When Henry decided that he wanted to show his worth in the gang he kind of wished he had a future self to talk to so he knew what it all entitled. Because the mission that he was given by Donghae was not at all what he was expecting, or really wanting. And he was beginning to think Donghae was punishing him more than helping him. Why else would he be told to tail after the famed Jang WooHyuk for the last few weeks? To be honest at first the man had no idea what was so important about the cop that needed constant attention but the more time he spent in the man's shadow the more he began to realize the truth.

Not only was Jang WooHyuk someone who needed to be watched, but he was someone that needed to be feared. Because it didn’t take long for the young man to notice that while WooHyuk was very much a police officer and someone who was very dangerous. Clearly there was more to him than anyone could see at eye level. What the darker side of WooHyuk entitled was still up in the air for Henry. He just had a gut feeling that the true side of him was going to be revealed soon and it was going to change everything.

At least that's what he thought as he sat in Shinee Café nursing a cup of hot chocolate. It was an odd hour where Woohyuk was at the police station and didn't require Henry to be vigilantly watching him. He was somewhat a regular now to the café and enjoyed their hot chocolate. And he also became somewhat friends with the younger man Taemin. The younger man made him feel welcomed and was a good ear when he needed to rant about Donghae, the mission, or his life in general. But he didn’t reveal too much to the younger man. He also seemed to sense that Taemin, while a good friend at the moment, may not be the best person to put a lot of trust into. After all he understood where Shinee stood with TVXQ. And he didn’t want to reveal something that could make its way back to Yunho and cause any unnecessary trouble for his leader.

He was so involved with his thought that he didn’t hear the familiar ring of the door when someone entered. Or that the new arrival had made its way to Henry's table and sat across from him. It wasn’t until said person tapped Henry on the hand that he realized he had company. And proceeded to jump in his seat and knock over his cup of hot chocolate.

"Mi MI!" He cried in surprise before he began frantically cleaning up the mess he made. "Sorry!"

Zhou Mi chuckled as he waved a hand to Taemin. The young man came over and quickly cleaned up the mess. Henry kept his head down in embarrassment and didn’t look up even when Taemin left them alone. He was always embarrassing himself in front of Zhou Mi lately and it was starting to bother him. He had picked up this mission to not only show Donghae that he was worthy, but also to show his lover that he could take care of himself as well. And here is was being a clumsy fool again. It was frustrating.

Zhou Mi sat across from him silently before smiling. He reached over and took Henry's hand in his. Henry looked up with red cheeks and Zhou Mi chuckled.

"Henry, I hope you never change." He said softly.

"You want me to stay a clumsy fool forever?" Henry asked a little hurt.

"No, I want you to stay as innocent as possible." He explained. "Your innocence is something I want to protect for as long as I can."

"But if I stay innocent then I will only become a burden for you and Donghae." He complained upset.

"But if you stay innocent you can walk away from this place when all is said and done." Zhou Mi argued without pause. "And that is more important than you proving you worth to this gang."

"Mi Mi?"

"Listen." He said as he took both of his lovers hands. "You are one of the few members in this gang who entered it willingly and not realizing all that it entitled. Donghae didn’t want you here not just because you are clumsy, but because you are innocent. Not just in nature, but innocent of any crimes. Yes you have killed before but it was so long ago that most people don’t even remember it. So if one day we disband this gang, or merge with someone else, or even if you decide you want to leave someday. You will be able to have that opinion without any stained records. You can go back to China and work in your parents dumpling shop. Or even to Canada and work on your music career like you were always planning. You would be able to walk away a free man. But only if you keep your innocence."

Henry bit his lip. He knew what Zhou Mi was saying. And it was a tempting thought. He loved everyone in the gang, but he also knew he was one of the few who would be able to get a new beginning if something happened. And he wanted that life. But only if it included Zhou Mi, something both knew would never be the case. Because while Henry was still rather pure, Zhou Mi had a lot of blood on his hands.

"I have to do this Mi Mi." He declared with a strong voice. "I have to show you that I can defend myself, even if it means blooding my hands."

Zhou Mi sighed and squeezed his hands.
"Will you at least let me help you?" He asked. "I want to help you if I can. Even if WooHyuk frightens me as well."

Henry smiled.

"Yes. I would like that. But only a little. I want to prove to Donghae that I can do this too."

Zhou Mi nodded with a grin.

"What have you learned so far?"

So Henry explained to his lover all that he learned from the detective. He explained his theory about the man being more than what the police realize and how the key to it all was his phone. He even told him some of his plans of getting the phone away from him but his concern it would mean his death if he did. Zhou Mi never interrupted him during his whole talk just observed him. When he finished Zhou Mi nodded with a smile.

"It looks like you are a lot farther along than I had believed." At seeing Henry's pout he laughed. "I didn’t mean it in  a bad way. You really are growing up aren't you. Soon you won't even need my help."

"That’s not true."

He chuckled again before looking at his watch.

"Look WooHyuk will be leaving the station soon. We better head over there."

Henry nodded and the couple stood up. He went pay for his drink but Taemin shook his head.

"You don't have time for that. Next time you will just owe for two drinks." He explained behind the counter.

Henry smiled at this and grabbed Zhou Mi's hand. Calling a farewell to the workers he dragged his amused lover out of the café and back towards the station. The two chatted about random things as they did and Henry began to feel like this was more of a date then a mission for their gang. He even wrapped his arms around one of Zhou MI's and smiled sweetly at the slightly older Chinese man. When they arrived close to the police station the couple broke apart and slowly approached the area.

"Good, it looks like WooHyuk is still inside." Henry said as he eyed the windows and saw the detective he was following in one of them. He seemed to be on his phone.

"I think for today you should just continue to follow him. When you come home tonight we can come up with something."

Henry nodded and smiled when Zhou Mi leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.

"I'll see you tonight Henry." He said as he left.

Henry waved to his leaving lover before hopping onto a bench. He pulled out his phone and began to play on it while he kept an eye on his target. Glancing around he saw a man not too far from him who was watching him. Henry narrowed his eyes in curiosity but the man turned away and went to reading a newspaper. The man was obviously older than Henry but probably not that much older than Han Geng.  He kept an eye on the man as he continued to keep watch on the station as well. As long as WooHyuk sticks to his regular schedule then he should be leaving for the day in another hour or two.  So Henry sat on the bench watching the people walk by as he waited.

Right on schedule two hours later Woohyuk exited the station and began to make his way home. Henry gave him a head start for a block before he began to follow. This was one of the last things he had to do each day. Follow the detective home and make sure he doesn’t leave for the night. Henry kept pace with the man as he headed down the road. Henry was so focused on keeping WooHyuk in his sight that he didn’t realize someone else was also following them.

All of a sudden WooHyuk made an unusual turn down a road that Henry was unfamiliar with. He jogged towards him and turned to the corner to find that it was an alleyway. He fiddled his hands with his gun as he entered the empty area. There was obviously something wrong with this situation. He was only able to take a couple of steps when he got shoved from behind and landed on the ground. Landing on his hands and knees he turned to see that the mysterious man who was also at the station today was behind him holding a gun towards him.

"See, I told you there was a shadow after you." The man said as he kept his eyes on Henry.

"I know that. I have noticed him following me for a while." WooHyuk said as he approached the pair.

"You knew? Then why haven't you said anything?" The man asked the question that Henry thought.

"There wasn’t a need until now."

Woohyuk approached him and dropped down on his ankles to be at the same height as Henry. Henry could feel sweat building on his face as he stared at the man. All of his fears that Woohyuk was something more dangerous than he was led to believe was coming to be true. And he knew if he reached for his weapon the man with the gun would kill him without hesitation. Henry wondered if he was going to die tonight.

"So you have a name?" Woohyuk asked calmly.

"Henry."

"Henry? That’s rather Western for a Chinese gang member who resides in Seoul."

"Shinhwa has multiple Western names hyung. Andy would not like your comment." The other replied.

"Well Andy is not here. And this has nothing to do with him. JaeWon you are ruining my moment here."

"Not my fault."

"Totally your fault." Woohyuk complained before turning back to Henry. "Tell me Henry. What do you know about the gang name H.O.T?"

"Nothing."

"Figures. Donghae probably knew you had no idea about it when he assigned you this task."

"He wouldn’t have taken it otherwise I bet." JaeWon added.

"Henry let me give you a quick history lesson. Before there was M and T. And even before TVXQ the most powerful gang out there was H.O.T. It had control over all of the Asian market. Japan, China, Korea. Even Taiwan and the Philippines were within their power. And us two were prominent members of it."

"If you were so powerful, how come you are not around anymore."

"Oh we are around. We are just more in the shadows. When Yunho and his gang came we realized we had the ability to leave the lime light and be more underground. Yunho had the charisma to take over and be considered a fearful force to reckon with. So one of our members went with him to build up his reputation and power. Was able to get him connected to the important people like BoA and create a system that no other gang could break. When TVXQ went on their rampage and nearly burned Seoul to the ground we knew that we needed to set up some guards to keep the peace. So we arranged for Donghae and Leeteuk to intercept Yunho and the trio created the order we have today."

"But I still don’t understand why."

"Simple. Gangs are not designed to last forever. They make themselves more open for attacks if they do. So once they realize there is a newer, more powerful group out there, they usually take the steps to step down and let the new gang take over. This allows most gangs to disappear without having to deal with the police always on their tail. Because they would be too busy dealing with the new gang to really care what happened to an older gang. That’s why I was in the police force. I was required to keep the police of our scent so Moon and the others could disappear without any hassle."

"Oh."

"It also works in your favor when you realize why some of your members have not been arrested as well. Such as Siwon." JaeWon added.

"Which leads us to now. The new gang EXO. They are starting to rise in power. Now normally Yunho, Leeteuk, and Donghae would step down and let them take over but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Do you know why?"

"Because they aren't ready to step down?"

"Partially. The fact of the matter is, as powerful as EXO is becoming they are a dangerous force. If you take into consideration the destruction Yunho caused and times it by another tenfold you have what these kids are planning. They are not wanting to take over. They want to destroy everything. And while I don’t consider myself to be a hero or anything, this type of behavior is unacceptable. So I came back. I am working on trying to figure out their whole plan."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I am going to need your help Henry. Donghae sent you to keep an eye on me. He knows who I am and how talented I can be. I was able to notice you following me the first day you did it."

Henry dropped his head down. His first real mission and he failed it. The bitter taste in his mouth was sharp. But WooHyuk chuckled.

"Look I am not here to kill you. And don’t be upset that I knew what was going on right away. That is just how things are at times. What you need to know is this. Donghae sent Siwon here not too long ago to try and get the cops off M's scent and onto EXO correct? Well it worked. Kibum and Jongwoon are now putting more of their power into trying to track down EXO and figure out their plans. That is good but it is going to require more than that. Donghae wanted you to track me because he wanted us to meet."

"Why?"

"Well because you are able to blend in better. I suppose you are not one with a lot of blood on your hands right?"

"How did you know that?"

"Because you have been spending the last couple of weeks outside the station with no one stopping you. Obviously you are not considered a dangerous enough person. And that’s good. Because if someone was to see you talking to me at any point it could be a problem for everyone."

"I understand."

"Good. Here is what you need to do. Tell Donghae you and I have spoken. And let him know that whatever Kris is planning is far more larger scale than just those two gangs. He is after a much bigger picture. See if he and Leeteuk can make that work."

Henry nodded. Woohyuk smirked and pulled him to his feet by his arm. He dusted the younger's pants off before pointing out of the alleyway.

"Good to meet you Henry. We will keep in touch."

Henry slowly nodded and left the alleyway. He kept an eye on Jaewon, half expecting the man to kill him as he passed but the younger made no move of it. Once he was out of sight he breathed a sigh of relief. He took off into a run back to his base. He had so much to tell Donghae. And there was a part of him that was angry as well. Why didn’t Donghae tell him this man was a part of a gang called H.O.T? What does that even mean? Donghae sent him into this mission blind and he could have easily gotten killed. But Woohyuk seemed to know who Henry was. Maybe that was a part of it. The whole thing was so confusion to the young man. Seeing the gang house in sight Henry slowed down to a jog as he went inside the building. He wasn’t surprised to see Ryeowook waiting for him.

"Henry! Welcome home." He said.

"Thanks hyung. How was your day?"

"It was all right. I had to stop by some of the bars Donghae has control over for some supplies but nothing exciting happened. What about you?"

"A lot has happened tonight. Hyung, where is Donghae-hyung?"

"In his room with Han Geng as always. Why, is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"I am a little shaken up, but don’t worry I am fine. I will tell you later what happened. I need to talk with Donghae right away."

Henry left Ryeowook and went to Donghae's room. He knocked on the door and waited for the man on the other side to let him in. When he did, he saw that Zhou Mi was also in the room. As if waiting for him.

"Mi!" He smiled as he sighted his lover.

"Henry. I am glad you made it home safely."

"What do you mean?"

Zhou Mi pulled him by the hand to the couch and sat him down.

"I noticed that there was someone else at the station today."

"You mean Jaewon?"

The three of them looked at him surprised. Henry kept his head down. He was going to get answers tonight and that was final. Obviously the others knew more than he did.

"Donghae-hyung. I was to tell you that WooHyuk made contact with me tonight. And that he is working with the police to figure out what Kris is planning. He thinks it's much bigger than what we think."

"So his return was not coincidental."

"Why didn’t anyone tell me he was a powerful gang member?"

"Because you wouldn’t have taken the mission if we did."

"But if I had known I would have been more careful! He knew I was following right away!"

"It wouldn’t have mattered if you knew or not. He would have figured it out right away. He is very talented in that regard. But you would have been more hesitant in wanting to follow him. Which would have made you unapproachable to him."

"You knew he would try and talk to me?"

"At some point yes. Woohyuk is a powerful man but as powerful and dangerous H.O.T was, they were not blood thirsty. They didn’t destroy things just to destroy. They kept some morals about them. So I knew that Woohyuk wouldn’t kill you without reason. But I wasn’t planning on Jaewon being there. That makes three."

"Obviously if those three are here than so are the other two." Han Geng added.

"You are probably right. Henry, what else did they say to you?"

"They just gave me a history lesson of sorts. How a lot of gangs don’t just leave they just aren't as prominent is all. And that EXO is not following the norm which is why everyone is so worried."

"I see. Well we will need to work fast. If H.O.T is concern than we will have quick the fight a head of us. I wonder who else is here then."

"What do you mean?"

"If H.O.T is back than that means a lot of other former gangs are probably also back. We will need to let Leeteuk know this." Donghae looked at Henry with a smile. "I know you are probably mad at me for what I did but I am proud of what you accomplished. Woohyuk must trust you if he spoke with you today. And that is something not a lot of people who were not a part of that gang could do. You will probably have more contact with him now."

"So…I did good?"

"You did good."

Henry smiled slightly. This whole mission was so he could show his worth to Donghae and it looks like it was finally happening. He could feel Zhou Mi shift next to him and he turned to his lover to see he still seemed concern.

"But what if Kris realizes Henry is now talking to WooHyuk? That could put a target on his back."

"We then need to keep a better eye on him then. Zhou Mi, would you like to spend more time with your little boyfriend?"

"Well I always like to spend time with him."

Henry smiled. He took Zhou Mi hand in his own. If Zhou Mi was at his side he could do anything. And now that he has met the approval of Donghae than he didn’t mind the extra help now. But he was worried. Now that Woohyuk made his presence known it means there is a lot that is going to happen and fast. And he knew the world that he knew was going to be rocked to its core. He only hoped that everyone was able to get out of here alive when it all was said and done.

"Well I think we will call it a night. I will let the other gang know what he have learned tomorrow. Maybe Leeteuk will have something new to add about Moon. Have a good night Henry."

Henry remembered that he was to talk with Ryeowook and got to his feet. He gave a quick farewell before leaving the room. He had so much to tell his friend. And maybe the man could help him out with whatever was going to happen next.