"Monggu and I will go first, you guys wait here."


"Okay, be careful. Try not to attack anyone, or else it'd be harder for us to get in."


"Got it."


Monggu and Jjanggu shifted into crows, since there were many crows around. They flew away from the bushes towards the building, but didn't go straight to the entrance. They moved up and perched outside a window to peek what was going on inside.


It was only an empty corridor. They flew and perched again on another window. Still not the right room. The two birds stared at each other.


'Let's move again and find where they are.'


'But there are lots of windows here.'


'There's no other choice, we can't go inside through the entrance directly, they'll shoo us away. Besides, we have to know the exact positions inside this building before we go in.'


'Fine then.'


The building wasn't tall, but it was wide with lots of windows. They flew around the building until they found one of their targets.


'Look, that must be the power switch,' Monggu motioned his beak towards a big metal box attached to the wall inside with many switches in it.


'Right! They're stupid, it's not guarded. How far is it from the entrance? Ugh, can't we just break the window and turn off the switch and then run away immediately?'


'And let them find and kill our team out there? No way. We have to do it smoothly, agent.'


They took note of the position of the switch inside the building and did a rough calculation of how far and how to get there from the other entrance at the back of the building. After they were sure enough, they moved again to find the next target.


Three more windows and they found something quite surprising. It was a room that had many rows of iron tables with human bodies lying on them, covered with white sheets from head to toe.


’What are they? Sleeping people?’ Jjanggu the bird tilted his head side to side confusedly.


’Probably some failures.’


‘What do you mean? Are you saying that they’re the refuse of society?’


‘No, you bird brain. I mean literally failures. Those evil people couldn’t possibly be successful in the first trial of their stupid experiments.’


‘Oh! Are they dead??’


‘Maybe dead, maybe sleeping monsters. It might sound rude, but let’s just hope for the first one.’


They flew up again until they found what they had been looking for. The Heart and the pearls.


They were hovering inside a big glass ball, emitting bundles of black smoke like Bomi had seen in her vision. In that big white room there were lots of scary big muscled men lining up in twelve rows.


Those who stood at the front of the lines stepped forward and stood side by side. Monggu and Jjanggu could have predicted the worst scenarios that could happen in there, but the next thing that happened in that room could make the two almost pass out outside the window.


They transformed into EXO. They looked exactly the same. Even Sehun and Luhan were staring and smiling at each other lovingly, like the real princes would usually do.


The next rows behind them also transformed into lots, lots of EXO.


’What the heck?? They transformed into our hyungs! What do we do now?’ Jjanggu screeched and flapped his wings in panic.


’Calm down, you’ll get us caught,’ Monggu slapped Jjanggu’s head with his wing. ’Look closely. Their eyes are still blue, while our hyungs’ are grey now. That would help us differ them. We’ll just have to tell the others really soon.’


‘Right. You’re right. Let’s go now and find our last target.’


‘Okay. Jun, that is.’


They tried to check the other side of the building and found a lone window there. They perched outside the window and high-fived with their wings quietly as soon as they saw who it was behind the window.


It was Jun in his private room, sitting on a couch with something small in his hands. The room was dim and the curtain covering the window was blocking the view, but the two little spies were still able to see through the thin fabric.


The big boy looked down and traced his fingers on the small square thing in his hands. The two birds outside the window kept tilting their heads side to side, not sure if their eyes were just seeing things, because they could see sadness clearly plastered on the blonde boy’s handsome yet cold face. He was mumbling to himself. Monggu and Jjanggu looked at each other and sharpened their hearing.


“Dad... I really miss you. Why did you have to leave me alone? Mom still hates me, I have no idea how to fix it. She hasn’t changed, she still wishes to have a son like that prince and she doesn’t even spare an eye on me. You understand my feelings, right, dad? I don’t want to be compared to Sehun or anyone else. I... I envy him a lot because he has everything. I know he doesn’t have a mother, but you see, his life seems complete and he has those people who love him to replace his mother, while what I have is only the society that hates me to their blood and veins. I know, I know you would scold me if you were here, you’d say that love isn’t everything, that I shouldn’t envy him because you hate those people too, but I just can’t deny what I feel. I... I just need someone to stay with me. Y-You know how it feels. I’m lonely, dad. You’re not here anymore and... and we can’t make evil plans together anymore and... And I...”


Jun dropped his head and covered his eyes with his hand. Monggu and Jjanggu swore they could hear a hiccup coming from that giant. But it was beyond unexpected for them to hear Jun talk like that; they couldn’t help but give him their slightest sympathy. Maybe he was just a lonely beast? But then Jun started to speak again and they focused back on him.


“I’m going tonight, dad. I’m going back to that place that I used to call ‘home’, but this time I’ll show them that I’ve become stronger now, I’m not sad and I don’t need them all. I’ll get rid of Sehun and his stupid friends so I don’t have to feel envious anymore. But first I’ll make him feel what I’ve felt all this time. I promise I’ll make you proud, dad.”


The weak and sad voice had gone out of the window, replaced with a determined one, although he couldn’t hide the hurt tone in it. His father had taught him not to show his feelings easily because it would make him look weaker than he already was.


Yes, his father, the evil professor, had also called him weak countless times, like the boy himself had called Sehun weak. The man had raised a beast inside his own son. Although it had hurt him, the boy had accepted it without saying anything because of his respect towards his father.


But wait, what? Tonight? Monggu and Jjanggu snapped their heads towards each other, and if it were possible, their bird eyes would widen double times in horror.


They were about to fly back to the rest of their team to inform about it, but then another voice inside Jun’s room held them back from flying away.


A man had entered the room and the two birds noticed that Jun hid the picture of him and his dad that he had been holding behind his back. Were their eyes wrong again? Because Jun looked somewhat frightened at the older man. Weird, because it seemed like their wasn’t that big.


“What are you doing here, Jun-ah? Aren’t you supposed to be with the others?” the man approached Jun and stood in front of him with his hands on his waist, showing his annoyance.


“I... Umm... I’m sorry, hyung. I-I’ll go there now,” Jun stuttered and stood up abruptly, but the man pushed him back down onto the couch. He grabbed Jun’s face harshly and crashed their lips together in a hungry and sloppy kiss. It startled not only Jun, but also the crows watching outside.


Jun looked hesitant to return the kiss but he did it anyway. He gasped when the older’s cold hand slipped under his shirt and roamed on his torso. In no time the hand moved from his body into his pants. Monggu and Jjanggu covered each other’s eyes with their wings immediately. This time Jun put his hands on the man’s chest and made the slightest attempt to push him away.


“P-Please don’t do it, hyung. N-Not now,” Jun pleaded helplessly. The man froze and squinted at the slightly shivering boy beneath him.


“What? Are you rejecting me now? Did you forget that I’m the owner of this place? I can kick you out anytime, you know?? Do you think I can’t do everything by myself? That you’re needed here??” the man screamed on Jun’s pale face. “You’re his son, I’m his brother. I’m older, I know more than you, I own everything here and you don’t own anything except that pretty face of yours. Don’t even think that you can reject me even once!”


“I-It’s not like that, hyung. Y-You said I-I’m supposed to be with the others now,” Jun tried to cover up. His eyes turned a little bit red.


The man snorted and slapped Jun’s face. The big boy’s eyes widened as he held his red cheek. It felt hot and hurt, but but the stinging pain was nothing compared to the old wound inside that had just been torn open again. Usually his uncle wouldn’t mention anything about his father, although he would still beat him up and act the way he wanted, but this time it was a little bit too much.


“You know what? Even if you can destroy everything in that kingdom later, don’t even think that you are the one who wins, because that would be me. I am the one who have prepared everything, and you know, you wouldn’t be anything near successful if I didn’t give a hand. You’re just a useless junk so keep your head down and learn your place. You got that??” the man grabbed a fistful of Jun’s hair and tugged his head back all the while shouting at him. He released him just to land another hand on the boy’s other cheek.


Monggu and Jjanggu felt their chests hurt when they saw tears roll down the boy’s face. They turned their heads away when the man ripped Jun’s shirt and started to beat him up mercilessly. Jun’s pleadings for the older to stop really tore their hearts apart.


’We should help him,’ Monggu stared at his partner with glistening eyes. Did birds cry? He felt like crying.


’You know we shouldn’t. He’d find out about us. Or worse we’d be killed by that crazy man. He’d turn us into roasted birds and feast on us crazily like a mad hungry wolf.’


They shuddered at the thought.


’But we can’t leave him like that,’ Monggu protested, being the one who had a soft heart. Jun’s pleading and whimpering didn’t stop stabbing his heart. ’He’d die even before he could come and mess with our hyungs.’


‘Well isn’t that a good thing?’ Jjanggu looked away hesitantly and covered his eyes with his wing.


’Even if he died, those EXO-look-alike army would still attack us. You heard that ugly man, he could still do it without Jun helping him. Look, let’s just make way for our team to get inside, and then we help this boy and run away immediately. How about that?’ Monggu offered, and Jjanggu had no choice but to agree with it, since deep inside he also wanted to help that boy. He looked awfully weak and helpless in that evil man’s hands. Even though he had a body of a giant, he was still a young teenage boy, as young as their prince.


They took one last glance, shivering when they saw the man ripping off Jun’s pants, and then flew away immediately while trying to ignore the boy’s whimpering that they were leaving behind.


They landed near the entrance at the back of the building, where the others would go in through. Jjanggu shifted into a skunk and smirked at the confused crow.


’Why are you a skunk? And how can you smirk? Stay away from me,’ Monggu jumped backwards and looked at the other in disgust.


’Oh come on. Poisonous fart, baby,’ Jjanggu winked.


’Skunks can’t wink.’


‘I’m not a real skunk, duh. Just hurry and change into a skunk like me. Add some poison to your fart too.’


‘I don’t want to fart. Sehun hyung doesn’t fart carelessly.’


‘That’s because he’s a prince! Gosh. Just because you’re his look-alike doesn’t mean you have to act like him, Monggu-yah. Just hurry up already!’


‘Alright, alright. Ugh, this is disgusting.’


Monggu pecked Jjanggu’s head with his beak once before turning into a skunk.


They hid behind the wall and poked their heads out to look around. There were guards there, some walking back and forth, some sitting on the ground while blinking sleepily.


’These guards look stupid. I can tell that they’re uneducated. Come on, let’s go to that bush and spray our perfume there,’ Jjanggu motioned his snout towards the thick bushes across them.


’Perfume my ,’ Monggu rolled his eyes. They made sure first that they were invisible before running to the bush. Although the guards couldn’t see them, they could still see each other in forms of faint shadow.


The guard standing closest to them narrowed his eyes and sniffed around, smelling something unpleasant in the air. He lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. Nope. This new smell was smellier.


’I told you so. They’re stupid,’ Jjanggu smirked. ’Are you ready? Let’s release together.’


Monggu nodded and they bit their lips as they released the huge bomb from their small bodies in unison. They could hear the guards screaming for air and coughing madly until finally all the noises died down, sign that they all had passed out.


’I have to admit that this is a brilliant idea,’ Monggu nodded, letting the other skunk smile in victory.


The invisible skunks ran around the building while leaving their posionous smell behind, causing the guards to drop one by one. They stripped two of the guards and dragged them into the bushes before running away with the guards’ uniforms in their mouths.


They returned back to the other spies and handed Yunho and Changmin the uniforms. The two secret agents took them hesitantly, causing the two boys to look at each other confusedly.


Monggu shifted back into his human formm and asked, “Is there something wrong?”


Yunho looked hesitant to answer, “Umm, well... These smell like skunks. And I guess I’m a bit dizzy now.”


Jjanggu poofed into a human boy and gasped. “Oh, we forgot to change into something else! Oh no, our fart was poisonous too. The scent left on them can make you pass out.”


Changmin opened his backpack and fished something out of it. “Don’t worry, we have maskers here,” he said, giving one to his partner and wearing one on himself. “I guess the scent can be an advantage to us. Those guards inside can’t be too close, or else they’ll pass out too. But, how about Lulu and Bomi?”


“We can go invisible,” Bomi said, giving him a thumbs up.


“I can hypnotize them too, just by showing my eyes,” Lulu added.


“So that’s... a pair of eyes floating in the air that they will see?” Yunho asked slowly, secretly imagining the sight and shivered slightly.


“Kind of,” Lulu grinned.


“Okay then, I guess we can go now,” Changmin clasped his hands and beamed after he had done changing his clothes behind the bush.


“Umm, guys, can you all go first? Jjanggu and I will go after you, we promise we’ll be quick,” Monggu said hesitantly, earning surprised looks from the other four.


“Oh? What’s wrong, Monggu-yah?” Yunho raised his eyebrows.


“We... We saw Jun in there and he needs help. It seemed like he was being tortured by his uncle,” the silver-haired boy explained slowly and carefully.


“Yeah, and it looked like he was going to be by that ugly man. By the time we left, that man had stripped Jun completely and he kept on beating him up. Jun was crying like a kid. We... We’ll see if he has stopped. That man was breaking him apart,” Jjanggu supported the other, not daring to look at the others in the eyes.


“...Oh, is that so? You want to help him? But isn’t that too dangerous for you too?” Changmin muttered and stared at the boys with wide eyes. They were really nice to consider helping Jun, but... Would that be the right thing to do?


“We promise we’ll be safe, Changmin-ssi, Yunho-ssi. That Jun in there wasn’t the same Jun that we know. He looked really weak, he talked to a photograph about love and all, he begged for mercy and he bawled like a baby. That man is the real head of the plan, not Jun. Jun has his acceptable reasons for doing stupid things he has done so far, although his acts have passed the limit. Let us help him, please? We’ll come back to you as soon as possible,” Monggu begged. His eyes were glassy again.


Yunho and Changmin looked at each other anxiously.


“But you didn’t get brainwashed by the guards, did you?” Changmin asked, just to make sure.


“Of course not,” the two boys shook their heads immediately.


The two eldest men sighed heavily before giving the boys hesitant nods.


“Okay then. But please be careful, you are under our responsibility and we’ve promised the king to keep you all safe. We’ll go in first then. So where are the spots?” Yunho said.


Monggu and Jjanggu high-fived and told the other four the spots of their targets. After everything was settled, they sneaked out of the bushes and walked towards the building. Yunho and Changmin in disguise as the guards, Lulu and Bomi invisible, Monggu and Jjanggu in form of crows again, flying towards Jun’s window.


It was a really inappropriate sight that greeted the two birds. They thought they were going to throw up, but could birds throw up like that?


“Stop, please stop!!”


Turning their backs and shielding their eyes from glancing at the window with their wings, they shook their heads to clear their minds and looked at each other.


’That’s utterly disgusting. Why are they mating that way? Sheesh, my innocent mind,’ Jjanggu opened his beak and moved his head up and down with wide eyes, pretending to throw up.


’You can’t call that mating. Gosh. Those shrieks,’ Monggu shut his eyes and massaged his head with his wing. ’So here’s the plan. We transform into ants and get in there through this really tiny gap on this window sills. Why ants? Because only ants can go through it. And then we go invisible and turn into snakes. We’ll poison that monster. You bite his snake, I bite his neck. Got it?’


‘Why do I get to bite his snake?? That’s even more disgusting than transforming into skunks!’


‘Because that snake needs to be calmed down and you’re younger.’


‘I’m slightly younger than you! We were born on the same day!’


‘Do you want to bite it or his hairy ?’


‘Ugh. Fine! How much poison? Are we killing him?’


‘No, Jun would get mad instead of being thankful to us. That man is still his family after all. Let’s just make him faint. Maybe for six hours?’


‘Twelve sounds better.’


‘Okay. Ready? Let’s go now.'


Jjanggu nodded and their bodies shrinked into the size of ants. Quite ridiculous, but that was the only way. They could be invisible, but couldn't go through solid obstacles like walls or glass.


Like they had planned, they turned into invisible snakes and moved towards the two males quietly. The unpleasant noises they were making were really distracting, but Monggu and Jjanggu tried hard to ignore them, and their attempt was pretty much successful.


Monggu crawled up the floor lamp behind the man and stretched out his slim body towards his target's neck. Everything was going smooth for him, but not so easy for the other.


Jjanggu looked up at his target and frowned internally.


'How should I reach that without touching his legs? His position makes it hard.'


He shifted his gaze towards the boy. Seeing Monggu ready on his position, Jjanggu didn't bother to think harder and opted to climb Jun's leg to make it quick.


Jun closed his eyes tightly and whimpered when he felt something cold sliding along his bare leg. He thought his crazy uncle was experimenting something new on him again.


Jjanggu also shut his eyes when he almost reached his target. He opened one eye and glanced at Monggu up there, behind the man's neck.


'Yah, are you ready or not?'


Jjanggu gulped before nodding and closing his eyes again.


'Ew, ew. I'm going to brush my teeth ten times when we get home.'


'You can do it as many times as you want later. Ready? One... Two... Three!'


"AAAARRGGHH!"


The man screamed loudly as he pulled away from Jun, his hands clutching his neck and his crotch. Jun sat up immediately and grabbed a cushion to cover his exposed body. He stared at the older with wide eyes, his tear-stained face looked utterly confused, but deep inside he was more than glad that he was free from his uncle's dirty hands.


Soon after, the older male dropped onto the carpeted floor with his eyes closed, creating a dull thud. Monggu and Jjanggu hid behind the couch, just to be safe although they still couldn't be seen.


Jun got up slowly and cautiously with trembling legs. He approached his passed out uncle and nudged him with his foot, and then secretly sighed in relief when he got no response.


But, what happened to him, actually?


Suddenly his eyes widened double times and his hand flew up to his cheek. He felt something strange, something really strange.


"I-I'm just imagining things... He drugged me again, it's just my hallucination... Yeah, that's for sure," he muttered, trying to assure himself.


Yeah, it was probably another unreal feeling that he had just felt. Because it was the feeling of warmth surrounding him, although just for milliseconds, and he could feel a shy hesitant kiss on his cheek, not a hungry and lustful one like usually got from his uncle. That couldn't be real, right? Who would do that to him anyways?


He plopped back down on the couch and hugged the cushion tightly. He felt like crying now. Although it wasn't real, he had to admit that he liked it. And maybe, just maybe, he'd do anything to feel more of those feelings once again.


He blinked once and stared out of the window. His eyes were probably playing tricks again on him.


He wasn't really sure, but he saw a faint shadow of a pretty white snake that climbed his window in a graceful move and then disappeared into the air. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head hard.


"W-What do I do...? I'm screwed up."


Outside the window, Jjanggu – in his invisible human form – couldnt’t stop shouting at his partner. In his mind, of course. He couldn't shout for real, Jun would hear that and end both of them there.


'Why the hell did you kiss him?? Do you want to die?!'


'Well I just wanted to. I want him to be able to feel it too. He lacks affection and love, you know.'


'I can't believe it. You're just impossible, Monggu-yah. You're too nice to him, he's our enemy, remember?? Have you been brainwashed like Changmin-ssi said?? Or... Or is it because you've fallen for him? Just because he has a good face??'


'No, calm down, Jjanggu-yah. I'm still me. And no, I don't feel anything like that. Oh come on, stop exaggerating.'


'Exaggerating, you say? How can you expect me to stop exaggerating after you kissed him??'


'It wasn't exactly a kiss, actually. I barely touched him.'


'But you touched him with your lips! Isn't that called a kiss? Ugh. I hate you.'


Suddenly Monggu pulled the other into his arms and hugged him tightly. Jjanggu froze for a moment, but then he squirmed in attempt to escape from the other's hold.


'Why are you so mad about it, Jjanggu-yah? Tell me about it.'


'No. I think it's clear enough.'


Monggu sighed and shook his head.


'We have no time for this.'


Unexpectedly he tilted his head and captured the other's lips in a short kiss, but, although he was beyond shocked, the younger could feel that it was a sincere one.


'You happy now?'


Jjanggu didn't have time to say anything as the reply because Monggu quickly shoved him up in his arms and jumped off the wall to rush into the building.


The brunette former horse kept his eyes locked on the other all the way into the building. His lips slowly stretched into a big grin and his big eyes curved up into twinkling crescents.


'You're dumb, Monggu-yah.'


'Shut up. You too.'


Jjanggu jumped back on his feet and grabbed Monggu's hand, dragging him to run faster along the corridors. They finally gathered with the others again and walked together. But to the guards around them, what they saw were only two other fellow guards strolling around like other guards were doing.


First, they went to the power switch. They got a guard that they could use to help them. The former horses bit and poisoned him, and while he couldn't move, Lulu appeared in form of a guard and stared at him sharply in the eyes. The guard's eyes turned all-black, and after he could move again, Lulu sent him to the power switch to do the job for them. He didn't just turn everything off, but he also broke the switches.


Everything became dark inside the place. The machine that they used to absorb power from the Heart and the pearls also stopped working. At the same time, their army was being prepared to go in short time. The little chaos inside the building made them have to postpone their department, at least for few minutes.


Many other guards rushed to the hypnotized guard who had broken the switches and started to beat him up. Lulu, still in form of a guard, snapped her fingers and the guard's eyes became normal again right when everyone had their fists flying towards him.