t h e p r e s e n t

Seoul. Summer, 2015

“How was it? Did you take the offer?”

The amount of stress and worry painted on Kai’s well-sculptured face was visible, despite his effort in hiding them behind his trademark smile. “It was quite intriguing, but a bit stressful, I suppose. And, yes, I took the offer,” he replied softly. He looked straight to his phone’s front camera and gave her a gaze that made her freeze in her spot. “I get to keep my promise to Sooyoung, and although the mission has yet to be started, I feel relieved to finally get to see a closure for my father’s case,” he said, giving her a warm smile before he continued, “And I can finally hug and kiss you as much as I want, and not seeing you through video calls on the top of that.”

A small smile glued onto her face due to Kai’s previous remarks. “The plane will land at around four p.m. and I want you to be there in the airport, okay? Don’t be late. I love you.”

As the sun’s presence shied away, the landscape became clearer. The panorama of land following the significant curvature of the Earth. The sky was bright; the blinding sun shooting sparkles off onto the endless blue sea underneath. Her gaze trailed upon the ocean to the beach. The brown sand laying there peacefully, allowing the abrupt waves of the ocean to gallop onto the shore. The landscape did not stop. There was even more beyond the beach as the aircraft made its way to the landing zone.

“We will be making our decent to Incheon International Airport in approximately three minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts and make sure your trays are clear and in an upright position. Please do not leave your seats until we have landed safely.”

The twenty-one-year-old looked over her shoulders only to find her brother’s rather timid expression. In Krystal’s eyes, Lucas did not change much. Aside from his newly dyed black hair and the busy schedule he had to juggle along with his Venator duties, the rest remained the same. His infamous cherubic features along with his doe-like eyes completely veiled his quick-witted mind and intelligent craftiness, making it seemed like he was just another delicate flower boy, which he undoubtedly was not – if Krystal hadn’t known him for so long, she would have been fooled by Lucas’ unchanging looks, as well – as of his notorious status for being a cold-blooded Casanova, the twenty-four-year-old had told Krystal that it was just a part of his past. Lucas would always blame his packed schedule as the heir-in-training of the Shun Group and a Venator for playing a big part in not being able to fool around anymore, but Krystal had always known that his rather devastating break up with none other than Bae Irene might be the only reason that he decided to leave that status behind.

The twenty-four-year-old blinked a few curious eyes at his younger sister, furrowing his eyebrows. “Were you staring at me the whole time?”

Krystal nodded, “Because you looked scared, and you still do now.”

Lucas rolled his eyes whilst sipping his champagne, “You know what I feel about long flights, don’t you?”

The twenty-one year old Krystal did not change much in Lucas’ eyes, aside from her freshly dyed blonde hair and her hair that got longer than before, aside from those two things, the rest remained unchanged. Her long, cascading locks that was the very color of the midnight sky changed into a bright, platinum blonde and it looked almost white. She had been experimenting a lot ever since she got into a university, starting from a blazing red hair, back to dark brown and finally platinum blonde – she still carried the same elegance with a touch of audacious demeanor that she had possessed since a very young age. Similar to her lover, Choi Kai, Krystal had always been famous for her rather curt responses and ill temper – which, in all honestly, Lucas had always thought that it was just her face that made people of those things – Lucas would always chuckle by the thought of how the couple resembled so much of each other.

“Of course I do, brother dear,” Krystal smiled. Eight years flew by since the she became a Venator alongside her brother, yet he was still afraid of long flights. There was nothing much to describe about his fears of flights, really. Lucas would always order two or three glasses of Dom Perignon to get himself a little bit dazed so that his fear of heights would not take over during his time up in the sky.

The aircraft slightly tilted to the left and began a slow and steady turn. Down below, the ground looked as though they were square plots on a huge map. Gradually, everything began to come into view – Krystal had been holding her laugh the entire time as she saw Lucas’ face was gradually getting paler as the aircraft descended – as the plane neared the ground, small cars heading down the long highways of black ribbon came into view, as well as various colored houses and skyscrapers of different sizes and shapes. A sudden bump signaled the landing gear was release, and Lucas – who was sitting by her side – jumped slightly at the sound of the latter. Trees and rooftops whizzed by as the aircraft made its final turn onto the waiting runway, followed by a mild rumbling as the tires touched the tarmac. A loud rush of air giving pressure to the brakes gently brought the plane to a much lower speed, culminating the final act of taxiing slowly into the arrival gate.

“Okay, you can relax now, Lucas. We’re here.”

Summer this year did not come as summer, or so Krystal perceived. It came through her as fast as a LaFerrari, dashing past the rather dull spring she had spent back at home – Beijing – without giving her a second chance to take a breath. It raced against the sun rising from the horizon, it engulfed people in a blazing inferno, setting them aflame with all that was passionate, irrational, red and hot. Summer this year did not come as summer, but as a surge of adrenaline through her veins.

Krystal had always waited for this moment to come, for her to finally be able to stay for more than two weeks in Seoul, for her to finally break free from her usual repetitive activities in Beijing. It was a bright cloudless day in the middle of Seoul’s summer, the sun scintillated in the large expanse of blue sky, watching the people flank the arrival gates, waiting to see if there was anyone who was waiting.

She stood there, amidst the crowd near the entryway, the airport seemed exceptionally crowded today. She saw a crowd of young girls, approximately her age, forming a line as though they were waiting for someone to come out and along their sides, there were a group paparazzi and reporters.

Good Lord, what now? An actor? Singer? Krystal thought as she reached for a pair of her favorite sunglasses in her black Balenciaga handbag, and then all of the sudden the place became a riot of blinding camera flashes and the loud noises of young girls yelling and screaming on top of their lungs just to be noticed by an actor that happened to be on the same flight as her and her brother.

Krystal strode through the sea of people, a sea that parted almost immediately with each of her own intimidating character. With a pattering of footsteps she could feel a soft tap on her shoulder, and then a nudge on her arm. Krystal pushed her pair of sunglasses up to her nose. “What now, Lucas?”

Lucas raised his eyebrows at his younger sister’s rather curt response. “What did you say? What were you thinking to just storm off like that without even bringing your own luggage? Do you even –“

Krystal allowed an enigmatic smile to cross her ivory features as she noticed one man – her heart skipped a beat. Through the crowd, she caught a glimpse of a familiar crafty set of brown eyes. There he was, standing just a few feet away from her. The man’s eyes met hers as he glanced around the crowd, and he instinctively froze for a moment. He gave her his trademark smirk as he moved confidently through the sea of people, making his way to her.

He was there, standing amongst the crowd. It was strange for how their gazes almost instantly locked with each other. Choi Kai, the last time she saw him was two months ago, yet the only thing changed about him was his haircut, she thought his hair looked a little bit longer and a little bit more disheveled than before. Choi Kai was always the type to keep everything down low – almost basic – it was contrasting to how Lucas would usually dress himself, always over the top and extravagant.

Before she knew how or when, Kai was already standing in front of her, his deep set of brown eyes gazing at her. His tall figure stood before her, with an oversized black t-shirt that perfectly clad his firm figure, completed by the infamous plaid Gucci cropped trousers and a pair of black Nike sneakers that completed the laid back style he was going for. “Looking for me, babe?” he breathed.

A second later, Krystal felt as though as she could not breathe properly. Her eyes were visibly dilated as she felt a sudden but soft pressure against her lips – strong and forceful, robbing her of her breaths and anything coherent that had been in her mind – it was quite overwhelming for her, because she knew that it had been two months since they last saw each other and she could also feel that Kai had almost completely lost control. He pulled her closer, inebriating himself with warmth; this was the Choi Ka she knew, to her Kai was never the vain, ever-so tactical Venator that he was known for. She knew the both of them shared a connection during that very fateful night in Beijing, where they had accidentally found each other though the haunting melodies of Moonlight Sonata. To her, being with Kai was the only time the both of them can be themselves.

Then, Krystal pulled away. She gazed at him, stunned and almost embarrassed, just inches from his face. There was a moment of silence before a smile spread across Kai’s lips. “Why did you pull away?” he complained as he tried to sneak another kiss, but only to be interrupted by a loud throat clearing noise from behind.

“Are you guys done?” a warm, melodic voice drifted into her ears. She looked over Kai’s shoulder, only to have her eyes pondering over a familiar figure. She remembered she used to be a few inches taller than her, and now there she was … the little Choi Sooyoung grew up to become a ravishingly beautiful young lady. Her long cascading black waves cascaded down her back, accompanied by a pair of gold statement earrings on both of her ears. Garbed in a fitted vintage cropped black top and a high-waisted jeans that harmonized well with her ivory features; she looked completely different.

“Sooyoung, hi,” she greeted her, giving her an awkward smile as she wiped the stains of her lipstick across Kai’s full lips. “Sorry, I think your brother missed me a little bit too much.”

A little smile formed along her bold, red lips as she walked toward her brother, taking off her classic RayBan aviators in the process. “That’s okay, I think Mr. Loverboy right here would love to spend more time with his girl while she’s here,” she uttered. “It’s nice seeing you again, Krys,” she said, leaning in for a friendly hug. “Such a bummer that you’re here for a mission though, I wished the circumstances were leaning more towards our side rather than the Conclave’s.”

“Who says we can’t have fun while we’re on a joint mission?” Lucas swung over his arm toward his seemingly bewildered friend. “I told your driver to bring your girlfriend’s luggage into your car’s trunk, I hope you don’t mind,” he playfully chortled, giving a small pats to Kai’s broad shoulder. “And, Kai, I hope you don’t mind having your little sister in a car with me. She texted me earlier, saying that she probably couldn’t stand being with the both of you in the same car,” he said, emitting a few amused chuckles as he lead Sooyoung’s way into his brand new Mercedes sport his father had just bought him a few weeks earlier. “Oh, and you guys can continue whatever that almost happened here back in the apartment … or their huge house or whatever.”

Krystal threw him a dry look as Lucas waved a hand. A look of discontent that had been caught for a while in her facial expression almost immediately dissipate as she transmitted a few good laughs. “I’m so sorry about that, he had a few drinks and now he’s a bit tipsy,” Krystal said, half-laughed and half-sighed. “You know how he feels about long flights don’t you?”

Kai chortled as he helped with Krystal’s handbag and guided her to the black Aston Martin that was already waiting for them. “Obviously,” Kai rolled his eyes. “Come on, let’s go. Let’s continue whatever happened back there, or so that was what Lucas said.”

Just when she was about to enter the car, her phone buzzed and Krystal reluctantly drew her phone out of her jeans pocket.

Lucas: Exodus Club. 10 P.M. Everyone’s coming, so don’t you even think about bailing! And don’t forget to bring your lover boy along too, Sooyoung said he’s not always on his phone so he’s always a day late to what’s happening.

“To us!”

The club was a riot of blinding lights and deafening electronic beats, hazy monochromatic and inebriated intoxication, women moving their hips in a tight cocktail dresses and men grinding their edges wrapped in tight pants that stretched against their legs, sweat oozing off their fervent bodies and heat burning their drunken souls. Amidst the overheated club, six adolescents raised their glasses and clinked them together.

Lucas brought the a shot of whisky to his lip, downing half it all in an energetic one shot. He felt the alcohol made its way through his throat, sending electrifying currents piercing through his veins and sparks bursting in his head.

Lucas slung an arm over Mark’s shoulder, raising his glass once again toward a group of his few inner circles in Caedis Sicarius. “Should we do another toast for our joint mission?” he gleefully said, grinning amusedly at his friends. “I think we should really do another toast! We should celebrate this moment while we can,” he added. “Because we all know things won’t be pretty when the Conclave members bring us in for case briefing tomorrow!”

Across him, Sehun set his glass of champagne down. He ran his finger through his already disheveled black locks. “I think you’ve had enough now, Lucas. You’re clearly drunk,” he chortled. “Going into that room with a hangover wouldn’t be the greatest idea, specifically when Changmin and Yoona’s going to be there.”

Lucas let out a long sigh, resting his back onto the velvety sofa and closing both of his eyes shut. Deep down, Lucas knew that he was never a person who run away from his own inner conflicts by being completely wasted, however he was also aware that his ‘inner conflicts’ were more than just a mere dilemma or a confusion – for him, it was almost like a war inside his head and he could not get to see who was on the winning side. The war inside his head was more than anything he could handle, as memories of the past came rushing into his head and having all sorts of these unwanted dread for what was coming after them in every missions had always sent him over the edge. Being one of the most youngest forensic psychologist, Lucas should have known more to control his emotions and his thoughts, but he could not, specifically when he felt a sense of having to protect the people he cherished at all cost.

Sooyoung quietly took the empty glass from Lucas’ hand before he could break another glass, slowly putting it back into its place on the table. He could hear her saying ‘I think he passed out’ to Mark as the younger tried to get him back to his senses.

Lucas opened his eyes almost immediately and reached out for another glass of alcohol out of impulse – maybe he was already too intoxicated to even think coherently – he swallowed whatever was left on the glass he just took and the jolts of electricity seemed to numb him from the rest of the noise. All he heard was muffled beats the DJ was playing and all his saw was blurry.

“Hey! You don’t have to finish whatever’s left on the table!” Mark snapped, pushing Lucas’ arm off of his shoulder. “He is really drunk right now, oh my God.”

Lucas groaned, slamming both of his hands on the table and getting to his feet decisively. “Guys, look what’s around you! The night’s still young!” he said. “Come on, Mark!”

Sehun and Sooyoung simply emitted peals of amused laughter as they saw the overly excited Lucas dragged the seemingly bewildered Mark to the dance floor. That was the time when Lucas realized that maybe all he needed now was the headache, the numbness and the deafening sound of the beats blasting from the speakers for him to forget what was about to come tomorrow.

Aside from the flashy neon lights that blinded one’s sight and the blaring sound of the trap beat that was playing from inside the club, Kai and Krystal had decided to escape the crowd on the balcony of the building, looking over the view of Seoul city that seemed like the night was never going to end – on the cosmopolitan street of Gangnam, she still could see flocks of people in a garbed nicely in cocktail dresses and flashy shirts waiting in line to get into one of the popular night clubs in the city; they chatter and stroll in the summer heat.

She stood there alongside her lover whilst dusted off fragments of golden confetti’s from her black satin dress and onto Kai’s black leather jacket. She let out a long sigh as she rested her head on Kai’s broad shoulder, setting down her half full champagne flute onto the marble railings, looking exceptionally indifferent to drink the rest of it.

Kai let out a small chuckle, his eyes averted to his drink, then back to her. “The stress must’ve caught up on him,” he muttered under his breath, leisurely drinking the rest of his whisky and setting the glass back to the marbled rail. “He’s not always like this.”

“Lucas doesn’t really say it, but everyone around him knows,” Krystal replied almost immediately. “It’s just – how to say it – he always feels like he’s responsible for everything that’s happened.”

She turned to Kai, and his pair of amber eyes had glinted the same indescribable vengeance and luminosity. Krystal who had momentarily lost himself was now able to crack an intelligent, crafty smirk – Kai had always been driven by a sense of justice, to put things back to its rightful place and vengeance. Krystal had always knew it, whereas her older brother had a utterly differing beliefs and that very reason was the cause of his unending inner conflicts.

She watched her brother’s hand gripping the whiskey bottle as he was trying to pour himself another drink to numb the pain he was going through. Krystal had always sensed it from the very start, the mission his team was dispatched to was a suicide mission and she knew it was almost impossible for him to protect every single one of his teammates in that kind of condition; after the death of one of his good friend, Si Cheng, his world seemed as though it was crumbling down.

“I don’t want to be another piece of their game.”

Krystal was taken aback by the harsh tone in her brother’s voice, but her eyes gaze did not bat. The bitter scent of alcohol could be smelt from his body and he knew his sister could see him struggling to keep balance, somewhere deep inside he knew his brain was sending signals telling him what to do but his body was listening to a completely different story.

“It’s not your fault, Lucas,” she knew he was not expecting for an answer, however she had to say it.

His eyes swivelled toward the back of his head in a distressed sense of throbbing headache. He tilted his head toward the edge of the couch as he took a long swig of the dark substance that intoxicated him.

“Is this what we really want to do, Krys? We’re assassins for God’s sake. What do they really want us to do?” he breathed heavily. “To kill ourselves completely in this never ending war?”

Kai turned to Krystal, and his kissed her rosy cheeks; the usual scent of roses and vanilla ran through his nose. “We just have to survive this all to see the end,” he said, his tone was smooth and cool. “I’m sure he perfectly knows that we can’t do anything about it,” he paused, taking another sip of his whiskey. “We’re just their puppets and that’s the ugly truth about us.”

Her pair of brown eyes dilated in response to Kai’s previous statement, she would not have ever thought those words could escape his lips. Her attention was focused on Kai for quite a while, her pair of brown orbs seemed like it was piercing through him. Deep inside she knew Kai was telling the truth, but it was so much harder to swallow than the amount of alcohol she had that night.

The both of them drink in silence, hoping that the answers lie at the bottom of the glass and so the night dragged on. Few words exchanged within the adolescents and the words that were spoken were slurred and senseless.

//

a/n: Made this little note to apologize (again) for the super long delay of the fourth chapter. I initially said three years ago that I would be making an update as soon as possible, but I couldn't because things just got a lot crazier since then. I'm sorry if this long overdue update is not up to your expectations, I have to admit that my writing skill isn't as good as how it used to be. This chapter is actually shorter than my previous ones, but I hope it's worth the wait. Anyway, as I have stated previously on my blog post and the notice, I changed some of the characters and I hope you don't mind. I've already updated the blog post of the "character overview" kind of thing (Caedis Sicarius: The Revelations) and the icons of this story. 

On to the other side of the note! I kind of like this chapter, despite half of it being about drunk Lucas and how they have fun. I really like it. I think it's mainly because you can actually see their growth from their teen years into their adulthood. The first three chapters, including the prologue, has a rather serious tone, but this one seemed rather laid back than the previous one. I did this to make you all think that despite being hunters and all, they still want to have fun. This chapter is like one of those scenes in a movie where people have fun the night before a big war, they did this because they don't know how much of their happiness will be left after the mission, specifically for Kai and Sooyoung.

I'd like to see how do you think about their character development and seeing new sides of them in the comments down below. 

Though it’s a really late, thank you so much for reading!

Xo, Ocean.