Another spy story for ya’ll. This one is slightly different than the others though. Following previous one shots Baby, I Got Your Back (chap 191) and Agent AF7 (chap 229)

ISAIA Headquarters

4:03 A.M.

Taehyung stood still as a statue. His back stiflingly straight as his eyes stared ahead with no particular focal point. He had his arms locked behind him; fists closed tight as he took in his superior’s reproach.

In front of him, Suho stood tall with hardened eyes, reprimanding him profusely the moment he was called in after his failed mission not long ago. It was late (or early), but the agency never slept and it’s not like Taehyung would be sleepy after a night of adrenaline—not to mention a night of unexpected circumstances that happened just a few hours ago.

“Do you eve realize the consequences of your actions, Agent AF9?” Suho spat and Taehyung clenched his jaw to hide the wince he felt from the inside. Taehyung might be taller than him but the man exhibited authority and was one of the best agents of ISAIA. There was a reason why he was at his position now; leading the agency through its various operations. He looked up to Suho a lot and considered him a role model. It was one of the reasons why Taehyung always made sure to do well in training—to succeed in the missions given to him.

And he did, he always did. He didn’t become a level A agent if he didn’t.

But tonight, he just might get himself a demotion for what he had done. Maybe stripped from his badge if Suho were to know the complete truth about his slip-up.

“I know, sir.” Taehyung answered stiffly, face hard and impassive.

“Oh you know?” Suho chuckled, but it was anything but amused. “You knew and yet tonight still happened. Your mistake almost cost us the whole mission! Cost an agent’s life, Kim.” Taehyung winced at that, knowing Suho only called agents by their surnames when he was mad. Really mad. “You should have known better. The plan was so simple…”

It was, Taehyung thought, feeling the regret gnawing at him from within. He had the mission mapped in his head and he knew what to do like the back of his hand. It was simple: implant the bomb and burn the place down. He had trained well enough and worked long enough in this agency to know “better”. And yet he still did it. He messed up… he chose to mess up and let the enemy get away.  

“Why, Taehyung?” Suho asked, echoing his own question that has been pestering him since the mission failed. “You don’t make mistakes,” the man added, voice almost soft—imploring. Taehyung was one of the best agents of ISAIA and he hardly ever made any slip-up’s this serious.

“There was a mistake in the installation of the explosives, sir. A wiring issue I had overlooked and it prevented the trigger from working. It won’t happen again, I assure you. I apologize and will take whatever punishment.”

Suho didn’t speak at his explanation, taking it in. Taehyung was a good liar but Suho didn’t say that he had been supervising the whole mission earlier that night and he knew for sure Taehyung could have gone home successfully. There wasn’t a faulty wire. Taehyung chose to fail and the older was confused as to why he would sacrifice the mission so willingly; even risk his and another agent’s life in the process.

He sighed, suddenly feeling too old for this. They are grown men—agents, for goodness sake, he grumbled. They aren’t school boys that get punished.

“I think you need to apologize to agent AI4, and maybe her wrath can be your punishment.”

Taehyung’s eye twitched a little, glad that the punishment wasn’t all bad…

“Also, you’re suspended from missions till the end of the month. You’ll train the recruits for now.”

Taehyung swallowed to keep the whine from coming out—that petulant side of him that wanted to protest. He would take 500 push-ups, even take an errand across the globe than train recruits. It’s not that it was bad… training just bored him. Everything happened so slowly in the recruit’s training facility.

“You’re dismissed. Let’s not make a second mistake like this again, understood?” Suho said sternly before turning from him and moving to his desk to return to his laptop. Taehyung nodded once before turning around as well, thinking how this wasn’t the first mistake, no…

His first mistake was getting attached in the first place.

Once upon a time, Taehyung was part of a mob empire operating in Seoul. They did some illegal dealings, from illicit drug trading to human trafficking; things Taehyung wouldn’t be so proud to tell knowing the despicable things he had done…

Long story short: he worked for some really bad people and that made him a really bad guy too.

It was only a few years ago when Taehyung decided this wasn’t the life he wanted. He always knew he was doing the wrong thing by staying with his so-called family. But that was exactly why he couldn’t just leave…

When Taehyung had been abandoned when he was just a baby, left in a small box beside a dumpster in a secluded alleyway, it was Black—Arthur Black, the leader of their organization, who took him in. Black raised him like he would his own son and gave him shelter to live in, clothes to wear, food to eat, with the added bonus of everything and anything money could every buy. The money may have been stolen or acquired through their illicit trades but it gave Taehyung a chance to live. Black gave him a home and Taehyung should only be grateful.

But that didn’t mean he liked it every time he saw an innocent man get shot in the head for not meeting their code of standards; when he saw women being kidnapped and dragged into their brothels, and even when children were brought into their world—tainting their innocence and scarring them for life.

Taehyung ignored it for years, swallowing down the bile at the sight of blood and death; turning his cheek from their cries and calls for help.

When Black died (shot in his own home), the more Taehyung felt lost and afraid, and the thought of escape became even more palpable. He knew he was no longer safe here—he never was, and it was only a matter of time before one of those bullets pierced through his own skull.

He was 16 when the new leader was appointed and Taehyung knew it was the perfect time to escape now that he was no longer under the limelight. It’s true that almost anyone within the organization knew of him but now that a new leader has been inducted, everyone would have their eyes on him and Taehyung would soon blend into the background as merely a man operating on the inside.

Wang Joo was a big man with an even bigger ego. Taehyung was neither close to him nor was he a stranger in the man’s eyes considering Taehyung’s close relations with Black. The two just waded on the acquaintance zone.

Taehyung wouldn’t say he disliked the man but he was no fan of him either having been familiar with his operations. Taehyung was familiar with everybody and their jobs… making him almost like a walking database.

But he still wasn’t God, and so he wasn’t all-knowing…

He never knew Wang Joo had a daughter.

And nothing could have prepared him for that.

“Where you off to?” asked agent AF7, also known as Jeon Jungkook, a man Taehyung trusted with his life within the agency. Jungkook was the one who brought him into ISAIA six years ago. Although the guy was two years younger than him, he was far more good at what he does and was even one of his trainers during his recruitment years. Jungkook had it in his blood, everybody knew that for his father was an agent of ISAIA too, and Taehyung was grateful for that day they met. If it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t have started over. He would still be killing people instead of saving them. Jungkook somewhat showed him a better purpose, and he was thankful for that.

“Home,” Taehyung sighed as he shoved his hand into the pockets of his slacks. “You?”

“Mission,” Jungkok mumbled, head down and tapping away on his iPhone.

“Where to?”

“London,” he answered just as the elevator doors opened. “Heard you got suspended.”

Taehyung huffed. News sure traveled fast… “Yeah.”

“Should I be disappointed?” Jungkook finally looked at him but his expression was anything but disappointed. In fact, he only looked curious, like he knew Taehyung had a reason why he had done what he did.

“You should.” Taehyung answered curtly as he stepped out. “I’ll see you later. Good luck on the mission.”

Jungkook nodded as Taehyung moved to walk away, feeling the guilt gnawing at him from within. Jungkook was a good friend and he owed a lot to him to get to where he is now. He didn’t want him to think that all those training didn’t mean anything… that he hadn’t moved on or changed…

But the mission last night proved just how much he clung to his past and Taehyung felt ashamed of himself.

“Hey, hyung!” Jungkook called, keeping a finger pressed to the open button to keep the elevator from closing. Taehyung looked over his shoulder, eyebrows raised in question.

“Hmm?”

Jungkook paused for a moment before saying, “Whatever you did, I know you did it because you knew it was the right thing.”

Taehyung’s eyes widened slightly, unsure how to react. Jungkook gave him a small smile and added, “Don’t beat yourself up for it too much.”

Jungkook was about the release his hold on the button when Taehyung asked, “How do you know that?”

Jungkook looked up at him then, eyes glinting mischievously. “Because I’ve messed up in missions too, and I only do that when I think it’s the right thing to do, even if it jeopardizes my life,” he said casually. “And besides, I wouldn’t have brought you here if I didn’t know you were capable of knowing right from wrong… right?”

Before Taehyung could reply, Jungkook nodded and gave him a curt “see you” as the doors closed; leaving him all the more confused about his choices.

Flashback

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we went to school?”

Taehyung glanced to his left, seeing her hair covering the side of her face as she fiddled with a pistol. He thought he never looked more gorgeous then with the gun in her hand even if the case was practically empty.

“School?” Taehyung echoed. “Hmm. Not really…”

“Didn’t you ever want to go to school, Tae?”

“What’s so special about it anyway?” he said instead, pulling his knee up and hanging his arm on it. “Last time I checked, kids are trying to get out of it.”

She chuckled then and Taehyung felt himself smile at the sound. He glanced at her again, catching her face lit up with mirth; her warm brown eyes turning into crescents and Taehyung felt his heart constrict—in a good way.

“I guess you’re right. I just… I don’t know. I thought it’d be nice to go to school, you know? Hang out with a group of friends, complain about having too much homework…” she paused and Taehyung tried to imagine himself in that kind of setting. He had to admit it felt nice. He wondered what would be like to attend college, take his bachelor’s, choose his own career path…

“And maybe go out on dates with your boyfriend…” she added and Taehyung whipped his head towards her at the suggestion, a smile creeping to his face.

“I’m getting a sense you’re not really in it for the ‘learning’.” Taehyung commented which made them laugh. He then reached out to take her hand, their fingers intertwining before resting on her lap. “We can always go on a date, if you want.”

She snorted. “Yeah, like my dad will let me go out without at least two guys following me.”

Taehyung chewed on his lip for a moment, thinking. He then leaned over to her, his lips grazing her ear just as an idea sparked in him.

“We don’t have to let them know…” he drawled, voice dipping low. “Just you and me. Tonight. I’ll take you wherever you want.”

She shivered at his words before looking at him slyly. Taehyung had that mischievous glint in his eyes and she wanted nothing more but to kiss him till they were both breathless.

“Why Taehyung, are you asking me to sneak out?”

Taehyung grinned and leaned against the wall, laughing breathlessly. He placed a hand over his heart before glancing at her with a wink. “You always did bring out the worse in me.”

She chuckled before kissing his cheek, and Taehyung blushed at the contact. Even more so when she replied, “Anywhere. I’ll go anywhere with you.”

End of flashback

2 days later

“Let’s wrap it up! You guys are dismissed.”

The recruits gave a chorused thanks and goodbye before leaving the training room one by one. Taehyung smiled at them, clapping some boys on the shoulder and telling them how they trained well for the day.

He didn’t love handling recruits but he didn’t exactly hate it either. There were days when he liked being the teacher, sharing what he knows and training them into becoming good agents the way some of his superiors did to him. ISAIA gave him another chance… Jungkook, Suho, and the rest of the people in the agency gave him a second chance to change; trusted him to be someone other than that boy who lived his life doing awful things from years before.

“Hey teacher, class over?”

Taehyung looked up at the familiar voice and smirked, “Agent AI4, fancy seeing you here.”

Agent AI4, Ariane Park, strolled into the room still in her fight gear. Her dark hair was tied in a ponytail and she was balancing a helmet on her right hip.

She rolled her eyes, “Drop the formalities and take me to dinner, Kim. I’m starved.”

“How forward,” Taehyung chuckled as he removed his gloves. He turned towards her, biting his lip and conjuring his “seductive” gaze. “Didn’t know you wanted to date me so badly. I’m flattered.”

Ariane looked insulted at that and looked ready to murder to which Taehyung held his hands up in mocked surrender—laughing. Since he almost got her killed at their last mission, Taehyung had to treat her food whenever she liked for the next two months. He secretly prayed for his wallet upon the agreement. “I was kidding, chill. Just let me get ready and we can go wherever you want.”

Ariane stuck out his tongue at him and turned to leave. “Yeah, I’ll meet you downstairs. Just have to get out of my gear—”

“Do you need help with that—whoa!” Taehyung dodged swiftly to the right, the blade missing him by an inch before hitting the target at the far wall. He looked at Ariane incredulously while the latter merely smiled at him sweetly. It looked sinister.

“You were saying?”

“Nothing…”

“Nothing what?”

“Nothing, mam.” Taehyung gulped as he watched her walk away. Taehyung admired Ariane a lot and they he had chosen to pair with her in most missions—so much that people began to think they were partners. They weren’t. They just worked well enough with each other. They still preferred going solo.

There wasn’t any form of romantic inclination between them. They were both attractive, sure, but they knew better than to mix work with relationships. Attachments were never ideal when your job involved fighting off criminals who could use said attachments to your disadvantage. Dating was an unspoken prohibition in the agency.

Besides, Taehyung only ever had eyes for one…

At the thought, the sinking feeling in his chest returned, remembering the failed mission… Remembering how an attachment was exactly what caused this mess in the first place.

He sighed and prepared to leave; praying Ariane wasn’t in the mood to order the whole damn menu like last time.

After dinner, Taehyung walked back to his apartment alone; taking the longer route as he wanted to take a stroll. It was past 10 P.M. and the streets leading to his neighborhood was almost empty. He walked silently, his shoes making