"Ok hyung, you ready?" Jungkook asks through the ear piece that Taehyung has on.
"Why wouldn't I be ready?" Taehyung replies as he adjusts the cuffs of his suit.
"I don't know, I wanted this mission to seem more- like human. Every mission you've been on in the past 2 years has only been successful and you take it so seriously for some reason. Maybe if we treat this mission like it's your first, we can have some fun?"
"This is my job kook; why would I want to risk it?"
"I get that hyung, it's just that you were never like this before. It used to be like a game for us, but ever since you and—"
"Jungkook we have already discussed this and therefore we don't need to talk about this again. Especially not at this moment. Now please just keep watch and monitor everything and wait for my signal. I'm going in now" he says, leaving Jungkook no choice but to keep quiet as the mission begins.
Taehyung takes a deep breath as he walks in through the big doors that open to a banquet. A room full of criminals from all around the world, ready to buy weapons and art from an auction that consists of just stolen goods.
Yes, it would be wrong not to arrest everyone here and confiscate all the items, but that was a cop's job. He was a spy and he had only one goal.
His mission was nothing like a big deal to him. He has been on way more difficult adventures compared to this one. All he was required to do was steal a keycard from a person.
Sure, it was the most wanted and dangerous person in the room. The one with the most security too, but it was nothing that Taehyung hadn't faced before.
Besides, he was not going to make a scene. He would leave just as fast as he came.
He looked around to spot many people. All dressed in the most expensive attire, sipping all kinds of drinks like whiskey, champagne, wine etc.
He swore he spotted someone drinking snake wine. That was an expensive delicacy that was also illegal in most places, so it was most likely that he did in fact see someone here drinking it.
His target, Timo Vallencini, was a man in his 60's. The ruler of an Italian empire that specialized in selling what he stole. But there was one thing he kept on his person that only a few people were aware of.
The slick, black electronic card in his sleeve pocket. That had an auction of its own due to how valuable it was. It contained the codes to all the military bases in the world.
Meaning that it gave its owner the access to all kinds of military weapons and information. The person who possessed that card would be the most powerful human being on the planet.
And even though Vallencini had power, he did not have the thirst or the appeal of having all the worst weapons in the world. He only cared for money.
And he would get billions if not trillions for the card.
But Taehyung would never let that happen, he was going to get that card and his agency would make sure the card was safely decoded and all the governments pressurizing them out of stress would be able to relax.
Taehyung approached Vallencini, who was already occupied with a few people.
But he was intrigued by Taehyung.
Whoever approached Vallencini were presumed to be buyers of the card. And once they did they had no opportunity to back out.
And Taehyung was the only Asian present there, he was also the youngest by far.
"Seems like we've gotten a Chinese baby here to buy from me" he said with an amused tone that led to the people around releasing a few snickers and laughs.
Why do all of them have to be racist? he thought to himself.
"I'm not Chinese, I'm Korean."
"Same thing"
"I'm here for the same reason all these other men are. You have something that I want, something that I need."
"And who are you exactly?"
"Someone who is willing to make the best deal of your life"
"Continue"
"I know you are in it for the money, and don't worry I have plenty. But I could use the help from a man like you. I want a partnership"
Other people deliberately listening in on their conversation gasped. That really was the best deal he could get.
"Why should I believe you?"
"I checked the statistics, the productivity levels produced if we both form an alliance will be at an all-time high for the both of us. It will be raining money" he said making the latter's eyes light up.
"And this is not me doing you a favor. This is necessary. That's why I am not going to stop until I have you on my team"
"You studied the 'statistics' huh?"
"You of all people should trust me on this. As you know, all Asians are great at math" he said making Vallencini break out into laughter.
Taehyung internally groaned. Of course, only a racist joke would make you more liked in a place like this. That was the time Taehyung really did wish he was a cop.
"Oi Vey, I like you boy. Come on, bring it in" he said as he opened his arms wide. "Then consider it deal done"
Taehyung wasn't surprised. Italians loved hugging, it was their version of a handshake and so as taehyung hugged him, he slipped the key card out of his pocket and placed a decoy back in a blink of an eye.
He was so skilled that no one suspected a thing.
"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go find my seat for the auction. Pleasure doing business with you" Taehyung says with a slight smirk as he walks away from the group.
Done. This mission, like many before it, was a success.
So Taehyung decided to celebrate with a drink. He realized he had been doing that quite a lot these days.
His missions and the rewarding alcohol at the end of it was the only thing distracting him from thoughts. Thoughts he would hate to mention out loud, because it would only bring back the pain that associated with it.
Jungkook sighed as he slumped into his chair. He was watching the cameras intently the whole time and he knew that Taehyung already had the card with him. Once again the mission was done, so quickly. Why was Taehyung pushing himself so much like this? It concerned Jungkook so much.
His eyes, then caught something else on the monitor...something VERY familiar. "Oh no"
"Hyung?" Taehyung heard Jungkook say into his ear piece and Taehyung groaned.
"Kook, I'm still in the venue. You can't talk to me yet"
"No Hyung you don't understand-"
"Kook, we are not having this talk again!"
"Hyung you have to listen to me, that person is here!"
"Huh? What person?"
Jungkook did not want to mention her name because he had been avoiding it for the past two years. He did not want to see his hyung re-live all those moments.
"SHE's here"
Taehyung did not have time to register what he meant yet. Not when he felt a soft touch on his shoulder. A touch that he didn't know he missed until then, a touch he could recognize anywhere, anytime. Her touch.
He could smell her perfume, the very same lavender one. The fragrance he used to want to bury himself in.
He could sense her body next to his. Leaning on the same counter he was leaning on.
He could hear her order her drink, the deep, husky voice that gave him goosebumps.
He could feel her look at him.
"Kim Jisoo"
"Hey handsome" she said seductively, making chills go down his spine once again.
He does not look at her yet, he tells himself not to. Yet for some reason, he desperately wants to.
She notices his self-struggle and smirks. She lifts her hand, and gently reaches for his chin.
He knows what she is trying to do yet he doesn't stop it. He lets her grab a hold of his chin, as if it were her own. And some parts of him did think he was hers. Even if she didn't want him.
She turns his face to hers and now he has no choice but to soak in her face. Her devastatingly beautiful face.
It has been 2 years since he has seen that face. She looks thinner now, yet that doesn't one bit affect her beauty. When he sees her, all he sees are memories. Some are good, like how she smiled giddily as he kissed her all over her face.
The others are...well he doesn't want to re-live them so he pushes them to the back of his mind.
She studies his face as well. She notices the happy spark in him as disappeared. All she sees is seriousness and a hint of darkness in his eyes. And she hopes that the spark is not gone but just hidden, waiting for a chance to come out again.
She notices his chiseled features and takes in just how gorgeous he looks in that moment. She can't help but wonder how many other women have thought the same.
"What do you want?" he says, pulling away before sipping his drink.
"oof, so cold. I guess I should have expected that" she says as she reaches for the hair at the back of his neck.
She twirls it between her fingers and plays with it.
Once again he does not stop her.
This was something she used to love doing when they were... together.
He takes in a sharp breath at the intimate contact.
"You really need to give up on that agency of yours" he says as he stares straight ahead into a blank wall.
"They are a bit late in sending you. I already have what you want with me, game's over. Just pack up and go home"
"Oh but why would I do that babe? When you've done all the hard work for us"
"What? Just because I already stole the card, you think the hard part is done? You will have to take it from me now Jisoo, that's the part your agency should have tried their best to avoid"
"Why do you think they sent me then, Taehyung?"
The mention of his name, his real name, from her mouth sent him to some sort of silent spiral. Why did she have such a massive effect on him? He was flooded with all kinds of emotions, making him space out.
She knew this would happen. Taehyung was with no doubt a tough nut to crack, but she knows him well enough to find his blind spots.
She slowly slips the card from him and walks away to the exit while he goes through a rollercoaster of emotions.
She sighs and almost feels bad at how easy this was.
That was until she felt her hand being gripped half-way through the room.
She is pulled against a broad chest, his chest.
"You're good, I'll give you that Jisoo. But not better than me" he says as he snatches the card back from her fingers.
"That was before Taehyung. Now however, is a whole other story"
She twirls around him and locks his elbows, making him let out a small groan in pain.
The pressure in his joints lead him to release his hands, making the card drop. But Jisoo is there to catch it right before it hits the ground.
She tries to get away but he is able to grab her in the nick of time. Her back is pressed against him as he holds her wrist tightly.
"Let go" he whispers into her ear as she restrains opening her hands.
"Would you look at that! There is already a couple on the floor!" a voice says, interrupting them.
They both look to see the entire party staring at them. Then only the realization dawns on them that the two of them were standing right in the middle of the dance floor.
Jisoo takes the card and places it in Taehyung's chest pocket.
He is confused. Even more so when she pulls herself closer to him and positions the two of them in such a way that it looks like they are about to dance.
She flashes a bright smile that it sends Taehyung into a temporary trance.
"Please play the music so the dancing can commence" she says casually.
A classical Tango tune starts to play as more couples enter the dance floor.
She begins to move with him, he face with a fake smile plastered on it.
"Dance" she whispers through her teeth.
And so he does.
The music is intense. It has a sense of danger to it, as if it were describing a clash of two great forces. But it also has a sultry vibe to it. Making it intimate at the same time.
It perfectly describes them.
He stares deeply into her eyes, and she stares back. For a moment, they forget they are competitors.
They forget that their agencies are after each other's throats.
They forget that they are supposed to hate each other.
"Hyung? Are you dancing?! With her?!!" Jungkook practically screams into his ear, making Taehyung close his eyes in pain.
Jisoo smiles, he was so loud that she could hear him.
She tiptoes to the side of taehyung's face and speaks.
"Hey kook, long time no see. Do you miss your noona?"
Jungkook's mouth closes instantly. He is flustered and doesn't know how to respond.
"Don't worry, I miss you too. But this is kind of a private thing we've got going on here, so I hope you don't mind..." she removes the ear piece and drops it to the ground before stepping on it with her tall heels. Crushing it instantly.
"That's a nice way of saying 'hi'" taehyung says.
"Oh it's kookie, he'll get over it"
At the mention of her nickname for Jungkook and the way he talks about him, reminds Taehyung of the time when they were together. The time when things were so good. Too good.
He doesn't notice how she relives that as well; he doesn't notice the hurt on her face.
"Why did you give the card back to me?" he says, snapping out of his thoughts.
They glide across the dance floor together as the music picks up its pace.
"I didn't give it to you, I am merely hiding it. It's bad for the both of us if Vallencini sees us with the card. He doesn't notice its gone and let's keep it that way"
"What makes you think you're gonna get it back now?"
He dips her, to make their cover look more natural, but they both know he didn't do it because of that.
"Taehyungie, I already have"
Jisoo takes off her earing and with great accuracy, throws it at the nearby ice sculpture.
Within seconds, it blows up, catching everyone's attention, including taehyung's.
With this chance, she whips herself back up and knees taehyung in the stomach. He groans before trying to land a punch on her, but it's of no use as she swiftly moves around him and twists his arm.
She sweeps his legs so he is on his knees, and with that she bends over and snatches the card back from his pocket.
"Thanks" she says before pecking him on the cheek and quickly walking away.
She knew the kiss would keep him frozen for enough time that she could get a head start.
But now the commotion was over and Vallencini and his men were now on full alert.
He realized the card was fake and ordered everyone not to leave the party. No one was getting in or out.
Jisoo realized she wouldn't have time to make it to her originally planned exit, so she spotted a door to the kitchen beside her and went through that.
She took out the gun that was strapped to her foot and pointed it at all the staff making them stop what they were doing.
"Everyone out. Now." She says with a firm voice, making everyone scramble away.
She spots the back door and reaches for it, but she hears the kitchen doors open once again.
She turns around, with her gun in her hand, to find taehyung.
Normally she wouldn't think twice before shooting, but it was him. How could she shoot him?
Taehyung spotted this window of opportunity and threw a nearby pan at her hands, making her drop her gun.
He saw the card in her hand and made a lunge for it, but she stopped his hand before it could reach it.
There was a small physical tussle that took place. Involving lots of punches and culinary utensils. But the card was still in Jisoo's possession.
They froze when they heard a voice of one of the guards outside. "Check the kitchen for anyone"
They both looked at each other with the same thought in hand— hide.
He grabbed her and took her into the pantry. They knew they couldn't attack each other then as they could not afford making any noise. But the card was still exposed in her hands and she didn't have any pockets.
She sure as hell wasn't going to put it in his pockets so she did the only thing she could think off.
She placed it in her bra.
"Are you serious?" he whispers with slight anger.
"What?" she replies innocently.
He exhales harshly.
"You really think that's gonna stop me? I don't know if you forgot Jisoo, but that's not uncharted territory for me"
She blushed. She didn't mean to but she couldn't help it.
And he couldn't help but smirk at the sight in front of him. He was glad to know that he could still get to her.
"Can we just focus on the guards now?" she mutters harshly as she looks at the ground.
He smiles, cute.
But the moment she looks back up, the smile is gone.
"I can make out two of them" he says.
She peeks out the door carefully, "you're correct, there are two. You take the one on the right and I'll take the one on the left"
He gives her a nod.
"I'll go first" he says before leaving the pantry and attacking the first guard and catching the second guard's attention.
He expects Jisoo to come out and help him, but all she does is wink at him before leaving through the backdoor, undetected.
He groans. "OF COURSE SHE WOULD DO THAT. STUPID!" he tells himself before taking on the two guards.
It doesn't take much time, but it'll be no time before the rest of the guards notice something is off. So he sprints out the back door.
It opens to a stair case, some going down and some heading up.
He doesn't hear any footsteps below him and there is only one floor up to the roof, so he concludes that she went up.
He runs, opening the roof door to an impatient Jisoo.
She notices him and sighs. "Fuck!"
In a blink of an eye, they both lunge at each other. A clash of fists and movements.
But Taehyung is the one more skilled at physical fighting out of the two of them, so he is able to counter her moves easily.
All she can do is defend herself as he presses on forward with his attacks.
She moves back until she finds herself pinned between him and the wall.
"Stop fighting Jisoo. Just give me the card and go!"
"NO!" she groans as he pins both her wrists above her, restricting her movement.
But before he can do anything else, the roof door swings open.
Everything is set into slow motion as the both of them realize that almost all the guards will be up there with them. The moment they inspect them, the moment the both are caught and are done for.
Taehyung's eyes are widened. He doesn't know what to do and is left clueless, loosening the grip on her wrists.
But Jisoo is the smarter one out of the two of them.
She knows that what every person in the world finds uncomfortable, is being confronted by public displays of affection.
So she grabs Taehyung's face, he looks at her in confusion.
"Play along" she whispers before pressing her lips on his.
His eyes go wide as he was not at all prepared for something like this.
It had been so long since he had kissed her, and now, his body had a mind of its own.
His hands snaked themselves around her waist and he began to move his lips against hers.
She expected him to just close his eyes and stay frozen, not to kiss her back, so she was totally caught off guard.
But it took zero to no time for a fire to ignite in her and she responded with so much passion.
All the guards run out to the terrace just to find the two of them, pressed against the wall in a heated make out session.
Jisoo's idea proved to work as all the guards suddenly had an awkward expression on their face as they glanced at each other in confusion. Not sure exactly what to do.
One of them finally spoke up.
"E-Excuse me! W-What are you two doing over there?"
Jisoo pulled away from the kiss, panting as she tried to catch her breath. But Taehyung hadn't had enough.
He leaned down, his mind filled with desire, as he started kissing her neck.
She gripped his hair tightly, her pupils dilated as she takes a sharp breath in.
"Y-yes?" she responds, her voice slightly faltering.
"W-what are you two doing?!"
"Isn't it obvious sir?" she says, gesturing at the two of them.
She hits his shoulder, encouraging him to stop but it's like he has blacked out.
He starts to slowly suck on her skin, leaving love bites. He knows what this does to her and he can hear her struggle to not moan.
Another guard whispers to the main guard saying, "they came up here to make out, I think they are pretty harmless sir. L-let's look at the ground floors"
"B-but what about them? Do we just leave them here or...?"
"Yeah let's just do that, I don't really want to interfere in...", he glances at the two of them, their eyes closed in pleasure as they tightly hold onto each other, "...whatever that is"
"Yeah ok" he says before leaving along with the rest of the guards.
Even after they are gone, Taehyung doesn't stop.
It's like he had been deprived of her for so long that now, he was trying to get as much of her as he could.
"T-Taehyung"
He doesn't respond. Only tracing a line of kisses along her jaw.
"Tae— "
He stops her from speaking by going for the oasis that is her lips.
But soon enough, she stops them herself by pushing him away.
"We can't do this" she says with heavy breaths.
"Why not?" he responds almost immediately.
"You know why" she says as she finally looks up at him.
For the first time in a long time, he feels like he is seeing her. The real her, the one he fell madly in love with.
The way she looks like she wants him just as much as he wants her tells him everything he needs to know.
"Let's run away together" he says.
"What?"
"Let's abandon all of this and be together. Let's finally be happy"
"We both know that can never happen taehyung" she says as tears form in her eyes.
"Why not?" he asks in frustration.
"they...they are too powerful. We can never escape them; they'll find us. Like they did last time..."
He could see the fear in her eyes and couldn't help but feel anger at their lives. At her agency. And especially at his.
"Fine" he says, looking down, trying to hide the tears in his eyes.
Before she could respond, a helicopter flies up to the side of the building.
"UNNIE! COME ON!" she hears Jennie scream through a megaphone. The doors to the helicopter open, revealing Chaeyoung and Lisa as they throw down a ladder.
"QUICKLY!"
She glances at Taehyung, hoping that he does something. That he stops her, he attacks her, he kisses her...anything so that she doesn't have to leave.
But he continues to look down.
She remembers the card and waves it around. "You don't want this?!" she asks, her voice breaking.
"No" he replies coldly. "You can keep it. Just go, I can't have you close to me anymore Jisoo. It hurts too much, please just go"
Tears flow down her face.
She doesn't have the strength to reply, so she just runs to the helicopter. Quickly getting in and flying away.
"YES UNNIE! You got the card!" Chaeyoung said with a bright smile. But it drops once she sees her face.
The three of them glance at each other, all knowing the reason as to why their unnie is like this.
"Unnie are you ok—?"
"Please just go Jennie" she says as she wipes her tears.
The three remain silent and oblige. They know not to interfere when it comes to him.
It's been two years but she's just as broken as she was then and there is nothing they can do about it.