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track 6

You And I by Dreamcatcher
{mood-setter}

"I feel upset but I don't know if I deserve to feel upset because I feel so guilty too..." Hyunjae wiped a new stream of tears as Kevin reached over to the coffee table by the couch to grab another tissue.

"You deserve to feel every emotion, Jaehyun. Now that I know what happened, I can tell you that Juyeon is very protective of Eric in general. It doesn't matter who it is. I know that he shouldn't have done that. Especially to you." The Canadian comforted him.

"It was still wrong of me to think that I could enter his life. I just wanted someone to save me when I felt trapped..." He paused. "...and I thought that we really had something unique too."

After staying silent for a few moments, Kevin took a deep breath and asked Hyunjae the question that had been flooding his mind ever since Juyeon texted him a while ago.

"Jaehyun, do you have feelings for Juyeon?"

He was met with a sad smile, Hyunjae sighing in bitterness.

"Yes I do. I have feelings for him and right now I feel heartbroken. And sad. And I'm this close to going to him to beg for forgiveness even though I'm more hurt about what he did."

Kevin wrapped his arms around Jaehyun, the two emotionally hugging each other.

"I'm sorry. I would say something different if we were in different circumstances, but right now, I'm really sorry that this happened to you. You deserve to be mad too, though! It shouldn't always be how could he- it can be how dare he! You're worth the feeling of being angry. You're allowed to take out your hurt sometimes, even when you're attached to the person and even when you love the person." The younger spoke with determination, the Maverick agent having a blank face of shock at his retaliation. 

"Tomorrow, in your scheduled mission, you can show him what he's missing." Kevin added with a proud look.

"...scheduled mission?!"

Hyunjae immediately panicked, wiping the tears from his face quickly.

"How am I going to face him! It's gonna be so awkward and I'm just going to be standing there-"

"Jaehyun, you really need to learn where to use your duality. Become Hyunjae! You don't have to feel the awkwardness yourself. It's only weird to be around each other if you both feel that way." Kevin stood up. "Just act all cool and charismatic... act unbothered by him and you'll be fine."

Hyunjae sighed in understanding, shoulders drooping.

"But I have a better thing to think about right now!" The younger switched the topic, a confident smile painted on his face.

"When we're heartbroken and sad, we eat ice cream, watch True Beauty, and girlboss all of the men away." Kevin made his way over to the kitchen in a sing-song voice.

 "That's literally what I do when I'm upset!" Hyunjae turned around to face Kevin from the couch, excited at the coincidence.

However, the only response Kevin gave was an uninterpretable expression, a swirl of emotions hidden under a smile that Hyunjae couldn't figure out.

- - 

The sound of gunshots filled Hyunjae's ears so clearly that he missed the high-pitched "Juyeon-sunbae!" that was directed by Mashiho, at the man who just walked into the training room.

The eldest was stationed at one of the shooting stations, attentive until he heard a low voice, familiar enough to break him out of the spell.

"What's our mission?" Juyeon asked Chanhee, who signaled for Hyunjae to come over once he turned around.

Finally putting away his gun, he stood near Juyeon and in front of the mission guide, waiting patiently.

"You're going to steal back a flash drive that Twilight stole from us. It has information on some of our past members- mostly Jacob-hyung's mother's colleagues." 

Mother? Female mafia leaders were pretty rare in the last generation. Even Butterfly's lead inherited the group from her father. Good to know that Reveal comes from good roots.

"It's an easy mission so you'll be able to finish it cleanly. We just wanted to keep it as discreet as possible since the other groups shouldn't know that we're in rough waters with Twilight. They'll start choosing sides."

The name of the mafia group had just registered to Hyunjae as he started listening closer.

I better not run into him again.

"I'll be guiding you through it with Younghoon-hyung, so you can trust us to keep it quick."

Thank goodness Younghoon will be here. Chanhee would not know what to do if he knows I'm there. I have too many enemies to count at this point.

"You'll both be starting in an hour, so you can relax for now." New concluded, before walking away, Juyeon quickly following him.

"I don't know what to do! I feel bad but I don't know how to apologize..."

-

Moments ago...

Juyeon walked into the training center, nervous about his first encounter with Hyunjae after what went down yesterday.

He had spent the whole night sleepless, struggling to pull himself together and get over the fact that he just pushed away someone he cared about.

And yet, when he walked in, Hyunjae looked so focused, powerful as he landed every single bullet on the targets that Juyeon had spent years learning how to even hit.

He had this habit of underestimating the other, maybe in a teasing way, but there was no way to explain how the older exceeded him in every way.

Hyunjae deserved better than him, who had uncontrollable emotions that he couldn't decipher and unstable ties to the people in his life. 

There was no right or thorough way to apologize for taking out his anger on a perfect human being like him.

-

"We can struggle together, Juyeon. I have no idea how to fix either of our problems, but if I go MIA during the mission, just know that I've left my desk because of Younghoon." Chanhee sighed, facepalming.

"We're doomed, Hee. This is going to be the awkwardest thing I've done in my life- and that's after Kevin and I accidentally stumbled in on Jacob working out in the gym and his mind blanked." Juyeon recalled the moment, shaking his head to rid himself of the memories.

- - 

"Head through the third floor's side door. The guard there is on a dinner break." Younghoon's voice sounded through Hyunjae and Juyeon's earpieces.

The younger field agent held the window open for Hyunjae to crawl through, before the older unlocked the actual door for Juyeon, the two not exchanging a single word.

"The office is on the left all the way down the hallway. We can't hack the cameras right now, so use Eric's heat sensor, Juyeon." Chanhee spoke. 

More commotion could be heard on the other side of the line, New adding a, "Xion really outdoes himself every time with his security system."

Hyunjae watched as Juyeon took out a circular pod, placing it on the ground as it glowed orange.

"We have sight." Younghoon confirmed, seeing heat signatures on his map. "There's three security guards in front of the office, and one person inside. Probably Seoho, their mission guide. He's nothing to worry about as long as you knock him out. You're allowed to do what you want to the security guards, though."

"I got it." Hyunjae went in immediately, Juyeon surprised at the lack of cautiousness and struggling to discreetly catch up.

Holding his gun near his face, the brunette rounded the corner of the hallway, shooting the first guard in sight in the torso.

Juyeon quickly picked up the movement, rounding the corner as well to wound the second guard in his arm.

Before the younger could react to the third guard running to them, Hyunjae had already flipped him over gracefully, his boot digging into the Twilight member's back before another gunshot was heard.

"For a mafia with such a hold on Itaewon's economy, they really don't have security to match." Juyeon spoke to himself, his observation making him worry for something more, no matter how much scrutinization he had heard about Twilight.

As the Maverick and Reveal members reached the door, bracing to open it, the rummaging of papers could be heard on the inside, a last ditch effort to protect documents by the person inside, namely Seoho.

However, as Hyunjae broke open the tinted-glass door, even Juyeon could make out how screwed they were.

"Well, I didn't think I'd be seeing the two of you again. Especially... together."

The partners immediately looked at each other in shock.

There is no way we both have history with Hwanwoong.

Hyunjae, fed up with his exact hope to not see Twilight's concierge again jinxing himself, takes out a smoke bomb, throwing it in front of him and Juyeon.

"Hyunjae, you get the flash drive. Juyeon, whatever you do, keep Hwanwoong away from him. That bastard is out for Jae's blood."  Younghoon ordered.

Juyeon nodded to himself and the older as he took out another one of Eric's gadgets, a small motion sensor that would signal in his earpiece as there was action around it.

Throwing it in front of himself, he signaled Hyunjae to move, the Maverick agent going to the side of the room to look for the main computer.

"Movement Sensed: Ten Feet Away"

That was definitely Hyunjae. Too far away to be the blonde-haired male they had seen earlier in the middle of the room.

"Movement Sensed: Thirteen Feet Away"

Farther? Even Juyeon knew the main computer couldn't be so far stretched in a room like this. Where was the alert for Hwanwoong?

"Movement Sensed: Thirty Feet Away"

The room wasn't even thirty feet long in width. 

Juyeon ducked behind a cubicle, checking his earpiece for actual accurate information.

Getting back up after not hearing anything, he looked forward, trying to at least spot Hyunjae through the smoke.

Why did he even use smoke in this case?

...

"Movement Sensed: One Foot Away"

"Fuck. I knew I should've told Eric to get this beta-tested." 

Strong arms quickly circled Juyeon's neck, pulling him back as he kicked off a cubicle to ram the shorter male into the wall behind him.

Turning around, he landed punches on Hwanwoong, the other simply smiling.

"Pretty weak. How about I give you something to fight for, Yeon?"

At that moment, a scream was heard.

Hyunjae.

Juyeon whipped his head around in fear for him, before feeling a sharp pain in his side, his legs buckling immediately.

He was left on the floor, unable to make a sound from the pain he was in, as the man he had just been brawling walked away.

 And towards Hyunjae.

He could hear Hwanwoong murmuring as he made his way through the smoke to the main computer.

"I'm going to finally kill you once and for all, Hyunjae."

 "You need to protect Hyunjae at all costs."

"Need to protect Hyunjae"

"Protect Hyunjae"

"Protect Hyunjae."

Jacob's voice sounded in Juyeon's head like a broken record.

Even as his ears were ringing as he clutched his side, which Hwanwoong had slashed with his knife, he wobbled to get up.

"I've felt more happy and comfortable right now than I have in a long time. It's because of you."

"I can't place how you're doing it, but you're changing my life."

The smiles the older gave him that night... he had hurt the person who became a vital part of his life. 

He hadn't even been able to tell the other how he felt yet.

His real emotions.

His real feelings.

The scream that Jaehyun had let out before.

He could be near the main computer, defenseless against what Hwanwoong would do to him.

That can't happen.

No matter what...

Juyeon wouldn't let this man lay a single finger on Hyunjae.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins as Juyeon got up, running at Hwanwoong and taking him down to the floor, throwing hits everywhere on the man who was taken by surprise, Juyeon's wound letting out blood that spilled onto himself.

"I don't care what I have to do." The Reveal agent whispered in the beat-up man's ear, as the shorter groaned, unable to move after a few ribs had cracked.

"I'll make sure you never even come close to endangering Hyunjae's life."

"He's mine."

- - - 

thank you for reading!

when i say that i am SO sorry for the late update if you dm me on here, i will spam you with sorries, because things have been so hectic the past two months i have so many responsibilities now and so much has happened </3 thank goodness im finally on spring break

idk how many times ive said it but ill say it again, im never giving up on this book! no matter how late an update is, it will never be discontinued or abandoned and it is a promise because theres so much that i've connected to this book and so much of a plot that i still havent shown you guys.

all i can say is thank you for staying with this book whether it was from the very start, midway as it got popular, or even as a new reader because im SOOOO thankful <333

im sorry that the chapter was short, i just had writer's block for this certain spot so im not sure if it came out well, but next chapter will be back to the same pace!

i love you guys so much i cant tell you how much i enjoy writing this story and how much i just want to spoil every detail ive hidden in throughout for plot twists right now T-T

thank you thank youthank you thank you for everything <3333

side note: (yes this is a very big A/N) i was watching queendom in my school's library while im exempt from PE for my injury (i sprained my ankle which is also another event happening in my life!) and i clicked on the link and immediately saw sunwoo talking and i got so startled that my crutches fell in front of everyone in the room i am SO down bad