Crossing Boundaries for Fire - Chapter 1
June 3rd, 1963 - Seoul, Korea
6:12 PM - Korea Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters, Seoul
A young man with messy brown hair let out a bored yawn, leaning back in his creaking seat and pushing his glasses back up his nose. It was just another boring day in the office, after all.
Cho Kyuhyun was, in short, a genius. He was only sixteen years of age, and yet he had just finished up high school and had landed a very prestigious internship with the government. It was supposed to be exciting, and he was supposed to be using his superior intelligence to help track down and detain mutants, ridding society of those dangerous creatures and making it a safer place for normal humans, not-
“Kyuhyun,” a man called out, his voice lazily drifting from the room across from Kyuhyun’s mini office. “Fetch me another coffee, would you? I want decaf this time.”
Kyuhyun bit back the seven smartass retorts he had come up with in just that moment and stood, making sure the chair squeaked extra loudly as it scraped across the floor. “Yes, hyung,” he practically spat. “Any other specifications, Donghae hyung?”
“Hmm…” Donghae hummed, rolling out of his room on his wheeled desk chair, tapping his chin with his pen. “Two things of cream, half a packet of sugar, scalding hot. If it’s any cooler than scalding, I’ll send you back to get me another one.”
Kyuhyun let loose a string of muttered curses as he picked up his keys and pass-card, making as much noise and taking as long as possible. Donghae, his senior that was supposed to be showing him the ropes, was always doing this to him.
Lee Donghae, age twenty-one, was the youngest and one of the most successful agents in mutant-detaining business. He had an incredible ability for being able to find them and quickly come up with the best way to take them in. There had never been a single mutant that he tailed that he hadn’t been able to take in. He’d been sent on over fifty missions and had successfully completed all of them with flying colors.
Kyuhyun was beyond ecstatic when he found out that he would be training under Donghae, one of the elites that other agents admired and respected, and citizens that could look to him for protection. Kyuhyun figured that, with his brains and impeccable ability to pick things up quickly, he could plow through the ranks and be a big-shot in no time. Donghae was supposed to take him on missions and teach him how to identify mutants among humans and to determine their powers based on tiny details.
But did Donghae do that? No, no he didn’t, and Kyuhyun kicked the door while the retina scanner scanned his eye and verified that he was indeed Cho Kyuhyun, and he continued to grumble in annoyance as he waited for his pass-card to unlock the door. Security in headquarters was so uptight that you needed keys to get in as well as out, in fear that a mutant would get in. They had sensors to detect that, so if one did, the whole place would go on lock-down until the mutant was secured.
When the thumb-print scanner finally recognized Kyuhyun, the door clicked and slowly creaked open, allowing Kyuhyun to stalk through it, teeming in annoyance at the trivial so-called ‘missions’ that Donghae always sent him on.
Missions. Ha. Donghae sent Kyuhyun to get him coffee, to deliver messages to other agents, to alphabetize his files on the various mutants he caught. Granted, organizing the files gave Kyuhyun an insight to various powers and signs of what a mutant’s powers were based off of. Tiny, physical details, such as tattoos or eyes, but it was not fun, especially since Donghae would go through them once a week and have Kyuhyun reorganize them every single time.
“Hey, Kyuhyun,” the older man at the coffee counter greeted with a nod. He was an older agent, one that had lost his leg while trying to bring in a mutant a few years back. He had retired, but since he had been such a great worker, the Boss let him stay for the benefits, even if he was only a lowly café worker. “Donghae-sshi want more coffee again?”
Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and nodded, slumping against the counter as the old man started up the machine to heat the water. “Decaf, scalding hot, two things of cream, and half a packet of sugar,” Kyuhyun rattled off, reaching out with the hand that wasn’t holding his various keys to prod at the coffee stirrers. “Any less than scalding and I’ll be back to get him a new one.”
The old man chuckled as he went about preparing the coffee, watching Kyuhyun out of the corner of his eye. “So how are you liking life with the government, Kyuhyunnie?” he asked, tapping the machine to a beat known only to him. “Everything you ever dreamed of?”
“In a nightmare, maybe,” Kyuhyun grumbled to the only man in the agency that would sympathize with him. “When do I get to start hunting and catching the freaks? I mean, the mutants? I want some action, ahjusshi, some action!”
The old man chuckled softly and shook his head, still waiting for the water to be hot enough. “Be grateful you don’t have to face them, kid,” he said. “I got cocky on my last mission and lost a leg. You don’t want the same thing happening to you.”
“Oh, that could never happen,” Kyuhyun scoffed. “I was talking to some of the other agents, and they were saying how mutants were like animals, relying on instinct rather than thought. I could outsmart any of them,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.
The old man just shook his head again. “Confidence is good, but that cocky, baseless confidence could get you in trouble when you finally do get to go out in the field…” he warned. “Enjoy the peace while it lasts,” he said, smiling and handing the coffee to Kyuhyun. “And bring this to Donghae-sshi before it cools.”
“Thanks, ahjusshi,” Kyuhyun said, accepting the coffee before waving and heading back to the office. He took a detour on his way back, wanting to peer into the glass cage where one of the weirdest mutants the government had ever come across was sitting in a glass tank. Kyuhyun pressed his face to the glass, looking around in search of the mutant, nearly jumping out of his skin when soulless, black eyes stared back at him.
“Freak…” Kyuhyun muttered, looking the slimy, salamander-like thing up and down. It was a transformer-type, able to shift into several amphibious creatures. The power-repressing chamber, however, kept the mutant stuck in a half-human, half-salamander form, as he had tried to shift upon being locked in.
The thing blinked at him, and Kyuhyun grimaced before turning on his heel and making his way to the office.
He was just passing one of the labs when the lights shut down and the emergency lights came on, filling the halls with a reddish glow that flashed slowly.
“What the hell…?” Kyuhyun murmured, dropping the coffee in shock when everyone seemed to flee their office at once, grabbing guns and other weapons as they moved toward the exits.
“Kyuhyun! Kyuhyun, get back to the office and stay there,” Donghae said, miraculously able to find Kyuhyun in the flood of people. “Lock yourself in, and don’t let anyone in, okay?”
“What’s going on?” Kyuhyun asked, looking around in alarm.
Donghae hesitated before answering. “The west wing. The mutants in the holding cell in the west wing escaped. Nearly fifty mutants are free, Kyuhyun, and we need to round them up. Now go back to the office and stay put until I get back!”
“No way!” Kyuhyun exclaimed. “If you’re going mutant-hunting, hyung, I’m coming too!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kyuhyun,” Donghae hissed, pressing Kyuhyun against the wall just as a larger agent barreled through the halls, nearly taking Kyuhyun out. “This is dangerous, Kyuhyun, not like those silly games you play when I’m doing paperwork. You could get hurt, Kyuhyun. People die, and I’m not going to let you, a kid, die.”
“I’m not a kid,” Kyuhyun declared, standing taller. “Besides, I lost my keys in the rush,” he admitted sheepishly, holding both his hands out, palms up, to show that the keys had fallen and been kicked from his hands. He couldn’t even use Donghae’s keys to get back in, because each person must use their own keys, or else they couldn’t get in.
Donghae let out several frustrated sounds before shoving a bulky weapon in one of Kyuhyun’s hand and grabbing the wrist of the other. “Fine. Come with me, but stay close and do exactly as I say. Got it?”
“Yes sir,” Kyuhyun nodded.
-
9:08 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Leeteuk sighed, blowing a strand of his hair out of his face as he leaned back against the front desk of his motel, exhausted. A young boy had come in at about four that morning, and while he normally did not allow check-ins at that ungodly hour, he found he could not turn away the poor boy.
He was young, he couldn’t quite be legal yet, and he looked scared as tears poured from his eyes. The boy couldn’t even manage to blubber out his name before breaking into desperate sobs, shaking his hands pleadingly and dropping to his knees, asking for a place to stay without speaking.
So Leeteuk, despite having been in a flimsy wife beater and boxers and being completely exhausted, pulled the boy to his feet and led him to one of the rooms. The boy collapsed on the bed immediately, and was sobbing and trembling even as Leeteuk pulled the sheet over him.
It wasn’t until later that morning, when Leeteuk awoke to do his duties, that he realized how poor of a condition the boy was in. There were bruises on the pale skin of the thin boy, hidden beneath his over-sized t-shirt, and a bruise on the side of his face, previously hidden by his hoodie.
His worn out sneakers were removed to reveal injured feet, bruised and scarred from walking for so long in such thin shoes. Leeteuk assumed that the boy was a runaway, that could be the only plausible explanation, but when he asked about it, the boy would only sob and not speak.
Leeteuk, despite being the manager and owner of the run-down motel, took it upon himself to nurse the boy back to health. He fed him, ran him a hot bath, and bandaged up his wounds as best as he could. Leeteuk had offered to call a doctor, but the boy seemed terrified at the concept, and it took Leeteuk ten minutes to calm him back down.
Leeteuk had devoted his entire morning and afternoon to the boy, and was only now able to take a break, now that it was after nine in the evening.
“Teukie hyung, are you alright?” one of the workers, a handsome man that carried everyone’s luggage, asked concernedly. “You look like death itself, hyung.”
Leeteuk smiled weakly and nodded. “I’m fine, Siwon, thanks. I’m just tired; no need to worry.”
Siwon smiled back and gave the elder a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Well, that’s good. There’s another customer at the counter, and he wants a room.”
“Thanks, I’ll help him in a moment,” Leeteuk replied, smiling at the reassuring squeeze from Siwon before heading back into the room to check on the boy. He rapped his knuckled softly against the door before unlocking the door with the master key and slipping in.
“Hey…” Leeteuk greeted quietly, looking at the boy huddled on the bed. He sat with his knees pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around them tightly as he stared out the window, a blank expression on his face. The boy didn’t hear Leeteuk’s greeting, and flinched when Leeteuk sat beside him on the bed, eyes widening fearfully.
“Easy, easy,” Leeteuk said, holding his hands up slightly in surrender. “I won’t hurt you. Are you feeling any better, kid?”
The boy sniffled before nodding. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, voice hoarse from all the sobbing he had been doing. It was the first words Leeteuk had heard the boy speak, and he was amazed at how sweet the voice was, despite the hoarseness in it.
“Why are you sorry?” Leeteuk asked, slowly reaching out to wrap his arm comfortingly around the boy.
The boy tensed up before relaxing into Leeteuk’s hold, body too exhausted to put up a fight. “You’re exhausted because of me. I’m sorry. And you’re stressed, too. I’m very sorry, hyungnim.”
“Oh, I’m really not-” Leeteuk started to deny, not wanting to worry the poor boy, but the boy just shook his head.
“You are, hyungnim, and it’s all my fault, so I’m very, very sorry…” he said quietly and sadly.
Leeteuk sighed softly and gave the boy a pat on the shoulder before retracting his arm. “Don’t worry about it, kid. Now…how about you tell me your name and why you’re here, hmm? Maybe I can help you a bit more.”
The boy’s eyes widened in fear and he quickly shook his head. “I…I can’t say…” he said, refusing to meet Leeteuk’s gaze. “Just…just trust me when I say I haven’t done anything wrong, not really. I just need a place to stay, hyungnim, so please let me stay here. I can work to pay you back, if you want!”
Leeteuk bit his lip, unsure of how to respond, when another knock was heard at the door.
“Teukie hyung,” Siwon called through the door. “The guest is still waiting.”
“Thanks, Siwon,” Leeteuk replied before turning back to the boy. “Okay, I’ll be right back. I’m going to help this guest and then I’ll figure out what to do with you…” he sighed, running a hand through the boy’s light, soft hair.
“Wh-what to do with me?” the boy whimpered as Leeteuk reached the door. “What do you mean?”
Leeteuk chuckled. “I mean where will a guy like you fit in at this motel?” he asked, barely noticing the look of fear flashing in the boy’s eyes. “I mean, you’re tiny and fragile, so obviously you can’t be a bellhop like Siwon. Any cooking skills?”
The boy sagged visibly in relief before nodding hesitantly.
Leeteuk smiled. “Great, we’ll talk more when I get back,” he said, giving the boy one last wave before heading out. He made his way to the front desk, straightening his tie in the process and smiling in a welcoming manner. “Welcome to the-”
Leeteuk cut himself off with a choked, quiet gasp at the sight of a man leaning boredly against the counter, waiting to be given a room. After a brief moment of panic, Leeteuk swallowed and went back the way he came, catching up with and tapping Siwon on the shoulder.
“Yes, hyung?” Siwon asked, turning around to face Leeteuk.
“I’ve changed my mind,” he said in a hushed voice. “You show the guest to his room. I’m going to, uh, talk to the kid a bit more. Okay?”
“Sure, hyung…” Siwon said, giving Leeteuk a curious look before walking over and greeting the man warmly.
Leeteuk brought his hand to his chest, taking several calming breaths before knocking and reentering the boy’s room.
“That was fast…” the boy started to say, only to trail off and frown when Leeteuk sat beside him, the boy’s shoulder brushing Leeteuk’s upper arm, since Leeteuk’s shoulders were higher than his. “…You’re anxious about something,” he observed, startling Leeteuk. “That man who needs a room…who is he to you?”
“What?” Leeteuk asked, shocked. “He…no one, kid, no one. I’m not anxious.”
“You are, though…” the boy murmured softly. “You like him. Or…you did at one point?”
Leeteuk gaped at the boy’s keen observational skills before shutting his mouth and nodding. “He’s…he’s my ex.”
-
7:35 PM - Red Light District, Seoul
Jessica had to roll her eyes as she tripped over a crack on in the side walk and heard the faint sound of her heel breaking as her ass hit the pavement. Great, that’s just perfect, she mentally cursed, frowning, picking up the broken heel of her once very expensive stilettos.
Sighing, she pulled off her shoes and slowly got off the floor, brushing down her dress, happy to see at least that hadn’t ripped. Really the day could not get worse.
Her friend had forcefully set her up on the worst blind date of her life and while she had been busy thinking of ways to get the hell out of there, she hadn’t noticed her date getting up to ask her to dance and really it wasn’t her fault he’d scared her so much she’d frozen his hand.
It was all an accident. And it created the perfect opportunity to run the hell out of there before the man put together what exactly had happened and that she had caused it.
Now a few blocks from the restaurant, which she swore never to set foot in again, she was looking around for a pay phone to call her friend. Once she found a phone she quickly made her way to it. After fishing around her purse for change, she dialed her friend’s number and leaned against the side of the panels dividing the three phones stuck to the wall she was at.
As she waited for someone to pick up she frowned and tried to fix her now flattening hair when someone came up behind her. Jessica tried to ignore it until she realized the person behind was not moving away.
Turning around with an annoyed expression on her face, Jessica was ready to tell the person off. “There are two other goddamn- Kangin!? Are you following me?” She glared, realizing her far from perfect date was standing in front of her and too damn perfect.
“I knew it.” He said, nodding his head, running a hand through his slick hair. “I knew you were one of those freaks.” He told her. A thousand curse words ran through her mind and Jessica quickly began to run over options she had to get away from him. Trying to buy herself time, she let her eyes light up and leaned closer to him, bursting into a girly laugh most men loved to hear from her.
“Oh gosh Kangin! You are funny…” She batted her eyes in his direction, running her long nails over the material of his tie, trying not to frown at how cheap it felt.
“Don’t touch me!” He growled, lunging forward before Jessica could even protect herself, she was felt a sharp prick against her neck and suddenly everything was blurry. She had honestly no idea what was happening to her before she passed out- the last thing in her line of sight was Kangin grabbing the phone.
When she woke up, she whimpered, feeling her head spinning and eyes rolling to the back of her head. She tried to grab her head, but realized she couldn’t move her hands. Eyes opening in a panic, she looked around to realize she was tied down to the end of a bed in a rather gaudy looking motel room.
Suddenly hearing the sound of water, Jessica turned her to see where it was coming from only to find the bathroom door wide open and Kangin relieving himself in plain sight. Making a face of disgust, Jessica tried to pull at her restraints once more realizing this is exactly why she should have become a lesbian long ago.
She turned away as Kangin zipped himself up and at least had the decency to wash his hands before stepping out of the bathroom. Kangin grimaced at the sight of her and walked over to her, kneeling in front of her.
“The government is on their way.” He told her, seeming very pleased with himself. Jessica felt a rush of panic run through her, but kept her face expressionless.
“Dates going that bad that you have to resort to this, Kangin?” She snapped, keeping her emotions in tact but unable to stop the glow of blue emitting off her tattoos that ran along her back and shoulders.
Kangin saw the glow and shook his head. “Disgusting. This isn’t normal. Think of this… as a favour.” He told her, standing up and walking over to make sure the windows were closed off and the door as well.
“A favour?” She asked, bewildered.
“Once the government takes you away, they’ll cure you and then maybe you’ll be finally able to live with yourself.” Kangin told her, not looking at her.
“I live with myself just fine,” Jessica snarled back, “but how do you live with yourself?”
Her words hit a deep locked away part of his heart and he fisted his hands, trying not to fall down that dark hole. The words echoed in his mind, so familiar, and then a pair of sad brown eyes he had been so well acquainted with flashed before his eyes and made Kangin feel like a monster.
Better a monster than a freak, Kangin thought, walking over to knock Jessica out again.
-
7:03 PM - Korea Central Intelligence Agency, Seoul
Donghae frowned as he watched the video tapes, wanting to roll his eyes and hit someone as he watched the security tapes of the escape. It had been a whole hour since the escape and while injured guards were being tended to, more guards had been brought in to secure the mutants once more, this time in smaller groups with more guards at the doors. A lot of the older mutants had been taken to the rooms in the basement for questioning. Donghae was glad he never had to step in there. But still a few had escaped and the Boss was unhappy to say the least.
They had been shown pictures of the mutants thought to have escaped but the number hadn’t been accurate, they had yet to eliminate the ones hit beyond recognition and not all the mutants had been accounted for. A handful of the mutants’ pictures or data hadn’t been registered in their system yet.
Sighing at the number dead, he turned to his intern and frowned at the eager look on the boy’s face. He had no idea, not a hint of what he was getting into. Donghae had been furious since the moment he was told a sixteen year old had been accepted to work with him on missions. It was bad enough he had to drag children in to be locked up, but now he had to teach a child how to do it as well.
Signaling Kyuhyun to follow him as he took the intern to an unmarked room a few hallways away from where they had been. “Here, find something your size and wear it.” He told him, opening the lights in the large storage room to show a number of clothes and uniforms and accessories. The room was where they kept their most simple disguises for when agents had to run off into the field.
“Whoa.” Kyuhyun looked around, looking at all the labels over all the steel closets, everything in the closets pressed and neatly hanging with clear plastic wraps around them. “What is this room?” He asked, trying to open one of the doors.
Donghae walked over and swiped his card at the side of the closet, the door sliding away to reveal several kinds of regular men’s shirts of slim fit. “This room is called the Actor.” Donghae told him, walking to another closet marked Leather Jackets.
“The Actor?” Kyuhyun asked, taking out a shirt and moving his hand away fast as the closet door shut again.
“Because when you step in here, you change who you are… pick up a role in a way before stepping out.” Donghae explained, walking around the room and taking out several pairs of clothes. He threw his keys at Kyuhyun. “Take a few pairs out; congratulations, you’re going on your first mission.” He said flatly, turning to walk to the back of the room to change.
Kyuhyun made a face at the tone of Donghae’s voice but the excitement of getting to go on an actual mission erased almost all ill feelings towards the elder as he walked around the room getting a few clothes for himself. When he went back to where Donghae had gone, Kyuhyun saw that Donghae had changed into a simple pair of jeans with a belt, a tucked in white t-shirt and a his leather jacket on top. The silver bracelet the other usually wore was still on his wrist, though. He was packing away the rest of the clothes into a backpack. Kyuhyun quickly began to change himself and follow suit.
“Avoid eye contact with people but be subtle about it. If anyone does manage to engage you into a conversation we’re brothers and it’s your first time in Seoul, I’m showing you around.” Donghae spoke, tucking his gun into his boot, under his jeans and out of sight, “Your application said you’re fluent in Chinese?”
“Yes.” Kyuhyun spoke fast, taking in all of Donghae’s words, although almost begrudgingly because he wasn’t as stupid as Donghae seemed to think he was.
“We’re Chinese then.” Donghae said, “Fumble around with your Korean and-” He threw a Mandarin to Korean book at the intern. “Try to look into that when people speak to look. Only drop the act when I allow you to, got it?” Donghae asked him, packing away a few more supplies.
Kyuhyun caught the book and tucked it into a pocket of his own backpack. “Alright, do I get a gun?”
Donghae stopped what he was doing and turned to stare at him. He stepped close to Kyuhyun and looked at him seriously.
“If anything, I mean anything happens and we’re separated or if any mutants are on to us you run. You run fast and you get out of there and don’t look back.” Donghae said.
Kyuhyun looked into his eyes for a moment, something about them made him almost scared and he nodded mutely. Donghae stepped back, dropping a cheap looking cap with the Korean colors on it and the word Seoul with a heart in the front.
Grabbing his bag, Donghae began to walk out, Kyuhyun quick to move after him as they stepped out of the Actor from a different door than they had entered, Donghae using his security clearance to get them both out as they walked through corridors and corridors until they reached one final door.
It looked like a regular emergency exit door until Donghae pulled down the fire alarm and pressed his thumb in, swiping his card one last time. He signaled for Kyuhyun to open the door.
Kyuhyun wasn’t completely surprised but was caught off guard as he opened the door and realized they were stepping inside, near the back offices of the bank a few blocks from the government building they worked at. Donghae stepped out after him and dropped his security card into the janitor’s cart, standing near the door.
Had Kyuhyun not have trained himself to, he would have missed the look Donghae exchanged with the janitor before they began walking again, towards the front of the bank.
The second they stepped into the lobby of the bank, Donghae’s posture and expression changed from uptight and blank to relaxed and smiling. He grinned as he signaled Kyuhyun to follow him outside of the bank he stopped there for a moment to look around.
“So who do you figure out which way the mutants went?” Kyuhyun asked him, only to get a glare from Donghae.
“Don’t ask stupid questions ever again.” Donghae snapped back in Mandarin. “Remember someone is always listening.” He told him, spotting a bar at the end of the block. “C’mon…” He said, dragging Kyuhyun along with him towards the bar.
They got near the door of the bar and Donghae gave a look to Kyuhyun to act normal, pulling them inside, Donghae looked around for a table for them when he bumped into someone. He turned to apologize, taking in the red locks of the boy who looked just a bit older than Kyuhyun.
“Sorry!” The boy said too fast, beating Donghae to it, looking a little too nervous as disappeared into the crowd in the bar. Donghae hadn’t moved a muscle since brushing against the boy, feeling a familiar tingle run down his spine and bursts through him, his eyes changing color for a split second, carefully hidden under his contacts.
“Gege?” Kyuhyun called out for his attention, keeping his act up, and Donghae spun around, ushering him to a table.
“Here. Sit here and don’t move a muscle. Order something to eat if people start giving you looks.” Donghae ordered in Mandarin again and Kyuhyun frowned only slightly while taking his seat. When was the action supposed to start anyway?
Donghae pushed through the crowd lightly and quickly made it into the bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he walked over to the sink and pulled out his contacts quickly and then pulled his off silver bracelet and placed the items on a napkin on the sink. When he looked into the mirror he found that his usual chocolate brown eyes had changed their color to a rich golden shade.
The redhead had to be a mutant. Donghae thought, stepping back from the mirror as he felt the power, bursting to show itself. Raising his hands almost instinctively, Donghae closed his eyes, letting the new power he had just absorbed shoot out of his hands, creating a small ball of fire in his hands.
He gaped at the fire, lifting it into one hand; Donghae was fascinated for a moment, playing around the ball, stretching it as if it was play dough before closing his palm on it and opening to find it gone. He didn’t waste a moment as he slipped his bracelet back on and saw his eyes turn back to brown as he slipped his contacts back in. He blinked a few times to take away the dryness.
Donghae sighed, stepping out of the bathroom thinking of ways to discretely point out of Kyuhyun how he knew a mutant was around. Having never had a partner his entire career, Donghae never had to explain to anyone how he did what he did. And the Boss never seemed to care as long as he kept bringing in mutants through the door.
No one alive had ever known of his power and Donghae intended on keeping it that way. He was not going to let anyone, especially not a kid along for the thrills, find out why he was the only field agent capable of bringing in as many mutants as he did. Everyone needed to do what they had to do to survive and if for Donghae that meant suppressing a curse he never wished for, so be it.
Donghae hadn’t picked sides, and wasn’t planning on it. He was simply there to stay out of the radar and out of a cage. He didn’t have time to worry for others. Donghae knew better then to be that foolish.
Making his way back to the table, Donghae formed explanations in his head on how he knew the redhead had been a mutant. Reaching the table, Donghae realized explanations weren’t necessary when there was no one there to listen to them.
Kyuhyun was missing and Donghae hoped he had attacked because there was no other way he’d excuse the little bastard. Holding himself back from punching the table, Donghae took a quick scan of the place for the kid and then picked up his bag as he walked out of the bar, looking around for his intern.
-
8:20 PM - The Blue Moon Pub, Seoul
Sit here and don’t move a muscle. Kyuhyun scoffed and leaned back in his seat, frowning at the command. They were on a mutant-catching mission, for goodness sake, and he had to sit at the table like a good boy. Kyuhyun scoffed once again and crossed his arms, glowering. He didn’t get a gun, he was given orders to run at the first sign of trouble, and then he was told to sit and be still. Donghae was treating him like a child!
“I’m no child…” he grumbled to himself, uncrossing his arms to reach out and spin the coaster on the table. And where had Donghae gone, anyway? Probably to look for mutants without him, Kyuhyun thought in irritation. Kyuhyun continued grumbling to himself as he spun the coaster, using more and more force as his levels of annoyance increased.
After a particularly hard spin, the coaster flew out of his hands and off the table, skidding across the floor into the crowd. Kyuhyun sighed in annoyance and got up to retrieve the thing, mentally cursing everyone that wasn’t watching where they were going and kicking the coaster further.
By the time Kyuhyun had caught up with the coaster, it had made its way all the way to the back of the bar, rolling to a stop and falling with a resounding clatter when it hit the black boots of a shady figure that was leaning against the wall, not moving.
Kyuhyun swallowed and ducked behind the wall, sighing in relief at not having been seen and peering around the corner at the suspicious looking man who was glancing furtively around. He was tall and bulky, with dark hair and eyes, his gaze darting around, resting briefly on just about every person in the room as if waiting for someone to jump out at him.
Kyuhyun stared at the man, watching him and letting out a gasp before pulling back and hiding behind the wall again when the man’s gaze started moving toward him. His heart rate increased as he felt fear rising within him, and he had the sudden desire to run.
But Donghae had told him to run, because Donghae saw him as a child.
Kyuhyun frowned and decided not to run. He was no child. Steeled in his resolve, Kyuhyun took one last deep, calming breath before peering around the wall again, gasping out in shock to see that the man from before was gone, and the back door was swinging on its hinges.
Kyuhyun glanced around a few times before heading out the door as well, coming out into an alleyway that just screamed shady. It was dark, despite it still being early in the evening, and the streets were obscured by the rocky walls and trash cans lining them. It was the perfect place to make a drug deal or to get away with murder, and it gave Kyuhyun the shivers.
He looked down toward the far end of the alley, sighing in relief at not seeing anyone there, because he was pretty sure he couldn’t take on a mutant with a book alone, genius or not. Kyuhyun turned the other way and made his way onto the streets, looking around for the dark haired man, frowning at not being able to locate him.
The streets were ridiculously crowded with people bustling home from work, and there was no way Kyuhyun would be able to find him in there. With a sigh of defeat, Kyuhyun turned around and headed back to the alley, hoping he could get into the bar and back to his seat without Donghae realizing he was missing.
Kyuhyun gave the streets one last glance before shaking his head again and grabbing the door, pushing it open. He hadn’t even gotten one foot through the doorway when a figure crashed into him, sending the both of them falling back onto the dirty, rocky, alley ground.
“Hey!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, in annoyance at the klutz and in pain as loose pebbles stabbed at his bottom and the palms of his hands. “Watch where you’re going!”
“Sorry!” the klutz, a guy with red hair and pale skin, apologized. He got off of Kyuhyun in a hurry and, without even turning to help Kyuhyun up, ran off toward the streets.
“Bastard…” Kyuhyun muttered, rubbing his sore palms together and starting to get up, only to fall back to the ground when he hit yet another person.
“What the hell-?!” he started to shout, only to realize it was Donghae and he was yelling in Korean instead of Mandarin like he was supposed to.
“Kyuhyun, what the hell are you doing out here?!” Donghae demanded in Mandarin, wrenching Kyuhyun to his feet and glaring at him. “And why are you speaking Korean? Are you stupid?”
“No!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, pulling free of Donghae’s grasp. “And I came out here because I was following a suspicious looking person. I lost him, though, and was just coming back inside when some stupid redhead crashed into me and-”
“What?!” Donghae yelled.
“I said I was following someone and-”
“I know, I know,” Donghae said, cutting Kyuhyun off once again, ignoring the annoyed glare he was receiving from the younger. “Who crashed into you?”
“Besides you?” Kyuhyun asked, rubbing his bottom. “Some stupid redhead. I didn’t catch his name.”
“Redhead?” Donghae repeated, urgency in his voice. “Kyuhyun, which way did he go?”
“To the streets,” Kyuhyun replied, gesturing to the streets with both hands, since he was nursing the heels of his palms. “The jerk didn’t even apologize before-”
“Kyuhyun,” Donghae said, cutting the younger off once again. “Kyuhyun, shut up, stay close, and follow me,” he ordered, voice low and dangerous as he started heading toward the streets, pulling Kyuhyun along behind him. “That redhead was a mutant.”
6:12 PM - Korea Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters, Seoul
A young man with messy brown hair let out a bored yawn, leaning back in his creaking seat and pushing his glasses back up his nose. It was just another boring day in the office, after all.
Cho Kyuhyun was, in short, a genius. He was only sixteen years of age, and yet he had just finished up high school and had landed a very prestigious internship with the government. It was supposed to be exciting, and he was supposed to be using his superior intelligence to help track down and detain mutants, ridding society of those dangerous creatures and making it a safer place for normal humans, not-
“Kyuhyun,” a man called out, his voice lazily drifting from the room across from Kyuhyun’s mini office. “Fetch me another coffee, would you? I want decaf this time.”
Kyuhyun bit back the seven smartass retorts he had come up with in just that moment and stood, making sure the chair squeaked extra loudly as it scraped across the floor. “Yes, hyung,” he practically spat. “Any other specifications, Donghae hyung?”
“Hmm…” Donghae hummed, rolling out of his room on his wheeled desk chair, tapping his chin with his pen. “Two things of cream, half a packet of sugar, scalding hot. If it’s any cooler than scalding, I’ll send you back to get me another one.”
Kyuhyun let loose a string of muttered curses as he picked up his keys and pass-card, making as much noise and taking as long as possible. Donghae, his senior that was supposed to be showing him the ropes, was always doing this to him.
Lee Donghae, age twenty-one, was the youngest and one of the most successful agents in mutant-detaining business. He had an incredible ability for being able to find them and quickly come up with the best way to take them in. There had never been a single mutant that he tailed that he hadn’t been able to take in. He’d been sent on over fifty missions and had successfully completed all of them with flying colors.
Kyuhyun was beyond ecstatic when he found out that he would be training under Donghae, one of the elites that other agents admired and respected, and citizens that could look to him for protection. Kyuhyun figured that, with his brains and impeccable ability to pick things up quickly, he could plow through the ranks and be a big-shot in no time. Donghae was supposed to take him on missions and teach him how to identify mutants among humans and to determine their powers based on tiny details.
But did Donghae do that? No, no he didn’t, and Kyuhyun kicked the door while the retina scanner scanned his eye and verified that he was indeed Cho Kyuhyun, and he continued to grumble in annoyance as he waited for his pass-card to unlock the door. Security in headquarters was so uptight that you needed keys to get in as well as out, in fear that a mutant would get in. They had sensors to detect that, so if one did, the whole place would go on lock-down until the mutant was secured.
When the thumb-print scanner finally recognized Kyuhyun, the door clicked and slowly creaked open, allowing Kyuhyun to stalk through it, teeming in annoyance at the trivial so-called ‘missions’ that Donghae always sent him on.
Missions. Ha. Donghae sent Kyuhyun to get him coffee, to deliver messages to other agents, to alphabetize his files on the various mutants he caught. Granted, organizing the files gave Kyuhyun an insight to various powers and signs of what a mutant’s powers were based off of. Tiny, physical details, such as tattoos or eyes, but it was not fun, especially since Donghae would go through them once a week and have Kyuhyun reorganize them every single time.
“Hey, Kyuhyun,” the older man at the coffee counter greeted with a nod. He was an older agent, one that had lost his leg while trying to bring in a mutant a few years back. He had retired, but since he had been such a great worker, the Boss let him stay for the benefits, even if he was only a lowly café worker. “Donghae-sshi want more coffee again?”
Kyuhyun rolled his eyes and nodded, slumping against the counter as the old man started up the machine to heat the water. “Decaf, scalding hot, two things of cream, and half a packet of sugar,” Kyuhyun rattled off, reaching out with the hand that wasn’t holding his various keys to prod at the coffee stirrers. “Any less than scalding and I’ll be back to get him a new one.”
The old man chuckled as he went about preparing the coffee, watching Kyuhyun out of the corner of his eye. “So how are you liking life with the government, Kyuhyunnie?” he asked, tapping the machine to a beat known only to him. “Everything you ever dreamed of?”
“In a nightmare, maybe,” Kyuhyun grumbled to the only man in the agency that would sympathize with him. “When do I get to start hunting and catching the freaks? I mean, the mutants? I want some action, ahjusshi, some action!”
The old man chuckled softly and shook his head, still waiting for the water to be hot enough. “Be grateful you don’t have to face them, kid,” he said. “I got cocky on my last mission and lost a leg. You don’t want the same thing happening to you.”
“Oh, that could never happen,” Kyuhyun scoffed. “I was talking to some of the other agents, and they were saying how mutants were like animals, relying on instinct rather than thought. I could outsmart any of them,” he said, waving his hand dismissively.
The old man just shook his head again. “Confidence is good, but that cocky, baseless confidence could get you in trouble when you finally do get to go out in the field…” he warned. “Enjoy the peace while it lasts,” he said, smiling and handing the coffee to Kyuhyun. “And bring this to Donghae-sshi before it cools.”
“Thanks, ahjusshi,” Kyuhyun said, accepting the coffee before waving and heading back to the office. He took a detour on his way back, wanting to peer into the glass cage where one of the weirdest mutants the government had ever come across was sitting in a glass tank. Kyuhyun pressed his face to the glass, looking around in search of the mutant, nearly jumping out of his skin when soulless, black eyes stared back at him.
“Freak…” Kyuhyun muttered, looking the slimy, salamander-like thing up and down. It was a transformer-type, able to shift into several amphibious creatures. The power-repressing chamber, however, kept the mutant stuck in a half-human, half-salamander form, as he had tried to shift upon being locked in.
The thing blinked at him, and Kyuhyun grimaced before turning on his heel and making his way to the office.
He was just passing one of the labs when the lights shut down and the emergency lights came on, filling the halls with a reddish glow that flashed slowly.
“What the hell…?” Kyuhyun murmured, dropping the coffee in shock when everyone seemed to flee their office at once, grabbing guns and other weapons as they moved toward the exits.
“Kyuhyun! Kyuhyun, get back to the office and stay there,” Donghae said, miraculously able to find Kyuhyun in the flood of people. “Lock yourself in, and don’t let anyone in, okay?”
“What’s going on?” Kyuhyun asked, looking around in alarm.
Donghae hesitated before answering. “The west wing. The mutants in the holding cell in the west wing escaped. Nearly fifty mutants are free, Kyuhyun, and we need to round them up. Now go back to the office and stay put until I get back!”
“No way!” Kyuhyun exclaimed. “If you’re going mutant-hunting, hyung, I’m coming too!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Kyuhyun,” Donghae hissed, pressing Kyuhyun against the wall just as a larger agent barreled through the halls, nearly taking Kyuhyun out. “This is dangerous, Kyuhyun, not like those silly games you play when I’m doing paperwork. You could get hurt, Kyuhyun. People die, and I’m not going to let you, a kid, die.”
“I’m not a kid,” Kyuhyun declared, standing taller. “Besides, I lost my keys in the rush,” he admitted sheepishly, holding both his hands out, palms up, to show that the keys had fallen and been kicked from his hands. He couldn’t even use Donghae’s keys to get back in, because each person must use their own keys, or else they couldn’t get in.
Donghae let out several frustrated sounds before shoving a bulky weapon in one of Kyuhyun’s hand and grabbing the wrist of the other. “Fine. Come with me, but stay close and do exactly as I say. Got it?”
“Yes sir,” Kyuhyun nodded.
-
9:08 PM - Heaven’s Bed and Breakfast, Seoul
Leeteuk sighed, blowing a strand of his hair out of his face as he leaned back against the front desk of his motel, exhausted. A young boy had come in at about four that morning, and while he normally did not allow check-ins at that ungodly hour, he found he could not turn away the poor boy.
He was young, he couldn’t quite be legal yet, and he looked scared as tears poured from his eyes. The boy couldn’t even manage to blubber out his name before breaking into desperate sobs, shaking his hands pleadingly and dropping to his knees, asking for a place to stay without speaking.
So Leeteuk, despite having been in a flimsy wife beater and boxers and being completely exhausted, pulled the boy to his feet and led him to one of the rooms. The boy collapsed on the bed immediately, and was sobbing and trembling even as Leeteuk pulled the sheet over him.
It wasn’t until later that morning, when Leeteuk awoke to do his duties, that he realized how poor of a condition the boy was in. There were bruises on the pale skin of the thin boy, hidden beneath his over-sized t-shirt, and a bruise on the side of his face, previously hidden by his hoodie.
His worn out sneakers were removed to reveal injured feet, bruised and scarred from walking for so long in such thin shoes. Leeteuk assumed that the boy was a runaway, that could be the only plausible explanation, but when he asked about it, the boy would only sob and not speak.
Leeteuk, despite being the manager and owner of the run-down motel, took it upon himself to nurse the boy back to health. He fed him, ran him a hot bath, and bandaged up his wounds as best as he could. Leeteuk had offered to call a doctor, but the boy seemed terrified at the concept, and it took Leeteuk ten minutes to calm him back down.
Leeteuk had devoted his entire morning and afternoon to the boy, and was only now able to take a break, now that it was after nine in the evening.
“Teukie hyung, are you alright?” one of the workers, a handsome man that carried everyone’s luggage, asked concernedly. “You look like death itself, hyung.”
Leeteuk smiled weakly and nodded. “I’m fine, Siwon, thanks. I’m just tired; no need to worry.”
Siwon smiled back and gave the elder a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Well, that’s good. There’s another customer at the counter, and he wants a room.”
“Thanks, I’ll help him in a moment,” Leeteuk replied, smiling at the reassuring squeeze from Siwon before heading back into the room to check on the boy. He rapped his knuckled softly against the door before unlocking the door with the master key and slipping in.
“Hey…” Leeteuk greeted quietly, looking at the boy huddled on the bed. He sat with his knees pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around them tightly as he stared out the window, a blank expression on his face. The boy didn’t hear Leeteuk’s greeting, and flinched when Leeteuk sat beside him on the bed, eyes widening fearfully.
“Easy, easy,” Leeteuk said, holding his hands up slightly in surrender. “I won’t hurt you. Are you feeling any better, kid?”
The boy sniffled before nodding. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, voice hoarse from all the sobbing he had been doing. It was the first words Leeteuk had heard the boy speak, and he was amazed at how sweet the voice was, despite the hoarseness in it.
“Why are you sorry?” Leeteuk asked, slowly reaching out to wrap his arm comfortingly around the boy.
The boy tensed up before relaxing into Leeteuk’s hold, body too exhausted to put up a fight. “You’re exhausted because of me. I’m sorry. And you’re stressed, too. I’m very sorry, hyungnim.”
“Oh, I’m really not-” Leeteuk started to deny, not wanting to worry the poor boy, but the boy just shook his head.
“You are, hyungnim, and it’s all my fault, so I’m very, very sorry…” he said quietly and sadly.
Leeteuk sighed softly and gave the boy a pat on the shoulder before retracting his arm. “Don’t worry about it, kid. Now…how about you tell me your name and why you’re here, hmm? Maybe I can help you a bit more.”
The boy’s eyes widened in fear and he quickly shook his head. “I…I can’t say…” he said, refusing to meet Leeteuk’s gaze. “Just…just trust me when I say I haven’t done anything wrong, not really. I just need a place to stay, hyungnim, so please let me stay here. I can work to pay you back, if you want!”
Leeteuk bit his lip, unsure of how to respond, when another knock was heard at the door.
“Teukie hyung,” Siwon called through the door. “The guest is still waiting.”
“Thanks, Siwon,” Leeteuk replied before turning back to the boy. “Okay, I’ll be right back. I’m going to help this guest and then I’ll figure out what to do with you…” he sighed, running a hand through the boy’s light, soft hair.
“Wh-what to do with me?” the boy whimpered as Leeteuk reached the door. “What do you mean?”
Leeteuk chuckled. “I mean where will a guy like you fit in at this motel?” he asked, barely noticing the look of fear flashing in the boy’s eyes. “I mean, you’re tiny and fragile, so obviously you can’t be a bellhop like Siwon. Any cooking skills?”
The boy sagged visibly in relief before nodding hesitantly.
Leeteuk smiled. “Great, we’ll talk more when I get back,” he said, giving the boy one last wave before heading out. He made his way to the front desk, straightening his tie in the process and smiling in a welcoming manner. “Welcome to the-”
Leeteuk cut himself off with a choked, quiet gasp at the sight of a man leaning boredly against the counter, waiting to be given a room. After a brief moment of panic, Leeteuk swallowed and went back the way he came, catching up with and tapping Siwon on the shoulder.
“Yes, hyung?” Siwon asked, turning around to face Leeteuk.
“I’ve changed my mind,” he said in a hushed voice. “You show the guest to his room. I’m going to, uh, talk to the kid a bit more. Okay?”
“Sure, hyung…” Siwon said, giving Leeteuk a curious look before walking over and greeting the man warmly.
Leeteuk brought his hand to his chest, taking several calming breaths before knocking and reentering the boy’s room.
“That was fast…” the boy started to say, only to trail off and frown when Leeteuk sat beside him, the boy’s shoulder brushing Leeteuk’s upper arm, since Leeteuk’s shoulders were higher than his. “…You’re anxious about something,” he observed, startling Leeteuk. “That man who needs a room…who is he to you?”
“What?” Leeteuk asked, shocked. “He…no one, kid, no one. I’m not anxious.”
“You are, though…” the boy murmured softly. “You like him. Or…you did at one point?”
Leeteuk gaped at the boy’s keen observational skills before shutting his mouth and nodding. “He’s…he’s my ex.”
-
7:35 PM - Red Light District, Seoul
Jessica had to roll her eyes as she tripped over a crack on in the side walk and heard the faint sound of her heel breaking as her ass hit the pavement. Great, that’s just perfect, she mentally cursed, frowning, picking up the broken heel of her once very expensive stilettos.
Sighing, she pulled off her shoes and slowly got off the floor, brushing down her dress, happy to see at least that hadn’t ripped. Really the day could not get worse.
Her friend had forcefully set her up on the worst blind date of her life and while she had been busy thinking of ways to get the hell out of there, she hadn’t noticed her date getting up to ask her to dance and really it wasn’t her fault he’d scared her so much she’d frozen his hand.
It was all an accident. And it created the perfect opportunity to run the hell out of there before the man put together what exactly had happened and that she had caused it.
Now a few blocks from the restaurant, which she swore never to set foot in again, she was looking around for a pay phone to call her friend. Once she found a phone she quickly made her way to it. After fishing around her purse for change, she dialed her friend’s number and leaned against the side of the panels dividing the three phones stuck to the wall she was at.
As she waited for someone to pick up she frowned and tried to fix her now flattening hair when someone came up behind her. Jessica tried to ignore it until she realized the person behind was not moving away.
Turning around with an annoyed expression on her face, Jessica was ready to tell the person off. “There are two other goddamn- Kangin!? Are you following me?” She glared, realizing her far from perfect date was standing in front of her and too damn perfect.
“I knew it.” He said, nodding his head, running a hand through his slick hair. “I knew you were one of those freaks.” He told her. A thousand curse words ran through her mind and Jessica quickly began to run over options she had to get away from him. Trying to buy herself time, she let her eyes light up and leaned closer to him, bursting into a girly laugh most men loved to hear from her.
“Oh gosh Kangin! You are funny…” She batted her eyes in his direction, running her long nails over the material of his tie, trying not to frown at how cheap it felt.
“Don’t touch me!” He growled, lunging forward before Jessica could even protect herself, she was felt a sharp prick against her neck and suddenly everything was blurry. She had honestly no idea what was happening to her before she passed out- the last thing in her line of sight was Kangin grabbing the phone.
When she woke up, she whimpered, feeling her head spinning and eyes rolling to the back of her head. She tried to grab her head, but realized she couldn’t move her hands. Eyes opening in a panic, she looked around to realize she was tied down to the end of a bed in a rather gaudy looking motel room.
Suddenly hearing the sound of water, Jessica turned her to see where it was coming from only to find the bathroom door wide open and Kangin relieving himself in plain sight. Making a face of disgust, Jessica tried to pull at her restraints once more realizing this is exactly why she should have become a lesbian long ago.
She turned away as Kangin zipped himself up and at least had the decency to wash his hands before stepping out of the bathroom. Kangin grimaced at the sight of her and walked over to her, kneeling in front of her.
“The government is on their way.” He told her, seeming very pleased with himself. Jessica felt a rush of panic run through her, but kept her face expressionless.
“Dates going that bad that you have to resort to this, Kangin?” She snapped, keeping her emotions in tact but unable to stop the glow of blue emitting off her tattoos that ran along her back and shoulders.
Kangin saw the glow and shook his head. “Disgusting. This isn’t normal. Think of this… as a favour.” He told her, standing up and walking over to make sure the windows were closed off and the door as well.
“A favour?” She asked, bewildered.
“Once the government takes you away, they’ll cure you and then maybe you’ll be finally able to live with yourself.” Kangin told her, not looking at her.
“I live with myself just fine,” Jessica snarled back, “but how do you live with yourself?”
Her words hit a deep locked away part of his heart and he fisted his hands, trying not to fall down that dark hole. The words echoed in his mind, so familiar, and then a pair of sad brown eyes he had been so well acquainted with flashed before his eyes and made Kangin feel like a monster.
Better a monster than a freak, Kangin thought, walking over to knock Jessica out again.
-
7:03 PM - Korea Central Intelligence Agency, Seoul
Donghae frowned as he watched the video tapes, wanting to roll his eyes and hit someone as he watched the security tapes of the escape. It had been a whole hour since the escape and while injured guards were being tended to, more guards had been brought in to secure the mutants once more, this time in smaller groups with more guards at the doors. A lot of the older mutants had been taken to the rooms in the basement for questioning. Donghae was glad he never had to step in there. But still a few had escaped and the Boss was unhappy to say the least.
They had been shown pictures of the mutants thought to have escaped but the number hadn’t been accurate, they had yet to eliminate the ones hit beyond recognition and not all the mutants had been accounted for. A handful of the mutants’ pictures or data hadn’t been registered in their system yet.
Sighing at the number dead, he turned to his intern and frowned at the eager look on the boy’s face. He had no idea, not a hint of what he was getting into. Donghae had been furious since the moment he was told a sixteen year old had been accepted to work with him on missions. It was bad enough he had to drag children in to be locked up, but now he had to teach a child how to do it as well.
Signaling Kyuhyun to follow him as he took the intern to an unmarked room a few hallways away from where they had been. “Here, find something your size and wear it.” He told him, opening the lights in the large storage room to show a number of clothes and uniforms and accessories. The room was where they kept their most simple disguises for when agents had to run off into the field.
“Whoa.” Kyuhyun looked around, looking at all the labels over all the steel closets, everything in the closets pressed and neatly hanging with clear plastic wraps around them. “What is this room?” He asked, trying to open one of the doors.
Donghae walked over and swiped his card at the side of the closet, the door sliding away to reveal several kinds of regular men’s shirts of slim fit. “This room is called the Actor.” Donghae told him, walking to another closet marked Leather Jackets.
“The Actor?” Kyuhyun asked, taking out a shirt and moving his hand away fast as the closet door shut again.
“Because when you step in here, you change who you are… pick up a role in a way before stepping out.” Donghae explained, walking around the room and taking out several pairs of clothes. He threw his keys at Kyuhyun. “Take a few pairs out; congratulations, you’re going on your first mission.” He said flatly, turning to walk to the back of the room to change.
Kyuhyun made a face at the tone of Donghae’s voice but the excitement of getting to go on an actual mission erased almost all ill feelings towards the elder as he walked around the room getting a few clothes for himself. When he went back to where Donghae had gone, Kyuhyun saw that Donghae had changed into a simple pair of jeans with a belt, a tucked in white t-shirt and a his leather jacket on top. The silver bracelet the other usually wore was still on his wrist, though. He was packing away the rest of the clothes into a backpack. Kyuhyun quickly began to change himself and follow suit.
“Avoid eye contact with people but be subtle about it. If anyone does manage to engage you into a conversation we’re brothers and it’s your first time in Seoul, I’m showing you around.” Donghae spoke, tucking his gun into his boot, under his jeans and out of sight, “Your application said you’re fluent in Chinese?”
“Yes.” Kyuhyun spoke fast, taking in all of Donghae’s words, although almost begrudgingly because he wasn’t as stupid as Donghae seemed to think he was.
“We’re Chinese then.” Donghae said, “Fumble around with your Korean and-” He threw a Mandarin to Korean book at the intern. “Try to look into that when people speak to look. Only drop the act when I allow you to, got it?” Donghae asked him, packing away a few more supplies.
Kyuhyun caught the book and tucked it into a pocket of his own backpack. “Alright, do I get a gun?”
Donghae stopped what he was doing and turned to stare at him. He stepped close to Kyuhyun and looked at him seriously.
“If anything, I mean anything happens and we’re separated or if any mutants are on to us you run. You run fast and you get out of there and don’t look back.” Donghae said.
Kyuhyun looked into his eyes for a moment, something about them made him almost scared and he nodded mutely. Donghae stepped back, dropping a cheap looking cap with the Korean colors on it and the word Seoul with a heart in the front.
Grabbing his bag, Donghae began to walk out, Kyuhyun quick to move after him as they stepped out of the Actor from a different door than they had entered, Donghae using his security clearance to get them both out as they walked through corridors and corridors until they reached one final door.
It looked like a regular emergency exit door until Donghae pulled down the fire alarm and pressed his thumb in, swiping his card one last time. He signaled for Kyuhyun to open the door.
Kyuhyun wasn’t completely surprised but was caught off guard as he opened the door and realized they were stepping inside, near the back offices of the bank a few blocks from the government building they worked at. Donghae stepped out after him and dropped his security card into the janitor’s cart, standing near the door.
Had Kyuhyun not have trained himself to, he would have missed the look Donghae exchanged with the janitor before they began walking again, towards the front of the bank.
The second they stepped into the lobby of the bank, Donghae’s posture and expression changed from uptight and blank to relaxed and smiling. He grinned as he signaled Kyuhyun to follow him outside of the bank he stopped there for a moment to look around.
“So who do you figure out which way the mutants went?” Kyuhyun asked him, only to get a glare from Donghae.
“Don’t ask stupid questions ever again.” Donghae snapped back in Mandarin. “Remember someone is always listening.” He told him, spotting a bar at the end of the block. “C’mon…” He said, dragging Kyuhyun along with him towards the bar.
They got near the door of the bar and Donghae gave a look to Kyuhyun to act normal, pulling them inside, Donghae looked around for a table for them when he bumped into someone. He turned to apologize, taking in the red locks of the boy who looked just a bit older than Kyuhyun.
“Sorry!” The boy said too fast, beating Donghae to it, looking a little too nervous as disappeared into the crowd in the bar. Donghae hadn’t moved a muscle since brushing against the boy, feeling a familiar tingle run down his spine and bursts through him, his eyes changing color for a split second, carefully hidden under his contacts.
“Gege?” Kyuhyun called out for his attention, keeping his act up, and Donghae spun around, ushering him to a table.
“Here. Sit here and don’t move a muscle. Order something to eat if people start giving you looks.” Donghae ordered in Mandarin again and Kyuhyun frowned only slightly while taking his seat. When was the action supposed to start anyway?
Donghae pushed through the crowd lightly and quickly made it into the bathroom. Locking the door behind him, he walked over to the sink and pulled out his contacts quickly and then pulled his off silver bracelet and placed the items on a napkin on the sink. When he looked into the mirror he found that his usual chocolate brown eyes had changed their color to a rich golden shade.
The redhead had to be a mutant. Donghae thought, stepping back from the mirror as he felt the power, bursting to show itself. Raising his hands almost instinctively, Donghae closed his eyes, letting the new power he had just absorbed shoot out of his hands, creating a small ball of fire in his hands.
He gaped at the fire, lifting it into one hand; Donghae was fascinated for a moment, playing around the ball, stretching it as if it was play dough before closing his palm on it and opening to find it gone. He didn’t waste a moment as he slipped his bracelet back on and saw his eyes turn back to brown as he slipped his contacts back in. He blinked a few times to take away the dryness.
Donghae sighed, stepping out of the bathroom thinking of ways to discretely point out of Kyuhyun how he knew a mutant was around. Having never had a partner his entire career, Donghae never had to explain to anyone how he did what he did. And the Boss never seemed to care as long as he kept bringing in mutants through the door.
No one alive had ever known of his power and Donghae intended on keeping it that way. He was not going to let anyone, especially not a kid along for the thrills, find out why he was the only field agent capable of bringing in as many mutants as he did. Everyone needed to do what they had to do to survive and if for Donghae that meant suppressing a curse he never wished for, so be it.
Donghae hadn’t picked sides, and wasn’t planning on it. He was simply there to stay out of the radar and out of a cage. He didn’t have time to worry for others. Donghae knew better then to be that foolish.
Making his way back to the table, Donghae formed explanations in his head on how he knew the redhead had been a mutant. Reaching the table, Donghae realized explanations weren’t necessary when there was no one there to listen to them.
Kyuhyun was missing and Donghae hoped he had attacked because there was no other way he’d excuse the little bastard. Holding himself back from punching the table, Donghae took a quick scan of the place for the kid and then picked up his bag as he walked out of the bar, looking around for his intern.
-
8:20 PM - The Blue Moon Pub, Seoul
Sit here and don’t move a muscle. Kyuhyun scoffed and leaned back in his seat, frowning at the command. They were on a mutant-catching mission, for goodness sake, and he had to sit at the table like a good boy. Kyuhyun scoffed once again and crossed his arms, glowering. He didn’t get a gun, he was given orders to run at the first sign of trouble, and then he was told to sit and be still. Donghae was treating him like a child!
“I’m no child…” he grumbled to himself, uncrossing his arms to reach out and spin the coaster on the table. And where had Donghae gone, anyway? Probably to look for mutants without him, Kyuhyun thought in irritation. Kyuhyun continued grumbling to himself as he spun the coaster, using more and more force as his levels of annoyance increased.
After a particularly hard spin, the coaster flew out of his hands and off the table, skidding across the floor into the crowd. Kyuhyun sighed in annoyance and got up to retrieve the thing, mentally cursing everyone that wasn’t watching where they were going and kicking the coaster further.
By the time Kyuhyun had caught up with the coaster, it had made its way all the way to the back of the bar, rolling to a stop and falling with a resounding clatter when it hit the black boots of a shady figure that was leaning against the wall, not moving.
Kyuhyun swallowed and ducked behind the wall, sighing in relief at not having been seen and peering around the corner at the suspicious looking man who was glancing furtively around. He was tall and bulky, with dark hair and eyes, his gaze darting around, resting briefly on just about every person in the room as if waiting for someone to jump out at him.
Kyuhyun stared at the man, watching him and letting out a gasp before pulling back and hiding behind the wall again when the man’s gaze started moving toward him. His heart rate increased as he felt fear rising within him, and he had the sudden desire to run.
But Donghae had told him to run, because Donghae saw him as a child.
Kyuhyun frowned and decided not to run. He was no child. Steeled in his resolve, Kyuhyun took one last deep, calming breath before peering around the wall again, gasping out in shock to see that the man from before was gone, and the back door was swinging on its hinges.
Kyuhyun glanced around a few times before heading out the door as well, coming out into an alleyway that just screamed shady. It was dark, despite it still being early in the evening, and the streets were obscured by the rocky walls and trash cans lining them. It was the perfect place to make a drug deal or to get away with murder, and it gave Kyuhyun the shivers.
He looked down toward the far end of the alley, sighing in relief at not seeing anyone there, because he was pretty sure he couldn’t take on a mutant with a book alone, genius or not. Kyuhyun turned the other way and made his way onto the streets, looking around for the dark haired man, frowning at not being able to locate him.
The streets were ridiculously crowded with people bustling home from work, and there was no way Kyuhyun would be able to find him in there. With a sigh of defeat, Kyuhyun turned around and headed back to the alley, hoping he could get into the bar and back to his seat without Donghae realizing he was missing.
Kyuhyun gave the streets one last glance before shaking his head again and grabbing the door, pushing it open. He hadn’t even gotten one foot through the doorway when a figure crashed into him, sending the both of them falling back onto the dirty, rocky, alley ground.
“Hey!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, in annoyance at the klutz and in pain as loose pebbles stabbed at his bottom and the palms of his hands. “Watch where you’re going!”
“Sorry!” the klutz, a guy with red hair and pale skin, apologized. He got off of Kyuhyun in a hurry and, without even turning to help Kyuhyun up, ran off toward the streets.
“Bastard…” Kyuhyun muttered, rubbing his sore palms together and starting to get up, only to fall back to the ground when he hit yet another person.
“What the hell-?!” he started to shout, only to realize it was Donghae and he was yelling in Korean instead of Mandarin like he was supposed to.
“Kyuhyun, what the hell are you doing out here?!” Donghae demanded in Mandarin, wrenching Kyuhyun to his feet and glaring at him. “And why are you speaking Korean? Are you stupid?”
“No!” Kyuhyun exclaimed, pulling free of Donghae’s grasp. “And I came out here because I was following a suspicious looking person. I lost him, though, and was just coming back inside when some stupid redhead crashed into me and-”
“What?!” Donghae yelled.
“I said I was following someone and-”
“I know, I know,” Donghae said, cutting Kyuhyun off once again, ignoring the annoyed glare he was receiving from the younger. “Who crashed into you?”
“Besides you?” Kyuhyun asked, rubbing his bottom. “Some stupid redhead. I didn’t catch his name.”
“Redhead?” Donghae repeated, urgency in his voice. “Kyuhyun, which way did he go?”
“To the streets,” Kyuhyun replied, gesturing to the streets with both hands, since he was nursing the heels of his palms. “The jerk didn’t even apologize before-”
“Kyuhyun,” Donghae said, cutting the younger off once again. “Kyuhyun, shut up, stay close, and follow me,” he ordered, voice low and dangerous as he started heading toward the streets, pulling Kyuhyun along behind him. “That redhead was a mutant.”