of what had happened here soon resonated. "Let''s go, Henry, give the chicken some time to recover from the incident," Another man came and pulled Henry away. While looking at all this Jin was controlling his feelings from going rampant with all his might. He had already realized this weakness of his and was trying to subdue it. ''Rx, nothing has happened. It''s not me they are abusing but William. Yes, it''s not me. He had not abused my parents...but William''s parents...'' Jin kept on repeating it to himself in his mind. His anger which was on the verge of exploding was soon subdued as a result. He soon followed them to the bus and grabbed an empty seat. On the bus too he didn''t give any attention to the unweed remarks thrown his way. ''Yes, this is the ability to train your mind, don''t mess things up, don''t mess things up...'' Jin kept on repeating in his mind throughout the journey. The almost torturous journey came to an end in half an hour as the bus entered the White Heart''s gates. "Damn! This ce is huge!" They all eximed and looked at their surroundings. Jin too looked out of the window. On both sides of the road lines of trees were nted which looked very scenic. The surrounding was a well-maintained garden with different types of trees and nts. The area of the property astonished Jin as well as the others. "As expected from someone who owns several mines," someone said. The bus soon stopped and all of them got out of the bus one by one and were assembled in an open ground not far from their current ce. There they were addressed by two men in ck well-kept suits. "I am the head of this mansion''s security and the man next to me is the deputy head. We have only 3 vacancies this time as all of already know so do your best in the test..." "What''s the test?" An impatient person asked. The man stared at him for a few seconds which made the person take back his gaze. The man soon answered as a devilish grin formed on his face, "A free-for-all," Everyone became silent the moment they heard the man''s words and the tension in the air felt tangible.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "So gentlemen let''s not waste our time any further. No weapons are allowed. Only Hand-to-Handbat will be allowed. Thest three standing individuals will be selected. Any questions?" "No Sir!" "Good, Begin!" The man pped and all the men suddenly became wary of each other and looked left and right. All but one, Jin did no such thing. "Fuck Yeah!" He eximed out his pent-up frustration and straight away went for a knee kick at the man closest to him. The man felt like he was hit by a hammer and he lost consciousness. Needless to say, his face was all disfigured. "That''s not enough, I need more," Jin shook his head as he saw the man''s body drop to the ground. Under the bewildered gaze of everyone, Jin brought out a feverish grin and rushed towards his next victim, Henry "It''s payback time you motherfucker!" Henry couldn''t believe his eyes when he saw the bastard whom he had called a chicken rush towards him like a madman from a distance. "Fuck!" He immediately took a boxing stance. Ready to face Jin or so he thought... Jin''s rushing figure on which the man had locked his eyes immediately disappeared when it was a meter away from him. ''Where did he go?!'' The man panicked but soon got his answer when a leg sweep weed his left shin. His body which had lost its bnce smashed onto the ground as he groaned in pain. Unfortunately, that wasn''t the end. Jin punched the man straight in the face and before he could even see clearly after the impact it was followed up by an elbow strike. He lost consciousness there and then. By now, other skirmishes have already started and Jin''s ruthless actions didn''t catch much eye except from those who were keeping an eye on him from the start, like the deputy head and the head of the mansion''s security. The two of them nced at each other and nodded. The deputy head noted something in the notebook and with that, the number of avable spots was reduced from three to two. Chapter 31: Infiltration Complete Jin took down whoever came for him one after another as brutally as possible. When only ten people were left, everyone had understood by now that if they wanted to get selected, they needed to maintain a distance between themselves and Jin. Thus, a silent consensus appeared among the men as they all decided to settle things on their own. However, Jin had never agreed on something like that. To him, all of these bastards needed to be taught a lesson. "Weren''t you allughing quite loudly earlier on? I wish to hear you do the same now," Jin muttered. He didn''t care as to whether his words were heard by them or not. He started rushing towards them one by one and not showing mercy to anyone. A few momentster¡­ Only 4 men were left on the ground. Sounds of exhaustion had filled the ground but there was no sign of exhaustion from Jin. His figure looked simr to a reaper to the remaining 3 men. They had never encountered such a difficult opponent until now. The three of them looked at each other and nodded. They nned to take on Jin together. "Should we stop them?" The deputy head asked. "Let it be, I want to see what happens," The head soon replied as his gaze focused on Jin''s figure. HAA! All three of them shouted as they attacked Jin from their positions. Jin wasn''t perturbed by this. Instead, he raised both his hands, stabilized his legs on the ground and waited for the men to approach him. This was the first time Jin had taken a fighting stance and as a result, it added an extra sense of pressure on the approaching men.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Just when all three of them were just a few inches away from Jin and were about to inflict damage on him Jin moved. A Palm to the jaw A Shin to the ribs Followed by a spinning heel kick to the head. Three bodies dropped down like dolls which had their strings cut. Everyone was decimated. CLAP! CLAP! The sound of pping soon brought Jin back to his normal state as he focused his attention on the head of security. "Marvellous, that was a marvellous fight I must say," The man said as he walked towards Jin. "Originally I was supposed to take three new recruits but from how things I''ve be now, I''ll have to do with only you, Mr¡­" The man paused. "William," Jin replied "Mr William, right, Jacob will show you around the mansion and then guide you to your dormitory. If you have questions regarding your task, you can ask him about it on the way," The head said as he gestured towards the deputy head. The orange-haired man soon came up and took Jin along with him as the head watched their back. ''I should go and report things to the master like usual now," The head said and he too left the grounds. "That ce is the swimming pool, behind it is the ce where the master ys golf along with his friends¡­" Jacob introduced everything to Jin and familiarized him with his workce. "As you may already know, our job is to ensure the security of this ce and to make sure nothing untoward happens. Therefore, we all live in the master''s estate only to make sure we can respond as fast as possible," Lastly, Jin was shown the dormitory and was told to report to the front of the mansion tomorrow morning. His duty would officially start then. Jin gave the required details to the maid at the reception and was soon assigned a room. "Oh, a new recruit!" "Nice to meet you," Jin met a few people on the corridor as he made his way towards his room. They all seemed busy so they only greeted Jin and went their way. He soon reached his room and opened the door. There were two beds in the room. One was filled with someone''s belongings while the other was empty. Jin soon took his seat and ced down his backpack. He took all the clothes out and arranged it in the wardrobe. After he was done with that task Jin went to the bathroom to take a bath. By the time he was all finished with settling in his new room fifteen minutes had psed and a knock sounded on the door. Jin already knew who it was so he opened the door without a second thought. "Here are the clothes of your size and these are the shoes," The maid handed Jin his clothes and other misceneous things that he would be needing. "Thank you" Jin said with a smile. "The name''s Anna, you''re wee," She smiled and left the ce. Later he went to the mess to have his dinner. It was also a good opportunity to familiarize himself with everyone and that is exactly what Jin did. He asked the others various misceneous things about the ce, their work experience so far, and some interesting stories. Jin soon mingled himself into the group pretty well. They all appreciated how closely Jin listened to whatever they had to day and felt a bit ttered by it. After a hearty meal Jin went back to his room along with George. George who hade straightway to the mess after his evening shift was delighted to know that Jin was his roommate and they developed a good rapport along the way to their room. After making sure Jin was all settled in and didn''t need his help George wished him good night and went to sleep. He was all tired up from his shift and fell asleep the moment he closed his eyes. Jin looked at his phone. He had received a reply to his earlier message to Mr. Robert. "Good! I''ll be expecting some good news soon. The money will be transferred into the ount you''ve sent me on a daily basis so you don''t need to worry about that," The message said. Jin had given the bank information of William to Mr. Robert. Jin already knew all his bank details so taking money from that ount wouldn''t pose him any problem. He kept aside his phone and went to sleep. He needed to wake up early tomorrow so it was better to sleep now. Chapter 32: First Day of Work The head of security was currently reporting about the new recruit to the master of the mansion. "you''re saying that he defeated every candidate¡­" The middle-aged man on the other side of the table said as he took out the cigar from his mouth. "Yes, Sir. That''s exactly how it went," The Security Head replied. "Hmmm, how is he whenpared to you 10 years ago?" The middle-aged man asked out of curiosity. "Way better," A brief reply came from the security head. "So, he''s that good¡­what about his background?" The master asked. "Pretty clean, he used to be a boxing instructor at a local gym until now," The security head passed a file to the other side of the table. He had received it from the securitypany an hour back. "That''s good¡­still keep an eye on him for a few days," The man said after looking into the file. "Yes sir," The security head replied and soon left the room. ¡­. The next day Jin reported to the front of the mansion at seven in the morning. He was dressed in a ck suit and trousers and matched it with ck shoes. He looked like a typical security guard from the movies. He was currently standing among a group of security guards who were being briefed by the deputy head, Jacob. After everyone was briefed, they were told to disperse to their spots. From the briefing, Jin also got to know about his task. He was to guard the entrance of the mansion along with another guard. Jin soon went to his position. Jin''s colleague soon made him familiarize himself with his task. He was supposed to scan everyone with the hand-held metal detector not leaving a single person out. There were a few exceptions though like the master and his family, the security head and the deputy head. "How many family members does our master have?" Jin asked. "There''s only one, her daughter," The man named Vicktor sighed. "What about the mother?" Jin asked. "Well, she lost her life in a car ident ten years ago," Vicktor said in a gloomy tone. They felt a bit of a movement from the inside of the mansion and stopped talking. Soon the door of the mansion was opened from the inside and a middle-aged man wearing a ck overcoat on a brown suit walked out of the house. He was apanied by the head and the deputy head of security on his sides. From this, it was clear that he was the master of the house. Vicktor bowed his head slightly at him and seeing this Jin too followed suit. When Jin''s head was down the middle-aged man gazed at him for a second before walking forward. It was unclear what was on his mind. "With the family head gone we only need to be careful about the young miss," Vicktor said after a while. "Young miss?" Jin asked out of curiosity. "She has a habit of escaping the mansion from time to time¡­" The man shook his head and continued, "e to think of it, it''s been a while since shest attempted the escape," "Is she not allowed to go out?" Jin asked. "No, it''s not like that. Even though the master is very overprotective of his daughter he won''t bind her at home. However, he wants her to be guarded all the time by us so whenever she goes out, she needs to be apanied by two security personnel at least¡­ The young miss, however, hates it. She wants to go out alone instead of being apanied by us muscle-headed men. That''s why she escapes from time to time and whenever she does¡­we have to face the head''s fury." Vicktor said in an exhausted manner. The two of them exchanged words from time to time during their shift and time gradually passed by. At 12 in the afternoon, their shift ended and they returned to their dormitory. Their shift was in the form of 4 hours cycle. 4 hours work followed by 4 hours rest which was again followed by 4 hours work and then a 6-hour rest period for sleep. There was an entertainment room at the dormitory so after having his lunch Jin spent his time there along with Vicktor. They watched a movie while ying carrom against each other. Four hours passed by quickly as a result and they were back to their posts now. It was around four in the evening when they took over their posts. Nothing much happened and time passed by just like in the morning. However, at seven in the evening, the door of the mansion was opened and a young woman walked out of the door. She was wearing a ck turtle-neck top and a skirt. "Young miss, are you going somewhere?" Vicktor came forward and asked. He hoped that she wouldn''t make things difficult for him. "Yes, shopping for clothes," she said.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Jin looked at her appearance and his eyes paused for a brief second in surprise. She looked beautiful but that was not the reason for Jin''s surprise. ''It''s her,'' Jin thought. She was the same crazy woman he met at the movie theatre a week back. "Let me call someone for you," The man took out his phone wanting to call a free guard to escort the young miss. "No need for that, I''m in a hurry, you two,e with me," she said as she pointed towards Vicktor and Jin. Vicktor nodded and while waiting for the car to arrive he called his colleagues to take the guard spots at the mansion. "I haven''t seen you before¡­" The woman muttered when she gave a passing nce at Jin. "Today''s my first day ma''am," Jin replied. "I see," With that, she entered the car. Vicktor took the driver''s seat while Jin took the co-driver. The car started and they soon left the estate. ''It''s the first time the young miss has personally asked for an escort¡­I wonder what changed,'' Vicktor thought as he pulled his focus back on the road. A/N: I will wake up early tomorrow and go for a run! (Question me whether I did or not 6 hours after this chapter''s release please, I need to sort out my habits. Chapter 33: Chase Clothes Store''s Changing Room, "Ugh, how long will it take?" Rachael muttered as she looked at the bruise on her neck. All throughout thest week she had been forced to hide her bruise from her father. She didn''t want to escte things. She was already in the wrong when she escaped the house without telling anyone. If her father got to know that not only did, she sneak out of the house but was also attacked by someone she feared that her father wouldn''t allow her to go outside anymore. She came to the store today only because she was out of tops which would cover her neck''s bruise! She had used them all up and therefore came out to shop. If she, who rarely repeats clothes suddenly started repeating them then it was natural that her father would get suspicious. "That bastard¡­" She hissed in frustration as Jin''s face appeared in her mind. However, it soon changed to that of his ruthless expression which he showed when he was on the verge of choking her to death. Her whole body shivered in fright as a result and she immediately shook his thoughts away. After that encounter fear had ingrained itself so deeply in her mind that she was afraid to even go outside much less sneak away the way she didst time. If not for her clothes she would have kept herself holed in the house at least until her neck''s bruise disappeared. She changed into one top after another and after selecting the ones that she liked she gave it to the shop attendant who was waiting outside to pack. A few minutester she made her way to the checkout counter and paid the bill. "Let''s go home," Rachael said as she looked at Vicktor and walked towards the door. Vicktor acknowledged that and opened the door for her as Jin carried the clothes with him. After storing the clothes in the trunk of the car he soon sat on the co-driver''s seat. The car soon left the ce. On the way, Vicktor kept ncing at the rear-view mirror which attracted Jin''s attention so he too kept an eye on the back using the side view mirror. In order to confirm his assumption Vicktor tried changing his path by taking a few turns but the few SUVs at the back still kept on following them. "William, take my phone and call Adam, tell him that we are being chased at 11th Stirring Street," Vicktor muttered. Jin took the phone and called a man named Adam to inform him about the issue. Meanwhile, Vicktor was trying to cate the hysterical Rachael who just discovered from Jin''s words that they were being followed. "Wait! We''re being followed! Why?! Who are they!" A series of questions escaped her mouth and with each passing question, she fell deeper into the chasm of despair. "Miss, nothing will happen, you got us we''ll save you with our life," Vicktor said but Rachael could no longer hear him as she was lost in her own despondent mutterings. After finishing the call Jin told Vicktor, "They have left the ce and said that it will take them at least 10 minutes to reach this ce¡­" "Damn it!" Vicktor who was already under stress lost his cool for a second but soon take a deep breath. He looked behind him to see the young miss who had now turned her head behind to look at the two SUVs following them. As if sensing the sudden movements that took ce in the vehicle the two SUVs immediately increased their pace. "Quick! Quick! They areing!" Rachael shouted as she saw the two cars behind pick up speed. "Shit!" Vicktor hollered and mmed down the pedal. Their speed increased all of a sudden as Vicktor engrossed himself in maneuvering the car to safety. ''SCREEEEEECHHH'' Rachael cried as her body leaned towards her left mming her onto the car''s door. A sharp right turn! The two cars behind were forced to slow down as a result they gained some distance. Vicktor took advantage of this and elerated even further. "Vicktor, I think they are trying to bait us somewhere and block our path¡­" Jin said even after knowing that Vicktor might have already figured it out. "I know! I''m going towards a nearby mall. Once I stop the car in the basement, I want you to rush along with Young Miss to the upper floors! I''ll buy time for you to try to prevent them from following the two of you, you understand?" Vicktor asked for Jin''s confirmation. "I do," Jin nodded solemnly. The car soon rushed into the basement parking of the mall. Vicktor stopped the car near the flight of stairs. "Hurry! Go!" He eximed.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Jin immediately got out of the car, opened the back door and pulled Rachael, who had fear and uncertainty stered on her face, out of the car. Jin nced back at Vicktor onest time and saw a grinning face of Vicktor, "I''ll be depending on you this time William," he rushed the car towards the exit of the basement to stop the two SUVs who had just made their entrance. "Vick-tor! We can''t leave him behind!" Rachael tried to pull her arm out of Jin''s grasp but Jin just red at her and roared, "Shut up and follow me!" Rachel involuntarily felt scared when she looked into this new security guard''s eyes and followed him up obediently. Jin was still in possession of Vicktor''s phone so while making his way upstairs he called Adam up and told him about their location. "All right, five more minutes. We''ll be right there," The sound came from the other side. They soon reached the upper floor. He rushed his way past the security check while telling them that the woman was being followed by men and to dy them if they arrived. The men although doubtful but looking at Rachael''s despair-filled face, chose to believe him and prepared themselves. They finally entered the mall. The crowd of people around them helped them rx a bit but it was only for a few seconds. "She''s there!" A few men in grey clothes caught Rachael''s figure in the crowd and rushed towards them from the building''s main entrance. "No! No! No! No!" Rachael tried to deny the reality by repeating the words again and again. Jin tightened his grip on Rachael''s arm and pulled her up the esctor while pushing other people away to clear his path. Chapter 34: Unsatisfied "Move!" Jin pushed his way ahead of the swarm of people who were blocking his path. Honestly, Jin worried that he might fail this task. Despite his skills, he had never fought and protected someone simultaneously. Therefore he chose to run just now along with Rachael. However, fighting was inevitable as the men were gaining ground on him. Being indecisive longer would only prove detrimental to him therefore Jin finally gritted his teeth and made up his mind. "Let''s do that," He muttered as he rushed with Rachael in tow towards the nearest store. It was a clothes store. The store''s walls were made of concrete but the door was made of ss. Jin opened the door and pushed Rachael inside. "If you don''t want to get caught, stay inside!" Jin''s voice entered Rachael''s ears and by the time she turned around to reply, she saw that the door was already closed and Jin''s back-view was the only thing she could see through the door. The eyes of the men following them developed a gleam of delight when they noticed that Jin had stopped running. They increased their pace and a few momentster Jin was surrounded by the four of them. "You got nowhere else to run now. Hand over the girl and we won''t make things difficult for you." A man who seemed to be their leader stepped forward and said. Rachael could see and hear what was happening on the other side of the door. Her body once again started shivering from fear and tears started trickling down her eyes. She could only watch the events unfold now with fear and uncertainty. "You got it wrong..." Jin muttered. "What do you mean?" The man frowned and asked. "I''ve stopped not because I got nowhere to run but because I don''t need to run anymore," Jin finished and took a fighting stance the moment he did. A furious glint shed in the man''s eyes, "Fine! If you want to die so badly, so be it!" The man rushed towards Jin as he pulled out a knife which was hidden in his clothes. "Sadly, it''s toote for regrets," The man smiled ferociously and attacked Jin. "No!" Rachael''s horrified scream came from behind when she saw the knife in the man''s hands. Jin''s expression was calm. The appearance of the knife didn''t scare him. Now that he was no longer concerned about Rachael he could fully devote himself to the fight. He moved. Jin''s left hand struck the man''s wrist and with his right hand, Jin took the knife out of the man''s hand. With the knife gone fear took over the man as he tried to retreat but it was toote. The butt of the knife smashed the man''s temples and knocked him down. The next moment he copsed on the ground. The other three men''s eyes widened in shock and were reced by fury the next moment. All of them pulled out the knife and rushed like frenzied dogs towards Jin''s lonely figure. Jin was more than just confident in dealing with them. Moreover, a sense of excitement spread over him from the moment he grabbed hold of the knife. He had not been practising the knowledge he gained from the ''Knife fighting techniques'' he bought from the store earlier therefore every cell in his body became excited at the thought of finally being able to put the knowledge into practice. The men soon arrived and Jin''s body moved. He started with a defensive stance rather than an attacking one. The three men attacked simultaneously from three different directions forcing Jin to not only deflect the knives but also keep on moving his body to dodge the attacks. Rachael was crying out for help all this while but everyone inside and outside the store did not dare to approach the fighting figures. They were too afraid to get involved in a knife fight. The three men kept on attacking Jin. A thrust towards the chest, A sh at the shoulders, A stab aimed at the heart, Jin kept on evading and defending the attacks by parrying and dodging their attacks. A crazed look of excitement started taking form on Jin''s face. He was getting drunk on this feeling. When the drunkness reached a certain level Jin stopped dodgingpletely and focused all his attention on parrying the attacks with his own de. ''Is this guy crazy?'' The exact thought rang in all three of their minds but they didn''t stop and continued to attack him relentlessly. They thought that Jin was on hisst leg and they were going to win in a matter of time. However, they soon realized that this spection from their side was utterly wrong. ''A monster...''n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om That was the only thought that appeared in their eyes as they looked at monsters parrying almost all their attacks. The asional cuts and wounds which were sessfully inflicted upon him didn''t seem to affect him in any manner which further made the men doubt their eyes. ''More More Give me more!'' Jin however was on cloud nine. The asional pangs of pain which he felt only served to further fuel his excitement and he started gaining momentum over the three men. The people observing the fighting couldn''t believe their eyes. A single man was starting to overpower three other men in a knife fight. "STOP THEM!" An authoritative voice came from behind which attracted the three men''s attention. "Shit, Their backup is here! Run!" One of the men said. Without a second thought, they all distanced themselves from Jin and ran for their lives leaving a confused Jin behind who soon recovered from his state. Looking at the escaping men Jin clicked his tongue in annoyance as he muttered in a voice filled with frustration, "Just when I was about to reach the climax..." A few men rushed to prevent the three men from escaping while the others reached Jin. "Thank you, William! If not for you something unthinkable might have happened to our young miss," The man said gratefully. Seeing the wounds all over Jin''s body the man told someone to apany Jin to the hospital and then proceeded to take Rachael back home. Chapter 35: Aftermath Rachael who was guided out of the mall by the security guards of her mansion tried to stretch her neck out to get a clear view of Jin''s back among the crowd of people. She wanted to thank him for protecting her life but she had lost her opportunity. By the time she had recovered from her stupor, the fight was already over and she was being guided out by her men. ''I''ll just have to do itter on,'' Rachael thought as she entered the car and was soon brought home. "Father!" Rachael called her father out tearfully when she saw his figure waiting outside the mansion for her. She rushed towards him and embraced him tightly as tears started falling down her face. "I-I was s-so scared¡­" She sobbed and voiced out all her grievances to her father who patiently listened to every word that came out of his daughter''s mouth while patting her on her back. "I know¡­I''m sorry for not being with you. It must have been very hard for you¡­" He consoled. Rachael started bawling like a child after hearing those words while clinging to her father. He continued to console her for a while. After a while, the exhausted Rachael was carried to her room by two maids. When Rachael was gone the countenance of Rachael''s father, Henry White Heart, turned as cold as an icicle. Johnson, the security head who was standing beside him could almost feel the coldness exuding from the master''s body. "By tomorrow morning I need to everything about today''s incident," he told Johnson and walked towards his room. "Yes sir," Johnson responded. It was going to be a long time for him. In the room, Henry''s gaze fell upon the small family portrait that was sitting on the table right next to the bed. ''I will not let what happened 10 years ago repeat itself,'' Meanwhile, Jin had returned back to the dormitory along with Vicktor. He met him at the hospital. While attempting to stop the SUVs he had bumped his car onto that again and again and ended up getting wounds from the broken shards of the window sses. ''Thankfully, it was nothing major,'' Jin thought. Vicktor too thought the same when he realized that the injuries which Jin sustained weren''t very threatening. It could be said that a strong bond developed between the two men after facing such a crisis even though they had known each other for less than 24 hours.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om After being treated the two had their meal outside and then returned back to the estate. In the dormitory, a few men who were still awake came to see them. They all had praise for the two individuals. They praised Vicktor for stopping the men from the two SUVs from entering the mall for as long as possible. Vicktor could only scratch his head in an embarrassed manner from all their praises. The attention soon shifted to Jin. Expressions of respect and admiration soon overtook the eyes of the men. They all had been informed by Adam on how Jin was caught in a knife fight with three men. They all were shocked at first and couldn''t believe it but Adam was known for never lying on such matters so they could only believe him. "We''ve recruited a very capable newbie," "Hah! With what he had done today could he still be called a newbie?" "Haha! That''s true. He might even be better than us hahaha!" The men joked among each other. Someone suggested a party but the idea was soon brought down as they all still had to wake up early in the morning. Everyone soon returned to their rooms. The night passed, The rays of the morning sun sneaked past the curtains and illuminated Rachael''s room. ''Ugh, it''s morning already?!'' Rachael thought in annoyance. Throughout the night she was unable to get even a wink of sleep. Her mind was constantly flooded with thoughts rted to the events which unfolded earlier. On how she was being chased by those dangerous men and how the situation which looked anything but promising saw a massive reversal all thanks to a single person. ''I don''t even know his name¡­'' Rachael shook her head to get the thoughts out of her mind and got out of bed. It was time to freshen up as she needed to attend the breakfast with her father like usual. In Henry''s office room, "Tell me what all you have found," Henry ordered Johnson. "Yes sir," Johnson began speaking and exined all the things which he had learnt thest night after interrogating one of the goons who was captured and also from various other sources. By the time Johnson finished Henry''s gaze had intensified. "The Richard Group you say¡­ I''ll have to deal with them then," Henry spoke as she stood up. He gestured for Johnson to leave. It was time for breakfast so he too soon left his office room and walked towards the dining room. Chapter 36: Personal Guard "Good morning my angel," Henry smiled at Rachael when she arrived at the dining room. "Good morning dad, Sorry for being a bitte," Rachael apologized for her dy as she took her seat. "It''s fine. Are your thoughts in order now?" Henry asked. "Yes, Dad. I feel much better after a good night''s sleep," Rachael said with a smile. Henry stared at Rachael''s face for a bit. He could see the subtle traces of dark circles under her eyelids which she had tried to hide with her make. He didn''t point it out and just nodded at her. "That''s good, Let''s start with our breakfast then," The food was soon brought to the table and breakfast soon began. When they were almost finished Henry brought out a topic which was there in his mind for a while. "Rachael, from how things are I don''t want to take any risks anymore. I''ll be assigned a personal guard for you who''ll be there to guard and monitor you all the time," Henry said with a serious expression. "But da-" "No buts, I know you like your freedom and don''t want your private time to be disturbed by others but you must also understand where I''ming from. What if the two guards you chose to bring out with you yesterday weren''t there? What if you had decided to sneak out alone like usual? Do you think you could have escaped those men?" Henry tried to convince Rachael. "This¡­" Rachael was at a loss for words. On one side, she wanted to have her personal space and not be bothered by a guard all the time but on the other side, the thought of something simr to yesterday happening again haunted her. After careful consideration, she finally made a decision, "I understand Dad, I''ll do that but is it possible for me to choose the guard whom I want by my side?" "Are you talking about the one that saved your life?" Henry asked. He had already been informed about that by Johnson. "But he''s still new¡­do you really want him?" Henry voiced out his concerns "Yes, if it''s him I''ll be at ease. Those kidnappers told him to leave me be and they would let him off but he still fought them and protected me. I believe I can trust him," Rachael said with an honest expression. "Alright then, I''ll inform him about it," Henry said after a thought and the breakfast soon came to an end. ¡­ Since Jin did an early morning shift yesterday, he was to take his post in the afternoon today. However, this didn''t mean that he could rx and sleep extra hours. In the dormitory, except for those in night duties, everyone wakes up by 6 in the morning. Those who have shifts directly report to it and those who are free engage in physical exercises. The gym was quite well equipped and Jin loved it the moment he entered it. After an intense one-hour session he freshened up and went for his breakfast. After he was done with that, he had nned to spend the rest of his time in the entertainment room to pass the time but Anna, the maid, informed him something. "William, the family head is looking for you. The head butler called me just now and told me to tell you to report to the mansion," "Alright, thanks for informing me," Jin went to his room to dress up properly and reported to the mansion soon. The butler was waiting for him and soon guided him to Henry''s office room. Knock Knock. "Sir, I''ve brought him," The butler said as he knocked on the door. "Let him in," A voice escaped from the room. The butler gestured for Jin to go inside.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The moment Jin entered he felt a piercing gaze directed towards him from the center of the room. Henry''s gaze was scrutinizing Jin from top to bottom. Before Jin could greet him, he was met with a question, "So you''re William?" "Yes sir," Jin replied. "I''ve heard a lot about your exemry disy of courage and bravery from Johnson. Good performance needs to be rewarded so you can expect a bonus to show up in your ount by today evening," Henry said with a smile on his face. "Thank you, sir!" Jin replied. He didn''t know how much he would be getting paid but any amount was good. "Alright, then let mee to the main reason as to why I''ve called you today," A serious expression took over Herny''s earlier expression as he continued, "'' I''ve made some enemies in this business world and they are now targeting Rachael. What I want you to do is to protect Rachael with everything you have until I deal with these bastards. Can I trust you with this task?" "I''ll do my utmost to live up to your expectations sir, "Jin replied. "Johnson''s waiting for you outside. He''ll brief you on what you need to make sure while performing your duty. You may leave," Henry said and Jin soon left the room. Outside like Henry had said Johnson was waiting for him. He handed him a document containing the SOPs he needed to make sure while guarding Rachael. "I''ve changed the roster and you don''t need to work today. Get familiar with everything that''s in this file by the end of the day. You''ll be starting your new post as a young miss''s personal guard starting tomorrow. Understand?" Johnson asked. "Yes sir," Jin replied. "Good," Johnson patted Jin''s shoulder and told him to leave. He then turned around and entered Henry''s office. "Is the A team ready?" Henry asked when he saw Johnson''s arrival. "Yes sir," Johnson replied affirmatively. "Start with the purge then," Henry said with a ruthless gaze. Johnson nodded and soon left the room. By the next morning, several underground businesses run by the Richard Group had turned to ashes. Various important documents were procured and were under the scrutiny of Henry''s men for anything which could be used against the Richard Group. Chapter 37: Standing Guard *Yawn* Jin was currently reading the SOPs that Johnson handed down to him. The initial delight he got from being given leave from today''s job soon went away when he poured himself into reading the said document. ''Isn''t this a bit too boring¡­'' Jin thought to himself. He had only read three pages of this ten-page-long document. What was worse was the fact that he had been staring at the 4th page for about half an hour or so thereby wasting away his time. "You must always stay close to the person you''re guarding¡­" Jin started reading each and every word out loud to force his mind to focus on the given task. From the way things were going, it was clear that this would take quite some time to finish. *BUZZ* A notification sound came from his phone and Jin picked it up to check. ''50,000 Draks had been credited to your ount'' The message read. [A/N:- It took me a while toe up with a name for the currency. TADA~ Here it is. With 50k Draks one should be able to buy a PS5 console in our world] "Sweet!" Jin eximed. ''This must be what the family head was talking about,'' Jin thought. His earlier dull mood was soon overtaken by joy. This helped Jin concentrate on the document. If he did good in his task then he would definitely be getting more of such bonuses in the future. Jin managed to finish the document by 10 PM. Before going to bed, he updated Mr. Robert about thetest happening. ''Maybe he might give me a bonus as well,'' Jin thought as he sent the text message.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om A reply soon came. "That''s great! Try to gain her trust and we might be able to find something significant in the future," The text read. To Jin''s disappointment, there were no bonuses. "Cheapskate," Jin clicked his tongue. He soon went to bed. The next day Jin woke up early in the morning. He was thankful that he read the whole document because, on itsst page, it was written that he needed to shift to a guest room in the mansion so that he could keep watch on the youngdy in a much better manner. There wasn''t much to pack so it took around thirty minutes to get everything inside his bag and he left for the mansion in the morning. Much earlier than usual. At the mansion, he was soon shown to his room which was on the ground floor. Since it was such a huge mansion it was not just used by Henry and Rachael. The maids, butlers and cooks all lived here in the mansion on the ground floor. There were an adequate number of rooms for all. The best thing about this was that everyone had a single room to themselves. Jin arranged his room and got ready. He ate his breakfast at the staff mess and reported to Johnson in the morning. "You''re all done with the shifting?" Johnson asked. "Yes sir," Jin replied. "Good, wait here. After the family and the young miss are done with their breakfast I''ll guide you to her room," Johnson told him. Jin acknowledged. After about half an hour Jin was guided to the dining room by Johnson. Both Herny and Rachael were sitting there. "Here''s the guard you were talking about, He''ll standing guard outside your room every day. Take him along if you want to go outside," At Jin''s arrival Henry told Rachael. She nodded. "Also, I hope you don''t try to sneak away anymore. I''m only appointing you a single guard but if you do something like that I''ll have to assign more," Henry cautioned just for the sake of it. "I know Dad, I won''t," Rachael folded her hands and said in annoyance. "Haha alright," Henry chuckled and turned towards Jin. "I expect you to do your task in the best possible manner. No harm shoulde to my daughter, understand?" "Yes sir," Jin acknowledged. "Alright then, I''ll be going to see thepany," Henry told Rachael and left the seat. Johnson went along with him. "What''s your name by the way?" Rachael asked as she got up from her seat. "It''s William," Jin replied politely. "William, thank you for saving my life back then. If not for you I don''t know what might have happened to me. Therefore, if you need anything and can''t ask my father for it due to some reasons don''t hesitate to ask me for it," Rachael said in an earnest manner. "I''ll keep that in mind, ma''am," Jin nodded. "Follow me then," Rachael said as she walked towards her room upstairs. "I won''t be going out for a while so you only need to keep a guard at the door. If there''s anything I need I''ll call for you," She said as she walked up the stairs. "I understand," Jin responded while following her. "That''s my personal maid, Ang," Rachael introduced a maid to Jin who just exited out of Rachael''s room. You''ll be meeting her a lot. The two greeted each other politely. Rachael soon went inside her room which was all cleaned up by Ang and opened up herptop. She was going the binge the rest of the series which she was watching. "So, you''re young miss''s guard. I heard a lot about you," Ang gently smiled at Jin. She was a woman in her early thirties and looked very responsible. "Yes, Nice to meet you, Miss Ang?" Jin said with a doubtful face. "Mrs. actually," She lifted her left hand to show her ring to him with a great smile on her face. "You can just call me Ang though. Don''t stress about the age. Everyone does the same here," "I''ll keep that in mind, Ang," Jin replied. "That''s better, I''ll be going then. I need to take care of other chores. Take care of the miss while I''m away," She waved her hand at him and left. Jin stood guard right next to Rachael''s door. Chapter 38: Going Out ''Is she still the same woman whom I met earlier?'' Jin thought while he stood guard at the door. He had been observing Rachael all this while and her way of acting was in total contrast to the one crazy woman whom he had met outside the theatre hall a few weeks back. ''Who cares, I''ll just do my job'' Jin shook away his thoughts to other important things, like how he would be getting a new mission in less than a month from now. It was not the system mission but the one William would be receiving from the Organization he was part of. He was supposed toplete the said missions no matter what. If he failed toplete them then the organization would make his identity public. Not that Jin was worried about William''s identity being disclosed, he could always leave everything behind and escape with another identity. However, Jin didn''t want to do that. Being part of the organization would enable him to procure more and more Kill Points. Although killing individuals who were not part of the system''s mission would give him fewer points he would be dealing in quantity rather than quality. The organization sends missions in regr time periods. The erratic pattern of system missions would lead to instances of his KP bnce being zero, just like how it was now. "NOOOOO!" Rachael''s cry was heard from inside the room and Jin was alerted. He pushed open the door to rushed inside to help Rachael. ''Huh?'' Jin couldn''t help but gawk at Rachael''s figure. "NOOOO! This bastard! How could you betray her? Rot in hell! Yes! rot in hell!" On the other side, Rachael who had her headphones on was throwing all kinds of abuses at herputer screen. Her face was all red from anger as she did so. ''Crazy woman'' Jin was about to mutter out his thoughts when he heard a chuckle from behind him. He turned around. It was Ang. She hade with a table filled with snacks for Rachael. "Don''t mind that. The young miss has had an avid interest when ites to movies and series since childhood. Therefore, sometimes she''s a bit outspoken when it''s regarding these things," Ang exined. "You call that a bit¡­" Jin muttered with an unnatural expression. "It''s better to approach things in a more euphemistic manner don''t you think?" Ang smiled back at Jin''s remark as she pushed the food trolley into the room. "Let''s go," Ang said when she turned around. Rachael was too engrossed in the screen to notice them. Jin nodded and he was soon back to standing guard at the door. ''So, she''s still the same crazy woman I had met earlier¡­'' Jin thought. He was kind of relieved to know that. A week passed by, Nothing much happened during this time except for Jin finding out how batshit crazy Rachael was when ites to movies and online series. Sounds of abuses, encouragement, excitement and sadness. He had heard them alling out of that room during the past week. "KYAAAAAAAA He''s so cuteee¡­" Another voice came out of the at the moment. "She''s a total nutcase," Jin sighed with annoyance. The next day, Rachael woke up and stretched her body a bit. The movie therapy she had been given herself the whole past week had helped her get the things about the kidnapping attempt out of her mind. She had been getting very good sleep during these days. She walked towards the bathroom like usual and observed herself. It was her daily routine to do that. "It''s finally gone!" She eximed. She was talking about the bruise on her neck. She traced her hand across her neck. The more she saw it the better it felt. "I can finally go outside in the clothes I prefer. Finally!" Rachael said cheerfully and started with her morning chores. After finishing with her she once again admired her white bruise free neck. She suddenly thought of the man who had blemished it with his hands. "If I get my eyes on you in the future, I''ll make William beat the hell out of you," She muttered with anger clear in her eyes. When she got out the bathroom the first thing she did was to message her friends in their chat group. Rachael: "Georgia! Alexie! Let''s meet. Georgia: "Huh? After rejecting us all this while what makes you think we want to meet with you bitch?". Alexie: "Georgia, don''t talk like that. Where should we meet Rachael?" Rachael: "Mhmm¡­Let''s meet at the usual ce. I''ve got a lot of things to talk with the two of you hehe," Rachael sent her text. Georgia: "SPILL THE TEA!" Rachael: Nawr! Georgia: Tch, alright. At what time should we meet?" Rachael: Let''s meet at noon. Georgia: Done! Alexie: Done here as well. I can''t wait to know about it. My Alexie senses tell me that this is going to be worth it. ¡­ It was soon decided that they were going to meet at noon. After having a breakfast with her father Rachael went back to her room. She the rest of the time in leisurely getting ready to meet her friends. It had been a while since she dolled herself up so she was taking her time with it while enjoying herself to the fullest. Almost two hourter Rachael exited her room. Jin''s eyes widened subtly when he saw her appearance. A simple grey shirt tucked into a high-rise white colored pants. Only that much was enough to enhance her beauty by several folds. However small Jin''s reaction may have been Rachael was still able to catch hold of it and was pleased by it.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Let''s go," she said and walked towards the exit. Jin shook his mind into order and followed after her. A car was soon brought at the mansion''s entrance by Jin. "Where to ma''am?" Jin asked when Rachael was inside the car. "Forest Restaurant," Rachael replied. Chapter 39: Killer Selection Test A/N: Oops that short leave ended up longer than expected. My apologies. The car soon stopped at the destination and Rachael got out of the vehicle. The restaurant lived up to the ''forest'' in its name as from the outside it looked like a building with vines all over the ce. They were ced in a deliberate manner to ensure that the restaurant front looked as ambient as possible. Rachael pushed open the restaurant door and got in with Jin following just behind her. The interior was much darker and was decorated with potted nts hanging around the ceiling and the walls were covered in portraits of forest cover. The dim interior lights also enhanced the customer experience. "Rachael!" "Here!" Two distinct voices were directed towards Rachael a few momentster. "Georgia! Alexie!" Rachael excitedly greeted them by hugging both of them. She soon took a seat along with her friends. Jin took a seat a few tables away from them so as to not disturb them. Though he made sure that Rachael and the restaurant''s exit was always visible to him. "Who''s that guy you came up with? Did you finally get a bodyguard?" Georgie asked after the initial greetings. She was a tall slender woman with curvy brown hair. The shortest of the three, Alexie, too looked at Rachael with an inquisitive expression. "Well¡­a lot of things happened¡­" Rachael started telling them about everything that had happened to her. About how she was chased by a few people and all her experiences while trying to escape their pursuit. "He''s the guy who fought with all the men alone who had knives in their hands. You wouldn''t believe how incredible and frightening that scene looked. There were a lot of cuts all over his body but he still kept on exchanging knives with those thugs¡­" "Oh my god! Rachael¡­are you in love?" Alexie gasped and immediately took out a notepad from her handbag. "What the hell? How did youe to that conclusion?" Rachael frowned at Alexie''s excited self. "It would be a surprise if she didn''te to that conclusion after hearing you describe that incident with so much excitement," Georgia added. "Indeed, the hero saves the damsel and then she falls for him. That''s how the plot usually goes," Alexie said with excitement and noted a few things down. "What the hell are you even noting down?" Rachael rebuked in frustration. "Nothing, just making up the future plot line if this was a story," Alexie said. It was her usual mental exercise to enhance her writing ability. "So, how''s the future looking?" Georgia asked in a joking manner. "Pretty good, the heroine is going to reject her feelings until another major ident urs and boom! She can no longer deny that she''s not in love¡­kyaaaa how exciting," Alexie said as she embraced herself in excitement. "Haha! I like that! So, when are they gonna kiss?" Georgia asked further. "Enough!" Rachael finally couldn''t take it anymore and shouted at the two to stop the teasing. "Tch¡­alright alright," Georgia folded her hands and turned around. In the direction of her gaze was Jin''s figure was sitting a few tables away. "Come to think of it, he looks quite good," She muttered. Alexie and Rachael followed her gaze and saw Jin''s figure sitting a few tables away. Sensing the gazes Jin turned his head towards them which led to the three of them immediately turning their heads away. "What the hell did I tell you just now? You''re still going to be like this?" Rachaelshed out at Georgia from embarrassment. "Hey don''t me me¡­it just left out of my mouth when I saw him," Georgia muttered. Jin only nced at them for a few seconds before moving his gaze back to something more important. A wild mission had popped up. -x-x-x-x-x-x-MISSION-x-x-x-x-x-x-x Objective: Give the Killer Selection Test as Agent William. Test Location: [click] Time Limit: 10hrs. Reward: Based on your grading. Intel: The organization Agent William is part of is conducting its monthly Killer Selection Test tonight at 2300hrs.It is open to all members of the organization. Bing an official killer of the organization will make it easier for you to get good missions. -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x¡ªx-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x ''Well¡­why not,'' Jin thought. Things were getting quite boring for him so he too was looking for a bit of change. With him constantly honing his skills every day it was natural that he wanted to have more opportunity to showcase them. Thest knife fight which had with those men had only left him craving for more. ''Why are there no penalties though? Does the system already know that I won''t reject this mission?'' Jin thought to himself. He ordered a drink and a few snacks while waiting for Rachael and the others. After an hour and a half, they were all finally done with everything and stood up. They had a couple of cocktails so they were a bit tipsy. "Hey Mr. Bodyguard, I''ve heard a lot about you from our friend here, Rachael say hi to your bodyguard," Georgia said as the three of them walked towards him. "Stop it, you''re too drunk," Rachael admonished Georgia who was too high. "William, can you take her to her car? I''ll be helping Alexie," "Who needs your help huh? I''m a writer! I can write a few words and the world will help me¡­hehe, I should note that down," Alexie blurted. "Yeah, yeah, let''s go," Rachael helped Alexie out while Jin did the same for Georgia. "You got quite some muscles there huh? It feels good to touch them," Georgia who was leaning onto Jin''s chest pressed his pecs with her hand. "Miss¡­can you mind your hand a little," Jin for whom it was the first time being molested like this voiced out his thoughts. "Oops¡­here, you can touch mine as an apology," Georgia gave Jin the sweetest smile she could as she turned her upper body towards him.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ''Crazy bitch¡­'' Jin thought. He could clearly see that she still had traces of rationality in her eyes and was just teasing him under the guise of being drunk. Georgia chucked seeing Jin''s helpless expression, "Oo there''s my car~" She pointed towards a card and added, "Too bad Mr. Bodyguard, you missed a golden opportunity, I''m generous though so you can avail it the next time we meet, Cya~" Jin saw her enter her car and the driver soon drove her out. "Her friends are just as crazy as her," Jin muttered and went back to see Rachael. She had already guided Alexie back to her car and was now waiting for him. "Did Georgia say anything unnecessary?" Rachael asked. ''Yes, she bloody molested me and told me that I can molest her back as an apology!'' Jin wanted to speak his mind but he replied with a simple "No". A man should keep his worries to himself. "That''s a relief. Let''s go then," The two soon got into the car and left the ce. A/N: Oh, and I''m going to delete the two chaps rted to my writing about dy in updation. It''s a bit irritating to see the total number of chaps at 41 when it''s actually at 39. Also, from now on I''ll be adding such things in thetest chapter''s end as ''A/N'' or in itsment section. So keep an eye out for that! Chapter 40: Red Night Aftering back, it was work like usual. Jin usually worked until eight o''clock in the evening. After that, he went out of the estate. Although he was supposed to always remain close to Rachael things were a bit lenient when she was at home. Therefore, he could go out at night if he wished to. Jin had a light dinner at a restaurant outside as he observed the location on the system''s map. It was a nightclub. To be precise, it was a ce under the nightclub. Jin had a few recollections about the Killer Selection Test from William''s memories. Agent William had attended them a couple of times but only as an observer. He never dared to participate because of how dangerous they were. Moreover, he wasn''t very much interested in getting promotions in the organization. If not for the fact that the organization had ckmail material against him, he wouldn''t even participate in the monthly missions he was assigned. Talking about monthly missions, Jin realized something which he had missed until now. All the monthly missions which William had been assigned until now involved one of the following: theft, threatening the target to get some information, Kidnapping or a mixture of all three of them. None of the missions assigned were for killing people. This meant that if he needed to get missions involving killing then he needed to up his rank in the organization. The lowest in the organization were called Agents. They numbered quite a lot and all the misceneous shady tasks of the organization were carried out by them. Next in rank came Killer. Just like the name, a Killer needs to do only one thing and that is to kill. Each of them was very proficient in unarmedbat and had no qualms about taking someone''s life. There were more ranks but William wasn''t aware of them. It was something that would only be revealed after one had be a Killer. Jin got up from his seat and took a taxi to the nightclub. Since he was no longercking in money taking a taxi didn''t make him feel a pang in his wallet. ''It feels good to have money,'' Jin thought as the taxi moved towards the destination. He had whatever he wanted in the restaurant for dinner and didn''t need to look at the menu. It was surely a good feeling. An hourter, Jin had reached the destination. ''Red Night'' That''s what the club''s name was. It looked quite popr as there was a long line outside. It was still 10 PM so there was still an hour for the selection test. Jin patiently waited in line and finally made his way in after fifteen minutes. His ears were weed with loud music the moment he entered the ce. Red lights were being shed all around and men and women were dancing crazily to the beats. Most of them looked high and had no awareness of their surroundings. ''Would they believe if someone told them that this ce was the base of a Hitman Organization?'' Jin thought as he made his way further in. He made his way through a swarm of people to the other side. On the way, he met with a few drunk and scantily d women who moved their arms over him. He was a bit tempted but he was clear on his goals. Jin shook those thoughts out of his mind and soon left the crowd of people and made his way forward. It was a two-way door which was guarded by two bulky men. On the top of the door, it was clearly written: Staff Only Jin approached the two men and before they could say anything he passed his phone to one of the men. The man took Jin''s phone and took out a scanner from his back pocket. He scanned the phone''s back with it. An invisible bar code was marked on the back of all phones issued by the organization.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "BEEP" A green light soon appeared on the scanner and Jin was allowed in. Jin took out a ck surgical mask from his pocket and wore it before walking through the door. "Go straight and then take a right, you''ll see stairs going down," One of the guards had said when Jin entered the door. Jin followed the instruction and soon there was a flight of stairs going down in front of him. He walked straight down. After walking down what felt like 50 steps, he finally reached the basement. Another two-way door was in front of him but this was guarded by no one. Jin pushed it open and the moment he did his sight was weed by arge group of people who were encircling a raised tform around 12mX12m in dimensions. The tform was currently empty though the light was directed onto it. The surroundings wereparatively dark. There were a lot of people of were agents just like Jin. A lot of them were wearing different masks as well but there were also quite a few who just didn''t care and showed their faces. Jin checked the time and there were still 20 more minutes until the start of the test. A man wearing a mask approached Jin and asked, "Do you want to observe or participate?" "Participate," Jin said. "Very well, follow me," The man guided Jin to the front of the crowd and he was made to sit on a chair in the front row. There were five other people already sitting there and Jin was the sixth. The moment Jin approached all five pairs of eyes were directed towards Jin scrutinizing him from top to bottom. Jin took his seat under their gazes. "Are you scared of showing your face little man?" a bulky-looking man among the participants taunted Jin once he took his seat. "Your gay ass will fall for me, so yes I am," words left Jin''s mouth without much thought. These guys were hispetitors so he had no intention of acting nice. "Tch, I''ll rip that mouth of yourster," The man replied in anger. He wanted to take action but was restrained because of the test. He didn''t want to get disqualified for acting rashly. "You''re wee to try if you don''t value your life," Jin replied in an uninterested manner and continued to ignore the man from there on. The man too stopped after gritting his teeth in anger when he saw that Jin was no longer paying attention to him. Time passed by quickly and another participant soon took the seat and the test finally began. Chapter 41: Provocation *Whistle* The bulky man whistled once he saw thetest participant. The reason was not only because they too were wearing a mask just like Jin but also because she was a woman. The only woman among the participants was a woman. From this, it was clear that the man had a habit of provoking people. ''I''m surprised he''s still alive with that kind of an attitude,'' Jin thought to himself. From how reckless the man was it meant he was either crazy or extremely skilled. The woman too was not someone to take a loss. She shoved a middle finger right in front of the man''s face. "Oo this one got some attitude, totally my type," The bulky man saidsciviously as he licked his lips. *Tch* The woman could only click her tongue in frustration and walked to her seat. She had arrived just a couple minutes before 2300 Hrs. Therefore, she didn''t have to wait for long as an anchor soon stepped onto the stage. "Good morning, Killers and Agents. Wee to the 35th edition of the Killer Selection Test. Are you all ready to see some blood?!" "YESS!" The crowd roared crazily. As the earlier cid atmosphere started gaining momentum. ''This looks more like an event rather than a test¡­'' Jin thought in his mind. "Alright! So, without wasting any more time let me brief the participants about today''s test. Participants!" The man''s voice spread across the room as all the lights were directed towards the participants. Jin noticed the other participants standing up after hearing the man''s words. He followed them and waited for the anchor''s next words. "Gentlemen and thedy, the test at hand today is a Knife fight!" Cheers echoed all around them when the following words left the anchor''s mouth. It was clear that they were looking forward to what was going to happen. "From all the cheers you all might have already guessed that this test has one of the highest failing rates," The anchor said as hardened expressions slowly formed on the faces of the participants. The anchor snapped his finger and a person distributed tag numbers to all the participants. It was distributed in the order in which they all entered the ce. Jin got the number 6 and the woman after him got the number 7. "You''ll be made topete with our killers who are at the bottommost ranks. You''ll either kill them and take their ce or it would be them who will kill you and secure their position. There are no time limits. It''s survival of the fittest so be prepared to lose your life¡­or take one if you''repetent enough. That''s it for the rules," The anchor called up number 1 to the stage after finishing up with his exnation about the test. Jin and the rest stood there and watched the events unfold. They had no intention of taking a seat. It would be foolish to rx their body it needed to be used to its fullest a few momentster. Seven Killers soon made their way. They stood on the side opposite where the participants were standing. A bald man soon walked up to the stage. He was Number 1''s opponent. Their bodies were checked and after they were cleared, they were handed abat knife. "The match will begin at the sound of the bell," The anchor said as he retreated down the stage. Silence ensued as the two opponents stared into each other''s eyes. Waiting anxiously for the bell to ring. *RING* *THUD* The bell rang and a body fell on the ground. It was Number 1. A knife had gone through his forehead. It was only after a few seconds that everyone realized that Number 1''s opponent had thrown his knife right at his forehead the moment the bell rang. Thus came the end of round 1. It was now the turn of Number 2. The Killer was also changed since he had secured his position with a kill earlier. The rest of the matches up to Number 4 ended up with the Killer''s side winning. Gouged eyeballs and throats were amon sight and by the time it was Number 5''s turn the brownish stage''s colour had darkened because of continuous wiping of the blood after each stage. Number 5 was the burly man who had mocked Jin. The deaths so far didn''t seem to phase him at all as he leisurely made his way towards the stage. His opponent seemed to be a bit intimidated by his build as the moment the match began, he threw his knife towards the man in order to finish the match in the quickest manner. ''You think that would work?'' The man grinned as he deflected the iing knife with his own before rushing towards his opponent. The Killer tried to put up a fight but his techniques didn''t prove better whenpared to the man''s strength. He overwhelmed his opponent with strength and under the futile resistance of the Killer twisted his neck. The Killer''s lifeless body fell on the ground but that was not the end as the man plunged his knife straight into the Killer''s heart as a finishing move as blood spurted out of the wound and covered the stage. Only then the man was satisfied. He then turned towards Jin and said, "Watch your back, you bastard," Jin responded to the man''s provocation with a silent stare. It was true that the man was quite strong but Jin wasn''t scared. He had no intention of getting into a fistfight with a man much heavier than him, he''d directly shoot him thrice if the need be. After the stage was cleaned once again. Jin was called up. He walked onto the stage. Jin felt the knife which he was given and familiarized his hand with his weapon. A sense of excitement once again took over him as the bell rang.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Both the Opponents attacked each other. Taking lessons from the previous match the Killer had no intention the knife out of his hand. This was exactly what Jin wanted. He thrusted, parried and shed at his opponent one after the other. While one side seemed to be struggling for life the other seemed to be trying to wring everything out of his opponent. ng! ng! ng! A series of sounds of knives shing with each other enthralled the crowd as they all cheered with everything they had. This was by far the most exciting and the longest any match had got and they were all for it. Jin had already gauged his opponent''s strength. He was much stronger and more skilled than the thugs he had faced at the mall. In short, this man was exactly what Jin had been looking for. Like a wild beast, Jin devoted himself to shing and parring. ''This madman! ''The killer as he dodged a knife thrust right towards his eyes. The crowd cheered like rabid dogs. This was the most energetic they had been today. Unfortunately, like all good things, this exciting moment was short-lived. "Good match," Jin muttered as he changed the trajectory of his attack. The sudden change took the Killer by surprise as he helplessly saw Jin''s knife plunging deep into his neck. He wanted to take Jin down along with him but Jin had long anticipated that and quickly distanced himself from the Killer who soon drowned in his own blood. The crowd immediately went silent before roaring like madmen in excitement. Jin didn''t forget to return the provocation as he stared back at the bulky man for a few seconds before making his way down the stage. Chapter 42: Test Over The burly man seeing Jin''s provocation clenched his hand in frustration. He had seen Jin''s matchpletely and was aware of his skills. He was frustrated because he knew that if he wanted to deal with Jin then he would have to pay a huge price which might even be his own life. When the stage was all cleaned up it was finally time for thest match of the day. Number 7 soon walked up the stage. "Don''t you dare die before I have a taste of you, bitch," The burly man remarked as Number 7 passed by his side. He had forgotten about Jin and his whole focus was now at Number 7''s ass as she made her way up the stage. She clenched her hand in anger after hearing the burly man''s remarks. Her opponent soon entered the stage. He was much taller whenpared to her and therefore had a long reach. The match between them soon ensued. From the public''s perspective, it wasn''t an exciting fight but from the woman''s perspective, it was the most intense fight of her life. Her opponent was much stronger and taller than her. She waspensating for this disadvantage with only her skills. However, in a fight at times, mistakes happen and these mistakes can cost someone their life. Luckily, in this case, it wasn''t that severe. "ARGH!" Number 7 groaned as her opponent plunged his knife into her thighs. She was forced to let go of her knife from the severe pain which she felt. "That''s some good thighs you got," Her opponentmented as he twisted the knife that was stuck in her thigh. Number 7 screeched like a maniac as her opponent took pleasure in her pain. "Such a lovely voice you got, why don''t you show me your lovely face as well before dying to my knife?" The Killer closed in on Number 7 who was groaning with pain on the floor. Her weapon was quite far from her so the Killer didn''t find the situation risky.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om He was more interested in seeing the dying face of his victim. The man grabbed the mask that was covering the top half of her face and removed it. With the mask removed Number 7''s curly brown hair which was being held up inside the mask popped out. Jin''s eyes widened a bit in surprise but he shook those thoughts away. From his position only Number 7''s hair was visible. It could just be a coincidence he said to himself. "Damn, aren''t you a beauty," The Killer lost himself for a bit as he traced his hand over Number 7''s delicate face. Seeing a chance, Number 7 bit onto the killer''s finger and bit deeply into it. "You bitch!" The Killer eximed as he forcefully pped her face. This only increased the Killer''s pain as with the added momentum from the p Number 7 was able to chop off the man''s finger. "I''ll kill you!" The man roared but to his horror, his finger was spat right onto his face by the woman. It took a couple of seconds for him to recover from this psychological move but by then Number 7 had plunged out the knife that was stuck into her thighs with a groan and stabbed it right into the man''s throat as blood gushed right out of the wound she made. All this happened with Number 7 still lying on her back as a result most of the blood spurted all over her face and hair. Disgusting as it was, it allowed her to prevent anyone from knowing her identity as she reached for her mask. Anyone but Jin that is. The moment the woman raised her bloody face to reach for her mask the identity of the woman became vividly clear to him. Number 7 soon put back her mask and limped out of the stage. The medical staff who were on standby soon began with the first aid treatment. "With that, today''s Killer Selection Testes to an end. Ladies and Gentlemen let''s have a big round of apuse for our new Killers!" The anchor announced the next moment as cheers filled the ce. The anchor then requested the audience to leave the ce because the registration for the newly made Killers was going to begin next. It took a while for the area to be emptied and it was enough for Number 7''s stab wound to be cleaned up and tightly bandaged. This helped her somewhat recover her mobility. "So, let''s get you three registered now that everyone has left," The anchor asked for their phones and plugged them into three different tablets. The anchor pressed a lot of buttons on the tablets and after he was done a software update began on all three phones. "That''s the new interface you''ll be using as Killers," The anchor said as he handed the phone back to the three of them. "With this, you three are now official members of our organization and are at a high enough rank to know its name, our organization is called KIA. An application by the same name is now avable on your devices. You can use that application to avail of various services given by us. Do you need weapons? We''ll provide it to you as long as you have enough money, you want explosives? It would take time but we''ll provide that to you as well, all for an appropriate price. With that said, our short meetinges to an end. If our fate align then we''ll meet each other in the next ranking test as well," The anchor said with a smile. "Oh, and another thing. For safety reasons, I''ve seen that the three of you are not on very good terms with each other. Therefore, the three of you will leave this ce one by one in 10 minutes interval. "And what if we not?" The burly man asked. "You see, you don''t have a choice," The anchor gave the man a harmless smile as he pped his hands and the room was filled with ten men in front of whom the man no longer looked burly. Seeing the man quietened down, the anchor turned towards Number 7 and said, "Ladies first," as he gestured towards the exit. Ten minutester, it was Jin''s turn. "I believe with your skills we''ll be meeting very soon Mr. William," The anchor said softly as he bid Jin goodbye. Jin nodded at the man and soon left the scene. Chapter 43: Mr. Bodyguard? When Jin got out of the Nightclub, he removed his mask blended in with the crowd outside and started walking to an open area to take a taxi back home. However, on his way, the murmurings of the people around him caught his attention. "They dragged her into that alley¡­shouldn''t we do something?" A woman asked the man beside her. "They clearly look like thugs and this seems to be their area¡­ it''s best that we don''t meddle¡­" The man said as they passed by Jin. Jin might have ignored such words because he wasn''t a hero but the moment, he heard those words the image of Number 7 that is, Georgia entered his mind. Jin changed his decision and started walking towards the alley those people were talking about. "Hehe, we have a good catch today," One of the men said. "Don''t get swayed with lust you bastard and help me tie her properly before she recovers from the stun gun''s effect," The man''s partner said. "Alright, alright," The other man bent down to tie both of the women''s legs properly. While at it he didn''t forget to get a feel of her legs. "Tch, it''s a pity that the boss will have her first¡­her body might be broken by the end of it," The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You can always have a duel with the boss if you want to be the first one," The other man joked. "I''ll pass on that. I value my life more," The man said as he tightened the ropes over Georgia''s legs. She was now like a pig ready to get butchered with both her hands and feet tied. Georgia soon woke up from her dizzy state. The pain from the taser could still be felt by her. She wanted to groan out in pain but the tape over her mouth prevented her from doing so. She quickly realized her position as her blurry vision cleared up and two men withscivious expressions on their faces were staring at her like she was their prey. An expression of horror soon took over her face, "On second thought¡­ying with the broken body doesn''t seem so bad," The man said as Georgia''s eyes which seemed to be filled with horror and uncertainty seemed to have charmed him. "That''s true," His partner agreed as he too got lost in the woman''s eyes for a few seconds. Georgia who was slowly losing hope for herself noticed a figure approaching the two men from behind. The figure was wearing a mask but she was immediately able to figure out who the figure was. It was the man who was being referred to as Number 6 in the test. ''Did he n this all out?'' Georgia thought out frustration as she started regretting her decisions. She had just been inspired by watching all the movies and dramas about hitmen, assassins and secret agents. This led to her doing her own research on the dark web and she was able to be a member of this organization. She had been adept in taekwondo since childhood and using it as a base she was able to learn several other skills. Thanks to these skills she had been performing all the missions until now until she was finally able to be an official member of this organization KIA. Upon exiting the Nightclub, she was filled with a childish sense of exhration foring another step closer to her dream of bing a top assassin. She was so lost in that feeling that she didn''t notice the two men approaching her from behind with hidden motives. As Georgia wasmenting over her fate Number 6''s figure was now just a few meters behind the two men. Jin after seeing Georgia''s state approached the two men silently from behind. He made sure not to make the slightest of noise. There were a few street lights not far so it could be said that there was a bit of light in the alley. It was just enough for Jin to urately pinpoint the pressure points on the neck of the two men. His two hands moved like a viper and mmed themselves right onto those points. The two men who were tantly staring at Georgia''s body lost colour in their eyes and fell down like sandbags under the stunned gaze of Georgia. Just as she was processing and recovering from what had just transpired, she saw Number 6 pulling up one of the men by the neck and breaking it like a twig. He did the same for the second man and Georgia was weed with the sight of two dead bodies right in front of her. As Number 6 approached her, she shivered a bit thinking that he might twist her neck as well. She finally sighed in relief when she felt Number 6''s hands undoing the ropes over her legs. It was followed by him doing the same for her legs. "Can you stand?" Number 6''s muffled voice came through the mask. Georgia nodded as she pushed herself up the floor. She however lost her bnce in between and was about to fall on her face but was caught by Number 6. A familiar smell wafted past her nose as the distance between her and Number 6''s body narrowed. She unconsciously propped her hand up Number 6''s chest to support herself. However, the moment she ced her hand over them her right hand felt a familiar sensation and groped Number 6''s chest the next moment. "¡­" "¡­Mr. Bodyguard?" Georgia called out. She had no doubt in her mind that the person behind the mask was Rachael''s bodyguard whom she had met this afternoon. "It''s you right?" She once again asked. "¡­That''s the second time you''ve tantly molested me like this you know?" Jin muttered. "I knew it!" Georgia eximed as he wrapped her hands tightly around Jin''s neck and thanked him. "Thank you! I thought I really might die today," She muttered in a muffled voice as tears finally started trickling down her eyes. Jin was a bit taken aback by this sudden intimate act. However, he soon recovered andforted the crying back of Georgia with his hand. "What an emotional scene, I almost gave a shit," Number 5''s voice echoed in their ears as he made his way into the alley.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om A/N: So yeah, I''ve gone premium now. Let me know if you feel like the writing quality diminishes or if I''m just uploading chapters with not much content in them just for the sake of earning more. This is my first time going premium so I don''t know how my behaviour will change along the way. Therefore I''ll be depending upon your views to keep myself in check. Chapter 44: Georgias Determination Number 5 nced at the lifeless body of his two subordinates. A smile with not a trace of joy soon formed on his face. "My n to effortlessly bed a beauty has been soiled thanks to a certain bastard, can you guess what I''m going to do with you Number 6?"The burly man said. His eyes fell upon Georgia''s wless face which looked even more beautiful with tears running down them. A sense of anger soon aroused in him. If not for Number 6 he would now be having a taste of that woman. What further angered him was how intimate the woman was being with Number 6. "Kill me and escape! It would be better than allowing that bastard to desecrate my body!" Georgia hurriedly said. Number 5''s match had left a strong impression on her mind. She couldn''t figure out how she could defeat that bastard in a fight, especially now that she was injured. She felt it was the same for Jin who was much lower in body weightpared to the man. Therefore, she requested Jin to kill her and escape. With her injured leg, there was no hope for her left. "That''s a good idea but what makes you think I''ll not do it with your corpse? I''ll do it with you until my sac is emptied up and then I''ll hang that naked body of yours on a street pole for the world to see the next morning. There must be a reason why you had covered your face, I can''t wait for the people you know to see you in such a state," The burly man let his disgusting thoughts out and continued. "Though it''s not like this bastard can escape from my grasp anyway. I''ll kill him and then make love with you until you die. Hahaha! Look forward to it!" The man roared as he rushed towards Jin like a wild beast. Hearing the man''s words Georgia''s whole body was shaking from fear. She was now totally devoid of hope. Jin could clearly feel her whole body shaking from trepidation as a small trace of anger evoked in his heart. "Run!" Seeing the man rush towards them Georgia who had lost all hope eximed. She wanted Jin to at least make it out alive. "I said run!" She once again eximed when she saw that Jin just stood there like a rock without doing anything. With the man only a few inches away from them she shouted in horror and closed her eyes. *BANG* When Georgia opened her eyes, she saw a stunned expression stered on the burly man''s face as a small bloody hole formed right in between his forehead. His lifeless body soon fell to the ground with a thud. Georgia soon traced back her gaze to Jin and saw a gun firmly gripped in his hand. "Let''s go, that noise must have attracted some people," Jin said as he immediately walked out of the alley with Georgie leaning on to her. A variety of questions kept on spawning in Georgia''s mind as she walked along Jin in such close proximity. ''How did he possess a gun?'' ''How was it not found out during the frisking?'' ''Am I really alive?'' ''Why did he save me?'' ''What is this weird feeling I''m having?'' ''What should I say to him?'' . . . The questions had no end to them. Jin signalled with his hand to a nearby taxi driver. The two of them soon sat inside the car.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Where''s your home?" Jin asked. Jin''s question pulled Georgia out of her stupor. "Huh? Oh Yes, It''s¡­" She soon told her address to the taxi driver and the cab started moving. Throughout the journey, there was only silence between the two. Georgia wanted to ask so many things but she held back because of the driver. The taxi soon reached the destination. Georgia looked at Jin for a few seconds before saying out a heartfelt thank you. "Thank you for today, I won''t tell anyone about what happened today so you needn''t worry," She assured Jin that his secret was safe with her. "Alright, rest well," Jin nodded back at her. Although she looked beautiful he didn''t want to get involved with this woman any further. This woman spelled trouble and he didn''t want to make his lifeplicated by getting involved with her. Sensing the distant tone in his voice Georgia was a bit saddened but she still smiled back at him and opened the door to leave. The taxi soon left leaving a trail of lonely smoke behind. Georgia sighed onest time while looking towards the departing car before turning around. The expression on her face now was that of determination. She will grow strong enough, so strong that he won''t think of her as a liability and ept her feelings. With her mind affixed, Georgia sneaked back into her estate following a familiar route. ¡­ Only when Jin had dropped Georgia back home did he receive the system''s notification about missionpletion. It could be said all this was part of the mission as well. [Mission Aplished: Grading A-> C: Reason: Identitypromised] Reward: 5000KP ''5000KP?'' Jin eximed. ''If the reward for C grading was 5000 KP just how much was the reward for A grading?'' Jin thought in despair. ''It was definitely at least 15000 KP¡­'' Jin sighed at the thought. "I just had to save a damsel in distress¡­" Jin mocked himself as he turned his sight outside the window. He opened up the system store and looked at the goods. ------------------System Store---------------------- 1) Beretta M9 - 3000 KP 2) Inventory Space (+1) - 1500 KP 3) Pain Killers ¨C 750 KP 4) Cartridge (9x19mm) x50 - 50 KP Bnce: 5000 KP ----------------------------------------------------------- Jin observed the items. ''That should be one heck of a pain killer if you''re selling it for that much huh?'' Jin thought. He bought another inventory space with his points. Today was one such incident where the importance of the inventory function was shown. If he could store more important items in his inventory then that would only turn out to be for the better. Chapter 45: Movie Time! ------------------System Store---------------------- 1) Beretta M9 - 3000 KP 2) Inventory Space (+1) - 3000 KP [current- 2] 3) Pain Killers ¨C 750 KP 4) Cartridge (9x19mm) x50 - 50 KP Bnce: 3500 KP ------------------------------------------------------- With his purchase, Jin saw the price of inventory space doubling. With gritted teeth, he bought it once again and now he owned 3 inventory spaces. His kill points bnce fell to 500KP. The price of the next inventory space was 6000 KP. Jin decided to save the rest of the points for emergency use as he closed the system interface. While the taxi was closing in on the White Heart Estate Jin opened up his stats. It had been a while since he had gazed upon it. -x-x-x-x-x-x-HITMAN SYSTEM-x-x-x-x-x-x- Name- Jin ker Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 73 kg Body Constitution-Very Good ->B Mental Constitution- Good ->C+ [A/N: For ease of understanding I''m changing these two to grades] Abilities - Training, Morph Kill Points - 500 (OPEN STORE) -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Thanks to the nutritious food he was having on a regr basis in the White Heart Estate his body had reached its ideal weight. He was no longer the frail youth he was a few months ago. A sense of detachment was slowly taking form in Jin''s mind with regard to his real identity. Every morning the person he sees in the mirror has a face different to his and is called a name different than his. If not for the system which was there to remind him that he was ''Jin'' he might have truly lost touch with his own self with time. The taxi soon arrived outside the estate and Jin soon made his way in. He didn''t find any problems with the guard. He chit-chatted with them for a few moments about work and soon made his way into the mansion. Jin took a bath to freshen up. His body was covered in sweat because of all he had gone through. After freshening up Jin reverted his body back to its original appearance. He wanted to take a look at how his original appearance looked. The appearance of the person in the mirror soon turned from someone in their mid-thirties to someone in their early twenties. Theplexion of the skin turned to one which looked very healthy. Unlike before thanks, to eating good food, Jin''s skin has seen a drastic improvement. He would easily fall into the category of good-looking men now. Jin checked out his body from top to down and he was more than happy with his progress. The sense of detachment from self which was slowly taking root in him was soon eradicated. Jin could clearly feel the mental change in him and he decided to make it a routine to see his true self every day after freshening up. He soon went to sleep. The next day, Jin woke up early and after finishing up with his routine he reported for his duty. Inside the room, Rachael was texting her friends. Rachael: Let''s go for a movie today! Alexie: Movie?! I can''t! T_T Rachael: Why?! O_O? Alexie: Just went premium on one of my books and I need to write more chapters¡­If I knew I would be forced to write so much I wouldn''t have gone premium T^T Georgia: There, there Alexie. You can do it! Remember why you started! Alexie: Thank you, Georgia, UwU¡­but It''s getting too much for me honestly¡­I might slow down. Georgia: Shut your trap and write! I didn''t raise a bitch ass pussy! Alexie: ok Mommy T^T Georgia: Good girl :) Rachael: What about you Georgia? You''lle right O^O Georgia: I can''t as well. I hurt my leg while training. Rachael: Damn¡­so it''s just me huh? Alexie: Hehe, you mean to say you and your bodyguard ;)n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Rachael: Shut up or I''ll change my review on your book to 1 star. Alexie: sorry¡­imma go then, Get well soon Georgia! Rachael: Yes, you better! I need a partner to watch movies with! Georgia: Hopefully, I will :) Their chat soon ended and Rachael could only go for a movie by herself. Still, since she had William by her side to always protect her, she didn''t really hate it. She soon got up from her bed and got ready. "Let''s go out for a movie," Rachael told Jin as she got out of her room. "Yes, ma''am," Jin acknowledged and soon prepared a car for her. A few momentster, "Which theatre hall would you like to go, ma''am?" Jin asked as he looked at her from the rear-view mirror. "Bluebird Theatre," Rachael immediately said. The car soon left for the Bluebird Theatre. Half an hourter they were at their destination. "It feels so good to be here," Rachael said as she looked at the familiar ce. She had sneaked out of the house so many times just to watch a movie here. She had started missing this ce in thest couple of weeks. ''If I find him, he''s dead,'' Rachael thought with a confident smile on her face as her eyes nced towards Jin at her side. "So, William do you like romantic movies?" Rachael asked as they were making their way into the hall. "No, I prefer watching action movies," Jin had no intention of lying just to impress Rachael. What if he ended up saying that he liked the romantic genre and she would force him to watch them along with her? Little did he know that Rachael''s next words would force him to do just that. "That can''t be¡­It must have been difficult for you to live with not much of a trace of romance in your life." A pitiable expression formed on her face as she said that and continued, "Don''t worry, I''ll make sure that you''ll be able to understand the essence of romantic films and start enjoying them soon. Let''s go. Since we''vee early, we can watch two movies back-to-back!" Rachael eximed. To Jin''s horror, she was not lying when she said that as he was made to buy tickets for the two of them for a film at noon and another at four in the evening. What was worse was the fact that both of them were romantic films! ''Can my luck me any worse¡­'' Jin chuckled mockingly at that thought as he made his way along with Rachael to the movie hall. Chapter 46: Torment When Rachael made her way into the theatre hall, she craned her neck up and tried to look at everyone around her as if to find someone. Jin who saw her action was initially a bit confused but soon realized what she was doing when he heard her mutterings. "Tch¡­he''s not here," A bit disappointed Rachale made her towards her seat and Jin followed her. "This movie has got a lot of good reviews, you''re sure to love it!" Rachael said with an expectant nce towards Jin. "I guess¡­" Jin could only reply half-heartedly. The movie soon began and just like how it had happened before, Rachael got totally engrossed in the movie. From the start to the intermission, she didn''t move her eyes away from the screen. As for Jin¡­ Zzzz He was snoring beside her. Luckily, because of how engrossed Rachael was she only found out about this when the intermission began and lights were turned back on. "This won''t do William. I know that because of your profession, you''re more inclined towards the action genre but you must not underestimate the beauty and serenity that lies in the romantic genre. Do you understand?" Rachael asked. "Yes, I do," Jin replied affirmatively. "Ok so tell me what did you understand?" Rachael asked. "¡­" "¡­seriously!" Rachael eximed in frustration. It was clear that Jin didn''t pay any attention to her words. With a sigh, she said, "From now on I''ll be asking you questions about the movie after it finished so you better pay attention," "Got it, ma''am," Jin said. Although he was a bit frustrated now that he had caught up on his sleep a little the chances of him falling asleep again was minimal. The movie once again began and just as promised when it ended Jin was met with several questions from Rachael''s side. "Why did the woman like the man?" She asked. "Uhm¡­ because he looked good?" Jin replied. "¡­Next question, what was the moral of the movie?" She asked her second question. "There was a moral¡­?" Jin asked. ''Didn''t they just meet each other and get married like a normal family¡­what even should be the moral of this story¡­'' he thought. "Sigh¡­your case seems severe. Don''t worry. You got me on your side. I''ll make sure by the end of this week you''ve be an avid fan of the romantic genre." "Week?" Jin asked.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Yes, my summer vacations are finishing next week so before that happens, I need to be in sync with all thetest romantic movies in the theatres. So not only I''ll be able toplete that goal but while at it I''ll also be able to help you. Isn''t this what we call to kill two birds with a stone?" Rachael asked with a smile. For Jin, that harmless smile on Rachael''s face appeared to be the most wicked smile he had ever seen. They ate lunch at a fast-food restaurant nearby where all Rachael did was talk about the film they had just watched. Although it was annoying, it was bearable for Jin when hepared it to his first encounter with this woman when she was bat-shit crazy. By the time they finished their lunch, it was three. The next movie was scheduled at four so they still had an hour to waste. "Hey, let''s go to the arcade," Rachael suggested. "Arcade? What''s that?" Jin asked. "You don''t know what an arcade is?" A stupendous expression formed on her face. Jin just shook his head. He truly wasn''t aware. The stupendous expression on Rachael''s face soon turned into that of excitement as she said, "That''s even better. You''ll be able to enjoy it the most then," The next hour was spent with Rachael guiding Jin on how to operate all the different arcade machines. It must be said that this was the first time that Jin had had the opportunity to try these games and he loved them. He wanted to try more games but it was already nearing the movie''s time so they walked out of the arcade. "I never thought that I''d see a tough-looking man like you smiling like a small child¡­it sure was funny, you enjoyed it right?" Rachael asked as they made their way to the movie hall. "Well, it was fun¡­the most fun I had in a while," Jin replied honestly. Although those gaming machines looked a bit confusing and overwhelming at first once he got used to them, he was having a time of his life. "I''m d to know that, it''s good to see such a humane expression on your deadpan face. With this, I do not doubt in my mind that after a week you''ll start to love romantic films just the way I do," Rachael switched the conversation topic back to movies once again to Jin''s dismay. He could only force himself to listen to her bbering as they made their way to their seats. This time as well, Rachael looked around the hall at everyone in an attempt to find the man who had pped her before taking her seat in disappointment. The movie soon began and she got engrossed in the movie like always. Having nothing else to do Jin too decided to watch the movie seriously this time. As a result of it, he was able to answer at least one question properly which Rachael had asked at the end of the movie. "It''s okay, we still have time so you don''t need to think over it much," Rachael said as they made their way out the hall and to the car. The same routine ensued the next day. And the day after¡­ On the 4th day, Jin had enough of this nonsense, his brain started thinking about ways in which he could escape his predicament as he moved into the hall to watch the first show of the day. This time too Rachael looked around the hall to find the man who had pped her. It had be almost like a ritual for her and Jin had long be used to it but at that moment when he saw doing it, he thought in his mind in irritation. ''Even if I wanted toe to watch a film here again, why the hell would I watch a romantic film when I hate it?'' The moment this thought appeared an idea immediately popped up in Jin''s mind and he conjured up a n in his mind. Chapter 47: Accident As he took his seat with Rachael he decided to put his n to fruition. "Ma''am," Jin said. "Yes? Is there a matter?" Rachael asked curiously. "I''ve seen that whenever we enter the hall you seem to be looking for someone," Jin said as he stared at her. "Ah! Was I that obvious?" Rachael covered her mouth in surprise. ''More obvious than a red light,'' Jinmpooned in his mind as he waited for Rachael to follow up. "The thing is¡­let''s just say he''s just a stranger with whom I am on bad terms. So, if I do find him, I was nning to make you teach him a lesson, you won''t have a problem doing that right?" Rachael said. "If that''s what you desire then I''ll adhere to your instructions," Jin said. "That''s good. Once I''ll find him, I''ll make you beat some sense into him. How dare he disrespect the film I had been waiting so long to watch. If he hated romantic films then he should have note to watch it in the first ce!" Rachael let her grievances out. "Uhm¡­Ma''am, I think you''ve glimpsed through an important detail," Jin said. "Huh? What is that?" Rachael asked. "If that man as you say hates romantic films, then why would hee to watch them? Don''t you think you would have more probability of finding him if you watch movies of different genres¡­" Jin skillfully tried to change Rachael''s mind. "Damn it!" Rachael mmed her hand on the handrest upon this realization. With only three more free days left before her university, she didn''t have much time to waste now. "If not for you William, then I would have wasted my time trying to find that man throughout this week only to be disappointed. However, since we have alreadye here let''s finish this movie first. After that we''ll go and search for that person by trying out different genres," Rachael concluded. "Understood ma''am," Jin said with a neutral face but underneath he was jumping with joy. He finally no longer needed to watch romantic movies. The innumerable times he had cringed from all those sugary scenes he had seen in the past few days shed in his mind every time he went to bed. Finally, he no longer needed to suffer that plight. The movie soon started screening. Although Rachael was a bit disheartened that this was going to be herst romantic film she soon cheered herself up, if it was thest then it was all the more reason for her to enjoy it to the fullest. Jin too didn''t have much qualms over watching the movie since it was going to be hisst. With a rxed mood, he sat on his seat and watched the movie. A few momentster Jin felt pressure welling up in his dder so he decided to address that issue. "I''lle back in a minute ma''am," Jin said to Rachael to which she just nodded unconsciously. Jin didn''t put much mind to it and stood up from his seat. When he did so his eyes noticed a child sitting at a corner seat and ying games on his phone. ''He must also be not fond of such movies,'' Jin had a passing thought as he made his way out to finish his business. He soon exited the hall and found his way to the bathroom. However, Jin was unaware of an ident that happened inside the hall a few seconds after his exit. The child''s phone which was getting overheated because of the game immediately burst up in mes. In a panic, the child screamed as he threw his phone up in the air. The burning piece of small metal in the air attracted everyone''s attention as it plopped down onto a person sitting in the middle. The person was quick to react and immediately vacated the seat. Unfortunately, the seat wasn''t so lucky.An additional burst happened when the phone dropped onto the seat and the mes intensified. Under the horrified eyes of the crowd, the seat caught fire and the fire started to spread in a rapid manner. A wave of panic spread across the hall as everyone screamed for help and ran down towards the exit. Rachael who was too engrossed in the movie took a few more moments to understand what exactly was going on. By the time the fire had spread over arge area. Horrified she immediately strung up from her seat and rushed towards the aisle. However, while she was rushing past a dozen seats her leg got stuck somewhere and the next moment she plopped down on the floor after striking her head on a chair''s armrest. "Mommy thatdy is lying there!" A little girl pointed towards Rachael while being carried on her mother''s back but her mother''s mind was too preupied to pay attention to her child''s words. Everything happened too suddenly and it had only been a couple of minutes since Jin left the hall. In the toilet, Jin was done with his business and was tightening up his pants. In a rxed manner he made his way towards the wash basin to wash his hands clean. It then that a mission popped up right in front of him. -x-x-x-x-x-x-EMERGENCY MISSION-x-x-x-x-x-x- OBJECTIVE: SAVE RACHAEL LOCATION: [click] PENALTY: Henry White Heart''s Fury REWARD: Henry White Heart''s Trust Intel: A fire has spread in the movie hall. Find the unconscious Rachael and save her life. -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Just a second after the mission had popped up Jin heard the shouting of staff members.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "HALL NUMBER 4 HAS CAUGHT FIRE! CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE!" "The water sprinklers malfunctioned! Leave the building at once!!" [A/N: When it rains, it pours : D] Jin immediately rushed outside the bathroom and rushed past the staff member who attempted to stop him from going in. "STOP!" Jin ignored the man and mmed open the shut doors. The moment he did his face was weed with a warm gush of air. He immediately raised his arms to cover his face and made his way into the hall which was up in mes. Chapter 48: Saving Rachael The interior of the hall was all covered up in mes with only a few gaps here and there which Jin could use as a pathway. What was worse was the smoke that filled the hall making it difficult for anyone to breathe. ''How am I even going to find her in this hellhole?'' Jin thought in worry as he carefully moved deeper into the hall. "The map!" Jin''s mind reminded him of this important information. In the rush of the situation, Jin had forgotten about it altogether. He opened up the system interface and clicked on ''location''. A screen indicating a red dot and a green dot soon came into his view. Understanding where Rachael was Jin made his way towards the red dot while maneuvering through the wall of mes. On the other side, Rachael who had momentarily lost her consciousness after hitting her head opened her eyes with difficulty. She raised her hand to touch her forehead which felt a bit swollen. A stinging pain from her forehead forced her eyes open. The smell of smoke entering her nostrils made thest bit of confusion in her mind clear up as a series of coarse coughs escaped her mouth. Tears escaped from her eyes as she realised how difficult it was for her to breathe. The warm air all around her wasn''t helping her a bit. After recovering a bit from the coughs Rachael pushed her upper body up with her hands only to see herself covered in walls of me all around her. If she wanted to escape she needed to rush past that wall of fire. With no other choice left, Rachael firmed her unsteady heart and prepared her mind for what was toe. She grabbed the handle of the seat next to her and pushed herself up. "Ugh!" Rachael fell down the moment she put pressure on her left leg. It was clearly sprained. Rachael looked at her swollen left leg with horror in her eyes. With her legs like this, there was no hope for her to escape on her own. Thest bit of courage which she had crumbled under this scene of hopelessness as her whole being got overwhelmed with the fear of dying.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The stinging and prickling sensations from the heat on her skin due to the mes nearby gave her a small demo of how painful burning to death would be. ''No! I can''t die like this!'' Racheal thought. "Hel- Cough! Cough! Cough!" She tried to call out somebody for help only to realize that she had lost her ability to. The irritation in her throat due to inhaling soot and other particles had made it nigh impossible for her to call for help. As if the remind her about her impending doom. A part of the ceiling nearby could no longer take the torment of the mes and copsed. Rachael screeched in horror and was met with intense pain in her throat all because of it. Tears welled up in her eyes and kept trickling down her face like raindrops as a never-ending stream of coughs ensued. ''Am I really going to die like this?'' Rachael thought as her consciousness started to fade. The copse of the ceiling had intensified the amount of burnt particles in the air depriving Rachael of what little oxygen was left around her. With strength leaving all her body Rachael rested her face on the soot-filled floor and gazed into the walls of mes as herst bit of consciousness started to fade. Find more chapters on §Þ?? "Mother..." Her deceased mother''s figure seemed to have conjured up on the walls of mes. The gentle smile on her face reminded Rachael of the good times she had spent with her. ''Mother...I''m finallying to meet you...'' Rachael thought as she gazed at her mother''s gentle figure. The figure in the mes seemed to shake her her head in denial and gave Racheal a smile before disappearing like it never existed. The next moment Jin''s figure jumped through the wall of mes and rushed towards Rachael. ''William..?'' that was thest thought she had before her eyes gave in. She felt her body being covered by a coat and then being carried up by him. That was thest memory she had of the events that unfolded. ... In a hospital room, Rachel''s figure lying on the bed with a bandage around her forehead. Her eyelids quivered a bit attracting the attention of the person beside her. "Rachael?" The person called. Hearing the familiar voice Rachael soon opened her eyes. Looking beside her she saw the worried face of her father. "D-dad?" She muttered and the next moment was affectionately hugged by him. "You''re finally awake," With tears in his eyes he caressed her head as the worries in his heart slowly subsided. Rachael weed the warm embrace from her father but was soon reminded about William. "William?! Dad, is he alright? Did he get hurt?" Rachael inquired with a worry-filled face. Seeing the worry-filled expression in her daughter''s eyes her father turned around and nodded towards Johnson who had been standing near the door waiting for his instructions. Johnson soon left the room and a few momentster brought Jin along with him. Jin''s forearms had suffered a few minor burns and so he had been bandaged there but apart from that he was doing all fine. If not for her injured leg Rachael would have rushed towards Jin with the amount of worry that overtook her face when she saw his condition. "I''m sorry William... because of me you got injured," Rachael said with a guilty conscience. "There''s nothing to be sorry about ma''am, I was only doing my job and I''m d I was able to save you. Besides, it''s only a minor injury,'' Jin said as he moved his arms in the air to show that they were alright. "But still..." Rachael still med her for his injuries. "Rachael, while it''s good to take responsibility for your actions however it''s not right to me yourself over something that couldn''t be controlled. What happened today was just an ident. You need not me yourself needlessly and burden yourself," Her father said as he caressed her back. Rachael nodded her lightly after hearing Father''s words with her gaze down towards her hands. She still felt ashamed but could only submerge that feeling in her heart. Henry could only shake his head seeing his daughter like this. He was reminded of her mother who too was as self-critical as her and sighed. Chapter 49: Reward ''But wasn''t she only self-critical when it came to someone whom she deeply cared about?'' A thought appeared in Henry''s mind. He nced at William for a second and then shook those thoughts away with a ''I must be thinking too much,'' the next moment. How could his beautiful daughter fall for a middle-aged man? It was now time to address William who had been standing there for a while about a certain issue. Henry had been told by the doctor that if Rachael had stayed in that oxygen-deprived condition for just a bit longer then she might have suffered from permanent brain damage. Words couldn''t describe how grateful he was towards William when he heard this from the doctor. He had already decided to reward Wiim for his efforts at that moment, that''s the only way he felt he could express his gratefulness to him. Henry turned his head to look towards Jin who had been patiently standing there and said in a serious manner. "Although protecting her was your job all along I''m still very impressed by your sincerity towards your job William. You''ve saved my daughter not only once but twice and I''m truly grateful to you. However, as a businessman, I understand how little a ''thank you'' means to people therefore ask, ask anything that you want, be it money, a car, or a huge house by the sea I''ll give it to you as that''s the only way I believe I can show my sincerity towards you. When Henry said those words Rachael lifted her head to see what he would ask for. She was curious. Jin was put in a hard spot as a result. It was true that he liked money but somehow, he didn''t feel like asking for money. Cars? He had driven Rachael around in luxury cars all this while. It felt good to drive them but the attention which they attracted was not something Jin weed. Especially when he had so many secrets. A big house? For what? He had no one to live with? What will he do with a big house? This sudden generosity shown by Henry made Jin question his own decisions. If he wasn''t interested in money, why did he even ept Mr Robert''s mission and infiltrate as a bodyguard? Was that just a lie he told himself? Was he not looking to earn more money? What was it he exactly wanted? Seeing William who seemed to have a lot of things going on in his mind Henry called him again to pull him back to reality. "So, what have you decided William?" Henry asked. It did the trick as Jin regained hisposure but with all these doubts in his mind he could only respond, "Sir, this is all too sudden. There are so many things going on in my mind so can I get some time to think over it," "Of course, take your time. Ah, on that note you can have the next two days as paid leave. It''s good to rx your mind after such an experience. What''s better is that you can even think over your decision properly during that time," Henry said. "Then I''ll do that Sir," Jin agreed to it. Why would he not? It had been a while since he had a whole day all to himself and here, he was getting two! He''ll also use this time to check up on his rented ce to see if everything is going well there or not. When Jin left the hospital room, Rachael asked her father with furrowed brows, "You are trying to test him, aren''t you? "I am," Henry didn''t deny and readily agreed. "Dad, how could you? He saved my life!" Rachael rebuked.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "You must understand my side, Rachael. From what I''ve seen so far, it''s very clear that William is very skilled. More skilled than anyone to be exact. For someone like that they must have a military record at least otherwise it is very difficult for them to have that kind of skill. However, William has no such things. His past records are very clean¡­too clean to be precise. Therefore, I''m worried¡­worried that he''s sent by one of my business rivals as a spy." Henry said. "If he was a spy, why would he save me?! That too twice! He put his life at risk twice! What more proof do you want?" Rachael was having none of it. She felt that her father was being too harsh against William. "How are you even going to judge him? Isn''t it natural to ask for things when given an opportunity like that? Even I would have asked for a big house, or a big car, even some of our shares if I was in his position" Rachael asked. "I believe if he''s a spy he''ll report something like this to his employer. I have a few people in mind. Therefore, if he requests something which profits one of them the most then I''ll have an idea about his employer. If his request is just some normal goods then I''ll not only give them that but I''ll also give him some of ourpany''s share as a reward," Henry exined his intentions. Hearing this Rachael rxed a bit but still, a part of her heart was worried a bit, what if William really turned out to be a spy? As this thought entered her mind, she couldn''t but think more and more about it. Unable to control herself she asked her father, "What if he really is a spy?" "Then I''ll have to deal with him," Henry replied with a stern gaze. "Dad!" Rachael grabbed Henry''s sleeves with her hand and looked into his eyes with her watery eyes. Henry wasn''t dumb. Seeing those eyes, he had no doubt in his mind that his daughter had started to develop feelings for that man. He couldn''t me her¡­which woman doesn''t want a man who is always there to protect her. Sigh He could only sigh at those eyes in helplessness. They were too simr to her mother''s. "Alright, if he''s a spy I''ll spare him though on a condition," Henry finally said. "Condition...?" Rachael asked. "Yes, that you''ll never have any contact with him," Henry had no intention of letting her daughter nurture feelings for someone who had ulterior motives towards his family. He would rather nip it in the bud and be done with it. Rachael''s eyes widened when she heard those words. Find exclusive stories on §Þ?? Although she herself was not aware of her feelings towards William her heart still felt a bit heavy when she thought of not being able to contact him ever again. "So, do you agree?" Henry asked. It hurt him to see her daughter like this but still, what he was doing was necessary. Especially because he was already sixty per cent certain that William was a spy. "Yes¡­I do," With a heavy heart Racheal could only reply that. She didn''t want William to be killed. She was aware of how ruthless her father was on matters like these. Chapter 50: Playing into Henrys Hands Jin sighed when as he came out of the hospital. By now it was alreadyte in the evening. He had never thought that a simple question like ''What reward do you want?''would make him question his whole actions until now. He picked up his phone and looked at his bank bnce. ''Is this the reason why I''m no longer interested in the rewards?'' Jin thought. He had been receiving 10,000 Draks daily from Mr. Robert as promised. After adding the 50,000 Draks bonus from Henry this was the amount of money he had in his ount. ''190,000 Draks'' It would have taken more than a year to save that much money if he had depended upon his 40K Draks wage from the school. It could be said that he was finally in a state of abundance. What was even better was the fact that if he kept on doing the organization''s missions more and more money would keep piling up in his ount. ''Wait¡­am I looking forward to getting that money or being able to do those missions?'' Jin thought as he called for a taxi outside. Jin didn''t want to think over this matter any longer so he decided to give his philosophical side a break for now. There was another matter he was a bit annoyed about. It was the reward he had got for the earlier mission. The reward clearly stated that he would be getting Henry''s trust as a reward but the mission aplishment notification had something else for him: Henry White Heart''s Trust (40%) ''Just how low was his trust earlier that it had only raised to 40 % now.'' Jin thought as he got in the taxi that had arrived. His destination is the White Heart''s Estate. After freshening up in his room Jin''s mind was much clearer. Since he had no idea on what to request from Henry he decided to talk about this matter with Mr. Robert. Soon a reply from Robert came. "Things have progressed much sooner than I had anticipated. You did a fantastic job. Since you''ve saved his daughter''s life, he''s definitely not faking it when he said that he''ll reward you with anything. So, here''s what you need to do¡­" Robert told Jin that when he meets Henry after two days, he should directly ask him for the ownership of one of his Sapphire mines. If Robert could he could have told Jin to ask everything out of Henry but he knew he couldn''t. What Jin could request from Henry was limited even though he had told Jin that he could request anything from him. Taking that into ount Robert told Jin to request for that mine. Among the various requests which Henry might agree to Robert felt that this one would be the most beneficial for him.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om He told Jin to dip from his job after acquiring that mine and then give it to him. As a reward for all this, he told Jin that won''t have to worry about money ever in his life. "Got it," Jin replied. He knew that Robert was trying to take advantage of him by saying just ''You''ll never worry about money after this'' but Jin let that be. The reason? He had no idea what to do with the mine after acquiring it. He had zero business skills so giving it to Robert made sense. In this way, they''ll be able to end their partnership on a good note. With all this done, Jin rested his tired self on the bed. It had been a long and tiring day today and his body needed its well-earned rest. ¡­ The next day Jin visited his old rented apartment in the afternoon. It was a bit dirty so he spent some time cleaning the room and everything. It didn''t feel right to him to leave the house just like that after seeing its condition. After cleaning the house, he went out to have lunch at a restaurant nearby. And ordered a jug of beet after it. He spent the next couple of hours sipping the beer while watching everything going on around him. Now that he was not in the rush time seemed to have been slowed for him as his sight took in everything going on around him. With the beer taking effect he once again thought about the reason why he was living a dangerous life like this. He hade to realize that it was not for money. If it was then he would be doing missions like a rabid dog in an attempt to earn more and more money now that he had be a Killer and was able to ess several open missions on his mobile app, KIA. "So, it''s really not about the money huh?" Jin muttered as he gulped down thest bit of beer in the ss and stood up from the seat. There were still plenty of hours left for the day to be over so Jin decided to put his mind at ease and watch a movie. An action movie! "I can finally watch an action movie! Finally, I''m free from her clutches!" Jin said in his drunk state as he made his way to the nearest theatre. ''Warring Skies'' The poster indicated that it was a sci-fi space movie involving a lot of action. "Now that''s the type of shit I dig," Jin nodded to himself and bought a ticket before making his way in. That''s how he spent the first day of his leave. His second day also wasn''t very fruitful, hezed around the majority of the day and walked around the area to pass his time before his body was all tired up. In such an uninteresting manner, Jin finished the two days of his leave. The next day Jin changed back to the appearance of William and reported outside Henry''s office at around nine in the morning. Knock Knock Continue your journey with §Þ?? "Come inside," Henry''s voice escaped through the closed door. ''Hopefully, he''ll agree to it,'' Jin thought as he made his way into the room. Chapter 51: Taking Care of Matters "So did you enjoy your two days of leave?" Henry asked as he closed the file which he was studying and ced it over a bundle of others. "Now that it''s over I feel like I wasted them in doing silly things," Jin replied. "Haha happens to the best of us," Henry chuckled and told Jin to take a seat. "So, tell me, what have you decided?" Henry didn''t waste time and directly asked Jin about his decision. "It was quite hard to decide. Therefore, I decided to go through everything which the White Heart Company owned and finally made a decision. Since you''ve told me that I could pick anything it won''t be a problem if it''s something very expensive right?" Jin asked Henry. "Of course, it won''t be a problem, be as shameless as you can," Henry said with an encouraging smile. "What I want is the ownership of your Northern Sapphire mine," Jin stated as a matter of fact. "Is that so?" Henry''s eyelids narrowed in a subtle manner when he heard Jin''s request but Jin didn''t notice it. Henry continued, "Very well then, let me call Johnson so that he would bring the property papers," "Alright," Jin said without a second thought when he heard that and Henry picked up his phone to make a call. However, Jin soon thought ''Why would Johnson, the security head, have those documents? Shouldn''t they be right here in this office?'' While he was thinking that the call connected Henry said, "Johnson brings those documents in," ''Did he already know what I was going to ask for? Wait¡­if he knew then-'' Before Jin could think further the door was mmed open and Johnson along with four other men in ck suits holding guns entered the room. Enjoy exclusive chapters from §Þ?? ''Fuck!'' Jin jumped out of his seat and rushed towards Henry. Seeing this Henry tried to reach for his drawer but Jin was too quick. Henry felt an immense kick in his chest as his old body flew back like a broken kite and mmed onto the wall behind. There was a photo frame on the wall behind. It shattered in the process and fell down along with Henry. The ss pieces had prated his back and he gritted his teeth in pain and coughed up blood. Meanwhile, Jin used the table as a cover after kicking Henry out of the way and took out his pistol from the inventory. Johnson and the men were only ordered to threaten Jin with guns and get as much information out of him as possible. However, Jin mistook this as an attempt to kill him and without further ado he opened fire on everyone. Bang! Bang! Before they could realize what was happening two of their men were down. The remaining three men including Johnson scrambled for cover behind a bookshelf and a chair but they were toote. Jin who had gottenfortable after two shots immediately pressed the trigger three times and three shots urately hit the other men. All four of them were dead with Johnson severely injured with a bullet in his stomach. Jin stood up from the cover of the table and shot one more time. With that, the gun in Johnson''s hand was ruptured and flew off his hand. Johnson had been good to him so far so Jin didn''t want to take his life so he left him to be however, there was no shred of thankfulness in Johnson''s eyes, instead only deep-seated hatred was present there as he saw Jin making his way towards his master, Henry. "You''ve been good to me so far so it leaves a bad taste in my mouth to kill you," Jin who stopped a few inches away from Henry said. Henry had lost all hope of surviving after seeing his men dying under Jin''s gun. He looked at Jin''s emotionless eyes and asked weakly, "W-what do I have to do for you to spare my daughter?" Even though he was dying he didn''t want his daughter to experience the same fate as him. Jin stared back into Henry''s powerless eyes for a couple of seconds before replying, "Don''t worry, our enmity will end with your life. I''ll have nothing to do with your family after that," "T-thank you," Henry said. "Farewell then, anyst wishes?" Jin said as he raised the barrel of the gun and pointed it straight towards Henry''s head. Henry didn''t reply to Jin but weakly reached his bloodied hand towards the broken photo frame that fell beside him. That was the graduation photo of his ss, he was standing together with a girl whoter became his wife. Henry caressed his wife''s picture in the photo onest time as he closed his eyes as if epting his fate.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Jin nced at the photo just for the sake of it but his whole body stilled the moment his eyes caught something. Jin immediately bent down and picked up that frame with his hand under Henry''s confused eyes. This time he closely observed the person in the picture as waves of confusion hit his mind. Jin pointed at the person''s picture and showed it to Henry. "Who is this person?!" He asked. Henry was unable to understand what was really going on and was still trying to process it. "Quick! If you don''t want me to kill your daughter you better fucking answer me quickly!" Jin eximed like a rabid dog. Hearing those words Henry soon recovered his state and observed the face of the person whom Jin was pointing his fingers towards. Henry furrowed his eyebrows a bit as he tried to recollect. He knew that person well at that time but was finding it hard to remember his name. "Are you deaf you bastard?! Answer me!" Jin grabbed Henry''s cor and shook him. "Ke-" Sensing Henry was trying to say something Jin stopped and waited for him to continue what he was saying. "Kevin ker¡­ that''s his name," Henry finally remembered. Chapter 52: Visiting Robert ''It really is father¡­'' Jin thought as a variety of questions appeared in his mind but he had answers to none of them. He could only question Herny further about him. "Tell me everything you know about him?!" Jin asked. It was clear to Henry that he was not in a stable mind at the moment therefore he didn''t dy any further and told everything which he could remember. "He was one of my friends in college, he was a smart man and I knew that he was going to be a good doctor but his interesty in research. He wanted to research vines and all. We lost contact after I graduated because he changed his contact information¡­so I only know this much," Jin narrowed his eyes when he heard that which Henry quickly added. "¡­but I can ask others if they have any ideas about what he''s doing now," "Alright," Jin said as he put down the gun and added, "I want you to get everything you can about that person, from everything I mean everything you understand?" "Yes, I do," Henry nodded. "How much time will it take?" Jin asked. "Not more than a week," Henry replied "Alright, I''lle back in a week then," Jin stood up from his half-kneeling position. Henry was relieved when he saw this. He was about to sigh when Jin turned around and asked. "Also, do you have a business rival named Robert?" "Y-yes," Henry replied. He didn''t know where this question was leading. "Do you know where he lives?" Jin asked. "Oh yes, it''s¡­" Henry told him Robert''s address. It was a ce around thirty kilometres away from here. "See you in a week then," With that said Jin left the ce leaving Henry with a lot of questions in his mind. By the time Jin had left the White Heart Estate, he had regained some of hisposure but still, a lot of questions were going on in his mind. From what Jin knew, his father had been a simple biology teacher. He had no idea until now that his father was a doctor. ''Why did he never mention something like this?'' Jin just couldn''t pinpoint the reason for this. ''Is this rted to the reason why they were killed?'' Jin thought of the words which that old man had told him when he was a child. It was clear that something veryplex was going on underneath. His father was definitely hiding something from him the whole time and his family got assassinated because of that reason only. Now that he had a clue Jin was very much confident that he would be able to find out more about his father''s past with Henry''s help.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om A sense of anger was also brewing in his heart against the perpetrators, the people who had made him an orphan. "I don''t know who you all but I''ll find you and I''ll kill you," Jin clenches his hands in fury as he sits in a taxi. He first went to William''s home. When Jin arrived at the ce he went around the area and after finding nothing suspicious he went inside the house. He had something to do to take care of tonight so he forced himself to sleep after a bath. At around 10 PM Jin woke up and got ready. He wore all ck and covered his face with his mask. He didn''t forget to buy a few bullets from the system cause might need it tonight. Jin opened William''s cupboard and it had a fewbat knives inside. Jin took the one to his liking and ced it in his inventory. With all his preparations done, Jin exited the house, took out the car from the garage and drove towards Robert''s ce. Jin''s motive for tonight was very simple. Since he had failed to aplish Robert''s mission it was very clear to him that Robert would develop enmity towards him. He had already messaged and called Jin a few times to inquire about what happened with Henry but Jin had ignored them all. While Robert was unaware of what had truly transpired Jin wanted to take care of that man to reduce future troubles. Around an hour and a halfter Jin had arrived at the said location. This also was arge estate so Jin had left his car a couple of kilometres away from the ce and then proceeded towards there on foot. He finally reached the main gate which was guarded by a couple of men. Jin looked at the sides and saw a tree that was in close proximity to the walls. Jin climbed it and with the help on it jumped into the other side of the wall. He was now in the enemy territory. There were a lot of men on night duty so it took Jin a while to slither past them and reach the main mansion. It was just as big as Henry''s mansion. The front door was guarded so that was a no-go. Jin inspected all around the mansion and found two or three windows opened on the 2nd floor. Taking his convenience into ount he chose the one which was the closest in proximity to the pipes attached to the walls and made his way up. Slowly and stealthily. Though however careful Jin was the pipes still made a slight creaking sound whenever he pulled himself up. "I heard a voice," A guard who was patrolling around the mansion said to his partner. Jin paused the moment he heard to voice and with that, the voice stopped. "Must be the wind," His partner said as they continued with their patrol Jin exhaled his breath and once again started to pull himself up before finally making his way inside. The window belonged to the bathroom so thankfully there was no one there when Jin made his way in. He crouched towards the door and looked outside through the keyhole. Upon finding no one. He opened it up and moved out. Using advantage of the fact that most of the lights were off Jin then made his way towards the master room. Chapter 53: Jins Dissatisfaction It was effortless for Jin to find the master room since it had the grandest door. It was half past one in the morning and the chances of Robert sleeping were high, but still, Jin didn''t want to take risks so he peeked through the keyhole. The room was all dark, except that he was unable to see anything. Having no choice Jin pushed open the door slowly. Thankfully the doors were well maintained so they didn''t make a creaking sound. He saw two people lying on the bed and only the sound of their breathing could be heard. ''That should be his wife'' Jin thought as he covertly made his way towards the side of the bed where Robert was sleeping. Robert was sleeping with his face towards the ceiling. It made things easy for Jin. He called out his knife from his inventory. When he had a firm grip on it Jin finally took action. His right hand moved like a snake and pierced the side of Robert''s neck and at the same moment, his left hand blocked Robert''s mouth to prevent him from making noise. However, that wasn''t enough to end things as Robert soon opened his eyes in pain and horror only to find a masked man in front of his eyes. Seeing that Robert was about to resist Jin pulled out the knife and plunged it. Twice¡­thrice¡­four times¡­Jin only stopped when there were no signs of life left on Robert''s body. While Jin was busy stabbing Robert''s neck a few droplets of blood sprinkled over the face of Robert''s wife forcing her awake. With confusion and doubt, she opened her eyes only to see under the rays of moonlight her husband being stabbed several times by someone. She tried to shout but because of the sudden overwhelming fear she felt her chest felt heavy and she was unable to make the slightest of sound no matter how hard she tried. She tried to push herself off the bed but the moment she made an attempt to the killer''s cold eyes met hers. She paused as all of her body felt numb under those eyes. Jin pointed the bloody knife with blood still dripping off its surface right towards the woman and said, "If you don''t want to die, stay silent like this for the next 5 minutes. You don''t want to die when you can be the owner of this man''s wealth now, do you? You understand me right?" Jin asked as his eyes didn''t move away from the woman''s for even a moment. The woman nodded in understanding with a frightened expression. "Good girl," Jin tapped the t part of the knife on the woman''s cheek twice in an attempt to intimidate her and continued, "If you go against those words the next person whose throat is going to get pierced is you," The woman shivered when she felt the knife draped in her husband''s blood on her face and Jin''s following wordspletely eradicated any thoughts of going against his words. Satisfied with the fear in the woman''s face Jin soon stood up and left the room. He rushes out of the mansion using the same route and slides down the pipes. He then rushes towards the exit gate while avoiding the guards on watch.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om While Jin was nearing the gate he finally heard the horrified shouts and cries of the woman. She had stuck to his words and remained mute for five minutes. Thanks to the shouts the guards rushed towards the mansion leaving only a security guard inside the security boot. Things became easier for Jin as a result. He made his way to the boot and killed the guard before pressing a button which opened the gates. With all this done, Jin rushed out of the gates. He knew the guards would start a hunt soon so he ran without stopping for even a second until he reached his car, started the ignition and escaped. ¡­ Henry walked out of the hospital room in a depressed mood. He had told Rachael. He told Rachael all about William''s motives and everything that transpired yesterday. To Henry''s surprise, Rachael didn''t believe him at all and med him for defaming William but under the clear evidence which included injured Johnson and four deaths of guards, she was finally forced to ept it. Needless to say, Rachael''s heart was facing turmoil when she epted this news. She wanted to question William. Why did he do it? Why? Why?! She was so lost in those thoughts that she didn''t respond to any of Henry''s words from then on. Herny was thus forced to leave the room. Seeing his daughter like this he was angered. He wanted to punish that bastard for making her daughter like this. ''I got most of his information, I''ll report him to the police and make them ce a bounty on his head. Let''s see how long he can go against the police¡­'' Just when this thought entered his mind an underlying approached Henry and told him about something. "Sir¡­yesterday night someone assassinated Mr. Robert Dupe. They have filed a case but no leads have been found by the police authorities," "¡­" The moment those words entered his ears Henry immediately remembered thest question William had asked him. He asked for Robert''s address¡­and today he heard that he had been assassinated. It was clear in his mind that the perpetrator was William. Fear gripped Henry''s heart as the idea of going against him was nipped in the bud. He didn''t care much about his own life but that man could clearly pose a threat to his daughter''s life if he wanted to. Not wanting to get on his bad side Henry didn''t waste his time and started calling up all his old batchmates one by one to ask them about Kevin. He had only a week so he couldn''t afford to waste any time. Meanwhile, Jin had just woken up. He arrived home by around 4 in the morning and had slept till 10 in the morning. While brushing his teeth he started contemting over everything that happened yesterday. He felt dissatisfied with what had happened now that he looked back. Although he was sessful in intimidating the woman to keep quiet¡­what if she still had screamed? Won''t things would have be difficult for him? Jin couldn''t rely on such unpredictable things in the future. He needed to find more silent and discreet ways of killing. Although using a knife felt exhrating, Jin was starting to understand that he couldn''t always use it since it had a lot of drawbacks. It left a lot of blood on the scene, soiled his clothes and most importantly couldn''t be used discreetly in public ces. Chapter 54: Fentanyl Jin sshed water on his face and wiped it with a towel and walked out of the bathroom. Sitting on a chair he opened up the system store. He hadn''t checked his kill points after killing Robert so he opened it up. -----------------------System Store---------------------- 1) Beretta M9 - 3000 KP 2) Inventory Space (+1) - 6000 KP [current- 3] 3) Pain Killers ¨C 750 KP 4) Cartridge (9x19mm) x50 - 50 KP 5) Fentanyl Syringe -100 KP [For a swift, deadly & silent kill]n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Bnce: 1900KP ----------------------------------------------------------- "Woah," Jin thought out loud. After killing those 4 guards Jin had checked his points and they were at 900KP. Just from killing Robert, he had gained 1000KP. "So, killing rich people gives additional points¡­" Jin concluded. It was not only this that surprised him. There was also a new item in the store called Fentanyl Syringe. "How the hell did this appear just when I was thinking about something like this?" Jin thought. He still was unaware of how the system store works. It just randomly pops up new items from time to time and most of them are items which he needs. Jin immediately bought one. A small syringe filled with a colourless liquid appeared in his hands. "So, I just insert it into a person?... Why else would it be inside a syringe then dumbass," Jin asked himself in the spur of the moment and proceeded to answer it as well after realizing how silly he was. Out of curiosity Jin opened up his phone and searched about the drug fentanyl in more detail. "It depresses the central nervous system and primarily affects the central nervous system¡­"Jin muttered out loud what he was reading. "What the hell is this gibberish?" Although Jin could read the amount of knowledge he had was limited because of his limited schooling. In simple words¡­he''s dumb. There were a lot of things rted to science and the human body he was unaware of. Jin searched more on different sites and after an hour of surfing and reading several articles he was able to get the idea that the drug when given in a high dose causes unconsciousness within seconds and the person dies soon after. "This is some great stuff!" Jin eximed out of happiness. He tapped the syringe four times and ced it in his inventory. With that, all three of his inventory spaces were filled. One with his Beretta, the second with a Knife and the third one with a Fentanyl Syringe. Seeing his inventory filled Jin felt a sense of satisfaction within him. With the addition of this drug, his possibilities have expanded by quite a lot. Jin soon stood up from his seat and walked out for a stroll. After going through all those articles his head was hurting like crazy. On his route, he came upon a restaurant and ate his brunch there. While eating Jin pondered about how he would be spending the rest of the week. When the food finished Jin ordered something to drink and while having a sip, he opened up the KIA app. He had decided to proactively do more and more missions to improve his skills. The reason? Jin had a feeling that the matters his father was involved with were toorge and he needed to be better if he wanted to get to the depths of it. He didn''t know what it was but just the fact that his father hid itpletely from him was enough for Jin to have a slight idea. ''Wee Mr William'' appeared on the opening screen. It was a greenish screen with a border all around its edges. In the middle, the words had appeared. The words soon disappeared and, in their ce, came two buttons which read, ''Missions'' and ''Services'' respectively. Services included things like Weapons, technical devices, Cleaning the Scene and a few more. Jin was not looking for that so he chose ''Missions''. A long list of missions appeared right in front of him. Most of them had to do with killing people now that he was KIA''s Killer. Jin went through some of them. The filter was automatically set to show all those missions avable in Jin''s proximity. ''Let''s start with this," Jin epted a mission with a reward of 50,000 Draks. After epting he received the additional information about the target on the app. He looked at the target''s picture and his location. After reading through everything Jin paid his bill and went back home. The night was the best time for his actions so he waited till then. Half past midnight Jin sneaked into a bar and saw his Target, a young man who was dancing on the dance floor along with the crowd. Jin too joined the crowd and started dancing¡­though awkwardly. Jin soon became familiar with the dance movements and became one with the crowd. He then slowly ventured deeper into the crowd towards the target. The target was the only son of a rich man and was very carefree. He was apanied by three girls who just like him were under the influence of drugs. As they continued to groove to the music while feeling each other''s bodies Jin discreetly slithered past the crowd and was now just behind the young man. Jin started dancing while gging his hands up. At times the hand hit the young man''s shoulders but the man was too drunk and dazed to be bothered by that. When the music reached its climax and the crowd roared in craze a needle pricked the young man''s neck as he looked around in a daze. It was all too quick for him to register. He touched his neck and massaged the area a couple of times before he copsed on the dance floor. His woman friends shouted and alerted the crowd but by then it was toote¡­he was dead. Jin exited the bar and tapped on the ''Mission Completed'' button. After verification, he would soon receive the money in his bank ount. The night was still young so Jin did a few more missions that night and went back home at around five in the morning. He slept the whole day and continued with the same routine the next night as well. This continued for the whole of the week. On the 6th day after Jin hadpleted thest mission of that night, he looked at his bank bnce consisting of arge number of zeroes and felt a bit proud of himself. "500,000 Draks" "Though I''m not fond of money¡­it does feel good having so much with me" Jin says as he goes back home earlier than normal. Tomorrow he was going to meet Henry. A/N: After a period of contemtion. I''ve written a review of my novel. Check it out. I''ve poured my heartfelt feelings into it. Chapter 55: Zenith BioTech Jin woke up around 4 in the morning. He wanted to give a little surprise to Henry therefore he had decided to wake up early. A few minutester he left his home. ¡­ After having breakfast Henry entered his office to review the information he needed to give to Jin. "You sure took your while," A voice entered his ears and Henry was forced to look sideways as his eyes expanded in surprise. On a sofa there Jin was leaning on his seat while ying a game on his phone. "I-I didn''t know that you were waiting¡­otherwise I would havee early," Henry who had lost hisposure soon regained it and spoke. "Sit," Jin said as he pointed towards the sofa in front of him. Henry didn''t refuse and did what he was told. "Tell me what have you discovered," Jin''s voice entered his ears. Henry had been waiting for those words as he soon told everything that he was able to find out about Kevin. "From what I''ve discovered so far, Kevin afterpleting his MD went on to join the Vine Research Association. It''s the leading institute of our country known for researching and creating vines. There he did research work for two years and then joined the leading pharmapany, Zenith BioTech. Now herees the problem, after that no matter who I asked I was unable to find any information about him. It''s as if that its all been deliberately hidden¡­" Jin hears what Henry has to say and asks, "Where is this Zenith BioTech located?" "It''s a multinationalpany. Its main branch in our country is in the capital, Neon City. So if you''re looking for him then starting there would be a good option," Henry finished. He too was getting curious over this case. His college friend seemed to have disappeared out of existence. Even if he was dead there were bound to be traces but for his case¡­there were none. And for god knows why this dangerous man in front of him was on the lookout for his friend.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om There were too many questions on Henry''s mind but no one to ask them to¡­He could only sigh internally at his plight. While Henry''s mind was going through this turmoil Jin stood up from his seat seeing which Henry too got up. "This is going to be ourst meeting, provided you don''t do anything stupid, you understand?" Jin asked as he adjusted his dishevelled clothes a bit. "Y-yes, I understand," Henry immediately replied while nodding. "Good, Live well then," Jin said as he soon left the room. Henry sighed in relief when he saw him leaving the room and he sat back down on the sofa. This life-threatening problem was finally sorted out. He believed Jin''s words because if he wanted to kill him and Rachael then they would both be dead by now. His entering his mansion in the morning without anyone knowing was enough of a proof. While everything was going on Rachael who had returned back home was sitting on the balcony lost in her own thoughts. The void that Jin''s departure had created was felt by her throughout thisst week and it seemed to be getting deeper and deeper over time. She still had a lot of questions she wanted to ask Jin but there were also some questions she had gotten answers to by herself. She was in love with Jin. She never had this feeling before with any other male and now that He left this feeling became more pronounced and made her realize what it actually was. But s¡­It seemed like her first love was meant to be a failure. She stood up and leaned towards the railing as she looked around the mansion from up above. The estate looked so vast and beautiful from up here yet it was insufficient to curb that ache which she felt in her heart. With a despondent sigh, she was about to turn back when she saw a figure walking out of the mansion. Curious she nced at the figure and saw the back of the person. Although it was just a back Rachael''s eyes widened at the sight of it. She could forget everything but not that reliable back. She had etched that view in her mind when she had seen him fighting those thugs to save her. ''"Will-" Cough! Cough! She tried to shout his name and make him stop but was met with a fit of cough. Her throat had still not recovered from that incident since the doctor had told her to rest her throat for two weeks. While trying to hold as many tears back from the coughing she ran out of her room and rushed downstairs. She didn''t want to lose even his chance of meeting Jin. She opens the door and rushes towards Jin''s figure. With the distance between the two decreasing, she once again calls out his name and this time Jin was able to hear it. Jin turns around just to see a panting Rachael who is gasping for air with tears in her eyes. He had no idea how to react to such a situation so he could only say "¡­Yes?" "Huff¡­You¡­Huff¡­" Rachael tried to speak but she had not yet recovered from running so much and was taking her time. "Catch your breath, I''m not running anywhere," Jin waited for Rachael to catch her breath. After a while Rachael finally let her heart out, "Y-you! Why! Why did you do it?!" Rachael asked hysterically. "Since when did I need to exin myself to you?" Jin stared down at her and continued, "You must have forgotten that I no longer work for you," "Was that all an act then? Your saving me? Having fun with me? Tell me! Was that all a lie?!" Rachael asked. She was adamant about getting a reply from Jin. However, Jin wasn''t so keen on answering her. He just stared at her hysterical self and understood that she wouldn''t be satisfied with any of his answers so he just replied rudely, "Think whatever you like, I''ll be going then," He turned his back on her and started walking. "Wait!" She tried to call him out but Jin didn''t stop. "I said wait!" She tried once again only to bepletely ignored by Jin. Tears had started pouring down her eyes by now. Her heart ached by being treated like this by this person but she didn''t want him to leave like this. Seeing Jin''s figure distancing away from her she finally couldn''t hold herself back anymore. "I love you! You bastard I love you! So please waittt!" She cried roughly. Her throat pained just to get her words across but she still overcame it andpleted her words. Hearing this sudden confession how could Jin not be stunned? He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. Rachael too looked towards him both while being swept in a lot of emotions but there was a little expectation in her heart¡­that after knowing this Jin might ept her. However, that was too good to be true. "This isn''t a bloody romance movie where I''lle running after you now that you''ve confessed your feelings to me," Jin replied after a while and continued, "However, since your eyes look so desperate for a reply, I''ll make things easy for you. I don''t like you Rachael, get over it." With that said, Jin turned around and soon walked out of the estate. Rachael just stood there in shock as tears endlessly poured out of her eyes as she saw her first love shattering right in front of her eyes. Chapter 56: Its Time To Leave While Jin was driving back home a number of thoughts rted to what transpired between him and Rachael a few moments back kept on shing in his mind. When Rachael confessed her feelings for him it was like a shock for Jin. No girl had ever confessed their love to him and he had expected things to stay like that. However, Rachael''s words shook his stoned heart making him think that something might have been possible between the two of them. He tried to shake those thoughts away but they kept on appearing. Her craze for romantic movies, how she had such a focused gaze when she watched them, how excited she became when she exined something about a particr film, the fun times he spent with her in the arcade¡­ All those events kept shing in Jin''s mind as he kept on driving. Although Rachael was a bit crazy when it came to movies but otherwise, she was a kind and thoughtful person. Add to that the fact that she looked beautiful and she had already left behind a lot of women in her tracks. Did Jin have feelings for Rachael? No, he did not. He had never thought of such things between them right until now. However, now that he did, he started thinking over the possibility of ''what if'' "Stop it!" Jin said to himself and shook those thoughts away from his mind. He was finally at his ce and walked out of the car with frustration clear on his face. Earlier, he had deliberately talked rudely with Rachael because he wanted to help her get over him quickly. The reason for that was because firstly, he wasn''t William but Jin. Secondly, with Jin''s way of living how could he fall for someone? Won''t it be him making things difficult for himself? These were the intention behind his rude behaviour. There was zero possibility of something like that happening between them and taking into consideration the good times he had spent with her during these weeks, he wanted Rachael to get over her irrational feelings for him as quickly as possible. To soothe his mood Jin took a long shower and he contemted this matter for a long. Thirty minutester, with all his thoughts cleared up, Jin walked out of the bathroom. He had changed back into his original appearance. He grabbed his phone, took a seat and searched about Zenith BioTech on the inte. Various images of several big buildings showed up along with several medicine-rted articles and business articles. Jin searched for the Neon City branch and a 20-floor high building with ck window panes appeared. It had a very dominating presence to it. ''Now this is going to be difficult,'' Jin thought. From how magnificent the building looked it was clear that it had a very good security system and it would be almost impossible for a normal civilian to enter. ''Guess I''ll have to go there and think of a n,'' Jin thought. He would need to spend arge amount of time to n out his way into the building. Therefore, it was best that he shifted to the capital. With this made up in his mind Jin decided to download an airline app on his phone. This was his first time doing all this so he spent some time getting familiar with the app before proceeding to book a ticket to the capital. There was a flight leaving tomorrow at nine in the morning so Jin booked it. He had nothing left to do in the Bing city so it was better to leave at the earliest. "15,000 Draks!" Jin eximed when he looked at the final cost. This was his first time booking a flight, he had heard flights to be expensive but never thought that they were this expensive. Thankfully, Jin had around 500K Draks in his bank ount at the moment and thisforted his heart a little as he finally booked the ticket. With the tickets done, Jin soon left the house and took a taxi towards his rental ce. His belongings were all there. On the way, Jin bought a trolley bag from a store as well since he didn''t have one. When he reached home, he began packing up the stuff which he needed and started keeping them in the bag one by one. At the end, Jin picked up a small childhood picture of him standing with his parents and ced it in. Seeing that picture strengthened Jin''s conviction towards finding out what exactly happened with his father. With a firmer will, Jin closed the bag.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Jin only took the essentials and left the things he didn''t need there. He messaged thendlord a few minutester about his move. It was now thendlord''s job to deal with the remaining stuff in the room. Jin had decided to find a job in the capital. Technically, he had been unemployed for almost a month now and it didn''t bore well with him to let his original identity suffer such injustice. ''But with my skills which normal respectable job can I even get?'' Jin thought. He had no degree or any professional skills to get such jobs as a result if he started spending all his money as Jin then people would get suspicious of him. Moreover, he needed a respectable high-paying job so that his spending wouldn''t look suspicious. "Whatever I''ll think about it when I get there," Jin said in an irritated manner. There were more important things to do at the moment. Since it was Jin''s first time taking a flight, he was a bit nervous and anxious. He opened up an online video-sharing app and was soon watching a video titled "Things all first-time fliers should know before taking a flight" He didn''t want to appear like a country bumpkin when he took the flight tomorrow morning so this was necessary. Jin spent the rest of the day watching a lot of such videos until his head was brimming with all the information he needed to know. He slept early and reported to the airport 3 hours early as was suggested in the video. Chapter 57: First Flight However prepared Jin was he still couldn''t control his exhration as he entered the airport premises. However, that feeling was short-lived as he soon found himself in one queue after another. One for checking in luggage and another long one for security check. The line for security check moved at a snail''s pace making him wait for almost half an hour. ''Good thing I arrived 3 hours early'' Jin thought. After clearing the security check Jin soon made his way towards the boarding gate. He was still left with an hour of time until boarding so Jin chose to rx till then and grabbed some tea nearby. "150 Draks for tea?!" Jin eximed at the stall. Hearing his exmation a bald middle-aged man beside him looked at him with a feeling of camaraderie and asked, "First time?" Jin nodded. "That''s how things are here at airports...they tried to wring everything from our pockets. Even a bottle of water is sold for 80 to 100 Draks...sigh" The bald manmented as he received his tea. The tea seller could only smile wryly at this. He wasn''t the one who set these prices he was just an employee and he too knew how ridiculous these prices were. The man sips his tea with an expressionless face. "Does it taste good?" Jin asked. If they were asking that much for tea, it better taste good. "Even my 12-year-old niece makes better tea than this," The manined as he took another sip. "Why drink it then?" Jin asked. "Look around you, do you think I have a choice? This is the only store selling tea in here," The man replied. Jin understood his sentiments. It was quitemon to develop a tea addiction by that age. However, since Jin wasn''t addicted to tea yet he turned away from the shop. It just wasn''t worth it. He instead paid for a sandwich at a different shop and curbed his hunger with it. Although expensive, at least it tasted good. While sitting on one of the waiting seats just outside his boarding gate Jin gazed at the flights through the ss windows. Each of them was a marvel of engineering and just like every first-timer, Jin too got lost in its beauty as a sense of excitement rose in his heart. He couldn''t wait to board the flight however the time seemed to be moving at a snail''s pace for him. The airline staff at the boarding gate finally made an announcement calling out the passengers to stand in a queue as they were going to begin boarding. Jin too got in the line along with the rest. In front of him was a woman wearing a ck cap and sunsses. She was chewing on a bubble gum and it felt like she had an aura around her. Jin was impressed by the way she looked. It looked very stylish to him.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The line soon started moving. At this moment Jin saw one of the woman''s airpods falling down. The woman realised it and tried to catch it with her hand but failed. Just when she was expecting it to fall down and break, a hand reached out towards it and caught it sessfully. She traced back the hand and saw that it belonged to the man standing behind her on the line. He had a good face to him but what picked her interest were his eyes. His eyes contained a certain depth to them and they seemed to have a story. While she was lost in her thought Jin gave the airpod back to her. "Thank you," She thanked him as she took it back. "You''re wee," Jin nodded back at her and she turned back around. The line kept on shortening and it was finally Jin''s turn. After his boarding pass was scanned he made he followed the person in front of him and was soon making his way to his flight through the Jet bridge. Jin felt exhrating because of how cool walking on that Jet bridge felt but that was not the end as he soon entered his flight under the weing smiles of the air hostesses. His seat was around the back of the ne. Being a first-time flier Jin had deliberately booked a window seat. The moment he sat down on his seat he slid open the window shutter and looked outside the ne with eagerness. A part of the ne''s wings were visible to him from here and also a part of the airport runaway. The seats beside Jin were soon filled up. In the middle there was a man in histe thirties and in the aisle seat was a kid whose mom was on the aisle seat on the other side. The ne started moving as the air hostesses exined the safety instructions to the public. By the time they finished the ne was in the runaway and everyone was told to fasten their seatbelts. Jin grabbed his seat handle tightly as the ne caught up speed. His body filled with anxiety as the metallic bird took to the skies. The constant vibrations were too fear-inducing for him. Seeing Jin''s nervous state the man beside himforted him with a smile. "It''s just a little turbulence. Nothing going to happen." Jin felt a bit relieved after hearing that. The ne soon reached the appropriate altitude and it finally felt calmer. Jin finally took the courage to look out the window and was enamoured by what he saw. Enormous clouds were resting just a few 100 feet below the ne and formed ayer and the gorgeous blue sky was clearly visible to him. It seemed that they were sandwiched between the sky and the clouds. It truly was a unique feeling. " A beautiful view isn''t it?" The man beside him said and continued, "That''s why I prefer taking flights early in the morning. No matter how upied my mind is this spectacr view always does the trick and calms me down," The man seemed lost in his thoughts as he admired the scene. "Oh, how rude of me, I''m Tyler. Nice to meet you," When the man recovered from his contemtive state he forwarded his hand towards Jin for a handshake. A/N: I wrote this chapter on mobile, It looks alright right? Chapter 58: Trouble "I''m Jin, nice to meet you too," Jin shook hands with the man. "It''s your first time isn''t it?" He asked even though he already knew the answer. "Yep," Jin nodded. "Time passes so quickly, I still remember being scared like you in my first flight several years ago..." Tyler sighed and quickly changed the topic. "So why are you visiting the capital?" "To find some work," Jin replied briefly. The man scrutinized Jin from top to bottom with his eyes when he heard that and asked, "Modelling?" "Hm? What do you mean?" Jin asked. "You look quite fit and your face also appears well maintained so I was just curious whether you were looking at modelling as your career.The modelling business is pretty profitable in Neon City." Tyler exined. "Is that so? Well, I''m not. I''m too underqualified for that kind of job." Jin said. "Under-qualified? Even high school graduates can be models these days if they try hard... there''s nothing stopping you young man," Tyler tried to motivate Jin only to be met with an unexpected reply. "Well... I left school at fifth grade so therefore I''m not qualified," Jin replied. That was the truth and he wasn''t ashamed of it. "Oh..." Tyler replied in an awkward manner.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "I see...I see. I wish you good luck then," Tyler said in an awkward manner. That really took him off guard. "Thank you, Jin said as he turned back towards the window. Tyler found it too awkward to continue with the conversation so he kept quiet. Jin didn''t mind it and he enjoyed the view as the ne kept moving in its route. An hour passed like that and Jin felt a pressure building up in his dder. Jin got up from his seat and made his way towards the toilet at the back. The door read vatory''. Jin opened the door after struggling a bit with the handle mechanism and entered it. He looked around the small toilet which he just entered and couldn''t help but say ''Wow'' ''Just like the high-end name, vatory'' this ce looks high end aswell. I feel like I''m in the toilet of the future,'' Jin thought in amazement. He closed the door from inside and soon began with his business. Meanwhile, at the front of the ne a bathroom which had been upied until now opened up and a person in a pilot''s uniform got out. "What''s there for snack Jenny?" He started chit-chatting with one of the air hostesses for a bit. The air hostess weed the interaction. While this was going on a passenger sitting on the aisle seat in the 2nd row was observing all of this. He had a jovial face and always had a smile on his face. However, that smile soon left when he saw the piloting out of thevatory. He picked up the small suitcase he had ced between his legs and kept it on hisp. Tick! He snapped open the locks with his fingers and ced his hand over the briefcase as if waiting for something. His friendly gaze had changed to resemble that of a hawk''s as he observed the pilot flirting with the air hostess. "See you in the evening then," The pilot said with a yful gaze. The air hostess smiled at those words as he bit into her lips thereby making the pilot look forward to the night even more. He turned around towards the cockpit door and made his way towards it. The air hostess thrilled about the night looked at the pilot''s wide back as he opened the cockpit''s door with a sense of longing. Bang! Bang! However, the next moment her ears heard two deafening sounds and the next moment the pilot''s back was covered in blood as his body slid lifelessly while holding the half-open door. The air hostess looked at the bloodied body in front of her and screeched only to be shoved aside by a man who rushed towards the cockpit door. The co-pilot inside the cockpit was quickly alerted by the gunshots. When he turned around he found the captain sliding lifelessly down the door. Leaving everything behind he immediately rushed towards the door. As per the protocol the door needs to be closed as soon as possible and he wanted to do just that. He quickly pushed off the captain''s body and mmed the door. To his dismay, the captain''s hand fell when he pushed him andit was now blocking the door. "Fuck!" He eximed with a mix of fear and fury. He kicked off the arm and mmed shut the door only to receive a forceful push from the other side of the door. It prevented him from fully closing the door. There was still a little gap left. "Open or I''ll shoot!" The voice came from the other side. The pilot didn''t reply and gritted his teeth in an attempt to close the door. By now the passengers had gone hysterical but were soon brought under control by two men with a gun in their hands. A few seconds before all this happened... ''Huh? Is this damaged? Why is the flush not working?'' Jin thought as he kept pressing the flush button only to see nothing happening. ''Oh, there''s something written...ah, I need to close the seat toilet lid first'' Jin mused as he closed the lid and finally flushed off his piss. He leisurely turned around to wash his hands while observing himself in the mirror. He looked alright. Bang! Bang! "What the fuck!" Jin eximed from inside. Although the sound was a bit muffled how could he not know that it was the sound of a gunshot? ''Fuck...is this simr to that video I watched yesterday?....a ne hijack?'' Jin remembered a video he had watched yesterday and couldn''t help but curse his fate. "Silent! You scream and I''ll blow that head off you bastards" a voice came from outside. It was very close to Jin so he figured that this man was standing at the ne''s back. Chapter Continue: Jin slowly opened the door making as little noise as possible. Through the small gap, he gazed outside and saw the back of a burly man pointing a gun at an olddy who was clearly frightened. Jin opened the door wider and exited the toilet while crouched. He has only one chance to subdue the man without alerting him. Taking a deep breath he entered a focus state and rushed towards the man from behind. Sensing a movement the man immediately turned around. His eyes widened when he saw Jin''s rushing figure and shot him in a hurry. "Argh!" Jin was hit! Gritting his teeth in pain Jin continued his momentum and was soon at arm''s length with the man. The man attempted to pull the trigger again but Jin didn''t give him a chance. He hit the man''s wrist making him drop the weapon. The next moment, a powerful chop struck the man''s neck and he lost consciousness. Chapter 59: Handling the Trouble With the man down, Jin looked towards his sides. His upper arm was shot and his shirt was now dressed in blood as a result. Jin gritted his teeth in pain, picked up the pistol from the ground and rolled forward in a hurry. There was another terrorist in front of him who had just noticed what had happened at the back. "Bang!" before that terrorist could take proper aim at Jin, he was shot right on his kneecap which obliterated his bones as he cried out in pain. Jin rushed forward to bridge the gap between them in that instant and kicked the chin of the man straight up making him lose consciousness as well. Jin wanted to kill these bastards who had ruined his first flight experience but therge number of eyeballs directed towards him from the crowd kept him in check. One such pair of eyeballs belonged to Tyler. With his jaw opened in surprise, the image of how Jin took care of the two terrorists kept shing in his mind as he saw him moving towards the ne''s front.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Meanwhile, near the cockpit, a tussle was taking ce between the terrorist leader on one side and co-pilot on the other side of the cockpit door. They both heard a shot being fired. The co-pilot''s heart faltered a bit when he heard it while the terrorist leader''s face was calm. He had already told his men to shoot anyone they found to be difficult to handle. Taking advantage of the co-pilot''s reaction the terrorist managed to shove his hard-soled shoes in the small opening of the door thus preventing the door from being closed. "Got you, you bastard," The man smiled as he said those words. The co-pilot, in a frenzied state, started mming his foot over the man''s. He didn''t notice that his thigh was now in the line of sight of the terrorist. "So you won''t quietly open the door huh? Fine," The terrorist pointed his pistol towards the co-pilot''s thigh and shot. Bang! The co-pilot fell down from pain the moment he was shot as he fearfully looked at the man opening the door of the cockpit. "You sure tried your best, now just listen to my orders if you don''t want to end like your captain," The man said with a calm victorious smile on his face. He pointed his gun at the co-pilot who was groaning in pain and asked, "You understand?" Chapter Find: With a sweat-covered face, the co-pilot nodded in pain. The ne was on autopilot currently so there wasn''t a problem at the moment but they would soon be requiring a pilot for their mission. The man turned towards the air hostess he had pushed aside a few moments ago and said, "Bring a first aid kit and address him," The fear gripped woman could only nod to the man in a hurry and tried to stand up only to crash on the ground. Her legs weren''t working because of her fear. "Useless," the manmented in irritation written on his face. "Where''s the first aid kit?" The man asked the co-pilot. Hearing the man''s words the the co-pilot lifted his arms weakly and pointed it towards a side. The man walked towards the direction to search for the kit. At this moment the air hostess discovered Jin''s bloodied figure which was holding a gun in its hand. Her eyes widened in shock. "Shhh" Jin ced his finger on his lips to tell the woman to keep her mouth shut. The woman was a bit confused by the situation but still did as she was directed and didn''t make a sound. Jin soon discreetly made his way into the cockpit. Seeing this the air hostess finally got an idea as to what was going on. She inwardly cheered for Jin to be sessful. The cockpit was a sensitive area and Jin was worried that his using a gun would harm a piece of important equipment. Coincidentally, the moment he arrived he saw the man rummaging through some items inside a bag while showing his back to him. ''How lucky'' Jin immediately rushed silently with cat-like agility and pinched a particr nerve near the trapezius. "Wh-" This was all too sudden for the man as he tried to say something but no voice came out of his mouth. Jin had paralysed the man with his move for a few minutes. The reason he did so? He wanted to teach this bastard a lesson for ruining his flight experience. "Take this you rascal!" Punch after punch smashed on the man''s somewhat handsome face and changed its appearance into an ugly bloody mess. Both the co-pilot and the air hostess could only stare dumbly at the scene that was going on in front of their eyes. The terrorist who was about to take over the ne was subdued and was currently being beaten ck and blue by the person who saved them. Jin soon recovered his bearing. He took the gun and handed it to the air hostess. "Tie him down with something and make sure it''s tight," The woman nodded and soon brought a few zip ties along with her and bound the man''s hands and feet with a few of them. Jin nodded seeing this and instructed, "Tell your colleagues at the back to do the same with the other two terrorists," The woman nodded and left the cockpit. With this only Ji and the pilot was left in the cockpit. "You can still fly the ne right?" Jin asked with a hint of anxiety hidden on his neutral face. "Y-yes, I might be able to...it''s just very painful to move so I''m not very confident. Maybe after the first aid, I will be able to..." The man said with difficulty. Seeing the man''s situation It was clear that he was in great pain. Jin got worried seeing this. He didn''t want to die on his first flight. He wanted to immediately call that sir hostess back so that she could monitor first aid on the pilot but he stopped himself. ''Wait a minute...how about using those painkillers?'' Jin remembered the painkillers he saw in the system store. While the pilot was distracted with his pain Jin opened up the system bought a painkiller costing him 750 KP. A small bottle of medicine soon appeared on Jin''s hands. It had the word ''drinkable'' written on it. "Here''s a painkiller, it might relieve some pain. Take it," The co-pilot looked at the small bottle of medicine with a dubious expression but under Jin''s unfazed gaze he took the bottle and gulped it all down. "That''s bitter af," the pilot winced because of how bitter the medicine was. He wanted to hurl a few abuses at Jin but to his utter disbelief the pain disappeared instantly the next moment. A bewildered expression formed on his. "Looks like it worked," Jinmented when he saw it. "Try standing," Jin wanted to see how effective this medicine was. He was also injured on his shoulder so he was thinking of consuming it himself after seeing it''s affects on the pilot. Hearing Jin''s words the pilot tried to stand by pushing himself up and it wasn''t very difficult for him. His thighs pained a little bit but It was to a manageable level. Seeing that the pilot would be capable of flying the ne now Jin took a sigh of relief. The air hostess soon arrived with her other colleagues after dealing with the other two terrorists. They administered first aid on both the pilot and Jin to prevent their bleeding. With all this done, the pilot took his seat and tookmand of the flight. Chapter 60: An Opportunity Seeing that the pilot was doing alright Jin stood up from where he was seated and thanked the air hostess for treating him. "Thank you," "No, thank you! If not for you who knows what would have happened to this flight, to us!" The woman replied with thankfulness written on her face. The same expression was there on the faces of other staff members in the cockpit. "I''ll be going back to my seat then," Jin said. He was finding these eyes filled with gratefulness too much to bear. "Oh, about that, could you just sit in one of the front seats instead? Luckily there''s a space so we won''t have any problems aodating you," The woman said. "I''m alright with that but what''s the reason?" Jin asked. "The thing is ording to the procedures the police officers would being in to take in these terrorists and they might ask for you at that time. It would be more convenient if you''re sitting here," The woman replied. "Alright, I''ll do that then," Jin said and was soon guided to a seat in the front row. The moment Jin came out of the cockpit the whole ne rang with cheers. They all were pping and roaring out in happiness. "Hero!" "Our Hero!" "Our saviour!" The gratefulness and thankfulness were apparent in all their faces and this was all a bit too overwhelming for Jin. He had never been thanked so sincerely before and couldn''t help but find it odd. ''you''re calling a killer like me as a hero? How ironic,'' Jin thought at the back of his mind as he responded to everyone''s cheers ordingly and soon sat on the seat. Jin was too upied with matching eyes with the surrounding people that it was only now that he had taken his seat that he saw the appearance of his neighbour. It was the same woman whose airdrops had almost dropped earlier. "Oh we meet again," Jin nodded at her as a greeting. "Yep, if you were an actor then you would have gotten a die-hard fan just now," The woman said with a smile. "Ah, is that so?" Jin asked wryly. He had no idea where this wasing from. "You don''t believe me?" She asked after hearing his response. "It''s not that I doubt you but I was just surprised at beingpared to an actor," Jin replied. "Hm? What do you mean? You have a good face, a good physique and you''re even good at dealing with terrorists! What other thing does an actor need?!" The woman said as if she was stating something obvious. "Um... acting?" Jin stated. "Oh...yeah, I forgot," The woman''s eyes widened in surprise as she soon realised that she hadn''t considered a crucial thing. ''How could you even forget that...'' Jin joshed inwardly. Still, the woman didn''t want to feel embarrassed so she continued, "Still, acting is only a small part that matters in the movie business. What matters is looks, fame, and good support. It''s only natural that your acting improves the more you act. And for that to happen you need good support, that is, a good agency behind you who will constantly provide you with roles. So as long as you can get in touch with a good agency there''s a good chance that you''ll be a good actor," she concluded. "Ok..." Jin replied. He was a bit weirded out by this info dump this woman just provided. When did he even mention that he wanted to be an actor? Seeing Jin''s expression the woman nodded in understanding and said, "I know what you''re thinking," ''you do?'' Jin looked at her in surprise. She continued after a pause, "You''re thinking of how you will find such an agency aren''t you?" Jin''s face twitched when he heard that but seeing the smug expression she was making with her lips Jin didn''t want to pour cold water over it and just nodded to her. "You''re right," "I have that all figured out, would you like to listen to my n?" She asked. Chapter Continue: Seeing her earnest expression Jin could only nod again. "So here''s what you need to do..." She quickly exined everything to Jin. The n was quite simple. The reporters would soon approach Jin when the flightnds and there he needs to be as heroic as he was while fighting those terrorists and win the hearts of the public. This will provide him with a bit of fame. The next step is to approach various agencies and use the fact that he had heroically prevented a terrorist attack to his advantage to get on their good side. After that, everything else depended upon how he did his roles.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om The n seemed pretty well thought out however it was still missing a crucial element...Jin didn''t know how to act. "How much do actors even earn?" Jin asked out of curiosity trying to change the topic. "It varies...the ones at the bottom might earn 3k-5k Draks daily. while those at the top charge almost 50-100 crore Draks (A/N:$ 6-12 million~ ) per film. Jin''s eyes widened in surprise. He had never heard about such arge amount of money from someone''s mouth. "Are film actors really that rich?" He couldn''t help but ask. "Of course, why else would so many people want to be actors? You get to live asvish a lifestyle as you want once you be famous." The woman replied as a matter of fact. ''Wait a minute...'' Jin for the first time started considering her words seriously. With this much money in his hands won''t he be able to solve all matters rted to money? No one would find his spending suspicious anymore! He didn''t wish to be a top actor, just being mediocre would allow him to spend all his money openly. No one would suspect him. "So..." Jin asked the woman how he could act more charismatic in front of the media ao that he could profit most from that situation. Seeing that Jin looked interested the woman became jubnt and told all that she could to him while exining each point in detail. This man had saved not only her but the lives of everyone on this ne so she wanted to do her utmost to help him now that he had requested her something like this. Jin listened to everything the woman exined with rapt attention and noted down all the important points in his brain. The air hostess finally announced that it was time for the flight tond. Chapter 61: Anna Hayes The lights for seatbelts were back and the flight attendants instructed everyone to put on their seat belts. Jin hurriedly put on his seat belt when the instructions were over and took a deep breath to adjust his mindset. The woman sitting beside him looked at him with confusion clear on her face but Jin was too upied with adjusting his state of mind to notice her. When the ne started descending and a random turbulence caused the ne to shake Jin gripped the seat handles and sped the seat handles tightly. She finally understood what was going on andmented with a chuckle when the ne stabilized, "I didn''t expect you of all people to be afraid of flying," "Is it that strange to be afraid during your first flight?" Jin asked. He felt his ego bruised a little by her chuckle. "This is your first flight?" She asked in surprise. Jin nodded. "...you sure have some great luck. It''s only after sixty or so flights that I managed to experience being in a ne hijack," She said while trying to suppress herself fromughing at his rotten luck. "Rotten luck you mean to say," Jinmented. Seeing Jin say the exact thing she was thinking she couldn''t help butugh out loud. She was unable to hold it in anymore. It took her a few seconds to finally recover, "Ah...sorry I just couldn''t help myself, your timing was too good," she once again started snickering at the thought when she finished. Who likes beingughed at? Jin of course didn''t. He just stared at the woman in annoyance before taking his eyes off her. There were more important things to be concerned over right now. Like how the ground seemed to be getting closer by the seconds. Seeing the direction of Jin''s gaze the woman felt like teasing him a bit more and said, " Did you know that most flight idents happen during take offs andndings," Jin''s eyebrows twitched at those words. He had heard that in one of the videos he binged yesterday so he already knew that...but he didn''t want to hear something like that just a few minutes beforending. He red at the woman in anger. "Okay okay... I''ll not say anything alright?" Seeing Jin''s angry gaze she finally controlled her yful side. Jin just snorted and closed his eyes. Seeing outside the window was too nerve-wracking for him. The ne finally touched down and bounced a bit on the run-away. Each time Jin felt his soul escaping his body as he braced himself for whatever was toe. Feeling the ne slowing down he finally opened his eyes only to see an amused expression on her face. "You''re one interesting guy you know that?" Jin ignored her words and instead stared at the window behind her. Seeing that they were slowly moving on the run-away he finally felt relieved and sighed. "So you''re ignoring me now?" She asked with a grin. "Would you associate with someone who''s continuously trying to make fun of you?" Jin asked. "I get it alright. It was just amusing to see a strong and capable man like you fearing something small like that," the woman said. The flight was moving towards the air bridge. Jin didn''t respond to her so she changed the topic and asked, "Why did youe to Neon City btw?" "To find a job," Jin replied. "Ah, being unemployed sucks," the woman thought back to her times of struggle and was lost in her thoughts for a while. When she recovered she said to Jin, " Don''t worry, when the reporters approach me for an interview I''ll use extra flowery words to describe your actions. Use that chance to win the public''s appraisal of youter on," "Thanks, " Jin knew that her words were sincere and thanked her. "Don''t be, it''s a small favourpared to how you saved us all...besides there''s something much more important that needs to be addressed," She said. Jin looked at her in confusion.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Introduction! We''ve been sitting together for an hour and chatting yet we don''t know each other''s name. This cannot be done!" She eximed. She brought her hand out towards Jin the next moment and said, "I''m Anna Hayes. Nice to meet you," "I''m Jin ker, it was nice knowing you," He said as he shook her hands. "Hey it''s as if you''re saying that we won''t be meeting again," Anna said with furrowed brows. "We will be?" Jin asked in confusion. "Yes, my intuition says that we will," Anna responded with a charming smile. Chapter Your: Jin wanted to question her but the air hostess called him at that moment since the exit door was all set now. "Goodbye," Anna waved her hands towards Jin as he stood up from his seat. Jin nodded back at her and followed after the air hostess. The three terrorists were being dragged out by the police personnel. The police were already made aware of the whole situation by the ATC. "Sir we heard what you did and are very thankful for your quick judgement in taking care of the situation, we would like to take you with us to the station for taking statements," One police officer approached Jin in a very professional manner. "Alright," Jin nodded and went along with them. Jin described how his luggage looked to one of the police personnel who was tasked with taking it back to the station when it arrived. With everything settled Jin could apany them in relief. While sitting inside the police car Jin looked outside the window at the tall structures built everywhere. What amazed him even more was all the Neon billboards the buildings were covered with. It was a pity that it was still in the daylight otherwise he would be able to see a remarkable scene. After half an hour they arrived at the police station. The terrorists were shoved out of the car and were locked up behind bars. Jin was brought to an inspector who would be taking his statements. Chapter 62: Taking Statements "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jin," The inspector stood up from his seat and greeted Jin as he forwarded his hands towards him. Seeing this, Jin too forwarded his hand to exchange the greeting. The inspector was a well-groomed man who looked to be in his mid-thirties. "I know it''s quite inconvenient for you toe to the station but since it''s a protocol it can''t be helped. I''ll make sure to do this quickly so till that time I ask for your cooperation," the inspector said politely as he took a seat while indicating Jin to take his aswell. "Absolutely," Jin nodded at his words. The inspector soon took out his pen and started asking Jin some questions. "So, are you trained in martial arts?" That was his first question. Since it was known to them that Jin had beaten the three men up. "Nope," Jin denied. At Jin''s answer, the inspector furrowed his eyebrows thinking that Jin was trying to make things difficult for him. "So you''re saying that you beat all these men without any knowledge of fighting?" "I never said that, I was just not trained by anyone," Jin replied. "Can you exin more on that topic?" The inspector asked. "Well, Sir, since I was 10 years old I''ve spent my life in the slums. It was quitemon to be targeted there by other kids if you were weak. So through getting beaten by them so many times, I learnt to defend and retaliate against them," "So that''s how it is," the inspector felt a bit of sympathy towards Jin as he could only guess how difficult a life he had led as a child. He soon proceeded to the next question. "Have you used any firearm before?" "Nope, I''ve just seen them being used in the movies," Jin answered. . .n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om . Just like that the questioning continued on for a while. The inspector was a bit stunned at first that Jin had used arge sum of his savings to book a flight ticket. Especially when he was unemployed. Jin soon convinced him that he did so because he had bet everything intoing to the capital and making a name for himself in the film industry. Even if he fails at least he could still smile at the fact that he was able to fly on a ne. "That''s all Mr. Jin. Thank you for your cooperation and also..." The inspector paused and hesitated for a second before continuing, "There''s a city police recruitment rallying up at the end of this month. If you think that the film industry is not for you I hope you give it a try," "I''ll keep that in mind, thank you," Jin nodded at him thankfully. "No need for that. If someone like you joins our ranks it will only benefit our forces more," The inspector patted Jin''s shoulder with a smile. Jin was soon handed his trolley bag. "There''s a reporter waiting outside, do you want us to deal with him?" The inspector asked. "No, It''s a good opportunity for me to be on television," Jin smiled. The inspector understood his intention and said, "Then I''ll be wishing you good luck," Jin nodded back at him and soon left the police station. ... Tim had been having a hard time at his news broadcastingpany because of his low performance during the past two months. It was not that he was not good at being a reporter otherwise he would have long been kicked out of his job. The problem lies elsewhere. He was unable to get fresh news! It was always toote by the time he had entered the scene and as a result, his reports didn''t gain much audience. It was to the point that his news coverage was shown for not more than ten seconds these days. "Sigh...my rotten luck," Tim said depressingly. His phone started vibrating all of a sudden. ''Which bastard it is now?'' He pulled out his phone from his pocket and looked at the caller in frustration. ''Henry? What''s he calling me for?'' His cousin Henry had called him all of a sudden. Tim picked up the call and kept the phone near his ears, "Yes?" A string of words soon entered Tim''s ears as his eyes slowly widened in surprise before excitement soon took over them. He thanked Henry profusely before putting down the phone. "Mathew! Let''s go! We got a lead!" Tim rushed towards his van and called the cameraman who was dozing off in the driver''s seat. "Huh?" Mathew looked at Tim with confusion. ''What got this bastard so excited all of a sudden?'' he thought. Before he could ask Tim mmed the door shut and sat on the co-driver''s seat. "What are you staring at? Start the engine," Tim shouted hysterically. "Ah...y-yes," The van soon started. "Where''s the location?" Mathew asked. "Police station, 33rd Street" Tim replied immediately. The van soon rushed towards the destination. While at it Mathew asked Tim about the lead. His eyes too widened at the news and he pressed the pedal even further. "Let''s go, baby! Finally, our time hase!" Mathew shouted like a wild boar as he started overtaking all the cars ahead like there was no tomorrow. While the two were making their way towards the police station the passengers of the flight were being interviewed by several reporters. One of them approached Anna and asked her about her experience, "Ma''am, can you share how that horrific incident unfolded and was sorted out in the end?" The reporters asked. Anna had been waiting for this moment all this while, with a charming smile on her face she removed her cap and the sunsses which were hiding her limpid eyes and looked straight into the camera in a well-practiced manner. "It was all thanks to that man, Jin ker, if not for him only god knows what might have happened to all of us passengers. Those terrorists wanted to kill us all thankfully..." The reporter and cameraman''s eyes widened when looked at the person. ''Anna Hayes,'' They thought. The reporter knew that he had hit a jackpot. He listened carefully to all of Anna''s words and asked all the questions that were expected of him. Seeing that things were going ording to her n, Anna grinned inwardly. Chapter 63: Being Live on TV Jin soon made his way out of the police station and was greeted by a reporter excitedly. "Good morning sir! I''m from Tv16. I just got to know about your valiant act and would like to interview you for our audience, will it be possible for you to spare a few moments of your time?" Tim requested while pointing towards the camera which was being held by Mathew. "Sure, is this going to be live?" Jin asked. "Yes sir, The arrangements have been made and we could go live at any moment now," Timmy replied. "Alright, let''s start then," Jin gave his acknowledgement and Tim nodded at Mathew. A few momentster Jin''s and Tim''s faces appeared on the television sets in several homes. "Ladies and gentlemen, the man beside me is the talk of the hour. The man who saved flight VK2367 from being hijacked. The man who single-handedly neutralized three terrorists and saved everyone on the flight. Mr. Jin ker," Tim introduced Jin to the viewers to gain their retention before moving the mic towards Jin. "Mr. Jin, what were you thinking while you were facing those terrorists? Weren''t you scared?" He asked. "I was scared," Jin paused to add an effect as he continued, "Just like a normal person I too was scared however what scared me even more was the thought of seeing the other passengers in danger, the thought of all of us not being able to make it back home. So I acted on my fears and subdued those terrorists. At worst it would have been just me who would be dead," Jin finished with a strict and righteous-looking expression. "Wow! Just hearing you sends my blood pumping all over. I''m sure it''s the same for our viewers! After you had dealt with those terrorists how did you feel?" "I didn''t feel anything. I was too focused on the gun wound the co-pilot had suffered. Thankfully the air hostess promptly applied a first aid and he was good to go," Jin answered. "That must have been a scary experience I must say. Speaking of wounds. I see that a bandage is applied to your arm. Could you tell us what happened?" Tim asked. He too was curious since the start as to how Jin was injured. "I was shot," Jin answered briefly. "W-what...you mean from a gun?" Tim asked out of surprise. The thousands of viewers watching the television also opened their mouths seeing Jin''s nonchnce. "Yes, from a gun," Jin confirmed. His stoic attitude truly inspired several young male viewers and hyped the other viewers. While all this was happening a deal was taking ce between the directors of several news broadcasting channels with the director of Tv16. They soon received the permission and Jin''s face was now being live telecasted on all the news channels! "I hope it''s not hurting much Sir. If it is then we can end this interview now," Tim suggested. He felt a bit guilty for dying an injured man. "No, it''s alright, it doesn''t hurt anymore so you can continue with your questions," Jin told Tim. He had no intention of letting this golden opportunity go. Tim had no idea that the show was now being telecasted on all news channels. He was more concerned with gaining back his flow which was interrupted earlier. However, there was not much to worry about. He wasn''t a greenhorn and was soon able to make aeback. With a voice filled with passion and zeal, he said, "You heard him Ladies and gentlemen, the man standing in front of us is the epitome of valour and moral righteousness. Despite being shot himself, the first thing he thought of after dealing with all the terrorists was about how the pilot was doing?! Truly it''s rare to find men like Mr. Jin in today''s world," Tim''s words did the trick of glueing the ever-increasing viewers to their screens and invoked a sense of passion in them. Now that their attention was retained Tim went back to his questions and started asking them one by one. Jin navigated all those questions as skillfully as an adept sailor and impressed the viewers with his words. He was sticking to what Anna had suggested to him on the flight. ''Say not what you want to say but what the people want to hear,'' Tim was beyond just happy with Jin''s answers. With each answer, he felt the amount of viewers increasing. He didn''t know the exact number but he was willing to bet his balls that he was going to make a killing. "Coming to thest question, what exactly do you n to do in the Neon City now?" Tim asked. It was time to end the interview. He cannot stretch it for long since the attention span of viewers was short. When Jin heard this question he smiled. This was exactly the question he had been waiting for all this while. Coincidentally this was also the first time Jin smiled in the whole interview and it attracted everyone''s eyes as they waited to hear Jin''s response. "I will be an actor," Jin replied. He wanted to keep a shroud of mystery so he only said these four words. Jin''s revtion was like a bombardment for the viewers as the moment those words left his mouth discussions ensued on various social media tforms. ''Actor?! I just can''t wait to see him on the big screen!!'' ''Me too! You got your first fan right here Mr Jin!'' ''Hey the rascal above, it''s me who is his first fan, not you!'' ''No, me!'' ''It''s me!'' ''No, me!'' ''Shut up the two of you! I just can''t wait to see him in those intimate scenes. Oh how much I yearn to see what hides inside those clothes of his...'' ''Why are you gae?'' ''I''m a woman, since when it was frowned upon for a woman to like a man?'' ''Liar! There are no women on the inte!'' ''IKR! He thinks he could fool the eyes of us professionals, you''re 100 years too young for that kiddo,'' ''Are you guys serious...'' While the inte was being flooded with variousments it was the same for Tim''s mind. It was being flooded with various follow-up questions and he had long forgotten that the earlier question was supposed to be thest. That is until Jin stopped his attempt to ask the next question midway and said, "I believe that was yourst question. A gentleman must stick to his words," As a result, Tim could only sigh and say, "Thank you for your time, Mr. Jin. I pray for your quick recovery and a sessful career in the film industry," "The pleasure was all mine," Jin said and the interview was finally over. However, it was not so for the discussions taking ce. What Jin didn''t know was that by tomorrow he would be an overnight sensation in the country and would be number two on the trending list on a particr search tform.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The still oblivious Jin was taken to the hospital by a cop where his wounds were treated. He was earlier suggested to visit the hospital beforeing to the police station by the police officer at the airport. However, he refused because Jin felt that it would be more convenient to deal with the statement-taking before making his way to the hospital. Jin had to tap his injured area a few times to make the officer believe that it truly wasn''t painful for him. Byte afternoon Jin''s arm was treated for the gun wound as he made his way out of the hospital. Chapter 64: Hotel ''Hmm...so where''s the nearest hotel?'' Jin thought and pulled out his phone. Maps app was as reliable as always and within a few seconds Jin was able to find several hotels nearby. Instead of looking at the prices he instead looked at their stars. There was only one 5-star hotel near him so he decided to go there. He raised his hand to stop a taxi and soon arrived at the hotel.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om A 15-storey finely crafted building weed his eyes. The Hotel looked enormous and luxurious. Jin knew it would cost him a lot to stay here and that it might attract suspicion if one looked into him therefore he had nned to book a room for 2 days at first. Once he got epted by an agency he could ask for an advance and using the advance as an excuse he could continue to live in this luxurious hotel. "I would like to book a single room for 2 days," Jin said to the receptionist. The receptionist looked at Jin and said, with a professional smile, "Certainly Sir," before proceeding to type something on theputer. Finding that there were rooms avable she asked Jin for his ID. "Sir, can you please provide me with your original ID," "Sure," Jin handed out his ID. With the ID in hand, the receptionist filled in all the necessary information and the checking-in procedure waspleted. "That would be 25,000 Draks for 2 days Sir," The receptionist said as she pushed the card-swiping machine towards Jin. Jin paid the amount. He felt a bit proud of himself. A few months back he wouldn''t have imagined that he would be booking a room in a 5-star hotel like this even in his dreams. "Mr. Jin, your room number is 84, it is on the 8th floor. Here''s your keycard and I hope you''ll have a pleasant stay here," "Thank you," Jin said and was soon guided to his room by one of the staff He showed him around his room and told him all the things that he needed to know to have a pleasant stay here. "I''ll be going the sir, call me anytime you need me," the man said as he prepared himself to leave. "Alright, thank you," Jin nodded at him and saw him leave. Now that he was all alone in the room the first thing he did was to take a shower. The bathroom looked fantastic and was worth every penny. After a rxing hot shower which soothed both his mind and body Jin fell on the bed like a log. He was way too exhausted to think about dinner. When his eyes opened up it was already seven in the evening. Growl~ He hadn''t had lunch so it was obvious that his stomach was showing its dissatisfaction. Jin got up and yawned. He changed into some presentable clothes and went to the ground floor where the restaurant was. Murmur ~ While Jin was making his way to the restaurant he found something amiss. Several people were looking at him and murmuring things. ''Was my interview that famous?'' Jin thought. He couldn''t think of any other reason for people to know him. As if to prove his thought right a 17-year-old boy approached him hesitantly and asked, "Excuse me, can I have a selfie with you?" "Oh? Sure," Jin had no reason to refuse. He gave a signature thumbs-up with his right hand and smiled a little for the camera. Seeing that Jin looked approachable more and more people wanted to take photographs with him to Jin''s dismay. Initially, he was happy to see this but soon realised how mundane it was to smile at the camera again and again and again. By the time he was finished, it was close to eight and his stomach was raging over this dy. Jin finally ordered his food and had a heart meal there. Here too, he didn''t escape the eyes of other customers who were holding themselves back from approaching him since he was eating his dinner. ''I''ve not even be an actor yet but they''re already making me feel like one,'' He joshed himself. With his stomach full Jin left the restaurant after taking pictures with a few more people. When he was in his room Jin satfortably on the sofa to rx. The post-meal lethargy was as strong as always, unfazed by the 3 hours of sleep Jin had before. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and started searching various Entertainment agencies out there. Some good samaritan had created a website where he had ranked these agencies. Jin thanked the person in his heart and started going through all those agencies one by one. He skipped the top most ones, cause he knew that his chances were close to zero if he applied there. Jin''s eyes went below the top 5 agencies and started looking at them one by one. Searching about how the agency was going on, whether they were making a profit, a loss, or just barely making it. All the information was avable on the website so he didn''t need to go anywhere else. He opened his notepad app and started writing the names of the agencies he would be visiting tomorrow. By the time he was done with it, there were names of thirty different agencies in his app. It took him an hour to segregate them from 100 other mid-tier agencies. Jim thought that he would be sleepy once he was done with this task but that didn''t happen. ''Wasn''t there a gym on the 3rd floor? I should go and sweat a bit, I''ll naturally fall asleep if I''m exhausted enough,'' Jin thought and made his way out. When he reached the gym there was only one person in there. A woman in a hoodie who was running on a treadmill with headphones on. ''Damn, she looks locked in,'' Jin thought in admiration. He didn''t disturb her and started lifting weights. Chapter 65: Blue Horizon Entertainment While Jin was busy with the weights the woman finished with her workouts. She nced towards Jin. Jin was fully engaged with the leg press machine and didn''t notice her gaze. She soon retracted her gaze and reached for her stuff. With a towel and bottle in hand, she left the gym. A few momentster when Jin realized that he was all alone he felt ted. He had been controlling his urge to scream during reps for a while now, he could finally let everything out. Around one and a half hourster when Jin reached his room, all of him was covered in sweat. He took a bath the next moment and mmed his tired body on the bed. The next day after getting all set for the day he left the hotel. His destination was one of the agencies among the list of thirty which he notedst night. "Blue Horizon Entertainment," Jin muttered as he looked at the signboard in front of a five-storey building. ''Here goes nothing,'' Jin took a deep breath and made his way in. The ambience inside the building was quite appealing. Jin turned his head rightwards and found the reception a few meters away from him. He was about to make his way towards it but felt a tap on his back. When he turned around he saw a man''s familiar face behind him. The man at first looked hesitant but the moment he got a clear look at Jin''s face his expression changed and was reced with that of excitement. "Thank my lucky stars! it really is you!" He said excitedly as if he had won the lottery. "...Mr. Tyler?" It took a couple of seconds for Jin to recollect his name. Jin was sitting beside him on the flight initially and had exchanged a few words with him. "Yes it''s me, you''re here because you want to be an actor right?" Tyler asked. Jin nodded at him. He had said it in his interview yesterday so he wasn''t surprised that Tyler knew it. "Haha! You''ve arrived at the right ce," Tyler imed after a chuckle. Jin was about to raise his doubts when the receptionist who was not far away from them said with a smile, "Good morning, Mr. Tyler" "Good morning Jane," Tyler replied with a smile as he turned his attention back to Jin. "You work here?" Jin asked. Wasn''t this too coincidental?! "Indeed," Tyler said with a smile that had a trace of pride in it. He took out a card from his pocket and gave it to Jin. Jin looked at the finely carved card which read, ''Tyler Grey, Talent Director, Blue Horizon Entertainment,'' "I would have given you my card yesterday only if I had known that you wanted to be an actor. That''s the least I could do for someone who had saved my life and the lives of several others," Tyler said as Jin was going through his card. Jin gave the card back after going over it. "Keep it, you''ll be needing it," Tyler said with a smile. Tyler continued, "Anyways, it''s good that this happened, when I came to know that you wanted to be an actor when I watched your interview I felt so disappointed in myself, I''m d now I''ll be able to repay your gratitude," ''Is my luck so good?'' Jin thought. He just couldn''t believe that it would be so easy for him to be an actor. "So have you ever acted before?" Tyler asked as he guided Jin towards the lift.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Never," Jin replied truthfully. "Really? So you''re a natural huh?" Tylermented as they got on the lift. "Natural?" Jin asked with doubt apparent in his eyes. "Well, I''m saying this from the way you did your interview yesterday. Normally when in front of the camera most people start mumbling or thinking about what they need to say next and in that way they end up messing up what they are saying now...you understand right? In your case, however, it didn''t happen like that. You spoke everything you wanted without any show of anxiety or nervousness which is a sign of potential," "Potential...?" Jin clearly doubted Tyler''s words. How could he be gifted at acting? He had never acted in his entire life. How could Tyler who had spent his fair share of time in this industry not catch the insecurityced in Jin''s words? Therefore, he said, "Let''s do this, I''ll make you act a scene. That will help me gauge your abilities. You don''t need to be tense about it even if it goes bad. Even if you perform horrendously I''ll still hire you because you''ve saved my life. Acting is all about practice, so you''ll be able to get good enough with time in that manner," However confident Jin was when it came to killing someone he too felt anxious when the topic of being tested for his acting skills came up. Tyler''sst words provided him with somefort but still arge part of him was still a bit anxious. The lift''s door opened and Tyler patted Jin''s back, "Let''s go," The two soon arrived in a studio room. There a man who seemed to be in his early thirties was trying something with a camera ced on the tripod. "Michael! I''ve got a task for you," Tyler said as he entered the room. "Come on, let this old man take some breather, I''ve just arrived," Michael said. "If you''re considered old then aren''t people like me considered dead?" Tyler scoffed and then pointed at Jin "Give him a script and check his skills, he has never acted before so make sure to give him an appropriate script," Michael looked at Jin who was looking around the studio room with curiosity. He couldn''t help but find the man''s face familiar...he immediately remembered and turned to look at Tyler. "Isn''t this the man whose interview you shared on our chat groupst night?" "You''ve guessed right,'' Tyler grinned. With a sigh, he rummaged through the piles of scripts in a cardboard box and finally chose one. It was a shirt script that a beginner could memorize easily. However, it was a bit difficult for them to flesh out the emotions of this character properly. ''Well, it doesn''t matter if he does badly, he''s going to get hired anyway,'' He didn''t have high expectations from someone who was using a backdoor entry. With this thought, Michael handed Jin his script and exined it to him. "Revenge of the Broken" Jin read out the title in his mind as Michael exined it to him the details of his role. "...In short, I want you to be the character, take his pain and all the other emotions which he is feeling and make them appear on your face while you say those lines, you understand?" Jin nodded. Although hesitant, he felt that he might be able to do it. "Alright, I''ll give you fifteen minutes to get familiar with the dialogues before we start," Michael said as he busied himself with setting up the studio lighting and the camera. Chapter 66: Action! While Michael was busy with the camera and lighting Jin was filled with stress and anxiety. He had never acted before and the thought of messing it up was ever present. The fifteen-minute time allotted by Michael also did not provide anyfort to Jin and instead added even more pressure upon him. Normally it would have been fairly easy for him to memorise the script since Michael had tasked him to cover only a single scene which was barely a full page. However, under the constraint of time, pressure bore upon his mind and he started getting more and more nervous with the passing of each second. He could only resort to speaking the lines again and again to memorize them. He did that for the next 15 minutes under the constant gazes of Michael and Tyler who looked at him with a weird expression. ''Is it so tough?'' They both thought when they saw him repeating his lines. The fifteen minutes soon passed and Michael asked Jin. "Are you done with it?" Michael asked. Jin, who was immersed in repeating his lines again and again, stopped the moment he heard Michael''s words, a couple of secondster he replied timidly. "Uh-uhm yes¡­yes I am," ''Is this the same man who fought with the terrorists yesterday?'' Tyler thought as he saw Jin''s timidness. Simr thoughts were going around in Michael''s mind as he sighed. ''This won''t do¡­at this rate, he won''t even be able to say his lines properly much less show the vivid expressions the scene requires.'' "Come in front of the camera," Michael said. He just wanted things to get over with. Even the slight feeling that Jin might turn out to surprise him faded after he saw this timidness in him. Jin soon walked to the front of the camera. Beside him, there was a small dummy which was to be used as a prop. Ity there on the ground with its back leaning on the wall. Jin was going to address his dialogues to it. ''I''ll at least give him some tips since it''s his first time,'' Michael thought after a while in exasperation. He wanted to get this job over with but his conscience was not allowing him to do so. "Do you know what''s the most important thing for an actor while acting?" He asks Jin "Uhm.. script?" Jin said with a hint of doubt. "Wrong, it''s immersion." Michael said and continued, "Just like how the audience gets immersed in a movie while the actors are performing on the screen, the actors too need to get immersed in their characters," Michael stopped and took a breather as his words sank into Jin''s mind. "You must be the character you''re acting, to the point that it''s no longer about acting like it and only about being it. In your scene, you''re ying the role of Paul, a character who saw his only parent, his mother lying lifelessly on the ground when he returned from his office. He is now confronting the thug who robbed his house and killed his mother. Flesh it all out. The sorrow, the anger and the anguish he is feeling right now. Imagine that it was not Paul''s mother but yours who was killed. Invoke that emotion of extreme anger within you and say those lines out, not as Tyler but as Paul for he is you and you are him."n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Jin listened to everything that Michael had told him with rapt attention. After listening to Michael Jin realized that he had been putting more effort into memorizing his lines rather than understanding his character. "You understand?" Michael asked Jin after finishing his words. "Yes," Jin nodded. He looked a lot more confident than before. Michael felt satisfied with this response and started the camera. "Let''s begin then. Action!" Hearing Michael''s words the first thing Jin did was to close his eyes. He ced himself in Paul''s ce and saw his mother being killed. The anger, the anguish, the sorrow. It wasn''t long before such emotions welled up in him as well. The most probable reason for that was the fact that Jin''s parents were killed as well. He soon imagined himself confronting the killers of his parents and used those emotions as he started his lines. ¡­. "Does being stabbed hurt?" Jin crouched down on the ground as he stared at the dummy. "Looks like it does," Jin grinned as he pressed a spot in the dummy''s stomach. "But do you know what hurts even more?" A look of anticipation appeared on his face as he said those words. Jin took out his phone from his pocket and ced it in front of the dummy''s face. "Your son looks cute, right? I took that when I bought him an ice cream. This one was taken while we were at the amusement park. He loved it!" Jin said as he kept sliding his phone''s screen as he showed it to the dummy. "Hey, why do you look horrified? Look there are more photos of your son having fun with me. We truly had a lot of fun that day," The feeling of anticipation on Jin''s face seemed to be growing with each swipe. "Finally thest pic, I asked your son his favourite number before I took this one. Do you know what he replied? He said 99! If only he would have chosen a smaller number¡­it took me around fifteen minutes to stab him 99 times you know?" Jin said with an inhumane grin stered on his face as he swiped his phone and showed the final picture. "Why are you crying? Is it because you feel hurt that your son''s no longer here? Don''t worry I''ll send you to him soon. As his father, it''s only right that I stab you 99 times as well right? right?..." CUT! Jin was out of his character the moment he heard Michael''s words. He didn''t seem to have realised what he had just done but it was not so the case for others. Michael had both eyes widened from surprise as he stared at Jin''s figure and as for Trey, he had his jaw opened. The next moment they looked at each other and shared a simr feeling with their gaze. They had found a diamond in the rough! Chapter 67: Signing a Contract "So how was it?" Jin asks as he looks towards Michael and scratches his head. The embarrassment he felt at this moment could not be described in words. His gaze was directed towards Michael and Tyler who ignored his words and were talking amongst themselves instead. "What do you think? Won''t he be a good viin?" Tyler asks Michael. "No doubt about that," Michael replies as the scene from before appears in his mind. "Any uing projects where he could be used?" Tyler asks. "I''ll have to look for it. For movies, it''s going to be difficult. In my opinion, he should start with some web series instead," Michael suggested. "Hmm, well the web series have started to gain momentum in the market¡­" Tyler pondered and said, "Yeah, let''s do that. If you find a suitable script contact me and we''ll set him up for the auditions. "Got it" Michael replied. Tyler finally turned his attention towards Jin who looked clueless and called him over. "Come here, Jin." He gestured towards Jin. Jin walked towards him with an inquisitive gaze. No one likes being judged badly, especially during their first attempt¡­it was the same for him. He was dying to know how he had performed. "You want to know how your acting was right?" Tyler asked him. "Yes¡­is there a problem?" Jin nodded and couldn''t help but ask. "You''ll get to know after you''ve watched it. Michael, show it to him," Tyler patted Michael on his shoulder. Hearing his words Michael soon yed the recording to Jin. Jin looked at the recording with great seriousness. He wanted to know how bad his acting was. The next moment his eyes widened in surprise. ''Is this me?'' Jin thought in both horror and amazement. Although he had no experience as an actor, he did have enough experience from watching all the films until now to tell whether the acting in front of him was good or not. "Surprised eh?" Tyler chuckled seeing his reaction. ''So he really is a noob,'' Michael thought when he saw Jin''s reaction. Jin didn''t pay any attention to the two of them as all his attention was focused on the recording. It remained like that until the entire video ended. When the recording was finally over Tyler said, "Let''s go," Jin was brought out of his stupor by Tyler''s words and asked, "Where?" "Where else? To get you a contract. Or you don''t want one?" Tyler snickered as he made his way out of the room. Jin nced at Michael for a second. "Go, what are you waiting for," Michael replied the next moment. Jin nodded and soon made his way out to catch up with Tyler. An hourter Jin was inside Tyler''s office and had finished signing his contract. Tyler had exined whatever he needed to know about the contract in that hour. Jin was very disappointed when he got to know that he couldn''t ask for advance payment from the agency. That wasn''t how the agencies worked. The agency would help him get projects and through those projects, his ie wille after the agency has taken its cut. "Alright, you''re done for the day. Come to my office tomorrow at around nine in the morning. I''ll introduce you to your talent manager." Tyler said as he shook Jin''s hands after the signing waspleted. "Talent manager? What''s that?" Jin asks. "Unlike me who has to look over a set of actors and actresses at the same time. A talent manager would only be managing their assigned actor. It could be said that he will be like your personal mentor who will guide you in your journey of bing a popr actor." Tyler exined. "I see, alright I''lle tomorrow then," With that said, Jin left the Blue Horizon building.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om It was noon by the time he left the building. Jin waved for a cab to stop and soon got into it. His first destination was naturally Zenith BioTech''s branch. However, Jin was soon disappointed when he arrived there. What those images on the inte didn''t show was a 5-meter high wall surrounding the 20-storey high building. His gaze turned towards the entrance. Everyone who was making their way in had a yellownyard with an identity card attached to it. which was being scanned at the gate. Only after that were they allowed ess. *This is going to be tricky," Jin thought out loud. The inside would be swarming with CCTVs and the security people monitoring them won''t bex at their jobs. ''I can kill a security personnel at night and don his clothes¡­but with that, if I''m not able to find what I need in a single attempt then the next attempt would be even more difficult with the security level increasing. After going through several ideas in his mind Jin finally concluded that before doing anything that attracts attention he first needed to understand how things were inside the tower. ''I need an informant,'' Jin made a decision. He wasn''t in a hurry to understand his father''s past. It was more important for him to not mess things up. "Ah!" A woman who had been busy with her phone while walking collided with Jin''s back. She was too engrossed in her phone and was not paying attention to where she was walking. "Oh no, my sses!" She eximed when she realized that her sses had fallen down somewhere due to the collision. Without those sses, she was almost blind. "Where are my sses?" She muttered as she bent down on her knees and started feeling the ground around her. Looking at the helpless woman Jin grabbed the spectacles and gave them to her. "Here are your sses, take it," Jin said as he moved his hand towards her. The woman squinted her eyes as she saw the blurry image of Jin whose hand was directed towards her. She tried to ce her hand over his only to fail miserably. Jin sighed seeing her struggling like this and ced the sses over her eyes. When the woman felt Jin''s hand on her face she involuntarily froze on the spot. When her vision returned her gaze fell on Jin''s finely crafted face her breathing stopped for a second. "Ah!" She eximed and moved a few steps away from Jin. She had never been in such close proximity to a man. A red hue appeared on her face as her heart started beating like crazy. While this was happening Jin''s gaze fell upon an identity card resting on her chest. It had the same yellownyard attached to it. Noticing the red hue on her face an idea started formting in his mind. When the woman noticed Jin''s firm gaze directed towards her upper torso various thoughts flooded her mind. ''...Why is he staring at my breasts? Don''t tell me...is he a pervert? Is he going to attack me? Should I shout for help?... yes, I better do that,'' However, before she could call out for help Jin opened his mouth and asked. "Would you go out with me?" ''What the hell¡­'' She thought as she stared at Jin''s limpid eyes which showed no trace of lies in them. "No!" She eximed out of embarrassment and quickly rushed out of the scene. Jin saw her entering through the main gate just like the other employees and he smiled. He had guessed right. She really was an employee here. He looked at his watch and noted the time. He''ll being here tomorrow as well. Chapter 68: Dylan After the encounter with that woman, Jin returned to the hotel. His original n of taking an advance and then staying at this hotel for a long period has been trashed. Jin used the facilities the hotel provided for onest time and by evening shifted to a three-star hotel not far from there. The facilities couldn''t bepared with a 5-star hotel but Jin''s mind soon adapted to it. He had spent the majority of his life in slums, even a neatly maintained single room with only a bed could be considered a luxury whenpared to that time. He had booked the room for a month so Jin opened his trolley bag and started arranging the little clothes he possessed in the cupboard. It took some time and after everything was at its designated spot Jin finally decided to rest for the day. The next day in Tyler''s office. "Good morning Mr. Jin, I''m Dn Pierce, and I''m going to be your Talent manager," Hank introduced himself. "Good morning," Jin whispered back as he observed Dn. He was a good-looking man who seemed to be in histe twenties or early thirties. He wasn''t very muscr but could be called fit for his age. "Dn has been a talent manager for five years and has enough experience to help you in this industry. So just trust him and do what he says," Tyler said to Jin. "Alright," Jin replied. Tyler then briefed Jin on a few things and told him that if there were any important issues he could give him a call but as for the rest he could depend on Dn. With that said Jin left Tyler''s office along with Dn. "There''s a cafeteria not far from here, let''s go and discuss what all we need to do there, shall we?" Dn asks. "No problem," Jin nods and the two soon make their way outside and then to the other side of the street where there was a cafeteria. After making their order they sat down and began their talk. "So Mr. Jin, I saw your recording yesterday and it was fantastic if I''m being honest however, The Team director told me that youck confidence in your skills therefore here''s what we''re going to do," Dn took out a a file from his office bag and passes it to Jin. Jin takes the file and opens it up. Dn starts with his exnation the next moment. "From your audition yesterday, you might have gained some confidence over acting like a viin or antihero-like character but that would still not be enough. So during the following weeks, we''ll be practising several scripts where you''ll be acting as a viin while performing these scripts, I call it CBM, ''Confidence Building Measures'', what do you think?" "That sounds pretty good to me, so it means that I''ll only be doing viin roles in my future projects?" Jin asks. It wasn''t that he disliked being a viin but he felt that it would soon be way too monotonous for him. "It''s easy to get disheartened as a newbie if you realize that you''re not good at acting in a particr role. Luckily you already know that you''re good in a particr role. Using that as a base will build up your confidence in acting. When your confidence has been built to a particr level then we''ll start doing different roles. At that time, those minor setbacks won''t affect you very much." "You''ve thought this out pretty well," Jin says in surprise. He had not thought that far ahead. "That''s my job Mr. Jin." Dn smiles. "Also, what''s your age? Can you not refer to me as mister? It feels weird being called that from you since you''re older than me." Jin said. "Haha, that''s how it is in the corporate world," Dn chuckles and continues, "but since that''s what you want then I''ll do that. Oh, and I''m 27 this year,"n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Yeah, I''ll appreciate it if you just call me Jin," Jin replies. "Got it, so go over the detailed scripts in those files while we are here. if you got any doubts or problems rted to them then don''t shy away from asking," Dn said. Jin nods and goes over the file in his hand. First, it was a backstory of the character and the scene which was followed by the dialogues he needed to learn by heart. While Jin was going over the first page and underlined things he didn''t quite understand with a pen. Their order soon arrived. Dn grabbed his coffee and took a sip and Jin did the same before going back to the reading. When he was done with the first page Jin started asking all the doubts he had as he passed that page to Dn. Dn raised his eyes in surprise when he saw that almost half the page had been underlined by Jin. Upon hearing the doubts that Jin raised he was even more bbergasted. Most of Jin''s doubts were rted to what a particr word meant or what a particr sentence meant. If the sentences and words were hard then Dn would have understood but they were basic sentences that any high school graduate would be able to understand. "Umm¡­Jin, I''m sorry if my question offends you but I still have to ask. What were your grades in English when you passed high school?" Dn asks while trying to make his words sound as pleasant as possible. "I didn''t," Jin replied. "Huh? You didn''t? What do you mean?" Dn asks in confusion. "I didn''t graduate high school, I left school when I was in 5th grade," Jin says. "W-what?...t-then how were you able to act on yesterday''s audition? I clearly remember that recording." Dn couldn''t help but ask. He felt that he was about to have a headache. "Oh, that? The script was quite simple and easy to read. Compared to that, this one looks way tooplicated." Jin exins without an ounce of shame. He was bad at English and he knew it. What was there to be ashamed of? Dn couldn''t help but sigh in exasperation when he heard Jin. The scene Jin did yesterday indeed didn''t have any difficult words and sentences. ''Looks like I''m going to have a difficult time with this one¡­'' Dn thought. However, he was someone who believed in action. Worrying about things won''t solve anything. "Finish the coffee quickly, we have to go somewhere," Dn said as he took back his file and kept it back in his bag. "Where are we going though?" Jin asked curiously. "Bookstore," Dn replied with a grim expression. Chapter 69: Buying Books Jin was currently walking behind Dn while holding a stack of books. Dn was browsing over the bookshelves and cing one book after another on the already high stack of books Jin was carrying. After around twenty minutes the stack had already reached a meter in height. "Alright, that should be enough for now," Dn said as he ced onest book, the dictionary, at the top of the stack. He then arrived at the counter with Jin and asked the old shopkeeper to pack them. The old shopkeeper was more than just delighted to do so. "Right at it Sir, Thank you for the purchase!" He replied with immense gratefulness in his eyes. In this age of technology, the number of physical book readers has decreased tremendously, affecting his business. The books were now being packed with great care by the old shopkeeper. He was d he could finally afford to give his 7-year-old granddaughter a beautiful present for her uing birthday. (A/N: Let us visit some bookstores from time to time and spread some goodwill.) Dn looked at the time on his wristwatch and asked Jin. "Where do you live?" "In a hotel not far from here," Jin replied. "That''s great. Give me your address and take these books with you home. I''lle back after lunch to your ce at around 3 in the afternoon and we''ll start with what needs to be done. "Hmm? Why not juste to the hotel with me? We could have our lunch there,'' Jin suggested. "I''ll pass, I got a delicious lunch made by my dear wife waiting for me at home," A smile had unconsciously appeared on Dn''s face as he replied. "I see, enjoy your meal then," Jin replied with an understanding smile on his face as he texted him his address after they exchanged their numbers. The books were all ready a few minutester. Dn paid for them and handed them to Jin. "See youter then," Dn said and left in a bit of a hurry. It was clear that he was a bitte. Jin thanked the old shopkeeper and left. He waved his hand for a taxi and soon arrived at his hotel to dump all those books. It was now Jin''s turn to look at his watch. It was around one o''clock in the afternoon. He still had thirty minutes left. Jin went out to take a cab. His destination? It was the same as yesterday i.e. Zenith BioTech''s branch office. After arriving at the spot Jin walked towards a tree nted on the sidewalk and leaned on it as he waited. His eyes observed everyone who was passing through this path with a yellownyard around their necks. People didn''t pay much attention to Jin as they walked right past him. Even though he had been interviewed live on TV and had been on a search engine''s trending list yesterday, he only managed to make an impression on the minds of a small section of people. The rest soon forgot about the news and continued with their lives. His appearance thereby turning foggy in their minds. That''s how people were. Jin soon saw the woman approaching. "Hi, we meet again," Jin raised his hand and waved at the woman to attract her attention. Just like yesterday, the woman had been immersed in her phone while walking. Hearing a familiar voice she immediately stopped on her spot and raised her head. ''What is this pervert doing here today? Didn''t I refuse him yesterday? ...Is he also a stalker along with a pervert?'' The woman looked at Jin as a nervous expression formed on her face. "W-why are you here again?" The woman gathered up her courage and asked. "To ask you out again," Jin replied with a smile and continued, "So, will you go out with me?" "I said no yesterday didn''t I?" said with a hint of anger. "Yes you did, but that was yesterday, and today is the next day," Jin countered. "What does that have to do with anything?" The woman was truly finding it difficult to talk with Jin. "It does. Who knows, you might just agree to go out with me," Jin said yfully. "No, I won''t! No matter how many times youe here, my answer will always be no," the woman dered. Jin just shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Then I''ll just keep on being rejected every day hoping that one day you might change your answer," "You-" The woman was growing more frustrated with each exchange and was finally reaching her limits. She finally couldn''t take it anymore and decided to ignore him and move towards her office. "At least tell me your name, I''m Jin," Jin''s voice entered her ears from behind. Jin''sst words finally broke her restraints and she acted out on her instincts and said "F*ck off!" Her middle finger greeted Jin''s eyes following that before she turned around and went inside the main gate soon after. Jin sighed seeing this. ''This is going to take longer than I had expected¡­well it''s not like I''m in a hurry or anything so it''s alright,'' Jin thought as he turned around to go back to the hotel. When he arrived at the hotel he first had his lunch in the restaurant downstairs and soon made his way upstairs to his room. It was around half past two in the afternoon and Dn said that he woulde by three. In those thirty minutes, Jin decided to take a post-meal nap. Thirty minutes passed and a knock on the door soon woke Jin up. He opened the door and weed Dn in. "Let''s start then," Dn said as he made his way inside. He looked around the room. He found a table facing a wall and along with Jin shifted it to the center of the room. After grabbing two chairs the two of them sat on each end while facing each other. "Here read this, it''s the English literature book of ss 6th students. Finish one chapter and ask me your doubts," Dn said as he passed a book to Jin from the bunch of books they had. "Just this?" Jin felt relieved when he heard this and grabbed the book to read. Just then Dn''s following words entered his ears. " The book has five chapters in total, after each chapter, you''ll have to write a summary of that and give it to me," ''Fuck,'' Jin thought. The one thing he didn''t like the most was writing. It was the same when he was in 5th grade and has only worsened with time.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "B-but I don''t have a rough notebook here, we''ll have to skip that it seems," Jin soon found a loophole and tried to exploit it. "Don''t worry about it, I bought a few before I arrived here," Dn took out a couple of rough notebooks from his office bag and ced it on the table to Jin''s dismay. "...shit," Jin thought. Chapter 70: Winter Arc Jin and Dn stayed glued to their seats for the next few hours. Jin kept on asking one doubt after another and Dn helped him look that up in the dictionary one by one and exined it to him. Jin needed to improve his vocabry and his ability to make sense of certain sentences. The n formted by Dn therefore was to make him read as many books as possible to get him familiar with the sentences and their framework. Dn had added the summary writing after each chapter just to ensure that Jin was actually reading the chapters and not just skimming through them. Although it was exhausting, Jin still kept at it since Dn was there with him. They continued for two hours before taking a tea break. Snacks were soo provided by the room service and soon the next study session began. Itsted till eight in the evening. Jin had read a total of 20 chapters during this period. His head ached from all the stories he read till now. He has finished both the 6th and 7th grade English textbooks. "That''s enough for today, rest well, I''lle here tomorrow morning at around 9," Dn said as he stood up from his seat and stretched his stiff body. "Hmm? We are not meeting at the agency?" Jin asked. "No, we are not. You only need to go when you''re called up specifically to meet, or you want to practice in the studio room. Otherwise, what''s there for you to do?" Dn asked and continued. "Oh, and from tomorrow onwards our schedule is going to be like this, from morning to afternoon it''s going to be an acting session and fromte afternoon to evening we''re going to work on your English understood?" "Yes, got it," Jin said. It was hectic but it was still manageable. "Good night then," Dn bid him goodbye and left. Jin took a deep sigh and slumped on the couch. He truly felt exhausted today. Studying was more strenuouspared to all the missions he had done so far. Jin soon fell asleep on the couch without realising. The next day, Dn arrived on time and they soon began with script practice. Dn had gone through all the scripts and chose the one he felt wouldn''t prove difficult for Jin. After that, he and Jin went through it and then Jin formally began his acting practice. He was acting as a bad guy who had kidnapped the hero''s woman. A simple and predictive plot. They went through a few more scripts and Dn finally realised something. ''So he''s only good at acting as certain viins like killers, revenge seekers and the sort. The others still need to be worked upon,'' Dn didn''t know why that was so the case but still, since he had identified an underlying problem it won''t be much difficult for him to sort it out. He was experienced in this after all. Jin acted on a few more scenes and Dn guided him and pointed out a few ces where he made mistakes or where he could have improvised things a bit. Jin listened to Dn''s advice and did as he was told. By around noon, their session was finally over. Jin''s mouth was all dried up by now as he devoured a bottle of water to make his parched throat feel better. "That was a good session, I''lle at three in the afternoon and then we''ll start your study session," Dn picked up his back and soon left the room. Jin could only nod at his words. His schedule has be hectic all of a sudden but he felt a bit content with his lifepared to working as a bodyguard where he was just standing guard most of the time. ''Maybe it''s because I''m constantly improving myself?'' Jin nced at the calendar and saw the date. It was 30th September today. "Winter''s about to start huh? I should buy some clothes for that. I''ve heard that it''s pretty cold in Neon City during winter. -x-x-x-x-x-SIDE MISSION-x-x-x-x-x- Mission Name: Winter Arc Training Daily Tasksn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om 1. Running 5 Kilometres at 4 AM 2. Cold water bath 3. Learning a new skill for at least 2 hours 4. Studying for at least 2 hours 5. Running 5 Kilometres at 4 PM 6. Cold water bath 7. Night stretching and conditioning Mission Duration: 6 Months (till April 1st) Mission Start: Tomorrow (October 1st) Reward: 100KP per day Penalty: -100KP per day (-ve Bnce a possibility) -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- "Winter Arc?" Jin furrowed his eyebrows as he looked through the mission, which popped up all of a sudden. "4 in the morning? That too during winters¡­" Jin muttered with reluctance clear on his face. Who wanted to get up early on those cold winter nights? However, seeing the penalty he could only sigh¡­he didn''t want his bnce to go negative. He won''t be able to use the system store if that happens. Who knew how long it would take to turn that negative into positive? Left with no choice he could only ept it. "I''ve been a bitx with my physical fitness these days, so it''s not as bad," Jinforted himself. He ordered his lunch and finishing it he left the hotel to visit the same ce as yesterday. ¡­ "We meet again, how about it? Would you like to go out with me?" Jin asked with the same energy he had the first day. The woman red at him for a couple of seconds as her footsteps paused briefly before she walked right past him. She had read in an article yesterday night that the best way to handle these kinds of men was to outright ignore them. They would soon find their egos bruised and end up defeated. However, that''s only if the man is driven by affection. In Jin''s case, he wasn''t attracted to her even a little and only wanted to make use of her. How could he give up so easily? Chapter 71: A Month Later After facing yet another rejection, Jin made his way back to the hotel. After an hour Dn came and it was the start of the study session. Just like that Jin''s routine continued as days turned into weeks and weeks finally turned into a month. By the end of the month, Jin felt the sharpest he had ever felt in his life. His grasp of the Englishnguage had increased tremendously. His physique was in its peak state and what was best was the fact that his mental strength had shown a drastic increase. It was all due to the daily tasks he had beenpleting regrly. Jin pulled out his stat window and observed it with satisfaction. -x-x-x-x-HITMAN SYSTEM-x-x-x-x- Name- Jin ker Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 73 kg Body Constitution- 6/10 [Soldier Level] Mental Constitution- 6/10 [Soldier Level] Abilities - Training, Morph Kill Points-3400 (OPEN STORE) -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x There was a slight change in how body and mental constitution were disyed but Jin weed it. It only made it easier for him to keep track of. With a pleased expression, Jin made his way towards Zenith BioTech''s branch like always. Winter had just begun and the temperature was starting to decrease. It was around 16 degrees centigrade outside the cab. The passing tree leaves showed signs of drying. Jin finally reached the destination and got out of the car. He adjusted the sleeves of his dark greyish zer as he got out of the cab and moved towards the destination. However this time to his surprise the woman was already waiting for him there. With a brown scarf wrapped around her neck, she red towards Jin through her sses. She had finally run out of patience towards Jin. It had been a whole freaking month and this guy had been asking her out every single day. Now even her colleagues were aware of it and cracked several jokes about him when they saw her. "It''s a surprise to see you there," Jinmented with a smile. "Just what are you? How shameless can you be to keep on approaching me even after I''ve rejected and ignored you several times? Just why are you doing this to me?" The woman let out her pent-up anger on him. Jin patiently waited as she let out all her frustrations. When her breathing was finally in order he replied, "Isn''t it obvious? It''s because I like you," "YO-" The woman really wanted to rebuke against his words but she felt too embarrassed to do so. The reason was the bubbly feeling her heart felt when she heard those words. She soon recovered herself andpleted her words, "You, aren''t you ashamed of yourself? Don''t you have pride as a man? You''re even good looking so why do you keep acting so shamelessly and keep on pursuing me? There are plenty of girls more beautiful than me and they might even agree to your advances. Why are you torturing me like this?" "If having pride would make me not pursue you then I don''t need such a pride. If having shame will prevent me from approaching you then I''ll dly be shameless. What''s wrong with doing so much for the person I''ve fallen in love with?" Jin says with a straight face however something else is going on in his mind at the moment. ''Aiyoo I might die from the cringe¡­.I want to bury my face in a hole¡­don''t let her know¡­don''t let her know¡­just keep a straight face Jin¡­you can''t spoil it¡­you can''t¡­'' While Jin''s mind was going through turmoil the woman''s mind was also in no better situation. No one had ever confessed their feelings to her until now so she has no clue on how to deal with this situation.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om All throughout her student life, she has been buried under books and the only thing she was focused on was getting a cement in Zenith. In order toplete the goal she toiled day in and day out not paying attention to her appearance at all and therefore it wasmon for her to not be approached by males. It was only when she graduated college that she understood a little about dressing sense butpared to her peers she was clearlycking in that field by a huge margin. ''Who wants a man anyway? I''ll just devote myself to my field.'' With that mentality she had been carrying herself all this while¡­that is until a variable called Jin popped into her life. "L-love?! Do you even know what that is? You don''t even know my name and you say that you''ve fallen in love with me? How ridiculous," Sheshed out at Jin. It was her way of dealing with the turmoil in her mind. "You''re the first woman with whom I''ve felt this way and I''m damn sure that it''s love. As for not knowing your name, Who said I did not know it," Jin said Jin''s words took her by surprise and she couldn''t help but ask, "You know my name?" "Of course, why wouldn''t I?" ''Hmm, he''s beenstalking me for a month now so he really might know it¡­''She thought. "So, how about it?" Jin asked. "How about what?" She asked. "About going out with me? You haven''t had lunch till now right?" Jin asked. She had arrived earlier than her usual time so Jin was able to guess it. She sighed. "You really are persistent aren''t you¡­fine! However, you must promise that after that you''ll stop troubling me." She dered. "I can''t promise that because I love you," Jin replied once again with a straight face. "You¡­" She was lost for words and just then her stomach growled. Thankfully it wasn''t very loud. "Fine! Let''s go and eat," She finally agreed. ''Sess!'' Jin cheered for himself inside and signalled for a cab. The two of them soon got in the cab. Jin told the driver where to go and before long they arrived at the same five-star hotel Jin had stayed before. Chapter 72: Lunch Date "Hey, isn''t this a bit too much? We could have just gone to a normal restaurant," The woman asked when they left the vehicle. She had thought that they would just go to an ambient restaurant and have their meal. However, to her surprise, Jin had brought her to a five-star hotel. She was also a bit disgruntled about this since she was currently in herb coat and felt her appearance wasn''t appropriate for the ce. "Well, the food here tastes good so therefore I chose this one," Jin replied. "Are you sure you''re not stretching your wallet over this? If you''re doing this just to impress me then let me tell you that it has not left much of an impression¡­rather I feel annoyed that I''m not in an appropriate attire¡­" The woman was frank with her words. "I just wanted to make sure we enjoyed our first meal together. If there''s any other ce you have in your mind then we can go there," Jin said with a sincere expression. All the acting sses he had with Dn were paying off now. His intention for bringing her to this ce was clearly to impress her. Though she might feel disgruntled at the moment, Jin believed that it wouldn''t be like that for long. His logic behind this was, "Who doesn''t like to eat at a five-star restaurant?" He surely enjoyed it. "...Fine, since we are already here, let''s eat here," The woman replied. Part of the reason was Jin''s sincere words and the other part was her tight schedule, she needed to return to work in 45 minutes. Jin soon walked in along with her and before long they were sitting at their table while looking at the menu. ''So expensive!'' The woman thought as she looked at the items on the menu.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Are you sure I can order anything?" She once again asked. "Yes, go ahead," Jin replied with a smile. The woman was still a bit hesitant and ended up ordering items that weren''t too expensive and at the same time not too cheap as well. She didn''t want to bruise the guy''s ego. Seeing the clothes the man was currently wearing and had been wearing so far she knew that he wasn''t as rich as he was currently portraying to be. They had all been regr clothes that were sold in the regr clothes store. She knew it because she had bought simr clothes for her father as well. If Jin knew what was going on in her mind then he would have facepalmed himself for not taking such things into ount. When the woman had ced her order and the server asked Jin for his order he replied, "I''ll have the same order as hers," "Thank God I didn''t order something more expensive¡­he might have said the same to that as well," She didn''t want to put a hole in the man''s wallet who was trying so hard to impress her. Inwardly she also felt ttered after seeing how much effort Jin was putting into this first meal. "So before anything else, let''s introduce ourselves to each other since we haven''t done that properly yet," Jin said as he put forward his hand. The woman weed this gesture as by now she had forgotten the man''s name but was too embarrassed to ask him about it. "Jin ker, Nice to meet you," She noted it down in her mind after hearing it and shook his hand in return. "Diana Woods," The two soon took back their hands and started conversing with each other to kill time. "So, since you work at Zenith I think it would be right to say that you like researching and experimenting?" Jin asked. "Like it? I love it! Every second I devote to my work feels so satisfying that I''m unable to just exin it in words," The topic was very close to her heart so she let out her thoughts immediately. "Is that so? What is it that you''re researching?" Jin''s words hit the right spot. With exhration clear on her face she exined everything to Jin. "What I''m currently researching is a small area of the brain on the anterior side, it''s called the anterior mid-cingte cortex. Earlier we used to think that this region didn''t y any role however we werepletely wrong¡­.." Jin couldn''t help but listen to everything Diana was saying with rapt attention after seeing how excited she was. "...so that''s why it won''t be wrong to say that the region may even signify a person''s will to live!" Diana finally finished her exnation. It was only now she realized how embarrassing her actions were. She had been rambling about such boring stuff from a normal person''s point of view. ''He must think that I''m a weirdo¡­ugh I''m so embarrassed¡­'' Daina thought as she looked at Jin and apologized, "Sorry about that, I must have bored you with that monologue," "No you didn''t, I enjoyed every bit of it," Jin replied. "You understood it?" She asked with anticipation. "Nope, most things went above my head," Jin shrugged his shoulders. Diana was disappointed with his answer and asked, "Then how could you enjoy it if you didn''t understand anything?" "I never meant the content. I enjoyed watching you. It was a side of you I didn''t know about and watching it felt like a delight since it portrayed how devoted you''re to your work and how much you enjoy it," Jin exined. Hearing Jin''s honeyed words Diana was embarrassed as this was the first time someone had appreciated this side of her. Luckily before she could respond to Jin''s words their food had arrived and the topic ended there and then. "Let''s dig in then," Jin said after the server had ced everything on the table. With that, the two of them began their eating. "Is it to your liking?" Jin asked after Diana had taken a bite. "It''s delicious," Diana replied honestly as she took another bite. "I''m d," Jin replied and took a bite as well. "So what do you do for a living?" Diana''s curiosity finally couldn''t hold herself back and she finally asked him this question. While the man knew many things about her, he was like a total mystery to her. "I''m an actor under training," Jin replied. "Actor? Woah isn''t it very difficult to be an actor here? Thousands of applicants arrive daily in Neon City with that dream in their hearts but only a select few get to live them." Daina felt bad when thought about the plight of all those people. "That''s true, if you''re not lucky then it truly is difficult," Jin acknowledged. Daina asked Jin more questions about his field. Jin answered them well, all thanks to Dn''s help he was now very familiar with the industry after a month. "That sounds interesting as well, so is there a show or movie you''ve acted in? She asked. "I''ll be getting a series this month. What about it, would you like to see it when it''s ready?" Jin asked. "Sure! Let me know when it''s ready," Diana replied even though she felt that Jin had lied about it to impress her. It wasn''t a cakewalk to get a role in the acting business. The two talked about a few other misceneous stuff and the te was finally clean. With a cab, Jin brought her back to Zenith. Even after her incessant saying that she could go back by herself. Jin stood his ground and replied with a "Since I got you here, it''s my responsibility to bring you back," and she soon quieted down. "Thanks for the meal," Diana said as she got out of the cab. "The pleasure was all mine, take care then," Jin left for his hotel after seeing Diana off. Chapter 73: First Role After dropping off Diana, Jin was making his way back to his hotel room. However, he got a call from Dn in between. "Where are you?" Dn asks. There was a hint of urgencyced in his voice. "I''m outside, what''s the matter?" Jin replies and asks him. "You got a role! The Talent director has called for you. He wants to know your opinion on the role," Dn said. "Got it, I''ll be there in a few minutes," Jin says and asks the taxi driver to change the destination. In Tyler''s office, half an hourter. "I''m sorry to call you in such a manner but I was just too excited to show you the script, here," Tyler slides the script towards Jin. "It''s alright, I understand," Jin looks down at the table. The title of the script entered his eyes. "Smile Please?" Jin calls the title of the script out loud. "Indeed! A pretty catchy name isn''t it?" Tyler said with a chuckle. "Well, it surely has caught my attention," Jin picks it up from the table and starts going through the script. The story was about a street photographer who soon developed a kink for killing people. Before killing his victims he used to take their pictures in theirst moments as a memento. "...so you''re nning to make me a crazy viin," Jin says after he gets a general idea about the script. "Tch tch, that''s where you got it wrong, you''re not the viin but the hero of the story," Tyler says while shaking his head. "What hero? There''s only a single main character in the story and that''s the photographer." Jin replied in confusion. "Exactly, You''re the main character of the story, aka the hero! That''s what you''re going to be for the audience as well." "I see¡­well anyway, when is the audition?" Jin changed the topic since he didn''t want to pursue this one any longer. "Tomorrow at 9 AM," Tyler says. "Got it. I''m a bit curious though. How did you manage to convince them to take my audition for the role of the main character? I''m still a greenhorn and there are likely to be many other actors better than me for this role. "I would say that you lucked out on this one. Not many prominent actors would like to y a psychotic character especially when that character is the main character of the film. The reason is that most of them cling more towards normal or heroic roles rather than a role from this side of the spectrum. It won''t bore well with their already established fans. However for you, who are just starting, it''s not that much of a problem. Therefore the director is willing to audition you after my few requests from our side," Tyler patiently exined everything to Jin. "Mhmm, good for me then. Anything I need to be careful of in tomorrow''s audition?" Jin asks. "None, that director is only concerned with doing his job with perfection. Just act like you always do and there won''t be any other issues." Tyler answers. "Understood, I''ll be going then if there''s nothing else," Jin said as he stood up from his seat with the script in hand. "Certainly, I''ve already informed Dn about all the necessary details so you can ask him if any doubtse to your mind," Tyler said. Jin nods and leaves the office. On the ground floor, Dn was waiting for him. "The audition is at 9 AM tomorrow. We don''t have much time left so let''s go back and prepare," Dn says the moment he sees Jin. "Sigh¡­I''m good at ying a viin so we can chill a bit." Jin suggested. "Taxi!" Dn treated Jin''s words like dirt and without paying any attention to it he exited the building to call for a taxi. To this Jin could only shake his head. Dn was verymitted to his work. Jin had once asked him the reason for this and his answer was something he couldn''t argue against. "I want to be able to provide everything to my child," Dn''s wife was four months pregnant and he was working tirelessly every day to manage both the household and the office chores. With a man as motivated as Dn as his manager, Jin''sziness soon disappeared and he walked towards the taxi that had just stopped outside. From 16:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs, the two of them discussed and analyzed the character of the photographer in depth and Jin yed the character several times to get himself familiar with it. By the end of their session, Jin had little to no doubt about the way his character thought. He was totally in sync with the photographer''s twisted state of mind and was capable of entering the state whenever he wanted to. ''He''s a born actor,'' Dn thought in his mind. This thought had entered his mind several times during this whole period. He had never seen anyone enter and exit their character as fast as Jin did. Along with this thought a sense of excitement was also running through Dn''s veins. With Jin''s talent, only sky was the limit for him once he had made a ssh in the industry. Dn clearly remembered the quote that his mentor always emphasised again and again: " Help a man climb a mountain and you''ll soon find that you too have reached the top," Tomorrow was Jin''s first big step in the world of cinema and Dn promised himself that he would try his best to remove all obstructions from his path. "I''ll being here at 8 in the morning to pick you up. Be ready by then," Dn said as he left the ce. Jin nodded as he saw him out and went to take a cold shower. It was followed by his regr stretching exercises before he finally went to bed. The next morning began with himpleting a few daily tasks and by the time it was 8 in the morning, Jin was ready for the day. Dn soon arrived in a taxi and the two soon left for their destination.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Chapter 74: Auditions Jin and Dn soon arrived at the studio where the auditions were about to take ce. Today''s organisers had rented the studio specially to conduct the auditions. They exited the car and soon made their way in. Dn talked with the receptionist while Jin looked and noted the time on the wall clock. It was 8:30 AM. Dn ended his conversation with the receptionist and soon returned with a white cloth with the number 27 printed at its centre. "What''s this?" Jin asked. "It''s your chest number. You''ll be called in for your audition as per this number," Dn exined while handing over the cloth to Jin. Jin epted the cloth and quickly wore it. The two then entered the waiting room. Several other actors were waiting there as well so the room was quite stuffy. They all gazed at Jin when he entered the room before averting their eyes back to where they were before. Jin too didn''t have any intention of interacting with others. He sat down along with Dn and started revising his script. "Number 1, pleasee in," Around fifteen minutester the first person was called in for the auditions. The atmosphere around the room became a bit tense cause of it as many started going through their scripts with much greater intensity. However, that was not so the case for Jin. After revising his script he was nowfortably sitting on his seat with his eyes closed. "Number 2!" Not even a couple minutes had passed and the next number was called in. Seeing the deted expression on the face of number 1 as he exited the audition hall clearly expressed what had transpired to him. Simrly, the next numbers kept getting called after every three to five minutes. While some of them had a smile on their faces the others had a lot of grievances written on them. The frustrated actors could only abuse the judges as they made their way out of the studio in a bad mood. "Number 27" It was Jin''s turn now. He stood up from his seat and made his way in. Dn prayed that everything would go well for him. Although he was confident in Jin''s acting seeing so many actorsing out of the hall with such a gloomy expression had affected him severely.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Good morning, I''m Jin ker and I''m here to audition for the role of the photographer," Jin introduced himself to the two judges sitting behind a table. One was a man in his early forties and the other was a young man who seemed to be in his 30s and had quite some style to him. "Hey I remember you, aren''t you the one who knocked down the terrorists and saved the flight from being hijacked some time ago?" The young man asked. "Yes, that was indeed me," Jin acknowledged. "Ha! I got it right!" The man cheered for himself while the old man beside him furrowed his brows seeing the man''s unprofessional behavior. "I remember hearing you say that you wanted to be an actor but never would I have imagined that I''d see you auditioning for a viin''s role. Is it because it''s difficult for you to get other roles since you''re new?" The man asked. "It''s just that I seem to have a talent for ying a viin," Jin answered. "Interesting, I''m looking forward to it then," The man said with a smile and then looked at the old man next to him. The old man gave a dry cough to clear his throat and said, "The only reason you''re here today is because of the incessant pleadings from Tyler. Don''t let his efforts go to waste and perform your best¡­" Jin nodded hearing the old man''s words. "...You see that woman over there," The old man pointed his finger at a spot. "Yes," Jin replied. The moment he did the woman stepped on the stage. She then sat down with her legs tucked up to her face. "That''s Samantha, your first victim ording to the script in your hand. I believe you understand what I need you to do right?" The old man asked. Usually, human dummies are used for auditions but the old man wanted to get an actual sense of the actor therefore he made the audition much tougher than usual. "I understand," The scene yed inside Jin''s mind the next moment and in a time that was less than it would take to snap a finger he was now Jack, the photographer. Both the judges noticed the subtle change in Jin''s demeanour and couldn''t help but raise their eyebrows in surprise. They then looked at each other to confirm the shock in each other''s eyes before reverting their gaze towards Jin. Jin who was now Jack walked towards Samantha and bent down on his knees. "You truly are beautiful," Jack asked as he traced his fingers over her cheeks. Samantha''s figure shuddered the moment it felt those hands on her cheeks. The piercing emotionless gaze that Jin was directing towards her had involuntarily activated her fear response. "Cute, there''s nothing to be afraid of really. I''m just going to give you a pill and you''ll never need to wake up again. Isn''t that lovely?" Jack smiled as he pinched her cheeks. He then grabbed a camera lying nearby and told the woman to pose a smile. "Smile Please," However, noticing the tears welling up in Samantha''s eyes Jack asked with subtle irritation in his voice. "Why are tears welling up in your eyes? You better not cry since I don''t want to do your make-up again you understand? Or¡­would you like me to bring your daughter here tofort you?" With Jack''s threat, Samantha soon forced herself to smile. "Perfect," Jack said as he took several pictures of her and the scene ended. Jin soon came out of his character and passed a hand towards Samantha to help her up. "Thank you for your assistance," Jin replied. She hesitated a bit before grabbing his hand to stand up. Jin''s performance earlier had frightened her. She nodded towards him and soon returned to her seat. Her mind was a mess at the moment. "You''re selected!" The old man eximed the next moment. Jin''s performance earlier had surpassed all his expectations. It was the same for the man sitting beside him. He said the next moment, "You do seem to have a talent for this¡­Since you got the role you get a return now. I''ll contact your agency after the auditions are over and we''ll finalize a contract by today evening. You''ll be intimated about the rest of the details soon," "I understand, Thank you," Jin left the audition hall in a pleasant mood to inform Dn about the results. Chapter 75: One Step Closer The moment Jin exited the hall he was met with the expectant gaze of Dn. "What happened? Did you get selected?" He asked with both expectation and a hint of worryced in his voice. "I did," Jin smiled as he gave a thumbs up with his right hand. "Great!" Dn cheered as he gave a solid punch to the surrounding air¡ªhowever, the moment he did that he became aware of the surrounding eyes. Embarrassed, he immediately grabbed hold of Jin and left the ce in a hurry. "So what do I have to do next?" Jin asked as the two got inside a cab. "Juste along with me to the agency. After I''ve informed the director about it, your work for the day will be finished. It would be my task as your manager to go through your contractter and see if any uses are disadvantageous for you. "Got it," Jin acknowledged and they soon returned to the agency. Tyler''s reaction was not much different than Dn''s when he heard the news. "I can feel it. This movie is going to be a game changer for both you and our agency Hahaha," Tyler chuckled in jubtion. "I hope for the same," Jin tooughed along with them and then left Tyler''s office. The agency will handle the rest of the paperwork therefore he is free now. Jin checked the time on his wristwatch. It was close to noon. Seeing this he took a breath of relief. There was still enough time to go and meet Diana. "I thought I''d miss it today," Jin muttered to himself. He soon took a taxi and reached his regr spot. A few momentster. "Good afternoon," Jin said with a smile as Diana approached his figure. "Good afternoon," Diana replied. Yesterday''s meal together had formed a good impression of Jin in her mind. "Let''s go have a meal then shall we?" Jin proposed. "I''m fine with that but this time let''s go eat where I want to," Diana mentioned. She feared that Jin might take her to an expensive restaurant again and make his economic situation difficult. "No problem, where do you want to go?" Jin asked. "Just follow me, there''s a pocket-friendly restaurant with good food and ambience. That''s where I eat my lunch regrly," Diana answered and gestured to Jin to follow her. Jin followed alongside her and the two soon reached the ce. Just like how Diana had mentioned it was a good ce that was easy on the wallet. The two soon ordered the food and engaged in their conversation. "How was your work today?" Jin asked. "Sigh¡­it was exhausting. Since the branch head was called to the main branch for some work purpose yesterday we are all now in disarray," Diana whined. "Shouldn''t they have provided a substitute for him," Jin added. "Exactly! But they didn''t. They told us to manage among ourselves and as a result, the high-ups are assigning us old workers management work to reduce their load¡­it''s a mess," Seeing how openly she was criticising thepany it was clear that she felt quite stressed about the situation. "It will eventually all get settled so don''t worry about it, you''ll get used to it soon," Jin consoled. "Indeed¡­I''ll just have to push through till then. What about you? Anything interesting happened to you?" Diana asked. "Hehe, I just gave an audition today. Guess what¡­I got the role!" Jin shared the news. "Wow, congrattions. That''s great news! What kind of role is it?" Diana asked with curiosity as she took a sip from the ss. "I''m a photographer who turns into a killer, a viin basically" Jin mentions awkwardly. He was a bit unsure how she was going to take this news since viins are supposed to be liked. However, he soon realised that he didn''t need to worry about that anymore. "Bahaha¡­" Diana startedughing the moment she heard Jin''s words and almost spat out the water she had just sipped. "... that''s the perfect role for a stalker like you!" She added as herughter changed to that of a snicker. "I''m a stalker?" Jin couldn''t help but ask. "If you''re not one then who else is? For the past month, you''ve beening to see me daily. You knew my name without even me introducing myself to you, you even knew the exact time at which I left for lunch every day¡­if you''re not a stalker then who is?" Diana yfully chided him. "...I just didn''t know how else to approach you since this is the first time I''ve felt this way towards a person," Jin scratched the back of his hand in an embarrassed manner. "...sigh. I still feel hard for it to be true you know," Diana adds all of a sudden. "What do you mean?" Jin asked. "The fact that a man who''s good-looking and physically fit like you suddenly approached me someday and said that he likes me, a nerdy-looking woman, that''s also the reason why I''ve been running away from you all this while. I thought it was just a prank¡­something simr had happened to me in college you know¡­" Diana let out her thoughts. Jin patiently listened to her and added his point at the end. "Don''t belittle yourself like that. You''re not less than any other person. You''re not only beautiful but also very smart since you were able to join Zenith. There''s only a handful of women with those two things going for them and you still feel bad about being nerdy? That''s your greatest asset. "I liked the part where you called me smart," Diana chuckled, now in a much better mood than before. "Thanks, Jin, I needed those words," She thanked Jin. "No problem, how about you add me to your contacts so that I can help you in a simr fashion in the future," Jin smirked as he slid his phone towards her.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Quite sly aren''t you?" Diana smirked in return seeing his actions. "My intentions are pure, what do you mean?" Jin feigned ignorance on his face. Dianaughed at this before adding her number to his contact list. "There," Diana passed him his phone. "You can expect a message from me very soon," Jin epted the phone and said. "Just don''t act weirdly in messages and make me regret my decision now that you''ve got my number. I still don''t like you, we could be considered to be dating at best," Diana said. "I''ll keep that in mind. Oh, the food''s here, let''s dig in," Jin said as the two readied themselves to take in the food. All the talking had made them even more hungry. Chapter 76: Mission After sharing a meal with Diana, Jin went back to his hotel. When evening arrived he got a call from Dn. "The deal has been finalized," He said from the other side of the phone. "That''s great. How much are they paying me?" Jin asked the main question. "Well, that¡­" Dn paused. "What? Is there a problem?" Jin asked. "The thing is since you are a new actor the initial price which they gave was considerably low. However, after haggling with them and stating that without you the chances of the film doing good were considerably low they finally relented," Dn exined. "That''s alright but can you just state the price now?" Jin asked. He felt that if the price was too low then he would have to wait for some more time before he could freely use all of his money. "The initial price they gave was 300,000 Draks but I immediately rejected it. After a long negotiation, we finally agreed on 500,000 Draks per scene," Dn said in a regrettable voice. If not for the fact that Jin was not a new actor he could have pushed this price further. However, it was only Dn whose mood was regrettable. For Jin, the news was incredulous. Never had he thought that he would be able to earn so much money by just a scene! He was already aware of the enormous money that the film industry makes but being signed to receive so much money truly felt unbelievable. Especially when the money wasing through legible means! ''I thought that bing a Hitman had more money¡­how stupid I was.'' Jin mused to himself. With a steady and enormous ie like this, why would he go out of his way to kill people just to earn money? Wouldn''t that be stupid? "I''m sorry¡­I should have tried harder in negotiations¡­" Sensing the silence from the other side of the phone Dn felt that Jin didn''t like the price that he mentioned so he started to apologize. "Huh? What are you talking about? That''s a great price! I''m truly happy that you were able to negotiate it to this much," Jin was not cheap with his praises. "Sigh¡­that''s good. I thought you didn''t like the price that''s why you were silent," Dn said with relief. "It''s because I was too shocked, I was just making around 40,000 Draks a couple of months ago and now you''re hitting me with 500,000 Draks and too for a single scene!" Jin let out his thoughts. "That''s good¡­but don''t set your expectations too low. It''s only a matter of time until they''ll be paying you much more¡­heck you might even be able to negotiate a back-door deal and get some share in the box-office profits of your films," Dn said with excitement. "Is that so? But won''t it take a lot of time?" Jin asked. He found it absurd that Dn was getting excited over this issue right now. "With your talent, no it won''t. It''s just a matter of time," Dn said with confidence. "Well¡­thanks for your belief in me," Jin said a bit overwhelmed by his words. Dn then discussed a few things with him and told him that he would be free theing week so he could use that time to rx his mind. The actors for other roles were still being auditioned and therefore it will take at least another week for everything to be concluded and the filming to start officially. "Good night then, take care of your health!" Dn said before hanging up. With the call done Jin began his night stretching and finished it in half an hour. By now he was way too sleepy. He was about to go to sleep but suddenly remembered something important. He opened his phone, went to a messaging app and texted Diana. "Good night, rest well." Jin sent the text. Diana was busy with her night skincare routine before bed. With a slight smile, she was carefully taking care of her skin. However, in her mind thoughts about her meetings with Jin were going through. Jin was like a spice that had added vour to her mundane life and she was savoring the feeling to the fullest. ''He didn''t message me¡­'' She thought when she looked at the time. It was around ten and she was about to go to sleep. ''He must be caught in some work,'' Diana consoled herself and got ready to go to her bed. However, a notification from her phone caught her attention. She picked up her phone to check it. The moment she did, her smile widened. "Good night! See you tomorrow :-) " She immediately replied. Jin reacted to it with a thumbs up and their little exchange ended. ''He''s more considerate than I thought," Diana thought when she saw how deftly Jin ended their exchange rather than continuing to chat with her. In reality, Jin was just too tired to chat with anyone at the moment. He put aside his phone and closed his eyes only to be disturbed by a system message. -x-x-x-x-Mission-x-x-x-x-n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Objective: Have 10,000 Kill Points Time Line: 7 days Penalty: Kill Points going to Zero Reward: New Store Item -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- ''Huh? What with this mission¡­shouldn''t the system normally assign me missions and reward me with KPs? Why is this one instead telling me to collect them¡­the only way to collect them is by either doing missions or by killing people¡­'' Jin soon realized that he wouldn''t be free during this whole week and sighed regrettably. He currently had 3500 KPs with him and still needed 6500 KPs more. No longer in a mood to go to sleep Jin opened up the KIA app on his other phone and went through the various missions as he formted a n in his mind. Using Fentanyl was a strict no as just using it would cost him 100KP which was quite a lot since a normal target usually gives him 100-150 KPs. The only other option left was to use either a gun or a knife. Although Jin liked using the knife he was currently more inclined towards the gun since he wanted to kill arge number of targets in a limited time. A gun would conserve more of his time since he would be able to kill at a distance. "Now the only problem is the noise¡­" Jin muttered as he backtracked on the app and opened up the KIA store from where he could buy weapons and other stuff. He soon found what he was looking for and ordered it. It cost him 15k Draks including the delivery charges. He paid an extra 5k because he needed it by tomorrow. Instead of the delivery address, they asked him to name the city in which he was. Only that much was required. With everything done now, his drowsiness returned. Jin switched off the lights thereafter and called it a day. Chapter 77: Bang "How about we go somewhere this Sunday?" Jin asked Diana. Just having lunch together was slowly bing mundane with time so he wanted to add some spice. That''s how rtionships progressed in all the movies he watched and the scripts he had read until now. "Sure! Where to?" Diana asked with a bright expression on her face. "Well, that''s a secret," Jin smirked. In reality, he had not decided upon where they should go. "Oho acting mysterious aren''t ya? No worries, I''ll wait for you to take me there but you better not disappoint me," Diana said yfully. "You''ve put me in a tough spot now¡­" Jin sighed. "That''s what you get for acting mysterious hehe," She joked. When the meal finished Jin walked her back to her office and then took a cab from there. "To the train station please," Jin told the cab driver before resting his back on the seat. This morning he received a message on his phone regarding the order he had ced yesterday night. It was a brief and concise message. It read like this. "Keybination: 4578, Locker No. 84, Neon City Railway Station." Therefore he was on his way to retrieve the item. Jin soon arrived at the station and made his way towards the Luggage lockers. He then made his way towards the Locker which was numbered 84 and applied the keybination on the padlock. *Click* Jin opened the locker. A ck bag was ced inside. He took out the bag and wore it on his back like a regrmuter and left the ce soon. When he was inside the cab Jin finally opened up the bag to check the contents inside. There was a cardboard box inside. He opened it carefully while ensuring the driver wouldn''t catch sight of the content inside. The silencer was neatly ced inside the box. Jin then ced it back inside the bag after confirming it. Now the only thing left was to take in missions. He opened up the KIA app and started browsing through various avable missions. By the time he reached his hotel, Jin had already epted around 20 missions and was going through the contents of each of them one by one. All the missions he had selected were the type that didn''t require much covertness. They all just wanted the target to be dead. Therefore, it aligned well with Jin''s needs. When he returned to his hotel room, Jin attached the silencer to his M9 and aimed it at different objects in the room to getfortable with the new feeling before cing it in his inventory. In his inventory along with the gun, there was a knife and a fentanyl syringe. He had bought the syringe before just in case and was not It was around five in the evening so Jin slept a bit since he was going to be busy almost the whole night. At around nine in the evening, Jin left the hotel with a bag on his back. In it, there was a different set of clothes for him. After finding a discreet area Jin changed his appearance to that of an old man in histe fifties. His height decreased a bit and his back developed a hunch. It was followed by him changing his clothes. The clothes looked a bit loose butplimented his identity as an old man who didn''t put much focus on his appearance. Jin had already memorized the information of the first mission. It involved taking care of a target who resided in a t. He was a software engineer and his expertise in the security field posed a threat to the client''s ns. Jin took a cab and got off a few hundred meters from the housingplex in which the target resided. There were plenty of fast-food restaurants around him. Jin entered one and packed a pizza. Jin made his way inside the housingplex a few minutester. He was allowed in on the pretext of being here to deliver a pizza. *Ring Ring* "Coming!" A voice came from the other side of the door. The door soon opened and a man in his early 20s opened up the door. His appearance was very shabby and it looked like he had not shaved in weeks. "Mr David?" Jin asked "...Yes," The man said in confusion written on his face. "Here''s your pizza, someone had already paid for it," Jin said as he handed the pizza to him. "I don''t think I ordered it though¡­Who was it?" David asked with confusion as he epted the pizza. "I don''t know that sir, but they did tell me to deliver a message to you," Jin said. "A message?" "Yes," Jin took out a piece of crunched-up paper from his pocket and gave it to the man. With a furrowed expression the man epted it and opened the crumbled paper up. In it, there was a single line written. ''You should have epted the money while you could - Paul'' *Bang* David''s expression changed the moment he read the message but before he could react to it a bullet was embedded right in between his forehead and he fell on his back. Jin dragged the body inside the t and locked it in before leaving. His job here was done.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "That took longer than expected," Jin muttered as he looked at the time. Jin uploaded the recording of the target''sst moments in the KIA app and sent it to the client as he had requested. ''Fortunately, the rest of the missions don''t require giving the targets some message before their deaths,'' Jin thought as he made his way towards his next target, he was an important witness in a hit-and-run case¡­s he was going to be a victim now. That night plenty of shots were fired in the Neon City and each shot took a life. The next day the police department started working in full swing to uncover the truth behind these killings. Chapter 78: Playful Banter The next few days Jin was focused onpleting as many missions as he could while also paying attention to Diana. Their usual chit-chat during lunchtime happened like usual. With their chats together Jin also got an idea about the ces she had visited before in the Neon City and the ces she had not. Sunday was soon arriving and he needed to decide upon a suitable ce for their first outing. ''I''ll think about it afterpleting today''s set of missions,'' Jin thought in exhaustion. The continuous missions had drained life out of him by now. However, all that effort was not in vain since he was now on the brink ofpleting his mission. A few targets and their aplices whom Jin was forced to deal with gave much more Kill points than he had anticipated. As a result, it seemed that the mission was going to bepleted today. "Hey, are you listening?" Diana noticed that Jin was distracted and asked him about it. "Oh, my bad. My mind diverted a bit for a second there¡­," Jin said with a hint of tiredness in his voice. "Are you sure you''re fine? Your skin looks much paler than before¡­and your eyes look dull as well. You are not sleeping well aren''t you?" Diana observed Jin''splexion seriously and confronted him the next moment. "Since I got the role, I need to go through the script a lot of times so maybe that''s why," Jin exined. "You must pay attention to your health¡­" Diana started lecturing Jin on how important it was to get a good amount of sleep. Jin could only sigh and ept his faith. A few police vehicles went past the restaurant thereby attracting their attention. Diana''s eyes frowned a bit. "I read in the morning news that there have been a lot of murders happening around in the citytely¡­some have even spected that it''s the work of a serial killer," Diana said with a hint of concern in her voice. "I too have read those articles. Just what is happening in this city¡­" Jin sighed and shook his head in concern as he continued, "Be more vignt while moving around the city alone¡­" "Aww, you care about so much? I''m ttered but rest assured no one would be able to touch me¡­" Diana teased as she took something out of her purse and showed it to Jin. "...See this? It''s pepper spray. I ordered it a couple of days ago. What do you think? Smart ain''t I?" "Sometimes your genius frightens me¡­" Jin started snickering after seeing that small can of spray. "What? Why are youughing?" Diana didn''t quite understand why he was snickering at her. "I mean¡­" Jin paused and stopped himself from snickering further and continued, "...you don''t think that a small spray like that can help you from an attacker now do you?" "You think I''m joking? This small thing is capable of bringing a 6-foot man to his knees," Diana exined with a serious expression. However, for Jin who was hearing about pepper spray for the first time in his life, how could he believe such words, "A 6-foot man? This little thing? You just got scammed bwahaha!" Jin finally couldn''t control hisughter and let it all out. Feeling all the eyes of other customers directed towards her Diana felt very embarrassed. Jin''sughter showed no signs of stopping which along with increasing her embarrassment also infuriated her. To teach him a lesson, she pointed the nozzle towards Jin and slightly pressed the spray cap. "See if it''s a scam yourself then!" She said in anger. *Psss* Hearing the voice Jin''sughter stopped all of a sudden and he looked at the spray can. The next moment he said, "See! Nothing happened! You were sca-" Cough! Cough! A series of coughs soon interrupted Jin from further continuing his words. The pungent smell of pepper seemed to have embedded in his throat as the coughing spree continued on non-stop with frequent sneezing in between. However, it was not just Jin who paid the price. Due to the room being an enclosed area the spray droplets spread in the surroundings aswell and affected the people in the room. Diana, who was closest to Jin wasn''t spared as well. She too along with the rest of the people started coughing and sneezing. "cough! cough! What the hell!" "Shitt cough!" "Outside! cough- Let''s go outside!" The previously quiet and pleasant environment took a turn for the worse and everyone was forced to vacate the room in an unsightly manner. Around 15 minutester, "I''m sorry, I''m truly sorry. It won''t happen again," Diana apologized to the owner incessantly as he lectured her about her actions. The other customers who were a bit angry as well swallowed their anger after seeing the worried expression that was their on Diana''s face as she listened to the owner''s scolding.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om She didn''t think that her little action would have such drastic consequences. As for Jin, He just watched from the sidelines. He had no intention of helping her get out of this situation as she invited it onto herself. It was already good enough that she was receiving only an earful from the angry owner. The owner soon stopped his lecture and let her off since she was a regr in his small restaurant though it was more likely because of how pitiable she looked at the moment. A deted Diana soon walked towards Jin. Jin wanted tough seeing her pale appearance but he controlled his expression and maintained a stern face. "I''m sorry for that. It was my first time using it and I didn''t think that just a small amount would lead to something like this," Diana apologized to Jin. Since she was also the victim of the spray she knew how terrible the exposure felt. "Initially I was indeed very angry at you¡­" Jin said and paused. Diana''s already damp mood further dampened after hearing his words. Seeing Diana''s crestfallen face Jin didn''t keep her waiting for long and continued. "...However, now that I think over it, it was quite fun," He chuckled. "You singlehandedly managed to mess with everyone in that restaurant. You might really be more dangerous than that killer out there," Jin joked in a silly manner. "You¡­" She sighed seeing that he could still joke even in such a situation. "Thank you, It would be totally justified if you wouldsh out at me like the owner." She said while looking down at the ground. "If you weren''t the person I liked then I most probably would have held a grudge but s¡­you lucked out on this one," Jin said in a regrettable tone. Diana giggled when she heard this. Thanks to Jin''s words her mood had improved. "You''re joking like this to make me feel better aren''t you?" Diana asked "I think you should be more worried about returningte," Jin said as he shed his phone''s screen to her. "Shit! I''ll be rushing back then. Once again sorry for what happened today!" With that said Diana''s figure rushed into the direction of her office under the amused eyes of Jin. Jin then returned to his hotel and had a nap before engaging in thest set of missions he would be doing. At 2:37 AM Jin finally received the Mission sessful message. He had just dealt with around 20 people who were involved in a shady dealing inside a multistorey car park. When the screen disappeared Jin noticed a building-like tall structure a few kilometres away in the night sky and a thoughtful expression formed on his face. "That''s a good ce to take her to," He muttered after a while. Chapter 79: Nano Bug The next morning Jin slept until ten and woke up fully rejuvenated. He ordered his breakfast from the room service and got into the bathroom to freshen up. A few minutester Jin was having his lunch while checking his system store. -x-x-x-x-System Store-x-x-x-x- 1) Beretta M9 - 3000 KP 2) Inventory Space (+1) - 6000 KP [current- 3] 3) Pain Killers ¨C 750 KPn/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om 4) Cartridge (9x19mm) x50 - 50 KP 5) Fentanyl Syringe -100 KP 6) Nano Bug - 10,000 KP Bnce: 10,000 KP -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Just like the previous mission had promised, a new item was there in his system store now. However, he had no clue where to use it. Yesterday night he had been too tired to think about it so he had postponed it until morning. ''It would be of great help if I knew what this bug did. I can''t just spend 10,000 KP so recklessly'' Jin thought as he tapped the ''Nano Recon Bug'' in his musings. A small pop-up box containing information about the bug soon appeared. "Well, that''s convenient," Jin said in delight as he read through the information. ||A bug smaller than what eyes could spot. Ites with a handheld device for manual movement control but can work on autopilot. Has a 10-day battery life. Can take Ultra high-definition pictures and videos and transmit them to the output device.|| "Hmmm," Jin went through the information but still couldn''t think of anything at the moment where he could use this bug. "Whatever, it''s a good tool for spying on people so it mighte in handy in future," Jin said as he put away the system screen. Jin then opened the KIA app and looked at something with a smug expression on the user page. ||KILLER RATING- 7.6|| Earlier he was just at a 4.1 rating but thanks to all the missions he did during these few days his rating had increased tremendously. As to what this rating does? Good question! Jin will answer that in my stead. "Upon reaching a rating of 8 it says that I''ll be receiving a promotion test invitation from the organization¡­It most likely would be like the Killer selection test then but I wonder what my title would change to this time? Shadow reaper? Silent Death? ... Hehe I can''t wait for that to happen," Jin mused to himself with an excited expression. The rest of the time till afternoon was spent by him in his mental shooting range honing his shooting skills. It was not something that would stay perfect always, he needed to practice it regrly to ensure that his shots wouldn''t miss. Since training like this was boring from time to time Jin attempted some trick shots however a majority of them missed the targets and the ones that did hit the target were only hit by flukes. Time passed and it was soon afternoon. "Yo! Something good happened?" Jin asks when he sees Diana leaving the office with a happy expression on her face. "Something great happened!" Diana replied cheerfully. "Is that so? Tell me about it then," Jin said as the two of them started walking towards their regr restaurant. "You remember I told you about our workload increasing because of the branch head being called to the main office?" She asked Jin. "Yes, I remember you were whining about it at that time and the following days ahead," Jin said after a thought. "Yes! Guess what? Apparently, he''s promoted and won''t being back," Diana said with a smile. "Huh? Isn''t that bad news for you? Why are you smiling?" Jin asked with a slight furrow. "Hehe the thing is that the new branch head would be arriving on Monday, that is 2 dayster. I and my team can finally rx a bit when that timees," Diana said in a relieved manner. "So it''s like this," Jin nodded. At the same moment, a mission panel popped up in front of him. -x-x-x-x-Mission-x-x-x-x- Objective: nt the bug in the branch head''s office. Reward: NIL Penalty: Dy in uncovering your father''s past Intel:- The new branch head needs to get familiar with everything so there might be an important exchange of information between him and others which might be exactly what the host is looking for. -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Jin''s raised his eyebrows upon reading through the mission intel. "By the way¡­since he''s the branch head his office must be pretty secure right?" Jin asked. "Hmm? Where is thising from?" Diana asked since she was caught off guard by this question. "Just a scene from the movie script which entered my mind the moment you mentioned the branch head," Jin made up an excuse. "I see. You guessed right. I''ve heard that if one wants to enter his office then they would need to get both their fingerprint and iris scanned outside the room''s entrance. They mostly spend their time in their office so it''s very difficult to catch a glimpse of them, in my tenure of 5 years now I was only able to see the branch head in person about ten times," Diana said without a thought. "Only ten times? They must be really busy. Does that mean you won''t be able to see the branch head when he arrives on Monday?" Jin probed further. "Nope, there''s going to be a weing ceremony for him in which he would be addressing us, you know¡­the typical boring stuff," Diana answered. "Don''t fall for him if he''s handsome alright?" Jin joked to change the topic. He had already formted a n in his mind. "Don''t worry in my heart there''s only my research," Diana giggled at his words as the two finally reached the restaurant. "I''m both disappointed and assured after hearing that..." Jin acted to be disappointed. "You thought I would say that I only got you in my heart or what? It''s still 100 years too early for something like that to happen," Diana teased him back. "Good thing I got a long lifespan then," Jin replied with a straight face thereby inviting an amused expression from Diana. After having a savoury meal together Jin walked her back to her office since she was not in a rush like yesterday. "Oh! I forgot to ask. Where have you decided to take me tomorrow? You remember right?" Diana asked all of a sudden. "Since it was my idea then how could I forget? As for the location, I got just the right ce in my mind so you don''t need to worry about it," Jin said with assurance. "Hey, that''s not right you know? I''m dying from curiosity," Dianained yfully. "Try to stay alive until tomorrow then," Jin didn''t fall for her tricks. "You meanie~" Diana sulked cutely when she heard Jin''s remark. This invited a light chuckle from Jin seeing which Diana tooughed along with him. "Here you go then, I''ll message you about the details of tomorrow''s ns by tonight," Jin waved his hand at her. "Got it," Diana waved back and entered her office. Jin soon stopped a cab and sat inside. "To the nearest jewellery store please," Jin told the cab driver. It was time to initiate his n. "Right at it sir," The driver replied and stepped on the elerator the next moment. Chapter 80: Preparing for the Night "What would you like to buy Sir?" The shop attendant asked with a professional smile on her face. "I''m looking for a pendant," Jin said. The attendant''s smile widened as she said, "We got a variety of pendants with us, let me show them to you one by one," With that said the attendant started taking out one pendant after another and gave a brief exnation about each. A few minutester, "I''ll go with this one," Jin pointed at a silver-coloured crescent-shaped pendant. "Excellent choice Sir, I''m sure your girlfriend would love this," The attendant replied with a bright smile and started packing it up. She was going to receive amission out of this sale so she didn''t forget topliment Jin''s choice. "I do hope so," Jin replied in a simr way.N?v(el)B\\jnn A few momentster Jin left the jewellery shop and sat on a cab to his home. ''The first thing I''ll buy after getting paid would be a car,'' Jin thought on his way home. Waiting for a cab all this while had started taking a toll on him. When Jin reached his room he ced the bag containing the pendant on the table and opened up his system store. "Let''s see what this bug looks like now," Jin muttered and bought it the next moment. The 10,000 Kill Points he had collected vanished the next moment and were reced by a zero. Sigh. A sigh escaped Jin''s mouth upon seeing this. His attention then shifted towards the ck box the dimensions of which were 30x15x5 Cm [A/N: Length x breadth x height, in case you''re as forgetful as me] Jin ced the box on the bed and carefully opened it up. Four items were there inside the box. A screen that was thinner than that of a normal phone''s screen, A tweezer with very fine ends, a small lens with very high magnification and a round dent in the middle of the box. Just below the dent, there was a written slip attached which read: ce the Lens over it Jin did as he was instructed and brought the lens over the dent in the middle of the box. A small metallic bug the size of an ant became visible to him. "This looks sick," Jin muttered as he admired the fine intricacies of the bug with relish. For the next few hours, he controlled the bug with the help of the screen which was both an input and output device. What the bug saw became visible to Jin on the screen and he was able to manoeuvre the bug to his liking. ''Can it crawl up on the walls?'' Jin tried to test his idea and the results were positive. Just like a regr bug, this too was able to crawl up on the walls. While at it the nano bug came face to face with many other insects but they were unable to see it and ignored it. ''Flight mode huh?'' There was a flight option on the device in Jin''s hand so he clicked on it. The little bug started flying across his room. Jin panicked a bit thinking that he might crash the bug but the flying speed was slow enough for him tofortably manoeuvre it. ''It''s more fun to handle than I thought,'' Jin smirked as he thought and started ying around with the bug. By around eight in the evening, Jin had familiarized himself with all the controls and could manoeuvre the bug just like how a child could manoeuvre a remote-controlled car. "Let''s get to business then," After familiarizing himself with the bug Jin then proceeded with his n. It took him thirty minutes to secure the bug in the pedant such that it didn''t fall. "Finally, it''s done," Jin lifted the pendant and smiled. No one would be able to guess that a nano bug was restingfortably inside a small crevice which was part of the pendant''s design. Jin carefully ced the pendant back in the box and then called the room service for dinner. Before going to bed Jin messaged Diana " Message me your address. I''ll be there to pick you up at 6:30 PM," "Phew, I thought that I would have to wake up early on a Sunday. I''m relieved," Diana texted back and then sent Jin her address. "Good night then, rest well," Jin bid her good night after they had exchanged a few words with each other. The next morning. Jin exercised his body and practised his skills after waking up early. As for Diana, she had no intention of waking up early and slept until eleven and woke up fully refreshed. She went out to buy a few groceries and other essentialster on and by the time she was back, it was already three in the afternoon. She took a short nap after lunch and woke up by half past four. "I wonder where he would take me," She muttered to herself in amusement and pushed herself off the bed. It was now time for her to get ready for the night. 6:30 PM "I''m here," Jin called Diana on her phone. "Coming!" Diana said in a hurry. It seemed as if she had lost track of the time. "Take your time, no need to hurry," Jin said in an amused manner when heard her voice. A few momentster Diana exited her apartment and stood in front of Jin "How do I look?" She asked with an adorable expression. Jin''s eyebrows visibly raised and he felt his pulse increase a bit when he saw her. The elegant navy blue dress enhanced her beauty but that''s not what caught Jin''s eyes. It was Diana''s armpit-length hair which draped one side of her shoulders. This was his first time seeing her letting her hair loose and he loved the sight of it. "You look breathtaking," Jin gave a short reply but the mesmerized expression on his face was enough to make Diana realize that he truly meant those words. She blushed as a result. Jin soon recovered from his state and opened the cab''s door for Diana, "Shall we go then, my love?" Jin gave a pleasant smile to her while he said that. Diana too embarrassed at the moment nodded shyly and entered the cab. A/N: 80 chapters huh?...we''vee a long way. I feel old. Chapter 81: The Promised Night "I was not expecting that," Diana said as she raised her head all the way up to look at the towering tower before her. Neon Tower, that''s what this observation tower was named. From the top of the tower, one gets the best possible view of the whole Neon City, especially if they visit it at night when the whole city gets lit up in colours ranging from violet to red. A splendid sight, however a sight thates for 80,000 Draks per person. It included a candlelight dinner at the top where the customers could savour the meal while delighting their eyes with the dazzling view of the entire city through the ss panes. However, that''s not everything there''s also a greenhouse where they could have a good night''s walk after a hearty meal while observing the starry night sky above. "So is this over your expectations or under?" Jin asked with a smile on his face. "Over of course, This has always been on my to-do list for the future once I''ve made enough money. However¡­Aren''t you just a new actor, won''t it be troublesome for you to spend so much money like this?" Diana asked out of concern and also she felt burdened by his actions. "A new actor who is going to debut soon," Jin rephrased her. "...but still. How much would a new actor even be paid? Your role is that of a viin as well. I doubt that you will be paid enough to spend itvishly like this. You should be investing that much money on polishing your acting skills instead of splurging it like this," Diana said. "I forgot to mention, I''m both the viin and the main character of the story," Jin replied with a grin. He had been keeping it from her all this while. Mostly because she never asked about it directly. "You¡­what?!" Diana was about to advise him again but the next moment she realised the enormity of his im. "Are you for real?" She couldn''t help but ask again. "Hehe, surprise surprise," Jin snickered. "What the hell?! Doesn''t it mean that you''re going to be a rising star?" She asked "If the film does well then I most likely will," Jin replied. "That''s crazy!... I''ve been dating a future star all this while¡­is this a romantic novel or what? oh god¡­this feels too unreal to me," Diana was taking a while to ept this reality as a variety of thoughts were going through her mind after this revtion by Jin. "I like how you think by default that the film will do well," Jin found the way she was reacting very adorable. "It will not?..." She asked in a tone of concern. "It all depends on luck, the storyline''s pretty good if you ask me though but one can never be too sure whether a movie will be a hit or not," Jin answered objectively. "Stop, positive affirmations are the key, don''t say things like that got it? If you keep on saying negative things then the negative things wille true so rece them with positive ones and never say something like that again got it?" Diana asked whether he understood her words or not Jin nodded in an amused manner when he saw her like this. "Good, now repeat after me, My film will be a hit," Diana forced Jin to repeat those lines ten times before finally leaving him alone. "So if we''re done with this then shall we go inside now?" Jin asked Diana with a sigh. Diana nodded and the two of them made their way to the entrance. Inside, there was a reception table and Jin walked towards it along with Diana. "Sir, do you have a reservation?" The receptionist asked. "Yes, it would be by the name of Jin ker," Jin replied. The receptionist double-checked on herputer and nodded in confirmation. She handed Jin a sparking ck card with the number 7 written on it in white. "That''s the number of the table which had been reserved for you. Please show that to the person outside the restaurant when you reach the top. I hope you have a pleasant evening Mr. Jin," The receptionist informed Jin. "Understood, thank you," Jin received the card and walked towards the elevator with Diana in tow. The elevator had two three buttons on it named: Greenhouse, Restaurant, Ground Floor Very convenient for one to follow. Jin pressed ''Restaurant'' and the two soon reached the designated floor. "So beautiful¡­" Diana muttered the moment the doors of the elevator opened and the dim and ambient atmosphere of the ce weed her sight. "It indeed is," Jin agreed as he showed his card to the person waiting near the elevator door. The man inspected the card and soon told them to follow him. The two of them were soon seated at their table right next to the ss panes. The waiter soon lit the candle that was ced in the middle of the table and passed a menu to both of them. "This is really a surreal experience," Diana said as she looked at the finely decorated surroundings in her dimly lit environment. The candlelight had added a sense of warmth to the previous atmosphere thus making it morefortable for her. "I can order anything right?" Diana took the initiative to ask this time. Jin chuckled seeing her proactive nature, "Of course, no need to show any restraint and order whatever catches your attention. I''ll do the same," "Hehe, restraint? What is restraint?" Diana joked as she opened up the menu and started going over the dishes. Knowing that Jin would not feel burdened by her choice she soon decided upon a dish that she was truly interested in very unlike the time when she went to the 5-star hotel with Jin for the first time. Jin smiled seeing this and he too started going over the menu. A few momentster they gave their order with an expectant expression on their faces. "Wanna go and stand there until our food arrives?" Jin pointed towards his right where the ss pane was there. "Sure," Diana concurred and the two were now looking over the entire Neon Citypletely dazzled by it. "It looks as if it''s not a city but a sea of sparkling stars," Diana let out her thoughts. "True, and one of the stars that resides in this city is standing right next to me," Jin remarked. "You never let an opportunity like this go, do you?" Diana a bit ttered retorted the next moment. "If I did then I wouldn''t had shared my feelings with you when we first met," Jin replied. "That''s true¡­it''s been more than a month since our first meeting. At that time I never thought that a collision with a stranger would result in this," Diana shared her thoughts. "Life sure is unpredictable," Jin added. "It sure is," Diana muttered. Her eyes lost their focus while looking towards the dazzling city as a few nostalgic fragments from her memory went past her mind. Jin too enjoyed the momentary silence and looked back on how far he hade. He, a slum dweller, hadpletely transformed his life in just a few months of times and it all began the day he received the system. While the two of them were lost in their own thoughts the sound of tes being ced on the table brought them back from their thoughts. They turned around and saw that the food was currently being ced on the table by the waiter. The delicious smell of the warm food soon entered their nostrils and whetted their appetites further. "Let''s dig in," Jin said and gestured towards Diana. She too nodded and the two of them sat back down on their seats to enjoy a hearty dinner. Under the light of the candlelight, the two of them enjoy a sumptuous meal while exchanging talks with each other. ______ "It''s pretty isn''t it?" Jin asked Diana who was walking alongside him. "It is," Diana replied as she looked up through the spherical roof made of ss. The twinkling stars and the beautiful moon made sure to make their evening a memorable one. They were currently walking around the greenhouse after finishing their meal. Just like them, there were a few couples who were doing the same which added a subtle sense of romance in the air. It could be said that with each step the distance between their hearts was diminishing. After walking a few hundred meters Jin finally took out the gift he had prepared for Diana. "Here''s a gift for you to make this night more memorable," Jin said with a bright face under the illumination of the moonlight. Diana at first wanted to say that there really was no need for him to buy a present for her but her heart thumped all of a sudden the moment she saw Jin''s face as he turned to face her. Under the moon''s light, his charming face looked breathtaking to her. It was the first time since their meeting that she had felt such deep feelings for him. ''What''s happening to me? Have I fallen for him?'' Diana thought in her mind. While Diana was dealing with her inner turmoil Jin opened up the pendant box and showed it to her. "It''s beautiful," Diana said when her eyes fell on the pendant. It didn''t look overly extravagant but it had a unique taste to it that demanded attention. "I''m d you liked it, shall I put it on you then?" Jin suggested. Diana''s heart started thumping even quicker when she heard it and a red hue started appearing on her cheeks. A couple of secondster, she nodded while looking down, too embarrassed to meet Jin''s eyes. She adjusted her hair to make it easier for Jin to ce it on her. Jin''s warm hands soon touched her cold back making her shiver slightly. A few momentster the pendant was sessfully ced around her neck and Jin was admiring Diana with great delight. "Does it look good?" Diana asked shyly. "It looks fantastic. However, nothing beats your smile," Jinplimented, which invited an embarrassed smile on her face. "Shall we continue with our walk then?" Jin offered his hand to Diana. _____ "Good night then," Jin told Diana as he walked her to the door of her apartment.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om "Yeah...goodnight," Diana said with a hint of expectation in her eyes. Jin did not keep her waiting for long as his lips soon touched hers and a passionate exchange of desire ensured between the two of them and continued for a period unknown to the two of them. When the passion subsided and rity entered their minds the two lips separated. They both wanted to continue but the mixture ofplicated thoughts in their minds prevented them from doing so. ''I want him...but I also feel that all is too quick...,'' was the thought going around in Diana''s mind. ''If I go any further then things will be difficult for meter on,'' was the thought going around in Jin''s mind. "I''ll be going then, sleep well," Jin said with an ufortable smile on his face. "Y-yes, good night," Diana too replied in an awkward manner. In this way, the night that was supposed to be filled with passion came to an abrupt end. A/N: Uhm...I hope it wasn''t boring. If it was then do tell, I''ll work on it. Chapter 82: Welcoming Ceremony "Ding dong ding¡­Ding dong ding" The irritating sound of the rm invited a groan from Diana who opened her sleep-filled eyes with difficulty. She wanted to hit the snooze button but realized that it was her 3rd time waking up to the rm this morning. She could not afford to dy things any longer. With an exhausted sigh, she pushed herself off her bed and went to the washroom. The first thing she did when she entered the washroom was to look at herself in the mirror. A set of drowsy eyes stared back at her. Her gaze went subtly down a bit to look at her lips as the memory from yesterday night bombarded her mind and a tinge of hue appeared on her face soon after. She shook her head to get rid of that image in her mind but that was to no effect. Her passionate encounter with Jinst night was too deeply embedded in her mind to be put in the back of her mind this easily. ''Ugh it feels so embarrassing now¡­how am I even going to meet his eye in the afternoon?'' Diana whined to herself and attempted to shake those thoughts away by sshing water over her face. The cold water calmed her a bit as she busied herself with her morning routine. Half an hourter, after a long hot shower, a fully refreshed Diana exited the bathroom. She changed into a new set of clothes and did the final touches in front of the dressing table. "All done," Diana was about to stand up but her eyes suddenly fell upon the pendant box which Jin gave herst night. "How could I forget about this?" She muttered as a bright expression formed on her face. She took out the pendant and carefully ced it around her neck. She traced the crescent moon with her fingers as Jin''s words fromst night resonated in her mind. ''It looks fantastic on you but nothing beats your smile,'' A blushing smile once again formed on her as a result of it. A few momentster Diana put on herb coat and took a cab to her office. "Good morning Diana," A colleague greeted her as she entered the premises of her workce. "Good morning Tania," Diana greeted back with a pleasant smile. "Oh my! What''s that on your neck? I thought you weren''t into wearing jewellery and all.." Tania immediately noticed the pendant around Diana''s neck. "This¡­" A thoughtful expression along with a blush appeared on Diana''s face as she thought of words to describe things that transpired. Thankfully, she didn''t need to put that much effort as Tania connected the strings just from seeing Diana''s expression. Tania gasped, "Don''t tell me!...it''s him right? He gave it to you right?" She asked in an excited manner. Diana nodded. She immediately felt her shoulders tightly grasped by Tania who looked at her with an expression filled with anticipation, "Girl, tell me everything that transpired between the two of you¡­" A few momentster¡­ Tania sighed while looking up at the ceiling. "I''m so jealous of you. You managed to get a handsome hunk head over heels for you and here I am¡­whose romantic life is as dry as a desert," Tania muttered. "Hey, it''s no big deal. You are much prettier than me so it''s a definite that you''ll find the one you''re looking for very soon," Diana consoled. "That''s exactly why I like you sooo much," Tania hugged Diana tightly, totally pleased by her words. "I think we should be going now, the weing ceremony is about to start," Diana said. "Yeah, let''s go then," Tania agreed as well and the two of them soon left for the hall where the new branch director was going to be weed and took their seats. Time passed and the ceremony finally started. The new director was weed with a bouquet of flowers from the higher-ups and was soon guided to the podium by them under the gazes of all the employees. "He looks angry," Diana suggested. "Even I would be frustrated if I was him," Tania replied.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Hmm? What do you mean?" Diana asked. "Oh right, I forgot to tell you about it. From my sources, I got to know that he had been at quite a high post in the main branch. Soing from there to serve as a branch director in our tiny country is more like a demotion for him than a promotion." Tania exined. "That''s true, I wonder why he was sent here when everything was going fine," Diana muttered. "Who knows, the higher-ups have ess to more information than us so there must be a solid reason that us small folks are unaware of," Tania mentioned. "True," Diana said and focused her attention back on the stage. The higher-ups were currently using flowery words to wee the director. It soon finished up and it was finally the turn of the new director to give his speech. "His voice is pretty manly," Tania said in a low voice to Diana to which Diana just gazed at her friend weirdly and replied, "He''s in histe 30s woman, don''t fall for an old man," "Heh! What do you know? I dig those kinds!" Tania replied with a defiant expression. While the two were busy with their exchange a tiny bug flew out of the crevice in Diana''s pendant and flew up towards the ceiling. It hovered there for a couple of seconds before making its way towards the new director who was currently engrossed in giving his speech. A few momentster the bug was resting on the director''s shoulder''s as he made his way back to his seat under cheers from the audience. The event was soon over and the director was being guided to his new office by his secretary who was briefing him about everything on the way. They finally reached the topmost floor. "The system already has your biometrics transferred to it sir so you just need to scan your fingerprints and iris and you''re good to go," The secretary exined. "I see," The director replied in a hoarse voice and ced his palm on the scanner which was followed by an iris scan. The door to his office finally opened. "Bring me all the documents I need to familiarize myself with," The director told his secretary as he made his way towards his table. "Got it, sir," The secretary took a leave to bring back all the necessary documents. Chapter 83: Idea Sigh With the secretary gone the director rested his back on his chair and sighed while staring at the ceiling. Even though his day had just started he seemed way too exhausted. ''If I don''t find it then I''ll end up like him," the director mused while thinking about what had happened to the previous director who had failed to do the same task. ''Interesting,'' Jin who had been listening through the bug thought. He soon flew the bug away from the director''s shoulder and made it rest on top of a table clock. This way the chances of the bug identally getting crushed are reduced. The secretary soon arrived with the documents and the director started ncing over them one by one as if looking for something in particr. ''Got it,'' He thought as he picked up a file which was named: W.B Findings To the uninitiated, it would look like a normal file but only the higher-ups of the main branch were aware of its importance. "Tell me about the progress rted to this issue," The director said as he showed the file cover to his secretary. The secretary observed the file''s name and soon replied, "The findings have been very limited Mr. Benjamin. I had delegated some men to look into the ces the person visited frequently but still, it was up to no avail. We still have no idea where he had hidden the sh drive," "What about his colleagues? The ones with whom he interacted a lot when he worked here?" The director asked as he opened the file and started going through the contents. "We''ve investigated them all for a period of time but failed to find much of anything," The secretary said. "And how long was this period of time of yours?" The director asked as he lifted his gaze from the file and pointed it towards his secretary. "It was two months sir, the men we hired spied on each of the individuals for two months," The secretary answered. "Hire them again and this time do it for 6 months. Make sure to warn them not to bex and also set an attractive reward if they manage to find something useful. I want results no matter what within these 6 months." The director ordered as his eyes went back to the file. "I understand sir," The secretary replied. "Hmm? What''s this? Why is this individual marked in red?" The director said out loud but his gaze soon saw the exnation which was written beside the man''s name. The secretary had figured out whom the director was curious about and was about to answer him but was soon stopped by the director''s next words. "This man named Johan, no need to waste our time on him. It''s better to focus on other individuals rather than waste our time and energy on someone like him," The director ordered.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "I understand sir," The secretary nodded. He too agreed with the director''s decision since there was really no way to get anything useful out of a person like that. With that said the secretary soon left to make the required preparations while the director busied himself with other misceneous stuff. ''Johan'' Jin who had been listening to their conversation scribbled the name on the paper and made a question mark in front of the name. He felt a bit curious towards this individual but it was only a bit. His main attention was more towards what he had scribbled above it. It was the name of the file they were talking about: W.B Findings. Others might have taken a bit longer to consider it, but the moment Jin saw that name, he was clear that those letters stood for his father''s initials. He needed to get hold of it if he wanted to know more about what these bastards were looking for. The question was how. How would he be able to get hold of that file? ''Should I just kidnap that director and torture him till he reveals everything?'' Jin thought of an idea but decided to put it on hold for now. He had no idea what his father had been dealing with but he was sure that it was something very serious so he needed to make sure he didn''t poke the ho''s nest before finding out why his father was killed. Otherwise, it would be more difficult for him to find outter on. "I need to think of a more discreet way¡­" Jin leaned back on his chair and mused while staring at the ceiling. He wanted to secretly enter the branch office and take a look at that file but the problem was the biometric scanner at the door. "Just how should I deal with that finger and iris scanner¡­" Jin muttered in an annoyed manner. His gaze went over the morning''s newspaper that was on the bed on his side. ''Get your hands on the newlyunched DOLO H5¡­ There was an advertisement on the first page like usual. Just out of curiosity, Jin read the ad a bit further. "Waterproof? That''s pretty neat. A 50MP camera? Interesting what else does it have¡­..fingerprint sensor¡­hmm" Jin was going over the plus points of the product which was highlighted in bold but suddenly paused when his gaze went over the fingerprint sensor. He nced at his phone after that. His was an old model in which there was no fingerprint sensor and it was the same case with the phone which was linked to KIA. "Looks like it''s time to buy a new phone," Jin thought with an excited expression. He soon changed into suitable clothes and left the hotel a few minutester. He was very excited to apply the idea which had just entered his mind. "Good morning Sir, How can I help you?" The mobile shop assistant asked with a smile. "DOLO H5, I''ll buy it," Jin said without any hesitation. Jin soon paid for his new phone in full and while the data from his old phone was being transferred to this one he asked the assistant about how to use the fingerprint sensor. The assistant exined everything he needed to know about the fingerprint sensor and how to input his fingerprint on his device. With that, Jin now had a clear idea about it. "Technology sure is amazing isn''t it?" Jin asked the shop assistant with a gleeful expression on his face after he had finished with his exnation. "Huh? Yes, absolutely sir, you''re right haha!" The assistant replied though a bit weirded out by Jin''s expression. A few momentster Jin left the mobile shop with a new phone in his possession. Chapter 84: Implementing the Idea The first thing Jin did after returning to his hotel room was to close the door and put all the curtains on. With that, all the preparations werepleted. Jin then opened his new phone and inputted his fingerprint into the sensor. It took a few seconds and the fingerprint was finally saved. Jin then locked the phone and unlocked it with the help of his fingerprint. The phone unlocked like it was supposed to. "Let''s test it out now," Jin muttered as he once again locked the phone. He used his ability to morph into one of the appearances he had saved in the system. With his new appearance, Jin once again tried to unlock the phone. *buzz* The phone vibrated indicating that there was a fingerprint mismatch. A wide grin formed on Jin''s face upon seeing this. His hypothesis proved to be correct. Along with his appearance, his fingerprints changed as well and he was willing to bet on the fact that it was the same with his iris. ''This has made things simpler,'' Jin thought to himself. Jin then walked to his table and switched on the device to see what the director was doing. He was currently going through some documents as a lot of papers were scattered on his desk. Jin manoeuvred the bug tond on the director''s office bag which he had ced beside his chair. His motive was to know where the director lived. Once he was done with this task Jin rxed back on his chair. A whileter he nced at the clock, it was 11:30 AM. A frown formed on his face seeing this. Normally he would be getting ready to meet Diana in half an hour but today he didn''t feel like it. The intimate action which he shared with Diana yesterday night was something that had even caught him off guard. Jin ced his hand over his heart and felt his heartbeat. The rhythm was erratic. He clearly knew the reason why as he had been pondering over this issue throughout the night. He had developed feelings for Diana. What began as a mere act to use her as a tool was now taking another route¡­a route he was scared to walk on because of its unfamiliarity. "I''ll slowly distance myself from her and then break off whatever remains of our rtionship. It''s for her own good. No good wille to her if she falls for a murderer like me," Jin muttered as the innocent expression of Diana shed in his mind.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Making up his mind Jin took out his phone and messaged Diana. "I just received a message from my manager. The filming is going to start from today onwards so I won''t be able to make time for lunch with you from now on," Jin sent the message. "Oh¡­It''s alright. We''ll meet again when you have time :)" Jin soon received a message from Diana''s side with a smiling emoji at the end. A feeling of guilt overtook him seeing this but he suppressed it soon after. On Diana''s side, she just took a deep sigh after replying to Jin''s message. Her sigh indicated both her relief and disappointment. While she felt too embarrassed to see him face to face afterst night''s encounter she was a bit excited to see how sweetly this rtionship of theirs was going to unfold. ''It''s good that he''s busy now. Who knows, he might even start to miss me more during this time..and grow even more fond of me,'' Diana thought gleefully before focusing back on her work. As for Jin, he had too many things on his mind so he decided to take another shower to clear his mind. The rest of his day was spent spying on the branch director''s office in the hope that he might get some more clues. While doing that Jin passed his time by exercising and stretching his body. In the end, nothing significant was gained. By nine in the evening, the director was back at his home. It was a newly acquired vi. "Wee home honey," A beautiful woman in her twenties greeted him with a weing smile on her face. "I''m back," The director replied. Seeing his wife''s expression all his office worries disappeared and a smile formed on his face. "I''ll take care of this, you go and freshen up," The woman said as she took his bag from him and told him to get ready for dinner. "Alright, I can already smell your delicious cooking from here," The director chuckled as he made his way to the washroom to freshen up. The woman shook her head with a smile as she ced his bag on his work table and then went to the kitchen. The bug that had been resting all this while took to the air and went out of the open window. It then hovered towards the front of the vi and looked at the address which was written on the entrance. "14th Block, Yale Enve, Mulberry Street¡­" Jin noted down the address on a page and then cross-checked it on the map application on his mobile. "Got him," Jin said with an ted mood as the bug was then manoeuvred to return to the director''s bag. Now that he was aware of the director''s home from tomorrow onwards he would be getting familiar with theyout of the branch office. It will make things much easier for him when he sneaks inter on. The next day Jin woke up to a message from Dn. It read: Call me when you wake up. As directed, Jin called him up and asked about what had happened. A get-together was organized by the film director so that the actors could get familiar with each other before the script reading. So Jin was supposed to reach the venue by 1:30 PM. "Got it," Jin said as he cut off the phone and went to the washroom to start his day. Chapter 85: A Fruitful Day "Good afternoon everyone, thanks foring on such short notice," Mr Dous, the director of the movie told everyone present and continued after a pause, "You might be thinking about the reason behind this get-together since we could have all met at the script reading day the day after tomorrow, however, our script writer got a sudden inspiration at thest moment and made somest-minute changes to the script," With that said, the director passed the newly revised scripts to everyone with the help of his assistants. "The script reading will go as scheduled i.e. the day after tomorrow. I hope you''ll use the remaining time to get familiar with the script again." The director said. The actors browsing through the new script nodded after hearing his words. The changes were not much, and they could get a hang of the new dialogues by going over them in the remaining time. "Alright, I''ve already ordered food for all of us. It will being to the studio in a while so you all get to use that time to thoroughly go through the scripts and ask me if you have any doubts. Just like the director had instructed everyone started going through their scripts. Jin who had been sitting among them looked around him at the other actors. They all looked very professional and from the looks of it, he was the only actor who was making a debut with this film. A few questions were asked by some actors and the director patiently answered them. Finally, the food arrived and a small buffet was organized. The professional atmosphere transformed into a jovial one. After taking what he wanted to eat on his te Jin soon made his way towards an empty seat. A whileter another person sat right next to him and initiated a conversation. "Remember me?" She asked with a hesitant expression on her face. Hearing this Jin turned to look at the woman''s face. He immediately remembered who she was. "Aren''t you the one who helped me with the auditions?" Jin asked the next moment. "Bingo! The name''s Samantha, nice to meet you," She put forward her hand to greet him. "I''m Jin, Nice to meet you too," Jin reciprocated. "I believe that you''ve noticed by now that the other actors are avoiding you," Samantha said. Jin nodded. "Yep, I don''t know the reason behind it though¡­can you tell me?" We actors tend to be very self-centric and egotistical in general. When they heard that you, a new actor who had not yet performed on television, were the main lead they all got their ego bruised. It''s natural that they don''t want to talk with you and might even provoke you a bit. "Is that so?...what about you?" Jin asked while looking at the woman. "If anything I admire you. I''ve been in this industry for five years now and in this period I''ve never seen anyone transitioning to the character whose emotions are as extreme as our Jack and then be back to normal the moment the director said ''cut''. To be honest, I''m excited to see how far you will go," Samantha gave out her thoughts without refraining. "I''m ttered that you think so highly of me but there''s still a long way for me to go," Jin replied. He was self-aware of his shorings in several areas. "Acting humble huh? People will eat you in this industry if you act like that. My first tip for you would be to be unapologetically arrogant in front of young actors like me. If given a chance, they would readily trample over you so you need not hesitate. At first, they would be hostile towards you but after seeing your acting they''ll soon be humbled " Samantha replied. "Is that so? Alright then. I''ll keep your words in mind," Jinr replied as the two of them began eating their meal while exchanging a few words from time to time Their meal soon finished and the get-together wasing to an end. The director reminded them that the script reading would be held the day after tomorrow and they better not bete. "See youter then," Samantha waved at Jin as she got into a taxi. Jin too waved back at her. After interacting with Samantha for a while he gotfortable with her. She gave an elder sister-like vibe to him and he appreciated it. He was still a noob in this industry so he could consult her about the doubts he would be having in the future. It was about 4 PM. When Jin reached back to his room he rested a bit since he had nothing much to do. At about 8 in the evening, Jin had his dinner and then left the hotel. His destination is Mulberry Street. When Jin reached the ce, he found a dark corner and changed his appearance to an old man with a slouched back. Jin had brought a bag along with him in which there were suitable clothes to match his appearance. He changed into that and soon walked towards the address he had noted yesterday. ¡­. Screech! Honk! Honk! "What happened?!" The director asked his driver. He had almost hit his face on the front seat because of the sudden break. "Sir¡­there''s an old man lying on the ground. He''s not responding to the honks," The driver said. "Go and look what has happened," The director replied in a soiled mood. "Yes sir," The driver left the car and approached the lying figure of the old man. "Hey!" The driver shook the old man to rouse him from his sleep. Just when the driver started worrying thinking that the old man might be dead the old man''s eyes opened up. Bam! The next moment the driver received a heavy kick right on his sr plexus and fell on the ground struggling for each breath. Jin swiftly made his way towards the car. For the director, everything happened very quickly. One moment he saw his driver falling on the ground and the next moment his door was forcefully opened and a knife was being pointed right at his throat. "Give every valuable that you have if you want your life," An aged voice replied. Seeing the age of his assant the director wanted to retaliate but was soon overpowered by Jin who then hit his face with the knife''s hilt. "Tried enough? The next time it won''t be the hilt that would be hitting your face so hurry up!" Jin shouted. "Y-yes¡­" Understanding his plight the director soon gave the old man all the money he had in his wallet. "That watch looks good," Jinmented and soon received a watch. That ring too, Jin said while looking at the ring on the man''s ring finger. "T-that''s my wedding ring I cant-" Before the man could finish Jin grabbed his head and shoved it on the front seat''s headrest. "Did I ask for your opinion, young man?" Jin stared ruthlessly at the director who was now bleeding from his nose. "S-sorry¡­" The director removed his wedding ring and gave it to the old man. The next moment while grabbing the director''s cor with one hand and hit the knife''s hilt on his head and the man lost consciousness. The driver who had somewhat recovered from his state was watching all this with a horrified expression on his face. "Don''t worry, he''s not dead," Jin replied in an emotionless manner and left the scene. His mission waspleted. He had acquired the director''s appearance. On his way back Jin deliberately didn''t change his appearance and entered a shady part of the city. There was no dearth of beggars and prostitutes in this area of the city. Jin randomly distributed the money he stole to a few children sitting around the streets. He gave the watch to a man who had one of his arms cut off who thanked him gratefully. Jin ignored him and walked further. He still needed to deal with the ring. "Hey, old man~," An aged woman with less than average appearance said in a sultry manner as she wrapped her arms around Jin and stroked the back of his neck with her fingers. "Want me to make you experience your youth once again?" She winked at him. She was trying hard to cover for her shorings by acting more sultry. ''If I don''t manage to get a client even today then the big miss will force my 12-year-old daughter into this business as well,'''' The woman thought in desperation while trying hard to hide it from her face. However, Jin was clearly able to see the desperation in her eyes. Jin grabbed the hand that was stroking his neck and brought it down. Thinking that she was about to get rejected she pressed her body onto Jin as ast attempt to change his mind, "Don''t be like that, let''s have some fun together shall we?" Jin pushed her away the next moment. The woman was crestfallen internally seeing this and was about to leave to try her luck with another person but realized that Jin was not letting her hand free. "Have you changed your mind?" She asked while smiling.N?v(el)B\\jnn Jin didn''t reply and just ced the gold ring in her hand and said, "Run away from and here and start a new life," "This-" The woman nced at what Jin had just given here and found it too unbelivable. The ring in her hand was clearly made of gold and would fetch quite a lot of money! "You looked desparate enough. Use it well then," Jin patted her shoulders and while cing a index finger on his lips to indicate her to not make a scene. He then left thereafter. The woman could only gaze at his fading back in the distance. Tears started falling down from her face as she deeply thanked the man in her heart. A few momentster her gaze had firmed. She had decided. She was going to escape tomorrow morning along with her daughter and start a new life. A life where her daughter can live a respectable life. Chapter 86: Script Reading The next day Jin woke up early morning and finished with his workouts. When he checked his phone he saw a few messages from Diana. Jin replied to them briefly and put them aside. He had been deliberately keeping his replies short to increase his distance from Diana. ''Oh, he''s awake?" Diana smiled brightly when she received a reply from Jin and immediately texted him back. Their exchangested only for a couple minutes but Diana savoured every second of it. She had thought that Jin would end up missing her more because he was unable to have dinner with her daily but instead, it was her who had started missing him. It was to the point that she was unable to notice the subtle meaning behind those short andte replies from Jin. ''He must be exhausted from all the shooting and all,'' That''s the excuse she gave herself as she kept her phone down and began her day. Meanwhile, Jin had freshened up by now and was going over his script. At around 10 in the morning, Dn visited him. To help Jin with his revised script Dn told Jin to read his lines to him so that he could get a hang of it for tomorrow''s event. Jin did so. The intense sessionsted for over 2 hours and during that time Dn gave Jin a few suggestions that he could use to improve his lines and express more emotions. ''I''ll be going then. Practice well and be ready tomorrow at 8 AM. I''ll be here to take you to the studio." Dn said. "Understood," Jin replied. By now he had be familiar with the new script thanks to Dn''s help. If not for him he would be going at it until evening. After finishing off with his lunch Jin didn''tze around but instead used the nano bug to get familiar with theyout of Zenith''s office. While looking through the screen Jin continuously made notes on what he saw and needed to keep in mind. Jin observed it for the rest of the day and noted down his findings before calling it a day. After a good rest, Jin woke up and warmed up his body. At around 7:30 in the morning. Heeding to what Dn had said yesterday he got ready and had his breakfast. Dn arrived right on time and picked Jin up. Together they went to the studio and reached there by 9 AM. Thanks to the bloody morning traffic a 30 minutes journey took an hour. In the studio, other actors were also there when they arrived. However, it was clear that they had no intention of interacting with Jin. "Hmm? It seems something happened between you and them?" Dn inquired. "From what I know, they feel that it''s unfair that I, a newbie, got the lead role," Jin exined. "So it''s like this. Don''t worry about it. After your script reading is done they''lle to understand. Anyway, that saves me the effort. I was about to go and greet their managers and establish a good rtionship between them and us. There''s no need for that now," Dn said. While Dn and Jin were talking Samantha arrived with her manager. "Good morning Jin," She greeted him when their eyes met. "Good morning Samantha," Jin replied. Both their managers also greeted each other with a nod. "I hope you''re not nervous since this is your first script reading¡­are you?" Samantha asked with a curious expression. "Luckily, I''m not," Jin replied. "That''s good. I still remember how nervous I felt in my first script reading when I had to sit around all those experienced actors and read my script¡­" Samantha thought back to her beginner days. It was clear from her face that it was not a day she was proud of. "If you feel nervous anytime, just tell me. I keep some anti-anxiety pills with me and will give you one, they work wonders during important moments like these," She told him. "Thanks, I''ll keep that in mind. By the way, when is the director arriving?" Jin asked. He thought that the director would report at nine like them as well. "He''ll be here by 9:30 AM. After that, the script reading will begin." Samantha said after looking at the time. After that Jin asked her for some tips for the script reading and Samantha happily told him whatever she knew. It was soon 9:30 AM and the director arrived. "Good morning everyone. It''s good to see that everyone is here on time today. Let''s get started with our script reading without any further ado then," Mr Dous said as he took them to another room where they all quickly sat down. After everyone was seated Mr Dous said, "I believe everyone has a copy of the script with them," With his words, everyone took out their scripts. "Let''s begin then," The director said and Samantha began reading her lines since she was going to be Jin''s first victim in the film. While Samantha was reading her lines many actors'' attention shifted to Jin from time to time. They wanted to see how this newbie could be a male lead. The bitterness that they were carrying deep inside was visible on their faces. Mr Dous noticed this too but he didn''t mind it. He had seen something like this a lot in his career. It would be a problem if Jin didn''t have skills but since he did this won''t pose much of a hindrance to him. Samantha was currently reading herst few lines and Jin was about to take over the next moment. And Jin soon became Jake. "Perfect¡­.you look perfect ma''am. How about doing this pose,"N?v(el)B\\jnn "Yes. that''s it!" "For physical copies, you can visit my studio tomorrow. The photos will be developed by then," . . . What started as a cheerful photographer taking pictures soon turned into something horrific right in front of everyone''s eyes. "Smile, you don''t want yourst photo to have a bad expression right? I certainly don''t." "Yes, just like that. You''re good at this. A natural I must say," "Aren''t you looking pretty in these pictures?" "You''re thankful that I''m killing you right? You''ll never have to see your gorgeous face getting wrinkled. I''m such a good man¡­aren''t I?" The maniacal expression portrayed on Jin''s face brought a cold sweat on everyone''s back. It was the same for Samantha and Mr Dous. ''He has improved,'' The two of them thought. As for others, they were finding it all too hard to believe. It felt like a brick was being shoved down their throat and they had no choice but to swallow it. That''s how stifled they felt. However, their egos prevented them from epting this. Thest thing they wanted was to be overpowered by a bloody newbie. A fire raged inside them and from then on all the other actors tried their best to dominate when they were reading out their lines. Thus a fiery script reading began where each actor tried to give their best. "Alright, let''s go for a short 15-minute break before continuing," When the script was halfway finished the director called for a break. The atmosphere had toned down during the break. The reason was that during the first half, they all realised that they were unable to dominate Jin. His performance was that striking. Jin''s performance had made them all doubt the amount of effort they had poured into acting. However, epting things as they were would prove that all their earlier years of efforts were in vain. They cannot ept something like that! They''d rather continue to struggle with even more vigour! During the second half, the atmosphere remained fiery but this time instead of dominating Jin everyone was doing their best to give their best performance. Jin''s very existence pushed these actors who had be satisfied with what they had achieved until now and raised a fresh spark inside them. ''I was not expecting something like this¡­'' Mr Dous looked at everything that was happening with a surprised look which soon turned to that of excitement. ''With a drive like this in all of them, there''s no doubt in my mind. This film would be a blockbuster!'' When the script reading ended everyone was exhausted. They had pushed themselves very hard today but it felt satisfying so a smirk could be spotted on some of their faces. "Good job everyone! That was an amazing session. I''m looking forward to all your acting from tomorrow onwards. Let''s make this film a hit because, with the abilities you''ve shown today, there''s no doubt in my mind that we can''t. Got it?" Mr Dous said with a jolly expression. It was rare to see such an expression on his otherwise neutral face. "YES!" An energetic response came from all the actors who felt reinvigorated after hearing the director''s words. With that, the script reading came to an end and everyone returned to their home. Chapter 87: Dianas Call Jin surveyed the positions of the guards through the bug untilte at night and noted their positions down before calling it a day. Jin woke up on time like usual and finished with his routine and at 8 AM Dn arrived at his home. "Hmm? Why are you early? Isn''t the shooting at ten?" Jin asked Dn. "I knew it would be like that. The shooting would start at 10 but you don''t n to do it with an appearance like that right? All actors need to be ready for the set, which means make-up and hair styling!" Dn exined to the clueless Jin. "Oh yeah¡­there was something like that too," Hearing Dn''s words rity hit Jin. He had forgotten to take this into ount. "You had your breakfast yet?" Dn asked. "No, I didn''t," Jin replied. "That''s good. We''ll have it on the way so get ready. We''re leaving now," Dn said. Jin took five minutes to dress up. He just put on a pair of trousers andplimented it with a jacket since he would need to change it as per his scer on. Soon he entered the cab along with Dn and left for the studio. While the cab was moving Dn took out a tiffin from the bag he was carrying. The moment he opened the lid a mouth-watering smell wafted in the air making both Dn''s and Jin''s mouth water. "Here," Dn passed one of the egg rolls to Jin. "Thank you, it smells delicious," Jinmented and epted the roll gratefully. "Hehe, I know right? No matter how many times I try them I''ll never get bored of my wife''s cooking," Dn said as he took the first bite and savoured it. Seeing this Jin took a bite as well. The distinct taste of the egg along with that of several seasonings bombarded his taste buds and made him take another bite soon after. "It''s delicious right?" Dn asked when he saw this. "Mhmm" Jin nodded while still nibbling on the roll. After swallowing it Jin finally replied, "It''s delicious! I must say my thanks to your wife," "Wait until this movie bes a hit to tell her that, she would be even more d to hear that from you then," Dn remarked with a smile. "I''ll keep that in mind," Jin nodded seriously and focused back on the roll. An hourter they arrived at the studio. Dn immediately took Jin to the makeup artist.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "You''re finally here¡­" The makeup artist took a sigh of relief when he saw them. "If you hadn''t arrived even after 5 minutes I was about to give you a call," The makeup artist said. "Sorry for the dy," Dn apologised and then said while looking at Dn, "He''ll be in your care then," "Got it, I''ll do my best!" She said seriously and instructed Jin to change into the clothes he would be wearing for his scene. Jin changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a light-coloured shirt. Luckily his clothes were simple since the storyline was like that. Jin was then taken by the makeup artist and was made to sit in front of a makeup mirror. From then on it was all a totally new experience for Jin. A variety of cosmetic products were applied to his face. His hair wasn''t spared as well and by the end of everything Jin totally matched the image of a cheerful young street photographer. When the clock struck ten the director arrived. He started giving his instructions to the film crew while the other actors were doing somest-minute touch-ups. "You look great," Samantha said. She was done with her make-up and was all set to go. "Thanks, but I don''t like how ufortable my face feels," Jin replied to her. "Haha, it do be like that. No worries you get used to it with time," Samantha chuckled after hearing him. They chatted for a while before the shooting began. The first scene was the introduction of a cheerful young photographer. So Jin became busy from the very first moment. Although Jin performed well the director was very strict with him. It seemed like he was chasing perfection. "Retake!" Jin sighed when he heard it the 7th time and got ready for his scene. It was not that Jin was fumbling over his lines or in acting. The problem wasing with his actions on stage which the director was correcting with each take. This was a crucial learning experience for Jin as well so he was paying attention to all the pointers given by Mr. Dous and he tried his best to implement them. The eighth take finally met the director''s expectations and Jin got a breather. While being seated Jin saw the other actors perform. The director showed simr strictness with everyone. He wanted everything to be perfect. "Don''t make that face, you still have a couple more scenes to do," Samantha teased Jin when she saw his exhausted expression. "Is filming always so hectic?" Jin asked. "Yes, having second thoughts?" Samantha asked with a smile. "Nah, the pay''s good. You don''t look exhausted though" Jib replied without much of a thought. "When you be experienced like me, you''ll be able to hide your exhaustion," Samantha joked. "You really are a pro..." Jin replied with a chuckle. "Aren''t I?" Samantha agreed. They passed time like this before it was finally their turn to act. "It''s time. Let''s go then," Samantha said as she saw the director calling them for their scene. "Alright" .... The exhausting day ended at half past four as the tired film crew and the actors dragged themselves home. Aftering back to his room Jin took a short nap whichsted for two hours. When he woke up he had his dinner and started practicing the pointers which the director had told him. Jin noted it all down so that he would not forget about them. Diana''s message came at that time. Jin then replied to Diana''s message and chatted with her a bit before busying himself once again. Until about 1:00 AM Jin surveyed the movement of the guards and noted any changes. The flight mode of the bug consumed more battery than normal so he was left with only 3 days of remaining charge. He''ll be using this time wisely since he didn''t n to alert the enemy when he enacted his n. It was too early to make them wary. By now Jin had drawn a rough map which he would be taking while infiltrating and had also marked the ces where there were security cameras. All that was left was to get familiar with the guard''s patrolling pattern. ¡­ The sky brightened and it was the start of another new day. Jin''s schedule was the same as yesterday, however he had a couple more scenes than yesterday. This meant more retakes¡­ ''Sigh¡­well it''s still better than cleaning the railway station for 20k Draks,'' Jin thought while he waited for his scene to start. Time passed on and by 5 an exhausted Jin left the studio. Today''s shooting took much longer than expected. After arriving at his room Jinid down to rx. His eyes opened at 10 PM. Muchter than his usual time. ''Was I this much exhausted?'' Jin said to himself as he pushed himself up the bed and ordered his dinner. His phone buzzed. Diana was calling. She always preferred to message him so this was unusual. With a furrowed expression Jin picked up the phone. "Hello," Jin said. "I finally heard your voice," Diana replied from the other side. "What''s with you all of a sudden? You said that you rarely called others and preferred to text instead," Jin asked. "That''s true¡­but I was missing your voice today¡­it''s been sooo long since west met so I wanted to hear it," Diana said from the other end while twirling her hair with her fingers. "It''s not even been a week though¡­only 5 days" Jin replied "Five days is a lot you know? Do you know the number of times I thought of you during this time? It''s more than how many fingers are there on my hand," Diana was more open than normal so Jin couldn''t help but ask. "Are you drunk?" He asked. "See! You know me so well. I had a can of beer just now to let off some steam¡­" she said with a giggle. "You-" Jin was about to say something but Diana interrupted him. "Oh, I almost forgot! Let''s meet tomorrow! It''s very important so you can''t say no. Got it?" Diana asked for confirmation. "What''s with this sudden meeting? You didn''t tell me about it yesterday," Jin said "Yesterday was yesterday. Today is today. It''s different," She replied. "But I haven''t even told you whether I got work tomorrow or not. What if I have work tomorrow?" Jin said. "¡­you got work on Sunday?" An uncertain voice came from the other side. "Sigh.. luckily I don''t. I''lle alright. Message me the details," Jin replied. He didn''t feel like rejecting her after hearing her tone. ''It won''t hurt meeting with her once more¡­'' Jin thought "Yay!" Diana cheered from the other side which brought a smile to Jin''s face. "You haven''t answered my question yet though. What''s the asion tomorrow?" Jin asked. "Hehe, I''ll tell you about that tomorrow. I''m too tired now so I''ll be hanging up now, good night Jin," "Wa-" Jin had more questions to ask her but Diana had hung up by then. A minuteter Jin received a text on his phone. "Yuki Nursing Home, 11 AM. Be there on time ^^" Jin read the text and a frown appeared on his face. He had no idea what was going on in Diana''s mind. Chapter 88: Meeting Someone The next morning at 11 AM Jin arrived at the location and gave Diana a call. "I''m here," he said. "I''m arriving in a few minutes There was too much traffic on the way here," Diana''s voice came from the other end of the phone. "Take your time. I''ll be waiting here," Jin replied. While waiting for Diana he looked at his surroundings to pass the time. From one look it was clear that this was a very well-maintained ce. ''Just what is she thinking of calling me to such a ce? Does she want to take care of the elderly during her holidays and wants me to help her?'' Jin mused. There was a bench nearby so Jin sat on it. It felt like Diana would take some time. ''I should scold her for beingte and express my anger. It''s even better if it''s in public since she would definitely feel aggrieved,'' Jin thought to himself while gazing at the water sprinkling out of the fountain. He had already made up his mind this morning that he''d be breaking things off with her today. His feelings for her will only increase if he doesn''t take action. He clearly remembered how happy and content he feltst night after his call with Diana. ''It would be better for both of us'', Jin said under his breath. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Diana bent forward to enter Jin''s vision and said with an apologetic smile. The moment Jin saw her his previous musings about scolding her vanished instantly and held his breath for a second mesmerized by his appearance. She wore a white and blue floral print Georgette top andplimented it with jeans. A simple yet elegant look that made one want to not waver their eyes away for even a second. Just like how it was for Diana, Jin too had been missing and thinking about her a lot during these five days. The only difference was the fact that while Diana epted her feelings Jin suppressed them. The suppressed feelings however sprang back the very moment he saw Diana right in front of him. With that the memories of their intimate episode flooded his mind. "...Stop staring at me like that, it feels embarrassing," The incessant gaze from Jin made Diana too more self-aware about herself and shemented softly. "Y-yes¡­sorry," Jin was brought back from his stupor with her words and he forced his gaze sideways and said. Jin expected Diana to ept his words and move on but her next words caught him off guard. "Do I look good?" "Very¡­" an instantaneous response came from his mouth and the next moment a heart throbbing smile appeared on Diana''s face. ''This is bing troublesome,'' Jin thought in his mind as he forced himself to remain calm. "I''m d you think so. I deliberately dressed in blue since you liked itst time. Shall we go then?" Diana asked. "You still haven''t told me why you''ve called me here though," Jin responded in a mild manner while trying hard to not get swayed by his emotions. "Let''s talk while walking," Diana said and forwarded her hand towards Jin to help him stand up. Jin ignored her hand and stood up on his own. Seeing this a subtle furrow appears momentarily on Diana''s face. ''Did I do something wrong?'' She thought to herself while retracting her hand. She didn''t do anything wrong. Jin just felt that if he held her hand right now then the torrential feelings raging inside him would make it nigh impossible for him to break things up with herter on.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Let''s go then," Jin said to Diana who didn''t let Jin see her thoughts and led the way. While passing through the corridor of the nursing home Diana was greeted by several elderly and nursing care assistants. "You seem to be well-liked by everyone here," Jin said after seeing that. "Well, it''s been a few years since I''ve beening here. So it''s natural to form good familiarity with everyone," Diana said while they were walking towards the other end of the corridor which was an open area. "A few years?" Jin asked with surprise. Diana nodded with a neutral face. Her previous smile was no longer there on her face and was reced by a mncholic look. "When I was in my 5th grade my father got into a car ident¡­" she paused as if to recollect the tragic times and continued, "It was a horrific ident and he suffered grievous wounds. Fortunately, due to God''s grace, the doctor managed to save him¡­I had never been so happy as I was at that moment when I heard the news that my father was alright. However¡­it was not the end. Starting then my father''s mental health began to deteriorate with time. In the initial years, it didn''t pose much problem but as time passed the severity increased¡­to the point that he even struggled to recollect my name," Seeing the intense sadness on her face Jin''s heart grieved. He wanted tofort her but he knew that he couldn''t¡­no words were enough tofort what Diana was feeling currently. By now they had exited the corridor and were walking in the garden behind the nursing home. "It was Alzheimer''s. He had been hiding it from me until he couldn''t. By the time I found out it was already in itste stage¡­a Since the symptoms were likely to intensify even more with time I was forced to shift him here three years ago and I''ve been visiting him on weekends ever since¡­so that''s how I got familiar with everyone here" Diana finished her words and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes were focused straight ahead and drew Jin''s attention. He too followed after her gaze and his eyesnded upon a person under a tree who was sitting in a wheelchair. A nursing assistant was there with him to give himpany. "Is that¡­" Jin asked. "Yes, that''s my father. I wanted you to meet him and fulfil my promise." Diana said. "Promise?" Jim inquired. "Yes. When I was a child before dropping me off at school my father always used to make me swear that if I ever fell in love with someone the first thing I needed to do was to make him meet my father¡­it started as a joke but after repeating it so many times it has been ingrained in my mind and it''s also the only promise I''ve ever made with my father," Diana said and turned towards Jin. "Therefore I wanted to make you meet him today Jin. I thought about this a lot during these five days and was finally able to build up enough courage yesterday to call you," Looking at her earnest gaze Jin soon retracted his gaze and replied, "Let''s go then," ''I can''t do it today¡­she would be in tatters if I broke up with her today.'' Jin thought to himself as he shelved his n of breaking things off with Diana. "Alright," Smile returned on Diana''s face as she replied and led the way. Jin caught up with her and the two soon arrived near the tree. The nursing assistant saw Diana and smiled at her. She nudged the shoulder of Diana''s father and said, "Mr. Woods see who hase to see you," Diana''s father who seemed to be engrossed in his own thoughts all this while was stirred awake by the nursing assistant''s words. He raised his head to look at the two approaching figures. His dull eyes gained a sudden spark all of a sudden and he said almost instantly "Shouldn''t you be busying yourself with your work Kevin? Why are you loitering around with a chick?" His words surprised Diana and the nurse as it was very rare for him to speak coherently. However the one who was the most surprised and shocked was Jin. ''How¡­'' Jin was still trying toprehend everything. "Dad! Can you speak normally now?!" Diana asked with great expectation and renewed hope. "Dad...Dad?..me?" Her father repeated what Diana had called him a few times. The clear eyes once again became confused as memories tussled against each other in his head. He clutched his head in pain and started groaning. ''It must be just a coincidence. Yes it must be,'' Jin thought after seeing the current state of Diana''s father. The nursing assistant immediately took Diana''s father to his room to help him calm down. With a shattered sense of hope Diana watched her father being taken back to his room as a sense of loneliness engulfed her heart. At that moment she felt a warm hand on her shoulder which pulled her towards itself. She lifted her head to see Jin''s expression which was filled with sympathy and understanding. "Thank you," Diana said as she rested her head on Jin''s chest while beingforted by his warmth. That''s how Jin''s first meeting with Diana''s father went. Someone who held the key to solving the puzzle Chapter 89 Acceptance Jin consoled Diana until she recovered from her state. "Sorry about that," Diana said as she wiped the leftover tears from her eyes. She had been holding those tears in for some time now and felt relieved after crying it all out. "You''re alright now?" Jin asked "Yes, I feel much better thanks to you¡­besides I apologize that my father talked with you like that. You must have been surprised because of the way he treated you," Diana said. "Yeah¡­I sure was. I wonder why he called me Kevin." Jin probed even though he was almost sure that it was just a coincidence. "Don''t pay much attention to that. It is not abnormal for patients in thete stage of Alzheimer''s to hallucinate. It might even be a made-up name," Diana exined. "I see," Jin listened to her words with great attentiveness, and his curiosity was finally satisfied. "So..what now?" Jin asked. "Well¡­dad would need some time alone to recover so it looks like I can''t introduce you to him today," Diana said with a hint of sadness. "There''s always a next time. Don''t worry about that." Jin replied instantly after seeing her like that. "That''s true¡­" Diana murmured. "You''re hungry?" Jin asked all of a sudden. "A bit¡­why?" Diana looked at him with confusion. "That''s good. Let''s go and have some food together. It''s been a while," Jin suggested. "Alright," Diana agreed. She didn''t feel like being alone now. There was a good restaurant just a walking distance away. They soon arrived at the ce and ced their order. "Walking till here increased my appetite. What about you?" Jin asked. "Same. I''m much hungrier now as well," Diana said. The walking had helped in clearing her mind and she was back to normal. "By the way, how was your filming experience? I never asked you on chats since you always were busy," Diana asked Jin "Oh, that¡­" Jin exined his first experience to Diana who was hearing everything with great curiosity. She almostughed out loud when Jin was describing how he felt when the make-up was being applied to him. Thus the two caught up with the details of what happened in their lives during these five days until the food arrived. "By the way, what''s your favourite food? I''m only realizing now that I never asked you this obvious question even after the countless meals we shared," Diana asked while nibbling on the starters. "My favourite food?" Jin repeated the question and was about to say there wasn''t any but Diana''s question brought him back in time and reyed familiar scenes in his mind. "Hmm, what happened?" Diana asked, seeing that Jin was taking longer than usual to answer. "Oh¡­nothing. Your question just brought me back to when I was young. At that time I always used to hate a particr dish my mother used to make. However it was the first thing that came to my mind when you asked me that question," "You''re making me curious, what is it?" Diana heard everything that Jin said with great interest since it was rare for him to talk about his past. Most of the time he just gave her topics on which she could talk for hours. "Red beans and rice. It''s a simple dish with nothing fancy." Jinmented. "I see," Diana responded as she noted it down in her mind. ''I''ll make it for him when he visits me," She thought with anticipation. "What about you?" Jin asked. "I like everything hehe," Diana said cheerfully. She was a big foodie and was always thankful to God for being blessed with a very high metabolism rate. "I had guessed it by now by how ravenously you eat," Jin teased her. "Heyyy I don''t eat like that ok? I only do that when I''m alone¡­" Diana''s words lowered down by the end of her sentence. This invited a chuckle from Jin as he said, "So you really do eat like that huh? I was just testing waters here," "You-!" Diana felt embarrassed hearing this. "Wait until I find something embarrassing about you as well in the future," She snorted and feigned anger. "I''ll be waiting for it dear," Jin replied cheekily which brought a subtle smirk to Diana''s angry face. Diana truly enjoyed Jin''s light-hearted manner today. She knew that he was doing all this to improve her mood. Their meal soon finished and they were now roaming around outside. "Let''s go to that park there," Jin pointed out and the two of them walked their way there while enjoying the surrounding hustle and bustle. After walking for a while they sat on a bench to rx. It was around 3 by now and they were among the only few in the park.N?v(el)B\\jnn "¡­I''m exhausted," Diana stretched out her hands and rxed her body as she leaned back on the bench. "Same here," Jin replied. After a hearty meal and a walk, he felt a bit drowsy now. Jin felt something on his shoulder all of a sudden and turned his head. Diana had rested her head on his shoulder. His heart fluttered seeing this. "Thank you for today," Diana said. "What for? I didn''t do anything apart from spending time with you," Jin replied. "You think I didn''t notice all your considerate actions today? I must say¡­you made this woman who had already fallen for you fall for you again today," Diana said. Since her eyes were gazing ahead it was easier for her to say those words. Jin didn''t reply to her. A whirlwind of emotions was moving around within him at this point. He wanted to tightly embrace this woman this instant and never let go of her for all his life. However, through sheer willpower, he held himself back. Continue your journey on empire ''I can''t ruin her life. It would be too selfish of me to ept her love now when it all started as an act from my side. She deserves someone better¡­'' "Jin," while Jin''s mind was in the middle of a turmoil his attention was attracted by the sudden call from Diana and his thoughts cleared out. He noticed that Diana''s face was staring straight at him. "I-" Jin wanted to say something but Diana''s finger blocked his lips the next moment. "Shush" She hushed while smiling softly and moved towards him "Your heartbeat told me all that I needed to know," Their lips joined. An electric-like ecstasy ran over Jin''s mind the moment this happened and he actively responded to Diana''s actions as the two lips exchanged the love they had been holding back for long. There was only one thought in Jin''s mind at that moment ''I want her,'' And this thought was enough to overpower all the flimsy reasons he had been giving himself to not go after the woman he loved. ''Yes, it all began as an act but so what? My feelings for her right now are true and that is all that matters!'' A fresh stem of reasoning stemmed in his mind and with that he had finally epted Diana. Jin shifted from Diana''s lips to her neck and it invited a slight moan from Diana as she truly enjoyed the feeling. THUD Thud thud A voice however attracted her attention and she opened her eyes only to be surprised by the face of a 12-year-old boy a few feet away from them. A football was bouncing slightly on the ground near the boy''s feet as he stared at Jin and Diana''s shameful disy of affection with an open jaw. Diana immediately pushed away Jin who was way too engrossed in the act. Initially confused Jin soon followed Diana''s gaze and realized the situation. "Let''s go," Jin caught Diana''s hand and the two left the scene. When they were at a distance from the ce Diana finally let her thoughts out. "GODD!! I''m so embarrassed!" Jinughed out loud seeing her like this. "This is noughing matter! That child saw us kissing¡­a child! We might have even given him some trauma¡­" Diana said hysterically. "Trauma? If anything that child would be looking forward to growing up," Jin reasoned out. "Still! That doesn''t make it right¡­" Diana was still unsettled. "Just rx Diana. It was just an ident. Besides, thanks to that, we got a good memory to look back on in the future, don''t you think so?" Jin asked. "That really do seem to be the case," She chuckled at Jin''s words and calmed down as a result. "Let me drop you home then," Jin said and they waited for a cab together. Half an hourter, "See youter," Diana waved at Jin. Jin waved back at her from the cab as the cab proceeded to his hotel. Jin leaned back on the car seat and closed his eyes now that he was all alone. ''I guess there''s no going back now¡­'' Jin thought as Diana''s innocent smile shed in his mind. Upon arriving home Jin tried to sleep to give rest to his restless mind. He tried it until 6 in the evening and failed miserably. ''Fuck! I can''t even sleep now,'' Jin pushed himself off the bed in irritation. He went over the notes he had made for his n to infiltrate Zenith. He did it several times until his mind was finally calm. Jin looked at the time. "10 PM¡­the hell" He had been too engrossed in the task. His stomach grumbled the next moment, attracting his attention. He ordered the food and soon went to sleep. The next day. Jin spent the majority of the day shooting and arrived back to his room in the evening. Afterpleting all the required preparation Jin left in a cab at 11 PM. The cab dropped him a kilometre away from the branch office. Jin went to a secluded ce and took out a dark set of clothes from his bag before changing into them. After that, he changed his appearance to match that of the newly appointed branch director and finallyplimented it with a mask on his face. Jin then waited there until it was past midnight before finally making his move. Chapter 90 Findings Pew! A shot was fired and the next moment the sound of the ss shattering rang all around. "Hey, what was that?" The guard who had been going over some reels inside the guardhouse was alerted. He exited the guardhouse and opened the main gate to check what had happened. "The hell¡­did the bulb explode?" The guard thought as he looked at one of the lights that had stopped working. There were pieces of broken ss shards in its bottom. While the guard was busy checking the scene a dark silhouette entered through the gate without alerting anybody. After entering the gate the silhouette rushed inside the guardhouse and took a key out from the key hanger before rushing out of the guardhouse and hiding itself in a dark ce. "Fuck¡­I''ll need to write a report and give it to the security head," The guard had closed the door and returned back to the guardhouse. ''Hmm?...did I leave the door open?'' The guard thought for a brief moment before shaking that thought away. He was the only one on duty for this gate so who else would? He went inside the guard house and got back to his reels. The silhouette stayed in its position for a few moments before finally making its way towards the main building. Jin skillfully avoided the guards who were on patrol in certain spots and finally reached the building''s entrance. Stay connected with empire He ced the key in and made his way inside. The interior was lit with dim lights, so moving was convenient for Jin. On the way, several cameras were present, but they didn''t pose a problem for Jin since he had memorised all their locations. He destroyed the ones he couldn''t evade and made his way to the top floor. Upon arriving at the top floor Jin walked the path which by now he had be very familiar with and reached outside the director''s office. He ced his fingers on the screen. It was a match. Now it was the iris scan. ''Even though I didn''t test it I''m fairly certain that it''s going to be a match¡­if not then things are going to be problematic for me,'' Jin thought as the scanner scanned his eyes. A verified message soon appeared on the panel and the lock to the door was opened. Jin sighed in relief. Following that he entered the room and closed the door behind him. He went over the files that were ced on the director''s table and found the one he was looking for, K.B. Findings. ''I was right!'' Jin thought out in jubtion. The file started with a brief introduction about his father. "A remarkable virologist who was handpicked by the head office¡­.created many viruses and vines for thepany and was well trusted¡­stating health reasons he retired prematurely¡­A few yearster it was found out that he had destroyed some important data crucial for future researchpany enacted revenge and dealt with him¡­found out toote that there was a sh drive Kevin had prepared¡­all of thepany''s dark truthsid inside it¡­" Jin read it with great detail and interest. He had no clue that his father was involved so deeply with thispany. ''So father had been hiding so much from me¡­'' Jin thought to himself. Thepany was currently searching for that sh drive but had garnered no results. With that, the introduction ended and the names of the suspected targets appeared. Jin looked at the clock to check the timing and realised that he had taken 15 minutes just to go over the introduction. ''I''ll just take a picture of everything and go over themter." Jin took the pictures of all the pages and then closed the file, ced it back and arranged it on the table in the manner it was earlier. He didn''t want them to know his motive foring here. If Jin let things be like this then tomorrow morning they all would be scratching their heads while trying to figure out his motive for infiltrating here¡­things would be problematic if a creative individual managed to guess correctly therefore Jin was going to create a motive. In the next half an hour Jin randomly went to severalbs all across the floors and destroyed theirputers, broke their samples and tore down their research papers before finally leaving the building. When Jin returned to his room it was three in the morning. He freshened up to clean the sweat and went to sleep. He was too tired to think of anything. The next day it was only when Jin came back from shooting that he got enough time to look at those images which he had takenst night.N?v(el)B\\jnn He seriously went over the details of everyone whose names were on that list. Jin didn''t know any of them but he still read the provided information with great seriousness. He soon came upon a name which was marked in red. There weren''t many details just a single line was written after the man''s name. ''Johan Woods- mentally unstable, Alzheimer patient, very unlikely,'' Jin''s eyes hovered through the words but stopped at the word ''Alzheimer'' he then traced his eyes back to the name and a surprised expression appeared on his face, "Woods?... So this is Diana''s father¡­" "His reaction makes sense now¡­" Jin said as he recollected how Diana''s father had called him by his father''s name. Though notrge he still shared some simrities with his father''s appearance. ''No wait¡­'' A thoughtnded in Jin''s mind all of a sudden, ''If thepany had investigated everyone on this list by now and had not found any clue about that sh drive doesn''t that mean¡­'''' Jin''s gaze fell back on the name ''Johan Woods'' which was marked with red colour. "He''s the person they all have been looking for," Although Jin had his doubts he still was around eighty per cent sure that Diana''s father knew something about the sh drive but because of his disease he had not been caught yet. ''I must seek him out more,'' Jin made up his mind. For others, it might seem impossible but to him, it didn''t. Just like earlier, he believed there would be more moments in the future when Diana''s father would be able to recollect things from the past and thus he''ll be able to answer Jin''s queries. Chapter 91 Getting Paid While Jin was still digesting the fact about Diana''s father he received a series of several messages from Diana. "Do you know what happened here today?!" The first text read. "A theft! Someone infiltrated the branch office and destroyed severalb data and test samples which we all had painstakingly collected! Urgh!!! I''m so angry¡­we all would have to do it all over again now!" The second text. "That means we''ll have to invest another six months'' worth of efforts to research everything once again and note down the required data" The third¡­ "I hate this bastard! What''s worse is the fact that he only destroyed a specific department''s data and mine was one among them! If it was everyone then that would have been bearable but I truly feel angered by this¡­" Just like this a wall of text soon appeared on Jin''s screen by the time Diana''s stopped typing. Jin finally decided to text back, "I ain''t reading all that, I''m happy for you...or sorry that happened xD," "Jin!!" Diana reacted with exmations followed by an angry emote which induced a smile on Jin''s face. "Just jk, I read everything. You seem to be caught in a mess someone else made," Jin texted with a wry expression on his face. "I know right?! I''m exhausted just from thinking how much work mypany would make us do starting tomorrow," Diana texted back instantly. "What''s happening in yourpany right now? I mean how are they dealing with it?" Jin asked. "They called the police for investigation and thanks to that we all got an early leave today¡­but well, starting tomorrow we might need to do overtime so it doesn''t amount to anything," Diana replied. They exchanged a few messages before Diana got busy with some household stuff. Jin practised his acting skills and tried the few refinements in front of the mirror which the director suggested to him today. At around half past eight when he was having his dinner Jin received a message on his phone. ''2.5 million Draks have been sessfully credited to your ount,'' The message read. "Finally!" Jin cheered for himself when he saw the message. He would finally be able to buy the things he wants. ''First things first,'' Jin immediately finished his dinner and following that began packing his luggage. As luck would have it he had no shooting for the next two days. He''ll be leaving this hotel first thing tomorrow morning. ''I''ll finally be able to use that state-of-the-art gym again,'' Jin thought to himself as he looked back on the few days he lived in the five-star hotel when he arrived in this city. The hotel he was in didn''t have a gym so Jin had only been focusing on body weight exercises during this time. As a result, he couldn''t feel much progress in his overall strength. "Phew, it''s done," Jin sighed and looked at the time. An hour had passed and he was dead tired so without any further ado he embraced the bed.N?v(el)B\\jnn Byte morning Jin hadpleted his shifting. This time instead he booked a much more spacious andfortable room since spending money was no longer an issue. "Next stop, car showroom," Jin said as he left the hotel after settling in his new room. Buying a car had be a necessity for him because of how annoying it had be to take cabs for all sorts of things. The salesman introduced Jin to a few cars and Jin finally settled on a ck SUV after a while. It cost him around 1.5 million Draks. The deal was finalized and Jin. The salesman exined to Jin about all the paperwork he needed to do. Jin just paid him extra to get it all done with it. Jin left the showroom after a while. He would be receiving the car in a week''s time. The next step was to get a driving license. Although he knew how to drive a car thanks to William''s memories he didn''t have a license. The salesman had given Jin a number to contact and Jin did so. Jin talked with the individual and got the required information about the driving test and a slot was booked for him for taking the test tomorrow. Days passed and it was finally the weekend. Jin had received his driving licence by now and was only waiting for his car to be delivered. Saturday evening Jin messaged Diana. Jin: You''ll be visiting your father tomorrow morning? Diana: Yes, what''s the matter? Jin: I''lle as well. Diana: Really?! Jin: I shouldn''t? Diana: No that''s not what I meant. Pleasee. I''d be the happiest if you did. Jin: That''s settled then. See you tomorrow. Diana: Yeah, byes ^^ ''I do not how long this is going to take¡­'' Jin mused. It couldn''t be sent when Diana''s father would be in a state where he could recall his past with my father. From what Jin had researched online so far, these bouts of lucidity were rare inte-stage patients like Mr Woods. "Thankfully I can afford to wait," Jin muttered to himself and went back to practising his acting skills. Things have been going well for him. He had found a profession he was naturally good at, acting. Thanks, to it his money problems were sorted. It even paid more than hitman jobs with almost no risks¡­this made him feel a bit guilty for taking so many lives for such a paltry sum of money until now. ''Well, it can''t be helped. I also needed those Kill Points to buy things from the system.'' Jin thought. He didn''t me the system because without it he wouldn''t have reached so far in his life. He would also have never discovered the truth behind his parent''s death. After being done with his acting practice Jin went to the hotel''s gym for ate-night session. He had started doing twice a day to improve his physical state as fast as possible since he had beengging behind in that department for a long time. "Nothing beats ate-night leg session," Jin put on his ear pods and started training to phonk music. Chapter 92 Meeting Dianas Father Again "Mr Dous, can you finish my shoot early today? I need to go and meet someone," Jin requested the director. "Welld, that would depend on your performance. If it''s not up to mark then no matter how many times you''ll request I''ll keep making you give a retake until the evening. If you understand this then do your best and earn it. Tell me, can you do it?" Mr Dous didn''t outright reject Jin''s request but instead stated his ultimatum. "I''ll do it," Jin replied with conviction. He had been regrly practising by himself before going to bed every day and implementing the feedback given by the director. He was confident. "Very well then, be ready in 15 minutes," Mr Dous stared at Jin for a couple of seconds and replied. Fifteen minutester a fully prepared Jin stepped in front of the camera and acted for the next 20 minutes like never before. "Did he just get better?" The producer whispered to the director with an unbelievable expression. Jin was already a great actorparable to those with a decade of industry experience. At that level, progress bes very stagnant but he had surprised them once again. "Yes¡­yes he did," Mr Dous looked at Jin with sparkle in his eyes. Each movement which Jin made in front of the camera portrayed that he hadpletely absorbed all the refinements which Mr Dous had constantly reminded him of during this time. Seeing that Jin seemed to be in a zone Mr Dous made him do several other important scenes as well. It was the same with all of them. Mr Dous observed Jin''s acting with great seriousness. Although he did make a few mistakes and required a few retakes at times none of those retakes went beyond two. "Cut!" That was thest scene of the day.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I''ll be leaving then," Jin informed the director and left. Mr Dous stared at Jin''s back before averting his gaze. He looked at his right hand. It was twitching. ''I''m getting excited already,'' He smirked before busying himself with other tasks. ¡­ "Sorry there¡­I was a bitte," Jin apologised to Diana. He had told her that he would arrive by eleven but currently, it was half past twelve. "There''s no need to apologise. I was with my dad in the meantime and luckily he''s in a good mental state today. I can finally officially introduce you to him today," Diana said. She was thankful that Jin was adjusting his busy schedule for her. "That''s great news," Jin replied in delight. "Yeah, let''s go inside then," Diana guided Jin inside and they reached her father''s room. "Dad I''ming in," Diana opened the door and entered. "...Diana? W¡­who''s with y..you?" Diana''s father who had been solving sudoku on the newspaper while in bed turned towards the door and asked slowly. It was clear that he struggled with finding words. "I wanted you to meet him. He''s Jin, my boyfriend." Diana introduced Jin to her father. "Boyfriend?..." He repeated the word as if to recall its meaning. He seemed to immediately recall the meaning of the word and sat up on the bed. "You," He directed his words at Jin, "Sit there," He pointed at a chair a few feet away from the bed. Jin looked at Diana for confirmation''s sake and received a nod from her. He then walked forward and sat down on the seat. "How¡­long has it been ¡­ going on?" He asked slowly while trying to remember the words he wanted to say. "Almost 2 months," Jin replied. He was patient with Diana''s father and allowed him toplete his words at his own pace. "How many girlfriends you''ve had¡­. until now?" He asked with a strict appearance. "None, Diana''s the only girlfriend I have and will ever have," Jin understood what he wanted to hear and gave it to him. "...Good," He nodded in a satisfied manner and proceeded to ask a few questions rted to Jin''s family. ¡­ ¡­. Their exchangested for about thirty minutes. "You¡­better not make¡­ my Diana ¡­ sad you understand?" that was thest thing he asked Jin. "I understand," an affirmative reply came from Jin. At the same time, Jin thought, ''He hasn''t forgotten anything while talking with me¡­he seemed to be in a better condition than I thought,'' "With that¡­I can¡­rest¡­.at ease," Diana''s father replied with a satisfied smile. He turned towards Diana and asked her, "You''re¡­happy¡­ right?" Looking at her father''s pleased expression Diana too smiled and replied, "Yes Dad, I''m happy," "Good¡­good." He turned to look back towards Jin wanting to say something more. "Hmm, who are you, young man? I''ve never seen you before?" He asked. "I¡­" Jin was about to say something but was interrupted by Diana. "He''s a new patient," She replied. "Oh nurse you''re here. Is it lunchtime yet? I''m quite hungry," Diana''s father rubbed his belly to indicate how hungry he was. "Y-yes, let me take you to the cafeteria," Diana helped her father up while trying hard to keep her smiling face and guided him to the mess. ''That must be hard for her,'' Jin empathised with her as he saw Diana guiding her father to the cafeteria. She helped her father with his food andter on, guided him back to his room for a nap. "I''ll be going then," Diana handed over the task to the nursing assistant after making sure her father was asleep. "Alright, take care," She patted on Diana''s shoulders and made her way in. It was always a hurtful experience to be treated as total strangers by one''s parents. Many Alzheimer patients were therefore rarely visited by their loved ones. However, Diana continued to persist and wanted to take care of her father whenever she visited him on Sundays. All the nursing assistants only had praise in their hearts for the strength and resilience that this young woman showed. Diana nodded at the nurse and left the room. Outside Jin had been waiting for her. "You''ve stayed strong for long," Jin pulled her in his embrace. "Yes, that''s it¡­cry it all out¡­don''t hold back anything¡­" Jin said as he rubbed her back to give her sce. "You can always share these burdens with me¡­remember you''re no longer alone in this got it?" Jin asked. "Mhmm" An understanding hum replied a couple of secondster. Chapter 93 Closer with Time After having their lunch Jin and Diana were once again walking around the nearby park to pass their time while. However, unlike before they were holding each other''s hands. Clearly, They were much more emotionally invested in each otherpared tost week. "By the way Jin¡­" Diana paused to attract Jin''s attention. "Hmm?" Jin turned towards her with an inquisitive gaze. "Can you tell me how your parents were?... I''ve been wanting to ask you this for a long time but I always chickened out not wanting to make you feel ufortable," Diana said with an unsure expression on her face. "There''s nothing to feel ufortable about and since I already know so much about your family it''s only right for you to know about mine as well," Jin said. Diana''s unsure expression faded away after hearing Jin''s response. Jin continued, "So¡­how should I start¡­I spent most of my time with my mother so let me start with her. She was a kinddy¡­though the majority of my memory is filled with her disciplining me rather than loving me because of how naughty I was back then¡­ Diana chuckled when she heard that. Jin shook his head while smiling after seeing her response and continued, "Her scoldingsced with the love she had for me still resonates clearly in my mind¡­I still vividly remember how I used to sleep on her neck while she narrated fairy tales to me¡­I miss her." Jin sighed. ''If only I could go back in time¡­'' Jin thought with an anguished heart. (A/N: holding my urge to make him reincarnate and destroy my novel) Seeing Jin like this Diana squeezed his hand in the hope that her presence could give him some sce. Jin noticed this gesture and moved his hand a little and interlocked his fingers with hers. A warm feeling rose in both their hearts as a result of this. "What about your father?" Diana asked after a few seconds offortable silence. "Although his interactions with me were brief since he was always devoted to his work those brief moments were enough to convey the deep-rooted fatherly love he held towards me¡­ I always remembered him whenever things got tough for me during my struggling days in the slums¡­on how he used to go on a few days with almost negligible sleep just to finish his work¡­even though he was no longer here his presence had continued to push me¡­" Jin recalled. Diana listened to Jin without interrupting. It was rare for him to speak so much since he was the type who preferred to bottle up his emotions as a result she couldn''t get enough of him no matter how much she heard. ''I wish I could listen to him all my life like this,'' A thought appeared in her mind making her blush all of a sudden. "So that''s all about my parents. Did it satisfy your curiosity?" Jin finally finished with what he wanted to say and asked her. Read new chapters at empire "Yes¡­yes it did," Diana replied. "It''s been a while since I deliberately thought back on these things so thank you for that. I feel a bit refreshed," Jin said. "I''m always ears, share whatever you want with me whenever you want," Diana smiled back at him. "I''ll keep that in mind," Jin said with an insincere smile. There will always be some things he could never share with her. Jin had been noticing Diana bending down to press her calves a bit from time to time so he suggested now that the conversation topic was over. "I guess we have walked enough, let''s rest somewhere," Jin suggested as he looked around for seats. "Yeah, let''s do that," Diana said in an embarrassed manner. They approached the nearest bench they could find. A weird expression formed on their faces when they realized that it was the same bench on which they had sat the previous time. "I guess it''s fate," Diana chuckled and sat down. "It does seem like that¡­I hope we don''t encounter that annoying kid today," Jin remarked. "Why do you n to do it again?" Diana replied out of reflex but soon turned her head away in embarrassment when she realized what she had said. "You don''t?" Jin teased her. "I-" Diana didn''t know how to reply to him and just avoided eye contact with Jin. Jinughed at her seeing this. The tension that was required to proceed with the act just wasn''t there today. So they just chatted about a few misceneous stuff before getting up. "So where should we go next?" Jin asked. "Next?..." Diana asked with insecurity. She had thought that they would return home now. "What? Are you tired already?" Jin teased her in a provocative manner. A few hourster Jin was staring at Diana in a defeated manner while having snacks with her at a fast food restaurant.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Diana was savouring her ice cream and looked at Jin who looked dead tired. "What? Are you tired already?" She pped him back with the same words he had used against her. It was clear that she held a grudge against him for that. ''I shouldn''t have provoked her¡­'' Jin thought to himself. They had been going around the city market for hours and he had transformed from her boyfriend to a bag holder during that time period. "...there''s still more?" Jin asked with dismay. Acting tough would only increase his suffering so he asked out what was there in his mind. Diana chuckled seeing this. "Just kidding. We''re done for the day," She stuck her tongue out. "Finally¡­" Jin sighed in relief. "You''re over exaggerating right? Was it so exhausting?" Diana couldn''t help but ask. "You wouldn''t be saying that if you were carrying all these bags by yourself," Jin said while squinting his eyes at her. "You look so cute when you''re angry," Diana teased when she saw this. This was the first time she had seen him so irritated. Jin just took a deep breath to calm himself and ignored her. Seeing this Diana changed the topic, "So¡­you liked the shirts I bought for you?" "...I did," Jin responded. It was the first time he had been gifted something by someone other than his parents so he appreciated it. "That''s good, you usually prefer clothes with monotonous colours so I deliberately bought some lively coloured ones. Send me your pics when you wear them got it?" "Sure," Jin replied. After the snacks were over Jin dropped Diana to her home before returning to the hotel in the same cab. Time passed. With the film shooting reaching the crucial stages Jin''s schedule started bing more and more busy with the shooting time bing more erratic and at times evensting till midnight. This prevented Jin from meeting Diana every week but he still met her whenever he could and gave her father a visit along with her. They became more intimate with each other over time as gentle touches and kisses became their natural way of expressing the love they had for each other. The long separation periods also yed a role and made the two more expressive about their passion. Chapter 94 Three Months Three monthster, In Diana''s apartment. Diana woke up and stretched her arms up high up in the air. She suddenly groaned a little in pain. She was sore all over. She nced sideways at the person who was the cause of this soreness and couldn''t help but shake her head. ''He''s as passionate as always,'' She thought. Jin was sleepingfortably right next to her with his bare muscr chest exposed for Diana to ogle on. A content smile formed on her face as lowered her head to kiss Jin''s cheeks. "Mhmm," A drowsy voice was made by Jin in return which invited a silent chuckle from Diana. She went to the kitchen to prepare some coffee for the two of them. By the time she returned with two coffee mugs in her hand, she saw that Jin had already woken up. He was sitting on the bed with his back on the bedrest. His eyes gazed outside the window while he was immersed in his thoughts. "Good morning," She said thereby attracting Jin''s attention. "Good morning beautiful," Jin responded after noticing her. Diana''s smile widened upon hearing those words from Jin. Although she had already heard it more than a hundred times from him it still made her heart just as delightful as the first time she heard him call that. Which woman didn''t like being called beautiful by the person they liked? It was the same with Diana, she would never get tired of hearing thesepliments from Jin. Diana passed the mugs to Jin for holding them and entered the nket with him. A whileter she was all snuggled up with Jin. "Comfortable now?" Jin asked to which she nodded with a grin. "Here," Jin passed Diana''s mug to her and while being in each other''s embrace they sipped the coffee little by little. "So when is your film releasing?" Diana asked Jin. "Hmm it should premier by the end of the month," Jin replied after taking a sip. The film shooting had ended a month back and now all the work was on the production team''s side. They have been working day in and day out to ensure that all the actors'' hard work would not go in vain and the film produced would meet the expectations of the audience. "I can''t wait to go to the theatre and see it. Just how many women get to see the face of the person they like on the cinema screen? I might even end up boasting about this in my office all day¡­hehe" Diana said in excitement. "If anything you''ll be scared of me by the end of the movie," Jin joked. He was aware of how he had acted and he could see Diana not meeting him for days because of the fear that the film would induce in her. "Scared? Me? Never!" She replied with confidence. "We''ll see girl, we''ll see how long that false bravado of yourssts," Jin gave her a side-eye. "I''ll show you then, hmph!" Diana snorted cutely. The coffee soon finished and Diana went to freshen herself up. She still had an office to attend since it was Monday morning. Jin stood up from the bed and started doing a few stretches to warm up his body. With the film shootingpleted, he was all free during the day. A normal person would think of rxing and having fun during this period but Jin didn''t. He invested the time that he gained into practising hisbat abilities and also strengthening his muscles in the gym. As a result, the body constitution stat had increased a little. -x-x-x-x-HITMAN SYSTEM-x-x-x-x- Name- Jin ker Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 73 kg Body Constitution- 6.5/10 [Soldier Level] Mental Constitution- 6.3/10 [Soldier Level] Abilities - Training, Morph Kill Points- 8500 (OPEN STORE) -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Although a small increase it still felt significant to Jin as he had realized that growing these stats further has be a lot more difficult than before. His mental constitution had also increased a little because he was still investing his efforts in the winter arc mission he had been given around 5 months ''It''s going to be a long road ahead," Jin muttered as he thought about how long it would take for him to make both these stats ten. After warming and stretching up Jin performed a few pushups and squats while waiting for Diana to freshen up. A whileter Diana finally got out of the bathroom only to see Jin in a pushup position on the floor. Readtest chapters at empire "I''ll freshen up after this set, you can go and get ready," Jin said when he noticed her. However, Diana didn''t give mind to Jin''s words and the first thing she did was to jump on Jin''s back in an attempt to ride him. "You''re at it again huh?" Jin scolded while feeling a bit strained from the added weight. "Ohe on, with all those muscles my weight should mean nothing to you. Let me ride you for a bit. Since you''ve rode me so many times isn''t it fair for me to do the same?" She teased. "You¡­fine!" Jin didn''t want to argue with Diana since he still had a set toplete While Jin weed how open Diana had be with him during this time period he also was a bit annoyed at how it led to things bing like this at times. ''I''ll just reduce the reps'' Jin thought as he started doing pushups with Diana sitting on his back. "How strong~" Diana grinned and enjoyed the free ride given by her one and only Jin. "I''m done," Jin said after finishing thest rep with strained hands. "I''ll go get ready then. Thanks for the new experience Jinny~ hehe," Diana pushed herself off Jin''s back and went to the cupboard to pick up her clothes. "You better prepare some tasty breakfast for me after making me sweat like this or I''ll snap," Jin said while getting up from the floor.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "I got you covered sweety, don''t worry," Diana replied in a confident manner. She was quite confident in her cooking. With that, their little morning y came to an end. Chapter 95 Gym Encounter A few minutester, Jin and Diana were sitting at the dining table as the two of them enjoyed their breakfast together. "So what are your ns for today?" Diana asked in passing. "Hmm, I''ll first go and visit your father. It''s been a couple of days since Ist visited him, after that, I''ll go and check up on the production team before finally going back to the hotel," Jin said after a thought. Hearing this Diana went silent for a few seconds before finally getting her thoughts out, "Thank you for visiting my father so many times during this period Jin. He''s much livelier thanks to you," Diana remembered thest weekend when she visited her father along with Jin. She witnessed how close her father acted with Jin and howfortable he felt with him. She was beyond just grateful towards Jin after seeing this. She had always been busy with her work and was only able to afford to give her father a visit during her off days. Since the work was helping her manage both her and her father''s expenses she was thankful for it but also felt guilty because of her inability to visit her father often. Jin''s actions had therefore helped her ovee this deep-seated guilt which had been there in her heart. "Don''t thank me for such things Diana. Uncle is like a father to me, so how could I not visit him when I''m free?" Jin yed down his efforts since he felt a bit guilt-stricken seeing Diana''s grateful expression. The major reason why he was visiting her father was because he wanted to know more about his own father''s secrets. Diana''s father was the only lead Jin had. Therefore even after seeing almost no results for thest three months, Jin persisted in this endeavour. After they had finished their breakfast Jin dropped Diana off at her office in the SUV. He still vividly remembered how happy Diana was for him when she got to know that he had bought his first car.N?v(el)B\\jnn Since then he and Diana had gone on severalte-night rides in this very car and made some fond memories together. "Bye Jinny," Diana pecked on Jin''s cheeks and left the car. Feeling the familiar wetness on his cheeks Jin smiled and waved at her from inside the car before proceeding to the studio where the production team was at work. "How are the things going on here? " Jin asked one of the production crew members with whom he had be familiar during this time. "Very hectic, the director had been making several changes and as a result, we''re battling to get even a moment of rest these days¡­what''s worse is that we can''t evenin since Mr Dous is the one who''s working the most¡­that old man has been sleeping in this studio for a week now with negligible sleep," The crew member replied with exasperation written on his face "Well I''m not surprised," Jinughed when he heard this and patted the man on his shoulder tofort him. Mr. Dous was always strict with everyone while shooting but still, everyone respected him. The only reason for that was his unbridled deduction to his art. Jin went to look for Mr. Dous but seeing how invested he looked in his work Jin decided to not disturb him and returned back to the hotel. After finishing with his lunch Jin rested until it was five in the evening. After that, it was time for Jin to push himself. Until 10 PM Jin practised his shooting skills,bat abilities andstly his acting skills and during this period he wasn''t distracted even a bit. Needless to say, by the time it was ten Jin was mentally drained. He wanted to rest but his ns for today were not over yet. He pushed his tired body off the bed and walked out of the room. It was now time for his gym session. When Jin made his way inside the spacious gym he saw a woman in a hoodie who was already working out. It''s been like this for months. Apart from missing a few days in a month, she was always here working out at this time. She saw Jin and nodded at him. Jin too nodded back at her before proceeding on with his workout. Over this period although they had never talked a sense of silent camaraderie had formed between the two of them and their presence motivated each other to perspire and push each other more in the gym. Jin had nned to hit a PR on the bench press today. With a deep breath, Jin lifted the bar weighing a total of 130 kg up and started performing his reps. He usually went for 15 but today we wanted to go a bit further. "Nice!" Jin cheered for himself when he reached the 16th rep sessfully. ''I think I can go for another one,'' He thought and went for another rep. He lowered the weight and attempted to lift it again with all his might. He soon realized his mistake as the bar seemed to not go up no matter how much he pushed. ''Come on!'' Jin groaned with all his might but it was the same. If things stood like this then his head would soon be crushed under this weight. ''Fuck me!'' Jin tried to shift the weight towards one side to make the bar fall on that side¡­too bad he didn''t have any strength left to aplish that. At that moment two hands held Jin''s bar from below and groaned, "I can''t hold it for long so push as much as you can!" A few minutester Jin and the woman were sitting on the gym floor gasping for breath. It took their everything to ce the bar back on the rack. "Thanks¡­I almost died," Jin said after a while. Enjoy new stories from empire "You bet you did¡­you should have shouted for help goddamit, what if I hadn''t noticed it in time?" The woman let out her thoughts without restraint. "Well¡­I thought I could deal with it myself. I ended up wrong," JIn chuckled while scratching his head. "Next time it won''t just end up with you being wrong," She snorted and returned to her workout. Jin could only ept herment and went back to his room since he had called it a day. A near-dying experience was enough to fill his gym quota for today. Chapter 96 Premiere Day When he returned to his room, instead of sleeping, Jin was tossing around in his bed. The reason was the gym woman''s appearance. Since she''s always dressed fully in a hoodie Jin could only get a glimpse of her face from afar but today thanks to his debacle he was able to see her face in a more detailed manner. ''She looks very familiar¡­I just don''t know why,'' Jin had this thought in his mind and tried to recall the face from his memories many times but no matter how much he tried he was unable to urately pinpoint where he had seen her before. ''Whatever, it might even be a wrong feeling and here I am wasting away my sleep time cause of it,'' Noticing the time on the clock Jin soon forced his mind to not think over the issue. With this, his mind quietened and fell asleep. The next day started and soon neared its end. Jin followed an almost simr schedule as yesterday and went to the gym in thete evening. "Good evening," Jin greeted the woman instead of the regr nod. "Don''t die," She nodded and greeted back in her own style before focusing back on her workout. ''Well, at least she replies now,'' Jin mused inwardly and started today''s gym session. Fortunately, things went without any problem today and Jin finished his workouts ording to his n. (A/N: Inserts Aizen''s pic) The days kept on passing with Jin developing his acting andbat skills, spending time with Diana and her father, and finally ending with him hitting the gym in the end. During this time period, the PR team of the film was hard at work and several posters, advertisements, and trailers about the movie were being promoted massively on social media. Several entertainment shows invited the movie''s actors to talk about the film. However, Jin wasn''t invited in any of them. It was decided after an intense discussion by the PR team that Jin''s identity must be kept a secret until the very end from the audience. The actors who went to the showspleted their task of building more suspense over the identity of the main character byplimenting andmenting on his performance a lot while keeping his identity a secret all the time. It was almost unheard of that an uing movie had not revealed the name of the main character and it raised several eyebrows and attracted immense attention from everyone. In a popr online forum, someone started a discussion ''Hey did you all see the trailer of the movie ''Smile Please'' ''You bet I did!'' Just who is this man? All I see is a darkened face¡­Ahhh the suspense is killiing me!! ''Same here! I''ve never heard about a movie where they have not revealed the identity of the main cast until the end?...gosh if the director was not Dous Mathews, I would have thought this director must be out of his mind to allow something like this!'' ''I know right?! All of Dous''s movies have been my favs until now¡­just who is this actor for them to hide his identity? Even before its release, the movie is living up to its ''suspense'' genre!!'' ''Haha! Ikr!'' ''The film''s poster looks so cool! I can just sense that it''s going to be a banger from that,'' ''It''s going to be a flop, dumb cast, useless director. Only dumb people like you will like it,'' ''Thementer above me, eat shit,'' ''Eat shit x2'' ''Eat Shit x3'' Like this several discussions started happening around and the poprity of the film rose tremendously. Most opinions were that of doubt since this was a never-before-seen move. Normally the main casts help in making sure that the film has a fair share of audiences who will definitely go and watch the film. To not reveal such crucial information was more like shooting oneself in the foot.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Several critics posted their views online but it was all ignored by the PR team who held full belief in their decision. Finally, it was the time for the grand premiere Enjoy more content from empire Jin and Diana exited the car and made their way towards the theatre. "I''m soooo excited,'' Diana was brimming with excitement as they were making their way. Jin chuckled seeing this and said, "Calm down and save your energy woman or you''ll fall asleep in between the film," "Me fall asleep? That too when it''s my boyfriend who''s on the screen? Are you kidding? I might even cheer for you the whole time in the movie hall and disturb everyone else hehe~," Diana replied with the same energy in her. "Cheer? Are you sure you want to do that and be the centre of attention in a hall filled with around two hundred people?" Jin asked mockingly. "Well...on a second note, cheering should always be done from the heart. In this way, I''ll never get tired of the cheering and will always be cheering for you. Aren''t I a good girlfriend? Where else will you find someone as good as me?" Diana tried to make up a reply and finding her reasoning to make sense she gained confidence all of a sudden and teased Jin back. "Quite a glib tongue you got," Jin replied. "Thank you, thank you," Diana shamelessly epted Jin''s remark. The two soon reached the theatre''s entrance. The whole theatre was booked for the film crew and their family members. So after showing their passes, they were allowed in. Inside, much to Diana''s delight, Jin introduced her to everyone as his girlfriend. She felt ted each time he did so and greeted back the actors and the other staff whom Jin introduced her to with great enthusiasm. At eight in the evening, they all made their way to the hall where the movie was about to start. After being seated Jin suddenly asked Diana, "A few weeks back I remember you saying that you won''t be scared after watching my acting today, do you still feel the same?" "Of course and I meant those words," Diana replied with confidence written on her face. How could she fear her lovable boyfriend ever? She didn''t see it happening no matter what. "Then wanna make a bet?" Jin asked with a smirk. "What bet?" She asked curiously. "It''s this¡­" Jin leaned towards her and exined the terms to her. She nodded as she heard Jin''s words and then gave her terms if she won and soon a bet was made between the two of them. ''If I win I can go shopping with him for 4 consecutive days? What a wonderful time it would be¡­hehe,'' Diana thought sadistically. She still remembered the first time she went shopping with Jin. After that day he had always refused to go with her but with this bet, she will definitely take him with her. While Diana was busy relishing in the thoughts of her victory the advertisements that were being shown on the big screen soon disappeared and the movie finally started. Chapter 97 Watching the Movie The surrounding noise soon dwindled with the film''s start, and everyone else was now focusing on the big screen. ''Smile Please,'' A bloody font with a blood-dripping effect weed everyone''s sight the next second. The sound effects thatplimented the scene shook everyone''s heart and prepared them a bit for what was toe. However, instead of a brutal scene as everyone was expecting what appeared on the screen next was a scene of a photographer cheerfully taking pictures in a park.N?v(el)B\\jnn While he was invested in taking photographs the camera zoomed onto his face and revealed the identity of the photographer. "Damn¡­you''re sure to steal a few hearts here," Diana whispered to Jin when she saw how cheerful and lively Jin appeared in this scene. Even she had only seen him like this in a few rare moments. Jin just smiled and listened to her. The movie progressed and Diana soon became fully invested in the film, to the point that she no longer looked at Jin to give herments. As for Jin, instead of the film, he was more focused on Diana the whole time. Seeing the different shades of expression during different scenes brought great delight to him as a smile always remained on his face while staring at her. Diana remained clueless about this until the end. Two hours were almost up but the audience was unaware of it. They were solely focused on the screen not wanting to avert their gaze for even a second. The tension in the air was apparent as everyone held their breath and saw Jake murdering the young detective by stabbing him countless times. Even though the detective no longer showed any signs of struggle the knife never stopped. A few momentster. With the blood-soaked knife which was still dripping blood drops in his hand, Jake stood in front of the dead body without moving and the screen started to darken. Everyone sighed seeing this, the film was finally over¡­however, before they could control their breathing the screen brightened once again and zoomed towards Jake''s blood-drenched face. ''You''ve been observing me for quite some while huh¡­won''t you smile for me as well my dear viewer hahahaha!'' Jake looked straight into the camera thereby attacking the heart of every viewer with his words. His maniacalughter caused a cold sweat to run down many people''s backs and the movie finally ended. The lights in the hall were turned on but silence ensued for a couple of seconds in the hall before all the film members started pping cheerfully. They had realized by now that this film was going to break the charts! However, the family members who apanied the film crew were still recovering from what they had witnessed. It was the first time they had seen such a film and were caught off guard by Jin''s acting. It was the same with Diana. She had her mind stuck on thest scene and didn''t even realize the sounds of cheering next to her. Seeing this, Jin tapped her shoulder to attract her attention. Diana was brought out of her stupor and turned towards Jin. "Why aren''t you smiling?" Jin asked eerily in Jake''s persona. The maniacal smileplimented his act and made Diana immediately shout at the top of her lungs. "AHHHHHHH! Stay away from me you monster!" She pushed Jin away with fright and ran outside the hall the next moment. Diana''s shout attracted everyone''s attention in the hall and they turned their heads towards them to understand what was going on. Upon seeing Jin they all soon understood what had transpired and startedughing at the situation "Nice one!" "Haha! You better go and apologise" "Jack is here run!" Severalments were made by everyone present at the scene which made the atmosphere more lively. "Go and catch her before she calls the cop Mr. Viin," Samantha said jokingly and patted Jin''s back. "Yep, I better," Jin said while controlling his urge tough at Diana''s reaction and soon left the hall to find Diana. Diana was currently standing not far away from the hall''s exit. Leaning on a wall with her hand she was currently recovering her breath while trying tofort her racing heart. It was only when she was outside the hall that she was able to think rationally and was almost red from embarrassment. Find exclusive stories on empire "That rascal! He just had to scare me like that¡­ugh! I''m so embarrassed. I''ll surely teach him a lesson when I see him next." Dianashed out in anger. "You will?"Jin''s menacing voice sounded from behind which made Diana jump from fright yet again. "You! Stop doing that! That almost gave me a bloody heart attack," Diana shouted at him with her hand on her chest which was beating like crazy. Her heart had almost jumped out because of Jin. "Hahaha! I''m sorry¡­you just looked so cute like this and I couldn''t control myself," Jin replied while trying hard to hold hisughter but it was all too apparent to Diana who was ring at him in anger. "It''s not cute for me!" She rebuked in anger and turned towards the other side to not see his appearance. "Don''t be so angry now, if anything you need to get used to my face more since you''ll be staying with me for the next week," Jin embraced her from behind and said. "W-what.." Diana was about to ask but Jin answered the next moment. "Now don''t tell me that you don''t remember. We made a bet and I won. Now you''ll be staying with me at the hotel for the whole week¡­you''re not scared right?" Jin joked. "This¡­" Diana hesitated as the cruel images of Jin she had seen not so long before kept shing in front of her eyes. *p* Jin pped her fluffy butt in a well-practised manner to attract Diana''s attention. An electrifying feeling rang in Diana''s body. Her legs weakened and a tinge of red appeared on her face. However, the next moment she looked around to see if anyone saw Jin''s action. She finally took a sigh after realizing that no one did. "You-!" She was about to scold Jin but was interrupted by him the next moment. "Stop thinking too much," he breathed into her ears and yfully bit her earlobe while doing so. This action brought all the memorable moments she had spent together with Jin to the forefront of her mind as her body started feeling warm. The earlier hesitation was no longer there in her mind, and instead, she was looking forward to the week. "Let''s go then," Diana replied firmly. Jin smiled and pinched her nose with his hand. "W-what!" Diana pushed him away and asked while looking at Jin, clearly annoyed by his action. "Quite excited aren''t you? We still have a dinner party to attend now that the film is over," Jin remarked while pointing at the buffet hall nearby. "It''s all your fault!" Diana med Jin out of anger and embarrassment. "Then punish me well tonight dear, hehe~" Jin chuckled as he made his way towards the hall where a buffet was organized. "You!" Diana stood there in embarrassment before finally catching up with Jin. Chapter 98 Public Reaction The next morning after a night full of action Diana was resting her head on Jin''s well-built chest. She had been awake for a while now. Her mind was currently in a mess and was thinking about her future with Jin. After seeing the film yesterday Jin''s talent in acting was quite apparent to her and to everyone else. It will not take long for Jin to be very famous. While this should be something to celebrate and feel happy about she couldn''t help but feel anxious at the same time. She felt quite inadequate whenpared to Jin. He was already handsome, muscr, and hard-working but now in addition to that, he was also going to be a famous actor in the film industry. Both men and women woulde flocking just for his signature and a photograph in due time. Being beside such a talented man as his girlfriend¡­she was concerned¡­ concerned that Jin would leave her because of her inadequacy. "Hmm, what are you thinking?" Jin who had just opened his eyes felt Diana''s presence on his chest and looked down to see her musing self. "Ah¡­nothing, I was just thinking about how famous you''re going to be because of this movie," Diana looked up to meet his eyes and said. "Is that so?..." Jin''s eyes lost focus when he saw Diana''s face looking towards him from that position. She looked mesmerising even in her dishevelled state. "Yes¡­in due time people are going to flock around you for autographs and a selfie¡­I might even need to get an appointment to meet you in the future because of how busy you''re going to be," She said with a subtle hint of insecurity in both her voice and expression. Since she was being this obvious how could Jin not notice? "So my Diana is jealous that I''ll leave her for someone else?" He directly stated the gist of the matter revolving in her head. "No, I didn''t mean it-" Being caught so openly she immediately tried to refuse. "Shhhh," Jin pressed a finger on Diana''s supple lips and she swallowed the words she was about to say and looked nkly at Jin. Jin grabbed Diana''s waist with his other hand the next moment and pulled her towards him. "Ah!" Diana cried out in surprise. She was now face to face with Jin. Her whole body lying over his. "You have a habit of thinking too much darling," Jin said in his low and raspy voice.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "...but isn''t it true¡­you''ll be meeting so many beautiful actresses and women because of your statuspared to them I''m just a nerdy girl who has fallen for you¡­" Diana voiced her feelings with great difficulty. Her heart was pounding rapidly the whole time. "You''re not just any nerdy girl," Jinmented with a smile. "...Then?" Diana asked with confusion apparent in her eyes. "You''re my nerdy girl," Jin didn''t give time for Diana to interpret his words and dived in for a kiss. Two bodies intertwined and yed with each other while their lips were undergoing a passionate exchange. All feelings of doubt and insecurity in Diana''s mind evaporated as she too became invested in the act. A few momentster seeing that Jin wanted to go all the way Diana voiced out with a breathless voice, "...We already¡­did it¡­4 timesst night¡­" in an attempt to make Jin rethink his decision. However hearing this Jin only smirked while saying, "Who said there is a limit to it?" Thus cries of love echoed in all corners of the hotel room as the two bodies in love lost themselves to pleasure. A whileter Diana walked out of the washroom only to see the room all tidied up and a warm breakfast ready to be served. "It sure is convenient to live in a hotel," Dianamented. "It indeed is, take a seat," Jin took out a chair and helped Diana to her seat. "My Jinny being so romantic today," Dianamented in an infatuated manner as she took her seat. "It''s your first time being my guest so of course," Jin replied. "Tch¡­I thought you''d give me some honeyed words instead," Diana clicked her tongue in a disappointed manner. "You sucked all honey out of my mouth this morning don''t you remember?" Jin teased. "That''s true. It was real sweet too," Diana said while smacking her lips. After a brief moment of silence, the two startedughing at their silly exchange just now. "Alright, let''s start otherwise you''ll bete for your office," Jin said and the two started their breakfast. It felt quite fulfilling since the two of them had been starving after exerting themselves so much. With the breakfast done Jin dropped Diana to her office and was soon back to his hotel room. Since he barely sleptst night he felt tired and decided to take a short nap. The short nap however ended up bing a four-hour-long slumber. When Jin woke up the first thing he did was was to check his phone. Plenty of missed calls were there from Dn. Jin dialled him back as he ced the phone over his ears. "Yes?..." Jin asked. "Where have you been?!" Dn asked the moment he heard Jin''s voice. "I was asleep. What happened?" Jin asked. "You''re famous!" Dn replied. "Huh? What do you mean?" Jin tried to shake the remaining drowsiness off him and concentrate more on Dn''s words. "Your pictures are making a buzz all around the inte and everyone is talking about the film! I''ll share a few screenshots wait!" Dn hung up and the next moment Jin received a series of images from him. Jin downloaded them and started going over them one by one. The first image was from a famous inte application named ''Y'' where people shared their thoughts Stay tuned with empire The movie''s name ''Smile Please'' was at the top position in its trending list. Jin''s name was in the 2nd position! The PR team had revealed everything about Jin after the film''s premier thus attracting more and more crowd. Several forums were trending with titles like, ''A Hero Who Became a Viin: Jin ker!'' ''From Superman to Superviin!'' ''From Stopping Crimes to Doing It!'' As Jin went over all the images Dn had sent, a pleased expression formed on his face. Who doesn''t like it when their hard work is appreciated? It was the same with Jin. He felt that all the hard work he had put into his acting during all this time was finally bearing fruit. Wanting to get more dopamine release Jin searched the inte by himself to get thetest news. A few recently published articles caught his eye, ''Jin ker, a star is born,'' ''An acting prodigy'' ''Explosive Debut!'' Seeing all these clickbait titles which always annoyed the heck out of him never felt so invigorating. The next few hours were spent by Jin going over all the posts about him and also reading all thements. He did this until he was fully satisfied. Chapter 99 A Smokers Reflection Around 7 PM Jin and Diana were chilling in the hotel''s pool. Since it was evening time, there were also fewer people in there. As a result, Jin and Diana were able to have a corner of the pool all to themselves. "It feels so refreshing," Diana sighed in relief. It was clear that the swimming pool had rejuvenated her exhausted self. "Aren''t I a good boyfriend?" Jin asked with a chuckle. However, Diana didn''t reply. She was busy enjoying the experience of water moving around all around her body as she floated on her back. Jin just shook his head in amusement when he saw this. He suddenly got an idea and went underwater. A few secondster his arms wrapped around Diana''s waist from below and pulled her shocked self inside. Cough! Cough! Cough! "That wasn''t funny!" Diana rebuked Jin after catching her breath. It was clear that she was very displeased with his actions. "If you''re unhappy, stand up for yourself," Jin sshed a huge chunk of water at her. Diana was not prepared for this and ended up swallowing a huge gulp of water. Diana finally snapped and started fighting back. Thus the first official duel began between the couple. The few people around who saw this couldn''t help but chuckle to themselves seeing the young couple like this. At that moment, in the hotel''s presidential suit, A woman in an elegant white suit made her way towards the balcony. She nced down at the water fight going on in the swimming pool before averting her eyes away with indifference. The next moment she lighted up a cigarette. Her mind finally felt a bit lighter and she sighed in relief. Smoking and exercising were the only times when her mind felt free, if not for the two''s support she would have broken long ago from all the matters she had been dealing with. She had just returned after giving her bedridden father a visit. He had been like this for thest six months after suffering a severe stroke. Being the only daughter and the sessor of her father''s Automotive Company all the responsibilities were now on her shoulders. Initially, she was able to handle everything but matters worsened with time. A problem popped up in thetest car they had been developing. At first, it was only seen as a minor problem and the engineers rectified it andunched the vehicle in the market¡­However, a severe w with the air conditioning system design led to several vehicles going up in mes. Headlines appeared in the leading news channels with titles resembling "GA Motor''s Big Blunder!" Discover hidden tales at empire Assembly lines stopped, Sales dwindled, Share prices dropped, Thus, GA Motor''s reputation as the leading Automobile manufacturer came to an abrupt end and they were on the verge of bankruptcy. In the end, she sold 10% of thepany''s stakes and procured a sum of 4 billion Dykes from another rivalpany. With the additional funds, she was barely able to keep thepany afloat although a huge number of employees wereid off to maintain that. This further affected thepany''s image but it was something she was forced to do otherwise thepany would sumb. Her father''s years of efforts would turn to dust. How could she allow something like that? "What would Dad do in the current situation..." She muttered while looking at the nightly sky. Her mind seemed to drift back towards the hospital scene where her father''s bodyy on the bed, totally unresponsive to everything going around him. If not for the constant beeping sounds being emitted from the ECG machine, everyone would think that he was dead. After finishing three to four cigs she retreated back to her suite. An online meeting with a possible investor was due and she needed to make sure that she bagged this deal. Meanwhile, Jin and Diana had long returned to their room. They changed into appropriate clothes and went downstairs to an in-house restaurant for a hearty meal. The food was delicious and both of them savoured it with delight. "A part of me wants me to live like this every day¡­" Diana said after taking a bite. "What''s stopping you? My ce is always open for you," Jin replied. "The fact that I don''t want to be azy piece of shit," Diana gave an instant reply. "You mean you aren''t now?" Jin chuckled. "Hey! Of course, I''m not! I wash all my clothes, prepare my meals, clean the house¡­I do everything that is required all by myself!" Diana felt attacked by Jin''sment and replied in a little agitated manner. "Wow, you''re serious?" Jin made a surprised expression and continued, "I''m sorry for underestimating your prowess in housekeeping mydy, please forgive your lover for his insolence," Jin apologised to Diana in an exaggerated manner. "An apology is not enough, you''ll be dealt with one hundred whippings," Diana snorted seeing that he was making fun of her. "Mydy sure has some heavy tastes," Jin smirked all of a sudden. "I-" Diana soon realized the mess up. "I mean the servants! They would give you the whippings, not me!" She exined. "There''s nothing to hide honey, since you''re my love I''ll naturally allow you to whip me until you''re satisfied," Jin continued with his joke. "Keep talking, I''m not going to reply anymore," Diana harrumphed and focused her attention back on the dinner. Jin had a heartyugh seeing this which only worsened Diana''s mood.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ''I''ll not talk with you the whole night,'' She thought in anger. She stuck to her words. Even when they reached their room she was still angry at him and refused to talk to him. ''Well, it is what it is,'' Jin thought. It was only a childish joke and she was reacting childishly as well. She should be fine after a while. Diana soon went to the washroom to her nightgown. When she returned she saw Jin who had changed his clothes to an athletic one. Curiosity took over her and she couldn''t help but ask, "Where are you going?" Hearing this Jin smirked. A bit pleased with himself. She had finally opened her mouth. "Going to the gym. Wannae?" Jin asked. Just from listening to Jin''s words exhaustion took over Diana and she replied, "Forget it¡­I''d rather sleep," Unlike Jin, she didn''t sleep in the afternoon and was way too tired. "Alright, see ya," Jin soon closed the door behind him and left for the gym. Chapter 100 Identity Revealed When Jin arrived at the Gym, his gaze went towards the only person present. However, she didn''t notice Jin. She was busy on the treadmill, and her pace was pretty fast as well. ''She''s fighting demons,'' Jin understood that expression on her face as a fellow gym goer. He was a bit curious but only a little. Their rtionship hadn''t developed so much for him to take an interest in her. He didn''t disturb her and started with his workouts. An hourter while Jin was on the verge of finishing hisst set the woman finally got off the treadmill. Sweat dripped down her chin non-stop. It was clear how much she had exerted herself during this period. ''She''s finally done,'' Jin thought to himself. This was the longest he had seen her in this gym. Usually, she would have left by now. The woman reached her hands towards the water bottle she had ced on a bench nearby. However, her vision suddenly turned hazy, and she copsed the next moment. A soft thud sounded out the next moment thereby attracting Jin''s attention. Seeing the copsed figure Jin immediately rushed towards her to check on her. He turned her body to check up on her and during that action, her hoodie fell off. ''Isn''t she¡­'' Seeing the full view of her appearance Jin finally remembered the woman. However, he soon shook that thought away and checked her status. "She''d just fainted from over-exertion," Jin concluded soon after. The gym matt had softened the impact, and as a result there was no sign of bruising on her. Her state wasn''t serious enough to call the hospital. Should I call the staff? Jin looked around. There was no one except for them in the gym. He would have to venture out and look for help. Jin was about to go out when something shiny caught Jin''s eye. A silvery strip was peaking out of the woman''s pocket. Jin reached towards it and pulled it out. "Room No. 350, Presidential Suite," The keycard read. "Well, that''s convenient," Jin thought and lifted the woman in his arms. A few minutester he ced her down on her bed. The room was quite big and luxurious looking. Experience more on empire ''Well, since it''s the only one the hotel has it makes sense,'' Jin thought. There was an inbuilt kitchen as well. Jin opened the refrigerator to look for something. "Perfect," He found what he was looking for. He prepared a litre of lemonade, poured some of it into a ss and kept it on the table next to the bed. Jin also ced a note nearby and soon left. ''Who would have thought that I would meet her again¡­'' Jin still remembered the first time he had seen the woman. The image of her graceful and elegant self, while she greeted all the working staff at the school, was still evident in his mind. The elevator arrived and he got in. Jin was trying to recall the woman''s name on his way back to his room. He finally did, "Flora¡­yes, her name''s Flora," At that time he had daydreamed about her several times despite knowing that nothing could take ce between the two of them. A man from the slums was picked up by a wealthy beauty and the two lived happily ever after. While sweeping the floors in the school such thoughts were a random urrence after seeing her. Now that Jin thinks back on those things he could just chuckle and shake his amusement. Now that the woman seemed within his reach because of his sudden rise to fame he didn''t feel the same towards her anymore. The reason you ask? Well, see for yourself. Jin soon opened the door to his room and saw a figure sleeping on the bed. He lightly closed the door, freshened up and finallyid down next to Diana. "Mhmm" Diana reacted to Jin''s presence. Soon an arm wrapped around Jin''s chest as Diana snuggled up against it. Jin''s heart melted seeing this. He epted her embrace and softly kissed her on her forehead. A smile formed on Diana''s drowsy self when she felt the light touch on her forehead. ¡­ ''Ughh my head'' Flora woke up with a sharp ache in her head. It was her body''s way of telling her how dehydrated she was. She opened her pressed eyelids and pushed herself off the bed. She was a bit confused at first as to what had happened to her. Soon her memories aligned and things started making sense to her but a furrow soon formed on her face. ''Who brought me back to my room? The hotel staff? Or was it him?...'' The image of the person who always worked out with her appeared in her mind.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om A dull ache once again hit her. She reached towards the ss of water nearby, finding it filled she attempted to gulp it down in a single sip but stopped halfway when her mind finally registered that it wasn''t water but something else. "Lemonade¡­" Flora looked at the half-empty ss with a confused expression. Her gaze then went to the bedside table on which the ss was kept. She noticed a note written on a piece of paper. She grabbed it to read. ''I''ve filled the jug with the rest of the lemonade. Empty it all up and your electrolytes will be back to normal. I guess with this we''re even right?'' The message read. At the bottom of the note, the name of the sender was written. ''Gym Homie,'' Flora smirked when she read this. cing the note back on the table she finished the leftover lemonade. Just as the note said, she felt better after finishing it. She sat on the sofa for some time since the sleep felt elusive. While sitting her thoughts wandered over the problem that had been troubling her. The meeting with the investors which was scheduled this evening had gone horribly. Instead of supporting the investorsughed at her project idea and called it unrealistic. ''Miss Flora, Instead of building castles in the air I think it would be better for you to focus on something that would actually make money,'' Thement made by one of them was still evident in her mind. Flora was furious when she heard them making fun of the project she had spent hundreds of hours researching. However, taking her image as the current chairwoman into ount she showed restraint till the end of the meeting and vented her angerter at the gym. "It''s alright Flora, It''s alright, this much is not enough to drag you down. Keep fighting. If not now thenter, you will surely get the required amount of investors to make this project a reality!" Flora gave herself a pep talk. She then mused over her schedule for tomorrow before finally feeling sleepy. She returned to bed soon after. Chapter 101 A Week Passed The next day Jin went to the gym and was greeted by Flora who used that opportunity to thank him. "Thank you for the help yesterday. That lemonade sure did the trick," She said with a grateful expression. "No need for that since you''re my only gym partner in this almost empty gym I''m obligated to help you," Jin replied while smiling "I insist, anyway how could we call each other gym partners when we don''t even know each other''s name?" Flora added and brought her hand forward while saying, "I''m Flora Trump, Nice to meet you," "Jin ker," Jin shook her hands in return and added, "Call me anytime you need help with your workouts from now on," "You''ll do the same right?" Flora asked as she remembered how Jin had almost been crushed by the barbell earlier "...ah yes, I will," Jin replied. "You better," Flora gave Jin a slit-eyed look seeing his hesitation. "Got it, Anyway, don''t overdo it today," Jin tried to shift the topic. "Yeah, I''ll keep that in mind," Flora replied. She too felt equally embarrassed about falling unconscious after running. The two soon focused back on their workouts and had a scintiting workout. The next few days Jin diligently enjoyed everything the hotel had to offer together with Diana. Massaging, facials, and spending time in saunas, and steam rooms were the rxing activities the two indulged in. While at it they didn''t forget to spend quality time in the poolside bar and matching each other''s skills in the bowling alley. They immensely enjoyed these new experiences and fully savoured each moment. Every day they came back to their room all exhausted yet very expectant about what they would be doing the day after. Just like this a week passed and their small time together came to an end. Jin and Diana were currently snuggled against each other on the bed. "Why not stay together for more days?" Jin suggested to Diana. "You think I don''t know that you''ve been postponing your work because of me?" Diana smiled at Jin''s question and replied. "Well that¡­it''s just a few promotional events. I can do itter as well," Jin said while scratching his head. He didn''t think that Diana would be able to figure it out. "Your film had performed well the first week so it''s a good time to focus on these events now don''t you think? We''ve already indulged a lot together these days didn''t we?" Diana said while making a circle with her finger on Jin''s chest. "No we didn''t," Jin replied without a second thought. It invitedughter from Diana''s side. "After all the restless nights we spent together in these past few days you''re still not satiated?" She remarked while lifting her face. Her face was now just a few inches away from Jin''s. At that moment something twitched and poked Diana''s lower abdomen. "I believe I''ve answered your query, haven''t I?" Jin smirked while looking at her with an expectant gaze. "You clearly are a beast," Diana remarked in annoyance but her actions revealed her true feelings. Her lips interlocked with Jin''s. The next moment a hand elegantly slithered down Jin''s stomach. A long night of passion began once again. This time however there was no break for Diana. By the time it was all over the sun was alreadying up the horizon. "Just sleep here until evening since it''s Sunday. I''ll drop you back in the evening," Jin whispered to her. The exhausted Diana could only give a slight nod before finally closing her eyes in Jin''sfortable embrace. An hourter Jin slowly got out of bed while making sure not to disturb Diana and freshened up. After having breakfast he went to visit Diana''s father at the Nursing home. Jin was greeted with smiles by all the nurses around as he made his way in. Just like Diana, they have be familiar with him also. Jin was currently standing outside Mr. Johan''s room.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "How''s he doing?" Jin asked the nurse who was responsible for taking care of Mr. Johan. "At most another 6 months¡­after that, I don''t think he''ll able to remember anything for more than a day¡­" She replied. She had taken care of a lot of Alzheimer''s patients and was familiar with things. "I see, thank you for taking care of him," Jin thanked her and made his way in. "Hello, Mr. Johan!" Jin greeted him cheerfully. He stared at Jin for ten seconds with a furrowed expression. It was clear that he was trying hard to remember him. Finally, his expression changed into that of a happy one as he eximed, "Son-inw! You''re finally here!" "Yes, yes. I''m here," Jin smiled at his words. He had been calling him that ever since Diana had introduced him as her boyfriend. "Comee sit here," He made some space for Jin next to him. "How are you doing uncle?" Jin asked as he took a seat. "Rascal I told you to call me father didn''t I?" He acted to be angry at Jin and pulled his ears lightly. "Aiiiii I got it father¡­let go," Jin yed along with him. "Now that''s better," Mr. Johan nodded seeing this. His gaze then went towards a small polythene bag Jin had brought with him. "Is that what I think it is?" He asks with an excited expression on his face. "Orange voured, just the way you like," Jin grinned as he took out an orange popsicle from the bag and gave it to him. "Haha! Good, unlike Diana you truly understand me," He patted Jin''s back a few times and took the popsicle from him. A few momentster while Mr. Johan was enjoying the popsicle Jin remarked randomly. "Father, do you remember my full name?" Jin asked. "Mhmmm ...wasn''t it Jin?" He replied after a thought. "Yes, Jin ker," Jin added. "ker huh?" Mr. Johan sucks the sweet juice from the popsicle and continues, "I had a friend with the same name," ''Here we go again, Hopefully, I''ll get more information thanst time,'' Jin thought and asked, "Is that so? Tell me more about him?" "Well¡­his dedication towards his work was admirable but¡­there was one thing I didn''t like about him," Mr. Johan then munched the popsicle and yed with the small ice in his mouth until it melted. "What was it you didn''t like?" Jin asked patiently. "...greedy. He was greedy¡­ for money. That didn''t sit well with me and¡­ we argued one day¡­our friendship ended soon after," Mr. Johan replied. "Did he contact youter on?" Jin asked. Although Jin wasn''t showing it, his heart was beating anxiously. This was the farthest he had gone with his questions during his earlier interactions with Diana''s father. Mr. Johan''s eyebrows furrowed, it was clear that he was struggling to remember. "Uhmm¡­.mhmm¡­he¡­yes, he did," After almost two minutes he finally gave Jin an affirmative reply. "What did he say?!" Jin lost control of his emotions and anxiously asked. This affected Mr. Johan''s mental state and put him under stress. He tried to think but this time no matter how long Jin waited Mr. Joah was unable to remember. ''At least now I''m sure that he knows something,'' Although disappointed Jin still considered it a small victory. However, with Mr. Johan''s condition worsening, Jin feared whether he would be able to learn anything substantial. With these thoughts in his mind, Jin drove back to the hotel. Chapter 102 Promotion With her legs curled up on the sofa, Diana''s gaze was fixed on the television. However, her unfocused gaze showcased that her mind was somewhere else. ''Why isn''t he back yet¡­'' That was the question continuously going through her mind. Earlier when Diana woke up she was disappointed to find herself all alone in the room. She had expected Jin to be sleeping beside her but he was not there. Worried and anxious she texted him soon after. She received a message from Jin a few minutester. "Ah! How could I forget about that," Diana eximed. Due to her exhaustion this morning the fact that she needed to go and give her father a visit was swept away from her mind. Diana sighed at this blunder. ''Fortunately, he went to visit him in my stead,'' Diana thought. Her father would have been disappointed if nobody hade to visit him on a Sunday. With the subsequent exchange of text messages, she got to know that Jin was currently driving and would be back in half an hour. So, for the next 30 minutes, she had been anxiously waiting for Jin toe back. Beep The sound of the keycard being read attracted Diana''s attention making her turn towards the entrance. "Did you wait for long?" Jin smiled. "It''s already more than 45 minutes¡­" Diana expressed her displeasure even though she felt relieved to see him back. Jin raised his hand holding a stic bag and said, "I thought you would be hungry so I packed some stuff for the two of us, you won''t mind eating noodles right?" Jin''s words acted as a trigger for Diana''s stomach. Growl~ Embarrassed she stood from the sofa and said, "Go and freshen up, I''ll unpack it until then," After a hearty brunch, Jin discussed her father''s condition with her. "I understand¡­" Diana had already prepared her mind for this inevitability but still, her heart was engulfed in sadness. "Let''s visit him more often," Jin grabbed Diana''s shoulders and consoled. The warmth of his hands somewhat helped her regain some strength and she nodded to Jin''s words. ¡­ "You sure you want to go?" Jin asked Diana who was packing her bag. "This is the fourth time you''ve asked me this Jinny. Although I''m ttered, it has started to get annoying now," Diana remarked while folding her clothes. "Alright, I''ll stop then," Jin raised his hands in defeat and went to help her with the packing. A whileter he dropped her off at her apartment while sighing all along the way. "If you''re that eager to stay with me then just marry me," Diana remarked after being frustrated from hearing all of Jin''s sighs throughout the journey. "Marry you?..." Jin started to muse over her words seriously. Seeing this Diana panicked, "I was just kidding alright. How could you afford to marry someone when you''re only in your growing stage as an actor?" "Why does that matter? I can have food made by you all the time if I get married," Jin stated as a matter of fact. From the looks of it, he might agree to get married the next moment. "If you''re hungry juste and visit. There''s no need to destroy your career over my food!" Diana eximed seeing Jin like this. "You said it. You can''t take it back now," Jin started grinning from ear to ear the next moment. Diana finally realized that he had been ying with her from the start. "You!" "I''ll be going then bye!" Jin immediately left. He didn''t n to be a victim of her anger. When Jin was in his car he gave Dn a call. "You''ve been ignoring me for the past week. What has changed that you''ve decided to give me a call now?" Dn expressed his dissatisfaction from the other end of the phone. "Well, I needed some respite after all that work," Jin stated as a matter of fact. "You just had to y this move at such a crucial period," Dn sighed and continued, " Luckily the film continued to perform well the whole week but that can''t be guaranteed for the next week as well," "So, what''s my schedule looking like?" Jin asked. "It''s going to be filled with appearances on many talk shows, entertainment shows and podcasts along with the other actors. I''ll confirm things with the producers whom I''ve kept on hold and brief you about it by the end of the day," Dn said. "Alright, sorry for making you work on a Sunday," Jin said. "If you were so worried about me then you shouldn''t have ignored my calls," Dn chided. "Thank you for your understanding, bye," Jin hung up the phone. "This rascal," Dn could only shake his head at this and soon made himself busy. Later that night, Jin received his schedule for the next week. A dayter his hectic schedule of attending one show after another began. With that, the name Jin ker once again started appearing in the headlines of various articles and the buzz around him rose to another level. "My cheeks hurt from all the smiling," Jinined while moving to the next studio in the van where he was to take part in a talk show. "Deal with it, all actors go through that," Dn remarked while going through a sheet with Jin''s schedule on it and scribbling something on it. "Yes yes, I understand Mister Manager," Jin said monotonously and continued, "Is the next show famous?" "Very, so answer all the questions in the manner that I''ve exined earlier and deflect all the controversial topics," Dn exined. A few momentster, "Mr. Jin thank you foring to our show," The host stated. "No, it''s me who should be thanking you for the invite," Jin replied with a charming smile. "Haha! As humble as the rumours say. It''s very rare to see young actors who act humbly after such a hit," The host remarked. "I still got a lot to learn so how could I afford to not be humble," Jin gave an apt reply. "What a good attitude you have. Did it develop from your learnings in the martial arts?" The Host asked. "Oh, you are aware of that too?" Jin showed a surprised expression. "Haha! We always do thorough research about our guests so how could we not know such an interesting thing? You were able to beat those terrorists on the flight thanks to your skills," The host praised Jin''s skills. . . . . "Lastly Mr Jin, there''s this rumour going on around you on the inte. Are you aware of it?" The host asked. "What rumour?" Jin asked curiously. "Do you know Anna Hayes?" The Host asked with an expectant expression. "Yes, I met her on the flight at that time," Jin answered. "Then you must also be aware of how she had praised your efforts in saving everyone''s lives right?" The Host asked. "I''m aware. What does this have to do with the rumour though?" Jin asked. "The rumour is that Miss Anna had fallen for you otherwise why would she praise you so much? Don''t you agree with me?" The Host asked. "Well, that''s new. It''s a baseless rumour in my opinion. Besides¡­" Jin paused. "Besides what?" The Host felt that he was about to get something good. "Besides, I already have a girlfriend whom I love dearly," Jinpleted his sentence under the excited eyes of the host. "Of course! A man as handsome as you should already have a girlfriend. May I know who she is?" The Host tried to probe further while suppressing his excitement. "I''m sorry but I''d rather not make things difficult for her by stating her name here," Jin replied. "Ah¡­that''s a pity," The Host sighed and talked about a few other things before finally ending the show. When Jin walked down the stage he was greeted with a re from Dn. "What?" Jin asked. "Didn''t I tell you to avoid controversial topics?" Dn asked. "Well¡­I just felt like making things clear here so that no rumours would spread," Jin replied. "This might cost you a lot of female audience¡­" Dn remarked. "I''m already satisfied with having only one," Jin grinned. Dn sighed while rubbing his tired eyes. He was already aware that Jin had been dating someone for a long time. Jin had approached Dn several times asking for tips on how to win a woman''s heart. Being a happily married man, Dn''s tips naturally helped Jin a lot during his initial phase with Diana. "Take her along when youe for dinner at my ce. Let me see the woman who has stolen your heart," Dn said after a while.N?v(el)B\\jnn "Sure will," Jin replied as they left the studio. Chapter 103 Electric Cars "Before we end today''s show how about you bless the audience by showing them your skills," The Host of the show remarked and signalled with her hand. Soon, a few crew members arrived on the stage and made the arrangements. "So how about it?" The host smiled while looking at Jin. Jin sighed and said, "It seems that you''re adamant about making me sweat," "It will be quite a sight for your fans, don''t you think?" The woman giggled. Stay connected via empire Jin got up from his seat and proceeded towards the set-up. There was a bar in front of him and on it were hanging two pots made of y. From the way they were ced, it was clear they wanted him to kick the pots and simultaneously smash them. ''Well, since this is what the audience likes I''ll just do it. Luckily my pants are of stretchable material,'' Jin thought to himself. "So are you ready Mr. Jin?" The Host asked with an expectant smile. "Yes," Jin nodded at her words. "Ladies and gentlemen, brace up for the sight you''re about to see. On a count of three then. 3¡­2¡­1¡­!" Jin jumped up the moment he heard the number ''1'' out of the host''s mouth. While in the air his two legs spread sideways. Smash! The two pots were broken thereby inviting a series of ps from the live audience. "Wow! You are so good at this," The hostmented and pped for Jin''s performance. "You can do this too with a bit of training," Jin joked. "Haha! You jest, Mr. Jin," The host chuckled at Jin''s words and it was the same for the audience watching. The show soon came to an end after that. After giving his autographs to a bunch of fans and also taking pictures with them Jin finally returned to his van. Dn had been waiting for him inside. The previous cheery mood Jin had was soon reced by exhaustion the next moment. His body dropped onto the cushiony seat and asked, "How many more shows are left?..." "Luckily, this was thest one," Dn replied with a smile. "Finally¡­" Jin sighed and closed his eyes in relief. "You''ve worked hard," Dn praised. The whole of thest few days were filled with event after event for Jin. It was understandable that he would be exhausted after all that. As expected, because of theck of promotion, the 2nd week didn''t show as much ticket sales as the first week of the film''s release. This was understandable for both Dn and Jin. Things were however about to change soon. The programmes,mercials and talk shows Jin had taken part in were just on the verge of being published after all the editing. The first of the series of shows was going to be broadcast tonight. ''With this, we can expect another jump,'' Dn thought while he looked at the resting Jin. The van soon arrived at the hotel in which Jin was staying. The shes of cameras outside seemed to have woken Jin up. "Oh, we''re already here," Jin muttered as he seated himself properly. The van made its way through the hotel''s entrance gate. Because of Jin''s frequent movements during these days, the paparazzi were now aware of his location and were always present outside the hotel for a few pics. "Enjoying the paparazzi?" Dn joked. "Apart from the camera shes they don''t seem to pose much of a problem," Jinmented. "That''s because you are staying at a five-star hotel like this. If not for guards that keep these paparazzi in check then I won''t be surprised if one of them had barged all the way to your bathroom only to ask you whether you are there to take a shit or a bath haha!" Dn startedughing at his own words. "Are you serious?" Jin couldn''t help but ask. "I''m not entirely sure but with the rumours that go around about them, I won''t be surprised if someone had attempted such a thing in the past," Dn replied. "Phew¡­it was good investing money here," Jin sighed. The van soon stopped at the hotel''s entrance door and Jin exited. "Alright then, I''ll call you when required," With that Dn left the scene. Jin was greeted by the hotel employees who by now were familiar with him as he made his way back to his room. ¡­ Sounds of heavy breathing swept all around the empty gym as Jin was busy working out his abs. "17¡­18¡­" Flora was cing her body weight on Jin''s feet with her to help him with the workout. "The number of paparazzi in the entrance has increased quite a lot," Flora said as Jin performed another rep. "Well, it''s only going to increase from now on," Jin replied while controlling his breath. She then continued to ask him a few things about the acting business.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Enough about me, how about your work? How''s it going?" Jin asked her while performing his 50th rep. "We''ve achieved a major milestone in the engine''s development and it''s now able to work at double the previous horsepower with the electric feed. I believe I''ll be able to grab some investors with this one," Flora replied. "You said the same thingst time as well you know?" Jin remarked with a teasing expression. "This time I can feel it will happen. No, it has to happen!" Flora replied with conviction in her eyes. Seeing this Jin didn''t say anything further andpleted his set. A whileter when they were resting on the bench Jin asked Flora "Why won''t you just y it safe and make normal cars which yourpany is known for instead of trying something new with electric vehicles?" "The market for those is already saturated. If we continue to make them then it will take almost ten years just to pay back the debts we owe to the banks and other lenders. I doubt that thepany would survive until then. Therefore I refuse to let things be like this. Thepany that my father founded with his blood and sweat, I can''t just let it die like this," Flora stated intensely. "So instead of a slow death, you''re aiming for a do-or-die scenario," Jin added. "Exactly! This is the only way I can think of," Flora replied. She was trying hard to only look at the positive side of things. "Anyway, I''m looking forward to seeing the electric cars you''re going to develop then," Jin said while standing up to continue with the next workout. The world of business was something he was unfamiliar with. Therefore he could only wish her all the best. "You won''t be disappointed when you see it. You can bet on that," Flora grinned as the image of the working model they''ve been working on appeared in her mind. Chapter 104 LIFA Awards The days passed. All the shows Jin took part in were published one after the other. As a direct consequence, Jin''s fanbase increased drastically and along with it the film''s sales rose. It not only rose momentarily but kept on rising. The film was a hit and as a result, Jin''s pictures were almost everywhere on the inte. He had been forced to wear a cap and put on sunsses along with a mask while going out. If not for them then a crowd of fans would soon surround him the moment he steps out of the hotel. That''s how famous he had be by now. Readtest chapters at empire A week passed, Saturday Night. In afy room lit with dim orange light, Jin and Diana were resting on the bed with their backs to the bed rest. They were covered in a nket and were watching a series together. Diana turned to look at Jin who was totally engrossed in the series. ''Look at him enjoying it,'' Diana thought with a smirk. It was a military-based series and Diana was not fond of watching it. It was clear by this whose decision it was to watch this series tonight. Fifteen minutester, Diana yawned. That was how boring the series was for her. Watching men shoot each other is fun? Well, not for her at least. Jin''s attentiveness towards the television therefore bugged her a little. Suddenly she got a mischievous idea. Diana''s feet which were under the nket slowly slithered towards Jin''s. An expectant smirk was there on Diana''s lips while she was doing it. Her gaze didn''t waver a bit and was fixed on Jin''s face. She wanted to see his reaction. Sensing Diana''s cold feet over his Jin frowned, "Stop that," He said without looking towards her. "But your feet are so warm," Diana replied teasingly while rubbing her feet continuously over his. "And yours are too cold, so stop that," Jin said, finally turning towards her. "I''ll do it after they are warm enough, so wait a bit," Diana increased her pace of rubbing. Annoyed, Jin looked at his right hand which had been out of the nket all this while. "I''ve already warned you earlier," Instantly Jin''s hand attacked Diana''s neck. Feeling Jin''s cold hands Diana shrieked in surprise and tried to trap Jin''s hand by raising her shoulders. However, Jin was having none of that. He kept on moving his hand from one side of her neck to another making her shiver from cold again and again. "Stop!" She shrieked while struggling. "Wait until my hand is warm enough," Jin pped the same words back to her and didn''t stop a bit. A few minutester a defeated Diana sat with folded hands next to Jin. She had lost the earlier battle and although annoyed, didn''t dare to retaliate anymore. An hourter, Jin stretched his arms up and let out a rxed moan while at it. "That was a good episode," He muttered. "It was boring," Diana reacted the next moment. "You made me watch romantic dramas a few days before, with this we''re even," Jin smiled. Tch Diana clicked her tongue hearing Jin''s response. She pulled the nket towards her and turned to lie on her side. The ring light from the bedsidemp made her squint her eyes a bit. Diana''s hand reached towards themp''s switch and turned it off. "Hey, I still need to go to the bathroom, turn on the light," Jin told Diana. "Afraid of the dark or what?" Diana replied back. She felt that turning the light back on would signify her defeat. She had already lost once and didn''t feel like losing again. "How childish," Jin muttered and the next moment he reached towards themp and while at it didn''t forget to press Diana''s body under his.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Diana groaned from being pressed and replied angrily, "Who''s childish now?!" Themp was back on. "Sweetheart, I just tried to match you, no hard feelings alright?" Jin yfully flicked the tip of Diana''s nose with his finger as he went to relieve himself. With a bittersweet feeling in her heart, Diana stared at the closed door of the bathroom. She enjoyed Jin''s rough ways from time to time although she never admitted it. The sound of the flush was soon heard. Hearing this Diana returned to her earlier position. She didn''t want Jin to look at her current pleased expression. Jin closed the bathroom door and returned to the bed the next moment. Seeing Diana like that he didn''t feel bothered. By now he was familiar with her antics. He reached for themp the same way as he did earlier thoroughly squishing Diana''s body under him while at it. Diana let out an annoyed groan at this however a part of her thoroughly enjoyed the sensation. With the lights out, Jin''s hands started wantonly moving all over her. It didn''t take long for the earlier groans to turn to pleasure-filled moans as a result. ¡­ The next morning after freshening up Jin checked the message he received on his phone. "Oh!" He lightly eximed in surprise. "What''s the matter?" Diana who had just pushed herself off the bed asked when she saw this. "Oh, it''s just Dn. He said that they have registered the movie for the LIFA awards," Jin replied. "LIFA! Isn''t that the most prestigious national film awards ceremony?! Oh, my goddd! I''m so much looking forward to this!" Diana almost jumped on her toes when she heard this. There was no sign of her earlier sleepy self. "Calm down, All the films released this year would bepeting. My chances are quite low," Jin stated as a matter of fact. "What nonsense are you babbling? Of course, you''re going to win an award there! The judges''s eyes must be smeared with dogshit if they do not award you," Diana rebuked. Jin''s heart softened when he heard this. Seeing Diana''s clear eyes, which told him how much she believed in him, made his heart flutter. It felt good to have someone who always believed in you. "Yeah you''re right," Jin smiled. ''I just might get one,'' Jin''s confidence in himself had soared thanks to her words. Diana nodded in a satisfied manner and made her way towards the bathroom. It was her turn to freshen up. Chapter 105 Communication After finishing the breakfast Diana was currently washing the dishes. She was scrubbing the tes a little harder than usual because of things going on in her mind. ''Should I bring it up again?'' ''I think I shouldn''t¡­he might get annoyed if I do that,'' ''But I really want to know the answer¡­he shouldn''t get angry by just this right?" ''Yes, I should directly ask him. He''ll understand'' After going back and forth in her mind Diana finally gathered up enough courage to ask Jin again. "I still don''t understand it. Why did you reveal our rtionship on that show?" Jin had already answered her a few minutes back while they were having their breakfast. However, she wanted to know more. She was unsatisfied with Jin''s previous answer. Hearing her words, Jin frowned. He was sitting beside the dining table just a couple of meters away from Diana. "You''re at this again?" Jin asked while staring at Diana figure who was busy washing the dishes. "Yes since your previous answer ''just because I wanted to'' is not the response I''m satisfied with," Diana stated. Her back was facing Jin at the moment. "So you would have preferred that I kept our rtionship a secret from the public?" Jin asked. "Like I''ve said before. You''re at the most important stage of your career. Before you''ve built a solid foundation you shouldn''t have done something as reckless as that¡­" Diana said with subtle hesitancyced in her manner of speaking. Jin noticed that. "It would have given rise to rumours about my rtionship with Anna. You wouldn''t mind that?" Jin asked confrontationally. "I¡­I just feel that the rumours would have created more buzz around you. You would have thus benefited by gaining more fans as a result¡­" Diana tried to reason it out again. She opened the tap water. The sound of the water sshingforted her a little. "Diana," Jin called her name instead of replying. "What?'' Diana replied while acting to be fully immersed in doing the dishes. Jin didn''t reply and waited. After a few ufortable seconds, Diana was finally forced to turn the tap off and turn around to face him. "Sit," Jin gestured towards the chair ahead of him when their eyes met. "I''m doing the dishes¡­" Diana countered. "It''s not a conversation I can have without facing you, so sit. Dishes can wait," Jin replied assertively. ''Did I say something wrong?'' Diana thought in her mind. She wiped her hands off on the towel and proceeded towards the chair. She started regretting starting this conversation. Diana sat in front of Jin while trying her best to avoid direct eye contact with Jin. Her fingers were fidgeting as she was waiting for Jin to speak.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Jin finally opened his mouth. "Let me ask you again Diana, Would you have liked it if the rumours about something going on between me and Anna spread all over the inte? About fans talking explicit things about us on the inte? About things soon going out of proportion thanks to all the hype the paparazzi would make of it?" "I¡­No, I wouldn''t¡­," Under Jin''s intense gaze, Diana finally relented and shared what she truly felt inside. She didn''t like it even a little, she hated it in fact. However, she feared that Jin would get angered by her response and would leave her as a result. "You should have just said that instead of thinking whether your words would hurt my feelings or not. If there were rumours about you with another man, I would also be hurt and angry. Even after knowing this, how could I not openly state that I am in a rtionship in front of them? "I would have even stated your name if I didn''t worry about making things difficult for you with the paparazzi," Jin added after a brief pause. "I was scared that you wouldn''t like my words," Diana replied in a low voice. "Even if I didn''t like your words so what? We would have started an argument, we might even have shouted at each other but so what? Isn''t that normal to have conflicting views since we are two individuals?" Jin stated. This was something Dn had drilled into his mind previously. To make a rtionship work healthy dialogue between the partners was a must. Seeing Diana who just listened to his words like a child who was being admonished Jin sighed. He moved one of his hands over the table and ced it above Diana''s. "Just remember this, no matter how upset I get with you in the future, my feelings for you will never change. Understand?" Jin asked while looking straight into her eyes. "Y-yes," Diana nodded. Jin''s wordsforted her a lot. "Therefore don''t hold back even if it''s something unpleasant. We can''t fix things if we don''t talk about them right? So don''t think whether your words would hurt me or not. If there is something that bothers you speak it out. Even if I disagree with the thing, I''ll still listen to you and together we''lle to a satisfactory answer to it. Right?" Jin asked with a smile "Right.." Diana too smiled and nodded. There were traces of tears welling up in her eyes. Jin''s words had hit a sweet spot in her heart. "Huh? I didn''t even say anything to make you cry¡­" Jin said seeing the teardrop that had just run down her face. "You were too sweet for my heart to take," Diana pouted cutely as she wiped the tears off her face. "There are times I wonder whether you''re a kid or an adult," Jin responded to her antics. Diana just pulled her tongue out as a response. "This was exactly what I was talking about," Jin just shook his head and stood up. "Get ready, I''ll do the rest of the dishes," Jin made his way towards the kitchen sink. "Alrighty," Diana agreed dly and went to change. Since it was Sunday they were going to visit her father. Last Sunday Jin was way too tired from all the events and shows he had attended and didn''t apany Diana. So it was only Diana who had visited the nursing home. The Sunday before that it was only Jin who had visited since Diana was exhausted. ''Dad would be happy to see us both," Diana thought while dressing up. She remembered how sad he was that Jin had note along with herst week. By the time Diana was ready, it was ten in the morning. They soon left for the nursing home in Jin''s car. Jin didn''t forget to buy popsicles for Diana''s father en route. Diana chided him at this. "Why did you buy these? Dad would get sick if he eats them?" "Let Dad enjoy what he likes. It''s only once a week anyway," Jin reasoned as he switched on the car and started driving. "...Alright," Diana relented. A small part of it was because of Jin''s reasoning but a greater part was because of Jin calling her father ''dad''. Whenever he did that she felt ted. ''I wonder when we will get married,'' Diana thought as she looked outside the window at the passing scenery. She shook those thoughts away soon after. A/N: See yater Chapter 106 Mr. Johans Request "Dad look who''s here with me," Diana grinned as she entered her father''s room. "Dad? Me? Who are you people?" Mr Johan''s eyebrows furrowed when he saw them. Her father, however, took more time than usual to recognise her. This dulled her mood but she still forced herself to keep that smile on her face. After a few minutes of struggling Mr Johan finally recognised them. "Jin! Diana! You are finally here!" With happiness clear in his expression Mr Johan weed the two inside as he tried to lift his body off the bed. "I''ll help you, wait," Diana helped her father sit upright. "Thank you, my little angel," Mr Johan thanked her and smiled. He remembered how difficult it felt earlier to remember her and Jin and suddenly voiced out his thoughts, "It looks like I don''t have a lot of time do I?" "Dad, what are you talking about?" Diana asked in a concerned manner. "You don''t have to try and hide it from me Diana. I''m well aware of my mental state. I''m sorry that I acquired this disease¡­it must have been painful for you to see me like this every time youe here," Mr Johan said with a sigh. "..." Diana just stood beside him. She was trying hard to control herself from crying out loud. How could Mr Johan not realise this? His hand gently pulled Diana''s head towards his chest as heforted her. "You''re a strong girl Diana. I''ll always be proud of you. Remember that," Mr Johan gently patted her head. Unrestrained tears started falling down Diana''s eyes. It had been so long since she had been in his embrace. Jin left the room to give them the space they needed. A whileter Diana called him in. With Jin''s entry the mood inside the room became light once again. Fortunately, the popsicle hadn''t melted too much by then. The three of them savoured it while talking on various topics. The topics didn''t matter much since their goal was to keep Diana''s fatherpany and a ce to express himself. From thetest happenings in the news to the new buildings that were being constructed. They kept hopping from one topic to the next. "He has be so famous now that you won''t be surprised to see his pictures on some advertisement billboards in the city. Oh! I didn''t show you his get-up now did I? See here''s the picture I sneakily took¡­" Diana showed Jin''s picture to her father. It was the picture of him wearing a cap, shades and a mask to hide his identity. "Isn''t he just asking for everyone to look at him?" Diana chuckled as she showed the pictures of Jin she had taken. Mr Johan just smiled while looking a the pictures briefly. His attention was more focused on his daughter. On how cheerful and energetic her eyes looked whenever she talked about Jin. "Jin," A few momentster, Mr Johan called Jin''s name. "Yes, Dad?" Jin answered. Jin thought that he was about to say something about his get-up. However, he was wrong. "I have something to ask you," Mr Johan said. It attracted both Jin''s and Diana''s attention. "What is it, Dad?" Jin asked. Diana too looked at her father with curious eyes. "Jin, I don''t think I''ll ever be as clear-headed as I am now from the way things have been these days. I''ll keep it short. Diana, my daughter, is the loveliest woman I''ve met¡­of course, I''m not including her mother¡­" He joked and continued. "She truly loves you a lot. It is evident in her eyes. It''s the same for you too. You love her dearly as well. Your actions always told me that. Therefore Jin, my request is this. Please marry Diana before I lose my ability to recallpletely..." "Dad! Of course, he can''t! It will affect his career drastically. He had already imed to have a girlfriend. That already had affected him considerably." Before Jin could reply Diana replied hysterically. "Haha¡­yes, just treat it as some random mutterings," Seeing his daughter''s agitated expression Mr Johan changed his words while fidgeting with his fingers. "We''ll do it, I''ll marry her," However, just then Jin who had made up his decision said with conviction. "Jin! We can''t!" Diana once again resisted. However, unlike Mr Johan, Jin didn''t back down. "We both love each other. I don''t think there''s any problem with us getting married now," Jin said. A career can be madeter as well. Who set the rule that a married man cannot be a famous actor? "You!" Diana was about to argue but was stopped by her father''s words the next second. "Hmm? Why are you guys arguing? Is there a matter ?" With a confused expression, he looked at them. "Nothing Dad," Diana quickly replied and dragged Jin outside the room. Mr Johan could only stare at them nkly. "Are you out of your mind? Why did you suggest something like that?" Diana rebuked Jin the moment they were away from the room. "I just did what I felt right," Jin replied. Diana ignored his words and sighed. "Fortunately Dad seems unaware of the earlier discussion we had. Don''t mention this topic anymore and act like nothing happened when we enter the room again," Diana said. "I refuse. What I said earlier was not done on a whim. I had seriously considered your father''s words and came to that decision. We''re going to get married, there''s no going back now," Jin replied with conviction. "Jin, Why are you like this? Don''t let emotions rule you. You need to be more practical and think about your career. You''ve already injured your image with your earlier statement about our rtionship," Diana pleaded. "This is the most practical I''ve ever been Diana. Both you and I know that Dad has only a few months with him before total memory loss. Don''t you want to fulfil his wish to see us both get married? That''s the least we can do¡­" Jin said. "But¡­" Diana wanted to argue but Jin stopped her. "Now don''t you talk about my career Diana. You and Dad are my only family Diana and no matter what my career will alwayse after my family. Besides, with my acting skills, I''ll attract another set of new fans so rest assured Diana. Your father''s wish is much more important than this little issue," Jin was vocal about what was in his mind. How could Diana not feel a pang in her heart after hearing Jin''s words? Without taking the surrounding nurses who have been sneakily listening to them from a distance for a while now into consideration. She wrapped her arms around Jin''s neck and pressed her forehead on his chest. The nurses who had been eavesdropping and snooping cheered at the scene and finally went about with their business. They had got a topic to discuss aboutter. "You always do what you like to do without considering my views. Even after that, I can''t seem to hate you for it," Diana softly hit Jin''s chest with her fist. Seeing this action, Jin chuckled. "That''s because deep inside you also want the same thing don''t you?" Jin replied yfully. Instead of a reply, he received another hit on his chest. Diana''s head was facing downwards so Jin was unable to see her expression.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om However, if he could see her face he would see tear-stained eyes, a joyful expression and a thankful smile. Jin thought that the matter was concluded however Diana suddenly pulled her head back and said. "I have one condition though and no matter what you''ll have to agree to it otherwise I won''t marry you," "And what is that?" Jin asked out of curiosity. "After LIFA¡­We''ll get married after the LIFA awards ceremony is finished," Diana raised her condition. Even if Jin could didn''t care about his career she would feel way too guilty if she allowed him to do as he wished. If Jin wins an award in the LIFA awards the publicity he would receive would be enormous and she feels that even if he marries her at that time the damage done won''t be very difficult for Jin to sort out. With eyes that would not take no as an answer, she red at Jin and waited for his answer. The LIFA awards ceremony will be conducted within the next two months. The nursing assistant had said that Mr Johan would be able to preserve his mental health for at most six months. Although the nursing assistant''s words couldn''t bepletely relied upon it was still the only metric Jin could depend upon. If he could refuse Diana''s demand he would have but her eyes were enough to tell him that agreeing to her was his only option. In the end, Jin relented and said, "Alright, let''s do that," "Thank you!" Diana submerged her face in Jin''s chest when she heard the words she had been waiting for. With this, thest burden in her heart was resolved. The two soon re-entered Mr Johan''s room however it seemed that he was too exhausted from the conversation earlier and was sleeping on the bed. After informing the nursing assistant the two of them soon left. Chapter 107 Next Mission (E) "Damn it!" Anderson mmed the table out of frustration. "If that bastard can''t control his dick he should just chop it off!" Andersonshed out in anger. Gloom soon started taking over him. It was the same for all the production members in that room. They had been working day and night for this film but not even a month had passed after starting the shooting that the lead actor was caught in a scandal. "What should we do now sir?" The producer asked Anderson. "You already know what we need to do George," Anderson, the director, sighed. With this sigh, it seemed as if he had aged considerably. George who shared a simr mood with Anderson could only nod and reply with tirednessced in his voice, "Then I''ll proceed with revoking his contract. When do you want me to start the auditions?" "I''ll let you know in a while. For now, I need some time for myself," Anderson said, pushing himself off the seat, grabbing his jacket, and leaving the room. Stay updated via empire His manner of walking reflected a sense of dejection. George could only let him do what he wanted as he could sympathize with his mood. George then busied himself with the termination procedures of the current lead actor. No matter what, he can''t allow that bastard''s act to damage the film they''ve been pouring all their efforts into. If all the directors in the country''s film industry were to be ranked, Anderson''s name would appear somewhere in between. It was not that he didn''t have adequate skills to make good films but that he was very picky when selecting good stories. One would think that since he''s so picky then the stories he had picked so far would have done great. However, that was not the case. He had 10 flops to his name and around 20 films that performed only a little better than average. So in the industry, he was popr as an arrogant bastard with nothing to show for it. Anderson however didn''t think that. It was the same for those who knew him personally. "Darling I''m home," Anderson said as he entered his apartment. A cab filled with all the prizes he had won in film-making during his university days entered his sight. "You''re home early today," A middle-aged woman replied. She was reading a book titled ''I Hate Writing''. It was the talk of the town during these days with hundreds of copies sold.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om A book filled with the struggles and aspirations of a young boy who hated writing but ended up loving it with time. "Is the lunch ready?" Anderson asked as he removed his jacket. He ced it on the wall and made his way towards his wife. "Not yet, Why? you''re hungry already?" Yn asked. Even with wrinkles on her face she still looked pretty making one imagine just how beautiful and charming she used to be in her younger days. "I feel like eating," Anderson replied. Hearing this Yn gently folded the page she was on and closed the book. Her attention was now fully on her husband. They had been married for two decades now. During this time both of them had picked up on certain habits of each other. One such habit was currently being shown by Anderson. Whenever he was upset he tended to overeat. Therefore, when she heard his reply she immediately asked, "What happened?" Anderson had taken a seat by now. When he heard his wife''s question he sighed and told everything that had happened to her. "That''s truly unfortunate. However, if you look at it from a different angle then you were fortunate that this happened," Yn said with a smile. "Hmm? What do you mean?" Anderson looked at her with a confused expression. "Imagine if you had received this news after you had finished shooting the entire film. Isn''t the current situation much better than that? It''s only the loss of a few days of effort." Yn answered. "...You''re right. Haha! This truly is much betterpared to that scenario," Anderson agreed and shook his head mockingly. What he had considered to be a curse was instead a blessing. "As long as you understand," Yn smiled seeing her husband like this. She got up from the seat to check up on the food she had put on the stove. Seeing this Anderson turned on the television. He was a big movie addict but because of being involved in this film, he had not gotten much of a chance to watch them peacefully. ''I''ll just rx for a couple of days before starting the audition,'' He thought as he changed to his favourite movie channel. Tch Anderson clicked his tongue seeing that advertisements were being yed. He pulled out his phone to catch up with thetest messages while waiting for the ads to be over. At that moment an interesting background sound caught his attention and made him lift his head towards the television. It was a trailer. A film trailer to be precise. ''Smile Please? That''s a weird name,'' He thought to himself. If not for the bloody font style used he would have shifted his attention back to his phone. The trailer soon started. It was just a thirty-second long trailer however that was enough to win the heart of a movie addict like Anderson. The trailer ended with showing Jin''s cold countenance. ''Who is this actor? I''ve never seen him before!'' Anderson wanted to see more of Jin however the trailer ended the next moment. ''I have to watch this film!'' Anderson made up his mind and the next second started tinkering with his phone. Yn soon arrived back to the living room and asked with a furrowed expression, "I''ve been calling you for lunch for a while now! What are you so busy with?" Anderson didn''t take Yn''s anger to heart but instead asked her, "Honey, are you free tonight?" "...Yes? What''s the matter?" Yn couldn''t help but ask seeing Anderson''s excited expression. Anderson turned his mobile screen towards Yn and said with a grin, "We''re going to watch a movie tonight,'' While all this was going on Jin had just received a new mission. -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-Mission-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Objective: Kill the Minister Target Name: Robert Potreigo Target Age: 47 years old Target Location: [Click] Reward: 5000 KP Intel- He is the current Minister of Road and Transport. ns to pass a bill in the parliament which would ban the use of electric cars in the country. Stop him. -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-END-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Chapter 108 Preparations (E) ''115¡­116..117'' Jin was doing pushups in his hotel room since he had nothing much to do. (A/N: I wish I was like that) He was in the middle of his set when he received the system message. ''Robert Potreigo huh?'' Jin thought as he finished up his set quickly and sat up on the bed, "So it''s a minister this time?" Jin mutters as he clicks on the target''s location. The target was in the Neon City. This meant that Jin wouldn''t have a problem with the location. ''Luckily no time limit is given,'' Jin thought. To kill a minister would require a good amount of nning from his side. Therefore he was d that he could take his time with the preparations. Jin takes his phone out and searches for the target to find out thetest news concerning him. "So he had just won the elections 2 days ago," Jin said, going through more information about the minister online. A few momentster he came upon a news article. After reading it fully Jin smiled. There was a swearing-in-ceremony organised for the new ministers in three weeks. Jin thought this ceremony would be a good ce to kill the target. If there was a time limit then Jin would have been forced to infiltrate the minister''s residence. However, since there was no time limit to the mission, Jin could do things in the way he found mostfortable and safe. With this thought in his mind, Jin fell back as his headnded on the soft bed. His eyes focused on the rotating fan and his mind wandered. Various ideas on how to go about with the mission entered and exited his mind. Jin stayed like this, lost in his thoughts, for an hour before his eyes finally gave in. When he woke up, it was 8 PM. ''Brrr'' His stomach growled. Jin went downstairs to grab his dinner soon after. Even while eating dinner Jin''s mind was busy thinking about how to proceed with the task. ''Ugh, I can''t think of anything substantial,'' Jin thought in frustration as he grabbed his ss to drink water. He was unable toe up with anything worthwhile. Not just anyone could attend such ceremonies. There was a guest list and invitations were sent to the guests. Jin had no idea who these people were. If only he could get his hands on one of those invite passes. "No No, don''t eat it yet, let me take a picture first," beside him, a couple was having dinner. Their banter attracted Jin''s attention. He heard the familiar in-app sound of the photos being clicked as the woman was taking pictures of all the beautifully designed cuisines on their table.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "All my friends are going to be jealous when they see these picures on my social media page, hehe," The woman chuckled. Seeing this her man could only sigh. ''Media!'' It was a eureka moment for Jin. His eyes brightened all of a sudden and he got up from his seat. An event like that would definitely require various media personnels. He could easily infiltrate the ceremony while disguised as one of the them. With these thoughts in his mind, Jin made his way to the lift. Luckily it was all empty. "I got it!" Jin shouted and cheered himself. By the time Jin reached his room he was brimming with tion. The n was almostpleted in his head. With so many emotions inside him at the moment he needed a ce to express them. He changed into his gym clothes and went to the gym. Flora was not present there. She had been skipping the gym for some time now because of the sudden increase in her workload. Thest time they met she was very excited. Her project had caught the eye of a wealthy foreign investor and he was willing to finance 40 to 80 per cent of the money that would be required to make super-fast electric cars a reality. "I hope things are going well for her," Jin mutters as he starts with his workouts whichsted for two hours tonight. After freshening up Jin slept like a baby. The next day. Jin had changed his appearance to match a man in histe 60s. He was currently drinking tea at a tea stall. Continue your adventure at empire The tea stall was well-kept and hygienic and as a result, it attracted many customers. Therge majority of the customers were however the employees of the news broadcastingpany which was very close to the stall. Jin had a newspaper in his hand and was moving his gaze from one text to another. Anyone who would see this would not doubt that he was reading the newspaper with full concentration. However, that was not so the case. Jin''s attention was more focused on what everyone around him was saying. "Who does he think he is? Pushing all those tasks on us at thest moment?!" "Do you think I have a chance if I propose to Rosie?" "I can never grow tired of tea haha!" A variety of conversations were taking ce all around him. Jin picked up on those that he thought would prove useful to him and ignored the rest. "Sir, you''ve been reading the newspaper for more than two hours now. Aren''t you bored?" The tea stall owner asked. "Haha, I''ve grown used to boredom with age. You''ll get used to it with time as well," Jin replied. "You jest, I cannot imagine something like that. I hate reading," The man remarked while shaking his head and smiling. "It''s never toote to learn young man," Jin folded the newspaper and ced it under his arm as he stood up from the seat. "You''re going?" The stall owner asked just for the sake of asking. "Yes, my son would be waiting for me. The home''s a mess because we''ve just shifted recently so I''m spending my time here reading. It''s a good ce so I''ll being here more often," Jin replied like any old man. Instead of a one-word answer, he told him the entire story. "Ah, I''m d that you liked the ce," The stall owner smiled at his words. "See you tomorrow then," Jin said and left the scene. He didn''t get his hands on any significant information today. Jin did the same the next day. The day after, And the day after that, Finally, on the 4th day, Jin got what he had been looking for. A prey. Chapter 109 The Prey (E) "Anil you lucky bastard," A man among a group of four teased the guy named Anil by rubbing his fist on Anil''s head. "Hey don''t," Anil tried to resist his colleague''s fist but his attempts were in vain. A minuteter, Anil was ring at the man because of whom a few strands of his hair broke. "Why are you ring at me like that? It''s just a few strands," Mark replied casually. "It might be a few strands for you but for me, they are my life!" Anil rebuked. He took out his phone and looked at his head with his front camera. He was suffering from partial baldness and was very sensitive about his hair. "Just shave it off. You''ll look a lot better," Luther suggested. "Shave them off?! Are you crazy? How would you feel if I shaved that patchy moustache of yours? You''ve been nurturing it for a year now, Haven''t you?" Anil rebuked. "Alright alright, I was wrong," Luther admitted that he misspoke. He felt his moustache with his hand soon after. Park suggested, "Hey it''s a happy asion no need to be so worked up. You''ve just been selected as one of the cameraman assistants who will be attending the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected ministers," "I know right? The additional money you''ll be receiving from the job, if you add that to the money you''ve saved so far, won''t that be enough for a hair transnt operation? " Luther asked. ''Hair transnt,'' Just from hearing the word an expectant expression formed on Anil''s face. Hair transnt. After doing that his confidence was sure to peak and he would be able to woo any women of his dreams. At least that''s what he thought. "Hey just look at this bastard imagining all kinds of things in his head," Mark snickered when he saw Anil''s expression. "You! Fine I''m not paying for you guys. Eat by yourself!" Anil pretended to be angry and stood up. "Hey hey you bastard, apologize to Anil," Luthar retorted. "It''s his special day so let the man dream will you?" Park said The other men admonished Mark the next moment. Today''s tea and cigs were Anil''s treat so they naturally supported him. Not far from this group of men an old man was sitting on a chair. He was immersed in his newspaper and sipped his tea from time to time. When their break was over they went back to the office building. Jin too got up from his seat and left. He''ll be backter. It was 5 PM. After sharing an evening tea with his colleagues, Anil was returning home by a public bus. "Where to?" The ticket collector asked him. "Rennard Street," Anil bought the ticket and turned his head towards the window to pass his time. Half an hourter, he exited the bus and started walking. His apartment was just a 5-minute walk away. Throughout his way Anil didn''t realize that he was being followed. "Ah!" A cry made its way towards Anil. He immediately turned around to look at the source of the cry. An old man had identally fallen on the ground. Seeing this Anil rushed towards the old man to help him stand up. Read new chapters at empire "Are you okay sir?" Anil grabbed the old man by his shoulders and helped him stand up. "Ah, thank you thank you, I''m fine now¡­my knee just gave in all of a sudden, old age you know haha," The old man chuckled while rubbing his waist. It looked like he sprained some muscles there. "Do you need me to guide you to your home?" Anil suggested when he saw this.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "No no, it''s alright. Don''t mind me. I''m still not that old that I would require help for walking," The old clearly conveyed that he didn''t need any help. ''Maybe he''s one of those who don''t like relying on others,'' Anil thought as he nodded towards the old man and started walking towards his home. A few minutester. "I''m home," Anil said as he rang his doorbell. "Brother you''re home!" His 14-year-old sister opened the door and hugged him the next moment. He smiled seeing this. Anil''s hair loss was not due to gics but because of the stress he acquired after losing his parents when he was young. He was forced to take care of himself and his younger sister all by himself from then on. If not for his little sister he would have long given up on his life. She had been the only reason that was alive now. "Did you study well?" Anil asked her with fondness clear in his eyes. "Mhmm Ipleted all the assignments right aftering from school," She replied earnestly. "Good! I''ll make you some delicious dinner today to reward you then," Anil ruffled his sister''s head as he made his way in. "Yay!" The young girl cheered and was about to close the door but paused abruptly. "Hmm?" She felt that she saw someone and squinted her eyes. "Huh? What''s the matter?" Anil asked seeing his sister standing at the door like that. "I think I saw a ck figure standing there?" The girl pointed her finger towards the stairs. "Is that so?" Anil replied as he followed the direction in which his sister''s finger was pointing. He saw nobody there but just for the sake offorting his sister he made his way towards the corridor and switched on the lights. "See there''s no one here," Anil replied as he looked around the well-lit corridor. The girl furrowed her eyes but in the end, could only nod to it. They soon went inside. Jin who had been hiding behind a wall appeared the next moment. He stared at the closed door for a couple of seconds before descending the stairs. He was now in possession of Anil''s appearance and also knew his address. From the little conversation he had heard between Anil and his little sister he knew that she was a school student. Since the swearing-in-ceremony was on a Wednesday she would be at school when Jin would initiate his n so her presence posed no problem for him. Chapter 110 Memory (E) At 7:30 PM, Rennard Street. Jin was waiting for his taxi toe. A bag hung on his back. Inside it were the clothes he had worn earlier when he was in the old man''s appearance. His taxi soon arrived. When he wasfortably seated inside the taxi, Jin opened up the system panel. He navigated to the ''Morph ability'' and tapped the ''appearance'' tab. Ten faces including his own weed his sight. All of them were men from different age groups. ''Come to think of it I''ve never tried a woman''s appearance,'' Jin thought as his eyebrows furrowed. ''Will it work?'' A sense of curiosity grew in him all of a sudden. He had been absorbed in so many things during all this time that this thought never entered his mind until now. Jin brought down the panel and checked his stats. -x-x-x-x-HITMAN SYSTEM-x-x-x-x- Name- Jin ker Age- 22 Height- 183 cm Weight- 73 kg Body Constitution- 6.5 --> 6.7 [Soldier Level] Mental Constitution- 6.3 --> 6.4 [Soldier Level] Abilities - Training, Morph Kill Points-12,500 (OPEN STORE) -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-END-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- There were only some slight improvements but nothing much had changed as far as Jin''s physique and mental state were concerned. He had been hoarding the KPs he was receiving from the Winter Arc mission all this while. Seeing the 12.5k kill points with him made him feel delighted. It had been a couple of weeks since the winter arc mission finished so there was no point in hoarding them anymore. Jin decided to use the leftover points to buy an inventory space. With this thought, he opened up the system store. -x-x-x-x-System Store-x-x-x-x- 1) Beretta M9 - 3000 KP 2) Inventory Space (+1) - 6000 KP [current- 3] 3) Pain Killers ¨C 750 KP 4) Cartridge (9x19mm) x50 - 50 KP 5) Fentanyl Syringe -100 KP [For a swift, deadly & silent kill] 6) Anil''s Memory Package - 6000 KP Bnce: 12,500 KP -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-END-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Jin was about to proceed and buy the inventory spaces but stopped. The new addition to the system store caught his attention. ''Anil''s memory? And that too for 6000 Kill points?'' Jin''s eyebrows raised when he saw this. He believed that he could aplish his mission even without Anil''s memory so wasting so many kill points didn''t make sense to him. However, there was also the fact that all the new additions to the store had proved useful to him in one way or another. It meant that Anil''s memory would be useful to him. ''Well¡­whatever, I''ll only buy one inventory space then,'' Jin decided after a while. Jin tapped his finger on the system panel and spent the first 6000 KP.N?v(el)B\\jnn His inventory space increased from 3 to 4 the next moment. -x-x-x-x-x-System Store-x-x-x-x-x- 1) Beretta M9 - 3000 KP 2) Inventory Space (+1) - 12,000 KP [current- 4] 3) Pain Killers ¨C 750 KP 4) Cartridge (9x19mm) x50 - 50 KP 5) Fentanyl Syringe -100 KP [For a swift, deadly & silent kill] 6) Anil''s Memory Package - 6000 KP Bnce: 6,500 KP -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-END-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x- Seeing the price of the next inventory space jumping to 12,000 points made Jin sigh. It is only going to get more expensive. His finger then moved towards ''Anil''s Memory Package'' and bought it. Anil''s memories flooded his mind. Since this was his second time receiving someone''s memories Jin had already prepared his mind for this. He closed his eyes and epted the iing memories. Five minutester. "Sir, we''ve arrived," The taxi driver''s words woke Jin up from his stupor. He nodded to the driver and exited the taxi after paying him the required sum. "Apart from Anil''s work-rted knowledge there''s nothing else that would prove beneficial to me,'' Jin thought while making his way through the hotel lobby. He was disappointed. He felt that the 6000 KPs had gone to waste but it was toote now for regrets. He had dinner from one of the many restaurants inside and went to his room. His mood had improved thanks to the delicious food. When he arrived back to his room Jin shared a call with Diana where she talked about everything that had transpired in her office today. Jin listened to Dianaining about her workce and her colleagues with a smile on his face and didn''t forget to add some words from time to time. Thus Diana didn''t even realize that it was her who did the majority of the speaking. Thanks to that she was able to speak out all her pent up work rted frustrations. Jin didn''t mind it. Instead Diana''s soothing voice was pleasing for him to hear and he didn''t mind hearing it for hours. If not for Diana getting tired after talking continuously for 30 mins Jin would have never ended the call. After the call was over Jin went to the gym to workout like usual. Flora was surprisingly present there. "Wow, did the sune from the west today?" Jin joked as he greeted Flora with a familiar fist bump. Find exclusive stories on empire Flora rolled her eyes hearing him as she exchanged a fist bump with him. "You have no idea how long I''ve been awake," Shemented soon after. "The dark circles under your eyes tell me that it must be more than a day," Jin guessed. "Three days!" Flora put out three fingers right in front of Jin''s face as she said that. "So you''re nning to copse in here again? I''ll leave you on your own if that happens," Jin snickered. "I know you wouldn''t," Flora dismissed his words and continued, "I want to sleep as well but when I tried to sleep earlier all the thoughts about the work entered my mind, so here I am. After decluttering my mind I''ll go and have a sound sleep," "Fair enough, let me guess, it''s going to be cardio isn''t it?" Jin asked. "Yep, cardio it is." Flora nodded as she walked towards the treadmill. Jin decided to apany Flora. He took the treadmill next to her and the two soon started jogging. Jin asked her some questions about her project''s progress from time to time while they were jogging. Jin got to know that she and her team had been working tirelessly to create a working model of the car which they had envisioned. "It d-does not need to be p-perfect. As long as it w-works we are good to go," Flora exined as she checked her jogging pace on the meter. The investor had requested them to make a working model as soon as they could. He had said that he''de with a few of his business colleagues to check the product from abroad and if satisfied then they too would invest money on the project. The working model was forty per centplete thanks to the team''s relentless efforts over the past few weeks. In a month it would be ready to impress the investors. An expectant smile appeared on Flora''s face as she mentioned all this. It was clear that she was looking forward to it. Jin was d to hear this news. "How''s your film doing?" It was now Flora''s turn to inquire about the happenings in Jin''s career. Thus their workoutsted for forty minutes. By the end of it, Flora was all exhausted. "It looks like you''ll have a good sleep now," Jin remarked when he saw this. "No doubt in that," Flora added in a huffed voice while wiping her face with a towel. "See ya then," Flora said a few minutester and went back to her room. Jin did some weights for the next thirty minutes before calling it a day. Chapter 111 A Call (E) When Flora returned to her room from the workout she waspletely exhausted. She freshened up and was about to switch off the lights when she suddenly received a call. "Who''s calling at this hour?" Flora said in frustration as she reached her hand towards the phone. It was an unknown number. Seeing this Flora''s eyebrows raised a little.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om ''Is it a spam call again?'' She thought and attended the call anyway since the phone was already in her hands. "Hello?" A voice came from the other side of the phone. "This is Flora Trump, how can I help you?" Flora asked. "I''m Henry Gordon speaking, I was among the investors to whom you were disying your electric engine some time back," The man said. "Yes, Mr Gordon, How can I help you?" Flora asked while furrowing her eyebrows. She clearly remembered the man. He had ridiculed her project and was able to convince other local investors as well that electric sports cars were a dream that would nevere true. ''Why is this bastard calling now?'' Flora thought in the back of her mind. "The thing is I went through all the details you had presented regarding your electric engine once again and after a thorough discussion with my team I''ve concluded that it''s going to be quite sessful. However, the problem with it is that it would require an investment of arge sum of money from your side not only for the car production but also for the new services rted to these cars¡­" Mr Gordon kept on talking in broad terms making Flora frustrated. She finally interrupted him midway and said, "I know all of that, Mr Gordon. I would appreciate it if we keep your talk short since it''s my rest time now," "Haha my apologies, I didn''t take into ount that you might be resting right now. I''ll keep it short then," Mr Gordon said and continued, "20 Billion Draks, sell your engine''s patent to me," ''So that''s what it was about,'' Flora thought. Now that she was aware of what the other party wanted she had a higher ground. Sheid back on the back rest and replied, "That''s too little," "I''m already stretching my wallet by giving you this much you know," Mr Gordon chuckled while suggesting that she should be happy with what she was getting. "Is that so? Then good night Mr Gordon. I don''t n to sell it," Flora acted as if she was about to switch off the phone. She soon got the reaction she was expecting. "Wait! Listen to my offer at least," Mr Gordon didn''t try to y tricks anymore. "Alright let''s hear it," Flora said disinterestedly while looking at her fingernails. "40 no 50 Billion Draks! I''ll give you that much," Mr Gordon stated the price. "Hmm not bad but I still find it less," Flora replied dismissively. Flora''s words and her tone irked Mr Gordon but he controlled himself and replied, "Why don''t you state a price Miss Flora, then we can start our negotiations from there¡­" "You seem to have been mistaken Mr Gordon," Flora said as she let out a surprised tone. "Huh? What do you mean?" Mr Gordon asked in confusion. "I never agreed to sell my engine''s patent, did I? So why should I state a price?" Flora said with mockery clear in her voice. She was getting back at him for his earlier behaviour. ''This bitch!'' Mr Gordon fumed when he heard this youngss talking to him in such a way. "You should have said this sooner! I wouldn''t have wasted my energy on you," He rebuked. "You''re right. I should have but a part of me wanted to see how low you can fall. You openly criticized the project mypany was working on and even swayed the views of other investors. After doing all that you expect me to sell my patent to you? Are you just dumb or your brain has developed moulds with age as well? It''sughable how a man like you can stoop so low. 50 Billion Draks you say? Even if you gave me 100 Billion Draks I won''t ept it. I know the immense potential my engine carries. It could revolutionize the whole electric car industry. Go and y these tricks of yours on some 5-year-old kids who would atleast fall for them!" Flora finally stopped. Her outburst was fueled by how aggrieved she felt at that time when all the local investors had refused to support her project all because of this man named Henry Gordon. Only she knew how powerless and hopeless she felt at that time. "I''ll make you regret your decision. You''re just a toddler in my eyes and I have plenty of ways to deal with you, so don''t get over my head you little bitch," Gordon who had been the target of Flora''s words finallyshed out. However, unlike Flora, he kept his words short and hung up the next moment. If he kept talking with her for longer then he might have had a stroke from anger. "You should have hung up way before dumbass," Floramented as she put aside her phone. Giving that old man a piece of her mind felt very satisfying. She didn''t take hisst words of warning into ount and just dismissed them as the ramblings of a frustrated old man. A few momentster she went to sleep. However, that was not so the case on Henry Gordon''s side. Experience more on empire A flower vasey shattered on the ground. The sound of hyperventting was the only sound that could be heard in his room at the moment. Henry had anger issues. It was for this reason that he had cut the call otherwise he would have said something that would have caused him troubleter on. He picked out a pill from his pocket and gulped it down. Fifteen minutester he was in a much better state. Henry then picked up his phone and called a familiar number. It belonged to his brother-inw, Robert Potreigo. ''If I cannot own it, then no one can!'' Gordon thought amidst the ringing tune of the phone. The call was soon attended by the other party. After twenty minutes Henry hung up the call with a victorious grin on his face. The night passed by. Flora sleptfortably while beingpletely unaware of the trap that Henry was setting for her. Chapter 112 Gordons Plot (E) p! p! "Alright, everyone. It''s time to go home now. You''ve all worked hard this entire week," Flora addressed the team members who had been fully devoted to their work the entire week.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "It''s time huh?" "I think we can stay for a bit more. We still have more things to do," "Yes, how about we work the whole night, it''s Sunday tomorrow anyways so we can rest the entire day tomorrow," The team members however were not so enthusiastic about leaving work. There was still a lot of work that was piled up and they needed toplete everything in the limited time that they had. Hearing the mutterings of the team members Flora couldn''t help but feel touched. She felt very lucky to have such a dedicated team of experts with her who were willing to give their all. However, seeing this she was even more sure that they needed to go home. "Nothing doing, I''m going to switch off the power of the office if you all don''t leave soon. Today''s Saturday and it''s still 5 in the evening. Go and enjoy the rest of your time with your friends, family, get drunk, party, and do whatever you want. Work is important but so is taking care of your mental health. Come back on Monday and give your utmost at that time if you''re so worried about your work," Flora stated. She was the boss so the employees could only agree with her in the end. Just where would you find a ce where the boss would discourage the employees from working overtime? (A/N: I wonder) That''s what they all loved about Flora. While strict and stubborn when ites to work she was also very thoughtful about those who worked under her. Flora watched the employees leave and patted them on the back, saying, "Have fun!" When she was the only one remaining, she went to her office and started working. As thepany owner her work was never finished and she could never afford a rest day. Time passed slowly. Aaaah~ Continue your adventure at empire Flora finally stretched her stiff back and arms after torturing her body for hours. She looked at the clock as her body relished in the feeling of being stretched. ''It''s already midnight huh?'' She thought seeing the hands of the clock. "Looks like I''ll be skipping the gym today as well," Flora muttered as she started packing her stuff. After switching off the lights she left her office. A whileter her figure exited the lift and she was in the parking space. The cold night air tingled her skin and made her shiver. She increased her pace as she walked towards her car. She couldn''t wait to be inside and turn on the heaters. A white sedan was waiting for her and she soon entered it. "It smells really sweaty in here," She frowned as her nose twitched because of the smell when she was seated inside. She reached towards the air freshener with the intention of spraying it. However, before she could reach it a hand holding a handkerchief came from behind and covered her nose. Flora realized that the handkerchief was soaked in some chemical because of the strange smell that had entered her nostrils. She tried to struggle and attempted to poke the eyes of the man behind her but by the time her hands reached him her body had lost its strength. She tried to fight this feeling of powerlessness but her body didn''t listen to her. Her eyes dropped and she was on the verge of losing consciousness. "Sorry for the smell, it''s been three days since Ist took a bath," A man chuckled. That was thest thing Flora heard as her eyes closed. ¡­ Ssh! A cold bucket of water woke Flora up. With eyes filled with confusion, she looked all around her while taking in deep breaths. The water had been too cold for her and her teeth started ttering. Her eyes finally cleared and she saw the person who had thrown water on her. With an empty bucket in his hand, he was looking at her with snake-like eyes. A smirk appeared on his face soon after. Flora followed his gaze and looked downwards. Her white shirt was all drenched and clung close to her body. "You got some fine assets,dy," The man remarked. He threw the bucket aside and made his way towards Flora. Flora tried to move her body only to realize that she was currently tied to a chair. Fortunately, her mouth wasn''t taped so she shouted. "Who are you?! What do you want?!" The grin on the man''s face intensified when he saw Flora like this. "Even your voice is enchanting. Just like your breasts," The man knelt down and the next second tantly started fondling her breasts leaving Flora stunned. "You!" "Stop!" "I''ll sue you! You bastard I said stop!" Flora gave all kinds of warning but the man didn''t seem to care. He enjoyed the expression of helplessness on Flora''s face as he felt her breasts with his hand. "You like it don''t you? I can feel your nipples hardening." He remarked with a grin in excitement. Ptuu! Flora spat on the man''s face the moment he said that. "Say that to your mom, you filthy bastard!" Flora replied. Feeling Flora''s gooey spit dripping down his face the man''s eyes twitched from anger. He snapped. The next moment a tight p weed Flora''s face. She fell sideways along with the chair to which she was tied because of the momentum the p carried. A trace of blood could be seen on her lips as the stinging feeling from the p made her grimace in pain. The man wanted to hit her more but his phone started ringing. Ring Ring Seeing the name of the caller all signs of anger disappeared from the man''s face as he attended the call. "Is the work finished?" The person on the other side of the phone asked. "Yes, sir. I''ve captured her and she''s here with me right now," The kidnapper said. "Good, turn on the loudspeaker," The man said. "Got it, Sir¡­it''s on now," The kidnapper turned on the loud speaker function. "Are you regretting what you said to me earlier Miss Flora?" A familiar voice entered her ears. How could Flora not realize who this person was now that she had heard his voice, "Henry you bastard!" "It''s Mr. Gordon for you. You''re as mannerless as your father. Let''s see how long you''ll be like that," Henry remarked sadistically. "If you''re thinking that doing this would make me give you the patent then you''re terribly wrong!" Flora roared in anger. "The patent? I no longer desire it. You should have just given it to me when I asked for it. Now, even if you beg me to take your patent I won''t ept it. You should have thought twice before insulting me like that a few days ago. Now you will suffer its consequences," Henry voiced out. Hearing this Flora''s worries grew but she maintained a strong front and shouted, "Kill me then! I don''t care!" "I''m afraid that would not be enough to curb my anger. I''ll keep you alive and enjoy watching your life turn into a nightmare," Henry replied arrogantly. "Nightmare? I don''t believe you have that ability?" Flora provoked him, She wanted to know about his ns. "The current minister of Road and Transport, Robert Poterigo, is my brother-inw. I''ve told him that he and his party would receive funds from all the car manufacturers if he banned the electric cars in this country. Guess what''s the first bill that''s going to be passed in the parliament session now? Your project will never be a reality ahaha! All your efforts will be futile the moment that happens! But that''s still not enough to cate my anger. Doby!" Henry finished what he wanted to say and called the kidnapper. "Yes, sir!" Doby replied. "Cripple both her legs and leave the country immediately. Your tickets are ready," Henry told Doby. "I understand sir!" Doby replied while controlling his excitement. The call was soon over and he received a message on his phone. It was a flight ticket. Doby grinned seeing this. All his worries disappeared when he saw this ticket. His gaze then turned towards Flora''s charming figure that was lying on the ground at the moment. It was now time to pay Flora back for spitting on his face. With his flight tickets ready he had nothing to fear. He could do whatever he wanted with her. Chapter 113 Floras Fate (E) "Guess what''s the first bill that''s going to be passed in theing parliament session?" These words took Flora by surprise. The bravado she was showing earlier left the moment she interpreted the meaning behind those words. After that whatever Gordon rambled waspletely ignored by her. Her mind was preupied with dealing with the after-effects of Gordon''s earlier statement. Her mind and body both were in turmoil. After her father''s health had deteriorated everything had gone downhill for Flora but she had persisted despite this with the hope that things would change if she kept pushing herself. They indeed changed for the better. She finally got an investor, and the news was that she might gain more investors after showing them theirpleted model. She was thankful beyond words for these new developments. All those difficult times were not for nought. That''s what she thought. However, her current thoughts were totally different. ''Why?!'' Flora questioned in her mind but no one was there to answer her. With everything that she had gone through during this difficult period wasn''t it normal for things to turn for the better? The image of the future that had formed in her mind started crumbling one piece at a time and only a dark void was left in the end. ''Just why did things have to go this way? Why do all the bad things happen to me? Just Why goddamn it!'' Her expression changed several times during this small time frame. Your next chapter awaits on empire First, it was anger then bitterness and finally helplessness at her own fate. Her despondent eyes seemed lost and she didn''t give an ounce of attention to Doby who was directing his devilish gaze at her. Seeing the vulnerable expression Flora had on her face Doby couldn''t hold his primal instincts any longer and approached Flora. Crash! Doby undid the rope that had bound Flora''s petite waist to the chair and threw the chair aside. With that, there would be no obstruction in his way while he was enjoying himself. Flora who still had her wrists and legs bound by rope was unaware of her surroundings. The turmoil within her had blinded the outside world to her. Rrrip! It was only when Flora''s shirt was forcefully torn open by Doby that rity appeared in her eyes. She raised her head to look downwards only to see a man with abhorring facial features sucking and ying with her breasts. When she saw this, an immense sense of disgust rose within her, soon reced by anger toward him. This feeling was so immense that all her previous misgivings about her fate no longer seemed relevant. She had only one thought in her and that was to teach this man a lesson. She tried to move her hands and legs only to realize that the ropes were still restraining her legs and wrists. ''Am I fated to end up like this?'' This thought entered her mind as she saw the man dirtying her body with his saliva. However, the moment she thought this, she remembered Gordon''s words once again. Herpany''s future was spoiled. She had not only failed herpany but also her father, and now, if she just epted her fate, it would mean that she would fail herself, too! ''No! I can''t ept that! Even if I die today, I must teach this bastard a lesson!'' Flora decided at that moment. Doby who was immersed in tasting the soft stic-like mounds of Flora didn''t seem to realize what was going on in her mind. For him, she was just a powerless woman whose charming body was going to be desecrated by him soon. Ah~ A melodious sound entered his ears all of a sudden when he was sucking Flora''s nipples. This made him lift his head and look towards its source. Flora''s eyeballs were reaching the roof of sockets as a sultry expression formed on her face. Her partially open mouth allowed one to see a shiny tongue which seemed to be covered in sugar syrup. Doby couldn''t help but gulp when he saw this picturesque view. Wanting to hear see her as she moaned Doby groped her breast. Ahh~ A much more powerful moan came out this time and made Doby''s ground heat up like crazy. ''Looks like she''s finally drunk on the pleasure,'' He thought in a pleased manner. With this thought, he groped and sucked Flora''s mounds with even more intensity while keeping an eye on her facial expression. His little brother was burning with passion but he didn''t want to let things end so quickly for him. He wanted to savour a beauty like Flora to the fullest since the chances for him to encounter a simr situation in the future were almost negligible. Flora''s unfocused gaze looked into Doby''s eyes as she opened her mouth in a weing manner. Seeing this Doby felt as if his lips were being pulled towards hers. Losing all sense he pushed his lips over hers and started kissing her passionately. Flora responded to his advances with simr zeal which made Dobby even crazier in heat. His hands felt all around Flora''s body and his lips didn''t leave Flora''s for even a second. ''Am I dreaming?'' Doby thought in pleasure as he felt Flora''s tongue ying with his the next moment. He too reciprocated with his tongue and soon was on cloud nine with his tongue being sucked by Flora like a candy. At that moment, however, he didn''t notice the change in Flora''s gaze. Her eyes no longer resembled that of a person who was lost in lust but instead, they looked like those of a person who was immersed in hatred. With her tongue, she guided Doby''s tongue in her mouth and yed with it for a while. While Doby was immersed in this feeling of joy she finally carried out her n. CHOP! A piece of flesh was separated from its source and an animalistic scream echoed not long after. Flora spat out the man''s disgusting tongue sideways and watched the man screaming and coughing up blood beside her.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om His mind was too upied with pain to bother about her at the moment. However, Flora knew that when he would recover from this pain her end was imminent. She would most likely be killed in the most horrifying manner possible by this bastard. A mocking smirk formed on Flora''s lips. "At least, I can say that I did my best to survive till the end in the afterworld," Flora thought to herself. She wasn''t religious but feeling that her end was so close she ended up believing in the concept of God. ''Howughable'' Flora thought as her gaze didn''t leave Doby for even a second. Fate at times is truly unpredictable and likes to y cruel jokes with us. The death Flora was expecting didn''te. Instead, the man fainted a couple of minutester from extreme blood loss. If not for immediate medical treatment it was not Flora but him who would face his death. "Are you serious¡­" Flora couldn''t help butment on when she saw this. Deep inside though, she was grateful to be alive. "As long as I''m not dead I can figure things out," She muttered weakly. This close encounter with death taught her this lesson. Now that the fear of death was no longer there Flora''s mind and body finally calmed down. The stress they had umting all this while started taking its toll and Flora soon lost her consciousness. Thirty minutester, a man entered the basement room where all this was taking ce and raised his eyebrows in surprise at the scene. Chapter 114 Arriving at the Scene (E) "What in hell happened here?" Jin thought out loud when he saw the gory scene inside the basement room. He had been asleep when he received an Emergency Mission notification. The task was to save Flora. After going through the mission contents he checked her location. It would take him an hour to make his way to the site where Flora was.N?v(el)B\\jnn He pushed himself off the bed and rushed out. A whileter he was in his car and was speeding towards Flora''s location. He was all ready to fight tooth and nail to save Flora''s life but before he could reach the destination he received a message from his system. "MISSION DISSOLVED" "ASSIGNING NEW MISSION¡­" "What the hell?" Jin thought that when he saw this message, the content of his mission changed in front of his eyes. x-x-x-x-MISSION-x-x-x-x- Objective: Unbind Flora Location: [Click] Reward: 100 KP Penalty: Flora''s death Intel: Flora is currently unconscious. Her hands and legs are restrained so even if she wants to she can''t help herself. Remove them so that she can take care of herself. -x-x-x-x-x-END-x-x-x-x-x- "The mission was dissolved and then changed? This has never happened before," Jin muttered as he checked the new content. The priority in the given situation was to help Flora so Jin didn''t mull over these thoughts for long. He went through the new contents and then once again checked her location on the mission panel. Flora''s location was still the same. Seeing this, Jin pressed on the throttle, and his car rushed towards its destination. He soon reached a ce on the outskirts of Neon City. It was a sparsely popted area, and the few houses present were quite a distance from each other. Flora''s location was inside one such household. Jin switched off his car''s headlights once he was in the nearby area and parked it there. He changed his appearance to that of William''s before exiting the car. From that ce, he walked on foot and soon reached the location. It was a small dimly lit house. The dirt patches on the walls were a clear indication of the fact that the owner didn''t care much about the house. A white expensive car was parked right beside the house. It was in clear contrast to its surroundings. Jin silently made his way in and nced inside through the window. It waspletely dark. The window had iron railings so he couldn''t get inside through them. His only option was the front door. Jin slightly pushed the door with the hope that he might find it to be open but it was not. He sighed. His only option now was to kick the door open and so he did. The dpidated door couldn''t hold itself for long under the barrage of Jin''s kicks. Once inside, Jin turned on the lights and looked all around the room. A frown soon formed on his face. There was nobody inside. He once again checked the system. The location was this only. ''Wait a minute,'' Jin thought and zoomed in on the map. "So there''s a basement in here," Jin said and searched the room intending to find some secret entrance. On the floor, A rectangr rug the size of a bed was ced. Jin pulled it up and there it was, a door attached to the floor. Jin opened it up and found stairs leading downstairs. He walked down and was weed with another door soon after. Without wasting any time, Jin kicked it open. Two bodies were lying on the ground not far from him. One was lying in a pool of blood while the other had little patches of blood around it. Seeing this Jin couldn''t help but rush towards Flora''s figure. Seeing the dried-up blood on her face he grew worried and checked whether she was breathing or not. Sensing that she was alright he finally took a sigh of relief but soon a furrow formed on his face. Seeing the tattered and dishevelled state of her top a sense of anger invoked in him. It didn''t need a genius to figure out what she had gone through. Jin''s gaze then fell on a flesh-like thing nearby which was smeared in blood. He picked it up and observed it for a while. A whileter he looked towards the man who was lying in a pool of blood not far away. Jin then nced at the dried-up blood on Flora''s mouth thereby figuring out what had transpired. "I''m impressed¡­" Jin genuinely praised. It required guts to pull something like this in such a situation. Cough Cough! A couple of coughs attracted his attention all of a sudden. The source was not Flora but the man who was lying in a pool of blood. Hearing this Jin pushed himself off the floor and made his way towards him. There he saw the man struggling to keep his eyes open. It was clear that the blood loss was too much and he was unable to physically exert himself. Jin crouched on his feet and looked at the man''s face. Their eyes met. "You didn''t die yet?" Jin asked. "Sa¡­ve¡­me" A powerless voice escaped his mouth. "Too bad, you''ll soon wish that you would have died earlier," Jinmented and took out his pistol from the inventory. He was finally given a chance to vent the anger that was brewing inside him. The man''s eyes widened in surprise seeing the gun appear from thin air. However, this surprise didn''tst long and was reced with horror. The barrel of the pistol was aimed at his groin all of a sudden. Jin turned to look at the man''s expression while pressing the barrel of his pistol on the man''s groin. "You want me to stop?" Jin asked the man. The man nodded desperately. This reaction pleased Jin. "Make me," Jin returned a sadistic grin and pulled the trigger. Pew! A torturous screech escaped the man''s mouth as he rolled on the ground while crying out in pain. It continued for a few seconds before he finally stopped struggling. He was dead. Jin watched the entire scene with relish in his eyes. When this was over Jin stood up and turned towards Flora only to see her eyes clear like crystals looking back at him. "So you''re awake?" Jin asked after a brief pause as he made his way towards her. "Who are you?" Flora couldn''t help but ask as her gaze fell on the pistol Jin held in his hand. "Let''s say that I''m someone who''s going to save you tonight," Jin remarked in a yful manner as he bent down and started undoing her legs. Sensing no hostility from him Flora didn''t feel scared by his touch and instead asked him. "Why would you do that? I don''t know you," Flora stated as she felt the ropes around her legs loosening. "Someone had put that man on the hit list, so I came here," Jin said, "I didn''t know that I would find you in here as well. Seeing a prettydy like you here isn''t it normal for a man to help her?" "It would be more normal for him to take advantage of her helplessness don''t you think?" Flora countered. "Hmm, that might be true. Guess it''s just me who''s different," Jin remarked while undoing the rope around her arms. Explore hidden tales at empire Flora figured out that the man didn''t want to state his true intentions so she didn''t push him further and instead asked while getting up, "So you''re a hitman?" Aaachoo! Her question was followed by a sneeze from her side. Jin took out his jacket and gave it to Flora. Flora readily epted it. She removed what was left of her shirt and wore Jin''s jacket over her body. She didn''t mind Jin''s gaze falling on her bare upper body because in her opinion he had already seen what was there to be seen earlier. With the jacket on she felt a lot warmer now and looked towards Jin with an inquisitive expression, "You still didn''t answer my question," "Yes, I indeed am a hitman. Are you scared now?" Jin responded. Flora''s boldness earlier has distracted him a bit. "Can you kill someone for me?" Flora asked. "You should thank your saviours for saving you instead of asking them to kill someone else you know?" Jin joked not taking her words seriously. "I''m ready to pay whatever sum you require. If it''s too much then I''m ready to pay you in instalments until I''ve fully paid my debts," Flora added. "I''ll listen to you at least. Tell me, who do you want to kill?" Jin asked. He too was bing curious as to who exactly she wanted dead. "Henry Gordon, the chairman of ''Light&Heavy Motors Ltd'', it''s him who had nned my kidnapping tonight because I refused to sell my patent to him," Anger was apparent on Flora''s face as she mentioned that bastard''s name. "Is that so?" Without saying anything else Jin turned around and started rummaging Dobey''s body for something. "What are you searching for?" Flora asked with a frown. "This," A couple of secondster Jin replied. There was a car key in his hand. He threw the keys towards Flora who caught it although clumsily. "The white car outside should be yours right?" Jin asked. Flora looked at the keys and nodded. "Good, drive yourself back home," Jin replied and started walking towards the exit. "Wait!" Flora eximed. He had still not answered whether he would do the mission or not. Jin didn''t stop and left the basement soon after. It seemed as if he was in a hurry. "He chickened out didn''t he¡­" Flora muttered. She didn''t have much hope in the first ce and was just testing her luck with this request. A whileter she dragged her weary body outside and went back to the hotel in her car. It was a long drive and It gave her a chance to look back on all the events that has transpired and form ns for the problems she will be facing in the future. Chapter 115 One Limb at a Time (E) Jin had rushed out of the scene and didn''t bother to answer Flora because of the sudden mission notification he got when he heard her words. -x-x-x-x-MISSION-x-x-x-x- Stay updated through empire Objective: Eliminate Henry Gordron Target Location: [Click] Reward: 25,000 KP & Flora''s trust Time Limit: 15 hours Penalty: Flora will die within 48 hours. Intel: Doby had kidnapped Flora on Henry Gordon''smand. Henry is in Neon City until the afternoon. He''ll leave the city for some business after that. Kill him before that. -x-x-x-x-x-x-END-x-x-x-x-x-x- When Jin reviewed the contents and considered the limited time he had to finish this mission, his brain started ticking. It didn''t take him long to figure out the most convenient way, and he immediately turned towards Doby''s body after giving only a ''Is that so?'' response to Flora. While searching Doby''s body Jin saved his appearance in the system for future use, took out Doby''s phone from his pocket and kept it before finally passing the car keys to Flora. Since his back was turned towards Flora, she didn''t witness all these things. When Jin was back in his car he morphed into Doby''s appearance the next moment. His voice changed as well as a result. With Doby''s phone in hand, Jin called Gordon. "What? Why are you calling me now?" an irritated voice said from the other end of the phone. It was around two in the morning, so it was understandable. "There has been an issue sir¡­" Doby''s voice entered Henry''s ears. "What problem? You''ve crippled that bitch, didn''t you? I hope you enjoyed that body of hers as well before crippling her," Henry''s words came from the other side. Jin''s eyes sharpened a little when he heard that as he said, "Yes sir, I did exactly that," "Haha! Serves that bitch right. So why did you call me? I''ve already sent you your tickets. Go pack up and leave the country by tomorrow," Henry said. "About that sir, While I was dealing with her I found a weird-looking pen in her chest pocket. I checked it and found out that it had a camera and memory card. It must have recorded everything that had transpired¡­what should I do with it?" Jin inquired. "What''s there to ask just destroy it¡­No! Bring it to me instead! Right Now!" Henry changed his words at thest moment thinking that Doby might try to ckmail him with this memory card in the future if he didn''t acquire it right now. "Got it, sir, I''ll be there in 30 minutes," Jin replied. "Yes, hurry up," Henry hung up the call. Half an hourter, in Neon City. Jin manoeuvred through the streets towards Henry''s bungalow and stopped just a few meters away from his gate.N?v(el)B\\jnn He got out of the car and approached his gate. Instead of approaching the security bootJin gave Herny a call. "I''m here sir," He said. "I''m opening the gate,e in," Henry replied. Jin found the huge gate of the bungalow opening as he made his way in. There were a few security guards at the guard house but they were armed only with a baton. They looked at Jin but didn''t say anything. Jin made his way inside towards the bungalow''s front door. A middle-aged man was waiting for him outside the door. He had a chubby appearance and his body was wrapped in a pink satin robe. ''Does he bend that way?'' Jin couldn''t help but think when he approached him. "Hurry up will you! It''s cold," Henry scolded while shivering. "Yes sir!" Jin increased his pace and was soon in front of him. "Where''s the pen?" Henry asked. "Here it is sir," Jin gave a random pen he had in his pocket to Henry. Henry took it with a frown and observed it for a couple of seconds. "Are you ying-!" Henry lifted his eyes in anger but fear overtook him the next moment. Henry wanted to shout but no word came out of his mouth. "Shhh" Jin ced his index finger on Henry''s lips and said, "You don''t want a hole in your forehead right? Quietly guide me inside to an empty room where we can start our little chat together." Henry couldn''t help but gulp when Jin''s cold gaze met his eyes. Although fearful Herny soon guided Jin inside. Since the other party wanted to talk it meant that there was still a chance for him to make it out alive. Little did he know that he won''t survive for long. Jin was soon brought to an empty guest room. The next moment Jin lightly tapped on Henry''s neck and Henry lost consciousness. He would stay like that for the next 10 minutes at least. Jin turned around and locked the guest room''s door from inside. It was now time to teach Henry a lesson. Although just killing him wouldplete the mission he wanted to give this bastard a taste of his own medicine. Jin removed the bedsheet and tore it. A few minutester Herny''s four limbs were tightly secured on the bed''s railings with their help. Jin stuffed the remaining bedsheet material in Henry''s mouth and secured it with a tight knot at the back of his head. A couple of minutester when Henry opened his eyes fear gripped his heart. Jin was standing in front of him with a knife in his hand. "So you wanted to cripple her limbs right, let''s make you experience the same pain," Jin grinned and started slicing off Henry''s hand with his knife. The bed to which Henry was tied iled because of his struggles but that was of no result. Henry tried to shout for help but the voice that escaped his mouth wasn''t loud enough to alert anyone. There was nothing he could do to escape from the fate that was awaited him. He could only endure the agony he felt as his flesh and bones were being ground by the knife in Jin''s hand. Jin deliberately kept his speed slow while he did so. The longer it took the more painful it would be. ''Just kill me¡­pleaseee'' These were his thoughts but Jin didn''t give jackshit about that. He continued on with what he was doing despite Henry''s consistent struggles. First arm. Second arm. One leg. "Oh, he''s dead¡­" Jin realized when he was about to cut Henry''sst remaining leg. Seeing this Jin soon winded up and left the scene. The guards didn''t hold him at the gates and allowed him to leave the bungalow without any trouble. It was only the next morning that everyone got to know about Henry''s miserable fate. Chapter 116 A Helping Hand (E) When Flora woke up it was one in the afternoon. After a stressful night like that, it was understandable that she would be asleep for this long. Luckily, it was Sunday so she could afford thezy start. Shezily pushed herself off the bed and began with her morning chores. An hourter she sat on her couch with a chocte pie on her te. That was going to be her brunch for today.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om As she savoured the sweet and tender vour of the pie her hand reached for the television remote. Turning the television on she switched to a news channel to catch up with what all happened while she was asleep. "Henry Gordon, the chairman of Light&Heavy Motors Ltd was found dead in his room this morning. His body was found in a mutted state and the motive for this murder is still unknown. Police Officials have barricaded the area and are now conducting¡­" The reporter babbled on. "What the¡­" Flora wanted to express her surprise, but it seemed that her action displeasured the chocte pie in her mouth which wanted her full attention, as a result it got stuck in her windpipe. Cough! Cough! A fit of coughing ensued the next moment. Flora swallowed a couple of sses of water and finally sighed in relief. However, her thoughts were still a mess at the moment. ''It was him, right? Otherwise, it doesn''t make sense for him to die all of a sudden,'' She thought. An immense sense of gratefulness started taking form in Flora''s heart towards Jin at the moment. Even though he had saved his life yesterday she had not thought much about it but this action of his had cleared the huge hurdle that was standing in front of her. She can now make her father''s dream a reality without any trouble. ''I don''t know how to thank him,'' Flora mused after a while. She didn''t even know the guy''s name much less his address. "I hope we meet again..." She murmured. In another part of the city. Jin and Diana were at the nursing home. Jin was still unable to get the required clue about his father and was starting to lose hope now. After spending some quality time together with Diana''s father at the nursing home, the two of them left. "Can you stop at a nearby bank? I need to take out some cash," Diana asked Jin when they were on their way back. "Sure," Jin changed the car''s direction and a whileter parked the car next to a bank. When the car stopped Diana immediately got out and turned towards Jin while saying, "I''ll be back in a jiffy, you can just wait here if you want," "Alright," Jin said and busied himself with his phone as he waited for Diana toe. Time passed. "Hey, olddy can''t you watch while walking?" A ruckus attracted Jin''s attention and he turned his head towards his side to see what was going on. Just across the street a middle-aged woman who seemed to be holding some groceries in both her hands was in an argument with a few youngster who was in his early 20s. "I''m watching my path, it''s you who are not. Remove those showy headphones of yours if you don''t want to keep on colliding with others," The woman replied. The middle-aged woman''s remark made quite a few heads nod in aggreement and also invited a few snickers from here and there. The youngster felt his ego bruised because of this and he replied strongly, "Shut up you old hag. Both your eyesight and memory have aged and you dare to im that you were watching your path? Hah! How ridiculous!" The woman just shook her head seeing this andmented, "Youngsters these days have no manners at all," She bent down to pick up the few items that had fallen due to the earlier collision. Old as she was, she was unaware of how fragile the ego of young men in today''s generation was. Ah-! She felt an impact on her left shoulder and the next moment her body fell towards its right. "Since I have no manners shouldn''t it be right for me to kick a hag like you? How about it? Liked my kick you bitch?" The young man red at her in an agitated manner. The woman was too immersed in her pain to give any attention to the ramblings of the man. Seeing the woman not responding to his words but instead crying from the pain somewhat angered the young man. He felt that she was deliberately ignoring him. "Looks like you need another kick to get some sense into that old brain of yours," he said and with the intention of kicking her stomach this time as he approached her. However, the young man soon felt a hand gripping his shoulders. He turned around to look but before he could have a better look at the person his face was smashed by the other party. Fuck! The young man eximed and tried to retaliate against the person who had punched him out of nowhere. Seeing the young man rushing towards him Jin nced downward. Jin''s right leg then struck the approaching man''s leg and disturbed his centre of gravity, the result was something anyone could guess, the man fell face first on the ground. As a cherry on the top, Jin kicked the man in his stomach topletely neutralize him before approaching the woman. "Let me help you ma''am," Jin helped the woman stand up and collect the items that had fallen on the ground before cing them back in her stic bag. "T-thank you young man," The woman replied with gratefulness clear in her eyes. "Do you need help with these items ma''am? There''s my car over there. If you''re fine with it then I could drop you home," Seeing her crunched-up eyebrows Jin knew that she was in pain so he suggested helping her out. "¡­that would be wonderful," Although a bit ashamed the woman agreed to his help. "Great, let me help you cross the road first," Jin helped the woman cross the street and made her sit in his car before carrying her items and cing them in his car''s trunk. "Where''s your house ma''am?" Jin asked when he got in. "It''s just a kilometre away from here. If I knew something like this would have happened, I would havee in a car rather than preferring to go by walking," the woman replied. Continue your adventure with empire Jin then initiated some small talks with her while waiting for Diana toe. A few momentster Diana arrived. She looked at the situation curiously, and Jin exined everything to her. From then on, it was Diana who did all the talking with the woman as Jin drove the car towards the woman''s apartment as per her directions. Chapter 117 Being Invited for Lunch (E) While Jin was driving the car the woman was interacting with Diana with great pleasure. "The two of you are married right?" She suddenly asked. There was a yful glint in her eyes when asking. She had already noticed that Diana''s fingers were bare so it was obvious that they weren''t married. However, she still asked that question because teasing young couples like this felt good. "Ah, no we are not," Diana''s reply was a few seconds dyed. "Oh, you two really look like a married couple though," The woman added. "Well¡­" A smile formed on Diana''s face when she heard her words. She nced slightly at Jin who was driving and said, "We are nning to get married in April," When Jin heard this he too nced at Diana and as their eyes met a sweet feeling rose in both hearts. "That''s great news!" The woman eximed when she heard this. She was genuinely surprised. A couple of secondster she asked while musing, "The first week of March is already over so there''s not a lot of time left for that. You should have sent the invitation cards to all your rtives by now right?" "Isn''t it too early to send an invitation now? I was nning to do it a month before," Diana said. "It''s not dear. I suggest that the two of you should consult a marriage nner as fast as possible. With their help, everything would be sorted out without any issues and you won''t face any¡­" The woman noticed Jin making a right turn, immediately stopped what she was talking about. "You see that orange boundary over there?" She pointed out with her hand. "Yes, that''s theplex right?" Jin asked for confirmation. "Yes, enter right through the gate, and my apartment is in the second building, " the woman answered. With that said, they soon reached the parking space and parked the car. By the time the woman got out of the car, Jin had already brought her items from the car''s trunk and suggested, "Want me to help you till your apartment''s door ma''am?" "No, no that''s quite enough," The woman took her bags from Jin''s hands and grabbed his hand the next moment, "You haven''t had your lunch yet right?" "No, we were nning to have it after returning home," Jin replied not understanding the intention behind the woman''s question. "Perfect! Come to my house then, I''ll make the lunch today, it''s my way of thanking the two of you for today''s help," The woman replied. "There''s really no need for it ma''am. We don''t want to trouble you," It was Jin''s first time being treated like this by someone so he didn''t know how to handle the situation well. "What trouble?! I would be most grateful if you two would have lunch with me today. Who knows, whether we meet again or not so let me do this at least, alright?" The woman said as her hands tightly sped Jin''s to express her determination. Jin tried to get his way out of this situation but failed terribly. In the end, Jin relented and called Diana out of the car. ''It''s my first time seeing him look that helpless,'' Diana looked amused at this development. "Since we are going with you let us help you with that till the end," Diana took the shopping bags from the woman''s hands and gave one to Jin while carrying the other in her hand. "You two are really kind," The womanplimented. A thankful smile formed on her face as she made her way inside the building. Jin and Diana followed her. A whileter, they exited the lift and finally entered the woman''s apartment. "Wee to my home, you two can sit there," The woman pointed at the drawing room and continued, "Treat it like your own home, I''ll go inside and change first," With that said, the woman went inside her room. Feeling a soft hand nudging at his wrist, Jin handed his bag to Diana and sat on the couch to his right. Diana, too, arrived and sat beside him after cing the bags on the dining table beside the refrigerator. "So, care to exin everything that happened in a more detailed manner?" She asked Jin. Earlier Jin had only given a brief exnation to her and now that they were alone she wanted to know more about the incident that had transpired when she was withdrawing her cash. "Around a minuteter after you were gone amotion started on the other end of the street and attracted my attention¡­" Jin knowing that Diana would not let go of him if he didn''t exin the full story to her began his exnation. "No wonder! No wonder she''s so grateful and even invited us for lunch. Now it all makes sense," Diana was finally able to make sense of the woman''s behaviour. At the same time, she felt pleased inside after knowing what Jin had done. Diana wrapped her hand around Jin''s neck all of a sudden and gently flicked Jin''s nose with her finger, "My Jinny''s so heroic," Seeing Diana''s coquettish sideing out Jin''s eyes gleamed in delight. He was about to give an apt reply however a sound from behind made him stop. "Looks like the two of you really took my words when I said to treat it like your own home," A yful remark came from the two''s back making them turn their head. The woman stood there with a yful expression on her face. Diana immediately retreated her arm that was around Jin''s neck and her face was brimming with embarrassment. Too embarrassed to look the woman in the eye Diana could only stare at the ground. Diana looked like a child who had been caught red-handed while stealing candies. ''How cute,'' Jin thought when he looked at her. Her behaviour now was inplete contrast with her earlier bold one.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om The woman didn''t pursue this topic any more as she well understood how energetic young couples were. "I''ll start making the lunch now, you two can rx and watch the television," She said to rx the two of them and turned towards the table to grab the shopping bags before walking towards the kitchen. Diana sighed in relief when the woman left and red at Jin who was snickering at her. "I''ll go and help her with the cooking," The next moment she stood up from her seat and went to the kitchen to help the woman with the cooking. Left alone, Jin could only turn on the television to pass his time. In the kitchen. "I''m sorry about earlier," Diana apologised to the woman. Hearing this the woman smiled and replied, "At your age I''ve done such adventurous things with my husband as well, no need to apologise. Can you get me some carrots from the refrigerator?" "Sure," Diana replied with a smile and started helping her with the kitchen work. "What''s your name dear?" The woman asked Diana as her hand stirred the pan. "It''s Diana," Diana replied while chopping the vegetables. "What a sweet name, I''m Yn, Refer to me as Mrs Walt though since I have preferred that name ever since I got married," The woman replied gleefully. "Got it, Mrs. Walt," Diana replied as a sudden thought entered her mind. ''Won''t I be called Mrs ker after getting married?'' A subtle smile formed on her face as a result. "You''re thinking of him aren''t you?" Mrs Waltmented the next moment when she noticed Diana''s expression. Diana could only nod in embarrassment after being caught in the act like this. "Haha, let''s get the food ready, My husband would be back for lunch in a while as well," Mrs Walt added with augh and the two of them busied themselves with the cooking. Chapter 118 Talk with Anderson (E) Thud Anderson closed the door of his car and made his way inside his apartment building. A sigh escaped his mouth as he did so. These past weeks had been very disappointimg for him. His slouched manner of walking clearly expressed that. A few days back when he went to watch the movie ''Smile Please'' he was impressed beyond measure. The very next day he contacted Jin''s agency to request him to act in his movie. However, he was told that the actor was not epting any work at the moment. Therefore, his request was included with the rest of the requests. Hearing this Anderson rushed towards the agency to talk with their people face to face but the result was the same. He could only walk out of the agency disappointed. Due to the limited time, Anderson could only start auditioning a fresh batch of actors for the lead role. However, only more disappointment awaited him. Not one of them matched his requirements! He had been conducting the auditions ever since and the results were the same even today. Thoroughly disappointed, Anderson walked towards the elevator defeatedly, pressed the arrow pointing upwards and got inside. "If only getting Jin to act in my film was possible¡­" Anderson muttered to himself and sighed yet again. A whileter he was standing outside his apartment''s door and pressed the doorbell. Ring Yn who was kneading the dough suddenly stopped and muttered, "It must be my husband," She was about to wipe the dough off her hands with a cloth but Diana stopped her. "Jin, can you open the door, please? We are a little busy," Diana''s voice came from the kitchen. Hearing her Jin pushed himself off the couch and arrived at the door. Diana had already informed him that Mrs Walt''s husband would being. Jin unlocked the door and pulled it towards himself. "What took you so long?" Anderson was about to ask his wife why she took longer than usual to open the door, but the words got stuck in his mouth. His eyes widened and jaw ckened the moment Jin''s figure appeared in his eyes. However, this surprise didn''tst long. He raised his right hand the next moment to massage his eyes. "Looks like theck of sleep is taking its toll on me," He expected Jin''s figure to be reced with that of Yn the next moment but nothing of that sort happened. Jin looked at what was happening in front of him with an amused expression. He felt that he should say something so he opened his mouth, "Sorry for the intrusion Mr Walt, Mrs Walt has invited¡­" "It''s the same voice as well¡­" Anderson muttered to himself the moment Jin opened his mouth and the next moment tightly grabbed Jin''s upper arms with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Jin! You''re Jin ker right?! It''s reality and not a dream right?!" With desperation in his voice Anderson conveyed his thoughts. Enjoy new tales from empire ''Is he a fan?'' Jin thought to himself at this sudden development. "Yes, it''s not a dream. It is indeed me," Jin said while scratching the back of his head. "Good heavens!" Anderson eximed in joy but the next moment a question appeared in his mind. "Why are you in my house though?" Anderson asked all of a sudden. Hearing all thismotion Yn and Diana soon made their way out of the kitchen to see what was happening. When Anderson''s eye caught Yn''s figure he immediately asked, "Honey what''s going on? Why is he here?" Seeing how agitated her husband seemed Yn frowned but exined everything to him the next moment. A minuteter. "What luck!" Anderson eximed with joy the and continued, "Just when I had given up on meeting him fate made me meet him like this haha~" "What are you on about?" Yn asked with a frown. Jin and Diana too watched what was happening with confusion clear in their eyes. "He''s Jin ker! The one I''ve been rambling on about all these days. Whose movie you refused to go and watch with me stating that you would rather read a book than watch a film¡­remember now?" Anderson quickly cleared her confusion. Yn''s eyes widened at this revtion as well. Her husband had been in a sore mood all this while because of this reason, how could she not realise how fortunate this encounter was for him? "Fate really loves to y with people," Yn shook her head in relief and continued while looking at Jin, "It seems my husband has something to discuss with you, why don''t the two of you converse with each other? The food will take a bit more time to get ready," With that said Yn and Diana entered the kitchen once again. In the kitchen. "Mrs Walt, why was your husband looking for Jin?" Diana asked her when they were inside. "He''s a director you see, a very talented one at that," Yn said with pride in her eyes and continued, "After watching your boyfriend''s film he had been adamant on working with him only to end up being disappointed¡­hopefully things would work out for him this time," "Ah! I see," Diana nodded as everything made sense to her now. She felt pleased knowing that there were people who wanted to work with Jin so desperately. A sense of pride welled up in her because of this. The women then busied themselves with the cooking while the men were busy with their own discussion in the drawing room. "So you want me to work in your film because the lead actormitted a crime and you do not want to tarnish the movie''s reputation because of this?" Jin replied after hearing Anderson''s words. "That''s how it came about but the main reason is that I was mesmerized by your acting! I know that you would fit perfectly well in that role, it''s just made for you," Anderson exined. Jin gave a short chuckle at thispliment. He had long grown use topliments by now. He wasn''t much interested in doing another film any time soon but still out of politeness he asked Anderson, "What''s the film about?" "In short, It''s a Spy film." Anderson told in the briefest manner possible. "A spy film you say?" Jin''s uninterested eyes developped a gleam when be heard this and he continued, "Care to exin in a more detailed manner?" Seeing that Jin seemed interested Anderson immediately exined, "It''s like this. A man infiltrates the enemy country and joins its upper ss with efforts. He attends various high-level functions and as a result gets acquainted with many people of the higher sses and uses the information he gets from them as per the need. Throughout this time he struggles with whether to keep acting as a spy or ept his new identity.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om In short, it''s a movie filled with action, suspense, and mystery and will keep the audience anticipating what is going to happen next at each moment," Words came out of Anderson''s mouth as if he had memorised them but that was not the case. He had read the script so many times that the story was glued to his mind now. He truly loved the concept and felt that with proper execution this would surely catch the audience''s attention. "Mr. Anderson, it looks like you''ve managed to convince me," Jin said a few secondster. He himself was a hitman so the idea of acting like a spy attracted him and that was the reason why he had agreed. However, there was something he needed to make clear first. "About the shooting, I''ll be busy with some work until Wednesday so till then you can talk with my manager and get the paperwork done. I hope that won''t be a problem?" Jin asked for confirmation after stating his condition. "Problem? No problem at all!" Anderson readily agreed. A dy of three days won''t hurt him a lot and it was something he''ll be able to manage. "Lunch is ready!" Yn''s voice called them a couple of minutester. Chapter 119 Gearing Up (E) Over the dining table wereid several mouth-watering delicacies. Jin and Anderson''s stomach almost growled from joy when they saw this scene. Noticing their expressions Yn said, "Diana helped me a lot, if not for her it would have been difficult to prepare this much," Diana felt embarrassed when Yn gave her this much credit, when in reality, she only followed what was asked of her and, in the process, learnt a lot.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Yn just winked at Diana when she saw her expression and gestured towards Jin with her eyes. Seeing this, Diana''s gaze went towards Jin and she saw an impressed expression on his face. "That''s amazing," Jin praised. "It looks great," Anderson added. The two''s words brought great joy to Yn and Diana. With a smile, they told their partners to sit and started serving them before taking a seat themselves. Now that they were all seated together, Yn told Anderson everything in detail about what had happened to her outside the convenience store and how Jin had saved her by dealing with that man. When Anderson learned what his wife had gone through he couldn''t help but clench his fists. However, when he heard how Jin had saved his wife from that assaulter a deep sense of gratefulness washed over him. Until now he was only seeing Jin through his professional lens but now a part of him had epted him as something much deeper. As a result, various light-hearted conversations were initiated across the table one after another and everyone bonded well with each other. By the end of their small dining session, it felt as if they had known each other for months. After washing their hands they all talked for a little until post-lunch drowsiness started to set in. "We''ll be going then Mrs Walt, thank you for the amazing food," Diana said while standing up along with Jin. "The pleasure was all mine. Feel free toe here from time to time. I would love thepany," Yn replied with a genuine smile on her face. "We sure will," Diana replied back sincerely. Generally, she didn''t get along well with older women but with Yn, she felt like she was talking to a young person her age. Yn would never let Diana feel that she was with someone older than herself and that she should act in moderation and with proper decorum. That''s what Diana came to love about her. "So I''ll be contacting your manager in the evening," Anderson replied. "Got it Mr Anderson We''ll meet again on Thursday then," Jin nodded and shook hands with him before leaving their apartment under their smiling gazes. "That was exhausting," Jin sighed when he got back to the car. "Was it? I enjoyed Mrs Walt''spany a lot though," Diana said while putting on her seat belt. "It''s just that I''ve never been showered with this much affection from strangers before. I only helped Mrs Walt a little bit. However, the way she told the story to Mr Anderson seemed as if I was a Superman who hade to save her from potential death," Jin said what was in his mind. "Look at you down-ying your role. In her eyes of course you would look like a Superman. She would have definitely been frightened beyondparison after being hit so hard by that man and just when he was about to attack her again you came. Isn''t that what Superman does? It might have been easy for you since you''re good at fighting but does it matter? You did a good job and I ended up falling for my Jinny yet again," Diana ended her words with a light-hearted joke and smiled. Hearing this Jin chuckled and said yfully, "Looks like we''re going to be busy tonight," "Isn''t that a definite?" Diana said while looking at Jin with expectant eyes. Jin''s gaze met Diana''s for a short period as he replied while smiling, "Yes..yes it is," The car engine started the next moment and they finally left the ce. Time passed, The next day after dropping Diana to her office Jin reached his hotel room by 8:00 AM. He decided to freshen up first. The warm watering out of the shower faucet soon embraced him. With the titter-tatter sound of the water droplets Jin''s mind became calmer and clearer as he enjoyed the moment to the fullest. "What if¡­" Suddenly an idea popped up in his mind. This forced him to hurry up with his showering session. When he exited the bathroom the first thing he did was to pick up a phone which was safely kept inside a drawer. He opened the KIA app on the phone and started checking up on the various avable missions. "It really is there¡­" Jin muttered to himself in jubtion. Several missions for killing the ministers who would be at the swearing-in-ceremony were posted on the app. Jin immediately found the one he was looking for. ''Robert Potreigo¡­Reward: 50 Million Draks.'' It was like killing two birds with a single arrow so Jin naturally weed this mission and immediately epted it. It wasn''t just the money Jin was after but the mission points he would be receiving on the app. After this mission, he would finally qualify for the rank promotion exam. He didn''t know what was the rank above Killer in the organization yet so a part of him was very excited about it. With this done, Jin removed the towel wrapped around his waist and changed to a suitable attire before going outside. He changed his appearance to that of a random passerby he had touched along the way and stopped at Rennard Street. It was 8:30 AM. Anil''s office started at 10 AM so he was still at home. Jin stood outside his house in wait and starting that point was on Anil''s tail the whole until tomorrow evening. He was now familiar with everything that he needed to know for the smoothpletion of his mission. Chapter 120 Finishing a Job (E) "Bye Nandana!" Anil waved at his fourteen-year-old sister as the bus started moving. Nandana waved back at him while looking down from the window seat. A sweet smileced with embarrassment was stered on her face. With this done, Anil turned around and walked towards his apartment building. Today was a big day for him. A day that was going to increase his chances for promotion. With the promotion, his sry would increase by a lot which was what he was looking forward to. It was only a matter of time before his sister would grow and he would be required to pay more money for her tuition and coaching sses. Just thinking of all the money he would need in the future gave him a headache. However, he soon shook those thoughts away and reced them with the image of his sister in a ck gown and holding a degree in her hand. A smile formed on his face as he made his way to his floor through the elevator. "Don''t you dare mess it up!" He motivated himself while staring at his reflection in the mirror ced inside the elevator. The elevator''s door opened and Anil made his way towards his apartment''s door. He brought out his keychain and ced it in the slot. The door unlocked. However, the next moment his vision darkened as he felt a sharp pain near his neck. Jin caught Anil''s body which was about to fall and dragged it inside the apartment before closing the door from inside. Jin searched Anil''s body and recovered his smartphone. He unlocked it and looked for the information he wanted. Just like he had expected there was a group made in his phone in the chat app, particrly for today''s function. He went through the messages and got the jist of what he needed to do. Jin then changed his appearance to that of Anil''s. He had already worn a shirt which was a bitrger in size for him so clothing didn''t pose a problem for Jin. Jin took Anil''s phone and ced it in his pocket in case he might need it there at the ceremony. His gaze then went towards Anil''s room. A whileter Jin returned from there with an ID which had been specifically provided to Anil and his team members. The ID had the word, ''PRESS'' written on it in bold. With this done, Jin took out a lock from one of the drawers and exited the apartment after locking the door shut. It was almost 8 AM right now and Jin was supposed to reach the venue by 8:30 AM so that they could make the preparations. He had adequate time to make it to the venue. Jin booked a cab and a whileter reached the destination. There he met the other team members in the designated spot and interacted with them in the manner Anil would. His memories helped Jin to pull off this act. They all were then properly frisked by the security personnel who then finally allowed them inside. It was a huge open hall and was richly decorated for the asion. The team soon decided on suitable spots and began setting up the cameras. Jin did it skillfully just the way Anil was supposed to and after an hour''s time their preparations were finallyplete. It was 10 AM right now and the program was to begin at 10:30 AM. Guests have starteding and the empty seats were getting filled up one by one. Half an hourter, the hall was fully packed. All the ministers were seated in the front row. The area was surrounded from all sides by the security personnel who were all on alert mode throughout. The program finally started. Introductions were made by the host whichsted for half an hour. The audiences who were close patrons of many of these ministers pped for them with gleeful smiles on their faces. Finally at 11:00 AM. The president was called up on the stage. Military personals could be seen beside him as he made his way to the podium. To the uninitiated, who werepletely unaware of how dirty the hands of these ministers were, this scene would invoke a sense of pride inside them. However, to Jin, it was all simr to a theatre performance. Jin snorted as the prime minister went to the stage and read his oath where words like mitment'', ''honesty'', and ''integrity'' came out of his mouth. After the prime minister, it was time for other cab ministers toe on the stage. The security personnel whose awareness had heightened when the prime minister went on the stage rxed a little seeing nothing had happened to him. Their focus dropped a bitparatively as a result when other cab ministers were called to the stage. It was for this reason that they were taken by surprise when Jin took action. Pew! A bullet escaped from a pistol which was hidden among some camera equipment and went right past Robert Potreigo''s head. Blood sttered everywhere as a lifeless body fell soonafter. Seeing the Minister of Road and Transport copsing on the ground chaos ensued on the scene. The security personnel rushed to evacuate other dignitaries to safety before trying their best to find the shooter.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om No matter where they looked for clues they couldn''t find any. They even checked the recordings but still couldn''t find anything significant. They even frisked everyone once again but still didn''t manage to get hold of any weapon. In the end, the security personnel were left scratching their heads while the head of security was gnashing his teeth in frustration. He was most likely going to be sacked. After being tantly frisked all over by the security personnel Jin made his way out of the hall and separated from his team members. His job here was over. Jin caught a bus and got out at the next stop. He found a quiet corner and changed back to his own appearance. He was about to go back to the hotel but suddenly felt something in his pocket. ''Oh yeah, let me return his phone to him,'' With that thought Jin booked a cab and went back to Rennard Street. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 121 Slip (E) "Ugh!" Anil moaned in pain as his consciousness returned. While rubbing his right side of the neck he opened his eye as his blurry vision returned to normal. A secondter he immediately remembered about the ceremony and turned his head towards the clock. "No¡­it can''t be¡­." Anil''s eyes widened as he immediately pushed himself off the floor. Despair was evident on his face. He reached for his phone the next moment only to realise it was not their in his side pocket. "Where did I ce it?!" Like a crazed man, he started looking for his phone all around the house only to find nothing. With each passing second he was bing more and more nervous but that didn''t seem to help him in any way. Anil hit his head with his fists a couple of times while muttering to himself, "Remember it! Remember it godammit!" No matter how much he tried to remember he couldn''t remember anything. He didn''t even know how he ended up on the floor. Thest thing that he remembered was entering the apartment after dropping off his sister. Five minutester he finally gave up on finding his phone and decided to rush to his office instead. However, the moment Anil tried to open the door he found it locked. "What the hell?!" Bam! Bam! Bam! He tried to m open the door, but it was ineffective. With his paltry strength, he had no hope of breaking it. "Somebody! Open the door!" As a result, he could only rely on attracting somebody''s attention while banging on the door continuously. A pity, all his neighbours on the floor were at work right now. No matter how many times he banged and called for help there was no response from the other side. A few momentster, he finally stopped his futile attempts. His head turned towards the small balcony, and he seemed to have made a decision. ''I must reach the office no matter what,'' Anil thought the next second and approached the balcony. Losing the job meant that he would be unable to provide for his sister. While all this was going on Jin finally reached Rennard Street. He got off the taxi and in a quiet corner changed into Anil''s appearance. There was a CCTV camera near the apartment''s entrance so he didn''t want to take any chance. With Anil''s appearance, Jin made his way towards Anil''s apartment. He entered the elevator and pressed the button with ''4th Floor'' written on it. Soon after he arrived at the front of the apartment, unlocked the door and finally opened it up. "Fuck!" At this moment Anil''s body was hanging down from the balcony''s railing like a kite. His leg had no hold and his arms were the only thing that kept him from falling down. Fifty feet below him was a secluded parking space with not much human presence. It was only when Anil shifted all his weight to his arms that were holding the railing that he understood that hecked the strength to enact this n of his. "I can''t die yet!" Anil no longer cared about the job. As long as he was alive he could struggle and find another job for himself. While grittimg his teeth Anil pulled himself up with all his might until his head was above the railings. By this point, he was exhausted and his forearms were burning but he was still not out of danger. He still needed to pull himself a bit more to secure a foothold. It was then that he noticed the door opening. ''Great! It must be my sister, I can ask for her help!'' This thought appeared in Anil''s mind when he saw the door opening. In his precarious situation the thought that it was too early for her sister to return home never urred to him. What happened the next moment shocked his very being. A man with the same appearance as his entered his house and started looking around as if searching for something or someone. The next moment when his gaze met with Anil''s his eyes widened in surprise and he immediately rushed towards the balcony to help him. Anil seeing the figure that looked exactly like him running towards him lost his bearing. The hand which had been holding himself there for so long momentarily lost its strength and slipped. Both Jin''s and Anil''s eyes widened at this development. "Help-!" That was thest words that left Anil''s mouth. Thud! Smash! A loud noise entered Jin''s ears a secondter as Anil''s bodyy lifelessly on top of a smashed roof of the car. A pool of blood started forming around him soon after. "Fuck! What the hell was he thinking?!" Jin eximed in frustration. He rushed downstairs in a hurry to assess the situation. While he was making his way downstairs Jin called up the ambnce on Anil''s phone which was with him. When he reached the ce Jin saw a few people had already started gathering around Anil. They were whispering things among each other, some were taking photographs while a few were calling the ambnce on their phones. Seeing the people the earlier thought of helping soon faded away from Jin''s mind. He realized that his appearance was still that of Anil''s and decided to retreat to a secluded region. After changing his appearance to that of a random person Jin joined the crowd and stayed their while waiting for the ambnce. Nobody tried to move Anil fearing that they might worsen his state. An ambnce arrived soon after. "GreenField Hospital" That''s what the name on the ambnce said. The medical professionals immediately rushed out, carefully ced Anil''s body on a stretcher and carried him back to the ambnce. A middle-ageddy who knew Anil''s identity also sat inside the ambnce and it left soon after. Seeing all this happening Jin felt a sense of guilt, pity and sadness welling up inside him. Normally he would have just termed it as an unfortunate ident and left the scene but the problem was Anil''s memories. They invoked in him a sense of empathy for him and his sister. This feeling was also why he had made sure that no doubt wouldy upon him regarding the assassination today...but it seemed that all of efforts were for naught. Jin soon booked a cab and went to the hospital to assess the situation there. After asking his way out in the hospital Jin soon found his way to the emergency ward.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Outside the ward when Jin saw thedy who hade along with the ambnce sitting on a seat nearby. Tension was apparent on her face. Jin approached thedy and passed the Anil''s phone to her. "I found this not far from the ce he fell, I think it belongs to him," Jin said. "Oh, thank you," Thedy thanked him and epted the phone. "How''s he doing?" Jin asked her. "His condition is very severe, that''s what the doctors said when I asked. I hope everything goes well¡­he even has a little sister. Just what would go through her if after losing her parents she would also lose her brother now," Thedymented. Jin talked with her for a few moments and got to know that she was familiar with the little sister that''s how she was able to figure out Anil''s identity. "Um, young man, can you do me a favour?" Thedy asked all of a sudden. "What is it?" Jin asked. "Can you bring his sister here? All I know is that she''s a student in Wellswart School and is in 9th grade¡­" Thedy requested. "All right," Jin replied. He understood what she was worried about. Chapter 122 Anils Fate (E) An hourter. Jin picked up Anil''s sister, Nandana, from her school. They were currently in a cab and were going to the hospital. She sat next to Jin, with a pale face and sped hands that kept on fidgeting. Seeing her like this pained Jin''s heart, as he was entirely responsible for what was happening to this family. He could only hope that Anil''s treatment would go alright and he would be fine. When the cab stopped at the hospital, the girl immediately rushed out of the cab and ran inside. Jin didn''t stop her as he understood the turmoil her mind was under. He paid the cab driver and soon made his way inside. When Jin arrived outside the emergency ward he saw a situation he wasn''t expecting. Nandana was crying her lungs out while being in the embrace of thedy who had apanied Anil to the hospital. Thedy tried hard tofort Nandana but the pain in her voice showed no signs of alleviation. Jin immediately approached the two of them to understand the situation. Thedy seemed to have noticed Jin''s presence. When her eyes met Jin''s she just shook her head towards him. ''Anil was dead'' That''s what it meant and it came as a shocker to Jin. Without saying anything he just turned around and started walking with his head pointing slightly downwards. A whileter his figure came out of the hospital and walked towards the open park behind the hospital. Seeing an empty seat not far away from him Jin approached it and sat down. ''Just how many families have I ruined until now?'' Jin asked himself this question and gave out a dry chuckle. It was a chuckle filled with self-mockery. All this while he had been indiscriminately killing his targets without taking this question into ount. The reason was simple, he didn''t care whether they died or not. He still did not care about them if he was being honest.N?v(el)B\\jnn However, these memory fragments which he got from the system gave him a full glimpse of the times Anil shared with his sister. The good times, the bad times, their struggles, their happiness¡­everything. The mournful image of Nandana shed in his mind once again and Jin tightened his fists in anger. Anger that was directed towards himself. If he could have handled things better Anil wouldn''t have died. Now without a brother won''t she be left all alone? Wasn''t it simr to what had happened to him? His parents were killed and he was left to provide for himself all alone. If not for the system he would have continued to live in the way he had been living,pletely devoid of hope. "No, I can''t let her go through the same things," Jin said to himself after a couple of minutes and pushed himself off the bench. ¡­ Thedy, Mrs. Rossel, lived in the building next to Anil''s. Every afternoon she had a habit of going out for a stroll and during this time she used to meet Nandana from time to time as she returned from school. Their interactions grew with time with Mrs Rossel even inviting Nandana for lunch at her ce several times. She saw in Nandana the reflection of a child she never had. Mrs. Rossel''s past was also filled with gloom. After marrying the love of her life when she thought that everything was going well for her she was hit with the torrential news that she could never be a mother. Her husband who had supported andforted her for years left the world just a decade after their marriage. Thus, she had been living all alone for all these years in the apartment which her husband had bought for them. She was currently discussing with the hospital staff about the payments rted to the pre-death treatment that was given to Anil. While the hospital empathised with Nandana''s situation and wrote off half of the payments there was still a considerable amount left to pay. For Mrs. Rossel who was barely surviving with the pension money she had received from her husband''s workce, it was a hefty sum. Just then she saw Jin''s figure approaching and approached him for help as she exined the whole situation to him. "I''ll definitely repay the amount with time, so you don''t need to worry about that. I can even give you my phone number and address so you know that I''m not running away with the money¡­" Mrs. Rossel added at the end to emphasize the fact that she was really in need of the money as she had taken the responsibility of bing Nandana''s legal guardian and therefore she needed to spend her money carefully. Jin patiently listened to her and admired how she was willing to help Nandana in this situation. He knew that she was just their neighbour and not rted to them by blood. However, she was still willing to go that far for Nandana''s sake. ''If maybe I had someone like this at that time my fate would have been something different,'' Jin mused to himself. "How much money do you need?" Jin asked her. "200,000 Draks. I''ve already paid 300,000 from my side but the total bill is of 500,000 and I need to save something to manage Nandana''s life as well," Mrs. Rossel exined. Jin immediately transferred the required sum of money to the hospital andpleted the transaction. Mrs. Rossel was extremely grateful to Jin. Even when she had asked Jin for help she knew that the chances of him helping her were almost zero but to her surprise he ended up helping her pay the required sum of money. While she was immersed in this sense of gratefulnes, Jin took a paper from the administration office and wrote something on it and passed it to Mrs. Rossel. "What''s this?" Mrs. Rossel looked at the paper with a furrowed expression. "If there''s ever a need of more money, be sure to call this number," With that said, Jin bid his goodbye and left the administration office. With a woman like this in her life, Jin was sure that Nandana''s future would be different. Outside the office Jin, nced at Nandana''s grieving figure sitting on a bench not far away from them onest time before turning around and leaving the hospital. He hoped that she would be able toe out of this trauma soon. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 123 Abroad (E) wednesday evening. sea??h th§× n??el fire.n§×t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.in the last three days, flora had been working like crazy. find your next read on empire it seemed as if being on the brink of death made her realise how crucial each moment was and therefore she devoted her everything to her work as a result. at least, that''s what she had intended, but a constant thought prevented her from fully immersing herself to her work. "how should i tackle this problem¡­" flora thought to herself while driving her way back to the hotel. ''while that man helped me by dealing with gordon¡­there''s still his brother-in-law¡­what if he still passes the bill,'' with gordon gone flora was unsure whether the man named robert potreigo would continue with passing the bill. "if push comes to shove i''ll just set up the company abroad," flora muttered to herself decisively. at 9 pm when flora reached the room she was dead tired and just wanted to sleep. she slammed herself on the couch to take a breather. she still couldn''t sleep because she needed to make a video presentation. rubbing her aching temples, she reached for the remote. she hoped the television would help relieve her mood a little. turning it on, she changed to a music channel and her mind calmed down a bit. a while later, feeling a bit energised she pushed herself off the couch and went to the washroom for a bath. when she returned she was all charged up and ready to tackle that video presentation. ''let''s watch the news a little while at it,'' flora thought to herself. while her laptop was being booted up she changed the tv channel. "mp robert potreigo, assasinated!" "police have started a probe, no clues so far!" various headlines bombarded the screen when she changed the channel and attracted flora''s attention. "this¡­" william''s face appeared in flora''s mind the moment she read this news but she shook her head the next moment. "no, how can that be," flora rejected that absurd thought and instead focused on the news. the more she watched it, the wider her smile became. with this, no external factor could threaten her ambition. she then busied herself withbher work with added vigour. meanwhile, jin was in the gym doing cardio. there were many thoughts in his mind thanks to today''s incident. to calm those thoughts down he was giving his everything to the cardio session today. an hour later, a sweat-drenched jin finally got off the treadmill and walked out of the gym. after freshening up when jin was all set for a good night''s rest he received a call from dylan. "yes?" jin said after picking up the phone. "i had a thorough discussion with mr anderson. the film would take around six more months to be complete so taking into account the lifa awards scheduled in a month and half''s time it was decided that the scenes for which a lot of travelling is required will be done first," dylan said without wasting any time with the small talk. "travelling? where to?" jin inquired as he sat on the bed. "phone!¡­ game! game!" a voice different than that of dylan''s came from the otherside of the phone. "wait for five minutes richy, daddy is on an important call," "no! game! game!...uwahhhhh!" hearing the commotion going on the other side jin couldn''t help but chuckle to himself. after handing his son to his wife dylan said on the phone, "sorry about that, my son wanted to play some game on my phone," "i understand. it''s good to see that he started speaking now. how old was he again?" jin asked. "three and a half years, but man he''s even more demanding than an adult," dylan sighed from the other side. "yep, i just heard that. by the way, how''s your wife doing? it should be next month right?" jin asked thinking about something. "indeed, in the last check up the doctor said that we can expect the day to be around the end of the next month," dylan replied as a smile formed on his face. "look at you sounding so happy," jin teased from the other side. "haha! why wouldn''t i? i''m going to be the father of two children soon," dylan finally couldn''t contain his joy and expressed himself. he talked about all the things he was looking forward to when he would welcome his second child. a while later the conversation was finally shifted back to work. "so where are we travelling?" jin asked. however, his question was returned with another question. "you have a passport don''t you?" dylan asked. "i don''t¡­wait! we''re going abroad?!" jin couldn''t help but ask. dylan snickered listening to jin''s surprised voice and replied, "yes we are. you better go and apply for a passport tomorrow understand?" "wait! where are going?" jin asked. "quite a lot of places in umi desert and from there we''ll also be going to morose for a few scenes. our schedules will be fully packed during the 20 days we''ll be there," dylan explained. after getting a few more of his questions answered jin finally hung up the call. he was beaming with excitement just thinking about the future. he had never dreamt that he would be going abroad until now and a lot of thoughts started popping up in his mind. as a result, only after a lot of turning around on the bed did jin finally managed to fall asleep. the next day, jin filled out an application to receive his passport and then went to visit anderson. anderson had planned a small tea party to familiarize jin with the crew members and jin used this opportunity to greet everyone. since he had made a name for himself in his first film, everyone was more than willing to get to know and get familiar with him. "here," anderson passed a bundle of sheets to jin at the end of the party. "that''s the script. familiarize yourself with it this week and ask me anything at the end of the week when we meet at the airport," anderson said. "got it," jin nodded. they all were going to be busy with passport and visa-related stuff the following days. two days later, jin finally got his passport. looking at the black cover with the words, ''republic of valeyria'' written on it in golden colour jin couldn''t help but feel pleased. he traced his fingers over the passport''s cover as excitement filled up within him. a/n: check comments section. Chapter 124 Future (E) jin''s hand reached for the doorbell and pressed it.ring! ring! just a few seconds later the door was opened by a mature-looking woman with a protruding stomach. the moment jin and diana saw her the following words escaped their mouth with a smile, "good evening mrs pierce," "good evening! come in please!" mrs pierce gestured for the two of them to come inside. as they were making their way in diana handed over the bag that she was carrying in her hands to mrs pierce and said, "chocolates, i heard richy likes them," mrs pierce accepted the bag containing a box of chocolates and said while smiling, "thank you so much, richy loves chocolates," as if alerted by the word ''chocolate'' being mentioned a little head suddenly popped out from the curtain and glanced at them. "see, he''s already eyeing them," mrs. pierce chuckled as she pointed towards him. diana and jin turned their heads towards richy only for him to hide behind the curtains once again. "richy look, this big sister has brought chocolates for you, won''t you come and say thank you to her?" mrs pierce tried to encourage richy with her words. richy''s little head once again popped out of the curtains and glanced at the two strangers whom he was seeing for the first time. seeing the hesitancy plastered on the cute little face a smile naturally formed on diana''s face. richy''s eyes gazed at diana''s smiling face and then back at his mother''s face as if to confirm whether it was safe for him to approach. seeing this mrs pierce nodded encouragingly. richy then slowly got out of the curtains and made his way towards diana. seeing this diana sat on her knees and waved her hand towards richy cheerily. "hello richy!" "h-hello¡­" richy too replied back and started waving back at her with an innocent smile. "richy now say thank you to the big sister, she has brought these chocolates for you," mrs pierce encouraged richy to thank diana as she showed richy the box of chocolates. great delight immediately appeared on richy''s face when he saw the brightly coloured chocolate box. "thank you¡­siter!" richy said to diana. "it''s sister richy not siter, now say it again, sister," mrs pierce corrected. find more to read at empire "siter!" richy tried again with the same enthusiasm. seeing this mrs pierce could only shake her head and sigh. "you''re welcome richy," diana giggled at this interaction and patted richy''s small head. s§×ar?h the novel?ire(.)ne*t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. richy''s smile brightened after the pat and then he approached his mother for the chocolates. "if you eat it now then i won''t give you today''s sweet dish," erika warned richy. in the end, richy could only relent when he heard these words. disappointment was clearly written on his face. diana couldn''t help but chuckle again seeing richy''s expressive self. "you seem to be enjoying yourself," jin commented from behind. "of course, don''t tell me you aren''t. he''s so cute and honest with his feelings that one can''t help but smile," diana commented. "that''s true," jin said but his gaze didn''t left diana. her eyes conveyed something to him. just then dylan arrived with an apron tied around his waist and said, "you guys arrived right on time, i''m done with all the preparations," "don''t tell me it''s you who made the dinner?" jin couldn''t help but ask in surprise. he didn''t know that dylan could cook as well. "i don''t want to give the two of you food poisoning. my wife did most of the cooking, i only gave her a hand here and there," dylan remarked. dylan''s wife, erika, couldn''t help but chuckle at his words. the four of them then arrived at the drawing room and started chatting with each other while nibbling on the snacks. "it''s my first time seeing you miss diana, jin talks about you a lot you know, during our initial days when he was pursuit you he used to come and ask me for dating tips," dylan couldn''t help but say while chuckling. "he did?" diana couldn''t help but ask with genuine surprise on her face as she glanced back at jin. jin couldn''t help but feel a bit embarrassed at this revelation. "yep, not only that, but he even made notes on the tips i would give them. it sure was entertaining to see," dylan further added after being encouraged by diana''s surprised reaction. "that''s enough dylan," jin was forced to interfere as a result. "oops my bad," dylan chuckled and changed the topic of discussion. the two women were disappointed by it and could only sigh internally. half an hour later. diana and erika had familiarised themselves with each other very well by now. it could be said by how they started referring to each other by their names. since erika was only twenty-nine years old there was not much of an age gap between her and diana who was twenty-four. they would have continued for another half an hour without any issue if not for richy''s words. "daddy¡­i''m hungry¡­" richy said while pulling on his father''s hand. dylan''s eyes finally shifted to the clock as he said, "it''s already 9:30 pm, let''s eat," erika too nodded and before long the food was served on the table. while eating the food also several conversations were carried out across the table which made eating even more delightful for all of them. "so after the lifa awards the two of you are planning to get married," erika said to diana who was sitting beside her. "yes, that''s what we have decided," diana nodded. "that''s great news, call me anytime if you need help with the planning. my sister is a wedding planner so i could definitely help with that," erika suggested. "really?! that''s great news. jin and i were about to look for a wedding planner soon anyway," diana replied. "i''ll message her number to you after dinner," erika said as she passed the sweet dish to richy who started eating them with delight. "he''s so cute. i''ve heard that raising a child is very frustrating and difficult but when i see you, i don''t think that''s the case," diana couldn''t help but let out her thoughts. "that''s because i''ve learned to not show it on my face with time," erika shook her head and added, "at first, it was truly frustrating for me to manage richy all by myself, especially when dylan was busy with his work but it''s something you get used to with time," "the difficulty hasn''t decreased with time but seeing that small child who could barely open his eyes growing up made it all worth it in the end," erika said with a smile as she gazed at richy who was unaware of what they were talking about. noticing erika''s gaze richy turned his head towards her. "is it tasty?" erika asked. "yes, very tatty...mommy food gud hehe~" richy replied cheerfully making both erika and diana smile. a subtle hint of jealousy was hidden in diana''s smile. after dinner, they all relaxed while chatting with each other in the drawing room and finally, it was time to say good night. "see you in four days!" jin bid dylan goodbye. diana too exchanged a friendly hug with erika and followed after jin. when the two were inside the car diana said, "it was a lovely night," "you liked her cooking so much?" jin asked jokingly. "not the food. i mean their company¡­especially richy, i could barely take my eyes off him. he''s so cute that i want to gobble him all up," diana chuckled as she remembered richy''s cute antics. jin suddenly brought his phone close to his ears and said, "hello, yes, fbi, this woman right next to me..." "i didn''t mean it like that, you know that!" diana replied in an annoyed manner. "haha! i know," jin chuckled and calmed her down before turning on the ignition and driving towards diana''s apartment. he planned to stay with diana for the next few days as he would be gone for twenty or so days because of the shooting. diana naturally welcomed the decision. when they entered the apartment after freshening up a passionate exchange of love ensued. however unlike usual, something about jin felt unusual to diana. his gaze seemed different. ''he seems anxious ?'' diana thought. the two bodies finally were on the bed and diana''s mind got clouded by jin''s dextrous actions that she could no longer pay attention to her earlier thought. twenty minutes later. it was only when the intense rush of pleasure ended that diana realised what had happened. "you¡­why didn''t you pull out?" diana asked as uncertainty started flooding her heart. "i wanted us to have a little richy too," jin said in an affectionate manner and added, "i felt your longing gaze today when you were looking at that child. was i wrong?" jin''s loving gaze as he looked at her washed away all the uncertainty in diana''s heart. "no¡­no you were not," diana got hold of jin''s lips and deeply kissed him as her legs wrapped around jin''s waist. it seemed today was going to be an exhausting night for jin. Chapter 125 Parting and Meeting (E) in these four days, jin spent half of his time going over his script.the doubts and queries which arose in his mind he noted it down to ask anderson later when he would meet him at the airport. the other half of his time was spent with diana. every evening when she returned from work all exhausted and frustrated jin was there to rekindle her vitality. late night long drives, visiting random restaurants just for the sake of it and getting tipsy together at a bar and dancing till they couldn''t. they did them all in the limited time they had. their love for each other further deepened with each passing day and finally, it was time for separation. "i''ll miss you¡­" diana pushed her face onto jin''s chest. her hands were tightly wrapped around his waist. at this moment, she didn''t care whether the people standing at the airport would notice her or not because in her heart and mind, there was only jin right now. seeing diana like this jin''s heart softened. while diana was in his embrace jin gently caressed her head, "i''ll try my best to finish work quick and come back early alright?" "promise?" diana lifted her head to glance at jin''s face. "promise," jin''s lips met diana''s. feeling the familiar touch diana closed her eyes in delight. if she could gain the power to stop time then she would use this moment to stop it forever, alas that''s not a plot device to be used in this novel. a minute later their lips finally parted but instead of reducing this act had only deepened the longing which the two had for each other. "bye diana, take care¡­and call me if there''s anything urgent alright?" jin asked for confirmation. "i will¡­take care," diana nodded and smiled. jin returned her smile and finally turned around and entered the airport gate. jin was currently dressed in his usual cap and sunglasses combo so he and his intimate actions with diana didn''t attract much attention as he made his way in. inside, everything went well and before long he had checked in and was currently entering a lounge to meet anderson and the rest. "jin! here!" jin noticed a hand calling him. it was an actor with whom he got familiarized with in the earlier meeting. he soon approached him. four other actors were seated there and were discussing things with each other. "hello max, mr anderson hasn''t arrived yet?" jin asked as he looked around for him. "he''s here already, it seemed he ate something which didn''t suit his appetite yesterday night. this is his second time going to the toilet," max said. "i see," jin responded as he greeted the other actors who were there. yesan, fana, katy and golu. they all welcomed jin and soon involved him in the conversation they were having. "so, jin, how much do you know about umi?" golu asked with excitement in his voice. s§×ar?h the nov§×lf~ire.net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "very little, i only know that a vast part of that country is desert therefore it''s also called umi desert," jin replied honestly. "hehe, that''s good. i was just about to give a brief introduction about the country to everyone here so you''ve arrived just at the right time," golu mentioned and then started explaining everything that he knew about umi with great fervent. stay connected with empire from time to time golu''s gaze lingered on the woman named katy which made jin realize a few things as a slight smirk developed on his face. while golu was doing all this only to impress katy it didn''t mean that his information wasn''t useful for jin. jin kept his ears open and learned as much as he could. "umi is divided into two parts namely the west and the east. where we are headed is the western part, a region much more developed than the eastern part..." golu started with the introduction. "while the eastern part covers three-fourths of the country, it is mostly a desert which spans hundreds of kilometres...." however seeing that golu showed no signs of stopping a frown started forming on a few of their faces. "the inhabitants unlike us are all dark skinned¡­" "stop¡­bro are you trying to bore us to death?!" max finally couldn''t take it anymore and stopped golu''s onslaught of words. "i know right¡­not everyone is as interested as you in history," fana replied while rolling her eyes before busying herself in her phone. "don''t mind them, golu, you did good. it''s just that we are not in a mood to listen to all that right now...maybe next time?" yesan added his point. "i agree with yesan. it was quite informative though so thank you for sharing it golu," katy replied with a smile. golu initially wanted to argue but seeing that even katy agreed with them he could only sigh and sit back on his seat. at that moment he felt a poke on his right arm. "so, regarding the eastern region, what about their inhabitants?" jin wo was sitting next to golu asked. seeing that jin was still interested in what he had to say golu felt euphoric and immediately answered, "they are called umi rebels. i''ve read that they are quite vicious and are responsible for several crimes even in the western region. even the borders that divide that country into two parts are unable to prevent their infiltration¡­" golu went on and on about what all he knew and unlike everyone else jin listened to everything he had to say with great delight. around thirty minutes later mr anderson finally returned and said in an embarrassed manner, "sorry to keep you all waiting, let''s go, i think we should at least stand outside the boarding gate now," with that, the seven of them with their luggage in hand made their way towards the boarding gate. outside the boarding gate, other film crew members were all present. including jin and other actors, their whole group had around thirty people. anderson did some last-minute checks and it was finally the boarding time. jin was delighted to see that unlike his first time on a flight, he didn''t need to stand in a queue because of his business class ticket. ''4d...4d...here it is,'' jin''s seat number was 4d, a window seat. after placing his luggage jin finally sat down as an embarassing moan almost left escaped from his mouth. business class seats were way comfier than the economy ones so the moment jin''s back felt its sensation he was on cloud nine. when almost everyone had boarded the flight jin took out his glasses and hat which attracted a few glimpses from the air hostesses. jin just ignored those gazes and looked out of the window. "phew! i made it in time," someone''s voice rang out from the flight''s entrance door. Chapter 126 Second Meeting With Anna (E) after winning the best rookie award in her film debut last year, anna signed up for a drama where she was playing the role of the female lead.what followed next was a series of exhausting days that lasted a whole eight months! therefore she had already planned a trip to umi a day after the last day of shooting to unwind herself. however, things didn''t go as planned. what was supposed to be an eight-hour sleep ended up becoming twelve hours and she almost missed her flight. ''thank god,'' anna sighed in relief as she verified her boarding pass one last time before entering the flight. she wore a black leather jacket and complimented it with a black and white checkered skirt. her eyes were behind rose-tinted glasses and on top of her head was a black beanie cap. together they all depicted a style which felt unique to her while at the same time making it difficult for others to perceive her real identity. with a small red handbag in hand, she made her way inside the flight. ''3d¡­there it is!'' anna finally settled her gaze on her seat, but the next moment, her gaze also went towards the person sitting just behind her. when their gazes met her eyes widened and she couldn''t help but involuntary call out, "jin!" hearing his name being called out by the woman in front of him jin thought that she might be a fan of his but the voice felt familiar to him thereby making him frown. seeing the frown on jin''s face anna removed her shades as if to help him and jin''s eyes widened in the same manner anna''s eyes did a few seconds back. "anna! it''s you!" jin exclaimed with a surprised expression on his face. "yes, it''s me," anna replied with a charismatic smile and continued, "looks like we are fated to meet on flights," "it sure seems like that," jin chuckled when he heard her. discover hidden stories at empire glancing at the seat next to jin and seeing that there was no one sitting on it she asked, "is that seat vacant?" "yes, wanna come?" jin understood her intention and asked. "of course, there''s so much i want to catch up on," anna swiftly changed her position and sat next to him. as the two caught up on things the flight safety instructions were completed and it had started moving towards the runway. "i never knew you were such an amazing actor you know? when i first watched your movie i was shell shocked by it, it was truly a surprise," anna mentioned and the topic of discussion shifted to jin''s acting. jin chuckled when he heard her and said, "to be honest, even i didn''t know that i had talent in this regard, if not for your suggestion i most probably wouldn''t have followed this career line," "be sure to mention that to the reporters later when you win an award in this lifa alright?" anna said with a smile. "sure will," jin answered with a smirk. hearing this the smile on anna''s face widened. her gaze then went out the window as she saw the flight taking a turn to finally enter the main runway. "by the way, how''s your fear of flying? is it the same as before?" she asked in a teasing manner. "you can be rest assured, something like that only happens the first time," jin replied confidently. hearing his anna sighed, "that''s a pity, i was looking forward to it," jin just ignored her words. it was then that the flight''s propulsion engines were powered up and it started gaining momentum. feeling the intense vibrations all around him jin''s earlier bravado all went down the drain as he clutched the armrests with both his hands and tightly closed his eyes. seeing the familiar scene playing again anna started giggling but jin completely ignored her. he didn''t want to open his eyes for even a second cause the window was right next to him. when the appropriate altitude was reached and the shaking stopped jin finally opened his eyes. beside him, anna had her left elbow on her armrest with the side of her face resting on the palm of her hand. when jin turned towards her he was met with her teasing gaze as the following words escaped her mouth, "are you alright mr villain? if your fans got to know that the man who induced so much terror in them is so terrified of flying they would roll on the floor and start laughing¡­pftt" a chuckle left her mouth as she finished her words. sear?h the novel?ire(.)ne*t website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "you sure are as playful as before," jin glared at her with narrowed eyes. "that''s because you''re still as fun to tease," anna countered back. "glib tongued as always," jin snorted in his defeat. "thank you," anna loved the defeated look in jin''s eyes and continued, "so what are your plans when you arrive at umi?" "film shooting. isn''t that obvious?" jin asked. "huh? you will be shooting for at most 8-10 hours each day. what about the rest of the time?" anna asked back with an unbelievable expression on her face. "then i''ll exercise to maintain my physique and finally rest," jin said as a matter of fact. "are you kidding me?" anna understood just by jin''s expression that he had no plans to explore the city and continued, "we are going to umroi, the capital city! shopping! trying out new delicacies! exploring different cultures! visiting the seaside! there are so many exciting things to do but you''re telling me that you''re not even a tad bit curious about them?" "why would i be? unlike you i''ve come for work and not for vacation," jin replied and looked at her overly enthusiastic self weirdly. "no! i can''t stand this! where''s your director?" anna asked with a self-righteous tone in her voice. ''is she gonna go and berate him? let''s find out,'' jin thought in amusement and pointed towards anderson who had just returned from another session in the lavatory. anna then went to anderson but instead of an argument that jin had expected they amicably talked with each other and anna finally returned after a while. a frown formed on jin''s face seeing this and he couldn''t help but ask her, "what did you talk to him?" "what else? i''ll be accompanying you guys during these 20 days. you''ll be exploring the cities with me after work every day, aren''t you thankful? " anna asked with a proud smile on her face. an involuntary sigh escaped jin''s mouth when he heard her which only brightened the joy on anna''s face. ''this sadistic woman¡­'' jin grumbled in his mind. Chapter 127 Umroi (E) "haha ikr!" anna laughed at something jin mentioned.seeing this, fana who sat two rows behind them diagonally clicked her tongue in irritation. s~ea??h the n?velfire(.)net website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. ''this bitch¡­'' she thought. earlier,.when she has seen the seat beside jin vacant, she was beyond happy. she had intended to sit next to jin and get to know him better but a variable named anna hayes suddenly popped out of thin air. seeing jin interacting so openly with anna, fana furrowed her brows. ''relax fana, looking at how he''s acting she''s just a friend¡­besides won''t you be getting many more chances later?'' a smirk appeared on her face as she glanced at the sheet of paper she was holding. it was the movie script. it would not be wrong to say that the whole shooting here in umi would be centered around jin and her. she glanced at anna once last time and snorted before focusing back on reading her script. meanwhile, jin and anna grew tired of talking and decided to watch a movie on the personal television system given to them. the flight was 6 hours long so they should be able to complete a film or two by the time they landed at umroi airport. six hours later, "ugh! i hate flying," dylan muttered in a depressed manner. it looked like his flying experience didn''t go well. "how many times?" jin asked seeing the brown paper bag in dylan''s hand. "three¡­" dylan replied with a sigh. his body looked very weary. "damn, you''ll fall like this, let me help you with that," jin took the airbag dylan carried in his hand. "thanks," dylan weakly smiled at the gesture. after ollecting their baggage they made their way out. "oof, it''s so hot here," anna fanned herself with her hand the moment they exited the airport''s air-conditioned interior. beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads even though not even a minute had passed. "it isn''t called a desert for nothing," jin added. they booked a few cars and around fifteen minutes later they all left for their hotel. umroi, the capital of umi country looked similar to any regular urban city with sky-scraping buildings and lush green trees here and there. for the first-timers who visited the country, it was like a shock since they had a preconceived notion in mind that the whole country was barren since it got a desert in its name. anna, jin and dylan were in the same cab. all their eyes hungrily took in the new scenery through the cab''s window and savoured it. a while later anna asked jin, "what''s your plan after reaching the hotel?" "it''s already four in the evening so i''ll just rest and go through the scripts for tomorrow," jin said after a thought. "huh? you''re a grown man, what do you mean by rest? it''s our first day here. let''s go and explore around the place," anna suggested with spark in her eyes. no traces of travelling fatigue could be seen on her face. seeing her like this jin too was influenced a bit and after a thought relented. ''it''s better to get familiar with the surroundings as soon as possible,'' jin thought. at half past four, they reached the hotel. while being guided to his room jin asked the hotel staff about places to visit nearby and noted them in his mind. after placing his luggage jin splashed some cold water on his face to freshen up and left for the lobby. not long after anna too arrived and together they left in a cab for the market nearby. the market was brimming with life at this time. hoards of people were roaming in the streets and random voices filled the scene. "it feels so good to roam around in public and not be recognised," anna sighed. "you bet," jin shared the same sentiments. "ma''am come here and check these items!" "10.0% off on all goods" continue reading at empire "limited time deal!" "sir we got good shoes here right for you!" since the two of them were foreigners it was natural for them to attract the attention of various shopkeepers. anna, wanting to see and try new things, entertained them all and the two of them moved from one shop to another. "jin look there''s a 100% off, they are even willing to give us everything for free! is this the perk of being a foreigner?" anna''s eyes shined when she saw the board. seeing this jin sighed, "look carefully there''s a decimal after the first zero...it''s 10%" like this an hour passed by. "look at this ma''am, it''s an hourglass with sand that has been brought from the eastern desert. the desert sand is known for its rich iron content that''s why this sand is red, how about it? it''s just 1200 piso," a vendor introduced his item to anna. "good! i''ll take it," anna exchanged her money real quick and handed over the bag to jin. "here, my gift to you for tagging along with me today," jin accepted the bag and said, "while i appreciate the gift i think it''s time we should leave. dylan messaged me that mr anderson wants to have a team meeting during the dinner," "it can''t be helped then," anna sighed in disappointment and the two of them soon returned to the hotel with bags loaded with items in hand. after jin had freshened up he came down to have dinner with the rest of the team. since it was related to work anna didn''t accompany him. jin soon found mr anderson sitting at a table with other actors he met at the airport. jin greeted them and their discussion about tomorrow''s shooting soon began. "tomorrow at 8 am we''ll leave for the sight. the necessary preparations have all been made. we''ll be here in umroi for a few days then go to rakhi, the border city, to shoot desert-related scenes and then we''ll go to morose for the last leg of our shooting. since we are tight on time i want everyone to give their best. we can''t afford to waste time with a lot of retakes so i won''t tolerate half-ass performance you understand?" anderson asked in the end. everyone nodded to his words. after a while, the topic of discussion lightened down and the dinner finally arrived. when it was nearing the end jin suddenly opened his mouth thereby attracting everyone''s attention. "mr anderson, i would like to suggest some changes in my script," jin raised a point all of a sudden which attracted everyone''s attention. Chapter 128 Settling Matters (E) "what change?" anderson asked with a frown."it''s related to the intimate scenes in the script. can we lighten it down? you know about me and my girlfriend so i hope for your understanding," jin wanted to bring this up early on but anderson was not in good health throughout the day so he was unable to bring it up early. hearing this anderson nodded in understanding, "alright, i''ll tone it down a bit for you so you won''t have a guilty conscience," "thank you," jin was glad that he understood his concerns. "oho, what is it? do you really have a girlfriend? i thought you just said it for the sake of saying in that interview," max chimed in after seeing the interaction. "no, i said that because that was the truth," jin replied. "so is she pretty?..." max started asking jin a bunch of questions but jin evaded quite a few of them and answered only what he felt like answering leaving max frustrated. fana who had been eating her food paused for a moment when she heard jin''s words and turned to look towards him. she noticed his firm gaze when he talked about his girlfriend. seeing this she couldn''t help but grit her teeth. ''in the flight, it was that anna bitch and now another one popped out! why do they all ruin my plan?!'' fana''s left hand which was below the table clenched. when it was time for sweet dish everyone savoured it except for fana. the sweetness of the desert couldn''t balance the bitterness her heart carried. her plan to seduce jin and make him head over heels for her was in ruins thanks to some bitch she had never seen. ''no! i can''t give up now. i''m already in my mid-thirties. if i don''t grab someone with as much potential as him now then my acting career is as good as over¡­think fana think¡­you have to make this work out no matter what,'' soon the dinner was finished and everyone went back to their rooms. they all exited the elevator and went towards their rooms. fana glanced at jin''s back as frustration flooded her mind. she returned to her room soon after. next day. "i''m sorry i was late!" fana was the last one to enter the bus. "it''s already 8:15 am. i told you all to sleep early!" anderson scolded her. "i''m really sorry, it won''t happen again sir," fana apologized and went towards an empty seat. "you didn''t sleep well?" katy asked fana. "yes, i was just too excited and couldn''t sleep¡­" fana sighed. "it happens, catch some sleep here, we''ll take half an hour to reach the destination," katy suggested. "i''ll do just that then, thanks," fana thanked and closed her eyes to relax. she had been going over several plans to fulfil her intentions last night. sear?h the n??efire.¦Çet website on google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. explore more stories at empire finally, at around three o''clock her mind finally listened to her and gave her the idea which she wanted. if not for that she would be unable to catch even a wick last night. ''it''s going to cost me an arm and a leg but i''m willing to do it¡­hehe,'' fana thought of her plan once again on the bus as she closed her eyes to rest. when they arrived at the scene the shooting finally began. jin, being the lead actor, was the most busy. in the scene they were shooting jin was looking for an individual in a new city who was his target. while doing so he met a few canon fodders and dealt with them before finally securing the intel related to his target''s location. while it could be summarised in just four lines, the shooting took five days to complete thanks to all the intricacies that were involved. every day after work he explored different places in the city with anna who enjoyed his company. "so where are we going today?" jin asked. "there''s a park nearby, let''s just walk and talk today. i got my fill from visiting all the places in these last four days," anna suggested. "sure," jin agreed. he bought a snack outside the park and while munching on it they circled the park while chatting. they both shared their childhood memories with each other while walking side by side. it was enjoyable. while walking anna''s hand slightly grazed jin''s. it was the tenth time this had happened in this short evening walk. finally, anna was unable to control her frustration. "you know i like you right?" anna glared at jin. "i do," jin nodded not affected by her gaze. "why do you still reject my advances then? i know i''m good looking so my appearance shouldn''t be a factor. is it because you got a girlfriend? girlfriends change all the time. isn''t it normal to give more women a chance? isn''t it normal to have multiple girlfriends before deciding on one you should focus on¡­that''s what most men of your calibre generally do," anna voiced out her unfiltered thoughts feeling provoked by jin''s neutral expression. "i''m going to marry her after lifa," jin said. he believed that much was enough to counter anna. he was right. the moment anna heard those words all the counterarguments she had prepared in her mind against jin''s probable response vanished. in short, she was at a loss for words. a few moments later she sighed. "if you say it like that how could i even argue¡­" anna softly muttered before taking a deep breath. when she exhaled it seemed her whole mood had brightened all of a sudden, "anyways! you better introduce me to her and don''t forget to invite me to your wedding!" seeing anna like this jin felt a bit guilty. if he had not met diana, there might be a possibility of something happening between him and anna but now that was impossible, there was only one woman in his heart. "isn''t that a definite? you''ll be the first one i''ll invite," jin replied with the same attitude. "haha then i''ll gladly accept this honour," anna joked at jin''s response. their chat lasted for a few minutes as they soon returned to the hotel. throughout the way, while anna''s words felt pleasant to the ears they hid immense pain within them. although jin was aware of it he couldn''t comfort her. it was the first time he was caught in such a situation but his gut told him that he shouldn''t comfort anna. since he had rejected her he had no right to do that. the next day when jin woke up he received a message on his phone. it was sent at 3 am. ''some work came so i''ll be leaving early. good luck with your shooting! peace~'' it was a message from anna. jin sighed when he saw this as he pushed himself off the bed to get ready. today they were leaving for the border city, rakhi. Chapter 129 Gemstone (E) "AHHH~"A piercing moan rang out inside a small untidy room as two bodies tightly held onto each other. With that, all the sexual tension the two people in action had been building up subsided. "Let me help clean you up~" Fana whispered in the man''s ears as she moved her mouth towards his nether region. Patrick accepted her tongue service with a grin and enjoyed it to the fullest. While Fana was cleaning him up her juicy peach was facing Patrick''s face. Seeing the juices slowly dripping out of her crevice made Patrick brick up all over again. "Ah?" Fana showed her surprise at this development but before she could react any further her waist was tightly grabbed by Patrick and she was shoved to the side of the bed. S§×arch* The N?velFire.n§×t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The next moment Patrick''s long black rod fully plunged itself inside Fana''s crevice making her moan out in a depraved fashion. Enjoying the sounds that Fana made Patrick started moving his hips and thus the second round of their sexual play began. It was followed by a third¡­fourth¡­and finally stopped at eight. "Umi men¡­sure have a lot of stamina ¡­" Fana said with hurried breaths as she moved her waist while sitting on top of Patrick''s steaming rod. "And you foreign woman sure know how to charm us Umi men with your diabolical actions," Patrick pulled her cream-coloured hair back and started exchanging a French kiss with Fana. The two tongues intertwined and their arousal reached a new high. Finally, unable to control herself Fana''s innards clenched and she let out her fluids. Feeling the warm fluids Patrick too couldn''t hold himself any more and he too released all his remaining fluids inside her. With arms tightly wrapped around each other, they stayed like that for a while to catch their breaths. A few minutes passed. Fana who was resting her head on Patrick''s wide chocolate-coloured chest all this while finally lifted her head and approached his face. Her delicate hand gently traced Patrick''s cheeks as she asked him in a sultry voice, "Now that I''ve fulfilled your request you''ll fulfil mine right?" "Of course, beautiful, we Umi men keep our word unlike the men from other countries," Patrick grinned. Stay connected through empire "How manly~" Fana chuckled coquettishly and kissed him once again. A while later Patrick changed into his clothes and went out of the room to get the item. By the time Fana had put on her dress Patrick returned with a small casing in his hand which looked similar to the one in which expensive bracelets are kept. "Here''s the item you so desperately wanted," Patrick handed the black coloured case to Fana. With glimmering eyes and an expression filled with anticipation, she slowly opened the casing''s cover. A purple light escaped the moment she slightly opened the casing. When the casing was fully opened the purple light disappeared but the item inside reflected a purplish light from time to time. "It''s more beautiful than the rumours," Fana muttered as her eyes took in the hexagonal-shaped gem. It was embedded in the centre of the bracelet and reflected a purplish light from it. "And it''s even more devilish," Patrick added and continued, "Just extracting that much amount would have cost several lives. You''re lucky that I managed to get one of these because of my relationship with the brothers on the western side of the country" "If not for that you would have never had an opportunity to get your hands on this gem," Patrick said with a hint of pride. "You''re saying as if you gave it to me for free. Eighty Million Pisos! That''s how much I gave you for this gem and along with that I also gave you my body since you said that much money wasn''t enough! Do you know how many people would die to just hold my hands and you just desecrated my whole body for hours and only gave me this small gem in return!" Fana snorted out in displeasure. "Don''t try to play tricks on me, woman, I know a whore when I see one, besides that''s the largest gem you could get with the amount you gave me," Patrick said as he closed the casing''s cover with his hand and continued, "It should last for three months before losing its power," "That''s all?! What am I going to do later?! I can''t just buy millions of dollars worth of items every few months can I?"Understanding what it meant Fana asked out hysterically. She was not told about this before making the deal and felt cheated. "Shhh" Patrick pressed his fingers over Flora''s lips and said, "Since you allowed me to play with that body of yours I''ll help you a bit. If this gem is used only when needed and is then placed back in its case then it could last at least eight months," It was only when Fana heard this that her eyebrows relaxed a bit. Seeing this Patrick chuckled and slapped Fana''s buttocks, "At that time you can always come up with the money and spread your legs for me as you did today, it''s difficult to find a woman like yours while doing underground business you see¡­" "If you don''t disappoint me I will also not disappoint you~," Fana said in a flirtatious manner and exchanged a passionate kiss with Patrick before finally leaving his underground den. It had taken her four days to find this man in Umroi. Luckily, In the end, things worked in her favour and not only did she gain what she wanted but had also built a connection with this man named Patrick. When Fana arrived back to her hotel room she opened up her bag and looked at the gemstone once again for a few seconds before closing the casing. "With this, Jin Blaker¡­you''ll be mine and whether it''s that Anna bitch or your girlfriend they won''t be able to do shit!" Fana said with conviction. Tomorrow was the day they were leaving for Rakhi and it was also the place where Jin and Fana would shoot their first intimate scene together. The next day when Fana reached the bus she was surprised to find out Anna had left. ''Good Riddance!'' She thought to herself and used this opportunity to sit next to Jin. "Hello, Jin! If you don''t mind can I sit next to you so that we can discuss our scenes together," Fana suggested with a friendly smile. "Sure," Jin said finding no issues. "Great!" Fana replied cheerily and sat next to him. The bus journey was tiring and took six hours in total leaving everyone exhausted and frustrated except for one, Fana. Infact, she was the one who benefitted the most from it as it could be said that by the time they arrived at Rakhi, Jin and Fana were on much better terms than they were earlier. Chapter 130 First Day At Rakhi (E) Rakhi was a desert city and dunes welcomed one''s vision in whichever direction one looked from here.It was called a city only because of the large population. The amenities were nowhere near those of Umroi. All the houses were made of mud bricks baked under intense heat for strengthening. The houses formed from these bricks had two or even three storeys, indicating how skilled the natives were in their craft. Jin and the crew stopped at one such location. It was named ''Sandy Peak'' on the sign board and was a motel. It had five three-storyed buildings under it and they were enough to accommodate all of the crew members. "Alright, guys. It''s five in the evening now. Go and freshen up in your rooms, and then we''ll discuss some things over dinner before calling it a day," Anderson addressed them when they got off the bus and went to his room. Fana chatted with Katy and the rest as she whined about the hot climate and how sweaty she was while observing Jin with her side eye. Jin was not interested in the small conversations so he just said a few things before making his way towards one of the five buildings. Seeing that he had chosen to go towards the third building a smirk appeared on Fana''s eyes narrowed before focusing back on her conversation with the group. After chatting with the group for a few more minutes she approached the building which Jin had decided to stay in and went towards the room she was allotted at the reception. She didn''t forget to bribe the receptionist a little so that her room was closer to Jin''s. After freshening up in her room when she got out for dinner she met Jin who too had just exited his room. "Oh, that''s a surprise," Jin showed a surprised expression seeing that she was staying right next to her. "Haha, I am more surprised than you," Fana said after feigning a more surprised reaction than Jin with her gestures and continued, " However, I feel more comfortable knowing that the person next to me is you. If something bad happens I can rely on your fighting skills right?" Fana joked. One of things they talked about while in the bus was related to his fight against the terrorists on the hijacked flight. "Sure, I''ll be sure to give some sense to the bad guys," Jin completed the joke and snorted with a grin. The next moment they made their way outside towards the dinner spot. It was around seven in the evening and with no sun in sight, the temperature plummeted. It was a typical climate pattern of a desert region. They soon gathered around a huge flame next to which there were plenty of tables and chairs. Max, Katy and Golu were also waiting for them there. S~ea??h the n?vel_Fire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They soon sat next to them and started chatting about different stuff while enjoying the clear night skies which were very unlike the skies in the cities. Anderson soon arrived and their discussion cum dinner started. After addressing certain issues with other actors Anderson told Jin, "Just like you''ve requested, I''ve toned down your intimate scenes. There will just be close bodily contact like touching and hugging along with playful physical gestures, I believe you won''t have a problem with them right?" "Yes, and thank you," Jin said gratefully. "No problem, since you''re in a serious relationship it can''t be helped. It might be a loss if you were some other actor, but with your skills, I believe even without explicit scenes this movie will be able to make a deep impression on the audiences'' minds. "I''m glad you think so," Jin humbly replied. Seeing all this Fana just maintained a casual smile on her face and continued with her dinner. Her laid-back demeanour would make it almost impossible for anyone to guess the wretched plan that was brewing in her mind. When the dinner finished she walked back to her room along with Jin. "Good night Jin," Fana said cheerily. "Yes, good night," Jin who had no idea about her wicked plans casually replied and entered his room. Seeing Jin''s dull response Fana''s smile widened as she too entered her room. There was a spray bottle and a bracelet casing placed on her dressing table. She had acquired the spray from the underground market with Patrick''s help earlier. To the uninitiated, it looked to be a normal fragrance with a good scent to it but it wasn''t just that. The scent had potent aphrodisiac properties. After an exposure of fifteen to twenty minutes a person''s innate desires would start acting up. This was a crucial piece which would turn her plan to make Jin hers a reality. Fana approached her dressing table and sat down on the small wooden stool. She gently opened up the casing inside which the bracelet was kept. A purplish glimmer reflected back at her. Explore more stories with empire Seeing the hexagonal-shaped gem which sparkled under the yellow light of the room Fana fantasized about her future for a couple of seconds and a grin formed on her face. Her hand then reached for a safety pin and with it, she pricked her index finger a little. The few droplets fell on top of the gemstone and got absorbed by it in a matter of seconds. One drop¡­two drop¡­three drops...fifteen drops. It was only then that the gem''s purplish colour changed and turned red. At this moment the gemstone looked similar to a normal ruby but among its users, it was known as Legata. Seeing the familiar reddish colour Fana was reminded of the time when she last saw this gemstone. ''It''s been fourteen years since then... '' Just when the images from that time started flashing in her mind she shook them all away. They weren''t pleasant memories. "Things are different now, this time it''s me who will be using its powers and not the other way around¡­" Fana chuckled to brighten her dulled mood and closed the casing of the bracelet to preserve the gemstone''s properties. After a while she turned off the lights and went to sleep. Chapter 131 Late Night Visit (E) "Cut!" Anderson shouted out from his seat and rubbed his forehead in frustration.It was the eleventh time he had done so today, and that too for the same scene. Hearing Anderson''s words Jin removed his arms from around Fana''s waist and looked at Anderson apologetically. "I''m sorry¡­" Jin replied while scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Hearing this Anderson could only sigh. "We''ll do other scenes first before diving into this one, I hope you''ll be able to get a hang of it by the end of the day¡­what intimate scenes need is chemistry and you two seem to be lacking in that regard by a lot¡­your emotions aren''t in synch at all!" Anderson addressed the two of them. While Fana seemed to be doing okay, her performance was still not good enough. As for Jin, his performance was abhorrent, to the point that even Anderson couldn''t believe he was the same actor who played the lead role in "Smile Please". ''I can only hope that things will improve in the limited time which we have¡­'' Anderson thought as he shifted to doing other scenes important scenes. Jin and Fana were sent to the sidelines, where they started discussing their scripts with each other once again, hoping that their performance would improve. "I''m sorry, it must have been difficult to fake those feelings when the person you''re looking at is a 35-year-old woman like me," Fana said with a deprecative chuckle. "That''s not the problem, Fana. You don''t look bad for your age. What''s to blame is my own acting and inexperience since this is my first time doing intimate scenes on screen," Jin sighed. "I''m glad that you think otherwise¡­hehe," Fana chuckled at Jin''s words and continued, "Are you perhaps hesitant because you have a girlfriend? Even after the director has toned down her scenes together?" Hearing Fana''s words Jin nodded. "Indeed. Every time I try to immerse myself in the scene a sense of guilt wells up within me and that stops me from immersing myself in the it¡­that''s why Mr Anderson kept telling me to work on building up chemistry," "Hmm, You truly love her deeply, how romantic~," A belittling smirk formed on Fana''s face but Jin didn''t notice it since he was looking down on his script. A smile formed on Jin''s face when he heard Fana''s words as he said, "More than my life," The smile on Fana''s face widened when she heard Jin''s following words. ''You''ll be saying the same thing about me not long after,'' Fana thought to herself and said, "Anyways, let''s just discuss more about our characters so that we can synch ourselves more with each other," S§×ar?h the ¦ÇovelFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. They continued to practice like this for hours until it was finally time for them to act. "Cut!" Anderson once again said in frustration. Jin and Fana''s efforts were of no avail. Although their performance showed a little improvement but that was still unsatisfactory for Anderson. ''At this rate, I''ll have to completely remove these scenes¡­'' Anderson thought with a pained heart. He finished the shooting for the day since it was already evening. Disappointment was clear on his face. During the dinner, Anderson''s sullened mood was clear for everyone to see. "I gave it a thought," Anderson said after a while, "Since we lack time I''ll let the two of you try again tomorrow¡­but if nothing good comes out of it then we''ll be removing this scene," He then gazed at Fana and said, "I''m sorry Fana, I know your screen time is already less but as a director, I would be forced to do this if things go on like this," "...I understand," Fana replied in a dull mood. Jin felt frustrated to see that his incompetence was not just affecting him but also others. When the dinner ended Jin returned to his room and started going through the sheets of script all over again. He was determined to perform the scene well tomorrow. Knock Knock Around half an hour later he heard his door being knocked. When he opened his door an a subtle smell entered his nostrils making him breathe a bit deeper. His eyes then looked at the figure in front of him. Fana stood there with an apologetic expression on her face. Her hair was a bit wet, indicating that she had just finished her bath. "I know it''s a little inappropriate to visit you like this at night but I suddenly got a bright idea while I was taking a shower and couldn''t help but rush here afterwards," Fana said in an embarrassed manner. Jin frowned a little and asked with a harsher tone than normal, "You could have just texted me rather than coming here like this especially at this time..you know?" Noticing that Jin didn''t appreciate her being here like this Fana looked down apologetically and explained, "While it may seem a bit over the board I feel that this is necessary if we want things to work out tomorrow¡­I don''t want my screen time reduced so I hope that you will at least listen to it," Hearing her words Jin toned down his words and said, "Alright, come inside," "Thank you," Fana showed a grateful smile and followed Jin inside. "Here, take this," Jin passed a towel to her to wipe her wet hair. Fana accepted the towel embarassingly and wrapped it around her head. Explore stories on empire The two then took their seats and Jin asked, "So what''s the idea?" Hearing this Fana soon began with her explanation, "Everything depends on practice and I believe our chemistry will also become better with practice¡­but since we lack time I decided to take it a step further and stimulate things more," Fana paused for two seconds and continued. "This time we''ll not just be practising our dialogues together but also the intimate scenes which we are required to perform tomorrow. It''s also the reason why I came dressed like this. I wanted to provoke your desires which you''ve been restraining thinking about your girlfriend all the time...I believe if I''m like this then it would be more easier for us to develop the chemistry which we''re lacking," "I don''t think it''s appropriate to this this kind of thing alone. If things end up escalating I won''t be able to see my girlfriend in the face so Fana, you should leave now," Jin felt something amiss and rejected her. "Jin please¡­this movie is way too important for me, and I can''t just stay still and do nothing about this situation..." Fana paused as if to prevent her held up emotions form pouring out. Jin sensed the desperation in her voice. He also knew the reason why. With her increasing age, if she didn''t perform well it would be difficult for her to continue her career as an actress. Soit could be said thay this movie was more important to her than even him. The next second Fana continued. "Wasn''t our last take today much better than the first? Isn''t that proof that we''ll become much better if we follow this idea?" Her last sentence, however, seemed to have hit the nail on the head and somewhat convinced Jin. "Alright I''ll do it but I hope we won''t overdo things and end up straining our friendship alright?" Jin mentioned just as a disclaimer. "Thank you! Thank you for agreeing! And ofcourse their would be no problem related to that," Fana said with gratefulness clear on her face. Seeing her like this even Jin felt a bit guilty for doubting her intentions earlier. Jin scoffed at himself for thinking too much. ''Even if what I think is true and she''s trying to seduce me but with Diana, in my heart, I doubt that a woman in like her has the power to sway my mind just from a few intimate touches¡­'' Jin wasn''t wrong to think like that. Fana''s look couldn''t even be compared to Anna''s whose feelings he had rejected just two days ago. "Let''s begin then," Fana suggested as she explained how they should proceed with the practice to Jin. Chapter 132 Falling into Temptation (E) "Yes, just like that, keep looking into my eyes," Fana''s soft voice entered Jin''s ears.Jin was standing face to face with Fana and his hands were loosely resting around Fana''s waist. Their faces were separated by just a few inches, enough for them to feel each other''s warm breaths. It had been thirty minutes since they had started practising. The scene they were doing now was the second most intimate scene in the revised script. During their earlier discussion, Fana pointed out that Jin''s gaze lacked substance in this scene while shooting, and thus, they had been trying to correct it for the last few minutes. Hearing Fana''s words Jin forced his gaze not to sway away from Fana''s emerald eyes but the longer he looked at them the more chaotic his thoughts became. Jin started feeling a strange pull toward all of Fana''s actions about ten minutes ago. It was also the moment they had shifted towards the more intimate scenes. ''Calm down Jin¡­.calm down¡­think of Diana, yes imagine Diana''s face,'' With this thought, Jin''s thoughts became less chaotic. However, he couldn''t help but find it odd. He didn''t feel like this when he was doing this scene with Fana in the morning while shooting so why was it that he felt like this now? ''Is it because we are alone now? Yes, that must be it,'' Jin thought and focused back on matching his gaze with Fana''s. After maintaining this for two minutes a satisfied smile finally formed on Fana''s face as she said, "Alright, that should be enough. Your gaze perfectly matches the vibe of the scene now," "Phew¡­Finally" Jin sighed as he removed his hands from Fana''s waist and sat on a chair next to him. Continue your adventure with My Virtual Library Empire He reached for a bottle and started gushing in water like crazy. Fana asked in a surprised manner a few seconds later, "You finished the whole bottle?" "Yes, I didn''t drink water after dinner," Jin said. "I see¡­makes sense," Fana said as a smirk appeared on her face. What Jin said was just a lie and Fana was clearly aware about it. Right now, even thinking of Diana didn''t help Jin suppress the temptations that were rising inside him. That''s why the moment their practice was over he decided to gush down a litre of water to lower his body''s temperature. ''It''s futile, but struggle as much as you want¡­even I''m starting to feel the effects of this perfume''s scent so how could you resist it any longer? With the next scene you''ll forever be mine,'' Fana thought in amusement as she glanced at the struggling Jin. "Let''s start with the next scene then," Fana clapped her hands excitedly and said. "Hmm now?" Jin asked. His body was still as hot as before so he wanted to rest for longer. "Yes, it''s already ten and we have to wake up early tomorrow, the sooner we finish it the sooner we could rest right?" Fana suggested. The word ''sooner'' was all Jin needed to hear. "Yes, it would be better to finish it quickly," Jin commented as he got up. "Then let''s begin," Fana smiled and walked over to Jin''s bed and laid down on it. This was the last scene and also the most intimate one. Jin too followed after her and positioned himself according to the scene. He was lying on top of Fana and just a few inches separated their bodies. ''Luckily, there''s not a lot of contact,'' Jin thought to himself. His elbows rested on the bed and so did his knees, as a result, Jin''s leg barely touched Fana''s and apart from that they had no physical contact. How could Fana let him be at ease though? S§×ar?h the N??eFire.¦Çet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. "You seem distracted," Fana''s hand tenderly caressed Jin''s face and stirred the receding storm within him once more. "Don''t be like that anymore, alright? We need to do this scene well tomorrow," Fana deliberately used a gentle tone and said. It seemed to have done the trick. Jin''s breathing became more rougher as a result. "Your head," Fana''s next word seemed to have broken Jin out of his stupor. "Huh?" Jin asked. "Lower your head a bit, it should be more closer according to the scene," Fana said with a soft chuckle. ''Yeah, my bad," Jin felt a bit embarrassed by her chuckle and lowered his head. However, when his upper body bent a little his pelvic also moved down a bit. Fana then felt something on her stomach the next moment. "Ah¡­" An embarrassed expression immediately formed on Fana''s face and it was the same with Jin. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to¡­" Jin managed to spew out the following words but his nether region was currently burning up like crazy. Fana''s embarrassed expression didn''t help Jin deal with the situation and only aggravated his condition. "It''s alright¡­let''s continue," Fana said however the red hue on her face was very clear for Jin to see. "Yes," Jin nodded and in that position started saying out his dialogues. He was confident that he could suppress these unwanted feelings when was immersed in acting. "Let go of me you foreign rat!" Fana''s disgruntled voice rang out and tried to push Jin away from her body. "Quiet feisty aren''t you. Would you be the same while sleeping with me tonight?" Jin lightly whispered in Fana''s ears. "Wanna find out? Or do you fear that I''ll kill you in between," Fana wrapped her hands around Jin''s neck and smiled at him provokingly. Jin brought his face much closer to Fana''s such that there was only a gap of four centimetres separating their lips and said with a confident smirk, "It''s a risk I''m willing to take," ''This won''t work, change of plans,'' Fana thought with a subtle frown seeing Jin like this. "Amazing!" Fana grabbed both of Jin''s cheeks in excitement and exclaimed the next moment. Her sudden action brought Jin out of his immersion and the suppressed temptations that seemed to have been blocked by a mental barrier started flooding in once again. "I''m amazed! How could you be so good¡­" Seeing Fana''s excited expression so close to him made Jin''s heart beat rapidly. ''Good thing the scent is still strong on my wrists,'' Fana thought. Her perfume''s scent bombarded Jin''s nostrils the next moment and completely clouded his mind. "...that was just perfect! Let''s do it again so that we-" Before Fana could finish her words she felt Jin''s lips pressed on hers. The next moment she acted as if she was trying to struggle by turning her head sideways and by trying to push Jin away from her and voiced out her resistance. "Jin...no...what are you doing...Jin" In reality though, the strength with which she was pushing him was almost non-existant. However, Jin who had lost all sense of reasoning by now didn''t take anything into account and started becoming more and more intimate with Fana. Fana too finally stopped resisting and slowly became more and more proactive. "Ah~" Fana moaned in joy as Jin devoured her neck like a beast. ''The wait was worth it,'' Fana thought in jubilation. She too was under the effect of her perfume''s scent so she was going to enjoy Jin''s service to the fullest. ''Luckily the drug''s effect is more severe on males than females, otherwise, I wouldn''t have been able to maintain a sain mind,'' Fana thought as she felt Jin''s tongue tickling her breasts. She hugged Jin''s head and pressed it deeper into her breasts while moaning out in pleasure. Before long, sounds of clapping echoed all around the room, accompanied by sounds of pleasure. As if responding to this, the bracelet on Fana''s wrist glimmered endlessly until the two bodies were finally at rest. Looking at the Jin who was sleep beside her in exhaustion a victorious grin formed on Fana''s face. "Tomorrow will mark the new beginning for my life and in that you would play a vital role...my dear husband," Fana couldn''t help but chuckle before closing her eyes.