“So, what brings you all to my humble abode?” Psy asked, casually sipping a blue liquid that produced more fog than would have been possible. But being Gangnam’s ingenious leader, nothing was impossible for the vibrant man.

“They found us.” Jiyong replied, sliding his equally eccentric drink farther away from him on the table. Taeyang and CL immediately did the same. Bom downed it in one go, giggling at the disapproving look from the medic. Before Seungri could even put the drink to his lips, Dara had already taken it from his fingers and dumped it into a nearby plant. Seunghyun caught the maknae’s eye and mouthed a word that sounded a lot like “underage,” then with a wink, sneakily took a sip of his own blue concoction. Seungri grumbled at that and squeezed himself more into the plush cushions that smelled like bananas and oranges.

When the group finally got settled in and passed through all the weird health examinations of Psy’s city, they were led to a spacious wooden balcony that looked across Gangnam waters. It was a rather peaceful place, albeit a little more colorful than was expected, but better than what Seungri’s life was like as part of the first prince’s army. 

“Really?” Psy quirked up an eyebrow. His sunglasses hiding most of his face, making it difficult to ascertain what he was really thinking. “And may I ask how that was possible?”

Jiyong cleared his throat and glanced in Seungri’s direction. “Tracker. We found a boy dying in a dessert and took him in. It seems they are still using these old methods to find us.”

“Ah,” Gangnam’s leader responded and rested more into his seat. “Now that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Anyways,” Jiyong sat straighter in his chair which was directly in front of the eccentric man. “We will probably be here for a maximum of two weeks, then we will head to our next location. It wouldn’t be right to overstay our welcome here.”

“Nonesense!” Psy exclaimed and jumped out of his chair with a hop that didn’t even stir his sleek gelled head. He snapped his fingers and immediately five doll like women and men stood behind him with what looked like neatly packed varieties of soap and scented candles. “I have known your father for a very long time and will treat you like the VIP guests you are. Now, I suggest you guys go head for the spa. The weather is just delightful today and we just introduced our newest scents for the month! Lavender with a hint of cinnamon, a delightful combination.”

Seunghyun jumped to his feet, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, yes, count me in! I could use a good massage.”

Taeyang put a hand to his forehead and sighed while Chaerin gave TOP a wary look. She stood up as well, motioning for Dara and Bom to do the same before politely declining Psy’s spa invitation. “Thank you, but if you don’t mind, we would really like to see Minzy.”

“Ah, Minzy!” Psy exclaimed excitedly, “She should be in the training center with Se7en right now. She’s been a blast and I’m not sure how she did it, but she whipped my Gangnam men into tiptop shape. Even I don’t dare cross her.”

CL grinned at that, “That’s our Minzy!”

Psy turned to one of the doll-like women, “Please lead these ladies to General Minzy in our central training center. Thank you.”

As the ladies were heading out of the balcony, Dara forcefully grabbed into Seungri’s arm and dragged him along. Seeing the confused look on the boy’s face, the caramel-eyed medic ruffled his hair. “You need to meet her! She’s the best and I’m sure she can teach you a thing or two about how to control your sword fighting abilities.”

“Huh? But I—”

“Trust me,” Dara’s eyes shined with eagerness as they followed the doll-like girl out of the veranda. “Come on! I can’t wait to see her!”

After Seunghyun had also made his way out of the balcony, only Jiyong, Taeyang, and Psy were left. Heaving a hefty sigh, Psy took off his sunglasses and turned to look at the two men sitting across from him. His lips formed into a small frown as he regarded them with a serious expression. Snapping his fingers again, he signaled for one of his helpers to give him a small white envelope with a gold seal. He reread the letter before passing it to his guests.

“I received your message, Jiyong,” Psy replied with hands resting on his armchair.

“Forgive me for prying, but I do believe there is more to the story than a boy with a tracker.”

“As you know,” Taeyang started, “we have been having a hard time feeding our people. Resources are scarce and—”

Psy put up a hand to stop him. He leaned forward a little to get a better look at the two guests in front of him. He wasn’t a very sentimental man and didn’t like to spend time reminiscing on the past, but he couldn’t help thinking about how much these boys have changed. He’s known Taeyang since he was fourteen, Jiyong even younger. He was a good friend of Jiyong’s father and often came to visit them when he had time off before he took charge of Gangnam. The two boys have certainly grown and unfortunately, with more trials and pains ahead of them. “I understand your predicament. You’re being gridlocked. Merchants are afraid to help you and you’re losing ground fast.”

Taeyang nodded in agreement.

“Well,” Psy crossed his hands in front of him. “I can help a little bit there. Gangnam has a relatively large storage of goods that would be happy to give your people in exchange for some added security and labor. I’ve already placed Teddy in charge of most of this process. He’ll be in touch with you after this.”

“Thank you, Psy,” Taeyang replied.

Noticing the hesitant glances between Jiyong and Taeyang, Psy spoke up. “Anything else you need to tell me?”

After a long silence, he continued. “I may be old, but I’m not senile. I hardly doubt you moved your whole capital city here just to ask for some food supplies and support.”

Jiyong pursed his lips in thought before turning to Taeyang. “Tell him.”

Taeyang eyes widened in surprise. “Jiyong, if we do this…there’s no way we’ll be able to avoid…”

Psy cleared his throat, breaking the other’s quiet conversation in front of him. “Well?”

Although he didn’t think it was a good idea to tell Gangnam’s leader everything about their pressing situation, Taeyang knew he couldn’t shake his friend’s resolve once he made one.  He regarded Psy with a calculated eye and used a voice that he only reserved for official business. “The First Prince has already taken control of the central command military and they have plans to take over the Southern lands in the coming month, August 18, to be exact. And Jiyong…”

Hesitantly looking at his friend for more reassurance, Taeyang continued, “Jiyong will be at his weakest during that time. We have already lost most of our soldiers to surprise raids around our country and the only thing really keeping us in power is Jiyong himself. We’ve only managed to stop the assassinations by shipping him off to random areas with Seunghyun or Daesung and have built up coalitions there. But even then, it has become rather difficult to find support with the first prince’s growing influence.”

Taeyang could feel the anger building inside of him. He hasn’t told Jiyong, but he knows about the scars that mar his friend’s body every time he comes from another of his secret missions. The knife wounds on his arms, the permanent burns on his skin, the glassy eyes that sometimes graces his face when he thinks no one is looking. Jiyong was not born a killer and it hurts Taeyang to know that his leader has to do the one thing that could destroy him in order to keep everyone safe. If it was up to him, he wouldn’t let Jiyong fight with his own hands, but his friend never lets him accompany his leader on his operations around the country. As his head commander, Taeyang’s job was to keep their country together when Jiyong was not present.

Jiyong placed a comforting hand on Taeyang’s shoulder. His eyes glowed with an understanding that many would not be able to comprehend. “To be frank, we are looking for allies, Psy.”

“Allies…” Gangnam’s leader mused the request in his head. It was a rather unique appeal. He wasn’t known for having any powerful connections to his beach town, content to live a carefree life away from politics and war. But, from what he could gather between the lines of Jiyong’s letter, something big was going to happen soon and if he didn’t play his cards right, there was a good chance that the first prince will get his way. Psy frowned at that. He knew first hand what it was like to be ruled by a ruthless man. Heck, he used to be a general himself before he swore his life to serving Jiyong’s father. But that’s a story for another time.

“You’re in luck.” With a large grin, Psy took out a small tiger pendant from his pant pocket. It glistened a strange silver hue. “I know the exact person to call.”

Seunghyun whistled away a happy tune as he walked to Psy’s luxurious private spa with the basket of goodies in his hands. He was wearing a complementary robe and wooden sandals, inhaling the salty sea air of the sparkling clean beach resort. It was a little bit sunnier than to his liking, but Seunghyun wasn’t going to miss out on an outdoor spa treatment with everything that’s been happening.

He heard a faint jingle and spotted a fresh pile of towels placed near the door. None of the attendants bothered him, probably on Psy’s orders, when he requested a single room for his stay. He wasn’t fond of having any peering eyes on him and frankly, being a soldier in a warring nation, it was safer to not get close to anyone, physically and mentally. He slid into the bubbling waters and watched as steam rose and enclosed him from view.

There was another sound, nearer and familiar. Turning his head slightly, he saw the faint outline of an auburn red hawk. It perched itself out of Seunghyun’s reach, but close enough for him to identify distinct black lines around blood red eyes.

“What? He couldn’t wait at least five minutes?” Seunghyun grumbled at the hawk’s nod in urgency.

Making sure all was silent around him, Seunghyun grabbed a piece of parchment from the basket and a pen.

Safe. Need time. Found soldier. Seungri. Information lacking. – T.O.P.

After he quickly scribbled down the coded message, he threw it towards the waiting hawk that caught the paper in its beak. The animal gave a squawk in farewell before disappearing in the fog, the beat of its wings almost silent.

Finding everything quiet again, Seunghyun dipped lower into the waters, closing his eyes. “Now I can relax.”

They were on their way to what he presumed was training grounds when Seungri got a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. “Dara?”

“Hmm?”

“How did you know my name? I don’t think I ever told you guys.”

"Everyone is imprinted with a specific code that can be read if given a certain amount of focus and attention.”

“I’m just kidding. CL is a mind reader.”

Seungri stared at the girls in awe, wondering how in the world he could have found safety with people who were so amazing.

        ~ Back at the palace ~

A man with ivory skin elegantly walked through the rubble, his hands positioned lightly at his back. Soldiers formed straight lines beside him, their brows sweating in fear. The man suddenly stopped and glanced at an unaware soldier. The soldier stiffened considerably and quickly lowered his head in respect to their commander. The man placed his hand on the other’s shoulder, then turned around to face his soldiers. Lifting his hand up, he wordlessly signaled for his troops to leave him.

Once he was alone, he made his way through the torn down castle. He moved quietly and with purpose, easily shifting his body around the injured or dead. His hair shined a rusty red in the light, a contrast to the sleek black colored armor on his back. Suddenly, he stopped. Peering down below him, he saw something gleam on the gloomy gray ground. He bent over a pile of rocks and reached out a hand towards some loose pebbles. His hand grasped something small and light as he faintly smiled. The soldier from earlier made his way timidly towards the man.

“We are done here. Deploy the troops home,” the man said absently without looking at the nervous soldier behind him. He tossed the item in his palm. As soon as he turned around, the soldier hastily bowed his head and made his way out of the man’s sight.

The man remained impassive and stood up slowly. He placed his hand up into the light and watched as the little cube tracker glisten faintly before putting it in his pocket. Letting go of his cold façade for a moment, he sighed with a frown on his lips.

“He’s not going to be happy about this.”