word count: 2, 782
pages (paging mode): 20
warnings: intense if you squint
Saturday, November 21st
7:27 PM
location: base entryway, underground.
mae
The dress was far flashier than anything I'd ever worn before.
It was very pretty though; a high-necked, long-sleeved, fitted black silk creation that had a deliberate slit up my left leg, and the tailored cuffs were lined with what looked like diamonds.
The jewels sparkled when the light caught them- something I'd noticed in the mirror while sweeping on a choice lipstick. Sani, having been the sender of the elaborate outfit, included a deadly-looking pair of silver heels, and when I slipped them on I was certain that this mission could not include any running.
I did one last check in the mirror, toying with the complicated wispy updo I'd perfected with my hair before answering the knock on the door.
"Are you re- whoa." Mark stopped mid sentence, eyes blown wide and staring at the dress.
Or was it me he was staring at?
I scanned his own apparel, reminding myself to keep my jaw shut when I took in the black suit and white buttoned shirt he wore, with some nicely creased dress slacks and no holsters anywhere in sight.
His dark brown hair, usually hanging in his eyes, was swept back in some fashion that magically stayed in place, and he looked good- far beyond handsome.
So good, in fact, that I almost missed his next words.
"...you look absolutely stunning, Mae. Radiant, even." He managed eventually. I ducked my head slightly, wine colored lips pulling up in a smile.
"You clean up nicely too, Ace." I did my best to hide the blush rising to my cheeks.
Mark offered me his arm, and I gladly took it, letting him walk me down to the main hall to meet everyone else.
On the way, I had a hard time trying not to stare at him, completely unused to seeing him in anything other than mission gear, training clothes, or pajamas.
I snapped out of it when we arrived at the room.
All of Dream and U were in gear, with Jisung standing out in his high fashion suit and tie, a false security badge pinned to the jacket and professional sunglasses dangling from his back pocket, where I believed I saw the lumpy outline of a hand pistol.
I noticed a few members of 127 in gear as well: Johnny, WinWin, and Yuta were helping hand out cartridges or magazines to everyone, and checking straps on weapons and holsters.
While the artillery made me nervous, Mark's arm looped with mine eased it a little.
Taeyong strode into the chaos, though he wore a black hoodie and his usual ripped jeans instead of gear and leather jackets.
"Alright you goons, let's get going and get this mission over with." He called out, momentarily seeming less like an authoritative leader and more like a tiresome older brother.
"Haechan is already waiting with the van outside, and our techies are all set to run things smoothly. Don't die and good luck, you guys." Taeyong told them.
"We'll do our best, hyung!" Jaemin said with a lopsided grin, his bright demeanor completely contrasting his dark getup.
Taeyong rolled his eyes, "Okay, we get it, now go kick some rival butt."
I retracted my arm from Mark's, causing him to turn towards me.
"I'm really torn right now, Mae," He chuckled uneasily.
I inched a little closer, waiting for him to go on.
"Half of me is happy you're going on your first solo mission, and I know you'll do well. But the other half of me doesn't want to let you out of my sight, because I know you'll be in danger, and I want to keep you safe at all costs."
He was fidgeting with his hands as he spoke, and I reached out to take one of them in mine, holding it once more.
My hand was smaller than his, as proven when we observed the sizes with our palms pressed against each others, and I took the chance to lace our fingers together, holding hands where anyone could see it. I was sure this would only fuel more rumors that were going around the mill about Mark and I.
But in that moment, he was the only thing I could see, like everything else had melted away.
Our eyes locked, and we slowly lowered our arms, leaning in close enough to touch foreheads.
"Promise me you'll stay safe?" I whispered, barely audible over the din of the boys moving out.
Mark half-smiled, "I always do, princess. Take care of yourself out there, alright?" He said gently.
I smiled back, nodding.
"I will if you will." He squeezed my hand one last time before letting go, turning to go join the crew out to the van.
On impulse, I grabbed his shoulders and spun him around before yanking him down and placing a swift kiss on his cheek, staining it crimson.
"For luck."
***
8:42 PM
location: Onyx Luxor casino, Ryejin Square.
The Onyx Luxor Casino was, true to it's name, very luxurious.
But I barely noticed the grandiose chandeliers or the elaborate furnishings in my nervous scan of the place, trying my best to appear discreet as I paced towards the equally glamorous game tables.
I made conscious effort to appear as if I belonged in the crowd of elegantly dressed socialites; shoulders back, head up, and looking like I owned it all, I eventually found my way to a vacant seat at one of the tables.
My mic piece crackled to life, and Ten began telling me the rules to the casino in my ear while the round that was currently happening began to reset for a fresh game.
"The rules are relatively simple," Ten was saying, "but gambling adheres to luck more than it does to rules. With this casino, the version you're playing tonight is called Third Charms, an easy variation of regular casino gambling."
(side note: this casino game is purely a product of my imagination, as are the rules; I've never gambled before, so excuse any errors.)
"First, you'll be handed three dice, which you'll roll on your turn."
A woman with impeccable eyeliner, a dark lace mouth veil, and a designer burgundy cocktail dress signalled that a new wave was starting, and began passing out items to each of the other six players at my table.
Three dice were placed in front of me.
"Along with the dice, you will have a scorecard and a bet sheet, and on your bet sheet you'll see three lines labelled Starting Amount, Winnings Contribution, and Personal Winnings/Losses. It is very important that you do not show anyone your sheets during the game."
The slip of white paper was set down next to the dice, and a pencil was rolled my way.
Then another, less thin paper joined my queue, titled Luxor Scorecard.
"On your scorecard, there are multiple rows of boxes- each row has three, and the end of each row has a line for the totals for that turn. Every time you roll the dice, you record each individual number in the three boxes, and the back of the scorecard has the key for what numbers mean what in terms of total winnings."
I flipped the scorecard over to check the key, and my eyes scanned the neatly printed numbers in seconds.
···
v a l u e s :
1 = §5
2 = §15
3 = §35
4 = §50
5 = §125
6 = §200
···
c o m b o s :
1, 2, 3 = §35
4, 5, 6 = §45
triple any number 1-5 = §60
triple 6 = §85
···
"The first round is a freebie; everyone gets a roll that will not affect their losses, but will be the amount they draw from the shared winnings after the game is over. This is also their 'contribution' to the winnings."
The same lady with the mysterious half shroud reached out a crimson-nailed hand for her dice.
"You only place your bets after the first roll. Depending on how it goes, you can choose to either go big with your numbers, or hold off and make a small bet. If you go small but end up winning big, you only get the amount you put as your starting bet, and the rest is forked over equally amongst other players. If you bet big but win little, your totals will tally under your losses, and you'll owe that amount to the shared winnings in some fashion."
The woman rolled a 4, a 2, and a 5.
The stocky man to her right picked up his dice.
"People who rake up a lot in losses usually play a new game to redeem themselves with the same players, and people who won big with a small bet also play another game with the same players, but they use what they would've won as an edge on their bets."
He rolled two 2's and a 4.
The older man next to him grabbed his dice.
"I recommend going small for the first game, since you're not really here to gamble and you don't want to make any enemies. Be smart, play the game until I give you an all-clear for the mission, and good luck, Mae." The in-ear beeped once, which meant Ten could talk to me, but he could not hear anything I said.
I took a deep breath and watched the young woman next to me start her turn.
She had long raven hair, skin white as snow, and a dark green evening gown on, with pearls the size of marbles in an uncomfortable-looking chokehold around her neck.
She rolled a 1, a 6, and a 3.
Then all eyes looked towards me.
I prayed that my fingers weren't trembling as I picked up my three dice, shaking them in my hand before rolling them out. I was intending on avoiding eye contact at all costs, but that idea fizzled away when my eyes met the mysterious woman's piercing blue ones.
I could feel the tension in the room escalating- or was I just being paranoid?- after hastily looking back down to my dice and scribbling down my numbers.
1, 2, 6.
Almost there, I thought. Maybe it'd work it we were using seven-sided dice.
I chose to stay out of the small talk at the table while the game went on. Following Ten's advice about betting, I kept my numbers low on the sheet and made sure to hide my totals from outside view.
It was a long game; the cycle for each turn was stuck on a loop in my head.
Roll the dice, record the numbers, add the totals, determine the amounts. Repeat.
I periodically checked my member watch beneath the sleeve of my dress, and the minutes were crawling by as slow as they possibly could.
I hoped I was buying them enough time.
It felt as if eons had passed when I finally heard Ten's voice in my ear once more.
"Only two of the POI's showed up, but we have reason to believe that the third won't be attending tonight. Mae, you're good to go; just please, for the love of God, be as smooth as you can." He sounded terse.
I quietly announced my forfeit in an excuse involving the bathroom and the bar; my withdrawl from the game went unquestioned, my bets and scores cast aside as a donation to the next game's shared winnings, and I swiftly rose from the plush seat in pursuit of the first target.
~
"So do you come here often, or did I happen to pick the perfect night to show up?"
I made myself grin sleekly at the man.
He was the second POI; I'd managed to slip a bullet in the pocket of the first once I spotted his suit jacket hanging on the coatrack, and clipped a tracker into it as well.
But this one would not be so easy.
"You got pretty lucky, because this is my last night in the city for a while." I lied, slightly tilting my body towards him in all the right ways as he stalked to where I sat at the bar, feigning interest.
He was not too hard on the eyes; tall, built well, and dressed even better, his features were all chisels and curves and handsome angles that would make many girls swoon with one look.
But for some odd, strange, unfathomable reason, I found myself comparing him to Mark Lee- and even more rattling was that the stranger lost without a shadow of a doubt.
You're in deep, just admit it. My mind wandered.
"Is that so? Then may I have the pleasure of your company for a few moments while it lasts?" He asked charmingly, and I faked another smile, nodding my head at the empty seat.
"This one isn't taken, sir." I said coyly.
The man sat down as inclined, and sent what might've been a heartmelting smile my way. "Please, don't call me sir, I'm not that old," he bemoaned, "the name's Kang Kinsoo."
I stuck my hand out to shake his, but instead, it was raised to his lips as he deftly pressed a kiss onto it. Thank God I was prepared well enough to bite back my shudder.
"Well met Kinsoo, my name is Choi Taehee." I introduced the pseudo name as easily as if it were my own, and Kang Kinsoo smiled wider.
"A lovely name for a lovely lady. Miss Taehee, would you perhaps like something to drink?" He offered.
I pursed my lips thoughtfully.
Now is probably a good time to play your wild card and try seduction, like Jaehyun advised.
My conscience nagged. I agreed with it.
"No thank you, but I'm feeling rather hungry." I willed my voice to take on that seductive edge Jaehyun had helped me practice.
It worked.
Kinsoo's eyes darkened infinitesimally, and I stopped myself from cheering at my success. His gaze flickered down to my form fitting dress, lingering on the slit up my leg, before he licked his lips.
"I believe I understand. Care to join me in a more quiet setting, sweetheart?" He suggested, and I painted a look of both desire and intrigue onto my face as I demurely accepted, leaving the bar behind as I followed him to a corner of one of the various corridors.
Immediately, I tugged him into the shadows, tracker in hand, and ran my fingers up his back to toy with the back of his collar.
"I've had an eye on you all night, Kang Kinsoo," I gave the sexy tone my best shot, "but I didn't want to make the first move."
While shadows added to the affect of my words, they were not dark enough to cloud his face from view, and I struggled to carry on the act as his hands busied themselves along my arms, allowing me to both clip the tracker on and slip the bullet into his pocket.
"I'm glad, because I've been setting my sights on you from the moment I walked in, Choi Taehee." He murmured.
I held off on flinching when he brushed my hair away from my face in what he most likely thought was a flirty move.
"What do you say we ditch this place and head somewhere more-" He began in a hushed tone, but when his eyes glanced towards the area where his hand was pushing hair behind my ear, he froze, cutting himself off completely.
I felt a tingle of fear travel down my spine.
Did he feel the weight of the bullet in his pocket?
Did he realize I'd been clipping his tracker onto the back of his lapel while I'd whispered my pretend sentiment to him?
Thoughts raced through my mind a million miles a minute about what was happening-
until I saw the spot his eyes were trained on.
My tattoo.
Putting two and two together, his stare narrowed and swung back to meet mine.
"Interesting tattoo, babe." He lifted an eyebrow, a sly smirk tempting the edges of his mouth. "What's it stand for?"
I wasted no time in slamming his head into the wall, knocking him unconscious as I frantically pressed the right button on my watch.
"Ten, Taeil," I screamed into the mic, "I need backup!"
A/N: sorry for the long wait and slightly shorter chapter, but I had to split it up. So be on the lookout for part 2 soon! Thanks for being patient with me loves♥
xoxo,
ari™