New York, December 1947.

 

It all began with an invitation.

Hyosung threw her legs on the small table before her while opening the letter they had received. Holding the paper knife in one hand, she didn’t seem to notice Himchan who had just come in the room.

"Did someone finally remember us?" he asked sarcastically.

This was true: since last year when they all had decided – Hyosung, Himcham, Zelo and Ginger – to move away to the countryside, their agency seemed to have completely forgotten about them. That meant no more mission, so Hyosung and Zelo were strongly bored and started to get rusted. Ginger as well, even if she wouldn’t admit it. She had taken a liking in the rush of adventure.

“We are about to find out,” singsonged Hyosung while opening the letter. Her first impression was the thinness of the paper, and of the best quality. There was a coat of arms as a watermark. She read the first typewriting sentences, and frowned.

“So?” Himchan asked eagerly.

Hyosung looked at him over the piece of paper and said, a little bit taken off. “It’s an invitation from General Faraday. To a ball.”

“How surprising,” said Himchan, surprised indeed. He leant over and the young woman gave him the letter. General Faraday was one of the oldest figures in the history of the agency. He had retired at seventy-years-old, but he continued to meddle with the affairs of the agency. Hyosung had met him a couple times.

“It says that we can come with someone,” Himchan read.

At this very moment, a delicious melody echoed through the whole house. Zelo was playing the piano. He loved to play it, especially when Ginger sat beside him to listen; sometimes she would sing along. Hyosung’s lips drew an amused smile, a smile that Himchan mimicked a moment later.

“Well, we can already guess who Zelo is going to ask.”

 

--

 

Hyosung did not regret her decision to take her mink coat.

All around them were falling big snowflakes, falling into their clothes, while the four of them were getting out of the car. They were in the yard of a grand mansion.

Himchan offered his hand to Hyosung, who gladfully took it as to steady herself; for walking with heels in the snow and climbing slippery stone steps, wasn’t exactly healthy.

Thankfully the hall was warm. Zelo helped Ginger with her coat. Hyosung took off her own as well. She was wearing a splendid red dress that deliciously revealed her curves. Its rim barely rose up, but Himchan had get a glimpse of her ankle. He whispered to her. "Don’t tell me that a weapon I just saw strapped at your ankle.”

Hyosung simply winked and linked her arm with his. “One is never too cautious.”

Himchan rolled his eyes.

 

--

 

“Mmh – take a bit of these wonders, Ginger. It’s exquisite.”

She swallowed an appetizer and gave one to the young blonde for ger to taste. Ginger took a bite and vividly nodded. Then she looked over Hyosung’s shoulder. The latter followed her stare ad saw an old man, very well-dressed, conversing with a younger man.

“That’s the General” informed Hyosung. “A very noble former agent.”

The man he was talking with was barely older than Hyosung, and his figure was slender and slightly muscular. A nod ended the conversation and the young man walked away. The general walked towards the two girls. Hyosung ate quickly and gave her dazzling smile.

“General Faraday!” she exclaimed. The man bowed and delicately kissed the back of her hand.

“Darling,” he said. “You are even more dashing than I can remember.”

Hyosung waved humbly. “And you are even more charming than I do remember. I would like to thank you for your invitation.”

“Well, it seems quite normal to invite the finest team of the agency.”

There was an amused sparkle in his glassy eyes when he added: “Of course, after mine obviously.”

The girl laughed, a hand covering slightly her lips in a lovely fashion. Ginger and Zelo were standing a little away and were watching Hyosung’s little show.

“Junhong…” the blonde hesitated. “Do I have to worry about her behaviour?”

Zelo snickered and slid an arm around Ginger’s shoulders. “Nope… she only reveals her true personality to the three of us. Just like Jekyll and Hyde. You should be honoured,” he teased.

She nudged him. “Don’t laugh at her. Although… this is truly disturbing, to see her so…”

“Mannered?” Zelo laughed and drew her against his body to kiss tenderly the top of her head.

 

--

 

“It has been such a while since I had so much fun,” Hyosung said, waltzing happily with Himchan.

She as trying to hide her emotions, but since the beginning of the dance, she had seen her friend’s micro-expressions of pain. His leg still hurt him, despite all the operations. And she could feel her heart tighten.

He arched an eyebrow: “You enjoy yourself every single day.”

“But never with other people. Not with a dress which makes me fabulous. Not with a buffet that good.

Himchan hid a smile. “You are impossible.”

The young woman took in a dramatic expression and said:” And what would you do without me?”

All of a sudden, a glass shattered.

Himchan and Hyosung whipped their heads toward the location of the noise; all senses in high alert. For a good reason.

For next to the orchestra, on the dance floor, a man laid there. Lifeless.

Himchan heaved a sigh. “Well, apparently we don’t always need you to get a bit of excitement in this party.”

The reaction was the same for every single guest. A woman – the closest to the body – screamed in sheer terror. Hyosung and Himchan, as well-trained agents, ran to help the person endangered. But the guests crowded around the body and was preventing the two friends from approaching it. And Zelo and Ginger were on luckier, for they were standing at the very end of the hall.

“Let me through!” a male voice then shouted. “I’m a doctor!”

Hyosung saw a very young man forcing a way through the crowd. She couldn’t see his face. He threw away his jacket, on a woman’s feet who was standing in the circle.

He bent down and with a professional gesture pushed the victim’s head back, chin up, in order to feel any breathing. He also checked the pulse, but eventually let down his arm.

He looked up at the general and shook his head. Each guest figured it out instantly.

The man was dead.

The general ordered to his servants: “Close any issue. The culprit must not escape this house.”

A long whisper spread across the crowd. Himchan frowned. “He’s right. The murderer is still within these walls.”

The young lady wasn’t listening anymore. She could already feel the cog wheels work in her head. She threw a glance towards Zelo to concert each other. Zelo instantly understood, as if the both of them were connected, and he nodded. “Zelo agrees with me,” she exclaimed with a satisfied face. “Let’s go.”

Himchan watched her go through the crowd before he could even stop her. “Wait, agrees for what?”

Hyosung stood before the general and Zelo did the same a second later. “General,” the young woman started? “Allow us to lead this investigation.”

The man looked at the two friends with worried eyes. “Permission granted,” he immediately answered. “Find the bastard who had dared to do this in my own house.”

Hyosung said a few reassuring words, and eventually her attention was on the only person who had made a single move. The young man was much younger than she had initially thought. His hair was light brown, his lips were full, and he wore a concerned face. Zelo and her walked towards him.

“I beg your pardon,” she started off. “Would you mind if we were to ask you a few questions about what happened some minutes ago?”

There was a beat of hesitation before he shook his head.

“You said to be a doctor?” she asked.

The young man outstretched his hand. “My name is Jung Daehyun.”

She shook it.

“Jeon Hyosung, and this is my partner, Choi Junhong. Could you precisely tell us how this man died?”

As she was asking this question, she saw some movement out of the corner of her eye. Four men busied themselves lifting the body up.

“Poison. He drank all of it, probably from his glass. It had been instant.” He looked away, staring at the four men. “I spoke to him five minutes before the whole incident. I hope that you understand,” he suddenly turned his attention to Hyosung. “I am no coroner. I am a doctor. I do not often deal with death.”

“I do,” she answered and put a compassionate hand on his shoulder. Then she turned towards Zelo. “We have to gather all the guests in this sole room. No one must escape. The murderer must stand among them. She gave Daehyun a small head salute and walked with her companion. Himchan and Ginger joined them. “We have to interrogate all the guests,” Himchan said. “One by one.”

The lovely blonde watched all the gathered people and paid a special attention to their expression. “Most of them look truly upset,” she pointed out. Suddenly, a movement caught her eyes. Behind the big doors, a piece of cloth. Which disappeared as soon as she laid her eyes on it. She exclaimed, panicked: “Did you see?! There, behind the door, someone was right… there…”

The four friends looked towards the door. There was no sign anywhere of some apparition. Himchan pulled a long face. “Well, if there were someone, they are long gone.”

Zelo furrowed his eyebrows and stepped forward. “Are you making us doubt Ginger’s words?”

Himchan rolled his eyes and laughed. “Of course not, lover boy. It was a mere observation.”

“If Ginger said to have seen someone, there was someone behind the door,” settled down Hyosung. She rose up and slipped on her he most determined face. “I am going to check it all. This story is getting increasingly fishy at each second passing.”

Himchan agreed and said: “I will tell the general about the interrogation of his guests. I’m sure he will want to take part of it.”

 

--

 

“Do you remember the colour of the cloth?” whispered Hyosung.

Zelo, Ginger and she were cautiously walking through z half-lit hallway.

“I believe it was dark blue.” Ginger answered. “But it could have been dark as well.”

“We know at least it wasn’t a bright colour,” Zelo remarked. “It would eliminate some people on the list.”

“Ginger, you—” Hyosung didn’t finish her sentence. She raised a hand to tell the others to stop. She had heard a suspicious noise. It had come from behind the door they had just passed. She put a finger on her lips and stepped close to the door.

“Could you go check the other end of the hallway?” she whispered. “I’m going in.”

Zelo nodded without any sound and took Ginger’s hand so she would come with him. Hyosung stared after them, before she bent down to get the knife to her ankle. She took in a breath… and opened the door. Lucky for her, it was open.

She was facing an empty bedroom. She grew even more cautious. Ginger had said to have seen someone spying on them, and Hyosung herself had heard a noise in supposedly empty room. She took a few steps forward, slowly, knife in her hand. A rustling movement caught all her attention – she swirled around.

And faced a revolver. She blinked before focusing on the weapon that was right in the middle of her face. A man was keeping the gun trained on her. And he looked as much surprised as she was.

“Who are you…?” he asked.

His face was thin and portrayed nice features. He wore a dark blue suit. He was the man she saw chatting with the general - and the person Ginger had caught a glimpse of. Hyosung arched an eyebrow. “It seems to, sir, that considering the rudeness of your position, I better deserve the right to that question.”

“I certainly will not reveal my identity to you,” he answered, astonished by the cheek of this woman. “And considering your situation, I’d say you are not one to negotiate.”

“Oh,” Hyosung replied, a mocking smile stretching her lips. “Well, is it what you really think?”

The young man followed her gaze and frowned when he saw the knife against his ribs, threatening to pierce through a lung. He made a face.

“Nicely played. Before anything, I apologise for the rude question. Are you here with the intention of stealing from Sir Faraday?”

Hyosung did not quite expect that. “Of course, I am not. There has been a murder. It is nothing quite like a robbery.”

“Yes, I’m aware of the murder. It’s very regrettable. But let me explain to you the situation.”

He put the accent on the last words and threw a lasting glance at the knife tickling his ribs. The young woman studied the situation in her mind: a priori that man – quite charming though – had no intent to harm her. If it had been the case, he would have done it the very moment she entered the room. He had just been trying to defend himself. And… the “word “steal” had aroused her curiosity. She wanted to know more, know why he mentioned this word, when it had been a murder occurring.

She sighed and lowered her arm. The man did the same. She bent down to strap her knife back to her ankle, and caught the guy staring shamelessly at her cleavage. She glared.

“Well, excuse me, I do not think I gave you the permission to that zone.”

He did nothing to hide his smirk. “You are right, I beg your pardon for my rudeness. My name is Lee Minhyuk. I am in an infiltration mission to break up a burglar network. Their activities have begun for a few months now, and we still don’t know their face, or their true name. Only a nickname: the Herons.”

Hyosung raised her hands in a confused fashion. “Wait, how did you know they would work here, on this precise night?”

Minhyuk took in an arrogant face: “Well, let us consider a ball organised by one of the richest men in the city, let’s add a very big collection of extremely rare paintings, and you sure can do the math.”

She was to admit that the situation looked quite elementary once said out loud.

“It’s your turn to do the presentation,” Minhyuk went on.

“What if I were a mere guest in this party looking for the bathroom? I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint you,” she added with a smirk.

The man’s eyes sparkled.

“Nice try,” he said. Though I really doubt a mere civilian would wander in society parties with a weapon on her.” He pointed at Hyosung’s ankle. “I daresay you are part of the spy agency, the same as Mr Faraday. With such reflexes…”

“And such a powerful sense of deduction, Mister Lee,” she snorted. “Soon, you will tell me there has been a murder in this mansion?”

“Hilarious. Might I at least know your name?”

Hyosung looked at him up and down with mistrust, before she let out a sigh: “Jeon Hyosung.”

“All right, Jeon Hyosung,” he started while putting his weapon back in its holster. “It seems that you and I will have to associate.”