“What’s going on in there?” Kyuhyun asked from his spot outside the director’s office. Sungmin, having almost run the whole way up the stairs making Kyuhyun hurry in his steps as well, had walked straight in and slammed the door without a word. Kyuhyun was getting used to not being acknowledged by the other.

“I think Sungmin’s trying to kill Leeteuk,” Eunhyuk commented from where he had his ear pressed against the door. Sound proof, damn.

“Yeah right, he could try!” Donghae rolled his eyes indignantly from where he stood behind Eunhyuk, arms crossed defiantly. Tiffany was a few steps away, frowning at the two of them, having followed to ‘make sure they didn’t do anything stupid’. Kyuhyun however noticed she seemed to be leaning towards the door in a discrete attempt to hear anything as well.

“I-I only said Kyuhyun could come in side,” Luna said hesitantly, hovering a few feet away and looking unsure.

The other three seemed to ignore her, too absorbed in trying to find out what was going on behind the doors. Kyuhyun sent Luna an apologetic look for them.

“So what’s up with this Sungmin guy?” Kyuhyun asked, noticing the mere mention of Sungmin’s name seemed to bring the others to attention. Mixed emotions crossed their faces. “When we met downstairs he was kind of…”

“A jerk?” Donghae said bluntly while Eunhyuk looked uncomfortable.

“Sungmin’s just a bit… Troubled,” Eunhyuk said in hesitantly.

“Troubled? More like an ,” Donghae grumbled and Eunhyuk nudged him with his elbow.

“You have to admit,” Tiffany broke in, “He isn’t very friendly. He doesn’t speak to anyone.”

“That’s because Sungmin’s had it harder than all of us.”

The three immediately straightened and spun around, various looks of embarrassment caught on their faces. Kyuhyun turned as well, finding the voice familiar.

“Gossiping like school girls,” Yuri shook her head, a frown gracing her features. The agent was tall and slim, dressed head to toe in tight black clothes that hugged her lean body. Loose straight black hair framed an attractive face which was currently staring disapprovingly at the three. “Back to work, I know for a fact that none of you should be here.”

The three bowed; eyes down as they murmured quickly apologies before leaving toward the exit. Kyuhyun raised his hand hesitantly to tell her that he was supposed to be there, but she held her hand up and nodded in his direction. “Except for you Cho, Leeteuk told me you’d be here.”

“Are you running this op?” Kyuhyun asked curiously. Yuri was a senior agent, working as an individual instead of a team leader. He had met her when he had first come to the agency but she had been gone for the past three months on a mission.

“Nope,” Yuri said in a suddenly cheery voice. “After my last mission I should be getting a well-deserved vacation!” But when she turned to Luna her face fell at the girl’s apologetic smile. “And there goes my dreams.” She reluctantly took the large folder from the girl’s hands and flipped through it. “Let me guess. I’m taking over Yesung’s team,” she said dryly.

“Just for now,” Luna said quickly.

Yuri sighed and snapped the folder shut. “Well, I guess it’ll give me some time to discipline that team of his. He really did go too easy on them sometimes.” She then glanced over at Kyuhyun. “Sungmin’s a bit difficult to handle sometimes,” she said gently. “He’s not very good with communicating, or really people in general, but you’re a good kid Kyuhyun. I’m sure he’ll warm up to you.”

Kyuhyun smiled, warmed by the compliment. “I guess we’ll see.”

Yuri glanced around before beckoning Kyuhyun closer. “I know you probably have some questions, but I’m not the right one to ask. Kangin should be coming and he has more of a right to tell you than I do.” She gave him a reassuring smile and pat him on the shoulder before hefting the large folder. “Alright, I’m heading out. Good luck on your mission!” She smiled and waved before saying goodbye to Luna and leaving out the door of Leetuek’s waiting room.

Almost as soon as Yuri had left, Kangin entered. He was a large man with muscles bulging under his army style clothing and hair buzzed short. He was also one of the senior agents and though unofficial, everyone knew he was Leeteuk’s second in command. He smiled though when he saw Kyuhyun, giving him more of a cute teddy bear look than the menacing one he usually had. “Beat me here, I guess. How are you doing, ready for your big mission?”

“Nervous,” Kyuhyun said, grasping Kangin’s hand and shaking it firmly.

“Nervous is good, it keeps you on your toes,” Kangin said with a toothy grin. “Did you look through everything? Did you have any questions?”

“Yeah, I looked through all the paperwork,” Kyuhyun said, motioning towards the large folder in his arms. He hesitated a moment before asking the question which had been plaguing him for a while. “What happened to Sungmin?”

Upon seeing Kangin’s gaze turn dark, Kyuhyun quickly backed up, unsure if he had asked the wrong question and Kangin was going to punch him or something. “I mean, I met him earlier and he wasn’t very friendly… I’ve never seen him before and I only heard of him today. I mean, I heard of him before, but not much. I asked around but the others don’t really seem to like him…”

“You’re babbling,” Kangin said with a sigh, looking resigned. “Kyuhyun, I’m going to lay it out flat for you because you have the right to know. Sungmin is difficult to work with. He’s been at this agency for a long term and he’s seen and done more things than any of us can imagine. He works alone, always has, so he’s not going to be happy having to work in a team.”

“Ah, so he’s like Yuri?” Kyuhyun asked, thinking about the tall black haired woman who worked individually.

“Sort of, except Sungmin is much more dangerous,” Kangin said bluntly. “He does undercover work. He’s an assassin.”

Kyuhyun blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned. Their agency worked in tandem with the government, but they were known to do undercover jobs. No wonder Kyuhyun didn’t see Sungmin much, he must always be on top secret missions.

“Sungmin has been a loner since birth, but since Heechul-”

Kangin broke off, looking unsure of himself. Kyuhyun racked his brain for where that name seemed familiar but he couldn’t grasp the name flitting through his memory. “Who’s Heechul?”

“Heechul was…” Kangin glanced over at Luna who was busy typing away at her computer and pulled Kyuhyun gently to the side, leaning forward and lowering his voice. “Heechul happened ten years ago. He was a good agent, one of the best. One of the original seven until he went rogue. No one really knows why, except…” His gaze turned slowly toward the closed door. “I don’t suggest you bring him up. He disappeared years ago and his name only brings up old scars.” He leaned back and clapped Kyuhyun on the shoulder. “Just stay aware that Sungmin’s had a hard time and though he may come off rough at some points, just be patient and you’ll get through this alive. He’s a good agent, one of the best. He just needs to work on his social skills.”

Kyuhyun resisted letting out a long sigh. His questions had been explained but it seemed like things had only become more complicated. It seemed Sungmin already didn’t like him, he wasn’t sure how long it would be before he found a knife to his throat.

“It looks like you’re up,” Kangin said when Luna motioned them towards the room. “Good luck kid, you’ll need it.”

And into the fire they go.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

“Where was the last known location of the subject?” Sungmin asked, all business, his mind already absorbed by the case. Numbers ran in front of his eyes; the time since the mission had happened, since the device had disappeared…

“No need for that,” Leeteuk said when Sungmin pulled out his phone to write down coordinates. “Kyuhyun has all the information you’ll need. He will be briefing you.”

Sungmin paused, mind racing, numbers disappearing to be replaced by confusion. Who was Kyuhyun? Why did he have the information?

The door swung open behind them and the kid from the basement stood in the door, an easy going smile on his face. He gave a cheery wave. “Hi.” Kangin followed after him, closing the door behind them.

Sungmin froze, mind not comprehending. What was he doing here?

“Sungmin, meet your new teammate Kyuhyun.”

The words echoed in his mind, flashing across his face.

Teammate…

Teammate.

“Wait a second,” Sungmin said, ripping his eyes away from Kyuhyun’s uncertain but smiling face and staring at Leeteuk who looked more tired than anything. “Teammate?” He repeated, almost gaping outright.

“Yes, Kyuhyun will be accompanying you on this mission.”

Sungmin’s whole mind was in shambles and he was struggling to pick up the pieces. He didn’t work with anyone. Sungmin worked alone. “Can you excuse us for a second?” Sungmin asked, still blinking in confusion. He walked, almost dazed, toward the door and opened it.

Kyuhyun paused, unsure, but Leeteuk nodded and Kyuhyun slowly exited. As soon as he was out of the door Sungmin slammed it behind him, whirling around to face Leeteuk and Kangin who had settled beside him.

“Teammate?” Sungmin repeated, nearly screaming the world for he still couldn’t comprehend it. “I work alone!” He finally yelled at Leeteuk, fists balled at his sides. “You know that, both of you do!” He snapped, including both of them now. “I could do this mission just fine by myself, there is no need to get anyone else involved. He’ll only slow me down.”

Sungmin watched as Leeteuk sighed and leaned back in his chair. Kangin at least looked apologetic. “Sungmin, Kyuhyun is very skilled. He did not only complete college at age 20, but he’s a computer genius and also works simultaneously as a field agent. He excelled in his training, he’s decent with a handgun and a pretty good fighter. He’ll keep up with you just fine.”

Sungmin bristled. “That’s not the point!”

“Then what is the point?” Leeteuk snapped, coming to his feet and slamming his fist down onto the table. The pencils in perfect order rattled on the desk. The room went silent. “You’re acting like a child who doesn’t want to play with others. Grow up Sungmin, you’re an adult and this is an order. One that you will follow. You and Kyuhyun will be working together on this mission together as partners whether you like it or not. You are dismissed.”

Sungmin stared, shock written clearly across his face. He opened his mouth but Leeteuk silenced him before he could say anything else. “DISMISSED.”

For a second Sungmin didn’t move before the emotions drained out of his face, leaving nothing but a blank slate and empty shell. “Yes sir,” he said, his voice as cold as ice as he bowed formally and left the room.

----

A/N: Hello everyone! I know, it's been awhile. TT^TT But I did update, so yay~!

Anyway, school is insane this year. All I do is study and sleep. But I'm trying guys! I'm trying to update as much as I can, but just please bear with me and understand school is really crazy this year.

On another note, I hit 300 subscribers!!! I am so thankful to all of you, really, you guys inspire me to keep writing. I have a few things I'm working on (I was trying to get them finished before I hit 300 but you guys are fast man) so hopefully you'll be seeing them soon. Think of this update as one of the first thank you gifts for 300 subscribers <3

Thanks for reading guys, hope you enjoy this chapter, love you lots! <3