[CONTENTID1]re:stless[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter 14[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

Soojin was uneasy. She had checked her equipment so many times that she had lost count, standing in front of the tall mirror in the hotel room and staring at her reflection. In order to blend in, she had changed her style of dress to something darker and ier than normal. She couldn’t show up at the supposed meeting area of a criminal organization wearing an elegant dress shirt and skirt after all. Nervously raking her hand through her short hair, her fingers brushed over her earpiece. As always, it was well hidden under her strands. She wore a neon-colored crop top and a dark jacket with a pair of black ripped jeans and high heels. A knife was concealed inside a pocket of her jacket, along with a small gun she hoped she wouldn’t need.

Baekhyun wore a black leather jacket with a tight-fitting shirt underneath, emphasizing his muscular build. Black pants and combat boots completed his look. Soojin assumed he kept his weapons somewhere in his jacket just like her.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“Yes, let’s go,” he replied, but then he remembered something, his eyes glimmering mischievously. “Are you wearing your good luck charm, Soo?”

She blushed, instinctively checking if the necklace was where it was supposed to be. When her fingers found the delicate chain hidden under her top, she nodded. “I am,” she said and offered a faint smile.

Baekhyun’s eyes lingered on her restless self for a moment, softening slightly. “Stay calm, it’ll be fine. I won’t leave your side,” he said as they left the room and headed to the hotel lobby.

They would approach the bar separately from the other agents in their team since a large group of strangers would attract too much attention. Therefore, they had formed pairs of two. Mark and Taeyong were already connected to everybody via their earpieces and gave them directions so that they would find their destination quickly and easily.

When Soojin and Baekhyun walked over the busy streets of Gwangju, she thought that this might as well have been a date—if their destination had been a nice restaurant instead of a shady bar in a back alley. Many young adults passed them, seemingly on the way to one of the countless popular nightclubs in the city center. Honestly, Soojin was a little envious of them. She would have been thrilled to experience Gwangju’s nightlife with Baekhyun, but they were on a mission and didn’t have time for distractions.

Her partner was silent and very focused as they walked. Baekhyun’s sharp eyes scanned their surroundings constantly, and the further they ventured away from the bustling city center, the more alert he became. His strides slowed when they entered an alley illuminated by flickering street lamps. An unidentifiable stench hung in the air as the agents passed old dumpsters and litter that had been left behind. The buildings surrounding the alley had been sprayed with graffiti and some doors had been barred from the outside.

From time to time, they encountered people hiding their faces under baseball caps or the hoods of their jackets. Numerous curious and suspicious gazes followed her and Baekhyun. Despite their efforts to blend in, they stood out because nobody here had seen them before, and people involved in criminal activities didn’t like to deal with nosy strangers.

Soojin grimaced when she accidentally stepped in a puddle, soiling her high heels. The cold water made her shiver. What a terrible place this was… She sneaked a glance at her partner’s expression, and unsurprisingly, he was equally underwhelmed by their surroundings. His annoyed stare could have burned holes in the pavement. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and clicked his tongue in disgust when they encountered another stinking dumpster. Faint music reached their ears—they were almost there.

Taemin, Jongin, Ten, and Jeno had arrived at the bar already and notified Soojin and Baekhyun using their earpieces. They would mingle with the crowd and gather intel while Soojin needed to register for the next race somehow.

“That’s it,” Baekhyun said as they rounded another corner and reached the bar on the ground floor of a dilapidated building. Despite its appearance, the bar itself was flooded with partying people. Loud chattering and the booming bass of the music drowned out the faint noises of traffic in the distance.

“Stay close,” Baekhyun muttered as they reached the crowd. She held on to his sleeve so as not to lose him in the chaos.

Upon entering the establishment, they pushed themselves through the crowd to reach the bar. The flickering lights drew Soojin’s eyes from the colorful lamps on the ceiling to the flashing gambling machines in a corner. Someone next to her spilled his vodka all over his shirt as he tried to reach the other side of the packed room, promptly getting into an argument with some other guy. Soojin sighed inwardly and dodged a flying fist, following Baekhyun like a shadow.

A mirror and shelves stacked with alcohol bottles decorated the wall behind the bar. Many people gathered around it and waited to order another drink, keeping the two female bartenders busy. They skillfully created colorful concoctions and added ice and straws to the cocktails. Baekhyun squeezed himself into an opening between the waiting people and ordered something for himself and Soojin.

He leaned his elbows on the counter as he watched the woman in front of him prepare the drinks. While she was busy, he used the opportunity to prod for information. “I’m interested in fast cars,” he said and smirked at her, arching an eyebrow. “Would you help me out, sweetheart?”

Soojin rolled her eyes at him, feeling a pang of jealousy in her heart. She hadn’t expected him to flirt right in front of her and ground her teeth in anger, glaring daggers at his back. He would get an earful later.

The bartender seemed to be charmed by his attractive smirk and nodded, giggling as she blushed. “Anything for you, handsome,” she chirped and leaned in to whisper something into his ear. She was too damn close to him in Soojin’s opinion—was she imagining things or had her lips just brushed his skin? Anger simmered in her chest, but there was nothing she could do. Soojin wasn’t his fiancée anymore, and since they weren’t a couple either, he could flirt with whoever he wanted… even if it pissed her off.

The bartender scribbled something on a napkin and he took it, putting it in his pocket. He said something else before he winked at her, grabbed the drinks, and turned back around to Soojin who glared at him. She took one of the drinks and downed half of it.

“Don’t get drunk,” he reprimanded her and earned a glower.

“Don’t tell me what to do, jerk. Did you learn something useful at least?”

“Wow, someone’s angry tonight. Are you perhaps jealous?” he purred with a devilish smirk on his lips. She hated herself for finding it attractive. The alcohol drew heat into her cheeks, fueling the anger within her.

“Why would I be,” she huffed. “We’re not a couple and it looks like it’s better that way.”

Her words made him falter, and the smirk on his lips disappeared. “Listen, I was just kid—”

“Focus. I want to get this over with,” she cut him off impatiently, eager to get away from the flirty bartender and this entire place.

“Right. I know where we have to go, follow me,” he sighed and left his drink on a random table as they walked to the back of the room, moving through a sea of partying and drunk people. When the crowd finally thinned, he headed into a hallway lit by old fluorescent tubes. It ended at a door guarded by two bulky men. They glared at Baekhyun and Soojin when they arrived.

“What do you want?” one of them asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I think you already know,” Baekhyun answered. “I want to register for the next race and I was told this is the right place.”

The two men exchanged a glance and gestured for them to move on. Baekhyun’s grin widened and he passed them without hesitation, Soojin quickly walking after him. He knocked at the door and entered. The room the agents found themselves in was a messy office. The furniture and curtains were covered in odd stains, and the air reeked of cigarette smoke. It was anything but pleasant, but Soojin ignored her disgust and gazed at the chubby man sitting behind a desk. He hadn’t shaved in a while and didn’t seem to care much about his appearance. She assumed he was in his forties and memorized his face for later.

“What brings you here?” he asked gruffly. “Want to place a bet?”

“No, we’re here for something else,” Baekhyun said and walked closer, folding his arms as he stood in front of the desk. The man glared at him, his eyes briefly flickering to Soojin.

“I take it you want to participate.”

“Indeed,” Baekhyun drawled. “What are your conditions?”

The man let out a bored sigh and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on his round stomach. “Well, since you’re