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"mask or no mask, you're still caught in a lie."

;

ten woke up with an unfamiliar headache. he felt that his body wasn't that aching anymore but something in him still stings. he scanned his environment only to found out that he's still in the same room.

the room where he died.

ten sighed and massaged his temple. his wounds were still sore and fresh but he seems to not mind it anymore. what only matters now is that maybe he's still breathing, or at least. his eyes weren't blank anymore and his shirt was still ripped. his hopes were already draining and he would sometimes pray to just have him dead.

they're so cruel.

yuta was one of the most ruthless man that he have ever encountered. yuta made him take different drugs, toyed with him and asked for answers that god knows he shouldn't share.

they got what they want except for one.

ten doesn't even know if he should just give up but all those years training in the agency is haunting him. he still wanted to live, he really does but seeing his situation now, he might be considered a talking corpse.

he found out a few secrets regarding the seoul triad. he smiled looking at how well informed he is now. maybe jimin would be also proud of him, considered that he was once an educated failure.

ten tried to sit back up but his back was failing him. with that, he just lay on the ground, thinking senseless thoughts. and that's when he heard a few footsteps approaching the very room.

here they come.

in the gloomy room stepped yuta and his men. they've got a few guns but all he did notice was another boy holding a laptop. he looked someone selling an encyclopedia rather than being an associate. another girl also walked in holding a suitcase.

ten didn't even dare to mutter a word, he just watched how they arranged a few things and he automatically knew what they want from him.

god, just please kill me.

"ten my boy," called yuta. "did my little boy get a goodnight's sleep?"

ten ignored him and shivered from the possibilities that are starting to grow.

"can you do me a very special favor?" yuta asked and leaned over ten. ten averted his gaze and his breathing became heavy.

yuta grinned, seeing the surrender. "i definitely knew that seulgi was goddamn useless. i wonder what taeyong's really after her." yuta then cupped his chin, "i guess maybe he wanted ?"

a few laughs enveloped the whole room before the tension became vivid.

all ten could do was to not get affected by yuta's words but all he could do was listen and nod. he was a prisoner entering his death sentence.

"koeun, is the laptop ready?" he asked the only girl in the room. she looked young like the other boy arranging wires. "yes, almost."

"good." yuta remarked.

ten gathered his courage to speak, "where's taeil?"

"oh," yuta seemed to be surprised. "we do not speak of the dead boy, he might wake up and strangle you."

laughs once again lingered in the air. yuta was a madman. ten was right, maybe he was even more of a devil that lee taeyong.

yuta once again leaned down and traced his jawline. "tell me about that software."

ten shrugged which he regrets later. he earned a kick on the stomach.

"fine then, open that software for my team and i'll let you go."

ten smirked, "who in the right mind would believe you?"

"i said i'll let you live."

"surprise surprise."

"yuta," called the younger boy. "we need the password now. the software's got a countdown and it might trigger the alarm they've set on the homepage."

"hold it mark," koeun ordered. "i think we could hold it if we use the b-code."

yuta rolled his eyes, "nerds." then he returned to ten; crossing his arms. within a snap of hand, he ordered his men to lift then up and tie him on a chair. mark made him face the laptop and ten bit his lower lip seeing the website. it really looked cool when you actually see it rather than in pictures.

"is this an order?' it was what ten could mutter.

"an order?" yuta scoffed, "of course it is. sooner the boss would know how this technology works. might as well try it on him."

"you're a traitor."

"it's when you chose to be inferior." yuta responded. "but not everyone wins, not for long."

one of yuta's men pointed a gun behind him as koeun started the countdown.

"do your work."

ten didn't even budge an inch which pushed yuta to the limit.

"fine." he whispered. "jinyoung, show him the footage."

jinyoung walked towards ten holding his phone of what seemed to be a live footage. ten recognized the boy also tied up on the chair. his mouth went wide open due to shock and he clenched his fists due the sight. he immediately told yuta to let that boy go but he was really having fun of teasing him.

"n-no..."

the boy looked scared based from the video and ten was begging already, almost crying his eyes out to let his little brother go.

"you think we're that dumb? tell us the password or you'll see that brother of yours light up."

ten knows how forbidden telling the password is. he once worked for the intelligence agency and he all he did was to organize files and crack open codes before he became an agent. just giving up the password could really the agency back into the black hole. it was a software their seniors built. it can hack into satellites, having them in control to have an easy navigation to your target at any part of the world. with this they could also kill anyone they wish.

"let my brother g-go, p-please..."

"light em' up." yuta ordered and ten almost lost his voice from shouting. someone with his brother taesun, poured gasoline all over the place and light up a matchstick.

forgive me. it was ten's final thoughts as he shouted the password in a loud, desperate cry. yuta seemed to be contented from his reaction. koeun easily typed the password and they all gasped when it became accessible.

yuta glanced at ten, seeing how worthless he now is; he cut the ropes behind the ten.

"save him while you can..." yuta whispered knowing the poor boy is just locked up in the basement. ten immediately ran, without any clue where his brother is. he ran from left to right but then he stopped in the kitchen when he smelled something like gasoline.

yuta clapped his hands, "let's get out of here before the whole house blows up." then he muttered a few things to mark before telling his men, "make sure that ten boy is dead. he's dangerous."

"we're near." baekhyun told irene who was incharge of navigating jimin. he leaned on the front seat. "take a left."

jimin obediently nodded. irene was also creeped out by the place. seeing all the huge oak trees, it would really seem a hide out.

"wait, is that----" irene was cut off by her boss who almost stepped on the breaks.

"fire." jimin mumbles.

the house was burning, fire gobbling everything within its reach.

"what the?" baekhyun remarked. "so they knew we were coming?"

"how is that even possible?" irene stomped her feet in annoyance. jimin clicked on the wheels, taking a closer look and that's when...

"holy ---"

"get them now!"

baekhyun dashed off from his seat towards the burning house. "ten!"

jimin stopped the car and also got off. he rushed to ten who was holding taesun in his arms, looking weak. irene, who followed, killed the fire on ten's shirt. she was petrified of his burns and scratches.

jimin eyed the smoldering house, looking for someone that might be there, seulgi.

"p-please, please save taesun, p-please..." ten pleads, his voice barely audible. his throat was dry and he was heavily coughing, the smoke still invading his lungs.

"let's get him to the hospital!" jimin ordered before kneeling down at ten. "where's seulgi? where is she?"

ten couldn't answer him anymore for all his concern was at his brother, "s-save him please..." with his six year old brother's eyes open, ten could peacefully die. irene carried taesun in her arms and called for the ambulance and the police. baekhyun and jimin supported ten who was wheezing hard.

they all boarded the car and jimin could only hit the wheels due to frustration.

"ten," baekhyun called out. "ten please tell us what happened." he was very worried of the young agent. ten also seemed to not last longer. he opened the windows for better ventilation.

"i-i'm sorry..." ten tried to mutter. he coughed hard and blood was oozing down his nose.

"it's my fault, i shouldn't have sent you." baekhyun was almost crying at his beloved dongsaeng. "but please, tell us what happened."

"i'm sorry." ten kept apologizing, misleading the clueless agents inside the car.

"we are seven minutes away from the nearest hospital, hold on ten." jimin said; aching to ask about seulgi again but he just kept it to himself.

"seulgi..." ten tried to make his breathing stable. "sh-she's with t-the boss."

jimin's hold on the wheel got tighter. "did they hurt her?"

ten's eyes grew sadder. "i d-don't know i-if we could save her..."

"what do you mean?" baekhyun asked, trying to confirm his thoughts.

"i-i just think she's gone."

"what?" irene asked in disbelief.

"she's gone from us."

with his words, baekhyun confirmed his conclusion although it hurts. how come you betrayed us all?

jimin tried to deny it. he would still believe what seulgi will say and it's because he trusts her that much.

"jimin..." irene called out. jimin thought that she was just concerned about him or seulgi but when he saw how scared she was just by looking at the side mirror, he nearly gasped.

"they're after us!"

baekhyun lay ten down the seat and pulled his gun out, trying to shoot the black car's tires from the window.

"baekhyun stop!"

"hold on guys!"

they all gasped when a bullet buried itself from the backseat, almost hitting irene's shoulder. terror enveloped the whole vehicle and the car was already nearing the hospital. they were driving in zigzag, avoiding the cars that might hit them. baekhyun still tried his best to knock down the car but bullets drained too fast.

"jimin," irene called out. "jimin you can't avoid the hospital!"

"we'll all die out here!"

"taesun's pulse is dropping! he needs help now park!"

hearing all of the remarks inside the car, ten sat back up and pulled the hem of baekhyun's shirt. "please save taesun and seulgi..."

"what—"

"i'm all they want." ten whispered and smiled, holding a salute. "this is agent 87, reporting for duty sir." ten salutes at jimin before opeing the car door.

"no! ten don't you dare!"

"ten it's not the best answer!"

"stop plea---"

ten grabbed baekhyun's gun and jumped out of the car.

seulgi woke up due two voices who seemed to be in a serious conversation. she opened her eyes, avoiding to make movements. taeyong was on the couch, talking to a blonde woman with bangs. the woman was gorgeous and she looked tall and multinational. she didn't look korean at all.

"i think we need to seal this in thailand." the woman muttered and crossed her legs. seeing that this might be a transaction, seulgi kept her ears open.

"if i check this out, what can you guarantee?" taeyong seemed to be serious but at ease talking to the woman.

"what do you want me to say?" she dared.

"everything." taeyong smirked. "i want the safest guarantee lisa, prove me that."

lisa? seulgi asked herself, hearing the name of the stranger.

"why don't you just come to thailand? visit your associates there. i'll have you under surveillance."

taeyong smirked once more that got lisa smiling. she fondled with her hair. "what do you say?"

this woman didn't even call him boss. is she an associate? wait, who is this woman!? seulgi almost panicked inside.

lisa's eyes fell on the bed, "or are you just afraid to leave that here?"

seulgi swear that she could've just ripped lisa's head off.

--

me to chittapon: " ten let me save you!!"

i was nearing to cry bcos of ten seriously. i need him to live. i need the dose of kdrama. 

why do i kill every nct member? who would still make it out in the end lmao. anyways, please do comment, tell me if this is getting trashier and cornier like it doesn't even have a goddamn plot. i luv lisa.