"Um... I'll head out now."

"Alright, take care."

"Yes."

The office door closed with a gentle click, and the bright smile still lingering on his lips left Joong in a brief daze.

"Boss."

"Huh?"

"Is it him?"

"Yeah. You guys smell strawberries?"

"Not really."

"Strange. I smelled it very clearly."

"Maybe it was from the bakery?"

"No. That day, he came straight from home. There's no way the scent clung to him from the shop."

"Boss, you have to be extra careful. Lately, they're getting harder to find, harder to catch. If we mistake a normal person, it's straight to prison."

"I know. But don't tell me my nose is acting up... I just caught that wood-scented one the other day."

"Then maybe get close to him two or three more times, just to be sure."

"Yeah. Here, try this drink. It's actually pretty good."

"Okay!"

From that short conversation alone, you could already tell who he was — a hunter. A silent killer type of hunter. No prey had ever slipped through his fingers... well, until this one. This one was proving to be a bit more effort.

The first time he came to the café, it was just to grab a drink. But after a short conversation, he caught a faint strawberry scent, thought it was just from the pastries and let it go. Then, after a few days, the scent became stronger whenever the boy stood close. What sealed the deal was that night at the restaurant ..he found a strand of platinum hair on the chair the boy had been sitting in. That was enough. He added him to the rare list.

Still, he didn't want to jump the gun. He needed more confirmation. So he found an excuse to call the boy to his office. But things got complicated...none of his underlings could smell it. That made it tricky.

[Hey, are you free right now?] — 1:00 p.m.

[Just finished a meeting.] — 1:02 p.m.

[Wanna grab a bite with me? You tipped a lot earlier and now I feel guilty.] — 1:05 p.m.

[Oh, so this is your way of easing the guilt?] — 1:06 p.m.

[Is that a no?] — 1:09 p.m.

[Of course not. I'll come pick you up.] — 1:10 p.m.

[I'm downstairs at your office already, come on down.] — 1:11 p.m.

[Okay.] — 1:12 p.m.

He was caught off guard.. this prey was oddly... proactive. That was new. He slipped on his leather jacket and headed down to meet him. Judging by the tip earlier, the kid probably had enough to take him somewhere fancy, but instead they went to a humble spot for pad thai.

It was a familiar place, busy, but the staff were enthusiastic, so he didn't complain. Just quietly enjoyed the meal.

"Hey... you live alone in the city?"

"Yeah. My parents live out in the suburbs."

"Do you go home often?"

"Not really, only sometimes. Ah, now that you mention it, I'm actually going back this weekend. Mom asked me to bring her a few things."

"Really? I'm free this weekend. Mind if I tag along? Been kinda burnt out from work lately."

"Hmm..."

"Too sudden? It's okay, I get it. We did just meet, kinda weird to invite myself."

"Oh, no, it's fine! Let me ask my mom. We might need to prep the guest room or something. I'll text you tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds good, sweetheart."

He was thrilled. If the boy really was a "rare one," then it was likely that one of his parents was too. That meant possibly two rare targets. He could hardly contain his excitement, and kept smiling to himself every time he thought about how things were going.

That night, the boy went home, hesitated a lot before finally dialing his mom. But then hung up. He did that a few times, then finally managed to call.

[Hello? What's going on? You keep calling and hanging up.]

[Um... So, I made a friend. He said he wants to come visit our house this weekend.]

[Visit our house? There's nothing much to see here.]

[He said he's been really stressed with work and wants a change of pace. He's a regular at Kat's shop, so I couldn't really say no...]

His mom paused for a moment before answering.

[Alright. Invite him over. We'll deal with the medicine order later and I'll have it sent separately.]

[But... my hair...]

[Don't worry. I'll handle it. It's late, go get some rest. Your dad and I will prepare the guest room. Don't stress.]

[Okay, Mom. Goodnight.]

[Night, love you.]

The call ended, but unease still lingered in his chest. His eyes fell on the box of hair dye sitting on the table.
He sighed. If he was too cautious, things would never move forward. But if he was too careless, it could all fall apart. Better just listen to Mom...

[Hey, 7 a.m. Sunday, wait for me in front of the shop. We'll head home together.] — 12:21 a.m.

[You're still up, baby? Could've waited until morning.] — 12:22 a.m.

[I was scared I'd forget. Goodnight!] — 12:23 a.m.

[Alright. Sweet dreams.] — 12:24 a.m.

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#sapo 🇻🇳 (21:15 / 190525)