***

I read her eyes and her lips.

But I discover a dust-covered heart, closed off like a restricted area.

Perhaps if you lean in towards her, you can hear her cry. 

Perhaps, she will show you sympathy. 

But her expression is unusually calm.

How come her tears don't have any emotion? 

She's a machine. A soundless machine without a heart...

But with a killer smile. 

Miss Kumiho walked through the halls of E.T. Corp to get to Mr. Miyano's office and laboratory, her heels clicking determinedly on the floor. She personally liked hearing the sound of her heels clicking onto the floor. It gave her the impression that she was walking on a steady beat, one that could intimidate those that heard her approaching, the clicking becoming louder with each step. 

She was in a particularly good mood today, as her plan was starting to come together. It wouldn't take long now or she wouldn't have to hunt for little wolves anymore. They'd come flocking to her in no time. What mattered were the twelve of them. They had no need for a thirteenth wolf, though this one proved its worth by coming in handy. Miss Kumiho had known who she was the moment she laid eyes on her. It didn't matter that they didn't know where she came from. The lucky number thirteen would lead the pack right where Miss Kumiho wanted. The only thing she was still concerned about, was time. This world was feeble and weak compared to the previous one and it had already started to shatter. Time was pressing- she knew it, and so did he. 

Mr. Miyano's office was empty, of course, since the CEO suddenly had to leave after receiving a rather distressing call from his daughter's school, asking him to pick her up as soon as possible. The poor lamb, Miss Kumiho smirked, inspecting her perfectly manicured nails. She opted for a glittering black this time, with a pure gold finish. It fitted her mood perfectly for now. 

Checking her tablet, she opened the message she had received from her employer, though she could already sense that he has visited here before. Not that she could entirely blame him. With the dagger so close by, it was too tempting to just let it sit in waiting. Its power was strong and when unlocked- well... Perhaps this time her master could finally earn his wings. And she would forever stand by his side while he ruled this new world. 

She was so hungry for that moment to come that she could already taste it. How Mr. Yok had been able to wait for so long- she'll never know. She was eager for its powers, eager for his reign to begin. 

Biting her lip, she moved towards the laboratory, tracing back her employer's steps. She moved steadiy towards the vault where she knew the dagger was being kept and rapped her fingers on its heavy, metal door. The steel was cold, but what was inside was hot. Miss Kumiho slowly moved to unlock the vault, looking around for good measure to make sure that there was no one in the nearby laboratory and opened it.

No one would mind if she just took a quick peek at it, a brief glimpse, a short touch. She knew how Mr. Yok was not one to let others touch his belongings. He was rather hopelessly territorial in that area, but now that things have started to come together, she couldn't resist it. There was simply something thrilling about gazing at an object, no larger than a dagger, whilst knowing the beautiful destruction and chaos it harbored. Enough life force to last an eternity, and power like this world had never seen before. 

Miss Kumiho nearly snarled when she thought back to having read a ridiculous human invention called 'nuclear bombs'. Despicable. There is no force greater, nor more perilous and havoc wreaking, than nature itself. Nothing man-made could ever compare. She had to hand it to humans, though. They really did know how to wreck the place, but there was no beauty in their destruction, no poetry.

And if there was one thing Mr. Yok loved, it was a good work of art. 

"And that's where you come in," she mused, looking at the velvet cloth which blanketed the dagger. "The amazing things he'll be able to do with you," she murmured longingly, briefly wondering why she would let him have all the fun. She was fully aware that she was not worthy enough to wield the power the dagger contained, but she couldn't help but wonder why she wouldn't at least give it a try. All this time, Mr. Yok had been finding ways to unlock its secrets, the secrets to endless life force and power, but perhaps it was more simple than that. Perhaps all it needed, was a woman's touch.

She couldn't help but smirk as she thought about it, imagining what it would be like if she took the dagger instead of her employer. The thought alone excited her, but at the same time it left a bitter taste in because she knew that that could never happen.

"Still," she shrugged. "No harm in trying," she purred in amusement, grabbing the cloth- only to find that it was empty. Startled, Miss Kumiho opened the cloth to reveal nothing but air and as she looked inside the vault for good measure - even up to the point that she stuck her head inside -, she saw to her frustration and indignation that the dagger was gone.

"Where is it?!" she muttered angrily, rummaging through the vault and looking over the empty cloth repeatedly. "Where is it?!" she grunted, angrily searching for the whereabouts of the precious object. It couldn't have sprouted wings and flown away, it had to be here somewhere!

Miss Kumiho exclaimed out of utter frustration, ready to throw a fit at the mere thought that someone had the gall to steal from Mr. Yok- from her. She attempted to calm herself down by trying to believe that the dagger wasn't stolen, but perhaps misplaced carelessly by the fool of a CEO, or perhaps the man had brought it with him. 

She exclaimed again, huffing out of frustration when she slammed her hands against the wall beside the vault, allowing her growing, seething anger to show. 

"Looking for something?" a voice suddenly sounded and for a moment, Miss Kumiho froze. She straightened herself and recovered, not a hint of emotion showing as she turned around.

"Ah, Mr. Kang, I had no idea that you were working here today. You certainly know how to startle a woman," she commented, an automatic smile on her face.

The young researcher swallowed a little, obviously suspicious of her as he tilted slightly to the side to be able to look at the opened vault. His eyes shot towards her then, but Miss Kumiho didn't move a muscle. Didn't even flinch. She regarded him calmly, as if there was nothing going on.

"I don't believe you've the authority to be here, ma'am," the blonde scientist noted, though he lacked the grace and confidence to sound convincing.

"Is that so? Well, perhaps you've forgotten that I'm in charge of following the proceedings of this particular project, Mr. Kang," she said with the sting of a bee through her honeyed voice. "I am, after all, Mr. Yok's eyes and ears. He relies on me to bring this project to success."

Dee Kang swallowed again, walking towards the vault to look at it, but not touching it. At all times he ensured that he did not have his back turned against her, as if he was expecting an attack from her part.   

"I see," he cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze. "But be that as it may, Mr. Miyano made it clear that he did not want you snooping around, ma'am," he stated in a firmer voice, one that made her chuckle derisively. 

"Mr. Miyano said so, did he? My, my...and who does he work for again? Do remind me," she shot back in her sweet voice that didn't match the tone of her words at all. 

The young scientist shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. "Mr. Yok, founder of E.T. Corp," he replied softly. 

Miss Kumiho clapped her hands together, mocking him. "Very good, Mr. Kang! Now, tell me, for whom do you work for, again?" she then asked, her tone obviously darker as she stepped towards him so that they could speak face to face. 

"Mr....," he sighed and looked away, unable to look her in the eyes, just the way she liked it. She watched him closely when he rubbed the back of his neck and reached behind him. She showed no reaction when he produced the dagger, holding it firmly in his hand. 

When the scientist looked at her after inspecting the dagger, there was a challenge in his timid eyes, but she did not respond. Instead, she simply held out her hand, a smile on her face, waiting for him to hand over the dagger. Dee retracted his hand and frowned in hesitation. 

"You can give that to me, Mr. Kang," she urged, keeping her tone calm and poised to hide the impatience and agitation. 

"Can I, ma'am?" he questioned, but his suspicion was obvious. "S-Seunghyun-hyung," he suddenly started and Miss Kumiho inhaled for breath, lowering her hand and crossing her arms across her chest instead. "Seunghyun-hyung told me that you brought him to a dinner at Mr. Miyano's house," he nearly whispered and she finally felt a twitch underneath her eye. 

"What of it?" she inquired, her patience wearing thin. The cold tone in her voice made the younger man flinch slightly and there was an obvious question burning in his eyes, but it took him so damn long to get it out. "Well?" she pushed. 

"N-no reason, ma'am," he then answered, avoiding eye contact. 

She scoffed this time and watched him intently to ensure he was uncomfortable. The researcher blinked to carefully look at her. "Out with it," she demanded and he sighed softly, regretting that he had spoken at all. 

"It's just-," he cleared his throat. "Mr. Mi-Miyano," he stammered again. 

"What about him?" she nearly spat, which was more of an emotional reaction she had given than to anyone else. 

"Mr. Miyano is a,-" Mr. Kang looked as though he was gathering his courage to be able to finish his sentence. After taking a good, deep breath, he blurted, "Mr. Miyano is a good man. He's kind and righteous. He's a caring father and husband," he stated, puffing up his chest slightly, while Miss Kumiho rolled her hazel green eyes. 

"I had no idea that you had a crush on him, Mr. Kang," she replied coolly, but the young scientist was unfazed this time and even looked a little angry. Interesting...

"Whatever your intentions are, Miss Kumiho, leave the boss and his family out of it," he said. 

"Oh?" Miss Kumiho propped up an eyebrow at him. "And what would make you think that I could do anything bad towards them, Mr. Kang?" she asked, walking towards him, when he had no idea how to reply. She smirked when he froze at her proximity, gulping when she removed an invisible lint from his shoulder. 

"Are you sure it's Mr. Miyano you're concerned about," she purred. "Or are you jealous at Seunghyun for being my date instead of you?" 

The young scientist locked his jaw and refused to look at her, causing her to smirk. That was another ridiculous human characteristic she thought to be so useless; matters of the heart. Not that it mattered much to her. It was yet another tool she could use to ensure she got what she wanted in the end. 

"You shouldn't have the time to worry yourself over such trivial things, Mr. Kang," she continued. "You've more important matters to do, have you not?" she watched him, seeing him fiddle with the dagger. She slithered her hand over his arm, moving down until she touched the weapon as well. During all of this, the young researcher had tensed up entirely. 

"What have you discovered so far?" she asked, grabbing the dagger from his limp hands, allowing the pulse of the weapon to send jolts through her body. 

Mr. Kang closed his eyes a moment, looking absolutely out of place. "I'm not at liberty to say, ma'am," he decided resolutely, but Miss Kumiho only sighed, wondering when anyone would ever learn that there was no one better at playing games than she. 

"You do realize that I am tasked to report the progress of project Yggdrasil to Mr. Yok himself, do you not? Did I not just remind you so? I have every right to know what you've discovered so far, Mr. Kang," she spewed, pulling away from him and reveling a moment in how it made him look so devastated. 

"The dagger is comprised of a variety of living organisms that we're unable to explain the stability of its DNA-sequence," he answered, though he did so reluctantly. "It may explain how it is able to produce energy, why it contains so much life force." 

"Hmhm," she mused, the shining blade with one finger. "Tell me something I do not yet know," she demanded and the scientist sighed. 

"But there's still something missing. We cannot tap into the energy as we're unsure how it works, and up until recently, it appears as though the dagger is faltering. Its energy has weakened," he explained and this, Miss Kumiho knew, was alarming. Time, she thought, she needed more time. 

"It needs something to be unlocked," she stated, pondering about it. "What do you need?" she mused, looking at the dagger, watching it intently as though it would provide the answer. 

The scientist continued to look at her, frowning as he did so. His gaze switched from the dagger, back to her, and Miss Kumiho decided that she found his presence annoying. 

"That'll be all, Mr. Kang. Thank you," she dismissed, but the young man didn't move. "Something amiss, Mr. Kang?" 

"Mr. Yok seems to rely on you quite heavily, Miss Kumiho. Do you believe he trusts you?" he suddenly asked, watching her closely when she finally put the dagger where it belonged. 

"What an odd thing to ask," she mocked. "I do not believe it is your place to question that, is it?"

"Perhaps not, ma'am. But I simply thought it interesting-, oh well, I should get back to work," he said a bit stiffly, turning around. Miss Kumiho felt the corner of twitch and she reached for his shoulder, turning him around again. 

"What, exactly, is so interesting?" she wanted to know, her eyes glowing briefly as a sparkling, dark green mist swirled subtly around her finger tips, wafting around the unsuspecting scientist, entering his nostrils, his skin, numbing his senses. "Tell me," she tempted, watching his eyes light up briefly, his mouth opening as he gasped out of pain. Thin, black branches traveled underneath his skin, cupping his jawlines. 

"I...can't breathe..." he gasped, his eyes hazed over by a deep green glow. 

"Tell me," she said, enjoying being able to toy with him. 

"Mr. Yok was here," he then panted which startled her lightly. She had her suspicion that he might have been here, but she hadn't thought that he would've literally been here. Why?

"To check on the dagger," Mr. Kang continued, answering her unspoken question. The haze disappeared from his eyes, the black branches dissipating. He took a deep breath when she released her grip on him, coughing and shaking his head. By the time he looked up, he blinked confusedly at her. 

"M-Miss Kumiho? What- uh, what happened?" he asked, bewildered. 

"Why would Mr. Yok check on the dagger when I am here to rapport to him?" she questioned, an obvious trill of anger in her voice. 

The researcher widened his eyes. "Uh- y-yes, wait, what? How did you know that Mr. Yok was here?" 

Miss Kumiho clacked her tongue at him turning to the vault to look at the dagger again. Didn't he trust her? Did she not offer him her best services? Mr. Yok, of all people should know that angering her would be the biggest mistake he could make. 

"Ugh, I don't feel so good," the young scientist muttered, leaning on his knees. 

"Oh, you'll be fine, don't exaggerate," she dismissed, still thinking about her employer. Then, she smiled. Could it be? Had he finally become impatient? 

If that was the case, it meant that he could sense the time was neigh. She grinned wider now before securely closing the door of the vault. 

"What time is it?" she inquired, looking at the fatigued researcher. 

"Hm? O-oh, uh..." he checked his watch. "A few minutes past five."

Miss Kumiho nodded. It shouldn't take long now. Those little wolves may have a few tricks up their sleeves, but she had one of her own. "Thank you, Mr. Kang. You should head home," she instructed walking past the confused researcher. 

"Yes, I was about to close up, actually. Aren't you going home as well, ma'am?" Mr. Kang asked. 

Miss Kumiho looked over her shoulder. "I've an appointment that I do not want to miss," she answered, leaving the room with her heels clacking loudly. I'm ready for the players to arrive to my game, she mused, moving her fingers as she imagined thin black branches to grow and snake their way underneath a creamy, young skin. She felt the pain pulsate as she imagined to see the unsuspecting lamb in her mind's eye. She saw the black branches move and expand and finally she could hear the beating of a young heart. 

Seep through slow, she commanded. Let her feel true pain, and bring them all to me. 

Miss Kumiho inspected her own reflection and calmly fixed her hair. How she adored it when her plans came together, the sensation of accomplishment and beautiful destruction filling her with glee like a drug. 

No, she thought, looking at her perfect nails, like poison.