New York, December 1946.

 

Hyosung silently indicated the other door to the young lady who was with her. With a nod, Ginger tried to walk out of sight to the destination. If Hyosung had to be entirely honest, she'd say that Ginger had improved much better than Hyosung had first thought.

Someone suddenly cried out in Japanese. He had seen Ginger. Hyosung swore in her mind and whispered: "I got this."

She placed herself behind the man, put a hand on his mouth and shot him in the head. He fell on the ground without a sound. Ginger was near the exit and was waiting for her. Hyosung counted counted three times in her head then ran off. Some yelling could be heard but it was too late. The two girls were already fleeing.

 

---

 

Back at the hideout, Ginger inhaled. She was shaking. It had been over a year since they had recruited her, but each time she couldn't help it. She was worried.

Hyosung took off her hat and threw it on Zelo's working table. He wasn't here for the moment, but this would be for sure the first thing he would see. Second thing he would do: yelling at Hyosung, again and again. She sat in an armchair and sighed.

"Ginger, sweetheart. Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm fine I guess. Now."

"Don't worry." Hyosung smiled at her. "Your mission was a complete success, you should be proud of you. You are doing this better than anyone else."

"But I'm scared each time."

"It's normal, Ginger. After years of experience, I still have nightmares. You just have to control it. And if you wish it... you can stay here, safely. You don't have to do this."

Ginger sighed and pouted like a child. "But I love it." she answered. "The missions, the adrenaline, the adventure..."

Hyosung laughed. "I definitively do not regret engaging you. You are doing great, Ginger. And if you want any tips, you should ask Zelo. I'm sure he will more than willing to give you some to you. He should not be long, he will be here in a second."

But for now, she just needed to find Himchan. There was a storm coming, and he had to check the electricity.

"Hyosung..." suddenly called out Ginger. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing, sweetheart."

"Since when do you know Zelo and Himchan?"

"Aw, this is an interesting question, love. The first one was Junhong. My family and his were neighbours. Since children, we are like dog and cat. We then worked together, and we got recruited at the same time for our agency. Deep down though, we care for each other. I consider him as my brother; the annoying brother and the brother I like to annoy. As for Himchan... we met him later, back at then agency. The three of us shared the same thoughts, and we did since then all our missions together. Himchan is reassuring, loyal, mature and responsible. Junhong is reliable, caring and – believe it or not – still innocent."

Just as she finished, the door slammed and a it was heard. Hyosung rolled her eyes while Ginger giggled. "Don't believe it actually."

Zelo entered the piece. He was swearing, as his coat was soaked. He shook his head like a dog to dry his hair, then his eyes fell on his working table. Hyosung put a hand on to avoid laughing out loud.

"JEON HYOSUNG YOU-"

"Ssh, big baby." Hyosung cut him off. "No bad words in a front of a lady." she pointed at Ginger.

Zelo breathed in and glared at Hyosung. "The lady sure cannot be you."

His fists tightened and he walked towards the girl. She was still giggling, trying vainly to defend herself. "Wait!" She laughed. "Do you happen to know where is Himchan?"

The boy stopped and frowned. "Last time I saw him, I was going out for some errands. About two hours ago? But he appeared to me tired. You should check his bedroom."

 

---

 

Zelo was right. Hyosung softly knocked at the door. No response. She turned the doorknob... and the dark-haired man was on his bed. He was sleeping.

The girl let out a silent sigh of relief. She came closer to the bed however, she noticed how Himchan stirred up in his sleep. She sat on the edge of the bed and saw the small bottle of sleeping pills near the man.

"God, Himchan... do you have to suffer quietly?"

She passed her hand on his hair, but the pained expression wouldn't get off Himchan's face. But she continued on running her fingers through the messy hair, trying to soothe him. It hurt Hyosung's heart to see Himchan like this. He never complained even when he was in great pain.

It was because of his leg. It never healed properly, and often prevented him to go out or walking for too long.

The first flash of lightning lit the room. Her eyes fell on his hand and she took it. She had never been fond of storms.

She bent forward and left a kiss on his forehead. She passed one last time a hand on his feverish skin and sighed. She made sure to close silently the door.

In the living room, Ginger and Zelo were talking. There was fire in the chimney and sound of thunder on the background.

"Himchan is sleeping." Hyosung said while slumping down on the couch. Zelo managed to see the worry in her eyes.

"The leg?"

She nodded. "Did you get anything with the radio? I need a new mission."

Zelo passed a hand on his tired face. "Yes. There seems to be some fuss in the South of the city. According to the data, it is an armement base."

"Those bastards." Hyosung hissed. "the death of the Red Crocodile wasn't enough, they had to continue the dirty work. Ginger, are you read-"

She cut herself off when she turned to the blonde, and saw she was sleeping. She smiled softly and glanced at Zelo who was already searching something to cover his dearest.

"It will still be raining tomorrow, and it won't be pretty." whispered Hyosung. "It will cover us and our intentions. Ginger and I will go in the morning. Hopefully Himchan will be awake..."

The boy looked away." I'm worried about him." he sighed.

She scoffed.　"You think I'm not?! It is the fourth time this month."

"Eighth." breathed Zelo.

"Excuse me?!"

"It happened when you were at Chicago. He didn't want me to tell you, but it's getting worse. He needs a doctor."

He put the blanket on Ginger, swept some hair that had fallen on the singer's face. "He needs to be fixed once for all."

"Just let me destroy that damn basement, get enough money, and find the best doctor out there."

 

---

 

She raised three fingers for Ginger to see, then went to her initial position.

The basement was located in the South, on the docks. There was an overwhelming cod fish scent.

Hyosung hated fish.

There were five men at the outside of the basement. Two of them watched the back of the building, meanwhile the rest were situated at the main entry. Actually Ginger and her had already taken care of the back. And they were about to do the same with the three soldiers.

breathe in, breathe out.

Hyosung jumped out of her hideout and immediately began shooting. She got one soldier, who fell dead on the ground. She almost got no time to run through the bullets, waiting for Ginger.

One, two, three.

And the blonde appeared silently behind one of the soldiers. She hit his head. Unconscious, the man collapsed near the other one. Hyosung kicked the last man in the stomach, cutting all oxygen, and didn't let him the chance to hit back as she stabbed him in the chest.

She had never liked killing but at this very moment, the girls had to. Otherwise the guards would have warned the men inside the basement.

Ginger approached her. Hyosung nodded. "Ready for Operation Outbreak?" she murmured.

But the blonde never got the chance to answer. Or attack.

Hyosung felt the cold sensation of metal against her temple. She blinked. . She hadn't expected that.

Don't move, she mouthed to Ginger.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here? Two little mice."

She couldn't tempt anything, the man was too close. By the time she would have tried something, she could be dead by three times.

"Get in." ordered the man. His voice was as metallic as his weapon. He grabbed Hyosung's arm; therefore forced both girls to enter the basement. There were at least thirteen men, around a table. A tall one, with light brown hair, raised his head upon the intruders.

"What the hell?　Johnson, I already told you to not bring stray cats into the business."

"What if I say I found them in front of the double doors, after they had neutralized the guards."

The brown-haired man furrowed his eyebrows. "What..."

He looked from Hyosung to Ginger. He seemed incredulous. "Those two- my guards? How possible...?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Nevermind. Get rid of them. And in a cleanly way this time, please."

Hyosung suddenly smirked. "I understand that you don't want any drop of your dirty blood staining this place." she said.

Whistle. "Woaw. Johnson, for once you have caught one who talks!"

He slowly walked towards the two girls and aimed at Hyosung's head with a pistol. "Who the hell are you? And what are you doing here?"

The girl didn't let go of her smirk. "Dear sir, I'm here to kill you and destroy your basement."

He scoffed. "Nice talk. Except you are on the wrong side of the weapon. I guess now, this speech belongs to me and I-"

He would never finished his sentence, as the lights went off all of a sudden. The next second Hyosung pushed Ginger to the side, to hide behind a big box. Both of the girls had no clue of what just happened, but anything was better than staying in the men's view.

Screams and yells echoed loudly across the basement, for no one knew what was happening. Then a gunfire.

There was at least some daylight, but just enough the see the grim sight. One guard was down.

"Don't shoot, ing idiots!" shouted the leader, probably because some were ready to do so.

Hyosung kneeled near Ginger. "Stay here. You know how to shoot. If someone comes, do it." She ruffled the blonde's hair and stepped back. She held her weapon – the one she was hiding in her jacket's hidden pocket and the one the said Johnson didn't even find – against her chest, where she could feel her own heartbeats.

First, she had to isolate her prey. She rose... and a hand on prevented her from any sound, and a hand on her waist prevented any movement. She recognized the familiar scent the second before the familiar voice whispered in her ear:　"It's me, you moron."

Junhong. He released her as she turned to him. And glared at him. He wasn't supposed to be here.

"I hope you have a really good explanation."

So the lights trick was made by him. Well she had to remind herself to thank him later, for having saved their lives.

Wait. It meant he had to kill... Zelo caught that thought. "Don't you worry for me. I've done it before, remember? And if it's for Himchan's sake, I want to help. Is Ginger okay?"

"I told her to stay hidden. She will be safe."

She smiled sadly. "Just like old times, huh?"

The boy scoffed. "You don't say. You take the left side?"

"Yep."

A shadow appeared on one side of their hideout. Zelo made a hand gesture. "Ladies first."

 

---

 

Half of the men were down. Hyosung was fighting with the said Johnson. He suddenly gave her a violent kick in the stomach. The girl took abruptly a step back, tears of pain in her eyes forming. She didn't drop her gun though. Clutching one hand on her stomach, she tried to rise up and she shot the guy in the chest. She fought back a cry of pain as the man fell. She wasn't able to see anything in the darkness; she couldn't see Zelo.

Gunfire echoed, and she couldn't even see what was happening. So she decided to follow her instinct.

People emitted warmth, odor; presence. She sensed the presence of a weight on her left. During an instant, she tried to discern the person; friend or foe? Once she made sure of her opponent, she punched him in the face. Then with a hand's movement on the neck, she finished him.

"HYOSUNG WATCH OUT!"

She felt a vague burning sensation on her arm. She frowned and suddenly found her weapon heavy. She wanted to take a step back but someone rushed towards her, making the both of them falling hard on the ground behind boxes.

"Why do I always have your back, you ing, stupid moron?!"

She winced. "Ow Junhong... don't scream, darling. Are you aware of our closeness?"

Zelo blinked and suddenly made a face. She would have laughed if it was another situation. He looked so flustered that she would have definitively laughed.

"Aww, naughty boy. I thought you were fond of Ginger!"

"God. Just shut up, Hyosung. You are a bloody idiot. Why are you always so careless?!"

The boy sounded infuriated , but Hyosung could only see the sparkle of worry. Her hand tried to touch the boy's cheek on top of her, but strangely she couldn't. So panic brusquely invaded her mind.

"Junhong?! What's happening to my arm?!"

He inhaled and her hair. "Ssh... don't worry. I'm taking care of all. You stay here."

He rose up from her body and disappeared in the darkness. She tried to sit against the nearest box. She touched the burning area and found her fingers wet. She smelled it: it had a strange iron smell. The liquid was darker in the shadows. Her blood was darker in the shadows. She heard a scream, Zelo's voice and fight' sounds. It was frustrating to not being able to do something. Every little movement she was doing had her wincing from pain. She didn't know how deep the wound was, but she didn't want to know. The less she knew, the better.

Then the silence. Her heat sank. Where was Junhong? She took her gun in the other hand and took a deep breath. She was no coward, and it was not a little cut who would stop her. She rose up and sowed herself. She saw immediately Zelo fighting with the leader of the gang. She raised her valid arm and shouted.

"Junhong!"

Both of the guys turned their heads to her before fighting again.

"Remember Operation Colorado?!" she continued on shouting, as she took a few steps closer to them.

"I do!" Zelo suddenly answered.

One step, two steps. To the left.

"NOW!" she yelled.

The boy threw himself on the right. Gunshot. Bullseye. Silence.

Zelo made sure all the men were dead or unconscious, then ran to Hyosung.

"Ginger!" he shouted. "Come here quickly!"

The blonde soon came out, still shaking with fear, but her face was full of determination.

"Oh my god." she whispered when she noticed Hyosung's wound. She removed her jacket to exert pressure on it.

"We need to get out of here." Zelo said as Ginger and him passed an arm on each side of the injured girl. She was limping and losing too much blood, but she still giggled.

"Ginger, your boyfriend is a cheater! He made advances towards me!"

"Hyosung." Zelo hissed. "Stop it right now or I'll drop you."

"He even tried to kiss me!"

The boy looked like he was almost choking. "W-when did I?!"

Ginger did all her best to not burst out laughing. She knew better. She knew how much Hyosung loved to tease Zelo.

And it was an understatement.

"I swear to God I'm going to drop you. You aren't even a girl, you are a demon."

Hyosung waved her hand. "Yeah, and I am going to cast a spell on you if you don't drive me to a hospital."

 

---

 

Three weeks later.

 

The girl helped him one last time to sit on the chair, and sat next to the man.

"I feel like I'm an old soldier in his house, in the country, retired from the world, preferring nature to men."

"That's exactly what you are." joked Hyosung. "at least for a few months."

The mission was probably their last for a while. Due to the capture of the gang and the discovery of the basement, Hyosung, Zelo and Ginger received enough money to cure Himchan's leg. Definitively. They all took months off, to go to the country since Himchan need peace during a long time.

"Isn't it wonderful? You will be able to wake up to the sweet sound of pigs."

Himchan fought back a laugh. "Lovely."

"Do you want tea?" she asked, half rising.

He nodded.

"Alright. Green, with a drop of lemon."

She headed to the kitchen.

"I don't even want to question how you know it perfectly."

The girl showed her head at the door and winked. "That's because I know you better than yourself, darling."

Himchan raised his hands in surrender. "I cannot deny."

Once the tea made, she put it on the small table in front of Himchan and looked at him. "Are you okay?"

He gave her a sincere smile. "It hurts, but it's bearable. Don't worry, you have done so much for me."

She pouted. "That's because you deserve better than this life." She sighed and softly kissed his cheek. "I am going to see Ginger. Sweet girl deserves tea too."

 

---

 

She found Ginger in delicious company, as she went out to the garden. Zelo had his hand in the blonde's hair and was about to kiss her. Finally, internally screamed Hyosung's mind. It was about time.

Then her lips drew a mischievous smile. She came closer with heavy steps and said: "Oh sweeties, you are here! What a coincidence, I was looking for Ginger. What were you talking about?"

On Zelo's face was suddenly that scary looking expression when people smiled, when actually they were killing you with only a stare.

He parted from the blonde and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Jeon Hyosung."

He already knew she had bothered them in purpose.

"Yes darling?"

" you."

She sent him an icy smile. "You too, love."

She turned to Ginger, smile turning into an angelic one. "Do you want tea, sweetheart?"

"Sure enough, thank you." Ginger answered innocently, getting along with Hyosung's game. The girl clapped.

"Oh, I'm so happy! My son has finally found a perfect girl for his heartless self."

"Jeon Hyosung..." Zelo repeated, this time louder.　"What do I always tell you?"

"That I'm eating too much meat?"

"You are nuts, you are mad, and you are not my moTHER!"

Hyosung rolled her eyes. "God, how touchy. Ginger, sweetie, take care of your boyfriend. And be careful."

She rose up and patted Zelo's head with a mocking glint in her eyes.

"He bites sometimes."

"HYOSUNG YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULD NEVER."

"Junhong! As your girlfriend, Ginger deserves to know that you tried your first kiss on me when you were fourteen."

Zelo became pale. "I had to choose between you and Himchan." he grumbled.

"And you should be thankful, darling."

She was already going away when she suddenly added:

"Oh, and if you two want to make love, there's a lovely room upstairs."

She was already fleeing when Zelo ran to chase her.

 

She was home. They were her family.