Listen to Buster by Tasty : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoD7PI6aXSs

"Ladies and gentlemen! The Woollim Drag Racing Championship has officially commenced!"

The monstrous growl of the cars zoomed past the starting line, the competition of their entry being the loud cheering and drumming that was spreading like a wave in the audience. Hoya felt the rumble of the engine pump his adrenaline, switching gears and modes like a mad scientist at work. 

The system of racing had massively changed once Woollim took over the entertainment sector. The CEO, the founder, the one who had the biggest slice of the pie was simply known as Director. He was Paragon's first 'entertainment tycoon' and his son, Shin Won Ho was to inherit all his father's wealth -- in cash and kind. But there was more than the eerie quicksand of wealth which attracted the attention of the rebels. If it was rich people they were after, then they might as well have installed a nuclear bomb whose smoke would rise like a giant mushroom, enveloping the entire expanse of the state. 

Rumours had been swirling around about the legitimacy of Shin Won Ho's beliefs, his ideologies. Although his father was the biggest tycoon in the state and owned various Pleasure Agent strongholds, it was a fact well established among secret circles that Shin was anything but pro-Pleasure. He would never say no to a party, even if held at say a geisha bar, but his treatment towards the workers there was less than cordial. Complacent to the beauty and the lust of the trade, Shin was only interested in the administrative inheritance. He was not going to be unemployed and he would certainly not be struggling in the future. 

Shin was known to be smitten with his Partner, Bae Suji, whose mother and father had died in a freak accident the year she turned sixteen. As the legal guardian and a friend of the couple, Director took the girl under his wings and had her education completed by the best governesses. It was only a pleasant surprise that Shin and Suji had started dating and three years later, they had signed their names in the government registry as the new pair of Partners. 

The rebels knew that without a foundation, a building would simply fall apart. If Shin was not at all interested in the central aspect of the Pleasure trade, then that would be their loophole. Everything has a history and they knew that if they scooped around enough, they would surely found a reason as to why Shin believed in anything but his father's business. His unwavering support for his partner, whose Invictus no one was aware of, not even him, showed a possibly humane side that they could use to their advantage. 

Apart from an invasion into the personal, a black patch on the Director's record had also intrigued the rebels. Hoya remembered the discussion regarding a third couple and how along with the Director and Suji's parents, they were called the Golden Trinity. Each having a business as rich and fertile as the River Nile, the three were always together and had a purposeful formidability towards them. A family related glitch lead to the third couple breaking away from their social circle. Their son had run away from home and had been declared dead. This brought out a philanthropic side of the father who gave up his business to look for his son and lend his ancestral mansion to be converted into an orphanage and foster care for orphaned or 'socially misconstrued' kids. His venture was a success but never again did the man return to his previous life. It was said that the Director had manipulated the grief-stricken father and seized a sizable amount of money from his personal savings, thus helping him to rise astronomically on the business charts. 

The British had once conquered India with a simple principle - divide and rule. As Hoya stomped on the accelerator and shifted gears, ready to swerve towards his teammates' car for a deafening crash, he realized that that was what they were going to do. 

The greedy will divide, the deserving would rule. 

                                                                                                *************************************************

"What just happened? What just happened?! It seems like this season's first casualty has already occured!"

The crowd went wild, mostly in disbelief and excitement at the drama that had unfolded below them. Suzy widened her eyes, her grip on her Partner's arm loosening as the car fancily labelled '19' was hit by car number '7', the leverage making it collapse on its top and drag right against the steel railing and across the track. The strong glass walls kept the audience safe but the dangerous sparks emanating from the car left little to the imagination of what the driver would be going through. Number 7 released his hold on the car and sped ahead, leaving poor Number 19 to continue to struggle across the track and officially lose its control as it tumbled continously until it went up in flames and permeated at the centre of the arena. 

Suzy let go of Shin and ran towards the edge of the box, her hands shaking as she tried to figure out why Hoya had done this. Was this a plan? But why would Sehun want to kill himself? What was going on? 

"Suji...."

"I betted for Number 19!" she shouted. The VIP box was empty, save the two and the Director, alongwith a few bodyguards. "I betted for him and now.... his insurance is too expensive Shin! We need to save him!"

Of course, there had to be a logical reason as to why she was dishevelled. She couldn't possibly be empathizing with the man, that would be totally unnatural. Suzy's Invictus mind then came up with the most simple and plausible reason as to why she was breaking apart. Money, or the lack thereof, was a serious problem. 

Shin crumbled upon seeing his Partner on the verge of tears, not at all questioning her reasons to be betting. He knew she could be a little childish, a little impulsive and figured that maybe Suji had been feeling lucky. He placed his hand on her cheek and gave an assertive nod. 

"I'll do something." With that, he took Suji by the hand and raced downstairs, towards the track. 

Meanwhile the Director puffed on his cigar and narrowed his eyes at the winner of the race, the black knight called Number 7. The racer's blood-thirsty spontaneity and polished skills had shone through and as he removed his helmet and waved at the nameless faces, the Director smirked to himself. 

"Kang Howon, you said?" he murmured, tilting his head towards his bodyguard. The humanoid like man nodded and the Director gave a satisfied sigh. 

"Call him to my office," he ordered and lifted himself from his seat. "He's my new shiny toy."

                                                                                               *************************************************

"Any news?"

Baekhyun, Luhan and L.Joe looked at each other for the nth time, swallowing their saliva and looking away from the interrogator. The sole lady in the limousine let out a sigh of disbelief and scoffed, placing her head in her hands. She sat up straight, settled the layers of her gown and looked at Luhan.

"You guys are still my bodyguards," she said, then turned to face L.Joe who was startled by her attention. "And you're my pianist."

"This wasn't how we planned it," Baekhyun muttered, looking flustered and a little irritated. Taeyeon smiled and ruffled his hair, making him stiffen. She laughed. 

"My god, you're exactly like your hyung!" Taeyeon laughed out loud again, shaking her head. Her chuckle rang out in the air, then descended into an ominuous silence. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Taeyeon whispered, "I want my life back."

The three men looked at her. She looked at them and they were shocked to see tears glistening in her eyes. 

"I was married to someone I didn't love," she said. "I was married to someone who knew that I was capable of losing my life for good. He was my convenience and I was his. He couldn't let the world know that he could only love men and I couldn't let the world know that the only man I loved was hated by them. It was an agreement and... this is how it ends."

"Suho hyung didn't know you were married," Luhan said in a soft tone. "I don't think he could have ever imagined that he was sending us to you." After a pause, he said, "He still misses you."

"How do you know--" Taeyeon stopped, then looked at Luhan. "Ah," she murmured in understanding. "You're the psychic."

Luhan was going to diverge into a long conversation of how he was not a psychic, but L.Joe stopped him. "Not now bro," he said, shaking his head. He then looked at Taeyeon and rested his elbows on his knees. 

"I'm not from EXO," L.Joe started. "I'm from another rebel faction. In fact, there are four of us working together. EXO, the team I'm from, a group of isolated Invictus and the Hidden."

Taeyeon widened her eyes. "You're with the Hidden? Wait, that means---"

"The General's daughter is with us," L.Joe nodded, completing the sentence. Taeyeon gasped and then raised her eyebrows, visibly impressed. She patted Baekhyun on his back and nodded at the others. 

"You've all come a long way," she said. She then looked out the window and whatever she saw, made her stance change. Baekhyun and Luhan followed her body language, sitting straight up on their seat and waiting for the car to stop. Once the vehicle froze, the two instantly opened the wide doors. L.Joe held Taeyeon's hand, escorting her out of her ride while she used the other hand to pull down her black veil. 

"To be very honest," she whispered loud enough for the three to hear, "I just want you to fix Paragon so I can stop wearing this stupid net on my head. Stupid laws."

Baekhyun and L.Joe gave each other a blank look while Luhan gave a soft smile. 

"You'll catch a lot of fish today," Taeyeon continued. She then spun on her heels and faced her acquaintances. "Don't get too excited."

With that, the massive doors opened and they entered the ball. 

                                                                                                  ******************************************************

Sungjong whistled to himself, ascending the stairs in a rhythmic fashion. He jumped off the last step and looked around. The kids sitting in the massive library were staring at him, almost as if questioning his need to be cheerful. He gave a soft smile and bowed to them. One girl smiled, but the rest ignored him and went back to their books. 

Sungjong entwined his fingers behind him and began walking down the hallway, counting the number of shelves. Ten. He had reached the tenth shelf. The word 'canon' was written in Gothic-like font. He had already read a few of them, the Iliad being his favourite. He noticed a few texts from Japanese mythology and proceeded towards them. However as he moved closer, he realized that they were simply coffee books with pictures of Japanese art and crafts. 

Curious, Sungjong opened the book and began flipping through the pages. Within seconds however he got bored and returned the book to its rightful place. He moved out of that section and began walking further till he reached a door. 

Sunjong gave a once-over glance to his surroundings and in the flash of a second, entered the room. His instinct had been right. A neat attic, a storeroom kept away from the public. 

Sungjong's snooping skills surfaced. He began flitting around the room, opening each and every drawer in the most noiseless manner, scraping through the first few pages of a folder and summarizing the content in his head. He had done this before, many times before. He had to know more about the place, anything that could be a jackpot. 

As he began opening drawers, Sungjong froze. Neatly placed before him, a large amount of dust piling up within its oak frames, was a photograph. Sungjong neatly removed the photo from the frame and swiped the cobwebs away. He narrowed his eyes. 

"You look familiar, little master," he said. It was definitely the boy who had run away from the house, sitting on the lap of who he recognized as the owner of the mansion and smiling at the camera with a noticeable fakeness. Standing behind the man on the chair was another couple, looking more happy than the father and son. Holding the young boy's hand was a young girl with long dark hair and bright eyes. The grip she had on the boy's arm was evidence of her innocent infatuation towards him, making Sungjong smile. 

"Cute," he murmured. He took the photo and placed it in the inner pockets of his jacket. An itch had started in his brain. The face was familiar. Who was the kid?