“And where’ve you been?” Haneul entered the Athena dorm and was immediately greeted by both Kevin’s voice and a heat wave. She raised an eyebrow at his backside at the loveseat.

“What’s it to you, Sunghyun? And welcome back. Sorry I couldn’t be part of the ‘welcome back party’.” She chuckled a little.

“I was just curious. Aren’t you going to take off your coat and sweater by the way? It’s very warm in here, after all.” Kevin commented as he turned around in his seat to look at Haneul with a strange smile on his face. Haneul frowned. It wasn’t at all like his usual warm smiles that she had somehow managed to grow accustomed to.

“Oh, yeah it is, isn’t it? I wonder who turned the heating up so high?” Haneul said as she pulled her overcoat off and fanned herself slightly.

“If it’s so warm, why don’t you just take off your sweater?” Kevin said innocently, “And Haneul I never thought you’d be the type to wear such colourful clothing. I always thought you’d be the type to wear… Oh, I don’t know, black sweaters?”

Haneul raised an eyebrow suspiciously. “Yeah I was getting to that, but why don’t we just turn the heating down a little first? It’s a waste of natural gas like that and I believe that you, as an intelligent young man, are no stranger to our world’s depleting fossil fuel resources.”

“I’m not, but it’s broken.” Kevin shrugged and turned back around to continue reading the book he was holding.

“Ah, I see.” Haneul headed over to the switch to take a look and it was indeed broken like Kevin had said. “That’s strange. I wonder how it managed to break.” Haneul scratched the nape of her neck in wonder.

Kevin looked over at her and felt bad. She just honestly looked so innocent that he forgot just momentarily why he was suspecting her in the first place. “I’m not sure either, but I don’t think keeping that sweater on is a good idea. In fact, wearing long sleeves right now probably isn’t a good idea either.” He shrugged again and returned to his book which he wasn’t really concentrating on.

“You’re right.” Haneul nodded and took off her sweater and threw it at the three-seater couch which was adjacent to the love seater Kevin was on.

“Nice throw.” Kevin said as he turned towards her to take a look at her arm. Luckily for him and unluckily for her, she was wearing a short sleeved shirt underneath and her scar was readily visible. Kevin’s face immediately hardened. The scar was in the exact same position he suspected it to be in, although it seemed like it had healed so much it must have been a thing of the past. “Hey, nice scar. When’d you get it?”

Haneul’s eyes darted down to her scar. It didn’t hurt at all thanks to one of the professors in the medical department at SNU who also worked for the IAI’s quick healing creams. It was a cream that caused cells to regenerate and go through mitosis a lot faster, but everyone knew that cells can only regenerate for a limited amount of times and was therefore speeding Haneul towards death a little faster. But hey, did it really matter?

“Yeah, I went to visit my friend at Kookmin University the other day and she insisted she take me hiking on Gaeunsan. That silly girl ended up tripping over and pushing me down.” Haneul shrugged. “It doesn’t hurt anymore though.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” Kevin said darkly.

Haneul noticed Kevin’s face and frowned. “What’s wrong, Sunghyun? Look, I know you’re probably concerned even though there’s no need for you to be concerned, but I’m really okay.”

“That’s not quite it.” Kevin said as both of them heard a door swing open. Both their heads snapped over in sync to see Soo Jin come out of her room.

“Oh hey Haneul. You’re back.” She walked up to Haneul and was about to plop herself down next to her on the three-seater when she looked at Haneul’s arm and winced.

“That doesn’t look good.” She blinked a few times in distaste, “When’d you get it?”

“Ah, I was just telling Kevin about how the other day I went hiking on Gaeunsan with my friend and she tripped and pushed me down by accident onto a tree branch.” Haneul did a very realistic rolling of her eye, “She’s so clumsy.”

“And you know what I was saying?” Kevin said as he leaned forward conspiratorially. Soo Jin leaned in jut as conspiratorially, thinking it was all fun and games. Haneul stared quizzically. “I was saying I didn’t quite believe the story of how Haneul got that scar.” He said theatrically.

“And why is that?” Soo Jin said, playing along with it.

“Haneul, why would that be?” Kevin said, giving her a suspicious look, “Why would I not believe that?”

“Beats me.” Haneul shrugged, “Naturally unbelieving person?” She guessed.

“Oh, that’s not quite. It’s simply that I thought that you might’ve gotten that scar today, after all.”

Haneul frowned slightly. Where was he going with this? Suddenly all her senses were tingling with worry. “And why would you think that? Doesn’t this scar look half healed already?”

“Well, just for one your scar looks a bit too neat, doesn’t it?” He leaned over and traced along her scar with his index finger, making Haneul feel chills go up her spine. She suppressed her urge to shiver a little. “It looks just a little bit too neat to be due to a branch, does it not?”

Haneul frowned. She had an extremely bad feeling about all of this in the pit of her stomach. “What are you getting at?”

“Well, it looks like something that may be…” Kevin paused to catch Soo Jin’s eye. Soo Jin narrowed her eyes strangely. “It looks like the work of something along the lines of… A knife?” Kevin said and then smirked at Haneul.

Haneul felt her blood chill over. Anything. Just anything but that. She desperately thought to herself. Suddenly, the room didn’t seem so warm anymore. “A knife?” She whispered.

“Yes. A knife.” Kevin leaned back and stared into Haneul’s eyes with what seemed like a little anger. “Perhaps a knife that was… Oh, I don’t know.” He tapped his chin in fake thought, “Perhaps a knife that was dropped at a mountain with a pagoda somewhere… Wongaksa Pagoda on Gwanaksan or somewhere like that?” He dropped the pretense and sat up straight again, staring right into Haneul’s eyes with a look of distaste.

Haneul shivered. Haneul felt scared by the look in his eyes. She hated that look. She hated it, she loathed it, she despised it. But most of all, she feared it. She knew that look too well and she thought she’d never have to see it coming from his eyes. She didn’t know why, but just that look from Kevin, especially Kevin, was enough to make her want to scream. Scream and scream and scream in fear. She didn’t want Kevin to look at her that way. Kevin’s eyes which reminded her of Sungyeol’s so much, those kind caring eyes which could suddenly turn vicious when dealing with someone they didn’t like, she didn’t want to see that look in those eyes. In those kind eyes that she had somehow managed to grow to love in the short amount of time she knew him.

“Did you think none of us would ever find out, Miss IAI agent?” Kevin smirked slightly. “Did you really think that?”

Haneul stared at Kevin in fear. She didn’t know what to say anymore.

“Did you honestly think that?” Kevin laughed cruelly. “Man I can’t stand you IAI people. You think you’re all that.” He abruptly stood up and glared at Haneul coldly. She finally gave in to her instincts and shivered. “What are you going to tell me next? Hwayoung’s an agent too?” He laughed humourlessly.

“No, no she’s not.” Haneul shook her head. Well, at least technically not. Haneul frowned.

“Alright. I suppose she doesn’t act like she’s as ‘all that’ as you do. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.

Haneul frowned as he turned to go. “Yeah? Well it’s not like you ever told me you were a Blue Triangle assassin.” Haneul softly said. And in the dead silence of the room, only her words and Kevin’s footsteps could be heard.

As Kevin arrived at the door between the two dorms, his footsteps ceased for a moment. A strange sort of tranquillity came into the room. “Well, better a Blue Triangle assassin than an IAI agent.” He said as he slammed the door behind him.

Haneul stared after the door forlornly. Somehow Kevin (metaphorically) leaving her because she was part of the IAI was like Sungyeol. And she didn’t like it. She didn’t like it one bit.