♊︎Year 5067, Month 6, Day 23, Time 4:55 pm♊︎
☯︎︎
The car purrs under the direction of Jongho, the man driving it. Through what Gemini can see on the rear-view mirror, he's keeping up a collected facade, trying to hide his nervousness but his tapping on the wheel gives him away.
They were on their way to complete the assignment she had been briefed on the day she switched out with Kurenai. The whole time up until today, the team had been working together to prepare for this assignment: an assassination mission. The usual. Only difference was that this time, they needed to receive something from the targets before they were allowed to kill them.
"This isn't your first field day, is it?" Gemini jeers, leaning heavily onto Seonghwa who's sitting next to her. Jongho throws her a momentary glance as he races through the streets of Karma District.
"No, I just... today just feels off, I guess." He answers solemnly, keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him and on the man in the motorbike in front of him. Another tails behind them, the electric engines of both motorcycles whirring as they carry San and Wooyoung who are posing as bodyguards.
"You're thinking too much about it," Seonghwa speaks up, tapping away at the candies on the screen of his phone. Each time he taps, the phone chimes with words of praise, saying 'Delicious!' Or 'Tasty!' which is the only sound filling the silence in between the three people.
They sit in their suits, Gemini sporting a delicate, beige-colored polyester suit with a silk, white blouse that The Duchess let her borrow but she never returned; her creme heels pinching at certain angles of her feet.
Gemini's tattoos were hidden because of the concealment bracelet but her short, black hair was on display, combed and pinned back with a small Bobby pin thanks to Candy who had many to spare.
The man next to her is sitting in his navy blue tuxedo made of velvet material with his hair swept elegantly back. Jongho and the other two who would present themselves to their targets were wearing normal black and white suits to blend in.
"Q? ... Mars?" Their earpieces crackle with some static at the sound of Hongjoong trying to communicate with them. "Can you hear me?" The voice becomes clear quickly and they both respond at the same time.
"Yes." Even Jongho joins in, his earpiece also scratching at his ear.
"How about me?" Yeosang pitches in and a sigh is heard from someone else on the line.
"Yes, Hetmon, we can all hear you." The voice responds irritably, hinting at who it could be.
"Well my bad, Hyena. I was just checking like the good and trustworthy teammate I am." He emphasizes on those two words and receives a groan from Wooyoung.
"You're still mad about the argument?!" The blonde man complains.
"Obviously, I am! How am I not supposed to be mad when nobody is listening to me about Kurenai—!"
"Hetmon!" Seonghwa's stern voice intercepts the argument, putting a halt before it could get any more out of hand. "We're on a mission right now. Not in the dorms. Unless you want me to put you two in your place, I suggest you focus." The voice reprimands them.
"Thank you, Mars." Hongjoong appreciates Seonghwa's action and continues with what he was going to say. "Alright, do you all remember the objective? The plan? Need to go over it one more time?" He inquires of everyone.
"Calm down, Cipher." Mingi's voice pops into the line from where ever it is he's stationed on the restaurant's roof to monitor the influx of customers, startling Gemini a bit. "Give us some more credit, we've got this."
"Wait, these things are connected to our whole team?" Gemini asks. "I thought it was just for those on the inside job."
"Technically, yes, but that's only until you enter the building. I'll be disconnecting you and Seonghwa from the rest of the team except for myself so that you won't get distracted by side comments and so that our targets don't suspect anything." Hongjoong clears it up for her, looking over at his control panel with increasing worry.
The hacker was never one to worry over assignments and their outcome, always being the level-headed member, but with the recent events and the team's obvious anxiety, he can't help but feel like this will end disastrously. Since Yeosang argued with Mingi, he hasn't been able to quell his rising suspicions over Kurenai. If he's being honest with himself, he has noticed the slight changes in her disposition— from the way she's more sociable to her sudden change in the way she treats Seonghwa. He knows that there's more going on, but without proper evidence, he can't do anything.
All he can do right now is sit back and watch her actions closely through his screen, analyzing everything she does. But until she slips up, his hands are tied.
"We're here," Jongho announces for everyone to hear, including Candy, Yunho, and Yeosang who should already be inside.
Candy and Yeosang were posing as a lovely couple on a dinner date and Yunho was using the guise of a server to get closer to their targets: the Kings.
"Why do you guys think Ursula assigned us to them? They don't seem to be a threat to MALUS." Yunho voices the question that was on all of their minds, sounding out of breath which they guess is from having to run to and fro to serve tables.
"Probably money?" San answers him, slowing down the pace of his bike as they get closer to the Valet.
"No, it has to be more than that. Ursula never makes us kill people for money." Gemini interposes, sparking a sense of skepticism in all of the members' minds.
She already knew what it was that Ursula really wanted, having been informed beforehand. This mission was just a way to cover up the Meister's true intentions which were to kill off one of the members. Originally, she was given the order to kill San but with Kurenai out of the picture and the news of her affair with the model being uncovered, the order to kill Mingi was given. So, the clone supposed that she might as well leave the member's minds with a bit of unease before she goes through with it, setting the stage for her performance.
If there was one thing Gemini loved, it was creating a spectacle and this assignment required a show.
And maybe, if she's lucky, she could kill two birds with one stone.
Unfortunately, the team doesn't get long to chew on the possible answers because Jongho, San, and Wooyoung soon stop at the valet, right in front of the large restaurant they'd be meeting their guests in.
Jongho looks through the window at the lavish building, noticing the gloomy clouds hovering above it. The sky is a dark gray, no sun in sight which was usually a bad omen for the team, remembering the last time they all went on a mission. He could even feel his stomach getting queasy from the thought of the assignment going downhill again.
Gemini on the other hand could feel her stomach tingling at the the thought of finally being able to kill someone, doing little to cover up her excitement that Seonghwa and Jongho noticed it as well. Seonghwa reaches over to her, placing a hand on her knee in feigned worry.
"Do you feel alright?" The raven-haired man speaks without much thought, bringing a moment of befuddlement and amusement to all. It strikes everyone as odd that Seonghwa would be asking her something like this considering the "bad-blood"between them.
"I'm fine." The giddy woman smiles to herself, ignoring the way Jongho squints his eyes at her through the rear-view mirror. "I've never been better."
The car door next to her opens, being held open by San who's in his security uniform. He stretches out a firm hand for the woman to hold onto and she grabs it, picking up her handbag with her free hand and stepping out into the busy sidewalk.
She takes a big breath as she looks up at the restaurant in front of her.
El Dorado is what they called it. A restaurant on the richer side of Karma District that was infamously known by the criminal underworld as a place of treaties. Many gang leaders and other important figures that had any dirty business to deal with would come here. It was a place of peace and diplomacy that stressed on the peace part. They had banned weapons from this place some time ago after a scuffle which meant they'd be heading in without any weapons, or at least visible ones.
Gemini's grip on San's hand tightens as she anticipates the coming events and he winces, confused as to why she's holding on so tight.
"Kurenai, you're hurting me," San mutters loud enough for her to hear and she quickly lets go, hearing a worried tone creep into his voice over her.
"My bad, I was just seeing if you were stronger than you look. Y'know, in case we get into a scuffle." Gemini comments abruptly, giving him a calculated smile. It unsettles San, never seeing this side of the woman before, but he's restricted from asking her what she meant by "scuffle" as Seonghwa is already at her side, ushering her into the restaurant.
She steps away from San who watches her closely, nodding at Seonghwa and heading in little too eagerly.
"Did you catch a that?" San whispers to Wooyoung and the other man nods.
"That's some good acting."
"It's not acting." Hongjoong intercepts the guards' conversation, zooming in on the woman they're talking about and observing the way she scans her surroundings as if she were plotting something. "I've turned off her and Seonghwa's earpieces so that we can hear them but they can't hear us. I want San and Yunho to keep a close eye on Kurenai. She's been..."
"Off?" Yeosang interrupts, an I-told-you-so tone dripping off his tongue. "You've noticed!"
"I think we all have, we just don't want to admit it. We'll keep an eye on her." San assures their leader and his worries are pacified for the meantime.
They head into the restaurant behind Gemini and Seonghwa, keeping an eye out for any threats in the vicinity. The group of four walk through the lobby, looking at the multiple cameras Hongjoong must've already hacked that are placed in all sections of the room.
"You got the reservation number?" Wooyoung directs his question at Hongjoong whom they can all hear typing away vigorously at his keyboard.
"Yeah, hold on. It should send to your phones... right now." Just as promised, their phones vibrate in the pocket of their pants and they pull them out, the reservation number and name listed on the message the blue-haired hacker sent.
They all make a bee-line for the clerk's desk, avoiding the staff and other people lounging about.
"Would you do me a favor and retell me the names of our clients?" Seonghwa addresses Gemini, making Wooyoung and San roll their eyes in sync.
"How often will we have to remind you?" Wooyoung protests, already hating the way Seonghwa seems to forget everything.
"Just deal with it. It's not for long anyway." Jongho snaps at the blond man, probably somewhere in the limo where they had left him. If everything is going according to plan, he should be close to the alley where Hongjoong is sitting and monitoring the team through his various screens in the white van Jongho lent them.
"Easy for you to say when you're not the one constantly reminding him," Wooyoung mumbles grumpily, going silent when Gemini speaks up.
"Our patrons this evening are Sirius and Vienna King. As far as we know, Sirius is the owner to CRISPR, a laboratory separate from MALUS that works on gene coding." She explains, earning an interesting question from San.
"Does that mean they specialize in clone making?"
Seonghwa instantly shoots her a glare, worried about where this is going. She ignores his glare, only focusing on San and Wooyoung who are expecting an answer from her.
"Something like that." She shrugs, earning herself a skeptical look from Wooyoung. "Imagine having a clone," Gemini blurts out, looking over at Seonghwa who's begging her with his eyes to shut up. "You could easily switch lives with them and no one will ever know."
For a moment, they all stand there staring at her as if in a trance, trying to process what she just said. It's only until the receptionist greets them that they snap out of whatever they were in and put on the faces of the roles they're playing once again.
"Good evening, do you have a reservation?" The receptionist asks and Seonghwa takes the lead.
"Yes, I believe it's under the reservation for Vienna King. The reservation number is 492."
"Yes, that would be correct." The receptionist gives them a customer-service smile, picking up some menus and stepping out from behind the desk. "Right this way."
He leads the group through the main area of the restaurant where they pass all of the ordinary customers who are dining and laughing. They're soon led through a smaller and much dimmer hall that leads to a secluded dining area that seemed much, much more expensive than the last area they were in.
This area smells of lavender and rich wine that could probably make the team go bankrupt for a simple taste. The walls are a burgundy color that match the soft, black-velvet carpets that sink underneath their feet with every step they take.
Every ornament and detail, from the chandeliers to the delicate, flower centerpieces that decorate every table, was a show of how much money this place made. It wouldn't surprise them if a king or queen would sit to eat here themselves. This place was filthy rich, it almost made Gemini gag.
"Alrighty then, this is your table. A waiter will be right with you to take your orders soon. We hope you find everything to your liking." The receptionist sets the menus down on the table that was just a few tables away from where Candy and Yeosang were quietly chatting, keeping an eye on the group.
"Thank you," Seonghwa nods towards the receptionist and he leaves them with the other people that were already waiting for them.
"Alright, You guys. Here is where the show begins." Hongjoong reminds them. "If anything we'll be here on the line to provide intel and support. Let's just hope your acting can—."
"Ahem." Seonghwa clears his throat to shut the hacker up but also to call for the attention of the couple that's already seated at their reserved table.
The couple looks up to face Seonghwa and Gemini but no sooner when Seonghwa opens his mouth to greet them is he faced with a tall and robust man with dark skin stepping between them and standing guard; his arms crossed over his beefed up chest and his eyes staring at them like piercing needles.
Seeing the man before them, Gemini wasn't feeling as excited, especially now that her mind has drifted elsewhere to notice the dirty glances San keeps throwing at her
Quite frankly, the sight of the robust man wasn't the only unnerving sight they'd see, the other equally built guards that were surrounding them and currently staring them down at the moment were adding on to their nervousness. But whatever it was that the group was currently feeling, they refused to show, putting on a brave front.
"Good evening. My associate and I are here looking for—."
"Why is it a sin to kill a mockingbird?" The buff guard cuts off Seonghwa's friendly attempt at greeting the targets. The sudden question had caught the group by surprise even though they knew this was the code to get through. The only problem was that none of them had an answer.
"So, uh, does anyone know the answer? Because I think we can't talk with our targets unless we have it." Mingi pipes in after keeping silent.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious! We would have never known that without you." Yunho remarks his tongue heavy with sarcasm.
"Guys, shut up," Hongjoong groans, muttering something else that's inaudible while Seonghwa and the three other members with him wait awkwardly for an answer. The robust guard's patience seems to be running thin as he stretches out a hand to set it on Seonghwa's shoulder when the blue-haired hacker suddenly screeches the response.
Hongjoong's screaming makes everyone that was listening in flinch, and since Gemini was the first to recover from the sound, she was the first to answer the guard's clandestine question.
"It is a sin because all they ever do is give us a lovely tune." Satisfied, the buff man moves out of the way, letting the group go through and sit down at the table where another pair just like Seonghwa and Gemini are waiting for them.
"Who would've known?" Yeosang whistles as he continues to study the images the drones send to his tablet screen, his brows furrowing in frustration from turning up at a dead-end once again. "Cipher, my man, you just continue to amaze me."
"Why thank you, Hetmon. It wasn't that big of a deal though." The hacker brushes it off.
"I mean, it kinda was." Candy butts in, taking a sip of her water while inconspicuously keeping an eye on the Kings and the team members. "Our whole plan could've gone to nothing if you didn't have the answer. How did you know it anyway?"
"Oh, well, actually Kurenai told me the answer once when we... when we—."
"Hullo," A feminine voice suddenly distracts them, saving Hongjoong from exposing a secret Kurenai specifically told him to keep between them. The woman would've probably killed him if he had let it slip, so he silently thanked the lady for interrupting him.
The lady was sitting on the chair across from Seonghwa's— the one suspected to be Vienna King— standing up and ushering her husband to do the same.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. King," Gemini says, bowing slightly to the new pair as San and Wooyoung stay standing behind them protectively.
"It's a pleasure for us as well." Sirius smiles, his oily, brown head shinning under the large chandelier in the room. "I've heard a lot about you, Mrs..."
"Oh, please, drop the formalities. Call me Kurenai." The woman in the beige suit responds to Sirius's surprise, waiting for a reaction from Seonghwa. There was an intentional undertone that Seonghwa and Vienna detected and it confused them both.
"I'm not so sure I have the right to address you that way in such a formal setting."
"You worry too much. A handsome face like yours will age twice as fast for worrying over trivial things. Besides, my associate and I don't mind. Do you?" She turns to the raven-haired man next to her, setting a light hand on his shoulder to make him look at her.
A silent message passes between their equally silent eyes and Seonghwa catches on to what she's trying to do, leaving everyone else in the room and the people listening in on the earpieces in confusion.
"I don't, actually. In that case, you can call me Seonghwa." He offers a slight grin, relaxing despite the starring boring into the back of his head.
"What the hell are they doing?! Cipher, tell them to stick to their alias!" Yeosang tries to berate them but it's not like they'll hear since communication between them has been cut off from the rest of the group. Their identities are practically exposed thanks to Gemini, and none of the members know why.
"Well then, Seonghwa and Kurenai. Let's bring in the items. The faster we get this through the better." Vienna snaps her fingers, standing up and letting her periwinkle dress cascade around her as she walks over to grab the suitcase one of her guards was holding.
"So," Vienna picks up the conversation from where she had left off. "What do you plan on giving us today that is so good? I do hope you know that my products are very valuable to me."
"Ah, yes." Gemini stalls for a moment as Hongjoong brings up the information they currently need. "I guess the chance to own your product was too good for my boss to pass up."
"I'm flattered, but I'm still waiting to hear your offer. If it's not a good price, you will have wasted my time and I don't take people who waste my precious time lightly." Vienna shoots back rather curtly, an action that Gemini doesn't take well to.
"Is your wife always this bratty? I can't imagine having to put up with that." The clone sizes up the seething Vienna as she addresses Sirius. "The price you'll have to consult with him." The clone nods over to Seonghwa, her pleasing smile being wiped off now that Vienna has rubbed on her the wrong way.
"Should I head in now?" Yunho asks from somewhere in the restaurant's kitchen on the other end of the earpiece, making his way towards their table.
"Please do." Hongjoong grants him permission just as the taller man bends the corner and strolls casually in to the area where they're seated.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I will be your waiter for tonight, you can call me Amir." Yunho finally arrives at the scene, balancing a tray of water in his hand. He gives them a charming smile as they all turn to look at him, the building anger evident in all of their expressions.
"It's about time you came. What's taking the waiters so damn long?" Sirius complains.
"You'll have to forgive me for that. The other table I was attending to was a bit fussy with their orders." The tall man apologizes, placing down the waters on the table as he side-eyes Gemini.
The clone watches him closely as he sets the waters down when an idea strikes her head. A perfect way to create a distraction to help her slip away from the rest. When Yunho is not focusing on her, she moves her hand and subtly knocks over the water he had placed in front of her, covering herself in the liquid.
"Crap!" The clone sighs sourly, putting up a fake frown to hide her smugness. Vienna snorts at the commotion, pleased to see Gemini making a fool of herself, but the latter ignores it.
"Oh, dear. You've made quite a mess. Here I'll get you some towels or—."
"No, no! Don't trouble yourself!" Gemini waves Yunho off who continues to try to help her clean up the spilled water. Turning to Seonghwa instead, she gives them all an apologetic smile, excusing herself. "I'm going to head to lady's room to freshen up if you don't mind. Seonghwa will take care of the dealings in my absence." She tells them all stiffly.
"Yes, that would be best. Take a guard with you." Seonghwa advises. Nodding over to San, Gemini beckons him to follow her to the restroom, leaving Seonghwa and Wooyoung alone. "Excuse my partner, she can be quite problematic."
"I can see that." Vienna crosses her hands, relaxing now that the clone is gone. "Well, no matter. We can order food while she's gone and continue with the deal." The woman turns to Yunho who was standing to the side sheepishly, giving him her order which he writes it down hastily.
They all give Yunho their orders, and once he's got them all, he walks off, leaving them to discuss things between themselves.
He heads over to Yeosang and Candy's table next, giving them a tight-lipped smile as he pretends to take their orders as well. Thankfully, they're out of ear-shot from the King's table so they won't hear what he's discussing with his members.
"Nice save, Viper. If only you had arrived earlier." Yeosang says, setting down his tablet and looking up at the tall waiter. Yunho chuckles, glancing surreptitiously at the table across from them to see Seonghwa in deep conversation with the Kings.
"Yeah, I got lost on the way here. This place is humongous. Way bigger than it seemed at first glance."
"Well, it's a good thing you got there on time." Hongjoong pipes in on their earpieces. "Just make sure you slip in the poison Seonghwa made like we agreed on and do your part. I swear Kurenai is going to give me gray hairs."
"Oh yeah, we're all going to get gray hairs at this point." Candy concedes when Yeosang looks down at his tablet in worry, his brows furrowing as he zooms in on one of his drone's images. His girlfriend notices this and immediately stretches out a hand to set it on his. "Babe, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just lost sight of Kurenai." He informs the petite woman, tapping away furiously at his screen. "Cipher, can you try to trace San or Kurenai's phone signals?"
"Wait, why? I thought they were just going to the restroom." Yunho cranes his head to look at the corridor that San and the clone went through, making eye contact with Wooyoung who also seemed to worry for San. It's the last thing he sees before he's forced to move on to not arouse suspicion of his true identity.
"I'll try to trace them right now. I'm just checking for—." Hongjoong cuts his thought mid-sentence, his voice reappearing on the line with confusion and a hint of irritation. "Who the hell is calling me at this time? Fix-on, I swear if it's a goddamn prank call from you."
"What? Why would I do that?" Mingi's defensive tone appears again and they all hear a grunt from the hacker along with what sounds like a ringtone in the distance.
"Cipher, who's calling—?"
"Shush!" Hongjoong shushes San who must've been listening in, answering the call. "Hello?" A moment of silence passes, followed by a small gasp from the blue-haired man. "Okay, okay. Hold on, I'll get you connected."
The cryptic dialogue confuses all of the members of the team, and their confusion only worsens when they hear another voice added to their earpieces after a long moment of Hongjoong's typing, filling their ears with sharp breaths and pants.
"Who—?"
"Hongjoong?" A familiar voice fills their ears, sounding desperate and tired."Hongjoong, please don't hang up! You've got to help me!"
"Who is this?" The group except for Seonghwa and Gemini hear Hongjoong ask, holding their breaths in unison as they await the answer even though they already know who it is just by the sound of them.
"I-it's me. It's— It's Kurenai."