She awakened to find herself cuddling with a man in bed. Her hair was a little soaked although it had been towel-dried courtesy of the man lying beside her. She was only clad in her delicates while the man was in his boxer shorts. He must have taken her clothes off so that he could tend to her injuries and keep her from catching the flu thanks to their journey.

The blonde slowly propped an elbow to support her head as she studied the figure that slept beside her with his arm draped over her bare waist. Her bruises and cuts were getting better already. They still hurt, she had to admit, but the pain had been lessened.

The figure beside her was sleeping peacefully. He, too, had bruises and cuts on his body. Watching him sleep so comfortably felt like déjà vu. She couldn’t believe that he was with her right now. She wouldn’t have known the truth if what happened last night had not transpired.

***

They were running for dear life and had managed to find refuge inside the utility closet just in time. The hiding place was dark and cramped but both agents couldn’t care less. Safety was top priority in their list. They needed to get out of the place alive and in one piece.

The footsteps from outside had stopped. It gave them the cue to escape. The two agents stealthily ambled out of the utility closet, their thoughts filled with fear of the unknown. Everything suddenly grew silent as they crept down the hall, cautious of making any sound. Guns were at the ready on their hands as they walked, their backs to the walls to hide them from their enemies and to keep them from getting surprised by attacks.

The two agents crouched to the ground, leaning against the walls after hearing footsteps come their way from another annex. A pair of shadows took form and soon a foot came within view. Agent Black immediately reacted. In one fluid motion, he unleashed his pocket knife and plunged it onto the guard’s foot. The victim released a groan and before he could react, Black cupped his mouth, released his knife from its hold, and slit his throat. 

The other guard turned just in time to see his partner fall, but Jessica had been quick to take him down by shooting him point blank with her silenced handgun. The two guards stumbled to the floor in the pool of their own blood as the two HQ agents stalked off to another corridor.

A few voices were heard from behind and this alarmed both agents as they hastened their pace only to run into five guards who shot them with a stun gun. Stun bullets had hit Jessica on the abdomen and on her previously injured shoulder as she shielded her partner from the shots. It immediately took effect and Jessica found herself crippled by the excruciating pain as she sunk to the floor, her hand clutching her stomach. 

Agent Black immediately took out their adversaries and carried his fallen comrade on his back before sprinting towards a random room of the building.

Jessica found herself at a loss for oxygen as her mask hindered her labored breathing, making it harder for her to gasp for air. Her vision was blurring as they stumbled into an empty room which, much to their relief, presented them with hope of escaping the facility. 

The room had a ventilation shaft that led directly to the rooftop. Agent Black took the opportunity to shoot a wire towards the shaft’s exit before tying it to the lid which he had detached from its previous position. He then adjusted his hold on his semi-conscious partner before he allowed the mechanism of their makeshift pulley to get to work, pulling them up the shaft with ease. 

They had only alighted from the shaft on the rooftop when the guards had burst through the roof deck’s door, calling out to them as another round of shots rang. Black ran while he crouched low to keep him and his injured comrade from getting hit. They were lucky enough that the building was near the river. 

Agent Black had no choice but to jump into the water from the 10th floor of the building. They both made a huge splash as they touched the freezing water. He struggled with the tide as he tried to keep himself and Jessica afloat before he spotted a tunnel that led to the underground water system of the city. 

The male agent was able to help his partner out of the manhole nearest their car after a few more minutes of navigating the tunnel. It was the moment when they got comfortable in the car when Agent Black had decided to tend to some of his partner’s wounds. 

Jessica was barely conscious by then. She had been struggling to keep herself awake as she was allowed to settle on the passenger seat with Black’s assistance. When her partner had taken his place on the other side of the car, he unceremoniously freed Jessica of her mask which had been a burden to her ever since she had gotten injured. 

“Jessica?!” Was the last thing she heard as her muddled mind tried to register the face that had uncovered himself before her, just as her consciousness left her. 

Taeyeon’s face came into her vision just before everything went black. 


***

She continued to watch him for awhile before he shifted, his eyes fluttering open to catch her staring at him – not that she’d mind getting caught.

“Jessica?” His voice was groggy yet gentle as he rubbed his eyes of sleep.

“Hmm?”

“Are you all right?” He asked with concern, eyes now staring directly into her brown orbs.

“I feel better now.” She replied in a soft voice.

“That’s good.”

“Taeyeon?”

“Hmmm?”

“I’m sorry.”

Taeyeon’s eyes widened, confused of his fiancée’s reason for the apology. “For what?”

“For slowing us down during the mission,” she whispered, eyes filled with pain. They spent day one observing the facility’s activities and day two infiltrating and commencing the mission.

She was about to cry when she felt a pair of lips capture hers. She pulled back startled by the kiss, but her fiancée was quick to recapture it again. She soon gave in and allowed him to shower her with his reassurance, telling that it was fine. The kiss turned passionate which somehow bewildered Jessica because the Kim had been careful with her. He had always been.

When they pulled away, Jessica found herself staring into his deep brown eyes. They were beautiful and hypnotizing that the Jung found it addicting to stare into. She was only awakened from the trance when he had called her attention.

“Jessica…”

“Yes?”

“It’s not your fault.”

Her only response was to snuggle closer to him, press her ear on his bare chest and hear his steady heartbeat. She ignored that fact that there was something poking her from below. She knew Taeyeon had self-control and she had trusted him more after what happened. They were both silent for a long time until the Jung fell asleep.

As Taeyeon was about to drift into dreamland, he heard his fiancée mutter in her slumber, “Tiffany…”

He sighed.

Jessica was still Tiffany’s after everything that he and the blonde had gone through.

***

Hwang Industries Office Building

“Jackson Hwang…”

“Don’t tell me you’re back in Korea, Baby Jung…”

Giggles were heard over the phone. Tiffany was stunned at the sudden call.

“I am back.”

“When did you arrive?”

“I’m at the airport right now. I had just gotten off the last flight for today. Could you give me a lift home?”

“S-Sure…”

“Thanks, unnie. I’ll be waiting!”

Tiffany stared at her phone for a while after the call ended, unable to swallow the reality that Jessica Jung’s baby sister, Krystal, was back. The younger sister was a mischievous one. She’s as sly as her older sister and Tiffany inwardly fears her for the simple fact that Krystal has a huge sister complex.

Tiffany remembered how Krystal protected her older sister when she had found out that one of Jessica’s suitors was a player. The man was left to his misery thanks to Baby Jung. Jessica was busy playing with relationsh