ahh i'm sorry; i had already written a few chapters ahead from when i posted them but i Promise that there will be a ton more Helen/Infinite interactions!  sorry ^^

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Generally, the term was used when a team had failed a mission and Madacorp decided they needed a break from company activities.  The word “vacation” was just sarcasm as the time off was really the company proving a serious point: Madacorp could do just fine without Jin Hyun and Helen working for them.

The debriefing session concluded as expected but lasted longer than usual as the meeting concluded around two in the morning.  Even though Jin Hyun and Helen had arrested their target too many things had gone wrong with too many witnesses and not enough information retrieved from Park Song.  “The entire point was to figure out who Park Song was talking to on the phone; you were supposed to determine whether Madacorp had a rat in the building and if that rat was the one selling the weapons to Park Song.  This information was top priority yet you failed to obtain any useful data.”  The agent reprimanded Helen and Hyun.  “Not to mention the random citizen who you forgot to detain and speak to.”  Helen was confused; knowing she wasn’t allowed to ask questions, she glanced at Hyun but he refused to look at her.

Jin Hyun had questions of his own, right now: 1.) Where were they going to be dropped?  2.) How long would they be without contact of each other and Madacorp?  3.) Why had Helen been so easy to knock out?  The last question had been a parasite in Hyun’s mind ever since he saw her lying on the bathroom floor of the restaurant.  He knew she’d been trained to take a hit; they all had, but he couldn’t understand why she would let her guard down…especially during a mission.  It wasn’t like her to lose focus and make a simple mistake, but she had and Hyun needed to know why.

However, the mission had not failed just because of Helen.  He took responsibility for the witness and it should’ve been his duty to discuss legal matters with the man.  Hyun traced his memory back to that moment when he locked eyes with him and Hyun realized how silly he must’ve looked with Helen in his arms, daring the boy, practically egging him on like wild animals over a female, over their “territory”. 

“Jin Hyun,” the agent brought him out of his thoughts, “you’ll be returning to the US to do research on the university students and their efforts to become famous in their home country.  Helen will remain in Seoul and complete “Active Duty Service” hours as a security guard for any local events.”  The agent grinned as he read the paper, “Boss even made a little note, himself, stating ‘Trot concerts as well’.”  The agent smirked; he knew these assignments were complete bull and he really enjoyed seeing their faces stunned.  “Unpaid; Boss says he’ll send out a notice for you two if he needs you back.”  The grin returned, including a stupid eye-smile.

Infinite had been asleep for many hours; Hoya checked his phone – 2AM.  He had tried to close his eyes but his “talk” with Jungryul had left him brainstorming explanations early into the next morning.  Some things had been clarified such as: how Jungryul and Helen met, how Jungryul had raised her and for how long.  However Jungryul left out particular details like: what was inside that envelope he opened at the airport, how one day, when she was 14, a man in a suit had knocked on their front door and taken Helen for the day (by somewhat threatening Jungryul, and when he replied that he would call the cops the man laughed in his face) – when she returned she told Jungryul he had taken her to see an illegal boxing match and given her ice cream. 

Jungryul didn’t feel like he was lying to Hoya, but there were events in his past that he still couldn’t understand himself and confessing this to Hoya wouldn’t make anyone any happier.  However, Jungryul was able to explain, briefly, what Helen was doing at the restaurant – from his understanding of the situation.  However, Hoya then asked who the men were at her table and Jungryul was at a loss for words.  Jungryul tried to explain that Helen worked for a company…an international law enforcement company but that was all he knew.  Eventually Hoya began to realize how little Jungryul actually knew about Helen’s current situation and decided that it – no – she wasn’t worth the trouble.

Hoya stared at the bottom of Sungjong’s bunk, counting the number of springs in the mattress above him while his iPad shuffled through his favorite rap songs.  Hoya had given up singing along quietly hoping it would make him fall asleep but eventually Helen would weasel her way back into his thoughts.  He kept seeing her lying on the bathroom floor, her lips slightly parted allowing a small trickle of blood to puddle against her cheek, staining it a deep red.  She had landed on her side and a strand of hair had fallen across her eyes; he could tell she was unconscious and it made his heart panic.

Hoya to his side, facing the empty wall.  Focus.  Hoya thought to himself.  There are so many things going on tomorrow; you need to focus.  There are other girls…  He pictured her lying in his bed, on top of the blankets, as he wiped dried blood from with his thumb.  No. He cupped her cheek softly.  No!  She smiled at him.

Hoya flipped onto his other side, glaring at the opposite wall, and breathing through his nostrils.  He felt like he was going to burst with anger.  He just wanted to sleep well, wake up excited and see Infinite’s fans.  All he wanted was to have a good performance tomorrow but she kept him awake – confused and interested all at the same time; it was distracting him from his goals.

Hoya turned so he was lying on his back again.  He fell asleep dreaming that he had been the guy who picked up her frail body from the ground; he dreamt he was the guy who rescued her; he dreamt he was the guy who kissed her when she woke up.