Jhonsy was always one step ahead.
That was why she was the best at what she did.
When she was a child, she had survived a horrific school fire, and she prided herself on it.
She had, quite literally, clawed her way to the top of the Mafia, leaving a trail of bodies behind her. She was feared, known for her ruthlessness — a legend.
She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t flinch. And she never, ever showed mercy.
And then Sue waltzed in.
Sue was different. Sue spared guards when she didn’t need to. Sue knelt next to fallen enemies and made sure they were still breathing. If she had to kill someone, she did it quickly and made it painless. And she smiled all the time. No matter what happened, she made sure to be extremely kind.
"How pathetic" , Jhonsy thought, hiding her admiration for the girl from herself.
Everyone in the Mafia knew that kindness was a weakness.
But even then, Sue was an exceptional assasin, and had ridiculous skill. She had an almost perfect record, which was also the most bloodless one. Jhonsy had simmered with jealousy when Sue had been publicly complimented by Boss, whose temperament made this next to impossible. She was definitely not impressed.
They were rivals, always competing with one another to see who could do better. Or at least, Jhonsy considered Sue a rival.
So when Boss ordered them to work together to steal the bioweapon accords from the Hanzo Syndicate, Jhonsy nearly put a bullet in her own skull. Unfortunately, she was too good at her job for that.
"You’re stuck with me," Sue said, with a forced smile.
Jhonsy glared at her with venom, and spat "You better keep up, I'm always one step ahead of everyone else."
Sue grinned, "I'll try to."
They worked together too well.
Sue wasn’t sloppy or weak — far from it. They were cutting through the Hanzo Syndicate’s defenses like knives through silk.
Jhonsy took down a guard with a clean snap of his neck. His body hit the ground without a sound. She didn’t spare him a second glance.
Sue crouched over another guard, pressed her hand to his throat, and let him fall unconscious instead of killing him.
Jhonsy scowled. "Why bother?"
Sue smiled nervously. "He didn’t deserve to die. And it did get the job done..."
"That’s not the point." Jhonsy stepped over the unconscious body. "What if he wakes up? You have to stay one step ahead." But she made no move to kill him.
They hit the vault room. High-security biometric lock. Jhonsy stepped forward, peeled a thin strip of gel from her wrist, and pressed it to the fingerprint scanner.
Sue stared at Jhonsy, silent.
Jhonsy smirked. "Keep up."
The scanner blinked green. The vault opened.
Inside, laser grids swept across the floor in delicate patterns. Step wrong, and the whole place would light up like Christmas.
Jhonsy pulled a small vial from her belt and scattered dark sand across the floor. The sand settled in thin, even lines — revealing the laser pattern.
Sue’s eyebrow lifted. "Magnetic sand?"
Jhonsy grinned. "Microbeads. They mimic weight. I told you, I'm always one step ahead."
But Sue was staring ahead " Wait, what if those are hyper-sensitive lasers? You can't throw beads at them, it'll probably trigger some-"
WEEWAW-WEEWAW, an alarm blared out on top of them.
Sue jumped into action, in one fluid movement, with a flick of her gun, the alarm was silenced.
"Thanks", said Jhonsy grudgingly, albeit.
But Sue turned away, tears blurring her eyes.
The sound of the alarm had brought back a memory she'd wanted to supress.
"Let's retreat back to the watchhouse, and wait for a few more days before we go back in. We don't want to make anyone suspicious", said Sue, wiping at her eyes.
Staying at the watchhouse was a safety measure. You could never be too sure. A few days passed. And then a few more.
Once, as they sat on the cold hard wall, eating a tin of canned fruit, Sue’s head tilted toward Jhonsy’s shoulder. Jhonsy stiffened — but didn’t pull away.
“You’re not as heartless as you pretend. Maybe we can be friends. ” Sue smiled. The smile was almost sad..
It was these moments that unnerved Jhonsy the most. Friends? The idea of talking and laughing with someone else?
Jhonsy didn’t laugh. Jhonsy didn’t make friends.
Jhonsy’s jaw tightened. “Don’t get too comfortable ”
Sue smiled. “Maybe I already am.”
Jhonsy swallowed hard. “I’m still one step ahead.”
Sue’s smile widened. “Sure you are.” The smile didn't reach her eyes.
Jhonsy didn’t realize when the hatred began to fade.
Sue laughed when Jhonsy said something sharp and dry. Sue squeezed her wrist after a particularly close call. Sue’s eyes softened when Jhonsy hesitated over a wounded guard — and Jhonsy let her hand drop.
“We’re not so different,” Sue had said once.
Jhonsy had scoffed. “We’re nothing alike.”
But some days… Jhonsy wasn’t so sure.
Finally, the two decided to go back into the Hanzo Syndicate. They followed the same route as before, thwarting all ardous challenges, and finally reaching the chamber in which the documents lay.
Jhonsy paused before the door. A sudden thought occured to her. After they found the documents, they wouldn't be forced to work together again. Sue probably wouldn't talk to her again.
For some reason the thought made Jhonsy's heart sink.
"Stop it", she told herself."Focus on the mission".
Jhonsy opened the door and reached for the documents.
Her gloved hand brushed the metal case, and a wave of satisfaction curled through her chest. It was over. All the planning, the bloodshed, the sleepless nights — this was it. The Hanzo Syndicate’s most valuable bioweapon accords were in her hands.
Sue stepped in behind her, eyes sharp. "That’s it?" she asked, tone light but cautious.
Jhonsy’s fingers tightened around the case. "Of course it’s it. Did you think I’d bring you all this way for nothing?"
Sue’s smile flickered. "No… but sometimes, things are too easy."
Jhonsy’s gaze sharpened. "You saying I missed something? "
Sue’s voice was brittle with anxiety. "I’m saying you’ve been wrong before."
And before Jhonsy could move, Sue had her in a chokehold, with her gun aimed at Jhonsy's head.
Sue's face was pale, her eyes wide and glassy. Her finger twitched, and her knees trembled visibly.
"Why?" Jhonsy’s voice cut through the tension like ice. "Why now?"
Sue’s hand dropped, and her breath hitched. "Because…" Her voice was a thin thread, barely holding together. "Because you don’t remember me."
Jhonsy’s brow furrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Sue’s lips curled into a fragile smile, but her eyes were burning with something raw and bitter beneath the surface.
"The alarms. The fire. The school fire."
Jhonsy’s jaw tightened.
"I panicked when the alarms started blaring," Sue’s voice trembling voice was rising, "The children were screaming and shouting, but I had eyes only for my sister. I saw her inside her burning classroom, struggling to get out. You were there too, older than us, a senior. You saw. "
Jhonsy’s eyes darkened.
"And you LOCKED HER IN!" Sue screamed, tears streaming down her face, finding it difficult even to breathe. " You locked her in with the fire, and so she burned to flames", gasped Sue.
Jhonsy’s gaze sharpened.
"And then you walked away.", her voice was a creeping whisper. "And you know the worst part? I followed you. I followed you right into the Mafia."
Sue’s smile was trembling. "And I always smiled, and I was always kind, and I kept waiting. I was always waiting."
Jhonsy’s eyes gleamed.
Sue’s hand trembled. "Why? Why did you do it?"
Jhonsy laughed, "Because I could."
Sue stared at Jhonsy for a long moment. She breathed in, and pulled the trigger.
Click.
Nothing happened. The gun was empty.
Jhonsy’s breath sharpened. A slow smile curled across her lips.
"An empty gun?" Sue's hand shook, "I—I didn't…"
Jhonsy turned, slowly, predator-like. "Of course you didn't. I gave you a decoy gun. Why would I trust you with a real one?"
Sue’s eyes widened as Jhonsy’s gun pressed under her chin. "Jhonsy—No- Don't"
Bang!
Sue’s body crumpled to the floor. Blood pooled beneath her head, spreading slowly across the cold tiles.
Jhonsy crouched beside Sue’s fading body, her fingers brushing Sue’s cheek with chilling softness.
"I told you…" Jhonsy’s voice was soft, almost affectionate. "You have to stay one step ahead."
Sue’s breath hitched. Her eyes fluttered closed.
Jhonsy rose to her feet, stepping over Sue’s body. She picked up the documents, and as she walked towards the exit, she began to hum.
"One step ahead of you~"
Her voice was light, almost playful, as her silhouette disappeared into the shadows.
"One step ahead of you~"
"One step ahead," she hummed so sweet,
As blood pooled warm beneath her feet.
"You trusted me — how sad, how true…"
"But darling, I'm always one step ahead of you." - A wise man
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