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THE TIME BEFORE (PT.3)

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The days after they returned from their mission, Chaeri had immediately excused herself, mumbling that she needed to report back to the Big Boss right away. Taehyung bit his tongue, but said nothing and he let her go.

As he always did.

He reported to Bang Sihyuk shortly after Chaeri and the grave look on the boss’ face was enough for Taehyung to know that whatever information Chaeri got from her mission must have been important.

A strange feeling had settled in Taehyung’s gut ever since their mission together.

When they arrived at the party where Chaeri’s target was, she immediately donned a smile and broke off from his side, lurking close to the target in an attempt to catch his attention, which hadn't taken long. After all, she was labeled Siren as a reason; her beauty made everyone else in the room look bland. Taehyung remained off to the side by the refreshments, appearing disinterested but taking in every detail of the mansion in case they needed to make a quick exit.

When he saw their target approach Chaeri—a man who looked no older than 25 years old—his body tensed and he went on high alert. The man placed an arm around Chaeri’s waist before pulling her closer.

Taehyung saw red.

His fingers flickered with flames but he quickly put it out.

Don’t compromise the mission, he shouted in his mind and he willed himself to calm down though the anger continued to pulse through his veins.

When the man leaned in to whisper something to Chaeri, Taehyung saw her eyes widen, panic flashing through them for no more than a millisecond before she let out a small, shy giggle and nodded. She excused herself to freshen up at the bathroom and when she came out, she looked to have reapplied her lipstick and ruffled her hair into a more y unkempt, disheveled look.

Taehyung averted his gaze.

They both disappeared from the room and Taehyung went into action. He sauntered over to where Chaeri had been standing and saw a small piece of paper placed under a champagne glass with red lipstick writing on it.

Top right bedroom. Be back soon.

He re-read the note nearly five times before clenching his fist and letting it burn to ashes.

Bedroom?

He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for her to return. What seemed like hours had passed before she finally re-emerged in the main mansion room and she startled him with a tight grip on his forearm before jerking her head to the door.

“Let’s leave,” she managed to shudder out. “Now.”

She never spoke about what happened in the room, no matter how many times he prodded. Her dress was half ped and she held it up with her hand as she nearly ran out of the mansion.

“Chaeri, what happened? What’s wrong?” Taehyung demanded, keeping pace with her easily with his long strides.

“Nothing.” She turned and smiled at him before quickly turning away.

“You’re lying,” he shot back. He reached out to grab her arm. “Chaeri—“

She flinched away and he immediately dropped his hand, slowing in his walk before coming to a complete stop. Her face was hidden behind a curtain of her hair and her entire body was tense as if she was ready to spring into action if needed.

“Hey,” he started softly but Chaeri shook her head, lifting her gaze to meet his.

“Taehyung, stop.” He closed his mouth and regarded her closely. Chaeri bit her lip and sighed. “I’m sorry but… I need you to not care right now. I need you to not be a gentleman. I need you to not look at me like that.”

Just how long had she been going on these missions alone? How long had she endured this pain alone? Sympathy shot through him but he squashed it down. He knew that was probably the last thing Chaeri wanted from him.

When days turned to a week and he still had yet to run into Chaeri, he decided that this was something any friend would be concerned about. He made his way to the canteen in hopes of finding her but was only left with disappointment.

“Oh, Taehyung!”

He looked around to see Hoseok, Yuna, Jimin and Jungkook sitting at a table. He walked over and slid into the seat next to Jungkook.

“What’s up?” He asked. It had been a while since all of them were at headquarters together and although it was a distraction from his original quest of finding Chaeri, he decided he could spare a moment to catch up with his friends.

Hoseok leaned forward. “Why don’t you tell us what’s up?”

Taehyung arched an eyebrow. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on!” Jungkook said, curiosity twinging his voice. “What’s up with Chaeri?”

He faltered slightly, pausing for a moment while turning in his mind to pinpoint what exactly they were talking about.

“She won’t leave her room ever since she came back from that mission you guys went on together,” Jimin added with worry lacing his voice. He cast his friend a wondering look. “What happened?”

Ah, it was the mission they wanted to know about, not the confession.

Taehyung shrugged slowly. “Actually, I have no idea.”

“What?!” All the boys exclaimed as Yuna remained silent, her eyes cast downwards.

“I’m telling the truth!” Taehyung stared at Yuna, who shifted in her seat, her hands clenching the hem of her shirt.

She knows something.

When he was able to escape the near-interrogation from the boys, Taehyung slipped away and waited for an appropriate time to catch a private word with Yuna. Slowly the agents began emptying out of the canteen and it wasn’t long before he caught sight of Yuna’s blonde hair exiting the room.

“Hey,” he called out. Yuna stopped walking and turned back to him and one look was all she needed to know exactly what he was going to ask.

Yuna ran her fingers through her hair and let out a deep sigh. “I don’t think—“

“Just tell me,” Taehyung implored softly, “Please.”

When Yuna’s eyes began to mist, Taehyung knew something was gravely wrong. “Nullifying room,” her voice cracked slightly. “It’s very rare for anyone to have since it cost a fortune to install but… it negates any magical skills when in the room.”