Renegades

As the days passed since Junmyeon had publicly renounced to his political campaign, the topic continued being on everyone’s lips. People were heatedly posting their opinions on the matter online or talking about it with one another. Some were understanding and could sympathize with Junmyeon’s decision, but most of the views were negative and harsh criticism for lying all this time. The issue was also brought up in written articles, ‘panel discussions,’ radio debates, and other forms of media with Junmyeon in the center. Old interviews were dug up, family backgrounds, first-hand anonymous ‘witnesses’ that could confirm Junmyeon’s ‘true personality’ came forward. Questions such as who exactly Kim Junmyeon was and why he had done what he did lead to speculations because Junmyeon had refused to make a public appearance anywhere. He rejected interviews, phone calls, and even avoided leaving the penthouse because people would flock to him and ask questions he didn’t want to answer. This society with no issues (or people believed they have none) surely didn’t mind wasting their time on these types of ‘sensational’ news. It was no wonder the scandal had reached his family and their business. But the Kim’s wouldn’t go down that easily and will make sure to overcome the bad press, even if it meant they said things such as Junmyeon had lost it and was going through a rebellious stage he was too old for and they didn’t agree with. When it came to Junmyeon’s working place, Silver Group had called for an immediate board meeting that same night Junmyeon had dropped out. The meeting didn’t last for long because Junmyeon had only gone to say he was quitting. His choice did seem to salvage the company from some possible losses due to their previous connection.

Unlike his grandparents and the rest of the world, Junmyeon’s mom and dad hadn’t care or felt disappointed with him for having quit his political campaign, nor that he was unemployed right now. They were happy to hear that Junmyeon stayed true to himself and followed his personal wishes, not the expectations the outer world had of him. His parents had had a hunch Junmyeon tended to push himself for the wrong reasons, so him doing something for his own sake, of course, they would support his choice. But his mother did scold him for blatantly using and lying to Yixing only to end up hurting him on the process. Junmyeon still didn’t find the courage to admit what he had actually done to Yixing and what had happened with him, so he listened to his mother’s speech about honesty and good morals without arguing. Before his parents had left his house, both had enveloped Junmyeon in a hug, an action that made him let out some tears in front of his parents ever since he got the news Jaemin had passed away. Where the tears came from, he knew, but that continued being something he wasn’t courageous enough to talk about yet.

Secluding himself from the outer world whenever conflicts appeared was becoming a bad habit of his, but this time it was useful. Mainly because Junmyeon could avoid wearing the Emotion Watch while he managed to regain control of his emotions. After the Byun’s betrayal, his anger hadn’t vanished, it was deep-rooted and boiling within him. But different from what he had thought, Junmyeon hadn’t gone back into taking any emotion suppressants. No, his thirst for vengeance would disappear if he were to self-medicate again, and that he didn’t want. At least as the days had passed, he was starting to regain control over what he felt, which was a good thing because with what he would do, it was crucial to have it.

In their last conversation, Tao had said they couldn’t do much to help Yixing. Infiltrating to a rehabilitation facility and attempting to release an unreadable would be a complicated matter and a huge risk for everyone involved, especially outsiders like Junmyeon. Dodging the surveillance cameras and leaving the place without any digital traces were the main impediments. And yes, although Tao was an active crime prevention enforcer and could enter a rehabilitation facility as he pleased, his father continued keeping an eye on him at work like a hawk. Given his friendship with Yixing, he and Junmyeon might be the primary suspect. If they were found out, then that was it for them too. They might as well join Yixing voluntarily. Instead, Tao had said that maybe in a couple months, when he regained his father’s trust, and nobody suspected a thing, they could try to come up with a plan. However, Yixing didn’t have much time before they drugged him with emotion suppressants or brainwashed him with ‘corrective’ therapy. With that in mind, Junmyeon had been angry with Tao, not quite believing why his friend was giving up this easily after how much he had done. His anger didn’t last for long, though, because Tao wasn’t his enemy and was only being cautious. Tao had at least said he’ll try helping later. The real enemy was currently celebrating in the shadows Junmyeon’s downfall. At the same time, Junmyeon was planning theirs because no, he wasn’t going to listen to Tao’s other advice and do absolutely nothing regarding the Byun’s affairs because it’ll lead to more trouble than benefit.

He had the surveillance footage of Kim Jongdae. Tao wouldn’t voluntarily give him a copy of the ‘dead’ man’s record, but at least the file was still on the Security Department’s database. Junmyeon had done some research on his own too. During public events held by Byun Corp. Kim Jongdae and Byun Baekhyun could be seen in the family’s old photos. Although the Byun twins were an exact replica of each other, Junmyeon remembered Baekhyun to be the opposite of his twin brother, more carefree, bold and adventurous. One time in their junior year of high school, Junmyeon recalled that Baekhyun had missed one month of classes because he had participated in an illegal motorcycle race and hurt himself. Junmyeon hadn’t been surprised when the news that Baekhyun had left the country without approval from the authorities were made public, which coincidentally happened a few weeks after Taehyuk had been announced as the first candidate in the elections. Whatever reasons Baekhyun might have had, nobody knew because not even his own family knew why (or they pretended not to know). As Junmyeon saw pictures of the year the two happenings took place, he realized that Jongdae was the first one to not appear in them anymore, followed by Baekhyun a few months later. There was also no information available of where Jongdae had gone, but he hadn’t been a public figure, so it made sense. The real reason Junmyeon knew was that Jongdae must have been found out of being an unreadable and was caught. It must have been hard on Baekhyun, which explained why the man no longer looked the same during Byun Corp’s public events after that incident. But if the Byun’s had helped Jongdae to fake his own death to keep him free, it didn’t make sense that Baekhyun had left. Why would Baekhyun leave if he had the chance to, albeit in secret, be with Jongdae? There was more to this story Junmyeon suspected, but he’ll have to ignore his curiosity and put his plan into motion.

Byun Corp. would host their annual charity event to help children in need in one of the last developing countries. Rich people would gather in an auction to show off their money. And of course, those father and son vultures wouldn’t miss an opportunity for good publicity amid Junmyeon’s scandal. Luckily, Junmyeon had confirmed his attendance to the event last month and was on the guest list. Tao had warned him that exposing the unreadables issue would put him in danger and be a cause for ‘corrective’ therapy. But Junmyeon’s anger and thirst for revenge were clouding his judgment. Junmyeon was planning to not only expose that the Byun’s had faked someone’s death and threatened him to quit the campaign, but also tell the story of what had happened to Qian, what the Emotion Watches true purpose was, and how unreadables were locked in to prevent them from committing crimes, the prime examples being Jongdae and Yixing, even if they hadn’t shown signs of any criminal tendencies whatsoever. Everything was all done to protect the flawed System. Junmyeon believed this exposé might lead to one, if not the biggest scandal ever and people reflecting on the kind of society they lived in. Then, the issue would get so out of hand, it’d be impossible for the Security Department to lock in thousands of people discussing the matter. People might turn against the System and what their authorities had done. If they were smart enough, they’d be reflecting over how some people’s lives were less valuable than a useless machine at calculating how prone one is to commit a crime, and they’d realize things needed to change. Junmyeon might even go unpunished for revealing classified governmental information. And it could lead to Yixing being released from his unjustified seclusion, which was what Junmyeon mainly wanted to achieve.

Junmyeon smirked while he looked at his computer. Byun Corp always hosted the auction at a venue that had large LCD screens on the front stage. Usually, a slideshow with pictures of how the funds had helped the children would play before the auction took place. So, Junmyeon had prepared his own speech and a slide presentation to go along with his revelations. Obviously, it was written in code with metaphors and poetic language to divert suspicions from the Security Department observing his use of the internet. Just because he was about to debunk the System and reveal this country’s dirty secrets, didn’t mean he’ll do it unorganized and yelling like a madman. Although after leaving the Byun’s house that night it was exactly what he had wanted to do. People would have called him crazy if he had done that. Luckily, Tao had stopped him from making that mistake. Now, he’ll have the satisfaction to see for himself the fall of his opponents.

As expected, everyone went silent when they saw Junmyeon stepping inside the venue. Their mingling was interrupted, and their eyes were fixed on Junmyeon, who walked around with confidence, greeting people with a courteous smile, and even grabbed a glass of champagne from one of the waiters. When he stood in front of the Byun’s, the old man was staring at him with amusement while Taehyuk was perplexed, almost as if he couldn’t believe Junmyeon was real, each man was accompanied by their wives.

“Mister Kim Junmyeon, I didn’t expect you to be here tonight given your… Situation,” Mr. Byun said, still not erasing that grinning look on his face.

The corner of Junmyeon’s lips curved into a smirk. With the same grace as his grand entrance, Junmyeon greeted them. “Good evening, gentlemen, ladies.” He held out his hand to shake it with everyone. He even pinched playfully baby Jisung’s, Taehyuk’s son’s, hair, who was in Joohyun’s arms. “And how could I miss the chance to be humanitarian? Of course, I’ll be here,” Junmyeon said after letting go of Mr. Byun’s hand. Thank heavens he could control his anger at this point and didn’t allow himself to follow his wildest instincts to harm his enemies with his own bare hands.

Mr. Byun laughed. His son, on the other hand, continued sweating and looking nervous.

“Well, good luck tonight, you know how auctions can be. Don’t let someone outsmart you… Again.”

Junmyeon’s smile grew wider. “Oh, I won’t, Sir.”

The Byun’s left to continue welcoming their other guests while Junmyeon walked around. He recognized most of the people from previous social gatherings and business, even the leader of the nation had found time to attend tonight. In this setting, everyone was behaving and not surrounding Junmyeon to interrogate him with stupid questions, although he got a hunch they wanted to do that. Nobody from Junmyeon’s family was here, though, they were probably still avoiding social commitments until the attention died out. That was a smart strategy because as Junmyeon wandered around, he noticed people were whispering and staring at him from a distance. But when he was close enough to some of them, and they initiated small talk, those people pretended as if they hadn’t been ogling him this whole time. Cowards. Why couldn’t they say it to his face? At least his exposé would give them something more entertaining to gossip about.

The auction wouldn’t begin until after dinner and whatever entertainment the Byun’s had planned for the night. Junmyeon grew impatient with each passing minute, looking at his phone frequently and waiting for that moment. He couldn’t even find taste in the food or care much that people stared at him for sitting at an empty table (his family members were supposed to be there with him). But after the drawn-out music performance and dance recital, the host announced that the auction would begin after dessert, and the public should ready their auction paddles. That was Junmyeon cue to stand up and discreetly leave the venue. Earlier, as soon as he had arrived at the building he had asked the staff where the IT room was located at, so, he knew which way to go.

In front of the supposed door number, Junmyeon knocked once before someone opened the door. From what he could see, this was the correct place. The IT guy must have recognized him based on the expression on his face and how he went mute with his mouth hanging open.

Junmyeon cleared his throat. “Hi. I want to inform you that one of the screens in the venue went black.”

The guy shook his head and regained his composure. “Sorry,” he said, “What did you say, Mister Kim?”

“One of the screens in the venue turned black.”

The guy furrowed his eyebrows. “That’s strange. I haven’t noticed anything here. And the event planner hasn’t called me.”

“I heard there was a mishap in the kitchen, so they might be busy with that. But I think you should check it out.”

The guy hesitated at first but nodded in the end.

“Also, I’m here because I have an important work matter to solve and I need a computer. Could I use one of them?”

“Sure! You can use my laptop,” the guy answered.

They walked in together to the desk with the stationary computers. The IT guy took out his laptop from one drawer, started it and then told Junmyeon it was ready to use. Before bolting out of the room, the guy told him to take his time and don’t let anyone unauthorized inside.

Alone in the room, Junmyeon put aside the laptop and went to sit on the desk chair by the computer screens. He had around five minutes before the guy noticed nothing was wrong and returned. It was a good thing Junmyeon had some advanced computer skills and knew how to connect his slideshow to the screens and the microphone to the venue’s speaker. He had just activated the microphone when the door opened. Looking over his shoulder, Junmyeon saw Taehyuk standing there with a dismantled appearance and gasping for air.

“Do-don’t do anything, please!”

Junmyeon raised one eyebrow, defiant and unwilling to listen. He shifted his gaze back to the computer screen to finish his task. But Taehyuk threw himself on the floor and disconnected the main electrical cord from the wall, making all the computer equipment go black.

Junmyeon glared at Taehyuk. He stood up and walked to plug back in the cord, but Taehyuk wouldn’t let it go. “What are you doing?” Junmyeon asked with asperity in his voice. “Give it back!”

“No, you have to stop whatever you’re planning to do… I’ll tell you the truth,” Taehyuk said while they struggled with the wire. “I’ll tell you the whole truth about Jongdae!”

“How do I know that’s true? You’re just a lying bastard like your father.”

“Because I’m the proof that could bring my whole family down.”

“Oh sure, and I’m a magical unicorn,” Junmyeon mocked him. If Taehyuk didn’t stop spewing nonsense, Junmyeon would have to punch his face. Thankfully, Taehyuk did let go, and he didn’t have to resort to any violence. What came next was odd because just as Junmyeon plugged the cord back in, Taehyuk lifted up his jacket and dress shirt, revealing his abdomen for him to see. What Junmyeon saw caught his attention and made him gasp, ignoring his earlier task. Because there it was, that reminder of an illegal motorcycle race gone wrong, an ugly scar he remembered only one person would want to flaunt about in the swimming team during their junior year of high school.

“Byun Baekhyun?”

The IT guy interrupted the moment of truth when he returned to the room. Taehyuk, or Baekhyun, rolled down his clothes and covered himself again. Both of them stood up from the floor at the same time. Baekhyun grabbed Junmyeon by the arm and pulled him away, passing by the blushing IT guy and saying, ‘You didn’t see anything, Youngho’ to which the guy nodded. Junmyeon let Baekhyun guide him through the halls, all the while his head connected the dots and he realized what must have happened with the Byun twins. But there were still details he couldn’t figure out amid all this chaos. When they entered a private conference room, Baekhyun locked the door from the inside.

“Why the hell are impersonating your brother? Didn’t you leave years ago?” Junmyeon asked.

Baekhyun shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. “Look, I’ll tell you everything, but you have to promise you won’t expose Jongdae. My assistant kept a close watch on you tonight and saw you coming in here. That was what you were planning to do, right? Expose us. And that’s why you came here tonight acting as if last week you hadn’t wanted to kill one of us.”

“How can I promise that after what you and your family did to Yixing? You’re crazy if you think I’ll let this go, not when you are my trump card, Byun Baekhyun,” Junmyeon retorted and crossed his arms. All this time he had been furious with the Byun’s and was planning how to pay them back in their own coin. With what he knew now, he’ll be able to make things even worse for them.

“Junmyeon,” Baekhyun said sternly, “Believe me when I say nothing good would come out of you exposing anything. You will only end up locked in and interfering with my plans because I will take care of it. And most importantly, I’ll help you free Yixing.”

Junmyeon scoffed, “I don’t trust any of you Byuns. You’re all the same filth.”

“After what I’m about to tell you, you’ll have to,” Baekhyun said. He let out a deep sigh. Baekhyun sat down in one of the chairs while Junmyeon remained standing up. “Yes, it’s true, I’m actually Baekhyun, not Taehyuk. I’ve been pretending to be my brother. Kim Jongdae is alive, and he was the one who kidnapped Yixing.”

The story started almost three years ago when the electoral candidates had been assigned by the System. Baekhyun and Jongdae had been one of those perfect matches that met each other in their first year of college, eventually fell in love, and were planning to spend the rest of their lives together. At the beginning of that crucial year, adventurous as they were, they had decided to leave the conformity of their families and their country to try living abroad for some time. Matters were taken care of, and Baekhyun had passed the Migration Office’s necessary medical check-up without problems, it was Jongdae who hadn’t. One moment they said goodbye to each other with a kiss before walking into their respective examination rooms, the next one, a doctor was talking to him, telling him how Jongdae had been showing signs of profound inner stress and had to be hospitalized at once. That had left Baekhyun devastated, almost as if his perfect world had collapsed. One, he couldn’t even say goodbye to his husband and who knew when they’ll see each other again. Two, he had never noticed that Jongdae was in distress, his Emotion Watch had never changed colors as far as Baekhyun remembered. How couldn’t he have seen his husband’s inner suffering? Of course, the doctor reassured him that sometimes that was the case and nobody was at fault, but it didn’t sooth the worry and anxiety he felt, neither the sense of loss within him. Jongdae was his other half, how would he live without him? How long would he have to be without him?

A few months later, the Byun’s received the notice that Taehyuk had been chosen as the first candidate for the upcoming elections. Everyone was over the moon about the news, but somehow not surprised by the results. There was no other person more apt for the job than Taehyuk. And of course, there was a chance for the Byun’s to remain in power for the next term. Baekhyun knew that his brother wasn’t mad keen on running for the leadership but did out of obligation anyway. Also, by that time Taehyuk had been in a secret relationship with a girl who wasn’t his perfect match, or his equal in any aspect. But as soon as Taehyuk had been publicly announced as a candidate, their dad took him to the Marriage Bureau to find his perfect match because Taehyuk had been losing too much time already. When the result was miss Bae Joohyun, not who he was expecting, Taehyuk decided to confess who he truly loved, and it didn’t matter what the System had dictated. There had been a terrible fight back at their house, Baekhyun remembered. His brother had, at last, shouted that he wasn’t going to listen to his family anymore. He was tired of doing so for the past twenty-five years of his life. For once he’ll do what he wanted, and that was not to marry some other woman their family deemed ‘worthier’ to be his wife. Taehyuk had even said he wouldn’t run for the elections, not when all he wanted the most was living a quiet life on a farm with his fiancé. Nobody took the threat seriously. Dumbly, their father had believed that bribing Taehyuk’s lover would work and Taehyuk would reconsider his stupid thoughts. It hadn’t worked and that had made Taehyuk angrier. Eventually, Taehyuk had stayed true to his words because one night he was acting all weird. He said goodbye to Baekhyun, admitting that he had always admired and been envious of his bravery. Lastly, Taehyuk gave him his sincere wish that Jongdae came back soon because Baekhyun wasn’t the same without him, he had lost his gleefulness. The next day, the Byun’s found out that Taehyuk had run away, leaving the country unauthorized with the girl he loved. Over the years, however, only Baekhyun had kept in touch with his twin brother and at least knew he was doing fine and was happy.

To save the disaster left by Taehyuk, their dad and uncle came up with a plan to make it look as if it had been Baekhyun who had gone away. Although Baekhyun had been granted authorization previously, the permit only lasted for one month. It had already been three months since it had expired, the headline that he had run off without permission still worked. Baekhyun had continued to mourn over Jongdae’s absence, but despite his sadness and vulnerability, he wasn’t going to accept his family’s crazy, ridiculous idea. He hated the idea of working behind a desk at Byun Crop. like Taehyuk had done. He hated the idea of politics, campaigns, marrying some girl he didn’t like and start a family. But the main reason, he wasn’t going to lie for the rest of his life.

Then, his uncle said the one thing that made all of Baekhyun’s reasons to vanish. They would give Jongdae back to him as long as he followed their orders to the letter. Baekhyun’s heart had yearned to see his husband for so long, to know Jongdae was doing fine, hold him in his arms again, that he didn’t think twice. He didn’t realize how that would affect them both but accepted the conditions.

And so, that same day the scandal that Byun ‘Baekhyun’ had left the country without approval from the Migration Office was made public, Baekhyun got to see Jongdae. He got to embrace his husband, kiss him and tell him how much he had missed him and loved him. But Jongdae couldn’t say anything in return, Jongdae couldn’t even feel anything, only stare at him with empty eyes. His family hadn’t bothered explaining to him what had happened to Jongdae, just said it must be the effects of the ‘calming’ medication. Later Baekhyun did found out about unreadables and all that problem, thanks to one of his closest friends, Kim Jongin, whom Baekhyun had confessed the truth to and had helped him bring Jongdae back to normal. So, Baekhyun understood that they had to fake Jongdae’s death, so he could easily dodge the fact that he was an unreadable. To ensure that Baekhyun wouldn’t betray them or think of outsmarting them, his dad and uncle had made Jongdae stay in one of their country houses, with some guards accompanying him so he wouldn’t escape. At least he and Jongdae could see each other whenever time permitted. Meanwhile, Baekhyun continued living under his brother’s name, building a complete false life, married to a woman whom he had also told the truth to and didn’t mind the lies, and raising a child together although he wished it would be happening with his actual husband instead. But Jongdae had understood it, and as long as Jongdae was by his side, Baekhyun felt strong enough to continue.

After hearing Baekhyun’s narration, Junmyeon could find one fitting thing to say. “Your dad and uncle are appalling.”

Baekhyun smiled a rueful and tired smile. “I can’t argue with that. Growing up I thought they used to be good men, flawed, but never this… Evil. I guess having too much power corrupts your mind to the point you can no longer see what barriers you shouldn’t cross.”

Junmyeon almost felt bad for him. He was still pissed off about what they had done to him and Yixing. “They sure crossed a bunch of them. Lies, impersonation, kidnapping, blackmail, betrayal, what other wrongdoings has your family done?”

“You can add to the list manipulation… I have to admit, my family also manipulated your results, Junmyeon.”

Way before his uncle had become the current leader of the nation, Byun Corp. had been one of the companies in charge of the System’s technological development and maintenance. Later, when all the other companies had merged into Byun Corp., it had become the sole one. Because Baekhyun worked at Byun Corp., he knew that the software at the Marriage Bureau had gone through a significant upgrade that would hopefully be even more accurate at matchmaking than before. Indeed, it had been, because it led to more people being matched by a hundred percent score. As Baekhyun had become more and more compliant and convincing that he supported his dad’s and uncle’s plans, they entrusted to tell him more of their tactics and secrets. Given that Junmyeon had surprisingly become a strong rival during the electoral race, they decided to target him. One of the ways had been to mess Junmyeon’s perfect match. His dad and uncle knew how to control the software at the Marriage Bureau by hand and didn’t hesitate to use that secret skill. Junmyeon’s original perfect match had been swapped for someone whom Junmyeon wouldn’t dream of having by his side, someone whom he wouldn’t even think of marrying at all, his complete opposite, and that happened to be Zhang Yixing. Of course, that plan failed because Yixing and Junmyeon did end up ‘falling in love’ or at least pretending to be it when they announced their engagement. Then, came in the second strategy. The Byun’s had asked Kim Jongin to make Yixing change his mind and leave Junmyeon for him. For a moment, Jongin and Yixing had become very close friends, and the Byuns believed they had found their ace. But again, their plans were ruined when Jongin gave up on his mission saying that Yixing actually loved Junmyeon. But Jongin did gave them their biggest advantage, he told them that based on his analysis of Yixing’s character these past months, and how chaotic their last meeting had been, he was sure Zhang Yixing was an unreadable.

Junmyeon didn’t even care that he and Yixing weren’t a perfect match, he would have come to love Yixing regardless of what the machine had dictated. Although it was sure the perfect outcome that the Byun’s had randomly picked Yixing. With all that had occurred, maybe it hadn’t been all that perfect, still, Junmyeon felt glad it had been him and not someone else. But what Junmyeon did scoff at was at hearing how Kim Jongin had been involved in all this.

“That ing brat,” he yelled, “He was a weasel this whole time. I knew it, that man is the lowest of the low.”

“Jongin is not bad. He was only doing it as a favor because of how much my family has helped him and his mother.”

That wouldn’t change Junmyeon’s mind about him. “Then, you’ve known Yixing is an unreadable since last year. Why did you wait until now to threaten me?”

“Dad thought that if Yixing managed to make you fall for him too, then he’ll become your weakness. The more time passed, the more you’ll do anything to protect him, and the perfect chance will present itself. When the break-up happened, they thought that was it for you, but it wasn’t, you got more popular. Suddenly, the perfect chance was here.”

So, Junmyeon had been right about why their enemies attacked him only now. He felt angrier. If he had avoided that Yixing and Jongin got close, then maybe the Byun’s wouldn’t have known he was an unreadable. Then again, they would have kidnapped Yixing anyway and blackmailed Junmyeon. But a part of him thought that maybe it would have been better if he and Yixing hadn’t met at all, Yixing would have been safer and not emotionally hurt by Junmyeon. Another part screamed that he was being stupid.

Junmyeon didn’t understand why Baekhyun was telling him all this. It undoubtedly couldn’t be because they had gone to the same high school and had a strong bond. Baekhyun hung out with Jongin and other people Junmyeon had never been interested in being with. As they grew up, their conversations had always been hello, how are you and goodbye. Could Byun Baekhyun be doing this out of sheer kindness? Junmyeon almost laughed.

“Junmyeon, I apologize for what happened. I didn’t want Jongdae or Yixing to get involved. But I couldn’t avoid it. Jongdae actually tried to provoke Yixing and hoped that Jongin had been wrong, but it was true. He was an unreadable. Then, I asked my father to not turn Yixing in because he had nothing to do with this. It was one of the few things I’ve ever asked him. Dad had said yes. And when Jongdae called me saying Yixing was on his way to our house, I believed my dad had listened to me. But he hadn’t. He lied to me.”

Well, now Junmyeon could understand why Baekhyun had seemed so shocked when Junmyeon almost jumped on the desk to strangle the man. Mr. Byun and his brother continued showing the kind of trash they were. These people were truly hungry for power, and someone had to put a stop to them.

“What do you expect me to do, Baekhyun? Sit back and ignore what you’ve just told me?” Junmyeon huffed. “I won’t. I’m putting an end to all this.”

“You can’t,” Baekhyun said, “Junmyeon, please don’t do anything. My dad and uncle think I’m their puppet. But I’ve learned, over the years I’ve learned a lot of things. And one of them is that I won’t let them continue their reign of terror. Both need serious help, and that’ll be my first order when I win. Slowly but surely, I will make everything right, with the unreadables, ‘imperfect’ matches, and make sure nobody loses their lives in vain again. I promised myself, and Jongdae, that I will be the change this country needs.”

That sounded far too idealistic to Junmyeon, the guy was still a Byun. “How do I know you’re not fooling me? How do I know you’re not stalling me from making the right call?”

“Because you have my word I’ll help you take out, Yixing.” Baekhyun stood up and went to stand in front of Junmyeon. “I’ve worked at Byun Corp. long enough to know the drill over there. We have access anywhere digitally. From my desk, I can control a power plant and shut down all electricity at the rehabilitation facility he’s staying at, even the nearest cell tower. Without electricity…”

“There are no security cameras, locks, internet, or communication working,” Junmyeon said.

“Exactly. It can only give you fifteen to twenty minutes before they realize nothing is wrong with the generators and people at the power plant find out someone altered the machines, but enough time to take him out. You’ll just have to figure out the rest, but tell me when and I’ll make sure you can leave without any digital trace.”

Tao had said his biggest concern was how to dodge the security cameras because it can lead to proof of them being there. If Baekhyun could resolve that part, then he and Tao could come up with an escape plan. This was their golden chance. Junmyeon decided to listen to a Byun one last time.

“Fine, I’ll keep this to myself. But if we fail, Byun Baekhyun, you and your family are going down with us,” Junmyeon said before shaking Baekhyun’s hands and sealing their deal.

“Fair enough. But I won’t fail you, and this will succeed,” Baekhyun said with determination. “Oh, and one more thing, you should take Jongin with you.”

Now, Junmyeon laughed. “Do you really think I want that lying brat near Yixing?”

“I told him what happened to Yixing. He deeply regretted telling my family about it and realized it was a terrible mistake. Truth is, he confessed he had only done it because he had been angry Yixing chose you over him. He was really in love with him and that had hurt. But the point is that Jongin works with unreadables in the Security Department. He knows things that can help you and Huang. I’m sure if I ask him, he won't hesitate to help you two.”

“We’ll see,” Junmyeon said before leaving the conference room along with Baekhyun. The auction was probably over by now because they had been in there for a long time. They separated right before Junmyeon left for the main door and Baekhyun returned to the venue.

“Remember, don’t be like your father. You better keep your part of the deal,” Junmyeon whispered.

“Otherwise, you’ll expose me, I know,” Baekhyun muttered. “And you better remember yours too.”

The next day, the first thing Junmyeon did was to go see Tao. To his surprise, Yifan had answered the door and Junmyeon was genially glad to see Yifan back at their house. Of course, that meant Yifan scolded him severely for being an idiot, lying to him, hurting Yixing, and again, being an idiot for drugging himself with medicine that did more harm than good. It was a well-deserved you’re an idiot speech. But also, Yifan was understanding regarding what had occurred with his little brother, just like Tao had been, and believed Junmyeon shouldn’t be too harsh on himself either. That part of their conversation made Junmyeon realize that although he would always feel guilty and ashamed, at least he could bear to talk about Jaemin now.

After an hour or so of discussing what Junmyeon and Tao had done, what their country did to keep their secrets hidden, Junmyeon could finally tell them why he had come. He was confident that Tao might agree to it, but he wasn’t sure about Yifan. Based on what he had heard, Yifan didn’t see to mind that they had thought of sneaking Yixing abroad to save him, on the contrary, he agreed that it had been the right choice. Yixing didn’t deserve to be a victim of Junmyeon’s and Tao’s selfishness, had Yifan said. Junmyeon told them what had happened with Byun Baekhyun last night anyway. It was a story that left both of his friends shocked and Tao outraged. In the end, Junmyeon had to ask whether they were on board with the idea or if he was going solo. What he was asking them to do could be dangerous, it could cost Tao and Yifan their peaceful life. So, if they declined, Junmyeon would understand it. And he could, of course, attempt to do it on his own, although that would be more complicated.

Tao raised his index finger before talking again as if he had reached a light bulb moment. “If we coordinate every single detail and we leave no loose ends, then, we might actually have a shot. It’s still risky, but not too risky as without Baekhyun’s help.”

“What about your father?” Yifan asked. “Tao, he could realize you’re onto something. And how do we know this Byun isn’t deceiving you again?”

Junmyeon shook his head. “If he tricks us again, then I will personally make sure everyone knows he’s not the real Taehyuk.”

“ And I can figure out a way around my father’s supervision. I can do it,” Tao said, “Look, what I feared the most was not figuring a way to disconnect the surveillance cameras, that place is filled with them. But with that detail taken care of, then we can scheme the perfect plan. We have all the resources to succeed.”

“And one extra,” Junmyeon added. After consideration with his pillow, he decided to listen to Baekhyun. This was to help Yixing, and he was already cooperating with one of his nemesis, he might as well bring in another one. “Baekhyun said Kim Jongin can help us.”

“Kim Jongin.” Tao gasped. “Of course, he works for the unreadables division at the Security Department! Jongin can enter the rehabilitation facility undercover, and even visit Yixing without raising any suspicions. It’s his job to meet with unreadables with chances of joining us at work. Oh my god, we can actually make this happen!”

Tao and Junmyeon grinned at each other. He had been right about Tao not backing up if he heard the good news. But when he looked at Yifan, Junmyeon couldn’t read the expression on his face.

“Yifan, if you don’t want to get involved in this, I get it,” Junmyeon said, “It’s against the law and if you-”

“Even if I said to both of you that it’s a terrible idea, you wouldn’t listen to me,” Yifan said, looking at them while shaking his head. “It hurt me that you both had lied to me and kept me in the dark for so long.”

Junmyeon hadn’t even thought of that. He had been too concerned with himself that he couldn’t even think how his actions had affected the people around him. Suddenly, he could understand why Yifan had been away for some time. But if Yifan had forgiven Tao, maybe he’ll forgive him too. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Yifan. I should have known I was hurting you.” Junmyeon gulped when Yifan didn’t say anything and only continue shaking his head. Would he become another person that hated him? He surely would deserve that.

Until Yifan’s lips formed a smile. “It’s not okay. What you two did. But I no longer want to carry grudges in me. And at least this time you’re not going behind my back and actually asking me to be part of this. So… I’ll help you. I’ll help you because I don’t think Yixing deserves to pay for both of your stupid mistakes. You have already failed him more than once, we can’t let it happen again.”

Junmyeon smiled. At least it was something. “Well, then,” he said, his voice and face turning serious, “Let’s get into planning Yixing’s escape.”