Agent Songbird | j.hs

Chapter 6

"Let's go over it one more time. We have to make sure you've got it down. Because a single slip up will mess up the whole operation," I warned.

He sighed, "You could have some faith in me, but fine. My alias is Kim Jongho, and my codename is Agent Neuron. I am a dance teacher who is an alumnus of this dance teacher."

"And what's mine? Because you can't slip up when addressing me either," I raised an eyebrow.

"Your alias is Hyun Eunsu and your codename is Agent Songbird. You are my best friend and dancing partner. But dance is a pastime for you because you are a fitness trainer. But since you're also an alumnus, you were happy to participate," he recited almost robotically.

I nodded, "Great job. Just remember that, because now you have absolutely no chance to back out. So don't mess it up because you lose your nerve."

We had put on a similar uniform of the dance students which entailed skin-tight black clothes to show off all the dance lines and all of that. Not necessarily the best choice, but it made us blend in.

Arin and Seokjin entered our dressing room with all their equipment and disguises. They were posing as part of the venue's staff so they could keep tabs on our honored guests and make sure nothing went wrong.

"Take these. We'll be able to talk you through what they're talking about," Arin said, handing us custom-made in-ears.

They were attached to a clunky mic box that was usually used for singers, but it was unlikely that anyone would pick up on it anyway.

"You ready for your first mission?" Seokjin asked Hoseok.

He fiddled nervously with his fingers, giving an apprehensive nod. Arin and Seokjin instantly went to his side to calm his nerves as if he were a child going to his first day of school.

I had no means of sitting there and coddling him when plenty of opportunities were given to him to refuse but he stubbornly went through with it, so now he had to deal with it.

Arin had slipped away from them for a moment, pulling me to the side with a concerned look.

"You holding up okay?" She asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well for starters, it's only been a few months since you were last there. And the last time you were there, you were placed in the middle of a trafficking operation in which you got found out, beaten, and shot," she said bluntly.

"Way to lay it all out. But seriously, you don't have to worry. I'm fine. What I've wanted to do for a long time was push their organization six feet under, and thankfully, I get a second shot at doing so. I'll be careful, I promise," I reassured her.

"You better be. I don't want to be the one calling for help this time," she warned.

I ruffled her hair, "That'll be the last thing on your mind, I swear."

"I hope so. I've got to head back out, but I wish you all the best of luck on your mission. I definitely feel at ease knowing you have someone with you," she said.

"Yeah right. Having a rookie is the same as having no partner, if not worse. But nonetheless, I will make sure we're both back in one piece," I affirmed.

She nodded, "Oh! Before I go, let me tell you. You likely won't be able to take these in-ears with you for obvious reasons, so I had your earings specially picked out. Their studs so their small and unnoticeable by any sort of technology they have. I may not be able to talk to you and vice versa, but these at least let me track you. When you place to fingers over the front and back, it'll give the system your heat signal. When you get there, as soon as possible, I need some sort of indication of your location. Then we can get into the systems and get a layout for you to monitor you."

I nodded, "I'll make sure it's the first thing we do."

"Right. Well, I'll get going. Be careful out there," she said, her voice hiding a solemn fear.

Once Hoseok and I were alone again, a very deafening silence fell over the room. It was surreal to get back out there. I had never had such a long break from work, so to get back into it with the same organization that forced me out of work was bizarre.

Putting on the final touch of makeup, I led Hoseok out of the dressing room to the backstage area where many of the students were warming up for their big performance.

Their dance teacher was nervously watching them, biting her nails in fear. When she saw us, she practically sprinted to us.

"You must be the agents," she let out a breath of relief.

I nodded, motioning for her to keep her voice down "Yes madame. We will make sure nothing happens to you, your students, or the audience. But we have to keep it very hush. Even the students need to think we are just some alumni."

She nodded, "Yes of course. I'm so sorry for all of this. If I had known my ex-husband was a part of this, I wouldn't have gotten involved with him at all."

"Your ex-husband?"

"The boss of that Nature's Order. The former one at least. After they got found out the first time, he went off the grid. I had found out about him before it happened and immediately divorced him. At first, he threatened me, but then he let me go as long as promised him a favor in return. I didn't think it'd involve the safety of one of my students," she explained.

"Did he ask you personally?" I questioned.

She shook her head, "The new boss carried the message for me."

So he was still in hiding. Considering the organization had regained its stature and stability, him still being in hiding made me uneasy. I was hoping to catch him when we got in, but perhaps the time for that hadn't arrived yet.

"Well don't worry. Our primary objective is to ensure everyone's safety. But we will also make sure the legacy of your ex-husband's work gets forced down a drain. Have faith. Otherwise, enjoy the show and be there for your students. They still deserve to have a normal performance," I advised.

She nodded, thanking us a couple more times before forcing a smile to pep up her students who were blissfully unaware of the danger.

Hoseok took a deep breath beside me, marking through our choreography again to take his mind off of our own impending doom.

His fear was good because it was keeping him focused...but I wasn't heartless. So I sat beside him, not really saying anything or doing anything, letting my presence be an act of solidarity. I wasn't sure to handle his nerves. The last time I had ever had experience with that was when Sae was comforting me.

So maybe I should've passed it on, but I didn't know how to. I wasn't used to being in tune with people's fears and how to deal with them.

"Thanks," he said, offering a small smile.

I was taken aback that he understood what I was doing, but I returned the smile with a soft nod.

"Are you ready? There's no going back now," I rhetorically asked, watching as the first line of dancers prepared themselves on the stage.

"I'm terrified but I'm ready. I'll see this through," he nodded somewhat unsurely.

But it was a yes, which meant it was go time.