The sun had already risen the moment we arrived at Gyeongju. Much to Agent Seungri’s dismay, there were other agents whom I ordered to follow us to help us search the motorbike.

I hadn’t gotten the chance to sleep first before we started this mission. But I was far from being tired and sleepy. There are just too much things to accomplish to even think about sleep.

We searched each and every street of Gyeongju. We even entered the resident’s houses unnoticeably to search for that bike. We can’t risk anything, can we?

After a few hours of useless searching, all of us got tired and they especially requested to have lunch first.

There was an awkward silence around the table as we were eating our lunch. No one talked, not even about the mission on hand.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I quickly picked it up the moment I read Jiyong’s name on the screen.

“Hey,” I greeted.

“Ya! What did I tell you?”

“What?” I asked innocently.

“Be sweeter,” he said. I can picture him pouting on the other line.

“I don’t want to,” I said firmly, pouting too.

“Aish!” I heard him stomping.

I laughed lightly.

“Please, baby girl?” he asked.

I thought for a while. “How are you, baby boy?”

There was silence on the other line.

“Baby boy? Baby boy? You still there?”

He laughed. “Sorry, I covered the mouthpiece while I was squealing like a little girl.”

I laughed along. “Why, you cute little-“

I got cut off when I heard a clanking sound somewhere. I looked up and saw my co-agents with their gaping mouths and wide eyes. I would have laughed at their faces but I remembered why they were like that. I forgot that I was actually with them and I was acting all cutesy and sweet with Jiyong on the phone.

I immediately felt my face heat up and I swear I can almost picture myself looking like a giant tomato.

“Baby girl?” Jiyong interrupted my thoughts.

Gosh! I can’t face these agents anymore. Never mind. Act cool, Dara. Act cool and pretend nothing happened.

“Yes?”

“I was telling you about our date today.”

Oh crap! I forgot about it.

I stood up immediately. “Oh yeah, I’m on my way.” I immediately hung up and turned to the agents. “Stop gawking, you’ll get drool all over your foods.”

They all looked down and started eating in silence again.

“I have to go somewhere,” I said as I was leaving.

I stopped midway and turned to them once again.

“Agent Seungri, report to me when you found something,” I told him. He nodded. I then turned to Agent Seunghyun. “Agent Seunghyun…”

He stood up from his seat and saluted as if we’re both soldiers and I’m the general.

“…lend me your motorbike. I’m in a hurry.”

Unsure, he fished out his keys and handed them to me.

“Baby girl…” a soft voice whispered on my ear. “Baby girl…”

My eyes fluttered as I thought I heard an angel’s voice. Am I dead?

“Baby girl…”

I stared at the two most amazing eyes I have ever stared at. He smiled down at me.

“You slept through the movie,” Jiyong said, breaking the trail of thoughts of me being dead and seeing an angel.

I immediately straightened up as I saw the credits rolling up on the screen.

“And you got drool on my shirt too,” he said, showing me his wet shirt.

Omo! It’s too embarrassing.

“I’m sorry!” I said, panicked. “Come, let’s wash it off. Or better yet, let’s buy you a new shirt.”

He chuckled. “It’s alright. I’ll take this as a souvenir.”

I frowned.

We were walking out of the cinema house while holding hands. I can’t believe I slept through the movie. It was an action movie, for Pete’s sakes. I haven’t slept through an action movie my entire life. What happened?

Oh, right! I haven’t slept for more than 24 hours already. I was working my off for the mission.

I gasped. The mission! Where’s my phone? I thought as I ran my hand all over my body feeling for my phone since it wasn’t in all of my pockets.

“Looking for this?” Jiyong said showing me my phone.

I immediately took it and checked for messages. There were a lot – from Agent Seungri and the rest of the agents.

“I’m sorry I took it,” Jiyong said. “It was ringing the whole time. People who were watching started complaining. And I didn’t want to be so nosy so I just turned it off.”

I turned to him and smiled. “It’s okay.”

“Where are we going next?” he asked.

I was about to answer when my phone rang again.

“Yes?”

“Why aren’t you greeting ‘hey’ to him?” Jiyong whispered on my other ear.

I shooed him away.

“Hey?” I greeted as Jiyong said. He smiled at me.

“Agent Dara, we found the motorbike,” Agent Seungri informed.

“Tell me the details.”

“The motorbike was already destroyed and it was found on a cliff.”

I stared at Jiyong who was busying himself with looking at the goods displayed in a store.

“Check for blood samples or hair or any-“

“We already did that. But aside from scratches and dirt, the motorbike was clean.”

“Crap,” I cursed under my breath. This is a failure. The criminal is one sure of a clean worker. “Okay then.”

I hung up and turned to Jiyong.

“What’s up?” he asked casually.

“When did you learn how to act cool in front of me?” I asked incredulously.

He chuckled. “I’ll walk you home.”

“What? Why? We didn’t even get to-“

“You’re too tired,” he cut me off. “I’ll walk you home since I don’t have my car with me.”

I stomped my feet childishly. “I’m not tired,” I said. Then an idea popped in my mind. I’ll set work aside first. I need a break once in a while, don’t I? “Let’s go to where you live.”

“Why?” he asked.

“I want to go there,” I just said.

“You’re too unfair,” he said stomping his feet childishly too, imitating what I did. “I haven’t even stepped in where you live.”

“But I live with my father. It’s too embarrassing.”

“Even so! I still want to-“

“Please, baby boy?” I asked pleadingly, flashing my puppy eyes to him.

“If you aren’t too cute right now, I would not agree,” he said, defeated. “But we’ll take a bus since I don’t have-“

“I came here on motorbike,” I said matter-of-factly.

He gasped. “You can drive motorbikes?!”

I nodded.

I was laughing while driving the motorbike. I can’t even imagine that Jiyong has that side. He was like a little girl squealing while he was wrapping his arms on my waist tightly. He said that he was too afraid riding a motorbike and he feels as if anytime, he would fall sideward and will get scratches on his ‘beautiful’ face. How adorable could he get?

I was laughing even while I was sitting on his sofa. He shot me his deathly glare.

“I’m going out while you’re still laughing there,” he said suddenly.

“Ya!” I called, stifling a laugh. “Fine! I’ll stop laughing now. Come on, sit here, baby boy.”

When he did, I wrapped my arms on his shoulder and patted it. He was still cutely pouting.

“How cute can you get?” I asked, pinching his cheek.

He pinched my cheek back. “You’re cuter.”

I rubbed my cheek as it stung, I pouted. “It was painful.”

Unexpectedly, he gave me a quick peck on the lips.

“Ya!”

“You’re so cute!” he said as he pinched both of my cheeks.

I pinched both of his cheeks too and pulled it.

“Ow! Ow! Ow!” he complained.

He pulled my cheeks too. We were pinching each other’s cheeks.

“Let go!” I ordered.

“You first!”

“No! You first!”

But I was the one who let go first. And then he also did. We were both rubbing our cheeks which were already tomato red.

“It hurts,” I complained.

He kissed my cheeks. “Do they still hurt?”

I smiled and nodded. He kissed them again repeatedly. I was laughing while he was doing that.

“Okay! Okay! I’m fine now!” I said pushing him. “I’m hungry.”

“I’ll go cook something,” he said, heading to his kitchen.

My eyes were scanning his apartment unit while he was cooking. His unit was bigger than mine. He might be filthy rich.

After a while, I got tired and lied down on the sofa. Several times, I yawned but I was watching a gag show so it helped me stay awake.

The nightmare started again. When did I sleep? I can’t even remember.

A puddle of blood was all over the place. But the people swimming on them weren’t my family. I couldn’t recognize them at first. But after scrutinizing their faces, I recognized Agent Seungri, then Agent Seunghyun, then Agent Youngbae. The list went on and on, until my eyes landed on Sajang-nim’s dead body which was beside Jaejoong’s. I couldn’t find my voice. But I wanted to scream. I felt frozen on my place though. Why can’t I move?

Why are they dead?

Who did this to them?

I looked down on my hand. I was holding a gun.

Was it me?

Did I kill them?

I screamed.

Then there was blackness.

---

poster credits to  tomatoe