It was a sunny afternoon in Jeonju. The sun wasn’t blazing that much but the summer heat really made every person outside slightly sluggish and beads of sweat clinging on their skin. It wasn’t the same for a certain couple that was currently casually strolling in the park, under the warm weather.

 

They were walking with small smiles plastered on their faces, hands tightly clasped together. And it looked like the heat wasn’t even taking an effect on them, they were glowing and in a very good mood, it may seem. Everyone would be very envious if they would see them like that, being lovey-dovey in the middle of a sunny day.

 

Both of them were eye-catching enough — the taller woman had her long black hair tied up into a low ponytail, wearing a white long sleeve button shirt and fashionable striped slacks with a pair of sneakers. An expensive Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses perched on her tall, proud nose. She was holding a black and red Tommy Hilfiger duffle bag in her right hand, and if one was staring closely enough at the bag; it looked very loaded and bulky, obviously full of some heavy stuff. While her left hand was holding her lover’s hand tightly.

 

And the other woman, most likely to be the taller woman’s partner, was just wearing a yellow off-shoulder, knee-length sundress. Her milky-white akin to snow, slim yet broad shoulders were exposed, showing off. Her dark locks were down, dancing along the mild wind.

 

Eye-catching Prada sling bag was hung on her shoulder, looking a little bit full and heavy too but not that noticeable enough. She clung to the taller woman’s arm, showing sweet affection towards her as they kept murmuring to each other then giggled about something afterwards.

 

They walked past a slick, black limousine surrounded by a group of black suit cladded men — wearing black glasses, and they all looked like they were about to attend a formal event but they weren’t. And the park was deserted and silent.

 

It was unusual, actually. Because the park was empty in the broad daylight and the only people present were the suited, intimidating men — and of course, the lovely stray couple.

 

But they did not mind that everything was out of place and straight out unusual. The couple just happily chatted, whispering to each other. The shorter woman could even be seen leaning a bit towards the taller woman’s ear, murmuring something to her which made the both of them grin.

 

One of the men glanced at the attractive couple, checking them out, letting a low whistle as his brow was arched up. He was then nudged by the one beside him, gesturing something which made him stand up straight again, clearing his throat then continuing to observe the park, looking for potential threats.

 

Then, a luxury car suddenly came into view, and pulled over at the other corner. Three men wearing almost the same suit as the other ones came out of the car — the tallest one looked around before opening the door of the backseat, and a man in his middle forties hopped out, intimidating huge tattoos covering his neck and there were obvious tattoos in his large, calloused hands also. He didn’t look Korean at all.

 

He was seen entering the limousine and once the door closed, the men started to be more than twice alert around their surroundings.

 

Suddenly, there were a pair of figures approaching, and it was the couple again — happily laughing together as they walked to the pathway they once strided on. But this time, they were louder and laughing so hard that it gained everyone’s attention while they were just walking while clinging to each other like an affectionate, sweet couple.

 

The men looked at each other, signalling and communicating through their shaded, covered eyes. Two of them moved on their own, walking to the couple with an intent to shove them away.

 

“You guys are not allowed to pass,” One of them said, as they met with the couple halfway. They were even a little bit stupefied that these two managed to get inside the locked park but then, they did not see them as threats at all.

 

The women looked confused, turning to the men who stood there in front of them, blocking their way. The taller woman raised her brow, “Why not? It’s a public park, it’s free to come here.” asked her.

 

Grumbling something under his breath, the other one lost his patience immediately, literally shoving the couple away from the scene but the two kept complaining, and insisting so they had to shove them even more until they were too far from the scene.

 

“Hey, don’t push my girlfriend!” The taller woman yelled, annoyed as she tried to regain her balance after getting pushed by one of the guys, holding at her lover who was wearing a hurt expression, puckering her lips.

 

“Oh? So you guys are a real couple, then? What a waste.” The blonde one smugly remarked, eyeing them from head to toe, lightly poking his tongue out. “You know, I can give you my number if you guys want to try something new.” He explicitly suggested which made the other one laugh, still shoving the couple away gently as he could.

 

The shorter woman frowned, checking him out from head to toe. “You?” She pointed out, mockery lacing around her tone then smirked. “No thanks.” added the woman with a chuckle that made the guy annoyed.

 

“Why you—” The blonde exclaimed, looking a little bit offended, walking closer to tower over them to intimidate the girls — he even lightly pushed the shorter woman away. The taller woman did not like what he did to her ‘girlfriend’ though.

 

She grabbed his arm, giving him a pointed glare behind her aviator. “Don’t touch my girlfriend,” She hissed, and then smoothly twisted his arm but before he could scream in agony; she immediately landed a punch square to his throat that instantly made him mute and unconscious, landing on the ground.

 

The other guy was taken aback, eyes wide, about to ready himself but the shorter woman was already in front of him, giving him a smirk before elbowing him on the abdomen — he gagged, curling in pain then the said woman elbowed him again on his nape, knocking him out in an instant.

 

“Geez. They’re pretty weak.” The shorter woman named Yena commented, lightly kicking the unconscious man who was curled like a ball on the dirty, hot pavement. She then turned to the taller woman. The latter was taking off her sunglasses, tucking it on her collar. “You’re such an overprotective lover, my precious babe~” teased Yena that made Yujin laugh,

 

“Of course, no one can touch you except for me,” The taller woman, Yujin, teased back with a sheepish grin. “Let’s wait for the other men to come and check.” She then said before walking behind the trees, crouching to open her duffle bag — she was greeted by some loaded pistols, grenades, smoke grenades, knives, and mini Uzi gun.

 

She wore the shoulder gun holster, and another one on her leg. She grabbed the silver 9mm handgun and a Glock 19, tucking them on the double draw holster then another pistol on her leg. She then took the silencer gun, glancing at Yena who was fumbling over her Prada bag at the other side, getting her gun ready also.

 

They weren’t a normal couple. Heck, they weren’t even a real couple, Jesus Christ, Yujin couldn’t even imagine. Yena was her older friend, and a very reliable partner and subordinate. And one must’ve guessed, they were assassins, working under a secret organization based in South Korea.

 

Now, they were in an operation, a very important and big one. They were about to ambush one of the most prolific syndicates in Thailand. He was meeting with one of the biggest drug dealers in South Korea at this very park. They thought they were being slick but they weren’t.

 

Their mission was to get the both of them alive and kicking back to the headquarters. They needed to get the job done neatly as much as possible, they wouldn’t want a mess. If they weren’t going to be more careful then there might be a lot of civilians that would get involved, and that was the last thing they wanted.

 

“We need to eliminate as many men as possible,” Yena said from the other side, arranging her gun, inspecting it.

 

Yujin hummed, glancing at the pathway, cocking the gun. “Yeah. They’ll be here in no time, for sure.” answered the woman. “Be careful, alright? Let’s go with the plan unless something goes wrong. If that happens, we go for Plan B.” She reminded the older woman that made the latter chuckle, throwing a wink at her as she assembled her weapon.

 

“Aye, aye, captain.”

 

***

 

The operation was successful and nothing really bad happened. The mission went on very smoothly and accordingly as planned. They succeeded after a few difficult situations.

 

Yujin had to shoot the Thai syndicate on the leg because he managed to escape from the limousine where Yena and Yujin trapped him. But he was alive, thankfully. He just lost a leg, nothing big.

 

Yena suffered from a mild bleeding head while Yujin got hit in the face with the of the gun after she tackled the drug dealer on the floor of the vehicle when they ambushed them inside. It was fine though, nothing they couldn’t handle. They suffered a lot worse than those little injuries.

 

Damn, they had to fight and kill some men because in total, there were about twelve of them surrounding the limousine where the deal was happening so the two had a little bit of a hard time knocking them all off. They only noticed that something was really happening when Yujin silently shot the fifth guy.

 

It was madness, but thankfully, there weren’t other people around. It only took an hour for them to complete their operation thanks to the concrete plan of the team.

 

They weren’t one of the strongest and competent teams under ONE Organization for nothing. Their success rate was almost a clean 88%.

 

It helped that Yena was a really skilled assassin. She knew how to read Yujin and could act very fast. She never faltered and Yujin was really glad that Yena was her partner because they really worked really well. They could understand each other very perfectly so their actions collerates.

 

“I think we need to celebrate,” Yena said with a grin, there was an eye-catching bandage wrapped around her head and on her left side temple — there was a patch of dried blood.

 

The partners walked side by side in the lobby of the headquarters building, passing by other agents. Yujin just hummed, checking her watch, and it said that it was already around eight in the morning. Taeyeon, their boss and a higher-up in ONE, called them last night and asked them to go to their office the next day at 8AM sharp so here they were.

 

Since their biggest operation that year was a success and even ended very smoothly and fast then Yujin was hoping for a bonus or maybe hoping for Taeyeon to give her a new rifle. It was a risky operation than it may seem. Yujin had a little difficult time being stealthy.

 

“Yeah, that sounds very tempting. Let’s invite the others too.” responded Yujin, walking inside the elevator then pressed the button of their destined floor.

 

Yena nodded eagerly. “Uh huh! Chaewon keeps pestering me about having a drink one of these days.” She said, mentioning her spy girlfriend. And Yujin noticed that happy glint in her partner’s eyes, even by just the mention of her girlfriend’s name… there was just something else. Yujin couldn’t help but to chuckle, a little bit envious that her friends have a great relationship.

 

Since when Yujin last dated…? She couldn’t even remember, the only thing that she was sure of was, the last relationship she had ended tragically yet beautifully — it was a mutual decision and it still hurt Yujin a bit up until to this day, bitterness lingered. After that she just focused on training and on her missions these past year. Relationships weren’t her priority right now too anyway.

 

Ah, there was no time to lament over that. She still got a meeting to attend.

 

They reached Taeyeon’s office. Her secretary instructed them to enter the office already since Taeyeon was expecting their presence. And when they entered the spacious room, they spotted the woman by the glass window, looking at the fantastic view of morning Seoul as she talked to someone that the assassins were familiar with.

 

“Yes, yes. I will go home early, babe.” Taeyeon responded, picking at her nails as she gestured for Yena and Yujin to sit down, and so they did, plopping down to the beige leather couch — the taller yet younger woman played with the plant beside the couch while Yena looked around the interior as they waited, couldn’t help but to eavesdrop. They were no strangers in this office since they worked for Taeyeon and ONE for a long time now but still, they still have decency in them and they respect her.

 

Yujin could hear a muffled voice from Taeyeon’s phone. And suddenly, their boss laughed a bit. “I promise, Miyoung-ah. I’ll be home early later! If not, then you can file a divorce— just kidding, my love. Please don’t leave me.” Her voice trailed off.

 

Yena and Yujin glanced at each other, amused. Everyone knew that the mighty Kim Taeyeon — one of ONE Organization’s greatest and most skilled operative — was down bad for her wife, Miyoung. Only her wife could make her cower and kneel.

 

“Yes. Alright. Have a great morning, I love you.” Taeyeon ended the call after that, placing her phone on her desk and then sat back on her chair, staring at Yujin and Yena who were looking at her expectantly. She just snorted, smirking as she took a paper on top of her desk.

 

“Great work yesterday, Ahn, Choi,” Taeyeon started off, browsing through the paper she was holding, reading the contents fast. “As expected. Easy as a pie. Is your head okay, Yena?” asked the older woman, concerned. Even though Taeyeon was a higher-up, she was still very concerned about her assassins. She was close with them too.

 

Yena just nodded happily. Taeyeon giggled.

 

“Since the both of you managed to complete your work smoothly and quickly too, I’m going to give you guys a bonus.” Taeyeon announced, and Yujin rejoiced mentally, oh — she was so going to buy a new car and another rifle for her collection set.

 

Taeyeon placed the paper back to the desk and stood up, “Also, I have another announcement,” She said, and gestured for the partners to stand up and come closer so they did, standing tall and proud in front of their boss.

 

“These past few years, I witnessed Choi’s great skills. You’ve improved a lot and are still improving. I’m very much in awe of your achievements and reputation. You’re a very skilled assassin, Choi Yena.” Taeyeon said, and Yena’s eyes widened.

 

A grin broke into Yujin’s face, knowing where this conversation would lead. She was already proud and happy for her friend, but at the same time, a little bit sad since Yena became her partner for more than a year already. She would miss her as a spy partner for sure.

 

“We’ve decided to promote you as a captain like Ahn.” Taeyeon said, rounding from her desk to pat Yena’s shoulders. “Unfortunately, the both of you need to part ways now. Although we might put Yena in the same team, we will assign a new partner for Yujin soon.” added the woman, and Yena slightly pouted at that, despite the happy glint in her eyes.

 

“That’s pretty much all. You guys can go now. Celebrate or whatever.” The higher up said, walking back to her desk then threw Yena a look. “Congrats, Spy Captain Choi.” She chirped.

 

Yena beamed, bowing her head to her boss before turning to Yujin. They shared a high-five, bowing again to Taeyeon to show respect and bid goodbye when suddenly, the older woman stopped them.

 

“Ah, wait,” Taeyeon said, raising a hand. “It almost slipped out of my mind. I have something to say, specifically to you, Ahn. It’s regarding your new partner. Next week, you’ll probably meet them but we’re still currently finalizing the decision.” explained the woman, smiling at her as she gathered some papers.

 

Yujin’s brow twitched. For some reason, she wasn’t liking the sound of that. Usually, once she doesn’t have a partner anymore, the higher-ups have already decided her next partner so it was odd that it wasn’t finalized. She was actually expecting Ryujin or Yizhuo but for some reason, it felt like it was neither of the two of them.

 

Hmm. Strange. But for sure, the organization would never assign someone incompetent to her anyway, she trusted them.

 

***

 

After Yena’s promotion and their successful operation, they decided to push through the celebration and invited their friends slash workmates. Everyone was having a blast, especially that most of them just came from their own missions. It was a perfect time to take a break.

 

Yujin sipped on her beer, glancing at her friends who were sitting with her on the long table. They were all spies like the woman so they could relate to each other, and they were close with one another since they were in the same field of work. All of them looked like they were having a blast.

 

She took a look at her previous partner, Yena — the latter was feeding her girlfriend, Chaewon, a piece of meat. The latter was whining, telling the older that she wasn’t a baby anymore but Yena just pouted, saying, “But you’re my baby.”

 

Yujin grimaced, downing her beer before taking a piece of meat from the grill and eating it. Her gaze once again roamed and saw her other pair of friends — they were talking silently to each other, as if they were in their own world. It was Minjeong and Jimin — they weren’t a couple but it looked like they were. It had been going on like this for almost a year now, Yujin was getting impatient for them, to be honest. It was obvious enough that they were in love with each other, geez. Frustrating.

 

“Hey, have you heard?” Sakura’s voice made her turn her attention away from Jimin and Minjeong. She looked at the pink haired woman with a curious expression. Sakura was also a spy, specializing in hacking and inventing. Also a teammate.

 

“I think it’s true that ONE and PNRM Organization will merge.” She whispered, and Yujin sighed at that.

 

Of course, she heard that from Taeyeon earlier. The higher-up told her about it and it was a little bit shocking, to be honest. Because ONE’s greatest rival is PNRM. There was some beef with the skilled agents of ONE with some PNRM agents. It was known that there was an unspoken rivalry between the organizations since they liked to meddle with each other’s operation, trying to beat each other to be the first ones to finish off the mission if they were having the same one.

 

Yujin had a little grudge over them since there were a lot of times that she clashed with another PNRM agent — that goddamn assassin. She liked to steal her missions! And that certain spy was actually one of the reasons why she always failed to do her mission sometimes.

 

She pushed the thoughts away for the meantime, getting a little bit pissed off whenever she thought of it. Hmph, because of that freaking spy, she almost got demoted! So, she was really a little bit against the merging after she heard the rumor around.

 

Taeyeon was great friends with the new handler of PNRM Org. — Kwon Yuri. They were friends and partners before so the news of merging shouldn’t have surprised them. But still, a lot of spies were still against and bitter because they have to work with their rivals before soon.

 

“It’s true. Taeyeon confirmed it to me,” Yujin replied, emptying her beer then grabbed another one from the ice bucket, opening it swiftly with a spoon. Sakura hummed, tapping the headphones wrapped around her neck.

 

“Hmm. Very interesting. Do you think your new partner will be from PNRM?” The older woman asked, giving her a look.

 

Yujin grumbled something under her breath. “Yeah. Most likely.” She answered dejectedly. That was for sure. After Taeyeon told her about her new partner earlier, she then talked about the merging so Yujin got the hint. There was a huge chance that she would be paired with someone new.

 

Honestly, Yujin wouldn’t mind as long as her new partner was professional and skilled. She was professional too. Except around that freaking PNRM spy that loved to meddle with her operation and steal the spotlight. Thankfully enough, these past few months, she wasn’t suddenly appearing in the middle of her missions which was a good thing — Kwon Yuri probably fixed it and didn’t let her spies clash against ONE assassins and same for Taeyeon.

 

Sakura threw her a lazy smile, “Good luck with that.”

 

Yujin just continued to drink until she was slightly tipsy. She went home once the little party ended, giving Yena a hug and one last thanks for being a good partner to her. Yena just laughed at her since they were still going to be on the same team anyway.

 

ONE’s team rules and arrangement was random and a little bit confusing but not suffocating. Every assassin could be tasked with a one man operation without their teammates, especially the ‘Captain’. Once the assassin reached that rank then they were able to get a lot of dangerous and big time missions without the help of others. Despite having teams, assassins were practically independent and could work on their own if they wanted to, they could also help other assassins from other teams.

 

With that, Yujin went back to her luxury apartment, and took a rest.

 

But somehow, she found herself awake, staring at the ceiling for an hour as her mind ran randomly, scattered into places. She thought about her past, she thought of her childhood, she thought of her first mission, she thought of her first kill. And… she thought of her first love.

 

Once the familiar face entered her mind, Yujin shook her thoughts away, finally fluttering her eyes close to sleep.

 

***

 

The shooting range was noisy as usual, with the sound of gun shooting and bullets piercing into the metal targets loudly contributing largely to the noise.

 

Yujin took the noise-cancelling headphones, putting it on her ears as she swiftly assembled the provided pistol. She then extended her arm, positioning it in the right height then closed her one eye before pulling the trigger — she resisted the continuous recoil without making an effort, focused onto the target. She continued to shoot until she ran out of ammo.

 

Some people inside the shooting range were in awe, watching her silently. Most men have their jaws dropped, especially when they all saw that the bullets hit the very center of the target — all shots landed on the same spot as the first.

 

Yujin swiftly took out the empty magazines then started to put bullets into it, one by one. After reloading, she continued to shoot, and much to everyone’s surprise — every bullet landed again in the same spot, the bullseye. Only Sungchan wasn’t amazed because he always witnessed this scene as the manager of the shooting range and because he used to be in ONE with Yujin years ago until he quitted.

 

Yujin was a regular here, practicing her shooting from time to time if she wasn’t in the headquarters’ training ground. She was making sure she wasn’t still rusty, and she wouldn’t be rusty.

 

After the second batch, Yujin was satisfied, taking off the headphones that muffled the other noises in the range before walking out of the firing lane. She went to Sungchan, who was waiting for her. She ignored the amazed looks from the men. She either crushed their egos or they were drooling over her.

 

“Taeyeon-unnie called,” He said as he continued leaning on the wall.

 

With a sigh, the assassin just grabbed her leather jacket from the hanger, and wore it. “Yeah, I was expecting her call already. She probably couldn’t contact me and traced my whereabouts.” replied the woman, checking her gun that was tucked into the holster she made to the inside of the jacket.

 

Sungchan smiled, watching his friend take her helmet from the table. Yujin tipped her chin, gesturing that she was going to go now. The man just shrugged. “Drive safely. Tell Yena I said hi.”

 

Yujin just raised her hand as she walked out of the building, approaching the parking lot. She stopped by a black, big bike and wore her helmet over her head, taking the keys from her pocket. She swung her other long leg over the vehicle, sitting on it as she the engine. Soon enough, she was already zooming past the busy highway of Seoul. It was already almost night so the roads were packed by cars, probably working adults that were ready to go home to their own families.

 

Yujin just swiftly dodged the four wheel vehicles easily, zooming past between them without fear. Thankfully, she bought her motorcycle instead of her car or else she would be stuck in this horrible traffic — she wouldn’t want Taeyeon to scold her because of her tardiness.

 

After a short drive, she arrived at the headquarters. It was a tall building. The organization was hidden, of course, not known to the public or acknowledged by the government. Normal people would think that it was a normal building of an incorporated business but it wasn’t just simply a company. ONE Organization was hiding behind the shadows of a company that offered different kinds of professional service, IZ Inc.

 

ONE held IZ Inc. though, but also used it as the facade of the organization.

 

She went inside the building after parking her bike, making herself look more presentable. Today was the day that Yujin was going to meet her new partner. She was just hoping for the best. Taeyeon would never give her a ty partner, that was for sure so she could breathe freely but somehow, she was a little bit tense. After all, this partner of hers must’ve come from the other organization. Hopefully, they would get along very well like she got along perfectly with Yena and her other previous spy partners before.

 

Once the elevator dinged, Yujin went out, brisk-walking towards Taeyeon’s office — she greeted the older woman’s secretary who just gave her a charming smile and softly told her she could enter so she did. With a slightly racing heart, she entered the office but the faces she saw present inside the room were all familiar.

 

Taeyeon turned to her, smiling, and gestured to her to come closer. She waddled over, and smiled back at Eunbi and Chaeyeon who were present in the room with Kwon Yuri. She bowed deeply in front of them before standing by the side. Taeyeon continued to talk with Yuri with something so she turned sideways, spotting that Chaeyeon was already looking at her with a smile.

 

“Ready to meet your special partner?” The head of the Defense Department , leaning against the arm of the couch with a playful grin on her lips. Yujin shrugged. “I heard that she’s older than you. Just the same rank as you as well.”

 

That caught Yujin’s attention. Usually, Yujin’s partners were someone who was a little bit lower in the position than her. But it seemed like Taeyeon arranged someone that was an equal for a change.

 

“Do you know her?” asked Yujin instead, and Chaeyeon shook her head, same for Eunbi.

 

“No. We just overheard Taeyeon earlier.” Chaeyeon answered with a smile before standing up, and same for Eunbi too. “Anyway, see you around. Our meeting with Taeyeon is already done. We’ll go first.” With that, the two went out of the office after excusing themselves from Taeyeon. Yujin patiently waited, turning her attention to the plant in the office.

 

But a few seconds later, the door opened again. Yujin did not bother to glance at it, thinking it must be Chaeyeon or Eunbi again, continuing to fiddle with the plant.

 

“Ah, you’re finally here, Kim.” Yuri’s voice echoed around the cozy room.

 

Yujin was about to turn her head out of curiosity when she suddenly froze after hearing another voice — a very familiar one.

 

“I apologize sincerely for being a little bit late. I got stuck in the traffic. Please forgive me.”

 

That damned voice. Yujin would never forget that freaking voice she almost heard everyday for the past long years before! What the hell. Her heart literally stopped beating once she heard that soft, husky voice after a long time of not hearing it.

 

No way.

 

Finally, to confirm if she wasn’t just hearing things, she looked up — tipping her chin up, and finally spotted the newcomer. She was standing in the middle, her posture was straight but elegant, and everything about her composure already screamed gorgeous. Yujin almost had a heart attack when her eyes finally reached to take a peek at the woman’s face.

 

Their eyes met, and suddenly, her gray world stopped, shattering again.

 

She wasn’t the only one who was super surprised. Yujin saw the startle on the other woman’s honey orbs — she was equally shocked as well. The way her pupil wavered showed that she was taken aback seeing Yujin again after a long time.

 

What the .

 

Yujin was stunned, really, really stunned. She was frozen there, rooted on her spot as she dumbly eyed the woman that was standing in the center of the room, staring right back at her with an equally surprised and confused gaze. And while she was trying to collect herself. She couldn’t help but to notice.

 

My god. She did not change at all… she still looked the same, no, she looked even more beautiful now. Her silky black jet hair was longer, those warm honey doe eyes were still the same but a lot more intense, perfectly shaped brows scrunched up in wide confusement and bewilderment, her sharp nose, her plump lips that were agape out of shock... Damn, it felt like Yujin hadn’t seen her for more than a decade when in fact, the last time they saw each other was just more than a year ago.

 

And it looked like the other woman was also inspecting her back while trying to pull herself from the shock.

 

But before one of them could even release the breath they were holding — Taeyeon’s voice snapped them back into reality. “Ahn Yujin. I want you to meet your new partner,” She said, which made Yujin look at her, and then turned her head to the other woman’s direction. “One of PNRM’s best and promising assassins, Kim Minjoo.”

 

Yujin’s breath when she heard that name. The name she used to love and worship, actually, until now — she adored that name that haunted her.

 

Why… Why was Minjoo here?! And what did Taeyeon say? One of PNRM’s best and promising assassins… what the hell. Wait a minute. Please let it sink into Yujin’s brain first because she was going to faint right on the spot.

 

Taeyeon then snorted, “Welcome your new wife with a handshake, Ahn,” She urged and Yujin was flustered.

 

Even Minjoo blushed, looking away but still in a daze.

 

Yujin was known to be a good actress, she blended well with people, and she had this reputation that she was excellent at acting like a lover with her partners in chosen operations. That was why Yujin’s spy partners were called her ‘wives’, it was an inside joke inside the organization and Yujin did not mind it, finding it very funny even.

 

“I thought you’re an architect working in a firm?”

 

Yujin never turned her head that fast before. She looked at Minjoo with wide eyes. She clenched her fists, her jaw was set.

 

“And I thought you’re a kindergarten teacher.” The taller woman fired back, bitterness lingering around her tone.

 

Minjoo visibly gulped, but she did not back out, and continued to stare back with the same intensity.

 

Yuri was surprised, looking at them alternatively. “Are you both acquainted with each other?” She asked to confirm. She was getting a little bit confused yet curious also.

 

Minjoo and Yujin looked at Yuri then answered in sync. “Yes.” They were slightly taken aback at the sudden simultaneous reply. Yuri’s confusion turned into amusement, she then lit up.

 

“Then that’s great! You guys know each other. It won’t be too hard to get along with each other.” Yuri said, obviously clueless while Taeyeon was just silent, poker-faced but Yujin knew that the higher-up was suppressing her laugh. God damn it, for sure, Taeyeon knew something between her and Minjoo. What a sly spy.

 

Taeyeon finally let out a short giggle after a few seconds of silence, looking at Minjoo then to Yujin, her eyes were sparkling. “That’s nice. You guys know each other and judging by the look in y’alls faces, you never expected that the other one is an assassin as well.” She said, leaning on the desk with a knowing smile.

 

Yujin glanced at Minjoo, her stare lingered for a moment. God, Taeyeon had no idea how much Yujin was shocked to the point that she was literally about to curl on the ground like a ball and just scream all day. Seriously, everything was just too difficult to sink in.

 

“So, where did you guys meet?” Taeyeon suddenly asked, genuine curiosity lingering around her voice, looking at the both of them with expectant eyes.

 

Yujin went a little bit tense, gulping. Calming herself down, she answered since it looked like a cat got Minjoo’s tongue. “Japan.” She replied with a hoarse voice, clearing then glanced at Minjoo who was slightly surprised that she said the truth. If she was going to lie, Taeyeon would know it in a heartbeat so it was no use to lie.

 

Taeyeon hummed, giving her an impressed look. “Interesting,” She commented and then threw another question. Yujin tried her best not to roll her eyes at the higher-up’s nosy . “When?”

 

Before Yujin could even say something, Minjoo was the one who replied, “Four years ago. July 11th.” She said that without a beat. Yujin froze.

 

Seriously, even the exact date!? Damn. She suddenly felt guilty since she forgot the exact day when they first met four years ago in Nagoya. And hold on, Ahn Yujin, you couldn’t have your moment and have a flashback yet!

 

Taeyeon and Yuri were a little bit stunned at Minjoo’s detailed answer. Taeyeon blinked, nodding slowly. “Okay,” Was the only thing she could mutter before chuckling. “Okay.” She repeated, taking a deep breath. “Long time friends, or? Ah, just kidding. Not my business anymore. I just want for the both of you to get along well on missions.” Her playful demeanor faded, and was replaced by a professional and serious one that made Yujin straighten her back in fear.

 

She then briefly discussed something with Yujin and Minjoo, she kept giving Minjoo some information and some stuff to know since she would be staying in the ONE Headquarters from now on. Minjoo just kept nodding and nodding, she was half distracted, half listening. Yujin knew her too well. But even so, Taeyeon’s words would still be planted in her brain.

 

She used to envy that skill of hers, even until now, actually.

 

Taeyeon shrugged them off away from her office after she told them everything she wanted to say, pressuring them that she was expecting great teamwork from them since they were both skilled spies.

 

God, Yujin wasn’t freaking sure if she could do this. But she couldn’t back out or else Taeyeon would straight up fire her. Okay, just be professional, Yujin, alright? Don’t be too bitter that you did not know that Minjoo was also an assassin and she hid that fact from you because you did the same.

 

Yujin noticed that Minjoo was also looking gloomy and bitter. . Yujin still knew her that well, she hadn’t changed that much after all.

 

The both of them walked side by side, awkwardly settling inside the enclosed space of the elevator. Yujin could only glance at Minjoo through the mirrored metal door — the other assassin was looking down, in a deep thought.

 

Gulping, Yujin decided to break the silence between them. It was uncomfortable, and they really, really needed to talk. “So. How long?”

 

Minjoo turned to her, giving her a pointed look for being too vague. Yujin sighed, biting her lower lip. “How long since you became an assassin of PNRM?” Her voice was quiet but clear and firm.

 

The other woman looked away, taking a deep breath. “Since I was fifteen. I entered the training camp when I was eight since my father was also a spy,” She answered, and Yujin felt her blood run cold…

 

“How about you?” Minjoo’s voice was slightly bitter.

 

Yujin clenched her jaw. “I have been training here ever since I was a kid. I officially became a junior assassin at eleven.” She answered, and she saw how Minjoo’s jaw dropped upon hearing that. . Both of them felt betrayed when they literally kept it both a secret. Hypocrisy.

 

It was so freaking amusing, thinking of the old days. Heh, full of lies and little secrets, huh. Yujin did not even think of the possibility that Minjoo might be a skilled operative like her. Never. And for sure, Minjoo was the same.

 

Jesus Christ, Yujin wanted to burst out laughing.

 

The elevator dinged, and it opened. The both of them stepped out, walking aimlessly around the spacious lobby but when she realized that the older woman was about to exit, she immediately grabbed her wrist to prevent her from walking away but much to her surprise when Minjoo swiftly turned around, holding an unfolded sharp pocket knife, ready to attack her. Out of instinct, Yujin’s other hand moved on its own, gripping on Minjoo’s arm.

 

The cold blade was resting and trembling against the base of Yujin’s throat. And goodness, if Yujin didn’t really manage to act fast then she was probably bleeding and dying already. Minjoo’s strength was scary, and she really had an intention to slice judging how strong her force was.

 

Yujin glared at her new partner, “What the hell are you doing?” whispered the taller woman harshly, other spies around them were alerted at the stunt Minjoo pulled. The latter did not speak, just intensely glaring at her. Yujin did not back down, staring back with the same intensity.

 

Vanilla. Oh god. Yujin caught a whiff of a very familiar scent of vanilla. It definitely came from Minjoo. She smelled the same. Gulping, Yujin tried to resist, ignoring their close proximity which made her heart quake.

 

Wordlessly, Minjoo pulled away and Yujin could breathe again.

 

Minjoo just took a deep breath then turned her heels, turning her back on Yujin and then walked away. Yujin just watched her leave, confused at the sudden stunt. Maybe Minjoo wanted to see if she was a real assassin. A little test?

 

Sometimes, Yujin still couldn’t understand Minjoo that well.

 

Even after three years of being in a romantic relationship with her before. Kim Minjoo never failed to bewilder yet fascinate Ahn Yujin.

 

***

 

A/N: okay, first chapter is here! i hope you guys liked it? lmao pls if something is confusing, just ask me. this plot is a lil bit complex since i tweaked assassin aus to a new version of mine. also, this story is another commissioned work. thank u again @/oriyenugh ! this means a lot to me huhu i hope i can reach ur expectation.

 

pardon my mistakes if there is. and btw, ill finish this fic for sure before this month ends, dont worry lmao just please be a lil bit patient with the updates since my progress is really slow because of school huhu

 

anyway in this fic, they are all BOTH spy and assassin. there might be some people that will say that they’re different but yes, the characters mentioned can be both. just for a little clarification.

 

see u in the next update then? haha stay safe ppl!