[CONTENTID1]re:negade[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter 26[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

The following night, Baekhyun left early for the job he had received from Doyun, pursuing a corrupt politician. Perhaps this would allow the agent to discover more about the mayor’s involvement in the Red Force. Baekhyun had high hopes for this particular mission and was determined to achieve a great result. As chance would have it, Junmyeon, Jongin, and Chanyeol all had their own tasks to complete, which meant Soojin was in charge of surveying the Red Force’s hideout tonight.

It was bound to be a dull evening, so she treated herself to a drink and sat in a corner of the room where she wouldn’t be disturbed while watching the criminals. Her fingers drummed on the metal surface of the table, gaze moving to the bar area and the many alcohol bottles on the shelves behind the counter. They were illuminated, the liquids encased in glass shimmering in different colors. Doyun was here, but he was too busy to spend time with her—a very rare occurrence. It made her wonder what was going on since she saw him talking to the bartender for a long time. Soojin was tempted to move closer and listen in on the conversation, but they would notice her in a heartbeat since Doyun was the only person at the bar.

Her curiosity roused, she often snuck glances at them and attempted to read Doyun’s expression, which was hard since he wore his face mask, and his eyes were shadowed by his unruly black hair. He leaned his weight on his muscular arms, resting them on the counter. Elaborate tattoos were revealed when his sleeves slid back a bit.

It had gotten late when the Messenger suddenly downed his drink and left the establishment. Soojin decided to head home as well—there was no point in staying when one of the most important criminals in their investigation had left. So the agent put on her black coat and slipped through the doors, reaching the alley connecting the building to the red light district. Muffled music and shouts of drunk people sounded through the night, as usual at this time. Soojin scrunched her nose at the stench of alcohol, stepping over the remains of a broken beer bottle on the ground. She was about to leave the area, eager to get away from this hellhole, when she heard snippets of a conversation. The person talking sounded familiar, piquing her interest. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was Doyun’s husky voice… Who could he be talking to? And why was it necessary to leave the bar for this conversation?

Smelling a great opportunity to gather intel, she walked around the decrepit building, staying close to its dirty wall. When she spotted the silhouette of a man walking back and forth in the alley, she crouched behind a bulky dumpster. She had found Doyun, and he was on the phone with someone.

“Don’t worry about Jung Daehyun, he’s long dead,” Doyun said. Unfortunately, he didn’t take off his face mask, so his identity stayed hidden and his voice was muffled, hard to hear from far away. Luckily for Soojin, he was pacing around restlessly, and when he got closer to her, she was able to identify the voice of the caller. It was female and sounded familiar to her. She had heard it when reviewing footage of the mayor’s first speech after her election. Doyun was talking to Son Namjoo, the agents’ most recent target of investigation.  

“Are you sure? If it turns out the bastard went to the police before he died, my career might be ruined,” Son Namjoo shouted in rage, prompting Doyun to hold the phone away from his ear. He rolled his eyes.

“I’m absolutely sure. I sent one of our best assassins after him, and he did a great job. Number Four was fast.”

Soojin’s thoughts were racing as she tried to make sense of the conversation. Why was Doyun talking to the mayor in such a familiar way? Since when were they so close? It was peculiar—a sense of foreboding befell her as she continued to listen. She was about to discover something insane; Soojin could feel it in her bones. A thin layer of sweat gathered on her temples as she shifted her position, staying in the shadow of the dumpster.

“I hope so. Do you have any news on that actor? What was his name again?” Namjoo asked.

“Kwon David. I had Number Two investigate the issue, and the news articles were right. He got arrested by the police and will end up behind bars soon. We still don’t know who’s responsible for it. As you know, I had my suspicions for a while, but they turned out to be false.”

“We have to get to the bottom of this. It sounds like there’s a traitor in my organization,” Namjoo hissed through the phone.

Soojin’s heart stopped for a second, only to continue beating twice as fast. What the hell had she just heard? Had Son Namjoo admitted to being Number Zero? Had she been the leader of the Red Force all this time? That was the last thing Soojin had expected, and it came as a complete shock for the agent. Son Namjoo had been on their rader for a while, but only as a regular member and not as the leader of the ing organization. Soojin’s team needed to hear about this immediately.

Zoning out on the conversation, she concentrated on the occasional chatter of the agents over the earpiece. “Guys! Son Namjoo is Number Zero!” she whispered.

“What the ?!” Jongdae burst out from wherever he was currently.

“Are you sure about this?” Junmyeon asked, his hopeful elation audible through the earpiece. “If this is true, we’re about to take the entire organization down!”

“One hundred percent. No doubt,” she whispered as her heart pounded in her ribcage. The other agents erupted into pure chaos as everyone swallowed the news and voiced their disbelief about the revelation.

Their discussion was distracting—Soojin should have kept a closer eye on Doyun. Then she might have noticed him ending his call, suspicious eyes zeroing in on the dumpster at the wall. Only when his steps approached her did she realize what was wrong, gaze frantically searching for an escape.

But there was none. She could no longer escape her hiding spot without him seeing her. Panic bloomed within her, but she stayed as calm as possible and followed the protocol. Her training and experience kicked in. “Requesting backup,” she forced out, warning the other agents. “Now.”

Soojin didn’t hear the frenzy she set off with her demand. The voices of her partner and the remaining team faded into the background. Her gaze was captured by Doyun’s at this very moment. His silhouette loomed over her, frosty eyes staring down at her crouched form. Neither of them spoke at first, silently assessing each other.

“Eunji,” he said, disappointment coating his tone. “I had high hopes for you. It’s too bad, but you heard too much.”

She got up abruptly, reaching for the gun under her coat, but he saw it coming and lunged at her. His flat hand shot forward like a blade, straight at her clavicle. Soojin gasped and leaned backward, dodging his attack by a hair’s breadth. It marked the start of their deadly dance.

The initial attack didn’t even take two seconds, but it revealed much about Doyun’s capability. From the very beginning, his punches and jabs systematically forced her to stay on the defensive, and he was fast. Insanely fast. The criminal kept her busy so she couldn’t pull her gun, and he adjusted his strategy accordingly. His eyes were void of emotions as he analyzed her actions, aggressively attacking and searching for a weak spot he could exploit.

Soojin recognized a technique he used from Kung Fu, though his next attack originated from Muay Thai, proving his versatility as a fighter. It was an elbow strike meant to break her nose, but Soojin blocked it, bringing her fists and arms up. Her Krav Maga training paid off, but she could tell Doyun was more experienced than her—he must have participated in many street fights and earned his place in the Red Force with sheer brutality and ruthlessness. Son Namjoo must have been impressed by his skill as well…

The agent’s face was covered in sweat, and she didn’t get a second to breathe. Her relentless sparring sessions with Baekhyun had taught her how important it was to hold your opponent at a distance. She couldn’t continue blocking Doyun’s punches—they were merciless and bruised her arms and fists. Her pulse raced. If she couldn’t stall for time, she was done for. It was either winning against him or the backup arriving to help her. When he lunged out for another jab, she used the short break for a front kick. The ball of her foot connected with his rock-hard stomach, sending him back a step. This was her chance!

She went full offensive and followed up with a roundhouse kick, her leg cutting through the air. The building momentum ended in a harsh impact, bruising his ribcage. She was gaining ground on Doyun, meeting his ice-cold eyes for a short second. His face was scrunched up in a grimace of pain—she could see it even though he wore a mask.

“Who are you really, Eunji?” he growled.

“None of your business.”

Doyun’s rage manifested in his next attack. He threw a cross punch, using his full strength. She cursed, unable to block it. His fist connected with her shoulder. Reeling in pain, she raised her fists but left her stomach wide open for a follow-up attack. Doyun didn’t hesitate. His knuckles buried themselves under her ribs, stealing her breath. Her lips parted, a silent scream escaping her.