The ride was uneventful. Just as Eunhyuk drifted away from the apartment, they crossed path with a bunch of police cars going the opposite way. That’s when Yunho knew that at least he had made one right decision tonight. While Eunhyuk drove like a mad man and Kyuhyun talked to somebody on the phone about their arrival, Changmin found his eyes getting heavier as time goes. Minutes later, he was fast asleep on Jaejoong’s shoulder. Jaejoong gladly let his shoulder taken as a temporary pillow as he swiped some blood spatter from Changmin’s tired sleeping face. 

                Within a few minutes, they arrived at a closed 24-hour convenience store that barely stood out in the middle of a packed street. Eunhyuk parked his car in a small alley just a few feet away from the store and told them to get out of the car.

                “Now could you please kindly get out of the car? I need to get this parked inside the building,” He said as he himself half-jumped out of the car.

                “Isn’t it already parked?” Yunho exclaimed, looking around for a garage or something alike. There are only walls full of graffiti and posters around them.

                “Well, not really. I can’t left the company car outside, can I? I need to get it inside,” He explained as if it was the most obvious question ever. Yunho raised his eyebrows but didn’t ask anymore. Instead, he helped Changmin walked out of the car.

                “Follow me,” Kyuhyun said as he walked to the closed convenience store. It was way past midnight and the street was really quiet. The only voices that seems to fill the night were a couple of drunkards dancing in front of a bar a few blocks away and their own voices.

                “What… is he doing?” Jaejoong pointed quietly to Eunhyuk that seems to be talking to the wall just a few feet behind him.

                “He’s informing the people inside about us. Well, that and he needs to park his car,” Kyuhyun answered casually as he kept walking to dark convenience store. “Stay close,”

                Jaejoong looked back only to see that the car has disappeared from where it was parked, leaving the spot empty. A few moments later, Eunhyuk followed them with a slight grin on his face.

                “I’ve told them. They were pleased to hear the news. Only not about the part where we managed to somehow let those Grays into our territory. And I left out bits about the fight that happened earlier. They’re going to know anyway later. I don’t want to be reprimanded outsided, if anything,” Eunhyuk explained to Kyuhyun who’d just let out a sigh.

                “Yeah, well, I don’t really fancy that part as well…” He said as he pulled out a card from his pocket and tap it on the glass door near the handle. Something ‘beeped’ once, and a soft click was heard. Kyuhyun pushed the door and walked in, motioning the others to follow him as well.

                While Yunho looked a little bit suspicious of the whole thing, Jaejoong just softly tugged his arms and partly pulling him inside. Changmin followed quietly behind them, still trying to rub his sleepiness away. As soon as Eunhyuk walked in, the door closed automatically with another soft click.

                Now that the five men were inside, they can see no trace of what looked like a dark convenience store they walked into before, because they seemed to have walked into the lobby of a very fine and sophisticated office. For a moment, the three brothers just stood rooted to the ground in awe.

                There were as much as ten receptionist on the long-crescent-shaped table, each talking to a different person that looked not much better than the state they were in right now. One guy on the far left edge of the table was practically coated in dirt, blood and what looked like white bird-feathers. The women with a tight-fitted red dress beside him was holding a huge rifle in one hand and a cup of coffee on the other, gossiping with the receptionist as if holding a rifle that big is normal.  All around them were people coming and going. As they looked back to where they came from, they could see no trace of the street outside. What was left only a frosted glass door.

                “What just happened?” Asked Yunho.

                “The convenience store was just a disguise for one of the entrance to the headquarter. We put a barrier around the store, so that it’ll appear as an ordinary store from the outside. It only opens to the agents,” Eunhyuk answered as he showed his id card to Yunho.

                “Where is this place?” Yunho asked again.

                “We’re in the headquarter of ACE, and before you asked again, yes, this place is stretched out downwards. That means the whole office is located underground. We have access to almost every place in Seoul through the underground tunnels,” Eunhyuk explained as he eyed the reception table, looking for someone.

                Just above the reception table, the letters ‘A.C.E.’ were etched onto the wall shimmering slightly under the bright light of the lobby.  And right at that moment, they seem to snapped out of their thoughts as Jaejoong whispered, to no one but himself.

                “So, it is real…” He said in awe.

                “Well, what do you expect, it’s all some sort of a fairy tale?” A voice responded, making all five of them turning their heads.

                The woman in the red dress they previously saw talking to the receptionist, holding a rifle on one hand, walked towards them.  Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk’s faces light up at the sight of the lady.

                “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but sometimes I just can’t hold my hearing,” She said, offering one hand to Yunho. “Kwon Yuri, 22 years old, specialty in disguised and information collecting,”

                Yunho, wasn’t sure of what to do, just stare at her in confusion. He was never one to be good around women. He spent the last four years thinking of how to keep his family in order.

                “You don’t look that much disguised with that huge toy in your hand, honey,” Eunhyuk took her hand instead of Yunho.

                “This toy could burn holes in your head faster than you could spell ‘honey’,” She hissed dangerously, still smiling. “I had just finished a job, haven’t got the time to put away this thing,”

                “Are you trying to hit on our guests, noona?” Kyuhyun asked with a smirk.

                “Worth a try,” She answered casually as she unnecessarily twist Eunhyuk’s hand slightly before letting it go, making him squirm and holding his hand with a fake hurtful look.

                “You don’t need to do that…” Eunhyuk protested, massaging his hand.

                “Oh, yeah I do, honey,” She responded with a satisfied smirk.

                “Noona, this is Yunho, Jaejoong and Changmin, they’re…” Kyuhyun tried to introduce the three of them, only to be interrupted by Yuri.

                “…the ones everybody been talking about, yeah, I’ve heard. Soojung just told me that you guys are coming a ew minutes ago,” She said, referring to the receptionist she was talking to earlier.

                “Yeah, well, the old-man needs to see them first. He’s the one that’s going to explain everything. Is he around?” Kyuhyun asked Yuri.

                “He’s in his office, been anxious since the last time you were supposed to report, which you both didn’t do. Not to mention that you messaged us hours later, saying that, and I quote ‘Jino was dead. We got Grays on our tail, Changmin was hurt, but now he was fine. We’re coming over in half-an-hour’,” Yuri said, raising her eyebrows in a questioning manner.

                “We got a little bit occupied…” Eunhyuk said, not really sure he want to explain the whole thing right there and then.

                “And what, in the name of god, happened to you?” Yuri asked to Changmin in a softer tone, referring to the blood stains on his shirt.

                “I told you he was hurt,” Kyuhyun answered, not really wanting to look into Changmin’s eyes, afraid of what he might get.

                “Looking at the amount of blood on his shirt, it must’ve been bad…” Yuri said, examining an uncomfortable Changmin.

                “I got shot,” Changmin answered in a hoarse voice; the result of a cut-off sleep.

                “Shot? Shot? You let him got shot?” Yuri turned to Kyuhyun and Eunhyuk in apparent annoyance.

                “Well, at least he’s alive…” Eunhyuk tried to defend himself and calming Yuri down.

                Yuri looked at Changmin, who, despite the blood stains on his shirt and practically all of his limbs, was still standing as if the worst thing that hit him that night was an extreme lack of sleep, instead of a piece of hot-lead that burned a hole in his stomach. Then her gaze turned to Jaejoong, whose shirt torn and stained with Changmin’s blood, and she turned to Yunho, whose face looked slightly irritated and, though dirty and slightly bloodied, doesn’t have a single scratch on his face.

                “You’re a healer, aren’t you?” She said, half-whispering to Jaejoong.

                “I… haven’t really understand what you guys are talking about, but if you were referring to how I magically brought my brother back to life, then I guess yeah, I am,” Jaejoong answered the best he can.

                “Unbelievable. We haven’t had a new healer in more than fourteen years. The old man must’ve been ecstatic to meet you,” Yuri almost squealed in excitement. “Have you found out what kind of power the other two possessed?”

                “We haven’t exactly got the time to sit and chat the night away with the Grays chasing us…” Eunhyuk answered.

                “Uhm, excuse me, could you fill us up a little about what you are talking about, here? Because I haven’t got a clue as to what’s going on and you three are talking about us as if we’re not here,” Yunho interrupted, clearly annoyed. It wasn’t only that though; he was tired more than anything, and he was sure that his brothers felt just the same. Jaejoong looked a little bit white and Changmin was, well, he was a mess. They need to rest before one of them collapsed on the spot.

                “I’m sorry. You must’ve been exhausted. You’ll get some rest after this, but first I believe you guys are in dire need of some proper explanation. We’re going to take you to the man behind all of this; our boss,” Kyuhyun smiled apologetically and turn to Yuri.

                “Just go to his office, he’ll be waiting,” Yuri said as if she knew what Kyuhyun was going to asked. “In the mean time, I’m going to prepare your room. See you later,”

                She winked to the boys and left, disappearing in the crowds of people on the lobby.

                “Who was that?” Jaejoong asked Kyuhyun.

                “An agent, same as us. She had been under the care of ACE since the tender age of seven. She had this extra-sensitive hearing, that’s why she could hear your whisper before,” Kyuhyun answered as he lead them into an elevator.

                “What’s with the gun?” Yunho asked out of curiosity. For a woman her size, holding a rifle that huge; the picture just doesn’t really fit.

                “Oh, she’s excellent with guns. She had been able to shot perfectly before she could memorize the multiplication table,” Eunhyuk answered with a hint of pride in his voice.

                “What kind of person let a child hold a gun?” Jaejoong wasn’t really keen on the idea of a child playing with such dangerous weapons, Ext or not.

                “The old boss wasn’t exactly the best of people around here. He’s a  good leader, but he never had the quality to be tender or caring,” There was a sense of bitterness in his voice as Kyuhyun answered.

                “The old boss? So, the one we’re meeting right now is the new one?” Asked Yunho.

                “Not exactly new, he’s been there for four years now. And I must admit, he brings the fun in this place,” Eunhyuk exclaimed enthusiastically. He pulled out his Id card and tap it near the buttons in the elevator. A series of holographic numbers appeared on the previously empty metal wall. He touch the button to the lowest floor of the building.

                “What happened with the old one?” Yunho shot again.

                “Dead,” That’s the only thing Kyuhyun offer as an answer. It was clear that he was growing uncomfortable for the topic.

                “Then, what does the whole thing have to do with us?” Changmin finally asked; he can’t hold his curiosity anymore.

                “Everything,” Kyuhyun answered again in one word. And that silenced all of them.

                It was quite as the elevator moved down with a low hum. The numbers on the elevator was going down from 37, down to one, the floor they were coming to.

                After a long five minutes, the elevator dinged and the door was open to a floor with a very different structure compared to the lobby up there.

                “Let’s go,” Kyuhyun said.

i am EXTREMELY sorry for the time i took to write this chapter. but i kind of got a lot of things going on lately, with mid semester exam and stuff. But here's an update that's less thrilling and offer more information. Hope you'll find it entertaining. Oh, and about the age reference, with Yuri being the same age as eunyuk and yunho and older than kyuhyun and changmin, just get along with it, okay? Don't think too much and just enjoy the story!! >_<