[CONTENTID1]re:aper[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter 22[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

“You’re back.”

There was something about the way Soojin looked at him. It was as if she hadn’t seen him in a long time, although they had parted ways mere hours ago. She left her desk and laptop to meet him in the doorway and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on the shiny leather of his jacket.

“I wasn’t gone for long,” he whispered. The smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol clung to him, so he needed to shower soon. He had to get rid of the disgusting stench.

“You did a great job convincing the Red Force. This Messenger guy didn’t question your long absence,” she smiled.

Soojin had followed his every move via his tracker and a tiny microphone hidden in his earpiece. It had been nervewracking to let him walk straight into the lion’s den without her by his side, but he had delivered his act perfectly—she almost hadn’t recognized her fiancé. The aloof and calculating persona he had displayed in front of the Messenger was intriguing. Soojin itched to accompany him and see it with her own eyes.  

“Yeah, and he seemed delighted about my return since the Red Force recently lost a few valuable members. The Secret Service is on to them.”

“Your acting was remarkable! You were completely unbothered by the encounter with him, even though it wasn’t planned to happen so soon,” she said, meeting his gleaming eyes, “And you gave us an opportunity to infiltrate more agents into the organization as well. That was a genius move!”

He paused and took in her proud expression before his lips formed a smirk. “Of course it was; what did you expect? I am a genius, Soo.” Baekhyun raised his chin, radiating arrogance. His flamboyant attire only added to the impression—he looked infuriatingly attractive. The delicate chain he wore accentuated his handsome features, and his white hair reminded her of silver moonlight. This look was made for him. She couldn’t keep her gaze off him, a blush creeping up her neck when his eyes bore into hers. It was hard to resist the urge to kiss him.

“I have to take a shower now,” he murmured and caught a lock of her blonde hair. “Want to join me, love?”

The young agent bit her lip as her heart skipped a beat. Her traitorous eyes instinctively darted to his transparent, tight-fitting shirt, his collarbones, and the prominent outlines of his pecs—his recent workout sessions certainly paid off.  

“Cat got your tongue?” His husky voice startled her, and she ripped her gaze away. Heat gathered in her cheeks when he touched her chin. “I asked if you want to shower with me.”

He made this simple question sound incredibly naughty. It was apparent he had ulterior motives—a shower wasn’t the only thing he desired. He leaned in, bringing his lips close to her ear. “Come on, Soo,” he purred, shattering her self-restraint.

Soojin no longer cared that she was on duty, in the middle of a risky mission. Why fight her desire when she could simply relent?

“A shower sounds great,” she answered breathlessly, eliciting a chuckle from her fiancé.

“Look at them; something’s off,” Chanyeol whispered to his partner Kyungsoo. Although he spoke quietly, his voice was very much audible to the other agents in the video call. They held a briefing about their subsequent actions regarding the Red Force. Due to Baekhyun’s hard work the day before, they received a fantastic chance to infiltrate more agents, which needed to be planned meticulously.

“What are you talking about? Who?” Jongin asked and scratched his neck. It was early morning, and he looked like he only just rolled out of bed. His green-dyed hair stuck up in all directions. Sehun sat next to him in front of their laptop and shrugged at his question.

Meanwhile, Soojin and Baekhyun shared their small sofa, listening to the video call. However, since he couldn’t keep his hands to himself, she wasn’t paying attention as she should be. The weight of his palm on her thigh was rather distracting.

“Baekhyun, what the hell are you doing?” Junmyeon deadpanned. “I can see you, you know? Stop messing around with your partner.”

Soojin’s cheeks flushed, and she pushed his hand off her thigh, straightening up to be more professional. She was at work, after all. Baekhyun wasn’t bothered by Junmyeon’s reprimand, merely giving a sly grin.

“Alright, are you happy now?” he smirked and threw his arm over the couch's backrest, to which EXO’s leader rolled his eyes.

“Enough of this; we’re wasting time,” Yixing said, leaning closer to his camera. “Baekhyun received a new order from the Messenger last night—how should we proceed?”

Baekhyun visibly deflated and grimaced as if he bit into a lemon slice. “Right. I hate dealing with the Messenger; he’s far too perceptive. Every encounter bears a risk of being discovered. I have to carry out his order quickly to stay in his favor.”

“Which means we have to locate Kang Namgil,” Kyungsoo added. “I’ll gain myself access to the surveillance cameras in town. They might help us find him.”

“Great idea,” Baekhyun agreed. “He likes to hang out in a club called ‘The Exodus’… Focus on that area first, and once he shows himself…”

“You’ll let us know. We will send someone to tail Kang, and when there are no witnesses nearby, we will strike,” Junmyeon ended his sentence. An unusually callous look crossed his face, aggravated by the bloodred hair of his disguise. “This man killed one of us, and he will pay for it. It’s convenient that the organization wants him dead as well.”

“Makes the start of this mission easier,” Minseok muttered in agreement. He shared an apartment with his partner, Jongdae, and they both sat in their kitchen in front of a laptop.

“Once this is over, we can focus on our next goal; exposing Number Zero’s identity,” Soojin said, already thinking ahead. “So far, he could be anyone.”

“Can’t we follow the Messenger to find out who Number Zero is? They probably meet up in person sometimes,” Chanyeol wondered. The tall agent looked notably different—his disguise included messy pink hair, and his fingers were adorned with silver rings. Soojin still couldn’t get used to his new look.

“I tried to uncover his and Zero’s identity before, but he’s smart and extremely careful. A few members of the Red Force were too curious in the past, and they’re all dead now. He and Zero don’t take any chances. They don’t want their real identities to be revealed.”

“Hmm, I see. How about we kill the Messenger to stir up chaos within the organization? How does that sound?” Sehun suggested.

“Bad idea,” Baekhyun countered. “The Messenger is our only direct link to the organization’s leader. Besides, if we kill him, Zero will only become more cautious… It would make catching him more difficult.”

“Let’s focus on Kang for now,” Junmyeon decided. “Kyungsoo and I will take care of the camera surveillance. Everyone else will participate in a stakeout. Soojin, Baekhyun, Jongin, and Chanyeol will visit ‘The Exodus’ tonight. The rest will keep an eye on the surrounding nightclubs. Kang Namgil will show himself sooner or later, I’m sure.”

‘The Exodus’ was packed with people. The smell of perfume, cheap hairspray, and sweat was a nauseating concoction, but there was no escape. Soojin clenched her teeth, twirling her body in a sea of dancing drunk people. Her movements were smooth as water while she danced through the crowd, scanning it for Kang’s face. Jongin, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun were inside the nightclub too, but the agents had separated earlier, hoping to find Kang faster this way.

The strobe lights on the tall ceiling pulsed. Every time they flashed, Soojin got a glimpse of the people dancing next to her, their expressions twisted in ecstasy. Many of them were Soojin’s age, and neither looked like Kang. When she felt someone grab the curve of her hips, she decided she had danced long enough. She slapped the person’s hand away and disappeared in the sea of people, bumping into some drunks. When she left the dancefloor behind, she heaved a sigh and smoothened her shimmering black party dress.

“Any sign of him yet?” she heard Jongin ask over her earpiece.

“No. I just checked the VIP area, but he isn’t there either,” Chanyeol replied.

“How the did you get in there?” Jongin burst out.

“Do you really want to know?” Chanyeol countered, the ambiguous tone of his voice serving as an answer.

“I’m heading to the bar now,” Soojin told them, retreating to a quiet corner in the hallway leading to the restrooms. It was too loud in the other areas and impossible to share a proper conversation over their headsets.

“I’ll join you in a minute,” Baekhyun chimed in.

“Of course you will,” Jongin snickered. “Simp.” His last remark was swallowed by the booming bass of the music when he walked closer to the dancefloor.

Soojin’s steps were fast and confident as she closed in on the long bar. The logo of the nightclub lit up the wall behind it, throwing a colorful glow over the bartenders mixing drinks. She slid onto a bar stool and pushed aside an empty glass someone left behind. When she caught the bartender’s attention, she ordered a fruity drink for herself, continuously looking out for Kang. Her feet moved to the beat of the music as she waited for her order. The bartender put it in front of her moments later, decorated with a lemon slice and straw. Her fingers touched the cool glass as she guided it to her lips and took a sip.