Hyerin stood in the middle of the room with bricks and wooden planks laid in front of her, the dim orange lighting casting a spectral glow over her. She was glaring hard at the concrete blocks, thinking of a way to break at least five in one punch.

She was in one of M-LX’s more secluded sparring rooms where it was darkly lit and small with a couple of equipment for personal use. These rooms were made to focus more on self-training and private technique lessons that the gym she and the boys frequented in could not offer. Only a few used them, so it was not difficult to find an unoccupied room.

Hyerin didn’t tear her eyes away from the blocks in front of her as she sloppily wrapped cloth around her knuckles, tucking the ends inside before cracking her neck and stretching out her arm. That night when she managed to catch up to the knife and save the mayor from getting killed—she was sure no ordinary human could do that. Anyone with a brain would know that it was impossible to block it in time, but she managed to. She managed to, and she wondered what else she was capable of doing with this strange ability of hers.

She jogged in place to warm up before stacking five concrete blocks neatly on top of each other. She can do this. If she, for some miraculous reason, managed to attain super speed, maybe she could have super strength, too.

Without further ado, Hyerin’s elbow swung backwards to gain momentum before her fist collided with the hard cement.

She scowled when she saw the tower of bricks still intact. Her punch only managed to give the block on top a little crack, but nothing more than that.

She was sure she could do it. She was stronger now; even Agent Zero told her back then during their assessment that she got stealthier. Everything about her improved and now with this newfound special ability of hers, she knew she was the strongest she had ever been. She just needed to learn how to control it.

Hyerin tried a few more times, ignoring the growing pain coming from her fist, arm, and back.

After one more hit, she stepped away from the blocks and tilted her head back, letting out a huge breath of exhaustion.

“Why can’t I do it?” she muttered tiredly, lifting her hand up to her face and ignoring the blood that was starting to seep through the ragged cloth.

On the other hand, Kyungsoo hid in the shadows with his arms folded and ankles crossed together, leaning back against one of the stone pillars at the corner of the room. He stumbled upon Hyerin attempting to break the bricks when he accidentally walked into the room, thinking it was unoccupied. It was a good thing she didn’t notice him enter as she was too preoccupied with her little experiment.

Kyungsoo thought it was interesting and strange how she thought she could break five bricks in one blow. It was impossible, and only he, who had the power of earth and strength, could do such a thing.

Nevertheless, he watched.

Hyerin settled herself in front of the tower once again, jumping up and down in place out of impatience. Maybe if she really set her mind to it, she would be able to do it.

“You can do this,” she mumbled to herself, shaking her head from the energy she was picking up as her eyes determinedly stared down the bricks.

Just focus on the bricks, she chanted in her head.

As fast as a snap of one’s fingers, a sense of focus mixed with power and adrenaline came upon her, and at that moment nothing mattered but the thought of breaking those bricks. She felt confident and energized, exactly how she felt when she saw the knife heading towards the mayor.

Her body acted on its own accord. The blocks shuddered under the force of her right fist, and she could feel it crumble as her arm shot straight down through the rest of the bricks and hit the metal that supported it.

She stumbled back, eyes widening in shock at the mess she just made. The tower was long gone, and its remnants lay crushed in the ground. She started coughing from the dust that collected, but it didn’t distract her from what she was able to do.

Kyungsoo, who was watching the whole time, was left in awe. His lips parted slightly, unable to tear his eyes away from the girl.

The cloth wrapped around her right hand was completely soiled, and it served no purpose now that it was drenched with her own blood. Nevertheless, she slowly dragged her feet toward her backpack, grabbed her phone and called her dad.

As usual, it went straight to his voicemail, but she didn’t care. With a dazed look on her face and the shock showing through her voice, she told him, “Dad, we need to meet up when you have the time,” she said. “Something’s wrong with me, and I need to know what it is.”

---

That whole week, they didn’t do any field work but instead, focused more on school activities, training, and figuring out their current mission that seemed to have no end. After school and practice, they’d go straight to M-LX and try to gather information. One thing would lead to another, but in the end, they are left with more questions than answers.

Suho stared up at the ceiling, tossing a big fat folder on the table with a hand in his pocket. He turned to the other agents who were sitting in the long table with troubled looks on their faces.

He shook his head. “We’re completely stuck.” 

Kris ran a hand through his face. “There’s got to be a way to know what this is about,” he said tiredly, while Sehun and Kai nodded in agreement.

Chen sank in his chair. “All I’m sure about is that the Immitis Clan is getting paid to do all this stuff for someone who’s afraid to get found out or possibly seen in public doing these things him or herself. We just need to know who. That. Is."

“Well, we all know that person is related to Lucy, the Noxius brothers, and Durus,” Baekhyun added.

“But is this mystery person their leader possibly?” Tao asked.

“There’s a high chance he is, ZiTao.” Suho nodded.

“Then he must be pretty powerful, seeing that he managed to get the leader of the Immitis Clan, Yukihara, under his wing,” Tao said, propping his legs up at the table.

“Also, we need to know what they want from Hyerin,” Chanyeol added, casting a worried glance at the girl. “They seem to be mentioning her a lot. I think this is slowly turning into something about her."

Hyerin dejectedly looked down on her lap, knowing Chanyeol might be right.

Lay tapped his fingers impatiently against the surface of the glass table. “The Noxius Brothers,” he mumbled.

Kris frowned. “What?”

“The Noxius Brothers,” Lay repeated, lifting his head up as the others leaned forward, anticipating what he was about to say. “I think they’re the closest we have for answers.”

Suho raised a brow in interest. “Elaborate.”

Lay sat straighter in his seat. “After listening to the recordings from when they were in Gangnam High’s school tower and from when they were meeting up with Yukihara, it sounded like they were unwilling to do what this mystery person wants. Maybe, just maybe,” Lay held out his arms, “the money he gave Yukihara was to pay off this mystery person to leave them alone. He said before that what they were going to do was a ‘one-time thing’ and that after that, they’re not following his orders anymore. He also said they weren’t part of the ‘army’ that this mystery person is supposedly making, so I’m guessing they really do not want to have anything to do with this.”

There was a brief pause. Luhan was now leaning forward with wide eyes, trying to grasp his point. “And your conclusion?” he asked.

“We go to the Noxius Brothers, not as enemies, but just us asking for their help.”

“How do you think we're going to do that? We can’t even be in the same room without trying to rip each others’ heads off.” Kyungsoo asked.

“We’ll be civil and we won’t serve as a threat to them. If they try anything, there are three of them and thirteen of us.”

“How do you know they’re actually going to help us?”

“If they’re giving away three-hundred grand just like that, don’t you think they’re desperate to get out of trouble?”

“He’s right.” Hyerin nodded with folded arms. “They’re stuck in this mess and they know it. This mystery guy has them wrapped around his fingers and once they disobey him, this person will destroy them in an instant. If they find a way out, they’ll immediately take it. If we give them a good enough offer, they’ll give in."

She shrugged. “We don’t have to worry about getting into a fight with them. It doesn’t matter that Myungsoo has super-speed, or that Minho literally turn into a beast and Key’s a shape-shifting son of a . If we deal with them the right way, I’m sure we’ll get something out of them.”

It was silent in the room again as they all turned to Kris and Suho. For some reason, they always end up leaving the final decision to the two. Although no one really spoke about it, everyone knew that they were the unofficial leaders of EXO.

Kris and Suho shared a look before nodding at each other.

“We’ll do it,” Kris said in confirmation.

Sehun threw his hands up in the air. “Finally we’re going to do something about it!”

“We’ll probably do this during the weekend. I’ll tell you guys what I’m going to come up with maybe tomorrow, but for now, we’re all dismissed,” Suho said, and at once, the others stood up from their chairs and stretched.

“My god, analyzing this is so tiring!” Xiumin yawned before taking his bag from the floor. “I gotta go, guys. My grandma asked me to pick up the two little rascals from day care. See ya!”

“Bye!” the others chorused as they also, one by one, evacuated the office room.

Meanwhile, Kai slowly gathered his things, sneaking a glance at the girl across the room who was doing the same thing. His heart pounded violently in his chest as he recalled the events between them when he got drunk at Jonghyun’s party, how she held him comfortingly and how she whispered reassuring words into his ear to make him stop crying. He had to admit, it was quite an embarrassment in his part to let out his feelings like that so easily to her, but it also made him realize something.

He was starting to like her more than he already did.

It wasn’t in the platonic kind of way, that’s for sure. Not when he’s always stealing glances at her or when his heart fluttered every time she smiled because to someone like Kim Jongin, that wasn’t normal.

He wasn’t sure if this was love, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready for that. He didn’t know if he should entertain it, but nevertheless, he still stood up and walked over to her with nervous clumsy steps.

He was going to ask her to hang out with him. Where? He wasn’t sure. He would probably ask her where she wanted to go, if she agreed. He hoped that she would agree.

Just a couple more steps now. He didn’t understand why he was this nervous in the first place. He’d approached Hyerin countless of times before, so he didn’t understand why this was different. Was the thought of his feelings for her messing with his brain?

He didn’t realize he was staring down at his shoes the whole time he was walking. With a sigh of determination, he straightened his shoulders and looked up, later wishing he hadn’t.

He was too late. Someone got to her first. There, he saw before him, were Baekhyun and Hyerin chatting animatedly by the door.

He bit his lip as he fought the frown that was threatening to appear on his face. It was okay. It was okay that Hyerin was talking to Baekhyun and not him. Maybe next time, he thought. There was still tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day after that.

Kai nodded to himself, walking past the two and stepping out of the office. “It’s okay. Maybe next time,” he said in a light tone, shrugging his shoulders casually.

---

Hyerin smiled to herself as she stood in front of a landscape painting of autumn in Seoul. The scenery looked peaceful and beautiful, and she couldn’t help but admire the intricate little details the painter added into the artwork.

She folded her arms against her chest and sighed contentedly. After the meeting at M-LX, Baekhyun approached her and asked if she wanted to do their usual thing again. Of course she said yes, thinking that they were going to spend the rest of the night in his room. Turns out she was wrong – Baekhyun took her to an art exhibition just a couple of blocks away from the penthouse.

In a couple of moments, Baekhyun came to her side with two coffees.

Baekhyun nodded at the painting in front of them and handed her the cup. “You like that?” 

Hyerin grabbed it and murmured thanks. She took a quick sip before answering, “I do. There’s just something about landscape painting that’s way more amazing than the actual landscape itself,” she said with excitement. “I don’t know! It’s just amazing what you artists do.”

Baekhyun chuckled, adjusting his glasses and folding his arms. “Thanks, I guess?”

“You’re very welcome,” she replied, grinning up at the boy. Lately, she found herself noticing the little things about him that she never really thought about before. Simple things like the way he brushed his hair out of his eyes or the way he adjusted his glasses a lot. It was starting to get attractive in her eyes, and she wasn’t sure why that was.

“Baekhyun,” she mumbled. The boy met her gaze. “Do you ever dream of showcasing your paintings like this in the future?”

His nose crinkled a little before shaking his head. “No. Not really.”

“Why not?” she asked, brows furrowing. “I mean, if I had the talent that you have, I would probably be selling my stuff left and right.”

“I don't know. To me, painting is just for entertaining myself. I wouldn’t want it to turn into a job for me.” He shrugged. “It’s kind of like a personal thing, you know? It’s something I wouldn’t want to share with the world.”

“Then why share it with me?”

Baekhyun looked at her with amusement before turning back to the painting. “Let’s just say you’re an exception.” He took a sip of his coffee, hiding the grin on his face.

Hyerin bit the insides of her cheeks to keep herself from smiling too much. God, did this boy know how to make a girl feel all tingly.

“Then will you pursue being a musician in the future?” she asked, walking off to look at the other paintings in the room with her hand in her jacket pocket and the other holding the coffee.

Baekhyun followed her. “That was the plan until M-LX happened,” he sighed. “Seriously, we should get paid more for doing all this stuff.”

Hyerin nodded meekly. With the mention of M-LX, she was reminded of their unsolved case and the problems that came along with it. How did things get this complicated?

“Hey, you alright?” Baekhyun asked worriedly, craning his neck a little to look at her face.

“Huh? No, no, I’m alright,” Hyerin dismissed, giving him a small smile.

He gave her an exasperated look before sliding an arm around her shoulder and pulling her to him. The action made her heartbeat quicken.

“Everything is going to be alright,” he muttered softly. “Me and the others will always be here for you, especially me. I’ll protect you no matter what.”

Hyerin didn’t need protecting. She was sure of that when she broke five bricks with one punch earlier that day. But the way he said it insisted that she did, and she’s left speechless from the way his eyes sparkled with truthfulness as he promised this to her.

She was left with no other choice and gave in, mumbling a weak ‘okay’ before strolling around the gallery together for another hour.

After that, Baekhyun took her to a local bar that had open mic that day, and he sang to her. It was the moment when she was sitting there on one of the tables while Baekhyun stood up there on stage that she realized how brilliant he was. She couldn’t understand how Yoona could let go of someone as beautiful as Baekhyun; Baekhyun who cared about people a lot. Baekhyun who showed his paintings to only precious people in his life. Baekhyun who had a temper, but also a kind heart.

Baekhyun who looked at her like she was the most special thing in this world.

Hyerin didn’t need protecting. She was sure of that when she broke five bricks with one punch earlier that day. But as she met his pretty brown eyes and he smiled, she realized she didn’t mind getting protected, as long as it was him.

---

“Guys,” Hyerin started as she hugged her pillow, “I think I like Baekhyun.”

“What!?” Luhan, Chen, Sehun, and Tao chorused. Kris and Lay stared at the girl with wide eyes.

Tao gaped at her. “No ing way.”

Hyerin honestly didn’t know what to do with herself and her feelings. After hanging out with Baekhyun earlier that evening, she just couldn’t possibly keep everything all to herself. She needed to say it out loud to someone, which is why six of her friends were sprawled across her living room. She didn’t invite the rest over, as they were either too busy or were just the type to not be interested with these kinds of things.

“Okay, woman, you better not be lying here,” Sehun said, glaring at her. “I swear if this is some stupid prank I’m going to cut you!”

“I’m serious about this, okay!?” she exclaimed, burying her head into the pillow. “I really think I have feelings for him.”

Chen gave her a look. “When did this even start?” he asked with uncertainty.

“And why did you call us about something like this, anyway?” Kris questioned.

“I don’t know, it’s just that one of these days, I’ve been spending a lot of time with him, and I guess earlier when he took me out it just…bloomed from there?” She groaned before collapsing on the couch. “Ah! I don’t know anymore!”

The six boys shared looks of uncertainty. None of them really knew how to help a girl with…girl problems.

Luhan sighed. “Never did I imagine the day that Hyerin would actually like someone.” He shook his head. “Too bad it isn’t me.”

Hyerin glared at Luhan before throwing a cushion at him.

“Uh, the things is, we don’t know anything about these kind of stuff.” Chen rubbed the back of his neck. “Shouldn’t you be calling like, a girl for this?”

Hyerin gave him an incredulous look. “If I had any friends that are women, you guys wouldn’t even be here.”

Tao nudged Lay. “You’re the childhood friend, Lay. You go give her some advice.”

Lay raised a brow. “Correction, I’m only the childhood friend. And what does that even have to do with this? Kris, you give her some advice.”

“I don’t even know how I ended up in here,” Kris sighed. They waited for him to answer until he finally gave in. “I don’t know, alright? Just go read those stupid teen magazines with the little cheesy questionnaires in them or something. Why am I even here?”

“God, you guys are no help!” Hyerin exclaimed.

“Well what did you expect!? Us manly men giving each other mani-pedi while we give you pep talk with rollers in our hair and guacamole on our faces or some nasty like that!?” Sehun yelled. “If anything, you should figure it out yourself! You do something about your feelings!”

“I can’t!” she whined. “This never happened to me before.”

“Then deal with it!”

And just like that, the night was wasted on arguing, teasing, and laughing. They didn’t notice that the topic was drifting away from Baekhyun, and Hyerin didn’t mind. She knew that the main purpose of them being there in the first place was to help her, but that can wait until tomorrow. For now, she was just having fun, even if it was only half of the boys present.

They were cooking instant ramen in the kitchen when Lay approached her while the others were busy fighting over the stove. She was making tea when her childhood friend leaned back against the counter, watching her brew tea with folded arms.

“Yes?” Hyerin asked without sparing him a glance.

“You sure about this?”

“About what?"

“About your feelings for Baekhyun.”

She finally glanced up at him. He looked serious and genuinely curious. “I’m honestly not sure, but I know there’s something in there. I just don’t know how strong it is.”

Lay nodded. “Alright. Just make sure you make the right decisions, Hyerin.”

She smiled at him. “I will,” she said while Lay ruffled the top of her head like the big brother he was.

She was glad there was someone like him that always checked up on her. They've lost communication for several years, but that didn't matter now. Their bond, along with the others, was the strongest it had ever been. Lay might not be the most affectionate friend she had, but his simple advices and little thoughtful actions were definitely enough for her.

She nudged the boy playfully to the side, making him grin. She handed him the pot and told him to take care of the tea as she cleaned up the living room that the others left dirty and messed up.

Hyerin was quietly fluffing out the cushions and putting them in their rightful places when she heard a thud come from the balcony. She shot up with a suspicious raise of a brow.

There was another thud, and then two knocks after. What the hell? She dropped the pillow she was holding on the couch and walked over to the glass doors.

Why would someone be outside in the balcony when all six of the boys were in the kitchen? And if there was anyone who was going to arrive, wouldn't they be coming from the front door? Her brows knitted together as she unlatched the lock. If this was Key trying to barge into her house again, she was ready to slam him to the ground and beat his .

In one swift motion she pushed the glass door open and there standing in front of her was Kyungsoo holding a paper bag.

“Hey,” he greeted casually, as if him standing there was the most ordinary thing in the world.

“What the hell, Kyungsoo!?” she exclaimed, pushing him by the chest as she walked out to the balcony. “What’s your deal!?”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? You just appeared in my balcony out of nowhere!” she exclaimed. “How’d you get up here?”

Kyungsoo looked at her as if she just asked a stupid question. “I climbed, of course. What did you think?”

Hyerin returned the look he was giving her and scoffed. “You know it would’ve been way easier if you came through the front door like a normal person would and, I don’t know, it would seem less creepy,” she spat, glaring at him.

Kyungsoo scowled. “I do what I want. I can go through the kitchen window if I wanted to.”

“Oh, yeah? You think you’re too cool for the door? Is it too mainstream? Is that it? You think you’re so special?”

“No!”

“Then what is it, Mr. Cool Guy?” She raised a brow and crossed her arms.

“I-It’s just. I-I,” he stuttered, looking away from her.

“What?” she pressed.

“Here!” he exclaimed, shoving the paper bag against her folded arms. She looked down at it but made no move to take it.

“What’s this?” She grabbed the paper bag and buried her hand inside. Hyerin fished out a large black Tupperware from the bag and utensils wrapped in a napkin.

“I heard from the others that they were coming over to your house and I figured you didn’t have anything to eat. I mean, I remember your dad mentioning that you rarely have actual food at home so,” he shrugged to appear nonchalant, “So yeah. I’m pretty sure you only have ramen in your house and ramen is bad for you. It makes your face bloated and it’s just completely unhealthy and yeah.”

“Why only one? There are seven of us.”

“Well, I-”

Hyerin shrugged to dismiss the thought and dropped the bag on the ground before taking off the plastic cover of the Tupperware. Kyungsoo cleared his throat awkwardly and turned his back on her as he propped his elbows on top of the railing, focusing on the cityscape to take his mind off of his own embarrassment.

“Oh my god,” Hyerin said, eyes widening as she saw what it was.

Kyungsoo gave her a bento box, but not just any bento box. It was decorated after Keroro.

Hyerin gawked at the box, noticing the little details like how Keroro’s head was made out of rice, his beady eyes made with black olives and egg whites, and sausages shaped in circles for his rosy cheeks. His mouth was formed with carrots, and his trademark yellow hat was shaped with mangoes. Around his head were vegetables and fruits carved into flowers and stars, and it was the cutest thing Hyerin had ever seen in her entire life.

Her eyes lit up. “You made this for me!?”

Kyungsoo, in return, did nothing but look down at the busy street. His whole face was completely flushed, looking like he was regretting everything. 

“Answer me, you son of a ! You made this?”

“Watch your ing mouth!” Kyungsoo yelled back.

Hyerin burst out laughing and ran over to him. “You talented piece of !” She punched his back, making him whip around in irritation. “I can’t believe you’d make something like this!” she said in between cackles.

His face burned up as he leaned back against the railing. “I know it’s stupid, alright!? Stop rubbing it in,” he scowled to hide his embarrassment. “I don’t even know why I made that ,” he mumbled quietly to himself.

“What are you talking about? This is amazing!” She stared at the bento box a little bit more before lifting her gaze back to Kyungsoo, giving him a questioning look. “Is this why you went through the balcony?”

“Huh?”

“You were embarrassed,” she said. “That’s why you went through the balcony. So the others won’t know you stopped by to give me this.”

“I just don’t want them to hog all of it!” he corrected. “They’d finish that in less than five minutes,” he grumbled bashfully.

“No, but seriously,” Hyerin smiled down at the bento box as she curled a strand of hair behind her ear, “thanks, Kyungsoo. This is really...nice of you,” she quietly said, genuinely touched by his thoughtfulness.

He looked down on his shoes and rubbed his neck, shrugging. “It’s no big deal.”

Hyerin clutched the bento box tightly in her hands, having trouble suppressing the grin on her face. She just couldn’t grasp the idea of someone like Kyungsoo making something so cute and precious like this.

“Hey,” she said through her grin.

“Hm?”

“You want to come inside and eat this with me?” she asked, lifting the Tupperware in her hands.

“Uh, no thanks.” He raised his eyebrows at her offer before swinging his leg over the railing.

“Woah, what the hell?” Hyerin exclaimed. “Look, I know going all the way here and giving me a Keroro-themed bento box kind of hurts your manly pride and all but hey, there’s no reason for you to take your own-”

“I’m not committing suicide, . I’m going home,” Kyungsoo scoffed.

“What? No! Come on, eat this with me!” Hyerin said, pulling the end of his shirt.

“I said no! Let go of me!” he exclaimed, pushing her hand away.

“C’mon, please?” she pleaded. “I wouldn’t be able to finish this anyway. Please?”

They stared at each other for five seconds before Kyungsoo finally gave in.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine," he sighed, letting the girl pull him inside.

Meanwhile in the kitchen, Lay and Kris stood next to each other with folded arms as they watched Hyerin and Kyungsoo sit in the living room, eating the food he brought.

“I’m not so sure about this thing between Hyerin and Baekhyun, but if there really is something going on,” Lay sighed, watching as Hyerin laughed at Kyungsoo’s grumpiness, “Baekhyun’s got a rival.”

Kris nodded slowly, agreeing with the healer beside him. “What’s worse is that she’s completely oblivious to everything.”

---

Myungjae buried his face in his hands, elbows propped on top of his desk as he listened to his daughter’s voicemail on a loop.

The message she left for him was like a stab in his chest. It was so simple and innocent, but the fear in her voice was enough to make him feel guilty not only for his absence in her life lately, but for a whole lot of different reasons as well.

Agent Zero came into the office with a solemn expression, sliding a glass of whiskey towards the obviously stressed man.

Myungjae looked up from staring at his phone and gave the man a tight smile. “Thanks,” he said, taking the glass in his hand.

“No problem. You looked like you needed it,” he said quietly. “What's the matter?”

“She’s already asking about it.” Myungjae pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes. “She’s noticing the changes.”

“You should tell her the truth,” Agent Zero simply said, placing his hands behind his back. “It’s for the best.”

Myungjae looked up at the older man, and by the way his intelligent eyes looked through him, he knew he should follow what Agent Zero told him to do.

“I know,” Myungjae muttered before taking a sip, “I just don’t know how.”