Secret Agents Dictionary:

​: The operations officer assigned to lead a defector along an escape route

 - One year before Thailand  -

The first thing Areum noticed when she entered the room was the scent of the candles and the beautiful music playing in the background. She knew that song. It was Cavalleria Rusticana -Intermezzo, a piece from Pietro Mascagni that she once heard in one anime and fell in love with. Of course he knew it and had to use it to make that moment even more special. Jinki knew everything about her. He knew what she liked to eat for breakfast, her favorite color, where she liked to be kissed, her first memory of her childhood, the right place to tickle her, how much she loved him. He knew everything about her and she liked to believe that she also knew everything about him.

Areum hesitantly stepped into the room and she felt his hand holding her waist gently as he always did, so she wouldn’t fell because her eyes were blinded with a black satin scarf.

They used that scarf before in activities not so innocent. In bed was the only place where Jinki sometimes wasn’t gentle and she didn’t mind because in the end he would always be her Jinki. Those moments of desire and fantasy that he offered to her in bed always made her burn in passion for him.

Areum giggled when his hands moved to her arms guiding her.

“Is it a giant cake?” she asked tilting her head picturing his apartment in her head so she could understand where inside it she was.

“No.” he said closer to her ear, so close that she could smell his cologne. She loved it, how he always smelled like that, making it his scent.

“It’s my birthday. I deserve a cake.” She pouted “Also you were away working for two months on that stupid project. I deserved a reward.”

“I know…I’m sorry about that.” She knew he was sorry. She still could feel his tight embrace and the way he kissed her once he got back from it. They made love that night and stayed in bed talking. He never moved his eyes away from her and barely said anything, only listening to her, and when she asked him about work, he tried to change the subject, saying he needed to refill his batteries listening to her voice instead. So she discussed another one of her novel ideas, telling him the story like she always did.

They stopped in the middle of the living room and he moved away from her.

The song ended and restarted again because he probably put it on repeat and she smiled.

“Now what?”

“Wait a second….”

She bit her lip in expectation feeling the known anxiety before a surprise and the unknown.

“Are you getting ?” She asked laughing.

“No. Later.”

She released a moan of disappointment making him chuckle.

“Now…take it off.”

She moved her fingers to the scarf and pulled it off, letting the familiar soft fabric slip away from her eyes.

Jinki was in front of her wearing his green shirt, her favorite one, and black pants. That wasn’t surprising since she saw him earlier even commenting how neat his hair looked, before he placed the blind over her eyes. The surprisingly thing was that he had a huge blue soft toy in his arms.

“STITCH!” She screamed grabbing it immediately hugging him against her with difficulty because of its size. It was giant and the cutest thing.

Jinki laughed because he knew that she loved that silly gift. He often gave her soft toys because of that. The last one was an ugly Chewbacca that she always grabbed when she mimicked his voice making Jinki laugh.  He almost gave her flowers or something girly but he knew she wouldn’t like it has much as that. Another one for her bedroom….

“Do I even have to ask if you like it?”

She nuzzled her nose against the blue monster soft toy “I love it. It will sleep with us tonight.”

“No please tonight you are only mine.”

She giggled ignoring how he moved more nervously now. He was getting ready for the second gift for that night even though he felt like he was gifting himself more than her.

 “Today is not only your birthday.”

“It isn’t?” she asked moving her eyes from Stitch to his face.

“No. It’s a sign of a new beginning…well I hope.”

“You mean my book? I only wrote four chapters Jinki. It’s not like I’m close to end it.”

He looked at the floor ignoring her remark and then back at her. “I’m so nervous and it’s stupid because I’ve done so…” He stopped alarmed as if he was going to say something he shouldn’t and she looked at him clueless.

If only she knew all the times he almost died. If she knew how he barely survived the last mission, how Base saved him in the last moment, making it possible for him to come back to her and make that decision. How he stayed in a bed for two months recovering, his thought only on her and how much he needed her.

Time was precious and he didn’t know how long life would let him stay by her side. She deserved that moment of complete cheesiness, the whole package.

He could say he was doing that because of what they talked about on the last team meeting but he wasn’t and deep down everyone on the team knew that and accepted it. Onew, Lee Jinki, whatever his name was, was in love and before he died he wanted to make his dream come through. He wanted a family, his own family, something he lost when he was young and now could finally have.

“What’s wrong?” Areum asked alarmed worried with his silence.

“I’m not a simple man Areum and I would lie if I said that I was searching for love. I wasn’t but it happened and at first I didn’t want it all but I’m glad it did.”

Areum stepped back “Are you going to break up with me?” She asked confused. They were dating for some years now and she knew how averse he was to commitment.  She barely stayed at his place and when he was on hers he would always made it in a way that he was always remembering her that he was a guest and nothing more.

“No…” He answered sadly knowing that he was the one at fault, the one who always made her believe that he wasn’t interested in something more when in reality it’s what he always wanted, ever since they shared their first breakfast together after they started to date.

“I know that sometimes I push it and when I said I wanted to give you a drawer at my place I didn’t mean that I want you to move in or marry me, ok? It’s just a drawer!” She bit her lip and he knew that she was clueless about what he was going to ask, because he always gave her a different idea of what he wanted in his life “I don’t want to break up. I love you. I don’t understand why you don’t want more but I accept it.”

With difficulty and pain and he knew it.

“Wait, you don’t want to marry?” He seemed alarmed now.

“You don’t want it so I don’t.” She answered hugging the soft toy.

“Then if I did want it, would you marry me?”

“Well duh! Of course I would!” She answered frowning. The huge smile he gave her made her confused.

“Why are you smiling?”

“I just asked you to marry me and you answered it as only you would answer without even noticing that you accepted to marry me.”

Areum widened her eyes and he knew she would freak out, her lower lip trembling “Y-you asked me to marry you?”

As a cue Jinki kneeled on the floor “Let’s do it the right way, shall we?” It was his hot deep voice that always made her shiver ,feeling all tingly inside, and she covered her cheeks with her hands, letting stitch fall to the floor,  while she watched him doing something that she always dreamed of and never thought that it would happen.

After they fought about giving the next step she decided that being by his side even if it was without living together was better than living without him at all. So she kicked her dreams of marrying him away, throwing them on the recycling bin, but now she could recover it. He was going to propose.

“Areum, beautiful precious kitty…” he said picking up a small black box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a simple white gold ring with a small blue pearlescent pearl.

She laughed embarrassed at the cheesiness and she knew he was too. Even the lights of the candles couldn’t hide the red of his ears.

“…you are what I’ve always wanted. You are my hideout from this world. When I’m with you nothing else matters…”

His words made her eyes wet, lost on the emotion of what he was saying. He wasn’t smiling anymore and she knew he meant what he was saying.

“And if you let me, all I want is to have a family with you. I want to be your family. Will you marry me?”

She raised her hand at the level of his face waiting for him to place the ring on her finger and he smiled waiting for her answer without moving.

“Oh yeah….” She blushed even more “I’m not used to this...I mean no one ever asked me to marry him…”

Jinki chuckled “Just answer me please!”

“Yes! Nothing would make me happier.”

He placed the ring on her finger thankful that he got the right size and stood up.

She giggled looking at her finger and threw her arms around his neck, falling into his embrace.

He hugged her back, tightly, kissing her neck making her giggle. “Thank you. I’ll do anything to make you happy.”

“You already do.”

She was going to give him a real family and that day marked a new chapter on his life where he could finally be Lee Jinki over Onew. 

 - 7 years ago  -

If Nana was a normal woman she would have fallen in love with Choi Minho. He had everything a woman ever dreamed of.  He was handsome, educated, humble, gentle and above all that he had the biggest heart.

It was surprising to Nana how man like him still existed, how he was bubbly and innocent even though he already saw a lot of pain on his travels around the world as a volunteer.

He probably remained like that because he didn’t know what losing someone you love, and yourself on the process, really meant. She did and because of that she would hide herself under that cute image, living each day as if it was just another one until the day death would be nice to her and take her from this world.

She didn’t lie to him when she said that he was inspiring. He truly was with his beautiful way to see the world and believe that there were still good in every people.

She accepted to date him and they did several times with her trying her best to fit the cute image she sold to him. Surprisingly she didn’t have to try harder because she was like that before, before she lost herself. That’s what scared her,  that he was capable to bring her back from the death to forget who she was at the present day.

He took her out to see the sea, they went shopping together, they watched movies together and he even took her out to have dinner at a fancy restaurant as any woman would have dreamed of. He treated her as if she was princess and Nana knew he was in love with her.

Minho was special and she knew that he didn’t have much experience with women when she kissed him on his living room after he invited her to watch another movie with him.

He yielded to her kiss, pulling her to his arms, carrying her bridal style as if she was truly inside a novel and was a princess who waited for her knight for all those years.

He placed her gently on his bed and between kisses reassured her that he wasn’t the kind of man to take a woman easily to bed like that. He only had one person before her and he didn’t mind if she was a . She almost felt like crying when he tried to reassure her. If only he knew what she has gone through before, what man did to her, how broke she was…He didn’t and she wasn’t going to tell him ever because he was too pure to know and because she couldn’t say it out loud.

He undressed her slowly, his eyes guiding her in the dark, his hands exploring her body as if she was indeed a , caressing her between her legs, his mouth kissing her s, gently, tenderly as if he was afraid to hurt her.

Nana never believed that man like him truly existed and for that night she forgot who she was and made love with him, pleasuring him the best she could because in reality she lived as a until the day she found him. Something pure and beautiful like that was rare to find and she wanted to cherish it.

Minho entered her slowly, his eyes moving to hers knowing that she wasn’t a but he didn’t question her, pleasuring her, moving his hips against her, kissing her lips.

That night she reached her first real ever and even after he fell asleep by her side, his arms around her, making her fell protected and warmer than she ever did in her life, she couldn’t sleep still thinking about what happened before.

She wasn’t a saint. She slept with more man than she ever should and if Minho knew that she wasn’t that pure as he thought, she was sure that he would disapprove of her.

Nana grabbed his hand and held it against her chest making him move in his sleep, his body snuggling against her.

If Nana was a normal woman she would have fallen in love with Choi Minho. She wasn’t though so she couldn’t understand why she did fall for him.

- Present day–

 “I called Base to report.” Minho said from the couch yawning. He didn’t sleep much the past few days.

Jinki nodded and walked to the bathroom door, placing his ear against the door.

“You look like a noisy parent or a ert.”

Jinki ignored his comment and sighed. He could still hear the sound of the water running and she was showering for more than ten minutes now.

“Areum?” He called knocking on the door “Are you ok?”

He heard the water stop and she answered weakly from inside. “Yes.”

He knew that she was avoiding him, probably thinking about what happened; disgusted over what she did and all the blood on her body that thankfully wasn’t hers. She probably didn’t feel as fortunate as he did about that since she didn’t have a clue about what was happening.

“Take all the time you need.” He moved away from the door and Minho moved lazily on the couch observing his team mate. He knew what Jinki was thinking because he had those thoughts before. How he screwed things up, how he should have tried to protect her better.

 It was Jinki entire fault in the end. Everyone told him how dangerous it would be to go outside the country with her but he still insisted, wanting to give her a real honeymoon, wanting to be Jinki for once. They voted knowing what that meant for the team. Jonghyun agreed and Taemin too because for them Lee Jinki was more important than Onew. Only Minho and Kibum voted no. They only wanted to look out for Areum and Jinki safety. He was their family after all and they knew how blind he would be trying to be the perfect husband.

Minho followed Jinki on that silly honeymoon and even though Jinki knew about, they both pretended that he didn’t.  Minho was glad he arrived on time to protect both and even though he would never tell Jinki the truth, he was glad he was alive.

“She needs to eat. She probably feels drained and needs to sleep and eat.” Jinki thought out loud.

“We all do. Go and buy food. You know what she likes.” She probably would eat anything but he could at least show her that he cared.

“I need to stay here by her side.”

“Stop thinking about her as your wife and focus on the fact that she is part of our mission.”

“She is my wife!” Jinki faced Minho “I can’t simply turn off my feelings. It doesn’t work like that and you know it.”

“It should. Above all you are Onew.”

“Above all I’m Lee Jinki. I was born Lee Jinki.”

Minho groaned. And here they were fighting again. It was always liked that ever since that night, the worst of his life, because Jinki knew how weak he was, because he was the one who saved him.

“You should have never got involved with her.” Minho told himself that every day in the mirror but he could never believe on it and yet here he was lying to Jinki.

Jinki walked to Minho, both inches from each other.

“You don’t have the right to say that!” Jinki deadly eyes were on Minho and he swallowed hard. Onew was as gentle as deadly. He saw how he beat that guy up and he saw him kill before. However Jinki would never kill an innocent person, he would never hurt him. That didn’t mean that he wasn’t afraid of his deadly expression. “You told me to sleep with her that night remember?”

Jinki spoke too loud and looked back afraid that she would come out from the bathroom and hear it. She couldn’t know about that night, at least not like that.

“Yes….but not to fall in love with her.” Minho answered in a low voice respecting Jinki fears.

“It was too late!” Jinki stepped back “You don’t control this kind of thing. Don’t you realize that I felt awful too? I was disappointing everyone I loved, the agency, the man who raised me, Areum with my lies, even my dad memory.”

“Well maybe this should be the perfect time to cut ties with her. It’s dangerous for her from now on, more than ever.”

“I can’t.” Jinki face contorted in pain “I can’t stop loving her and you understand me better than anyone else. She is my family. I love her just like you love Nana.”

“Don’t say that name ever again! She died that night and you know that. She no longer exists!” Minho pushed Jinki back “I lost her that night and I don’t love her anymore.”

The sound of something falling inside the bathroom startled both and they stepped back from each other. Areum finished her shower.

 “I’m sorry that I mentioned her but you are only lying to yourself if you really believe that.”

Jinki voice was gentle now and Minho knew he was only trying to be nice to him.

“Go buy her food and bring some for us too. I’ll take care of her.”

Jinki hesitated sending the bathroom door one last look.

“Go.”

“Do you promise me that you will protect her?”

“She is the mission!” Minho answered but Jinki didn’t move. She was more than a mission to him.

“She is important to you and I know what that means. I won’t let anything happen to her. I promise, as a friend.”

It was all Jinki needed to hear before he left to gather food. 

Taemin left the airport and sighed watching the last taxi leaving. He needed to be quick and find Minho and Jinki at the love motel they were currently in.

Taemin moved a hand through his rebellious black hair and noticed a woman wearing a blue silk dress, blonde with a straw hat checking him out. Sometimes it was troublesome to be handsome when you wanted to go unnoticed. He smiled at her making her blush and then looked away.

“Waiting for a taxi?” She asked in Japanese mistaking him from one.

“Yes. Can’t wait to get to my hotel and sleep in a fluffy bed.” He answered also in Japanese. It was better if she didn’t know his true nationality anyway.

She smiled with his comment probably wanting to share the same fluffy bed as him.

“I’m alone and my driver is coming to pick me up.”

He didn’t even have to try hard to find a woman willing to sleep with him. Sometimes it was even boring how they would offer themselves to him. Women were predictable and boring.

“My friends are waiting for me.” If he wasn’t working maybe he would have accepted her offer.

“That’s sad…”

He chuckled and she looked away a car stopping in front of her. “I’m going now!”

He nodded waving at her and the car moved down the road.

He was alone now and grabbed his cellphone from his backpack calling Jonghyun.

“Why are you calling me at this time. I’m feeding  Bora.” Jonghyun sounded desperate and Taemin smiled.

“Let me talk with her.” Taemin could hear her babbling something. “Bora, hi! Its uncle Taemin!”

A cry made Taemin frown. He was terrible with kids even though he always tried hard.

“Great now she is crying!” Jonghyun complained. “Sorry, but she still doesn’t like you.”

“Maybe I scare her.” He did dye his hair purple recently and she didn’t seem to like it much calling him eggplant uncle.

“Maybe you just try too hard to be funny.”

“She does love Jinki hyung…” And they both had the same kind of weird sense of humor.

“And Minho.” Jonghyun grunted. He didn’t mind the affection Bora seemed to have from her uncle Jinki but when it came to Minho it was adoration and that made Jonghyun terrible jealous.

Taemin stomped his feet impatiently, still no taxi coming. “Anyway, I’m here and I’m safe. Just waiting for a taxi. Where are they now?”

“Minho sent me the location and I will text you the address.” Bora cried louder “DAMN BORA! She just threw all her soup at me!” Jonghyun exclaimed making Taemin smile knowing what would happen next. “Damn I said damn in front of her…WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!”

“Damn? What is damn daddy?” Bora asked for Jonghyun desperation.

“Mi-Jung noona is going to kill you if she finds out.” Taemin grinned seeing a taxi arriving in the distance “Got to go. I’ll call you later!” He turned off the call and smiled at his phone screen background. It was a picture of Bora smiling, playing with Jonghyun puppy Roo. She was cute and it always made girls melt when he showed it to them, they would see him as a man that wasn’t scared to show his emotional side. A very big lie, though.

He was going to put the phone away when it vibrated on his hand, the name Mina showing up with a picture that she took without his consent, of herself making a v sign with her dark purple hair falling over her dark eyes. He groaned not accepting the call.

The taxi stopped in front of him and he had to work so Taemin had not time for noisy Mina in his life right now. 

- 3 years ago –

Kim Kibum was good in several things, more than a normal man was and he was proud of that. He was a good cook, he had fashion sense, knew several languages, knew where to shot a man so he would only get incapacitate and still be able to talk, and his first impressions where almost always right. However Audrey wasn’t as easy as he thought.

They were waiting in the silence of the cave for Jonghyun to arrive and he couldn’t take his eyes off of her, not only because he had to keep watch and be certain that she wouldn’t run away but also because he liked her mysterious side. She made him curious and he liked that. He always hated horror movies but he loved to feel the adrenaline of a good mystery and she was one. Yes he read her file, there wasn’t much about her childhood in it but she knew parts of what she has gone through and he knew that she wasn’t the innocent woman she played to be. Living at foster houses and even some time at an orphanage make you a survivor from a young age. She was even bullied at school and he didn’t want to believe that she was that defenseless at all.

She wasn’t looking at him, curled into a ball on the other side of the room, her eyes open but facing the other wall as if she was deep in thought. She was probably dead tired and yet she stubbornly wasn’t sleeping or so he thought.

He stood up slowly and walked closer to her, careful because she surprised him before. Her eyes were closed this time and he watched her for a while trying to figure it out if she was pretending or actually sleeping. She was breathing rhythmically, her hands clenched into fists against her chest. She was definitely asleep and he crouched to see her better.

Her curly hair was falling on her eyes and he softly moved it away so he could see her face.

He knew how to appreciate beauty and he traveled around the world so many times admiring what the world had to offer us. Women were beautiful, they came in every sizes and types and some are very impressive and deserve to be seen as work of arts.

He couldn’t say that Audrey was a work of art but she certainly was beautiful in his eyes, maybe cos she was something new and different. He took his time admiring her eyelashes, her round nose and thin lips, how her skin was pale.

“Are you in love?” A voice asked making Kibum fall on his startled.

Jonghyun entered the cave and Kibum moved to stand up from the floor.

“Is she sleeping?” Jonghyun asked taking off his backpack and moving a hand on his sweaty temple.

“Yes…” Kibum sent her a glance now feeling too self-conscious “I think she is.”

Jonghyun frowned with the lack of certainty. Kibum was always certain of everything. With him it was black or white, there was no grey zones.

“Ok.” He suddenly widened his eyes in worry “Did you torture her?”

“No. God no…I know we can’t touch here for whatever reason. Besides she was the one who tortured me. She doesn’t speak much but she is a pain in the when she does speak.” Kibum pretended to brush his imaginary hair away from his face, mimicking her talking “I’m not going to tell you where the blueprints are..EVER!”

Jonghyun chuckled “Well wake her up. The faster we go the faster we get them.”

“Wait” Kibum grabbed his friend arm “She asked me to see her friend first and I promised her.”

“How did you agree with that?” Jonghyun asked upset “Do you know how dangerous that can be? We can’t take her near Areum. They probably have her under eye.”

“Jinki is with her right?”

“Jinki was pulled out from the mission, Minho too. Areum is on her own now.”

“Isn’t that dangerous? They can interrogate her.”

“They might” Jonghyun opened his backpack to take a bottle of water from it “But they won’t find out anything. The girl knows nothing.”

Key sighed looking at Audrey’s sleeping form. He promised her and he always kept his promises. “Let her see her once from afar and we can keep traveling.”

Jonghyun sipped his water puffing his cheeks and closed his eyes defeated. “Ok. Let’s do that!”

Kibum smiled “God I love you!” He hugged Jonghyun as he knew that he hated making the older man push him away.

“So you truly are lovers.” Audrey mumbled with sleepy eyes now sitting with her back against the wall watching them.

“YOU TOLD HER THAT?” Jonghyun screamed clearly upset.

“But we are…” Key moved his hand on Jonghyun cheek and he took it away as if it was a mosquito.

“It was only for one mission. We just pretended…we don’t…Gosh why am I even explaining it, I’m a married man WITH A WOMAN!”

Kibum laughed ignoring Jonghyun struggling with words. He loved to tease Jonghyun. It was so easy. Ever since they had a mission together where they had to pose as lovers Jonghyun never recovered from it with both Minho and Kibum teasing him about that and how Key and Jonghyun accidentally kissed during it.

“It’s ok Base I don’t mind being the other love of your life.”

“! Can you stop with that?” He grabbed the backpack and faced Audrey that was now up.

Now that he was looking at her she recognized him immediately. That beautiful manly face, the hair that he liked to dye almost white, the deadly sharp jaw that made so many girls fall for him. “You are…”

“Yes I am!”

“Kim Jonghyun, the millionaire.”

“I prefer Kim Jonghyun the writer.”

“My friend Areum she loves…” Audrey paled realizing that the same man her friend admired as a role model was actually one of the men that were using her to hurt Audrey.

“Areum is my fan? “ Jonghyun smiled delighted and Audrey frowned. He even knew her name.

“Ok you can give her an autograph later. Where are the blueprints?” Key asked, putting his black jacket on.

“First Areum then the blueprints.”

Kibum's eyes moved to Jonghyun that sent him a cold glare. “Fine! Let’s go!”

- Present time -

Areum felt well using her own clothes again although it didn’t feel as hers anymore, maybe because she didn’t feel like herself at all.

She thought a lot under the shower while she cleaned the blood out of her body.

First someone was after her and it probably had to do with Audrey’s death. Now it was clear to her. There wasn’t any other mystery in her life besides how her friend disappeared and died without the police finding any clue of what happened. It probably had to do with the machine she helped built that was going to help the world. Someone probably wanted it to be destroyed and killed Audrey because of that. However Areum didn’t know anything about the machine or what Audrey was doing so who was after her was mistaken.

Second and what was making her chest hurt, Jinki lied to her. There was a side of him that he hid from her all those years they were together. Now everything made a lot of sense, how he disappeared suddenly, how he stayed months “working” and would came back with another bruise. She thought he was clumsy and feared commitment but he probably only used that as an excuse to disguise his wounds and to keep her away from what he was actually doing.

However she loved him and she could see somewhere on his eyes that Lee Jinki the one she fell in love with was there inside him. She didn’t know if he loved her but he had too or he wouldn’t have married her or stayed by her side if he didn’t. What was the point to stay with someone if not for love?! The more she thought about it the more she convinced herself of his love. He risked a lot staying by her side. He risked his life and secret protecting her. Yes she was mad at the lies but a part of her was screaming on her head how he lied to keep her safe.

She was confused and didn’t want to decide on anything before she knew the whole story, before she was back to Korea and her bed. Then she would sit down with Jinki and he would tell her everything that happened during the time they were together. Areum wondered if Audrey knew that he was an agent. Maybe she was the one who asked him to protect her from whatever she was running away. Areum never understood why Jinki had the keys to her house and now everything made sense. He was there to protect Audrey and probably failed. That’s also why he rarely liked to talk about Audrey. He felt guilty.

Areum smiled finally understanding a piece of what was happening in her life, or so she thought.

Onew wasn’t that bad now, a hero that tried to save her best friend, someone that fell for her in the process and married her. He loved her and that thought made Areum feel like the world made sense again.

She opened the door of the bathroom and walked outside wearing her denim shorts and a blue t-shirt. Minho moved his eyes from the magazine he was reading to her.

“I found this on your bag. I hope you don’t mind! There is a lot of gossip here about Kim Jonghyun.” He paused noticing how Areum looked around the room clearly searching for Jinki. “You know? The writer? They say he is going to divorce his wife. As if…he is crazy about her!”

 Minho chuckled using the magazine as a fan watching her, at how she walked to the door of the room and walked around finally facing him. She was clearly troubled.

“Where is Jinki?”

“He didn’t feel well and went to the hospital!”

“WHAT?” She seemed in panic and Minho laughed.

“I’m kidding! Look at you! You love him to bits!” Minho played with the magazine still teasing her  “You really think that he would go to the hospital? That was clearly a lie. He went to buy food. He will be back soon. “

Areum sat in front of Minho over the table and watched him with curious eyes.

“Is he ok?”

“He is ok!” Minho attention was on the magazine but not for long because Areum didn’t move her eyes from him and was making him uncomfortable. Women still made him nervous, at least the ones he wasn’t ing. “What do you want?”

“I think I know you.”

“You do. I was at your wedding.”

She widened her eyes remembering that special day of her life and how both she and Jinki didn’t have many guests. She invited some people from her agency and old friends from college and Jinki had some friends from work and people she never met before on it. His adopted father went briefly to the wedding and Areum didn’t manage to talk with him or even know much about him, associating it to Jinki lack of commitment to his family when in reality it probably had to do with the fact that he was a secret agent.

“I don’t remember you from my wedding.”

“My hair was blonde. I had an insane moment.”

“I still don’t. I think I’ve met you before somewhere else.”

“I was a model before. Maybe from a magazine.” His eyes didn’t move under her scrutiny and she bit her lower lip ignoring that weird feeling inside her.

“I have some questions.”

“About?”

“This and Onew.”

Minho cleared his throat and placed the magazine over the couch, straightening his back “I’m all ears.”

“Will you tell me the truth?”

“I won’t lie so yes I’ll do my best. Some information is classified though.”

Areum rubbed her arm and he knew she was nervous about what to ask. “Who are the men after me?”

“Dokko agents. They work for Dokko company.”

“Why?” He raised his eyebrows in an isn’t it obvious way. “Well they are Dokko agents from Dokko that’s obvious. I mean why they are after me?”

“Ah! They want information that you possess.”

“What kind of information?”

“ That’s….classified.”

“Why? I think I have the right to know so I can hide it.” If she really knew anything.

“You will soon once we get back to Korea.”

“Then…” She her lips “Who are you and Jinki? He mentioned SHINee.”

“We are a group of secret agents that work for Smart Agency. We are currently five. I’m number 5 and Jinki is number 2…well, he is number 1 in reality but it’s a long story.”

“Then you are against Dokko Company?”

“Yes. We were created to ruin their plans.”

“So you are the good guys?” She bit her lip and Minho felt sorry for her.

“Yes. If there are any good guys in this story we are the ones.”

She seemed relieved probably because that meant that Jinki was on the right side of the force.

“Any more questions?”

“Yes. About Onew…” She blushed and he knew she wanted him to talk about her husband.

“What about him?”

She didn’t seem to know what to ask. “I realized that I don’t know him as well as I thought. I barely know his past and I always thought that he didn’t want to tell me because it was painful but now…now his distance makes sense.”

Minho leaned forward, supporting his elbows on his thighs “Listen, there is a reason that he hid his past from you. It wasn’t all rainbows and puppies and he did indeed suffer a lot. It’s not my place to tell you that though. You both need to sit down and talk about it. I’m not going to lie to you, I advised Jinki to break up with you.”

She paled at Minho comment.

“However he doesn’t want to do it and apparently also can’t do it. He has feelings for you so even if he lied to you he deserves a second change. At least to explain why he did it.”

She nodded embarrassed. Jinki did love her and was protecting her and that was enough for now.

“Also no running away again, no crazy things like going to the police, do you hear me?”

She nodded again “I’m sorry.”

“You almost got Jinki killed and you made him worried beyond words. Also…I’m kinda tired since you decided to ruin my life too.”

She frowned upset with what he said. She was the one who almost got and killed and he was acting like the victim.

“He even went to buy things for you to eat. I would have knocked you out and take you back to Korea forcefully.” Minho said leaning against the couch. For an unknown reason to Areum she didn’t believe him. He actually seemed a little tense around her and she wondered why. Minho wasn’t the confident and cold man that he pretended to be.

She trembled nervous moving her eyes to the door. “Did he go a long time ago? Smoke is still out there right?”

Her pleading eyes moved to Minho. “You should go after him. I’ll stay here. I promise.”

Minho sighed and picked up his coat from over the couch, rummaging through his pockets and taking a small chocolate from inside it “Take this!”

She stared at his hand confused.

“Jinki is fine and he will be here soon but you clearly still are very anxious. Eat this. It will make you feel better until he arrives.”

He watched her hesitate before grabbing the chocolate. He often carried them around because it was comforting to eat them in the middle of the night when he was keeping watch in the cold and rain, or to give to the kids or girls he met during his life as an agent.

 “Now go sleep. Tomorrow we have a plane to catch.”

“I don’t think I can sleep.” she opened the package of the small chocolate “I’m too scared and nervous.” She was at least sincere about her feelings.

“It’s normal. I was like that after I killed my first man.”

“I didn’t kill anyone.”

“You stabbed a man and tricked him. That takes a lot of nerves. You were very brave.” She watched him more careful. He was very handsome with beautiful and big eyes and seemed just like her type before she met Jinki.

“Actually you helped us because we had a crazy plan to save you from them and Jinki was near a nervous breakdown. So when you made the van pull over and you came out from inside it with one of those idiots we sighed of relief. Well Jinki almost lost his mind when he realized what you were going to do after….I mean…the guy started taking off his clothes immediately…and you are Jinki’s wife…” Minho trailed off smiling as a little kid telling a normal story that didn’t involve , kidnappings and killings.

That’s when she had an image of him from before. “I think I remember you…”

“You do?” he smiled a little worried.

“Probably for the wedding.”

“Probably!” He wasn’t sure how she would react if she found out that he tried to seduce her before.

She placed the chocolate on and ate it before she stood up moving to the bed.

That’s when Jinki entered the room carrying a white plastic bag.

He smiled immediately once he saw her and Areum almost smiled back. However she didn’t, he still lied to her and she couldn’t erase it easily from her mind.

“I brought food!” He said happily raising the bag and placing it over the bed by her side.

She bit her lip looking at him and not the bag relieved that Minho was right and he arrived quickly and safe.

“God I’m famished!” Minho ignored Jinki glare and stole several packages of Thailand’s bentos settling with them in front of him in the couch.

Jinki opened one and offered it to Areum who grabbed it mumbling a thanks. She felt weird because part of her wanted to hug him but the other part didn’t even let her look at him properly.

Jinki sat by her side watching her eat and she pretended not to notice at how he was watching her relieved, forgetting all about the hunger he probably also felt.

“Hum...” Minho hummed eating his food and grabbing his coat. “I’m going to…smoke outside.”

Jinki frowned slightly “Thanks!”

“Don’t mention it!” Minho stole another package of bento and closed the door after him.

Silence filled the room and Areum moved slightly on the bed facing the red wall and wishing Jinki would decide to move away from her and do something else.

“He lied you know?” He said after a while “He doesn’t even smoke. None of us do. We use that as a code phrase for I will let you have some time alone.”

She stopped munching on the bento and stole a glance at him. A glance was a big mistake because he was looking at her so intensely that everything inside her ached for him.

“I did some thinking. “She said “I know now why you lied to me.”

He swallowed with difficulty “You do? Did Minho tell you?”

“No. I just realized something. Audrey knew who you were…”

“What?” he seemed confused but she kept talking.

“She knew who you were and she asked you for help right? You failed but you met me while searching for her.”

That was kinda true and he nodded wondering how she came to that conclusion.

“You fell for me even if you shouldn’t and you married me. You hid all this because you wanted to protect me like you couldn’t protect Audrey. Right?”

Jinki didn’t know what to say because that wasn’t entirely true. He didn’t know Audrey when he fell for her. However she didn’t give him time to answer.

“Why did you marry me?” She asked eagerly as if her life depended on his answer. Her life didn’t but her version of their love story did.

In the eyes of the company he married her to be closer to her, to protect her, for the mission.

However in his heart Jinki knew the right reason. He married her to be closer to her, to protect her, because he loved her and wanted to have a family with her.

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled making her pale at his answer that was not what she expected “ I’m sorry for this terrible honeymoon and for this last year’s where I screwed up continuously and lied to you.” He rubbed a hand on his cheek and bit his lower lip cutely, the way she always loved him to do.

He the bed facing her and Areum completely forgot about what she was doing, all her attention on him.

“There is something I’ve never lied to you about Areum. My feelings for you. It’s not a lie.”

She released the bento package and he held her free hand, caressing her with his fingers, his index finger moving over the engagement ring he gave her and their marriage ring. His hand was cold but his eyes were burning. She was right.

“I love you.”

It hurt because she believed in his words even though he lied to her so many times before.

“I’m still mad at you because of the lies and I don’t know what to do from now on, about our marriage and what to think…”

“But?” There was a but and he knew because he knew her as no one, besides Audrey, ever did.

He moved closer, his eyes never leaving hers “You love me don’t you?”

He told her so many times before that he loved her and she couldn’t help but replay all those moments in her mind. Only a few hours before he kissed her under the burning sun with the sea water bathing their feet, they make out against a tree, they almost made love on their hotel room.

She didn’t move and he moved closer, his nose touching hers, his mouth inches from hers.
Areum heart took control of her body and she moved her eyes from his eyes to his lips giving the sign he wanted. He kissed her, pulling her closer to him, one hand on her back and other on her neck, kissing her softly, making all her resistances give in to him when she moved her hands to touch his face and chest.

“I love you.” she whispered against his lips and this time she was the one to kiss him, eager to go back in time to the day he asked her to marry her and that Lee Jinki was only Lee Jinki and Onew didn’t exist in her life. 

- 7 years ago - 

Minho smiled knowing that he prepared the perfect breakfast for Nana. He knew how she loved orange juice and he used his poorly cooking skills to make her a continental breakfast while she slept on his bedroom. They were dating for a few months but he never felt that for anyone else.  It’s probably very cliché but when you are in love it’s true that everything the other person does, looks and sounds beautiful. Her high laughter always made him laugh, her fingers moving on his arm always made him , the way she used to hum on the shower was the most adorable thing and after all this months all the things that he thought that would annoy him made him more and more in love with her. He felt like one of those idiots in love that the songs always mentioned about.

Minho poured the orange juice inside a glass and placed it on the wood tray taking it carefully to his bedroom. She was in the bed with her eyes open staring at the door, wrapped up on the blue sheets of his bed.

“Morning!” He sang making her cover her face noticing how he was only wearing his pajama white pants, his perfect abs that she kissed the night before and she loved to use as a pillow, bare for her to see. He had no shame to show them to her and she had no shame to appreciate it.

“Are you even real?” She asked sitting up on the bed receiving a quick kiss on her cheek from him.

“Touch me…” He raised his eyebrows “I am as real as you.” He moved his fingers to her shoulder caressing her.

She didn’t answer her eyes on the tray. “I really don’t deserve this.”

“Don’t be silly!” He always brushed aside her comments and she knew why. He never took her serious, because he thought that she was being insecure when in reality she didn’t really deserve all that. She was using him and she felt awful for being that horrible person.

“Hum…” he stole a little of her toast and placed it inside his mouth “Are you sure you don’t want to go with me to the party later today? You seemed so eager to meet Jonghyun before.”

Nana smiled weakly and grabbed her toast biting it. Meeting Jonghyun seemed like a priority to her before but not now since things changed.

“He is so happy lately. I think he is in love.”

Nana nodded watching Minho talk about his best friend. They were closer to brothers and she knew that better than anyone. “I’ll skip the party, thanks.”

He leaned over to kiss her lips and she giggled kissing him back.

If that was a dream she didn’t want to wake up from it ever.

Her phone rang and Minho couldn’t help but notice how she palled before grabbing it from over the bedside table.

“What’s wrong?”

She didn’t answer staring at the caller’s name “It’s from work…” She abruptly stood up and walked outside the room making him confused.

She always acted like that when work was involved. It was all private and he tried to respect that.

Minho waited, watching the orange juice he freshly made for her and moving his eyes to the curtains of his room swinging with the fresh breeze that came from the open window. He stood up barefooted and closed the window. Suddenly he remembered that he could put a straw on the juice glass and give it a more tropical appearance. He walked to the kitchen stopping when he realized that she was there talking on the phone.

“No, Minho doesn’t suspect anything.”

Hearing this he hid from her sight on the corridor. He didn’t know why he did that but that conversation wasn’t meant for him to hear but at the same time he knew that he had to know what she was talking about.

“He is a really good person and I feel bad doing this.”

Silence. Was she talking about him?!

“It’s tonight. He is dating someone now and I told Minho I wasn’t going and I don’t want to go…so please…” She pleaded desperate making Minho lean against the wall behind him, a knot forming inside him. What was happening? What was she hiding?

“I understand. Don’t do anything to him. I’ll do as you say. I’ll act tonight.”

Silence filled the kitchen again and Minho moved back to the bedroom as quickly as he could waiting for her to get back so he could ask her what was that all about.

Nana entered the bedroom a few minutes after and she acted as if nothing happened jumping on the bed by his side ignoring his puzzled expression.

She kissed him but he didn’t move. “What’s wrong? Upset that I took a while speaking on the phone?”

Minho grabbed her arm firmly and pulled her closer to him startling her with his actions.

“Do you have anything to tell me?” He asked with a serious expression and the smile left Nana’s face.

“Why? Did you hear anything?”

Minho wasn’t sure what to answer. He had the feeling that she was cheating on him and if he asked her she would probably deny it or just tell him yes and make fun of him for being so gullible. He loved her and he didn’t want to lose her and he could feel that deep down she loved him too. You can’t hide that kind of feeling even if she never once told him before that she loved him.

“I need to know now.”

“Know what?” she asked nervously.

“Do you love me?”

His question hurt her because she pulled her arm away from him and pouted looking away.

“I always overlook everything Nana. I overlooked the fact that you never speak about your past, I overlooked that you are not the pure girl you pretend to be, I know you weren’t a …and I never ask you about your job. Can’t you please for once just tell me the truth about what you feel about me?”

Nana felt her eyes get wet because she knew that day would come and she feared it with all her might. It was the beginning of the end but he deserved to know.

So she didn’t lie. Not this time.

“I love you.” she mumbled softly saying the words for the first time in her life and surprisingly that seemed enough for him because he pulled her to his lap, his arms hugging her against his chest.

“Whatever you are hiding I don’t care. I trust you!” He whispered against her ear, kissing her neck.

What he didn’t realize was that his words made her feel even worse.

- 3 years ago-

Areum moved lazily on the bed stretching her toes like she always did after a good night’s sleep. She rolled on the bed with a silly smile hoping to feel a warm manly body against her but only a cold empty space was there.

She opened her eyes and sat on the bed realizing that she was and alone in her bed. Last night she had with Jinki and it was the best night of her life. Yes, she definitely could classify that wonderful with that wonderful man as the best night of her life.

“Jinki?” She called softly rubbing her eyes placing her feet on the floor. She wrapped herself on one of the sheets smiling because she would let it fall to the floor once she found him and then they would repeat the scene from the previous night. God she really wanted that. It was perfect and if she could write about it on one of her romances she would describe the he gave her as angels singing halleluiah, his body against her as one of the seven wonders, his kisses as the nectar of the gods….there was a reason that she almost didn’t make it publishing her book.

She laughed with her lame thoughts and opened the door of the bathroom hoping to see him there. Nothing. It was empty. She noticed the lack of his clothes around and she saw the hickey he gave her on her neck in the mirror.

“You even got dressed already?” She complained “Jinki?” She walked to her living room, touching her neck where he left his mark the previous night. Every time she thought about last night she felt all tingling inside. Was that love?!

“Jinki?” she asked with a melodious tone deciding that instead of letting her sheets fall she would kiss him first and tell him how wonderful he was.

However he wasn’t inside her kitchen either. “JINKI?” She screamed tightening the sheet around her. “Jinki?!”

Where was he?! Did he leave her alone after without saying anything like a big , like the idiots who she was used to sleep with and only would use her for ? No, He was better than them and he did seem to like her a lot too. The way he kissed her and touched her… No. He clearly had feelings for her. He probably went out for breakfast.

She went back to the bedroom and grabbed her phone calling him immediately. It rang several times but he didn’t pick up and she walked back to the kitchen sighing. Maybe he didn’t hear it.

She bit the inside of her cheek nervously staring at her cellphone wondering if she should call again or not. She will sound like the desperate girl but she was worried now. Last night meant something, it was important to her and there was a reason why she felt so worried about what it meant to him too.

“Love only exists in books.” Audrey used to tell her. But Areum now knew that she was wrong and how she wished to tell Audrey that right now.

She called Jinki again her eyes moving around her kitchen until she noticed a piece of paper with pandas stuck on the fridge. She canceled the call and stopped in front of her fridge releasing the sheet that fall to the floor around her while she pulled the piece of paper from the fridge and read it.

It was the shortest message and she wasn’t sure if the reason for that was because he was on a hurry or because he didn’t know what else to say. Whatever the case was she felt like crying.

Maybe Audrey was right after all and maybe love really didn’t exist.

In his messy handwriting he wrote “I’m sorry.” With a stupid sad smile in front of it as if he was mocking her pain.

Sorry? For what? For using her for like the others? For making her believe that he actually cared more about her than he actually did? For making her believe in love?!”

She crumpled the paper and threw it to the other side of the kitchen.

“ing liar!”  

Jinki did lie several times in his life, even to her, but he wasn’t lying when he wrote that.

At that precise moment he was far away from there waiting on his car for Base and Key to bring Audrey, staring at his phone and at his missed calls that she made to him and he couldn’t pick up. He knew that she read the paper by now and that was probably the reason that she gave up on calling him.

He leaned against the seat and accessed his pictures folder where he saved a picture of her sleeping.

She hated him now and he couldn’t blame her because he also hated himself right now.

“I’m truly sorry….”

- Present day –

Minho wasn’t even surprised when he entered the room and saw Areum sleeping on Jinki embrace, her head over his chest, his hand holding hers.  However he wasn’t asleep. Jinki was very wide awake deep in thought.

“You didn’t tell her?” Minho asked in a low voice and Jinki shook his head.

“I can’t. Not now.”

Minho sighed and sat on the bed by their side. “If you don’t do it soon she will hate you even more.”

“She will hate me whenever I tell her.”

“Want me to do it?” Minho offered receiving a stern look from Jinki.

“If you do I’ll kill you.”

Minho chuckled but was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

Both men froze and Areum moved over Jinki feeling him get tense. He softly placed her head over the pillow and released himself from her hold so he could help Minho.

Minho stood up and stayed beside the door against the wall, his hand on the gun on the waistband of his shorts.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Marshmallow!”

“! Minho groaned upset opening the door while Jinki sighed of relief pulling Areum hand to his chest again, caressing her fingers.

Taemin entered the room and Minho closed the door quickly behind him.

“Hyung’s!!”

“Don’t call me that ever again!” Minho complained.

“Why? Marshmallow?  It’s your code name!” Taemin said placing his backpack on the couch and grabbing one of the open bento packages from the table quickly eating it.

“Yes. The most stupid one. I wonder why Key gave me that silly name. God I hate it.”

“I think it fits you.” Jinki whispered but Minho heard him.

“You shouldn’t have voted on that . Jinki is the old guy and I don’t see anyone calling him that!”

“Keep quiet. Noona is sleeping!” Taemin said sitting by Jinki side watching her. “She is pretty.”

Jinki smiled back at his younger brother.

“Are you ok?” Taemin asked placing a hand on Jinki arm.

“So so…”

“I’m here now. No one will touch her. I promise you hyung.”

Jinki smiled knowing that if there was someone in this world that would do anything for he was Taemin. Of course he trusted his life to any of the SHINee members and even Areum but Taemin, Taemin and their bond was special. They were blood brothers. Not the normal ones,not the ones who shared the same blood since birth but the ones that life joined together.

“Are you tired?” Jinki asked gently and Taemin shook his head like a kid. He hated to be treated like a little boy but with Jinki it was different.

“I’m fine. I slept a lot on the plane. I’ll keep watch and you two sleep ok?”

Minho moved a hand on Taemin’s head messing his hair and he complained cutely. “Good boy. Let the real man rest.”

“Right…Marshmallow!”

“!” Minho sat by Areum side and lied down, moving an arm around her, making Jinki sit up tensely “What are you doing?”

“Well weren’t you the one who almost slept with my girlfriend before? I’m repaying it!”

Jinki moved on the bed to punch Minho and Taemin grabbed his arm on time. “He is joking hyung.”

Minho stood up from the bed and walked back to the couch. Jinki deadly gaze followed after him and Taemin released his arm.

“He was only annoying you.” Taemin whispered.

Jinki knew and in a way he couldn’t blame him. There are wounds that hardly heal. Even if he was sure that Minho didn’t blame him for what happened he knew that his way to deal with that suffering was to once in a while and make him remember of what happened in the past. Hopefully someday Minho would move on and completely forgive life for what it did to him.

“I was joking!” Minho said from the couch covering himself with the jacket even though it was hot inside the room.

Areum opened her eyes and moved on the bed, waking up with the noise. She snuggled closer to Jinki and fell into sleep again.

“She isn’t even my type…” Minho added and Taemin threw a pillow at him.

“You are not her type either.” Jinki retorted back playfully now “I’m her type now…”

He adorably looked at her and Taemin watched them. He didn’t know much about love and he didn’t want to know because he was a free spirit but he knew how much Jinki needed someone like her in his life.

To Taemin, Jinki was his family and if Areum was part of Jinki family then she was his family too. He would protect them because he wasn’t afraid to die.

Minho groaned placing the pillow under his head and closed his eyes. He once had someone like that too. Someone that he believed that he could look at for hours without ever getting tired.

That was until she ruined his life. 

- 3 years ago - 

“Stop here!” Audrey asked placing her hands on the window, her eyes scanning the street closer to where Areum lived.

“She doesn’t live here.” Kibum said confused from the seat next to Audrey. “Why here?”

The driver spoke “She always drinks coffee and eats her favorite cake at that coffee shop.”

Audrey’s eyes moved from the window to the driver. She met him a few hours before. He was the one who picked her up with Key and Base, who was now on the front seat.

The driver, Onew was his name, was nice to her, a gentleman, opening the door for her to enter. He didn’t smile at her even once and he looked tired but he was very handsome.

“How do you know that?” Audrey asked and Jinki looked away.

“He is keeping an eye on her recently.” Base or Jonghyun answered instead. 

Audrey stared at Jinki in thought and his eyes moved to glance at her using the rear view window. She suspiciously remembered the picture from the night before. “You didn’t hurt her right?”

Her words made him flinch and she moved her hand to open the door of the car. However Key stopped her grabbing her hand.

“Don’t try to do something funny smarty pants.”

“That was the one who slept with her wasn’t he?” Audrey said out of anger and Jinki took off his seatbelt brusquely opening the window of the car leaving Jonghyun surprised with his actions.

“You slept with her?” Jonghyun knew Jinki for years and he never once saw him sleep with someone for a mission.

Jinki sent him a helpless look and Key interrupted their speaking without words moment “What’s the problem anyway? Didn’t we get what we wanted?”

Audrey groaned at Key coldness and moved to bit his hand holding hers.

Key complained moving his hand away and grabbing her by her waist instead. They fought like two little kids on the back seat until Jinki spoke surprising everyone.

“Areum…”

Everyone followed his gaze to her. She was walking outside wearing a brown beanie on her head, a matching black dress that make her look like a witch and high brown boots.

“I gave her that dress!” Audrey mumbled cutely and Key released her, so she could see her friend better.

She placed her hands on the window again as if she was a pet watching her owner outside.

“She seems sad…” Audrey commented. She was so absorbed on her friend that she didn’t notice how Jinki eyes moved away from Areum as if he felt guilty. Jonghyun did notice though.

“…” He mumbled staring at Jinki. He knew that look. A secret agent shouldn’t look at a target that way.

“She is fine. Can we go get the blueprints now?” Kibum asked, but Audrey didn’t move, still watching Areum who walked inside the coffee shop.

Key leaned forward noticing how Audrey cleaned a tear from her cheek. “She is fine.” He repeated and she sent him an evil look.

“FINE?” Audrey exploded “I left her alone and worse I brought you all into her life!” She felt awful realizing it now. She was selfish for putting Areum in the middle of that mess. She should have stayed and fought even if that meant her death. “She probably hates me for leaving her!”

“No!” Jinki turned around on the seat “No….she loves you a lot. She talks about you all the time and she never once lost hope of finding you.”

His words and the way he said them were very comforting to Audrey and she thanked him, her eyes moving to the street outside just when Jinki the car so they could go finally pick up the blueprints.

Audrey used her finger tips to clean her eyes and watched the calm street. A man she knew well was on the end of the street going in the direction of the coffee shop. She leaned on the seat, turning her head back so she could see it better; to be sure that it was him.
Areum oblivious to what was happening, left the coffee shop with a cup of coffee in her hand, probably a Cafe Mocha, and Audrey knew that her next step was the library gardens where she would try to write while drinking it.

“Wait!” She screamed kneeling on her seat so she could use the back window to see well.

“What?” Kibum asked.

“WAIT! STOP THE CAR THEY WILL HURT HER!”

Jinki stopped the car immediately making everyone jolt forward.

He the seat with Jonghyun “What?”

“That man with the grey sweater. He works on Dokko. I know him. I’ve seen him there before. He is following her.”

Audrey explained, her eyes moving from Jonghyun to Jinki and then Kibum. She grabbed the last one by his t-shirt “Help her please. PLEASE!”

Kibum watched her speechless feeling his cheeks getting hotter having her so close to him.

“They are probably only following her.” Jonghyun added “Like we did…Hoping to find you. We need to get the hell out of here before they see us.”

“No…What if they kidnap her…” Audrey added noticing Jinki scared eyes on her. He seemed to value Areum safety as much as she did which was weird but Audrey didn’t have time to think about it right now. He was the easiest one to convince then and she turned to him. “What if they hurt her for information?”

Jinki took off his seatbelt again and picked up his gun from the glove compartment.

“Onew what the are you doing?” Jonghyun asked.

“You drive. I’ll see if she is safe.”

“Jinki no.” Jonghyun grabbed his arm. “You can’t do this. It’s dangerous. He might not be alone and we can’t risk leaving Audrey here with only one agent.”

Jinki firmly placed the gun on the waistband of his pants covering it with his sweater and Jonghyun hesitated noticing his determined expression.

“You can’t go. This is not a part of our mission.” Jonghyun repeated. “It’s too dangerous.”

“Quick please!” Audrey cried from the back seat watching the man following Areum down the street and out of her vision, her hand hitting Key shoulder making him groan. He was an agent and she was treating him as if he was a punching bag.

“Are you ordering me to stay?” Jinki asked Jonghyun with a low dangerous voice.

Jonghyun hold on his arm lessened “Would you stay if I ordered you?”

“What the is happening?” Kibum asked confused, his eyes moving from the desperate crying girl by his side to his two pals that were acting strangely.

“No.” Jinki answered “I need to do this. I won’t ever forgive myself if anything happens to her.”

Jonghyun sighed knowing that he lost that battle. “Go but please be careful. There is something you should know..." Jonghyun sighed knowing that it wasn't the right time and place for him to tell Jinki that.  " Stay on the shadows until you see what they want and don’t let her see you.”

“I won’t. Thank you Jamongie.” Jinki sent him a gentle smile before leaving and Kibum stared at him confused, seeing him stride down the street. Audrey sobbed by his side.

Jonghyun moved to the driver’s seat and the car, stepping on the accelerator.

“No….I need to know she is safe!” She cried grabbing Kibum’s shirt when they turned down the street cutting her view of Areum.

“You will. Onew will protect her.” Key said grabbing her arms and shooking her so she would calm down before turning to Jonghyun "What the hell is happening?"

“It’s all your fault!!! You should protect her!” Audrey hit his shoulder crying upset, lying to herself because the guiltiest one was her. Kibum grabbed her arm and she collapsed over him, crying on his shoulder. He awkwardly patted her back wishing for Jinki safety while Jonghyun drove them away from there without saying anything.