“Who is she?” Mai was curious. A hospital was not where she expected Wooyoung to run off to in a hurry. As soon as he received that message the urgency was undeniable. Who was this woman? And how was she related to Wooyoung?

Once the shock faded away, the news became of no consequence as she knew there was nothing more she could do. She hated it, feeling helpless. Wooyoung said nothing about the development. He didn’t appear to care and this was what Mai focused on instead. Her phone was out of service and she wasn’t stupid enough to go outside. She told herself she didn’t have a choice.

Wooyoung remained silent on his end. He kept his attention on the patient on the cot, and Mai was getting restless. They couldn’t stay there for long, they needed to leave as soon as they could and find the others. They needed to talk about Schatten, about what happened. Only a very thin line separated her from going into hysterics. It was a very fine line that would easily break if her patience gave way.

“Inspector-”

“Dr. Juniper Aybarra. Her name is Juniper Aybarra.”

The name was somehow familiar, but Mai couldn’t concentrate on figuring out where she had come across it before. Her mind was being stretched to its limits thinking about how much was going on. She bounced on her feet, fearing the dull and stationary silence. “Inspector.”

“Does it really surprise you that much that LSM framed Schatten for his dirty work? You were the one with the suspicions that something larger was at work.”

Mai’s mouth opened and closed but not words came out. She wasn’t sure if it was what Wooyoug said, how he said it, or the way he talked about Schatten like he wasn’t a part of it. “You expected this? What’s even going on?!”

Wooyoung did not look away from June as he spoke. “Schatten was formed to hunt Hell, but that never happened. You found it suspicious that Hell was everywhere Schatten went, did it never occur to you that Schatten’s objectives were never being met?”

Mai pressed her lips in a tight line. She breathed hard in and out though her nose, the inspector was being insufferable as always, and she was starting to lose patience. “And you would know? What have you been doing all this time?”

Wooyoung rolled his eyes. “My job. That’s more to say than what you have been doing.”

Her jaw hurt from the self-control she had to employ. Her fists drummed impatiently on the wall behind her, and she took everything her will power could give to calm down. “I’m sure blondie is a very vital part of it,” she vindictively spat out.

Wooyoung sighed audibly. What did Mai know of his business with Nichkhun? His eyes never left June. Every breath she took, every rise and fall of her chest only reinforced the fact that she was alive as he was. “Yes, one would think that by now you’d already have some vague picture of what’s already going on.”

Mai’s brows knotted in the middle of her forehead. “Inspector,” she was beginning to loathe the word, but calling Wooyoung by his first name made her uncomfortable, “What exactly is going on?”

Her thoughts flew through the events of the months that had passed. Everything was such a blur that even when looking at them through retrospect she still couldn’t make sense of anything. What was Fortuna? Who were all those people involved? What were they even after in the first place?

Wooyoung glanced behind him. Mai appeared confused and abject vexation marred her face. With the news of them wanted by the authorities, their best course of action was to find solace elsewhere, but Wooyoung was unwilling to leave. He didn’t want to leave June- if she was here, then it meant that Nichkhun would be, too.

The doorknob twisted as soon as the thought crossed Wooyoung’s mind, and he tensed up as the door slowly opened. Mai was up on her defense as well, and both were very surprised at the revelation of their visitor.

“Good evening, I am Jo Kwon. I believe there is business between us to be conducted.”

“Who are you?” Mai asked, her hand already poised to pull out her jutte should the need arise. Wooyoung was calmer in comparison. He merely looked at the shorter man in a casual suit. What business could there be between them?

“Officer Tran, no need for violence,” Kwon calmly stated, “It’s actually the inspector I came to see, but you’re welcome to join us.”

“What do you want?” Wooyoung asked.

Kwon clucked his tongue. “I believe it is you, inspector, who wants something. I am merely here to act as a conduit towards that want. Now, if you would please come with me, I’m sure Nichkhun would be very surprised to see you.”

…

Seulong glanced at both directions first before surreptitiously running across the street and into the back alley of his and Taecyeon’s shared apartment. He knew it was not the best place to be given the circumstance, but he needed to retrieve his kit before any authorities came looking for it.

Explosive X.3 was his baby, and he was willing to risk a limb to save it.

Taecyeon was trying to locate Jay Park even though the other man was not in Lee Sooman’s list. Perhaps the interpol agent could help them, the same way Fuu had promised to give them her aid. Everything that had happened in the last few hours were still surreal in his mind. Finding out about the chief, and then now this, to Seulong it was too much of a coincidence. It was as if something that clued in the enemy that Schatten knew about them, and because they knew about them, they needed to be taken out.

He quickly climbed up the rusty staircase at the back of the building and slipped into their apartment through the window. In retrospect, he realized he maybe should have looked through first to make sure it was safe. Glancing around, Seulong didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, and he hastily moved to his room to pick up his toolkit and his emergency bag. He passed by Taecyeon’s room to gather the other’s emergency kit as well, and when he was certain he had all his essentials, Seulong quickly made and exit.

The radio Fuu had given them was heavy in his pocket. He had gotten rid of his phone- both precinct issued and personal. He knew what the enemy was capable of, and at this point preserving his life was key.

“I’m on my way to the safe house. Over.”

“I’ll meet you there, I just need to see Eunhee first.”

“Taec, no. You can’t lead anyone to her.”

“I need to make sure she’s safe first.”

Seulong rolled his eyes. This was one reason why deciding to get married at this time was not a good idea. “Fuu said she’ll send out a surveillance bee after her. If anyone recognizes you over there you’re dead meat.”

“I have to make sure she’s safe.”

“It’s your funeral man.” Seulong instantly regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, but there was no way he could take them back now. “Look, I’ll wait for you at the safe house, okay?”

The safehouse was a small underground tunnel located underneath a seemingly innocent abandoned military bomb shelter. They had found it and claimed it as theirs years ago- they were juniors at the academy and Changmin and Jay were arguing for leadership. That being said, a small smile spread across Seulong’s face- Jay was asserting his right as the so-called leader, while everyone else was voting for Changmin.

If the captain were here today, Seulong wouldn’t feel as lost. He shook his head, determined to do Changmin’s expectations of him justice.

The room was empty save for the dust lining what few wooden furniture they had. It used to be their secret hiding spot, their place during their “rebellious” phase. It was the site of the birth of Explosive X and many more memories for them. Even Wooyoung.

Sighing at the mess and clutter, Seulong deposited his things by the door and proceeded to dust the room with an old rag he found. There were old magazines and books scattered across the floor, several old records were piled by the old speaker system, there were even old clothes strewn across the seats. It was a blast from the past that he didn’t want to revisit.

An hour later, when he was finally done, Taecyeon finally arrived looking dour. “I told Eunhee to go to her parents for the meantime. She should be safe there.”

“Fuu’s gonna make sure nothing happens to her, you know that.”

Taecyeon’s face faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained composure. “It’s been forever since we were in here.”

“Yeah, forever. Nichkhun had Wooyoung cut his very first class to take him here.”

Seulong frowned. “You had to mention that now?”

“Why not, I was going to ask where you think Wooyoung is, and that came next in my line of thought.” he shrugged.

“Mai too, Fuu hasn’t heard from her yet. They tried tracking her phone, but it came back to the precinct. Wooyoung’s phone is unreachable, and Junho just can’t be found. It’s just you and me here. Why do you think Jay and Fuu are off the hook?”

“Jay was never a part of Schatten, and Fuu was moved into the Weather Station almost as if it was meant that way so she doesn’t get caught in this. I feel like we’re being played. I don’t like this one bit. There are things out there we don’t know about. Nichkhun for one. Then Wooyoung, June, LSM, Ami’s group from the Weather Station, then Fortuna as a whole.”

“Alright, I get it, we don’t know squat about what’s going on.” Seulong replied, throwing his hands up in the air. And exasperated sigh followed, and he was left speechless as he tried to gather his thoughts. “So, what happens now?”

“I would like to know what’s going on for a start.”

“I think we can help you there.”

Both Seulong and Taecyeon yelped in surprise at the two females that suddenly appeared in the room. Fei and Jia strode down the stairs one step at a time as they eyed both men. “We can help you. All the answers you need and more.”

It was tempting, even more when two very attractive women presented the proposition, but Taecyeon was recalcitrant. “Who are you? How did you get in here?” Although they appeared unarmed, Taecyeon did not lower his guard.

An enigmatic smile spread across Fei’s face. “My name is Fei, and this is Jia. We work for the Main Office, our boss would like a word with you. I’m sure you would be interested.”

The Main Office? Taecyeon wondered if this was what Jay meant when the interpol officer mentioned suspicious activity regarding said business. “And if we say no?”

“I’m afraid no is not an option,” Jia smirked. “It’s either you come willingly, or we take you by force.”

“We promise to keep your fiancee safe, more so than what your friends at the Weather Station can offer.” Fei added.

Taecyeon took an alarmed step forward. “How do you know about that?!”

“We know things,” Jia lilted, “so how about it? I’m certain Nichkhun would love to have a little reunion with you. The inspector is already on his way, he even brought little Miss Tran with him.”

“Nichkhun works for the Main Office?” Seulong hissed, grabbing Taecyeon’s shoulder.

“Quite the contrary,” Fei cut in, “It’s us who work for Mr. Horvejkul, and we extend the same assistance to you. I believe you all have some...dispute with Fortuna, or are somehow related to someone who does. Eitherway, they will find you here. It is best you come with us.”

“Wait, why would Fortuna come after us?” Seulong asked.

“Because Lee Sooman will tell them to do so.” Jia answered tartly.

“Officers, this isn’t a negotiation. Trust that all your questions will be answered as soon as you meet with our standing leader.”

Doubt filled Taecyeon’s mind, and Seulong was bursting with anxiety, still the two officers chose to agree to the two females and followed them peacefully out of the room.

…

Wooyoung was not expecting a flower shop so close to the station to be Hell’s main base. It was painfully mocking but at the same time impressive. Mai was more in shock at the realization that she had been here before, that she had met with the assassins before. It took a good minute to calm her down and not have her attacking any of the men in the room.

Wooyoung however was too focused on Nichkhun. The other man stood nonchalantly to the side, arms crossed on his chest as they waited for the others to arrive. Wooyoung surprised himself with the amount of self-control he had- he previously thought that he would launch himself into an attack as soon as he laid eyes on the blonde.

“Well, this is nice,” Junsu mocked. “So, Kwon says you know each other.” Wooyoung sent him a sideways glance, but the bishop was unnerved. “Interesting. So, you’re trying to kill him too? Get in line. You have stiff competition.”

Jinwoon rammed his wheels into Junsu’s knees causing the former medical student to fall disgraced on the floor. “Please ignore him, he’s irrelevant most of the time. Also, we’d like you to know that we are just as surprised to see you here. Min and Suzy just gathered us here the same way Kwon fetched you.”

Mai nervously glanced around her. At any given moment these assassins could attack her and she would be left defenseless. She had no doubts that Wooyoung would abandon her and leave her alone to fend for herself, and even though Rai was nowhere to be found, she knew she was in just as much danger. Even Jinwoon who appeared harmless intimidated her now that she knew who he truly was.

Chansung was busy munching on some banana chips. He had nothing to contribute to the conversation, after all, all he ever did was based on instructions from Jinwoon. Besides, he personally held nothing against Schatten, there was no reason for him to do anything but wait. He knew Junsu and Nichkhun were the same, just that the other men had very different ways of expressing their boredom- although, if it was true that Nichkhun had an issue with the inspector, then the blonde was doing a very good job of containing himself.

“Please relax Officer Mai, we’re not here to fight.” Jinwoon tried his best to calm her, but his attempts seemed to be in vain. “We’re not going to kill you.”

Mai grit her teeth trying to control herself from lashing out. “You killed our Captain.”

Jinwoon kept the smile on his face, “I truly apologize for that, and Kass did receive appropriate reprimand. She should be here soon, and when she does arrive, please try to be civil.”

Civil was a word Mai had trouble grasping at that point. All the emotions she thought she had under control were daring to spill, and the dam that she had built to keep all her tears away was starting to crumble under the pressure. How dare Jinwoon ask her to be civil?

The door to the shop opened with its usual ding, and in came Fei, Jia, Kass, and the remaining Schatten personnel Taecyeon and Seulong. Kwon cleared his throat and ushered them all into the back room immediately.

It was not empty as they had expected it to be, and everyone was rendered speechless and in awe as the person in the room spoke.

“I’m glad you all could make it. I believe there is a lot we need to discuss, and I would appreciate your full cooperation. Some of you may know me as Staunton, others, as Park Jinyoung.”