[CONTENTID1]re:ndezvous[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter 10[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Baekhyun’s hands were buried in the pockets of his jacket. A baseball cap cast a shadow over his face, hiding his dull expression as he made his way over the cemetery. It was early morning and the grass surrounding the gravel path was covered in a thin layer of morning dew. The sun had risen, but its rays were not yet strong enough to reach through the fog that wafted between the gravestones. Baekhyun passed endless rows of graves, walking on until he reached the last row in the very back. He wasn’t surprised that the cemetery was empty. As usual, no other visitors were here at this hour.

The agent occasionally came here to remember his former partner. It was her final resting place, or at least, that was what he considered it to be since there had been no body left to bury after her tragic death. The grave itself held no remains, but it served as a memorial. Since she had no living relatives, the Secret Service had it made in her honor. Baekhyun stopped in front of a plain stone engraved with her name—Son Boyoung. A few months had gone by since she had passed, but the needless loss of life still made him feel cold. She had been too young to die, only 23 years old. Just like Soojin, she had been proficient at cybercrime-related tasks and very eager to learn new skills. Baekhyun had taken her under his wing and showed her the ropes since she had been a new member of EXO. Boyoung had joined him on his longest and most difficult mission yet, which had already lasted for three years at that time.

Baekhyun had successfully infiltrated the Red Force, an organization no different from the mafia or the yakuza. Nobody had dared to go up against them so far since the group and all its members were elusive and dangerous. They didn’t hesitate to assassinate anyone who opposed them and were suspected to be involved in corruption and human trafficking, among other things. Within the span of three years, Baekhyun had assumed a new identity, changed his appearance, and worked his way up from the very bottom, becoming a respected member of the organization. His supposedly ruthless attitude had made him infamous among the Red Force—nobody had ever suspected anything. When he had been invited to join meetings with high-ranking members and even the boss himself, he had reached the most crucial part of the mission.

After Boyoung had joined him, he had been concerned about her safety and let her work from behind the scenes most of the time—until that one fateful day when he had allowed her to accompany him. She had begged until he had caved. Boyoung and he had been on the way to a weapons depot he had recently learned of. They had needed to confirm its location and pass it on to the Secret Service, but what should have been a simple undertaking ended in disaster.

Boyoung had been eager to explore the hidden depot and ran into the building without listening to his orders. He had panicked and followed her inside, intending to look for her… and then a bomb had detonated, blowing up the entire house and sparking a fire that had consumed the entire structure. Baekhyun had been incredibly lucky that day—he had gotten away with a few injuries and a scar on his chin. Boyoung on the other hand must have been right next to the blast. No remains had been discovered in the chaos, only scraps of her equipment and scorched fabric.  

Baekhyun had later found out that it had been a trap set by a rival within the Red Force—that’s all he knew. Someone had aspired after his position in the organization. He had been in the way, so they had attempted to get rid of him. Members of the Red Force were rotten to the core, and none of them could be trusted. The low-ranking ones in particular were ready to stab each other in the back to eliminate competition. The closer you were to the leaders, the more power and influence you had.  

Honestly, Baekhyun was grateful he could stay away from the Red Force for the time being. Spending so much time around vicious criminals had taken a toll on his mental health. Although the mission had been paused for now, his efforts had been fruitful. Thanks to his undercover work, the Secret Service had obtained the identities of influential members of the Red Force—they were now on law enforcement agencies’ target lists.

Weak sunrays broke through the fog and illuminated parts of the cemetery. The air felt stifling, and it was hard to breathe. Baekhyun’s chest was tight, constricted by sorrow.

“Hello, Boyoung. I haven’t visited in a while—work has kept me busy. It’s been hectic lately,” he murmured and gazed at the gray stone. “I got a new partner now... You wouldn’t believe me if I told you who it is, but if you had met her, you would have liked her. I’ve been on three different missions with her since you passed, and things are going well so far—she’s starting to trust me.”

A lump formed in his throat the longer he looked at the gravestone. “I’m sorry and I miss you. Although we only knew each other for a little while, I considered you a good friend. You shouldn’t have died like this, Boyoung. If only I could turn back time…”

A strong breeze ruffled his hair as he gazed at the stone, watching a dew drop running over its surface and disappearing in the soil. Baekhyun’s chest heaved when he sighed and took his leave. His heart felt lighter every time he visited Boyoung, but even so, the crushing guilt remained. He had her blood on his hands, and he would never be able to erase the past, but he would learn from it. Baekhyun was determined to keep history from repeating itself.

“Is it a date?” Jeno asked, prompting Soojin to groan into her phone.

“How many times do I have to repeat it? We’re having dinner as colleagues… not as a couple.”

She could picture Jeno’s grin even without seeing him and heard him snicker. He was buzzing with energy, teasing her relentlessly.  “Mhm, yes. You two have too much history with each other for it to be a normal dinner. It’s a date and you can’t change my mind.”

“Why are you betraying me like this?” she grumbled dramatically while she hurried through her apartment, grabbing her purse and searching for her jewelry box. She intended to wear her favorite earrings tonight, the silver ones with the dangling leaves.

“I’m not betraying you, on the contrary! I’m rooting for you, Soo! I won’t ever forget how many times you whined about missing him in the past. We both know you’re not over him, so just enjoy your date and see what happens.”

 “I will. Thank you, Jeno,” she said before she ended the call.

Since Baekhyun had been secretive about what he had planned for the evening, she was clueless and didn’t know what to expect. He hadn’t told her anything at all, so she didn’t even know what to wear. Would something casual be appropriate? They had agreed that it wouldn’t be a date in a romantic sense, but she had a feeling Baekhyun wouldn’t give up easily. He would probably do whatever he wanted, so should she wear something elegant? A dress?

She stood in front of her wardrobe and the longer she glared at it, the more indecisive she became. Her patience thinned and she ended up grabbing the first thing she saw; a dark blue dress made of shimmering satin fabric. If she was overdressed, it would be his fault. Soojin got ready, slipped on the dress, and finished her make-up. Since her hair was chin-length, she couldn’t create any elaborate hairstyles, and merely put a flower clip in it. Only minutes after she was finished, the doorbell rang.

Her stomach fluttered as a blend of nervousness and excitement grew in her. She hurried to the front door, opening it to find Baekhyun waiting for her. Soojin’s eyes moved from his shoes over his black pants up to the white dress shirt that accentuated his muscular physique. The top buttons were undone, allowing her to see his collarbones and a hint of his pecs. He had styled his dark hair in such a way that it left his forehead uncovered—this was her favorite look and it was all too obvious he had chosen it on purpose. She averted her eyes before he mentioned her shameless staring, but it was hard not to admire his beauty. Baekhyun was breathtaking.

“Hi,” she said in an unusually shy tone, folding her clammy hands in front of her stomach.

An amused smile curled his lips when he studied her bashful expression. “Good evening, Soo,” he purred. “I hope you’re looking forward to tonight, I have something special in mind.”

She followed him out the door, hiding her blushing cheeks behind her hair. “You’re awfully secretive about it.”

“I heard women like surprises,” he teased and linked his fingers with hers, taking her hand to guide her toward the lift at the end of the hallway.

“Baekhyun, I know what you’re thinking, but I told you this is not a date.”

He chuckled. “It is a date for sure. You’re all dressed up for me, Soo.”

“Don’t get cocky, I just wanted to look pretty for myself.”

They entered the lift that would take them to the ground floor. “You are pretty,” he said quietly. A genuine smile adorned his lips, and none of his earlier smugness remained. His eyes softened. “Dark blue looks good on you.”

She would have to get used to his new demeanor, but she couldn’t say that she disliked it. A piece of his old self resurfaced every time he flirted with her, and though the past had irrevocably changed him, deep down he was still the same Baekhyun she had fallen in love with years ago. Since she was now aware of the reason for their breakup, she found it easier to open her heart to him. Not that she would have admitted it to him, but she had been looking forward to this evening, and she was very curious about his surprise. Her anticipation made her feel giddy and excited like a girl who just confessed her feelings to her crush.

She cleared , and her cheeks flushed once more. “Thank you, Baekhyun. You don’t look too bad yourself.”

“Not too bad?” He chuckled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. “Damn it, I knew I should have picked the black shir