-February 13th, 2015. Beijing.  04:48.

Pieces were scattered on the chessboard set on the bed. Depending on the black’s next move, he had thought out three to five plays ahead. Baekhyun forcefully rubbed his hands together, trying to keep the blood flowing despite the stale air of the ty hotel room -the heating system kept the temperature at borderline bearable. The bed cover felt uncomfortably humid even though he knew it was clean, the red carpet had questionable stains of various eerie sorts, the tacky flowered wallpaper was cracked and fading, the tiny TV was out of service and the hesitant yellow light was bothering his eyes. He thought his senses were on edge because of the jet lag, but being inside the cheap hotel room, that reeked of cigarettes, had him feeling nauseous with every repugnant detail. They paid close to nothing for the room, so he really couldn’t expect the place to not be an utter hole.

Baekhyun sighed impatiently as he glanced at the clock Agent Moon had placed on the night stand; the one on the wall didn’t tick at all. It was nearing five in the morning, still not a decent enough time to walk out the door. The morning traffic was slowly becoming alive enough to be heard but nowhere close to the everyday bustle of the capital city. He knew he should feel tired, that at any given moment his body would believe it to be bedtime in Paris but, unfortunately, he didn’t feel tired at all. Maybe the uncomfortable sleep he managed on the plane was enough for his body to function for the day; or maybe it was the anxiety keeping him up. How he wished he could just shut his eyes and nod off like his guardian so easily could, instead of becoming an ever-growing nervous wreck each time he stared at his chessboard.

It was damn near impossible playing without Mama. But strategy was strategy and he needed to practice every second he could before it would be too late.

Repeating games was helpful only for his memory and for re-evaluating options, seeing moves that could have gone differently with the change of one small step. He didn’t care about winning anymore; right now what he needed most was to acquire as much experience as possible. Winning was not equivalent to learning.

All these games, and yet he still hadn’t a clue how to keep moving. He always seemed to get stuck in the same predicament, no matter how the game started.

“It all depends on them,” he murmured as he stared at his light bishop and dark knight. “But,” he looked towards the rook placed on the bed and off the board, “it can’t start without you… Are you even meant to be a rook? Maybe you’re just a pawn.” He looked at the empty space on a1. “I really need you to be a pawn.”

Baekhyun ruffled his dyed black hair and then let his hands fall to his lap as he stared at the board. And stared, and stared, and stared.

, Jongdae. He groaned as he pressed the heel of his palms against his tired eyes. Why do I keep forgetting Jongdae?

God his head was a mess.

“, kid stop thinking so much. I can’t sleep ‘cause of you,” Agent Moon muttered annoyed as he sat up on the other bed.

“I wasn’t being loud,” Baekhyun defensively said as he turned his head to look at his companion. The agent had his back propped against the headboard with a flimsy pillow barely cushioning his head -black hair matching Baekhyun’s.

“I can hear every neuron frying up inside your brain,” he sardonically said, not even caring to open his eyes. Baekhyun scoffed but kept his retort to himself. “Seriously kid, you should rest a bit. We’ve still got time to spare before knocking down his door.”

“We won’t even need to knock.”

“It ain’t like he’s gonna welcome you with open arms,” Moon said as he peered at him with one eye, “Much less if he sniffs out what you’re up to.”

“I bet ya he’ll hug me,” Baekhyun challenged, leaning his weight on his wrist to look back at him.

“You bet?” Agent Moon laughed. “Alright fifteen euros he doesn’t.”

“Nuh huh. Make it thirty.”

Moon gave him a suspicious look as he sat up and swung his legs to the side to sit facing him. “Thirty but he’s got to hug you for at least ten whole seconds. Any less you pay up.”

“What? Who the hugs for ten seconds?” Baekhyun asked scandalized.

“Fifteen then-”

“Alright, alright. Ten seconds and I get thirty.” Baekhyun huffed as he leaned forward stretching his arm to offer his hand, “Deal?”

“Deal.” Moon smirked as he shook on it. The agent eyed his chessboard as he leaned his elbows against his knees. “You keep getting stuck.”

“Yeah, tell me something I don’t know,” Baekhyun bitterly stared back at the board.

Moon kept quiet for a minute as he observed the stagnant game. “You could just play a different round, you know. You could improvise something else instead of the plan,” Baekhyun nodded but didn’t attempt to move a piece. “Isn’t that what she’s been teaching you lately?”

“Yeah. She’d wipe the board and set out a few of her pieces randomly. Then she’d tell me to pick my own pieces, as many as I need and set them on the board,” he explained as he grabbed the rook to play with it in his hold. “That way I don’t know everything at once. As the game moves on more pieces appear on the board, gotta analyze and restrategize. I have to try to figure out her plan with each step being a new hint. That way it’s more-”

“Real,” Moon interrupted.

“Yeah,” he nodded. “But it’s hard to play that way alone.”

Moon scratched the back of his neck as he stared at the board. “Well, you keep getting stuck at the same point because for anything to happen you depend on them to pull it off, right?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun confirmed as he eyed his dark knight and light bishop.

“And it’s just the beginning,” Moon muttered concerned. “But they are part of Lu Mei’s plan.”

“So?”

“So, why don’t you focus on your plan instead?” Moon shrugged his shoulders at the simple idea.

Baekhyun hummed in thought. “That could do. But I do depend on Mama’s plan to work anyway.”

“Let her worry about her and you worry on your own .”

“Such inspiring words,” Baekhyun laughed until a pillow knocked his head. “Hey! I meant it.”

“Of course you did,” Moon rolled his eyes. “Can you even use her pieces?”

Baekhyun frowned. He never really considered them her pieces, he just played following on as if they belong to him. But Moon had a point. Those pieces had been designated to certain people, two of them that he hadn’t figured how to work with yet.

“Oh my god,” he gasped as he was suddenly hit with an idea. “He’s not a rook,” he muttered to himself as he placed the rook on the dark square of a1 and picked up the pawn in g3, “He’s a pawn.”

Baekhyun hastily reordered his side of the board, placing all the pieces on their default spaces. If he changed the designation of a few pieces, then he could make the play he wanted –the one that left him with nine pieces on the board.

“If I do what you suggest, then I get four new entries. Four pawns I can designate,” he explained hyped. “I’ll have to be open-minded about two of them, since I’m missing players. But the other two are crucial and now I have control over them, which means Jongdae…” his excitement died too soon as he realized where both pawns would end up. “,” he groaned, hiding his face behind his hands.

“Baekhyun. Baekhyun, look at me.” He did as told and met the serious gaze of his guardian. “You can’t let feelings blind you. Do what needs to be done and chose the people you know can pull off what you need.”

Baekhyun nodded, knowing that there was no time to waste sulking over the hard decisions he would have to make. “They’re going to ing hate me,” he chuckled bitterly.

“No they won’t. If they can get past all the Lu Mei made you go through, then they’ll undoubtedly forgive you too,” Moon encouraged.

“That’s the problem. There’s no forgiving Mama.”

“That’s not true,” Moon countered, giving him a meaningful look.

Baekhyun shrugged his shoulders. “I might be the only one.”

Moon shook his head, but didn’t press further. “So what you’ve got so far?”

“Well, if today’s plan works out, I’m afraid there’s going to be retaliation. But as long as I keep them moving, we should be fine… for some time,” Baekhyun said while moving pieces from both sides with practiced movements.

“And if it doesn’t work?” Moon spoke softly. “That means I…”

“If it doesn’t work then you’ll have to switch sides,” he confirmed.

“, I don’t think I’ll be able to sound convincing,” Agent Moon muttered.

“Yeah well, let’s hope today works out fine,” Baekhyun commented without much enthusiasm as he pushed pawn g forward one step.

“You’re going to keep him at the back?” Moon asked sitting straight as he noticed the piece. “Aren’t we supposed to make him work with us?”

“Just because he works with us doesn’t mean he’ll be in the team,” Baekhyun explained as he moved black pawn g.

“You’re not bringing him back?”

Baekhyun scoffed. “If I bring him back. And I highly doubt I ever will after today.” He looked at the agent who silently asked why. “I’m going to need a damn good reason to bring him back.”

“I thought you had one,” Moon said confused. “For today at least.”

“Yeah, I got an offer he can’t refuse, but it doesn’t come with a homecoming invitation.” Moon gave him his silent questioning look again. “I need him, but I can't have him close. He’ll everything up.”

“Ah, makes sense,” Moon nodded in agreement.

“I can't have Yifan either,” Baekhyun continued, pointing at pawn f in default position, “or at least not at the beginning. One look and he’ll know I’m full of and all my plans will be over. I might use him in the end, but for now it’s too risky. I think Mama knew that and that's why she sent him there.”

Moon crossed his arms over his chest. “You really think she considered that he’d hinder your attempts to carry out her plot?”

“Yeah.”

“But he’s just a pawn.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘just a pawn’,” he pedantically said. “Besides, Yifan’s more like a rook.” Moon shrugged his shoulder, clearly not getting his point. “He had no good reason to leave Toronto. She moved him so he’d be closer to them,” Baekhyun explained. “So I already figured out how they’ll meet. He’s got permission to participate in an art gallery expo, so it’s only a matter of time to send an invite.”

“I know, I know. But I still think it’s too risky,” his guardian mumbled.

“And that’s exactly why I know it’ll work and he’ll stay put,” Baekhyun replied without hesitation.

Moon nodded. “Ok so no Yifan. What about the others?”

“Umm,” Baekhyun looked back at his board, his pieces were a few steps ahead but he could still see the path he created. Start English on c followed with his light knight, which would remain in position to secure pawn a in position b. Fianchetto g for the light bishop to step forward and remain with the dark knight, this move was crucial to open in e.

He depended on his dark knight and light bishop to succeed on their timely endeavor to push e forward. Then he’d have to figure out a way to move his dark knight to make way for the king. Then push pawn d to get captured in favor of pawn e to advance to d. And then, only then, he could chance with castling the king. He'd move pawns a and b at some point along the way, and eventually get his dark bishop. It could be a slow start but he’ll need these essential movements to get the game flowing to his favor. After, he should be ahead enough to create new moves depending on the evolution of the game. But his beginning didn’t have as much flexibility as he would hope for. Hence, he kept getting stuck whenever he revised his game.

“Kyungsoo’s set. Jongin’s been travelling a lot,” Baekhyun finally spoke up, “So I really, really, really am hoping he catches another cold, yellow fever or whatever the so Chanyeol gets a chance to reach him on time.” Moon laughed out loud at his remark. “I mean it. If he doesn’t get bedridden long enough, then it’s going to be a pain to get Chanyeol.”

“I’ll talk to Jeon,” Agent Moon offered.

“You can? Even off the grid?”

“I may have gone rogue for you kid, but I’m a rogue on my own,” Moon smugly said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’m awesome.” Baekhyun snorted a laugh, but the other continued nonetheless. “What about Sehun then?” the agent questioned. “I mean, if Jongin’s scoping south, don’t you think he’ll reach him on time?”

“No. Sehun’s too far,” Baekhyun flicked his hand dismissively. “That’s why we’re using Lu Han.”

“You think it’ll really work? You think we’ll get Sehun?”

“Of course we’ll get him. It’s Sehun,” he shrugged. “He’s close to his mother, so one message should suffice.”

“Wow, such a freakin’ mastermind,” Moon chimed.

“Yeah, well, this mastermind would appreciate if you could contact Junmyeon’s agent too.” Baekhyun scratched his chin, “Knowing him, hyung won’t move a step without bombarding out questions. So it’ll be smoother if we give him a heads up.”

“Alright,” Moon immediately agreed.

“As long as everyone under the NIS is moving, I shouldn’t worry much.”

“And those under NSB? Don’t you need them to move even if they’re safe?”

“Tao’s scheduled to relocate by the end of the month. Poor bastard has been stuck in a freaking monastery this whole time,” Baekhyun commented. “The rest are set. My only issue is Jongdae.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know what the to do with Jongdae,” he sighed annoyed. He actually did have an idea for Jongdae but he really didn’t want to go through with it.

Moon chuckled as he reached over to rub his shoulder. “You don’t need to know what to do with him right now. You’ll figure it out later. Besides, you know there’s not much left of EX’ACT, so it ain’t like you’ve got a lot of work to do.”

“Yeah, but it’s the last game. It’s the last chance we’ll get to topple the king,” Baekhyun stressed as he looked at the opposing piece. The black king: restricted in steps but not direction. The most powerful piece that needed to be kept secured and not out on the field doing the dirty work. The CEO of the company that has both birthed and tormented their lives.

Baekhyun moved the black pieces in the following fashion: bishops on c and d of the eighth row; king and queen on d and e of the seventh, one rook on b of the sixth row while one knight was placed on f of the same row; finally the second knight had been set on h5.

“Namu subunit has been completely destroyed, but Kim Chulsoo wandered off North,” he recalled as he twisted the knight on f6 to face the north. “Both units in Russia were shut down along with their presidents, thanks to Minseok’s help,” Baekhyun continued as he knocked both bishops down. “The French subunit has been dismantled, their president is still awaitng trial,” he grabbed the b6 rook and placed it upside down. “The Aussie’s are completely ed,” he knocked the knight at h5. “All that’s left is China,” he said pointing at the king and queen.

“Yeah,” Moon nodded. “All that’s left is China.”

He picked three pawns and placed them before the taller pieces. “The three subunits have been dealt with,” he toppled the pawns over. “We’re still missing the unit the Chief can’t find and the headquarters.”

“Well, the headquarters is tricky because there’s nothing illegal about it. A few instances of suspicious money wiring isn’t enough for the conviction we need,” Moon explained. “That ing king,” he pointed at said piece, “has kept his units as clean as possible while diverting the insanely illegal to the other countries. Getting convictions for the Chinese subunits has been hell, and would’ve been impossible if it weren’t for Lu Han and Yixing’s help.”

Baekhyun nodded, knowing full well how everything had happened now that Agent Moon was no longer under surveillance and had been able to disclose all the details of the Chief’s mission –with ample supply provided by Mama. She had told him that the Chief managed to accomplish a lot with all the help he has gotten, and that the last pieces remaining had retreated and hidden away. But the game had started again; the first pawn had already been moved.

EX’ACT just needed a little nudge and Baekhyun knew exactly where to prod.

“All that’s left is Zhang and his right hand queen,” Baekhyun said as he knocked the remaining pieces.

“What about that rook?”

“Huh?”

“That one,” Moon pointed to the rook he left on its default designated corner.

Baekhyun smiled conspiringly as he picked up the disregarded piece. “I don’t know yet, we’ll have to ask Lu Han.”

“Speaking of which,” Moon said as he turned to check the clock. “We should get going. We’ve got half a city to cross to get to his house.” Baekhyun groaned.

“Couldn’t find a hotel closer to it?” he complained, “One with decent sheets and a proper shower.”

“Not if we wanted to stay out of his radar,” Moon reasoned as he got up to check his bag. “Put your board away. Less complaining and more action, yeah?”

Baekhyun did as told, but still complained.

They took their sweet time to get to Lu Han’s house, under the excuse that he didn’t want to arrive too early in the morning when in reality he just wanted to enjoy some sightseeing along the way –well, as much as he could see. He always supposed that if he was ever given the chance to see a member again he’d be completely ecstatic and would want to see the other as soon as possible. But, let’s face it, this wasn’t going to be a family reunion but a ‘business negotiation’ of sorts. And, well, it’s Lu Han.

The day was freaking cold. He expected there to be some winter fog but, adding the pollution in the air, the city was so dark that it was hard to believe it was daytime. He felt as if they were walking through a big dark cloud, where only the closest edifices were visible as smudged shadows, within the normal spectrum of light. They had to be careful walking down cobblestone paths and stairs that s between old styled housings for the morning dew had frozen to ice, making each step slippery.

Trying to sightsee had been more of a waste of time, so Moon decided to take out his wallet and catch a cab.

Traffic was .

Traffic could get very ty in Paris. Traffic was mostly in Seoul. Traffic was unarguably absolute utter in Beijing.

Enough said.

It was a good decision to take a taxi, since Lu Han lived in a high-end neighborhood. Lu Han’s home was secured behind a grand stone gate. It had big wooden doors with red varnish, brazen metal decoration with guarding tigers and characters he couldn’t read despite all his Mandarin lessons with Mama. Baekhyun didn’t even manage to press the buzzer on the side before the gates automatically opened. They stepped in the outer courtyard, stopping in their tracks as they stared in awe. Lu Han’s freaking house was a spectacular modern version of a two-story Chinese courtyard house. Everything was beautifully made out of white stone, with red varnished wood, dark convex roof tiles and riddled with golden decorative figures.

“Holy ,” Baekhyun gasped.

“You said it, kid,” Moon muttered in awe.

The front courtyard had a small river that ran parallel to the house and had a bridge that needed to be crossed to reach the entrance. The garden was dutifully managed, with patches of green and various plants adorning the foot of trimmed stone pine trees. There were statues of guardian tigers made of marble, dragon heads on the corners of the bridge rail, and, inside the stream, a little fountain adorned by a statue of a turtle with a koi fish on top of its shell.

It might have been winter now, but Baekhyun could clearly picture the beauty the yard would be during the blossoming spring under the brilliant rays of sunlight.

They reached the steps before the front door, their eyes drawn to the intricate golden emblem of a dragon and a tiger which was embedded in the red wood. The two creatures of counter forces were poised to attack each other at any given moment. Baekhyun could feel a vivid tension depicted in the artful design, representing the internal conflict between the mind and body –an endless struggle Baekhyun knew all too well. The dragon and the tiger seemed to come alive with movement as the door opened.

Baekhyun’s legs moved on their own as he watched Lu Han step out with a bewildered expression mixed with a broad smile. He stepped out wearing his indoor slippers, black sweatpants, and he was hastily putting on a grey padded jacket over a navy blue hoody. His silken dark brown hair was messily parted through the middle, letting his locks flow naturally on each side of his face. His doe eyes were upturned crescents as he smiled a wide toothy grin. Stepping closer he noticed that Lu Han’s delicate features had matured and sharpened, making him appear much more handsome than he remembered.

Baekhyun had been far away from all his brothers; he had been alone for so long that he felt the urge to hold Lu Han close and have the tangible confirmation of touch show him that he wasn’t dreaming and was in fact very much awake.

 He outstretched his arms, ready to embrace the other. “Lu Han, it’s so good to see-”

His words were cut short as Lu Han forcefully held onto his shoulders, keeping him in place.

‘What the are you doing here, Baekhyun?’

Baekhyun’s heart fell in his chest as he heard Lu Han’s thoughts loud and clear in his mind. His words were serious, suspicious even, completely contrasting the bright smile on his face.

Huh?

‘Seriously what the are you doing at my house?’ Lu Han tilted his head to the side, his smile never faltering –unlike Baekhyun’s arms that turned liquid out of astonishment and fell to his sides.

“You’ve grown so much, let me take a good look at you,” Lu Han said louder than necessary for Moon to hear and not suspect anything of him. Crafty bastard.

Can’t a brother visit another brother? he asked as clear as he could.

‘Not under the current situation we live in. How the hell did you even get to Beijing?’

If you hug me for ten seconds I’ll answer all your questions.

‘What?’

“I can’t believe you’re here,” Lu Han exclaimed.

“And I can’t believe you live in this huge ing house, hyung,” Baekhyun commented, speaking just as loud as the other.

Lu Han’s smile completely vanished as he stared back at him in some mixture of shock and nostalgia. “Hyung,” he repeated softly, “I haven’t been called hyung in so long.”

Baekhyun smiled warmly and genuinely. Come on, hyung, just a hug. Ten whole seconds and I’ll answer all your questions, I’ll even give you fifteen euros.

‘Euros?’

Trust me, you’ll need them.

Lu Han chuckled in disbelief at his antics. Smiling affectionately, he leaned forward to embrace him tightly. Baekhyun immediately reciprocated, feeling a stir of emotions warm his heart as he felt the other against him. It was so good to have Lu Han holding him; feeling his warm frame holding him so close made the emptiness inside him dissipate. He couldn’t believe that he finally got the chance to embrace the other again. Baekhyun couldn’t help himself from bear-hugging the elder and he sure as hell couldn’t stop the tears of happiness swelling in his eyes.

Hugging his hyung was too good to be true, so much so that he needed to hold him tighter in fear of the other suddenly vanishing into a dream.

‘You better not be scamming me, you little .’

Ah, yes, hugging Lu Han was too good to be true.

If the exterior of Lu Han’s house was impressive, then there were no words to adequately do justice to the interior of his modern household.

Passing the entrance hall they met a division wall with a circular arch made out of wood with sculptured details that match the patterns of the rest of the house. Passing the arch lead towards the spacious living room, where Baekhyun found a wall made of stone and decorated with a golden dragon. His mouth slacked as he stared in awe at the majestic golden dragon scaling up the stone wall, decorated with mosaics that created a mix scenery of water, flowers and clouds

 “How do you manage to find the will to leave this house and go outside?” Agent Moon asked as he admired the details of the wooden arch.

“I don’t,” Lu Han chuckled.

“Ever?” Baekhyun asked surprised, looking away from the dragon.

“I’m not a total recluse Baek,” Lu Han corrected before making his way towards the kitchen. “I do go out sometimes. Just, not much.” He said a moment later, as he set out platters on the kitchen table.

“Why not?” he asked, gaze falling towards the extension that led to the inner courtyard, certainly just as spectacular as the one up front. “Apart from the glorious house,” he added.

“It’s noisy out there,” he replied as he placed individual servings of rice, “Too many people; too many thoughts.”

“They should’ve transferred you to someplace quiet,” he commented as he made his way to the kitchen, “like they did with Tao.”

“Tao?”

“Yeah he’s been living in a Buddhist monastery,” he explained as he eyed the expanse of the modern kitchen completely equipped with the latest appliances.

White walls, red varnished cabinets and dark marbles counter tops. There was an island table at the center, made out of the same dark marble as the rest of the furniture, where Lu Han had set the plates. Baekhyun noticed that there was also a counter table towards the right, with stools and a minibar behind it, and with a carved wooden separator to give some privacy from the rest of the house.

“You know where Zitao is?” Lu Han said surprised as he set down a plate of delicious looking food on a center mat.

“Uh huh,” he nodded as he opened the huge fridge –he could probably fit inside standing if it wasn’t completely  stocked up with groceries and pre-prepared food meticulously kept in tupperware. “I know where everyone is.”

Lu Han looked him up once and then squinted his eyes. “If you come here on her behalf, then I suggest you keep whatever message you’ve got to yourself.” He turned to check the boiling teapot, “I’m not interested.”

“I’m not here on her behalf,” he answered honestly as he took several steps to reach the island table, “but I am able to be here because of her,” he explained as he stealthily stole a piece a chicken off the dish.

“Don’t tell me, don’t even think about it. Let me guess,” Lu Han said as he set down the teapot and cups. “Hmm,” he placed his hands on his hips. “She gave you some sort of task, a mission or whatever, and that led you all the way to my front gate. Right?”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much it,” he shrugged.

“Unbelievable,” he shook his head. “You’re working for her now?”

“More like with her, but yeah.”

Lu Han scoffed. “After all that happened with Kyungsoo, I would’ve thought you knew better.”

Baekhyun felt a tad annoyed by his remark, because it was a direct insult not only to him, but to Mama as well. But if he wanted to get on Lu Han’s good side, he would have to let a few comments slide and bite back any poorly thought retort.

“It’s not that different from what you did,” Baekhyun said. “Mama’s working with the agents as well, so it’s like we all are cooperating together.”

Lu Han stared at him in disbelief. “Working with the agents is completely different to all the she’ll put you through.”

“Well,” Baekhyun picked out another piece of chicken –indiscreetly this time, “A boy’s gotta eat, you know.”

Lu Han shook his head disapprovingly. “Umm, what’s his name?” Baekhyun answered once he figured he meant his guardian agent. “Agent Moon, would you like to join us for breakfast?”

“I would love to but I’m afraid Baekhyun has important things to discuss with you,” Agent Moon politely replied as he stood by the entrance of the kitchen.

“I’m sure our conversation will be short, so you won’t be a bother at all.” Lu Han gave off a look that meant he wasn’t even going to listen to Baekhyun in the first place.

“Oh, I highly doubt that,” Moon quickly countered with a smile.

Lu Han eyed the agent before looking back at Baekhyun with a questioning gaze.

“I can sit at the far end of the counter over here,” Moon suggested as he pointed at said seat. “You won’t even notice me.”

“You really won’t,” Baekhyun jibed, earning a displeased look from his agent.

“Sure,” Lu Han agreed as he began to fill a plate with a sample of every dish he set out. “It’s not much, but it’s enough for breakfast. It’s Cantonese chicken, some egg rolls and dumplings,” he explained as he handed over the plate and the rice serving. “I’m afraid I don’t have kimchi.”

“Oh, don’t worry about kimchi,” Moon chuckled, setting his plates softly on the counter. “Your Korean still is perfect by the way,” he commented as he received his teacup.

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Lu Han asked confounded.

“I don’t know. Let me ask my dumb brain and I’ll get back to you,” Moon smiled with a sarcastic glint before turning around, facing his back towards them to eat his breakfast.

They both laughed at his agent’s silliness before sitting down to enjoy their breakfast. Baekhyun had been so eager to try the food, that he unceremoniously shoveled scoops of chicken and rice into his mouth.

“Jesus, where have you been living? In a ing cave?” Lu Han sardonically asked as he eyed him with distaste.

Baekhyun swallowed hard and drank some much needed tea to wash the food down his throat, burning his tongue a bit. “Almost,” he chuckled despite the discomfort in his throat. “A two bedroom appartment as big as your kitchen.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Baekhyun munched on an eggroll. “Well, maybe a bit bigger than your kitchen, considering it does have two bedrooms.”

“Thank god,” Moon exclaimed, making them both laugh.

“We’ve been living in Paris for the better part of these years,” Baekhyun explained, “And also some months in Lyon.”

“Oh, so you can speak French?”

“Ha!” Moon guffawed, earning a glare from Baekhyun and a laugh from Lu Han.

“Why did you change location?” Lu Han asked instead.

“Umm, Lyon is safer-”

“Because he met a girl,” Moon interrupted.

“A girl?” Lu Han raised his brows high on his forehead, staring back at him.

“Uh, yeah,” Baekhyun scratched his head. “I don’t want to talk about that though. I’m kind of sensitive towards that topic.”

“Why?” Lu Han looked towards Agent Moon.

“Cos they broke up a few weeks ago,” the agent revealed.

“Oh.”

“What was it about us not noticing your presence?” Baekhyun muttered annoyed at the agent.

Moon waved his hand dismissively, silently telling them to continue.

“So, did you cook all this?” Lu Han snorted in response. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“My agent checks on me every week and leaves food for me to heat up,” Lu Han explained.

“You didn’t get full emancipation?”

“No. It would be reckless to not have the NSB protecting me,” he explained as he set his finished plate aside. “I got partial emancipation and this house as compensation for the work I provided with Yixing.” Baekhyun’s gaze faltered at the mention of the healer’s name. “You, umm… You know anything about Yixing?”

“A little,” Baekhyun nodded as he fiddled with his chopsticks. “How is he now?”

“Better,” Lu Han responded as he cradled his teacup with both hands. “Last time I saw him he was much better than before when, when he was…” He awkwardly sipped his tea as an  excuse to not speak. “So, how did you manage to sneak into Beijing?”

Baekhyun was thankful for the change of topic. “We took a plane from Brussels all the way over here. As long as I’m not seen leaving or entering France, they won’t find my place.”

“But you still are seen getting in and out of Belgium,” Lu Han argued.

“If they see me, which they didn’t.” Lu Han looked at him confused, but didn’t bother to press on further.

Baekhyun placed his plate to the side, clearing his spot so he could focus on finishing his cup of tea. Without needing to move from his seat, all the used dishes floated in the air and were carefully placed in the kitchen sink. There was nothing on the table that could distract them anymore -besides the tea set. It was time for business.

‘Tell me why you’re here.’

The final game has started, he thought clearly through his mind as he drank some tea, And by game I mean it’s our last chance to find the missing subunit, dismantle it and take down headquarters as well.

‘The final game?’  Lu Han quirked a brow.

Yes.

Lu Han squinted his eyes, reading between the lines. ‘This is her plan. I’m not doing it, I don’t want to do anything involving her.’

But Lu-

‘No.’ He crossed his arms over his chest with finality.

Baekhyun huffed annoyed and brushed his hair back. “Why do you hate her so much?” Lu Han’s eyes darted towards the agent; cautiously making sure the elder wouldn’t barge in their conversation.

‘Why wouldn’t I hate her after everything she’s done?’ Lu Han asked.

Which ultimately led us to survive, he countered, placing his hands on top of the table. Look, even if your genetic pool was based on her daughter’s, your mind and memories are the same as the rest of us.

‘What do you mean?’

Even if biologically you’re supposed to be her son, you never grew up being that son. Lu Han stared at him with a mix of confusion and shock. Physically, yeah, I can see the similarities. The more time I’ve spent with her, the more I noticed the little details that you share with her. I mean, come on, you’ve got her nose. Lu Han glared at him at this point, so Baekhyun knew he had to get to his point fast. What I mean is that, because of the way we were… created, and because of the way we grew up, either all of us are her children or none of us are.

Lu Han’s features smoothened as he seemed to finally understand Baekhyun’s point of view. “Stripped down to the bare basics, we’re all the same.”

“I never thought of it that way,” Lu Han spoke softly, nearly whispering.

“I know you have issues with her, but Lu Han please, I really need your help,” Baekhyun insisted. “I know that her plans are harsh but ultimately they work out for the best. And I need you to help me make this work.”

“She’s going to play you like she did Kyungsoo.”

“She won’t. I’m not going to let her,” Baekhyun said without hesitation.

‘What? How?’

Castling. He answered in thought. But I’ll need your help. First we need to be able to get back together, but we won’t be able to with the agents guarding us all the time.

‘How am I supposed to help with that?’ Lu Han frowned.

I just need you as an intermediate for negotiation. Just that.

‘Just that?’

Well, you might need to use some Jedi mind tricks on him, but I’m pretty sure I found the right guy to do the job, he chuckled to himself.

Lu Han groaned into his hands. ‘I can’t believe you just used a Star Wars reference.’

Hey, it’s a legit reference – he pointed out.

Lu Han moved his hands away to stare back at him. ‘How do you even know I can do that? No, wait. I changed my mind, I don’t wanna know. He petulantly crossed his arms over his chest. ‘So, you want me to sabotage the agency to stop them from babysitting you guys and put whatever the hell you’re planning in motion. Right?’

Yeah.

‘Are you ing stupid?’

Baekhyun closed his eyes to stop himself from cussing, but Lu Han’s sarcastic snort told him that he still caught his thought. Look, it’s not just that, but it’s the first step –an essential step. Lu Han what we, only us, have to do will ensure that the rest of us survive. You understand me? Because whatever the Mama’s planning is gonna be worse than what we’ve already gone through. He stared dead serious at the other. I need your help on a few minor details to make sure we keep our heads attached to our necks. Otherwise we should just give up, hide in rat holes for the rest of our lives and pray they never find us. He shrugged. Because they will Lu Han. And if you believe that hiding inside this house will keep you safe, then you’re not only stupid my friend, you’re also ing naive.

Lu Han’s sullen frown was a dead giveaway that he struck the right nerve. He had finally managed to crack Lu Han’s stubbornness. The sudden silence in his mind made him wonder if Lu Han could still listen to his thoughts or had disconnected the telepathic link –he never really understood how his ability worked.

The sound of water sliding inside the kitchen drain and a plate being set on a drying rack caught his attention. He had been so immersed in his mental conversation, he hadn’t noticed that Moon had taken it upon himself to be useful and wash the dished for them. Once finished, the rogue agent excused himself to go ‘check out the crib’. Only when his guardian left did Lu Han make any sign of agreeing to help him out.

Baekhyun breathed out a sigh. “Thanks.”

“Don’t.”

“Damn, there’s no winning with you, huh?” Baekhyun muttered in a mix of bewilderment and annoyance.

“So, are we taking both agencies down?” he asked as he busied his hands with tapping on the table.

Baekhyun disagreed with the shake of his head. “It’s a good thing they divided us.”

“Is it?” Lu Han questioned, placing his palm on the surface of the table.

“Works for me,” he shrugged.

Lu Han eyed him up. “You’ve changed a lot Baek,” he commented, “Your mind used to wander a lot –not like Jongdae, that dude couldn’t even keep track of all his thinking. Now it’s just, so focused. Your hands,” Lu Han pointed at his hands that were still relaxed against the table, “you used to fidget with your fingers a lot. You’ve toughened up.”

“Oh I have,” he smugly agreed. “You should check out what’s under these clothes.”

“Oh my god,” Lu Han groaned disgruntled, slapping a hand against his forehead. “Forget it. Forget I even thought you matured. You’re still a little .”

Baekhyun smiled and threw a peace sign up.

“What else do I have to do?”

“What?”

“You just mentioned the first step,” Lu Han explained. “How many are there?”

He nodded. “Maybe two or three. It depends on how well our negotiation goes.” Lu Han gave him a curious look. “Whenever you depend on other people, always be prepared for setbacks.”

“Not your wise words, right?”

“Nope,” he chuckled. “You’re not going to like the other important task I need you for, so I’m going to offer you something in return. Something better than this house.”

Lu Han’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “You tin’ me?”

“You know, Sehun’s been well-”

“No,” Lu Han interrupted, “I’m not helping you recruit him.” He leaned forward trying to look authoritative but Baekhyun didn’t budge. “If he joins the group, it’ll be his choice. I don’t want anything to do with it.”

Baekhyun chuckled, startling Lu Han. “Don’t you think love and hate are like the same emotion but of opposite intent?”

“Wha-what?”

“They are two of the most intense emotions that project outwards,” he calmly explained. “If you are capable of killing out of hatred, then you are incapable of falling in love for the path to love has been corrupted by hate.”

Lu Han’s doe eyes widened in distress. ‘You’re not supposed to know that. How the hell do you even know this?’

I know someone who can help you, he looked at him straight in the eyes.

Lu Han laughed incredulously. ‘There’s no fixing me, Baek. There’s no fixing this,’ he pointed at his temple.

I’ve done my research, and I swear, Lu Han, there is a way. It’s not going to be easy, but it’s possible. Lu Han shook his head and Baekhyun could tell his thoughts were being pushed away. “You don’t know what you’re missing out on, hyung. You have to at least give yourself the chance. You have to give it a try, not only for you, but for Sehun.”

Lu Han raised a finger to shut him up. “Even if I’m able to, to love him,” he seemed to choke on the word, “I’m not gay, Baek.”

“Everyone’s a little gay.”

“I’m not,” he stressed.

“Okay, whatever, keep telling yourself that,” he rolled his eyes. “Love ain’t always about , you know,” he kept pushing on. “And not being able to love, truly love someone you care for, someone you hold dearly, is a ing ty way to live.”

Lu Han closed his eyes and clenched his jaw shut. Baekhyun knew he hadn’t been the only one who had changed. The old Lu Han, the more immature and juvenile Lu Han, would’ve punched him square in the face right about now.

“Look, I need your help and you surely need mine,” he kept pressing on. “You don’t have to be so alone anymore Lu-”

“It’s none of your business,” Lu Han snapped at him. “My life is none of your business, Baek.”

“Then make it my business,” he countered, slamming his hand against the table.

“What the ?”

“Demand something from me,” he explained loudly, “I need you to do two or three things for me and I’m offering something you know you mustn’t refuse. What more do you want?”

Lu Han’s nostrils flared with each deep breath he took.

“What do you want, Lu Han?”

“I… I need you to take care of him.”

“Yeah sure,” he immediately agreed. “I’ll take care of him. I’ll make sure he doesn’t get hurt or do something stupid. Hell,” he exaggerated, “I’ll even scrub his back and put him to bed if you want me to.”

“No, Baek, it’s not just that,” he shook his head. “I…” he looked away, voice softening into an insecure tone, “If he still thinks of me, I need you to help him move on.”

Baekhyun blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. “What?”

“Help him get over me,” he said without looking away this time.

Baekhyun could feel the gears in his brain grind as he finally understood what Lu Han was asking him. “That’s the complete opposite of what I’m trying to do with you.”

“I know, I know.” Lu Han took a deep breath, “But this is what I demand you do.”

Baekhyun stared dumbly at him for a few seconds. “But what if my guy can help you? Won’t you regret what you’re asking of me?”

“I might,” he replied with a sad tone. “But I’m sure as hell that I’d hate myself for not giving him the chance to move on and find something, someone better, when I might never be able to give him what he wants.”

Silence. Heavy silence filled the room.

Baekhyun suspected that their negotiation could entail some setbacks or giving up something to get what he needed to be done. But Lu Han had completely flipped the board. It wasn’t that he didn’t like what was going on because he couldn’t provide what the other asked for, but because he was destroying what little hope he had for them to be happy again.

This could completely break them.

 “If,” he tried to find his voice. “If I do what you ask me to and you get better, would you…”

“I don’t know,” Lu Han sighed. “Do we have a deal?”

 “I, uh...”

“Do we have a deal, Baekhyun?”

“Yes,” he reached forward to shake his hand. “Yes, we have a deal.”

- March 14th, 2015. Mendoza. 17:15.

Why he had agreed to go shopping with Eliana was beyond him. He kept saying it was because he had promised her they would hang out someday during their summer break and had pushed the date so many times that he finally ran out of excuses to turn her down. But he knew why he agreed to go out today –he just didn’t want to spend his last Saturday of summer break cooped up in his bedroom all alone. Again.

The early autumn breeze under the remaining summer sunlight had been enjoyable enough to make their walk worthwhile. But now, stuck inside a mall with the A.C. settoo cold and LED lights too bright, he regretted stepping outside his front door.

Eliana stepped out of the dressing room wearing a blue A cut dress that would need a waist belt to fit her properly.

“What do you think?”

“I might be gay but I’m not a fashionista, Eli,” he sighed tiredly, leaning against the wall while crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh, please, I didn’t bring you for your ‘gay fashion sense’,” she used her fingers to air quote as she spoke, “I brought you here because of your sheer honesty. So, what do you think?”

Sehun looked her up and down, paying attention to the way the dress framed her body. His friend was born and raised in Mendoza but he was sure that she had some European heritage in her genes, even though for generations her family had lived in Argentina. Eliana was average height, pretty figure which she had slimmed down –she still had weight to shed off, but at least she was healthier than she used to be. Light sun-kissed skin, light chestnut wavy hair, beautiful smile and lovely hazel eyes. He knew his friend was pretty, even if she didn’t believe so herself; and he sure as hell knew she could pick her own damn clothes, which was why he was so annoyed to be standing by the dressing room and checking out her outfit choices.

“It doesn’t fit you right. It makes your hips look twice as wide,” he finally replied.

“I thought wide hips were in these days,” she said pressing her hands to her hips, trying to make the sides of the dress stick closer to her frame.

“Not when it makes you look like two people instead of one,” he retorted with no malicious intent.

“Well, not all of us can have tall slim Victoria’s Secret model bodies like you, Sehun,” she chuckled as she stepped back inside the dressing room to change into her next pick. “That would make the world a fair place and that ain’t the world we live in. What about this one?”

Sehun didn’t even need a second to think of his reply. “I don’t think lime green is your color, Eli.”

“Yeah,” she agreed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Might as well put on a black square hat and become a highlighter marker,” Sehun laughed imagining how accurate her costume would be. “Might work for Halloween,” she shrugged, “I just wanted a little more color for my wardrobe.” She went back in the dressing stall.

“You walk around with paint stains on your clothes. How much more color do you want?” Sehun commented as he gazed around the store, looking for something pretty that could show off what a beautiful person his friend was.

“Something pretty that says ‘hey, I’m cute, likeable and available’.”

Sehun snorted. “Then we should be shopping for signs, not clothes.”

“Ha,” she guffawed sarcastically as she stepped out again. “What about this one?”

“No.”

“Just no?”

“Just no.” He walked up to a rack and picked out a dress that caught his attention. He took out a small and a medium size because he wasn’t quite sure which would fit her. “Try this.”

“Flowers? Seriously?”

“You said you wanted to look cute and available.”

Eliana accepted the dresses. “Flowers it is then.”

After their successful shopping, Sehun invited Eliana to a confectioner’s shop in San Martin avenue, where they could buy their favorite alfajores and then walk a few blocks to the nearest plaza –Chile plaza. Ironic, he lived in Argentina, but the plaza closest to his house and their favorite chocolate store was named after the neighboring country.

“I don’t get why you like these so much,” Sehun commented as he put his share away in his bag to give to his mother later.

“You know why tourists always try ‘em and buy some for gifts?” she said after finishing a bite of the sweet chocolate-covered biscuits filled with caramel. He shook his head in lieu of a reply. “Because they’re damn good, that’s why.”

Sehun laughed wholeheartedly, nearly falling off the bench when she pushed him playfully. As he turned around, he noticed a group of girls giggling among themselves as they indiscreetly looked at him. He sighed, knowing full well the look on their faces. He turned back to Eliana and took her hand in his own without warning, intertwining their fingers with ease.

She gave him a curious look before leaning forward to see the group of girls at the other end of the plaza. She chuckled, “I like it when people think you’re my boyfriend. It makes me believe I could actually get a boyfriend.”

“Shut up,” he pulled her hand to bring her closer to his side, “you’re beautiful.”

Eli’s smile didn’t go unnoticed. “Yeah, but, you’re not just handsome, ya know? You’re like, model material, hot guy,” she explained as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “So I enjoy watching all them jealous es throw death glares at me.”

Sehun laughed. Eli was right, the girls at the park were shooting daggers with their eyes at her. “I thought I was more obvious,” he commented.

“Not at all,” she leaned away to look at him. “Do you know how I figured out you were gay?”

“I thought my tall slim Victoria’s Secret model body was a dead giveaway.”

Eliana laughed gleefully, “That’s just a stupid joke.” She shook her head. “No, I realized when you told me your favorite book is Love in the Time of Cholera.”

Sehun frowned. “It’s a beautiful story, written by an inspiring and intelligent man.”

“Yes, it is a beautiful book, but few claim it to be a favorite.” Eliana looked straight into his eyes with her hazel ones. “You’re unique, Sehun. There’s no one like you. Is that why you always look so lonely?”

Sehun didn’t answer. Instead he stood up from the bench, pulling her along with him. “It’s late. I’ll walk you home.”

Eliana knew better than to pester him, so she let him lead the way.

Eliana’s house was in the opposite direction from his own, so it was a rather long fifteen minute walk to his house, during which he had to cross the plaza again. Back at home everything felt normal, ordinary. Dinner went fine, nothing new, nothing odd. Back in his room he picked out his favorite book from his bookshelf and lay down on his bed. He didn’t feel like reading at the moment, instead he admired the artwork of the cover’s illustration. His mother had given it to him for his first birthday with them –even though he had already read her copy of the book.

Sehun didn’t know what to expect when Agent Lim told him he would be living with a foster family under witness protection shortly after arriving to Argentina. Something about him still being underage was what prompted his settlement into the Park family. His new parents and brother made his stay much more welcoming and easier to comprehend –language-wise.

His foster mother helped him out the most, since his older brother went to college in Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, so he didn’t get to see him as much. And his father, well, after coming out to his family his father wasn’t the most accepting about it. Not that it really mattered though; it wasn’t like he was his real kid anyway.

Learning the language wasn’t as hard as he thought it would be, and it was mainly because of Mrs. Park’s help. His mother loved reading and she would read to him aloud so he could listen to the words that were printed on the pages. Spanish sounded so beautiful to him. He couldn’t explain why, since he much preferred listening to songs in his native Korean, but listening to a story wind and unravel in Spanish made the experience feel more magical. And that could be because of his bias towards Gabriel García Márquez, but, nonetheless, words spoken in Spanish held a beauty to him.

So instead of attending the last year of high school like kids his age should, Sehun spent the first year in Mendoza learning the language with the company of his mother. It was undeniable, her influence in his decision to study literature at college. It wasn’t like he had any future plans for a college degree, but he had time to waste and college seemed to be a very useful way of doing just that.

“May I come in?” he heard his mother at his door. She let herself in after his reply and made her way to sit next to him on the bed. “How are you doing honey? You looked a little down during dinner,” she asked as she delicately brushed his hair with her hand.

“I was just dreading going back to classes on Monday,” he said as he snuggled against her smaller frame.

“Would you rather stay home with me?”

“Of course I would,” he immediately answered, looking up into her brown eyes. “You’re much better than any of my boring professors.”

She chuckled lightly. “There’s always a thing or two you can learn from them, you know. That’s why they are teaching in the first place.”

“None wiser than you.” Instead of a reply, she kissed the crown of his head. “Do you know why I love this book so much?” he asked as he picked up his copy of Love in the Time of Cholera that had settled between them.

His mother’s warm eyes looked down at him with sorrow –more concern that actual pain. She knew everything about him, that one look in her eyes told him so, as if she could feel the same sadness inside –the emptiness and pain he couldn’t stop feeling no matter how hard he tried.

“Lovesickness doesn’t have to be painful, my dear Florentino,” she called him by the character of the book. “Please don’t let your sorrow plague your heart.”

“I can’t help it,” he said weakly as a tear already crept down his face. “He makes suffering in the name of love seem like something heroic, but it’s not. It just hurts.”

“Please, don’t cry,” she urged as she held him closer. “You’re not alone, Sehun.”

“But I’m not with them,” he stressed, trying to keep his throat from closing in on him from crying. “I’m not with him.”

“What if you could?” she spoke softly. She leaned away so she could cradle his face with her delicate hands. “What if you could see him again?” she whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“I,” she quickly gazed towards the door as to make sure no one would hear. “I’ve been told where Lu Han is,” she whispered.

He felt an aching tug in his heart as he processed her words in silence. Lu Han. She knew where Lu Han was.

“Where?” he gasped.

She hushed him before replying. “Edinburgh.”

“Edinburgh, Scotland?” he whispered back. She nodded.

He stared in shock for a good whole minute. Edinburgh was far away, another freaking continent away. He would have to take a plane to get there, but he couldn’t risk that. No, there was a way he could travel without being seen. He got up and hastily looked through his closet for the right clothing.

“Sehun. Sehun, wait.” His mother held his arm so he would look at her.

“Please, don’t stop me,” he pleaded as he tried to push her hand away.

“I’m not,” she chuckled. “You’re just forgetting the seasons are different there.”

“Right, right,” he let out a silly laugh as he pulled her into a hug. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she said in a broken voice.

“Don’t cry.” He felt himself tear up.

“I’m not crying, you’re crying,” she said through tears.

“We’re not crying,” he chuckled as he felt hot streams run down his face.

“Let’s pack a bag. You need clothes, food,” she said grabbing his backpack from the study chair, “toiletries, money, anything essential.” Sehun almost laughed as the first item in his room she picked up was his book.

“No, no.” Sehun tried drying his face. “I can’t take anything with me.” She looked up at him uncertain. “Just money, cash. I’ll buy whatever I need on the way.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “But,” she looked at the book in her hands.

Sehun smiled at her. There she was, standing in the middle of his room, face flushed red with tears still falling down, willing to let him leave, backpack forgotten on top of his bed as the only thing she thought of true value was the book in her hands. God, he loved her so much.

“Keep it.”

“What? No, Sehun-”

“Keep it safe for me,” he said as he held onto her shoulders to look at her face. “So I can read it again when I, when I come back,” his voice broke at the end –he was no longer able to deny he was crying.

He was crying hard now and she knew why.

His mother tried to smile reassuringly as tears fell harshly down her cheeks. If he left now, the way they both knew he was going to escape, then there was no certainty to whether he would ever see her again.

“Okay,” she cradled the book to her chest. “For when you come back.”

“Thank you,” Sehun sobbed as he wrapped his arms strongly around her trembling frame. “Thank you so much. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

-March 15th, 2015. Seattle 06:29.

He’s never up this early. Why the had he woken up at this god forsaken hour? Oh right, because he wanted to swallow an aspirin or two for the freaking headache he had.  

Jongin lifted his tired body from his bed and dragged his feet towards his bathroom. The first thing he noticed as he looked into the mirror was that he looked exactly like he felt: like .

He had been sick in bed for the better part of the week. Luckily his fever had already died down, but he still felt half dead. He really needed a nice hot shower like two days ago. So even though he was awake too early for his liking, Jongin willed himself to step inside the shower.

He would’ve thought that his body was created to withstand greater challenges than the common flue but it turned out that without Yixing’s constant presence, he could get sick as easily as any other human being.

Ever since he found Chanyeol he had taken some time to venture south through Central America. Why he had started searching in big countries like the US, Canada and Mexico was beyond him. Since he had found the pattern, he knew he could search faster for the rest of the members. Guatemala proved to be a pain to search for he got sick the first time down there. Belize and El Salvador were fast to breeze by. Now he had Honduras to search through, but -because of the damn climate differences- he had gotten sick. Again.

Between the hot humid air of the tropical countries and the freezing indoor A.C. of every building he walked into, his body kept caving and falling feverish.

After a decent shower and a new set of clothes, Jongin had made his way to the kitchen for a quick meal -eyes still droopy from sleep. He was sure no one would be awake at this hour -not even the dogs were up and about- but he heard voices coming from the dining room. Popping up next to the entrance, Jongin focused his attention to listen to the discussion between his guardian agent and his foster father -who also happened to work with the NIS, in communications.

“We’re still in the dark about this. There’s no word from Central,” his foster father said, sounding distressed.

“Calm down, we haven’t been ordered to follow any procedures yet, so we’ll keep doing what we’re doing,” Agent Jung countered.

“Central is down. How the hell are we going to receive orders? Huh?” the elder asked exasperated. “Something is wrong and has been for a while.”

“When’s the last you heard from them?”

“About a week ago,” his father replied. Jongin could practically hear his father anxiously biting his nails.

“.” Agent Jung hesitated before speaking. “Do you think it has to do with what happened in New Zealand?”

“No, no,” he heard his father open up a cabinet door. “This is different. This is from the inside.”

“A mole?”

“A rat,” his father spat infuriated, “A ing two-faced rat.”

“, Kim, I know this is bad but it’s too ing early for a drink, man.”

“Do you have a cigarette?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank god,” he heard him exclaim.

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” Agent Jung commented. “First went down in New Zealand, we lost Cha. Then Moon decided to bail the out. Then Maxwell disappeared and now this? Central is down?”

“Have you had any contact with Choi?”

“No, not since he went to China,” the agent replied.

“And Moon?” He heard his father pacing through the room. “He’s a guardian right?”

“Yeah. I don’t know who he looks after, but last he was seen was in London.”

“What the was he doing in London?”

“I don’t know,” Jung answered. “We weren’t told where the kids would be scattered, so maybe he relocated there and went off grid for some goddamn reason.”

The smell of smoke didn’t bother him, it was the nauseating feeling inside his gut that did. He knew something wasn’t right -that something really wrong was happening and he hated being out of the loop.

He was sure of one thing though. A member was hiding in London.

Ignoring his headache, the nausea and any residue of his cold Jongin teleported back into his bedroom. He grabbed his emergency bag that he kept hidden in his closet and set it on his bed.

He went over his options first. He hadn’t seen Yifan in weeks, maybe even a month. And Chanyeol, well, he had passed by on his way back home so he last saw him on Tuesday. Yifan was protected under the NSB and, for all he knew, they were either working fine or they could be out like Central of the NIS. But Chanyeol, , Chanyeol was under the NIS too. Jumping to Mexico just to warn him would be too much though, especially if he was planning on making the warp jump all the way to ing London.

He had to get to London before whoever was hiding there transferred someplace else.

“But Chanyeol,” he ruffled his hair. “.”

Jongin stared at the world map posted on his wall. All the annoying red dots that covered most of North America were glaring at him in a mocking way. All that time wasted, searching through the US, when he was the only one living there. , maybe Chanyeol was the only member left in all of America, while the others could be scattered about Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania… , maybe they hid Minseok in ing Antarctica.

“Godingdamnit,” Jongin muttered as he furiously rubbed his face with his hands. “Okay, okay,” he breathed in deep to try to calm down his racing heart. “Just because Central is down, doesn’t mean we’re in danger. So, so, yeah, Chanyeol will be alright. He’s got his agent and family taking care of him. He’ll be fine,” he nodded to himself. “I’ll just go find who’s out there in freaking London and come back.”

He took a deep breath. “Yeah, it’ll be fine,” he reassured himself as he strapped on his backpack.

One more deep breath as he pictured the Parliament Square in his mind. Why Parliament Square? Because that iconic building with the ing Big Ben bell was the first thing that came to mind.

One deep breath and he’ll be gone.

He opened a sub-dimension, bending space-time to tunnel his way across the planet. It took a lot of energy to make it through the Atlantic Ocean. And once his feet touched solid ground in the middle of the Parliament Square, he collapsed. It took great effort for Jongin to scramble onto his hands and feet, trying to get up and look less like a drunkard in the middle of the busy street -it just had to be daytime over here. He managed to sit himself on a bench at the plaza-garden-thing in the middle of the square, in the British air in hard laborious gasps.

He looked up at the clock when it struck three in the afternoon –when he was sure it was just about to be seven in the morning back home. He would’ve marveled at the majestic chime if he didn’t feel like passing out.

He had jumped all the way to London for crying out loud.

“Holy ,” he gasped as the realization of his recklessness finally hit him. “I’m in ing London.”

-March 16th, 2015. Zihuatanejo. 14:52.

He was late. Chanyeol knew he was ing late and his mother was going to nag his head off. Thank goodness he didn’t have the lunch shift today.

His morning had gone well, very relaxed and much needed. He had the dinner shift last night, and, like every Sunday night, the restaurant had been heavily packed with customers –mainly tourists tired of the many seafood restaurants. He had to help out preparing dish after dish in the kitchen with the rest of the staff. Order after order, it had felt endless.

So during the morning, he had gone out for a walk with only his guitar strapped onto his shoulder. He had strolled to the central plaza to watch a basketball game in the court there, but there were just a couple of kids playing an unimpressive game, so he ended up wandering off towards Contramar beach at the northwest side of the bay –the complete opposite direction from the more popular beaches.

He had trekked up the hillock, passing by the touristic villas, and then strayed off the main path into a dirt road. The undisturbed path had led him to the rocky formation at the other side of the hillock. A quiet place not many tourists went to, since it didn’t have a sandy beach. There he had stayed for most of his morning. Just sitting on a rock gazing at the emerald sea, letting the breeze mess up his red hair and breathing in the brine scent of the coast.

He had played some new tunes out there, in his own little world on the solitary piece of land by the sea. The week-long international guitar festival of the past week had greatly inspired him. Next time, he had promised himself, he would prepare better for it and participate in the workshops instead of working at the restaurant. This time his family needed the help since they just had settled in two months ago. So yeah, next year was going to be his year to give it a shot.

His morning had turned to noon too quickly. So he hurried back to the center to do some minor shopping. All he had to do was go buy a few supplies and missing ingredients at the suppliers market because the prices were lower there. Instead he had ended up wandering off to the local Campesino market -even though there wasn’t much he could buy there since his mother chose Italian cuisine over Mexican, for reasons he still couldn’t understand. Ever since they moved to the beautiful bay city, and he found out about the local market, he would always pass by whenever he had the chance to buy a chilate from the old lady. He was addicted to drinking them. Sweet toasted rice milk with cacao and cinnamon, what’s not to like about it?

So by the time he finally reached the restaurant at La Ropa beach, he was pretty ing late.

“You missed lunch,” his mother said as soon as he walked into the kitchen through the back door.

“I know, I’m sorry,” he lamely apologized as he helped put away the ingredients he bought. “Hi, Jose,” he greeted the busboy, a local teen who worked more hours than he should, considering he was skipping classes again.

“I’ll fix you something quick since you’ve got to work the dinner hour and I’ve got to manage the till,” she said as she grabbed a pot and set it on the industrial kitchen stove, right next to Javier who was preparing some customers order.

The kitchen wasn't as busy, considering it was a Monday. Still, Chanyeol made his way to the counter by the dishes Jose had left to dry, trying not to bother anyone working.

“Does it have to be spaghetti, mom?” He petulantly complained as he watched her cook.

Mrs. Park stared at him for a few seconds before answering. “This is an Italian restaurant, dear.”

“I know, I know,” Chanyeol perched his chin against his hand. “It’s just that we haven’t had Korean food in forever.”

“Nonsense. We had chicken galbi for Jongin’s last visit.”

“Yeah, but only Jongin got to eat the chicken. He freaking devoured it,” he sighed, making his mother laugh.

“Alright, alright,” she chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.” She went to the pantry at the back and returned with a jar.

A few minutes later and a plate of spaghetti with kimchi was set before Chanyeol. “This is all I found so you better not complain,” she told him while crossing her arms.

Chanyeol stared at the dish in front of him as he was hit by sudden nostalgia. His eyes felt watery and the tip of his nose burned. He couldn’t keep the memories of Kyungsoo and his kimchi spaghetti at bay and they were battering at his brain. He missed him so much. He missed all of them so ing much.

“Chanyeol? Chanyeol, are you okay?”

“Ye-yeah,” he shook his head and quickly put on a smile. “Thanks for the meal.”

“Uh huh, anytime,” she said as she patted his back. “Remember, you’re on duty tonight. I have to go to the reception desk.”

It wasn’t much of a busy night. Thank goodness.

His eyes hurt from cutting so many onions and garlic for the salsas. He had had to replace the saucier tonight, since the other man called in sick. But now his shift had ended and he had already helped with cleaning up the kitchen. All that was left was to wait for the few customers that were still finishing their meals before closing up for the night. He stepped outside of the building through the back door to light up a cigarette. It was a habit he wasn’t proud of but it was the perfect excuse for him to ignite a bit of fire; the one thing that kept his anxiousness at bay and used up a bit of his pent up energy.

He didn’t think twice as he walked out to look at the beach. It was so dark that the only way to distinguish the water was by the moonlight reflecting off the little ripples on the surface of the waves.

“Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive,” he hummed to himself. For some reason Jongin had made him watch Saturday Night Fever last Tuesday and he has had the freaking Bee Gees stuck in his head ever since.

“You got a light?”

Chanyeol nearly jumped at the voice beside him. He hadn’t noticed the person standing right next to him. Even though it was night, it wasn’t that dark on the street since the many buildings and restaurants light up the night.

“Yeah, sure,” he replied once he composed himself.

He pretended to pick out a light from his pocket and then extended his arm towards the stranger. The other didn’t seem to notice, probably because of the dark, and leaned forward with his cigarette to breathe in the of fire. He used one hand to hold the stick in place, while his other hand was hidden inside the pocket of his raincoat. Why was he even wearing a raincoat?

“Thanks, man,” the guy said after taking in a deep drag.

“No problem.”

“Where’s your lighter?”

“What?”

The stranger took another drag before looking back at him with a grin. “I didn’t see no lighter, man. How’d you do it?”

Chanyeol gulped, feeling unnerved by the guy’s eyes. There was a glint in them that seemed off. “It’s a magic trick,” he laughed the question off as he dropped his cigarette to step on it. “Got a lighter under my sleeve.”

“You ain’t wearin’ no sleeves,” the guy frowned.

“That’s the magic of it,” he said and turned to leave.

“You think I’m in’ stupid, kid?” Chanyeol felt the man grab his arm with a firm grip.

He had been so startled by the stranger suddenly switching to speaking Korean that he couldn’t help but turn to look at him, even though his gut was screaming at him to run away.

“No, sir,” he sounded as confused as he felt.

“Oh, you do,” the man said with a vicious smirk, “cuz you ain’t screamin’ like you’re supposed to.”

It wasn’t until he heard those words that Chanyeol realized the man had stubbed out his cigarette against his skin –against his fireproof skin that didn’t even feel the heat of the cigarette. And the worse part wasn’t the non-existent burn, but that the hand holding the cigarette stick was no human hand at all.

“,” he gasped as he tried to free his arm.

“Yeah, ,” the man chuckled darkly. “I found ya.”

Chanyeol screamed horrified as the stranger raised his bogger hand, long black claws ready to slice his face off. Out of sheer instinct he ignited fire all over the mutant man, ignoring the cries of pain as he broke free from his hold and ran back into the kitchen.

“Chanyeol!” he heard Agent Jeon scream as he stepped inside. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the agent point his gun towards him. “Move, damn it!”

He reacted quickly, legs moving much faster than his brain as he threw himself to the side. He heard a loud bang, so loud he felt his ears ringing from the blast. Steeling his nerves, Chanyeol scrambled to his feet, a familiar sense of fear creeping through his spine.

He didn’t get the chance to take a good look at whatever his agent shot, for the creature disintegrated into thin air in an eerily familiar way that made his stomach churn.

This had to be a ing nightmare.

“Come one, Chanyeol, we gotta go,” Jeon urged, pulling him by the arm.

“Wait, my mom,” he suddenly remembered and his heart seemed to freeze painfully inside his chest.

“My team already evacuated Mrs. Park,” his agent spoke quickly and without hesitation. “Hurry, move. We’re in trouble.”

“No ,” he muttered as he watched his agent pull out his gun and shoot another mutant.

This could not be happening. Not again.