Control it... Control it...

"No."

*

"Datahouse?"

Sooyoung was still on edge. Wary. She had every right to be. Her finger held tightly to the trigger of her firearm, she circled around Irene, who put her arms up in a mock surrender. She smiled at Sooyoung's companion.

"She hasn’t caught up yet?"

Wendy glanced at Sooyoung, whose eyes were still fiery from what transpired upstairs.

"Stand down, Joy."

The young one flinched. Her lip was twitching, ready to speak, ready to rebel.

"Joy..."

"...Yes, ma'am."

The pistol was swiftly stored back in its holster. Still keeping a watchful eye, Sooyoung stepped back to her original position, right next to Wendy. The older gave a gesture of approval. Sooyoung merely scoffed.

"You can put your hands down now."

A soft giggle echoed through the halls. It resonated in Wendy's ears, lingering like the flu.

"Thank goodness, my shoulders were starting to hurt."

Heels clacked against the floor, as Irene began to tread down the rows of files, a finger gesturing for the two behind her to follow.

"Seems like you accepted my offer, Son Wendy."

"Just Wendy please."

"Dislike your surname?"

Wendy flinched.

"How intuitive."

Irene's smirk could almost be heard.

"Fair enough that you dislike your parents, even though you know nothing about them."

"Wouldn't want to."

"They gave you Yerim at least, so you should be grateful for that."

"Yes, I am."

"Ever curious about who your parents were?"

"Not at all."

Irene turned. She approached Wendy, getting a step closer.

"Not at all?"

Sooyoung already had a hand on her holster, but another hand stopped her.

"Stand down Sooyoung."

Irene took another step forward, as did Wendy.

The two stood almost nose to nose. Irene could see the eyebags underneath Wendy's eyes.

"You're short."

"As if you can talk."

Irene smirked once more.

"You are the first person that didn't crumble when I mentioned parents."

"You pick on orphans often?"

"Perhaps."

"You need a new hobby."

"I think I just found it."

Irene leaned even closer to Wendy, her hot breaths felt on Wendy's earlobe.

"I like you. And because of that, I'll help you."

Irene leaned back, her pearlescent white teeth glowing in the dullness of the Datahouse.

"Hey Watson, catch your partner quick, she's going to swoon."

Sooyoung coughed. "I'd like to think of myself as Sherlock."

"No way."

Wendy nudged Sooyoung in the ribs, her fingers quickly going over her lips. Sooyoung complied.

"You either help us, or we leave."

"…You are no fun, Wendy." Irene leaned against a wall, her eyes drifting directly towards the one near her height.

"Tell me, what do you want me to help you with?"

"Tell us everything you know!" Sooyoung said.

"Patience, little one." Irene giggled, that soft symphony again resonating in Wendy's ears.

Heels clicked on the floor once again, and Irene walked all the way to the end of the hallway. She rested herself on a chair, the only one thing in an otherwise empty space.

"Instead of focusing on the things you don't know..."

"Why not focus on the things you do?"

*

"Let me know when it is done."

"Yes, ma'am."

Seulgi leaned back in her chair, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She hadn't eaten or slept in days, head buried in work, work and more work. This was by far the most troubling time in her entire life.

"All this for the thing I love most..."

Seulgi glanced outside her window to a bustling New York, people swarming like ants in the streets below.

"I'm sorry, all of you..."

*

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Irene sat in silence, turning her chair to face the wall.

Sooyoung grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around. Vagueness what something Sooyoung despised, and she was planning to let Irene know full well of that fact.

"Speak up you stupid !"

Irene's eyes went to Wendy's.

"Okay Sooyoung, that's enough."

"But-"

"ENOUGH."

Sooyoung released her grip.

"Next time, I'll find a time where Wendy isn't here to save you."

Wendy tilted her head towards the elevator, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get anything from Irene.

"We'll be back."

They boarded the elevator, and the last thing they saw was Irene turning back to face the wall behind her.

"Why the hell did you stop me?"

Sooyoung expected an answer, but she got silence.

"Oh please, don't you dare tell me you actually fell for her."

Wendy shot her head up, looking at Sooyoung and shaking her head.

"No, Joy."

"I saw something in her eyes."

Sooyoung raised an eyebrow.

"Which was?"

Wendy smiled a little.

"Fear. She was scared of you, Joy."

Sooyoung leaned back, scoffing as a soft ding was heard. A ladder formed, followed by the dim lights of the very back of a kitchen.

"That's it?"

Wendy climbed the ladder, turning around and looking at Sooyoung from above.

"Let's just focus on that hint she gave us, okay?"

Wendy disappeared, leaving Sooyoung to climb up herself.

"She could have at least waited..." Sooyoung pouted.

*

"We meet up tomorrow, my office at 9 am. We'll visit her again, okay?"

Sooyoung nodded, darting her way through multiple people, trying to keep up with Wendy, who seemed to be in a real rush to get to wherever she was going.

"But where are you taking me now?"

After passing the familiar taxi stand, Wendy came to a stop underneath her apartment block.

"I'm just keeping my promise to you. A nice, long talk at my place, remember?"

Sooyoung's eyes went to full moons before turning into crescents.

"Yup, I remember."

Wendy entered the building, greeting the security guard that usually sat in the lobby. There was an extra kick in her step.

"I cannot wait for you to meet Yerim."

"Yerim?"

Wendy took Sooyoung's hand, which jolted at the sudden contact.

"Oh?"

Sooyoung shook her head and quickly regained her composure, grabbing Wendy's wrist again.

"It's nothing. Just a little cold is all."

Wendy nodded, before quickly regaining her previous excitement.

"Look, she will be the most adorable thing you will ever meet in your life."

A soft ding rang through the elevator. But this time they weren't slouching out into dim, dull colors, but rather a bright, happy pink coat of paint that decorated the walls of the apartments of the 5th floor.

Wendy skipped to the third door to the left, 05-03. She took out six sets of keys, much to the surprise of Sooyoung.

"Wow… isn't that a bit much?"

Wendy chuckled. "Blame paranoia, it comes with our job."

Sooyoung smiled. "I guess so."

After some tinkering with half a dozen keys, there was a clink, and the doorknob turned.

"Guess who's back~!"

An excited squeal emerged from the bedrooms, and a very bouncy and energetic Katy emerged, running headfirst into the arms of her sister, burying her head in her chest.

Sooyoung looked at the scene upon her with a smile, one mixed with happiness and sadness. She had never experienced such a thing before. She never had anybody's arms to run into. She never felt that warmth that she was sure Yerim was feeling.

Until now.

She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, and the three girls were engaged in a group hug.

"Sis, is she your gi-gi-girlfriend?"

Wendy erupted into laughter, such a hearty and boisterous laugh Sooyoung didn't know her usually stoic and serious superior was capable of.

"No, she's a friend."

"Sis has friends?! Oh mah gherd!!”

Sooyoung broke into a hearty chuckle at the banter exchanged between the sisters. She needed this. Years upon years of loneliness and self-pity had made smiling a difficult task. But now… it was easier. Much easier.

Sooyoung now felt two pairs of arms wrap around her waist, and a beaming smile directed right towards her.

“Welcome to the family, umm… uhh… Sis’s girlfriend!”

“Hey you!”

Yerim was again taken away by her older sister, squealing and kicking as she was picked up off the ground and hoisted back into the bedroom.

Sooyoung smiled to herself. She stood at the door still, closing it behind her.

“Don’t stand there all stiff.” Wendy grabbed Sooyoung’s wrist again, and the younger jolted once more.

Wendy noticed, of course she did. She put both her hands around Sooyoung’s hands, wringing them together.

“I know exactly how you feel. But all you need to know is that you have people you can lean on now. Don’t end up like me, a depressed, brooding police officer.” Wendy now gently cupped Sooyoung’s cheeks. “If you cry I’m fining you,” Wendy said, moving her thumbs below Sooyoung’s eyes, which were starting to tear up.

“Yes ma’am…”

“No. In here… call me Wendy.”

“How about… sis?”

Wendy looked at Sooyoung and saw before her, the real Sooyoung. A little girl just looking for a someone she could call family.

“Of course.”

Author Notes:

I'm back. For good this time :)