You said that you loved me... 

You said that you cared...

But once you were gone... 

I was very scared... 

I'm sorry... 

Mama... 

***

Xiumin placed a cold wet towel on Handong's forehead who still hadn't woken up after collapsing. As he was running up to Handong, figuring out what happened, the answer materialized when he touched her skin. It seemed that she caught a cold while he was gone. He was worried it happened while he was not present and so he had been sitting at her bedside, taking care of her.

"How can she get a fever? She was alright before." He held her hand and patted her head, feeling a little ounce of relief that at least it was just a fever. A grumble coming from the occupant on the bed made him snap his attention to her. Smiling in ease as Handong started to wake. Handong finally opened her eyes and realized she was lying on a bed rather than on the hardwood floor of the cabin and Xiumin beside her. 

"Hey, are you feeling alright? You got a fever," Xiumin murmured.

"Did...I? I guess jumping in the cold lake was not a good idea..." Handong grumbled weakly. She tried to get up but her body felt too weak move. 

"You have to take a rest. I will cook something hot for you. Okay?" He asked Handong and she nodded.

"Thanks, Xiumin."

____________________

Mino arrived home after finishing his work. As soon he got out of the car, he walked to the front door and unlocked it. He took off his shoes and went upstairs, proceeding to his room as he saw Jiu who was lying on the bed, watching a show on television.  

"Hey princess."

"Hey. How's your work today?" she got up and helped taking his suit off. 

"Just fine as always," he smiled. Jiu grabbed some hangers from the closet and hung his suit and tie on the hooks on the wall. 

"Minji, can I tell you something?" 

"What is it?" 

"About Handong..."

"Huh?"

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop but I accidentally heard Madam Yoona and Jooheon talking about her in Madam's office. She said that Handong had a murder case before she became an agent," Mino explained. 

"Mur.. der case?" Jiu repeated, shocked to be hearing this for the first time.

"Did you know about it?" he asked.

"I... I didn't know. Madam Yoona never told us about her or even the other members' past. She said it was classified and we didn't have a right to know about it." She thought it would take a lot of time to process this piece of information.

"There's more. Madam Yoona mentioned that she couldn't stand seeing a knife because it was a weapon that was used.. This whole thing is confusing me."

"I don't think she would kill someone on purpose. I think she did that to protect herself from danger and because of that, she had a traumatic experience. Mostly reoccurring effect is if she is faced with a knife," said Jiu. 

"And what makes you so sure about that?"

Jiu turned around, looking out through the window but not actually seeing anything. "I nearly got killed when we were training together..."

_______________

Five months after Handong's recruitment.

Jiu and Handong were currently in Dojo Center as Madam Yoona had previously asked Jiu to train Handong all the defense and attack manoeuvres as well as incorporating different types of weapons while they were fighting. The training had been painful and extremely harsh but Handong gripped the basics swiftly. And now, several weeks later, they have come to the final day of Handong's training before she is officially up to take Madam Yoona's assignments. 

"Okay Handong, for your last training today, we will do a defense test. Madam Yoona asked me to test you how long you can manage defending yourself bare-handed when one is attacking you with a short-range weapon," explained Jiu.

"Defend...myself?" Jiu strapped on a protection vest on Handong's body just to avoid any severe injuries from happening. Walking a few steps in front of Handong, Jiu turned and took out a LHR combat knife from her pocket.

"Now, I'm gonna attack you with this knife. All you have to is to avoid it or defend yourself. Understand?" Handong remained silent, her body frozen, eyeing the knife that could be closely described as horror. Jiu saw a complete change in Handong. As Handong shakily get into a ready position, Jiu was sure she was ready to bolt at the first attack. For the past few weeks, she stood firm and confident when facing a challenge, but now it seemed like they were back on the first day.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jiu asked Handong who only nodded.

"Don't worry, it's just training. This will help you gain your strength and speed, and get you ready for anything that might happen on missions." Jiu walked backwards, six feet from Handong as she prepared for the first attack. 

"Here it goes, Handong!" Jiu lunged, closing the space between them as she used her momentum to aim her knife at Handong, who tried to dodge but her movements were a tad bit too slow which caused her vest one long gash from the knife.

"Handong, pay attention and be quicker! You could be killed if someone is attacking you like this!" Jiu scolded as she swung again at Handong, who barely blocked her with both hands.

"K-kill?" 

Jiu aimed and swung her knife at Handong's unprotected stomach, but Handong didn't avoid it and instead did a counter attack as she slid away, grabbed Jiu's arm and stole her knife from her hand. It all happened in a blink of an eye as Jiu fell down after Handong kicked her from behind.

Handong was screaming out loud, like she was out of control. Jiu tried to get up but found herself being straddled on her stomach, Handong gripping the knife in her hand with a murderous glint in her eyes.

"You... you killed my mother... I will kill you!!!" Handong aimed the knife towards Jiu's head but Jiu acted fast and halted Handong's hand from the knife plunging into her skull.

"Handong! Handong! It's me, Jiu!" She shouted at her friend as she tried to pull her friend out of her hallucination. 

"J-Jiu..." Handong snapped out of it and realized what she had done. She stumbled off of Jiu and let go of the knife, letting it clatter on the matted floor. Her body was shaking, tears were flowing out of her eyes and Jiu at lost what to do, decided to hug her tight trying to comfort her friend.
________________

Jiu remembered vividly the incident that caused Handong to be insane when they were training together. 

"Mino, can you please keep it as our secret. If the others know about it, she will--" Mino held her hands and kissed it softly. 

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not gonna tell anyone about it. She's your friend," He her cheek and smiled. They hugged, seeking each other's comfort. Jiu felt her anxiousness dissipating by the contact.

"She's more than a friend, she's my sister... and so are the others. I will protect them... all of them."

-------------------

Thankful that he could use the fish he caught, Xiumin was almost done cooking fish porridge for Handong who's fever still hasn't gone down. The few times when he was waiting for the water to boil, he checked up on her and confirmed that it wasn't going away that night if she was not taking any medicine. Tasting the porridge if it needed anything to be added, he nodded satisfactorily, picking up an oven mitt to grip the hot pan. He poured the content into a bowl and carefully placed it on a tray along with a glass of water and carried it to the bedroom. As he placed it on the side-table, he went to Handong and checked her temperature with the back of his hand. 

"Still hasn't gone down," he muttered. 

Xiumin softly shook her body, rousing her, "Handong, wake up. Your specially made fish porridge is ready."

Handong opened her eyes and Xiumin helped her up, propping her upper body with the pillow at the head of the bed. He settled next to her and a spoonful of porridge was immediately at . Too weak to complain, Handong opened and ate it. 

Handong pulled away, a grimace on her face. "I don't...taste anything," she mumbled. 

Xiumin's head tilted to the side, wondering if he put in enough spice. His eyes then snapped to hers, flushing as he realized something, "Thank your fever, your blocked nose won't let you taste anything," Xiumin chuckled. "Come on, eat some more. After that, you need to take this medicine." He held up a small bottle of liquid and she nodded. Handong was slightly happy she couldn't taste anything considering she needed to take the bitter medicine. As she opened for another spoonful she realized a downfall was that she couldn't taste the dish Xiumin made for her. She mentally set a reminder to ask, no, maybe persuade him to cook for her again in the future. Undeterred, she forced herself to eat the porridge as Xiumin made it for her to get better.

After she was done eating, she took the medicine Xiumin brought. He took the bowl and glass away to wash the dishes.

"Xiumin..." Handong called him. He turned his head and looked at her. 

"Yes?"

"Thank you..." She smiled at him and laid back down on the bed to sleep. As she settled on the bed, he turned and walked out of the bedroom with the tray to the kitchen. After he was done with the dishes, he suddenly heard a thunderclap outside and a heavy rain started to fall. 

"Why does it have to be raining today," he sighed and went back to the bedroom with a bucket of cold water and towel. Handong is already in a deep sleep but her body was shivering as the rain caused the temperature to drop in the cabin. 

Xiumin grabbed the wet towel and gently wiped her forehead, face and hands to cool down her body temperature.

"She's stopped shivering...finally." Xiumin felt relieved.

"Mama...mama..." Handong mumbled in her sleep. 

"Is she dreaming about her mother?" Xiumin wondered.

"Mama... I'm sorry I can't protect you...I miss you, mama." Watching Handong having a nightmare made Xiumin feel pity for her.

"Handong, It's just a dream. Your mother is alright." He tried to help her as he held her hand. 

"Mama... why did you leave me so soon... why am I not the one that got killed..." Xiumin felt shocked, hearing what Handong just said. 

"Her mother... dead? But her mother is in China.. Did she mean... her grave?" Xiumin asked out loud.

"Mama... mama..." Handong was still calling out to her mother. Xiumin couldn't stand the anguish Handong was emitting as she started crying in her sleep. 

"Hey Handong, wake up. You have a bad dream," Xiumin was able to wake Handong. Her gaze still bleary, she saw Xiumin's face close to hers.

"X-xiumin..." He touched her face and wiped her tears. 

"I heard it... everything. I'm sorry about your mother," Xiumin spoke. Handong couldn't hold her tears anymore. She had been missing her mother a lot more recently, not to mention the immense pain when she lost her mother. At long last, her dam broke.

Xiumin pulled her up and hugged her tightly, letting her cry as much as she want. For the moment, he knew she wanted a shoulder to cry on.

"Let it out. You've already been keeping it in for too long. I'm here with you. You can cry on me as much as you want." He her hair and letting it go down to rub her back soothingly, repeating the motion to calm her down.

A while later, Handong's sobs died down while she rested her head on Xiumin's shoulder.

"You good now?" asked Xiumin and she nodded. 

"I didn't know an aggressive and energetic girl like you can cry so much," he joked. 

"It's been too long that I didn't cry like this. I tried to but I couldn't, like I was out of tears."

Xiumin cupped her face and gave a sweet smile."If you wanna talk about your mother, I will always be here to listen."

"Thank you, Xiumin," she smiled. 

"It's the third time you're saying 'thank you' to me," he grinned.

Just then, Handong moved in and gave a soft kiss to his lips. Xiumin who didn't expect it, froze. 

"Make it fourth," said Handong and they chuckled together.

"Go back to sleep and don't get any nightmares again." He got up from the bed and took a clean blanket from the closet. 

"Where are you going to sleep?" she asked. 

"I'm gonna sleep on the couch so--"

"Will you sleep with me?" 

"Eh? You don't mind?" She shook her head and Xiumin thought that Handong didn't want to be alone. He smiled and went to the other side of the bed. As he laid down, Handong quickly hugged him and he froze yet again, not expecting Handong would do it. Secretly he wondered if the sickness is messing up with them.

"You're so warm, Xiumin," she hugged him tightly.

"Get well soon, Handong," he smirked and kissed her forehead as they fell in a deep slumber.

--------------

Meanwhile

Madam Yoona and Yoohyeon went off to a 5-star hotel to have a business dinner with some other professionals who would also be attending. Arriving at the hotel, they went straight to the elevator in the lobby and went straight up to third floor where they were to mingle and dine. 

As the elevator door opened, they walked to the reception and signed in. A middle-aged man was standing in front of the dining room entrance and welcomed all his guests. A moment later, he saw Madam Yoona and another young woman he didn't recognize about to walk in.

"Miss Yoona, thank you for coming to my dinner invitation. It is an honor for a successful woman to come and join my business dinner with the others," said the man, welcoming Madam Yoona. 

"Thank you for inviting me here, Mr Hwang. An apology is in order as I couldn't be present to your event last year," said Madam Yoona.

"Do not fret, I understand. A successful woman like you are always busy. By the way, may I ask who is with you today?" Mr Hwang pointed at Yoohyeon.

"She's one of my assistant, Kim Yoohyeon," Madam Yoona introduced Yoohyeon to him. 

"Nice to meet you, miss Kim Yoohyeon," he offered his hand to her but she bowed, refusing it. Yoohyeon knew this might seem as a little rude to be refusing anything from a high class citizen, but he seemed more shocked than anything, as he retracted his hand back to his side.

"I'm sorry. She does not shake hands with people, and that includes me," Madam Yoona whispered the last part to Mr Hwang conspiratorially, as if telling a secret. She knew Yoohyeon would never shake hands with men or even touch them. 

"I see. Maybe she's just nervous with me I guess. What are we waiting for, come inside." Mr Hwang let them in and they walked into the hall. 

"That was a close one. Thank you ma'am for saving me," said Yoohyeon.

"No problem," said Madam Yoona.

They walked and tried to find their seats as all the guests inside the hall were whispering to each other and looking at them. 

"Damn, what are they whispering about?" muttered Yoohyeon feeling uncomfortable under all the stares. As they found their seats, two of the guests, a man and a woman in their fifties came to approach them. 

"Oh my goodness. You must be Madam Yoona, the Head of NiTE Agency. We are so glad that we met you. Our twin sons were hired into your agency just this year. Thank you so much for taking them in," the man praised. 

"You're very welcome. Your sons had high potential as agents. That's why we hired them and don't worry, we will train them and I'd say they'll be professional sooner than later," Madam Yoona spoke highly of the two boys.

"They told us they want to become elite agents one day like Dreamcatcher. I don't know who they are but they always say that they are the best agents," said the woman.

"I guess you're lucky because with me here is one of the Dreamcatcher members, miss Kim Yoohyeon," Madam Yoona turned to Yoohyeon smiling.

"Nice to meet you," Yoohyeon bowed to them. 

"Oh my. I thought they are men but women? I think I know why our sons keep talking about them. You are so beautiful," The parents laughed.

"If you don't mind, can I take a picture with you? I want to show it to them at home after this," the woman asked Yoohyeon.

"Sure." Yoohyeon came close to the woman and her husband took out his phone to take a picture of his wife with Yoohyeon. Then, he and his wife looked at the picture that he took.

"I bet they will be jealous when I show them this," the woman giggled. 

"Thank you so much and sorry for bothering you," said the man.

"No, It's okay. Have a nice day," replied Madam Yoona and they walked away to their seats. 

"You guys are famous now," she smirked.

"I don't want to tell them about this or they will keep asking especially if it's Jiu and Sua," said Yoohyeon.

"By the way, why did you invite me to go along with you, ma'am? This seemed like a normal dinner between peers," she asked while looking at the invitees in the room.

"Well, simple. It's because you are the only one that is not busy tonight."

"Because I'm the only one that is still single and don't know anything better to do, right?" Yoohyeon deadpanned.

"You're the one who said it," Madam Yoona replied.

"Damn it," Yoohyeon muttered. 

"Not just that, there's another reason." Madam Yoona's face changed. A more serious note than the conversation before.

"What is it?" Yoohyeon leaned in. Madam Yoona moved closer to her as she whispered.

"I got info from our agents. One of L's high members will come tonight. I bet he will be doing this undercover but I got his full picture." She took out a passport photo from her purse and gave it to Yoohyeon. She suddenly stiffened, shocked when she saw the person's face in the photo. 

"N-no way." 

"What's wrong, Yoohyeon," asked Madam Yoona.

"Why him? I can't let him see me," her body shook, sensing nothing good would come.

"Hey, relax. Do you know him?" asked Madam Yoona as she tried calming Yoohyeon.

"Hyuk... H-he's my ex-boyfriend..."

End Of Chapter 34.