Craige/Killan POV
The hallway fell silent the moment I stepped into it.
Every footstep I made echoed too loudly against the tiles, and every pair of eyes that turned toward me carried the same mixture—fear, curiosity, and hesitation. When my gaze met theirs, they instantly dropped their heads or pretended to look elsewhere. A familiar scene. Too familiar.
It tugged at a memory I thought I had buried—the days when people who recognized me wouldn't dare meet my eyes, terrified that a single wrong look might be their last. They treated me like a walking monster. A madman wearing human skin.
Now, inside this frail body called Killan, that same fear followed me like a shadow.
I reached the front of our classroom, and for a second, confusion rippled through the students. Whispers spread like wildfire. Some were curious, others hesitant, others clearly plotting their distance.
"Hey!" a voice called.
The nerd—Hover's brat—rushed to my side and patted my shoulder like an excited puppy.
"How powerful are you to make the biggest sponsor in school kneel like that? Dude, half the school is talking about it!" …Damn. I didn't think that sponsor would cause this much noise. I just wanted to handle the problem, not broadcast a disaster.
"I told you, don't worry," I muttered, sliding into my chair. Students kept stealing glances, whispering things I didn't bother listening to. Let them talk. At least one pest in my new life was gone.
When class finally ended, I grabbed my bag and left immediately with the nerd trailing behind me.
"I still can't believe that hell is over," he sighed dramatically. "You saved me! I owe you my life!"
I ignored his rambling. If I reacted to everything he said, my sanity would crumble before dinner.
We picked up Yuhan at his school, and after the nerd said his goodbyes, the two of us headed straight to the hospital. Lory was being discharged tomorrow.
"Brother! I want to go home," she said the moment she saw me.
I smiled—Killan's smile, not Craige's—and gently patted her head. "Tomorrow," I assured her. She beamed and hugged me tightly, then sat on the bed playing with the teddy bear I brought her.
While she was distracted, Yuhan approached me."Craige…" he called. His voice trembled a little before he spoke again. "I think… I need to stop going to school."
My body stiffened.
"What? Why? Did someone bully you—"
"No!" he cut me off immediately.
I blinked, confused. "Then what's the reason?"
He clenched his fists. The silence between us stretched thickly until he finally whispered:
"We need money."
My heart dropped.
"Our father keeps borrowing from that well-known loan shark. If we don't pay it… we're done for. Our lives will be miserable." Shit. I didn't think Killan's past life was this bad. A real hell.
I couldn't let Yuhan sacrifice his future. I placed a hand on his head, trying to be gentle despite my instincts. "Don't worry. I'll find a job to pay the debt. Just don't stop studying, okay? Killan wouldn't want that—not if he were here."
But Yuhan didn't back down. He lifted his gaze, eyes suddenly sharp and cold—far older than a kid his age should ever look. "And what kind of job will you take?" he asked. "Killing people?"
My breath caught.
"I know who you are," he continued quietly. "You're a feared assassin. But don't you dare dirty my brother's hands. Don't drag him back into that world." The seriousness in his tone startled me. This wasn't the same timid boy I met before.
I tried to ease the tension with a hollow chuckle.
"I told you—I want a new life. So don't worry. My mission is to make the two of you happy. "Happy my ass.
Because as soon as I promised Yuhan a normal life, reality slapped me harder than any battlefield ever did. To earn money, I had to throw away my pride and dive straight into humiliation.
Delivering food. Working as a cashier at the convenience store. Hauling boxes at a warehouse. Cleaning tables at a café. Running errands for rude customers.
I tried every part-time job I could find.
And the worst part? All the scumbags somehow sensed weakness around me and kept messing with me. I couldn't cause a scene. I couldn't kill anyone. I couldn't even threaten them.
So I swallowed my pride and endured. By the time I got home each day, my body felt like it was collapsing. My muscles ached. My lungs burned. My stamina was trash.
Even if I retained my assassin's mind… Killan's weak body dragged me down every step of the way. And yet…I kept going. Because for the first time, I wasn't fighting for survival— I was fighting for a family that wasn't originally mine… but somehow felt like a second chance I didn't deserve.
*******
Craige/Killan POV
The moment the bell rang, I was already on my feet.I slipped out of the classroom before the chatter even started and headed straight to the back exit of the school. I didn't have the luxury to breathe, rest, or even think—because as soon as class ended, Killan's hellish part-time life began.
Right now, I was a food delivery driver.
Ridiculous.An assassin feared across continents, now reduced to carrying paper bags and receipts.
But today was worse.
I wasn't even supposed to take this route.The one assigned to the casino had been my co-worker, but he ended up getting injured. According to him, some thugs deliberately smashed the food he delivered just to demand a refund. They cornered him, mocked him, and when he resisted, they "taught him a lesson."
So instead of sending extra security or reporting it,my idiotic boss sent me.
A high school kid.Into a swamp full of adult thugs.Genius.
"What if I really was weak?" I muttered while biking toward the casino. "What if they kill me?"
But we were understaffed—only five delivery riders for the entire restaurant. And I was the only one not limping or crying, so naturally, I became the sacrificial lamb. The casino towered ahead, all neon lights and cigarette smoke. The entrance was guarded heavily, but the security inspected my box, shrugged, and let me in.
The floor I needed was on the sixth floor. The moment the elevator doors slid open, a suffocating mix of cigarette stench and alcohol slammed into my senses. My head instantly throbbed. Killan's body was too soft, too sensitive, too… weak. I adjusted my helmet and stepped in—
BUMP.
I collided with someone. A man reeking of liquor and arrogance swayed in front of me, accompanied by a thick-necked bodyguard.
"Fuck! Look at your surroundings, asshole!" Wow. That was a crunchy curse.Almost as crunchy as the sound his bones would make if I snapped them in half.
But no.Not here.Not in this life.
"I'm sorry, sir," I said, bowing so low I practically folded myself in half like a steamed dumpling. Maybe being submissive would help.
TWAACK!
Glass shattered. Pain exploded across my skull. Warm blood crawled down my forehead, dripping past my eyebrows and into my eyes. He hit me with the bottle.
For a moment… my vision flickered red.My instincts screamed.My heart roared, ready to tear him apart.
But then— Yuhan's face flashed in my mind. His trembling voice saying:"Don't dirty my brother's hands."
And just like that, the fire died. The drunk sneered, tossing the broken bottle aside."Know your place, moron." They walked away. And I forced myself not to look back.
By the time I reached the room for the delivery, my head throbbed, and my patience was hanging by a single thread. I pressed the doorbell. The door swung open, revealing a man with a disgusting grin stretched across his face.
As I began handing the food to him— He knocked it out of my hands on purpose.
It crashed against the floor, spilling sauce and rice everywhere.
"What do you think you're doing?" he jeered. I froze. Not because I was scared.But because if I moved even an inch wrong… someone would die today. He slapped me.
Once.Twice.The third slap was already coming—
My hand clenched into a fist. My foot moved faster than my mind. With a controlled, deadly kick, I slammed him onto the cold floor. His back hit so hard the sound echoed down the hallway. I stopped my strength just before it reached bone-breaking level. Barely. His companions stared at me, stunned. Perhaps they felt a glimpse—just a drop—of the monster I used to be.
My voice dropped cold.
"Where's my payment?"
They scrambled. Instead of just giving the cost of the food, they offered me their wallets—their entire money. I flicked the extra cash back at them and only took what was required.Then I left, their faces frozen in terror. "Shit… I didn't even control myself that well," I muttered on the elevator down. "But at least I didn't kill them. Yuhan will understand… right?"
When I came home, the bandage on my head still smelled faintly of disinfectant. Yuhan sat across from me, eyes sharp. "No," he said immediately. "Don't stand out too much. You can't fight back like that. You can just ignore them or run away. Just don't attract attention."
"What the hell?" I shot back. "I'm supposed to be some damsel in distress now? They hit me, hurt me, and I can't fight back? That's against basic survival."
"What if they wanted you to kill?" Yuhan snapped. "What then?"
I opened my mouth—but he continued.
"Just run. You're fast. They won't catch you."
My fist trembled.My blood burned.My entire being screamed for release. But…
"…Okay. Fine," I exhaled in defeat. "If that's what you want." In the end, it was me who surrendered. Not because I was weak— but because I didn't want the people who trusted me to fear me.
"Okay. I'll endure it this time," I whispered to myself. Even if the world saw me as prey…even if every instinct in my body begged me to fight…
I would endure.For them.