Light 08

Yuri stretched and yawned in bed. She flopped about a little, shifting herself into a snug spot and continued lazing in bed. She loved her job but she loved it when she didn’t have to go to work and all the time was hers to spend however she liked.

Her active genes got to her and she got up from bed, heading to the kitchen to make her healthy concoction of plants and herbs. She gulped it down and smiled as she felt totally recharged.

“Assa!”

She set her empty glass on the counter and hummed an old song to herself as she busied herself making breakfast. The aroma of fried eggs wandered through the air and the other sleeping girl’s nostrils twitched when it detected the smell. The girl’s eyes fluttered open and she rolled to her side lazily. Her lips curled into a lazy smile when she heard the older girl humming her favourite trot song in the kitchen.

Ah… this is the life…

She stretched and relaxed, sinking further into the comfy sheets, feeling totally warm and cozy.

“Yoona…” Yuri’s husky voice sailed through the air to where the younger girl lay.

“Breakfast is ready…”

Yoona yawned cutely and sat up, ruffling her hair sleepily. She swung her legs off the bed and stood up, shuffling her feet into her Rilakkuma bedroom slippers. Most people would have laughed at the idea of a secret agent who was trained to shoot and kill wearing something as cute as that but Yuri understood her and never laughed at her. After all, she had her own obsession with Mickey Mouse and she wore Mickey Mouse bedroom slippers around the house. Even secret agents had to have their guilty pleasures.

Yoona sat at the table as Yuri served piping hot sausages, bacon and ham with beautiful sunny-side-ups topped with baked beans on a Rilakkuma plate. She sat down with her own Mickey Mouse plate and smiled at Yoona before tucking in.

“What should we do today?” Yoona asked with full.

“Let’s go to the arcade and impress the kids there with our amazing shooting skills.”

“We already did that last week. Boring…”

“We could catch a movie…”

“Nothing nice is screening…”

“Shopping?”

“…”

“Make out?”

“This early in the day?!”

Yuri threw her fork and knife onto the plate in exasperation. “Well you suggest something then, I’m out of ideas.”

Yoona frowned and tapped her finger on her chin thoughtfully. Then her face lit up excitedly.

“Let’s go strawberry picking!”

“Huh?”

“I know a place where we can pick strawberries on a farm and eat them freshly plucked from the plant.”

“Sounds good…”

“Great! We have a plan.” Yoona grinned as she chomped down on her food.

Yuri shook her head and smiled as she watched Yoona devour her food.

She’s not called shikshin junior for nothing.

+++

“I want to see the vineyard of you work on.”

“Why?”

“I’m just curious. I want to see what it’s like.”

Sunny paused. She had never even mentioned the vineyard to anyone else besides Taeyeon. She didn’t really understand why she had told Taeyeon about it in the first place but the brunette had asked about her scent and she answered truthfully, not wanting to lie.

The vineyard was a small little property and business left to her by her parents. An elderly couple who had been working on the vineyard for the longest time now ran the place with the help of some loyal employees. Taeyeon still didn’t know that she was the owner but that was one truth that she didn’t see the need to tell.

“Sunny… please?” Taeyeon tilted her head down slightly and looked up at the blonde, pleading with her puppy eyes.

Sunny sighed, knowing a defeat when she saw one. She nodded in consent and the older girl grinned immediately.

“I can’t wait to see the vineyard.”

+++

“I want to ride on your bike.”

“You have a lot of wants today.”

“Deal with it.”

“I’m fine with it but what about your bodyguards?”

“They can’t stop me. They’ll just have to follow behind me.”

Sunny looked at her doubtfully but the brunette was ardent on getting her way today. She watched as Taeyeon spoke to her bodyguards, gesturing aggressively and then smirking in victory.

The brunette walked back to Sunny with a triumphant look upon her face.

“Let’s hit the road Sunny.”

The petite brunette smiled as she wrapped her arms round Sunny’s waist tightly. This was exactly what she wanted.

+++

Taeyeon closed her eyes and enjoyed the ride on Sunny’s bike. It was thoroughly refreshing to be on a bike for a change. Her chauffeured car was always so stuffy and uncomfortable.

Her thoughts soon drifted back to Sunny’s sudden and mysterious disappearance. It made her realize just how much she needed Sunny around. Truth be told, she was almost on the verge of losing her mind when she finally received a call from Sunny.

Sunny couldn’t have known… that if she had really died – a possibility that Taeyeon had unwillingly entertained – the brunette was prepared to follow suit.

She had lied about why she was up on the roof when they first met. It was highly ironic to her actually. She had saved Sunny from jumping when that was the very same reason for her being up there in the first place.

She had planned to jump that very night after being traumatized by a very horrid truth. It was a truth that she struggled with even at this very moment. She had to live with it every second of the day and it was killing her from the inside… slowly but surely…

Then she met Sunny. As she watched the girl do exactly what she had wanted to do… she realized that she could not let the girl die. Now this girl, whom she had saved, was saving her from jumping to her own death. Sunny made her forget. Sunny made her heart jump, leap and skip again. Sunny, with her intoxicating scent, made her feel light-headed and bubbly just like wine did.

Perhaps it was fate that brought them together and saved them both. After all, what were the chances of meeting someone who was just about to jump to their death when you had planned to do the same on the exact same rooftop?

She had saved Sunny but Sunny had unknowingly saved her as well.

“Sunny…” Taeyeon murmured out loud unknowingly.

The blonde heard her and smiled sweetly.

+++

“Oh my goodness… the strawberries are so juicy! And sweet!”

Yoona stuffed two strawberries into at a time.

“Yoona! I’m not saving you if you choke on strawberries.”

The younger girl simply winked at her and continued munching on the big, juicy strawberries.

This farm needs to ban Yoona from entering. She’s going to eat them out of house and home.

Yuri popped a strawberry into and chewed slowly. The strawberries were indeed really good.

They packed some strawberries into a box to bring home. Yoona waved goodbye to the owners happily and linked her arm with Yuri’s as they left the farm.

On their way back, they passed by a quaint little vineyard. Yoona’s sharp eyes spotted a familiar figure.

“Yuri… isn’t that Sunny?”

Yuri slowed the car down and looked.

“It looks like her – short and very blonde.”

“I’m sure it’s her. She’s with a brunette who is just as short as her…” Yoona giggled. “They look so cute together!”

Yuri grinned and reached over to pat Yoona’s head affectionately.

“Baby… no one can be cuter than us together.”

Yoona turned and looked at her with a disgusted look. She made a gagging face and Yuri laughed heartily at her comic reaction.

+++

“Say hi to the people who run this place.” Sunny gestured towards a smiling elderly couple.

“Sunny, is this your friend?” They asked smilingly.

Taeyeon smiled and bowed to greet them.

“Nice to meet you Taeyeon, Sunny has never brought anyone here before. You must be a special friend.”

The elderly couple smiled knowingly at each other. Sunny’s ears turned pink from embarrassment while Taeyeon simply smiled dorkily; their reactions affirming the couple’s astute deduction.

Sunny brought Taeyeon down to the cellar where wines of all kinds were in the midst of fermenting. She grabbed a wine glass from a shelf and poured some wine out from a gigantic barrel.

“Try some.”

“Gladly.”

Taeyeon took the glass, swirled it and gave it a whiff like a pro. Then she tasted it.

“How is it?”

“Sweet but not as sweet as you.” Taeyeon grinned suddenly.

“Argh! Don’t be so mushy, will you?” Sunny cringed at the cheesy line.

“You don’t like mushy?”

Sunny blushed and didn’t answer the question. Taeyeon chuckled.

+++

Jessica and Tiffany entered the office and sat down, awaiting the news of their deployment.

Their chief smiled at them. “Well done you two. You are our two most outstanding trainees and I’m proud of you.

He put two sealed documents on the table and slid it to them.

“Your deployment is in there. It is confidential. Do not tell anybody about it. Even I don’t know.”

The girls took their documents. Their chief stood up, signaling the end of their meeting. They shook hands and left.

+++

Jung Soo Yeon

National Security Intelligence agent

Sniper

Jessica was elated.

I’m a sniper! A dream come true!

She jiggled about in her room before flopping down onto her bed.

I wish I could tell Tiffany about this.

+++

Hwang Mi Young

National Security Intelligence agent

A microchip was enclosed – insert in phone it said.

Tiffany did just that。Seconds later, she received a message.

37.565190

126.977234

2359

The numbers may have been slightly confusing to a person who wasn’t thinking in the right context but it was crystal clear to Tiffany. She keyed in the coordinates into an app and found the said location. The last four digits in the message were clearly representing the time.

Tiffany’s heart thumped. She had a time and a place to be at.

+++

Her mobile rang as soon as she stepped out of her car.

‘Last table in the back. Sit down like you know me.’ A female voice instructed coolly.

She entered the crowded café and did as she was told. She slid into the booth seat and looked at the woman who was seated opposite her; her eyes hidden behind big, stylish dark shades.

‘I’m Boa – your superior. Welcome to the team.’ The mysterious woman allowed a slight smile to form on her face. ‘You must be wondering why we have to meet like that. Let me explain.’

She leaned forward on her elbows and took her shades off. Her eyes were cool, calm and collected as she spoke.

‘You have been chosen to be an undercover agent. Your objective is to sniff out the mole in our unit.’

Tiffany blinked a few times without responding. She didn’t expect to be assigned such a role when she’s fresh out of training. The woman seemed to read her mind and spoke again.

‘Your keen sense of observation as well as quick reflexes and spontaneity were important elements we were looking for. We have trust in you that you will be able to carry out this mission well. We needed someone that hasn’t set foot in our team yet so that the mole wouldn’t recognise the undercover agent.’

Tiffany began to breathe slowly as the information finally sank in.

‘We have a source who is able to plant you inside the organization that the mole is from. We will provide you with pictures of all of our current team members. Should you spot the mole making contact with the organization, alert us immediately with the chip that you are using in your phone right now.’

Tiffany nodded. She was thrilled now that she understood what she had to do. She was all up for intense action. Her high spirits sank to its depths however, as the woman added a condition to the equation.

‘As an undercover agent, you have to keep all of your activities secret from everyone around you. Even your closest family member and friends cannot know this. Your own life is at stake. I also urge you to cut ties with your lover. Being too close to a person can be dangerous. You run the risk of letting information slip and the organization you join will most definitely be tracking you and your lover if you have one. We have prepared a new place for you to live in and a new vehicle as well. Your identity will be changed. We will create a new life history for you.’

The woman looked sharply at her change of expression.

‘Are you up for the mission?’

Tiffany took a deep breath and ran a series of thoughts through her mind.

I’ll have to break up with Jessi!

The raven-haired girl understood that such missions had no time limit. She would not know when she can complete the mission and return to her regular life. At this rate, she would be running the risk of losing Jessica. Could she? Would she?

The woman waited patiently. She understood that such decisions were usually life altering. A well thought out decision was necessary. She did not want the agent to rush into a decision and regret it afterwards. It was incredibly messy when some agents in the past had regretted and asked to be withdrawn – or rather, begged to be withdrawn.

Tiffany was at odds with herself. The ambitious side of her wanted this. It was precisely the point of her choosing such a profession in the first place. However, the other side of her wanted Jessica.

I’ll just have to find a way to keep Jessica and get the job done.

Dear God, please help me out here.

Tiffany opened her eyes and looked straight into the woman’s eyes.

‘I will take it up.’

‘Good.’

The woman pushed another chip across to the table to her.

‘Read everything and memorize it well. Then destroy it completely.’

Tiffany took the chip and put it securely in an inside pocket, zipping it up so that it wouldn’t fall out.

‘I will contact you again and have our source plant you in the organization. Till then, take care.’

‘I will.’

The woman slid out of the booth seat and walked briskly out of the café, leaving Tiffany behind, sitting alone and feeling slightly lost.

+++

‘What would you do if someone close to you is making a big mistake?’

Sunny opened her eyes and looked up at the brunette who was leaning against a tree. ‘It depends on what kind of mistake it is.’

The brunette the blonde’s head that was resting on her thighs idly as she kept her eyes focused on the sky above. ‘What if it were a huge mistake? The kind that you can’t really fix once it’s done?’

The blonde crinkled her nose as she thought about it. ‘Make them stop before it gets worse?’

The brunette sighed deeply. ‘That’s what I thought too.’

The blonde stretched her hand upwards and held the brunette’s chin firmly between her thumb and fingers, pulling it down to her smiling face. ‘Let me cure you of your worries for a little while.’

Their lips locked and all wories and thoughts flew out of their minds and away with the breeze that brushed past their skin cooling them down, whilst their inner flames ignited and burned passionately.

+++

Her tears fell like the rain. No matter how many times she told herself not to, she would still find her cheeks wet as she gazed at the handcuffed man who lay listlessly on the bed in his cell.

Hold on my dear. I’ll get you out of here. Soon.

She dried her tears quickly when she heard footsteps coming around the corner and began walking towards the footsteps. Her eyes of steel betrayed none of the overwhelming emotions she was feeling just seconds ago as she nodded curtly at the man passing her by.

+++