[M] (v) (1/1)

Her motorcycle halted to a stop behind a bush, its engine quieting down gradually although it wasn’t that loud in the first place. She had to be careful and silent; surprise was her only vantage point in this whole ordeal.She pocketed her keys and descended the vehicle, crouching down with eyes fixed on the three-levels building standing tall in the middle of nowhere. She was a good distance away from it, which allowed her to observe more of her surroundings and that couldn’t hurt. The first thing that jumped to the eye was how secluded the area was. Full of trees, the foliage was decidedly a perfect makeshift camouflage to hide her peeping form.If there was any doubt before, she was now convinced Jang Hakyun was indeed hidden in that very same building. The four black vans parked at its feet screamed high security, but that wasn’t the only factor she based her assumptions on. No, she prepared for this moment for so long. Joohyun had spent the past sixty days trying to locate him to no avail, going over a list of his connections and visiting them one after one until the weakest link of them broke. She left a blood trail after her for she was set on making him fear even his own shadow wherever he was.The map of dots and pictures hanging to the walls of her rusty motel room could only suggest how meticulously she handled the manhunt.She had missed the funerals of her own family members for the sake of finding him and now – now the murderer of her sister and her father was right in front of her and she was going to hurt him just like she promised Yesung she would.She was going to take his very last breath and she meant that in every way.She assessed the situation quickly as her combative instincts kicked in: three guards on the front entrance and probably just as many on the backdoor. She had no other openings since the windows were so high up there and she had no leverage to reach them. And she couldn’t allow herself to be loud if she wanted to keep the element of surprise.She put down her backpack and pulled two guns with silencers before wearing it again – it was her mobile arsenal and she needed all the gunpower she could manage to carry.Slowly, she left her hiding spot to approach the building with hunched steps. The entrance guards were the easiest to eliminate since they were unaware and out in the open. She kneeled behind the van that offered her the clearest view. She shot each one of them in the head with adept accuracy, their bodies dropping in a pile before the smoke even dissipated from the mouth of her silencers. Then, and just out of caution, she blew the tires of the vans available to reduce their chances of running away from her.Although her behavior for the past two months made it seem like she was blinded by anger and incapable of wrapping her head over the situation, she actually had a plan. She was angry. Fuming, even. The moment she laid her eyes on that camera footage that showed so mediocrely the death of her family, she knew she wouldn’t settle down before getting his head for it.He knew, too.She was out for Jang Hakyun’s blood and nothing was going to stop her from giving him the terrible end he deserved.She kept quiet as she turned the knob of the front entrance’s door, not entering since it wasn’t her intent in the first place. She was angry, and perhaps she was being a tad bit hasty with her risky plan – but Jang Hakyun was a dead man no matter how this went. She did notice the man who tried to sneak up on her instantly, walking behind her on his tiptoes like a fucking amateur. She smirked, bracing herself for the hit. The grip of his gun connected with the back of her head; she blacked out.This went exactly like planned.The next time she opened her eyes, it was to four white walls, paint ripped in every corner. Droplets of water fell from the air conditioner as it did a poor job cooling the room – she was sweating profusely, the clothes she was wearing clung to her body. She wasn’t tied up. She was wearing a hospital gown. Every muscle hurt.Breathe in.

Breathe out.There was blood on her hands, but it’d been there for so long. Joohyun had no noble excuses to give now. She was out for payback. __ She locked her door with a noisy turn of a key, letting the click alert her the apartment was safely secured and closed.She dropped the keys in her purse and tugged her black coat tighter around her waist. It did a poor job covering her from the cold autumn wind that came with the night. Under the garment, a red dress that stopped mid-thighs was worn to match her lipstick-coloured lips: it hung on the edge of her shoulders beautifully, covering all her arms teasingly. She was wearing her hair up in a stylish bun, a few strands framing her face to make her look like she was out to conquer.And she was.Joohyun was aiming for this kind of extravagance. She wanted to make heads turn – but more importantly, Ahn Jaewon’s head. They had a meeting in one of his favorite restaurants and she needed his focus to stay on her. Their small date was for business matters, granted. (She had contacted his secretary a few days ago, asked her to inform her employer that she was interested in investing large sums of money in one of his business ventures and in result obtained a field trip with the man.) However, she was confident she could make him take her home – or just anywhere, really, she could kill him with her bare hands if it came down to it.As she did her homework – all the digging up dirt on Jaewon to get leads on his location or his motives for killing her father – she came to understand two things about him: he was North Korean, and he did drugs. Countless assumptions could be made with this intel; therefore she needed more. Did he kill her father for small gang issues? Fat chance.This ran deeper than that and she was going to make him talk.Her heels clicked with each step she took towards the stairway, opting for a little walk rather than taking the elevator since she lived on the third floor anyway. The evening was off to a great start. She was going to meet her father’s killer, she was going to beat his ass, and she couldn’t think of a better way to spend her night. Except, and this had been happening a lot lately, she was quickly proven wrong.There stood Kang Seulgi, still wearing those matching leather pants and jacket and that smirk always was way too wide for Joohyun’s liking. She leaned against the wall, facing the flight of stairs. She was holding a large and rather thick box of chocolate treats, those typically offered for Valentine’s. If possible, her smirk widened as her eyes met Joohyun’s.“Oh, hello Irene unnie, fancy meeting you here,” she greeted the woman who was glaring at her with ardent hatred and was already taking long strides to stand in front of her. Seulgi took another piece of chocolate from the box and threw it in her mouth, moaning blissfully at the sweetness. “Want some? I initially wanted to offer them to you but I got hungry on the way back here. Figures. Turns out beating the ass of the American spy we caught watching porn in his hideout wasn’t as easy as Sooyoung and I expected it to be. And his hideout was a sextoys store – do you know how many sex puns Sooyoung made in the span of the fifteen minutes we were there?”Joohyun’s jaw locked, all too aware of the familiar anger bubbling in her chest like a searing pool of lava. Seulgi had a knack for annoying her to no end, it appeared. “What are you doing here?” She spat, doing her best to not follow the tongue that darted to wet the agent’s lips.“Obviously I was waiting for you,” Seulgi replied, leaving the wall she was leaning against to get right into the beautiful assassin’s personal space. She let her eyes wander, appreciating the outfit greatly. “I found you beautiful when I first met you, all bloodied and bruised. But right now?” She sighed. “You’re stunning, unnie.”“What do you need, Seulgi?” She asked, tone clear and concise. This was making her madder by the second. “I’m kind of busy right now.”The culprit grinned, opening the chocolate box and turning it to the older woman. “You sure you don’t want some? These are made with very fine wine, mind you. A friend got them for me from Sweet Paris on her last mission.”Joohyun clenched her teeth tighter. She refused to break their eye contact and hoped that at least that would give her the hint that she wasn’t impressed; maybe that would deter Seulgi. An unfamiliar feeling was gnawing at her bones and suddenly, she cared about that friend’s identity way more than she should.It doesn’t matter, she had to remind herself. It didn’t matter.It didn’t.“Fine,” Seulgi pouted, rolling her eyes in process. She gripped the first layer of the box which contained the chocolate and tossed it in the trash bin beside them in the corner. Joohyun looked down to find her Glock waiting for her. It was hidden in the heart of the box. It looked freshly cleaned and smelled like gun oil. Along with the weapon were two magazines of ammunition and a black band. “I thought you might want to have fun with this pretty baby tonight!” The younger agent smiled happily, eyes turning into sparkling crescents. Taking the items from the box in her hand to dump it too, she stepped impossibly close to the assassin. “You mind?” she asked and didn’t wait for a reply before she dropped to her knees.Joohyun’s eyes fluttered shut the moment those fingers danced up her bare leg. She felt it so strongly, the way her dress rode up her skin along Seulgi’s hands, the way they gripped her toned thigh to fasten the band around it and slip the Glock and the magazines in their destined holders. Those same fingers trailed higher to grip her hip, their owner rising to her feet again.Seulgi couldn’t help but notice the proximity of their lips. She smiled, eyes darting to catch Joohyun’s. “Unnie,” she whispered, her free hand coming to rest against the side of the woman’s neck.Joohyun felt fingers dig in her hip and the pain came with a familiar jolt of pleasure that turned into liquid heat almost instantly. She was breathing heavily; her lips parted to let out a small gasp.“Unnie,” the agent whispered again, more urgently. “You need to stop resisting me, unnie. You want this as much as I want it – you know you do.” Her lips captured the assassin’s in a brief kiss first, ephemeral. “I want you,” she confessed, pleased to feel the object of her darkest desires shiver against her. Finally, she tilted her head and went for a deeper kiss.She had a point.Seulgi – Seulgi smelled like danger and gunpowder.And Joohyun was not supposed to find comfort in that. She wasn’t supposed to deepen their kiss, nor moan like she just did. This reminder came like a blow to her windpipe. In a swift movement, she gripped Seulgi’s hand resting on her cheek, turned, crouched and brought the woman over her shoulder and successfully down onto the concrete floor.Heaving, she watched her groan and roll to her side the moment she released her arm. “And you need to get the fuck out of my way,” she replied, voice low and hostile. She rose to her feet, ignoring the way Seulgi’s lips curled in a grin as she held onto her shoulder. She fixed her clothes and walked away, offhandedly telling her, “Just put ice on your shoulder, your arm is not dislodged.”Seulgi laughed at that, now kneeling as she watched Joohyun walk down the remaining stairs with a sway to her hips. A jolt of pain startled her and she hissed, grimacing as she gripped her shoulder tighter.Okay, maybe she deserved that. __ If anything, the weather got even harsher. Joohyun wrapped her coat tighter around herself, bowing to the employee from the valet parking service as he came to take her keys. She handed him the item with a grateful bow, and she couldn’t help but feel satisfied seeing the awestruck expression that painted his features when their eyes met.It turned out their meeting place was one of the many luxury hotels of Seoul City: The Westin Chosun. A five-star monster located in the heart of the city’s business district, surrounded by embassies and government offices. It was easy to hide bodyguards around here, since it was more common to have one – but she figured that wasn’t the only reason he picked this place for their first meeting. Despite security being his number one concern, she guessed he wanted to earn her trust. It wasn’t stupid, really: show her how strong he stood in the middle of a sea of important figures and she’d bite the bullet.Joohyun entered the hotel’s restaurant with a courteous smile she usually hated showing for no reason. For now, she wasn’t Bae Joohyun but friendly and sociable Bae Irene who laughed and cared and was used to this.Upon reaching him, she greeted the receptionist with a small bow that he returned gladly. “Good evening.”“Good evening Miss, and welcome to The Westin Chosun,” he returned, pearly white teeth showing to match his gloves. “Do you, perhaps, have a reservation or should we look for a free table for the night?”“Oh, I do have a reservation,” she affirmed, tucking a wandering strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s under the name of Mister Ahn Jaewon.”The young man’s eyes brightened with recognition. “Ah! Yes, yes. Mister Ahn Jaewon arrived a few minutes ago, actually,” he informed her, scribbling something on his list on the wooden counter before stepping out. A hand behind his back and another pointing in the direction of his client’s table, he proposed, “Please, let me take you to your table.”Joohyun offered him another smile, nodding and letting him take the lead as she did. She used the opportunity to admire the restaurant she was going to dine in. It was a rather vast hall with scattered, busy tables all around and a large bar in the corner. European style – antique and old-fashioned décor. Something about the dangling chandeliers and the beautiful sculptures showcased. More importantly, the assassin noted the restaurant had three main exits (if needed): the main entrance, the entrance to the kitchen, and the large, English windows.“Mister Ahn? Your guest has arrived.” The receptionist announced warmly, snapping Joohyun out of her daze. He turned to her, asking for her coat before leaving them be.“Oh why, hello,” The man – somewhat youthful-looking despite his gray hair – stood up with a big smile, hands busy closing a few buttons of his blazer. “Miss Bae Irene?” He offered a handshake which she took, evidently. She wondered if he remembered her. “I’m so honored to finally meet you in person.”Joohyun’s lips curled. She noted the powerful grip the man had and assessed he was quite fit in spite of his age. “Good evening, Mister Ahn,” she greeted, finally releasing his hand. “Am I late?” She asked, falsely anxious.She wasn’t.“Oh, no, no. I had a meeting nearby and thought it wouldn’t hurt if I got here first,” he chuckled politely. Gesturing to her seat, positioned right in front of him in the round table, he continued, “Please, take a seat.”Those eyes. Joohyun knew those brown orbs like an old friend – they haunted her for so long. Those cheerful eyes that screamed of mirth and evil. She knew them.Once comfortably installed, Jaewon wasted no time before speaking again. “Before anything else, I want to say I’m sorry,” he began, eyebrows furrowing. “I’m sorry for your loss. I’m sure your father was a great man.”How ironic, Joohyun remarked internally. Empathy didn’t look good on him. “It’s okay,” she reassured him, legs crossing under the table. “He was. I am just glad it wasn’t a painful death.”“True,” he nodded. “That’s the most important thing, after all.” He allowed himself to pour her a bit of wine before refilling his own glass. “I hope you don’t mind, but I ordered for both of us. I hope you love Pasta Carbonara? The chief here is Italian – and he’s good.”She took a small sip of the drink, graceful movements set to seduce and charm. “It’s all, alright,” she replied warmly. Then, she faked curiosity. “Do you come here often, Mister Ahn? You sound like you know your way around.”“Please call me Jaewon,” he suggested, looking earnest. “And yes, yes I do. You see, meetings and errands entail you to do that.” He allowed a pause. “Speaking of meetings. My secretary sent you a few files yesterday. Did you, by any chance, have the time to take a look at them?”Joohyun hummed, leaning back in her seat. “Actually, I did,” she began, and then stopped when a waiter came their way with two plates of pasta. She let the employee serve the meals and waited until he left them before she spoke again. “I was saying – I read all three documents and I must say, Mister Jaewon, that’s quite the number you’re offering me in profit.”He laughed, swallowing a mouthful of food. “Big numbers for a big investment; it’s only natural.”“We’re talking about hundreds of millions of won in revenue,” she said, mirroring the curl of his lips politely. “I mean – I do intend to invest all of the money my father left me. I just – I feel like I don’t know where I’m putting my money.” Her eyebrows furrowed, and she did her best to sound weak and worried. “I’ve seen thousands of dollars go down the drain throughout my career. I’ve dealt with clients who lost large sums by entrusting the wrong people with their savings. I’m trying to be cautious here, so please don’t take it personally if I’m a little wary.”Jaewon straightened his back and abandoned his fork to bring a napkin to his mouth. “The documents you received are only drafts for the projects I’m offering you, so more official papers will reach you, Miss Bae. And you’ll get to meet other investors, of course.”Joohyun cut him off, “please call me Irene.”“Miss Irene,” he corrected himself, nodding warmly. “I know it’s hard to find the right person when it comes to investment, nowadays. You’re a lawyer, and you know that better than anyone else. But I’ve been in the business for thirty years now and I started at the bottom,” he boasted, chest puffed out and head held high. He hesitated a bit, and then continued, “I can – after dinner – take you to my latest business venture, if you’d like to visit it. My personal doctor wanted to invest money and as a result, he is now the co-founder of one of the biggest private hospitals in Seoul City. I can ask him to meet us there and we can – you know – talk and try to ease your worries.”Perfect. Joohyun let out an airy chuckle, nodding happily. “Yes. Tha-That would be perfect.”“Great. Trust is the foundation of everything in life,” he said, smiling kindly. Holding his fork again and pointing to her plate, he hummed, “Now, please eat. This tastes heavenly.” __ Sooyoung passed a hand through her hair before she drowned another shot of whisky, satisfied.“Drink slowly,” advised her companion, her eyes shining with worry. The woman was nursing a drink of her own, but she was more careful with her alcohol.The young agent laughed, turning to her with a lazy, teasing smile. “Why? I’m off duty, Wannie,” she argued, whining. They were sitting at the bar next to each other, and she mindlessly scouted closer. “Are you worried?”Wendy shook her head exasperatedly. “Do you ever, I don’t know, watch out for yourself?” She took a sip of her scotch, loving the way it soothed her nerves.“I watch out for you and the country, and you watch out for me,” Sooyoung stated, head plopped on her palm as she gazed at her friend with a grin. “That’s how we operate. I protect y’all and y’all protect me in return. Family goals.”“Do you take anything seriously at all?” laughed the Canadian. She had to admit the younger girl had a point. Still, she would’ve preferred she wasn’t so selfless and careless all the time. Which reminded her – “have you seen Seulgi?”“She has stuff to do, you know her,” Sooyoung dismissed the question tiredly. With a pout, she whined, “stop thinking about other girls when you’re with me.”Wendy laughed again, amused by this tipsy version of the woman. “What has gotten into you, Youngie?” She ruffled her hair affectionately just before her phone rang. “Ah, it must be Eunji-unnie,” she informed her friend as she pulled the device, replying excitedly. “Hi unnie. Are you outside already?” she wondered, standing up to fix her clothes. “Yeah? Okay. I’ll be there in a minute.” Ending the phone call, she turned to Sooyoung as she wore her jacket. “My ride’s here,” she said, eyes hovering over her friend’s exhausted form. “Do you want us to drop you somewhere? You look dead.”“Well thanks,” Sooyoung remarked dryly. Offering a smile of her own, she shook her head, shooing her off playfully. “Go, go. Leave good ol’ Sooyoung to take care of herself alone.” Wendy didn’t look convinced. “No seriously. I’m planning on getting laid tonight and you’re scaring my preys.”“Sure?”“Yeah!” She reassured her. “Now go.”“Fine,” Wendy faked a pout. “And here I thought you actually enjoyed my company.” One more smile before she finally took her leave. “See you tomorrow Sooyoung.”And Sooyoung hummed, absently watching her walk towards the exit, admiring the calmness in her demeanor despite the excitement in her steps and the cuteness of it all. Her chest twisted with something dreadful she recognised as jealousy.“Fuck,” she muttered to herself, drowning her glass in one go. The soaring heat in her throat made it a little bit easier. “Why do you keep on getting your ass in the stupidest situations? Falling in love with your best friend. What kind of k-drama is that?”“Oh. Now she’s talking alone,” a voice remarked and Sooyoung looked beside her to glare at the man who sat down. He smiled, raising two hands in surrender, “No offense.”He was pretty cute. Sooyoung’s lips formed a thin line. “In my defence, I’m drunk and you can fuck off.”The stranger laughed out loud. “There goes my plan of offering you a drink and taking you home.”“A bold gentleman, that’s new.” She raised an eyebrow.“My friends call me Dohwan,” he joked, biting his lip. He broke into a smile when her lips curled up.“Sooyoung,” she replied, grateful for the distraction he was turning out to be. “Tell you what, Dohwan. Get me coffee, and then we’ll see about maybe taking me home.”An airy laugh left him. He nodded and called out for the bartender, ordering the warm beverage for her and something to eat.She couldn’t help but notice how cheerful he was.Plus, he was getting her food and suddenly, he was her new best friend. __ Their dinner went on smoothly. Casual conversations about the latest economic issues in Korea and how different life was in America – Joohyun humored him and fed his ego like she knew she needed to do. So far so good: she had what she wanted and Plan A was already in action.They were already waiting for the waiter to bring back Jaewon’s credit card – he insisted on paying for their meal – before taking their leave when Joohyun noticed the very familiar woman sitting by the bar and smirking at her. She almost groaned out loud. The said woman stood up and walked towards the bathroom, but not before winking at her – the assassin took the hint.“Oh, before we leave, may I use the bathroom?” She asked, smiling at the older man.He nodded, recognition lighting his brown orbs. “Please do.”“Thank you,” she bowed shyly, standing and taking the purse that was resting on the table with her. She walked to the bathroom with long strides. Once inside, she immediately locked the door behind her.“He’s kinda too old for you,” Seulgi noted, sitting on the counter with her legs swinging. “I mean, I get that he’s rich and stuff but he’s ugly as fuck.”“Cut to the chase, Seulgi,” Joohyun ordered. She crossed her arms and glared. “I don’t need you here.”“Of course you don’t!” She jumped from her seat to rub the sore spot in her shoulder as if to prove her point. “I just thought you might want to know that Ahn Jaewon owns 42% of the shares of this hotel, and thus of this restaurant. He knows the employees here, and some work for him personally.” Seulgi tugged one side of her jacket to bring out her pocket knife. “The knife you hid in your coat? The receptionist took it. Ahn Jaewon knows you’re not a lawyer.”Joohyun’s stare hardened. “How?”“How did he figure it out?” Seulgi repeated, nodding to herself. “He’s not exactly clean - I had a few missions involving him before.” It was and she couldn’t share more. But still, she added, “I think he’s on the run from someone so he’s been extra careful. Not you. Not the Agency. And he doesn’t know who you are or what you’re after.” Shrugging, she walked to the older girl and handed her the weapon. “Whatever. Keep this knife with you.”“If he does know I’m here for his head then he’s going to take away my weapons the moment I step foot in his car,” she stated the obvious.Seulgi looked offended. “Do you really think he has enough brain cells to body search you on the move? He’s just gonna go for the most obvious weapons: the Glock.”She had this small grin playing on her lips as she said that. Joohyun wanted to punch it off her pretty little face. “Fine,” she relented, taking the knife to slide it under the sleeve of her dress.That seemed to make the younger girl’s mouth water. “God you’re so hot when you’re about to kill people.”Joohyun rolled her eyes. “How’s your shoulder?”“I’m good,” she said. Then, she smirked. “But maybe a kiss to make sure all the pain is gone?”The assassin simply turned and left the room.(Her lips were about to curl.) __ “Can you hear me?”“Yes. I can hear you clearly.”“Perfect! Now, tell me: do you know who you are?”“I am…” A pause, then a beeping sound. “Error. Data missing. I do not know who I am, admin.”A pause, and then a huff. “Okay. It’s okay. At least now you recognise me.”“Yes, admin.” __ He opened the door for her with a chuckle. “Ladies first,” he said, and gestured for her to get in.“Thank you,” she expressed her thankfulness with a small bow.The car was rather small. She expected more stupid luxury from the man, but this could do, too. Two men clad in suits occupied the front seats, she observed. A chauffeur and a bodyguard was her guess. Jaewon regained the car and took a seat beside her, sighing in satisfaction.“Take us to Ikjun’s hospital, please,” he ordered his man before offering Joohyun all of his attention. “It’s a twenty minute ride, I’m warning you.”She offered him a charming smile. “It’s okay. We’ve got all night.”He laughed at that. He didn’t reply, not until they exited the grounds of the hotel and joined the road. “Yes, indeed we do,” he said, nodding to himself as he reached to loosen his tie. “Tell me, Miss Irene,” he began, wetting his lips. “Are you Christian?”“No, I’m not religious,” the lawyer replied patiently. “May I know why you’re asking?”“Just curious,” he answered, crossing his legs. Humming, he continued, “I am. I’m religious; I’m Christian,” he informed her with a small smirk. He looked outside the window and noted they were approaching the highway. (Joohyun noticed that too – they were taking her outside of the city, and not a hospital like he was saying. Good.) “Do you know what I like the most about my religion, Miss Irene?”Christmas? She wanted to mock him but reminded herself of her cover. She didn’t really care, but Irene did. She shook her head, remaining as friendly as possible.“Confessions. I like confessions. It’s – It’s salvation for us, forgetful humans.” He turned to her, spurting a serious look. “I’ll confess to you something, yeah?” He sighed. “I’m not the man I pretended to be all night long.”He actually looked apologetic. Joohyun recognised the maniacal gleam in his brown orbs. “What do you mean?”Joohyun discovered a lot more intel about him that night than she did from her personal little research. The most important facts, for tonight’s mission: she learnt he had a limp, and he had a rotator cuff injury - both were probably due to gunshots.Jaewon’s hand came to rest on her thigh, where her Glock rested. He smiled. “Oh come on, Miss Irene,” he sounded offended. He took her Glock off its case and brought it to take a good look at it. “You know exactly what I mean.” He caught her eyes again. “Now it’s your turn to confess. Who sent you?”It was annoying, really. Why did bad guys like to make a one man show out of everything? Acting like they had the upper hand and going all dramatic on her with Mission Impossible II pickup lines. Rolling her eyes, she gripped the end of her sleeve.“I listened to you talk all night long, you know,” she told him, frowning. It felt good to drop the act. “Men are so fucking annoying I swear.”He didn’t get to reply. Element of surprise. Joohyun launched forward and draped the straps of her purse around the throat of the driver and pushed back, choking him. The bodyguard in the passenger seat turned to her to stop her but she embedded Seulgi’s knife in his throat before he even attempted to touch her.All the while, Jaewon was trying to fire her Glock at her. However, Joohyun emptied the magazine of its bullets earlier in the restaurant so it was of no use. He dropped the weapon and was about to attack her with his bare hands when the car swerved in the road, making him lose balance. The other cars behind them horned furiously.Holding the straps of the purse tighter with one hand, the assassin’s elbow connected with Jaewon’s nose repeatedly until she broke it. Groaning, he caught her arm and stopped her blows. Joohyun’s scream echoed loudly as he twisted it, but with his shoulder injury he couldn’t do much. Just then, the driver stopped fighting her off, body going lifeless as he blacked out. She released her grip on the straps, she went for a sideswipe to Jaewon’s jaw and upon the hit, he fainted instantly.Except – one detail escaped her meticulous plan. The foot of the driver was still on the gas pedal and the car sped up, veering to the left, off the road and straight into a tree. __ Seulgi whistled along the song playing on the radio, nodding to the cute rhythm. It was midnight already but the road was well-illuminated and practically empty. She halted the car to the left side of the highway, parking it and turning off the music but continuing to hum happily to the same tune. She stepped down from the vehicle, and stretched her arms over her head.Her shoulder was still a little bit sore, but it was a fun kind of sore.“Oh, the party began without me,” she whined to herself, pouting as she walked off the road towards the car from which smoke was coming. Still, her eyes turned into crescents the moment she noticed the small figure of her friend as she coughed and dragged Jaewon out of the car. She looked like a mess. A hot mess. “Hi unnie,” she greeted. “Fancy meeting you here.”Joohyun looked up at her with a scowl. “Took you long enough.”“I got hungry on the way here,” Seulgi protested, unbothered by the glaring woman. “I got you the ax you asked for, though.”“Once I’m done with this I’m going to kill you and bury your body right next to Irene’s father.” The assassin’s scowl deepened. “You’re annoying as fuck.”“And he’s bleeding on your shoulder,” The agent pointed to the man’s nose and the blood on her dress. “Now he looks even uglier.”Joohyun actually growled. “I’m going to fucking kill him too.”Seulgi laughed as she walked over to her, standing on his free side to drape his arm around her own shoulder so they could walk him up to the car waiting in the main road. “We’ve been knew.”“Shut up.”After a lot of similar insults and a bit of trouble carrying his weight, they finally reached Joohyun’s sports car. They zip-tied his wrists and feet and threw him in the back seat. Seulgi wanted to point out that he was going to bleed all over but she guessed the older woman knew that, and was annoyed enough already.The agent walked to the driver’s side, ready to open the door when a hand stopped her. Confused, she watched as Joohyun opened it on her behalf and slipped in before she did.“I’m driving,” she stated grumpily.The leather clad woman laughed at her antics. “You don’t have to be so angry all the time you know,” she lectured, already walking to the other side, deciding being the passenger wasn’t so bad either. Except, Joohyun started the engine and drove off before she could even attempt to regain the car.A pause. She watched the vehicle drive off with a screeching sound. A sigh.“I swear to god,” she grumbled, hands on her hips. “She could’ve at least let me take my Pringles pack but no.” __ A groan drowned the empty warehouse in momentary noise. It was a large warehouse. Dusty and abandoned. The windows were broken and the lightbulb did a poor job illuminating the place. There were a few scattered boxes here and there but beside that, nothing other than the two occupied chairs could be made out.Jaewon breathed heavily, groaning in pain as he came back to consciousness slowly. His vision was blurry at first and his head heavy as it lolled with every inhale and exhale. He felt oddly cold, but then again a clearer look at his chained body and he understood why. He was in his briefs, almost naked. Feeling a little more in control, he looked up to find piercing dark eyes fixed on him.He laughed, coughing in pain, “Fuck.”Joohyun swung the ax in her hand back and forth, stoic. “You talked about confessions earlier, so I might as well make mine, too, right?” she said, unblinking. She could see fear in his eyes. “We met before,” she informed him. “I was young.” He stiffened – he understood, now, exactly who sent her. “You killed my father and then you tried to poison me with food, laughing like everything was a fucking game to you.”She stood up, bringing the weapon to rest against her shoulder. To his credit, he did his best so as not to tremble.“Was it?” She questioned, curious. “Was it just a game to you?”Jaewon sniffed as he shook his head, bothered by the dried blood. “It was business.”“Business?”“Business,” he repeated. “He messed with us, and we answered him in kind.”Wrong answer. Joohyun wasn’t one for grand shows. In a swift movement, she brought the ax up and down in full force.The man screamed for dear life as his toe rolled to the ground and off his foot.“Now, now, Jaewon. You don’t waste my time and I don’t waste your body before I send you to hell,” she singsonged. “I know you’re North Korean. I know you’re a druglord. What I don’t know is what it had to do with my father and you’re going to talk.”It was as if he went crazy, laughing so abruptly with tears in his eyes. “God fucking damn it,” he cursed, inhaling sharply. “Bae Haneul. I knew he was trouble but you’re even worse.” She brought her weapon up, ready to go again. “His own people wanted his death is what I’m saying,” he spat, laughing again. “His own people fucked him up so why don’t you go dig there, and fucking leave me alone.”“Elaborate,” she ordered, lowering the ax. “The KIA?”“They ordered me to eliminate him – he fucked with the higher ups’ business and they wanted him dead,” he breathed out, shivering from the cold. “That’s all I know.”Joohyun watched him. “Give me names.”He was heaving. “Jung Okbin. I only worked with Okbin. He wanted him dead, and he said that, yeah, it was for the KIA.” She accepted the intel quietly, gripping the weapon tighter. She was sure he knew nothing more, he was a spawn. Jaewon looked at her dead in the eyes as she lifted it up behind her shoulder. “You were so fucking young, back then,” he said, tears spilling from his eyes but he was leering. “But I knew you were special. I fucking knew you were.”A distant memory: she watched as the ax’s blade embedded itself in his skull, blood jetting out of the wound to wet her dress. His eyes pierced in hers. She killed him the exact way he killed her father and it didn’t feel any different to play god. __ Joohyun walked out of the warehouse with an aching body and a blood-soaked dress. She felt high. She dragged herself to the car and plopped down tiredly in the passenger seat, having noticed someone was already occupying the driver’s already.“A clean up team is on the way to, you know, clean up,” Seulgi shared, swallowing the piece of chips she had in the mouth. She turned on the engine of the car. “I got your Glock from the other car. I got their phones too, and personal stuff if you need them for investigation.”“You bugged me,” Joohyun stated, realizing that was the reason the girl found her location so quickly. She buckled her seatbelt and threw the stuff she picked from Jaewon in the backseat.“I bugged the car with a tracking device, not you,” she corrected, driving off and away from this haunted place. “Thought I’d save you the trouble of hiding the body and the crime weapon. What’s the use of having teams for that if you don’t use them, right?” Seulgi glanced at her briefly, slightly worried. “How are you feeling?”The assassin took a deep breath, yawning. It was well past three in the morning. Seoul was a one hour drive away. She shrugged. “I don’t feel anything,” Joohyun replied, sinking in her seat and closing her eyes. That’s when she remembered something. “Say, Sseul. Do you know a certain Jung Okbin who works for the KIA? An old agent, maybe?”Seulgi hummed pensively before shaking her head, “nope. But I can ask Wendy to look that up for you if you wanna.”“Yeah, let’s do that,” she agreed, temple against the closed window.Neither spoke after that. Joohyun was a woman of little words and Seulgi was way too busy gathering her courage and her words. It was the latter who spoke first, breaking the silence. “Unnie, I need to tell you something about Yerim,” she said. “Something about a weird USB Disk, I don’t know what it is exactly but I think it’s hers.”No reply.Glancing at the woman, she found her sleeping uncomfortably. She sighed, gulping down her anxiousness.Maybe another day.