A/N - those in blue are hyperlinks. There are two songs featured in this chapter, you may listen to it for better reading experience :)

 

"Jung Wheein received the email sent by agent Moon Byulyi, last February 28. She was instructed to download the file and have it deleted right after. After installing the file, Jung Wheein opened it and got the file transferred directly through her brain. She was able to prove the data transfer through the bomb case by the Hyatt Hotel this evening." Agent Yongsun clutched her phone as she narrated the events that happened earlier. She was hesitating at first on whether she will report everything to her superior or to just say the Intersect was already completely gone and the target knew nothing about it. But she abided by her principles:

 

Dedication to freedom and truth

- NIS Korea Motto

 

As someone who grew up in and was groomed by the agency, Agent Yongsun will always live for the truth and only the truth for the greater glory of her beloved country. Thereby, she needed to tell the agency everything that occured the past hours despite putting her target Jung Wheein in far more greater trouble. 

 

"It has been verified that Jung Wheein is now the Human Intersect," Agent Yongsun continued her report to her NIS supervisor.

 

"Has it been confirmed that the Intersect is no longer in the target's computer?"  The NIS supervisor asked sternly. 

 

"Yes. Jung Wheein is now the only Intersect," Agent Yongsun replied.

 

"Please keep an eye on your target. The superiors will deliberate on what the agency will do to her. For now this information is between the top ranking officials of the agency and you. Understood?" The NIS supervisor commanded.

 

"Yes Ma'am!" The status report call ended.

 

Will her superiors in the NIS instruct her to have Jung Wheein disposed since she's a threat to the nation with all the secrets in her brain; one wrong move and she can blackmail not only the agency, but also the government and the people of South Korea. But on the positive side, she had proved to be a good asset - she can help the agency with the information she has on her brain, afterall she's the only Intersect. These were the thoughts running through Agent Yongsun's head. But whatever the agency commands her to do, she will do it anyway. Even if it means shedding blood in her own hands.

 

 

Jung Wheein finds herself aimlessly running away from a shadow - clumsily jumping over the road blocks, passing through alleyways, knocking pedestrians along the street. 

 

Hide.

 

Run.

 

Escape.

 

At the end of the road, she then saw her dad. She wanted to approached him but every time she comes close, her father will just increase the gap between them.

 

"Don't go dad!" Wheein screamed as soon as she woke up from her nightmare. The recurring dreams she had few years ago came back to haunt her. Wheein was thinking how the events yesterday triggered this somehow. Every thing felt out of her control - Her supposed date was a secret agent. Her ex-bestfriend, Byul, also a secret agent. People were after her. And most importantly, there were now secrets in her brain that she cannot just simply delete. 'If only brains are as easy as computers', she thought.

 

She pulled herself up from her bed and went to the kitchen for some herbal tea. She wanted to calm herself from all these stressors. As she sat down by the kitchen counter, she heard a door squeaked. It was her sister, Hyoyeon.

 

"Why are you up so early my baby sister, missing your date?" Hyoyeon asked Wheein who looked so glum while drinking her tea.

 

"Am I allowed to stay silent during this interrogation, if yes then I invoke my right to remain silent?" Wheein playfully answered. This was Wheein's way of avoiding the topic. Her sister cannot know anything about the events the occured yesterday or she might also be in danger. She don't want her only family to be part of this mess.

 

"That is so cheeky my little sister. If you need anything like an advice on your love life, your big sister is here to help you," Hyoyeon went with the flow. But she knew her sister far too well that there were things that are probably bothering Wheein right now. But as a good sister, she can only wait until her sister is able to open up to her. 

 

"How about we host a family dinner tonight. Invite her and probably your friend Hyejin. We can now have a mini gathering so that we can know more about her. I'm dying to meet her because she's your first date in YEARS and that calls for a celebration," Hyoyen suggested. 

 

"Hmmmm unnie, I do not know about that. Meeting the family might be too early, she might be startled," Wheein replied. As far as she knew, Yongsun probably won't even dare to date her again. Yongsun agreeing to that date and everything else were just parts of her disguise - the fake date, the fake interest, everything was fake. Despite knowing all of this, Wheein did hope a part of it was true.  But what about Kim Yongsun is true anyway?  Wheein still cannot control the secrets in her brain. But if somehow she knew how too then maybe she can know more about Kim Yongsun. 

 

'But that's invasion of her privacy,'  Wheein realized and let out a deep sigh.

 

"Nothing's too early in this family. Don't forget to invite her tonight," Hyoyeon reminded Wheein before she went back to her room. 

Wheein finished her tea and went back to her room as well. As she lay down on her bed, she pulled out her cellpone and stared at it blankly for quite awhile. She was contemplating whether she will contact Yongsun or not.  

 

'By the count of 30, I will contact her,'  Wheein told herself.

 

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 15 ....

 

And Wheein fell asleep without contacting Yongsun. This time, no nightmares haunted her in her sleep.

 

 

Hours after the status report call, Agent Yongsun was summoned by her NIS Supervisor. While the rest of Seoul city was still sleeping, the agency was busy fixing the trouble caused by the rouge agent Moon Byulyi. Up until now they cannot locate the whereabouts of the rouge agent. After she was shot by an unidentified gunner, blood traces were left in the scene. But after the tracks had reached by the Han River, all traces were gone.  The agency suspected a suicide case - the rouge agent probably killed herself jumping off the bridge. Agent Yongsun wanted to further investigate this case instead but as a person loyal to the agency, she can only accept the cases given to her; no excuses.

 

On the way to the headquarters at Naegok-dong, south of Seoul, Agent Yongsun were formulating her inquiries regarding the wereabouts of Agent Moon Byulyi. She believed that the agent is still alive. But what she cannot fathom was how did the agent suddenly went rouge and destroyed the most important computer in South Korea. She wanted to investigate further about Agent Byul but the closest thing she could ever do on this case was to stick to her current mission since her target Jung Wheein was her acquaintance.

 

As she reached the white marbled building, what welcomed her was dozens of armed agents rushing through the main entrance of the headquarters. 

 

'Something must have come up'  She thought as she hurriedly entered the building to know what was going on.

 

She heard gushes as soon as she entered the building. 

 

"Rogue Agent Moon Byulyi body was found by the river"

 

"The rouge agent who bombed the headquarters a few days back has been located by the special forces of the agency"

 

"The rouge agent is dead"

 

Yongsun could not believe what she was hearing. 'No, no, no! It cannot be!'  She pleaded in her mind. These were probably lies to cover up the whole Intersect fiasco.  Ignoring all the the whisphers surrounding her, she immediately headed to the topmost floor were her supervisor's office was located. 

 

"Agent Kim Yongsun here," Yongsun gently knocked on the door. Despite the severity of the situation, she still remained calm and collected like she always was. 

 

"Punctual as usual, Agent Yongsun." Her supervisor commended her as soon as the agent was gestured to enter the room. Behind the door is Kim Yongsun's supervisor, a tall, lean woman whose facial features are enough for her to pass as a model. Well she IS a model and she goes by the name Lee Da Hee on screen. Her real name? no one knows except those on top. Everyone just call her Lieutenant Lee. But what most of the people in the agency knew is her supervisor mainly extracts information from the entertainment industry. Her proficiency in that field made her reach the 3rd top-most level in the agency, Class VIII, in just a few years - probably the fastest since the agency was built. Only above her are the board of directors and the minister himself, Class IX and Class X repectively. The thorn in her stellar career however was her failure to pre-empt the attack of one of her subordinates, Moon Byulyi. Because of this she volunteered to supervise this case and had her best field agent Kim Yongsun to handle it.

 

"The board and the minister wanted to extend their appreciation on how you handled the first 24 hours of this case. Despite the computer intersect being broken, you were able to verify to existence of a Human Intersect. It was a wise decision on your side for not disposing your target despite the threat she posed initially." Lieutenant Lee remarked sternly. The amount of facial expressions she show during photoshoots is inversely proportional on the amount she show when she's in the agency - Cold and calculating. 

 

"Always in service of the agency" Agent Yongsun replied. She was still holding back the questions regarding the rogue agent since the main reason she was brought here was about her initial mission, Retrieve X. 

 

"Regarding your mission, the higher ups decided to continue with mission and have it named as Project X. It will have the highest level of confidentiality in the agency where in only you, as the field agent dispatched, and Class VIII above will be able to access. This high level case cannot be of general knowledge since people knowing the existence of a human intersect will only pose more risks in the agency." Lieutenant Lee then handed over a digital case file enycrypted in an iPad to Agent Yongsun. This will serve as her main means of communication to her supervisor. They cannot rely on cellular line since it can be easily wire-tapped.

 

"The agency will have you dispatched on a long-term mission. You will be the human's intersect's handler up until we are able to find a solution on how to transfer the data in her head to a computer again. As a handler it is your duty to protect her at all costs, and be cautious around the police; they also want the Intersect in their hands and you know how corrupt their organization can be. Since you will be in direct contact with the target at most times, make sure to have a disguise that will sell your relationship with your target. Take in mind that there are only a dozen of people surrounding Jung Wheein - her family and colleagues - so make sure you your disguise  is believable enough to those people. If they suspect you one bit, this mission will be over." 

 

Lieutenant Lee briefed Agent Yongsun her new case Project X.  Basically she will be the human intersect's bodyguard. But it will be weird for a normal citizen like Jung Wheein to have a body guard. She has to come up with a better guise later. She accepted the mission without any hesitations. And now was the time for her to ask the lingering questions in her head about the rogue agent, she deserved to know afterall. She is, or rather, she was her partner.

 

"Lieutenant, with all due respect, may I ask the status of my ex-partner Agent Moon Byulyi?" Agent Yongsun asked. 

 

"Your partner is as good as dead Agent Yongsun, you cannot do anything about it. Now focus on your mission." 

 

She knew she cannot get the answers she seeked for from her supervisor but she still asked anyway.  She cannot expect her supervisor to care about the rouge agent who tarnished her record in the agency. Now it is up to her to find more answers about her ex-partner through her current mission. There is more than meets the eye.

 

 

The alarm clock blared in Wheein's room. It's time for her to work again. As per schedule, Hyejin arrived 5 minutes before her alarm clock set off. Wheein heard her conversing with her sister's girlfriend in the kitchen. Which reminded her of that family dinner her sister mentioned earlier. 'I need to prepare an alibi if ever I can't see Yongsun any longer,' She thought.

 

"JUNG WHEEIN!!!!! YOU ARE ALIVE!!!! HOW WAS YOUR BOMB DATE!!!" Hyejin shouted as soon as she saw Wheein going out of her room. The mention of bomb sent shivers down Wheein's spine. 

 

"Tone down the enthusiasm, Hyejin. It was a normal date. Nothing exciting" Wheein replied. Even if she knew everything about the date was beyond normal, she cannot tell those to her family not even her friend. 

 

"Come on Whee, Yongsun look so gorgeous, so godly! Were you able to tone down the awkwardness last night?" Hyejin asked.

 

"You already saw Yongsun and I don't?" Hyoyeon hurriedly went out of her room when she heard everyone conversing about Wheein's date.

 

"I haven't personally meet her yet but I already knew she is gorgeous because Wheein only choose gorgeous ladies" Hyejin winked towards Wheein. Wheein felt a little bit embarrased now. She hated it when people are talking about her.

 

"So Wheein, do not forget about the dinner late okay? Everyone in this room is dying to meet her!" Hyoyeon reminded Wheein.

 

"Let's go Hyejin, we're gonna be late for work" Wheein ignored her sister's reminder and dragged Hyejin out of their house. The small family gathering over breakfast ended. Wheein and Hyejin then went to work. 

 

As they reached COEX, everything went normal - no sudden flashes, no car chasing, no Yongsun. It felt like everything went back to normal for Wheein. Not until she stepped in the department store and saw a familiar person standing by the Nerd Herd counter. As soon as they made eye contact, Yongsun waved at her. Wheein, however, awkwardly stepped behind Hyejin as if she can try to hide from Yongsun.

 

"Wheein, why are you hiding?" Hyejin asked Wheein with a puzzled look on her face. She knew the answer when she saw who was walking towards them.

 

"Hey Wheein, is that Yongsun?" Hyejin whispered to Wheein who was still behind her. Wheein was still not answering.

 

"Hi, I'm Kim Yongsun. You must be Wheein's friend, Hyejin?" Yongsun offered her hand to Hyejin for a handshake. 

 

"Hi Yongsun, I heard lots about you from Wheein. So what brings you here" Hyejin asked while Wheein was tucking Hyejin shirt from behind. She wanted Hyejin to stop from talking.

 

"I was hired as a cook in the restaurant beside the department store. I just dropped by to check on my girlfriend." Yongsun replied. 

 

'Girlfriend? What's happening here?'  Wheein was confused on Yongsun's declaration. She thought she will be disposed after the events yesterday, but here she was posing as her girlfriend.

 

"If I may excuse, I need to talk to Wheein for just a moment before both our shifts start" Yongsun politely asked. A tone so different from what she had heard from Yongsun last night.

 

"Of course you may" Hyejin then pulled Wheein who was hiding behind her and left the two alone. Wheein was still not saying a word nor looking at Yongsun. But as a complete opposite, Yongsun did what Wheein did not expect the most, she kissed her on her cheeck which everyone in the department store saw. While still near Wheein's face, Yongsun whispered directly on Wheein's ears, '"Meet me by the parking lot during lunch break. I will brief you the new mission,'" Yongsun was back to her serious voice. It's the Yongsun Jung Wheein knew.

 

The morning shift went by smoothly and lunch break soon started. Wheein excused herself from her Nerd Herd subordinates and her best friend Hyejin, telling them she needed to go out. No one asked further since they knew Wheein's probably will go to her new 'girlfriend'.

 

In the parking lot, she saw Yongsun by her car. She followed and they both enter inside her car so that no one can hear or witness the mission briefing. Yongsun brought her Ipad out and keyed in the code to open the new mission file. The screen lit up and the words Project X soon came to vision. Yongsun handed the Ipad to Wheein and Wheein read the mission carefully.

 

"So basically the NIS decided to let me live and you are gonna be my nanny," Wheein chided. She seemed disinterested to this whole mission.

 

"Yes. Since there are valuable information that only your brain contains, the NIS treated you as an asset. And I will be your handler, not your nanny," Yongsun replied. 

 

"If that so, what was the girlfriend thing earlier?" Wheein asked trying to hide the blush from her cheeks.

 

"It is part of my disguise. Since I need to be close to you as much as possible, the better way to sell it to your family and friends is to pose as your girlfriend. Unless you tell them I am your personal bodyguard which is tooootally believable on your part," Yongsun sarcastically replied. 

 

"Well if you want to further sell that, my sister will host a dinner party later and she invited you," Wheein suggested. 

 

"Sure, that's easy for me," Yongsun replied confidently. "By the way, as part of the initial process in this mission, you are asked to meet the doctor who initally programmed the Intersect. He will be by the department store around 4 pm today. " Yongsun finished the briefing, took the Ipad off from Wheein's hand and hid it in her bag.

 

"Since we'll be together for a long time, what I ask of you Wheein is to trust me." Yongsun touched Wheein's shoulder and stared directly at her eye. And all Wheein could mutter was a short reply, "Okay."

 

Wheein went out of the car and pondered on how her normal boring life will definitely change...

 

 

Yongsun stayed in her car to browse the profile of the doctor NIS will be sending to their location later. His name is Dr. Yang and was one of the pioneer engineers of the Intersect. Yongsun never encountered him ever since she joined the agency. While skimming through his profile, nothing notable came across Yongsun except tha