The Card
Without a Trace
"Stupid for nothing guards, geez. They need to get like, Jackie Chan to guard the place or something. These guys can't fight for anything." Ricky mumbled to himself after knocking the last guard in sight out and shoving him in a closet with the rest.
"It makes it easier on us, I guess. That's not bad." Niel shrugged beside him.
"Not bad at all, let's get moving the hard drive's this way." CAP agreed, then pulled the two boys behind him into a run up the stairs. They didn't dare use the elevator if they wanted to keep their identities safe from the cameras in there. Yes, the stairs also had cameras, but they moved so fast they couldn't catch them without the pictures coming out blurred.
"Yah! Where are you?" They heard Chunji's voice on the other end of their walkie-talkies, and he sounded furious. "You were supposed to get up here five minutes ago! Time is money!"
"Literally. He means this literally, guys." L.joe added as a joke while looking at Chunji's fuming face behind his mask. L.joe stifled laughter behind his own and dodged a slap on his arm. "We gotta get working, keep your mind on track hyung." He smiled and ran away.
Chunji scowled at him and did as he was told with hesitancy. He looked around from desk to desk and drawer to drawer, but couldn't find anything. He sat down on the floor to collect his thoughts.
"I can't find it anywhere, hyung." Changjo appeared behind him, crouching to his level. "Where do you think it could be?"
This building was the one Chunji's parents were in charge of, since they were family. His dad was the one who hid it, and he knew for a fact that his dad wouldn't hide it anywhere obvious like his office. L.joe had already swept the place anyway and didn't find the drive either. "If I was my dad, where would I put it? Where the hell would I put a flipping hard drive?" He cursed under his breath. He looked around the darkened room and pointed to the door across from him. "Changjo, go check the conference room. I'll try the secretary's desk." He ordered.
Changjo nodded and jogged to the conference room. It wasn't under the chairs nor the table, and it certainly wasn't stuck behind the pull-down screen. "Damn." He whispered and went out of the room.
Chunji, on the other hand, was looking through files and paperwork while seated in the secretary's chair. He spun around a couple times to get the feel and went to work. "What if it's saved on the computer?" He wondered and cracked his fingers through his black leather gloves and began typing away.
Too bad it was password protected. "Frick." He bit his lip and tried to hack it, focusing everything on his job.
"Hyung! Hyung! We're here! What now?" Ricky burst through the door.
"Ricky! No!" CAP warned, trying to pull him back, but missing his jacket completely. Niel took deep breaths while leaning on the wall as he face palmed himself.
The door was an emergency exit and Ricky had triggered the alarm, which was now sounding throughout the building, and most likely signaling the cops of a break in.
Chunji's head shot up. "You freaking idiot! What are you doing?!" He rose from his chair to get the other two. L.joe and Changjo burst through the door as he tried to open it as well, resulting in Chunji getting hit in the face. "Gosh dammit! Why? WHY?!" His cries were muffled through his mask and L.joe's hand.
"Let's get out of here." L.joe offered to the others, eyes on the door the whole time. The five boys nodded and ran off after him down the staircase towards the back street where Jongjun told L.joe he was would be waiting at.
"Please dad?" Saejin pleaded. "Please?"
"Saejin..." Her dad sighed for the hundredth time that night.
"It's okay! I'll just sit in the backseat or something!" She argued back. Teen Top had once again broken into another one of Byunghun's parents' buildings and it was now two in the morning. Mr. Song had gotten a call, and Saejin overheard it since she was still awake. "I just finished my homework and I'm still very much awake."
Her dad bit his lip. Should she really come? But it was dangerous. What if the thieves were still there waiting for another attack?
It was like she had read his mind. "Dad, I can fend for myself, remember? You didn't teach me for nothing."
He sighed once again at the truth she spoke. Being the proud father he was, he knew he had taught her well, because it was him. There's no way he would have showed her anything useless or wrong. He was just too good of a teacher. He groaned dramatically and looked around the room for any sign of his wife, who was already sleeping and finally motioned for Saejin to follow him. "Come on, let's go." He threw her a coat, and they left the house quietly without Mrs. Song knowing.
"What? It's not like I'm going to tell her." Saejin assured her dad who kept glancing at her, then at the house, then at her agin repeatedly. The keys in his hands were starting to shake from his nervousness. Yes, detective Song was a fearless monster to criminals who held guns and threats, but was scared of his own wife. How ironic.
He shot Saejin a worried look, then didn't look at her again for the rest of the ride to the building where the rest of the police were waiting for their leader.
He shook his head and got out confidently for the officers under him. He still wasn't used to this big number as he didn't have as much back in their old city. But then again, it was Seoul. He went up to the other detective and asked questions. "What do we got tonight?"
Saejin kept true to her word and stayed in the backseat for as long as she could. But it was boring. Saejin wasn't exactly cut out for just sitting around. She felt like she had to get out and do something.
"No. You told dad you wouldn't do anything funny." She argued with herself and shook her head. As much as she was bored, she never went against her word, no matter how much she wanted to. And even if there were suspicious people walking around the back of the building.
Wait, what?
Saejin shot up from her dozing off position and gazed on the six figures that were running down the street. They were dressed in all black and had masks on. At one in the morning. If that didn't scream suspicious, then she didn't know what did.
They ran at a place no one else saw, since the police were focused on what was happening on and inside the building. Her dad wasn't even outside anymore. Only two or three people were still outside, and they were at an angle to where the figures wouldn't be seen.
Saejin bit her lip. Yes, she promised she would stay, but if she didn't act now, the police wouldn't have a chance tonight, as they let the criminals slip away.
"Sorry, dad." Saejin apologized to the air while facing the building. She quietly got out of the car, not to startle anyone, and ran to the other side behind a wall where she herself wouldn't be seen, and quietly followed behind as discretely as she could.
"Ricky, you . That's the third time you've done that." She heard, and then a whack against the head.
"Hyung!" Another voice whined. "It's so late and I'm tired!"
"That's not an excuse." Someone exhaled greatly. "I don't even think we found the actual drive, did we?"
"Nope. At least I didn't."
"Wait! Did we even leave a card there?" The footsteps stopped, followed by a chorus of no's and crap's. "It'll be fine if we just leave it in a bush or something then, right?"
The boys shrugged at L.joe's offer. "I mean, you can't get caught obviously. Do you want us to come with you?" Chunji asked, skeptical.
L.joe shook his head. "It's fine. I'll be right back. Go to the car." He ordered, the rest nodding in understanding and turning to run away.
Chunji nudged Niel. "I have a bad feeling about this."
L.joe waited for a while for his team to leave his sight before turning slowly to backtrack the lit up sidewalk to the building. It felt suicidal almost, but he had to do it, for their reputation. He was fast, he wouldn't get caught. He hoped.
Saejin put a hand over to stop from making sounds. She was hiding behind a trashcan that reeked, but the problem as that she heard footsteps coming her way, and she had no where to turn. What if it was the thieves, and they realized someone had been listening in? And if they wanted to get rid of her? But she didn't make any sounds of movements in fear that they would hear her.
L.joe walked past her to her relief, that also numbed her body from moving. He didn't even look her way. All that could be seen was his backside that moved briskly across the sidewalk.
Saejin used this opportunity to get up. She could catch this guy. He was her size too, not huge and burly. This could give her dad clues and would let him rest for a while. Maybe they could find the other guys from this identity as well.
She took in a deep breath and ran as softly as she could behind the guy who bent down to put the card in the bush. When L.joe was satisfied with the placement, he turned around and froze.
What the hell was Saejin doing walking across the street this early in the morning? Saejin, on the other hand, cursed herself inwardly at how slow she was.
They stared wide eyed at each other, stuck in spot for at least ten seconds, just staring at each other.
"There he is!"
Crap.
L.Joe glanced behind him where a police officer was pointing directly at him with a flashlight. To his advantage, he was just standing there waiting for backup. He then looked at Saejin frozen in the road. He guessed she was scared and confused. Which was half true. She was confused why the policeman didn't act.
L.joe used the opportunity to run at her and grab her arm. He pulled her along with him down the street and through a couple of alleyways.
Saejin glanced down at his glove covered hand that gripped her wrist. Was this actually happening? She yanked herself out of his grasp. Was he trying to use her for a hostage situation?
L.joe felt his hand grasp air in a second and blinked at Saejin. Did she want to get caught being out late? He grabbed for her again, but she moved away in time.
"Are you trying to use me as a hostage?" She asked, panting.
He shook his head. If he talked, she would immediately know who he was. And for being an innocent girl, he didn't want to get her in trouble. He held out his hand again and waited for her to run away again.
Saejin glanced at it questioningly. "If not a hostage, then what?" She asked, waiting for an answer that was never going to come.
"Where did he go?" A voice called on the street.
"I don't know, but he has a girl with him." Another answered.
L.joe glanced at Saejin before grabbing her and putting a mouth over . He pushed her against a wall so they were both hidden behind a wall that protruded out.
Saejin stared at L.joe's side profile as he watched the police run past them, meaning they were clear to go. Since it was only the police and not a bunch of gangsters, he pulled back. He gave her a warning look to stay safe before he ran off in the other direction.
"Wait!" Saejin was about to run after him when she heard her own name called.
"What the hell are you doing, Saejin?!" Her dad ran up to her. "I heard he grabbed you and ran off! Are you all right?"
She shook her head and watched the other end. "It's not like that, dad. He-"
"Detective there's a card." They were interrupted by another officer and her dad's attention went to the card now that his daughter was safe.
Saejin sighed and kicked the wall. She let him get away. They actually touched, and she let him get away. "Damnit."
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