Another fine morning in the Professionals’ zone, Chansung and Sooyoung were caught up with the morning paper while Taecyeon lazed on the couch, sinking in his seat. He was thinking about the scenario last night and it was pretty embarassing to him. Well, maybe not to Yoona but to him at least. Everything happened too fast since he came in like a few weeks ago, and then he just kissed Yoona last night.

Was it right? He took a moment to think about this. Did his move towards her, affect her in some way? His feelings for her poured all over him, that there was no way he could hide it. The way his lips touched hers was so, delicate, sweet and tender. For a second back then, his knees wobbled from her touch. When they pulled away, she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his whole life. The innocence reflecting in her doe eyes was purely captivating. She wasn’t one to be compared with other girls Taecyeon had seen, and that’s what made her even more special.

“Morning,” Taecyeon sat up straight in his seat as fast as he could when Yoona’s voice rang in his ears. He swallowed hard as he stared at her. Yoona kept a firm face, ignoring a dazed Taecyeon from the corner of her eye. She almost lost her mind from the kiss last night. Yoona didn’t go to sleep right away after Taecyeon escorted her back in the headquarters. She tossed and turned in her bed, just like her heart. It’s been quite some time since she ever had feelings for someone, and a part of her was afraid of it but the other part of her convinced to enjoy the opportunity. Besides, if her heart had been doing flip-flops which was rare to her, that only meant Taecyeon was one special guy.

“So did you have fun yesterday?” Sooyoung put down the paper and smiled at Yoona.

Yoona approached the coffee machine, as she poured herself a cup of coffee. She pulled out the chair next to Sooyoung. “Yeah I had one insane day,” she replied.

“I wonder why,” Taecyeon added as he sat next to Chansung, smiling oppositely at Yoona. “This is boring there’s no mission for us to do.”

“Agents, please come to my office right now,” Jaesuk announced over the speaker.

“Speaking of no missions,” Chansung chuckled.

“Morning Agents!” Jaesuk beamed. “I’m assigning a mission express today. So pay close attention and carry the mission out on the dot.” Sooyoung whipped out her pen and notepad as she waited to write down the highlights of the mission.

“There’s a clan hiding in an isolated warehouse in Gangnam. Aces have reported that they’re planning on ambushing a group of businessmen who are headed out of the city. I’d like you to protect the victims and arrest these suspects. You may go.”

“What’s mission express?” Taecyeon asked as they walked along the hallway.

“It’s a mission on the spot thing. Arrest the targets then and there,” Chansung turned back and patted Taecyeon’s shoulder. “So keep up with us alright? It’s a fast mission.”

With their equipments and weapons all packed up in the back of the van, Chansung hopped in the driver’s seat with Taecyeon beside him. Yoona and Sooyoung sat by the back, preparing the plan they have set up with.

“So what’s the plan again?” Taecyeon turned his head around, glancing at the ladies.

Yoona bit her lip nervously, unable to focus under his gaze. “There’s plan a and b. Plan A is we go to the warehouse, blow up whatever belongs to the clan. Plan B is when they’re already on the road, we have to catch up with their cars. I recommend all of us stick together in this one, or we’ll be at risk.”

“Let’s go then,” Chansung revved the engines as they drove off to their destination. Chansung pulled by the side of the road, parking the van a few blocks away from the warehouse. Yoona sent Sooyoung and Chansung to check out whether the clan was still there. Taecyeon followed Yoona up to a building, taking cover at the rooftop.

“210 to 530, green light,” Yoona received Sooyoung’s message through the walkie-talkie.

“530 to 210, stand by. We’re joining you.” Yoona gestured Taecyeon to follow her lead as she skipped down the stairs and ran to where Sooyoung and Chansung were.

“Are we going in?” Sooyoung whispered.

Yoona shook her head. “No we’ll wait until it’s good to go. You guys go behind the bushes near the warehouse. If they come out, send me a signal and let’s get into business. Taecyeon and I will stay here near our van. Are your weapons with you?”

“Yes, don’t worry we got it.”

“Go and send me the signal soon.”

Chansung and Sooyoung stayed low, sprinting to the group of bushes, camouflaging themselves after. Taecyeon cleared his throat as he stood awkwardly next to Yoona. It wasn’t really a good idea to leave him with her in this kind of desperate situation.

“You know, you should’ve went with them. I could take care of the van for you it’s no big deal,” Taecyeon tried to make a joke. Yoona raised an eyebrow, folding her arms at him. “And you should know I’m trying to make progress in our teamwork here. Who knows you might wander along out here in the streets.”

“Gosh, you always think I’m that shallow huh?”

“Apparently.”

“So…” he scratched his head. “I hope we’re fine about last night.”

Yoona turned away, afraid Taecyeon might notice her blushing. “Sure we’re fine.”

“I know it was kind of cliché but I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t scare me Taecyeon.”

Taecyeon smiled, taking a step closer. “That’s good to know.” Yoona gasped when he was close to her again. His alarming presence made her click off everything that was running through her mind. She was holding onto the walkie-talkie so tightly, that she didn’t hear Sooyoung giving off the signal.

“210 to 530? Do you copy? Hello? Yoona are you there?” Sooyoung said through the device. “Chansung it’s weird Yoona’s not answering.” panic set in when they witness the clan throwing their goods into their cars.

“Okay stay here, I’ll run to them,” Chansung reassured her.

Taecyeon moved closer to Yoona’s head, his heart picking up its pace. Yoona stood frozen in her spot, as if she was trapped in his command. However, she stepped back when she heard Chansung’s voice. Taecyeon looked up and noticed Chansung running towards them.

“Yoona, Taecyeon what are you doing?! The clan’s out!” Chansung panted. Yoona’s eyes flew open, waking up from its trance. She cursed under her breath, running towards Sooyoung as fast as she could. Her jaw fell when she noticed one of the clan member spotted her figure.

“Sooyoung! Come on let’s go they spotted us,” Yoona ran together with Sooyoung as they went back to their van.

“Yoona what were you doing?” Yoona gritted her teeth as she knew she let her guard down because of Taecyeon. She couldn’t even think about screwing this mission up but the possibility of letting the enemies escape was building up. The wheels of the van jerked when Chansung stepped on the gear quickly, as the suspects were taking the lead. Yoona and Sooyoung pulled the windows open by the side, taking out their guns in the process. Bad luck struck when a man aimed at one of the tires of the van. The vehicle screeched to halt as the clan sped off, successing on their escape. Chansung got off the driver’s seat, shooting at the moving vehicles in front of them.

“Chansung! That’s enough, we’ve lost them,” Yoona held his arm, lowering it down. “Sooyoung, call the Aces please.” Sooyoung whipped out her phone, dialing Siwon’s number. Taecyeon who felt guilty, stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced at Yoona’s direction. He shouldn’t even have talked to her in the first place. Now they failed the mission. A car approached the empty road, Seulong and Siwon came out carrying an extra tire for their van. They changed the flat tire with the one they’ve brought, allowing the van to run again.

“Thanks guys,” Yoona forced a smile.

“No problem Yoona. Are you guys okay? Don’t worry if they’ve run off, Siwon and I will track them if ever we can,” Seulong smiled.

“Alright let’s go back.”

Yoona stomped right out of the van, heading towards the headquarters’ entrance. Chansung, Sooyoung and Taecyeon strolled behind her. Her frustration made them wince.  

“Yoona,” Taecyeon grabbed Yoona’s wrist but failed when she shook his hand off. Sooyoung and Chansung stood still, watching the two’s tensity. Taecyeon was taken aback, not expecting she would flare up. Yoona’s eyes were firm, glaring right at him. “Don’t talk to me for now. I don’t want to hurt you,” she snapped, giving him a cold shoulder. Taecyeon swallowed the lump in his throat while his head hung low, then looked up as he saw her walk away without turning back.

Taecyeon frowned, pulling a face at his food in front of him. He was at the cafeteria, with some agents chattering around him. He twirled the piece of broccoli on his plate in deep thoughts.

“You’re gonna start talking to your food soon if you don’t ease up,” Chansung set his tray down, sitting across him. Taecyeon ignored Chansung as he continued to poke the vegetables. Sooyoung joined the guys shortly, with a packet of fries in her hand. “It’s okay Taec, don’t worry about the mission,” Sooyoung convinced.

“I’m not worried about the mission. I was wondering why Yoona’s mad,” Taecyeon sighed.

Chansung patted his pack. “She’s like that when she fails a mission. Well I’m not quite sure since it’s the second one she failed.”

“Is it really a big deal to her?”

Both Chansung and Sooyoung nodded. “Yoona has her own reasons.”

Taecyeon sat up straight, putting his fork down. “What reasons?”

“You see Taecyeon, it wasn’t really Yoona’s intention to become a spy at the very beginning,” Sooyoung looked around before talking softly. “When she was a teenager, her mother was murdered by an unknown suspect. Her father asked for help from the authorities about the suspect but unfortuantely, the clues were lacking it was difficult to search for the murderer.”

“Is her dad still alive?”

“Yes, he lives in a small cottage that Yoona paid for, just for his own safety. Ever since that incident, Yoona couldn’t rest at all without knowing the person who killed her mom. Then she met chief and he decided to take her in as a spy. From then onwards, Yoona has been on the run looking for the suspect.”

Sooyoung tapped her temples. “I remembered she mentioned about a tattoo of a sun on the suspect’s upper right arm. That was the reason why she takes every mission seriously, hoping she would catch the murderer one day. Yoona never let anyone escape at all, it’s like she has all of the targets trapped with her leash. If she fails a mission, she just freaks out about it. I mean you get what I’m trying to say,” she chuckled as she munched on a piece of fry.

Taecyeon smiled, grateful that Sooyoung told a part of Yoona’s past. He felt sorry he brought the team down. “I feel bad about it. If only I listened to her…”

“That’s okay Taec, cheer up! Go talk to her if you want to feel better. You two seem pretty close to me,” Chansung threw a wink, laughing it off with Sooyoung.

“Chansung’s right Taec, you have to be on good terms with Yoona to be back together again! Go to her right now and talk! Us four need to hang out with each other again. Oh, and Chansung and I found something fishy by your bedside table.”

Taecyeon brows furrowed. “What?”

“Did you two hang out in a theme park or something? What a bummer Taec! You didn’t invite us,” Sooyoung grinned when she pulled out a small photo of Taecyeon and Yoona which was taken on her birthday. Taecyeon snatched the photo from Sooyoung’s hand, keeping it in his pocket. “Don’t assume too much guys, we’re not together.”

“Yet,” Chansung added. “Well then hurry up bro.”

Searching for Yoona in the headquarters tired Taecyeon out when he couldn’t seem to find her. She wasn’t in the zone, her room, the cafeteria or in the arena.

“Where could she be?” he asked himself. He recalled a place where he knew she would go to. Skipping towards the Han River, his eyes scanned the area for Yoona. There she was standing by the railings. He stopped when she noticed she was staring at a couple a few metres from her, chatting happily. After a while, he saw Yoona turn around walking away further to the opposite direction. Taecyeon took a deep breath as he followed her steps quietly, staring at her back. As he walked nearer, he heard muffled sobs coming from her. He raised his eyebrow in confusion and wondered why she was crying. Yoona paused and folded her arms on top of the railings, taking a glance at the river with tears streaming down her cheeks. Taecyeon’s heart broke with what he was seeing. Never once he knew he could see her cry. He walked a couple of steps more before facing her back upon him.

“Are you okay?” he muttered.

Yoona turned around, not expecting Taecyeon to appear in her sight. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same thing,” he replied. “Why are you crying?”

She wiped the tears off her face. “I was upset,” her voice cracked.

“Yoona I’m sorry about earlier. It was stupid of me to screw the whole mission up. I’m sorry,” Taecyeon apologized gently.

Yoona looked up into his eyes, her heart softened when she felt the sincerity behind them. “Can I ask you a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Can you pull me in for a hug?” Yoona said with tears b in her eyes. In that moment, Taecyeon pulled Yoona in his arms, placing his hand on the back of her head and pressed his face against the side of her head. With Taecyeon’s immediate response, Yoona broke down in his arms letting the emotions hit her. Taecyeon didn’t know why she was turning so fragile but he remained quiet, listening to her sobs. They sat down on a bench a while later, both staring of at the calm currents of the river. Taecyeon turned to Yoona who was in a relaxed state, a smile forming on his face.

“If you had seen a couple earlier, that was the reason I cried about,” Yoona disturbed the silence in between them.

“Why?”

“The guy earlier,” she paused for a second. “…was my first love.” Taecyeon shifted his eyes, waiting for her to continue.

“Lee Jonghyun was a guy any girl wanted. I developed feelings for him since high school and he was famous for being the school’s all-time crush,” Yoona smiled as she started her story. Taecyeon decided to stay quiet and listen.

“Yuri and Taeyeon would pick on me whenever he was passing by the hallway or sitting right next to me in my class. People were right, first love was really special and precious. We hung out when he first asked me on a date. He was smart, handsome, kind, helpful, and all the girls envied me because I was with him. I realized I was special because he chose me out of many and that’s when I fell for him. As we got along, I fell for him more each day and thought he’s really the one for me. But things fell apart when my mom passed away,” she mumbled as she played with her fingers.

“When my mother died, my family’s wealth vanished. Dad suffered with the bills we had to pay, to an extent we almost slept in the streets. With the state I was in, Jonghyun ended our relationship right away. I begged in mercy for him to stay and make this work but he didn’t. He looked at me in disgust because I was a peasant to him. He said he doesn’t go out with anyone like that because it’ll ruin his reputation. My fantasy shattered the day he left me. The next time I saw him was along the streets, holding hands with another girl. It hit me hard because I was stupid enough to think he loved me,” her hands balled up into fists on her lap.

“I was wrong,” she exhaled. “It took me a while to trust people again. Then I met chief, he took me in and I was glad he brushed off the bad memories away. Chief’s the hero,” she smiled bitterly. “I cried because he reminded me too much of the bad dreams. I hated him for it.” 

Taecyeon smiled. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it wasn’t your fault.”

“And your first love was a real jerk,” he chuckled. “You should’ve hunted him down.”

Yoona couldn’t help but grin at him. “Should I?” she joked. “I don’t even think it’s worth it.”

“Well it’s not,” Taecyeon sighed, folding his leg across the other. “He doesn’t deserve you Yoona. Not at all.”

“Thank you Taecyeon,” she mumbled.

“Actually I’m still sorry about the mission. I knew the reason why.”

Yoona shook her head, smiling. “Sooyoung told you huh? That woman…”

“Well, thank you Yoona for trusting me,” Taecyeon flashed a smile.

“I just felt you could be,” she shrugged. “It’s been quite a while since I’ve told this to someone.”

“I promise I won’t mess up in the future,” he bit his lip anxiously.

She raised a brow. “You sure about that? It better be,” she threatened with the tone in her voice which made him laugh. “Shall we go back?”

“Are we good?”

“Hm, yeah we’re good.”

Taecyeon stood up and stretched his arms, inhaling the fresh air. As Yoona stood up, both of them smiled at each other. Taecyeon caught her by surprise when he took her hands in his.

“Yoona, I just want to let you know no matter what ups and downs you’re going through, I’m here for you. You can depend on me,” he mumbled. “I promise I’ll protect you now and in the future, is that okay?”

“Taecyeon…” Yoona whispered.

Taecyeon carressed her face softly with the light tips of his fingers. Yoona’s eyes became watery with his gentle , finding it touching. Taecyeon held in his breath as he leaned forward, feeling the familiar pitapat of his heart. Yoona closed her eyes as she waited for him. Taecyeon kissed her lips carefully at first before encircling his arms around her back. Yoona responded eagerly, kissing him back gently, wrapping her arms around his neck. Their hearts pounded against their chests with butterflies fluttering in their stomachs. Running her fingers through his hair, Yoona deepened the kiss while Taecyeon did the same with such passion.

Rain poured over the two, but fire engulfed them within.