Location: Seoul, South Korea

Local timestamp: 201X March 19, 09:45

Leaning against the passenger side of his car, Yunho pushed the sleeve up a little to look down at his standard military issued watch. ‘0945’ flashed on the black surface, which meant that JiEun’s night shift should have already ended. Just when he looked up, he saw his sister striding through the automatic doors of Haesung University Hospital. Her white lab draped over one shoulder.

“You’re late.” Yunho pushed his weight off the car to open the passenger door for JiEun. “And you look horrible. Did you even bother to shower?”

“It’s only a brunch with mom and dad.” JiEun rolled her eyes and slid in the seat. “Besides, you’re supposed to pick me up at 10. If you were actually on time once, I would have been more presentable.”

Yunho barked out a laugh, “Yes, keep telling yourself that. I can’t wait for mother and father to set you up on blind dates. Maybe a husband would make you more presentable to society!”

“Stop patronizing me,” JiEun scoffed and pulled the passenger door from her brother’s hand. She didn’t hesitate to slam it shut to cut short Yunho’s increasing teasing. Even through closed doors, she could still hear his laughter as he circled the car and slid behind the wheel.

Then, their eyes met and without a word, both burst into laughter. JiEun reached across the console and gave her brother a tight hug. “I missed you so much!”

“Me too.” Yunho returned the hug with equal force before patting on JiEun’s shoulder. “Can’t breath.”

“What?! Are you telling me that I’m stronger than a Special Forces soldier? I’m flattered!” JiEun chuckled and playfully slapped Yunho’s arm and leaned back in her seat. “Look at us. So busy with our jobs that our parents needed to book an appointment two months in advance to make sure we’ll be there.”

“Let hope nobody calls me today.” Yunho agreed. He buckled up and started driving away from the hospital toward the restaurant where their parents made a reservation.

“Same here.” JiEun looked down on her service cellphone, raising the sound of the ringtone.

They both had demanding jobs that required their immediate attention at each and every phone call. They lived and breathed for their career with little to no time for personal socialization. At least they were doing good deeds and saving lives. This reason alone was enough to console their parents from their abrupt take-offs.

A shrilling old phone ringtone resonated inside the confined space of the vehicle. Yunho took a quick glance toward the phone in the cup holder and gave JiEun an apologetic smile. He took the Bluetooth from the cup holder, plugging it in his ears.

“Salute,” Yunho answered with his calm and serious voice. His demeanour changed. His posture was no longer relaxed. His body turned rigid and his back straighter. His commandant’s voice booming from the other side of the line. In rapid succession, brief and concise orders were given. “Yes, sir. I understand, sir.”

Yunho reached toward the console for the radio and tuned to the station his commandant told him. ‘Two UN employees were abducted in Akkad. A video had been uploaded on various streaming websites. Ransom and other political demands had been made. United Nations and world leaders were called in for an emergency meeting…’

JiEun slumped in her seat, knowing exactly what’s happening the moment her brother’s phone rang. She had witnessed similar scenes hundreds, if not thousands of times already. Now, she knew better than to ask questions or even try to make Yunho stay. She could only think about how disappointed their parents would be when she arrived at the restaurant alone.

“Immediately, sir.” Yunho finally said after a long moment. “Salute.”

Following the end of the call, the atmosphere between brother and sister turned dense. The silence stretched for an interminable minute. JiEun spoke first, “Just drop me by the sidewalk, I will go the rest of the distance by foot. We are almost there anyway.”

“JiEun…” Yunho trailed, not knowing what to say. The look on his sister’s face cut off all sorts of excuses from his mind.

“Don’t sweat, they are used to it anyway.” JiEun gave him a small twitch of lips that could barely count as a smile. “Mom and Dad will understand.”

The words that were intended to reassure Yunho had the opposite effect. Instead, they left a bad dent in his good conscience. What kind of son bailed out on a lunch appointment with his parents? He didn’t need to see his parents’ gloomy face to know that he messed up again and there was nothing he could do to remedy the situation. He had chosen this life and the responsibilities that came with it.

Sighing, he pulled the car over and pushed on the button to switch on his blinking tail lights. “Tell them I’m sorry.”

“Go save the world, brother. And be safe.” JiEun leaned in to kiss his cheek before turning to open the door. “And, just so you know, our parents are very proud of you.”

“Thanks, little sister,” he replied. The door closed behind his sister and he drove away full speed into the traffic.

JiEun stood on the sidewalk, watching the car disappear down the street. Her heart tightened painfully in her chest and she silently murmured prayers for Yunho’s safe return. She truly hated seeing her brother leave like this and not knowing where he was going or when he would come back. The incertitude always made the wait worse.

After all, a soldier’s duty to their country preceded their duty to their family.

❈

Location: Susaek Air Base, Goyang, South Korea

Local timestamp: 201X March 19, 12:15

In less than thirty minutes, Alpha Cassiopeia team were dressed, packed and ready to board the cargo aircraft that was waiting for them on the runway. Their battalion commandant stood by the load-carrying ramp. The five soldiers stopped at the cargo door and greeted their Lieutenant General with a sharp salute.

General Go returned the salute and said, “At ease.”

Through the phone, the mission was described as an easy task; get in Akkad, retrieve the hostages and come back. However, the destination was plagued with violence and destruction. Despite multiple attempts from the United Nations and the Blue Helmets to rebuild the core institutions of the country, the insurgence persisted. Rebel fighters saw the international military forces as invaders.

“Some last minute details. Since everything needs to be done under great discretion, the US Military Intelligence will give you a detailed briefing on site.” General Go said in a calm and controlled voice. “I’ll also need you to hand over your tags.”

Even if that last order seemed to surprise Yunho, it didn’t show on his face. He reached inside of his collar and pulled out the two cheap metal plates that held his identity. He gave it a hard tug and handed it to his commandant. As soon as they landed in the commandant’s palm, his team members followed.

“Goodspeed, soldiers.”

With a final salute, Alpha Cassiopeia team marched up the cargo ramp and settled in the plane. Their backpacks were tied in the middle of the cargo floor with a safety net over them to prevent them from rolling around. By the darkened window on the left sat Lieutenant Jung Yunho and Sergeant Shim Changmin. On the opposite side, Sergeant Go Ara, Corporal Kim Junsu, and Corporal Park Yoochun.

In his hard plastic bench, Yunho rested his back against the wall and closed his eyes. Better catch some sleep during this long seven hours flight.

❈

Location: Mari Region, Akkad

Local timestamp: 20-- April 20, 04:25

The air turbulence shook the whole cargo airplane, jerking Yunho out of his light slumber. He found himself unconsciously bracing deeper into his seat. His mind was now wide-awake and his fingers crisped into tight fists as if he was expecting some kind of attack. Beside him, Changmin’s head shot upward and turned to look at Yunho with a puzzled expression, sensing the tension coming from his team leader.

“What’s wrong?” Changmin asked. He raised one of his gloved hands to wipe his half-asleep eyes. “Are we there yet?”

“Nothing, just turbulence.” Yunho pushes back the edge of his sleeve and peeked down on his watch. Pressing a small button on the side, the luminous numbers lightened his face in the darkness. “We should wake the others, landing in forty-five.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the pilot opened the door of the cockpit. “Forty-five minutes to destination, comrades,” he said in an awfully cheerful voice that always rubbed Yunho in the wrong way.

“Damnit, Heechul,” Yunho groaned under his breath. “Why are you so chipper when we are about to jump into one of the most war-torn countries? We are literally falling to our potential death.”

“Oh handsome, don’t exaggerate,” Heechul said. He walked toward the paratrooper gears and started handing over MC-5 parachutes to Alpha team members. When he came in front of Yunho, he paused for a short second and added. “If you fall for me the same way you fall from the sky, I would-”

Yunho didn’t wait for the rest of the sentence as he snatched the parachute and equipment away from Heechul’s hands. The pilot was enjoying himself way too much at Yunho’s expense. It had not been a secret that Heechul enjoyed teasing other soldiers of the battalion in any way possible. It never went beyond casual flirting, even though sometimes, it did border improperness.

From the corner of his eyes, Yunho saw Ara faking a gag, but amusement clearly danced in her eyes. To everyone’s surprise, the grimace didn’t go unnoticed by Heechul as he stalked toward Ara and stopped inches from her. With his free hands, he pulled Changmin to his side and leaned his head on the young man’s shoulders.

“And you, my sweet girl. You better keep a close eye on this one.” Heechul patted Changmin's chest that was covered by his body armor. His hand traveled south and came to rest on Changmin’s lower abdomen. “I would totally his perfect six-packs if I ever get the chance.”

Ara scoffed incredulously. In a blink of eyes, her glance turned from amused to cold. She pulled the straps of her parachute, securing it tightly into place. She had put so much force and menace in the single gesture that even Heechul had the decency to take a step back.

“Don’t you dare!” She barked, not to Heechul, but to the startled Changmin.

Changmin chuckled nervously and swapped Heechul’s hand away. “Heechul hyung, I’m begging you. Please have pity for this poor soul.”

Junsu and Yoochun silently laughed their -off on the side as they continued gearing up for the jump. When Ara turned to them, both clamped their mouth shut and schooled their expressions. Ara might be the only girl on the team, but when she wanted to, she could be as volatile as any C4 explosives.

“Alright kid, fun time’s over!” Heechul clasped his hands together. The lightness in his voice vanished. He became as serious as an Air Force Captain had to be. Glaring at the red digital clock above the cockpit door, he spoke through his headpiece. “Cinderella to Cockpit, please advise on the ETA.” After a short pause, he said to the team, “Destination in 35 minutes.”

Each member of Alpha Cassiopeia team gave themselves one last verification, gears completed and parachutes properly attached to their back. Then, sat back down. They secured the oxygen mask to the face and started the pre-breathing period. This would prevent them from passing out mid-air.

“ETA in two minutes,” Heechul continued to countdown as he reached for the lever on the paratrooper door. With a long hiss, the door opened.

The sky outside the airplane was the darkest indigo, stars, bright and shiny against the deep blue canvas without any light pollution. This high in altitude, the ground below only resembled a sea of blackness. Yunho put on his night vision goggles and waited for Heechul’s signal to initiate the HALO jump.

“Lady first,” Changmin said with mocking chivalry and bowed down to her.

“Cowards.” Ara wrinkled her nose in annoyance and lumbered forward. As one of the rare girls on Special Forces, she never missed an occasion to prove herself. She traced the straps of her helmet one last time and put on her goggles.

On her way, Changmin halted her and bumped their helmet lightly together, the last bit of affection before they all slid into their work mode. Ara’s gloved hand came to rest against the tall man’s cheek for a short moment before pushing him away and continued her way.

Yunho leaned in when Ara’s out of earshot. “Changmin-ah, in case you didn’t know, that was the perfect opportunity for a kiss.” He shouted over the strong wind and engine noises with the patience of a father figure.

“Shut up.”

“Why are you turning so red? Aren’t you two dating?” Yunho continued, faking ignorance. “Are the rumours going around the battalion fake?”

“None of your business.” Changmin pursed his lips out and pushed Yunho behind Ara in the line.

Yunho laughed in reply and patted Changmin’s head through his helmet. In front of them, Heechul clasped a hand on Ara’s shoulder, dragging her closer to the door. He murmured something in Ara’s ears and she looked back at him, grinning like a fool. Then, she connected her oxygen mask to her helmet, hiding half of her face.

“Destination in 30 seconds,” Heechul shouted, paused briefly. “And go!”

Ara took the lead, plunging headfirst into the emptiness. Without missing a beat, Yunho also stepped out of the paratrooper door, followed closely behind by Changmin, Junsu, and Yoochun with only a five seconds interval to prevent them from bumping into one another. A small cargo pallet was pushed out of the aircraft right on their tails. It contained their backpacks and weaponry such as rifles and ammunition.

Yoochun felt his stomach turning inside out during the free fall. HALO jumps had to be the one and only thing that made him pale. Yoochun grunted in his oxygen mask that contained a small communication device. “Why were we doing this again? I didn’t sign up for this High Altitude, Low Opening bull! More like Hellish Agony, Looming Oblivion.”

“No, you signed up to save lives.” Junsu’s voice crackled through the earpiece. Yoochun looked through his goggles toward his waving comrade.

“Remember, South Korea is not officially involved in this mission,” Yunho said. “We get in, we get out with as little aggression and visibility as possible.”

“I totally understand all that! But my stomach isn’t agreeing.” Yoochun retorted weakly.

“Micky, try to not vomit in your mask or you’re going to choke to death.” Ara let out a fit of giggles and all men on the team revolted in disgust.

The closer they get to the ground, the more severe and serious they were. The helmets muffled out most of the strong wind, but Yunho could still hear the whisper of it. He could also feel the freeing air trying to creep in through the rift of his equipment. From time to time, he turned over his hand to look at the altitude meter attached to his glove, the numbers descending rapidly with a speed of roughly 200 km/h.

“Parachute in ten seconds,” Yunho shouted in the intercom and started counting down.

At the announcement, the members of Alpha Cassiopeia team dispersed in the air to prevent their parachute lines from entangling with one another during its deployment. At the terminal velocity and so close to the land surface, such an accident would cause a deadly crash.

Passing the 2100 feet altitude, the parachute of the cargo automatically deployed. Instantly slowing the speed of the fall. In Yunho’s eyesight, it created an illusion as if the cargo was rapidly ascending instead of falling.

“Two, one, OPEN!”

Yunho pulled the string of his parachute at the same time as his teammates, drifting toward the ground with a reasonable speed. His body was used to the sensation of free fall. When the parachute opened, he could feel his heart sinking in his stomach and his brain squashed against the bottom of his skull.

They landed on the flat surface by the mountainsides, immediately crouching down in the high grass. The landing ground was at the Akkad’s borderline. Yunho’s hand closed around his handgun, anticipating any kind of conflicts in the hostile territories. He felt completely vulnerable without his assault rifle.

Slowing, he low-crawled toward where their cargo crate fell. Just as his fingers came in touch with the net, the rumbling noise of Humvees perturbed the peaceful scenery. Blood drained from his face. He even stopped breathing as if such a simple act could give away his location.

“Maximum to Grand Sage, is that our military convoy?” Changmin whispered into the intercom.

“Xia to Grand Sage,” Junsu called out. “Four Humvees and a truck incoming in. All are flying the American flag.”

Just as Junsu confirmed their military convoy, the blinding lighting from the Humvees projected toward them. With an angry hiss, Yunho tore his night vision goggles away from his eyes. He slowly stood up from his position and detached his oxygen mask. Even slower, he raised both hands in the air in a non-threatening manner.

The passenger side door of the leading Humvee popped open and a fully geared soldier stepped out. An American flag stitched on his sleeves and below it a red cross patch. Safely shielded behind the bulletproof door, he stood in a seemingly relaxed trance. He held his rifle loosely with both hands in front of him, barrel pointing toward the ground.

In a loud commanding voice, the soldier spoke, “Report.”

“Special Forces Alpha Cassiopeia team leader, Lieutenant Jung Yunho,” Yunho said in a fluent and lightly accented English. His voice came out calm and controlled with none of his previous agitation. “Here to assist on a classified mission.”

At his words, the soldier stepped away from the door and approached Yunho. “I’m US Marine Corps Captain H. Jaejoong ton. And I will be in charge of the operation.”

Yunho gave his senior officer a salute and turned to his team as each member gathered beside him. They all salute one after another at the mention of their names. “Corporal Yoochun Park, code name Micky. Sergeant Ara Go, Sunshine. Corporal Junsu Kim, Xia. And the last not the least, Sergeant Changmin Shim, Maximum.”

“Nice meeting you.” Jaejoong turned toward his own men and waved one of the vehicles closer. “Get your equipment in the truck, we are leaving in two.”

Then, he looked at Yunho. He could feel the heavy stare weighting on him like an anchor at sea. And for a brief second, Jaejoong swore he caught Yunho’s eyes drifting lower toward his mouth before meeting his eyes again. Jaejoong self-consciously ran his tongue over his dry lips. With a softer voice, but now laced with annoyance, he said in Korean, “Stop staring, it’s not polite.”

Yunho was startled out of his trance. He didn’t even realize that he was staring at Jaejoong. Yet, he couldn't look away. He was sure that something in his head turned into goo when Jaejoong his lips. He cleared his throat and shifted his body as if trying to play it cool. “I’m not staring.”

Jaejoong’s eyebrows shot up in mild amusement and shrugged. “Sure thing, Lieutenant. Now, get moving.”

“Yes, sir,” Yunho gulped. Nope, Jaejoong didn’t buy his lame attempt to hide his attraction. He watched Jaejoong move away and his eyes automatically dropped down to round muscular . He swore that he almost whimpered in need. The man was just his type and he couldn’t help it.

“He’s right, you know?” Changmin chirped in as he stepped closer to Yunho. “Whip your drools before you scare him away.”

“No, Changmin. I wasn’t staring, I was appreciating,” Yunho mumbled under his breath and subtly kicked Changmin in the shin as his teammate opened his mouth to pass another smartass comment. “Shut up and go help the others with the cargo.”

“Whatever you say, Lieutenant.” Changmin rolled his eyes in a comical exasperation. He turned to his comrades and helped them lift the cargo in the truck bed.

The standard pallet base size was a tight fit. As they sat down on the bench each side of the trunk, they barely had any room for their legs. The sudden lurch of the truck going forward startled Junsu who let out a small and high squeal, followed by some awkward coughs to cover up his surprise. Everyone cracked a smile.

In the first car, Jaejoong grabbed his water flask and drank deeply. The lieutenant’s stare had stirred something in him and he couldn’t shrug it off. The obvious attraction and open flirtation unnerved him. He wasn’t unfamiliar to unsolicited advances, but in his work environment, the other soldiers knew to keep their distances. After all, him breaking one of his commanding officers’ hands for touching him inappropriately spread through the battalion like a wildfire.

❈

Location: Borderline UN Peacekeeping Forces Camp, Akkad

Local timestamp: 201X March 21, 0500

The next morning, Jaejoong woke up at 5 AM and dressed quickly. The general meeting was set at 0600, and he wanted to review the plan and strategy one last time. Passing by the canteen tent, he grabbed whatever leftover from the previous day and stride across the encampment ground toward the central intelligence building.

He flipped on the neon light and settled in front of the satellite computer. He wasn’t sure how long he had worked before someone walked into the tent and his whole body tensed in anticipation of danger. His head snapped toward the newcomer and his hands went toward his service weapon strapped around his waist. It was just a reflex and he knew it was illogical. He should be feeling safe within the camp, but still hated when people arrived unannounced.

Yunho halted so abruptly at the sight of Jaejoong’s rigid posture that some liquid spilled from the two steel mugs in his hands. The smell of coffee filled the air and Jaejoong’s stomach let out an uncooperative grunt. He relaxed in his chair and frowned

“Don’t shoot the bearer of morning fuel,” Yunho said, handing a mug to Jaejoong and sat down on the chair next to the U.S. Marine. “Two sugar, right?”

The crease between Jaejoong’s forehead deepened. “How did you know?”

“A little birdy told me.”

“Does this little birdy have a spatula in his hand?” Jaejoong asked in a low menacing voice.

“Leave the kid alone, I asked him. I saw you coming in here when I went out for a run.” Yunho let out a chuckle. He brought the mug of his lips and took a sip of his own coffee. His face twisted into a grimace and immediately regretted his decision. He almost spat the mouthful back into the recipient.

“Welcome to the world of terrible coffee.” Jaejoong raised his mug for a cheer before taking a long sip of the dark liquid. “You’ll get used to it in no time.”

With that, they fell back into an uncomfortable silence as Jaejoong pretended to work by continuing to poke around the computer. Yunho grabbed the stack of papers on the table that contained the details of the operation. From time to time, he would steal a glare toward Jaejoong, taking in his attractive features. Under the neon light, Jaejoong’s eyes were a light brown and if he looked closely, the iris also seemed to have golden spikes in them.

Yunho concluded that maybe Jaejoong was mix-blood. That would certainly explain, the higher nose bridge, rounder eyes, and those damn distracting full lips. He had a very hard time keeping his eyes away, especially when Jaejoong constantly nibbled on them.

“If you’re going to stare any longer, you’re going to burn holes in my face,” Jaejoong said in Korean without looking away from his screen.

Yunho sat up straighter. It seemed that whenever the conversation turned more personal, Jaejoong would switch away from English. And Yunho followed suit, “First of all, you’re one hell of a distraction. And second, you can speak Korean.”

“Not everyone who speaks Korean comes from Korea,” Jaejoong answered matter of factly.

“I have gathered that much on my own. Thank you.” Yunho smiled and brought the distasteful beverage to his lips again. With a small hesitation, he gulped down the rest of his coffee.

The corner of Jaejoong’s lips twitched upwards. He couldn't help but to find this South Korean soldier adorably charming and incredibly handsome despite the awkward first meeting. ‘Just my type,’ he mused thoughtfully. But whether Yunho was dependable and trustworthy was still left to see. Jaejoong wasn’t at some random bar, choosing his next date. He was on a mission and all the charms in the world didn’t guarantee the safety of his life. He sipped his coffee while his mind continued to muse.

Before they could exchange more, people started to arrive, taking the seats around the table. At 0600, the meeting started. Jaejoong cleared his throat and went to stand by the projector where two profile pictures were shown. “Two UN workers, active in Mari region, had been kidnapped by the rebel group.”

On the next slide, a satellite capture of the hostage site was captured. “Using the video released on the Internet, our Cyber Warfare Unit was able to trace the source to this location. The surveillance team on site confirmed that hostages are currently held inside the building and a dozen rebels stood guard.

“One team will enter from the northeast entrance. The other team will enter from the southeast. We have seconds to complete the mission, from entering to rescuing the hostages. Eliminate the targets and don’t let them call for backup.”

*

Shortly after the meeting, Alpha Cassiopeia team geared up in full combat armour and filled their rifles with blanks. They made their way toward the back of the camp where a hangar stood. It had a similar structure to the building they would infiltrate. Inside, empty boxes were strategically placed and stacked up to simulate the different possible interior structures of the building.

“Alpha Cassiopeia, in position,” Yunho said in his communication device.

“Shadow Walkers, in position,” Jaejoong’s voice resonated clearly in his earpiece.

Yunho looked down at his wristwatch where he set a stopwatch for 90 seconds. His fingers tightened on his rifle. At Jaejoong’s command, he lowered his weight and silently made his way inside the building. With teammates flanking his side, Ara and Changmin on his right and Yoochun and Junsu on his left.

Passing the front door of the building, Yunho quickly took the first room in his path. While he inspected the room, swiping the room at gunpoint and called out ‘clear’, Changmin and Ara had taken the lead in their small group. Taking turns, they made their way down the hallway.

Turning into the open area, Junsu took a quick step forward and stumbled across a y trap. Yoochun reached out to grab Junsu by the collar of his bulletproof vest and tug him back. But it was already too late, all boxes around them tumbled down like an avalanche and red coloured smoke filled the air. Junsu’s face heated up in embarrassment and then bleached when he saw his team lead’s angry face.

“Operation failed. We are all dead” Yunho said sombrely. “It was a double booty trap. Pull yourselves together!”

Junsu’s face turned ghostly as Jaejoong’s appeared on the opposite side of the room with his Shadow Walkers. If those round eyes were rifles, Junsu was sure that he would already be dead tenfold by now. Captain Jaejoong ton wasn’t just furious. He was livid with rage. He let out a small sigh of relief when Yunho stepped in front of him. It took all his well being to not coward behind Yunho’s tall frame.

“Why don’t you and your Korean boy scouts board the first plane back home?” Jaejoong taunted. His teammates snickered and laughed behind him. “Go back to your mamas while adults handle serious matters here!”

Yunho tightened his jaws at the direct insult to his pride. He bit back a retort. He knew better than to make excuses for this kind of mistake, even if it was unintentional. Careless mistakes cost lives. “Let’s try again,” Yunho suggested with an unnerving calmness that seemed to ignite Jaejoong’s anger further.

“Again?” Jaejoong scoffed, unsheathing his combat knife from his belt. “There’s no such thing as again in the real world. You walk on a y trap, you die. If the bomb doesn’t kill you, you just alerted the enemies of your presence and the result is the same.”

Jaejoong specifically emphasized the last few words. He looked down at his knife, examining the sharp edge. When his eyes rose to meet Yunho’s, gone was the mocking sneer. One of his feet moved backward and with the full swing of his body, he sent his knife flying across the hangar with expert precision and landed where he intended.

Yunho stood immobile; he didn’t even flinch when the blade whistled by his left ear before lodging deep in an empty box behind him. It left behind a stinging sensation on the point of his ear. Slowly, he raised a hand toward the scratch and his index came back with a small strain of blood.

“Dammit, I was going to be reasonable,” Yunho mumbled under his breath. “He shouldn’t have provoked me.”

He grabbed his rifle by the barrel and lifted it up, untangling the strap from his shoulders. Without looking back, he shoved his weapon toward his nearest teammate. His other hand reached down toward the Velcro enclosure of his bulletproof vest and pulled it free. He flipped it over his head and unbuckled his utility belt, letting them drop on the ground.

Jaejoong did the same, discarding his gears on the floor as he marched toward Yunho. His fingers curled into loose fists in front of him, facing Yunho and slowly circling each other like two street cats scrutinizing their opponents.

Yunho threw the first punch. Jaejoong easily dodged it and landed a punch of his own in Yunho’s ribs.

“You hit well, for a lady.” Yunho mocked, as he stood straighter, trying to intimidate the other with his height and width. The pain was mild as if Jaejoong held back on his strength, testing and taunting before the real fight started.

People would immediately assume that due to his small, lean body and pretty face, Jaejoong would be the weaker fighter. But he did have his own set of advantages. His attacks were fast, precise and unforgiving. Yunho had learned it the hard way. Searing pain bloomed where Jaejoong hit. Sweat beaded on his forehead, running from his temple down his neck. He was now considering Jaejoong as a challenge and it’s making his time worthwhile.

On the side, Junsu started to get anxious as he watched the exchanges going on. He took a step toward the two sparing men, but Changmin held him back firmly by the arm.

“What are you doing?” Junsu shrugged the hand away and pointed toward their Lieutenant. “He’s going to get himself killed.”

“He could get killed or kill. When we carry out a joint operation, Special Forces soldiers start a fight to test each other, to find out if the other is skilled enough to be trusted.” Changmin explained. His face solemn as he surveyed the two fighters. “When you risk your life, you want to know if they’ve got your back. This isn’t sparring, this is an actual battle.”

Jaejoong kicked the front of Yunho’s knee, sending him kneeling on the ground. The next kick landed across Yunho’s pectorals. Yunho caught it and pulled hard. Jaejoong lost his footing and fell chest first on the ground. Yunho threw his whole weight across the other’s back, one of his arms locked over Jaejoong’s neck while his legs secured around Jaejoong’s thighs. With his free hand, he tried to clasp Jaejoong’s hands together.

“Give up already, pretty face.” Yunho panted into the US soldier’s ear. “There’s no shame in that.”

On the ground, Jaejoong lost all his advantages. The pressure on his body limited his attacks. Openings where he could land his blows restrained to certain areas only. Having no choice, he changed strategy. He bucked his hips backward and struggled against the hold. That movement took Yunho by surprise. He could feel the blood rushing toward his as it hardened against Jaejoong’s perfect buttocks. He let out a groan, or was it a moan? He wasn’t sure.

The distraction was all Jaejoong needed to tear one hand free and jammed his elbow hard in Yunho’s ribs. He sensed the whole body tensed and muscles touted against the curve of his back as Yunho braced himself from the pain. Once, twice and finally, on the third jab, Yunho loosened his hold and staggered away, wincing and holding his side.

“ing tease!” Yunho found himself grinning in delight.

Jaejoong pushed himself up. Both of them swinging back and forth, too tired to continue, yet too prideful to stop. Jaejoong aimed for another attack, but his movement was way slower. When he raised his right knee to Yunho’s already bruised ribs. Yunho saw it coming and hooked a hand behind the knee, making Jaejoong stumbled toward his chest. He used his other hand and grabbed firmly into Jaejoong’s . He used the little force he had left and lifted Jaejoong in the air before slamming him into the ground.

Jaejoong felt the air leaving his lungs at the impact of his back on the hard surface. He had no time to catch a breath as Yunho lost his balance and toppled forward, falling against his chest. Under different circumstances, Jaejoong would totally appreciate having a handsome and capable man sprawling between his legs.

“,” Jaejoong mumbled when Yunho’s thighs unintentionally rubbed against his private parts in his lame attempts of getting up on his hands and knees. Annoyed, Jaejoong swung his elbow, hitting Yunho hard in the jaw.

The pain exploded in Yunho’s face. Jaejoong had managed to hit him exactly where he had been previously kicked at the beginning of the fight. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth again. He spat the mixture of blood, sweat and saliva on the ground, right next to the U.S. Marine’s head.

Jaejoong grunted in disgust and tried to punch his opponent again. Yunho braced both arms in front of his head, taking in as much hit as Jaejoong managed to throw. But Jaejoong’s prominent arm was losing its strength and the punches barely hurt. Or was it because Yunho was pumped up with adrenaline and too strained that he no longer feel anything.

The sole of Jaejoong’s boot came to rest against his sternum and shoved. It was exactly the help Yunho needed to get his dead weight off Jaejoong. Yunho fell backward and sprawled on the ground, chest heaving and limbs sluggish. This seriously needed to stop, but no one from Alpha Cassiopeia or Shadow Walkers would or could step in.

Jaejoong pushed himself up on all fours, his head hanging against his chest; sweat dripping from his short hair. He literally crawled toward Yunho. The Korean soldier’s too out of it to care.

Then, the striding whistles resonated in the hangar. Jaejoong wasn't sure who alerted the camp commandant, but he was glad as he finally willed his arms to give up and collapsed on the ground.

“You’re a dirty fighter, Captain.” Yunho reached out to pat the other’s shoulders. “Who would have thought?”

“Oh well, Lieutenant.” Jaejoong heaved and swapped the hand away. “Pin me down next time, I’ll try to be cooperative.”

“If you asked me, you were definitely cooperative enough!” Yunho cracked up in laughter, but it was short-lived.

Stumping footsteps approached and stopped somewhere near him. He and Jaejoong turned to look at the newcomers and both scrambled to get on their feet. Despite the bruises Yunho felt forming pretty much everywhere on his body, he stood straight, shoulders squared.

“What the hell is going on here?” The Sergeant Major barked, yet expected nobody to answer. Everyone in the room remained utterly silent. “Alpha Cassiopeia team leader, Grand Sage.”

“Present, sir.”

“Shadow Walkers Captain, Hero.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do we have a problem here?”

Jaejoong and Yunho exchanged a quick glance toward each other before responding, “No, sir.”

“This is not a kindergarten! You got a problem, you take it elsewhere. Understood?” The Sergeant Major curtly surveyed the soldiers and dropped the punishment for disrupting training sessions. “Night confinement starts after supper. You two better behave, I don’t wanna waste body bags on you.”

“Yes, sir,” Yunho and Jaejoong said in unison.

“Now, get back to training.”

“Sir. Yes, sir.”

As soon as the Sergeant Major turned around, Yunho and Jaejoong collapsed on the ground again. When they looked around them, the atmosphere had drastically changed. There was a newly found camaraderie among the teams. No more name-calling or provocations, mutual understandings settled between them for the rest of the training session.

*

The bolt of the storage room turned and locked into place, leaving Yunho and Jaejoong alone in the dim room. Only a single dying light bulb shaded a bit of shine. Jaejoong paced around the small confinement, picking up packaged food from shelves to read the inscription.

“The only reason why we’re allowed to supper is that they don’t want us to raid their pantry.” Jaejoong scoffed. He picked up a can of tuna and carelessly threw it back into the boxes when he realized that he didn’t carry any tool to open it.

When he couldn’t find anything interesting to put between his teeth, he leaned against the wall farthest from Yunho and slid down into a sitting position. His posture was relaxed and unguarded, back slouch against the wall and feet crossed at the ankles.

“Lieutenant, any suggestions of what we should do to pass the time?”

“How about a simple discussion?” Yunho suggested.

“That’s so boring.” Jaejoong waves a hand dismissively in the air. “Let's play truth and dare.”

“Like two teenage girls at a pyjama party?” Yunho sneered, liking how this night was starting.

“Something like that.” Jaejoong trailed off, mind already racing to find potential questions to ask. Judging from Yunho’s reaction when he grounded his against his during the fight, Yunho couldn’t be as straight as he seemed. “What? Too scared?”

“Real men tell no lies.” Yunho challenged. “How come your first name’s Korean and your last name English?”

“My mother’s Korean American. And my father’s Caucasian with a penchant for conspiracy theories and believes that my mom’s cursed.” Jaejoong laughed at his own inner joke before adding. “Nine of their ten children are girls! Can you believe that?”

“How many bathrooms do you have in your house? It must be noisy in the morning.” Yunho let out a soft chuckle remembering his own little sister and him fighting over who should use the bathroom first.

“That’s an absolute nightmare!” Jaejoong shuddered in fear just at the thought of his childhood. “My turn, how did you get that scar under your eye?”

Yunho consciously raised a hand to the web of faint scars on his left cheek. They were not as visible as they used to be, the lines turned white over the years. “Fell through a window when I was a kid, got a dozen stitches and spent years sending girls away screaming.”

“One tough little monkey. Those girls got no taste.” Jaejoong clicked his tongue and shook his head in disbelief. “Who wouldn’t love a bad boy with a tough on the edge look?”

“Why’s your call sign Hero?” Yunho asked, changing the subject away from his scars. He hated it when people talked about them; he was lucky enough that they didn’t disfigure him.

Jaejoong let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his head backward to lean against the wall. “Really Lieutenant? My call sign? Can’t we get to the juicy parts already? This is getting very boring. Why’s your call sign ‘Grant Sage’?” The US marine countered.

“Because I have a tendency to correct people when they are wrong.”

“Oh, mister know-it-all.”

“Something like that.” Yunho trailed. “Now answer the question.”

“H. Jaejoong ton, the H in my name is for-“

“Hero! Really? That’s pretentious.” Yunho cut in with mocking surprises lacing his tone.

“No smartass! It stands for Hagen.”

“Like the Norse mythology hero?”

“You really are a know-it-all” Jaejoong’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You weren’t kidding at all.”

Yunho smirked, “Why so surprised? Why can't handsome people be intelligent as well? If that’s the case, you shouldn’t be wearing that Red Cross patch on your sleeve. Medic?”

“Surgeon actually.” Jaejoong’s face lit up in pride.

“Impressive.” Yunho agreed. “My sister’s a surgeon too. She’s finishing her residency.”

“A family of good looks and brains. You think your sister’s up for a sparring match?”

“She’s not in the military,” Yunho said sharply.

“Too bad, she may just be my type.” Jaejoong’s disappointment sounded awfully cheerful.

“And what would be your type.”

“Now, we are going somewhere interesting.” Jaejoong pushed himself up into a standing position and slowly, nonchalantly stepped toward Yunho. “Let’s see, charming and intelligent. Tall, handsome and a between the legs. Preferably a person strong enough to pin me down and make me cooperative.”

By the end of his sentence, Jaejoong stood toe to toe in front of Yunho. When Yunho made no reaction to move or recoil, Jaejoong stepped over the Korean soldier’s crossed-legged and settled on his laps. He leaned forward, breathing in the other’s distinctive scent mixed with the sun and the sand.

“That sounds awfully like someone I know,” Yunho smirked and sat up straighter. His hands locked behind Jaejoong’s knees and jerked him forward until they were mere inches away. When he let go his hold, his hands s upward, grabbing firmly into Jaejoong’s slender hips.

Jaejoong’s breath hitched at the proximity. So, so close. Yunho’s eyes found his and held them unblinkingly. Those eyes had so much intensity in them that Jaejoong could sense his whole body heating up. They glittered with pure hunger and lust. For a brief moment, Jaejoong’s eyes dropped toward the lips and his tongue darted out just by the thought of kissing them.

Only when his clouded mind registered the moving lips, Jaejoong snapped back into attention. He hummed distractedly and looked to meet Yunho’s dark eyes again.

“I said, I also have an ideal type.” The side of Yunho’s mouth twitched upward, knowing fully well the effect he had on this so very distracted soldier.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Pretty eyes, gorgeous face. Someone who’s very capable of saving themselves.”

Jaejoong let out a small laugh. He cupped Yunho’s perfect face and leaned in. Against the heart-shaped lips, he whispered, “Like I said, next time you manage to pin me down, I’ll surrender to you willingly.”

“You better keep this promise.” Yunho tilted his head upward and met Jaejoong’s lips midway. First, in a chaste and soft kiss. Just like sparing, they slowly tested each other. Then, Jaejoong shifted on Yunho’s laps, trying to close the distance between them. The kiss turned heated as Jaejoong preyed Yunho’s lips apart and sighed at the first real taste.

Yunho’s mouth wasn’t sweet. No, that would be too cliché. Yunho’s mouth tasted like temptation and pleasure and sin. It tasted like mistake and heaven. And Jaejoong wanted it to last forever.

He let out a small gasp as Yunho’s hands tightened on his hip bones. He suppressed the shiver running up his spine. The heat of the palms seeped through his cargo pants. Those hands were strong and firm, having the ability to hurt and kill, but could be undoubtedly gentle and tender when needed.

Jaejoong balanced his weight forward, his knees now resting on the hard ground. He needed more of Yunho. The intoxicating desire cannot be satisfied with some simple kisses.

Jaejoong’s urge and eagerness overwhelmed Yunho, barely able to catch a tiny gasp of air while keeping up with Jaejoong. Yunho settled both hands on Jaejoong’s shoulders and gently pushed backward. At first, he was met with resistance. Then, as fast as Jaejoong started kissing him, he stopped.

Confusion appeared on the U.S. soldier’s flushed face. And confusion turned to hurt before his expression went sizzling cold. He inched away from Yunho, not quite ready to move away from Yunho’s laps yet. Had he misread Yunho by any chance? He wondered. That lust and desire connecting them couldn’t possibly be just his imaginations, right?

Yunho felt like an arrogant prick for smirking at the display of emotions on Jaejoong’s features. Jaejoong clearly had a thing for him and couldn’t accept the thought of being rejected as his most vulnerable. Yunho the inside of his jaw, feeling the bruising cut on the tip of this tongue.

He cupped the back of Jaejoong’s neck and pulled him closer. His parted lips traced the column of the pale nape. “If you’re going to kiss me so feverishly, you shouldn’t have kicked me in the face. It hurts,” he teased before biting down on the pale skin and gave it a soft le, hard enough to leave a mark, not drawing blood.

His lips trailed lower and sank his teeth in the collarbone, just above the collar of Jaejoong’s shirt. Jaejoong melted in his embraces, arms circling his neck, carving for the proximity. Yunho listened to Jaejoong's soft breath quicken and felt his heart pounding against his chest.

“Do you have any idea how much I want to ravish you right now?” Yunho drawled lazily and leaned back against the wall.

“And what are you waiting for?” Jaejoong asked back, hands busy trying to free Yunho’s shirt from his pants. Before he managed to succeed, the Korean soldier held firmly onto his hands.

“It would be unethical for us to go further while purging our punishment.”

“You’re such a mood killer.” Jaejoong rolled off Yunho’s laps and collapsed against the wall next to him. He let out a groan of frustration. “All your flirting had me craving for a good . If we aren’t stationed in the middle of nowhere, I would have had your up my a long time ago”

“Are you always this crude when you don’t get what you want?” Yunho laughed. “It’s very unlike you.”

Jaejoong shoved Yunho away from him and indignantly mumbled, “Shut up, Lieutenant!”

“Yes, Captain,” the other man replied with mocking seriousness.

❈

Location: Rebel Compound, Mari region, Akkad

Local timestamp: 201X March 22, 23:59

“Alpha Cassiopeia in position,” Lieutenant Jung whispered in his earpiece as he gave his night vision goggles one last adjustment. “Ready to go on your command, Captain. Over.”

At first, only static was heard through his earpiece before it buzzed and Jaejoong’s unyielding voice filled his head, “Shadow Walkers in position. On my signal… GO!”

Promptly and carefully, Yunho led his team toward the hostile ground. His rifle mounted with special infrared light rested against his shoulder. As they approached the building, Yunho raised a fisted hand and his team immediately halted behind. Silently, he signaled a hand gesture toward his 10 o'clock.

Junsu and Yoochun were already on the way to eliminate the rebel patrolling the surroundings. As silent as a cat, Yoochun snuck behind the unaware guard. With a swift movement, he snapped the guard’s neck. Junsu caught the limp body and dragged him in the high grass, away from view.

Stopping in front of the locked entrance, the team spread by each side of the door. Yunho took a deep breath and lowered the of his rifle on the handle. With a small ting sound, the door shifted open in a slow and unnerving manner. The corridor lining in front of them was empty. Only a glimmer of light at the end of the hall called for their attention.

Just like during the training, Alpha Cassiopeia advanced down the hall half-crouched. The old wooden floorboard squeaked under their feet. About ten meters in, a small flashing light from the corner of Yunho’s eyes caught his attention.

Yoochun seemed to have seen the same thing, slowly inched closer. As expected, an artisanal bomb was stuck on the wall with duct tape and a string correcting the bomb to the wall on his right. Yoochun made a gesture, showing the direct line of the y trap and carefully stepped over the string, followed closely by Junsu and Yunho.

As Changmin prepared to step over the trigger, the door at the end of the corridor opened. Momentarily losing his footing, the heel of his shoes caught the string. Ara grabbed the back of Changmin’s Kevlar vest and pulled him to the ground as far away from the explosives as possible.

The force of the explosion propelled Yunho to the ground. The shouts of alarm from the rebels sounded muted through his ringing ears. Bullets were fired toward him, hitting hazardously on the wall and the floor. He raised his rifle by instinct and pulled the triggers. The two people dropped to the ground, motionless.

He flipped off his night vision goggles, taking seconds to survey his surroundings. Junsu and Yoochun were already advancing toward the center of the building. Changmin, coughing and grunting, emerged from the debris of the collapsed wall with Ara.

Yunho let out a sigh of relief as he turned to join his other teammates. The rest of the way toward the center of the building went by as a blur. Yunho was on autopilot with one goal, to get to the hostages. Fires were exchanged. Bullets sang in his ears as they flew by.

Running down another tight corridor, Yunho found himself face to face with Jaejoong and another Shadow Walker. His finger twitched momentarily on the trigger, before relaxing as both took a step back.

“What happened?” Jaejoong asked.

“Booty trap!” Yunho replied with the slightest hesitation. He didn’t wait to see the anger form on Jaejoong’s face. He turned to kick the last door open and ducked behind the wall.

Jaejoong and the other U.S. Marine opened fire on the remaining members of the hostile force. They stayed in position to ensure that no other threat would take them by surprise. While Junsu and Yoochun rushed toward the hostages. Yunho stood up from his crouching position.

He was about to join the others inside the room when the hair on his nape raised. An unwelcoming present lurking behind him. He swiped around, index ready on the trigger. But before he was able to assess the danger, someone knocked the rifle out of his hands.

Yunho charged headfirst toward the assailant as the other struggled to aim the firearm. In the restrained space, Yunho grabbed the man by his midsection and slammed him as hard as he could against the wall. A gasp of air left the man’s lungs, giving Yunho seconds of leverage. He desperately attempted to wrestle the gun out of this opponent’s grip.

A bullet fled from the barrel and lodged itself somewhere in the ceiling. The sound was deafening. Yunho grabbed the barrel, hot metal burning the exposed skin of his fingers. His other arm pushed deeper into the man’s throat to keep him under control. But this assailant's tenacious clench remained. At the last resort, Yunho crashed his head against the other’s nose, crushing it with his helmet. Finally, he successfully secured the weapon.

He took a step back, taking aim. When he pressed the trigger, the chamber clicked empty. No more bullets. He immediately loosened his grip and reached for his own handgun around his utility belt. Too late. A rifle muzzle nudged the side of his head. The wounded man groaned and brought a hand toward his broken nose. At the sight of blood gushing down his face, mad laughter bubbled in his throat.

“Drop it,” the other person said in heavily accented English.

Yunho looked sideways toward the source of the voice. He carefully weighed his options and unfortunately, none resulted with him living through the night. With another nudge on his temple, he obeyed. Removing the weapon from his holster and dropping it on the ground, he slowly raised both hands in the air.

*

Inside the room, heads turned toward the door. Sounds of the fighting reached them. Junsu and Yoochun exchanged a glare. Without a word, they resumed their task of freeing the hostages. The Shadow Walker made a move toward the busted door, but Jaejoong gave him a small shake of the head and took his previous position to guard the UN workers.

“Bulldog, Xia, Micky, protect the hostages,” he ordered and then in a low whisper in his headset, Jaejoong spoke. “Hero to Grand Sage, respond.”

Instead of a response, a gunshot resonated throughout the building. Jaejoong brought his rifle up, the stock against his shoulder. He stood a step forward and froze when he saw Yunho emerging in the doorway. Jaejoong’s breath hitched in his chest at the sight of Yunho at gunpoint. With steady hands and slowly inhale, he aimed.

Inside the frame of the door, Yunho was flanked by a rebel on each side. Within a blink of an eye, a bullet darted by his head. It lodged itself between the brows of the rebels who had Yunho at gunpoint. Yunho squashed the heel of his boot on the other rebel’s foot and rammed his elbow in the face as the man doubled over. Freeing his combat knife from its holster, he buried it to the hilt in the man’s neck.

Adrenaline and tendrils of fear rushed out of his body. Yunho collapsed, one knee hitting the ground. “Where those guys came from,” he asked no one in particular as he looked at the bodies around him. The calmness he had previously mastered evaporated. He looked down at his hands where blood was splattered on fingers, gloves and sleeves.

Jaejoong approached him; a firm hand on his back, silently asking him if he was ok. Yunho breathed out and nodded. He inclined forward, balancing his weight on his hands. His fingers were numb and trembled on the dirty wooden floor. He curled them into tight fists in an attempt to keep them from shaking.

Seeing how shaken Yunho was, Jaejoong crouched beside him. This wasn’t the easy-going and charming man he had come to know over the last few days. A steady hand on the back of the Korean soldier’s neck, Jaejoong forced him to meet his gaze. The eyes that looked up at him were empty as if Yunho was still processing the seconds leading to this moment.

Jaejoong slowly massaged this rigid tension out of Yunho’s neck. “You did good, Lieutenant.”

The words sounded muffled when they reached his ears as if Jaejoong was talking to him underneath the water. Dread still dominated his sense, but the reassuring hand slowly brought him back to reality, away from the spiral of life flashing before him. Of course, he expected to die every time he went on a mission. He had long accepted this possibility. Yet, facing death made him realize the full extent of what he was risking.

He took one long and shaky inhale, closing his eyes to concentrate on Jaejoong’s touch. “That was a close one. A very close one.”

“Not nearly, Lieutenant. Not on my watch. Never on my watch.” Then, with a loud and clear voice, Jaejoong spoke into his microphone. “Hero to Central Command. Hostages secured, hostiles eliminated. Mission complete.”

“Copy that, Hero.” Their earpieces buzzed at the same time. “Extraction team is 5 minutes out.”

“Guys, let’s wrap it up!” Jaejoong barked.

*

Both special force teams mounted the truck in solemn silence. The spike of energy provoked by the adrenaline lost its intensity as time went by. They all slowly process the event of the past hour, thinking about the lives they saved and the lives they took.

Jaejoong unbuckled his helmet and snuggled deeper in his bench seat. His body unconsciously leaning toward the warmth and tension radiating from Yunho’s body. Their shoulders and thighs touched slightly.

“Thanks,” Yunho tilted toward the Marine Captain and said in a silent whisper.

Jaejoong pulled on the Velcro wrist strap with his teeth and slid his tactical gloves off. He carefully reached over and wrapped his fingers around Yunho’s hand. His movement was deliberately slow as if anything else would drive Yunho’s nerves overboard. He felt the echo of tremors still lingering in Yunho’s body. With a quick glare around the truck, he amicably jabbed Yunho’s side. “You’re too good of a kisser to let go.”

A small laugh escaped from Yunho’s mouth. He turned his hand around and intertwined their fingers. Tightening his hold, he gradually relaxed. The constant sway of the vehicle traveling on rocky roads calmed his nerves. After long minutes of silence and mutual comfort. Yunho let go of Jaejoong’s warm hand and opened the pocket of his Kevlar vest. He took out a delicate golden chain. He held it in his hand before placing it in Jaejoong’s open palm.

It used to be his little sister’s. He had never worn that necklace himself since the chain was too delicate and he was afraid to break it. Nonetheless, he always carried it with him wherever he went. It had protected him for many years. However, with the event of the night, something shifted inside him. He had a feeling that Jaejoong would need it more than himself.

Jaejoong closed his hand around the object, feeling the four sides of the cross digging into his palm. He snapped his head to look at the man beside him, seeing only the contour of Yunho’s face in the moonless night. “What’s this? A parting gift.”

“How about a ‘thank you for saving my life and wish to see you again’ gift?”

“Acceptable.” Jaejoong pursed his lips in approval.

Yunho could hear the smile and delight in Jaejoong’s soft whisper. It warmed something deep inside him. On his other side, Changmin gave him a nudge. Turning his attention to his teammate, he hummed in response.

“What would your sister say when she learns that you gave her cross to a complete stranger.” Changmin murmured in his ear.

“We’re not strangers.”

“Of course, not after the quality time you two shared in the storage.” Changmin teased. Then, he took a serious tone, “I’m glad to see you’re all right. You gave us a scare back there”

“Same goes to you.” Yunho kindly slapped Changmin’s thigh. “On all the things you could have stepped on, it had to be the booty trap.”

“Don’t tell the Captain.” Changmin nearly begged as he remembered how Jaejoong reacted during the practice the day before. “He’s freaking terrifying when he’s angry. I swear his eyes can kill!”

“I’m right here, Maximum. No deaf.” Jaejoong chimed in Korean. Changmin gulped audibly and Yunho chuckled. It was good to have the camaraderie back after the mission.

❈ ❈ ❈ ❈ ❈

Location: Kasr, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 14, 15:42

Yunho and Changmin sat side by side at the counter of Valentine’s, the local bar in Kasr. Each nursed a cup of iced water. Changmin sighed and let his longing eyes sweep the shelves that contained all kinds of alcohol imaginable. ‘Five months’ he thought to himself. Five months before the end of their deployment on a peacekeeping mission in Uruk.

“Don’t you miss it?” he lamented as he raised his glass and gently swirled the liquid inside as if it’s vodka. “That satisfying burning down your throat.”

Yunho rolled his eyes at Changmin’s words. Instead of replying, he chucked an ice cube in his mouth and crushed it. The coldness traveled down his throat and spread across his chest. He eyed at the burning sun outside the window and grumbled. What he truly missed was air conditioning, the miracle machine that controlled the temperature inside a closed environment.

The land where they were stationed in Sumer Region was filled with antique stone-heavy buildings that did little to keep the low temperature inside, by modern standards. No air conditioners were permitted to prevent the electricity generator from overloading. Which explained why they were hiding in the local bar instead of returning to the barrack.

He chucked in another ice cube when a young woman came up next to him. She exchanged a few words with the waitress in local dialect before taking out a Beretta 45 calibre handgun from her tote bag. She handed it to the waitress. He frowned and exchanged a quick glare with Changmin. Changmin was about to say something, but the woman was already exiting the establishment.

Yunho’s eyes followed her closely until she disappeared from his view. A gut feeling told him that he should be worried about this exchange. When his attention went back to the waitress, he found himself looking straight at the barrel of the Beretta, the small dark hole inches away from his face.

He cursed and docked his head toward the countertop. His hands shot up to cover himself. He accidentally knocked his glass sideways during the process, ice cubes and cold water dripping on his cargo pants. On his left, Changmin more and less did the same thing, only to relax a little when he detected no real danger. The handgun still had its safety clip on and she had enough understanding of the weapon to keep her finger outside of the trigger guard.

“This is effective, I don’t even have to shoot.” She said in fluent Korean. She brought the gun closer and examined it. Then, she extended her arm again. This time, she pulled the trigger and the gun clicked against the safety clip.

A series of incoherent words left Yunho’s mouth. Irritated, he grabbed the barrel of the gun with his left hand and shoved on the woman’s wrist away with his right, disarming her. With the Beretta in his hand, he turned to gunpoint toward her instead. She tumbled back in surprise but quickly recovered.

“Are you Korean?” Changmin leaned toward her in curiosity.

“Not all Korean speakers are from Korea,” she mumbled under her breath. Her cautious gaze fixed on the weapon.

“Rule number one of firearms, don’t aim without a target.” Yunho felt the weight of the gun in his palm. A 45 calibre was too heavy and too big for the waitress’s small frame. “And where’s Valentine? She won’t approve guns going around her bar so openly. It’s dangerous.”

Valentine was the owner of the bar, a tall slender woman with glassy green eyes and soft brown curls.

“Valentine took a day-off.” The waitress leaped forward, trying to take the weapon from the uniformed soldier’s hands. “Give it back!”

Yunho pulled away at the same time he slid the movable piece on top of the gun back. An audible click resonated as a bullet made its way in the chamber. He held it with a straight arm, his hand levelled to his shoulder, the waitress fell into complete silence.

“Rule number two: guns are not dogs. They don’t recognize their owners. If I shoot, you’ll get shot.”

As Yunho said these words, he pressed the release on the handle to eject the magazine. Then, he pulled the slide to discharge the ammunition in the chamber before removing the slide from the frame. He lined all disassembled parts of the gun on the countertop.

“Why would you get a gun when you can’t even use it?”

The waitress was about to reply when Yunho’s whole body went stiff again. Something cold and shaped as a circle poked the back of his head. His hand flew to his hips toward his service weapon. It had been years since he last had a gun pointed at his head. The last time was during a rescue mission into hostile territories. This deployment was supposed to be a peacekeeping mission. Which consisted of almost everything else except gun shooting. They were supposed to be friendly figures within the boundary of Sumer Region.

The person behind him hummed in disapproval and vis-tight grasp closed around his wrist. The noises around the bar seemed to have faded into the background as all his focus centered on the object poking the back of his skull.

The waitress sneered and folded her arms in front of her chest, quite satisfied to see the color bleaching from Yunho’s face. “Not so arrogant now, are you?”

Yunho clenched his teeth to the point his jaw hurt. “Maximum, a little help here.”

When Changmin didn’t respond. Yunho darted a glare toward his teammate who seemed completely relaxed, sipping his water as if all in the world was well. An amused smile lifted his expression.

The figure behind him stepping closer. Yunho could feel the warmth touching his sweaty back. Then, hot breath tickled his ear as the stranger whispered, “If you’re looking for a fight, you should at least have picked someone matching your abilities?”

Yunho frowned, his brows knitting together as he slowly replaced the voice. Goosebumps prickled down his neck even before recognition hit. If that small circle nudging the back of his head didn’t feel so real, he would have been sure he was dreaming right now. For nearly eight years and a half, he wished to head it again, but he had not expected to head the smooth sultry voice here and now.

“I do remember you losing that fight.” Yunho relaxed and tilted his head to face for Jaejoong. “Captain,” he greeted the man in English as an old brother in arms.

The Jaejoong in front of him was the exact opposite of what Yunho remembered. The camouflage uniforms and combat boots were replaced by a black three-piece suit that hugged Jaejoong in all the right places. The buzz cut brown hair was outgrown and changed into long sandy blond strands, slicked back on one side and messy on the other. There was no word to describe Jaejoong. He appeared to be a cold and untouchable vision.

Yunho felt his breath caught in his lungs as he gawked at the U.S Marine from head to toe and upward again. “Look at you, all dapper and gorgeous.”

“Nice to see you too, Lieutenant. And just so you know, staring is still a very impolite thing to do.” Jaejoong pulled out a stool from the bar. He flipped the cap of his fountain pen in the air before clipping it back on the pen. He tucked it inside his pocket and took out a wallet. He smiled at the waitress, “The usual, please.”

The pen caught Yunho’s attention and he scowled. Beside him, Changmin laughed heart-warmingly and clasped Yunho on the back. “You really think I would sit still and enjoy my drink when there’s a real danger?”

Yunho never talked to anyone about how close he came to die on a mission over eight years ago. It had left a deep mark in him, one he still refused to acknowledge. He had struggled off the tingling feeling of fear since. Yet, it still triggered nightmares from time to time.

“I see, you’re a captain now. The military must be treating you well.” Jaejoong picked up the gun slide from the bar top and pointed at the insignia on Yunho’s chest. With the trained efficiency of a soldier, he reassembled the handgun and handed it back to the waitress when she came back with his drink. “Don’t let these two bully you, Bo-Ah. If you have any trouble, come see me.”

“Thanks, James.” Bo-Ah nodded and went off, cuddling the weapon close to her chest.

“James?” Yunho inquired out of curiosity.

“Yes, Jaejoong is not a very easy name to pronounce for the local folks.” Jaejoong sipped his amber drink from the old-fashion straight side glass. He nodded toward Changmin and seamlessly switched to Korean. “Long time no see, Sergeant. No promotion yet?”

Changmin’s sarcasm surfaced whenever he was annoyed, “Nice to see you again, old man. Enjoying retirement?”

“More than you enjoying your deployment,” Jaejoong smirked, tilting his glass in his direction. He hummed while savouring his Boulevardier, the rich mixture and bittersweetness filling his taste buds.

“Enough bickering, guys!” Yunho raised a hand to cut the on-going insult exchanges. “You two are like fire and water.”

“Soul fighters.” Changmin agreed.

“Nice name!” Jaejoong laughed and fist-bumped Changmin’s outstretched hand.

A buzz in the Alpha Cassiopeia’s radio cut their exchanges short. Both special force soldiers diverted their total attention to their earbuds. Jaejoong glowered over his drink, but he knew better than to complain. He had been in Yunho’s place. A foot soldier, a pawn to use at the convenience of higher-ranked commandants. He had done his deal of abrupt leavings and went MIA for days.

He reached inside his pocket for his pen and wrote down in dark blue ink his phone number on a napkin. Finishing his glass, he slid it toward the preoccupied S.K. Captain. He stood from his stool and straightened his suit. He brushed a hand on Yunho’s upper arm, mouthing two words, ‘Call me’. He let his hand linger there for a moment, enjoying the skin-to-skin contact before striding away with confident steps.

As he walked away, he realized how much he had missed Yunho. Who would have guessed that their short times together in Akkad had left such an impression in his life? He brought up a hand to the base of his neck, feeling the golden cross under his dress-shirt. He was thankful that Yunho gave him this cross. This cross had been his lifeline ever since.

❈

Location: Mowuru Company Camp, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 18, 09:30

The medial cubes were laid out strategically, away from the barracks and the personnel's living area, yet still within the border of Mowuru company camp. The newly arrived Haesung Hospital’s medical team shuffled through the temporary container-like huts. They were all in awe at the self-sustained steel-boxes that would serve as clinics to the local community.

Members of the company circled one specific table as busy bees. Pushing one another to stand closer to the female doctor. The first soldier presented his right arm to the doctor. She laughed at the goofiness of the men in front of her.

“It stings a lot when I take blood,” she warned.

“I love pain, doctor,” the soldier replied.

Yunho walked into the medicube with Ara, holding some of her medical supplies. He frowned at the sight in front of him. As he pushed his way through the group of people. His mouth curled upward upon seeing his sister in her sleeveless khaki vest, Haesung Hospital logo and the Red Cross patch clearly visible.

Soldiers all snapped to attention at his presence, back straight and hand on their temple. “Salute.”

“Doctor Jung.” He greeted JiEun in his usual formal tone.

“Captain Jung.” She nodded back. As if realization finally sank in, the soldiers all lowered their heads and stepped away from JiEun to line up at other doctors’ workstations, leaving JiEun alone with their Captain and Staff Sergeant Go Ara. “Seriously, brother? You have to scare away all my patients?”

“I did not do such things.” He shrugged and followed Ara toward the empty station next to his sister.

He sat down on the stool and rested his arm on the table for Ara to take his blood sample. Only then, JiEun acknowledged Ara. “It has been a while, doctor Go.”

“It’s Staff Sergeant Go,” Ara corrected without much interest.

Yunho watched the unfriendly exchange between Ara and JiEun. They went to medical school together. He knew they fought over some random guy in their classes, but he believed the feud had long ended. After all, Ara was dating Changmin for almost a decade and JiEun had no interest in dating at the moment. So why the sudden tension and contempt?

“Are you still fighting over that prick? If I ever meet that guy, I’m gonna break him.”

“We’re always fighting over that person.” Ara ticked her tongue and scoffed.

“It’s the only thing we have in common.” JiEun threw Ara a dirty look. Then, they both exploded in laughter and exchanged a high five. “Told you he’s gonna get upset.”

Before he could ask, a loud crash reached them and a horn blasted in close distance. Yunho shot up from his seat and peeked through the small windows out of the medicube. He picked up the radio from his belt, “To Main Gate, please report.”

“The main gate is secure,” The on-duty guard replied. “I think an accident occurred on the mountain roads.”

“Staff Sergeant, stay here,” Yunho ordered and pointed toward his sister without breaking eye contact with Ara. “Keep her safe.”

“Yes, Captain.”

JiEun scowled and opened to protest, but the expression on Yunho’s face made her snap shut. She had never seen her brother so stoic. His whole posture was rigid and authority oozed from his every pore. At this moment, he looked every little bit like the stern leader Alpha Cassiopeia team often joked about.

“Alpha Cassiopeia. Gear up and get the vehicle ready.” Yunho instructed on his radio and strode away.

*

The jeep speeded through the rocky trail, sending rocks and dirt flying on the way. Junsu expertly maneuvered the vehicle through the curves and uneven ground. It jerked into a stop when white fumes caught their eyes. Looking down the gulch, a UN van laid upside down. Smoke escaped from the exhausted engine. One of the tires still spun in the air following the force of the impact.

“A UN truck has rolled over,” Yunho reported back to the command center. “We’ll approach to check for survivors.”

The four of them carefully made their way down the steep slope. Yunho and Junsu took over the driver side of the van while Changmin and Yoochun on the passenger side, rifles and guns out and ready for any potential danger.

Approaching the rolled-down passenger window, Junsu slowly crutched down and pressed two fingers against the juggler of the man sprawling half inside, half outside of the vehicle. Blood stained his sky-blue t-shirt. Junsu paused and tried again, feeling no pulse. He met Yunho’s inquiring eyes and shook his head.

Yunho’s gaze trailed on the dead man, noticing small details that sparked suspicions. This route was one that led to the border, not frequently traveled due to the precarious terrain conditions. It seemed unlikely that the United Nations would dispatch volunteers through this area.

On the other side of the vehicle, Changmin’s voice boomed, “Freeze. Hands up!”

Junsu immediately circled the vehicle to assist with his rifle fixed on the other aid worker. The man scrambled backward until his back hit the van. “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” he shouted with both hands in the air. The movement made him grimace in pain. “I’m UN. UN! I think I’m hurt.”

Changmin looped his rifle across his chest. He stepped forward and roughly patted the man down for injuries. But nothing seemed broken, most likely flesh and muscle injuries from the crash. Nothing too serious.

Yunho rounded the front of the van, keys dangling from his fingers. Wordlessly, he threw them to Changmin who caught them mid-air. Changmin waved Yoochun as both headed to the cargo door. The UN worker’s head jerked back, seeing the empty keyhole, his face soured.

With a squeak of badly oiled hinges, the Yoochun pulled the back of the van open. UN’s standard transportation cases reclined hazardously inside. Changmin tugged one open. Poking from under the sealed packages of children’s clothes, dozens of firearms, big and small were hiding.

Yoochun’s jaw dropped open and yanked another case open. Same. Dumbfounded, he cleared his throat. “Captain. You should come see this.”

As Yunho passed behind Junsu, he said. “Keep a close eye on this one. He’s probably armed. If he moves, you shoot.”

“Isn’t he a UN volunteer worker?” Junsu didn’t relax his trance, rifle up and ready as his team leader instructed.

“Foreign legion tattoos under ill-fitted shirts, traveling in a sector discouraged by UN. Yet, he insists that he’s UN?” Yunho cut the imposter another scrutiny.

“Understood, sir.”

Yunho rejoined the other two and took a quick inspection of the van’s content, confirming what he had already deducted. “Call in the law enforcement, Sergeant,” he told Changmin before turning to Yoochun. “Corporal. Search the vehicle for identifications. Call UN, and check if there’s a match for their names.”

*

Under the scorching and dry sun, Yunho started to find his Kevlar vest suffocating. The shirt underneath was damp from sweat. He tilted his helmet up from his forehead in a vain attempt to ventilate air beneath it. He felt like his scalp was beginning to melt and mold into the shape of his helmet. He started to regret sending Yoochun and Junsu on a patrol with the vehicle instead of going himself.

Beside him, Changmin wasn’t any better at dealing with the unsupportable weather. Sweat trickled down Changmin forehead and temples. The scarf he usually wore around his neck to keep his transpiration from irritating his skin under his stiff bulletproof vest had distinctive patches of wetness.

From Changmin’s bored eyes, Yunho could see that, just like him, he couldn’t wait for the police to arrive. Matthias Albright, as identified by the fake papers, kneeled on the ground between them. Both arms and legs were snugly tightened in zip-tie handcuffs. From time to time, he tried to move his bruised shoulders to find a better position.

Eventually, the police car skid in, light flashing and siren blasting. A marked van followed closely behind. The chief of the police stepped out of the sedan. He walked toward Yunho and Changmin at a deliberately slow pace, pulling his belt up as he moved.

“Is this the guy?” the Chief asked dubiously. “You’re sure about this?”

“See for yourself.” Yunho pointed toward the upside down UN van. “We also called the UN's headquarter in Uruk. Their IDs and registration numbers are all fake.”

The Chief waved toward his subordinates. Two made their way down the slope to recover the cargo crates while the third hauled Albright up by the arm and dragged him away. Albright kept his mouth shut even though he was vigorously shoved in the caged backseat of the police car.

“We’ll take over from here.” The Chief announced. “We appreciate all your help. Good day, gents.”

Yunho and Changmin gave them a salute. They stepped out of the police’s way for them to do their job. They searched around for their vehicle, but it was nowhere in sight yet.

“Grand Sage to Xia, location report please.”

“Fifteen minutes out. So far nothing to declare. It appears that the individuals were on their own.”

Changmin gazed back at Albright, stuffed in the backseat. “We’ll have to report this incident back to Corps Command.”

Yunho groaned in distaste and clasped his second in command on the shoulder. “You’ll assist with the report right? I’ll need someone with an eloquent writing style to input the best report ever.”

Changmin gave his captain an incredulous side-glare. Same old excuse.

❈

Location: Outskirt of Kasr, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 18, 14:23

Jaejoong pulled open each of the crates to inspect the handguns, rifles and ammunition. The clothing and other articles used to hide the weapons were discarded before they were brought to him. He picked up a silver Glock from the lot. He examined the merchandise without any regard for the police officers standing steps away from him with Albright on tight handcuffs.

“You can’t pretend to be UN workers to cross the border anymore.” Police Chief Zhernovaia roared in indignation. “They know now and have dispatched the Korean Army to patrol the border.”

Jaejoong continued to inspect the Glock in his hands, he rose it to aim at the chief of police, peeking down the barrel. He aligned the rear and the front sights into one line and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked but otherwise, nothing happened.

The chief jerked by instinct at the sound but stood his ground as he knew perfectly that none of the weapons were loaded during the transportation. He made his subordinates checked every single clip before they were brought to Jaejoong

“If this continues, you’ll put all of us in danger.” Zhernovaia continued. He felt the anger rising as each passing second that he was being ignored. “Did you even hear what I just said?”

“Relax, we switched over already.” Jaejoong waved toward a fake postal van outside of the abandoned warehouse. He made his way back to the crate and opened a smaller one, taking out a bullet from the ammunition box.

“Take it easy,” Zhernovaia warned. He fished a switchblade from his belt. He cut Albright free from the restraints. “If things go bad, there’s only so much I can do.”

Albright slowly made his way toward Jaejoong, looking down at the toe of his shoes. He couldn’t bring himself to meet his boss’ eyes after screwing this important shipment.

“Well, you know. I have people in high positions. My back’s always covered.” Jaejoong stated matter of factly. Irritation laced his every word. He sighed and took out a fat bankroll of one hundred US dollar bills. “Thanks for your hard work today.”

At the sight of the money, Zhernovaia’s face lit up. His chubby fingers already inched forward to take the wad. Jaejoong let out a mocking chuckled and fling the money toward him. It landed on Zhernovaia’s palm and bounced to the ground before he was able to close his hand around it.

While the chief of police bent over to pick up his prize money. Jaejoong pushed the bullet in his hand inside the empty chamber. The spring clicked into place and with a small twitch of his finger, the bullet buried itself in the man’s skull. Zhernovaia’s body fell motionlessly and his subordinates were all too stunned to move as color bleached from their faces.

Jaejoong remained cold as marble as if he just killed an ant rather than taking another human being's life. His bleak eyes landed on the highest ranked of the subordinates. The man recoiled and looked warily back, expecting to receive a bullet as well.

“Congratulations. You just got promoted.”

The man’s bewildered face was almost comical. Surely if his late chief wasn’t lying face down in his own blood, the promotion would have sounded much more appealing. Instead, he swallowed hard, unsure how he should respond. Jaejoong took the silence as an obvious agreement.

“Don’t forget your bonus,” Jaejoong waved the barrel of his gun toward the wad of money by the red pound of blood. He handed the now useless weapon to Albright. “I’ll deal with you later. My disappointment in your performance today cannot be overstated.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Get everything in the van, we’re leaving.” Jaejoong started walking away and stopped. With a distasteful expression, he added. “Get rid of the body.”

“Yes sir.” Albright hurried toward the crates, closing the lids. With the help of other members of the group, they started loading the smuggled firearms into the postal van.

❈

Location: Kasr, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 23, 11:30

JiEun sat on one of the tables, sipping absently her soft drink while waiting for her brother to return from Corps Command. So far, her days in Uruk had been uneventful. She separated her time between the medicube and the local orphanage to help out with the children.

She looked up when a bowl of peanuts was set in front of her. The waitress smiled at her and asked in fluent Korean, “Are you ready to order?”

Surprise lightened JiEun’s face. She wasn’t expecting anyone local to speak Korean. “I’m waiting for someone to arrive.”

As if Yunho felt his sister’s impatience building up, he strode in on his long legs. His yellowish camouflage uniforms were very much out of places in the middle of Valentine’s. At the sight of him, Bo-Ah let out an audible complaint. The event from a few days ago is still fresh in her memories.

“Look at that, the obnoxious soldier’s back.” She rolled her eyes at Yunho’s polite greetings.

“Come on. Don’t be an .” Yunho gave her a sheepish grin.

“You are an .” Bo-Ah jabbed a finger in the Korean soldier’s chest. “You are so full of yourself that you can’t-”

Yunho’s friendly endeavour evaporated in a blink of eyes. He straightened his back and squared his shoulder as if he was about to talk to one of his disobedient subordinates. “Lady, I’m not going to apologize for what happened. I still stand by my words. You should not wield a weapon that you have no idea how to use.”

Bo-Ah held Yunho’s glare as long as she could manage. She imitated his posture, standing taller despite her petite frame. She mustered as much courage as she could without crumbling under the intimidating eyes. “Have it ever cross your mind that maybe I do know how!”

The Korean soldier crooked an eyebrow incredulously. “Really,” he said with a taunting undertone that couldn’t be missed.

It took barely a minute before she completely deflated and glowered. “Alright! I have no idea how to use a firearm. Happy now?!” she shrieked before stomping away irritated.

Yunho chuckled. “Happy now?” he mouthed behind Bo-Ah’s back as he slid into the booth in front of his sister. His posture relaxed. But not the kind of relax JiEun used to see whenever Yunho was back home.

His eyes were still incessantly scanning the bar, taking in every detail. She could almost see the gears spinning in her brother’s head, even though she wasn’t exactly sure what he was examining. She had witnessed him doing the same thing back in Korea. She didn’t dare to ask. Her brother had his own expertise and training guiding him everywhere he went.

“You seem to be in a good mood,” JiEun said as she sipped on her soft drink. “Did everything go well at Corps Command?”

“Actually, it was terrible.” Yunho struggled his shoulders and picked up the menu from the table. He looked through the food options and refused to elaborate further, which was nothing surprising.

JiEun had learned a long time ago that this was when she had to drop the subject. Classified missions and reports were to Yunho what doctor-patient confidentiality was to her. So instead, she decided to comment on something else. “It’s so weird.”

“What’s weird?” He asked without looking up from his menu.

“Finally seeing you in your natural habitat,” she laughed softly. “Bossing people around at your whim. Not just your men or me, apparently.”

Yunho chuckled in response and shook his head. It felt good to have a family member so close to him even this far from home. He was less homesick since her arrival and couldn’t thank her enough for travelling halfway across the planet to keep him company.

The sound of polished shoes on the hard wooden floor caught Yunho’s attention as he turned his head slightly to see who was approaching their table. His face lighted up at the sight of a familiar figure who wasn’t wearing a uniform. Just like last time they met, Jaejoong was donning his expensive looking suit. Only today, in this suffocating heat, the blond man had forgone the silk tie and opted for a dress shirt with the top two buttons free.

“Fancy seeing you here again, Captain,” Jaejoong clasped a friendly hand on Yunho’s back and casually rested his hand there without any intention of moving away.

Yunho became accurately aware of the touch against his shoulder blade, of the warmth sipping through his clothes and stirring up the sinful desire that simmered steadily in the pit of his stomach. Even the neatly folded napkin inside his chest pocket with the man’s phone number was slowly burning into his skin.

JiEun looked up from her menu and waited, expecting her brother to reply to the greeting and to do the presentation. However, she couldn’t help but to notice his unyielding posture. His muscles pulled taut under his uniform. Even the joints of his hands were starting to turn white under the pressure of his hold on the menu.

If it wasn’t for the so-slightly flush on his cheeks and the unmistakable dilatation of his pupils, she would have considered this individual dangerous and hostile. Her eyes landed on the pale hand on her brother’s back and a small smirk tugged the corners of her lips up.

The blond man clicked his tongue when Yunho ignored him despite their proximity, carefully and successfully avoiding any eye contact. Irked in a way he couldn’t describe, he turned to the young woman across the table instead. “You look very familiar, do I know you?” he asked in a soft voice that immediately put JiEun at ease.

“This is JiEun, my sister.” Yunho jumped in before JiEun could reply. “She’s here with the Haesung Hospital delegation.”

“Oh, the smart surgeon you told me about. Nice to finally meet you,” Jaejoong exclaimed and extended a hand toward her. “James Hagen, former U.S. Marine.”

Yunho frowned at the name. He knew that people around here call him James. It still bugged him that Jaejoong decided to use that name to present himself to his little sister. Even if the man standing beside him was the Jaejoong from years ago, every single thing about him felt wrong, not just the name. The way he looked, carried himself and talked were all completely different from what he remembered. This wasn’t the Jaejoong he had imagined. What if the man he had been waiting for only existed in his memories?

“J-” Yunho cleared his throat. It felt weird to not address Jaejoong by his rank or his call sign. It was even weirder that he couldn’t call the other by his real name, Hagen Jaejoong ton. “James used to be a military surgeon. We met on a mission a few years back.”

“Yes, lovely time. But I’m just a regular civilian now.” Jaejoong shrugged and his hand went back to rest affectionately on the soldier's shoulder blade. Yunho swallowed hard to keep his mind focused on the ongoing conversation. “I do help at the local hospital from time to time. Maybe we’ll surely meet again during your stay in this splendid region.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” JiEun answered back with a polite smile. Her English was very different from Yunho’s. While her pronunciations were delicate and rounder with a hint of the British accent, Yunho’s was tough around the edge and carried a draw on certain words, influenced by American soldiers stationed in South Korea.

Right at this moment, Bo-Ah appeared beside the table with her notepad and a glass of iced water. She put it in front of Yunho with a grunt.

“Is he still giving you a hard time?” Jaejoong chuckled at the evident displeasure on her face.

“She’s the one giving me a hard time,” Yunho complained as he drained the water so fast that his forehead started to ache.

Bo-Ah made a face and turned to Jaejoong instead. “Valentine is in the storage room for some inventory count. You can go down if you want, she’s expecting you.”

“Thanks. And put their bill under my tab, I’ll take care of it next time I’m here.” Jaejoong nodded. He briefly tightened his hold on Yunho’s shoulder and said his goodbye. “Enjoy your lunch. It’s on me.”

Yunho opened his mouth to protect, but Jaejoong was already halfway across the dining hall, walking straight toward the door that read “Staff Only”. So he ordered the first thing he saw on the menu before Bo-Ah lost her patience and stomped away.

JiEun looked dreamingly at the door where Jaejoong disappeared behind. Her chin rested on the back of her hand and she sighed. “He’s so handsome. I should call the hospital and ask if I can extend my stay here.”

“Back off.” Yunho snapped at her with such ferocity that it surprised even himself. However he wasn’t entirely sure if it was the protective instinct of a brother or the jealousy of a lover that just stirred his emotions.

“What? He’s very hot and very much into you.” JiEun laughed, totally unfazed by her brother’s harsh tone. She clapped both hands together, eyes shining with prying interest and teasing mischief. “I should totally stay here to keep an eye on both of you. Just out of curiosity, how far did you go? A kiss, or did you two-”

“Jung JiEun!” Yunho warned between gritted teeth. “My life is not part of our bonding time!”

“Come on, brother. Relax before you pop that vein in your temple or self-induce yourself with muscle spasms.” JiEun waved a hand toward the soldier’s still rigid posture. “But… If you ever find yourself in the need, I do believe that we have a box or a few boxes of medical lubricants. Doubt it will cause havoc if some tubes go missing.”

As soon as she said those words, she covered to muffle the laughter rippling from her body. She really couldn’t help it. She had never seen her brother so smitten by a person. Wait until their parents found out, they would be aghast but thrilled. Honestly, at this point, their parents didn’t care anymore; they simply wanted Yunho to find himself a worthy partner and not spend the rest of his life alone. Not many people want to marry soldiers these days.

Yunho took a very deep breath. “Do you know that peacekeepers are armed, right?”

“So what? What are you gonna do? Shoot me?” JiEun asked in mocking astonishment. “I'm your favourite sister.”

“I’m seriously considering it right now. Just stop talking and be glad that you’re my only sister and I love you.”

“Love you too, brother.” JiEun pouted at Yunho and putting in use her best puppy look. She turned back to stare at the back-store door and seriousness replaced her previous giddy expression. “He’s walking a bit strangely. Does he have some kind of injuries?”

“None that I know of.” Yunho followed JiEun’s line of sight. He tried to remember the way Jaejoong moved and nothing out of the ordinary caught his attention. “He looks fine to me. Why?

“Nothing, just professional curiosity.” JiEun continued to fix into the emptiness, her mind trying to find the reason why Jaejoong’s way of walking bothered her so much. After a while, she shrugged as if her comment wasn’t important. She turned her attention toward the approaching waitress and the two steaming plates in her hands. “Let’s eat, I’m famished.”

Yunho watched Bo-Ah setting the plates in front of them, delicious aroma filling his nostrils and inviting his appetite. But a figure looming behind the waitress caught his sight, his face hardened and his lips stretched into a thin line. Across the dining hall was a longing area that opened toward the beach. A group of young men imposed their presence.

Among them, one person in particular irked Yunho the wrong way. The last he saw Albright, the guy was on his way to the police station. Yet, there he was, free as air and far from prison despite the hard evidences elaborating his crimes.

Yunho pushed himself out of the booth, but Bo-Ah planted a firm foot in front of him, blocking his path with her entire frame. “Leave it,” she whispered urgently. “They are dangerous.”

“Stay out of it.” He tried to step past her.

“No, you don’t get it. They are part of a firearms smuggling group that goes by Merchants of Death.” Bo-Ah explained, but her revelation brought no surprise on Yunho’s face. Rather, shock registered on her own expression as she placed the pieces of information together. “You got one of them arrested last week. Then, all the more reason to let it go. They hold grudges easily and enjoy petty revenge. Please, walk away before you get hurt.”

Bo-Ah said the last words in a desperate tone. She had been in this region for years. She had heard the stories about this criminal group. When they set a target, there was no way to shake it off. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down her back. She searched in Yunho’s eyes for understanding, only to find cold unwavering stubbornness.

“Before people close to you get hurt,” Bo-Ah hissed in a hushed voice so JiEun wouldn’t hear her warnings, her last attempt to stop her fellow Korean speaker from an impending disaster.

Yunho clearly understood the underlying meaning of her words and turned to his sister. He handed her the keys of the SUV parked on the street. “Do you remember the roads we took when we came here?”

JiEun nodded, picking the keys from the table surface. Instead of leaving as her brother expected, she remained seated, hesitating. Whatever murmurs exchanged between the waitress and her brother mustn’t be good. She may not hear anything, but from their expressions alone, she could only guess.

“What about you?”

“I’ll borrow a car from Corps Command. Don’t worry.” Yunho reassured her the best he could. He knew how dangerous those men were and he didn’t want to get JiEun involved. He was starting to think that bringing her in this bar was a completely idiotic idea.

JiEun pursed her lips and looked down at her untouched plate. ‘What a waste,’ she thought to herself and slid out of the booth as well. In this unfamiliar territory, her brother’s judgement was the only thing she trusted. Under Yunho’s scrutinizing eyes, she walked out of the car.

Yunho waited until JiEun climbed into the SUV and drove off before he met Bo-Ah’s gaze again. With a small push on her shoulder, he guided her out of his path. When he met resistance from the small woman, he sighed. “I’m not looking for a fight, I promise. I just want to talk.”

Bo-Ah reluctantly stepped aside to let the Korean soldier past. She watched Yunho walk away and she resisted the urge to stop him again. Her concern deepened the more Yunho approached the group of atrocious men. Something bad was going to happen, she knew it.

“Lovely day to stay hidden inside, don’t you think Albright?” Yunho spoke loud and clear in English as he strode toward the group in the lounge, stopping at the billiard table where a game just started. He trailed a finger on the bright red cloth before picking up one of the balls. He casually turned it in his left hand.

“It’s no thanks to you,” Albright sneered. “What brings you here to our humble little bar?”

“I can’t say that I missed you. That would be a terrible lie from my part.” Yunho paused to examine the smuggler in front of him. He tilted his head on the side with a pensive look on his face. “My curiosity is getting the best of me, how did you get out so fast? You should share your secret, one day, I may need a trick like that.”

“I may not look like it, but I do happen to know some people in usual places.”

“Oh yeah, true. Having some law enforcement officers in your pockets can be very helpful,” Yunho said matter-of-factly.

Getting bored by the ball he was holding, he tossed it back on the table. It hit the bundle of balls. The loud and sharp noise made Albright’s whole flinched. As a reflex, a hand flew toward the small of his back where he kept a contraband handgun in the waistband of his pants.

The brisk movement didn’t go unnoticed by Yunho as he clicked his tongue in disapproval. “So you are carrying. I suspected that much.”

A collective gasp resonated in the bar when Albright took out the gun from the concealed spot. Even Albright’s men seemed surprised by the sudden escalation. Yunho took a quick glance around the room, noticing no other civilians beside the few Valentine’s employees who were on standby.

“You know? I wasn’t going to pull a gun on you since I can in no good faith threaten an unarmed civilian.” Yunho’s hand reached toward his utility belt. His palm rested on the of his weapon even though he made no intention to draw it from his holster yet. “The police let you off before, but if you injure a foreign peacekeeping officer, the United Nations and South Korea will demand retribution.”

The calmness in the Korean soldier’s voice unnerved Albright. He forced out a laughter and released the gun on the pool table. “Relax Captain. Let’s not make a scene here or Valentine is gonna ban us from this place. That would be a shame.”

“A shame indeed.” Yunho agreed. “But rest assured, I’m only here for a friendly talk. We can even get a round started.”

He took a step toward Albright, but one of his goons pointed the billiard cue to his chest with clear warning. His hand closed around the point of the cue and jammed the stick backward. The handle stabbed into the man’s stomach. The person doubled over, trying to catch his breath. At the same time, Yunho gave the cue a kick, sending the handle out of the man’s grip into his chin.

Yunho couldn’t help putting on that arrogantly triumphant smile. With the cue in his hand, he nodded to Albright. “Shall we get this game started?”

Albright didn’t have time to even consider the proposition. Between Doug howling in pain and Warren launching his fist toward the Korean soldier. Any resemblance of control slipped right through the gaps of his fingers.

Yunho easily dodged the first punch, but the second blow hit the side of his head with a sickening crack. That was definitely not a fist. Pain exploded on his forehead as his vision momentarily turned white. He gave himself a vigorous shake to focus his vision. He didn’t need to see to confirm the damage. He could feel hot fluid trickling from his eyelashes down to his chin.

The room fell into utter silence. Even Albright had the decency to wipe the smirk from his face and paled at the sight of blood smearing the Korean soldier’s face. If he hadn’t realized how deep in trouble he already was, now he knew for sure.

It was one thing to sneak out of the compound for some leisure time against the boss’ direct order. It was a completely different thing to injure a peacekeeper. Last time, when a few Merchants assaulted a doctor from the peacekeeping delegation, Jaejoong had flatly refused to help lessen the charges. No bribe, no favour. The guys were now in a federal penitentiary serving their sentences for aggravated assault and battery.

‘Don’t get the foreign force involved in our operations in any way. One look in our direction and we are as good as dead,’ had been Jaejoong’s warning to all members following the incident.

Albright swallowed hard, his mouth too dry to form any words. He wasn’t sure if he was saved by the clicks of high heels resonating in the quiet room or if consequences were charging toward him full speed. He decided on the latter when he saw Jaejoong over Valentine shoulders as both made their way out of the back-storage.

Jaejoong slowly surveyed the room, taking in the scene that had unfolded; the silver gun laying on the pool table, the bruise blooming on Doug’s chin and the black 8 ball in Warren’s fist. He keenly lowered his gaze down Yunho’s back and his jaw tightened at the sight of blood drops by the combat boots. The soldier’s taut shoulders and slightly incline head was enough to confirm that the blood was indeed his.

Unbeknownst to him, Yunho’s focus stayed on Albright without realizing that Jaejoong’s presence, nor how all eyes had turned toward the former U.S. Marine waiting for a hint of instructions. The members of Merchants of Death all trembled a little inside at their boss’s cold murderous glare.

Seeing how Jaejoong made no intention to reprimand his underlinings, Valentine spoke up in her sweet voice. “Boys, if you’re here to boast about your alpha masculinity, please carry it outside. My bar is not a fighting ground.”

Yunho spun around at Valentine’s voice, giving her an apologetic smile laced with pain. Her pretty face lost a bit of its rosy colour when she saw the blood smeared across his face.

Anger was one of the few emotions he allowed himself to show lately. As if it wasn’t already evident enough, his face hardened and his eyes turned even darker. His hands itched to tear down the responsible person bit by bit.

Bo-Ah let out a gasp at the horrible sight and hushed to the nearest table. She gathered a handful of napkins before running up to Yunho and pressed them on the open gash. Yunho couldn’t hide his surprise, seeing the petite women offering her help. But nonetheless appreciated the gesture. He took the napkins from her hands and tapped on his wound.

Her face was red with anger when she turned to look at the big man that smashed Yunho’s head and mumbled a few colourful words in local language. If Yunho observed closely, he swore that her eyes shone with tears.

He was about to reassure her that he was completely fine. Blond hair appeared in his line of vision. Jaejoong put a gentle hand on the small of her back. The touch seemed to release the tension building up in her body. He turned her away from the man and asked in a soothing voice. “Bo-Ah, sweetheart, why don’t you go get me the first aid kit?”

She let out a shaky exhale and nodded. When she was out of the earshot, Yunho said in wonder. “I thought she hates me.”

“Well, she doesn’t like you very much. That’s for sure.” Jaejoong stated the obvious fact as he lifted the napkins to examine the gash. “But she hates those guys even more. They beat her fiancé pretty badly not long ago when he refused to steal prescription drugs from the hospital. She has been wary since.”

The realization hit Yunho like tons of bricks. This would explain the gun Bo-Ah purchased. She was telling the truth. She needed protection that police enforcement failed to provide. He felt like a jerk for chastising her rather than offering help.

Valentine walked up to them after the one-way conversation with the guys that caused a ruckus. “I’m going to call the police,” she said. “You should fill in a complaint about what happened.”

“No. No complaint. It will be useless and they will be walking away free before the end of the day.” Yunho shook his head and instantly regretted doing so as dizziness swept over. He looked across the room and saw only the two men he fought with. Albright had long evaporated from the bar.

“Alright. Let me know if you change your mind.” Valentine said. She made her way back to the waiting men and dismissed them with a flick of the wrist. They glanced quickly toward Yunho and Jaejoong before fleeing through the doors of the establishment.

Jaejoong paid no attention to them. Instead, he put a hand on Yunho’s back while his other hand still held the soaked napkins against the wound. He slowly guided Yunho toward a table by the windows. Bo-Ah had carefully laid out a bowl of clean water, the first aid kit and a plastic pot for the garbage.

Yunho slumped inelegantly in the chair and sighed. “It’s just a flesh wound. I’m not dying.”

“It’s a head wound and I’m doing the diagnostics.” Jaejoong pursed his lips into a thin line. He took out his cellphone and opened the flashlight option. Using the makeshift medical substitution, he shone the bright light into Yunho’s pupil to test the reaction. “No concussion. Good.”

“I’m fine,” Yunho tried again to back further into the seat. Jaejoong’s proximity was making him dizzier than his head wound.

But Jaejoong wouldn’t have any of it. He held Yunho’s chin and adjusted the head to get a better view at the gash. He turned to grab a pair of rubber gloves. Dipping a cotton ball into the warm water, he started cleaning the wound. Though he concentrated on the task at hand, he was also accurately aware of Yunho’s closeness. At the arm resting on the tabletop, so close to his hips. And the camo clasped knees fidgeting against his legs.

Yunho was to him what opposite sides of magnets were to each other. No amount of struggles could keep Jaejoong from being pulled in. The more he tried, the stronger was the attraction. “Stop staring,” Jaejoong hissed between clenched teeth. “And stop grinning.”

Yunho immediately schooled his expression. He didn’t even notice that he was smiling until Jaejoong pointed it out. “You’re gorgeous,” he blurted out before he couldn't stop himself and started grinning once again.

Jaejoong ignored his shameless flirting and continued to tend the wound. He pressed a cotton ball soaked with alcohol into the opening, pressing a hit harder than necessary. The Korean Captain hissed in pain, wincing, but didn’t complain.

“So, why not the police?”

“I-” Yunho hesitated. “I was told not to engage those people under any circumstances, but still went looking for a fight.”

“You disobey a direct order.” Jaejoong nearly shouted and pressed the cotton ball hard into the gash, letting the alcohol sip into the wound.

This time, Yunho grunted and swapped the offensive hand away. “That hurts.”

“That was supposed to hurt, you crazy bastard.” Jaejoong threw the cotton in the plastic pot with enough force that it made a splashing sound when it hit the bottom.

Against his better judgement, Yunho held Jaejoong’s slender hips between both hands and pulled him a bit closer. “Look at me.”

“No stitches needed,” Jaejoong observed as he applied the butterfly closures on the gash to keep it close before taping a clean gauze over it. “What do you want? I’m looking at you.”

“Don’t play with my words,” Yunho warned unhappily about how Jaejoong still refused to meet his eyes. He hated to think that he had somehow disappointed the other man.

However, to Jaejoong, his anger was too acute. His emotions too clearly displayed in his eyes. He was rarely this irritable when dealing with his underlinings or his business. But getting Yunho involved in this mess was way too personal. Maybe, he shouldn’t have approached the Korean soldier in the first place. They did have a brief history together. Jaejoong closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to diffuse this anger. When he opened them to meet Yunho’s, the tempest had dissipated.

For a long moment, Yunho considered what he wished to say. He had so many questions, about Jaejoong, about them, about the last eight years. Instead of all the things he wished to know, he asked, “Why did you never contact me after your deployment?”

Surprise flashed on Jaejoong’s face. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t form a word. He wanted to tell Yunho everything; the years of torments that followed his military discharge. He needed to know that Yunho held no grudge and that he had waited for him. But eight years, that’s a long time.

Yunho may seem just like his old self, but Jaejoong changed. Some days, he looked at his reflections and he wasn’t sure if he recognized himself. Unconsciously, he touched the thin gold chain around his neck, tracking down until his fingers closed around the cross dangling at the end.

The gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Yunho. He instantly recognized the necklace. “You kept it.”

“I never took it off,” Jaejoong cleared his throat and dropped the pendant back inside his shirt when he noticed how tightly he had been clutching it. It was a tick he developed over time. He didn't know when he started to do it, he just couldn’t seem to be able to stop. This necklace had since become his lifeline and a reminder of his identity.

“You’re asking me, but you never called me either. “Jaejoong reproached. He crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive posture.

Yunho mirrored Jaejoong’s demeanour. And sat taller in his chair. “I tried. You went MIA on me.”

“No, I was talking about recently.”

“Oh,” Yunho simply said. The napkins in his chest pocket made its presence known again. “I don’t know. You make me very confused. I have no idea what to do with you...”

“Good to know I’m not the only one feeling this way.” Jaejoong smiled bitterly. He slid his rubber gloves off and cupped Yunho’s face in both hands. He gently caressed the web of scars under the soldier’s eyes, considering his next move. “Let’s meet again, and I’ll tell you everything.”

*

Jaejoong walked into the Merchants of Death’s compound with silent steps. The heels of his leather shoes made almost no sound against the stone floors. He made his way around the abandoned seventeenth century residence with ease, knowing the hallways and path like the back of his hands.

He turned the handle of the door leading to the wine cellar. The people inside instantly scrambled to stand up at his sight. The few ones that were at the bar earlier fixed the floor, not daring to look up. Jaejoong barely spared them a glare. Instead, he went up to Albright and slammed him against the wall.

“What did I tell you?”

“To keep a low profile and don’t show my face in public.” Albright swallowed hard as he dared a glance toward his boss’s face. The murderous eyes sent a shiver down his spine and he searched to find proper words to continue. “But that Korean soldier is your friend, Mr. Hagen. So I thought he wouldn’t-”

Jaejoong let out a low menacing growl and dug his fingers into Albright’s neck, applying enough pressure that the man’s face slowly turned red. “No idiot. What else did I tell you?”

“That soldier is off limits,” Albright croaked as he struggled to breathe. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to happen”

When Albright’s eyes started to bulge and he was on the point of suffocating, Jaejoong forced himself to step back. His hand released the pressure on Albright’s neck, letting the man slid down the wall and sprawl on the ground Albright coughed and wheezed for air.

Jaejoong reached inside the blazer. His fingers closed around the handle of his handgun. The cold metal beneath his palm calmed him. He was in control and the power of control sooth his sanity. Inside this city, inside this building, he got to decide who lives and who dies.

James Hagen was the prosecutor, the judge, and the executioner. And at this moment, he chose to let Albright live just a bit longer.

“Mess up again and I’ll personally send you to hell. Understood?” Jaejoong waited for an answer when none came back, he gave the man on the ground a little nudge with his shoe. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Albright nodded frantically and mentally thanking his good luck.

❈

Location: Kasr, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 27, 09:30

Yunho strolled into Valentine’s right upon the opening. The whole area was eerily silent, no patrons inside and no passerbys outside. Bo-Ah didn’t even bat an eyelash when she saw him coming in and continued to wipe the last few tables at the end of the dining hall.

“Morning, charming lady.” Yunho tilted his hand for a polite greeting.

Bo-Ah scoffed and waved toward the terrace at the back of the bar. “No need to be so chipper this early in the morning.”

“But isn’t it just a wonderful morning?” Yunho laughed.

“Your date’s waiting on the beach.” The waitress rolled her eyes at the top obvious happiness in the Korean peacekeeper’s voice. It sounded like someone who was about to get laid. “Now get out of my sight!”

Yunho thanked her and made his way toward the back terrace that led to the beach. Bo-Ah could swear that there was a bounce in each of his steps. That almost made her nauseated. She gagged in disgust when she remembered the glee in Jaejoong’s eyes when she saw him earlier. She couldn’t help but wonder how two persons who had never been in touch for years could look so in love with one another. And it made her miss her fiancé, battered and hurt in the American military base where she had no clearance to enter.

*

The beach behind the bar was privately owned and only accessible to its customers. A dock plunging into the sea allowed boat owners a place to leave their vehicles while grabbing a beer. This early in the morning, Circe is the only boat attached to the piers. Its sunshine coloured paint reflected in the clear teal water.

Jaejoong jiggled the keys in his fingers, still eternally grateful that Valentine let him borrow it for the morning. He couldn’t wait to board the boat and drove away from this place. He needed to shed that invisible weight on his shoulders that seemed to be heavier day after day. Right here, right now, he wished to be the Jaejoong Yunho remembered. Yet, ironically, he had trouble remembering himself.

His ears perked up at the sound of sand crunching and his gaze drifted away from the water. He blew out a long shuddering exhale that left him breathless at the sight of Yunho in his khaki camouflage uniforms. His heart became harder to control every time he landed his eyes on the Korean soldier.

Today in particular, his heartbeat hammed into his ribcage. When Yunho gave him that crooked side smile, he felt himself being undone inside out. He unconsciously took a step toward the other’s direction, attracted by the charming demeanour.

“Morning, Captain.” Yunho put a hand to his temple and gave the blond man a casual and totally unacceptable salute.

“Lieutenant,” Jaejoong replied, finding himself sliding effortlessly back into the skin of H. J. ton.

“Think you didn’t get the memo.” Yunho tapped the insignia on his epaulettes. “I got promoted.”

Jaejoong clicked his tongue at the smugness on the tall man’s face. “How’s the forehead?”

“Great. All thanks to the care I received.” Yunho touched the Band-Aid. Just before leaving the camp, JiEun had changed the dressings and cleaned the gash again to prevent infection. One thing he could say for sure, compared to his sister, Jaejoong got gentler hands.

“Good to hear. You can thank my country for the years of medical training,” He spun around and marched toward the boat. “Since you’re all good and strong, follow me, Captain.”

“Where are we going?”

“A place I wanted to go for a while, too lonely to go by myself.”

“Wait. Is this a date of some sort?” Yunho beamed. He jogged down the dock, only to slow down when he was side by side with Jaejoong. When he received no answer, he held out a hand to gently grab Jaejoong by the arm. He wanted - no, needed - confirmation.

Jaejoong shuddered and looked down at the large tanned hand circling his forearm. At first he was perplexed at the skin-to-skin contact, a foreign sensation muddled his sense. Since he arrived in Uruk, he had always insisted on wearing long sleeves. The suits in his wardrobes were the armours of his soul.

Now, only in a white dress shirt rolled to his elbows, the warmth of the touch woke a dormant sensation, like crackling wildfire that consumed everything on its way. Flashbacks of his last kiss filled his mind; the one the share with this man on the floor of a storage room.

Yunho wasn’t sure how to read the expression playing on Jaejoong’s face. He followed the other’s gaze toward his hand and slowly, he loosen the hold. The arm slipped through his fingers. Reading the gesture as a reject, he let his hand drop to his side and took a step away. He swallowed his disappointment and continued down the wooden dock.

“Yunho. Wait,” Jaejoong called out, realising how his silence had been misinterpreted. He rushed after the other, but one of his feet caught the slightly elevated edge of the wood boards. He tripped forward while trying to find his footing again. His right knee popped at the unexpected movement and gave under his whole weight. Sharp pain burst through every fibre of his body.

Yunho looked back just in time to catch Jaejoong before he fell. He braced himself against the impact and groaned when Jaejoong collided against his chest. “Are you ok?”

“Yes, I’m ok.” Jaejoong gritted between his teeth to sustain the pain. His face had turned a few shades paler and the way he replied in small breathless words laced with pain.

“You don’t look fine to me.” Yunho was reluctant to let Jaejoong go. One hand still tightly clutched around the other’s bicep and the other pressing Jaejoong securely to his front.

Jaejoong patted Yunho’s chest in a reassuring gesture before bending over to rub his faulty knee. He massaged it in slow circular motions until the pain tuned down to an aching discomfort. “I’m good. Just an old injury.”

“Why don’t we go inside and sit down for a bit?”

“And cancelling our date before it happens?” Jaejoong asked back. The irritation made his voice grow colder. Realising how quickly things are turning south, he stood up straight and met Yunho’s eyes. He fidgeted in place for a few long seconds, considering his next move. When he had finally made up his mind, he tiptoed and planted a small kiss on the corner of Yunho’s mouth. “I’m sorry, time had made me a grumpy person.”

Yunho’s lips twitched upward into a smile. He leaned down toward the blond man and whispered to his ears. “Grumpier, you mean.”

Jaejoong huffed in indignation and punched Yunho’s bicep hard enough to hurt, not to injure. “Are you looking for a fight?”

“What do I get if I win?” Yunho raised an eyebrow in challenge.

“You’ll have to win in order to find out.” Jaejoong laughed and for the first time in a long while, it reached his eyes. The delight shone and made his pupil lighter, almost amber. And the specks of gold twinkled like stars. He brushed past Yunho and continued down the docks.

Yunho had a very hard time containing his gleefulness. He missed this kind of carefree camaraderie. On their previous encounter, something always seemed odd and Jaejoong gave off a hard to approach vibe. His sandy golden hair made him look attractive and cold, an iceless on which he could burn if he touched it.

His gaze travelled down, taking in the slim form. He had felt Jaejoong’s tight muscles through the dress shirt; more lean than brawny. He snapped out of his admiration when he caught the sight of Jaejoong’s clenched fingers inside the pants pocket and his attempts to hide his limp.

Without thinking, he walked up behind Jaejoong and scooped him into his arms, the back of Jaejoong’s legs nesting in the crook of his elbow and the other arm supported his back. Instead of continuing forward, he spun around and retraced his steps toward the bar.

Jaejoong let out a startled shriek. He swung an arm around Yunho’s neck by instinct. “What are you doing? Put me down.”

Heartbeats drummed in his ears. He wasn’t sure if they were his own or Yunho’s. However, he knew for sure that his heart was unusually active today and rammed so hard against his rib cage it was going to bruise.

“You’re in no way to walk.” Yunho said matter-of-factly.

“Fine, let’s go to the cars.” Jaejoong resigned without much of a fight. Having his weight lifted from his joint, the pain had almost dissipated. If he was alone, he would probably sit down and take a few minutes or even an hour to recover. In front of others, he hated to display the slightest discomfort. His injured knee was his weakness, physically and mentally.

Yunho was surprised that he didn’t meet more protests. He glanced down at Jaejoong and saw the drops of sweat forming on his forehead. Beside the subtle details, Jaejoong looked completely fine. If it wasn’t for the bulging fists inside the pockets, he may have been completely being fooled.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs leading to the patio behind Valentine’s, Jaejoong patted on Yunho’s shoulders, silently asking to be let down. “Please be considerate of my pride as well.”

After serious considerations, Yunho carefully leaned down, letting Jaejoong find his balance on the ground. Even though he didn’t impose his help on Jaejoong this time, he walked closely beside him, ready to offer assistance if needed.

“Since my plans just went down the drain, let’s go to my place.” Jaejoong offered. “You can drive.”

❈

Location: Kasr, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 27, 09:50

Yunho slowly walked around the living room, admiring the beautiful view outside of the wall-length windows. It turned out Jaejoong lived in one of those flashy new villas by the beach. The turquoise water reflected from outside to the white ceiling. His eyes lingered in the azure sea.

Though the house is beautiful inside and outside, he couldn’t help but notice how impersonal it was. The lack of intimate belongings inside this house made him uncomfortable. The crisp white walls and light wooden furniture didn’t reflect the warmth of a house he would love living in.

“Are you going to stare at the water all day long?” Jaejoong asked as he came to stand beside Yunho. “I’m utterly disappointed. I was hoping for a lot more.”

“The view is magnificent. It would be a shame if I don’t take a moment to appreciate it,” Yunho said without looking away. While he pretended to observe the sea, every fibre of his body reacted to Jaejoong’s presence. How goosebumps raised on his skin whenever Jaejoong started speaking or how his nose was hypersensitive to his scent; Jaejoong smelled like sweet fruit and salty water with a lingering whiff of sun cream.

“If you turn around, I can make it worthwhile for your attention.” Jaejoong took a step back. His hands slowly started to his dress shirt. “Yunho.”

Yunho bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to hide his grin. Instead of snapping his head toward the blond man at the sound of his given name, he took his time to face Jaejoong. His self-control would eventually slip between his fingers like sands.

“Since we are on a first name basis, how should I call you,” he asked as he took one step toward Jaejoong and the other took a step backward. “Jaejoong or James?”

Jaejoong did his best not to grimace at the sound of James coming from the Korean soldier’s lips. He hated that name. “Jaejoong would do.”

“Well Jaejoong,” Yunho finally got to test the feel of the name on his tongue out loud. He found himself enjoying it even more than expected.

His eyes followed the movement of Jaejoong’s teasing fingers on the buttons. He swallowed hard. Desire engulfed the last bit of his self-restraints as he gawked hungrily at the pale skin under the white shirt. His mind went through all the possible ways of marking this flawless chest.

“Do we need to play another round of truth or dare before I get to kiss you?” Jaejoong taunted as he slid the clothes off his shoulders and dropped it to the closest armchair.

“Real men tell no lies.”

“Very well.” Jaejoong pursed his lips thoughtfully. He carefully made his way toward the armchair and sat down, dropping his arms on the armrests. His posture demanded attention and he received it. The corner of his lips twitched upward in a mischievous grin. “On a scale of one to ten, how much do you want me?”

Yunho found himself taken aback by the directness of the question, yet he wasn’t entirely surprised. Now it was time to consider how direct he wished to be. He slid his hands in his pockets and took on a more relaxed position, leaning his entire weight in one foot. He met Jaejoong’s eyes and saw the equally intense fire in them.

“Way above a ten,” he said after a short moment of reflection and Jaejoong seemed to be very pleased with his answer.

“Then, how long do I have to wait before you kiss me?”

“It’s not your turn yet.” Yunho chuckled at the impatient man. Before they brought this any further, he had to know more about Jaejoong. “What’s your preference?”

“You’re just about as close as what I could possibly dream of as an ideal person.”

“You know what I meant by that. Do you have any preference on a more intimate level.”

“Then, you know exactly what I want.” Jaejoong sat up straighter. A shiver tingling up and down his spine as he remembered that mind-blowing kissing session they shared years ago.

“People change, their preferences change. I needed to be sure.”

“I have not changed.” Jaejoong nearly spat the protest out and cringed inwardly at the blatant lie. Between himself and Yunho, he was sure he had changed the most since they last met. He went into a full 180 transformation, going from good soldier to leader of an arms-smuggling ring, encouraging and raging violence across the region. Putting on his best enticing smile, he said. “My turn. Are you going to me or not?”

“Still so crude.” Yunho felt a sudden wave of heat rising from his neck, shading his face into a deep shade of crimson. His stomach did a little flip-flop as blood started rushing downward. He had no idea how Jaejoong could possibly ask such an obscene question with his composed expression.

He closed the distance between them with two long strides. One of his hands found Jaejoong’s shoulder, pinning the man into the armchair. His other hand cupped the back of Jaejoong’s neck as he claimed the blond man with a hungry and ferocious kiss.

The kiss took Jaejoong by surprise. His first defensive reflex was to close his fingers around Yunho’s throat. This brain took an interminable moment to comprehend what was happening. As his body started to recognize Yunho’s lips and hands, he melted. He fisted into Yunho’s uniform, trying to pull him as close as possible.

With his good leg, he pressed the bottom of his foot into Yunho’s knee’s knee. Understanding what Jaejoong wanted, he dropped a knee on the floor and scooped the other closer. Chest against chest, heartbeat against heartbeat.

Jaejoong found himself half sitting on Yunho’s lap and half sitting on the armchair. His fingers fumbled with the snap buttons and tore the zipper open. He grunted in dissatisfaction when his palm met with another layer of clothing. He pulled back a little, breaking the kisses.

“Bedroom,” he said, voice deep with desire.

Yunho didn’t need to be told twice. He clasped his hands on Jaejoong’s round buttcheeks and stood up. Jaejoong let out a small yelp as he hooked a leg around Yunho’s hips, securing his weight against Yunho. It had been the second time that Yunho had carried him, handling him with ease and efficiency. To be honest, he enjoyed it. He was more than tired to have people obeying to his every whim day in and day out.

Yunho gently laid him down on his king size bed, his back against the cool cotton bed sheets. He watched Yunho standing between his legs that dangled lazily down the side of the bed. His dark eyes and wide pupil devouring every inch of his skin.

So very slowly, Yunho sided his camouflage shirt off his shoulders before reaching for the collar of his t-shirt and tugged it off with a fluent motion. Jaejoong’s mouth watered at the sight of honey skin and hard muscles. He couldn’t miss how they bulged slightly at Yunho’s movement, demanding attention. And Jaejoong worshipped them.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position. He pulled Yunho closer by the loop of his pants and pressed his lips against the abdomen. Yunho tensed under his touch, defining the lines of his muscles further. Jaejoong darted out the tip of his tongue, tracing the hollow lines.

When Yunho’s hand carded through his card, he recognized the gesture as an encouragement. His fingers worked the pants out of the way, letting it puddle between Yunho’s ankles. Yunho’s nudged against the confinement of his boxer, the tip peeking out from his waistband.

Jaejoong pushed the waistband down a bit with his tongue and closed his mouth around the head of Yunho’s , ling on it with vigour. Yunho shuddered and his fingers tightened around a handful of the blond hairs. He was torn between pulling Jaejoong closer or pulling back. But Jaejoong took the sign positively. He opened his lips, letting Yunho slide deeper inside his mouth. He moaned as the tip pushed against the back of his throat.

He moved his head up and down, coaxing Yunho into full-hardness before dropping back into the mattress. He gawked at the wide shape beneath the thin fabric of the boxers. He wriggled a finger, silently asking Yunho to strip out of the final layer of decency. Yunho found himself happily obliging to the demand while Jaejoong undressed.

Jaejoong let out a soft whimper. Yunho was of average length, but his girth was overwhelmingly delectable. He propped his knees up, already anticipating a long and satiating ride. “Just do me already, will you?”

Yunho leaned down, rummaging through his clothes in search of lube. He did find a tube in his pocket, but couldn’t seem to be able to locate the condoms.

“What the hell are you doing? Don’t tell me you fainted?”

“I’m looking for a .”

“Goddamnit Captain, to hell with the rubbers.” Jaejoong cursed. He leaned up and grabbed Yunho by the back of his neck and literally dragged the man on top of him. “I’m clean and besides, haven’t had since my last deployment.”

“The one where we first met?”

Jaejoong nodded but said nothing. His eyes half-closed and lips parted. He enjoyed having Yunho’s weight crunching him into the mattress. He moaned when he felt Yunho’s fingers toying with his entrance, massaging and teasing the ring of muscles before they intruded into his body, sleek with lube.

“For someone who hadn’t had for so long, you’re very accommodating.” Yunho chuckled, his fingers met almost no resistance. He ed his fingers up, turned and scissored his way in. All he could think of was how good Jaejoong was going to feel around him.

This time, shyness caught up to Jaejoong as his face flushed into a bright shade of red. “I prepared myself this morning. Can’t believe I’m actually getting the outcome I hope for today. I-”

The rest of thought was cut off by a heated kiss, Jaejoong arched himself against Yunho’s broad chest. He wiggled himself against Yunho’s fingers, trying to guide them toward the bundle of nerves begging to be abused. He moaned loudly and unrestrained, letting Yunho know exactly where to touch.

His moan grew in intensity when Yunho finally withdrew his fingers and pressed his in. Yunho was only able to get the head in before Jaejoong clamped down. He could feel Yunho ease out an inch, moving back and pushing further in small movements to get him used to the intrusion. Only his stubborn body refused to relax, it felt like his first time all over again and Yunho’s size wasn’t exactly helping either.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Yunho pulled out, looking down at Jaejoong in concern.

“Yes.” Jaejoong answered in his firm tone that left no place for doubt. However, his mind couldn’t be as firm as his voice. It kept slipping to other things, terrible things that he planned for the rest of the day.

“You’re not letting me.” Yunho squeezed more lube and Jaejoong another few minutes.

“I’m not a porcelain doll. I can take whatever you give me.”

This time, Yunho loosened his restraints and ed forward more forcefully, entering his body between his pale and trembling thighs. Jaejoong’s eyelids shuddered and vocalized his appreciation. It was just on the right side of pain and the pleasure building up loosened his tense muscles to allow Yunho complete access. The slid to the hilt, heavy and massive inside him. An exquisite agony that he wished could last forever.

As they slowly found their rhythm, it came to Jaejoong’s attention that Yunho was a very courteous lover. Every kiss, every move, every was delivered with great focus on his partner’s pleasure. Jaejoong wanted ardent lovemaking; Yunho gave him just that, bringing him to one of his most intense s. He screamed in ecstasy, toes curled and muscles tightened when he finally reached .

As he laid on the mattress with Yunho’s rigid length still nestling inside his body, he let Yunho manhandle into a different position. He ended up on his belly, with his legs wide open and pinned down on the bed by Yunho’s pure muscle weight. He could feel a kink building on in his tights, but didn’t complain.

“Is your knee ok in this position?” Yunho asked in a breathless voice. When Jaejoong gave him a small nod of confirmation. Yunho nearly begged when he spoke again, running a hand down Jaejoong’s sweat-glazed back. “Let me you, please.”

“Stop talking and just do it!” Jaejoong urged, tightening his around Yunho. He reached behind, digging his nails into Yunho’s cheeks and guiding the other toward him with desperation. “ me.”

His body was still overly sensitive by his and completely relaxed. Yunho was no longer holding back. He drove into Jaejoong, plugging deeper at each . His hands clutched around the slender hips so hard that a print was already forming under the pale skin.

Jaejoong grabbed into the bed sheet and brought a handful into his mouth to stop his obscene cries. His ears filled with Yunho’s throaty grunts, the sound of skin against skin and his hardwood bed creaking and cracking under their movement.

A chain of incoherence and lewd words left Yunho’s lips as he delivered one final and came. Jaejoong sensed every last spurt of staining his core. He pushed back into Yunho’s softening . More, he wanted as Yunho sagged against his back, leaving them both in a shuddering and gooey mess.

“This got to be the best I ever had.” Jaejoong grinned. “I’m very satisfied with your performance, Captain.”

Yunho spooned Jaejoong into his arms, away from the wet stains on the bed. He wasn’t ready to sever their connections just yet and Jaejoong happily obliged. The blond man wanted to enjoy this moment as long as possible. For sure, this would be their first and their last time together in this lifetime.

*

Yunho must have dozed off after the mind-blowing . When he woke up about an hour later, a blanket was pulled over his body and Jaejoong wasn’t beside him. He stretched his stiff back and rolled to lie on his side facing the bedroom door. He closed his eyes for a moment, reminiscing the past hours. And couldn’t help the foolish smile.

The soft click of the door made him jerk into attention. He relaxed as soon as he saw Jaejoong tip toeing in with a bottle of water. When their eyes met, Jaejoong jolted in surprise and hissed right after an ache spread from deep within his core and engulfed his body. He slowly massaged the small of his back on his way back to the bed.

Yunho gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I got carried away.”

“Thank god for that.”

Yunho couldn’t look away from Jaejoong, that glow coming off him was magnificent. It took him a while to see past the radiance and see the shirt on Jaejoong’s back. “That’s my shirt.”

“I know.” Jaejoong smoothed down the lines of the camouflage shirt. It was a size too big for Jaejoong. Probably two sizes since he no longer had the muscle mass from his military days. “What? You don’t like sharing your clothes?”

“It depends, but right now, I don’t have a problem with it.” Yunho propped an elbow up on the pillow and rested his head on the upraised hand. “I do have a confession though. I fantasized about ing you when you were in your uniforms. More than once.”

“Will yours do?” Jaejoong asked. He got back into bed and straddled Yunho’s hips.

The second time was just as fast and intense as the first time, if not more. Instead of two people discovering each other’s body for the first time, they were two old flames consuming everything on their way toward their . Their touches and kiss sparkled and combusted, leaving them heaving for air at the end. A layer of sweat covered their bodies.

Jaejoong eventually discarded the shirt and slumped back to Yunho’s side. He rested his head on Yunho’s shoulder and a leg hooked around his waist. Yunho’s absent hand caressed Jaejoong’s thighs when his fingers trailed down to the knee, sensing the scars under his palm, he pulled his covers back to take a close look at the injury.

Jaejoong tried to move his leg away, to hide. But Yunho held him back, stopping him. He traced the medical incision that covered the bottom of his lap down below his knee. His fingers stopped at each suction point.

“You were kneeling just now,” he said, remembering how Jaejoong had straddled him and rode him with abandon, and how he could possibly forget about it so fast.

“It’s fine. I just gave myself an anti-inflammatory injection, it dulls the pain for a few hours.” Jaejoong looked up at Yunho, seeing that worry and guilt on his face made his heart skip a beat. He rested a hand in Yunho’s cheek and kissed the corner of his lips. “I’m fine. I had been dealing with this for years.”

“What happened?”

“Long story short, popped my knee on a bad parachute landing and strained the joint.” Jaejoong pulled the covers back as a chill ran down his spine. He had never told this to anyone, not even his family. He had shut himself down completely after the accident, refusing visits from his relatives and friends. “Spent hours in surgery and months in therapy before they decided to discharge me for good.”

“Just like that?”

“Well, not really, they gave me three months to rest and recover. By the end of that time, I could barely jog let alone running full speed.”

“I’m sorry.” Yunho kissed the top of Jaejoong’s head, meaning to give him some comfort.

“Well, in our line of work, it’s expected.” Jaejoong continued. “After the discharge, I was depressed and gambled away my life savings by taking out a bunch of risky investments.”

“Looks like your gamble paid off.” Yunho waved a hand around him, gesturing to everything surrounding them right now. “This is a lifestyle that I could only dream about.”

“To tell the truth, most of the start-up companies I invested in went under, except one. And now, I’m enjoying the money of their hard labour.” What Jaejoong just said was completely true. Yet, it felt like he was telling a glorified lie about how he came to live in this beautiful house by the sea without a single worry in life.

“So this is the reason why you never reached out to me,” Yunho said after a while. “I thought you forgot about me and moved on while I pinned on you all these years.”

Jaejoong laid on his back, tugging on the pendant around his neck. “And I thought I was the only one obsessed with you.”

Yunho took the cross, turning it between his fingers. “You know, JiEun was furious when she learned that I don’t have it anymore. She refused to talk to me for three weeks, or was it a month? I don’t remember.”

“I guess I’ll have to apologize the next time I see her.”

As time passed, Jaejoong felt more and more restless. He turned, changing his position again. He rested his chin on Yunho’s shoulder, watching the Korean soldier’s facial features closely. He wished to burn Yunho’s face into his mind, just as how he imprinted his touch on and in his body.

As he observed, his eyes landed on a small scar at the edge of Yunho’s ears, he chuckled softly and reached out to trace a finger on it. “Did I do this?”

Yunho snapped out of his pensive thoughts and touched his helix. “Yup, when you threw that knife.”

“How did we go from fighting to this?”

“Well you did say that the next time I pin you down, you wouldn’t fight me.” Yunho flipped them around, squashing Jaejoong under his weight. “You kept your promise.”

“It took a lot of coercion to get you there.” Jaejoong buckled his hips upward and arched his body to fit Yunho’s every curve. “Can’t I keep you here forever? I don’t think I can sleep in this bed alone from now on.”

“Oh yeah?”

“You ruined it for me, bastard.” Jaejoong pulled the other down into a languish kiss. “You ruined me.”

He gave his everything into this kiss, his love, his passion and his desire. He was expressing his happiness and his sorrowful goodbye. He just showed this man his truest self. Yet, he felt like an imposter. Yunho had ruined him, body and mind. He didn’t know how to continue living as James Hagen. James Hager must go. If not, soon it was going to be his turn to ruin Yunho. And when he’s done. Yunho would never look at him the same way again.

❈

Location: Kasr General Hospital, Kasr, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 27,14:05

JiEun smiled reassuringly to the young boy sitting on the stool in front of her. He fidgeted in his seat and his big wary eyes followed the needle in her hands. His lips quivered ever so slightly when JiEun turned the point of the syringe toward his arm.

“Don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing I promise,” she said as she poked the skin, inserted the liquid and drew back the needle in a matter of seconds. “See. Doesn’t hurt at all!”

The kid jumped off his stool after JiEun applied a Minions print Band-Air on the puncture. His previous worries were already forgotten as he ran back to his friends. Before waving another kid closer, an administrative officer from the front desk came in and walked straight to her. She pushed herself out of her seat, expecting an emergency.

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes, yes. James said that he has something urgent to tell you,” she said, pointing out of the window.

“James?”

“Yes, James Hagen. He comes around once in a while to help with the patients.” The lady tried to relay the identity of the man. “He said you know him.”

JiEun looked outside and immediately recognized her brother’s friend with gorgeous blond hair. She was both perplexed and surprised to see the man in front of the hospital. She turned to Ara who was on a workstation next to hers, watching her finish with her patient.

“There’s still about 5 kids left, will you be ok to carry on alone?”

Ara surveyed the remaining children and nodded back to JiEun. She then waved toward Changmin. “No problem. And take him with you before he dies from boredom.”

“If only you can let me do something.” Changmin added and spun in circles on his tool like a kid. “Or give me some snacks. Yeah, snacks will definitely help.”

At the mention of snacks, JiEun tugged her latex gloves off and dug inside the pocket of her vest. She fished out a choco pie and tossed it to Changmin. Changmin’s face lighted up at the delicious goodie that he didn’t have a luxury to eat since the start of his deployment.

“Happy now?”

“Very.” Changmin gave her a goofy. “I’ll eat this well.”

Ara rolled her eyes but decided to ignore the exchange. Instead, she waved over another child. She started cleaning the spot on the child’s bicep when she realised that all her vials of vaccines are gone.

“Changmin, make yourself useful and hand me a few more vials.” She barked at her boyfriend just when he swallowed a mouthful of choco pie. The tone rattled him as he started coughing over the snacks. He jumped to his feet and hurried to do her biddings under JiEun’s amused eyes. Nothing better than a jealous girlfriend to snap the guy back into attention.

“Here, Madam.” Changmin said docility as he handed two glass flasks to Ara.

“Was the snack good?” She asked without taking her attention away from her patient.

“No, it was terrible.” He asked, and threw an apologetic glance toward JiEun. But she only laughed silently and disappeared down the hallway.

*

“James. I did not expect to meet you again so soon.” JiEun made her way out of the hospital. Her breath was a little haggard from the stairs.

Jaejoong put on his best smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes that remained cold and expressionless. He was too exhausted mentally and physically to pretend or to care. He just wanted the day to end. This way, we could erase all his sins and start anew tomorrow.

JiEun’s smile faltered and tried to hide it. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. A gut feeling was telling her to turn around and run away. Instead, she stood up straighter and forced her lips to curve upward. From the expression on Jaejoong’s face, she knew that he noticed her hesitation.

“I heard it urgent, how can I help you.” She added as she tried to find some kind of excuse that would allow her to distance herself from this man.

“Oh, it’s nothing much. As you may know I met with your brother earlier today.” Jaejoong left the front of his blazer and reached into his pocket. “And I think this belongs to him. He forgot it at my place.”

He offered the device to JiEun, expecting her to take it. However, she didn’t seem to be entirely convinced. Jaejoong pressed on the power button, letting the screen light up. The lock screen showed a family portrait the Jungs took several years ago during Chuseok.

JiEun took a few careful steps forward, knowing fully well she was walking into a trap. She eyed the phone, unwilling to take it just yet. “How did you know I’ll be here?”

“Your brother mentioned that you'll be vaccinating the kids this afternoon.” Jaejoong took a step toward JiEun. “I don’t know where Yunho’s camp is. Thought it would be easier to stop by the hospital instead.”

JiEun nodded and seemed to accept the reason behind this sudden appearance. This time when the blond man offered the cellphone, she was less reluctant to accept. Just as her fingers grazed over the side of the device, cold metal closed around her wrist.

“What are you doing?!” JiEun frantically tugged on the handcuffs, the metal dug into her skin.

“Get her in the car,” Jaejoong ordered without sparing another glare her way.

Two men materialized on her sides, holding her so tightly by the arms that they would bruise. She struggled in vain, yelling and kicking. But Jaejoong remained unfazed. His face lost the tiny bit of humanity, replaced by a piercing cold expression. He handed the other loop of the handcuff to one of his underlinings before walking back to the car.

“Bastards! Let me go!” JiEun shouted. “Changmin! Ara!”

*

Changmin was halfway down the stairs when he heard JiEun’s distressed shouts. He ran down the rest of the steps two by two. He rushed outside, a handgun held in front of him with both hands. He slowly surveyed the scene unfolding. The brows of his eyes knitted in confusion as he recognized the man he and his teammates arrested no long ago.

“Let her go!” he warned. In a lower voice, he was calling Ara for help through the comm system.

JiEun let out a shuddering breath of relief. Her face was red with anger and tears of fear ran down her cheeks. Changmin was suddenly glad that he was the one standing here, rather the Yunho. This was not a sight he ever wanted Yunho to witness.

“I said, let her go.” Changmin barked again, taking a small cautious step forward.

The step seemed to have triggered Albright, who tensed and reached for his gun as well. He clicked the safety off and pointed the muzzle at Changmin.

“How many times, do I have to tell you that pointing a gun at a soldier is useless.” A familiar voice spoke behind the car. The man circled around the vehicle toward Albright, plucking the weapon out his hands. “You want results, you must target the innocent and helpless ones, the unarmed civilians.”

Jaejoong pulled the slide back. The sound of the bullet clicking into the chamber resonated into the space between JiEun and Jaejoong. She felt the cold metal against her forward. She couldn’t help the little whimper that left . She closed her eyes, blocking the image out of her mind.

“Am I not right, Maximum?” Jaejoong pulled on a cruel smirk.

“Captain…?” Changmin felt his stomach drop. He knew the man standing in front of him, yet at the same time, he couldn’t recognize him. This wasn’t the righteous U.S Captain he remembered, nor was he the man that Yunho had spoken so highly about. “What are you doing? Do you even know who she is?”

“Oh, I’m perfectly aware.” Jaejoong shrugged as he handed the gun back to Albright. “Jung JiEun, sister of Captain Jung Yunho. Volunteering doctor from Haesung University Hospital. Speaking of doctors, where’s our sweet miss Sunshine? She should be here as well, no?”

Right on the cue, Ara rushed next to Changmin. She barely had seconds to assess the unfolding events before her eyes landed on Jaejoong. Her confusion spoke louder than any words as she realized that Changmin’s gun was trailing on him rather than the men holding JiEun hostage.

“Captain ton?”

“Staff sergeant Go. Still as radiant as ever.” Jaejoong gave her a small nod of the head. He ed his blazer and slowly reached for his own handgun. Changmin tensed and his index finger moved to the trigger. “Sergeant Shim, that would be a very unwise decision. JiEun is such a precious person to Yunho. Imagine what would happen to your captain if he found her harmed or worse.”

“What do you want?”

“I’m going to leave here with the pretty doctor and you’re going to let me go,” Jaejoong stated as if this was the most natural request. “And Sunshine, I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal.”

Jaejoong raised his gun and fired one bullet in Ara’s thigh. Blood poured from her wound, tainting her uniform a deep shade of crimson. She fell on the ground in pain. Her eyes filled with horror as she realized the amount of blood she was losing rapidly. She pressed both hands as hard as she could on her lap, but it wasn’t enough. At each heartbeat, more blood slipped through her finger and pooled beneath her.

Changmin dropped his gun. He ped his vest, the cloth into a ball and pressed it hard on Ara’s wound. She groaned in pain. With her drowsy eyes, she searched for Jaejoong. His face was pale and no longer carried that cold marble expression. Just before she collapsed into unconsciousness, she knew that Jaejoong also knew what kind of damage the bullet had made.

In the dread confusion, Jaejoong slipped into the passenger seat of the van. In the backseat, Albright and Doug squeezed a terrified JiEun in the middle. JiEun fought and yelled with all her might. But Jaejoong’s mind was preoccupied. He ran a hand over his face, realizing how shaky his fingers were. Curling them into a tight fist around his pendant, Jaejoong took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

Through the side mirror, he observed the scene at the hospital's entrance. White-cloaked doctors and nurses rushed out. With the cross digging into his palm, he prayed that Ara would be safe.

❈

Location: ROK Corps Command, Kasr, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 27,15:10

Yunho strode into his commandant’s tent. He already knew something bad happened before he laid eyes on Changmin. His sergeant’s bloody uniforms were telling a long story. He searched for Changmin’s eyes, wanting to make sure that the man was alright. But Changmin was determined to stare forward.

“Captain Jung. Where’s the rest of your team?” the commandant asked as Yunho gave him a sharp salute.

“Outside, Corporal Park and Kim said that you wish to talk to me and my Sergeant alone,” Yunho replied as he discreetly looked around the tent searching for his sister and Ara. On the last updates, they were both still at the hospital. And that was about two hours ago.

Knowing fully well what Yunho was searching for, with a grave tone, he delivered the terrible news. “Staff Sergeant Go is critically injured during an altercation with the Merchants of Death. She lost a lot of blood. Once her condition is stable, she will be transported to Mowuru encampment.”

“And JiEun?” Yunho asked, already fearing the answer. He forced himself to remain calm and rational.

“She’s being abducted by the same people.”

Yunho paled. This was what he feared ever since JiEun announced that she would be here on a humanitarian mission. Why was she taken? Was it retaliation for ruining their smuggling route? Or was it personal vendetta for what happened at the bar when he was clearly told to not get involved.

“No, she’s being taken by former US Marine H. Jaejoong ton.” Changmin specified. “Around here, he goes by the name of James Hagen and he is the leader of the smuggling ring. Do you know about it when you started cozying up to him? Did he tell you when you warmed his bed?”

“That’s not possible,” Yunho muttered more to himself than Changmin. But he couldn’t be certain of his own words. People change. But could Jaejoong have changed beyond recognition? “He wouldn’t…”

“Not possible? He put a gun on your sister’s head when I tried to stop him and he shot my girlfriend right in front of me! Are you saying that I’m lying?” Changmin spat out the last words with pure disgust and resentment. He pulled the rim of his shirt, rusted and darkened by Ara’s blood.

Yunho recoiled as if being physically hit by the furious man. His stomach growled and turned, making him sick. How could Jaejoong look at him straight in the eyes and lie? And how could he blindly trust every word that came out of his mouth?

Deep inside, a sparkle of hate ignited. Instead of lashing out and acting upon his anger, he bottled it in the pit of his stomach. He was going to let his sentiments simmer. With a cold rational facade, he looked at his commandant.

“Are you going to send a rescue team?” His voice came out stably calm and even Changmin was taken aback. “She’s a Korean civilian.”

“No, we received a clear order to stand down.” The commandant shook his head in dismay. “Captain ton is an American citizen and America is our ally. Officially, our hands are tied.”

“That’s it?” This time, it was Changmin who objected. His demeanour still shaken by the events of the afternoon. “He ing shot one of your soldiers and kidnapped a civilian. And you’re just going to let him go free?”

Yunho clasped down on Changmin’s shoulder hard, silently asking him to remain calm. He heard a nuance that Changmin had missed. “Please continue.”

“According to the official reports that you’ll be submitted tomorrow morning, Dr. Jung JiEun will be released by her captors in the middle of nowhere. She will be found by the Mowuru patrol team in the early morning, lost and disoriented.”

As the commandant continued on his monologue, he slid toward Yunho a non-scripted file. When he opened it, he was surprised to see all the data about Jaejoong and the Merchants of Death. He quickly scanned through the timeline of Jaejoong’s military service and his discharge. It also contained his medical record and bank statement that went a decade back. All this information fit what Jaejoong had told him earlier today, yet something was amiss.

At the end of the file, he found surveillance pictures of Jaejoong going in and out of a decayed castle, his three-pieces suits all impeccable and his blond hair well-coiffed no matter what time of the day. Behind the pictures, there was satellite capture and geographic coordinate point to the castle.

“How long had you known that Jae-” Yunho bit down the inside of his cheeks. The name, it almost slipped from his lips, sounding so familiar and casual. “How long had you known that Captain ton was behind the arms smuggling?”

“After your initial encounter with Matthias Albright. He was spotted outside of Kasr with ton. So I called in a favour from a friend at an intelligence agency. It was quite a challenge to find him, only facial recognition did the trick.”

He went back to the beginning and flipped through the data with more attention. He noticed how none of the records contained Jaejoong’s real name. They were all under the alias James Hagen. Even the head portrait of him in his Marine dress uniform and the white cap has J. Hagen embroidered on it, as if the real one had never existed.

Before he had time to examine the data further, the commandant took the file back. He walked toward the corner of his office and put it in the shredder. “What you just saw doesn’t exist. And I’m also releasing you from your duties for tonight. Take some personal time. I want no trouble.”

There, another nuance in his words. Yunho fished out his name tags from the collar of his shirts. He held onto them for a brief moment before removing the chain. He dropped it on the commandant’s desk with a cling. To his surprise, Changmin also dropped his tags on the desk.

“We’ll stay off the radar.” Changmin agreed. “I’ll let the other Alpha Cassiopeia members know.”

Yunho and Changmin exchanged a look. Both determined to take revenge for what had been done to them. This off-the-books mission was exactly what they needed to rescue JiEun without causing a big political uproar between allied countries.

Now they needed to gather and to prepare. Then, they would strike.

❈

Location: Merchants of Death’s compound, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 27, 23:20

Jaejoong sighed in boredom as he and JiEun started yet another of their staring contests. Her face and eyes so similar to Yunho’s were difficult for him to look at without remembering what he did earlier today. He manipulated Yunho’s attraction and trust to his advantage. And went as far as using his own body to his personal gain, something he had refused to do so far.

“What are you thinking?” JiEun’s sudden question caught him off guard. Focusing his gaze back on her, he gave her a bored shrug. “Your pupils are dilated.”

“I don’t think your brother would appreciate that I spoil your innocent ears.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that.” JiEun slumped against her backrest. Her wrists were raw from her struggles and her shoulders hurt from being held in the same position for hours. She glanced quickly toward the two brawny men standing guards outside of the room. With a lower voice, as if sharing a secret, she said, “I already arrived at my own conclusions.”

“Really?”

“You walk with a barely noticeable limp. At first, I thought it’s from your knee. But when nobody was looking, you massage the small of your back.” JiEun smirked when Jaejoong also looked at the closed door. Feeling giddy to unstabilize her captor, she continued to spill out all the dirt. “Also, you’re shifting on your chair nonstop. So tell me James. From 1 to 10, how high would you rate my brother’s prowess in bed?”

“Perfectly adequate.” Jaejoong leaned back into his chair as well, crossing his arms over his chest. An ache spread across his bottom as he shifted his weight into this new position. But it didn’t show on his face. Instead, an amused smile stretched his lips. “How close are we to discuss this? Should I start calling you sister-in-law? I doubt your brother would agree.”

“You talk as if you know anything about my brother, but you don’t.”

“And you think you know him better?” Jaejoong stood up, dusting the invisible particles from his impeccable suits. He circled the table between them and sat against the edge facing JiEun. “Yunho is a smart and charming man, but he has a lot of secrets. He disappears from time to time, being hard to contact. And one day, he’ll never come back.”

He made a fading sound with the final words. JiEun gave him a hard look, her eyes filled with tears. Of course, she knew about all that. She had seen her brother coming and going. Sometimes, with scratches. Other times with more serious injuries. Whenever she asked about them, Yunho would simply brush it off and mumble something about hurting himself while doing labors.

“Did he tell you about that day when he almost didn’t come back? A bullet in the head would be very difficult to recover.” Jaejoong hammered in the cruelest words he could find. “If you want my absolute honesty, I don’t care all that much about your brother.”

“Then why did you approach him? Slept with him when you clearly don’t give a about him.”

“It’s just , JiEun darling. He’s not my first and surely not my last.” Jaejoong scoffed. Behind his imperious smile, he winced. He wanted Yunho to be more, not just a fling, a passing flame in this foreign land. How could he possibly ask for that when they were standing on the opposite sides of a chessboard? Figured that he had entertained JiEun enough, he switched on his cold impenetrable shield. “Jung Yunho and his team had been a major pain in the logistics. I’m waiting for a very important shipment tomorrow and I don’t want to have him in the way.”

“You needed a distraction.”

“Bingo!” Jaejoong applauded in slow claps. “See, I knew you’re a smart woman.”

“How did you get my brother’s phone?” JiEun pointed her chin toward the device on the table.

“This? I cloned his phone. Less trouble than stealing it.” Jaejoong picked up the cellphone and showed her the backside. Instead of her brother’s midnight blue phone, this one was black. “Speaking of phone, let's see if your brother’s close by.”

*

Yunho slowly made his way toward the compound while Junsu and Yoochun scouted the surrounding for any guards that would be patrolling the building. Looking around, he found a half-open window leading to the second floor. Hooking his rifle across his chest, he scaled the wall with expertise efficiently.

He curled his fingers on the window frame when a voice pierced through his earpiece. “Stop.”

Changmin, positioned at a high point facing the building, served as his eyes. He heard footsteps coming and going. He waited for Changmin’s signal before propping his weight upward and over the window frame. He landed on the ball of his feet, making as little sound as possible.

“Two incoming around the corner on your left.”

Yunho grabbed his rifle, resting the against his shoulder. He fired the moment those men turned the corner of the hall. They dropped to the ground without even noticing his presence. For a few short seconds, he crouched on the ground immobile. He held his breath and listened to his surroundings. The silencer on his rifle may have muffled most of the noise, but it was not completely muted. Anyone close-by would still be able to hear him.

*

Jaejoong’s cellphone beeped once. An alert flashed on the screen, notifying him about an intrusion inside the building. The GPS tracking that he slid under one of Yunho’s boots while he was sleeping did become handy. It triggered a phantom alarm that only he was programmed to receive.

He sighed happily and slid his phone in his chest pocket. JiEun who had been expertly ignoring his presence now looked fixedly at his blazer where his shoulder holster was hidden. She must have caught a glimpse of it.

“Don’t worry, JiEun. I have no intention to shoot you.” Jaejoong reassured her, but it sounded laughable to his own ears. “But I’ll need you to get dressed up in something more appropriate.”

Jaejoong called in his goons. One of them came in with a wired vest and JiEun paled at the sight. She may not have seen one in real life, but she had watched enough movies to recognize an explosive belt. A man grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up. The grip was rough and vicious. She couldn’t help but to wince.

“Where are your manners, boys? Be gentle with the lady.” Jaejoong said. JiEun expected sneers and mockery, but the order came out of Jaejoong’s mouth brisk and demanding obedience.

They released her from her handcuffs and forced the vest on her. Her whole body trembled under the weight of it. Or was it the weight of her fear. She could no longer distinguish the two. Her breath was shallow, afraid that such a simple act would trigger the bombs.

When they tried to tie her hands again, her rigid body refused to cooperate. Losing his patience, Jaejoong snapped. “Leave it and let’s go.”

“My brother’s going to make you pay,” JiEun said between printed teeth. “You’re not getting away with this.”

“And you need to stop talking, JiEun darling.”

She shuddered. She could no longer tolerate the familiar way Jaejoong said her name, like he was one of Yunho’s old friends or even one of her own friends. However, Jaejoong was neither. He was a pathetic man, raging war in a politically unstable country and profiting from civilians’ terror for his own personal gain.

She struggled when he grabbed her arm firmly. She did expect pain, but it never came. He guided her outside of the room where she had been confined for hours. Her feet somehow cooperated without sending her tripping every step. As soon as the door opened, she gasped at the sight of four men armed to the teeth. She seriously wondered what were the odds that her brother remains unscratched facing these men.

Sensing her reluctant steps, Jaejoong leaned down to her ear. “You still think your brother will succeed? I have people just like that posted around the building.” He counted on his fingers. “About ten more. Waiting for my command to engage.”

“You’re despicable.”

“You can’t survive our line of work without being a little ruthless, darling.” Jaejoong let out a dry laugh. Then, he straightened his back. With a loud and clear voice, he spoke to his minions. “Go secure the retreat route. I want to talk with my old comrade alone.”

They looked at each other, hesitating to leave their boss alone in the middle of an invasion. Only Matthias Albright dared to voice out his opinion. “That would be too dangerous, Mr. Hagen.”

Jaejoong clicked his tongue in displeasure and Albright gulped. “Alright, you stay with me.”

He dismissed the rest of the group with a wave of the hand. They silently scattered down the corridor and disappeared behind around the corner while Jaejoong walked down the opposite direction. Albright gave JiEun an expectant look and she followed with Albright right on her heels.

After a series of turns and a few flights of stairs. Jaejoong stopped abruptly in the middle of the large hall. Large windows along the wall gave way to the once beautiful garden surrounding the decrepit residence. He plucked his phone from his pockets and looked down on the screen. Zooming into the map, he watched a small red dot approaching his current position.

“Hello, lover,” Jaejoong said, looking up from his phone when Yunho appeared from the shadows. “I expected you a lot soon. I’m disappointed.”

The point of Yunho’s rifle dropped a bit at Jaejoong’s relaxed form, both hands resting inside the pockets of his dress pants. He was back in his meticulously pressed three-piece suits. His black tie loosened just enough for him to leave the first button of his shirt open.

“Jaejoong...” He muttered hoarsely. His heart dropped plunged down the pit of his stomach as he recalled their time together. Was it all just an illusion? He truly believed that they shared a bond, shared something.

Jaejoong remained unflinching at the weapon in Yunho’s grips. But the sound of his real name on Yunho’s tongue, filled with so much hurt and sorrow nearly undid him. He clenched his jaws and swallowed down the emotions building inside his chest. Behind him, he could feel the questioning stares from both Albright and JiEun. Both hearing this name for the first time.

“I was so blinded by you.” Yunho snorted at his own stupidity. “You know how I feel about you. From our first encounter all those years ago until now, you know I am impossibly infatuated by you.”

“If it can make you feel better, I worked very hard to keep you blinded. And your infatuation made it much easier.” Jaejoong smirked. He stepped back and hooked an arm around JiEun’s trembling shoulders. “You so voluntarily gave me your precious sister’s whereabouts. Save me the trouble to go look for her myself.”

Yunho froze when his gaze landed on his sister. His mind went numb, unable to focus on anything else beside the explosive vest around her slim frame. The reality and extent of Jaejoong’s betrayal sunk in. He took a deep breath to refocus.

His earpiece buzzed as Changmin spoke, ‘I have visuals on Albright, but not on ton. Try to stall him, Micky’s on the way.”

He let his rifle drop from his hands, letting it dangle by the strap across his shoulder. The weapon was no longer useful in this situation. He gave JiEun a small reassuring smile and she replied with the tiniest nod, her lips quivered, terror lacing through her movement.

“Where’s the detonator?”

“Oh, it’s right here.” Jaejoong dug into his pocket for the controller. “We don’t have to go that far. If you promise me one thing, I’ll let her go unharmed.”

“I don’t negotiate with criminals, Captain ton.” Yunho’s voice was void of feelings.

“Here’s the thing Captain Jung. We are not so different in the end.” Jaejoong shrugged. He expected that answer. “You think you’re so righteous, but you’re just another killer they put out there in the wild. How many people have you executed in cold blood while getting money from your government? Are the moral incentives enough to justify your actions? Me, I have patrons and private contractors overseeing my payout.”

Yunho’s face may still remain blank. Though his eyes told an entirely different story, torments battled in there like a tempest at the sea. Jaejoong had struck a nerve, saying out loud the open secret shared between soldiers. A soft whimper escaped from JiEun, fully understanding the extent of her brother’s missions and his reluctance to speak about them.

“See, darling,” Jaejoong continued, leaning his weight on JiEun. “Maybe I do know Yunho more than you think.”

Fast approaching steps behind Yunho triggered a wave of panic in Albright. He stood more attentive with his handgun out and ready. It made Jaejoong wary considering how Albright tended to be more reactive when under pressure.

Yoochun came in running. Just like Yunho, his rifle dropped at the sight of Jaejoong holding JiEun hostage. Yes, he was briefed beforehand. However, seeing the Captain with whom they had worked alongside was a difficult thing to accept.

“Micky, happy to have you joining us.” Jaejoong effortlessly switched from English to Korean. “Did you post Maximum on the roof? How’s his girlfriend?”

“How about we cut short the chat. What are your terms to let my sister go?” Yunho snapped, responding in Korean. And whispered to Yoochun, “Can you disable the bomb?”

“It looks pretty standard. We need to jam the transmission first.” Yoochun whispered back. His eyes searched for the transmitter on the visible part of the vest but saw nothing. “A blinking or full-on tiny lightbulb.”

“My request is simple. Don’t patrol the borders or the mountain roads tomorrow. Or any days after because you want to keep this precious lady safe.” Jaejoong caressed JiEun’s head, brushing her messy locks away from her eyes. “What if a terrible accident befalls on her, like a stray bullet.”

“You know I don’t have a say on this matter.”

“Oh, you think I didn’t notice how the patrols have increased since the arrest of our mutual friend here.”

A movement behind Yunho caught Jaejoong’s attention; one of his men was slowly making his way toward them. From the limp, he must have been hit in the leg. He wasn’t supposed to be here, this wasn’t the plan. Having Albright sticking to his side was already a pain. He knew things were about to turn terribly bad any minutes. He pushed JiEun in front of him toward his left, as he reached inside his blazer for his gun.

“Don’t!” Yunho warned in a stern voice. He grabbed his rifle, holding into position. “Don’t give me a reason to shoot you. Drop it. Drop everything and come with us. With me.”

“But I already gave you a reason to shoot me.” Jaejoong dislodged his firearm. Taking a step back, he nudged the muzzle against the back of JiEun’s head.

“Please don’t make me do it.” Yunho’s mouth was suddenly very dry. His sentence came out as a mere whisper. Yet Jaejoong still heard it, laced with a hint of desperation that almost made Jaejoong waver.

His finger remained on the trigger guard, his finger pressed so hard into the middle that his knuckle was turning white. There wasn’t enough time. This talk needed to move faster and his mind scrambled to find a way.

“Here, as a gesture of good faith,” Jaejoong smirked and opened his left hand and let the detonator drop. Its fall stretched in slow-motion.

Yoochun jolted into a spin before throwing himself flat on the ground toward the small black device. He had to catch it before it hit the floor. Yunho relied purely on his instincts and his protectiveness as a brother. When Jaejoong pushed his sister in front of him like a shield, a tiny green light bulb flashed under the right shoulder strap of the vest.

While he was stalling, his rifle was carefully trailing on the light. As soon as Jaejoong let go of the detonator, his finger reacted before his mind even registered his action, successfully knocking off the transmitter.

Jaejoong’s right shoulder jerked backward. Pain rendered his arm numb. He pushed JiEun out of the way. The force of his shove sent her stumbling across Yoochun and falling against the wall. He didn’t have time to worry about the blood spilled from the wound, darkening his suit. His attention remained on Doug, limping toward them. The man had his weapon trailing on Yunho’s back. But his unstable balance made it hard for him to take aim.

Calamity befell on them, prompted by Yunho’s single bullet. In the mess of fire exchange, Jaejoong pulled the trigger in quick succession. He winced to the recoil of his firearm against his injured shoulder. It took a few attempts before one of his bullets passed close enough to Yunho to whizze by his ear.

And it was the last thing he did before he felt a frontal impact. He pressed a hand against his chest and it came back wet with blood. Too much blood. His lungs collapsed, refusing to let air in. His head was light and dazed from rapid loss of blood and the lack of oxygen. As his legs bulked under his weight, he landed on his bad knee, yet registered no pain.

He looked at Yunho with wide eyes. His lips curled up bitterly, coming to the realisation that this was the end. There was no more turning back. Though his body still carried the memory of Yunho’s kisses and caresses, his heart shattered seeing the emptiness in Yunho’s once warm eyes. Whatever hope that had been there only moments earlier vanished.

His surroundings muted into a buzz and his vision began to blur. He searched for his eyes, but Yunho expertly averted them away. Jaejoong’s chin trembled as the wave of emotions he tried so hard to suppress surfaced. He wanted to explain his action, to salvage whatever left between them. Those were his last thoughts as darkness engulfed him.

At Jaejoong’s motionless body on the ground, he let out a shuddering breath. His features remained in control though everything inside him crumbled into tiny pieces. He hated himself for trusting Jaejoong. He hated himself even more for worrying when Jaejoong fell on his knee. The popping sound of his joint resonated louder than bullets ricocheting off the stoned walls.

His throat tightened as he forced his eyes away. His earpiece had been buzzing for a long time, but he heard no words. He was still seeing Jaejoong’s collapse in loops. Snapping out of his thoughts, he reached to his sister. Yoochun already started working on the bomb.

“Maximum to Grand Sage, area’s cleared out. Heading toward the rendezvous point. Over.”

“Grand Sage responding, targets eliminated. Working on the bomb vest. Heading your direction ASAP.” Yunho said as he crouched down next to his sister. He laid a comforting hand on her arm. “Stay calm, Yoochun’s gonna get you out of this.”

However, the seriousness of Yoochun’s face gave Yunho a bad feeling. After examining the wires to the C4, Yoochun gave his captain a small shake of the head. He pointed toward the backside of the vest where a miniature timer was hidden. The red numbers flashed at each second, counting down the time. “JiEun, I want you to listen to me very carefully. I need you to put your arms in the air and remain as motionless as possible.”

“I’m trying.” JiEun curled his fingers into a fist and raised her arm straight.

Yunho and Yoochun took a shoulder strap each and started lifting the explosive belt up. When a wire caught into JiEun’s ponytail, there was a collective gasp. Lucky for them, nothing happened.

“.” Yunho cursed and started to untangle the strand.

“We don’t have time,”

Yoochun took the other strap while Yunho unshielded his combat knife and cut off the hair in one smooth gesture. Yoochun hauled the vest up, freeing JiEun from the burden. He kicked open one of the wall-length windows and tossed the bomb outside where it exploded mid-air.

Yunho wrapped his body around JiEun, dragging her down to the floor to protect her from the debris. The building shook under the force of the explosion. His sister cried tears of relief. Her tight hold around his waist reassured him more than any more that could be spoken at this moment.

“Let’s get out of here.” He helped her out, holding her securely around the shoulder. He carefully guided her out. But after a few steps, he stopped. He smiled at her perplexed gaze. “Just a second.”

He retraced his steps, stopping beside Jaejoong’s limp body. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the face he had admired so much for so long. Still, he forced his hand to reach around Jaejoong’s neck. The skin was still warm and tingling under his fingertips as he searched for his pendant. He tugged it away from the body, breaking the chain like how Jaejoong broke his heart. He tucked it inside his pocket, feeling it burned his skin through the fabric.

He walked back to his sister, taking her in his embrace again. They left the scenes and the nightmare they just went through behind. JiEun snuggled closer to Yunho, she had never been this happy to have an older brother. Despite the awful haircut she just received.

“I love you, brother,” she muttered.

“Me too.” Yunho answered, kissing the top of her head. “More than anything in the world.”

❈

Location: Mowuru Company Camp, Sumer Region, Uruk

Local timestamp: 201(+8) August 28, 02:28

The drive back to the camp was silent and everyone went to their own direction as soon as the truck pulled into its designated parking space. Yunho was the first one to get down and helped JiEun down. After telling her a few words of comfort and making sure she was unhurt, he bid her good night.

He needed time alone, to think. It took all his self-control to not run away. JiEun watched her brother leave with worry and started to follow, but a hand held her back. Changmin gave her a small shake of the head. “Give him some time. He just lost someone dear.”

“But James-”

“Captain ton and your brother had a special connection that went beyond their obvious attraction,” Changmin explained. “He saved your brother’s life over eight years ago.”

JiEun stood there, mouth agasp. She couldn’t comprehend how a man who seemed to have earned the respect of everyone in Alpha Cassiopeia changed into this despicable person. As she wondered, she unknowingly followed the footprints left on the sand.

She flinched when she heard a guttural roar splitting the peaceful darkness. From far away, she saw her brother’s face smeared with rage and sorrow. She had never seen her brother like this, broken like a wounded animal. She realized that she witnessed something she never supposed to see, something too personal. Giving Yunho the space he needed, she slid to the ground. Hidden behind a large rock, she offered her brother her consolation and cried for his heartbreak.

*

Yunho’s nostrils flared. He couldn’t calm down. No amount of screams or punches could stop the pain in his chest. He drove his fist into the half-standing brick wall one last time. His bruised and bleeding knuckles stained the uneven surface. And the cross pendant dangling between his fingers brought out a new wave of despair.

He collapsed to the ground, drooping shoulders. His eyes burned from unshed tears and dug the heel of his hands to stop them from falling. Just when he thought they had finally reconnected and started toward a relationship, only to have all his hope and dreams shattered so cruelly.

He cuddled the necklace to his chest. His throat tightened as he bit back a sob. He couldn’t shake away the memory of Jaejoong’s cold emotionless eyes. Nor the gun he pointed at his sister’s head. The betrayal had cut too deep.

When he had no more tears to shed, he just sat on the hard ground, staring unblinkingly forward with no notion of time or space. His arms slacked across his laps. His fingers curled and uncurled absently, recalling the way he held his rifle, the way he killed Jaejoong with a single shot. No matter what he told himself, Jaejoong’s death weighed on him. He took the life of the person who saved him. This wasn’t the kind of a life for a life he hoped for. What kind of terrible game was fate playing?

Losing Jaejoong this way had left Yunho totally and utterly empty. Would he ever recover from killing someone he cared about? Could he ever shake off this death from his conscience as he had done times before?

❈

Location: Susaek Military Base, Goyang, South Korea

Local timestamp: 201(+9) February 14, 13:15

It was mid-winter. The air was frosty and biting. Yunho tightened the collar of his standard green camo coat to keep the wind out. He walked with brisk steps between the dormitories to his work building on the military base. The sole of his boots leaving a trail in the thin layer of fresh snow.

He had his eyes fixated on the building in question with the goal to arrive there as soon as possible. He let out a content sigh as he stepped inside. The hot air of the radiator blasting full force. He removed his beret, shaking the melting snowflake out of the fabric.

With a much slower pace, he made his way up the stairs toward his office. He was busy ping and dusting his coat, paying little care in front of him. Turning the landing between the first and second floor, he bumped into someone walking in the opposite direction.

He immediately snapped back into attention and was ready to apologize. Only to have his words die on the tip of his tongue. He paled as he met the round amber like eyes. The once sandy blond locks were now a rich brown. His stomach clenched as if he just received a kick in the gut. He took an unsteady step back, stumbled down a step. This must be the most terrifying nightmare since. However, it didn’t feel like a dream. All of this is too real.

“Jae-” He stuttered, losing his capability to talk altogether. “Jaejoong?”

Yunho’s leg wobbled. He had to reach out for the ramp rail to prevent himself from losing his balance completely, or worse, faint. Jaejoong reached out to steady him. Worry deepened every line on his tired face. He couldn’t hide the hurt flashing across his gaze when Yunho jerked away from his touch. He wasn’t sure what kind of reaction he had expected, but it wasn’t this.

“Are you alright, Captain Jung? You look like you just saw a ghost,” the person beside Jaejoong asked. Lieutenant-General Choi Siwon was perplexed to witness the exchange between the two men.

A ghost, a revenant. It was exactly what Yunho was seeing. He knew for sure that he was perfectly sane and awake at this moment. His thoughts scrambled to understand. Yet no amount of brain cells was enough to see through this puzzle.

“Do you know each other?” Siwon asked when Yunho didn’t answer.

Jaejoong put on his charming smile. “We had a few brief encounters throughout our career.”

“What are you doing here?” Yunho cut him off. His teeth clenched so hard together that his jaws almost popped.

Siwon sensed the tension zapped in the air and it made him uneasy. He cannot wait to get out of this place as soon as possible. “Why don’t you guys catch up while I go oversee your accommodations during your stay here?”

“That would be very kind of you,” Jaejoong said politely. “It was very nice meeting you, Lieutenant-General.”

“Likewise, Agent ton,” Siwon said as he reached down the stairs and exited the building. Only outside, he was able to breathe. He massaged his chest in circles and took a mental note to never stand between the two of them again.

*

Without saying a word, Yunho walked past Jaejoong and continued his path toward his office. The middle of the hallway was not the place to make a scene. His head was ringing and the click of Jaejoong’s polished leather boots against the floor wasn’t helping. He unlocked the room that he shared with Changmin and some other officers.

Jaejoong peeked inside the room first, glad to see it empty. They had many things to discuss and this would be the perfect occasion. Before he had a chance to open his mouth, Yunho kicked the door close and slammed him against the wall with so much force that he saw stars for brief seconds. Yunho held him there with an arm against his throat and he didn’t even bother to fight back.

“Let me ask again. What the hell are you doing here?” Yunho said slowly, enunciating each word with precision. “You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Two liters of pig blood and a bulletproof vest did the trick,” Jaejoong spoke calmly, but it only irritated Yunho further. Anger and mistrust shone in the dark eyes. “I passed out from the impact of the bullet, got a bruise of the size of a watermelon and three cracked ribs. Without counting the bullet in the shoulder.”

“Answer me before I snap your neck with my own two hands and send you back to hell.”

“I’m here for the special CIA - ROK counter-espionage training.” Jaejoong made a move to reach inside his coat, but Yunho growled and pressed down on his neck. So very slowly, Jaejoong held his coat open as a gesture of good faith. “I have no weapons. You can pat me down if you want. I just want to grab my papers.”

Instead of letting Jaejoong do it himself, Yunho fumbled around the clothes. He took out what looked like a booklet. Flipping it open, he froze. On one side, a badge was neatly clipped on the loop and on the other side, it was an identification card. On the top of both, in big capital letters, was written ‘Central Intelligence Agency - United States of America’.

“After my discharge was confirmed, I was recruited into the CIA.” Jaejoong started explaining. “When I finished my training at the Farm, they sent me to Uruk to infiltrate a global smuggling ring. I lived under the alias of James Hagen for the past eight years, working up the ranks of Merchants of Death. This is the second part of the reason why I never contacted you. I didn’t want to get you involved.”

Yunho let Jaejoong go as he paced around the room. His hands still clenched into Jaejoong’s badge, unable to accept a different truth that had been laid out in front of him. He could have gone on with his life not knowing that Jaejoong had intentionally led his sister into harm's way.

“You got me involved. You ing strapped a bomb on my little sister!”

“If everything went as planned, the bomb would not have exploded. Just like how Albright wasn’t supposed to be there, or how Big Doug wasn’t supposed to wobble up behind you with a gun.” Jaejoong card a hand through his now chestnut hair in frustration. A lot of the things had gone wrong that day. “Look, I approached you at the bar because I needed help. I found something important and forwarded the information to Langley. But the message got intercepted. Sooner or later, they would find out about me.”

“Why didn’t you just leave?”

“Because they knew me, my name, my face. Merchants of Death are controlled by very powerful people with a lot of resources and spies inside every intelligence agency; they would hunt me down and kill everyone I cared about in the process. Unless-”

“Unless you’re dead.” Yunho finished for him. He slumped in his chair and perched his forehead on his upraised arms. “So you manipulated me and made me your weapon.”

“I didn’t want to die.”

“What about Ara? She barely survived that gunshot wound you gave her.”

“That was an accident.” Jaejoong let out a quivering breath.

“You’re a very sharp shooter, Jaejoong,” Yunho said, remembering how Jaejoong managed to accurately shoot one of the rebel fighters that had him at gunpoint.

“I hesitated and she flinched away at the same time. It just all happened so fast.” Jaejoong approached the other man, kneeling down in front of him. He rested a hand against Yunho’s cheek, glad that he didn’t flinch this time. “And your sister was safe all along. The detonator was fake. The bomb was wired to be remotely detonated by Angel.”

“Angel?”

“Angel Gwan, she was my field emergency contact. And you may know her as Bo-Ah. She was also the one who warned me about Shim’s position on the roof.” Jaejoong let out a sad laugh. “It would be very hard to tell you the truth if he gave me the same courtesy he gave to Albright.”

Yunho scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Was there an ounce of truth? Is there a single thing you hadn’t lied about?”

“Everything we shared when we were alone.” Jaejoong leaned forward, resting his forehead against Yunho’s. “Every single second was my most sincere self. The cross you gave me was my anchor so I wouldn’t get lost along the way.”

For the first time in months, Yunho let his mind wander further back, to the moment they shared. Memories flood in like an open faucet, as he recaptured gleams of their morning together. His eyes landed on Jaejoong’s knees. Without realizing what he was doing, he pulled Jaejoong up into his laps.

Jaejoong’s right knee popped. He let out a soft moan of pain and massaged the joint. The humidity and cold of South Korean winter were harsh for his old injury. The hot dry weather of Uruk was the only thing that he longed for. He concentrated hard to ignore their proximity though his heart throbbed against his ribcage.

Yunho who also seemed to realize how close they were, tried to distract his futile mind with the one question that bothered him since he learned about the pig blood. “How did you know I would shoot you in the chest?”

“You’re a trained soldier, Yunho. You’re taught to target the center mass. Even if you miss all vital organs, the person would still die from massive blood loss.”

“That’s one hell of a lucky bet.”

Jaejoong agreed. Even Angel was in disbelief when she came looking for him after the events and found him passed out on the floor in the pool of pig blood mixed with his own. Together, they burned the building to the ground and hunted down the remaining members of the Merchants of Death in the Sumer region.

“You know I can’t tell you too much about the undercover operation, but I can never apologize enough for pulling your team and your family into this mess.” Jaejoong leaned in, closing the remaining inches that separate them. “I was selfish and stupid, but I really hope you can forgive me?”

“I don’t know if I can.” Yunho’s voice cracked at the end of the sentence. His emotion tightened his throat.

“Will you at least try?”

Despite his better judgement, Yunho gave the slightest nod of the head. With tentative hands, he wrapped Jaejoong into an embrace. Jaejoong responded by circling his arms around Yunho’s neck and broke down into a sobbing mess, allowing himself to be dictated purely by his emotions, for the first time in years. He had been strong for so long that he forgot how good it felt to cry. Against Yunho’s shoulder, he mumbled his apologies over and over again.