A baby.

A Dream Baby.

They all watch in unison at the baby who looks like any other baby, except that it's covered with a luminescent glow. The baby starts crying when it hits the ground. Howon is about to approach it, but the baby's long tongue sticks out of its’ mouth, and lands on the floor just beside its’ head.

Their eyes almost bulge out when the baby lifts a tile from the floor using its tongue and eats it. It repeats the same process and the agents continue to look at each other in confusion and in awe. 

"L-look!" Mr. Chu shouts and everyone returns their attention to the baby. They see it poop an unearthly substance.

The more it eats, the more it poops.

“Ah, I see,” Sunggyu blurts out of nowhere.

“This Dream Baby eats reality and excretes it into a dream. It's turning our world into a dream! We must stop it."

“But how...QZZ, how?!" Woohyun asks.

“What do you mean how Namu? Of course we're going to kill it. What else do you have in mind?" Sunggyu shouts at him.

“But Sung- QZZ, it's a baby! You can't kill a baby! Hoya, please! Let's defeat this baby without killing it please!”
 

Howon is in shock when Woohyun turns to him for help. As much as he wants to help him, there is no other option but to actually kill the Dream Baby before it turns everything into a dream. He lowers his gaze and waits for a command from Sunggyu.

“Hoya, increase the frequency enough to freeze the dream baby for a few seconds. Namu, check on Mrs. Chu. I'll destroy this demon after you do your part, Hoya." He then acquires his dagger from his toolbelt and positions for attack.

Woohyun goes to Mrs. Chu and checks her vital signs. When he is certain she is fine, he turns his back from the baby and closes his eyes.

Howon increases the frequency and once the baby freezes, Sunggyu charges and sticks the dagger in its chest. Since the dagger is made from high psychic power, it is enough to kill the baby.

After administering a single drop of erase solution, no trace of evidence is left except for the feces from the demon because the solution didn’t work on it. They end up calling the Central Woods Branch and request for backup. They think the Incubus is somewhere in the area. After the call, Sunggyu approaches the husband who is still speechless after everything he has just witnessed.

“Sir, your wife is in good condition now. She might be dazed for a day or two. She won't have any memory of what happened the whole time she was victimized by the Incubus. I suggest you take good care of her. Rest assured, Mrs. Chu isn't cheating on you." Sunggyu pats the man on the shoulder and walks away to another room.
 

Mr. Chu bids farewell to them when Mrs. Chu finally wakes up. He is flabbergasted at the fact that the three young men said not to tell anyone about what happened.

As if anyone will believe him!

---

A few hours and a good meal later, Howon, Woohyun and Sunggyu are all rubbing their bulging bellies. Food tastes so much better after a hard day of work.

The organization calls them back and informs them that back-up will arrive shortly. Sungyeol amd Myungsoo are also heading their way too. When they ask about the whereabouts of their demon friends, they are told the two were requested by the Supreme Lord to do something important.

Howon, wants to know whether his friends are alright and decides to video call Dongwoo. He moves to a far corner where he won't be heard by Woohyun and Sunggyu.


When the call finally connects, Howon sees the background and realizes they're still in the human world.

“Oh. Hoya, hello,”  Dongwoo greets him cheerfully though Howon knows something is up when Dongwoo's pupils dilate.

“Where are you guys?" he asks.

“Ah, actually...we're still in the human world. Dad sent an errand for the two of us."

“What is it?" Howon is curious. The whole setup is suspicious. First, the Supreme Lord withdraws the them out of a mission and second, Dongwoo can't meet his eyes, which means he's hiding something important.

“Okay, I'll tell you. I trust you won't tell anyone, okay? Not the other agents. Not even your uncle." Dongwoo says sternly.
 

Howon wonders what is it that he's not allowed to even report to the high priest. Nonetheless, he nods at Dongwoo and the latter releases a sigh. “My dad discovered something. The truth is, he was not convinced the reason why the Incubus escaped was because the psychic power surrounding his prison weakened. The Supreme Lord actually added additional security measures in order to prevent the escape of this demon."

"You mean someone might've helped the demon escape?" Howon is confused. He can't imagine anyone purposely letting a demon out of its prison.
 

“Yes , that's what my dad believes. There are only a few people who knew about this additional security measure. My dad, the researchers and.." Dongwoo hesitates. Somehow, this made him nervous.

"And who, Dongwoo?" Howon questions

"And your uncle, the high priest." Dongwoo looks at him somberly.

"So, are you going to start investigating now?"

"No, the investigations are all done. We were tasked to confirm their findings." Sungjong breaks his silence and answers.

"And their findings...?"

"There really was help from the outside to allow for the demon’s escape. But, I can't tell you who because we have to confirm it first." Sungjong says.
“I see. Take care then. And Dongwoo? My uncle has nothing to do with it, right?" Howon asks desperately. He doesn’t  want to taint his uncle's image in his mind.
 

 Dongwoo remains silent, sighing before bidding him goodbye.

Howon is staring at his phone when he feels eyes on him. He looks at the direction and spots Sunggyu and Woohyun still talking, but what catches his attention is the strange device in Sunggyu's left ear. He notices its little movements, confirming his suspicions. He marchs up and the grabs Sunggyu by the collar. Woohyun quickly stands up and asks him what's wrong.

“This guy...what do you think are you doing, Kim Sunggyu? Since you arrived, you've always had it out for me. Did I do something wrong to you?"

Woohyun just stares at the two, still having problem processing what's happening. He can't take side. He's been best friends with Sunggyu since they were kids. And Howon...he's someone he somehow put on a pedestal.

Sunggyu stays silent and glares at Howon.

"Why did you eavesdrop on my conversation with Dongwoo? What are you up to? Are you a double agent?" Howon still holds on to Sunggyu's collar. But as soon as he finishes asking the last part of his question, he is sent flying back from the impact of Sunggyu's punch.

“Hey, guys! Stop it! Can you talk like the civilized humans we are instead of throwing punches here and there??" Woohyun shouts getting in between them.
 

“You...how dare you call me a double agent when you and your uncle are probably the ones who released the demon from its prison!"

Howon attempts to throw a punch, but Woohyun stands in front of Sunggyu.

“Please, Howon. Let's talk this out. And you, Kim Sunggyu, how can say such irresponsible words? Do you have proof? Evidence that will support your claim?" Woohyun turns to his best friend and Howon feels better because it seems like Woohyun’s words affected Sunggyu.

“I- I don't know. I can't explain it but there's definitely something wrong with him! And his uncle too! It looks like they're hiding something really big from us. It might be a matter of life or death. Our life and death, Woohyunie. Did it never occur to you, even once, that there's something strange with him? I can't pinpoint it but there's definitely something that sets him apart. He's different."
 

Woohyun remains silent. It’s true that the first time laid eyes on Howon, he felt something strange from him. His high psychic power helps him to distinguish between a demon and a human. When he met Howon, he felt similar sensations to when a demon is near but faint enough to excuse it for another type of feeling, such as hunger, or a crush.

He never told anyone about it, not even Sunggyu because he's afraid the other might misunderstandt and start attacking Howon. However, it turns out that even Sunggyu noticed something weird about Howon too.

“See? I knew you noticed it too. I overheard him talking to Dongwoo and Sungjong at headquarters before about the Incubus. He seemed so invested, much more invested than all our interests combined. And just now, his uncle is one of the possible suspects who let the demon escape." Sunggyu grabs Howon's shoulder and glares at him.
"Are you hiding something from us? Tell us right this sec-" Sunggyu stops violently shaking Howon's shoulders when he receives a punch from none other than Woohyun.

“Kim Sunggyu. As much as you are older than me, I won't ever tolerate such reckless behavior. Accusing someone, especially a teammate, of something which you don't have even a speck of solid evidence on is shameful. I know you can be pretty stubborn but I hope you can keep your mind open to this issue. Please, let us maintain a sense of trust and confidence with each other. We'll be battling a powerful demon and it would do us no good if we keep on going like this."

Howon tries to hide the smirk that is slowly forming on his lips as he watches Sunggyu stay quiet and rubs his swollen cheek.

Woohyun looks a thousand more attractive in his eyes as muscles ripple through his skintight black T-shirt.

Sunggyu then nods at Woohyun and stormst to his bedroom, but not before sparing a glare at Howon.

When they hear the click of the bedroom door lock, they both simultaneously sigh in relief. They look at each other and smile at the incredulity of the situation. The atmosphere is awkward as they both try to grasp for words that are appropriate to say.

“Hey-"

"Hey-"

“You first-"
 

“You first-"
 

They both laugh.
 

“You go first, Woohyun." Howon signals the other man to continue and he smiles at him (sweetly, in Howon's delusional mind.)

“Uh well Mr. Park, our driver this morning, told me there's a rooftop here with a nice view of the city skyline. Do you, uh, mind if we go there?"
 

Howon chuckles when he sess how red Woohyun's ears and cheeks have become.

“Sure. That's what I was gonna say actually." Howon rubs the back of his neck and avoids eye contact with Woohyun.

Without any further ado, they both climb to the rooftop and  inhale the fresh air, gawking at the beautiful skyline. The night is silent except for a few passing cars below. Howon waits for Woohyun to break the silence first.

“I'm sorry for everything that Sunggyu said awhile ago."
 

Howon looks at him, but the latter has his eyes set on the skyline.

"I hope you won't take it personally. It's just that, Sunggyu lost a lot because of the Incubus. You know he is two years older than us, right?" Hee casts a glance at Howon and sees him nod. He faced front once again.

"Twenty one years ago, a group of demons attacked every branch of the Black Order. His mother and father were the best agents at the time, along with my parents, Yeollie's, and Myung's parents too. They fought side by side to defeat the demon. Sunggyu's parents had a trusting nature. They were lured to their death by a friend. My mom said that the friend who lead them to their death was only friends with his parents for a month. He was supposedly the best agent from the Central Woods. His parents...his parents were killed by the Incubus."

Howon is shocked to hear this. Is this the reason why Sunggyu is so wary of him? Because he is from the Central Woods? And they barely knew each other? Is he perhaps afraid that history might repeat itself?
 

“t took a lot of time for Sunggyu to open up after his parents died. He was only two years old and our parents took turns taking care of him. That is also the reason why we became close. He was seven years old when my mom told him the whole story behind his parents’ death. Again, Sunggyu, closed up again. It took a year for him to trust me again. To trust people." Woohyun gently grabs Howon's hand and then looks at him. “Please, give him a chance. He's been through so much as a child. He's a nice guy, I promise."

Howon stares at Woohyun and then at their hands. He feels warmth radiating from the other man’s touch. His heart starts to race. He lets out a sigh and then looks straight into Woohyun's eyes and manages a small smile. “Okay, I’ll give him a chance. I trust you." Howon observes Woohyun's eyes and mouth form into a smile. He feels the breeze around them blowing gently and his heart rate doubles when Woohyun leans in to plant a soft kiss on his cheek followed by a tight embrace. He still keeps a firm hold of Howon’s hand. “Thank you, Lee Howon." He then releases himself from the hug and is about to get up and let go of Howon's hand to leave. However, he is pulled back down by Howon. He only manages to look at him because he's afraid words might fail him.

"Let's just stay like this a little bit longer,” Howon whispers keeping his eyes on the ground, afraid of meeting Woohyun's gaze.

Woohyun hears it and smiles softly. They gaze at the stars for a minutes before being interrupted by a heaving Sunggyu.

They instantly let go of each other's hand and stand up when they saw panic on the oldest agents’ face.

"Sunggyu, what is it?" Woohyun asks his best friend.

"I- hah- I was watching the tv and a news flash came and- hah- we need to get there ASAP. The demon...the Incubus is making a show in the central park right this moment!"

"What do you mean?" Howon says a bit in shock from the revelation.

"I'll explain to you in the car. Let’s go! Let's hurry up before it becomes harder for us to defeat the demon,” Sunggyu answers and then dashes down the stairs.

Woohyun and Howon follow their leader immediately to help gather equipment to use against the demon. They get in the car and Sunggyu drives them to the demon’s location. 

While driving, he relays the information he got from the television. “There's a news report about trees in the park turning transparent and the ground looking like the sky. They thought they were dreaming and they might not be wrong. I'm sure the Incubus is behind this. He might've sensed us after we killed his grudge and its baby. He's going to turn our world into a dream!"

The two agents in the back are quiet as they absorb the new information.

"Did anyone from the Black Order contact you?" Sunggyu glances at them through the rearview mirror. They both shake their heads.

Sunggyu curses and slams his hand on the steering wheel. “Something's not right. How come no one told us about this?" He mumbles out of his breath, but loud enough for them to hear. “How about the rest of the group? And the back-up? They said they'll come here shortly bu