There were a number of people in the room—more than I had ever seen before. Most of them stared at me coldly and quickly left, but I didn't care. I only had eyes for Soo-Won. Seeing him lying on the bed so pale and still reminded me of my parents during their funeral and brought on a wave of nausea that forced me to grope for the wall. I directed my gaze to Hak, who was practically glaring at me from his seat at Soo-Won's bedside.

"Is he….?" I asked fearfully.

He shook his head and said, "As of right now, he's still with us. His condition is critical though."

All of my built-up tension evaporated in an instant as I sunk to the floor. "Thank goodness…!" I said as tears of relief ran down my face.

Hak appeared a bit taken aback by my outburst of emotion. "So?" he probed. "Why are you here?"

Ayura assisted me as I stood up slowly. "I came because I want to be near him," I explained earnestly. I was met with nothing but silence. "Hak," I tried again in a pleading tone, "I promise that I didn't mean for this happen. I—"

"I know," he said abruptly. "Your reaction when you heard that he was alive is all the proof I need, and besides," he continued with a lopsided grin, "his majesty here made it clear that if I blamed or punished you in anyway, he would make me miserable when he wakes up. I could see it in his eyes right before he blacked out."

He looked at Soo-Won then, and I was startled by the depth of emotion I saw in his eyes.

"You really care about him, don't you?" I said softly.

"Mh-hm," he murmured, "he's the one who saved me, after all."

"Saved you…?" I asked. I had never heard anything about this before.

He looked down at his hands as if seeing them for the first time. "Yes. From what I was becoming," he answered in a voice husky with emotion.

Raising his eyes and seeing the confusion on my face, he appeared to be deliberating something before continuing, "It's a long story, but I guess now's as good a time as any to tell it."

He shifted in his chair and began, "My earliest memories are of the streets. I don't remember my parents—they probably either died or abandoned me when I was very young. I was a street urchin, and I survived, along with countless other children, by stealing anything edible I could get my hands on. Street fights over the best thieving spots or scraps of food were commonplace, and since I was large and strong for my age, I quickly earned a name for myself as someone not to be trifled with. I guess that my reputation must have spread beyond the slums, because one day, when I was about nine, a strange man approached me. He promised me top rate boarding, food, and a generous pay check if I would work for him. He only had to jangle a bag of coins in front of my face, and I was sold. By the time I realized the mistake I had made, it was too late."

His shook his head as if remembering. "The 'five-star boarding' the man had spoken about was nothing more than a glorified prison cell. I went through grueling training, and was given only two small meals a day, usually consisting of rice gruel and a bit of cabbage soup. Needless to say, there was no pay, yet they still expected me to do a job, if you can call murder a job."

I must have gasped aloud, because he paused and looked at me with the haunted eyes of someone who had seen more than any human should ever have to. He smiled slightly, "That's right. I had been recruited by one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the country, called the Red Tiger. Anyone who had enough money could hire them to dispose of whomever they wanted. And so, my life in a living hell began. The only time I was let out of my room was when I had a job."

"Couldn't you run away?" I interjected.

"Believe me, I tried dozens of times," he replied bitterly. "But since I was new, I was always sent with a partner to keep an eye on me. No matter what I did I could never escape him, and every time I attempted to run away from a job I was taken back, beaten, and given no food for three days. Eventually, I got tired of fighting and gave in. I killed whoever they commanded like some pathetic lapdog. At the beginning I kept count and remembered every name, face, and detail, but over time they all started to blur together. I don't even know today exactly how many I killed. Probably well over a hundred. Sometimes I still look down and see my hands covered with the blood of the people I killed."

He sounded so much like a lost child that without thinking I reached out and put my hand over his. His eyes widened in surprise, then quickly narrowed again as he pulled his hand away.

"You shouldn't pity me," he muttered. "I may not have been able to run away, but I still had a choice not to kill. They had to give me a weapon in order to complete my jobs, so if I had really wanted to, they couldn't have kept me from taking my own life. I came close countless times, but I could never get myself to do it. Despite everything, I desperately wanted to keep on living. Even if it meant taking the lives of others. You see?" he said fiercely. "I've committed so many sins that I shouldn't even be allowed to live."

I recalled the time when I had once thought the exact same thing. Our circumstances may have been different, but I was all too familiar with the feeling of being guilty that I was alive.

"But Soo-Won saved me," he continued softly, "although I haven't forgotten my past, it's because of him that I've been able to move on and live the life I have right now."

We both looked at Soo-Won and listened to his labored breathing for a minute in silence. Finally, I ventured, "How did you two meet?"

He smiled broadly and said matter-of-factly, "On the job."

"Eh?!" I jumped up from my seat in surprise. "You mean…?"

"That's right," he said. "I was sent to kill Soo-Won."

"Wait," I exclaimed in disbelief, "you're serious?"

He nodded. "Now sit down and I'll explain. And for goodness' sake be quiet or you'll disturb him."

"You're right," I instantly lowered my voice. "Sorry."

Hak already had a distant look in his eye, as if he was reliving the events that had taken place. "It was five years ago, so I was about thirteen. This was a particularly crucial job for me. In the Red Tiger, it was considered a great honor to be given the chance to kill a member of the royal family. If I didn't mess this up, I might even be allowed to go on jobs by myself from now on. It was well after midnight as I entered the castle grounds and snuck in through a window. Soo-Won was lying in bed and there was only one other person in the room, presumably his bodyguard. He was no match for me, and I quickly finished him off. I glided over to Soo-Won's bedside where he was still sleeping peacefully. He won't even feel a thing, I thought to myself as I raised the knife over his head just like I had countless times in the past. You can imagine my utter surprise when Soo-Won suddenly rolled over, wide awake. There was no fear or dread in his face as he casually took in my appearance and weapon. He looked me straight in the eye and said simply: "You poor thing."

I had never been so stunned in my life.

"Are you sure you should be saying that when you're in this situation?" I asked him in astonishment.

He smiled. "That may be true," he acknowledged, "but I don't plan on dying tonight. Will you listen to what I have to say?"

I was genuinely curious by this point, so I said, "Fine, but if you call for help, I'll slit your throat."

He seemed unruffled by this threat and began speaking again, "I would like you to work for me. I'll protect you from the people who are making you do this if you'll protect me." He glanced at the man lying on the ground. "The position for my bodyguard is currently open after all. So, what do you say?"

I shook my head in disbelief. "You're crazy, do you know that?"

He chuckled softly and shrugged his shoulders. "So will you do it?"

It wasn't even a question for me. Anything would be better than my current job, and besides, there was something about this boy that intrigued me. Some inner instinct told me that I could trust him, so I agreed.

I then told him about my partner waiting on the lawn. He immediately sent soldiers out to seize him, but he had already vanished. Soo-Won told everyone that I was a ninja from the mountain regions who had heard about the assassination plot and come to save me. This seemed to satisfy them. Even to this day no one knows the truth except me, Soo-Won, and now you."

I immediately assured him that his secret was safe with me.

"Since then I haven't left his side," he continued absently, his eyes on Soo-Won. "He's now like a blood brother to me. His plans have become my plans, and his dreams, my dreams, you know?"

I couldn't help wondering what plans and dreams he was talking about, but I smiled and nodded anyways. There was a lull of silence as both of us were occupied with our own thoughts.

Finally, I said in a near whisper, "Hak?"

"Hm?" he replied without looking away from the sleeping Soo-Won.

"Thank you for telling me about your past. It makes me very happy that you trust me enough to talk about it."

He smiled slightly and patted my head in response. It was very strange, I thought to myself. When I first came to the palace, I definitely would have blushed and grew flustered by this simple act. But now, although I still cared for Hak deeply, it was more like he was an older brother to me. In fact, even in this atmosphere, Soo-Won was the only person I could think about. I knew that I couldn't rest until I was sure that he would be alright. I leaned back in my chair with a tired sigh. It was going to be a long night.