“Tell me your name.”

It sounds like an interview but it’s definitely not when the candidate was tied down helplessly by the interviewer right?

“Hyun” He replied shortly, keeping Jungyeop’s rule in mind. “I don’t want a pet name. Tell me your full name if you don’t want to end up in jail.” There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. Woohyun’s eyes caught a magazine on the coffee table, it was a cover page of a South Korean model and actress, Shin Min Ah. 

“Shin Woohyun” The name ‘Woohyun’ felt so sacred to be shared with anyone. The heir scrutinised on Woohyun’s expression, looking for any sign of deception. However, the thief seemed rather confident as he’s been trained since young to con and steal.

“You’re lucky your last name is Shin instead of Nam,” Woohyun’s body tensed at the word ‘Nam’. How did he find out? “If not you’ll become a Namu,” Dongwoo threw his head back and broke into fits of thunderous laughter at his own joke. It was amusing to hear it though as it was contagious. After realising that it was a pun, Woohyun let out a breath of relief.

“I believe you already knew about Kim Corporate’s condition. Our competitor is a private company. Therefore, I need you to steal some information from them since this is your speciality. I’ll release you afterwards.” Sunggyu explained the mission to him.

“Boss, we have to think of a designation for Woohyun before anyone gets suspicious over his presence in your office,” Dongwoo suggested and Sunggyu tapped his fingertips against the desk, giving some thought to what he has said.

“Woohyun-ssi, how old are you?” He was dumbfounded when the heir shifted his eyes to him suddenly. The eye contact brought his heart into a quick acrobatic jump. 

“18.”

! I should’ve lied about that too, what was I thinking? Get your head together, Nam Woohyun! 

“I’ve an idea, I’ll give him an Intern position. If anyone has further enquiries, I’ll just lie that he’s a student and is here to gain work experience.”

Oh great, I’ve a job now. Old man will be so proud of me if he ever finds out about it. I wonder what they are doing now. Will they plan to save me? How will Hoya react after he heard the news? I’m sure he’ll blame himself, even though it’s my fault for being careless. I miss all of them. His eyes stung with unshed tears and he blinked back his tears.

After the members washed up in the wooden hut, they headed over to the cave. Jungyeop was already sitting there, waiting patiently for them to start the meeting instead of their usual celebratory party.

“Losing Hyun is a warning. It’s to remind us that in life, it’s not always a bed of roses. One day, we’ll be caught and this is something that we can’t foresee. I’ve told you guys before that the missions are very risky. Therefore, I’ve implemented measures to avoid anyone from getting caught.” He noticed that everyone was feeling down over the loss of Woohyun. “The reason why Hyun was caught is that he didn’t take Geonam’s training seriously. Furthermore, I assume that after completing the assigned task, he saw the Chairman’s oldest son’s office and due to his greed, he broke in.” He sighed before he continued. 

“There’s a quote that says, he who wants everything every time will lose everything any time.”

Everyone was startled when Howon slammed the table furiously at Jungyeop’s speech. “I know Hyun well! Although he’s very playful and reckless, he isn’t greedy. That kid just loves to play with fire because he finds it thrilling. Old man, you watched every single one of us grew up, how could you not know our characters? Is Hyun really that kind of person in your eyes? A greedy and selfish brat?” He was deeply hurt and Jungyeop kept quiet, feeling a tinge of guilt. Silence lingered heavily in the air. This was the first time something had gone wrong in their missions.

“Is there any way we can help him?” Doojoon asked, trying to lighten up the atmosphere. He was 19 years old, the oldest among the members. Followed by, Howon, Sungyeol and Woohyun, they were 18 years old. Junhyung was 17 years old and Hyunseung was 15 years old. Yoseob and Gikwang were 13 years old. Dongwoon was 8 years old, the maknae.

“We don’t even know his current whereabouts and the chances of finding him are slim, he might be in jail now. Moreover, we can’t go back to Kim Corporate, the company is likely to be in a hectic state after-” Howon cut him off curtly. “Enough of all these bulls, you’re just trying to find excuses to abandon Hyun! I got your message already. After all, we’re just orphans and not related by blood, hence, our lives are not important to you.” He stood up and stomped out with angry tears. Sungyeol quickly followed, after bowing to Jungyeop. The maknae started bawling at the fight and Junhyung had to pacify him.

Howon was sitting alone on a large rock along the lake, it was Woohyun’s favourite spot in the forest. Sungyeol joined him.

“Yeol, I can’t just sit here and pray for his well-being. That country bumpkin doesn’t even have a phone and I can’t contact him. I need to see him, I need to know his condition. I’m afraid that the Kim family won’t let him off so easily since they are known for being heartless.” Tears clouded his vision. Sungyeol rubbed his back in soothing circles to comfort him.

“I understand. Let’s search for him in the city tomorrow. For now, you need to have a good rest, your eyes are swollen.” Howon smiled weakly and placed his hand on Sungyeol’s shoulder, his eyes were filled with gratitude. He was grateful to have Sungyeol as his close friend.

Hyun, don’t worry, I’ll find ways to save you out no matter what. I haven’t confess my feelings for you yet, please wait for me.

The thief whined after Dongwoo untied the ropes under Sunggyu’s order. His wrists were sore and there were red marks. He wanted to curse at the heir so badly.

“Here, I need your thumbprint.” Sunggyu dropped a piece of paper and a fingerprint pad onto Woohyun’s lap.

“Just to clarify, I won’t be responsible for your safety. If you’re ever caught by the company, I won’t hesitate to make your life miserable if you dare to reveal our deal to anyone. And this also applies if you run away.”

Woohyun stared at the contract in his hand. I guess I’ve no other choice, it’s too late to escape now. All I’ve to do is to work under this heir temporarily and I’ll be able to return to Infinity Free Souls afterwards. He marked his thumbprint reluctantly. Sunggyu took the document and kept it in his leather briefcase.

Suddenly, there was an incoming call, Sunggyu froze. He knew what this meant.

The Chairman had found out about it.

His heart palpitated harder as his mind reeled of ugly thoughts. One thing he feared most was the outrage of his father. Sunggyu was merciless, but the man was worse.

“Boss?” Dongwoo’s voice snapped Sunggyu out of his trance with a look of concern sprawled over his face as he learnt of his fear. The heir swallowed hard before he grabbed the phone and placed it near to his ear.

“Report to the meeting room in five minutes. The Chairman has requested an emergency meeting.” It was Kibum, the Chairman’s secretary.

“He found out about it?” Dongwoo asked and earned a nod from his boss.

Sunggyu headed to the door but stopped in his track and whirled around to face Woohyun. “Don’t you dare escape while I’m gone, Shin Woohyun.”

“I can’t guarantee that.” He replied playfully, causing Sunggyu to roll his eyes before leaving the office.

•••

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMPANY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL DOING?” The Chairman, Taehyun, yelled furiously. His face was contorted with rage and fury. Sunggyu and other higher-ranking management gulped nervously.

“Well, it seems like hyung isn’t doing a good job in maintaining the security of Kim Corporate.” An annoying sneer was formed on the face which Sunggyu hated the most, Kim Myungsoo, his brother. And his rival. The hatred between them was mutual and everyone in the office knew that they could never see eye to eye. Just like Sunggyu, Myungsoo was also the President of Kim Corporate, but in the Sales Department. He absolutely loved to stir up trouble for Sunggyu, especially stepping on his nerves like right now.

“YAH I’m in charge of marketing, not security!” He retorted fiercely.

“ENOUGH!” The two brothers instantly shut their mouths at their father’s command. “This is the most disgraceful incident in Kim Corporate and we’ve lost a total of 1 million won! I’ve already reported to the police to track down the thieves, I won’t let them off so easily.”

“We’ve to tighten our security system to prevent the same mistake from occurring. Chairman, you can leave that to me. I’ll work closely with the Security Director.” Myungsoo claimed while clasping his hands together in front of him on the desk. Taehyun seemed satisfied with his son’s words. Myungsoo turned to Sunggyu with a victory smirk, that said ‘The Chairman position is mine’.

“How about the Marketing Department?” Myungsoo challenged his brother, who was preoccupied with his thought. When’s the right time to tell them about Woohyun?

“Sunggyu?” He snapped out of his trance.  

“I hired an intern.” Sunggyu accidentally revealed what was in his mind at the wrong timing. He silently scolded himself for not thinking straight.

“Intern? Kim Corporate has never hired an intern before. Why did you hire him and how old is he?” Myungsoo raised his eyebrows.

“He’s 18 years old, a high school student. It’s a good opportunity for him to gain work experience and he has great potential.” Sunggyu explained, hoping that it sounds convincing to them.

“Where is he studying at?” The Vice President, Jonghyun asked curiously.

“He’s currently studying at…” I didn’t predict that someone will ask this question. I can’t think of any prestigious institutes right now, except the neighbourhood school that I always drive past every morning. “Chun Kuk High School.” He lied, praying hard that nobody will see through his lies, especially his dongsaeng.

“Sunggyu ah, help the boy settle down comfortably and make sure you bring him to my office next time. I want to see how special he is to be qualified as our first intern in Kim Corporate. And also, update me on his academic achievement.” Everyone was taken aback by Taehyun’s enthusiasm.

“Yes, Chairman.” Sunggyu bowed. After the meeting, I must tell Dongwoo to sign him up for Chun Kuk High School as soon as possible before anyone found out.

“Head, as what you’ve foreseen, Kim Sunggyu didn’t call the police. In fact, Hyun is appointed to work for Kim Corporate as an intern.” He was glad, things were going under his control.

“From now onwards, I want you to keep a lookout on Hoya. I believe he’ll go to Kim Corporate with Yeol to find Hyun.”

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