A man with silver hair and a black mask that covered his nose and mouth lingered around a basketball court, situated in the middle of a city near the sea. His body was dirty; his last visit to the shower was two weeks ago where he rented a motel room for one night, leaving him with twenty bucks which he decided should best be used for food and a ride home. His eyes carefully peered through the wire fence separating him from a bunch of adolescent boys playing basketball – about five of them. The man looked down at the fragment of paper in his hands. It had a picture of a boy with small, innocent eyes and a wide smile, his nose slightly dented. He looked up at the adolescents. He spotted him – the boy with brown hair and small eyes. Only this time, it had no innocence. In its place was a glint of wisdom.

The man wasn’t one to speak openly to someone he didn’t know well. He hesitated to approach the boy and later deciding he should plan things out before doing anything stupid. But he did feel a slight tug at his heart, thinking of how hard it was to find him in the first place.

“What are you doing? Just go and get him!” a voice said in his head. He ignored it, even though the constant stammering hurt his brain slightly. He had gotten used to it throughout the years. His feet brought him to a harbour nearby. He leaned against the metal fence that held him back from falling into the sea. The man took his sight from the vast amount of water in front of him to the piece of paper in his hand. Below the picture of the boy wrote his name – Moon Jongup – in big block letters, with the words ‘Dead or Alive’ after it. The reward had enough zeros to pay for his sister’s liver transfer.

He looked at the picture of the boy. He couldn’t have been more than ten years old when they took this picture. He sighed and thought about his sister. The man was about to reach out for his phone in his pocket when suddenly a figure jumped out and sat on the metal fence beside him. He looked up and saw Moon Jongup.

“You were the guy hanging around the court just now,” the adolescent stated. A smirk formed as he said, “Cool hair.”

“Thanks,” was all the man could say, his voice muffled through his mask. There he was, the boy he was searching for all this time. The one who can save his sister’s life.

“Hey, what you got there?” Jongup asked. He was looking at the piece of paper the man was holding. He was about to hide it when Jongup reached out and stole it from his hands. The male silently cursed Jongup, wondering how he didn’t fall backwards. Jongup was still all smiles up until the moment he looked at the paper. He observed it for quite some time, as if trying to swallow in the information. The male couldn’t even look at Jongup’s face. He waited until Jongup handed him back the piece of paper.

“You were looking for me?” Jongup asked. The man was never good at lying. He decided there’s nothing left to hide anyway.

“Yea.”

“So now you’ve found me, are you going to kill me?”

“No.”

Jongup snorted. “Avoiding the dirty work, huh?”

The man didn’t reply.

“So what’s your plan in convincing me to follow you?”

To be honest, the man never thought of this. He had no plan B. The voice in his head just told him to go and search for the boy and send him in for the reward. But the voice never said it would take over a year to find Moon Jongup neither.

He glanced at the boy for a moment. He might seem wiser than how he looked in the picture, what with him probably five years older now too, but he still seemed like a nice kid with a kind heart. Or even, a soft one. So the man told Jongup about his sister.

“You really think I’ll believe you?” Jongup asked, his head not sure whether he should believe the stranger.

“I won’t kill you.”

“But I’ll die in the end,” Jongup told, looking away.

“I’m sorry about that.”

Jongup didn’t expect it from the other. He didn’t say anything, and neither did the man. Jongup was about to jump off the fence but he lost his balance and almost fell back. The man caught his forearm and pulled him back, letting him land on the concrete with his two feet.

“Why did you decide to follow me?”

“Because you saved me.” Jongup sipped on his orange juice, his eyes not breaking from the sight of his cheap supper. They were sitting in a diner, deciding they should rest before tomorrow’s trip back to the man’s hometown. Jongup managed to pull him into telling his name. It was Jung Daehyun. His sister’s name was Daeri.

“What about your family?” Daehyun asked, fiddling with his food. The voice in his brain told him to keep his mask on, meaning that he couldn’t eat much anyway.

“I guess you don’t know why those people are searching for me.”

Daehyun kept silent. It seemed heartless to not wonder why someone wanted a ten year old boy dead. Maybe if he was curious he would’ve done some research and it would’ve been easier to find Jongup. But maybe Daehyun was heartless – heartless to anyone other than Daeri.

Jongup took his last bite before sitting back. “My dad was killed for knowing confidential information of a company he worked for. What they didn’t know – at least, until my mom and I escaped - was that my dad had transferred the information to me.”

“So your mom-“

“Was shot trying to let me escape when one of their people found us.”

“When was that?”

“About nine months ago.”

“And how old are you again?”

“Turned fifteen two months back.” Jongup sipped his juice. “How old are you?”

“Turning nineteen next month.”

“Great. Now we know each other’s birthdays. So what’s your favourite colour?”

“White,” Daehyun answered honestly. Jongup chuckled. He only meant the question as a joke. But he went along with it.

“Well mine’s green.”

“What’s up with the mask?” Jongup asked when they got on the train. It would lead them straight to Daehyun’s hometown down south east. It wasn’t technically Jongup’s hometown, but he did live there for a few years. His heart felt a little jumpy thinking about seeing that town again - all the memories, both happy and sad. So he tried making conversations.

Daehyun didn’t answer immediately. “Are you curious?”

“Well it’s kinda weird since you don’t even eat just to keep it on.” Jongup fidgeted in his seat then fumbled with his hand rest. He couldn’t stay still.

“I’m tired just looking at you,” Daehyun stated.

“What?”

“Are you nervous?”

Jongup snorted airily. “No,” he said in slight hesitance.

“Don’t worry. I get it.” Daehyun looked out his window as the train starts moving. The tiles on the platform started fading as the train speeds up, until all they saw was the scenery of the city below them. He was feeling a little excited too. After more than a year, Daehyun’s finally coming home.

On the train, the boys couldn’t sleep. They had another three hours ahead of them before they arrive. They walked around and found a pinball machine somewhere near the train cafe.

“Wanna play a few rounds?” Jongup offered.

“Why not.” So Daehyun ended up standing by the side, watching the ball bouncing back and forth as Jongup intently tries to score.

“How did your dad transfer the information to you?” Daehyun asked out of boredom.

“He placed a chip in my brain,” Jongup told. “Right after he knew about it. He had a feeling the company didn’t want him to know, so he made a second copy.”

“But you were just a kid,” Daehyun stated out.

“Guess he didn’t consider it.” The pinball slipped out of Jongup’s control and fell into a pit at the near end. Jongup looked up and smirked at Daehyun. Daehyun only took his place, replacing Jongup. He slotted a few coins into the machine.

“You know, I have a chip in my brain too,” Daehyun started. But the voice inside his brain started yelling.

“Why are you telling him?”

“Oh yeah?” Jongup asked, watching the spring jolt the pinball out. Daehyun caught it, stopping the ball from slipping down the pit. His head throbbed.

“My parents died when I was younger, so they thought the two of us couldn’t handle ourselves. So they implanted a chip in my brain to help me know things.”

“This is confidential. You had signed a contract to never speak of it!”

“Things?”

“Things like how to manage a bank account and what groceries to buy.” Daehyun winced a bit at the pain in his brain. He can’t let it control him. He has to fight it. “Basic stuff. But what I don’t understand is why the government didn’t just give us-”

“Daehyun?”

“Yea?” Daehyun looked up at Jongup’s concerned face.

“So both of us are chipped,” Jongup stated.

Daehyun didn’t say anything. He dabbed his temple, making sure there’s no more blood visible. His head still hurts a little, but at least it’s not throbbing anymore. They were sitting at their seats on the train. It was raining outside, but they had roughly an hour left. Truthfully, he can’t wait to hand over Jongup. He’s afraid he would gain affection for the younger that he wouldn’t be able to let him go. The two were talking more personal stuff now, and it has to stop.

“We could be the chipped brothers or something,” Jongup joked, smirking playfully at Daehyun. The older ignored him, staring out the window. Jongup felt silly and looked away. “Well you still haven’t told me about the mask.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I really wanna see how you really look like,” Jongup stated. “How you smile. I can’t really smile very sincerely knowing I’m gonna die soon.”

Daehyun looked at Jongup, and he returns it back with a sad smile. Then he quickly looked away. “But I guess you don’t really care. You have to save your sister after all.”

Daehyun couldn’t really say anything. He did love his sister. But somehow Jongup reminds him a lot of Daeri. Their playful smiles. The maturity in their jokes. And Daeri was only one year younger than the boy. The two seemed very similar, but Daehyun couldn’t accept that fact. He refused to. Jongup needs to go.

“So we’re finally here.”

Jongup took a deep breath of the suburban night air. They went practically across the whole country, and Jongup missed walking on stable land. Daehyun lingered near Jongup, but didn’t say a word. He had been silent for the past hour, not wanting to create anymore bonds with his ‘chipped brother’. Jongup was idly watching the night view, not caring about the time passing by, so Daehyun decided to take the lead and walked to the gate of the station. Noticing him leave, Jongup followed behind.

The company building was easy to find, as it was the biggest building in the town. Jongup followed obediently behind Daehyun, as if he wasn’t wanted by the big shots of the town. Daehyun found it annoying, plus the fact that it made him look like a very bad bounty hunter. He considered tying Jongup up and taping his mouth shut to look like he did a lot in effort of catching him.

When they reached the company building, Jongup stated “Maybe you should tie me up or something.” Daehyun thought that they really were somewhat chipped brothers. Jongup smiled at Daehyun and Daehyun let out a sigh. They managed to tie Jongup’s hand together and taped over his mouth by the time Daehyun knocked on the back door. The voice told him this door would lead him to the boss directly without a meeting.

The door was opened by a man about six foot eleven tall, his bulky arms almost ripping his short sleeve apart. He observed the two younger quickly and asked “What do you want?”

Daehyun briefly showed the fragment of paper with Jongup’s face on it. The man compared the picture with Jongup, and then tore off the tape with one pull. Jongup winced, his hairs pulled off his skin. “Ouch.”

“Well, this is quite a catch,” the man said in his deep voice. “The boss will be happy to see you.”

Daehyun smirked under his mask, but didn’t dare look at Jongup although he wanted to see him in pleasure too. Then it struck Daehyun. This isn’t a happy moment for Jongup. After Daehyun leaves, he’ll probably be skinned head first for the chip. The silver haired boy gulped silently, feeling the sweat on Jongup’s arms when he brushed against him through a narrow walkway.

They were lead to what seemed like a waiting room with a sofa for three and two chairs, arranged around a coffee table. A potted plant sat in the corner of the room, its leaves plastic green. Some magazines were arranged carelessly on the table. The man offered the sofa to Daehyun, but when Jongup followed he pushed the boy roughly that caused him to fall on the floor.

“You’re not a guest here,” the man told, the piercing on his lower lip twitching. The man taped back Jongup’s mouth, then knocked on a grand door placed at the wider side of the room.

“Yes?” a shrill voice called from the inside. The man entered without saying anything.

Daehyun fidgeted with his thumbs, sweat running down his temple. “All you have to do is claim your reward. Then you can leave and Moon Jongup never existed in your life.” The voice kept reassuring Daehyun, but although his brain seems convinced his heart couldn’t stand the thought of Jongup being killed. Daehyun only hoped he could ignore what his heart feels.

Jongup stood up slowly and landed his bum next to Daehyun. He didn’t say anything. But he couldn’t sit still. And that was enough to tell Daehyun that he wasn’t ready. He doesn’t want to die just yet.

“Tell you what Jongup.” Daehyun looked up at the younger, and Jongup did the same, the tape almost falling out of its place. “The reason I keep this mask on is because the voice in my head tells me to. And it does that so that I would speak less – so that I wouldn’t spill any secrets of the government’s. But since I met you, I’ve talked more than I ever had since I knew about my sister’s sickness.”

Jongup stopped fidgeting. He seemed surprised Daehyun would tell him such a thing. But he just kept quiet, although his mouth was already free from the grasps of the tape.

Daehyun’s temple throbbed, but he ignored it. “Before I leave, I’ll pull down my mask to show you. What I really look like.”

The grand door opened and the man from before came out. “Hey!” he shouted at Jongup. He stood up, followed by Daehyun. The man didn’t say anything more. He scratched his neck as he said “Come in.”

The two followed the man, the heavy door shutting behind them. The room concealed by the door was as big as two classrooms, its walls filled with racks of books. A desk sat further into the room, an old man sitting behind it, his hands clasped together. He was bald, clothed with a slick black suit and a purple tie. His smile was so sinister you would wonder if he was actually a skeleton haunting you in your dreams. Behind the skinny man were red drapes, covering fully the windows behind them, not allowing any light to pass through. About six men stood around the room, all big and bulky like the man who led them there, only they wore smart suits and they each had an earpiece. A metal board engraved with the name “Kim Ryewoon” in Hangul was placed neatly on the desk. Ryewoon called the two boys closer with his hands. The two stepped up.

“Not the son of a bastard,” said the skinny man, strictness in his withering voice. “Only the masked boy.”

Jongup stepped back, and Daehyun bravely stepped to the front.

“So, you want to claim your reward?” Ryewoon asked, a sinister smile playing on his face.

“Yes.” Daehyun had his nerves together; probably since he told Jongup about the mask. The old man didn’t deny his request. He pulled a briefcase from under his desk and unlatched it, showing the amount of cash to Daehyun. After he got a glimpse, Ryewoon locked it back together.

“But you haven’t completed your task yet.”

Daehyun’s eyes widened. Ryewoon opened a drawer in his desk, revealing a dagger, its edge sharp and glinting. Ryewoon traced it with his finger. He looked up sharply at Daehyun, his smile powerful and controlling. “Get the chip out of his brain.”

“But that wasn’t part of the deal,” Daehyun insisted, his voice weak from his dry throat.

“Very stupid of you, boy.” Ryewoon pulled out his own copy of the wanted paper. It looked untouched; its edges still perfect and its ink still shiny. The old man pointed with the dagger to the very bottom of the piece of paper – a fine print. “It says that if reward was to be claimed after over five years, any special request from the rewarder was to be completed by the person who claims it.”

“But that wasn’t in my copy—“ Daehyun searched his pockets, blood flowing out of his face as he remembers throwing the fragment of paper out as they stepped into the building.

“Well?” Ryewoon asked, seeing Daehyun’s eyes were full of regret and uncertainty. He offered the dagger. “Do you want your reward or not?”

Daeri’s face flashed across Daehyun’s mind. Her silver hair, styled in two pony tails and a side fringe. Her pale face laughing, then coughing from the pain. Daehyun took the dagger and turned towards Jongup. Jongup’s eyes were full of the innocence; the same one from the wanted flyer. His body didn’t move, and sweat trickled down his cheeks. He started shivering when Daehyun walked towards him, the dagger pointing straight to his forehead. Daehyun stopped when the dagger was no further than a centimetre away from Jongup’s skin. His eyes suddenly caught Jongup’s, which had been eyeing the dagger all along. They looked at each for awhile and suddenly Jongup’s eyes relaxed.

“You’re not sure how to use that, right?” Jongup said under his breath. Daehyun could hear him, but he didn’t react, not wanting to attract attention. “It’s easy. Like this-"

Jongup grabbed Daehyun’s wrist and started to trace the dagger’s edge along his temple. Daehyun didn’t know what to do. His throat was dry and his body shook. Before the people watching them could do anything, Jongup used his strength to stick the dagger into his chest.

As if by instinct, Daehyun pulled it back out. Jongup coughed out a spatter of blood before falling on to the ground. The men rushed to get the boy – so that they could dissect the chip out quickly before the body gets cold – but Daehyun pointed the dagger at them, shouting “Don’t touch him!”

Daehyun got on his knees, trying to get Jongup to stand up again. He was sure it didn’t hit anywhere lethal – probably didn’t even touch his ribs – but Jongup was panting, his heart not able to function properly with the punctured lung. In all his failed efforts, Daehyun laid Jongup down, staring and sobbing at him as blood constantly flows out of his mouth. Jongup was choking on his own blood as he used his last bits of strength to pull down Daehyun’s mask. His cheeks were tear stained, his plump lips shivering uncontrollably. His eyes got moister and moister by the second.

“Daehyun…” Jongup said. He was tired from holding on. He had to let go, because all he was feeling was pain. His eyes became smaller and smaller, shutting as he whispered “I finally get to see your face… but you’re not smiling.”

“I-I’ll smile for you, Jongup,” Daehyun said, his whole body shaking. He forced a curve on his lips, his tears running down to his chin. “Jongup, look I’m smiling. Jongup?”

The boy didn’t respond. Daehyun neared his face to the other’s. He didn’t feel air coming out of his nostrils.

“Jongup? Moon Jongup, wake up!” Daehyun strained to keep his mouth in that shape. But he did it anyway; even with the tears dripping into it. “Look I’m smiling! I’m smiling for you! Jongup…”

Daehyun screamed of frustration. Jongup was gone. And Daehyun killed him. But it wasn’t his fault.

It was Kim Hyewoon’s.

Daehyun untied his mask and wore it over Jongup’s bloody mouth. He laid the body down and picked up his dagger. He turned towards the old man, the smile gone.

“Good show! That’s enough. You can leave the body now.” Kim Hyewoon applauded the boy. Daehyun didn’t agree.

“I’ll leave it for now. Right now I have to handle another one.” Daehyun came forward to the desk.

“Another one?” the old man repeated. “Oh you mean your reward? Well you didn’t techni-“

Daehyun stabbed the old man right in the heart. The man looked at his chest, then shakily looked at the silver haired boy. Daehyun pulled back the dagger from the body of its owner. Blood sputtered onto the desk, the man’s face falling after with a thump. Daehyun looked around the room. No one dared stop him when he took the briefcase from under the desk. He took Jongup’s arm and slung it over his shoulder, carrying him slowly out the building. As he stepped out the same door he came in, he saw the fragment of paper he threw away. He picked it up and crumpled it into his pocket – as a souvenir.

He brought the briefcase and Jongup’s body back home, and by dawn breaks Daehyun had a hole ready for Jongup in his backyard. He carefully put his body in, along with the mask. And with tears streaming down once again, he piled back the dirt onto Jongup’s body. He placed a flower stem at the side where Jongup’s head was, then cleaned up. He kept the dagger in his closet. Then he took the briefcase to the hospital. When he saw Daeri, she ran towards him and gave him a tight hug, tears streaming down her cheeks. He gave one back.

“I’m home.”