6. Initium Casus

Initium Casus: "The Beginning of An Adventure"



"Courage and each other, these are the only things we have..."


For them, it is now initium casus.


"... as we face the start of a certain wild ride."



= = = Soundtrack: SHINee - Get Down = = =

 

 

He holds my hand tightly while releasing a sigh from his lips.

He tries to distract himself by looking through the car window and busying himself with the sights outside.

He instructs the driver of the limousine we're in to turn left on the next street, and closes his eyes afterwards.

"Do we really have to do this?" Taemin-sshi, now having a different hair color and hairstyle, asks me through closed eyes as he tightens his hold on my hand. I just breathed deeply before using my other hand to soothe the hand that was gripping mine.

"I guess, since Jaejoong-sshi himself told us so. This is the mission we're given. We have to do this, whether we like it or not." I told him, trying to keep my voice even. Even I am unsure why we were assigned this joint mission training. It seemed WAY too complicated to just be a training. It seemed more like an undercover.

What are we? Gang [soon-to-be] leaders? Or spy agents?

"Sir, we're here." came the soft voice of the limo driver from the driver compartment, and I felt Taemin-sshi's hold on my hand get tighter again.

= = =

"You two are going to attend a high-street get-together, and act like lovers all throughout its duration." Jaejoong-sshi had told us in a straight face, which I couldn't decipher. I didn't know if he was pissed off at Taemin-sshi and me, or if he was just plain serious with the instruction.

"Mworagoyo Hyung? ACT LIKE LOVERS?! You DO know that I am not comfortable with that kind of thing..." Taemin-sshi had said with a nervous expression. But despite that, Jaejoong-sshi's stoic expression did not disappear. It instead became even more serious.

"This coming event is no simple thing. This party will be thrown by Cho Kyuhyun, the CEO of one of the largest businesses in the whole of Korea, who actually works in the underground mafia. Reports had come in that the business mogul has a stash of weapons in the building where the party will be held. Your mission will be to go there as the male and female representatives of Kim Corporation, the company that I handle, and do undercover. Find out where the stash is, and find out if the man is willing to be allies with us." Jaejoong-sshi explained, and now knowing the entirety of the mission, I nodded in understanding.

"When will this party be done, though? I need to know if I could squeeze it in my schedule. I still have classes, you know..." I asked the older male, earning me a smirk from him.

"Well, it's going to be an evening event this coming Friday. I couldn't go there myself because what all the common people know is that I'm currently recuperating at my house from sickness. What the 'others' know is that I'm in critical condition due to injuries I had been inflicted with in the past war. The same thing is the case for both your brothers. We couldn't risk showing ourselves without expecting a fight to brew up." He answered, and at my side, I saw Taemin-sshi begin to bite his lower lip.

"So you're sending us as your pawns?!" He exclaimed before shaking his head.

"No. I won't have it." He muttered before turning around and making his way out of the warehouse. He was a few feet away from both Jaejoong-sshi and me when he suddenly stopped because of some words from the older male.

"He will be there, Taemin-ah."

"Lies." came Taemin-sshi's angry reply, but he turned around again and faced us.

"It is no bluff Taemin-ah. Reports have been received today that he will appear in the said event. Don't you want to see him?" Jaejoong-sshi added before approaching him.

"He had already turned his back on me the moment he saw me with Jinhee-yah two years ago. I don't see any reason why I should still see him." Taemin-sshi answered back before looking at the ground. I just went to Taemin-sshi's side and held one of his hands with both my own.

I don't know who this man is that made Taemin-sshi feel this way, but I guess I could make him feel that he has a comrade with him somehow.

When his hand held mine back and he looked at me warmly, I could only smile at him.

= = =

"Shirin-sshi, I'm really scared." Taemin-sshi's voice cut through my thoughts as he gripped onto my hand and tried to breathe evenly. I just sighed before running a hand along his arm, trying to soothe him. I might be just as scared as he is, but for this one instance, I'll be an optimist for my colleague.

"Dont be. We just have to do what we're asked to do, and everything will be okay." I said, before lightly patting his shoulder, smiling while trying to get used to his newly colored hair. With a deep breath and a nod, he plastered a confident expression on his face and opened the car door.

Flashes of light immediately struck my eyes as cameras took pictures of every moment that passed by. While he was out of the car and exposed to the sight of the multitudes waiting by the entrance of Hotel Thornefille, he held out a hand to me, and I took it, smiling as I exchanged looks with Taemin-sshi and went out of the car, being exposed to the public's eyes myself.

The thirty seconds of our walk to the hotel entrance was excruciatingly unnerving. Both Taemin-sshi and I had to establish our roles as two people together under the watchful and skeptical eyes of the public and the other guests. He took the lead, taking my arm and hooking it with his. At the gesture, we both released chuckles, which were surprisingly natural even at the obviously formatted situation. We passed through the hotel and ballroom doors without a hitch, with both of us heaving sighs of relief.

"I guess the pretense starts now, huh?" Taemin-sshi asked me in a whisper, which I replied with a nod.

"So, first things first. Let's locate Kyuhyun-sshi." He began, puting a hand on the small of my back and leading me across the grand ballroom where the party was being held.

The fear invaded me again as we passed by different personalities, who looked scarily close to the faces I saw in the previous gangwar. The looks and expressions were familiar, not because they were faces of comrades... but of enemies.

"Hey, don't you think the faces are kinda familiar?" I asked Taemin-sshi while he was leading me through the floor, and at that, we stopped walking.

"Familiar? How are they familiar?" He asked me, some slight confusion invading his features.

"Well, the... fight a few months ago. Don't they look like, you know, our foes back then?" I asked him again, and this time, his face srunched up in confusion.

"I haven't been to the last one, Shirin-sshi, I mean Shirin-ah. Didn't you notice it back then?" He asked me, trying to call me informally to solidify the pretense that we were close, and it was my turn to be confused.

"Yep. I wasn't there last time. I heard the news of your brothers' injuries when you got back to the group 'house' after the event." He explained, and at that moment, my head cleared.

The joint mission training that we're doing right now is not just testing us on how coordinated we can be. It's testing us on how we can handle, and/or defend ourselves if necessary, when we're obviously outnumbered and at a disadvantage. It's a dangerous tactic they pursued, sending the both of us to this place and risking both our lives.

But as I thought about it, I understood everything.

We lose everything if we fail. But if we succeed on getting out of this one situation, then we'd have everything to gain.

"Darn."

"What?" I heard Taemin-sshi remark as I immediately gripped my small handbag, where a gun was inside. I looked sharply at him and motioned for him to come closer.

"We have no one who's on our side in this room." I whispered to him, and his eyes widened for just a second before he struggled to compose himself. He was able to restrain his emotions and with just an exchange of looks, we both decided silently to leave the event as discreetly as we came.

But when I turned around, I saw a too-familiar figure enter the ballroom, which made me halt all motions. He was no longer wearing the uniform with his nametag telling everyone who he is, nor was he dressed in the rugged outfit he wore in the gangwar. He was now clad in very formal attire, exuding a very reserved yet charismatic appeal with some of his shirt buttons undone and his hair slightly mussed. He walked with an air of both utter indifference and detailed attentiveness fused into a single attractive stride that caught everybody's eye.

Truly everyone stared at him.

Jongin-sshi continued his steps until he got to a man, who I identified as Kyuhyun-sshi. He smiled at the latter before offering his hand for a handshake, which the former complied to.

I knew it. Kyuhyun-sshi is an ally of Jongin-sshi, and we have to get out of here... fast.

Trying our best to act nonchalant and disinterested about the event, Taemin-sshi and I began our walk across the ballroom, back there way we came from. We succeeded in doing so until we both got to the ballroom doors. Some voice inside me told me to glance at the ballroom one last time before we go, and not knowing quite why, I had followed it.

That's when I caught the gaze of the too familiar man that shook me to my core just months ago, and I let out an involuntary gasp as the corners of his lips turned up in a smirk.

And at the sight of him smirking naughtily at me, I quickly broke into a run and grabbed Taemin-sshi's wrist for him to follow me, hearing the hurried footsteps of a group of men behind us not long afterwards.

It was a make-or-break moment for us. We either scram off for our lives, or we stay rooted to our spot, fight, and risk ourselves.

I bit my lower lip harshly as I increased my speed and tugged at Taemin-sshi's wrist while running, silently instructing him to do the same. He understood.

This is going to be a wild ride, I'm sure, and I could only hope that the good fortunes of both Taemin-sshi and me can protect us.

= = = = = =

PLEASE DON'T SKIP THIS PART.

First off, I had already updated, because I'm afraid that if I don't do it now, I might not get a chance to do it later.

Secondly, I'll be trying my best to update tonight because I might not be able to update two days from now.

Thirdly, I would like to thank exopanda, K-Poplover5, and hopefulheart24 for subscribing! Thank you so much. I'll be giving out personal thank-you notes to each you about three days from today. =] <3 Please wait for it. :3

Uhm... I'll probably be out of town for the next couple of days, so please wait patiently for your comment replies. =]

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Important Note:

[credits for taemin pictures are given to fy!leetaemin. Taken from tumblr and google.]

[credits for jaejoong pictures are given to fy!jaejoong. Taken from tumblr and google.]

[credits for shirin's wardrobe pictures are given to various fictions, yesstyle.com and SPICY HOLIC.]

[credits for kyuhyun pictures are given to respective owners. Taken from google.]

[credits for kai pictures are given to yeah-exo, fykimjongin and flawless-exo tumblr sites, as well as facebook.]

All pictures used are for the sake of clothing recognition and venue identification, which aids in better visualization of the story. The pictures are not mine, and I stake no claim on them. No copyright infringement intended. Were only re-uploaded for the sake of complation and assurance of long-lasting viewing activity. Thank you.