Two

“You want me to do what?”

Jisoo takes out her earphones to make sure she hasn't misheard.

“Get me her personal files,” Jennie repeats, as if it was a simple request to pass her a pen.

The Agent-in-Charge blinks, then looks around the office to make sure no one has heard them. Luckily, Jennie had enough decency to conspiratorially crouch beside her chair before stating that outrageous favor of hers.

“Are you insane?” she hisses, leaning closer to her friend. “Do you plan to start a war, or something?”

Jennie rolls her eyes.

“Don't act so dramatic.”

“Dramatic? You've literally just asked me to hack into the servers of a foreign Agency in order to steal classified information concerning one of their agents.”

“I know you can do it.”

“It's not a matter of whether I can do it or not.”

“So you won't do it?”

“No, I won't,” Jisoo states, puts back her earphones and swivels in her chair to face her computer screen.

But seeing how Jennie still hasn't left her spot, she stops her typing and asks, “Why would you need those files, anyway?”

“I don't trust her,” Jennie mutters, a thoughtful look clouding her features.

Jisoo heaves a sigh, shaking her head.

“There's another way to gain information about her, you know?”

“What way?” Jennie raises a skeptic brow.

“Just talk to her you socially inept .” She tries to flick Jennie's forehead, but the woman recoils with a scowl.

“I'm not socially inept,” the agent retorts.

“Oh really? Then how many friends you have except for me, hm?” Jisoo inquires and smirks in triumph as a response to Jennie's glare.

“That doesn't prove anything. The nature of my profession doesn't encourage excessive socializing.”

“You keep using that excuse while you know it's not exactly the truth.” Jisoo waves her off and resumes her typing. “You used to have plenty of friends,” she adds as an afterthought.

“Those were her friends, not mine.”

Jisoo winces at the strained whisper coming from Jennie's lips, realizing she shouldn't have said those words. It was a low blow.

“Sorry,” she murmurs contritely.

“Whatever. I didn't come here to talk about my social circle, or lack thereof.”

“Right, you came to talk about breaching international protocols and stealing classified information. Noted.” Jisoo's voice drips of sarcasm.

“Well, then tell me how talking to her can be of any use. She's a special agent, Jisoo. She has been trained to lie.”

“So were you,” the Agent-in-Charge shots back easily, but Jennie remains unimpressed. “Look, all I'm saying is that maybe, just maybe, you should give her a chance. From what I've heard she's a nice person. The rookies are practically swooning over her.”

Jennie scoffs, deflecting Jisoo's encouraging look. “Do I look like a rookie to you? Just get me those files. You owe me anyway.”

Patience running thin, Jisoo replies a little too loudly, “I don't owe you anything!”

Several agents crane their necks into her direction, curiosity flashing in their wary eyes.

Jisoo ducks lower in her cubicle and hisses, “I told you already the higher-ups made the decision. I had nothing to do with it.”

“Uhm, what are you guys doing?”

A sweet voice inquires from behind Jisoo causing her to jolt in her seat.

She spins around and even though she sits, she can feel her knees going weak. Roseanne Park, a part-time assistant and full-time angel in disguise, stands before Jisoo, leaving her in a breathless stupor like she always does ever since she joined the agency four months ago.

She looks between the two agents, eyes swimming with mirthful confusion.

“Oh, h-hey Rosie,” Jisoo stammers lamely. “Jennie was just... tying her shoelace, right Jennie?”

The agent looks as if trying hard not to face-palm, before she mutters an awfully unconvincing 'yeah' and finally stands up.

“Okay,” Rose accepts the explanation, but her amusement doesn't fade away, suggesting she didn't fall for it. “Anyway, here are the documents you asked for.” She hands Jisoo a thick folder with papers.

“T-thank you.” Jisoo takes it, almost dropping it when her fingers brush against Rose's ever so slightly.

“You're welcome.” The assistant beams at her.

Sweet Holy Jesus marmalade...

Jisoo is certain she's about to have a cardiac arrest as her heart hammers in her chest restlessly.

“Have you guys seen that Thai agent already?” Rose asks, bouncing on her heels. “She's cute. Do you think she would agree to go on a date with me?”

Colors drain from Jisoo's face, eyes darting in panic to Jennie. But the agent just frowns unhelpfully.

“Oooh,” Jisoo drawls, sounding apologetic as she turns around to scribble something on a piece of paper. “I'm afraid you're too late. Jennie just asked her out.”

“Wha--?” The agent is about to protest when Jisoo shows her the piece of paper with barely illegible letters reading: 'ill get u the files'. It works and the agent nods, albeit reluctantly.

“Really?”

A wave of guilt and regret crushes Jisoo's soul the moment she sees Rose's smile drop.

Kim Jisoo, you're officially the most disgusting human being in the entire world, berates the voice in her head, but she doesn't find enough courage to take back her words.

“Well, that's a shame,” Rose admits, pouting.

Struggling to find her voice as her heart clogs and stomach does a series of somersaults, Jisoo finally manages to utter a quite, “H-hey, but if you want--” before she's cut off by a shout coming from the opposite end of the office.

“Rosie! Tiffany is looking for you!”

“Coming!” Rose responds instantly. “See you later guys. Oh, and good luck on your date.” She winks at Jennie and runs off to somewhere.

“I could go on a date with you...” Jisoo finishes the sentence under her breath.

“What the hell was that?” Jennie asks, voice full of pretense.

“I'm sorry, okay? I panicked,” the Agent-in-Charge groans, scratching the back of her head. “I've been trying to ask her out for weeks, but something always interrupts us. I swear, it's like someone has put a curse on me. So I just really, really didn't want her to go on a date with Lisa.”

Jennie ponders for a moment, before asking, “Why are you so sure Lisa would agree to go on a date with her?”

Jisoo gasps, outraged.

“Are you kidding me? Have you seen her? She's a walking embodiment of beauty. Her smile is brighter than the sun, and her eyes are made of stars. I could gaze into to them for years on end. No one would ever dare to say no to Rosanne Park.”

“That' not exactly what I meant by that question, but never mind.” Jennie shakes her head, looking somewhat amused. “Anyway, now you can't tell me that you don't owe me anything, so you better get me those files.”

She pats Jisoo on the shoulder and leaves.

Groaning, the Agent-in-Charge falls against her desk, burying her head in her folded arms.

* * *

“Are you staying up late, again?”

“Mhm,” Jennie drones in response to Jisoo's question, eyes fixed on the computer screen. “I still haven't finished that Sicily report.”

“See you tomorrow, then,” Jisoo says and shuffles to the exit.

“Yeah, take care,” Jennie replies.

Reaching for her cup with steaming coffee, she notices a black pendrive lying beside it.

She smiles and hides it in the pocket of her jacket.

* * *

It's half past midnight when Jennie drops the fifth empty coffee cup to the bin under her desk and stretches in her chair. Her eyes sting as if someone poured sand into them, but at least she has finished that damn report. She hates this part of her job, endless paperwork, but knows it needs to be done.

After saving the file, she looks around the empty office, and once she makes sure she's alone, she takes out the pendrive. She stares at it, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth and wondering why she's having second thoughts, all of a sudden. After all, it was her idea in the first place.

Granted it's a risky one, and illegal on a whole new level, but she really doesn't trust the Thai agent. The woman shows up out of blue, claiming to have information on the Budapest and making ridiculous demands like she ing owns the place. No one will tell Jennie that it isn't suspicious.

“ it,” she mutters under her breath and plugs in the pen-drive.

There's a single file named 'Nini's Wild Adventures', and Jennie cannot help but to cringe at it before she opens the file and starts reading.

Lalisa Pranpriya Manoban.

Jennie takes a moment to look at the photo. The girl smiles brightly as if she has just graduated from high-school at the top of her class.

Jennie frowns. That's not how most agents' photos look like (Jisoo still mocks her about hers, claiming it looks like a mugshot).

Scrolling down, Jennie continues her lecture.

Born on the twenty-seventh of March in Bangkok. Age 26, which makes her a year younger than Jennie. Got her license to kill at a tender age of twenty-three, making her Thailand's youngest agent to ever get it.

Jennie scoffs. She got hers at twenty-three as well. So that's not really such a big of an achievement.

Not much is known about her life prior to joining the agency, except that she's an orphan, which doesn't surprise Jennie at all. A lot of agents are, since it's easier to recruit someone who has nothing to lose. Jennie knows something about it.

Clicking further, she reveals a long list of missions in which Lisa took part. London. Tokyo. Prague. Lima. She's quite a traveler, apparently. Each mission is marked with an S grade. The only exception being Manila, next to it a big, fat B.

Jennie is about to click it when a voice perks beside her.

“You do realize you could just ask me about those things, right? Say, over a beer?”

Jennie closes her eyes and swallows a curse that burns her tongue like acid. She begins to suspect that the woman is a ing ghost with how good she is at soundlessly creeping up on people.

“I don't drink beer,” she fake smiles, looking up at the blonde who leans against her desk.

“Right,” Lisa nods and makes a pondering pause marked by a languid swipe of her tongue over her bottom lip. “Something more exquisite then? Brandy? Champagne?”

Jennie bites the inside of her cheek. “I think you misunderstood,” she says. “I'm not drinking anything with you.”

“That's odd,” the Thai agent states with a tilt of her head.

“Really? How so?” Jennie challenges, folding arms at her chest.

“Well, for one, Tiffany's cute assistant, Rose, wished me good luck on my date with you. I naturally assumed you'd ask me out for a drink, or two.”

“ me,” Jennie sighs, running fingers through her hair. She catches Lisa's widening smirk and glares at her. “Don't,” she warns.

Lisa lifts her hands in surrender. “I'm not saying anything.”

Jennie eyes her skeptically as they lapse into silence, soon broken by the Thai agent.

“Look,” she says, hands on the desk behind her as she leans forward. “I know you don't trust me and that's understandable. But would I really come here if I wasn't on your side?”

Jennie remains silent.

The blonde continues undeterred.

“Bottom line is this, we have some nasty guys to catch and the better we co-operate, the quicker we gonna eliminate them. So what do you say, hm? Wanna hear about that Manila mission over a couple of drinks?”

Lifting her chin defiantly, Jennie scoffs.

“If you want to help us, why don't you just give us the intel and go back to Thailand, hm?”

“I think you don't quite understand.”

Lisa's expression darkens so suddenly it's almost startling. Mirth dissipates from her eyes being replaced by solemn maturity.

She reaches across the desk for Jennie's mouse and clicks the tab that lists her infield partners. Then she returns to her previous position, allowing Jennie to read the information herself.

Skimming through the text, Jennie turns rigid in her seat and swallows hard.

“You aren't the only ones who lost an agent that day.” Lisa's voice reaches her, quite but unmistakably strained with rage. “The worst thing? It wasn't even a mission. He was spending his holidays in Budapest. Always dreamed of traveling around the Europe.”

She laughs. At the irony, or out of contempt towards the perpetrators, Jennie isn't sure.

“Do you get it now? I need your help just as much as you need mine, agent Kim.”

Jennie draws in a sharp breath, waits till the clouds of smoke that shroud her mind disperse so that she can make a sound decision.

Two years ago, she made a promise to herself. She would never let anyone pay for her mistakes again.

But what if the Thai agent's offer is actually her last chance to redeem herself? To finally avenge her. It has been two years, after all. Two long years and she still has nothing. Not even a single trace as to who stood behind that attack. So maybe, it was time to make an exception. Just for this one mission.

Coming to a decision, Jennie closes the files and unplugs the pendrive.

“The pub across the street is closing in two hours,” she informs as she stands up, and after grabbing her jacket from the chair, she heads for the exit. “So you better move your skinny , unless you plan to spend here the whole night.”

She throws the pendrive to Lisa, who promptly catches it, and waits for her at the door.

Even from across the room, Jennie can see the unsubtle smirk curving the Thai agent's lips. It is as much infuriating as it is charming, and Jennie cannot quite understand the paradox.

Finally, taking even strides, Lisa approaches her.

“Are you obsessed?” the blonde inquires idly as they both stand in the threshold.

Jennie narrows her eyebrows in confusion. “With what?”

“With my . It's the second time you mention it.”

Jennie's mouth fall slightly ajar, but she quickly composes herself, grounded by Lisa's playful gaze.

“You wish,” she quips and turns to leave.

It doesn't take long before Lisa falls into step with her.

* * *

The conversation flows smoother than Jennie would imagine. But she guesses that's thanks to Lisa and her talkative nature. Jennie doesn't mind it though, since she prefers to listen anyway. And to her luck, the Thai agent is an excellent storyteller.

“Dozen thugs closing on me while my only route of escape is a bottomless pit behind me. So what do I do? Of course, I jump. And I land in this massive container filled with, wait for it...”

Lisa lifts her palm, her dark eyes shimmering under the dim lights with a promise of a grand finale. Jennie can almost here the drum rolls reverberate around her.

“...rubber chickens.”

Jennie snorts, but her eyes remain skeptical. “No way,” she deadpans.

“Yes way,” Lisa counters easily and takes a slurping sip of her Pina Colada through a straw. “Imagine that hellish sound of rubber agony. It was better than any sound alarm ever made.”

“A container with rubber chickens at a mafia hideout?” Jennie repeats the incredulity as she twirls her glass with cognac.

“They used them to smuggle the drugs,” Lisa offers with a dismissive wave of her palm. “Anyway, it was a total disaster, but we've caught them in the end.”

Jennie nods, not sure how to comment on Lisa's crazy story.

“What about you? Any funny stories from your missions?”

Jennie shakes her head. “No, I don't think so.”

“C'mon, you can't be that boring,” the Thai agent teases, stirring what remains of her cocktail with the straw.

“Ha-ha.” Jennie's voice lacks humor. “Well, there was that one time when N--never mind, it wasn't that funny, to be honest.”

She takes a hasty sip of her drink and lets the alcohol wash away the memory. Her gaze veers to the rain stained windowpane, before she returns it to Lisa.

“If you say so,” Lisa murmurs, a fleeting smirk ghosting over her lips as she wraps them around the straw.

Jennie's grip on the glass tightens ever so slightly.

“May I?”

A familiar voice snaps Jennie out of her momentary daze. Her eyes flicker to the waitress whose approach she didn't notice.

Maybe I'm getting old, she wonders briefly.

Jiyeon, Jisoo's friend and Jennie's acquaintance by extension, arches an eyebrow, pointing expectantly to the empty glass in Jennie's hand.

“Sure,” the agent says and hands her the glass.

“Thank you.” Lisa's smile is awfully charming when Jiyeon reaches for her glass.

To Jennie's surprise, the waitress replies with a grin that speaks of approval and appreciation. Looking over her shoulder, Lisa follows Jiyeon's retreating figure until the woman vanishes behind the bar.

“You know her by chance?” the Thai agent asks once her attention is back on Jennie.

“Jiyeon? Sort of, I suppose. She's a friend of Jisoo, my Agent- in-Charge.”

“You think she would be up to show me around Seoul?” Lisa rests her chin in her palm, a sly smile creeping its way onto her lips.

Catching the double meaning behind her words, Jennie lets out a chuckle.

“If you're asking me if she's single then I honestly have no idea. But I'm not sure she swings this way, though.”

Lisa crosses her forearms on the table, leaning forward as if she's about to share a secret with Jennie.

“Then you need to work on your gaydar, agent Kim,” she murmurs, voice husky from the alcohol.

Jennie picks the faint scent of coconut and pineapple on her breath, its sweetness dizzying.

“I guess that's my cue to leave, huh?” Jennie remarks, seeing how for a second Lisa's gaze escapes hers to search for the waitress behind the counter.

“You said that,” the Thai agent says, a roguish smile curving her plump lips.

Jennie lets out a small chuckle and gathers her stuff. Truth be told, she's a bit more optimistic about her future cooperation with the Thai agent. Or at least, she's certain the blonde will make sure she's never going to be bored around her.

Maybe Jisoo was right. Maybe sometimes it was enough to talk to people.

“Good luck, agent Manoban. And see you in the morning,” Jennie says as she walks past Lisa and towards the exit.

The pub is eerily empty. Even the waitress disappeared to somewhere.

Jennie slows down her steps at the observation. A sense of bad premonition slithers down her spine. She shakes her head. It's just your paranoia acting up again, she reasons with herself.

But then a gunshot reverberates behind her, along with the sound of shattered glass... 

TBC

A/N: This is still on hiatus, unfortunately.  I just felt the need to finish and post this chapter since I've written most of it long time ago.