"Hyerin, are you sure about this?" Chen asked, keeping up with the girl's quick strides while Luhan and Tao followed them from behind.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" she huffed, shoving her cold hands inside her coat pockets. "I'm going to do this and you're going to help me."

"Does your dad even know about this?" Luhan asked, opening the door for her. She murmured thanks and entered the building.

Hyerin sighed. "No. I talked to Agent Zero about it but he refused right away. He didn't even give me a chance to take care of this myself," she grumbled, sharply turning a corner leading to a lobby with rows of elevators. She pressed the up button and waited in front of the metal doors.

"Did you even consider why he said no in the first place? He probably knows how much of a blockhead you are,  knows you might screw things up," Tao said, a wide teasing grin plastered on his face.

Hyerin slapped him in the shoulder and crossed her arms, looking up at the descending numbers above the elevator. "Please. As if he doesn't know I could break that man's neck in a matter of seconds."

"It's not that, Hyerin," Luhan said as the elevator doors dinged open. "I think he's more concerned about how you would feel once you come face to face with that guy again."

Hyerin rolled her eyes before walking inside the lift, the boys following from behind. "The only thing I would feel would be despise and only despise."

"That's the point, Hyerin," Chen retorted, shaking his head.

"Knowing how you are, you would probably let your emotions get the better of you," Tao said, pressing a floor number before the doors closed shut.

Hyerin folded her arms. "Thanks a lot, guys," she scoffed, blowing a stray hair away from her face.

It was three days after their disastrous trip to Itaewon and Hyerin had been trying to get away from all the trouble that particular mission caused. Since that day, everything at M-LX and school began to change drastically. Kyungsoo getting drugged by the strange potion from Luculenus had caused quite a stir. Instead of his usual crabby attitude, the boy was way too animated and chipper for comfort, sticking to Hyerin like there was no tomorrow much to the girl's dismay. The other boys often had to use force to make him attend his classes and boxing practices, and even then, he would be extremely stubborn. Not only that but this new phenomenon had caused gossip to spread around school, which was a bad thing for Hyerin who was still under surveillance by a certain group of she-devils.

Gossip about Kyungsoo and Hyerin only continued to grow as each day passed. She wanted nothing more than to escape it, so she figured that doing something of much more importance would keep her mind off the issue.

Her talk with Agent Zero about her attacker never left her mind since that day, making her even more desperate to find answers. Today, she was going to get those answers with the help of the three most sensible (and least busy people) of the gang. She planned to sneak inside one of the many prison cells in M-LX where the man was kept, as it was the only way she would ever get inside. She knew better than to use her ID to get in; she knew the two head agents would ban her from the premises if they caught her.

The elevator dinged open, revealing a spacious lobby with several hallways leading to different work borders. There were a lot of people walking around, most likely heading to their designated departments as they either held a stack of folders, cups of coffee or both.

The four young agents nodded at each other before parting ways wordlessly. Chen and Hyerin made their way towards the first hallway to the right while the other two entered the left.

---

Chen and Hyerin were already in the middle of sneaking within the premises. Chen, who had his and Hyerin's phone, jumped slightly at the vibration it caused from his back pocket. He took the phone and pressed it against his ear as he trailed behind the girl.

"Hello?" he answered.

"We're in the surveillance room. It's done. The cameras at your side of the building are shut down. It's only temporary so you better hurry up or security will catch you snooping around. Are you almost there?"

"Yeah, we are. Everything's going smoothly so far," he whispered.

Hyerin crouched behind a wall and looked out for anyone coming by that may know they weren't allowed in the area. Chen followed her line of gaze before hiding behind her again. "How much time do we have?"

Luhan raised his sleeve and took a glance at his watch. "I give you twenty minutes tops—definitely no more than that. We are at a technologically advanced facility, after all."

"Got it. We'll be done before the time is up."

"Okay. Good luck."

"," he muttered,  shoving the phone back into his back pocket before shaking Hyerin's arm violently. "Hey! We're not going to be done! We don't have enough time, he says twenty minutes!" he harshly whispered.

Hyerin waved him off. "Don't worry, we'll get there in ten," she said, unbothered. She casually stepped out of their hiding spot and walked a normal pace down the hallway. "Stay cool."

Chen smiled at a passing lady in a lab coat. "We're moving too slowly," he hissed impatiently through his teeth. "We're not going to make it."

"Shut it, thunder face. Trust me for once, will you?" she retorted, inching closer to the lady Chen smiled at earlier. The worker didn't even notice as Hyerin quickly fished out the woman's ID card from her coat pocket in a span of two seconds.

Hyerin pocketed the car and gave him a ballsy grin. "I got this under control," she whispered. Chen rolled his eyes.

"Sure you do."

Hyerin swiped the card whenever there were oncoming doors, giving them access to areas even they weren't allowed into. Chen followed behind her and made it his job to watch out for anyone who might recognize them and report them to the head agents.

Finally, they arrive at a metal two-door entrance that announced it was Asylum 413N – penitentiary for non-humans. Without further ado, she slid the card into the scanner and once again, it lit green. The doors unfastened itself from the locks and slowly opened, releasing a quiet hiss of smoke.

They warily stepped inside the dark as the heavy doors closed behind them with a quiet thud. That prompted the lights to turn on, revealing an extremely narrow hallway that ran 20 feet towards another metal door right across from where they stood.

Hyerin released a sigh. "Well. Let's get a move on," she said, starting down the hallway.

"Do you think Luhan managed to take out the surveillance in this area?" Chen asked, loosening his collar as he followed Hyerin closely behind.

"I'm sure. He's not stupid, he knows there are extensions within the quarters that are hidden."

Halfway through the hallway, Hyerin felt her left foot slightly sink. Confused, she looked down, only to see that her foot had stepped on a tile that sunk down an inch upon her landing. She didn't know what it was at first, but the tile sunk even further and made a soft clicking sound and only then did Hyerin realize how ed she was.

Her eyes widened. "."

The walls on either side of them began to rumble then move - towards them.

 The door on the other side was now blockaded with metal bars.

"What the !?" Chen cursed. "What the is going on!?"

"I don't know!"

"I think you stepped on a trap!" Chen exclaimed, then froze in realization. "This is for authorized personnel! Of course they would know there's a y trap and would know how to avoid it! This trap is set for intruders!"

"Why did you not realize that earlier before we went in!?"

"Ugh, what do we do!?" Chen cried, watching in mortification as the walls neared them.

"You think I know!?" Hyerin screamed back, trying to stop the two walls from crushing them to death.

"We're going to die! We're going to die!" Chen moaned, bringing his hands up to his face. So much for the calm and collected agent he was supposed to be.

"Calm down, Chen! Get your together!" she yelled, feeling up the surface of the dividers for anything that can make it stop closing in on them.

Chen leaned back against the right wall while Hyerin on the left. They faced each other and placed their legs on opposite walls to stop it from moving. Even a man of steel wouldn't be able to stop these barricades from crushing him to his death.

Hyerin gritted her teeth and pressed her palms against the wall she was leaning against. She could already feel Chen's labored breathing on her face.

She ran her hands around the surface when she felt a part of the wall sink, much like when she stepped on the tile. Miraculously, the walls stopped closing in, taking away their chances at death.

Their eyes met before they sighed in relief.

"Son of a ," Chen wheezed, attempting to slide down on the ground to sit when he realized he and Hyerin were pressed against each other, legs tangled underneath them.

Chen's face instantly turned beet red and turned away. "Uh, Hyerin-"

"That was a close call. I didn't want to die like that!"

"Hyerin."

"What? What's the matter?"

"Uh, I think we should get out of this rather...uncomfortable position?" he suggested, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

Hyerin looked down before saying, "Ah. Right, right," she said, shuffling around to get out of her place opposite from Chen. "Just give me a sec," she mumbled, trying to slip out.

Chen shifted from one foot to another, eyes glued to the ceiling as he waited for the girl to escape already. Much to his aggravation, Hyerin was taking too long.

"Time is ticking, Hyerin!" he exclaimed, flustered.

"Okay, okay! Geez, it's not as easy as it seems!" she snapped, pulling herself from the wall. She finally escaped the awkward position and headed to the door they intended to enter, the bars once again raised up.

"Jesus," he murmured, not wanting to experience such a situation ever again.

Hyerin raised a brow. "What? Never been up close and personal with a girl before?"

"Just get on with it, please."

With another slip of the ID card, the doors slid open and revealed an extremely big prison.

The asylum was constructed as a pentagon with a big gaping hole in the center that took up most of the space, leaving only metal rails to the side that held the two of them back from falling straight into the hole. Thousands and thousands of hi-tech dimly lit prison cells lined the walls, and as Chen looked down to take a quick peek inside the large crater in the middle of the prison, he was shocked to see that the hole went on hundreds and hundreds of feet down. Below were countless of floors identical to the one they were in, lined with thousands of identical cells.

While the boy was occupied, Hyerin pressed a blue button on the wall and a stand with a hologram monitor on top appeared in front of her. She quickly called Chen over.

"I'm sure you know how to work your way through this," she said, looking around the area while Chen fumbled with the contraption.

He scrolled through the list of prisoners and typed a few keywords when finally he found the familiar face of the mystery man he and Hyerin encountered. "Found him. His cell number is 1178," he said, checking his watch. "Crap. We only have thirteen minutes left."

"There's an elevator there. His number is pretty far down so we better hurry." 

They rode the elevator down to their desired floor. Hyerin stepped out and quietly looked for cell 1178 with a newfound determination lacing her footsteps while Chen, on the other hand, was a little hesitant, finding the place eerily quiet.

Eventually, they found cell 1178. "This is it," she said before sliding the card on the scanner.

Chen watched from the sidelines and sighed. "Don't do anything rash."

The gates slid open, and Hyerin looked back once at Chen. "I'll take it from here," she said before entering the chamber.

Hyerin ignored the little grumble of protest from Chen as she fixed her gaze on the lone figure sitting on a white bed. Actually, now that she paid attention to her surroundings, everything in the room was white – the walls, the bed, the table, the chair, the floors. Even the clothing the prisoner wore was white. She looked completely out of place in her all black get up.

She returned her gaze to the man's hunched back. She made sure to close the doors behind her just in case he attempted to escape.

"Is it already time for supper?" the man asked in a raspy, slightly playful tone.

Hyerin crossed her arms and scowled at his question. "No, but it is time to give me answers."

The man turned around, chuckling as he did so. "I knew you would come for me."

Hyerin's unclear image of him that night was very different from what she was seeing right now. The man was fairly young and quite attractive if it weren't for the creepy grin etched on his face. His skin was pale and his complexion was not the best, his eyes a solid black and framed with wiry glasses. His hair was dyed a dark blue and swept to the side, his natural brown roots peeking at the top of his head.

"You were expecting me?" Hyerin challenged, not letting her guard down even the slightest bit.

"Why, of course!" he said, eyes trained on the girl as he slowly stood up from the bed. "You said you wanted answers, right?"

Hyerin did not say anything back, and he took this as a signal to continue.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Blue. And no, I do not mean I am in a state of sadness; that is actually my name. Oh, well, same difference!" he said, cackling humorously at his own words. Hyerin cringed at his poorly executed joke, as well as his unsettling laugh.

When his laughter died down, he sauntered towards her. "It's a pleasure to meet you...again," he said deviously, stretching out his pale hand and giving her a Cheshire grin. Not wanting to show her discomfort she took it, gripping his hand firmly but not making prolonged eye contact. She knew what he was capable of doing.

"Now, how may I be of service to you, love?"

"I want you to tell me what happened that night." She figured there was no time to beat around the bushes; time was running out.

Blue chuckled. "You'd be surprised, Miss Hyerin. It'd take hours to mention everything."

"Don't start with the riddles. I really don't have time for this," Hyerin deadpanned. "What do you want from me?"

"Ohoho, what do I want from you?" he chortled. "I don't want anything from you! No, absolutely nothing! You see, you're wasting your time trying to link me and you together. I didn't try to abduct you for my own desires; I simply did it for a friend." He leaned back against the table. "So, it's not about what I want from you. It's about what they want from you."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "They?"

"Mhm. They." Blue tilted his head to the side, smiling maniacally at her. "They're very persistent when it comes to you. You have something that they want, apparently."

Hyerin gulped, clenching her fists. Blue noticed this, making his grin grow wider. "Are you getting stressed now, sweetheart?"

"Don't call me that," she growled, glaring at the crazed man.

"Oh, it's a normal reaction from such a youngling like you. Totally understandable. I mean, who wouldn't be agitated when they're the target of everything and everyone notorious in this city?"

"Shut up," she hissed, hyperventilating from the anger. It only seemed to delight him even more.

"Oh, don't be so angry about it, sweetheart! Here, let me give you a hug-"

He was not able to finish his sentence when Hyerin grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the wall. "I said don't call me that, you bastard!"

Blue laughed the loudest he ever did and slid down to the floor, seemingly unfazed by being slammed against the wall. "Oh, oh! I know, I know! Maybe your twelve little boy-toys would be some help! Since they're magical and all!"

Hyerin bristled at that. The mention of her friends angered her even more. She knew he was only saying these things to rile her but if her friends got involved in any way in this mess, she wouldn't even think twice about killing him.

She picked him up from the ground and pinned him to the wall by gripping his throat tightly. "Don't even think about getting them into this," she spat through gritted teeth.

Blue shook from laughter despite being strangled. He choked out his words. "Oh, but eventually they're going to leave! They're going to leave because they wouldn't want to get killed! They won't sacrifice that much just for you. No way! They would leave you, go someplace else where they'd be safe, even though they will never be safe, ever, and then you..." he trailed off, laughing so painfully loud. He looked at her with wide deranged eyes through his crooked glasses. "You're going to die."

This guy was nuts. He may have looked respectable at first but once he opened his mouth, he was an absolute lunatic.

"You're insane," she hissed, shaking her head disbelievingly.

He gave her a knowing smile. "I'm not insane," he tucked a strand behind her ear with a shaky hand, "I'm just a bit dingier than what society allows us to be."

Hyerin hated his guts. How dare he act this way considering the position that he was in? Hyerin couldn't take it anymore and was about to crush his head against the white concrete wall when a puff of black smoke appeared behind her.

"It's not worth it, Hyerin," a voice whispered.

She didn't have time to process what was going on as she was pulled away from Blue, landing on a pair of strong arms. She was about to escape when she felt the grip around her waist loosen again, and they were back to the entrance of the building.

What happened? Hyerin whipped around, head colliding with Kai's chest.

"Hey." There was a hint of worry in his voice as he held her elbows gently. You okay?" 

Of course it was Kai who took her away from the prison cell. He teleported her back.

Instead of answering the question, Hyerin asked, "Where are the other three?"

"Right here," Luhan said with Chen and Tao behind him.

"You took too long. I heard banging from the cell and I got worried so I called the others and then Kai since we wouldn't be able to make it anyway even if we escaped right on time. I made him teleport all of us back here," Chen explained, giving her a disapproving look. "What happened back there? Did you get anything?"

"Are you hurt?" Kai asked, brows furrowed as he pushed her back a little to check if she had any bruises.

"I'm fine," she said in a hollow voice, taking her arm from the teleporter. "Let's just get out of here." She brushed past the others sullenly and headed to the opposite direction.

The four looked to one another.

Tao sighed. "Oh, screw this. Instead of feeling like , why not do something for her that can turn the situation around, yeah?" he snorted, jogging towards Hyerin who was already nearing the exit.

The other three watched on as the boy caught up to Hyerin, propping an arm around her shoulders. "Hey."

"What?" Hyerin snapped, not wanting to engage in any kind of conversation at the moment.

"I know you're in a bad mood, but we'll do something about that, hm?" Tao said, shaking her playfully which irritated her even more. "Wanna go out and have a bit of fun?"

"Tao, I don't have time for-"

"Have you ever seen Baekhyun perform?"

"I-" Hyerin's eyes suddenly widened. Baekhyun? Performing?

Tao broke into a smile, noticing the change in the girl's expression. "Mhm. I knew that would get your attention."

Baekhyun would kill him for this.