[CONTENTID1]re:inforcement[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter 20[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

“Getting into a car accident and ending up kidnapped is crazy. Definitely too much action for one mission,” Seulgi frowned. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Let’s face it; Soojin gets the most exciting missions out of all of us,” Seungwan remarked. “She rescued hostages, attended a fancy party, and participated in street racing. That’s a pretty eventful work life, even for a special agent.”

Soojin nursed her latte macchiato and nibbled on the cookie it had been served with. She and her friends sat in their favorite coffeehouse, catching up with each other. Due to Soojin’s last mission and subsequent recovery at home, she hadn’t seen her friends in quite some time. They always stayed in touch via text messages and occasional calls, but Soojin preferred meeting them in person.

“The street race was absolutely insane! I got an amazing car; it was a Dodge Challenger and driving it was so much fun,” she recalled, keeping her voice low. The coffeehouse was almost empty, but she still wanted to be careful. They weren’t allowed to share details about their job with outsiders.

“I even won the first race… but then, during the second, everything went south. You already know what happened; I don’t think I have to get into it again,” Soojin grimaced and sipped on her latte to hide the apprehension that befell her. Never before had she been in a car accident, and she didn’t want to repeat the experience. The horror of being trapped inside a burning car with nowhere to go, defenseless and injured, her team too far away to help… She would be lying if she said she never had nightmares about this moment.

“It makes you uncomfortable,” Seungwan whispered. “Let’s talk about something else, Soojin. We’re not here to make you remember the accident.”

“Yeah, enough about that mission. What are you up to these days?” Soojin asked.

“The usual. Our unit is booked and busy… we need to prepare many new disguises for various missions. It’s been stressful lately. If it goes on like this, I’m hoping for a bonus at the end of the month,” Seulgi smiled sarcastically.

“Yeah, that’s the least they can do for putting so much pressure on us,” Seungwan grumbled. “I haven’t been on an actual mission in a long time; my skills will get rusty at this rate.”

“We should hit the gym and spar together when you have time,” Soojin grinned. “I do it regularly with my fiancé. It helped me improve.”

Seungwan and Seulgi stared at her. Their expressions were astounded at first but then morphed into something incredibly horrifying. Soojin cringed and put her latte on the table, crossing her legs and clearing .

“What? Stop staring at me like that! It makes me feel like I got something on my face.”

“Did you just say fiancé…?” Seulgi purred and smirked.

Realization hit Soojin, and she covered with her hand. “Oops… I forgot to mention this, didn’t I?”

Seungwan snorted. “I swear, you got your head in the clouds! You got engaged, and you didn’t tell us?!”

“It’s Baekhyun,” Seulgi grinned, and Soojin confirmed her assumption with a sheepish nod.

“Okay, Soo, let’s make one thing clear. We’re not leaving this coffeehouse before you spill the beans,” Seungwan said. “How did he propose?”

And indeed, the women didn’t leave for another hour, chatting about the couple’s engagement and future wedding.

After the weekend passed, Soojin and Baekhyun returned to the office for the first time in a while, and their colleagues awaited them eagerly. They had heard about the news from Junmyeon, congratulating the couple on their engagement. During their lunch break, it was the only thing EXO talked about. The nosy agents wanted to know every detail about the proposal until even Baekhyun lost his cool and got flustered by the barrage of curious questions. Thus, the first day back at the office was rather turbulent, but Soojin and Baekhyun soon returned to their old routine and finished their reports on their latest mission. They also had other paperwork to catch up with and were relatively busy for days.

It wasn’t until the following weekend that the couple was able to start setting their plan into motion. They wanted to move in together, and since Soojin’s apartment was bigger than Baekhyun’s, it was where they would live from now on. Consequently, they spent all weekend putting his belongings in boxes and getting rid of furniture that wasn’t needed any longer. Soojin couldn’t believe how much stuff her partner owned—it was staggering to see it all packed in boxes.

“I had no idea you’re still such a passionate gamer,” Soojin all but sighed when she put the last piece of his gaming collection into a box and sealed it. “How many games do you even own? Crazy.”

“Video games are great for relaxing after work. I often play online with Chanyeol,” Baekhyun explained. “Besides, they’re fun.”

“You only say that because you never played Mario Kart against me,” she snickered.

He playfully bumped his hip against hers and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Is that a challenge, Soo?” he whispered in her ear, smirking when the gesture elicited a shiver from her body. She leaned against him and put her head on his shoulder.

“Yes,” she announced with confidence. Her unrelenting gaze bore into his.

“Then we’ll play a few rounds,” Baekhyun said, glancing at the mountain of boxes behind her, “Once all of this is where it’s supposed to be.”

She rolled up her sleeves, bracing herself to bring box after box to the moving truck they had rented for the weekend. The agents carried things back and forth, packed and unpacked many different items, and sorted them into the available space in Soojin’s apartment. Baekhyun also kept his desk, impressive gaming PC, and some furniture. He added new decorations, framed selfies they had taken together recently, and a few pictures from the date at the zoo. They both liked the way they redecorated the apartment—it was homey and suited them. Once Sunday evening arrived, every muscle and every limb hurt, and they lay on the sofa without doing anything, proud of their hard work and accomplishments.

“I guess it’s official now,” she mumbled into his hoodie, snuggling up to his body. The living room was bathed in the warm glow of the candles on the coffee table, the only light source besides the flickering TV screen. Quiet voices and sound effects from a movie droned on in the background, but neither paid attention to it.

“Yeah, we’re officially living together,” he smiled and gazed at the dim ceiling. “Even three years ago, we never reached this step.”

“It means we’re moving forward.”

“Indeed,” he whispered.

“Our relationship now is better than it used to be, if I’m honest,” she said and prompted him to raise is eyebrow. “Don’t get me wrong, I have fond memories of how things were before, but I prefer this. There are no secrets between us. We can be fully honest about everything, even our work life, which we normally wouldn’t be allowed to talk about. I know your real job, and I’m in a position to actively support you when you’re in danger because of it.”

Baekhyun’s silence dragged on for a few heartbeats as he let her words sink in. He turned his head and closed his eyes, burying his face in her freshly-showered hair. It smelled of lavender. “Getting rid of all the secrets was liberating for me. And you’re right; our relationship is better than ever.” A breathy chuckle left his mouth. “You changed so much, Soo; sometimes I can barely believe it. You’re a great partner, and it’s easy to depend on you. To think you became so strong in just a few years—you could easily wipe the floor with most of your opponents. That’s pretty y, you know?”

Astonishment turned into amusement. She laughed and hugged him, entangling their legs under the blanket. “You think that’s y? Really?!”

“Sure. You also got abs; that’s y too,” he drawled, and his hand snuck to her shirt, slipping under it. His cool fingers traced random patterns on her stomach.

“That tickles, stop!” she wheezed and caught his hand to push it away.

“Oh?! Soo is ticklish here too?” He used his other hand to some more, prompting her to laugh and squeak in protest.

“N-No! Not… not true!” She rolled on her back, intending to get up, but he had other plans and s his arms around her waist to keep her where she was.

“Not going anywhere,” he muttered and kissed her neck.

“Okay, have it your way then,” she smirked and launched a counterattack—she had memorized Baekhyun’s weak spot, and that was where she would strike. She pretended to reciprocate his embrace—but then went on to tickle his sides instead. He choked on air, proceeding to laugh breathlessly.

“Wh—haha, Soo, what are you doing?!”

“Returning the favor,” she giggled—and started a tickle fight with her fiancé.

They rode Baekhyun’s motorcycle to work the following day, swiftly weaving through traffic and avoiding a large jam in the city center. He entered the parking garage and parked the bike in an empty spot. Soojin jumped off and removed the helmet, combing her short hair with her fingers. The couple ran into Minseok and Jongdae when they took the lift to EXO’s floor and chatted with them for a bit until they reached their office.

“I can’t believe it’s Monday. The weekend passed so quickly,” Soojin commented when she booted up her computer and put her jacket over her desk chair.

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