Jungkook focus

Frustrated Jungkook climbed in through the window of the guestroom, tore off the belt, and stripped out of the useless palace guard robes. He had been so close to finishing his task, so close that he had been able to feel the heaviness of the payment in his sleeve, but some stupid palace dog had to ruin it all.

What bothered him most was his inattentiveness. He was one of the best in his line of profession but had been fooled by his own arrogance. Still, who would expect a royal guard to sit on a roof? What kind of strange palace dog would do that? Those creatures belonged on the ground, crawling in front of their master, wagging their tails.

The door behind him burst open when he was closing the trouser legs of his own clothes and he turned around, dagger in hand and ready to strike at any man that was unfortunate enough to discover him. He looked at a woman.

"Little princess?" he asked confused and a little upset before he put the blade back down on the bed. Could this woman not wait until he was dressed properly?

For a moment, second princess Dahee looked like she as well regretted her choice to barge in when her eyes flitted over his naked torso, but quickly she regained her regal expression and closed the doors. "Did you succeed?" she wanted to know and Jungkook knew he was condemned to endure another furious reprimand.

"I was interrupted by a guard," he answered curtly and turned to grab his undergarments.

But before he could do more than lift it from the bed, his shoulder was grabbed, and he was forced back around to face his angry employer. The lady shrieked in shock when her wrist was tilted in an unnatural angle.

Realizing his own mistake, Jungkook let go. "I told you not to touch me," he growled.

"You brutish man," she hissed quietly and cradled her hand against her chest. "I thought you could handle some royal guards, but it seems you only know how to hurt a lady."

Jungkook clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. This woman was annoying. What did she even know? Any clever assassin who valued his own skin would retreat at the prospect of an equal opponent. His job was not to challenge royal guards but to slice the crown prince's throat.

"Had I been as ruthless as you expect me to be, your beloved baby brother would have been dead by now, little princess," he snarled at her, grinning a nasty grin when he saw her face paling.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on him," she whispered angrily.

"Am I paid to do so?" he asked bored and crossed his arms over his bare chest.

She again controlled her expression. With all emotions banned from her face, all that was left was cold arrogance. "What an immoral man," she said in distaste.

Jungkook smiled his brightest false smile when he answered her. "What a perfect match we are. Too bad you already bowed to heaven and earth."

Now she looked like she wanted to see his throat sliced instead of the crown prince's. "Shameless wretch," she spat. "How can you still fool around with me when you failed your task twice?"

Jungkook's face darkened again. "Little princess, you expect me to kill the crown prince within the palace. If it was that easy, the royal family would already be dead," he said flatly trying to suppress the growing urge to gag her and tie her to a chair so that he could finally go out and enjoy himself a little.

"I thought you were supposed to be the best," she said snappishly.

"I thought you were supposed to be refined and modest, but it appears that even the ladies of the court like to spend time with naked men in secret," he replied bluntly to get her off the shameful topic of his second failure. He would not leave unfinished a third time. His name had to remain at the top of the list of most skilled men in the south. He would not shame the name of his master.

"Do not think too highly of yourself," the woman reprimanded him.

Jungkook could only shake his head at such a display of overestimation. She was pretty, sure, but her character was insufferable and spoiled. "How can I not when I'm looked at like this?" he continued his game of riling her up to get her to leave. He even stepped closer, invading her royal space like no one else would dare.

"You shameless man," she said with shock-widened eyes and took one step back before she decided not to show weakness and stepped even closer. A sharp fingernail pierced Jungkook's chest right over his heart, and he had to admit that he was slightly impressed by her courage. Or maybe she just did not know that he was able to end her fickle life with a single strike. "Is this your thanks for me accommodating you in my residence?" she tried to appeal to his non-existent conscience.

"Minister Park's residence," he corrected her. "And I'm not even allowed to roam freely."

Since her husband was guarding the western border and barely was at home, minister Park had decided to accommodate his daughter-in-law in his own mansion. She was as much of a guest as he was; the only difference was that she could order the servants around. And apparently, she knew of her higher grounds, because his words did not affect her at all.

"Is this bargaining? Are you asking for more to finally do what you are paid for?" she asked with a cold smile, apparently getting used to their physical closeness much different from Jungkook whose body was tense and ready to fight at the slightest sign of aggression.

"If little princess would give me her body, I would consider going for a second time tonight," he mocked her in hopes of finally making her leave in disgust.

But to his astonishment she just looked at him calmly, seemingly considering his words. He could feel the sharp fingernail scraping over his chest to settle over his martial arts center and felt slightly nervous. This woman knew where to place a knife.

When he saw her opening her mouth, he was quick to speak up faster. "Just accept that this is a difficult task that needs time," he brushed off his earlier statement.

The princess' flat expression changed into a dark smile. "You failed twice. It will not become easier. Maybe I should ask another man to do your job."

Jungkook bit his cheek, anger tasting bitter on his tongue. "You will not find a man better than me," he growled.

"Then prove it," she said, eyes ablaze with satisfaction.

Jungkook had lost this battle of will, and they both knew it. He tried to control the urge to strangle her while damning his competitive nature that had stabbed him in the back. You cannot kill a customer, he told himself, you have a reputation to hold up.

"Nasty woman," he hissed when she let go of him and turned to leave. Her husband definitely was home too seldomly. She needed a good drilling to calm down whatever it was that made her such a bitch.

Angry Jungkook put on his undergarments and robe and jumped back out of the window, melting into the shadows. Better not to spend more time in that place. The fresh air was more to his liking anyway and the roofs were his preferred path of strolling the city. No one noticed him but he saw everything. There only was not much to see at this hour of the night, so he simply followed the shimmer of a close-by pleasure house.

Quietly, he stuck his head through one of the dimly lit windows and scanned the room for food, ignoring the giggles and sounds from behind the bedcurtains. He once had stolen a money pouch from a brothel, but the next day the house had been raided and torn down and a dead body had been dragged out of the front door, so now he was limiting himself to edibles. It was not wise to burn one's barns, his master had taught him.

Underneath him stood a low table with a jar of wine and he decided that this was good enough. He grabbed his little treasure and put the blinds back down before climbing up the building further to settle on the rooftop ridge.

The night was moonless and clear. A perfect night for sneaking in to kill someone. If only the flying guard had not been there.

With a sigh he poured the sweet wine into his mouth. He would have to wait some days now. Once the guards were more at ease again, he would strike a last time.

>><<

'Bow to heaven and earth' is an ancient way of saying someone is married. During the ceremony the pair bows once to heaven and earth, once to their parents and ancestors, and once to each other. Since it's from Buddhism, I suppose it was common in the East-Asian regions.

Martial Arts Center = Solar Plexus, it's a knot of the nervous system that when hit renders your whole body useless.