​Another shimmering red streak hissed its way into the sky and exploded in a shower of sparks as children screamed and clapped in delight. Key grinned, resting his elbow against the window of the car as he peered outside into the hazy street.  “It’s hard not to love fireworks,” he sighed. “Aren’t they beautiful?” ​

I just grunted, peering through my binoculars at the marble building. There was a guard pacing around in front, smiling up at the colorful explosions dotting the sky. It wasn’t hard to read the longing in his face- he’d clearly drawn the short straw this time. ​

The night before Chinese New Year, or “Da Nian San Shi” as the locals called it, was the perfect night to pull off this crime for so many reasons. No one, not even the youngest children, would be sleeping tonight- everyone would be out on the streets, drinking, eating, laughing, singing, and most importantly, setting off the fireworks as they had done for thousands of years. I’d heard a rumor that Shanghai was planning to ban people from setting off their own fireworks this year and I’d almost had a heart attack. If that happened, my plan would have been ruined. ​

"What’s your favorite kind, Jonghyun?” Key asked into the tiny microphone bud at his mouth. ​

"Spinners,” came the whisper in our ears. “They’re completely unpredictable.”

​“I like sparklers,” another voice, sweeter and more boyish, added. ​

“You in position, Taemin?” I asked. I could almost see him rolling his eyes at me as I listened to the steady clicking of his teeth.

​“Yeah, I’m in position. Remind me why you and Key get to sit in the nice, warm, cozy car, while I’m stuck behind a bush freezing my off?” ​

The guard I was watching paused for a moment and glanced at the bush that Taemin was crouched under, before shrugging and continuing his rounds. ​

"Keep it down,” I scolded and he grumbled something that might have been an apology. “And be glad I made you wear underarmor.” ​

“What’s your favorite kind or firework, Onew?” Key asked. ​

"Those.” I nodded towards a young man who was setting a small, cylindrical tube on the ground as a group of children huddled nearby in anticipation. He lit the fuse at the bottom and darted backwards a few steps. The tube exploded with a boom and the children burst into giggles, jumping forward and clapping their hands. ​

Then there was a loud crack and a burst of sparks. Even Key jumped in his seat as several of the children ran off screaming. The young man laughed as I chuckled and I learned back in the driver’s seat. “I believe those are called ‘Er ti jiao' since they go off twice. Most people never see the second explosion coming.” ​

"Coming on nine forty-five,” came Minho’s deep and solid rumble. ​

"Thanks, Minho,” I replied. If I squinted up at the roof of the museum, I could see him flattened against the marble, camouflaged by darkness. “Are we ready to go?”

​There a chorus of affirmative replies. “Just a question, Onew? Why are we doing it before midnight?” asked Key. ​

“Because people go to sleep after twelve o’clock on Chinese New Year,” I replied. “This is just the right time to pull it off.” ​

"It still feels a little early,” Key argued.

​“Most businesses close very early,” I explained. “Restaurants stop accepting customers after about seven o’clock and as soon as those people finish eating, everyone goes home. Everyone will be with their families, and most people will be out on the streets at some point. We’ll blend right in.” ​

“With a giant rock stuffed down my shirt,” Taemin muttered.

​“It’s a pearl, not a rock,” I retorted.

​“Whatever. We don’t even know if this thing is real,” the thief complained. I could hear the rustle of his fingers rubbing together and the hiss of his breathe as he blew on them to warm them up. ​

"I trust you’ll be able to figure that out,” I replied. “Alright, no more talking. Jonghyun.”

​“Roger that,” Jonghyun replied. I saw him lurch away from the streetlight he’d been huddling against and stagger towards the guard, shouting and waving his arm wildly. “Sekyung!” he hollered, limping dramatically and almost falling over. “Sekyung, I’m sorry!” ​

The guard frowned upon noticing him and approached cautiously. “Hey!” we heard him bark through the headsets. “Hey, what are you doing?” ​

"Huh?” Jonghyun looked dazed as he swayed on his feet. “Who are you?” ​

"This is a museum,” the guard snapped. He sniffed Jonghyun and frowned. “Are you drunk?” ​

“Huh? What?” Jonghyun tried his best not to react as Minho slid down from the roof and landed on his feet as lightly as a cat, leaving behind a rope. “Drunk? I-I think so. Maybe I’m drunk. Have you seen Sekyung? I need to talk to Sekyung.”

​“No, I haven’t seen-” was all the guard said before Minho jabbed two fingers into the back of his neck. He instantly slumped sideways on the cold concrete and Minho tipped the guard’s hat that we’d stolen a week prior before tossing it to Jonghyun. ​

"Nice one,” Key grinned. ​

As Minho hauled the guard away and hid him in our previously designated spot, Jonghyun pulled on a stolen uniform over his clothes and began pacing back and forth as if making his rounds. ​

Camera one was fed a loop so it didn’t catch any of that,” Key announced. ​

"Good. Taemin, you’re up,” I ordered. ​

"Finally,” came the grumble.

​“Minho, you too,” I called. Minho merely nodded. I watched the two of them climb up the rope and vanish over the edge of the rooftop. I smiled. “Show time.”   ​

"Okay, you guys. Remember, the museum turns on their laser beams and motion-sensitive floors at night,” came Onew’s voice through their headsets. Minho simply nodded as Taemin rolled his eyes.

​“Got it, chief,” the youngest thief grumbled. He pulled a pick out of his pocket and got to work on the padlocked door leading from the roof into the museum, while Minho crouched down and stared up at the sky. ​

"Chinese New Year is a sacred night,” he commented in an offhand manner as three fireworks sizzled into the sky and burst into a shower of sparks. Down below, they could hear the popping and see the flashes of firecrackers through the rising clouds of smoke. Children ran around squealing, waving sparklers in their hands, as their parents watched in amusement. ​

"Technically, Chinese New Year is tomorrow,” Taemin retorted. He tugged on the lock and it clicked open. He removed the chain binding the doors together and dropped them onto the roof as a particularly loud rocket burst right above them. “Let’s go.” ​

Minho sighed, but shrugged and followed the younger boy into the building, careful to leave a folded piece of paper under the door to keep it open. When he turned back around, he found Taemin taking the bolts off the air duct grating. He removed the metal aside and easily hopped in, his feet disappearing into the darkness as he crawled along on his stomach.

​Minho sighed again. “Do I have to?” he grumbled. ​

"I have to have a Plan B,” Onew retorted. Minho gripped the edges of the shaft and hauled himself onto his stomach. Kicking his legs, he managed to crawl inside and immediately banged his head on the top of the shaft. The thud echoed down the shaft, causing him to wince. In front of him, Taemin turned around and gave him an irritable look.

​“Are you trying to get us caught?” he hissed. ​

“I’m sorry I’m not as short as you are,” Minho retorted. ​

"Key, I need you to tell us which way to go,” Taemin whispered after sticking his tongue out at Minho. ​

"You need to make a turn at the cafeteria. That’s the least guarded place. Apparently, they think that having a locked door between the cafeteria and all of those beautiful, priceless artifacts is enough security,” the hacker replied and the thief smirked.

​“Where’s the turn?” Taemin asked, but before Key could say anything, Minho reached out and tugged on Taemin’s foot. “What?” ​

“Don’t move,” Minho replied. He reached back into the pack he was carrying that held most of their equipment and pulled out a can of hairspray. He passed it to the younger boy, who frowned but sprayed it down the vent ahead of him. A few thin red lines appeared. ​

“Lasers in an air shaft? Seriously?” Taemin snapped. ​

"It makes sense, actually,” Onew replied. “Most buildings in large cities have rats. The lasers probably set off some sort of electrical current to kill the rats and prevent them from gnawing on the artifacts.” ​

"Later that same day…” Taemin grumbled.

​“Relax, I’m working on hacking them,” Key replied. “Oh- wait, that won’t work. I can turn them off, but that gives you ten minutes to get through the shaft. And you’ve got a long way to go.” ​

"See, this is why I keep saying that we need a girl on the team,” Jonghyun piped up. “At least they usually carry mirrors with them.” ​

“Won’t work in a metal shaft,” Taemin retorted. ​"Which has reflective surfaces. God, Jonghyun, you're so-" 

“Taemin, do you still have that Happy Meal car from McDonald's?” Onew asked suddenly. ​

"Yeah, why?” the thief asked. ​

“Wind it up and send it down the shaft,” Onew replied. “It’ll set off the lasers and the traps, acting like a herd of rats, which is what they’re expecting. After that, it’ll take some time for them to come back online, and you and Minho can use that time to get through. If you can crawl fast enough.” ​

"Oh, I can,” Taemin shot back, rummaging in his pocket and pulling out a little plastic wind-up car. “I’m not sure about the old guy behind me.” ​

"I’m right here,” Minho complained.

​“I know.” He cranked up the toy and placed it on the shaft, towards the side, to ensure that it would set off the lasers. “Ready…set…go!” ​

The car took off, speeding down the shaft as the lasers brightened every time it passed one. Crackles of blue electricity flashed across the shaft and both faded away a few seconds later. Taemin began crawling as fast as he could, with Minho doing his best to stay right behind him. The younger thief was much better than he was at this sort of thing- Taemin had been breaking and entering since he got braces. Minho, on the other hand, was a hitman. Wriggling down claustrophobically tight air vents just wasn’t his thing. ​

The car puttered to a halt and Taemin put it back into his pocket after testing to ensure that there were no more lasers. “McDonald’s toys. Never used them on a job before.”

​“Turn!” Key barked as they came up on a set of crossed shafts. ​

"Left?” asked Taemin. ​

"Right.” ​

Taemin turned to the right and began crawling that way, but he hadn’t gone far before Key yelled, “No, you idiot! Left!” ​

"You said ‘right’!”

​“I meant, ‘Right, that’s correct’!” ​

"Well, why couldn’t you just say-”

​“Shut up!” Onew hollered. “Just keep going. We’re on a tight schedule. We have to make our escape by eleven, remember? That’s when the crowds start pouring onto the streets.” ​

Taemin nodded at Minho. “You go first, then. I can’t turn around unless you get out of my way.” Minho nodded silently, then turned left down the shaft. After a while, the shaft began slanting downwards, and he did his best not to slip and go crashing down all the way. He’d never hear the end of it if that happened. ​

“Stop here.” Key instructed as they approached a grating in the bottom of the shaft. Peering through it, Minho spotted many tables and chairs set up in rows. ​

"We’re at the cafeteria,” he informed Taemin, who nodded and pulled a tiny screwdriver out of his pocket. He removed the metal grating and poked his head down through the ceiling. ​

"Any security?” he asked Key. ​

"Cameras in the corners, but nothing besides that,” the hacker replied. “I’m feeding them a loop, but try to stay out of their line of vision anyways.” ​

“Got it.” Taemin gripped the edge of the shaft by the fingertips and lowered his body so that he was dangling there. He dropped and landed lightly on his feet. Glancing around the room, he gestured for Minho to follow him. ​

The hitman hopped down as well as the thief focused on unlocking the door. “The door opens to the inside,” Key warned. “That’ll set off the motion sensors. I can jam them for a few seconds, but we have to time it just right.” ​

Taemin nodded and stopped. They heard the sound of Key’s keyboard clicking like mad before the hacker called, “Okay, I’m ready. On three?”

​“Three,” Taemin replied, shoving the door open. Minho hated to admit it, but he flinched and froze, waiting for the sound of alarms going off. When nothing happened, he relaxed and peered into the dark room. ​

Dark human shapes filled the room and ghostly tapestries hung on the walls, adding to his sense of unease. There was something inherently wrong about stealing on Chinese New Year. Not that he was superstitious or anything, but- ​

“There it is,” Taemin whispered in awe. “The Dragon’s Pearl.” He pointed to a glass case in the middle of the room where, despite the darkness, a dim sphere glowed faintly. ​

"Lasers,” Key reminded them. “And motion sensors.” ​

Taemin pulled out his hairspray and sprayed it throughout the room, revealing sets of criss-crossed red beams. “Now for the motion sensors…” ​

Minho reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of aluminum foil and a black ninja mask. “I feel stupid doing this,” he complained. ​

“Well, that’s nothing new,” snickered Jonghyun. ​

"Shut up, Jonghyun,” Onew retorted. “And do your job.” ​

“Hey, you said it yourself. There’s no way the guards will come so quickly. Not when it’s a holiday!” ​

"Do it anyways.” ​

Pressing his body flat against the wall, Minho slowly wrapped the motion sensors with aluminum foil. There was a brief alarm the second he slapped the foil over the sensor, but Key deactivated it just as quickly, allowing Minho to move onto the next one. ​

When he’d finished, he nodded to Taemin. The younger boy stretched his arms above his head and began cartwheeling through the lasers, dodging around the tangles of red beams. Minho watched with bated breath as Taemin nearly lost his balance while standing on one hand, but quickly caught himself and rolled up to the case with the pearl. He shot Minho a grin and a thumbs-up. ​

"Guys, we have a problem,” Jonghyun announced. Minho could hear the crackle of the walkie-talkie he’d taken off the guard and voices shouting in the background. “The security company noticed the alarm.” ​

“Guess some people never take a vacation,” Onew muttered.

​“Like us,” Key grumbled under his breath.

​“What do I say?” Jonghyun asked. ​

"Tell them that you’re going to investigate and request immediate backup,” Onew replied. ​

"Wait,what? Have you lost it?” yelled Key. ​

"Trust me,” Onew replied. ​

Jonghyun shrugged and relayed the message in Chinese. After listening to the reply, he hissed, “They’ll be here in five minutes!” ​

“The guard Minho knocked out has to have keys in his pocket,” Onew replied. “Grab them and open the front door. Taemin, Minho, be ready to meet him there with the pearl in two minutes." ​

“Onew, we left the door to the roof open,” Minho warned. “And the ventilation shafts…” ​

"No time,” Onew replied. “We’re going into Plan I.” ​

“Plan I?” Taemin asked. Minho noticed that his jaw was clenched as he focused on breaking open the case. ​

“Yeah,” Onew replied. “As in, ‘I’m really sorry I have to do this’.” ​

"Hey!” they heard Key yell as the car door slammed. “Where are you going?” ​

"Got it!” Taemin carefully wrapped the glowing jewel in a piece of cloth and shoved it deep into his pocket. The two raced towards the front door, just as Jonghyun flung it open. After a near collision, the three of them regained balance and slammed the door shut again, racing towards the van and passing Onew, who was running in the opposite direction. ​

“Don’t go to the car! Split up and get to our other designated meeting spot!” yelled their leader. ​

"That part was Plan K, right?” Jonghyun called.

​“Yes, unfortunately,” Onew replied.

Out of the corner of his eye, Minho saw Key leap out of the van, stuffing his laptop into his backpack as he ducked behind a store. Taemin and Jonghyun ran off into the crowd in opposite directions. Before Minho followed after them, he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Onew blast a hole through the window of the museum with a firework.  

​I really hope nothing would catch on fire, but I didn’t stay to find out. After tossing several spent fireworks in after the live one and making sure they were scattered about randomly, I turned and ran, casually stopping next to a large family where the father, I presumed, was preparing to set off a giant box of about fifty rockets. The best part about Chinese families is that they’re always huge, so no one will notice on extra person nearby. ​

A few seconds later, the windows of the museum lit up with a flash, though the boom was drowned out by the roar of fifty blazing fireworks shooting into the sky. A police car pulled up shortly after and as men ran into the building, one officer came up and sharply told the family to go set off fireworks someplace else. As they apologized and began moving their things, I slipped away. I figured that the police would be so busy looking for teenagers playing a prank by setting rockets off into the museum that it would taken them longer to notice the pearl was missing. My plan didn’t revolve around going unnoticed, it simply hinged on not getting caught until the merchandise was on the black market.

​I turned a corner and arrived at the dingy Family Mart we’d designated as our meeting spot. “Took you long enough to show up,” Key snapped, but he was grinning as he slung an arm over my shoulder. “Come on, let’s go have some fun!” ​

Once we were in the safety of a security camera-free area, Taemin reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out a handkerchief, knotted around the gem. I untied it and grinned down at the pearl in my palm, still glowing in the dark. ​

"This is the real thing, right?” asked Jonghyun. ​

“It definitely is,” Taemin replied. “I know jewels, and the market value for this thing is sky high. Seriously, this is almost retirement money.” ​

"I don’t want to retire,” Jonghyun complained. “I’m too young to retire!” ​

"You don’t even do anything,” Key snapped. “It’s all me and Taemin.”

​“Hey!” Minho protested. ​

“What? It’s true!”

​I tuned them out as I focused on the gem in my hand. “What’s so special about it, Onew?” Taemin asked. ​

"Legend has it that this came from a real Chinese Dragon,” I replied. ​

Taemin wrinkled his nose. “You believe that superstitious stuff?” ​

“No, but the Chinese love their fairy tales. I think this came from one of the emperor’s collections,” I replied. “Some foreigner probably obtained it illegally back in the late 1800s when Westerners were running rampant and stealing Chinese artifacts. Later, he probably sold it back to the Chinese at an insanely high price. History repeats itself.” Taemin laughed at that. ​

Suddenly, I flinched, nearly dropping the pearl. “You okay?” Taemin asked, as the other three stopped arguing to stare at me.

​“Yeah, fine,” I replied, wondering at the burning sensation that had flashed across my palm. “Muscle…cramp.”

​“Probably the cold,” Key replied. “We should head home.” ​

“And miss the celebration?” Jonghyun whined. ​

As the pair began arguing again, Minho fell in step beside me. “Don’t you think there’s something wrong with stealing the Dragon’s Pearl on the last night of the Year of the Dragon?” ​

"No,” I smirked. “Because my year is next. Year of the Snake. You know what that stands for?” ​

"Evil?” Minho suggested, raising his eyebrows at me. 

​“I prefer sly, deceptive, genius in the art of meticulous planning, thank you,” I replied and slipped the pearl into my pocket. Minho rolled his eyes, but I couldn’t care less. “Out with the Dragon, Minho, and in with the Snake.”