A/N: Surprise? I know it’s been more than two years and I’m not sure how many of you are still around or willing to continue reading this story, but I’ve decided that out of all the fics I’ve written this is the one that I really want to finish. The truth is I had no idea where I was going with this and I kept coming up with blanks on how to progress the plot but I’ve finally figured it out and I intend on going through with it. Those of you who have been long time subscribers to this fic, I’m sorry for such a ridiculously long wait and I want to thank you for sticking with it throughout the years. To everyone who is willing to continue reading this story, thank you so much for giving it a chance and I’ll do my best not to let this story down. I’ve also edited/rewritten the first five chapters of the story. Nothing big has changed, though, so you don’t have to go back and read it if you don’t want to. I hope you enjoy this chapter and the chapters to come! Until next time.

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“We can’t trust him.”

“We don’t need to trust him to use him, Irene. Are you willing to take the responsibility of Lee’s death for something like this?”

Irene fell silent. A second ticked by. Then another. She took a deep breath, felt her chest rise, then fall. She ran her fingers through her hair. For once, Seulgi was right. There was too much to lose. Lee was on the line. The Maple Leaf was going straight for the head. This wasn’t a game anymore, far from it. It never was.

“Fine. But we keep an eye on him at all times. No exceptions.”

“Of course. Wouldn’t even dream of exceptions.” Seulgi’s smile turned cheeky. “Now, why don’t we go tell my future husband the good news?”

Irene kept her expression carefully stoic. She watched her prance back into the room. Cursed the guy in twelve different languages in her head. The guy was sitting up against the wall. His hands were still tied behind his back. There was no sign of an attempt to escape. So far, he was proving to be at least somewhat trustworthy. That didn’t mean she’d ever let her guard down. She didn’t fancy a knife to her back. Especially not out of her own stupidity.

Seulgi turned a chair around. Sat on it backward. Folded her arms on top of it and rested her chin on them. “You’re in.”

The guy quirked an eyebrow. “But?”

Smart. Admittedly.

“But, you do not get to leave our sight. You don’t get to go anywhere by yourself, you don’t get to do anything by yourself, you don’t get to meet anyone by yourself. Got it?” Seulgi said.

“Crystal. Although, I do have one small request.”

Seulgi tilted her head. “And what’s that?”

“Could you kindly ask the pretty lady if she could stop trying to murder me with her eyes?”

Jun Jaemin turned out to be an asset. An annoying asset, but useful. He started proving himself by procuring the blueprints of the base. There was the lab, next to it was the arsenal, and to the left was one of the six hidden exits scattered throughout the base. Valuable information, enough to keep him close.

Seulgi didn’t need someone to tell her that Irene was pissed. More than pissed. She iced the guy out like a winter storm. The only time she’d ever seen anything like it was with her. Except this time it was three times worse and five times more scary. Seulgi had almost forgotten why Irene was called the Ice Angel. 

“We should check out that lab.”

“Why?” Irene’s voice was stiff. More of a statement than a question.

“Jun Jaemin said that it’s Maple Leaf’s main lab. It’s at least worth a look, isn’t it?”

Irene threw the guy a piercing glare. Grunted and walked away towards the bathroom. When she closed the door it felt as if the room was thawing.

“Not very friendly, is she?”

“That’s not a word you’d use to describe her, no.”

“How long have you two been together?”

Seulgi choked on air. It shouldn’t have been surprising but no one had directly questioned them about their fake relationship before. She coughed into her hand, thought of something to say. Conjured up a random number in her head.

“Almost two years.”

Jun Jaemin whistled. “That’s a long time for two agents.”

Seulgi forced herself to relax. Managed a small smile. “I think you’re less likely to push each others buttons when you both know the other person has the capability to murder you with a rubber band.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’ll do it.”

Seulgi nodded. Looked over the blueprint again and thought about why Irene was so moody. The girl wasn’t good with strangers, but she wasn’t hostile towards them. Maybe it was because he was still a potential enemy. That was it. There was no other explanation.

A knock sounded at the door. It took less than two seconds for Irene to come out of the bathroom and another three seconds for her to grab Jun Jaemin and shove him inside instead. Seulgi counted six seconds in her head. Walked over to the door and opened it a crack. Froze at the sight of the one person she’d been avoiding since they began their stay here. Kang Sumin stood at the door alone. She looked uncertain, vulnerable. A little hopeful. All Seulgi felt was a deep hatred burning in the pit of her stomach.

“What do you want? Is there a mission or something?”

“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just—I was wondering…if you and I could talk.”

Seulgi wanted nothing more than to scoff and slam the door in the woman’s face. It would be satisfying. Healing, even. It was Irene’s hand squeezing her arm as a warning that made her stay put. She thought about the mission. Thought about Lee. Gritted her teeth and relented.

“Fine. Let’s talk.”

The message rolled to the front of SM’s gates when the clock struck midnight. The security footage showed a remote controlled truck. It cruised along the path and came to a perfect halt at the gates and sat there until security noticed it and sent out a