Sungmin had never seen headquarters so quiet.

 

He had arrived only minutes before, taking the stairs down instead of the elevator as he always did, but he had known something was up as soon as he stepped through the door.

 

Headquarters was huge. It stood under a forty five level sky scraper. The outside was beautiful and expensive, a home to a large amount of wealthy officer workers, so obvious and outstanding to the world that no one would expect the spy organization just ten feet under.

 

The first level housed most of the field officers desks. It was a large square room with a circular dip in the middle where numerous desks stood crowded around. Usually at least five people were there, either waiting on an assignment, checking intelligence or looking up information on a case. There were stairs on the sides of the room that led to the upper railings and offices of the higher ranked spies. The directors own stood in the middle, a huge door with a hand print and eye scanner.

 

Today every desk was empty, not a single soul in sight. No one walked the halls or stood around chatting, all the chairs were empty and no televisions or screens made a sound.

 

Sungmin didn’t know what was going on.

 

It was unnerving, this usually loud place so quiet. He was used to the loud chatter as he entered the room, and then the stares he would get. Dark and judging that was stick onto him until he entered the safety of the stairs. But this time no one was there to watch.

 

Sungmin was half way around the circle to the stairs leading to the lower levels when a door to one of the side rooms opened next to him. He stopped mid-step, almost bumping into the person.

 

“Hyung,” Eunhyuk said, surprised. His voice was hoarse and he sniffed hard through his nose. He had numerous scratches on his face and a bandage around his head. His eyes were red and puffed up like he had been crying before.

 

Sungmin nodded uncomfortably. “Hello Eunhyuk,” he said. He wondered what the marks were from, probably a mission, but he didn’t ask. “Where is everyone?”

 

Eunhyuk seemed to quiver for a moment before launching himself into Sungmin’s arms, new found tears spilling over his face and sobs racketing through his body. Sungmin froze, his whole body tensing up. Eunhyuk grabbed onto Sungmin’s body but he didn’t move, just standing there like a statue. His gaze locked onto the far wall, unable to say anything.

 

For a moment, Sungmin remembered hugging a young boy named Hyukjae tightly, rubbing his back comfortingly and wiping away his all too abundant tears. They were comfortable in each others arms, an embrace of a friend.

 

But now, all Sungmin could do was stand there dumbly like a statue, unsure of what to say or do.

 

The door next to them swung open again and before Sungmin could spot who it was, Sungmin was pulled harshly away and a sobbing Eunhyuk was deposited into Donghae’s waiting arms.

 

Sungmin’s eyes connected with Donghae’s, catching the dark glare directed at him. He stared unemotionally back, not bothering to say a word. Donghae gathered the crying man into his arms, his own tears visible in his eyes, before pulling a sobbing Eunhyuk towards the door, whispering comforting words in his ears.

 

 Sungmin watched for a second before walking in the opposite direction, hands clenched a bit tighter by his sides.

 

Donghae hated him. Sungmin knew that for a fact. He hated him just like how all the other agents hated the dark assassin who didn’t seem to be capable of human emotions at all. Sungmin didn’t blame them. They were all new agents who had been transferred to this new department less than ten years ago and none of them knew anything about him. All they saw was a deadly man hired for jobs no one else would dare take.

 

None of them knew of the Lee Sungmin ten years ago. Eunhyuk did, but their relationship would never be the same again.

 

Sungmin knew they hated him, despised him, wished to never meet again, probably even wished him dead, but yet he couldn’t bring himself to care.

 

He had lost the will to long ago.

 

 

 

When Sungmin entered the training room he almost sighed in relief when he found a familiar chubby man polishing an already shiny black gun at a table. The man looked up and grinned when he spotted him.

 

“Sungmin! Glad to see you’re here in time,” the man said, fastening the gun to his belt.

 

“Hey Shindong,” Sungmin said, coming to stand next to him. Shindong was one of the only ones that would talk to him, much less stand him. He gave the older man a one over; motioning toward his fancy dressed up clothes. “What am I in time for?” He asked, suddenly remembering that both Eunhyuk and Donghae had been dressed similarly.

 

“You didn’t hear?” Shindong paused in fixing his clothes, placing his hands by his sides, suddenly serious. “I guess it makes sense,” he said with a light laugh. “You never know what goes on when you’re on a mission.” He reached up to scratch the back of his neck. “Yesung was killed on a mission.”

 

 

 

It had been exactly six days, fifteen hours, thirty two minutes and six seconds that Sungmin had been on his mission. Two days, five hours, five minutes and thirty two seconds for Sungmin to find the location. Three days, two hours, eleven minutes and nine seconds to surveillance and scout the area. Eighteen minutes and twelve seconds to raid the warehouse and complete the mission. Then a whole day, seven hours, fifty seven minutes and thirteen seconds to travel to the city, walk around to confuse any tails he might have had, and then come back to headquarters.

 

And yet so much had changed in only six days, fifteen hours, thirty two minutes and now, seven seconds.

 

Sungmin sat stiffly in one of the pews for Yesung’s funeral. Almost everyone from the organization was there. Yesung had been greatly liked. The top spy in the organization, he headed most of their most dangerous missions as team leader. Everyone had worked with him at least once and they all found him to be serious but extremely likable and charismatic. A skilled hand to hand combat fighter, guns men and undercover agent, no one had been expecting his life to be cut so short.

 

The church was filled with the sound of tears. Numerous people were either sobbing or trying to hold their tears back. Over their cries, someone had been saying a few words but Sungmin was distracted by the light filtering through the glass windows of the church, casting rainbow light into the air and turning everything into an array of colors. For a second he lost himself in the dancing colors, letting himself be taken away from this strange world of human emotions that he just couldn’t understand.

 

Then everyone was moving and Sungmin bolted upright, reality snapping back into place. Sungmin filed into the line of the mourners who were going to put flowers by the casket. He couldn’t help but feel the gazes that settled on his back. Most uncaring, maybe a few confused, but the ones that seemed the heaviest were those that were glaring. Judging eyes that asked; why was he there if he didn’t even care?

 

Sungmin could almost hear the gazes, speaking to him, whispering in his ear.

 

Then there was someone next to him, a young man that Sungmin recognized as one of the director’s assistants.

 

“The director would like to meet with you,” he said.

 

Sungmin, only a few steps away from where he would place the flower on Yesung’s casket, stepped out of line. He nodded to the assistant before walking back up the isle and with the audience’s eyes on his back, left the room.

 

 

“Hello Sungmin.”

 

“Hello Leeteuk.”

 

Sungmin hated Leeteuk’s office.

 

It was perfectly square with blindingly white walls and perfectly arranged furniture. A wood desk with bookcases scaling the walls, soft plush rug and comfortable white chairs seated right in front. He had a desk top computer to one side with pencils, pens and paper laid out neat next to him. Everything was perfect and in its place.

 

Sungmin had gained all his obsessive compulsive habits from Leeteuk himself; the need to have everything in order, to know where everything and everyone was at all times and especially the continuous mental count of time. But Leeteuk was on a whole new level and even Sungmin wanted to grab a huge bucket of paint and just throw it against the wall.

 

Sungmin though stepped forward with a half smile and stood in front of the desks.

 

“How did the mission go?” Leeteuk asked offhandedly, glasses on as he looked through some messages on his computer.

 

“Successful.”

 

Leeteuk glanced away from the screen for a moment to take a look at Sungmin from over his glasses. “And the status of those involved?”

 

Sungmin plastered a smile on his face. “Eliminated.”

 

Leeteuk returned the grin, his just as fake. “Good.”

 

For a second, with smiles on their faces, Sungmin could pretend it was ten years ago.

 

Leeteuk stepped into the bedroom. All the lights were off, but he could hear the soft sobbing coming from the lump on the bed. He slowly closed the door behind him before taking a seat at the edge of the bed and turning on the light.

 

With the light on, the room was pink. Leeteuk had apologized when Sungmin first joined them, saying his brother had a strange taste in decoration and had decided to paint the whole house rainbow colors and that this was the only room left, but Sungmin had smiled and said he was alright. Eventually, Sungmin even got used to it and started to like the color.

 

The sobbing stopped but Leeteuk knew the sadness wouldn’t. He paused a moment before peeling back the covers.

 

“Hey, you alright there, Sungmin-ah?” Leeteuk asked quietly, pushing back Sungmin’s bangs out of his face. He was curled up under the covers, in a tight ball, clutching his hands against his chest.

 

“Fine,” Sungmin sniffled, looking away, trying to keep his face void of emotion.

 

Leeteuk smiled sweetly and uncurled Sungmin’s fingers from his death grip on the sheets. Then he stretched Sungmin out so he was taking up the whole bed, fixed his bangs and tucked him in properly. “He’ll be back soon,” he whispered.

 

Tears began to form again and soon Sungmin was crying again, clutching at Leeteuk’s arm, pressing his face into his chest “What if he doesn’t come back this time?”

 

Leeteuk smiled and brushed away his tears before taking the young boy into his arms and rocking him back and forth. “He’ll be back before you know it, just watch.”

 

But then the memory was gone and Leeteuk was smiling at him with too much sincerity and his fantasy broke in two.

 

“I have a mission for you,” Leeteuk said, going back to looking at his computer. He pulled out a plain unmarked folder and handed it to Sungmin. “A piece of equipment was stolen from us recently,” Leeteuk said as Sungmin opened the folder, eyes scanning it.

 

“How recently?” Sungmin asked.

 

The corners of Leeteuk’s mouth quirked. “Two days, seven hours, twenty three minutes.”

 

Sungmin scanned the piece of paper in front of him. It was a profile of a twenty two year old that went by the name of D.O. He was a dangerous underground hacker that was said to steal blue prints from government agencies and after constructing them himself, sold it to the highest bidder.

 

“This is what one of the techies has been able to figure out about him.” Leeteuk pulled out another sheet and handed it to him.

 

Name: Do Kyungsoo

Code name: D.O

Age: 15-18

 

Underneath there was a blurry picture of a young man walking out of a convenience store. On the sides were approximations on his height and weight based on the picture.

 

“This is it?” Sungmin asked, surprised. Usually there were pages of background checks.

 

“This kid is good,” Leeteuk said with a slight frown on his face. “They were barely able to find anything about him, even Taeyeon. Any footage was deleted and no pictures were found. The list of items he has constructed though is quite large and impressive.”

 

Sungmin scanned the list and nodded. It was long and though they weren’t dangerous weapons Sungmin knew them to sell very well on the black market.

 

“They weren’t able to find a lot about this kid, but Henry was able to track some of the kid’s expenses and able to find a connection to an orphanage. Start there.”

 

Sungmin nodded and gathered the papers into his arms. “Yes sir,” he said, bowing his head before turning to leave. He couldn’t wait to get out of this suffocating room.

 

“Sungmin?”

 

He paused before reaching for the door, turning around.

 

“I can’t stress enough how important this device is,” Leeteuk said, taking his glasses off and placing them next to him. “We need this back as fast as we can.”

 

“Yes sir,” Sungmin said before closing the door.