Vigilante | knj • jjk • kth

| 37 |

| Chapter Thirty-seven |
[36.8k words]

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"So, what's he up to?" Jackson asked with a skeptic look.

Hoseok shrugged, turning back to the file in his hand that he had been reading focusedly since the afternoon.

"Just napping, hopefully."

They couldn't help but doubt the other vigilante's truthfulness at times, honestly. The approval was still pending while Haneul has already made a move.

"Have you found anything, by the way?"

Hoseok glanced at him once and moved his eyes to the page on his lap serenely, "A few things."

"But Hoseok, are we really going to wait for a whole week for this? One of us is in danger and we're letting laws hold us back?" Jackson frowned.

Hoseok sighed with a grimace, ignoring the question reluctantly. He was their leader so they often turned to him whenever they had to decide an action, or when they simply had disbeliefs, reports and disagreements. They were vigilantes.

"If we just wait around for an approval from some people above, what's the point of being —"

"Do you want the past to repeat?" he cut off coolly. "If we go, only our side would because it's breaking the laws anyway." he laid his back in his chair and groaned aloud, Jackson falling quiet afterward. "Damn it. Believe me, I don't like this situation at all."

There were only the two of them in the archive room after the rest left to their discussed posts and it was probably the only reason he would show himself having a headache; Hoseok knew Jungkook well and the friend's emotion-driven resolves, and he knew that the guy had done some mischiefs under their noses too — he could never be sure if the man was still hung up on topics from a week ago or anytime. He didn't like ordering people around or being too stiff, so he couldn't always keep an eye on him like an owl in case the vigilante would start to not trust him instead but right now, he was feeling uneasy.

"Anything could happen..." he murmured, "I just have a bad feeling."

Seoul was glowing under the dark blue night skies with no storms and no bloodshed but shouts were ringing throughout the roads. Civilians were panning their eyes around with uncertainty. Policemen were still patrolling almost every corner because after all, trouble has no scent.

•••

"Over here!"

Soyun smiled back when she could see Sana waving at her from one table for two, which from afar looked like it was for more with the number of work materials she brought along.

"I guess you've been this busy. You should put these aside though." she said, moving the papers to place them on a chair that she just dragged from an empty table beside theirs. One of the pile was a list of staffs from Lotte Hotel Seoul. "Let's go, we should order now."

Sana got up with her but asked curiously, "I guess everyone else on your side is busy too?"

"Does it make you feel like we're slacking off together?" she giggled.

"Yep, and I don't mind!" the woman admitted and casually wrapped her arms around Soyun's shoulder as they made way to the counter. "You're paying right? You asked me out, so you gotta be the one paying —"

"Yeah, I am. Although you're older than me, I guess." she let out a long sigh as they were taking a look at the menu together.

Sana pointed at the food she wanted, "If I was a grandma, would you make me pay for you? That's mean."

"If I was a teenager, would you make me pay for you? That's not how a good senior should be like —" Soyun hummed, then stared at her unnie knowingly as she ordered, "— except you actually made me. Twice."

"Eh, I did?" she avoided her gaze playfully, pulling back her arms but jumped again, "Yogurt smoothie!"

She respected her seniors anyway and despite the age gap, they were friends.

"Uhm, add that." she told the cashier and looked at the desserts menu, "Maybe I should get some too."

Her eyes stayed on the mint chocolate ice cream for three long seconds. She could get one for Jungkook but it would probably melt within the hours before she'd go back to the condominium since she was going to continue researching after dinner. Maybe she could get him it later.

Soyun and Sana ate at their table normally, enjoying the peace when they could have a reason to procrastinate on their investigation a little. They'd laugh for no reason whenever their eyes met while eating though. They finished their main food in a few minutes, now eating their desserts slowly on purpose.

"Thanks for getting me mint chocolate ice cream too, Soyun-ah! This is one of the reasons why I love you, really."

"Right, because Namjoon would've side-eyed with his judging look if he saw us ordering these ice creams twice." she hummed, then jokingly laughed, "He'd say 'toothpaste'."

"Then he goes on to eat pineapples on pizza." nodded Sana, brows furrowing grudgingly.

"Right?" Soyun swallowed her ice cream and stuttered for a moment when her brain felt like freezing, "Right. But honestly, I can respect everyone's taste in food. We just have different tastes."

"Same, same. I guess. I'm just adding that so I don't look bitter. I'm genuinely not bitter, of course. Pftt." she grinned and playfully rolled her eyes, "At least I'm not like the mint chocolate haters. I won't judge if you turn down the boss for that though — oh dear, are you okay?"

"Uhm, y-yeah." it was just that she almost choked on her dessert as Sana brought up another topic, the topic being her mentor whom everyone in their circle quietly knew had feelings for her, "You know, actually..." Soyun felt her friend intently staring at her, "I turned him down —" she cut in without delay to clarify when she gasped, "But! Of course not because of something like that."

"So does Jungkook hate pineapples on pizza too?"

"I don't know about that, actually and I don't mind if he likes — wait, that's not how I'm turning down and deciding which to what." she fixed her tone but her cheeks had flushed red when Sana only mentioned his name, "A-And let's put these matters about me somewhere else for now,"

"Hell no, I'm surprised that Namjoon actually got turned down. It's just that I can't picture him being rejected." said her friend, palm still on her mouth from the news. "You really like the vigilante, then?"

"Jungkook likes mint chocolate too. I mean, just saying. And yeah, I like him but not like that." she cleared her throat, continuing with her second plate of ice cream. "I mean, uhh, I like him but maybe —"

"Girl, you're blushing and stuttering right now. He got you falling hard, hmm?" Sana teased and her long arms somehow could smack Soyun's chest across the table, "But welp, I'm probably not someone you can ask for relationship advices from at the moment."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Are you all right, unnie? Don't make that fake ass doctor ruin your self-esteem though —"

"No, no," Sana giggled at her quick words, "that's not it. It's just a shock because he really looked like a gentleman. I believe I can pull anyone I want when I want to, anyway."

"Yeah, definitely." she laughed, finding her optimism admirable and amusing.

"I can pull you too." Sana stated flatly and with a cheeky smile.

"You could, yeah I don't doubt it." her friend was always a beautiful woman all right, Soyun could've blushed from her joke just now.

"You remember what you once told me from one of our girl talks back in the day? That if you're betrayed, you won't dwell on it because you still have a lot of spirit and love to spend anyway?" Sana hummed as she ate her ice cream, "I'm going to be like that. The right person will come one day, and this slump will just be fading gradually in the meantime. A part of me is developing trust issues but I'll resist that."

"The me who said that never knew how it felt like to be so invested in someone, though. I wonder..." she muttered to herself but wasn't heard as the liveliness of the cafeteria loudened. She was happy that Sana would stay positive but her past words weren't relevant to her own crisis at all. She glanced at her phone for a moment.

"Speaking of trust issues though," she began with a sigh, "it's not that I don't trust Jungkook but I'm struggling to guess if he's just playful."

"Huh?" Sana narrowed her eyes, leaning forward slightly with seriousness again after pushing her golden hair back. "You mean, he's flirty and nice to you?"

"He's nice to most non-NIS agents and non-mafiosos," she went on uncertainly, "but he talks with me so I feel a bit more hopeful...?"

"Go on, go on."

She added, "He has indirectly clarified a few times that there's nothing more to the things he does though."

"There. Red flag." Sana flicked her finger and pointed, "Is he playing around with you or what?"

"I did it a few times too when I needed to act unaffected though." she shrugged gingerly.

"No, no."

She shook her head too, "Wait, listen because I think I know why —"

"YOU KNOW WHY BUT IS STILL HOPING?" her friend said with loud disbelief. They stood up from their seats without realizing it, debating enthusiastically. Their colleagues either just let them be or stared with confusion.

"I MEAN, THAT'S WHY I'M STILL HOPING? YOU'RE NOT MAKING SENSE."

"MAYBE HE WOULDN'T PLAY AROUND LIKE THAT IF HE'S A BETTER GUY THAN YOU THINK, SOYUN-AH I DON'T KNOW?"

She shook her head animatedly, "YEAH BUT IN HIS DEFENSE YOUR HONOUR, SOMETHING'S BEEN OFF —"

"Huh, off like what?" she side-eyed, casually going back to her calmer self.

Jungkook put his phone aside to stretch. His face glossy with cold sweat in the dim lighting, "I feel even more tired somehow after some rest, wow — achoo!"

He shivered slightly.

"This better be a sign of someone talking about me instead of a cold..." he groaned aloud after sneezing, lazily reaching for a tissue box on the desk, "Wouldn't want Hobi-hyung to guess that I didn't ask around for an umbrella."

At least he already took a bath. He finally heard the real silence of the condominium, eventually letting it process as the heaviness in his chest continued to hinder his breathing. Everybody was still out and he had been the only one at home since the afternoon when he decided to go back. The talk about the informant shrouded in mysteries reminded him of Argus again and how the man died because they let him go alone, and now, they all felt sick having to make Yugyeom be held captive in their enemy's tower; he wanted to go anytime before it was too late but would going ahead to storm the building be preventing the past, or would it be equivalent to repeating the past?

His fists clenched as he held his head together again, grunting. He didn't know if he missed any important updates while he was asleep in his harrowing memories or if anything happened to their friend, they had not known ever since the 9th of May. It came to him again: flashes of blood, dead bodies and the times when Argus were still with them but he made a promise.

"Ugh, just a few more days —"

A notification pulled him to look at his phone's screen again.

Soyun took a seat and sighed softly; maybe Sana was right that if someone was better, they'd be more serious but something told her that it was exactly why a vigilante could want people to distance themselves away from them the moment they get close. It might be him being serious albeit the seemingly palpable hesitance to pull or push confused her a lot. What Namjoon, Dawon and Jungkook himself said came to mind.

"Actually, never mind confessing for now. I'll just," she hummed serenely, the change of air piquing Sana's thoughtfulness, "let it flow first?"

Her head perked up when the other girl tapped the empty plate with a spoon to get her attention.

"Yeah, that might be better? Butterflies and nervousness are cute but you should feel assured and safe around him too."

But it wasn't like he never tried to assure her too despite his smug disclaimers. The fact that she was connected to his past in such an unpleasant way didn't really help.

"You're not mine, not theirs either. All you need is a choice and a will. Come."

Was that really just one of his playful jokes to tease her because she always preferred their ethics? The clouds drifted slowly as night slowly covered the remaining, faint hints of sunset. Soyun wondered. When Jungkook said these words and the assuring words in Myeongdong, he already knew about her. When he told her to not get too close, he was the one who held her hand and kept her beside him anyway. It was confusing. Not only his concerns, he could've barely shown his real feelings other than the times when they just spoke through his eyes and tone changes. Even with the silent and gentle moments, she knew nothing about the depth of his real feelings and emotions. Not when he could wear a smile all the time to cover his vulnerable side so well.

I wish he could be more honest? Not necessarily with her but she wanted that too. Until he was that comfortable with her, maybe, she could just watch him from the same ship? They were heading in the same risky direction anyway, hunting down an internationally wanted, professional criminal.

"What if I'm just like this anyway? If all the playfulness, entertaining, provoking smiles you saw of me were all simply a facade since we weren't as close? If I turn out to be more questionable than I already am, if I turn boring, or if I turn out to be more sinister than whatever peak of my eccentricity you've seen before? Or if all of us vigilantes are like this," his words resounded in her head, "indifferent to the bloodstains. Does that make me off? Different from what you supposed I was?"

Soyun sighed softly under her breath. There could've been some truths in what he said for him to be so serene and firm about it. Maybe these were hesitance, anxiousness and uncertainties. Her gaze panned to the drying rain that trickled down the window in the distance, overlayed softly by passing car lights from outside, "Maybe he's just scared too. Maybe we're both just —?"

"What's going on?"

Sana looked around when she heard the scraping of chairs over her shoulder. Both of them sharpened their eyes when sirens of police cars started going off in the distance.

"Ah, crap now I have to get back to work!" a colleague who sat at the table behind them yelled as he grabbed his coat.

Agents and officers looked grim, checking their phones or frantically discussing something. Some customers in the cafeteria were leaving but the busy and grim voices didn't die down.

"What's going on?" they asked the other table.

"The moths made a move. They used an EMP too and are probably in the city now, we have to get back to work."

•••

A silver knife glinted in the shadows. The day was already dark by 6:55 PM. Changwook stared at the city from the empty room, ignoring the grating noises from Dongwook's knives carving the floor. He focused on the voice he was hearing in his left ear-in.

"Don't give Dongwook a gun, I don't trust his mood changes. The boss is sending you to the 63 Building instead of him for a reason." Jitae instructed strictly, "Another thing. Is everything in place?"

"Yeah." he replied monotonedly, "Although..."

"Is it about Unknown?"

He didn't reply.

"Let him be. I'm sure he just wants some fun from it." the man on the other side only sighed at first, then chuckled. "I mean, Lee Joong Gi isn't our priority tonight anyway."

"What about the vigilantes and NIS?"

"We'll see. It's not like we're losing any —"

"The EMP we used just now was the second last of the units we have in Seoul." Changwook said frigidly, "If we gain nothing tonight, we lost that."

Jitae let out a small chuckle, "I honestly get your concern but that's exactly why we're spending the ones in Seoul. That's what I'm told of."

"I will trust Unknown but I won't anymore if this fails." Changwook expressionlessly checked his cartridges and knives hiding them underneath his black clothes.

"He'd say it was your fault, you know."

Dongwook grumbled loudly as though to get the other guy to sympathize with him, "Why won't the boss let me in the plan?! He wanted you to make sure that I'm not going to the building, right? Yah —"

"Me and Minsoo are enough. How is everything in the skyscraper now?" said the black-wearing Owl, casually speaking over his colleague's whines and ignoring Jitae's small snort. He couldn't really care less than this, "The apartment? I'm heading to the 63 Building now."

The winds blew harshly to his face the moment he walked out of the vacant penthouse-and-warehouse-like room, climbing down the unlit emergency stairs.

"Things will be in place within a few more minutes. As for the apartment, Unknown and Jongsuk are on standby." he heard Jitae reply serenely as he called for a taxi, "Get going. This easy plan has already begun."

The archive room was silent. Distant sirens, pale blue and red rays of lights danced outside but they weren't aware yet with not even clerestory windows in the special space.

"He hasn't deleted Haneul's burner number yet." Jackson croaked tiredly. He was sliding across the marble floor on his spinny chair, "He unblocked Yoongi but blocked me for asking about it just recently. And he definitely still feels guilty for Argus' death, that's why he's being so weird."

"He made a promise though."

Jackson shrugged with a sigh because he noticed the doubt on his leader's face despite his words.

Hoseok narrowed his eyes slightly in thinking, "He promised. He wouldn't —"

Jiwon's sudden burst into the archive room cut off his words. Both the vigilantes stood up and walked along the shelves to see what was up.

"They made another move!" the man yelled, calling out to them.

The report of two Owls leaving the 63 Building reached the NIS approximately a minute after they were spotted. Even then, information was scarce and they had lost track of the vehicle that presumably Ji Changwook and Lee Dongwook left in. Minutes have passed and the news was chaotic. Hoseok and Jackson could see agents already scurrying across the floor in urgency as they arrived on the floor with Jiwon; the air was tense and solemn, no one really had the time to greet their sit-in head director with more than just a quick nod and a 'good evening, sir'. The two vigilantes followed the NIS director and avoided colliding with any agents.

"Look out for their appearances in every part of the city!" yelled a staff from behind his desk, standing up while working.

"Sir, has the police sent out patrols and teams yet?" Hoseok asked with his usual relaxed tone while Jackson looked openly impatient, lazy to conceal his frustration anymore.

"Where did we lose their track? Look into it again." a voice suggested quickly.

"We noticed them leaving the tower within a minute, how the hell did this intelligence agency lose track of the vehicle so fast?!"

"There was an electrical problem around Yeouidong-ro."

"That explains it." Jiwon hissed inwardly, still walking on briskly. Another EMP being used so casually wasn't out of the ordinary for Haneul. It struck them that the man must've already prepared more units than they thought.

Hoseok groaned, "How annoying. Although we literally have more sides hunting them down..."

"— the EMPs are basically Haneul's catalysts in this situation." Dawon snorted, scratching her head from frustration. She was inside the National Archives of Korea where the painting was being kept. Archivists were exchanging grim looks with one another after the broadcasted advice on the screen to stay safe. She just hoped. "He can't have that much left by now though..."

She could hear other guards reporting to one another to stay alert in positions. They have no idea where the Owls were going, so the only thing they could do was stay sharp.

Hoseok, Jackson and Jiwon moved past other agents and entered Namjoon's office where two other people immediately greeted them. Yeonjun and Soobin had been permitted by Namjoon to use the room as they pleased to be more focused by being away from noises so ever since then, they've been using the room.

"We still can't locate them?"

Soobin shook his head, "No, sir but teams have been ordered to split and look around the area."

"There were only two of them, it shouldn't be hard to catch them once they're spotted." Jiwon thought firmly and turned to Yeonjun, "What of Hyungsik's apartment?"

After Namjoon suggested that they use the moth-tattooed man as bait, they had told the NIS about Lee Joong Gi after making up some lies on how they came to find him.

"We're monitoring the cameras."

To them, Joong Gi was never missing but had been caught by Namjoon only recently. As for the criminal's few missing nails, they had Hyungsik reattach them because unsurprisingly, the half-Mafioso could do it with ease. They said that Joong Gi had alerted his comrades in time before getting knocked out by Namjoon. The Owls could have moved out for something after all, and one of their speculations was that they'd be retrieving Joong Gi next. If Minjong came, it'd confirm that he was the one who freed Lee Jongsuk.

Amidst their seriousness, Hoseok felt slightly off. Jackson tried to not look so out of it since the three other agents with them weren't aware of their actual backgrounds.

"Hyuka, I need you to track Jungkook. Tell me later if he's in the condominium or not." he sent to Hueningkai.

"Should I inform Sana and Soyun too?" Yeonjun asked, looking at his head chief.

"They might have already been informed through the business outside if they're still in the building, but yes."

"It's just dark and quiet so far." Soobin hummed as they watched from his screen solemnly, "Wait. Hold on —?"

Jackson pointed out, "There! Two people are coming in!"

"Is Namjoon, Seokjin and Yoon in the apartment?" Jiwon focused.

•••

The floor was silent. Moonlight dimly helped the room's lighting. Joong was tied up almost full-body with chains in the living room and taped, so even if he wanted to warn any incoming accomplices in the shadows, he wouldn't be able to. Silence and his muffled screams lengthened in the vicinity that seemed to be floating with brooding air.

Namjoon and Seokjin hid behind the counters in the kitchen. They were covered with bullet-resistant vests and armed with pistols, considering the similar lengths their enemies would go to. The air was hushed and tranquil. They stayed alert and listened hard —

"They're using the front door and have disabled our bait cameras." Yeonjun said,"Stand by."

"That was quick. How they unlocked the door." Jackson commented as their focus tensed.

"They're entering." warned Soobin. Hoseok observed the screens with a frown.

Namjoon remained silent and alerted while thoughts ran through his mind; he was the one who suggested the plan but frankly, the chances that Haneul's men would act up right away and take their bait were less than fifty in his opinion, he couldn't help but feel slightly suspicious.

"They tied him up in a condition like that? I didn't know the NIS could be quite sadistic."

The familiar voice of Lee Jongsuk made Seokjin harden his stance, tightening his grip and ready to ambush.

"There's another guy with him but that's all. Only two came?" Soobin said dubiously. Hoseok was rather more focused on watching out for an update from Hyuka on his phone as footsteps in the screen loudened relatively the closer the two masked people were to Joong's position. "Joong started yelling but he's muffled. I think he recognizes Jongsuk's voice."

They noticed that the other man with him haven't spoken yet and that he was panning his gaze around the seemingly empty place. The furnitures weren't budging and the air felt still, yet there was this uncertainty in them that they were seen through.

"Uhm, NIS dudes? I think he's looking in your way." Jackson squinted suspiciously, "OH. GREAT, NOW HE'S RIPPING THE MOUTH TAPE OFF."

Drawing their weapons and tasers silently, Namjoon and Seokjin sharpened ears. There were rustles and faint footsteps coming from the corridor outside.

"Ugh —" Joong let out a long set of coughs the moment the tape was removed and they abstained for a moment to listen, "huff — J-Jongsuk, holy crap. It's you and —"

Namjoon eyed the dim reflection of their positions through the window panes discreetly. The second man was tall and seemed lean.

"Skip that. What happened to you?"

Joong's eyes went to the one beside Jongsuk, "Who is —?"

Nothing was going on or they simply couldn't catch their words from afar. For a moment, they saw the quiet enemy turn to the door.

"Right, ugh. The NIS agents and vigilantes. They were here just now, something is off."

"On my word, start the ambush." Jiwon said as seconds were passing slowly, eyes on the man who stayed just as silent but had wheeled around serenely, "Actually, now?"

Namjoon and Seokjin stood up at once and fired their tasers toward the two enemies, and the wooden furniture rattled when one fell back on the coffee table; as soon as they tased them, the NIS agents ran over to the living room to apprehend them but the five seconds of their immobility weren't enough. Their enemies grunted and grabbed them in closer range to slump them against the floor, "Ugh!"

"I knew they were still here!" coughed Joong and Seokjin casually knocked him out with a plate. It clanged onto the floor and he didn't let off Jongsuk either, now lunging at the old classmate.

Namjoon dodged his opponent's arm but before he could lock him from behind, the man seemed to have pointed his gun backward.

Hoseok who watched from a screen leaned forward slightly, intrigued because he didn't know many who could shoot without looking back like that; Namjoon had to dive sideways behind the couch to narrowly dodge the bullet, hissing, "Yoongi!"

"They're already trying to flee? Fine." the vigilante's grunt came from outside the room and he burst in breathlessly, "Yall have no idea how conflicted I am after setting up the cameras for you lot."

His sudden appearance seemed to have surprised the man who dashed to the door but Yoongi frowned slightly when he still charged toward him: he had knives while the other was barehanded.

"Why'd he even throw the ta —"

"FOCUS!" Hoseok snarled into his earpiece and he just realized then that his enemy used the chance to quickly wear what looked like sharp brass knuckles, "Damn, that guy's reflexes are fast too."

Namjoon raised to his feet and went to assist Yoongi who had taken two hits to his stomach before he could dodge with a streak, and now they were slightly taken aback; it was two against one, Namjoon's high kick was dodged by the opponent with ease as he aimed for Yoongi's calves, and albeit the vigilante caught on to back away quickly, it wasn't exactly satisfying although he and Namjoon could deal blows to the unknown man, especially since he was silent and calm despite them both blocking his ways. Somehow, they were the ones spending more breath. All while the wordless guy maintained his reflexes with a bag on his back.

"What kind of fighting style is that?" Hoseok squinted intently at the screen.

"Hell if I know!" grunted Yoongi as he held up both arms to block the silent fighter. The black goggles and black mask should be irritating the guy but he fought on par with them without a single noise, "He's just improvising, I think?"

"His coordination with his own body is insane though." Jackson grimaced.

"Send in more reinforcements now." Jiwon said sternly.

"Reinforcements are currently coming in through the stairs." Yeonjun reported.

Namjoon hissed through his teeth and cocked his head to the side, "Yoongi, the spray."

"He's pretty calm too, or is it just me..." Hoseok hummed curiously, his gaze on the platinum-haired agent. He looked down at his phone again then at the screen, "Anyway, the reinforcements should be able to surprise these two."

The plan was to bait them in and corner them, with the reinforcements being backups in case the enemies would be a bigger hassle than expected but they really came with only two. Jongsuk probably didn't expect them to inform the NIS about Joong so abruptly, so the only thing the infiltrators knew was Joong being hid in their apartment. Even with all this info, none really removed their doubt.

The former doctor groaned as he stood his ground against Seokjin. The purple-haired agent attacked upfrontly, confidence oozing from him as he kneed the ex-doctor, "Goddamn, your friend can fight pretty good."

"He can, right? Even though he's still pulling his punches." sneered Jongsuk before he grunted in pain from a hard jab, "Ugh!"

Seokjin didn't like his tone, "You're going back to jail tonight."

His eyes narrowed, pacing across the agent mindfully with one hand behind him.

Namjoon and Yoongi heard gunshots being fired. They came from the living room but trusted that their other comrade was still active.

"IT'S FINE YALL, I GOT THIS! BULLET-RESISTANT, REMEMBER?" Seokjin yelled from the other side.

"Yeah, yeah. Catch this, asshole!" the vigilante just laughed half-heartedly as he grabbed a spray can from the countertop beside him to spray his opponent's face, secretly hoping that the reinforcements would come sooner so he won't have to bleed there any longer.

"Hyung, are you —"

"I'm fine, Hoseok." he replied. Their eyes were on Namjoon's fight. "Just need to catch my breaths here because wow."

Namjoon held his breath and kicked the guy's back so he'd be hit in the face with the sudden, strong whiff of perfume from Yoongi'a side. When it effectively swayed the man, Namjoon could take aim calmly from a carpet away after pulling out his gun.

"Shoulder." he said. A small amount of blood splattered on the carpet.

Yoongi nodded and charged toward the man again after catching his breath for a moment, "Hyuka shouldn't have cleaned up the place before he left." he said, putting away the spray in his hand and using a countertop to help himself up. His stomach was poked by the tiny spikes on their enemy's knuckles earlier and the only reason he was still able to stand up was thanks to the covers under his shirt. He was sure that the silent man's blows could've been deeper if he was unlucky. "You're one forceful guy, aren't you?"

They faced off again. Yoongi grabbed his enemy and elbowed his chin hard before slumping him to the walls but he didn't expect the sudden twinge from his injury, hissing inwardly. His eyes never left the enemy who got up though.

"All right, calm down that's enough from me today — ugh." backing away acceptingly in pain, and there was a short unspoken exchange to let Namjoon take over as he knew that their enemy would get up again.

"Since I've taken some interest in this ghost too..."

A small grin curved on his lips when he saw the other swiftly coming in between them as expected, "Thanks."

Thuds on the floor ensued as the two bouted intensely, Yoongi observed from a distance while grimacing from the thin dampness around his stomach. The impact hurt more, honestly.

"You slow down when you're surprised, huh?" Namjoon hummed calmly, looking at the taller man with the littlest sign of struggle.

He held the handcuffs ready in one of his hands and could imagine the eyes behind these black goggles widening slightly upon realizing that when they caught one another's fists. His right hand was nearly locked by the cuffs. It required quickness and familiarity to sneakily grip a wrist with the tool during a heated physical fight. The NIS agent snickered into his face as he kicked him from the side. The enemy retaliated at once after taking the hit willingly, pulling Namjoon by his own handcuff and trying to lift him off his feet with sheer strength to throw him on the ground but neither side wanted to give in. The cuffs slipped from his hand. They broke off from each other's unyielding stances: Namjoon drew out his gun after his handcuffs had been kicked all the way to slip off the opened balcony on their right, his eyes widening slightly for a moment when his gun had been kicked out of his hand with such speed and force. So they were back to blocking, dodging and aiming at vital points again.

"You're quite extraordinary." Namjoon commented. Still no response as they intensely fought in silence.

In the living room area, Seokjin and Jongsuk had pulled out their guns in the same instance. The dark room would make it hard for their aim but to the sniper who took pride in his eyes, he could confidently aim while occasionally making the couches and furniture their temporary shields.

"What the — how?"

Seokjin laughed breathlessly without sounding less relaxed, "Who knows? Come out, fake ass."

"Seokjin-hyung, we're detecting something from him now."

He heard a cartridge being loaded. Frowning slightly, "I don't think it's not known to me that they have guns —"

A tear gas grenade. Two of them in his hands. Seokjin's eyes widened. Jongsuk took off after throwing one over his shoulder and it burst to irritate his senses, so he could make way to the other side of the room where their comrades were at.

"I WON'T MAKE IT IN TIME TO SMACK — NAMJOON, YOON, TAKE COVER!"

"Tear gas incoming!" Soobin jumped in his office chair nervously.

Seokjin's sudden shout from behind alerted all of them on time. Both the NIS agent and the vigilante hissed, reluctantly but immediately backing away to take cover.

"So that was why the man even had the tactical goggles on other than to hide his eyes. Ugh!" Yoongi grumbled, coughing from excess gas that permeated the room speedily.

Namjoon didn't stay hidden for long though, he knew the reinforcements were still outside and he heard cartridges so it made him tense again, "JIWON-NIM, TELL THE OTHERS TO EXPECT SHOOTING IN THE CORRIDORS!"

"What? They had an assault rifle all along in these bags and pulled them out that fast?" Yoongi perked his head up incredulously.

"Every team, stay alert and prepare to open fire!"

They weren't sure how it went exactly or if Seokjin's last-minute bullet piercing through Jongsuk's head helped much but by the time they could see through the gas, the door was already open. Overlooking their scratches and irritated senses, the three of them sprang to their feet and through the door. Jongsuk could be prioritized later, they weren't going to let off the mysterious stranger over a corpse.

"Joon, I wanted to say this minutes ago but something's really off about this!" yelled Seokjin as they ran in the corridors, then he turned to Yoongi, "And yah, aren't you supposed to be laying down or something?"

"Where did the guy go off too?" Yoongi ignored his question and looked around the hallway, the moonlight shining on them softly as the evening darkened. "And suspicious, huh? I thought so too."

"Guys, he was spotted by a camera in the 6th floor!" Soobin said.

They quickened their pace and didn't look back anymore. Hyungsik's apartment was on the 11th.

"How the hell did he get down that fast?" Seokjin said with bafflement. There were multiple footsteps coming from ahead.

A second later, they saw one of their teams from the stairs and another walking out of the elevator. Namjoon briefly gave them orders as quick as possible, his eyes on Yoongi who had gone to the railings the moment Soobin shouted in their earbuds.

"Split up in teams of four and get ahead of him. We have to seal all exits." he said solemnly as he refilled his own pistol's bullets, "And keep him alive if possible."

Jiwon was walking back and forth over Yeonjun's and Soobin's shoulder. Their cameras were getting shot but at least it left trails for their teams.

"All right, sir. Everyone, move!"

"The person shot a few cameras in the sixth floor aready." said Jackson grimly, "Yoongi!"

Sighing, the vigilante knowingly placed both of his palms on the railings. Several agents who were still walking away to leave the floor turned around shortly with either awe or surprise, watching the blond calmly yet urgently climbing down using the railings.

"Yah, was he a professional climber or what?" one murmurred distractedly but with Namjoon's head tilt, they refocused and quickly turned serious again. He exchanged a look with Seokjin, "The vigilante will go ahead. You grab your sniper rifle and get a nice position. I'll take the lift and watch the exit on the first —"

A round of pained screams and bullets echoed in the apartment. All their teams could hear the sounds clearly and tensed.

"He shot down one squad. He probably got to the 4th floor already." said Yeonjun, scratching his head worriedly.

"You have to be kidding me, thank god everyone was evacuated before this plan!" grunted Seokjin, now turning back as he was supposed for his rifle, "And don't follow that Yoon guy, you might slip!"

Namjoon could hear more gunshots from lower floors and stayed still for two seconds. He wasn't afraid of height but maybe he had been clumsy sometimes.

"He disappeared from the cameras again!"

"Screw it." he cussed, placing his palms on the railings.

Soyun and Sana just walked into the office breathlessly with thick files in their arms, closing the door behind them immediately knowing the serious situation at the moment. Jiwon didn't mind them and neither did they, now joining in monitoring the larger screens. Yeonjun helped them to put down their stuffs.

"Sir, how is the situation right now?" she never really thought that Haneul would take their bait.

"A bit confusing." replied Jiwon grimly, "The Owls aside, Lee Jongsuk came tonight with a mysterious man who unbelievably seems to be on par with Namjoon."

"On par with who?" Sana said shockingly.

"With Yoongi too." Jackson added.

"Anyhow, we're currently searching and checking through every corner, cameras and eyes of our men but this guy is still so hard to find?" Soobin said, messaging his face aggressively out of annoyance. "He shot some cameras too though and it leaves a trail,"

"then again, he's not there like he really wasn't." Yeonjun added stiffly, confused.

Soyun just noticed Hoseok behind all of them, leaning against the wall in the corner where he could probably still observe the screens. He seemed to be frequently checking his phone but she didn't want to probe too much.

•••

Yoongi made it to 4th floor in no time, his glock raised the instance his feet met the ground. It was silent at first but he was familiar with it: his enemy showed himself out, slamming shut the door of the room behind him at the same time with a rapidly-firing assault rifle shooting towards the vigilante — Yoongi rolled on the floor to grab the rifle with his crossed legs from below and sliced the man's ankle as he did.

He heard him grunt and the rifle had dropped on the ground away from their current positions since he threw it.

"Isn't it humiliating for you to leave like this?" Yoongi hummed as he eyed the man, his gun pointed at him.

"No,"

He didn't really expect the man to suddenly speak or that he would be someone to hold up his hands in response to a glock being raised at him. The voice was calm and bright as though laced with amusement.

"Huh?" Soyun swallowed quickly, trying to hear the voice better.

Hoseok subtly caught the way Soyun who had been observing with her arms folded calmly just got caught off-guard. Recently, he had been more keen-eyed to see if she could recognize their enemies and their vague objectives in any form of encounter.

"not at all." the mysterious man shook his head simply.

With a deep frown she tilted her head slightly and muttered to herself as though out of relief that she wasn't even heard, "Uhh... Nevermind."

He hadn't seen his face yet but it annoyed the vigilante a litttle to think that he might've had a smile on his face while they fought him seriously. Was he an Owl? He hadn't clocked an eight-winged moth tattoo yet, and he couldn't tell if the guy was using a voice changer or not. He sounded clear and calm. His presence was confusing.

"Yoon is keeping the enemy engaged on the fifth floor. Every team, move on." Hoseok ordered casually.

"What do you mean?" laughed Yoongi calmly, "You just brought your men to die. We're going to kill Joong soon."

The man across him only shrugged as he spoke.

"And you're leaving without any gain."

"Gain, huh. I shot down a few of your colleagues, I think that's enou —"

The vigilante smirked at the sight of Namjoon's entrance: the agent kicked the enemy's head from the balcony corridor's side as he climbed down before calmly crouching on the railings to get off them, and the sound of his kick sounded like he delivered it to nearly kill someone on impact.

"I thought you told us keep him alive though." Yoongi said conversationally.

"I'm sure he's still alive."

"He's on the move again! Avoid firing, just knock him out!"

It was as he said darkly. It being not Yoongi's expectation didn't make him any slower to act when the moth got up again to rush to the stairwell; Namjoon and Yoongi took off to chase after the guy again. It was too quick, the way he blocked his kick last-second with his arm.

"Did you see any tattoos on him?"

"Maybe it's just not on the uncovered parts." Yoongi replied rather relaxedly despite their sprinting, "Tell Seokjin to prepare to aim for his legs if he's spotted outside because I'm not into running."

"Right, right. I'm already from this one room's balcony where I can see quite a lot." Seokjin hummed, looking into his scope.

Namjoon caught up to the man first, jumping over the stairwell's railing to attack him with his leg again but the enemy ducked swiftly and swinged his jaw with the brass knuckles. He grunted aloud and fell his side stagger against the railing behind him, simultaneously while Yoongi technically took over by throwing a fire extinguisher towards the man. In turn, the enemy had to dodge, making him late to see Namjoon's fists coming next.

"UGH!" his grunt was loud. The agent's punches made him felt as if he was pummelled by a boxer against ropes whenever he couldn't catch one strike.

He raised his legs next to deliver a flying kick to the moth's head but it was parried somehow; Yoongi saw how the opponent perfectly blocked Namjoon's legs thrice, each time he changed his targeted point. The stairwell echoed with incoming reinforcements from other floors. The man tsked under his breath before he swung the knuckles at the agent and forced a distance between them, "I have to be on my way."

Again, it felt like he was smiling at them mockingly from the head tilt, "We'll see each other —"

"I'm not very familiar with handcuffing during a fight so," Yoongi had no hesitancy to get close, confident with his knife but it was notable that the other had backed away niftily after their steel and brass weapons clanked for a split second, "I will have to injure your hands or something."

"Exciting but I really have to go." he panned his gaze from one of them to the other. Namjoon spat dryly as he wiped the small spots of blood off his right cheek. There were voices rushing over to their location and they were half curious as to how one would make his way against their numbers, observing him back.

"I'm honestly a bit surprised to see someone who can take on these two." Hoseok chuckled with folded arms, having been assessing their moves and responses in his head. "It's not as simple as it looks like."

"Come back here, dimwit." Yoongi had nonchalantly lunged at him mid-speech and they clashed without stopping, grazing his wrists twice. He cussed internally when his opponent knocked the knife out of his hand. It slipped through the gaps of railings in the stairwell but he didn't stop, proceeding to kick him off the landing to watch the man fall off the stairs, now cheekily walking down the stairs with his own pace.

"Ah, you guys had more reinforcements than I expected." hummed the masked man, "Not that I would like it another way. But I see that you guys were buying time, huh?"

Hoseok frowned slightly. Jackson squinted, "What is he on about?"

"Anyway, you're outnumbered. You won't make it out of this building." Namjoon chuckled with his shoulders, turning to his earpiece for a moment. "Have someone sample the blood that got on the carpet in Hyungsik's room for a DNA test."

The man slowly turned his gaze to the agent with a breathy laugh, "You guys haven't met me before though. It's our first encounter."

"It still matters. It's easy to lie, after all." he hummed. Seconds later, footsteps rushed into the stairwell. Their teams fast cornered the moth.

"I've done enough here anyway."

"Yeah, what is he on actually?" Yeonjun watched confusedly. "Maybe he's scared."

Jackson nodded, "That's what I'm saying because he doesn't sound so sane —"

"Also, vigilante..."

Soyun's eyes narrowed slightly. Their enemies' objective behind an attack had always been tricky and she had a bad feeling that if they don't figure it out, something would happen. Soobin, Yeonjun, Jiwon, Jackson and the agents in the reinforcement teams looked around with whisper-toned confusion, remaining serious. Their guns were pointed toward the guy, yet he was still talking to them too calmly, but more intriguingly for them was who the man posed these words for. Yoongi who was leaning against the stair's railing swallowed silently. He didn't need to turn to feel some of their uncertain gazes on him and felt self-conscious, but he knew that the best way to handle this was by being indifferent.

"Sir, you are to surrender now —"

The moth continued over the force agent, "Oh, I'm not acting — I'm not pretending like I'm literally talking to a vigilante, of course."

Hoseok snorted inwardly. He could hear the knowing tone.

"What is he talking about?" murmurs started, "A vigilante among us?"

It wouldn't turn their world upsidedown but a part of the vigilantes still found this whole thing quite brazen of Haneul's men. The squads waited for Namjoon or Jiwon to speak.

"Shouldn't yall just apprehend the man now?" Seokjin asked.

"But you know, it's just that..." the man still had his hands up as he went on calmly, "there are rumours going around the underground parts and in jails that the vigilantes are working with NIS agents. That's what Lee Jongsuk had been saying every night while he was still behind cells..."

"Namjoon, he still has a pistol on him. Probably a muted one that he used to disable the cameras from earlier." Soyun said.

Namjoon sighed, "Arrest him."

"It's true though!" he laughed as though the agents weren't going over to him with handcuffs yet, his arrant tone causing a few members to slow and stare, "You've heard it. Lee Jongsuk was in one of your agent's apartment, surely he concluded that from seeing one of you!"

"Just proceed with taking him away." Yoongi rolled his eyes, cocking his head relaxedly to the side, "No more delays, just do —"

"We've already sent an invitation and even cleared ways for you guys. Look into it."

Invitation?

"No but genuinely, what the fuck are you talking about —?" he saw the criminal smirk before lights went out in the staircase: the building rumbled and there was a loud blast, an obvious explosion coming from a floor and location not so far from the stairwell. The squads burst into a tense chain of exchanges not because of the sudden and complete darkness but the speed in which their cornered suspect just knocked down three of them to escape.

"Not again, darn it!" grumbled Yoongi, following after Namjoon who had already begun thundering down the steps in the darkness. They had no night-vision goggles prepared unlike their reinforcements but went off anyway, "Everyone, stop daydreaming! Split up again and get ahead to block the exits!"

"That goes for the windows and lower floors' balconies too!" added Namjoon, rising his gun as the two of them went to the third floor with four men as backups. "Yeonjun, Soobin, Jiwon-nim, where did the guy go?"

"No, screw this crap!" groaned Yeonjun before he replied, shaking his own laptop out of annoyance, "The room he exploded was the electrical control room, we just lost access to most of the cameras in that building."

"Huh? Did none of you think of locking that room or something considering their previous tactics?!" Yoongi huffed incredulously and they were rushing down the corridors only to find no one in each corner, now peeking below after glancing up for a second, "Seokjin! Stay alert!"

"They actually locked the room, apparently. It just so turns out that the guy could unlock it with no difficulty at all." Hoseok said, his gaze narrowing at the thick smokes on their screens. With his insert, their comrades on the other side quietened grimly. "It feels like we're being played. What a deja vu."

Like the time when they were in SNU. They deduced that it was interception back then but there was never a way to tell.

Seokjin concentrated on the vast areas outside the building from where he was, settling his long rifle on the balcony. The sirens of police cars searching for the Owls in the city were already reaching them, and with the electrical control room on their list of things to pay for now, he really would be pissed if he misses their target.

"Seokjin, how is it?" Namjoon asked into his earpiece.

Five minutes. The entire block was scoured by their number of agents but to no avail. However, the night was still young so they dispatched the same agents to continue scouring the premises and the entire apartment complex while some took care of Hyungsik's room. The blood of the culprit that was spilt on the carpet thankfully was real and had no extra tricks to it. Winds whistled as the conclusion sink in them that they lost their target right under their noses, unpitying towards the humiliation and absurdity they felt.

Yoongi went alone to pick up his knife that fell earlier during their fight. It was laying on the first floor's stairwell with a scribbled sunflower mark drawn on its blade with blood. He didn't think of doing a DNA test on it, he just knew it was the mysterious bastard's.

"Yeah, check around. There are traces of his soles bumping into the boxes in this place, so make sure to trail the areas from here." he told the agents calmly without giving them details of the knife he was wiping. He pulled out his phone when he finally could find a quieter place, "Hoseok, he drew an ugly sunflower on my knife."

"Of course." the other vigilante chuckled wryly, "Stay low. It's their ruse to put us on the spot. We are their main enemies, after all."

Soyun thought to check her phone now and it seemed like Jungkook only read her text that was asking if he was in the condominium. He didn't call her back or text to reply but what could she do about that? Maybe he just needed some time.

"We have to remind every one of us to stay low." Yoongi said.

Hoseok bit his own lower lip silently, nodding. He side-eyed Jackson with mutual uncertainty about one comrade of theirs, "Yeah. Hyung, just get yourself treated for now."

"Ah, this is so frustrating!" Seokjin unintentionally kicked his case in a fit of anger, recalling the whole thing. Sure, they got Jongsuk but that guy was as good as dead to begin with. It was 7:05 PM then — with a few other of their personnels, they were just on their way to return to the office building. Since they entered the van, he had been reviewing his cameras over and over again to figure out anything. South Korean news still live-reporting the police's search on the Owls being played in their background wasn't helping either.

Yoongi sat in silence as he stared outside the window, still wallowing solemnly in his thoughts but also listening into Namjoon's conversation.

"Yeah, we're currently on our way to bring the sample and Jongsuk's body to the building." the NIS agent said on call with Hyowon. He lowered his voice intentionally before bringing up his next words, "And sir, about the informant..."

"Seungjoon has been avoiding my calls all afternoon." sighed Hyowon drearily as he collected his documents in the archive room on his own, "As for Yeojin, she doesn't want to tell me anything unless you tell the president 'everything' first."

"That crap again?" Namjoon could feel his right cheek stinging along with the frustration in his head but controlled his tone. Yoongi and Seokjin couldn't help but notice his emotions boil under the surface, "I told about the organisation about Joong and already made up enough before that —"

"The vigilantes, Namjoon."

He stopped. He knew Yoongi was watching him who had been standing for the call. His calm eyes did not drift to the vigilante. He couldn't hear their talk from his seat anyway at times, his gaze felt too knowing.

"You just told me earlier that this could've been Haneul's mild ploy to cut Hope off from us." Hyowon said, sitting down for a moment. He knew Namjoon wouldn't agree to something so easily, "It would be good for the NIS, for one. Yeojin is sure that the president would pardon our original team. It doesn't necessarily mean that we're betraying them too, we can still work together with some distance."

True but it'd feel wrong. He ran his fingers through his platinum blond hair, sighing with clenched jaws.

"They won't like it. They're vigilantes, sir." he said serenely, "The entirety of Seoul could point at them. All for information on the informant they probably have cursed? Unlikely."

Hyowon shook his head, "Also for the approval." he added when the other side went silent, "It's still pending for a reason. We have been far too reserved with the higher-ups. This suspicion is our own fault."

Even if he hadn't told them about the ex-NIS agent just that afternoon, Namjoon would get his points at once. Gazing at his reflection in the window, selfish thoughts flowed into his head. He could do that and benefit the NIS and their investigation, and maybe he could separate Soyun from a certain vigilante from thereon at the same time but somehow, it felt rather farfetched. And it wasn't like him to think that.

"What about the Mafiosi, since they're related to me too?" he said calmly, "I wouldn't mind throwing them off the bus a little."

"We've already sent an invitation and even cleared ways for you guys. Look into it." Yoongi looked down at his phone when he recalled the mysterious criminal's vague words. Coincidentally, it buzzed then and he picked it up. "Hoseok, what is it?"

"Namjoon, they won't —"

"I'm not selling out people before I throw the Mafiosos first."

Hyowon scratched his head as he got up sighing, "Well, it's not like I expected you to just agree with me but we're not going anywhere unless we do something about their suspicions toward us."

Seokjin groaned again when he couldn't find anything or saw no updates from their squads regarding the investigation. He just looked at Yoongi who was also in a call now before turning away silently.

"I see." Namjoon raised his brows off-call, "I'll think about it later."

•••

After the operation was considered to be over, Soyun still hasn't left the room. She had been trying connect the incident to an assumed objective and felt like she if just walked out now, the train of thoughts would crash. She saw Namjoon on his phone while in the van through Yeonjun's screen and recalled what he said a minute ago, that it was a ruse to make the vigilantes slip up. She couldn't help but think it was odd that all this was for that little talk their enemy did in front of a few reinforcement squads.

Was there something else Haneul could have tried to achieve with this strange move?

Sana had gone outside to buy them some coffee from the cafeteria, knowing most of them would've to stay up tonight.

"There are still no sighting of any of the Owls yet?" Jiwon's sigh from outside Namjoon's office was quite sharp, "Don't just walk around the streets, search through hotels and more. We have to keep them away from civilians as well. Stay sharp!"

The Owls were still out too. It had been about 15 minutes since they were seen going out of the tower. She checked up on her brother shortly and was glad to hear that he was just at home with many extra policemen going around the blocks, meaning it was probably like that in most areas including Nayeon's and Jeongyeon's now.

"Yeonjun, psst —" she whispered and both Yeonjun and Soobin turned in their chairs curiously, "do you think Jiwon-nim would let me join the patrol if I asked?"

Soobin cleared his throat apprehensively and pointed backwards at the screens with his thumb, "Noona, I don't think your mentor would like that."

"He has been talking to you guys a lot, huh." she chuckled half-heartedly at herself for asking them. She insisted determinedly, "I have to go though."

"It's unlikely that Jiwon-nim would let you with how much more serious things have gotten lately." Yeonjun added and showed his phone screen to her, "Besides, Namjoon-hyung just told me that he'll need to ask you for something once he returns to the —"

"Wait, Hoseok!"

Soyun's head turned when she heard the door opening. She saw Jackson following after his leader who just walked out of the office before him. Curiosity and uneasiness took over her when she saw their pensive, pale faces and that Hoseok was on his phone again.

"Hyung, I have a bad feeling. Hold on," he stopped walking to look at one of the desktops in the floor from over a staff's shoulder, his brows furrowing in. The numbers of observers who were posted around the 63 Building had dramatically decreased since the Owls left the tower. "first of all, can you try to reach Jungkook?"

Soyun halted from a few steps away, eyes only widening at their backs. The floor was still thronging with fuss of agents from their desks or those moving around with yells. She couldn't make her way towards them easily to begin with and then, a sudden surge of apprehension stunned her.

"Why? You couldn't reach him?" Yoongi sighed. Both Seokjin and Namjoon turned their heads remotely in his direction, "Because if you couldn't, chances are the rest of us can't too."

"Who can't be reached?" the question left Seokjin's lips absentmindedly and out of curiosity but the other NIS agent found himself listening too.

"Jungkook. He's probably still napping or something," replied Yoongi but his expression shifted slightly, making them muse what Hoseok just said on the other side of the phone, "or not."

"The last Hyuka could track of him was when he was still in the condominiun around 6:50 PM." Hoseok said with a grunt.

"Hold on," Soyun quickly sent a message to Jungkook, anything and confirmed that something was off. He wasn't receiving their texts anymore. "what is that guy thinking?!"

He was not receiving them for a deliberate reason.

"Wasn't that when they reported about the Owls moving?" they heard Jackson say from Yoongi's phone. He exhaled a difficult sigh, one palm holding onto Seokjin's desk. They didn't mind the driver and other officer in the front seat stealing some glances at their behaviours to pace around nervously with the van's spaciousness anymore. Hoseok spoke again, "He never forgets to charge his phone so this is a bit worrying, hyung."

The purple-haired agent felt confused, "What's going on?"

"Shit is going on, that guy probably went to the damn tower." the vigilante said, ruffling his hair annoyedly.

"What does that... Jackson, you said something about 6:50 PM?" Soyun tensely stomped over to them, "Does that mean he might have already been on his way to the skyscraper since several minutes ago and we've only known about it now?"

"HOLD ON." they turned to the blond vigilante with wide eyes after Soyun's words, startling their other colleagues but Seokjin had told them to just drive when they looked behind them, now facing Yoongi again with a grimace, "Okay wait, slow down because why would you say this and why would he be going there without an appro —"

"Don't slow down I need to know what the hell is wrong with that friend of yours!" Namjoon cut in sharply at the guy who was still grumbling to himself, processing in disbelief.

"Remember that dude back in the apartment who said he gave an invitation? And that they even cleared ways for us?" the blond vigilante groaned as he looked at them to explain with the other side listening in too, "I guess he meant through text and leading most officers away from the 63 Building tonight. To provoke us lawbreaking and desperate people."

"So you're telling me he just jumped off the bus on his own?" Namjoon snickered darkly. He couldn't believe that he was hearing this after the crap Hyowon just suggested him to consider but all the same, he brisked toward the van's windows. The 63 Building's tall structure could be seen in the distance, far behind, "From where we are now, if we turn back and get on a train, it'd still take at least 25 minutes to reach that building —"

"T-Through texts?" Soyun stuttered confusedly.

"— and the fastest route if we're lucky to be on time to get a train would still take 17... When he could already be on the 10th floor or higher by the time we arrive." he released with gritted teeth.

"Haneul's number." Hoseok said without turning, "That night before the port chaos, he got texts from Haneul like you did too but he never deleted the number."

She felt her chest thrumming faster and heavily. That night in Rome, she did notice something off with Jungkook's behaviour and that he received a notification at the same time as her. It wasn't just a coincidence. He might've been sent his father's execution shots then in the same way she was sent her parents' uncensored corpses — a quiet buzz from inside her pocket pulled her back to the present and she swallowed.

"HUH? WHY THE FUCK WOULD HE NOT DELETE IT?" Seokjin scoffed in disbelief, "AND WHY HAVE YOU GUYS ONLY KNOWN ABOUT THIS NOW? YALL'S VIGILANTE FRIEND DIDN'T TELL —"

"Because he knew we wouldn't take Haneul's bait and that we wouldn't let him go if we knew about this!" Hoseok burst with annoyance into the phone and Soyun was silently walking backward, walking away because she couldn't just stand there right now. "Darn him, he really can't give a damn about that one promise even if he wanted to."

Seokjin watched Yoongi's grim-strickened face from the side and sighed inwardly as their van drove in the busy highway.

"I just told Hyowon-nim about this, we have to decide to do something quick —"

Namjoon exhaled grimly and whether or not he was whispering only amongst them unintentionally or to cover the vigilantes too, Yoongi appreciated it silently, "We can't let words about this get out."

"Yall." Jackson tried to be calm as sweat trickled down his face, "What the hell do we do now that he's probably already in that building?"

"Speaking of a plan though, do you think that Jungkook dude had one before he just left the condominium and blocked all of us?" Seokjin asked quickly while Namjoon went over to their driver so they could possibly turn back anyhow, "He surely knew that it was a trap to lure yall, right?"

"He definitely knew the risks but still went ahead. Nothing new." Hoseok bit his lower lips as he side-eyed Jiwon in the corner who thankfully was too busy with the Owls' search in the city to notice their small gathering. He cocked his head slightly as he added, "And yes, maybe his plan is just to fight his way through everything —"

"We can't just rush in without any plan. That's not a solid plan." Namjoon said through gritted teeth, "We can't just go there and enter especially if the enemies have already seen one coming in."

"That's that." Hoseok clicked his tongue, quickly gesturing to Jackson and Soyun over his shoulders, "We should go to the archive room first before we continue whatever talk this is and before anyone overhears our case. Jackson, So —" both him and the other vigilante suddenly paused, "— Soyun?"

Turning around, they saw Sana walking over to them with their ordered coffee from downstairs. Yoongi, Namjoon and Seokjin went quiet as sounds of cars in the highway lengthened with their slow, wordless realization.

"What's wrong? You guys look frozen."

"Yeah." Hoseok's voice cracked before he cleared his throat with apprehension growing in it as seconds went by, "Did you see Soyun run or walk past you?"

"Mhm? Yeah, she really just ran past me like lightning. Didn't even grab her coffee from my hands when I waved." Sana hummed, still oblivious of the increasing apprehension and bafflement beneath their blank faces. "Which was weird."

Hoseok facepalmed himself.

"Okay, so we need to catch up to two before shit hits the fan." Seokjin said, walking away slowly, "I'll tell the drivers to drop us off somewhere now."

"There's no going back now, huh?" Yoongi chucked half-heartedly, slowly drifting his gaze to the NIS agents, "Are we on the same page yet?"

"No." Namjoon groaned exasperatedly, "For god's sake, let's call her first."

But she knew they would tell her to stop and reconsider, which she could never. She ignored Namjoon's calls, deliberately declining each one of them within a second. Her legs had moved on their own after she read Jungkook's texts that he probably could only send after reconnecting his phone for a few split seconds: "I'm about to do something quite stupid and borrow the incomplete maps you drew." to which he added with a palm emoji saying "Before you get angry at me though, you shouldn't have just left them under the pink teddy bear." and followed by a "Don't follow me and don't tell anyone. They won't like it."

"DON'T FOLLOW HIM, HE SAID?" he ran out of the lobby as she scrolled through her phone aggressively, "DON'T FOLLOW HIM? NO WAY HE JUST DID THIS AND SAID THAT."

Trepidation spread throughout her veins the more she thought of it. The map was incomplete and wasn't even that detailed to begin with, she'd know that better than anyone because she made them herself; she couldn't just let him go ahead on his own and wait for permission anymore. Not when he was willingly walking into a trap like this. She couldn't rest easy at all. What if he was ambushed at once, if he was already further ahead, what if his wounds reopened and what if he was outnumbered by now? She knew nothing at the moment. She needed to call for a taxi. She sprinted past the parking lot, this time too tense to even mutter quick apologies to most of the colleagues she nearly walked into.

(A/N: tbh I have no idea if she and JK or Namjoon, Yoongi and Seokjin would be closer to the 63 Building irl but we proceed.)

"I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry right now!" she yelled to her shoulder, not stopping. She quickly got on her phone to call for a taxi, eyes watching out for the road if there was any already close by, "I need to get there fast. I can get there faster than Namjoon's van from where I am currently, at least and damn that one vigilante —"

She jumped slightly when she felt a grip on her wrist, her flight response activating also nearly made her slam the guy who suddenly showed up.

"Taehyung? What are you doing here?"

The Mafioso seemed to be aware that she exuded a sense of urgency, frowning slightly at her breathlessness. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Where did you come from?" the sirens of police cars in the distance pulled her back to the present and she quickly put his hand away, she didn't have time for this. She saw a taxi incoming from her right side and raised her hand, "Taehyung, sorry but I have to go —"

A call from Hyungsik saved her from Taehyung's grip for some seconds so she could tiptoe and shout for the taxi to notice her, but she felt him catch her again.

"Can you let go of me? The taxi is coming over." she asked uncertainly, watching his lips curve into a wry smile as the phone stayed near his ears. The engine noises loudened.

"Hyungsik just called." he said serenely, still holding her hand as she abstained from scorning, "Soyun, you're not supposed to go infiltrate the tower like this. At least Kim Namjoon could see that —"

"I'm going though and I've already decided that." she said firmly, not facing him. It was 7:12 PM and time won't wait, "I can't just let Jungkook storm that building alone, it's way too risky even for someone like —"

Taehyung's gaze narrowed but this time before he could pull her again, she told him honestly and with a calm eye contact: "I like him."

The sudden statement seemingly rendered him speechless. He could see her gaze glisten softly, and it wasn't because of tears but simply reflection from the streetlights. His chest beat irregularly with a mixture of tense and twisting, unsettling emotions.

"Soyun," he croaked with a low exhale, shaking his head as though he couldn't be convinced at all, "you what? You like who? You guys don't even know each other that much. He doesn't even know you better than I —"

"Sorry, I didn't plan to say it so suddenly in this kind of mess but I wanted you to understand why I don't want to be stopped." she said clearly and the taxi just skidded slowly before them, "Also that you should stop chasing me. See you later —"

"Yah, Soyun!"

"Please don't make a scene here." she whispered sharply, her eyes half pleading and half reprimanding. No hesitance, fear or startlement after his sudden force. "You're still my friend. I don't want you in trouble."

"Miss, is something going on here?" they heard the chauffeur ask from his lowered window. Soyun directed her gaze from the side to meet Taehyung's then as a way to remind him of their distance. And as if he could read her eyes so well all of a sudden, he tilted his head.

"Why for that vigilante? I've never seen you reprimand me this way before." he chuckled, still not letting go. "After all I've done and showed for you?"

"That's — I'm sorry. I have to rush." she wavered before pushing him away at once and closing the car door in front of him almost in a hurry.

Cars honked and lights flashed around in the distance.

He never felt so flabbergasted. It felt like he was being fooled. He didn't move, react nor utter a word after her. Soyun couldn't tell exactly what his silence meant this time. Just that her wrists hurt everytime he held them and that a part of her felt like breaking apart too, she wouldn't ever mean to hurt him in any way but she couldn't make everyone happy. It was just that he was a friend who she felt like she couldn't fall for beyond platonic love, at least not anymore, most likely...

(A/N: I said that last line because alternative versions of this chapter exist 🏃 this isn't the end of Taehyung's 'chase' and same goes for Joon. A reminder that there are three different route & endings, one for each potential endgame love interest because I HAVE SOFT SPOTS FOR RELATIONSHIPS WHERE BOTH SIDES HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR LONG umm but one where you meet a bit later, but with the right person is cute too — so yep, yall will see how Tae and Joon still have chances in the other versions of this chapter. 🏃)

"63 Building. And how fast can you get there, sir?" she asked the taxi driver.

"With the traffic and patrolling, maybe around 15 minutes —"

She cut in simply, "I'll pay you multiple, can you rush a bit?"

The night whistled coldly toward Taehyung's figure on the sidewalk. The icy winds against him but they didn't feel like anything.

"Jimin, change of plans." he muttered serenely as he held his phone, "Don't tell Hyungsik that I saw her, by the way."

"Okay. The blond vigilante and two NIS agents need you to fetch them —"

"I'll get to that." he said before hanging up on him expressionlessly, walking back to his car briskly.

In the manor, Jimin just stared at his phone for a while before sighing and continuing to dine. "What I secretly dreaded."

"A promise's a promise though, Soyun... I thought you would know better." he hummed, staring at his laptop screen for a moment before closing it. The car window's glass cracked. He couldn't help but feel an urge to carve something the way he struck the glass with his stiletto. His breaths quickened silently as he questioned with gritted teeth, "But why the fuck would she choose... Why him?!"

•••

Whistling to himself behind the unlit corner outside 63 Building as he fixed his black cap, calm and seemingly relaxed, his eyes were a stark contrast. He only stared at the messages on his screen, the muted phone left on the floor as he continued to put on a long black jacket next as it was a cold night.

"Whoa, she's cursing at me. I guess stealing these maps did it." he hummed, crouching over the phone with the papers in his left hand and zipping up the long bag under his foot with his other hand.

"I just don't want you to get yourself hurt and in trouble."

Jungkook couldn't help but smile a little when he recalled her words although these that she hoped he wouldn't do were exactly what he was going to be guilty of tonight.

"Sorry for this." he said quietly. He would say it to her and his hyungs. For going to infiltrate the building anyway when he knew it'd be one crazy thing to carry out on his own and when the approval was still pending. As he expected, there were less patrol cars around than usual tonight.

He stood up and pulled down down his cap slightly, blending in easily with a crowd as soon as he joined them on the paths to the main entrance.

"All right, let's do this."

Getting past the securities at the entrance was a cinch with the various types of fake cards his vigilante friends already had beforehand. He just smiled below his lashes, passing through and being permitted to enter with his big bag of tools he won't actually use to clean windows soon.

"Just as expected from a modern building but I probably won't be let in a second time." he hummed conversationally to himself, fixing his bag's strap on his shoulders as his serene gaze roamed the mall-like atmosphere. There was a number of floors on the map sketched by Soyun that she must've highlighted for a reason, most of them being above the 39th floor: "And I guess I could start with the 40th floor."

The amount of visitors would help to lose him in the crowd if he was ever caught right away, until he remembered that it was never going to be easy. The lift was a bit crowded but he could notice one man in a corner muttering quietly into his walkie-talkie after he walked in. Jungkook stepped in front to tap the 35th floor's button instead of the 40th. One by one, other civilians would come in and leave the elevator so none coild really act up yet.

"Slightly suspicious individual here. He's heading to the 35th floor."

He speedily read one of the sketch notes through his phone in the corner. Soyun smartly wrote on a separate paper where were floors to most likely have less visitors based on the stores it had and convenient trivias, "There are least open stores in the 35th floor. Hyungsik said one employee told him that no one really uses the floor's restroom because their manager always forgets, and forgets to repair the flickering bulb in there."

It was the closest useful floor to the 40th. Jungkook just continued his act as he walked out of the lift but only until there was no other civilians around and when it seemed like he told his colleagues about a change of mind, would he turn into a darker corridor and face the guy who was still following him: he needed to deal with him silently if he wanted to check out the 40th floor quicker, kneeding the guy in the guts while covering his mouth before dragging the unconscious man quickly into a restroom stall. He locked the guy in before he climbed out, picking up his bag again and walked out like nothing happened.

(A/N: another reminder, I'm mostly just making up which floor has what. And how the structure of the skyscraper is.🕴️)

"This map is useful already." he hummed, turning to it again as he hid behind a corridor for a moment, "Since the upper floors including the observation deck is closed off to visitors, better not come as one and go there because you'd look suspicious."

"For someone who told me not to infiltrate, she sure was writing notes like she wanted to go herself." he chuckled under his breath but his eyes sharpened again to speed through the reading, "40th floor..." he scrutinized the sketch pensively, "So I guess she assumed it has the same floor plan as the one before it." they had recordings of the few available cameras in these floors and he supposed she looked into them and visitors who had been there, seeing the labels she wrote on the sketches.

He imagined her train of thoughts: "Most of visitors who went this way were adults who came with kids. Some came alone and left with gifts. This means one of the stores there could be a toy store. A man with a briefcase and a woman pulling out her purse were in the cameras around this area. This next corridor probably has a bank, and maybe a jewelry store too. The other area is hard to guess but assuming from the 39th floor's floor plan, there should be a restroom in between this way with the toy store and this unfamiliar one. When the cameras were disabled though, it might not have been a mere coincidence that it was the one near the toy store. Why would they disable it there? Kids passing around with their parents weren't sketchy. Something else was, probably beside the store. Like the previous floor, there should be a long and wide free space beside a store here, with a heavy fire emergency door. Which almost no one uses, except for a few men in black in broad daylight free of fire. This floor should be checked just in case. There will be many cameras around as soon as you get out of the lift though, the bank is right in front."

"Guess I'm taking the stairs from the 39th floor." he clicked his tongue. He needed to get on the move before more realize the disappearance of his first victim and maybe he shouldn't use the elevator yet after just getting out earlier. He turned to the map and hummed serenely, "The stairwell it is then."

Even if he knew where the cameras were to shoot them, he wouldn't be able to avoid attracting guards to check where he was. He stepped before the dim stairwell's door anyway, shifting to throw a flashbang. He got under the camera's field of vision and climbed up the stairs with speed to the next floor. It buys about 5 seconds per use and maybe the security would let it pass as an odd glitch.

This meant that he'd have to use the stairwell for most of the rest to save the grenades for other uses but no matter.

•••

"Update me." Changwook said, calmly moving past the pedestrians on the sidewalk. The sirens were close.

"No one suspicious so far, but one of ours is not responding so I sent a few to check the floor he was last known to be on."

He raised his head to stare at the tall building in the distance for a moment, humming serenely, "What about the stairwell's cameras?"

"Other than a few glitches, nothing more."

A small hum left him before he replied.

"Do not look past them. Send people."

The control room had their eyes on every camera in the building, every nook and cranny. It would just be a matter of time until any infiltrator get weeded out and the Owl knew a vigilante would be too provoked to care about their obvious disadvantage.

"All right, send four —"

"Send more than that." he cut in calmly with a subtle hiss, "Be serious. Also, leave more men on the 40th floor and above. Especially my room on the 50th."

He simply hung up before they could stutter. As much as he hated to admit it each time, a mere squad's number won't be enough to at least tire out the enemy they were expecting. As his lightless eyes reflected the peeps of car lights beside him, he just let it sink in how easily people clung to chances to risk their lives for others. His mind went to Dongwook; empathy between their colleagues wasn't so present because it would create weakness and flawed judgements, and this belief was proven again and again each time by anything in his range, but he was more curious about the two mentioned by the redhead. Who crossed Haneul's head to make him frown like that?

The control room in 63 Building was at work.

"He wants us to send in how many exactly?" a middle-aged man scratched his head hesitantly, "Anyway, we should increase the amount of men standing by on the 50th floor. The vigilantes would want to save their comrade after all."

"Why is he always so serious anyway?" laughed a man who was smoking beside him, monitoring the desks across them as well. "Even if Hope comes, I doubt there would be more than four or five of them so they would be outnumbered and done before they reach the first quarter of this tower —"

"They're in!"

A shout from one of their observers pulled them to cut off their chit-chat.

"What is it?" they asked, looking over to their screens and earpieces.

"The vigilantes are probably already in, the guard that alerted us earlier was just found unconscious in the 35th floor's restroom."

Another man in the room raised his hand to call them over, "He walked out of the lift with three other visitors. Before that, he mentioned a guy in black."

"I'm calling to inform Changwook again. Taegwan —"

The other nodded with a smug grin, "Send people in, yep. It's just one guy, huh? Should be easy to take out."

He would be easy to take out, they thought. They were proven wrong within minutes soon: in addition to the sneer the vigilante directed to one of their cameras, it was hard to believe that he already knew where they were going to be other than the fact that he just singlehandedly murdered eight of their men in the dim stairwell. In shock, the last one that he left conscious just glared back as Jungkook grabbed him up by the collar.

"Send more people there right now, he's not moving yet so yall can catch the fuck up!" ordered Taegwan, frustrated and the control room sprang into tense movements again. "They're in the 37th floor now, go!"

"One of the Owls brought my friend to this building. My questions are going to be simple..." he held his knife's edge to his throat, "Where is he? And where's Choi Minsoo too while I'm at it?"

Grunting through a bleeding jaw, the man half-slumped against the railings spat, "A-Asshole, you just killed eight of us."

"And?" the vigilante raised his brow, his eyes dark. A minute ago when he and his squad saw the man before them, he would've never thought this bloody outcome and the sinistrous air as though the vigilante was more used to killing than they were. The screwdriver he pulled out from his prop bag to pierce his calf was still laying at the bottom stairs with blood. "What? You've never seen murder?"

"What would I gain from someone like that after spilling my organization's info?"

Jungkook burst a small laugh before he showed a face of disgust, "Right. Should I have killed them after they said something? Because they didn't."

The man swallowed with a shiver.

"You see... You've killed before, right?"

His grip was strong and tight, it felt like there was darker vengeance behind the vigilante that hadn't been released yet with a throw. He couldn't tell if it was revenge or vengeance with the way he fought. He seemed intensely driven by a motive that made him look rightfully murderous yet unhinged. His black cap fallen off, his messy bangs were somewhat adding to the menacing flicker in his eyes.

"L-Look, I probably haven't killed any of yours though so we don't owe any —"

"Then surely you know how it goes. You kill, and get killed back at one point in some ways or another. I'll be doing some people a favour nonetheless." Jungkook glanced at his shoulder, knowing he was currently out of the cameras' range but reinforcements could've already been sent. He wasn't bothered by the trifling stench already filling the dim stairwell now, he only felt rage and sharp edge in his head as he pushed the man's breaking back to the wall. "So, do something useful like telling me the important stuff before you meet god —"

Steps rushed and echoed from the lower stairs and he kept his eyes forward.

"What the fuck are you? No way in hell —"

Blood splattered to the white wall as he snorted, "— or the likes of ourselves, my bad. Time's up for you."

"It seems like he's focused on running upstairs."

He pushed the body down the stairwell to surprise the rest before he continued to climb up the stairs with a quickened pace, leaving his prop bag as he was already exposed. There were gasps of shock behind him. He knew the next floor, the 38th was an office-like floor but at this time of the night, most probably had gone back home or earlier. It was silent when he arrived through the stairwell with intense shouts following after him from downstairs —

"Holy crap!"

His eyes widened slightly, feeling the knife's blade nearly graze his thigh when he caught an enemy's attack. It was so sudden from the dark when he thought the desks were free for him to scavenge through.

"Welp, the map didn't warn about this." he said through his teeth. His opponent swung his knife that glinted once under the scarce moonlight and he dodged swiftly before pulling out his own, but used his other arm to grab a random penholder to throw before he stabbed him in the stomach. The easy switches swayed his enemy, "Where's the vigilante that the Owl brought here? Don't make me —"

But he had to pull out his knife and lower himself at once when footsteps loudened behind him, now rolling to hide behind the row of desks.

"He was here just now, keep out!"

His enraged and stabbed opponent growled toward the others, "He's hiding behind one of the desks!"

He couldn't reach for his tiny flashlight in his pocket in time so he just used the scarce moonlight peeking from the windows in his surrounding, the scent of printed papers and lingering burnt coffee not beating the smell of blood around his blade as he read the map and assessed the ones in the room through the heaviness of their steps. He took off his trenchcoat because it would be heavy.

"One with a bigger build than me. A total of seven including the guy just now..."

Feeling lighter now with just black pants and a black shirt on, he supposed that he could start first. It was ceaseless chasing even in the dark the moment one of them saw him: Jungkook stabbed one in the leg the moment he was in range and slumped his body to the floor with their face facing the somewhat rough, dark blue carpet. One other noticed and alerted the rest, including the one who was bleeding through his stomach.

"I guess none of you wants to tell me where are Yugyeom and Choi Minsoo?" he snickered as he strangled the man beneath him, listening hard for the moment one enemy would arrive at his shoulder. Two arrived but he proceeded anyway, pushing an office chair towards them as he charged toward the one in another direction but he realized something was off as he backed the enemy to the walls, he only saw five men in his vicinity —

"Gotcha!"

The one with bigger arms had thrown a chair toward him and not caring about his own fellow
did him good. Jungkook had to leap away but with a scratch and hard bang on his right shoulder. He caught the previous attacker's knife but in that split second forgot which of his arm was better to use, and he got a slice around his forearm before he retaliating with daring, straightforward attempts.

"Nice one, Gang!"

"This guy has guts to infiltrate alone or is he just dimwitted?" the muscled one named Gang jeered, watching two men corner Jungkook but within seconds the situation flipped again: the vigilante grabbed the skinnier one and kneeded him to the side and stomach before leaving him on the ground, then took on the other almost with sudden power-up from the insult — "But you're going to be outnumbered again, you know that right?"

One man pacing at his left side muttered confusedly, "Ah-In! Tackle him, you dumbass."

"I don't fucking care, that just means more people to ask." he spat on his left after kicking a head from the side, using a desk nearby as his supporter. Like that, four left in the floor but with incoming reinforcements anytime soon. He spun his knife and glanced at the guy he kneeded earlier, "Oh, right. He can't move because of me."

"What does he mean —"

"Y-You shithead, what did you do?! Ugh!" the loud yelling spoke for itself and Jungkook smirked, calmly wiping the blood off his own lips.

"Just stay down." he snorted sharply, kicking off the man as though he was a rock. The moth screamed again, unable to move as excruciating pain held him still and buckled to the ground.

The older man frowned slightly because he found it a bit hilarious how the guy still had the will to continue. Any sane person would be able to see their disadvantages and feel discouraged but the vigilante across them right now was only indifferent, calm like how he was when he first entered the building.

"But I guess you aren't sane..."

Maybe he didn't think his situation has changed yet. In the dark floor with scattered paperworks and blood splattered against the walls, he still seemed to have a good idea of the occupied space despite having four going after him at the same time, athletically using the furnitures to move confidently. The composure and concentration reminded the moth of Changwook.

Jungkook went after the already-injured enemy first, casually stepping over the desks and pouncing to knock the guy out hard with a kick to the brain. Three left.

"The other team is heading there right now, Gang. Anyway, just knock him out."

Jungkook noticed his enemies collectively glancing awah for a moment and had the hunch that their earpieces were talking to them. He tsked inwardly. The way to the next floor was behind the built one that actually had a better presence. His forearm bled. His head ached. One of his leg felt off and the first one he cursed inside was Lee Minho. He steadied his breaths, keeping his cool albeit it felt as though anytime now, he could be buckled to the ground.

"The Owl would look down on us if we lost to one university student, yall get serious." he muttered, keeping his eyes on the vigilante across them. He folded his sleeves, "And honestly, did he come alone actually thinking that we kept his friend alive? The other vigilante could have passed on for all you know —"

So he didn't miss how Jungkook's eyes suddenly flared with visible, raging malice afterwards. His shaking grip that tightened around his knife wasn't from fear but perhaps a bottle meaning to explode, that any experienced fighter could differentiate. It was writ large upon his face that was partly lighted by the silent thunderclouds.

"I will fucking stab you all over your bodies," he said serenely, the calmness not reaching his bloodshot eyes, "eight times each and deep into your skulls."

•••

The news were left on in the background from Hyowon's laptop to keep them updated about the situation. Ji Changwook and Lee Dongwook were still not caught, adding to their apprehension because the plan their enemies had could be anything at this point. Whether they went out for an actual mission or went out to be a part of the distraction plan, the Owls shouldn't be anywhere near the civilians.

"How far are you from the 63 Building now, Hyuka?"

Hoseok's tenseness was clear on his face, even clearer when he breathed out while Jackson and Hyowon watched him nervously. The archive room was cold but they were sweating from their palms and heads.

"The girl is not picking up." Sana was trying to get a hold of Soyun behind the other shelf, "I just know she's avoiding our calls right now. Oh god."

"We're still quite far. We'll get there in thirteen more minutes. That's the fastest. The manipulative variable would be traffic." the younger replied timidly as his eyes looked outside the highway, their other vigilantes driving speedily. "I can promise that I'll get access of cameras right away once we're there."

"Soyun is not gonna pick up my call if she's brave enough to ignore the boss anyway, ugh this is very concerning!" Sana groaned, slapping the walls in a fit of worry.

"Thanks." the orange-haired vigilante nodded breathily and hung up on Hueningkai.

"Sir, help us to keep the police away from the building." Jackson said nervously.

"Yeah, yeah the Owls might be around hotels or the residential areas —" Hyowon had been suggesting places on phone so the police would be away. He whispered tensely off-call, "I get it, Soyun's definitely going to arrive there first and we can't let her be seen too."

Hoseok turned to them, "What about on Namjoon's side? Has the Mafioso fetched them yet?"

Seokjin couldn't sit still in the van, ignoring the glances they might get from their driver and agents in the front.

"Why do my words almost never reach her unless it's about techniques?" Namjoon said, initially muttering to himself but the three of them gathered around a table to keep their conversation away from the other agents caught it.

"Funny how Hoseok and I would know how that feels too." Yoongi snorted to himself, "But with Jungkook."

"Does this happen often?" Seokjin asked with a slanted grin, unsure if he was surprised. His friend looked up too.

"It wasn't always this way though but for that guy, our words only control him by 60% at most." he shrugged, "Sometimes I think he does everything out of spite."

"Hope he lives long because of that. He better not get killed —"

"I'm sure he won't die so early. It's partly a problem, honestly..." Yoongi hummed grimly as he turned look outside the windows, eyeing the skyscraper with dark gold panes that stood out from afar. Jungkook could already be in a couple of fights by now in that tower, "He won't understand his own limits."

"Did he go ahead on his own without telling you guys for the Red Palace case?" Namjoon raised a brow intriguedly, "It was simply a slaughter. By limits, I assume you mean morals and strength both."

"Right, oh my god." Seokjin exhaled to add uncertainly, "What the hell should we say if there's suddenly a mass slaughter in that famous building —?"

"It was extremely personal so we tried to not be too harsh on him but yeah I guess, both. The very essence of being a vigilante was taking things into your own hands with values that most disagree with," he cut in serenely as the two NIS agents listened, "but fit into that too much regardless of your intentions, one can lose grip of things easily. Like what's probably happening right now."

The purple-haired NIS agent leaned forward slightly with a frown. He and Namjoon never really thought much about what vigilantes think like before they acted.

"You guys don't always think to kill every criminal, huh?"

It was true that statistically, they mostly only laid out unconscious criminals before the legal law enforcement people. In some cases, blood were spilt.

"I can't answer that accurately." Yoongi shook his head with an audible sigh, "I'm not a saint even if I'm a firm believer that a stifling jail is worse therefore better punishments than deaths for some criminals. Since it depends..." he scratched his head as he pulled out his phone to call Hoseok again, "Anyway, I can't be sure what Jungkook's thought process would be like now if he's inside a skyscraper which is probably full of Haneul's men playing guards."

The night was already harsh towards them with unnerving possibilities tagging along like crows.

"Well, let's just believe he isn't dying yet." Seokjin said but his feet were profusely tapping the van floor. He whispered again, "And do you think Haneul had something in mind to provoke yall like this?"

"I can only think that he wants to force us to do something more." Yoongi muttered darkly, "Time isn't on anyone's side."

Namjoon wondered if there was a pusher behind Haneul. They were still lacking info on what the man could be trying to achieve.

•••

Sirens ensued and honks came from the four way junction ahead. Soyun squished herself in between the front seat and driver seat impatiently, "How much longer until we arrive?"

"Only ten minutes have passed, miss. Maybe in about six?" the driver replied as the car moved again. The traffic light was turning red now and they were going to be blocked by other cars in front and from the sides, "Why are you in such a hurry any —"

"Do you think you can just speed up past the cars in front of us?" she asked tensely. The possibilities of things that could've happened in seven minutes was endless and the guy seemed incredulous at her request, "Just do it."

"Calm down, I don't want to risk my career like this. See," he kept his eyes in front and sighed, "there are police patrolling even here. I could speed up a bit last time because there weren't — yah?!"

"It's fine, thanks for driving this far!" she shouted without turning, moving rushedly in between the gaps of cars in the highway. Soyun had no time to be wait anymore. There were a lot of cars in the highway and policemen going around to check each and every one, and she couldn't wait that long. She ignored the honks and ran to the sidewalk in no time.

The chauffeur just confusedly stayed in his seat. "At least I got the money, I guess?"

Her phone rang under the loudness as she finally got to the sidewalk and she picked it up.

"GIRL, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU THINKING?" Sana's scream didn't even make her jump, she had her eyes on where her legs were going. Hoseok's voice came through next, and she also had to pick up her other phone messily, "Soyun, where are you right now?"

"I should at least confirm to them where I'm heading to, I guess?" she thought to herself and replied breathlessly, "I'm going to the skyscraper now!"

"Right. Of course she is." Hoseok nodded flatly to himself, "Listen. Don't enter the building on your own yet. I honestly prefer if Yoongi alone went inside but maybe just one more head won't spoil the broth."

"Trust me, I won't spoil anything." they heard her reply firmly, "But I will go inside the building first."

Jackson choked on his coffee and nervously scowled, "Yah, you have the guts to and I'll admit that but this is probably more dangerous than you think!"

"Do you realize that you don't even have an earpiece right now?" Namjoon just sighed since he already figured she would be going there. Soyun went blank for a second but kept up her pace. "So stay on the phone and listen to what Hoseok said just now."

"Sorry, Namjoon I will listen to everything but I can't listen to that one now." she bit her lower lips, still running toward the next sidewalk. She heard her colleagues collectively objecting and just swallowed the guilt, "I'm already past Wonhyo Bridge anyway, so now I'm running there on my feet. Right! Please don't sue this one car that sped up in the highway, I will text about it later —"

"Wonhyo Bridge? Good, you can get there first!" she unmistakenly heard Seokjin gasp.

"Hold on, why are you encouraging her?" she heard Hyowon ask. She had both phones with their volumes up so they somehow could talk to the other side through her, apparently. "Hueningkai isn't there yet, we won't know who is on which floor to ambush her if she enters now."

Namjoon watched the highway outside their agency's van as he talked, "Soyun, don't be too reckless —"

"Hyowon-nim, I had been thinking a lot honestly but we can't go back anyway." Seokjin said casually.

"I get you but you know this could go badly." Yoongi added serenely, "Jungkook could be anywhere, it will be difficult to —"

"He would most likely head to the 40th floor first and right away." Soyun's eyes were firm. She rushed past the civilians as lights from vehicles in the road and streetlights flashed over her shoulders. She had spoken again before they burst with apprehension, "Don't worry about me. And yeah, Seokjin's right." her voice softened slightly, "I'm already throwing away my logic at the moment so."

Hoseok didn't frown nor scowl in disbelief like the rest of them although they were just hung up on.

He blinked and was quiet for a moment, then tilted his head slightly.

(A/N: Hoseok isn't a love interest but hotdamn I'm falling for him anywhere anyway and anyhow. It's a struggle as someone whose bias is him T_T)

"Great. We're absolutely done for if we're found out." Hyowon chuckled nervously, putting his hands over his head as he sat down. Sana joined in worrying, forehead swiping the walls.

"She's throwing away her logic?" he mused, and a small smile crept to his lips but he refocused, looking over to one laptop. "Right. So we just have to not be found out."

"Tell the Hyungsik guy to tell Taehyung to drive faster." Yoongi said.

"I guess we have to." Namjoon hummed, rolling his eyes discreetly.

Jackson whined exasperatedly, "HYUKA BETTER GET THERE SOON AND THE MAFIOSI TOO BECAUSE THIS IS KIND OF GETTING OUT OF HANDS —"

"SHH!"

Hoseok tensed again when he called Hueningkai, "Picking up anything new or off yet?"

"Um," the younger vigilante was staring at his screen solemnly but tilted his head, "a few of the cameras outside the building had been destroyed. Recent too but Soyun's not even there yet, right?"

•••

Insane. That was the only word Gang could think of when he saw the dark-haired vigilante literally walk all over the rest of his squad members yet was still fighting like a panther that lusted after their blood. One thing that caught him off-guard for a second was the guy throwing an enemy's body off the high floor after opening a window.

Jungkook led them to chase after him as he headed upstairs, doing what he initially wanted to do and would take them on at the same time. With only a single knife that he never dropped or rather, he would break his opponent's arm before they could think of it. Instinctively, he knew that he needed to save his stamina.

"Fuck." he hissed through his teeth, the hit to his stomach somehow overwhelming him more than it was supposed to so he knew pain was getting to him. Behind the walls, he'd quickly glance at the crumpled map in his hands, "From here, I have to get to the stairwell on the other end to get a safer route — ugh!" he staggered breathlessly, having to stay buckled on the floor again to catch his breath. A safer route it was, he'd need to spend too much stamina going up the floor. Maybe he could just make sure to get to the lifts instead even if he'd have to fight his way to them?

Shouts alerted him. He waited again, patiently then caught one to slam him against the floor from behind before stabbing deep into the man's back. He knew another guy was onto him though and rolled off the body quickly. He dodged skillfully again in his condition then charged; his high kick did it for one but just when he was about to counter the other enemy, his arm couldn't strike as fast as it usually could.

"I landed a hit! Knew you were just a lucky bastard —"

Jungkook tasted his own blood and felt himself struggling to stand straight momentarily, but even with his back leaning against the wall for support he could still grip his knife. The sound of its edge slicing hard down the walls told enough to his enemy but with the blood lightly wrapping his hand, he nearly slipped. His chest heaved up and down after some distances between them.

"H-Haha, you're really still standing after everything?" the man stepped away slowly, unsure of what could've happened to him if the vigilante didn't slip a little.

"Stuttering now?" he chuckled, eyeing his opponent calmly with a pale smile. "Look at me though. I'm only injured, not scared —"

"Gang, he should already be exhausted despite his front now right?"

"— ugh — and I'll keep asking," Jungkook hissed, one hand grabbing his own head with gritted teeth as he breathed out. "where? Where is Yugyeom?"

The man before him drifted his gaze around the floor momentarily, slightly unnerved, "I don't even know, honestly? Only the higher-ups know what they would've done with him —"

"Lies. Just tell me, goddammit!" and he lunged again with the worsening exertions on his body.

"Can't tell. Anyway, I suspect he's the only one infiltrating for now. His comrades might join sooner or later, who knows." the man hummed pensively as he caught his breath on the steps, grunts and footsteps still continuing from the office floor outside the dark stairwell he was in. "Maybe Changwook doesn't have to come after all though if he's the only one here," he said, "but that man really would've stabbed me seven more times if reinforcements were any later."

"The vigilante is currently on the 43rd floor."

"Right, he's been asking around the whole time so he will keep going until one of us spills the other vigilante's location." Gang tsked, "I didn't think he would actually still be awake and kicking after all that. He knows how to dodge knockout attacks."

Catching his breath as he walked up another dim stairwell again, he could take in the fact that his palm was wet with bloodstains. His eyes felt dark —

"I can't pass out yet..." he muttered gravelly to himself, "I must," as footsteps caught up to him again he let out a grunt on the inside, "not lose consciousness yet — not get caught —"

Jungkook could feel sharp pain on and in many parts of his body. He had only been enduring them the whole time anyway but he felt baffled at himself for a second when he almost coughed aloud in front of his enemy, the hits to his stomach from earlier still stinging his bones but all he could think of now was to ask every enemy he encountered even if he could be bleeding to death.

•••

Soyun saw the increased amount of guards positioned outside as she approached the skyscraper, still standing amongst the unknowing visitors. The night blew silently.

Was it just her, or did they let someone in from the other side just recently? She saw how the guards seemed to have made way for something but she had no time for that, quickly rushing through the crowd after pulling up her hood. She couldn't use the front entrance though.

It was easy for her smaller figure to fit in around the crowd of staffs and briskly proceed past the supply trucks that were parking on the other side, where she remembered would have another way into the skyscraper.

"Bring in the boxes inside carefully, these are precious wine bottles yall!" laughters and grunts of the workers filled the area as she picked up two heavy boxes shiftily in between their movements while the starlights and carlights were too inconsistent to expose her being rather out of place, "Leave them in the kitchen once you get in through this way..."

Her eyes spotted cameras at two corners in the dim hallway at once, they were around the door to another side ahead. Leaving her boxes, she quickly walked on while the other workers were still busy with transferring more. It was another kitchen though there and a part of her felt suspicious despite it being empty. She called Namjoon with her one of her phones speedily, "I'm inside the building."

"And we're currently just on our way there. Soyun, it's still dangerous even for you." Namjoon picked it up as he, Seokjin and Yoongi quickly got into a black car that Taehyung drove, "Don't proceed first until we reach the vigilante's hacker kid. You don't even —"

"I know the building to some degree." they heard her say casually and the Mafioso had started up the car rather joltingly for them who just settled in, and they supposed he was pissed despite his silence. She added, "I will just proceed. Besides, it's too late to go back now."

Seokjin groaned in the backseat, "There are no thoughts in her head at all right now is there —?"

"She made up her mind." Taehyung muttered and Namjoon eyed him from the side as their car sped up in the highway, earning some loud honks. "Running into a wall like this means we just have to fight our way through."

"If it wasn't for this dude's friend, we wouldn't be in this predicament." Seokjin huffed, rolling his eyes at the vigilante beside him.

"You sound like you know something." Yoongi ignored the purple-haired agent, addressing the Mafioso calmly.

"Soyun, are you already found out?" Namjoon asked serenely. The car's swerving didn't sway any of them anymore and they listened; all knew too well that their enemies could've made their lower floors stricter after Jungkook's infiltration was reported to them, meaning, "Report to me. Stay on the phone."

"Ten are surrounding me in this empty main kitchen but it doesn't seem like they possess anything to underhandedly put someone unconscious." she replied, pacing calmly to her right, walking between the counters and stainless steel trolleys as their bootsteps moved.

"Haneul wants us to be in New York." Taehyung said. In the car mirror, their expressions visibly hardened. Namjoon sighed inwardly.

"If that's true, that means our travel to New York will be expected anyway..." Seokjin said through gritted teeth, "And jesus, can't you be more careful with the wheel?!"

"But why would he urgently force us like this?" Yoongi hissed in thinking.

"Who knows..."

The three of them heard Namjoon conversationally giving Soyun orders through the phone in the front seat as they talked and didn't question it, more focused on their surroundings in the road and the growing pensiveness.

"It could be that he has more advantages there after the amount of EMPs he has spent here." guessed Taehyung, his eyes on the road without slowing down the car. The agents and vigilante caught his grip tightening around the steering wheel and what seemed like a crushed can over the dashboard. "That aside for now, I need you lot to get Soyun out of that skyscraper as soon as our priorities there are done."

"You're fine?" Namjoon hummed, talking conversationally to his mentee on the other side of the phone.

"Yep, I'll be fine. Give me a minute or two."

Soyun sighed quietly to herself. She honestly wanted to take less time than that, each second that passed ever since Jungkook headed toward the skyscraper felt like a countdown to a very bad happening. Namjoon only nodded after her words but kept the phone on, his eyes on the road that never seemed safe because Taehyung was speeding through.

"We got a new infiltrator here." one of the men across her whispered into his earpiece, "On the first floor —"

Even without honks coming from the cars of frustrated drivers in the highway being loud over some pained grunts from the other side of the phone, the four guys could just tell what was betiding: Soyun needed to preserve her stamina after all the running she did, so she only moved when her enemies got into her range, but with a twist that her knife's blade was faster. Supporting herself using a pile of cooler boxes, she blew a kick to the jaw.

The first knockout made a loud noise because her opponent fell backward into the steel tray rack trolley behind him, but from then onwards she made sure everything would be silent. She saw an incoming stab and dealt with the armed guy first, close-ranged. It seemed to have caught the rest of them off-guard for a second when they saw the man simply collapse to the ground with what sounded like a few hard hits to his rear-neck area — and when Soyun didn't rest for a second, another close one was caught.

"What the hell?! How did she —" they only glanced at the body on the ground and charged again, "— just don't let her get away!"

She tensely dodged two knives at once, jumping onto the kitchen counter instinctively to slid across and land on the other end. She did it knowingly though, there were knives on display on the wall then. She threw them and those who successfully dodged with their own emergency props or rather, trays, continued to swing at her. Their quick footsteps only stayed in the room as busy shouts of staffs carrying boxes continued from the other side, and Soyun was sure she heard chatters from her enemies' littered earpieces.

"Soyun. There might be more reinforcements already heading your way, prioritize moving." Namjoon said.

"All right —" she nodded breathlessly as she swallowed a hit to the jaw which she barely held still against, her head now aching slightly from multiple reasons, "Four left! Should I just go for their carotid arteries like um —?"

Namjoon sighed softly as he messaged his head, "Didn't we talk about this years ago? It doesn't make you less graceful."

Pacing across her enemies with light pants, her eyes were scanning around the central kitchen uncertainly. Counters, cooler boxes, trays and sharp edges...

"TAEHYUNG, SPEED UP THE FUCK DO YOU NOT SEE THE POLICE NOW NOTICING THIS CAR?" Seokjin's exasperated groan could be heard in the background and Soyun supposed the other side had their own obstacles.

"O-Okay then, I hope I'm still light and that these guys are a bit stronger."

She could hear Namjoon as she took on the rest of them, "Don't waver. Focus. They're literally Haneul's men, so I don't expect you hesitating at all."

She wouldn't hesitate for sure but had to catch her breaths behind a counter for the time being. It was dark in the kitchen.

"Where did she hide?" she heard four men discussing sternly in the vague distance. Their voices echoed in the space. "She's probably still here. The doors didn't make any sound..."

"I'll do it to take out two, just in case."
Soyun trusted her agility but not exactly how smoothly she'd be able to execute this method with four enemies, so she planned to only use it on two; she could picture their positions around the large rectangular table ahead and waited for them to approach the rows of counters where she was. Her breaths steadied a bit more...

"Got the right counters to manoeuvre around?"

"Somewhat." she said quietly to reply, listening to her surroundings, "I'll just need them for a few seconds after all."

"How much further are we from the builidng?" Yoongi tsked, too annoyed to look back.

"We'll be there in about 8 or 5 minutes, depending on how smooth our journey would be. There's no telling what can happen so becareful." she heard Namjoon's voice in her ear and a loud clang when her enemies bumped into a tray with utensils ahead, "When they're at 7 o' clock."

"Tell her she can use her knife if the situation is tighter." Seokjin added but it wasn't like she could reply anymore, sensing her enemies' decreasing distance. "But for interrogation."

Taehyung kept his eyes on the road and glanced at the tower ahead. The highway got louder.

Soyun striked when the iron was hot: she slid right under their radars, or got around them to lunge herself at one of the four enemies — "I will need one of you up though so —" she set her eyes on one as she strangled the guy she pounced, tightening her arms the man's rear-neck from behind. It would squeeze his carotid arteries and create instant dizziness when the blood flow gets constricted — "I need to be reckless."

She released her unconscious enemy and immediately backed away within a second before confronting the second one, now focusing on the hand combat but keeping track that the third was going to circle around while the fourth was already charging from behind her. Swiftly, her feet moved on the spaces where her opponent didn't place his; as though it was a ballroom floor she avoided being attacked from both sides by footwork and ducking, moving back to the side. Two men grumbled in pain when they had unintentionally hit one another instead in the dark. The retreat happened too fast in reality for Soyun though and she felt her back hitting the counter edge, unable to control her force in the split second.

"Ugh, that hurt." she hissed quietly.

Namjoon tensed. "Soyun, are you okay?"

Yoongi frowned slightly, and Soyun didn't think her body would still feel the repercussions from the chaos-turned infiltration five days ago but maybe she was a bit thoughtless after all.

"I'm fine, just make sure the policemen on patrol won't catch you guys." Namjoon, Seokjin, Yoongi and Taehyung heard her over grunts; she didn't mind the strain she was probably putting on herself now, she had to move quickly. Jungkook and Yugyeom could be forty floors away, and that wasn't a small distance.

It struck her and the vigilante that another guy with similar conditions had gone up ahead in spite of these. She exasperatedly stood up again, ready with her knife and focus.

"I have to finish this up quick." she muttered to herself. All that running on her feet was going to take a toll eventually.

•••

All over the floor was crumpled carpet, shards of broken glass or blood.

"He's on the 45th floor now!"

Changwook snorted under his breath as he walked toward the lift, passing other civilians calmly as he wouldn't be captured at all. He could hear busy and tense chatters from his earpiece.

"How persistent, that vigilante."

"Tell the reinforcements to hurry up!"

His brows furrowed. "Are you lot having trouble with the second infiltrator too?"

In his peripheral vision, there were no suspicious individuals and even if there was one, he wouldn't bother. He believed that their number could easily overwhelm the other side and there was no need for him to exhaust himself by intervening.

"I'm surprised that not all of them are taking Unknown's bait but then again... we'll just proceed." his eyes narrowed. He'd communicate subtly as he waited for the elevator. "I'm heading to my room. The vigilante would be exhausted sooner or later by our numbers."

"We can't reach the team we sent after the other one, but no worries because reinforcements are gonna be there soon." tense clickings went off again in his earpiece. "Yall, look out for a woman with a black hoodie just in case. She might continue to cover her face, so —"

"A woman?" Changwook turned away from the elevator for a moment, his gaze subtly panning around the floor full of people and open stores. It might be Shin Soyun. "Where was she?"

"You don't have to take this matter to your own —"

But their CCTV watchers had seen the man turn to walk off another way as he calmly asked the question. It was new to them that an Owl would bother with any enemy without direct orders from Haneul. Perhaps someone from their mysterious circle of eight knew more, having clearly different mindsets.

"I'll deal with this one since she's near." he said tonelessly, walking in the lively crowd. It was half of the reason.

"All right then..." one man cleared his throat uncertainly, having a hunch that the Owl's choice to personally take care of the infiltrator could mean acknowledgment that the enemy wasn't to be underestimated. Not all mobs in the dim control room could understand that though without her name. "They confronted her in the first aboveground floor's central kitchen."

Changwook's gaze narrowed.

"I'm heading there."

•••

The dark floor was stifling as it was irrititang with shouts and seemingly endless thuds of reinforcements. They had been coming after him relentlessly but he wasn't sure himself how long he could keep up until he gets to Yugyeom's floor. Panting across another squadron, they were realizing his depleting stamina. But they also realized that to the scruffy-haired vigilante, every encounter equalled to a fight to the death.

"I heard from one of your computer guys through the earpiece..." Jungkook knew he was staggering with inconsistent twinges all over his body, "Seems like you guys kept our comrade on the 50th floor, huh?"

"He still has to go through us to get there." they'd whisper amongst themselves, "Just one stab and the guy would be too weak to go on. Just do that."

Jungkook looked across him sharply as he tightened the bandage around his forearm. There was about six of them in each squad as expected. He had wiped out a lot though so he was sure that by now, seeing a new batch of floored bodies could make his enemies hesitate slightly on just lunging at him without thoughts, and it bought him time that he desperately needed to catch his breaths at the same time while tenseness was going to overtake his vision while the city's loud sirens kept going.

"I finally connected to the cameras!"

"Got it, good! You guys, connect the laptops to Hueningkai!" Hoseok rushed over to the desk as he showed them some numbers throught he video call. Jackson started getting ready the laptops, Hyowon had multi-tasked to point at his while on the phone. Hoseok looked at Sana as he typed out the codes, "And NIS, connect to your colleagues again. Once they and the others reach the skyscraper, they'll need some guidance through the building too."

Sana nodded quickly and dialed to call Namjoon. The other side got the gist pretty quickly the moment they were connected. From Hueningkai's screen, they could see several parts of the tower's floors. Most of the shots were dark but still clear enough. Taehyung could lend his laptop since he was driving, and his unique passengers didn't question his willing because no matter what background they had, all sides had allowed such things when in a tight situation.

It was tight, in a way now with policemen patrolling closer to the building. They were still desperately searching for the Owls, not knowing one of them was steps ahead.

"Soyun, avoid the left one. Turn into the right hallway."

"Namjoon?" she heard him in her ear and halted briefly, still toning down her breaths as she slowly put down an unconscious enemy. "What's going on?"

"Hueningkai got in range so now we can see you  from a camera. The other side has more reinforcements —"

"All right." she nodded, grasping the change quickly and took off again. The hallways were dark but she kept hearing shouts from behind, "I suppose since we're here, they've reactivated most of their cameras? Makes sense..." she mused as she tensely ran, then stopped for a moment. She heard rushing thuds passing from behind the corridor as she pressed her cheek against the wall lightly. All of them could see her current situation.

"They're gone but there's another two coming up from the way behind you." Hoseok said. Their eyes would dart from an angle to a different angle tensely, "From your left!"

Soyun reacted at once, tiptoeing silently to her left then swiftly, her leg kneed one to the walls with and her elbow went for the carotid artery. She dealt with two enemies efficiently with just  walls and reflexes despite the dark supposedly hindering her.

"Okay. Can you guys guide me to the 45th and 50th floor?"

"Leave that to us."

Taehyung kept his eyes on the road and Seokjin made sure no authorities were on their trail. They were speeding up again and sirens that could be from any direction in the distance, and the car almost swerved but no screams issued from a single person this time.

In the parking lot, the vigilantes were staying low and sharply observing movements of civilians and watchers from where they were. Hueningkai was in the backseat with his equipment, focused so when an annoyed groan came from him both the middle seat vigilantes and front seat ones turned around urgently.

"Wh-Why? What's up?" the hefty one frowned slightly.

"I still can't find Jungkook-hyung even with all of these cameras on!"

All of them heard his complain and couldn't help but feel more suspenseful.

The one in the driver's seat hissed through his teeth worriedly, "Just keep looking out for now... Anyway, Dongseok. It's not looking too safe for us to sneak inside anymore, what do we do?"

The other men quietened grimly. The area was starting to be more crowded but watched. Within the time they took to get there, their enemies have positioned more men outside.

"Hoseok, can you hear us?" Dongseok asked. He was the one who turned to Hueningkai earlier.

"I can." the young leader scratched his head stiffly, "Dammit. This was a trap all right but —"

"— if they had back-to-back plans and activeness like this for tonight, who knows how open they could be to a blunt EMP use." Namjoon tsked, "And I guess whether we had approval or not, they were going to use Yugyeom to invite us. I can't help but think it's better that we're responding tonight."

It had worked since the start after all. Just the fact that Yugyeom was kept in the 63 Building had them set to go there anyway. Whether they had approval or not, their enemies would move just as actively. If they had approval though, they imagined Haneul would use the publicity... But without approval, they were just as disadvantaged if not just a bit less.

Namjoon cleared his throat before he continued,"Soyun, there's a four-way junction ahead and three are all heading your way."

Sana shook her head with a sigh, "She already looks exhausted though, she literally sprinted to get to —"

"No, I can do it."

"Huh?!"  she assumed the scream was from an unfamiliar vigilante on Hueningkai's side.

The skyscraper was large. Soyun had been fighting and silencing her way through many corridors, relying on how good she was at controlling the amount of stamina to use, but it was starting to tire her out too. Everyone going silent at her bold statement was expected.

"If I recall correctly, the rooms along this hallway would all be locked at this time anyway." she said, stopping to breathe and continue while enemies could be running to her position. Namjoon, Yoongi, Hoseok and her other comrades could see her black-clad figure standing still in the middle of the hallway. "I know it's dangerous but just lead me."

"All right." Namjoon clicked his tongue, "One from the left, three from the front and another three from the right."

"Some of them have knives!" Jackson gasped.

"The one from the left has a taser but looks wimpy." Yoongi added focusedly.

"Every action show needs a hallway fight scene so this is kinda exciting." Seokjin commented relaxedly.

"She has enemies coming from three sides." Taehyung hissed as the car turned recklessly again.

"They'll be in one line, maybe!"

"Have some faith in her, Mafioso." Namjoon said with a confident chuckle.

Soyun had taken off her hoodie after she decided that it'd just make her get more sweaty. A part of them, especially Namjoon and Hoseok could tell that what they were seeing wasn't just determination, being mentors who have observed enough to differentiate between focus and a spiral of that with panic; Soyun was very much afraid and mostly desperate. Even if she seemed to be unstoppable now.

Clean takeouts one after the other.

"That was —" one section in the control room were speechless for a second, "— that was Minho's Taekwondo knockout."

Except, for some reasons, hers looked somewhat elegant. Maybe it was her long hair that flipped but one of the sickest Taekwondo counter and knockouts people could see just happened outside a tournament. It seemed as if she had decided one knockout move for each of them in her head before the fight.

Then, she just used her hoodie to pull her opponent towards her and cover one of them up before again, attacking their carotid arteries.

"Okay, wow." Jackson watched dazedly through their laptop screen. The archive room was silent with wonder.

"Soyun, you should get an earbud from a store later." Namjoon's voice was probably heard by the hallway within a certain range now so she just nodded, breathing out quietly at the same time.

"All right, I'll be quick." with three left to knock out, all grunting from hard hits and disarmed at least.

Namjoon and Hoseok guessed then, it was just that she was just too overtaken by this drive to see and help someone to focus on these unshakable burden in herself, much like a certain someone else...

•••

"You want me to set up the EMP now?" a man scoffed inside his dim room. It was Hajoon, the one Hyowon wanted to catch during the chaos on 9th May. "But not even the boss —"

With a deep swallow and long exhale, he was still frowning after the caller just hung up  It was absurd to even a bastard like him since he needed to get out of the building and all after setting up the EMP, and basing off its range that he knows, he'd have to be quite high above. What if some issues happened and he'd have to use the stairs? Worse, if the lifts stopped working while he was still using them. He has had to use the stairs a few days ago so he knew the struggle. His legs were honestly still sore.

"Fine."

It wasn't fine, really. He groaned as he dragged a heavy bag of equipments, "This place is quite literally a landmark and headquarters for many major financial companies... This damn organisation doesn't give a damn about our country."

He needed to just do his job though. He continued rummaging his bags angrily.

"But let's see, I guess I should be going to the 31st or 32nd floor?"

•••

"Hey, it doesn't seem like there are any more reinforcements going around the kitchens." hummed Jackson.

"It does seem like it." Sana said, squinting hard.

"Head straight. It'll lead you out of the dark hallways and to the shopping mall area." Namjoon casually directed his mentee over their voices.

"Yoongi, how far are you guys from the building now?" Hoseok asked seriously.

"In about 4 minutes. Depends —"

"Wait, what is this?" they heard Hueningkai muttering to himself with a tone of uncertainty and it couldn't help but had them curious at once.

"What is it?" Dongseok blinked, turning to the backseat again.

The younger vigilante was fast clicking on his laptop and squinting. Focused on following what Hueningkai had been monitoring on his screen, Jackson frowned slightly too as they looked over to one of the CCTV angles they had, one that showed the corridors closest to the shopping mall area.

"Soyun, there's someone heading your way. You're probably going to pass him in the corridor." Hoseok said into his phone. His eyes narrowed, "He's by himself."

"Is he just a worker there?" Seokjin assumed as he stared outside the window. The night really seemed especially busy with all the people on lookout. "Haneul's mobs are having too much affects on this city for my liking..."

Soyun wasn't sure if she should lower the volume of both phones at the moment, sprinting without noises as the trained agent she was but the person could just be an unsuspecting staff. She slowed her walk but was still tense and panting quietly. Honestly, she wanted to put back on her hoodie as she walked on but her shoulder was rather aching from the fights before.

"Who's that though?" Sana wondered, using her fingers as binoculars as they bent around the laptop. "Personally, I think he's dressed way too sketchy."

The corridor was silent and Soyun saw the man she was told of beforehand. It was dark though, she couldn't take a better look at the staff's face as they walked on with their own calm pace with opposite directions.

"Namjoon, was Seokjin even looking?" Hyowon sighed. They assumed the agent then turned their laptop slightly for the other to see, "We need to be cautious in all sides."

Taehyung just listened as they stirred in his car. He sped up again.

"Seriously —"

"BITCH? THAT'S LITERALLY JI CHANGWOOK."

Glass shattered. Before Seokjin screeched the man's name, Soyun had already backed away and covered herself from the shards with her hoodie at the same second. Her phone volume was lowered too, she would've been hit if she wasn't observing the man sharply.

"Huh?!"  Jackson screamed, "IS THIS BAD?"

The air was swift with bloodlust and she had no time to exchange anything with her comrades from on the other side of her phone.

"Maybe we should have some faith in what Soyun can improvise." Hoseok hummed thoughtfully.

Namjoon calmly watched through his screen. From their spars, she should have no trouble keeping up even with someone like Ji Changwook but her condition after her previous fights might slow down her reflexes.

"Oh, what's this?" a small smirk curved on Yoongi's pink lips. On the screen, they were seeing how Soyun was standing her ground as if she hadn't just fought others before the Owl.

"Still, like the guy is still advantageous..." Hyowon said grimly, "And relentless."

Soyun could feel her skin on her palm hot with pain of holding her grounds against Changwook's kick. The glasses along the corridor literally shattered from his kick that went over her head.

"Soyun, your opponent won't let you know his next move but will keep attacking you." she heard Namjoon say rather calmly.

It was a hint to her, to do something that would throw off back the enemy but what? She tensely breathed out as both of them created a distance unplanned, since their strikes weren't getting through. But again, Changwook wordlessly charged towards her. Seokjin frowned grimly as they watched Soyun backed to a wall, he could imagine how hard her enemy's kick to her stomach could —

"Huh?" Hueningkai blinked. It wasn't that way. She wasn't kicked.

With all her strength right now, she was gripping Changwook's forearm and fighting back despite her back being nearly right against the wall with broken glass. Her heartbeat was fast because of what were at stake, and she knew her opponent could notice the struggle plastered on her face up-close.

"WHOA." Sana widened her eyes.

"You..." even with the darkness, she could guess that the man was taken aback shortly. The real reason for each side's pause was her leg locking away his at the same time, "This is what Minho always did."

"Oh, really?" she hissed with sarcasm, sneering through at first but quickly acknowledged that she shouldn't use her leg so much if posibble — "You came here yourself? Lee Dongwook, the other Owl too maybe, I assume? Haneul sure has — ugh," she felt her arms itching to give up beside her head, "— unique methods these days..."

"Dongwook isn't here, we don't need that much power here to handle just two people who overestimate themselves too much..."

Her chest felt a soft blow of anxiousness but she gritted her teeth, "You're underestimating Jungkook."

"Sure, but he's just one guy after all, against so many..." Changwook calmly held her fierce glare.

"Soyun, you're doing great and I mean that very much but quick." Hoseok said solemnly, palms tightening on the desk and she understood very well. Things could escalate anyhow, they needed to get to Jungkook and Yugyeom as fast as possible, "Listen: let his kick go through and when you dive to dodge, your back is facing the direction to get the hell out of that corridor."

She braced herself, letting her elbow almost deeply graze a broken glass' edge that was behind her; she gathered force to push the Owl back and stopped blocking his leg with hers. As Hoseok suggested, she dived away. Just that her decreased stamina had her collapse to the floor for a floor then but it was still a success to them.

Changwook wasted no time to stance another strong kick but she got up backwards faster with her internally-burning arm muscles that he had to back away, because her retaliation handstand included a kick that would've aimed at his jaw.

"POLICE?" she shouted, pointing behind her  alert opponent.

Namjoon burst small snort amusedly because he honestly didn't expect her to use a cliche trick, and that it'd work. She quickly took off before the Owl realized it was a kid's trick. He didn't have a gun with him after all to deal from afar should the police be on their trails.

"Dang, that worked? That's funny." Seokjin commented, judging the Owl through a screen.

"Damn amateur!" cursed Changwook, chasing after her. It caught him off guard a second time  too when he realized blood dripping from his cheek and shoulder. Within that second I looked back? But he had been certain that she was already straining herself, so to realize she still had much to throw hidden knives was slightly surprising.

It only meant that she was and would definitely continue straining herself the further she go.

She ran her fingers through her hair breathlessly without turning back as she ran ahead, dusting tiny shards of glass off her hoodie, "Where to next?!"

"All right. Run straight for now." Namjoon said. Yoongi was more like Seokjin, but supposed that extreme alertness could be disadvantageous. Hoseok chuckled, looking satisfied and relieved. "You can lose him in the mall area ahead. Use your hoodie and get into an elevator quickly. It should be easy to mix in a crowd of civilians."

"All right." she understood and quickened her pace. She pushed open the double-door to a lively, brighter space where she could see various open stores and civilians walking around with their paper shopping bags —

"Ji Changwook is still running after her, Hoseok-hyung and I'm seeing more men looking around the staircases." Hueningkai said apprehensively, switching between screens to follow and make out where the Owl was.

Hoseok hummed solemnly, "Just pick any possibly empty lift you see."

Soyun chose and headed there at once tensely, not letting her eyes under her hoodie get caught by anyone in the crowd as she briskly walked through them. The noise was masking her exhausted pantings. Sana continued to watch over other parts of the building through their many cams on screen.

"I still can't find Jungkook and Yugyeom in any of these shots..." Jackson groaned as he raked his fingers through his hair, "Where on earth are they?"

Hyowon had just put down his phone after his long call, now focusing on the screens too after an hissing, "I can only delay the police for sometime. Namjoon, are you guys there yet?"

"In a few minutes." Seokjin answered instead and there were to be loud honks in the background, "LOOK MAFIOSO, I HAVE INSURANCE BUT I SWEAR TO GOD IF WE'RE ACTUALLY  GONNA BE IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF YOU..."

Dongseok sighed, as he turned to the backseat, not just nervous because of Hueningkai's and the strange silence. "Everything is worrying me because there are chances that the reason we can't find Jungkook on these cameras is because...?"

"Don't say that." hissed another man in the car.

"Bohyun, I'm just saying —"

A different man cut in with a gravelly tone but to ask their other vigilantes, "Hoseok, Yoongi, when can we rush inside?"

Soyun was quiet but it wasn't because she didn't want to comment. Namjoon could see her deliberately slowing down a bit when passing by an electronic shop's boxes of earphones. They were displayed on racks by the entrance, and maybe this was okay because they were truly desperate at the moment. At the same time, the view of 63 Building's tall structure was enlarging as they were getting closer to arriving.

"So I stole earbuds from this one shop —"

"Yeah, she could be planning to get earphones so watch around that part."  Changwook had just told their men, "Since she had her phone volume quite high earlier."

"If we need backup or something." Yoongi said, "The is almost filled with bodyguards and hidden cameras... Be patient, Kangho."

"When we've been getting some exceptionally silly information about Argus, it's actually kinda hard to stay sane." grunted the man under his breath. Hoseok only listened calmly because h could understand too well.

"— and I don't think they noticed this —"

But when the groggy voices from walkie-talkies seemed to have slowly brought some men in black among the crowd to side-eye her, she knew she had to get going. Hueningkai roamed his eyes meticulously on the screen again while his fellow vigilantes were looking outside the car window.

"There. She's there."

The young vigilante frowned slightly when he was watching one of the cams on his screen. Ignoring the noise of Dongseok and his older comrades watching lights from the building ahead, he tried to see what was on his screen. A man was moving suspiciously with several men seemingly accompanying him along the dark corridor.

"— BUT THEY SPOTTED ME RIGHT AWAY." she hissed in a whisper, already taking off.

"Hoseok-hyung, on one of the 55th floor's cam..." Hueningkai muttered uncertainly; Hoseok, Sana, Jackson and Hyowon could bite their nails out of suspense but all had their hands occupied with either phones and papers. He added again, "There's a suspicious guy but he seems to be heading downstairs?"

Namjoon frowned slightly, hearing him through Seokjin's phone that was connected to their comrades in the archive room.

"DAMN, GOOD LUCK?" Seokjin wished with widened eyes.

Namjoon said grimly, "Getting inside the elevator is the fastest way to get up but it means you're going to have to expect enemies after you. Like now —"

"Kangho, Bohyun, Dongseok, you guys are allowed to go outside now, right away. Go!" Hoseok's sudden shout startled them at first but he then added with more sharpness; Soyun listened as she moved along the crowd faster, hearing shouts after her and some civilians already turning heads in confusion, she just needed to get into the elevator — "GO! A guy from the 55th floor is heading downstairs with suspicious equipments in his hand!"

The car with four vigilantes fell silent, stunned. Taehyung snorted. Jackson, Sana and Hyowon collectively screeched "what?!" aloud and Yoongi sarcastically palmed his face, "What now?"

"HUH, DO I STILL HEAD FOR THE LIFT THEN?" Soyun's brows raised with her eyes widening, she couldn't realize that she accidentally screamed but she had Haneul's men after her right now, and the only way to lose them was to not lag at all.

"That's him." Hyowon's confident tone confirmed it for them, "That's the man I failed to catch that day in the chaos."

"Goddammit." Namjoon's turned to the cam they were onto, eyes quickly narrowed with the same flint, "Then the equipment could be an EMP?"

"Not sure but if he's heading downstairs, he might be planning the same thing again." Hoseok grunted, "If they have an EMP, they would want to activate it where its range can cover the entire building, wouldn't they? That might be why he's heading downstairs."

"I lost him already. There are no cameras in the direction he went in." Hueningkai said nervously.

"The guy could be heading somewhere around the 30th floor." Taehyung hummed, his eyes on the road.

"Bohyun, Kangho, Dongseok-hyung. Yall heard that." Hoseok said.

Recognizing his firm tone as an order, the three men got out of their car at once.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN AN EMP, AIN'T THAT BUILDING A LANDMARK?" Seokjin exchanged baffled looks with the other three guys in his car but honestly, they too were in disbelief but quieter, "SO WE'RE SAYING HANEUL COULD BE PLANNING TO CUT OFF ELECTRICITY AND MAYBE DESTROY DEVICES THERE?"

"Well if Spider-Man's vigilante ass would casually risk the Statue of Liberty to give some supervillains second chances, Haneul definitely would do the same to a landmark even without a reason." Yoongi hissed through his gritted teeth.

"Soyun, stick with our plan from earlier." Namjoon said.

Soyun got to the elevator, swallowing a grunt and never let her face be seen at the same time; she picked the 45th floor and had to fight off a few men to keep them away from the lift. There were some civilians who were shocked by the sudden crash in front of one of the lifts, but at least they didn't see her face which was only possible because Soyun dealt with them swiftly. She could breathe out once the doors closed, the gun that she stole from the enemies still pointed back at themselves, at the door even though she was safe for now.

"The messy chase would put the staffs from the building under more scrutiny, wouldn't it..." Namjoon said, tilting his head slightly.

"Are they fine with that?" she frowned tiredly, sliding her back against the elevator's wall to sit down.

"Since they're planning to use the EMP, they probably are fine with that. We have already put enough pressure on them, I can see why." Seokjin said thoughtfully.

"Catch your breath for now, Soyun." Sana sighed with relief, "And uhh —"

"Yeah, uhh." Jackson murmured.

"I'll count on you three." Hoseok said. It was to the three vigilantes who were now heading inside the building by posing as individuals who came separately.

"I know what you guys are gonna say, probably that a lot more reinforcements from the upper floors are already moving to ambush me later." she chuckled nervously, "But it's fine. I'll deal with them —"

"You're risking your life." Taehyung cut off; Namjoon, Yoongi and Seokjin went quiet as well because it was true that what they were doing right now, which was encouraging her in a way, was risking her life. "There's no getting out of this, you know that."

The highway and roads loudened again for as long or brief the silence between them was.

"I'll be fine." she sighed softly, checking the cartridge of the gun she stole before pocketing it again because while they were certain that the enemies would rather wait on the upper floors instead of potentially being in an elevator at the time of an EMP's activation, civilians would most likely walk in and make the lifts stop at some levels. "And is there still no sight of Jungkook at all?"

"I'll keep watching out!" Jackson said determinedly despite being tired, "Hueningkai is still monitoring too."

"Hyowon-nim, do you think you can get us a helicopter ready?" Hoseok asked calmly yet to them, it felt as though he was holding back from going to the building himself. He had been gripping the floor plan of lower floors in his hand for some time now. "Maybe those ones with a big cabin that can fit like ten people. And isn't affected by an EMP. I don't know about helicopter much so I'm — we're counting on you."

It wasn't just in case the EMP would still go off and they wouldn't assume the reason was lack of trust in his comrades, they simply couldn't risk leaving by the front entrances for sure. That'd just mean taking on floors of enemies for the second time.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to go through the trouble of —" she coughed at her side for a second, chest beating hard. The lift was going up at its pace, now the 4th floor. "— yeah. Wouldn't want to go through the hassle of fighting my way through floors again."

"Are Hyungsik and Seojoon free right now —?"

"They should be if needed." Taehyung said.

"Tell them that they have to pilot the helicopter I just requested. I sent them the location."

"Tell them I allowed."

"Well uhh, all right. Then it's settled. I'll try to use my connection..." Hyowon got up and headed to the shelves again with a sigh under his breath, "Can't believe I just said that."

Namjoon chuckled quietly before clearing his throat at once. They saw Soyun standing up and putting on her natural front when a few civilians were walking into the lift. At least they were heading upstairs. The NIS agent then spoke in her earbuds, "All right. Listen: we'll count on the vigilantes Hoseok sent to stop the EMP carrier. If it starts to look unsafe, you should get out of the lift very quickly."

"We're this trapped, huh?" Yoongi hummed.

"Use the masks I have in the backseat." Taehyung said as he made a swift turn. He had gone past the speed limit multiple times.

"And will you be infiltrating too?" Yoongi hummed again, this time to question the Mafioso.

Soyun didn't comment but wondered genuinely if he would risk that much for their cause. The thumps of time, every second and their tense heartbeats were in sync for now.

"Only because you guys might not be as committed to it, and for Soyun."

Namjoon eyed the man from the side but didn't say a word. His brows furrowed.

•••

"Idiots, can't even knock her out when she's in her current state..." Changwook mocked under his breath. He spoke into his earpiece curtly, "She'll probably stop at the 45th floor. Cut off all the cameras for the 30th floor and above."

"Cut off all the cameras?! Why? We were already using a few of them to begin with —" one man said confusedly because it could make it harder for them to control the situation within the building, unable to keep eyes on the infiltrators once they reach the important floors.

"Do it. And tell our men to move on, staying here only makes them look stupider after that failure."

"Do as he said."

Changwook himself, along with their men whom he was on the line with went silent. The interrupter's voice was calm. As he watched the other mobs choosing to run for the other lifts in the distance, he stood by the phone shop.

"You guys shouldn't doubt an Owl's order."

"Unknown." he hummed, "The lights will go out, won't they?"

"As long as Hajoon gets to the supposed floor without any problems."

With that, their side got on the move again.

"All right, turn off all the cameras."

•••

The air felt stark murky with scarce moonlight trying to shed light on the fire he could've started if the grenade he just pulled out was that dangerous. Coughs and hisses extended through the floor as he staggered silently backward, but Jungkook knew there were going to be at least two or three enemies who were less amateurish than the rest. Not that he hadn't inflicted enough bruises on all of them first. But the fact that he just threw another grenade meant that it was indeed quite bad for him at the moment.

Mist to blind was still lingering in their space like an aftermath of a tame blast.

"What was that?"

Jungkook could hear one of his enemies scramble to pick up a loud earpiece from the dark carpet floor. He'd sneer at the ones who held him up by both arms, never breaking his nonchalant side.

"Ugh, it was nothing!" the man denied first, "And sir, we got him. He just used a mist grenade but now we have him held."

"Have me held?" laughed the vigilante lowly, his head still hung low as he drew his lips in with a small hiss. "I was going to thank yall for helping me up."

When he could raise his head a little, what he could see ahead was only unconscious bodies of his victims, thick mists, stains of blood and a dark hallway. Blurring in and out of his vision.

"Anyway, what do we do with him now? Is there a separate room to put him in?"

Damn it, I'm actually getting tired?

The voices around him would sound like fake murmurs, seance of the dead or something as he tried to stay awake.

"What is it?" the guy on his left asked the one who was talking to the earpiece.

"The Owl's here. They said he suggested we keep him somewhere in the upper floors."

"Didn't Unknown just warn about an EMP though?" the man from his right frowned sceptically.

He felt a twinge in his injuries when he tried to tear them off him. A fucking EMP? Hell no. He had no stamina to run out of the building. With an EMP, elevators would be useless. And elevators wouldn't be able to help him and Yugyeom out then.

"Right but can't help it. Apparently,"

The scent of smokes and sweat made him feel more stifled but he needed to listen. There were more footsteps from two other enemies getting up to their feet.

"the other infiltrator is already heading up. We should join the other squads prepare to block them."

Who were they talking about? The sensation felt heavier on him but his narrowed eyes remained open, his eyelids still hanging on... But it couldn't be.

"The one who copied Minho's technique?"

Soyun.

"Yeah. Three squads should be more than enough to overpower her —"

At this point, he could be what most would call crazy, a monster or whatever for still forcing his knees to help himself up but there was this unexplainable rage that suddenly sprang within him, like violent chains dragging him back to consciousness and he held onto it seethingly.

"DAMMIT! AFTER I TOLD HER NOT TO FOLLOW?" Jungkook's eyes darted around the floor first before he got back to his senses the moment he remembered that his phone never left his pocket. "Ugh!"

"Dumbass is still planning to retaliate?" the mobs prepared to fight again, baffled.

The one across Jungkook put down his phone to tackle the vigilante again but it happened unbelievably fast for him, seeing the one on the left just got his arm folded on his back.

"My body is still going to hurt like hell, huh?" but he swallowed the ache with gritted teeth, sighing annoyedly. But Yugyeom was still tied up somewhere in the skyscraper too. He quickly turned on his phone with one hand as he blocked a kick with another, only to realize there was no signal. He couldn't call his hyungs, Soyun or anyone. "What the?"

"What a cocky guy, yah you should look at your opponent when you fight —"

With extra aggression that matched his tired breathing, Jungkook didn't really look but turned to wallop the guy to the sidewalls, "The fuck is this nonsense? No signal all of a sudden?! Darn, sorry Yugyeom but you have to wait for some more time..."

I have a feeling I won't last on the remaining upper floors by myself too, honestly.

At least Yugyeom was most likely not inside a lift. The obscurity around an EMP made Jungkook's confusion worse. He didn't know if Soyun would know about it then maybe hop into a lift. He didn't know if she was in the same condition as him. There was the certainty that their enemies won't kill her, of course, but she would definitely be ambushed right away.

"Where is she now?" he harshly questioned his opponent the same way from thirty floors earlier, "I swear to god if you say she's going up in a —"

"Why are you asking then —"

Another loud bang in the hallway.

"Why did she even come here?" he groaned, stabilizing himself right away before he fell as he leaned back for a moment.

He won't be able to rest even if he died right there, especially when she infiltrated after him.

"But if she did..." maybe their other allies would notice and go after her too. He hoped so now, but that didn't make him feel less gripped by this oddly oversurging dread in his chest at all.

"The vigilante is up again. Nearby squad members, move your asses!" was what his opponents were probably hearing from their earpieces right now.

With his ringing head and aching muscles, he didn't care how much more he has to strain himself. He'd say he has been through worse. He fought again and it was hard, even if he could somehow do it. So why would anyone in their right mind put themselves on something close to that? He was thinking about Soyun right now with the familiar feeling he felt back when she was shot in Rome.

"You made a big mistake the moment you decided to take our bait, vigilante!"

"SHUT UP."

She went after him after he told her not to.

Why would you do that?

"This is making it more difficult for me to just not — ugh." he hissed inwardly, raking his sweaty hair with his fingers. His ears reddened for a moment but his short trance was cut off by thuds of footsteps. It wouldn't be smart to idle around without a cover.

There were 37 elevators in the skyscraper, and she was definitely heading up in one of them. It won't be easy to find her. Should he go find the EMP carrier first? The EMP carrier could be closer to the floor they aim to activate the weapon on than Soyun is to where he currently was. Looking at the thick stack of stapled papers of floor plans in his hand, searching for the right lifts, either way, would indeed take time. He ignored the tense shouts of his enemies behind him, taking cover in the room that was next to the hallway earlier. It was a dark room that which looked like a smaller control room that wasn't used anymore. He thought pensively. To find a lift for himself or race to the 30th floor to ambush the EMP carrier first, or to find which lift was being used by the bastard to stop it and welcome him instead; that was the question.

It dawned upon him as he proceeded, what if he really made a mistake with the reckless infiltration after all? He glanced at the papers. Even these were hers. This infiltration wasn't something possible by one or two to begin with, clearly, and he scrunched his face exasperatedly at his late realization.

Would there be more allies following suit? Mixed in his regret was hope.

•••

Changwook's eyes remained sharp, watching every civilians who first entered through the main entrance of the building; Hyowon sat back down with a silent thumbs-up after his phone call.

"We can get a helicopter but staying low might be harder then."

They only nodded understandingly, solemn-faced.

"Changwook's keeping his eyes on everyone who's walking through the main entrance." Hoseok hummed, facing the screens again. "Hueningkai, keep one of the cameras that's on him. We have to be watchful."

"All right, hyung. Also, I've been monitoring the upper floors from some —" the younger vigilante reached his hand out to lock the car door first before turning to his laptops again, comfortably buckled to his knees in the backseat. "one of the cameras caught a fake glitch just now in one of the 43rd floor's staircase."

Soyun frowned, leaning back slightly in the lift as she watched civilians entering and walking out of the elevator with her antsy heartbeats.

"Is it a trick or could it be...?" Hyowon murmured uncertainly.

"...Jungkook?" Jackson said, turning to Hoseok.

"Maybe." the orange-haired vigilante hummed.

Sana added thoughtfully, "He wouldn't bother making a false track when the enemies know our objectives, would he? Plus, this glitch is hard to detect to even take as a trace."

"Why is he heading downstairs though? Is Yugyeom not in the upper floors?" Soyun whispered quietly, trying to only be heard by her phone at the back of the lift, "Umm — I don't to sound demanding but —"

"I'm already on it, I'll try to find more clues from cameras!" Hueningkai said, "You know, you're actually already a bit past being nervous with us."

And Jungkook was their guy. Yet, she was the first to go after him. Hoseok supposed these details weren't that big to herself because them vigilantes hadn't thanked her yet. Or she just haven't realized it. At the same time, on many floors above, Jungkook figured that if she had been found out and even pulled out a technique like Minho's, Soyun definitely had encountered enemies and reinforcements along her way. Overhearing that she somehow fled a fight with Ji Changwook next added to his foreboding because look, someone could trust the other's abilities a lot but still be worried for anything inflicted on them. He fought many of Haneul's men himself and the fights were challengingly fun, but tiring.

"How many more squads did they migrate here? Guess the underground base we infiltrated that time was just one of many?" he groaned raspily, still keeping his sneer afterward. He badly wanted to mock the hell out of his opponents.

She should be fine. She should be. He told himself again and again. He couldn't care less how much more corpses he leave now, he needed to be quick.

Even with the situation and her tiredness, a small smile curved on Soyun's lips for the moment from Hueningkai's words. Being in the lift gave her a moment to breathe as she stared out the shrinking view of Seoul in the distance. If she was less exerted, she could've admired fuller the night outside the glass lift. Her eyes faltered, not forgetting the reason for her recklessness. Why she'd go as far as to risk both her freedom and life.

Jungkook, please just be fine. She hoped from deep in her heart, silently nibbling her own lips on the outside. 

"Are we in the risk of being exposed yet?" Bohyun asked into his earpiece sombrely, walking on towards a lift.

"Not yet, stay focused. Bohyun, you use the stairs first until the 5th floor. Kangho, you use the lift on the far right. Dongseok, use the lift to your left." Hoseok said and they did as they were directed to.

Dongseok frowned, "Is it because of my size is not like Boh —"

"Come on, we need your destinations to look as different as possible."

"But the time." Hyowon pointed out pale-facedly, sensing the same apprehension from the vigilantes' leader. He only kept it more subtle. "We can't really have them avoid suspicions from going straight to the 30th floors, can we."

He didn't reply. Their current situation was still all over the place and tense. They couldn't be sure if the police weren't already slowly getting aware of something starting up within the 63 Building too.

"One team, check outside. The black car." Changwook said serenely. His eyes were on the entrance but he'd mean for their men to check the parking lot. From the limits of where he was, he saw only one of the three newly-suspected men coming out of a certain car but it was enough reason to have it perceived. "All you need to do is see who's keeping the car on. Appear formally. Even if it's a child, just report to me."

He had shot the cameras outside earlier when he was arriving since they were mostly the ones policemen set up, being unable to force a search in the tower. He had a gut feeling.

Hueningkai raised his head just to see three guards beginning to knock on the windows of other cars in the distance, starting with the ones under other yellow street lamps and beside thick, trimmed bushes, just across the car he was in. 

"Ain't no way." he told himself at first.

"What is it?"

"Uhm, hyung. I think someone sent their guards to check on cars outside the building."

"I think I can guess who." Sana squinted back at another laptop, specifically at Ji Changwook who was strangely unmoving while crowds of civilians were constantly walking around.

But for some reasons, he heard Hoseok let out a small chuckle instead. "Are they heading towards you yet?"

"No but they are going to."

"Listen to me, Hyuka." the orange-haired vigilante then spoke rather calmly, "Just stay where you are for now and don't worry."

If it was an order from any other person, he'd probably argue. Hoseok wasn't just any other guy to their vigilante group though.

"I'm on the 8th floor right now." Soyun told her earpiece without speaking over voices, eyes on the lift's small screen. Its displayed number showed the 9th floor now. "What about the EMP carrier?"

"He got into an elevator some moments ago. Currently, the 45th floor —" Hueningkai replied firmly, back to his computer-guy post. "OH GOD, HYUNG I'M GONNA PACK NOW THEY'RE HEADING TO THIS CAR."

"Right, he'd be faster... The upper floors are probably only Haneul's side to use at this time." Soyun bit her lower lips tensely and oddly, it suddenly went silent on their side. She was further from the top than the enemies were from below. Unlike the lower floors, there are not many civilians up there to slow an elevator down. "And um, what's going on over there —"

"I DON'T KNOW AND WAIT WHAT THE HECK? THE MOTHS SHUT DOWN EVERY CAMERA FROM THE 30TH FLOOR AND ABOVE —"

"Hyuka!"  Jackson tensely cut in and the younger vigilante looked outside the car again, noticing the knocks on its window.

"Dammit." Dongseok hissed before just continuing with his own task. Sudden absence of the computer-guy would mean he still had to focus and trust his comrades either way, proceeding. "Kangho, Bohyun — we know the drill."

"Do I stay calm or what?" Hueningkai whined as he quickly picked up his equipments (he wouldn't turn them off though), still ignoring the knocks, "W-Wa-Wait, I also need to put on my socks!"

"Wait, how is he supposed to get out of the car when these dudes are right there?" Sana said confusedly. Jackson added similarly, "Right because the moment he gets out or unlock the car, he's exposed yo?! With our equipments still bare."

"The 15th floor now..." Soyun tried to focus, "Hoseok,  is everything going fine over there? And where did Namjoon go —?"

Hoseok ruffled his hair impatiently as he yelled out, "Yah, how much more time do you guys need?"

The civilians before her walked out after the lift's soft ding and she heard what sounded like a box was just slammed against a car's body from her earbuds. They weren't surprised by the fact that their enemies shut down all cameras on the upper floors, perhaps because they realized that an IT specialist in range could hack those; so Namjoon, Taehyung, Yoongi and Seokjin who had no questions just pulled up with straightforward slamming.

"The Mafioso wanted his car to be parked far from the skyscraper because he was worried, so we had to run on our feet from farther!" complained Seokjin.

"What the...?" Hueningkai had just unlocked the car's doors, now stunned at the sudden appearance of not one but four very striking men covering for him.

"But you see why I wasn't risking it." Taehyung rolled his eyes lazily at Seokjin, still holding an unconscious enemy's neck with black-gloved hands.

"Finally." Hoseok sighed with relief. Hyowon at his side looked astonished, "You guys arrived at the perfect timing."

"You scared us." Sana side-eyed the vigilante.

"Yeah, you could've at least reminded me they were coming." whispered Jackson.

"I wanted it to be dramatic."

"Yall shouldn't have forgotten us just because Hoseok didn't mention our names anyway."

Yoongi took out the incoming other two who were going to check up on their suddenly-silent subordinates with ease, though his punches made louder sounds.

"Yoongi-hyung!" Hueningkai beamed at a familiar face but saw Yoongi's eyes widen.

"Yah! Don't just show your face like —"

But before what the vigilante feared would happen because a staggering guard just saw the teenager, Namjoon slammed the enemy's face to the ground. Hueningkai felt like he might have heard cheekbones cracking.

"Damn, without batting an eye." Seokjin said, not surprised.

"You're welcome." Namjoon hummed conversationally, looking back at Hueningkai then Yoongi who squished himself with them behind the car. Because they ensured that they slammed the sketchy guards on the side of the car that wasn't facing the parking lot or entrance, through very narrow and strong pulling to not be noticed. Now all five of them were crouched behind the car, somewhat regrouped.

"Namjoon, are you going to use the front entrance?" Soyun asked, also just figuring out that her mentor hung up because he'd change to talk through Hueningkai's mic instead.

"Haven't given it much thought yet." he replied flatly, all of their eyes looking toward the bright main entrance ahead. Sooner or later, Changwook would notice too. "Ugh, let's see..."

"Yet you came out too when I was supposed to go in alone?" Yoongi said incredulously.

"Yah, you should be glad we're participating too!" hissed Seokjin in a whisper. Hueningkai finally could start pulling out his bag from the car as they watched for him. "But now what?"

"Use the way that I took." Soyun said, "I shot down most of the cameras in these hallways so it might be safer through there."

"I agree, and we can't waste time." Taehyung nodded solemnly, "It's the safest route right now because all of you here definitely would be recognized at first sight through the main entrance."

They weighed it out quickly, exchanging a silent look with one another.

"Wait, do I follow them into the tower too?" Hueningkai chuckled nervously.

Hoseok laughed casually, "Yep. That's why I asked for helicopters later. You need to be in range, remember?"

Namjoon checked his cartridge. Yoongi cracked his fists with a sigh, "At least I'm used to this."

"Don't worry kid, as long as you stick to us closely you're not going to die." Seokjin grinned.

His intentions were understood but frankly, Hueningkai didn't feel so much better with his assurance.

"But hey, Joon." the purple-haired agent started again, a grin spreading across his lips. "Since we're going at it anyway,"

"Yeah. We're going to find info on Choi Minsoo too." Namjoon shrugged casually, loosening his necktie. "And Hyowon-nim, get a private jet to New York ready near the airport."

Soyun blinked to herself, a bit surprised but fast on the uptake. She'd have to give Sungrok a call later.

"You're lucky I don't have a family to worry about me." Hyowon laughed wryly, getting on his phone and pulling a laptop to himself again.

"Jimin. I need you and Woo-Shik to get my car back to the manor. Get a flight ticket for yourself to New York too." Taehyung ordered calmly before keeping his phone in his pocket. The night's breeze felt especially strong tonight...

"What?" there was just bafflement in Jimin's groggy tone at first, then they supposed the Mafioso had already gotten to his feet to rush. "I trust you know where we're heading."

"Haven't we been itching to find the moulage artists there anyway?" snorted Taehyung but his gaze was ruminative, "We'll discuss everything else once we're out of the skyscraper."

Yoongi's eyes locked on the tall tower before them.

"Hoseok, Jackson, both of you should fill Dawon in now. Minatozaki, you should rush too." both Sana and Hyowon hadn't processed everything they decided on the whim just yet but nodded.

"I get it." Hoseok sighed, quickly squishing two box files into his bag.

"Bohyun-hyungnim! Avoid that hallway, use another floor's!" Hueningkai would continue guiding them through at the same time, still tensing behind the car while Namjoon and Seokjin threw the guards' bodies behind the bushes. "Soyun-nim, you should be able to get up faster now because there are fewer civilians on the higher floors."

"All right, thanks." she was glad to know. She's just past the 23rd floor now. "But we don't know about the EMP carrier."

"Our enemies should still be able to see you right now so they won't activate it just yet, even if they're on the 30th floor already."

"Kangho and Dongseok are still on the 20th right now..."

"HUH? HOW ARE THEY SO FAST?" Sana said with widened eyes.

"Use intimidation while standing inside the lift. In rare cases, it works."  Dongseok replied surly, "And believe it or not, some lifts don't go up with turtle pace."

Now that she thought of it, it felt like the lift was going up way faster after civilians stopped walking in and out.

"Then, I should assist to stop the EMP carrier too before I get off somewhere around the 40th to 45th floor?" she asked uncertainly.

"But with your condition right now —"

"Soyun, it's okay." Hoseok took over from Sana shortly, "trust our comrades. Leave it to my vigilantes. You go find Jungkook and Yugyeom."

Namjoon nodded too, "Just be careful."

"All right."

Yoongi continued with his gaze on the NIS two agents beside him for a moment, but his words for Jackson, Hyowon and Sana. "Multi-task!" his sudden shout got the rest of them to their feet to pack but kept their devices on, "Get out of the office building and get a transport quickly. As soon as we're done here, we're heading to New York right away."

•••

In their separate office rooms, the executive and deputy director stood up at once or slammed palms on the desk. They faced their personnel who brought phones and papers into their space confusedly, and impatiently.

"What do you mean — a helicopter was sent off?" Park Seungjoon frowned.

"Yes, sir so some people are wondering if it's us." nodded his colleague, "What do you think this is about?"

Yeojin's reaction on the other hand was only a bit louder, "Why are we on the spot here? It could be the Owls out of all people, get people to track it down."

"But some people suspect that the order originally came from us."

Both of them paused uncertainly.

"Does Jiwon know about this?" asked Seungjoon with skepticism, "Does the sit-in Director know about this?"

"Some of us are already heading downstairs to tell him about this."

"Where is the helicopter headed, by the way?"  Yeojin widened her eyes, apprehension already growing fast within her.

Their colleagues looked at one another with uncertainty before answering.

"They said the 63 Building."

But Jiwon was not aware, looking at his colleagues uncomprehendingly for a few seconds until he got the hunch to call Namjoon.

"There's no way he went ahead of orders, did he..." he groaned as he waited to be one the line. His call wasn't picked up. He turned to call Hyowon next but still, to no avail. Then he just felt like some dots connected, whether the chief was in the office or outside wouldn't change much. His gaze slowly panned to the tall tower far across their office building. "I guess he did."

His agents were still all over the floor, working to locate Owls and he wasn't fond of causing chaos or more noises. He probably wanted to let out a loud groan of annoyance though, he couldn't understand Namjoon right now.

One of the staffs frowned, "Sir, what do you mean? Anyhow, we should give the investigators our reports quickly —"

"It's not us. It's probably the vigilantes." he said. The few agents in the office room burst into murmurs. Yeonjun and Soobin who was visibly annoyed at how the sit-in director let people in Namjoon's office so casually started frowning.

"Wait, what?"

"Who else would boldly use our names and infiltrate or raid the building like this despite no official permission?" Jiwon sighed.

"Isn't this a bit nice though, because if it's the vigilantes who went there," they went quiet when Yeonjun spoke up casually, "it means they're going to save one of ours, the secret team member and also get some dirt on Choi Minsoo."

"I kinda agree." Soobin put his palm up, turning in his spinning office chair although he was hissing in a whisper, "What the hell are you doing? Why are we defending the vigilantes?"

Jiwon and the other agents just stared at them.

"Are you slow? What vigilantes?" Yeonjun hissed back, "Soyun-sunbaenim has been missing for sometime now, she probably went out to catch Owls with her instincts."

Soobin appeared to be considering it, thinking hard and ignoring their seniors but still seated by their desks.

"Then, you're thinking that Namjoon-sunbaenim and the others went to the building too because of that? And the helicopter is for help?" 

"Yeah, that's probably it? So we have to buy time or something, defend the accused vigilantes to lessen our seniors' penalty later in case they get caught!" Yeonjun flicked his finger, "But you know, wouldn't it be easier if we all just put the blame on just the vigilantes —"

"No, I don't think the boss would like that."

The other quietened after Soobin's firm head shake. It was true that Yeonjun heard Namjoon's refusal to use the vigilantes' presence to lure Haneul. Perhaps he wouldn't like it too, to use the half-criminals' names to save themselves. Their faces went grim with dawning comprehension; had their previous sit-in boss possibly made up his mind and considered every consequence? Then...

Seungjoon sighed in his room and waved his hand dismissively, "If not Jiwon, find Hyowon right now. He probably knows something. Go."

And so they sent several agents and staffs to search for Hyowon in the archive room after looking through the CCTV cameras, only to find it empty. From the mess though, it was clear that some people just hastened to move out that they left a number of box files on the floor. The tense Yeonjun and Soobin only tagged along with Jiwon and the older agents out of curiosity, also to see if they could make more theories out of the scene. With a glance, they could tell that maybe Sana and two of the secret team members, Hoseok and Jackson too were just there because of the spilled coffee.

"Taewoong, we should get them to search the whole place and send some to check other parts of the building too." their seniors discussed, some insinuating that they ran off. Jiwon sighed inwardly, he honestly wanted to defend Namjoon and Hyowon but how could he make up some shit now?

Yeonjun quickly picked up a crumpled note on the floor before their busy and walking colleagues noticed. He only shared it with Soobin.

Dawon had quickly asked for permission to leave her post and dashed out of the National Archives quickly, calling for a taxi as she stayed on phone with her brother.

"Yeah, to the airport right now, thanks!"

Hyungsik and Seojoon had rushed to the location Hyowon gave them. When they arrived, they were mildly surprised to see Heechul being the one to let them through and lead them to a helipad.

"Yeah, ditch everything and pick me up now. We're going to the 63 Building first, then we'll switch cars. You send Taehyung's car back to the manor from there and I'll head to the airport with your car right away. Bye." was Jimin's brief instruction to Woo-Shik as he grabbed only the essentials, including his tonfas and a suitcase of vials containing translucent liquids. He skipped some stairs in the dark, silent manor moodily. "I was going to get a good sleep for once in this week but good grief..."

•••

"I didn't know you could hack stuff too." Sana whispered breathlessly as they were rushing down the staircase.

"I'm a vigilante." Hoseok replied, "But I'm not so fast. The whole building probably already saw us sprinting toward this stairwell by now."

"We need more efficient — I should've gotten Yeonjun and Soobin to help us."

"Hoseok, the nearest taxi would take like 10 minutes and a bus stop is like 15 minutes away!" Jackson whined.

Sungdeuk was just relaxing in his car, blissfully humming at the thought of heading home as he fixed his seatbelt when he saw Hyowon, followed by Sana and two 'secret NIS team's members' seemingly arguing behind the building. He squinted before waving towards them, "Guys —?"

"PERFECT TIMING, SUNGDEUK-NIM!"

•••

Changwook who had gone up to the second floor to keep his eyes on the main entrance readily snorted, "Really? No one's shady?"

"Really. Sorry we took quite long, there were many black cars as you described in the parking lot."

In his earpiece, Hajoon, their EMP carrier was already close to the 30th floor.

"What? Are you lot stupid? I never told you to stall that long, there was only one that I —"

He realized it quite late only because of his laxity. The mall's floors became darker in a matter of a few seconds soon. Soyun wished she could have had help for that too before to make her life easier, but well, she came alone, and this time there were five: Seokjin had aimed for the lights high on the ceiling of the mall the moment they came out of the door from the hallway of main kitchens and Namjoon showed himself calmly across Changwook who was leaning against the glass banisters. Civilians and guards had begun wheeling around cluelessly.

Sure, some lights going out after some gunshots would cause sudden panic and chaos but they had to because the confusion they presented to the Owl bought enough time for Taehyung to sneak up behind the guy with his stilleto; Hueningkai followed Yoongi's lead to sprint for a lift from the second floor.

"Heh, feeling a deja vu from 9th May yet?" Seokjin smirked directly in Changwook's way, gracefully already on his way to find a lift too in the chaos they started. He decided to save the remaining bullets for other floors as he headed to the elevator.

The Owl hadn't been able to move yet, wary of the sharp edge of the stiletto too eager to impale his neck from behind. His assailant stayed silent even after he started retaliating, all the way to a ditched stall. There were screams from below when its fragile, plastic and colourful rooftop fell down the floor. His strong kick missed the assassin's head and broke the stall instead.

"How many can you assume?"Unknown's robotic voice demanded in his ear.

"I saw three but there could be two more who got to the elevator!" he replied sharply, noting that Namjoon just joined the fray. "Kim Seokjin went upstairs. Kim Namjoon's here with one of the unfamiliar individuals that Dongwook mentioned!"

"Sir! We found the ones you sent outside in the bushes... Two are dead and the rest are unconscious!"

The sudden loss of brightness from their screens alerted the moths in the control room but they got back to their senses pretty quickly. Shouts echoed throughout the room, ordering their men to get on the move at once. It was moving fast for them that Changwook hadn't got time to grab a hostage from the panicked crowd. Footsteps were loud and guards were in a disarray as they tried to get to the second floor where Namjoon and Taehyung were cornering the Owl.

"You'll be giving us info on Choi Minsoo's dirt, Ji Changwook." Namjoon said calmly, pointing his gun toward him. He knowingly became the speaker, the Mafioso wouldn't say a word in this space. With his gun pointed straight to their aloof opponent, he sneered. "You're done for already —"

"NIS sir, to the left!"

The agent had to move his target to a mob who appeared from the staircase over Ji Changwook's shoulder to aim and fire, which gave the bastard time to smartly go for a narrow escape. Taehyung, however, was fast to grasp the situation and chased after the Owl while Namjoon covered for him.

•••

In the dark, cold floor was silent as Hajoon expected. There were quite a lot of guards with him though so he wasn't afraid of an ambush —

"Who the hell are — ARGH!"

So two big shadows from ahead suddenly smashing one of them away in front of him took him by surprise that he scrambled back up again, hugging his equipments.

"We're on the 30th floor, Hoseok!" Kangho said, Dongseok cracking knuckles on his right as they approached their circle of enemies. "Bohyun should be here in a minute. We'll get rid of the bastards and steal their EMP for good!"

"Great. And our side got into a transport now." Hoseok chuckled satisfiedly. They could hear Jackson's cheer in the background. The vigilante hummed then, "We're counting on yall."

"Goddammit. Unknown, there are two more that you guys missed!"  Hajoon hissed, running the other way. He heard rough grunts over his shoulder but didn't bother to look back. "They seem bigger and more fierce too?!"

"Leave six of the men to deal with them, while the rest will follow you. You should get to the middle of the building now." Unknown ordered calmly. For once, some of them heard what sounded like apprehension and anger from the man. His black mask couldn't cover the irk in his tone. Even with his edited voice. It was unique, a built-in on the mask's mouth. "Focus. Where's Shin Soyun and Jeon Jungkook?"

•••

"This could be a mistake." he laughed at himself breathlessly, fighting to push back a knife aimed at his stomach.  A mistake being this infiltration he did. "You guys are getting desperate to knock me out, hm? Running out of options?"

His opponent took a step back as he whispered something into his earpiece while his other comrade was pacing across the vigilante warily as well. The number of men he had single-handedly killed tonight was above their rookies' total kill count, that was for sure.

"Y-You're just crazy!"

Jungkook's brows twitched. He just wanted to get the hell out of here now, honestly. The pain was unbearable but whenever he reminded himself that Yugyeom was still unsaved and Soyun was somewhere in the skyscraper, probably searching for both him and his friend he was supposed to find no matter what, he could force himself to fight again. Even if his knees fell, as long as they weren't buried, he was sure he could always get up again.

"Between me and you," he snickered breathily, raising his brows at two who were standing opposite of him. "one who's fighting to survive no matter what, and you lot who are still trying to kill me knowing I could've had like knives clawing at me, or that I might've died fifty times already... who's really the crazy one?"

They only brandished their fists and weapons again instead of answering. He knew they didn't have a reply. Jungkook gritted his teeth, eyes darting to the floor number over their shoulder. The 41st.

Fuck. He was still far from the 30th floor. His head ached. It felt like a siren was going on in his head, warning him to not go on. His grip was loosening too but again, he limply tightened his hold around the razor-sharp knife and wept the blood from his lips with his sleeves.

"We'll have him cornered again!"

"I have to move before reinforcements come again."

Breathing heavily under his grin, he lunged first and straightforwardly.

One of his own knees collapsed after he got past them. He couldn't commit his sins as neatly anymore now, letting the blood stain his knife and drench his black clothes more than ever. The stench was harrowing. The sight behind his shoulders was revolting. Distant voices now sounded like clashing screams of horror, cries, fear or splatter of blood now. Sometimes he could hear what sounded like fierce shouts of incoming enemy squads.

"Shit?" everything was beginning to make him rather nauseous now, he could barely raise his head. Felt like someone dumped dirty water on him or he just ran a marathon twice. Holding onto his pained shoulder, he staggered to stand up with the help of the staircase's railing.  "Anyway, just have to move again..."

He groaned aloud, frustrated when he felt something falling from his grip.

"Ugh —"

It was a crumpled paper that appeared to have been ripped from a book, or a stapled pile of floor plan sketches. His chest steadied slightly, his gaze suddenly not haywire. He furrowed his brows and swallowed again, picking up the paper almost anxiously. Even finding a peaceful ten seconds was difficult here, so that too.

"HE PROBABLY WENT DOWN TO THE 40TH FLOOR, CATCH HIM!" 

"The EMP is not activated yet, I still have time." his phone could still be turned on. He threw his head back to let out a groan then, annoyed. He has never felt so annoyed before. Maybe being so exerted and strained had aggravated his senses. Everything seemed louder, smelled more and tasted more foul.

There were enemies from upstairs and below, and he calmly slid through the broken glass railing with his own kick, breaking a jaw again. Good thing his boots were very sturdy. He refused to land with no damage, fearlessly skipping stairs and gripping a forearm to break it behind his opponent's own back. One after one.

"Damn it. This is all because she followed after me and if I don't know she's still alive or not, I just won't be able to fucking forgive myself. Definitely that." he hissed agitatedly, yet it was the odd warmth fighting the coldness of death in his heart then that kept him going like a madman.

"Fuck, he got them too? Go! Go!"

He just endured the sharp twinge in his joints as he hastened down the steps, hissing through his teeth again. He was both frustrated and in pain, his head hurting as his chest beat.

"Again, why the hell would she do this?!"

•••

(A/N: cue My Name's OST starting maybe? 🧘‍♀️)

Soyun fiercely fought her way through the dark corridor: losing her phone signal the moment she got to the 38th floor was no big deal, at least at this point when her fighter rage completely returned. She had enough time to breathe in the lift. Gunshots were fired faster than they could raise their tasers.

"I genuinely have no time to spare anymore now so." not even for the mobs to take in and comment on her beauty or gender tauntingly, as she lowered her stance precisely with each lunge and spin so as to stab them in their sides deeply. "Not my fault you all coincidentally thought to use this specific lift."

By any chance,

Even against someone bigger than her, she turned the tables with a slash from the heart to the bottom. She only blew her bangs to her side fringes with her soft breath after the gruesome deed.

when Jungkook said I reminded him of himself —

"I needed one alive to tell me if they had seen a vigilante but I suppose temper got the better of me." she sighed, unconsciously breathing through her mouth. Her mind felt heavy.

— did he mean this?

Recklessly charging into a skyscraper filled with enemies to save the people they love, regardless of what's at stake. Rashly deciding on a slanted path of no return that was a world dealing with criminals and dark cases would count too, wouldn't it? Maybe he simply meant grey morals.

"Or —" she shook her head breathlessly, "— anyway, I just have to find them."

The body dropped to the carpeted floor and she heard chatters from their earpieces. Secretly, an enemy was hiding behind the wall and waiting to strike when she was off her guard. It was the man's last mistake, thinking she let her guard down when she was checking her cartridge. She fired to his stomach right away and slammed him to the walls, narrowing her eyes icily.

"Where? Has the vigilante gone down to the 30th floor yet? O-Or is he still — where is he?!"

It reminded her pale-haired, dying enemy of an amethyst. But more of glaciers due to them being beside the scarce moonlight of the chaotic night's skies, and the intent to kill dancing in them.

"Answer me and I'll consider pulling out the bullet from your stomach." she bargained calmly though it was obvious that her head was hurting and so were the scratches on her body, "Or should I let it stay in you?"

"He hasn't —"

"W-What did you say? Clearer!" she asked tensely, the desperation laced under her front slipping out when she widened her eyes. "Tell me where!"

"He's most likely still on the 40th floor."

Her bloodied hand pulled out the bronze bullet as promised. With that much blood leaking though, the enemy she spared would most likely die. She had known that but didn't look back, her legs already taking off to head for the stairwell ahead.

And did Jungkook mean he felt that she should stay away from him because he felt insane at times? As if that side of his and his warm side weren't both genuine. Back in Myeongdong, when they were sitting together on a bench — Jungkook then was sitting, facing her with a hard frown and sincere eyes, telling her it wasn't her fault that his father died. It didn't mean his rage was not real. It didn't mean his tender side wasn't real either. She recalled the time he sounded so mysteriously vague again, on the pale noon before Lotte City Hotel's chaos night, when they sat back-to-back on the windowsill.

That insanity of his was the reason he could survive and the reason he would go to lengths to serve justice boldly when others couldn't. It was the insanity that kept him sane too, in a way. She wasn't certain but the vigilante could've wanted her to stay away from him because of it. Fear that he would harm her. Fear that his life could influence her too much. Maybe both. Maybe there was more too. He could have more behind these. The thought of it made her frown and press her own lips together tightly.

"You're not mine, not theirs either. All you need is a choice and a will. Come."

"Say, isn't it kinda hard? Living two different lives?"

"You know, you shouldn't get too close to me."

His words played in her head over the storms in the distant night sky. Soyun groaned as she ran up the steps tensely, having to cough because of what seemed like fake smokes in the stairwell.

Chuffs of helicopters pulled many eyes to the clouds. People in Seoul looked up to see a helicopter heading to Yeouido island, on which 63 Building stood. Hyungsik and Seojoon could see the beautiful view of their bright city at night from the air, but the awe couldn't last long when they had colleagues to fetch.

"THIS IS FUCKING CRAZY." Hyungsik yelled over the winds.

"PILOTING A HELICOPTER?" Seojoon laughed forcedly.

"NO, THE LENGTHS WE HAVE TO GO TO." he replied, "AND THIS HEIGHT!"

•••

"You're not mine, not theirs either. All you need is a choice and a will. Come."

There was a sound of an earpiece being crushed by his foot on the ground. Jungkook made sure to get rid of them as he fought so his trace won't be so easy to find but at this point, he realized he won't be able to go down or up without at least two squads always and already closing in on his location.

"Say, isn't it kinda hard? Living two different lives?"

He tensely persevered anyway.

"You know, you shouldn't get too close to me."

He should've known he was going insane when he started switching up between his own words. He didn't feel stupid then though, only now when he finally could acknowledge that infiltrating a whole skyscraper alone was a ballsy move. Insane because he was still not falling to the ground yet.

"I-I should've killed you first back then."

Gang sneered, threatening to deepen the knife into his shoulder. Someone must've told him about his recovering muscles through an earpiece and Jungkook would bet his life it was Ji Changwook. And it was rather bizarre how easily he was found each time, as if someone could have that good of intellect to find him with the lack of cameras...

"PISS OFF."

"Too late to regret now, vigilante. Give up —"

"Get the fuck out of my way before I go insane again." he spat, fighting back his grip.

"You?" laughed the guy, "Go insane again? Darn it, just drop dead!"

He won't. He couldn't. He'd have his way, maybe. Let's see. He threw the last fog grenade just now but he couldn't be as stable earlier that the thing exploded perhaps two floors below, fallen through gaps in the stairwell. He needed to use sheer strength right now but there were like five over Gang's shoulders, so he should save his stamina for that... His thoughts were racing as his heartbeat grew louder as if his organ was against his own being.

"FUCK IT."

He didn't care anymore now. His whole being felt heavy. He blew a kick to the man's guts and stole his knife in the same instance, the knife that was just used by the enemy to wound him. Staggering, almost buckled to his knees, he breathed out heavily but Gang mistakenly thought the man was planning to use combat. Jungkook not only slashed his palm after pretending to throw a punch.

The last scene the moth-tattooed man saw before his inevitable fall to death from the 40th floor was a clearly weak, forced sneer. Yet, he lost. Faint it was, it was still a grin of someone who had noticed despite the curtains, that the glass window near them was open. The winds were strong.

"Shit. Gang's down, Unknown." one of the remaining five reported, "He fell —"

"That vigilante's name is Jeon Jungkook?"

They didn't fail to read the tone of both contempt and amusement. Jungkook turned back to face the hallway. He could barely make out five across him.

"You there." he scoffed with heavy breathings, lowly grunting, "That... that belongs to me."

"Hah?" the one he addressed glanced at the stack in his hand, "These sketches of the tower's floor plans?" 

His heart thumped violently, his vision blurring in and out. His eyelids felt heavy as he glared in the guy's direction that it was as though he was staring at gravity itself, dizzying afterimages...

"These are scarily almost accurate... So I might have to burn them or some — huh?"

It stunned himself too, how his leg gave up on him and left him to stagger sideways to the wall beside him, coughing up blood and grabbing onto his own bleeding shoulder.

"I knew it, he was already dying!" the enemy's laughter echoed faintly.

Shit, maybe this was a mistake. He thought to himself, unable to move. His breathing was heavy enough and he could hear sirens in the distant view of Seoul, just over his shoulder. The moonlight was present and he could hear shouts still going on, or just voices but exaggerated by his sensitivity at the moment. This feels very familiar, of course it is...

"Yeah, I think we got him."

Hoseok and the rest of the vigilantes would beat the crap out of him later, he could be very sure of that one thing.

"Then we should move now."

Now, he funnily felt like he was dying. Maybe this was worse than that other time he pulled this kind of infiltration. It was killing him that he might have been putting someone in this same situation, and the someone who was infiltrating to catch up with his foolish self despite everything.

"What?" the enemies were still sneering at him and talking to their earpieces, "Yeah, we're the only ones here."

It shouldn't surprise him that no one could just catch up to him. The air felt stagnant with mists and the wet scent of blood.

But...

As he sat against the wall, gritting his teeth hard whilst holding onto his injury, the moonlight and the city's light from the bare, broken large windows at his right made him snort.

"All right, we'll watch out as we move then."

The building he infiltrated was a whole skyscraper. He was on the 40th floor. An EMP carrier still on the loose. Even his comrades would be slowed down.

"What is it? God, I hate that fucking vigilante." because their earpieces were broken now so they could only turn to a few.

"Yall got any lighter to burn this?"

Guilt started twisting his stomach and he just hissed from the continuous, burning pain all over him. Damn everything.

"Just throw away the damn thing."

It'd be his own fault. Even if he wanted so badly to move and kill these mobs before him, he couldn't. This would be on him, wouldn't it?

"They just said —"

He felt like he should at least return the sketches back to her. Unscathed and not crumpled but that was too far from the question now. Everything tonight was because of him. He definitely wouldn't blame Soyun and his friends for not catching up —

"— that an enemy is heading to this floor. So yeah, let's go."

Jungkook's eyes had drooped and his vision was faint, but he heard them right, didn't he? He was going insane right now.

"Wait, I thought Unknown sent two squads after the bitch to ambush her in front of the lift."

And there it was, the reason for his insanity. His eyes widened.

What the hell? She came up here alone? He'd scoff and curse but right now he could only growl these in his head.

"Talk later. You, grab the vigilante up."

The moment he saw the guy with Soyun's floor plan sketches in his hand, a reckless rage or determination reignited in him.

"I... fucking... told you..." he glared breathlessly, gripping the stack so hard his nails dug onto the mob's hand, "it... belongs... to me..."

"UGH, THIS STINKY VIGILANTE..." he heard the guy curse before he felt his hand just torn away, and his jaw was just kicked, but worse because his head was still against the wall behind him.

"Wait, what's that sound?" 

Like he could even turn to it now. Haneul's men, however, tensed slightly because of what Unknown told them.

"Yah, go check while I deal with this guy. Should I kick his handsome ass some more till he's knocked out cold?" Jungkook could just tell the bitter dude was condescendingly glaring down at him who was sunk and leaning against the wall.

Shit, that kick was painful. He wanted to get up too, honestly because hell, he didn't want her to see him like this at all. The idea absolutely stressed him but his entire body was already whacked. He was going to fall unconscious anytime soon anyway, so he just spat at his face. There was even a tiny helicopter in the far distance now, he could assume wearily through his dwindling peripheral vision... Yeah, as if. He was probably hallucinating.

"There's literally no one here —"

Splat. The man spoke too soon. The spiteful attention on him diverted to the other side quickly when there weren't even loud footsteps from the office-like area beside them. Only because the mysterious killer was that silent in contrast to her swings. Jungkook's eyes widened again: Soyun seemed breathless and derangedly tense herself but bloodstains weren't going to help hide her pretty face.

"Get her, it's just one person!"

"S-Soyun." the corner of his mouth twitched a little but not because he was displeased or anything. It just woke him up, somehow. A weak chuckle left his lips, "Wow."

He was honestly ashamed of himself. He didn't want her to come at all to begin with, because it'd put her in danger but now he felt... relieved? In disbelief? Hesitance?

I told you to not come though.

It actually went faster than anyone could narrate. Meanwhile, he was dazed from weariness and this strange desire to follow her with his eyes; she just pulled up, slit the first guy's throat, moved through the clean corridor-sized gaps between overturned office desks in the messy darkness with a knife in one hand and a pistol in the other, then shot the guy holding her sketches. Jungkook heard the loud thump just beside him.

"Jungkook!"

The moment she spotted him all-scratched up and sunk against the wall, bleeding and paralyzed, she couldn't repress and hold back the rage anymore. She couldn't hear her opponents over her own heartbeats. It wasn't just anger.

He could see it too.

Fear?

His brow furrowed slightly and he snorted m under his shaky breath.

Of what? Why did you come here knowing you'd feel that and risk your life?

Soyun followed her previous kill by sliding across a desk's surface before blowing her flying kick to the next enemy and then threw her gun with an emptied cartridge to the second-last's face before lunging herself, multiplying the force with a kick.

He didn't say a word. In his defense, he really was exerted. And he couldn't explain what exactly was he feeling at the moment. The clearest ones were guilt and frustration at himself.

She stabbed the last one thrice, all at pressure-sensitive points before her weapon slipped out from her hand and she immediately rushed over to Jungkook.

Seeing her kneel to his level before him took his breath away. The fact that they were both stained with blood didn't matter. The mist lurked and the moonlight continued scarcely shining at their sides. Her eyelashes glossed. 

"Y-Yah! You're bleeding and scratched up so bad!" she cried tensely, cupping his face and noticing his grunt when she tried to move him slightly, "A-And your shoulder..."

Oh, I hate myself so much right now. He thought to himself. He could feel her slender fingers shaking as she held his face. They didn't have time to ease each other, talk or breathe out but he couldn't move much.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't catch up faster." she muttered breathlessly, or was he still hallucinating all this after all?

"You're really..."

"I-I should talk later, right? You're literally injured, oh god —"

Because there was no way she just became his knight in shi — bloody armor, or in the all-black fit which shouldn't be what he was focusing on right now. His heart was pounding very hard and strangely now. I'm just exhausted, right? I should snap out of it. While Soyun was too relieved to notice that his serene, tired gaze hadn't left her face or that the distances between them were small.

"I know, I know I'm injured and it's fine..." he sighed wearily, unaware that his tired hand moved up to hold hers on his cheek, "...but what the hell are you doing here after I told you to —?"

"ARE YOU FUCKING STUPID OR WHAT?" she had cut him off quite angrily, hitting him on the chest despite the state he was obviously in. "Are you insane or —"

"OWW OWW OWW! W-What's up with you all of a sudden?!" and he thought she was scared. A part of him felt like glass just shattered.

The tension and intimate grimness suddenly lapsed when they started bickering, incredulous snorts echoing through the silent hallway but really, he could understand and recognize her reaction.

"WHY IN THE FRESH HELL WOULD YOU GO INFILTRATE A WHOLE SKYSCRAPER BY YOURSELF?"

"I MEAN, I'M SORRY BUT YOU ALREADY KNOW THO —"

His gaze softened when he realized that she was still shaking, that she was still afraid.

"Are you insane?!" he heard her but couldn't speak, "Everyone is worried for you and Yugyeom. I know, we know but what —" she leaned into him to hide her burst of tears. Her voice progressively toning down as she did and spoke revealed how terrified she had been, "— what would we do if you were caught too...?"

It was fear of losing him. If she did, the world would have to see some terrible things. Soyun could still hear her heart pounding erratically. It was why she couldn't notice his, on the other hand.

"Sorry for hitting you." she muttered, "I didn't want to react like this, really but you worried me to death."

Damn. He snorted inwardly at himself. Her embrace that was of both tearful relief and fear was too warm. He could stay there forever and feel just safe. Not that he could say anything aloud at the moment.

"Why...?" he croaked and met her eyes again when she drew away.

"What?" she couldn't hear him. Remembering their situation, she tensed instead. "R-Right, we actually have more heads now by the way! Yoongi, Namjoon, Seokjin, even Taehyung, and there's Hueningkai including three other vigilantes here."

"Really?" he breathlessly chuckled as if his usual calmness had time to appear now. Not when he was in such a condition, so it just worried her more. He felt relief washing over him, a small smile curving on his lips but hissed in pain.

"We're also going to go to New York right away once we rescue Yugyeom and get out of here,"

He couldn't focus.

Great, I'm losing it.

The winds softly blew toward them from the broken windows on his left. The height that would probably scare Hoseok, he thought. They couldn't pay much attention to it in each other's current appearances.

"Y-You're okay, right?" she nervously looked at him again. It hurt a lot and terribly seeing him like this that she couldn't give less damn about the people she killed in her rampage earlier. "P-Please just stay awake. I'll get you up, just leave it to me. Stay there."

She got up and approached one of the corpses to steal their coat, coming back to Jungkook to gently and nervously tie it around him. It may just be a stab wound but they needed to stop the bleeding, in the least.

"I'm not dying, don't worry." he said, laughing quietly again in his hisses. He had been catching his breath as she treated him. Yet, somehow, he felt too comfortable leaning into her while she was wrapping the cloth as if he hadn't. "I'm strong, you know. Besides, I can ask you the same —"

"Quiet. What do you mean you're not dying? You were stabbed!" she huffed incredulously. She could worry about figuring him out later, having subtly realized that he had been maintaining eye contact. She reached for his shoulder but flinched when he grunted again, "I applied pressure and stopped the bleeding for now. We have to go. This office might have a medic kit somewhere if you feel the wound worsens somehow, it will be fine —"

"Crap, huh." he sighed, throwing his head back against the wall. "Crap."

"W-Why, what's wrong?" her eyes darted around the floor in search for any white boxes, then back to face him again. He never stopped staring even with his tired gaze. "Okay, I'll find a medic kit for antiseptic ointment and sutff so please —"

"Mhm," he hummed conversationally, turning his head to the city for a moment. The breeze blew gently at their wounds as sirens loudened far below.

She couldn't help panicking, not forgetting the fact that he had a stab wound on his shoulder. It couldn't make her less anxious after getting it covered. It seemed as though he was enduring an excruciating headache despite his 'front'. A strangely calm front.

"I'll be fine. I can even sit here for some more time. Let me just process what you did."

"Huh? What did I —" she inhaled before scowling with her worried frown. The look that he gazed at the entire time when she first ran towards him, "Can you be serious? I may have stopped the bleeding but you're still —"

"Is it time for me to kiss you now?" he turned back to her. Their gazes met then.

A flat silence fell between them. The moonlight basking half of her profile probably didn't help the guy. Loud sirens and winds delayed their seconds with confusion.

"What?" Soyun blinked, uncertain and slow because the dialogue wasn't making sense. He looked lax. "What did you say?"

She felt a swift grip on her right forearm, firm yet gentle because he had only caught his breath. Her eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened quickly. The vigilante had pulled her towards him and she was certain he could hear her heartbeats thumping violently against his chest now.

"Wait, what are —?"

What surprised Soyun was that she could hear his too in their proximity. It almost felt like he pulled her close to him for exactly that. She could feel his soft breath fanning her nose bridge. When parting her lips to ask, she stuttered.

"We have to move before reinforcements come, r-right?"

Her heart clenched at first: if this was just another one of his playful teasing...

"I don't hear any footsteps so is it okay if —" his slow gaze dropped to her lips and he chuckled breathily before just leaning in, "Fuck it."

Jungkook wrapped his other arm around Soyun's waist and clashed his lips against hers: everything just made sense as the rest of the world fell away behind them, that maybe she figured something out because as mischievous as the vigilante could be, he never struck her as someone who'd kiss without meaning it.

The fake smokes with lingering specks of dust looked like ice underneath the moonlight. It didn't take long for her to respond to his kiss with the same passion after feeling his lips meaningfully brush hers; their breaths were shared and their hearts opened.

"You already knew that I like you, don't you?" she whispered in between, deepening the moment. He didn't reply with words but more passion, including a knowing, amused smirk that she could feel against her lips.

The kiss was rather forceful for someone who had a stab wound on his shoulder and was just about to fall unconscious but not that she'd complain, breathlessly kissing him back.

"...is it okay if — Fuck it."

Her thoughts were racing wildly and she felt butterflies swirling in her stomach. It felt unreal. His gaze when he was unmistakably going to ask for consent first? Only God knew how much it affected her.

And he never thought a kiss would feel so good and sweet. He felt crazy for having this surge of energy despite nearly blacking out just a few minutes ago but whatever. As a matter-of-fact, he just realized how much he wanted to be honest. She could probably understand and cut him some slack because he had been watching two other men trying to court her despite his own desires, after all. That she could tell now. He pulled her deeper into him. His brows furrowed and he decided to lengthen the kiss a bit more, wanting more and to prove more —  he kissed like there was something to prove and that it was an answer.

She felt it when his mouth opened and widened to continue. The warm butterflies in her stomach would buzz more as seconds went by, especially when it was clear how ardent he was, still holding her so firmly.

Was it a suitable place to have a first kiss, in front of a broken floor-to-ceiling window that gave them a fantastic view of the siren-loud city and surrounded by corpses of their enemies, with a knife glinting somewhere in the hallway ahead — or with the scent of blood still sticking on them? Neither cared. 

There was no going back now for the both of them.

Chuffs of a helicopter were still far from them as brute grunts echoed in empty, dark floors of the infiltrated skyscraper. People were running out of the building in panic, far below the blinking red lights atop the tower. A swarm of clicking reporters were on their way. Clouds rolled in slowly as gentle winds howled.

Agents, vigilantes and criminals fought fiercely as the city began to wake up in the night. Whatever the motive behind the whole mess would be, they were cornered by time and pressure again.

End of Chapter Thirty-seven

A/N:

OH MY FUCKING GOD THEY FINALLY KISSED ALL RIGHT BUT I REALLY REALLY REALLY HOPE THIS WASN'T BLAND AND RUSHED TOWARD THE END, I WAS LOSING MY MIND PLUS IN MY DEFENSE MY BRAIN IS FRESH OUT OF AN EXAM WEEK SUGDSUGDUDHDHDJ SCREAMING MANIACALLY.

A part of me lowkey wants to focus on completing the jjk route but we'll see how my schedules would work out for me first? Very nervous about this chapter ngl 🧘‍♀️IT FEELS  RUSHED TO ME — so once I get some more time I'm going to um, lengthen/edit a few parts maybe 😭