------ One month later ------

Jungkook and Namjoon stood face to face, both of their expressions serious as they stared each other down. Jungkook tilted his chin upwards as he flexed his arm muscles, trying to intimidate the older man. Namjoon chuckled, a smirk clear on his face. “Show me what you got, kid.” He taunted. Jungkook snorted, bristling at the nickname “Bring it on.”

Soo Jung rolled her eyes. “Guys, it’s just Mario Kart. You’re not competing for a gold in the Olympics.” She said as she reached in-between the two testosterone fuelled males to grab a bag of snacks. Jimin, Taehyung, Hoseok and Jin chuckled at her comment while Namjoon and Jungkook turned to her with shared looks of horror. “What do you mean it’s just Mario Kart?” Jungkook said indignantly.

“We’re about to decide who is the best!” Namjoon added. “Yeah, because by some miracle Namjoon hyung actually beat Jin hyung.” Jungkook added slyly. The older man nudged him with his elbow. “Let’s see if you're still so cocky when I win.” He taunted. Soo Jung rolled her eyes again as Jimin helped himself to the snacks she was holding. “Honestly, I don’t get the obsession. I mean, sure, it’s a good game, but do you really need to get so competitive?” she asked as Taehyung outright stole her bag of snacks from her, earning him a glare.

“It’s men’s pride.” Jin said as he took the snacks from Taehyung and handed them back to Soo Jung who stuck her tongue out at the pouting boy. “Just let them battle it out.” He added. She shrugged and sat back, ready for the final match to begin. Jungkook and Namjoon glared at each other once more before getting ready for their match. For Jungkook, it was about more than winning the game. For the past month Namjoon had been getting closer with all of them, Soo Jung in particular. He genuinely liked the older man, he was wise and funny, but he sensed that Namjoon’s feelings towards Soo Jung were more than just friendly.

Soo Jung seemed oblivious to that fact, but that didn’t put his mind at ease at all. Namjoon was tall, handsome, funny, intelligent… everything that someone would want in a partner. Even though he had no idea what Soo Jung’s type was, knowing that Namjoon was interested in her made him nervous. Their match started with lots of cheering and hollering from those watching, even Soo Jung joined in on cheering for the two boys. Jungkook's eyebrows were deeply furrowed as he concentrated. He was determined to win, no matter what.

The cheering got louder the closer the match came to an end, the two of them almost neck in neck as they raced towards victory. Jungkook almost yelled with happiness when at the last second, he got a speed boost, catapulting him through the finish line before Namjoon. He jumped to his feet, the other boys cheering even louder at his victory. Namjoon laughed good naturedly and groaned. “Ugh, I can’t believe you got that power up right at the end!” he said with a laugh. He stuck his hand out towards Jungkook, “Good game.” Jungkook grinned at the older man, high fiving him with the biggest smile he could manage. “Yeah, good game.” He said before resuming celebrating his victory. Namjoon flopped down beside Soo Jung. “I can’t believe I lost.” He said dramatically. Soo Jung chuckled. “You almost had him. Maybe next time.” she said encouragingly. Namjoon smiled at her as he stretched. “Yeah, maybe. Man my muscles are all stiff from tensing up while playing for so long.” He said, his right arm dropping down to rest behind her on the couch, which she didn’t seem to notice, but Jungkook did.

He wanted to go up and pull Soo Jung away from him, but he knew there was no way for him to do that without looking completely ridiculous. He forced himself to turn away from the pair, hating the feeling that had settled in his chest. He still wasn’t a hundred percent sure of his feelings for Soo Jung, but deep, deep down, he knew exactly what the pain in his chest meant.

“Report.”

“Subject number 2876 has shown the capability to blend in with civilians without arousing suspicion. She has formed emotional bonds with several civilians and can travel without detection. Records show that she was recently injured in a traffic accident, but healed at a rate consistent with subjects from the Institute programme. There has been no indication that she is aware of our surveillance so far.”

“What about phase two?”

“Phase two is well under way, Sir.”

“Good. Send forward a representative to assess her response.”

Soo Jung sat bolt upright in bed, sweat covering every inch of her body. She took several deep, calming breaths. “It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream.” She repeated these words over and over again until her heartbeat returned to normal. She groaned when she checked the time and it wasn’t even five am. She slipped out of bed and pulled on her running gear, knowing that sleep was out of the question.

She stretched outside of the dorm, her eyes darting all around her. She felt incredibly uneasy after her latest dream. Memories of the hell that was the third floor. She could still remember the smell of the smoke from the cigarettes that the man in charge used to always have in-between his fingers. He was often on the third floor, ready to dish out the punishments himself, or sometimes just there to watch. The thought of him made her physically ill.

Malcolm.

She would never forget that name until the day she died. The memory of his dull, grey eyes, his expanding waistline, his moustache and the god awful stench of his cigarettes were burned into her memories… and into her skin.

She put in her earphones and cranked up the volume up as loud as she could before she started jogging. She stuck with the route she had planned out when she first started running around campus, enjoying the solitude in the early morning. On her second time around, someone waved at her to get her attention. She stopped next to them, pulling out her earphones. She took in the stranger in front of her. There was something about him that put her on edge. There was a dangerous aura that made her put up her guard.

“Agent 2876.” Those words sent a shock through her. She took a step back, desperate to put some space between her and the stranger. Her eyes quickly scanned the area, looking for accomplices. “I’m here alone.” He said, raising his hands in a defensive manner, turning his head to show her that he was not wearing an earpiece. “I’ve come here with a message. Nothing more.” He said, his hands remaining up. “What do you want?” Soo Jung asked, her voice cold. “To offer you an opportunity. Your skills are wasted in a place like this. You were meant for bigger things.”

She narrowed her eyes, “You mean to kill people?” she spat. The stranger smiled. “You know we are only ordered to kill people who deserve it.” He said. She shook her head. “No, we kill who the highest bidder says they want dead. And if you believe otherwise you're a fool.” The stranger laughed. “You're missing out on a fantastic opportunity here. You're a valuable asset and the Institute knows that. They won't stop by just sending me and you know that.”

She suppressed the urge to curse. “Tell them that I’m not interested and to stay the hell out of my life. I will not go back to the Institute.” She said, her hands curling into fists. The stranger sighed, “Malcolm will be most displeased.” He muttered, more to himself than to her. Every muscle in her body tensed at that name. The stranger looked back up at her. “I’m going to take a card from my pocket, ok? It’s just a card.” He said as he slowly reached towards his pocket. She braced herself, ready to disarm him if he produced a weapon, but true to his words, he only pulled out a small, white card.

He slowly bent down, placing the card on the ground between them. “Our contact information. Just in case you change your mind.” he said as he slowly started walking backwards. “Think over the offer. Things have changed at the Institute.” He said before turning on his heel and walking away. She didn’t move a muscle until he was out of her sight. She slowly released a breath, letting her muscles loosen. She looked down at the small card before picking it up. All that was printed on it was a phone number. “There's no way I’m going back.” She said as she crumpled up the card, throwing it into the bin before putting her earphones back in and continuing her run.

“What do you think?”

“I think she’s going to need some persuasion.”

“What kind of persuasion did you have in mind?”

“Leave it to me. I know exactly how to get her on our side.”