Woohyun couldn’t calm the erratic beating of his heart. He was caught off guard and panic etched over his face.

The office’s light was switched on.

“Turn around!”

If Sungyeol was here, he would’ve plotted lots of ideas for them to escape safely or if Howon was here, he would’ve protected Woohyun. Unfortunately, he was alone now. And thankfully he was wearing a mask, it could at least hide his fear. He clenched his trembling hand tightly into a fist, ready to throw a punch at the person’s face in order to escape. However, his breath was caught in his throat the moment he faced the man.

Small and mesmerizing eyes.

Sharp nose.

Thin sensuous lips.

Slightly pointed chin.

Sturdy jawline.

Milky skin.

There was this vague sense of familiarity. His eyes were tracing over the man's facial features involuntarily until he heard a familiar voice. It took a while for Woohyun to come back to his senses.

“Hyun, where are you? Are you in danger? Kid, answer me right now!” Jungyeop’s worrisome voice brought tears to Woohyun’s eyes. He wanted to reply but his lips were quivering and the words were stuck in his throat. Jungyeop’s words flashed in his mind. “It’s game over once you’re caught.” Sorry old man, I’ve let you down. Suddenly, something seemed out of place. Wait didn’t old man said he’ll guard the door? How did this guy manage to enter the building without the old man’s knowledge?

The man noticed the bluetooth headset attached to Woohyun’s ear. An initial ‘NWH’ was carved on it, which Jungyeop had specially customised for each member. He reached over and tried to eavesdrop. However, Jungyeop had installed this system whereby once the headset was detached from the member’s ear, it would automatically disconnect. When the signal went off, he threw the device against the wall and it broke. Woohyun scoffed at the shattered pieces and swung his fist swiftly. The man managed to grab it with fast reflex before it landed on his good-looking face.

“I’m going to call the cops.”

Blood drained from Woohyun’s face when the man took out his iPhone XS matte black. The thief started to struggle desperately to free himself from this nightmare. However, his efforts were in vain since the man was physically stronger and taller than him. He regretted skipping Geonam’s training. Is this the end of me? He refused to seek forgiveness from this man. 

“Good morning Sunggyu! Ohh am I interrupting something?” Another man entered the office with his eyebrows raised. He gave off this cheerful and kind-hearted vibe.

Wait a minute...

Did he just call him Sunggyu?

...

Kim Sunggyu-ssi?

Woohyun’s jaw dropped and eyed the heir up again. Why didn’t I see through his identity earlier? Sunggyu glanced across at the IWC gold watch with a brown leather strap around his left wrist. “Dongwoo ah, postpone the event meeting at 8am. I need to make a police report right now, I just freaking caught a thief.”

Dongwoo? Jang Dongwoo-ssi?

Oh God, is this karma?

“A THIEF?” Both of their bodies jolted up as they were startled by Dongwoo’s sudden outburst, especially his brightening eyes and an idiotic smile. He seemed to be amazed as if he just met a celebrity.

“What are you thinking?” Sunggyu knew Dongwoo well and could tell from his expression that he had an idea in his mind. The secretary closed the door hurriedly, making sure that nobody was eavesdropping outside the office.

“Remember our conversation yesterday? I think heaven’s on our side!”

Sunggyu furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, trying to recall what they had discussed yesterday. Woohyun shifted his eyes between them feeling lost.

“We can sneak into the company and steal their data!”

“YAH this is a marketing company, we aren’t thieves!”

He gazed at Woohyun, causing the latter to feel uneasy like he was reading and judging him. He became conscious of himself. He was wearing a black tank top with a jacket, ripped jeans and a pair of Converse sneakers.

“Dongwoo, ropes!” Dongwoo and Woohyun’s eyes widened at his command. The secretary wanted to ask the purpose of it until Sunggyu shot daggers at him, he changed his mind and immediately scrambled off to find the item.

He’s not thinking of tying me up, right? Woohyun started struggling again and attacked Sunggyu’s thigh. In return, the heir kicked the thief’s abdomen using all his strength and Woohyun instantly fell onto the ground with a loud thud.

He hissed in great pain.

“What happened? Where’s Hyun?” Howon asked anxiously after seeing the members’ grim expression, some even had red and puffy eyes when they came out of the black van. Nobody dared to utter a single word. They walked quietly back to their wooden hut. Howon grabbed Sungyeol’s shoulder and halted his footsteps, his eyes demanding for an explanation.

“H-He’s c-caught,” although his voice was low and shaky, Howon still managed to catch it.

“Yah you must be kidding, right? Aside from being the weakest in Infinity Free Souls, he’s quite mischievous and rebellious, I know he’ll be able to pull through any obstacle. Are you sure-” He argued and paused when he saw tears rolling down Sungyeol’s damp cheeks like rivulets. “I hope it’s not true too, but we all witnessed Jang Dongwoo entering the building. He’s the man assigned to Hyun. We waited outside Kim Corporate and there’s still no sign of him. He’s also not responding in the headset. Old man doesn’t allow us to go back to the office as it’s too risky. I-I’m sorry Hoya, I promised you that I’ll take care of the members but...”

Howon felt the whole world collapsed upon him. He was at loss of words, hearing Sungyeol crying his heart out. His legs gave ways and he landed on his knees. The pain from his chest was intense, it was like his heart has been torn from his body. He was devastated.

“It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I should’ve come along to protect him. Yeollie, what should I do? I can’t lose him. I haven’t even confessed to that idiot about my feelings for him all these years.”

Sungyeol gasped. Never once did he suspect that Howon would have special feelings for Woohyun, he thought that they just have a closer bond compared to other members. However, now seeing him clutching his head in despair while he broke down, it hurt his heart even more that his beloved friend was in misery.

Woohyun ah, wherever you’re, please be okay.

Woohyun could feel his wrists were literally on fire under the firmly tied ropes. However, that does not stop his burning desire from escaping. Dongwoo gulped hard at the scene in front of him. Remind me to never provoke my boss or I’ll end up like that.

Sunggyu ripped away his mask harshly and was stunned for a moment. Well, he thought that the thief would’ve crooked teeth or a beard, he didn’t expect him to look average and young. Woohyun felt exposed without his mask.

“Yah, let me go or I’ll report you for kidnapping!” He stared furiously at Sunggyu for tying him up, he would rather be locked in the jail than to be humiliated by him in this state. He doesn’t feel remorseful for stealing the heirs’ money. Instead, he regretted not being able to steal Sunggyu’s money on time. 

He froze when Sunggyu moved closer to him with a smirk. A strong fragrance of shampoo and soap filled his nostrils. He smelt of sweet vanilla, it was overwhelming. What does he want from me? He squeezed his eyes shut when their faces were a few inches apart, ready to yell for help if the heir dared to harass him. 

“Thief, let’s enter into a contract. Work for me temporarily and I’ll not hand you over to the cops.”

His eyes widened as he didn’​t​​​​​​ expect this, it sounded like another mission for him. However, his heart pounded against his ribcage due to close intimacy. His attitude is so cocky that I feel like punching him, yet there’s something about him. “It’s a win-win agreement. If you sign the contract, I’ll even let you off for stealing the company’s money.” Seriously, what exactly is this man?

“Fine.”

And just like that,

He surrendered to Kim Sunggyu.

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Note: Thank you so much, hope you enjoy reading my story and leave a comment, it makes my day ♡