‘Wait.’

In his voice, there was this much dew, shockingly colder and more terrifying than ever.

My breathing hitched for a moment, my heels stopped in their place still and stiff as a pole. I rigidly pivoted backward, stutteringly making a small, ‘yes?’

‘I will take one of those.’ He uninhibitedly spoke. The stone of fear slid off my chest with the sound of a silent sigh, I nodded. Gosh...

My eyes slowly took a watch over the rest of the members. All firmly sat immobile like motionless structures. Did they look nervous? No, not certainly. Their lips were pursed to a single line. A shadow of perplexity derivable on their face, as if they were in a dilemma about something. None spoke a word. Jungkook silently passed down the offer, Jin and Taehyung took a shot. Next person who sat was Jimin.

With my low call, he lifted his head up and looked at me. Wrinkles over his forehead and a trident formal central in between his eyebrows, they never smoothened for a minute. A gentle nod with provided, he took on one of the cocktail glasses.

The tiny motion of his delicate lips to touch the limpid top of the glass, slight fog escaping his mouth to cover the shine with its touch. My eyes hovered from his top to down gradually. No doubt he looked extremely good in that tux. The middle button blocked the proper view to his see-through white shirt, the arresting sparkly sleeves clung to his arms took their shape precisely. His fingers fidgeted the thin black beaded bracelet he wore on his other wrist unconsciously. It looked somewhat familiar.

I shot a small slap on my cheek. What is wrong with me? Why am I acting like this?

For a quantum second spared by endless time, I was detached from the real world. I was lost, a pang out of nowhere took over the emotion chamber of my heart. One thing that I couldn’t deny, all these days I passed with him, them, one part of me somehow and some reason, made me feel close to them. They told we were a family. I was a family. Does a family betray their other?

With them, with me, there was a strong connection, relatability. The more I saw, I observed, I found out, they were just like me. Vulnerable, to themselves.

The blindfold on my eyes had started to thicken, as I spent more and more time. I was warned to not fall under the fake charms they hold. I was so vain, so confident that I wouldn’t. But now...

Do I feel sorry? This was not the ‘me’ when I joined the special force, when I was chosen for this mission.

What is wrong with me this time? On top of that, why them?

It feels like...

>>>

‘Calling 47. What’s the report?’

‘They are still where they are. No action yet.’

‘Are all seven of them there?’

‘Yes.’

‘Alright. Keep your eyes on them and wait.’

‘Hmm, okay. Give me a location of other agents.’

‘The rest of the operatives are all there, have taken position around the place. Operative seven is inside the building, he will remain around you in case to help. Operative twenty-two and his three-man team are keeping an eye on the guards, forty-five and his group are scattered around, covering the whole place.’

‘Who is Operative Seven?’

‘He’s backside undercover. Don’t buzz around looking for him. Remember, none of you knows each other. Concentrate on the mission.’

‘Roger, M’s.’

I cut off the call and continued to watch over the members. reassurance. Small murmurs went on between them. It was impossible to hear for me from that distance.

‘Hey you,’ Startled a bit, I looked at my side, ‘What are you doing? Get back to work.’ I bowed slightly and sauntered back. Momentarily, there was a medium clamor commenced at a distance that took aback everyone’s attention to the place. An angry voice declared, ‘What the hell, man? Can’t you see or something?’ Along with others, my busy eyes turned around to take a look at the situation.

The gambling section. A young fellow waiter stood with his face down in guilt. The brown guy who say before him was an image of a hot flush of anger. A splotch of orange dominated over the clean greenish suit of his. A man in grey sat beside him in company drooping with lazy eyes, the only person all around who seemed unaware and unwilling to pay attention to the prevailing scene before.

The green suit guy stated in annoyance, ‘Look what you did! Are you gonna pay for this?’

‘I am really sorry, sir. Please give me a second, I will clean this u-’ He blew a puff of bull’s air through his nostrils, not even letting the boy finish his sentence. So annoying he was, what might be his name? Let’s call him, Brat man.

‘No,’ Bratman exasperated. ‘keep your dirty hands off of me. I know you did it on purpose. Ya think it’s so easy to clean this off? Unless you pay me for the mess you did, I ain’t letting you go.’

‘But sir-’

‘No buts!’ He shameless, merciless, brought his hand out forward seeking the wad of notes he didn’t need or deserve. The boy looked around hopelessly, a dying glint of hope in his eyes if anyone anywhere would take a step forward in order to help him out, which, however, no one did. His sorrowful eyes stopped their movements.

‘What? Are you even deaf now?’ Bratman arched an eyebrow. ‘Are you paying for your deed or what?’ Losing his temper further, he gripped on the boy’s collar with a harsh fist.

‘You heard him, sir. He said sorry, right?’ The boy’s face hastily shifted up, the lost shine coming back to its place getting a hearing of a small helping hand low voice. I took a step forward releasing his collar from the hard fist.

‘The stain hasn’t even dried yet. Please give your suit to us, it won’t even take a minute to wash it off.’

‘Wow, wow, wow,’ The hothead male crossed his arms over his chest, ‘And who are you? His mom? He made a mistake, and let him resolve it. Can he even buy this kind of cloth for himself? Stupid! Damn you, beggar people!’ He snarled.

It was hard to keep the slowly rising temper inside at its initial place, still I tried. Even though, my knuckles tightened themselves. ‘Sir, he is trying to resolve what he did but you are not letting him do so. And, deliberately insulting someone on no cause is a wrong deed you’re doing.’

‘And you are my teacher? Oh, did I get my teacher angry?’ He smirked at my slight irritated face, ‘What are you gonna do? Huh?’

Taking a glimpse over my straight firm position and my fisted hand, he playfully widened his eyes, ‘Oh, you wanna fight? C’mon then. Do you know to arm wrestle? You seem too unfit for a full body fight, unless if you so badly want to.’ The empty table behind him and his mates around, it was evident that a moment ago, he was having a hand in playing this.

Before I could speak up further, I felt a tug on my sleeve from backward. Ae-Cha’s low voice warily whispered in my ears, ‘Eonnie, please don’t provoke the guy anymore, just say sorry and leave. Otherwise, you’ll be in more trouble.’

She was right. I knew and I couldn’t have risked my position, whilst I had my own errands to run. Sharing a wary gaze with the boy telling him to get away, I took a step backward intending to back off too.

‘What? Are you scared? Well, should have known.’ Seeing me take slow steps backward with an intention to leave, he made a tsk and arrogantly crossed his arms behind his neck, ‘Just talks and no deeds. You are a girl after all. What can you do?’

With that, I was hit right on my ego.

‘You know what?’ Leaving Ae-Cha with a shocked withered face, I turned back and settled myself down on the front chair, ‘Let’s do this.’

Whispers and murmurs of surprise descended the crowd, eyebrows were arched in disbelief and mock. Bratman was flabbergasted himself, still, sure did like the amount of attention given to him for the time. He tilted his head, sat down on the chair before and curved his lips taking a level view of me.

‘Gutsy hot girl,’ He grinned, ‘I like it.’

‘If I win, what will I get?’ He danced his brow. Intimidated with the coquettish way he looked, I managed to shoot a similar arrogant face and parroted, ’If I win, what will I get?′

He grinned, ‘Fine. Let’s make a deal. If I win, a night with me.’ Noticeably, his smile couldn’t but grow curver, ‘And if you win, pfft, then...you can go.'

I was disgusted by the attitude. Men. I was going to kill him either way. Nevertheless, ‘Oh-kay.’

Hands clenched, crowds cheering, eyes intent, both elbows screwed on the table pushing, fighting to bring the opponent down with all might. My hand enveloped by the big palm of his, I looked into the eyes firmly. Notorious brown shade, conceited gaze, an already-known victory’s playfulness, he, like all those people, who think they are worthy where, they are nothing but slaves of so-called void show of power and worthlessness. He was strong, but not till how he appeared as. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Ae-Cha, still trying to believe what was going on. And the guards, who were in quite a distance, still unaware but wondering what can be the cause behind the crowd at this place. The young waiter, he was standing at the side with fully wide eyes. The rest of the crowd, they just needed their element to get fun of the night. They were no different to the man.

Was it easy to beat him like the rest?

Yes it is.

....................

One hand down, another hand over the one which was just now defeated. The small hand, over the manly one.

His face had darkened to a scowl. His pride was all shattered in pieces.

’Let’s go son.′ I turned on my heels. The hothead Bratman, the expression on his face was divided in different states, in defeat, pain, offense, and anger. He chewed his lips and fisted on the table in front that just now witnessed his defeat. I grimaced. It was never less fun to watch how the face of a person twists who can’t bear to see the goodbye wave of their victory, the win they never thought they wouldn’t gain.

I gave a slight roll of the eyes directing him and looked back on the side stools of the bar. Immediately my expression pulled into a stone appalled one.

The boys, they were gone!

To know:

The agents were constrained from knowing who they were or how they were disguised as was because, if any of them got caught in the situation, others can remain safe with their disguise and escape on the chance if any alarming situation arrives.