❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

It hadn't crossed Seokmin's mind before that to be Joshua' secretary, he actually had to be Joshua's secretary, which meant dozens of files and contracts and agreements he had to oversee.

So far, he already hated the job and he hadn't even attended his first day. Joshua's right hand man, Vernon, had given him these on his way out to test how meticulous he was.

Seokmin refused to be humiliated so he finished all his work before going to bed.

As he laid on the bed, he stared at the ceiling, various thoughts clouding his mind. He wondered if it was the right choice to come back to the States. If he was still going to be human by the time he finished this mission.

His phone rang distracting him from his thoughts and he rolled over, pulling the phone towards him.

The name PARKER washed over the screen and Seokmin rolled his eyes, letting out an overdue groan. He answered the call, placing the phone on his ear.

"What?" He questioned as he put the phone by his ear and he heard Parker chuckle on the other side of the call. "How was your interview?"

Seokmin rolled unto his back, replying, "Fine, I guess... I got hired so must've gone well."

"Just wanted to ask if you're okay, I'm always here you know, bros for life!" Parker chanted and Seokmin chuckled before repeating, "Bros for life."

The call ended and Seokmin sat up, plugging in his phone beside his bed. He laid back down, this time ready to sleep as the waves of tiredness overtook him.

His eyes closed shut and the thoughts dispersed in his mind. Leaving only a long day of work ahead.

...

Seokmin got up in the morning, thanks to his alarm and groaned as he rolled off the bed, his cheek hitting the carpet as he fell.

After a few minutes, Seokmin stood up and dusted himself off before getting ready for his first official day of work. The goal was to get close to Joshua, so close that he would be able to influence Joshua's decisions thereby making the assassination a much easier job.

Maybe he could even get Joshua to fall in love with him. Seokmin didn't know what love was, he'd never experienced any of it but he figured Joshua would know since he got divorced a few years back.

If Seokmin could find his way into Joshua's heart, maybe, just maybe, Joshua wouldn't feel the knife going into his back.

Seokmin tugged at the sleeves of his suit and then adjusted his tie as he stared at his reflection. He put on the jacket and with one last tug at his tie, he grabbed his briefcase and left the apartment.

His father had not given him a car here, meaning he had to either walk or take the bus and neither of those options were what Seokmin preferred but it didn't matter.

He would only have to manage this routine for, at most, 3 months and then he'd been seeing the 'Joshua Hong dead at 30' headlines on his way back to Korea.

Seokmin arrived at the company, still marvelled by the design of the building. Only the exceptionally rich could pull this off, which was probably why his father could not and had to go for a knockoff version.

"Lee Dokyeom?" Seokmin naturally moved to the sound of his 'name', his gaze stopping at the sight of Joshua's assistant, Vernon. "Good morning." Vernon bowed slightly and Seokmin did the same.

"The Boss has asked for me to mentor you for the first week of your job, so follow me." He began to walk off but Seokmin stopped him by tapping his shoulder. "Wait, I don't get it, why do you need to mentor me?"

Vernon blinked, the frustration hidden behind his pupils revealed and Seokmin stepped back, taking his hand off.

"The boss needs to know that you're trustworthy." Vernon answered and Seokmin nodded, hoping to get the boy to stop looking at him like he was a viral disease.

He was also frustrated. His plan had just been derailed and he had to spend a week being mentored by some 20 year old who probably couldn't even hold a kitchen knife.

Seokmin spent of the rest of his day actually working. He attended meetings, signed and approved documents, went through emails and more before he'd realized he'd been scammed.

He was supposed to be wherever Joshua was right now, not stuck in an office with only a water dispenser, a computer and a printer.

Seokmin had to speed this process up. He had to show he was trustworthy faster than this mentorship program would.

He needed a plan.

The work day was slow but once it ended, Seokmin felt joy surround him. The burden of responsibility pulled off him as soon as he stepped out of the building.

Once he'd gotten far enough, he dialed Henley's number, putting the phone to his ear soon after.

"Hey Hen, I need help." Seokmin said once Henley answered the call. "What's going on? Have you been caught already?" Henley questioned, his tone monotonous as usual.

"No dumbass, I need to stage an attack against Joshua... and then save him from it." Seokmin explained and the silence he received from Henley's side made him uneasy.

He rocked back and forth waiting for Henley's answer when the man replied, "Sure, we have to plan it really well first so get home." Seokmin let out the oxygen he'd been keeping in his mouth as Henley answered and the call ended.

He continued to walk to the bus stop and when he got home, he changed out of his suit and called Henley again. "Are you home?" Henley questioned, his voice barely a whisper.

"Yeah, I am." Seokmin replied, putting on a baggy, black t-shirt. "I have an idea." Henley said and a smirk tugged at Seokmin's lips. Feelings of satisfaction and anticipation pooled in his eyes as he listened to Henley explain his plan.

Joshua took another sip. He couldn't sleep again. The nightmares were back and he couldn't fucking sleep.

He got up from his bed and walked to his bathroom, grabbing a face towel. He patted his face that had been fully drenched in sweat and breathed in and out to calm himself down.

His hands continued to shake despite how much he tried to make them stop. His eyes darted to the pills on the top of the sink.

His doctor had put him off them some months ago but Joshua couldn't stop. It was more than addiction. It was like an urge that needed to be soothed, Joshua wasn't able to live without it.

Going against his conscience which he'd defied hundreds of times already, Joshua reached for the pills, opening the case and pouring them into his hands.

He put down the towel and grabbed the cup on the sink running it under the tap. Filled up, Joshua cocked his head back putting in the pills followed by the water before swallowing.

He gulped as the pills ran down his throat, the taste as bitter as ever but still as comforting as the first time he'd taken them.

One thing Joshua Hong wasn't, was perfect. Although many seemed to think he was a jack of all trades, a genius, a mastermind. He was just as broken as those in the mental hospitals. Except he was rich enough to cover his insanity up with a facade.

A facade that would never be unmasked.

Joshua closed the pills and kept them back on the sink, drinking up the remaining water before rinsing and placing the cup back.

He heard his phone buzz and he trudged back into his bedroom, the view of the city apparent and graceful, decorating the rather boring room.

Joshua looked at the caller id, the name Vernon visible on the screen. He swiped right, answering the call and put it on speaker, keeping the phone on the bedside table.

"Good evening Sir." Vernon greeted and Joshua replied with a nod, despite Vernon not being able to see it. "He's clean, completely." Vernon added and Joshua's eyebrow raised as he picked up the phone.

"100 percent?" He questioned, picking at his nails. "Yes, I, along with Chan fact checked his background story, did identity checks and more. He's completely clean Sir, nothing to worry about"

Joshua eyes squinted a bit, unsure of how to take in the news that Dokyeom was 100% clean meaning he was 100% perfect for Joshua.

Since he'd stepped into Joshua's office that Sunday morning, he had left a mark on Joshua. A permanent one, reluctant to being pulled away. He was strangely intoxicating, just like the pills that kept Joshua slightly sane.

Joshua wasn't sure if he wanted to let Dokyeom in because he wasn't sure if he would be able to let him out if he did.

"Sir, should I continue the mentorship program?" Vernon asked, his voice cracked through the speaker and Joshua turned his head to the windows.

It was raining. Just like that, the city had been overcome with rain droplets which had also found their way unto Joshua's windows.

"No, he'll train under me from tomorrow." Joshua informed Vernon before ending the call and throwing his phone on the bed.

He walked to the windows, keeping his hand on the cold glass that sent a sensation through his body. He closed his eyes, letting his ears take in the sound of the rain which had always been his tranquility.

Joshua might have been a monster to some, or to all, and maybe even to himself. But monsters didn't just appear out of nowhere.

Monsters were made.

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

Ⓒ︎𝐎𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐇
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 06/10/2024
𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 - N/A