I Adopted A Bum

LIAM

Loud sirens of firetrucks roared the entire place, rushing footsteps running in panic just to get away from the raging fire coming from the building one block away from where I used to live for three years now.

I was walking coolly to my apartment while drinking my favorite chocolate drink that I usually buy from the convenience store on my way home every afternoon after my normal classes, not totally giving a fuck with how they were running panicky, as if the fire would burn them if they didn't run. Humans are all stupid, I swear to Demon Gods!

"Hey, where are you going?" The girl, always in a hoodie while sitting on the porch, asked.

"My apartment, where else?" I deadpanned and continued my walk.

"Wanna grab some snacks in my room?"

"Nah, I'm full." I refused and showed her my drinks. "And no, I'm still going to refuse to have some beers with you." I cut her off immediately when I saw her mouth open when I was about to pass by her.

"Oh c'mon Liam, we have been neighbors for three years but we haven't even had one drink." The girl in a hoodie said, her voice laced with disappointment but I don't care.

"And inside those three years, you've been bugging me everyday and I hate it." I said with a void of any emotion on my face as I walked past her to get to my apartment beside where she's been living.

This girl had been bugging me since Ayu found this apartment for me, but I have never accepted any invitation from her, same as I have never seen her face under the hoodie, she's either wearing a face mask or the hood was covering her whole face. She's weirder than me, I didn't even know what her name was but it's really surprising that she knows my name, though I have never spoken with her casually.

"You're really hard to woo, Liam. What the heck?" The girl growled and I snapped my head at her but she was already inside her apartment.

"What the hell is wrong with her?" I asked myself before pressing my passcode and shook my head as I pushed my door open, revealing my dark apartment. I released a lungful sigh before flicking the switch on and another sigh escaped from me when the light illuminated the whole place and my gaze went immediately at the drawing pasted on the wall. "What are those deepshit doing up there?" I mumbles under my breath as I pick one of my furry sons and walk straight upstairs to my room.

It's been four years since I last saw those dickheads and I'm starting to miss them. And it's been four years since I was kicked out from Mt. Olympus after being accused of a crime that I didn't commit.

I was just an ordinary person that belongs to a poor society living in Mt. Olympus, living a simple life with my family and friends.

But one day, while the five of us were on our way after having bloody training, we saw an old guy lying on the ground, already lifeless. We didn't saw who killed the old guy but since we got scared, we ran home and pretend that we didn't saw it, until one day, hoplites barged inside our house and they forcefully dragged me at the top of the mountain, even though my parents keep saying that I'm innocent, they still insist bringing me with them.

I got accused that I killed the old guy just because I left my fucking leather sandals for running in panic! What a dumb ways to accused an innocent child!

Some of the Gods decided to behead me, some of them said that they should just kick me out because they were still not sure if I'm the culprit and also my four idiot friends testified that I'm not really the one who killed the bald guy because I was with them that afternoon.

And they came up with choices and asked me which one I prefer. Beheaded or kicked out?

Bitch, who would like to choose the first one? Like, who would like to cut their head's off for a crime that you didn't even do?! So I chose the second one, they kicked me out like a pest from Mt. Olympus and removed all my powers, as if I had one, bitches didn't even know that I'm not a son of deities and I only know combat skills.

I huffed upon remembering my past and abruptly wore my cloak, slid my Scottish dirk and my Ruger 22 in my waist and wore my mask. Have I ever said that I am now an assassin? A Demon assassin to be specific.

Yeah, cool right? I get to kill my target in just one snap of my fingers, not leaving any traces, I will just slit their throats and then vanish, as if nothing happened.

And oh, the fire outside? I am the cause of that, not because I was just bored, but because my target was living there and I had to set the whole building on fire because the guy pissed me off.

I worked for Demons, the brotherhood of the Thorns. After trying to survive for one year without even any idea how normal humans live in this kind of place, I accidentally witnessed a crime, but this time, I didn't run, I was just sitting in the dark alley while watching the girl slitting the guy's throat. I'm too weak to run anyway because I was starving to death so I just waited for the girl to go away and pick-pocket the dead guy so I could buy myself food.

I thought the girl had already left but she didn't. She was about to stab me with her dagger but I immediately grabbed her arm and twisted it on her back and told her. "I don't care if you're a murderer, I just want to eat."

Then that's when I met Jieun a.k.a Ayu, she's also a Demon assassin and she was the one who recruited me and then I met the four Demon Gods, Demian, Seth, Ruthven and Azazel. They are all living in the underworld.

They're Demons but they all look like they live on Mt. Olympus, well, all bad guys are rather good looking handsome or just like me, super good looking pretty handsome.

Those ugly ones? They are just good, doing evil things.

And for today's target is a CEO of a company in one of the biggest entertainment agencies here in our place, who had conflicts with Luci, my favorite master, the only one who trusted me the most aside from Ayu. .

He's so bubbly for a Demon lord, to be honest. He doesn't know how to take things seriously, especially if he sees me entering the underworld. He will jump on me and we'll have conversations while his other siblings are shooting me venomous death glares.

I don't know if we were really that close in our past life, but Demian became my second parent and Ayu was the sister that I never had. They're so kind to me even though I'm a coldhearted person, I don't speak a lot, I don't laugh, I don't even know how to smile genuinely since I got kicked from home and lived like a normal human, attending classes in daylight and killing people at night.

Wait, does killing at night be called normal living? Of fucking course, not, but this is how I lived now, this is how I turned after those people accused me for being a criminal. Damn bitches.

"You never cease to surprise me on how you can enter my apartment without any sounds." I said when I felt Ayu's presence behind me.

"I'm an assassin." She said smugly, stating the fact and sat on the edge of my bed. "So are you sure you don't want me to help you with your target?"

"I'm fine." I said and turned around to face her. "Don't you have your own target to kill?"

"I'm already done." She said with a shrug and lay down on my bed. My eyes widened and I immediately pulled her up. "Hey!"

"How many times do I have to tell you that no lying on my bed!" I hissed at her and shrugged the wrinkled bed sheet.

"You're so annoying." She scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully before spinning the swivel chair in front of my study table and sat down.

"I need to go." I said meaningfully after I finished fixing my bed and stood straight.

"Good luck." She replied with her eyes closed and her head resting on the headrest.

"Excuse me? I said I need to go."

"I already sent you good luck."

"Ayu!" I half yelled and she flinched, shooting me a dagger look.

"I was just resting! You damn annoying kid!" She hissed before standing on her feet and pad hastily towards the door.

"Hey." I called her just before she could step out and throw her my notes that she easily catches and her smile curved upwards. "Next time, try to attend our class or just simply ask me to borrow my notes, moron." I scoffed.

"Noted, Mr. Nerdy heartthrob but coldhearted assassin." She teased while smiling.

"Get the fuck your lazy ass out of my face, Ayu." I glowered and waved my hand dismissively. She slammed the door while laughing but not before giving me heart fingers that I really find cringey.

I released a lungful sigh and patted my four kids before walking to the balcony, then wore the hood on my head to hide my face before I exited my apartment through the balcony and ran stealthily so that my weird annoying neighbor wouldn't see me.

I easily snuck in inside the company through the emergency exit and I kinda regretted using stairs than using an elevator, though it is much better not to gain any attention as I'm wearing a cloak, but the way how I catch my breath after using the stairs until the seventh floor, makes me really pissed off.

"Aish! I really hate stairs." I sighed and removed my hood abruptly while fanning myself using my hands and wiped my sweat using my sleeves, leaning my back against the wall while catching my breath.

After resting a bit, I pushed the emergency exit door but shut it immediately when I saw four women walking in the hallway and was about to pass me. I left the door slightly ajar and peered at them.

"That old hag is really annoying! All I want is a damn full album, why can't he give us that? We're almost in our fourth year but still no damn album!" The girl with long jet black hair and in full bangs, said.

Holy shit! She looks like me but I'm much handsome.

"I know right? Gosh! I really wish that before he dies, at least he'd release our full album and our solo!" Another tall blonde girl with an Aussie accent, said.

I chuckled dryly upon hearing the girls complain, they have no idea that today is the day their CEO will die, I guess doing them a little favor was not bad, right?

When I made sure that they are already far from where I'm hiding, I open the door to step out and shoot every CCTV in every corner of the hallway. I need to finish this job as quickly as possible before the security comes.

The smirk automatically curved on my lips when I saw my target sitting behind his table while reading files that I don't give a fuck whatever it is. He was so busy that he didn't notice me that I entered his office and shut the door behind me.

"Good evening mr. President." I greet mannerly and bowed my head but I paused when I saw his hand slowly sliding down to press the emergency button under his table. "If I were you, I'm not going to press that button." I said with my warning tone but he seemed asking for his death as he tried to continue moving his arm.

I quickly threw my dagger on his arm making him scream so loud and I quickly jumped beside him to cover his mouth and pulled his chair away from his table.

"Listen to me old hag, I won't kill you immediately, however, I want you to do me a favor." I whispered and he nodded his head vigorously. "You know Demian, right?" I asked and he nodded again. "So here's the thing, he wants you to die but I'm not going to do that and I'm going to spare your life if you do what I'm going to ask you to do." He was just nodding his head as his response and I decided to let go of his mouth but I immediately grabbed the dagger on his arm so he wouldn't be able to move.

I leaned over and glowered at him, staring directly into his eyes. "Stop being misogynistic assholes and give the girls what they deserve."

"W-what do you mean–."

"Released their full album and solos, I know you know who I mean." I said. Actually, I'm a big fan of that one popular girl group.

He gulped thickly and nodded his head reluctantly. "L-let me call the p-producers and the whole staff to tell them that we're going to release t-their album."

"Ok, so are you going to use your phone?"

"Y-yes." He replied.

"Ok then, let me get it for you." I said with my fake smile and pad over his table to get his phone but I saw him on my peripheral vision that he stood up from his chair and was about to run. "Aish, stop making these things complicated Mr. Yang." I groaned and shot his legs.

"Aargh! Please don't k-kill me!"

"What did I tell you?!" I growled before approaching him and pulled his hair back to his chair and threw him onto it. "I don't want to kill you, but you're giving me reason to do it!"

"I'm s-sorry! I'm sorry pl-please!" He begs while rubbing his palms together.

"Don't you trust my words?!"

"I d-do–."

"Then don't try to run away and call everyone you need to call!" I yelled to his face and slapped his phone on his face. "Do it quick!" He was shaking uncontrollably while tapping his phone and I waited for him to finish talking to all his men, not even daring to tear my gaze at him in case he tried telling his staff about the situation inside his office.

"It's d-done, it'll be r-release on Monday."

"Good." I said and pulled out my dagger on his arm which made him cuss loudly. "You know what's the saddest part in life?" I ask while wiping the blood out of my dagger using his sleeve and walk behind him, pulling his head back and slit his throat. "To meet demon assassins like me." I whispered while smirking and watching the amount of blood that had poured from the wide jagged wound under his chin across his windpipe.

When he stopped writing, I slowly pushed his swivel chair near his table and picked up his phone, typing a message and leaving it beside him.

I heard rushing footsteps coming towards us and I knew that the security already found out about the broken CCTV's.

I immediately looked for a way out and saw a window. I calmly walked towards it and just before the security kicked the door, I jumped outside the building without even knowing where I was going to fall.

And when I was about to land, I did the most common heroes landing, one knee and one fist on the ground. "Ouch! Fuck!" I winced in pain when I felt my knee hit the hard asphalt. "Goddamn it, Liam! You ain't no hero!" I scold myself while rubbing my knee violently that I surely know will have bruises later. "I should've ask Ayu how to land safely without hurting my fucking knees!"

"Or you can simply use stairs or elevators." I was startled when I heard someone speaking behind me. I was ready to throw my dagger at her but I froze when I turned around and saw a bum, a homeless teenage girl with a dog sitting on her lap while growling at me.

"So what do you want me to do? Excuse myself to all the guards after I killed their boss?" I asked sardonically while heaving from the ground.

"That's cool, so you're a dumb hired killer?" I chuckled softly and shook my head three times before fishing out some money in my pocket and gave it to her but she just stared at it. "No one gonna' believe a bum, you don't have to pay me just to shut me up, you can keep it and buy a knee pad, so you won't hurt yourself next time." She said and pushed back my hand.

"Nah, I'm giving you this because winter is coming and you need to buy thicker clothes, don't be an asshole and just accept this, I was once a bum and I know how hard it is for you." I insist and slid the money on her pocket before turning my heels but she grabs my cloak and I got choke, the fuck!

"I have a spare clean shirt, might want to change your clothes?" She said while looking up to me. "You wouldn't want to have fun running with police with your hurt knee, right?"

"Thanks but no thanks." I replied and took back my cloak from her grip and took it off before folding it and throwing it on the trash can beside her and walking away.

"Thank you, dumb assassin!" She shouted and I stopped in my tracks and turned around. She was already standing on her feet and shrugging the dirt off on her pants.

"Hey." I called and her gaze darted up to me with a quizzical look. "D-do you.." I trailed off and swallowed hard before releasing a breathy sigh. "Uhm, my flat can hold up two people."

"You mean cohabiting?"

"Ye– what? No! What the fuck?!"

"Dude, you seem like a Top and I'm also a top, so yeah, no homo." She said and her heart-shaped lips stretched out before throwing me her bag that I immediately caught. "I'm Jiroo by the way and this is my son, Dalgom."

"Nice to meet you, Jiroo and Dalgom." I said and offered my hand.

"No homo." She repeats and swats my hand but clings on my arm while carrying her dog on her other arm, the dog seems don't like me as he has been growling since earlier. "Do you eat chicken?"

"Yeah, I'm human."

"Good, I'm human too. We have too much in common." She said and that makes me want to laugh but since I forgot how to do it, I maintain my face in neutral and lower my head when we're about to pass by the police in front of the building and hailed the first cab I saw.

—

"Wow! So you're living alone? But you have this big flat, that must be lonely." Jiroo said while roaming her eyes inside my apartment. Unfortunately, she's right, but what can I do? My parents and my friends are all still living up there and I don't have any idea when I will see them again.

"Feel at home, you can use all of my things but we still need to share one room for now because I haven't cleaned the guest room, so.."

"Bitch, relax. Whatever inside your pants, I also have one so stop thinking that I might think that I will rape you." She waved her hand dismissively while staring at the frame on the wall.

"What if I say that it's the other way around?" I said, smirking at her. She tore her gaze away from the frame and stared at me ludicrously. "What?" I asked as my smirk grew even wider.

"Dummy, I don't have plans to get fuck in my butthole, unless you want it? I will do it for you in return for giving me a place to—."

"Wait, why am I going to fuck you behind if–."

"I fucking have a dick too! Stop eye raping me!" She yells and punched my shoulder.

"Whoa, wait, you're a guy?!" I said dumbstruck, he just rolled his eyes at me and his gaze shifted back to the frame.

"Who are they?" He asked while pointing at the frame.

"Some bunch of stupid assholes." I said with a shrug and we both walked towards it. though I'm still surprised that he's a guy. Damn, he's too beautiful to be a guy.

"You mean your friends?" He asked while chuckling. "Where are they?"

"To the place where I won't ever see them again." I replied with a certain sadness in my voice.

"Oh I'm s-sorry."

"Nah.. it's ok, at least I know that they were fine." I assured her with a faint smile.

"Do you want a hug?"

"No." I immediately replied. "Go take a bath before you lie on my bed, do you like sushi?" I asked to divert our topic.

"Chicken only." Jiroo said before he took the bag from my hand and ran upstairs.

"The towel is in the closet!" I shouted just before he could shut the door.

I let out a soft sigh before shifting back my gaze at the frame and stroking it softly. "Wish you guys are here." I mumbled under my breath and quickly wiped the lone tear from my left eye before turning my heels and stepped out of my apartment.

"So you're always refusing my invitations but adopting a bum, wow, Liam. I never knew that a demon assassin like you, still has a soft side." I froze upon hearing the girl in a hoodie who's leaning on the wall near my door. "Relax, I'm not going to tell anyone that you're an assassin."

"What do you want?" I asked coldly and pretend that I don't give a fuck even if she already know about my secret.

"I just want us to be friends." She said and turned to face me. "I've been trying to get your attention but you're so cold outside and inside of school." My eyes narrowed when I heard her and even though I can't see her face, I know that she's pouting the way her shoulders slumped.

"So you're a stude—." I stopped when the girl in a hoodie removed her mask and the hood, my eyes slowly widened and my jaw dropped upon seeing her face. "Nami?"

"Oh my God! You know my name?!"

"Who wouldn't?! You're the one who keeps following me inside the campus! What the fuck? All this time you were my neighbor?!" I exclaimed and sigh devastatingly.

"Aw.. you seem disappointed."

"Hell yeah." I scoffed and was about to walk but she tugged my shirt. "Let go."

"Please, Liam? I just want you to be my friend!"

"I kill people."

"And so? That's your job, I'm not even judging you." She said with a shrug and I stared at her without emotion. "Please?" She pleads and stares back at me with her puppy eyes.

I released a sigh of defeat and turned around to face her and hold her shoulders. "Fine." I said and she jumped and threw me onto her body but I quickly dodge her and moved to the side to avoid her and she fell on her face. "Oh shit, you okay?" I asked.

"Y-yeah, no worries." She said, curving her fingers for an okay sign but when she looked at me, I chewed the inside of my cheek to suppress myself from laughing when I saw her nose bleeding and fished out the hanky on my pocket and gave it to her.

"I'm sorry." I said as I bent over to wipe the blood on her nose.

"I.. I'm f-fine." She stuttered and stole the hanky from my grip before standing abruptly and ran inside her apartment.

I chuckled softly while shaking my head while following her with my gaze. "What a dumb." I mumbled before I walked away to buy chickens for my new roommate.

–

After buying a lot of chicken skewers and some take outs from the restaurant, I immediately ran back home as it started to snow and I caught Jiroo in the living room while reading a book with Dalgom sleeping on his lap and already changed his clothes with my track pants and my hoodie.

His gaze darted up to me and his heart-shaped lips lifted upwards when he saw me. "Finally, my chicken!" He says before shutting the book and picks up Dalgom. "Do you have beers?"

"Yeah, let me get some." I said as I handed him the plastic and made my way to the kitchen to get a can of beers and run back to the living room. "Hey is it— what the hell? I was just gone for thirty seconds!"

"That's too long and I'm starving to death!" Jiroo scoffed and continued devouring the whole chicken.

I released a soft chuckle and continued my way towards him and put down the beers on the coffee table and sat on the floor across from him.

"How old are you, Jiroo?" I asked before chugging on my can. He first swallowed the content inside his mouth and wiped his lips with tissue before looking at me.

"19."

"Do you want to attend school?"

"Nah.. Schools are for nerds." He said, clearly showing lack of interest in studying.

"But you read books?" I said while chuckling, as if I was telling him that he's already a nerd. He takes a quick glance at his book then he laughs.

"It's about Demons."

"Oh." All I could say and take another sip on my beer.

"And the classes already started half a month ago, so it'll be too late to attend classes."

"Nope, you're definitely not late, just leave it to me." I said as I started tapping on my phone and attached it to my ear. "Hey Ayu? Can I ask you a favor?"

"Just because you lend me your notes."

"I have a friend–."

"You have a friend?! Wait." I heard a shuffling sound on the other line before I got to hear her voice again. Sorry, I'm just making sure if it's a wrong number but no, so who's the unlucky one?"

"Shut up." I hissed and rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me. "He's going to attend our class and I'll introduce him to you tomorrow. Thanks."

"Wait–." I didn't wait for her to complain and ended the call immediately and tossed my phone on the couch behind Jiroo.

"You're really an asshole." Jiroo said while shaking his head.

"Yeah, not gonna deny that." I shrugged my shoulders and opened another can of beer.

"So not only roommates huh? We're going to be classmates too?"

"Yeah, don't you want it?" I asked and looked at him squinting my eyes.

"I'll be in your care from now on." He said, smiling warmly and lifting his fist in the air.

"Liam." I said before bumping our fist together.

"Nice to meet you, Liam." He said and we both smiled at each other.

This is the first time I smiled after the day I left my home and Jiroo was the first one got to see me smiling, but he didn't know that I don't smile so he's not really surprised to see me smiling and from this day onward, I know that my silent world will become a mess because of the boy who looks like a girl and with heart-shaped lips.

_______