"What about the 18th?" Mark asked looking at the pieces of papers scattered around the coffee table in the living room. Taeyong's schedule neatly and precisely typed on them.
"I have extra classes on that day." Haechan answered, taking a small bite from one of the sandwiches he wipped up as a light midnight snack for the both of them.
Currently, it was the middle of the night of the 12th of November and both of them were in the living room, discussing on which day they would be free while also inspecting the days where Taeyong would be gone from the mansion long enough for them to infiltrate and search for any clues he had on her death.
Well, to put it nicely or more like sugar coating it to the point you might get diabetes, Mark liked to see it as, and Haechan quotes, "Going through my own household thoroughly to search up something I believe will help me with my exceptionally long research."
When Haechan heard that, he had rolled his eyes with such force that for a second he thought it would get stuck there at the back of his head.
Much to both of their dismay, it didn't.
He still had to face Mark's face everytime he woke up and Mark had to always see the other roll his eyes backwards when he annoyed him, proposed an idea he did not agree with or said something stupid in general. This was all according to what the younger thought about his actions even though most of the times both of them would just laugh it off after a little glaring contest.
"What about the 20th?" Mark said as he took a sip of warm water to sooth his dry throat a bit.
"I swear you have something to do on that day."
Mark let his lips mold into an "o" shape before crossing that option off of the list. He frowned looking at the two remaining options.
The 22nd and 29th of November.
If the 29th didn't work out, it was going to be hard for him to deal with the things on the 22nd even if they were more on the flexible side since the person he was dealing with on that day was really understanding and reasonable when it came to serious business. But one thing he also knew was that that person could also be full on childish, the same level as they're mature, and might as well go all the way to start throwing a fit so that they would be allowed to tug along with them.
Mark sighed and leaned in on the couch, piece of paper loosely hanging inbetween his fingers.
"Any luck with the 29th?" His voice, now tired and a visible lack of hope in it, said.
"Let me think." Haechan said as he started thinking while cleaning off the excess crumbs that stuck to his fingers by rubbing them against eachother.
"Wait I remember!" His face lit up when he said that and Mark thought that maybe, finally, there was hope. But no, that hope was thrown right out the window when he heard what the younger had to say next.
"I have a date with Jeno on that day!" Haechan exclaimed dreamily, not feeling shy or embarassed anymore to mention his relationship with the eye smile boy to the older.
This time, Mark was the one to roll his eyes.
"Can you not push that back to a later date?"
"No!" Haechan was firm with his statement. "It's difficult to spend some alone time, with the winter exams near and the semester coming to an end, let alone going on dates. We both want to relax before focusing on studies again, so we thought that since we haven't been spending that much time together maybe a date would be a perfect plan."
"You see eachother in class everyday and if not, then in the corridors." Mark said, a little annoyed that the younger was so passionate about spending his time with Jeno.
"Well I see you everyday and nearly every second. Now compare that to how much time I spend with Jeno. And what part of alone time do you not understand?" Haechan said, delicately emphasizing the needed words.
Mark blankly looked at the other's determined eyes. Ones that told him that he wasn't giving up on the date, Jeno and him crafted together, that easily.
He sighed.
That's not what he meant when he asked Jeno to get close to him nor did he mean for him to get in a whole relationship with him and act according to it. But then again, Jeno did tell him that he started to take a liking on the tan male and maybe, just maybe, a little tiny part of him hidden away behind a veil saw why.
But before his mind fully invested itself on unconsciously ranting about Haechan related things, from his annoying comebacks to his delicate features, Mark quickly shook his head, really not wanting to be put under the same spell Jeno was caught in.
"Fine," he sighed. "Then we'll go with the 22nd."
"See, was it that hard?" Haechan wittily said and saw the other mumble something under his breath but didn't ask.
"Why didn't you choose that day before, huh?" The brunette picked one of the pieces of paper up and matched it up with the schedule Taeyong had on the said day.
"Both of our slots are empty for the 22nd and your brother seems quite busy on that day too." He looked up at Mark while frowning. "Why couldn't you save everyone the trouble of wasting time and just start with the day where it literally looked like the most promising instead of going around and even asking about the days after it?"
Mark quietly sat up, and instead of answering the younger's questions, he started organising the various papers messily laid over the low table.
Another pair of hands joined him in the act and in no time, the papers were back and sealed where they belonged: in the folder.
"So . . ." Haechan persisted on being answered and really Mark could do nothing but actually give what the boy wanted.
"I have to meet someone on that day."
"Who?" Haechan curiously asked.
Mark kept quiet and thought of a plan on how to not let the person he had to meet tug along with them, while tucking the folder away in a bag and standing up to put the dishes back in the kitchen.
"Why are you taking so long for? Who's the person?" Haechan whined while following him to the kitchen. "Just tell me who you were supposed to meet on that day already."
"You'll see." Mark answered shortly.
. . .
"Oh!" Haechan exclaimed seeing the person, Mark was supposed to meet, sitting on their couch, legs subtly bopping up and down with probable excitement.
It was finally the 22nd and Haechan was peeking through the little opening the door to the living room made, when slightly opened, with Mark propped on the wall beside him.
"Why did you make such a fuss, when you could have just said that you were meeting up with Chenle?" The brunette asked and looked at the older who still had a perplexed look on his face.
" 'Cause I knew that he'll want to come with us." Mark whispered.
"Then let him come. What's the problem with that?" After a glare from the black haired and a little re-check over the words he said, Haechan's eyes widened a little in realisation.
"He's coming with us?!" Mark facepalmed when he screamed that too loudly, Chenle hundred percent hearing it. That was proven when he opened the door from the other side and displayed a toothy grin.
"Yes, I'm coming with you!" Chenle exclaimed, looking back and forth between the two.
"Why is this kiddo coming with us?" Haechan asked while pointing at him.
"Hey I ain't no kiddo. I'm just a year younger than you."
"Still a kiddo to me." Chenle whined and Mark ignored them, squeezing his way through them and ending up in the living room, letting the two bicker at the door way.
"But I'm 18 today!"
"So wha- wait today?" And that's when it hit Haechan. Today was the 22nd of November and it also equaled to Zhong Chenle's birthday.
Mark finally decided to interrupt the two and tierdly directed a question to Chenle.
"Do you really want to tug along with us?"
"Yes! It's not like it's gonna be that dangerous. We're just going to your house, no? And I haven't visite-"
"Chenle, you don't get it!" Mark tried to not shout but it just was out of his control at this point. He really didn't want the blond to be too involved in this mess.
"They even tried to k-" when he saw the younger flinch, and realised what he was about reveal, it's when he stopped talking. Not even Jeno knew about this or that's what he thought.
"Hyung, I know." That caught Mark off guard and made Haechan start questioning in his head.
'Know what?' He thought.
"Jen hyung told me after what happened that night." Chenle continued in English, sensing that Mark hadn't told Haechan yet. But even if the brunette caught up, it would still be difficult to understand since Chenle did his best to keep it vague.
'What night? And who's this Jen dude? They mentioned him before but they never introduced him to me nor have I ever seen him around in the warehouse.'
"Hyung, it's the only thing I'm asking for a birthday present." Chenle pouted, something he does rarely. "Please."
Mark sighed, he really needed to have a talk with Jeno later. He looked over to Haechan and then back at the blond in front of him.
"Go sit in the car already, before I change my mind." And in less than a second, Chenle was out the door, after successfully gaining permission to and taking the car keys from Mark.
"You're actually letting him come with us?" Haechan asked in disbelief while looking at the other mindlessly wearing a jacket, getting ready.
"I promised to spend some of the day with him and that's the only thing Chenle asked. And then after hearing this, he ended up choosing it. Making it true is the least I can do." Mark sighed.
. . .
The car ride was silent. Everyone was focusing on their own thing.
Chenle was sitting in the back on his phone -smiling sheepishly at the screen-, Haechan was in the passenger seat, blankly staring out the window and Mark was driving at a speed right below the speed limit.
Something came up and they were kept behind up until now so they had to improvise. Right now, it was past five and they only had three hours before Taeyong went back to the mansion.
"We're here." Mark announced, parking the car a few blocks down from the mansion.
"Question." Chenle said while turning his phone off and tucking it away in his coat's pocket. He looked at the older through the rear view mirror. "How are we getting in? The front door or-"
"The back garden's gate. I've noticed they have less guards around there." Haechan answered unbuckling his seat belt.
Mark hummed. "It has always been like that after my father's death."
"Father's death?" Haechan mumbled out loud enough for Mark to hear but it seemed like he didn't.
"Alright!" Chenle clapped his hands together. "Let's go!"
'I'll ask about it later.'
. . .
The three of them succesfully reached the posterior gate without getting caught by either the surveillance cameras nor the guards. When they were able to find a blind spot where they could climb the tall black metallic gate easily, it's when it started.
"Here goes nothing." Mark said as he threw his leather jacket over the gate but with a controlled force so that it would land on top of the gate instead of the other side.
It successfully worked.
He quickly motioned for the brunette to come close to him and told him to reach out his hands and push him upwards so that he could land on top of the gate too.
Haechan complained saying that he should be the one jumping while the older should be his ladder, as he called it, since he was lighter. Mark used that to his advantage and retorted back by saying, "because you're lighter, you should push me up so that when I'm on top, I can pull you up with my strength."
Haechan wanted to bite back by saying that strength has nothing to do with weight, which he knew was partially wrong, but he was stopped before he could do so.
"We don't have enough time alright. But hey, where's Chenle?" Mark asked, looking around for the said blond.
"What do you mean? He's right he-" When Haechan turned around to look at where the younger should have been, his breath got caught in his throat. Not because he was amazed but because he was shocked.
Chenle wasn't there.
Both of them broke into a silent panic, trying to look for the blond without making a fuss. They were about to separate and go and look for him in different directions to cover the area more quicker, until they heard a soft whisper.
"Pssst . . ." It came from a bush on the other side. "Hyung, I'm here."
And there was Zhong Chenle, right opposite them, crouching in front of a green bush - that was adapted to the really cold weather, (behind if you looked at him while standing on the other side.) But here's the big difference: there is a gate separating them.
"How the fuck did you get inside?" Mark whisper shouted as he crouched down at the same level, Haechan following suit.
"Through the gate."
"Huh?" Both of the older ones said in confusion.
"How?" Haechan asked.
"You know, I used my feet like a normal human and walked thr-"
"You know that's not what he meant."
Chenle rolled his eyes. "You guys were bickering like an old couple an-" That earned him lots of complaints even before he could finish talking.
"I'm not old." Mark said defensively.
"So aren't I, just the way we aren't no old couple." Haechan remarked.
Again Chenle rolled his eyes before speaking.
"You didn't deny you aren't a couple."
"Hey! We're n-"
Chenle put a hand out to stop Haechan. "Do you want to get on this side or not?" They both nodded. "Then listen."
"So as I was previously saying, before you two rudely interrupted me, you guys were bickering like an old couple," he glared at them before they could protest again. When they kept quiet, he continued. "So I got bored and started wondering around. And then, I saw the gate was left open. No guards in sight. At all. A maid left the gate just like that while she was putting out the trash, I took the opportunity and quickly slid inside as quietly as I could. So if you move your lazy butts now and quickly, maybe you can come here without wasting all your energy and remaining time which is ticking by." He ended with a grin.
"I'll show you lazy, you ungrateful child. You're literally the one who found a lazier way to get in." Mark shushed Haechan up.
"Don't act like you don't like it. Let's go. But before that . . ." Mark turned his gaze back on Chenle. "Where'd you get that lolly from?"
Chenle innocently looked at him before bringing the lolly, that was inbetween his lips, out. "This one?" Mark nodded and he smiled. "A beautiful lady gave it to me."
When they heard his answer, they both facepalmed in unison.
"Yo- AWW! Your ass got us caught already!" Haechan whined while keeping his voice low after he got slapped on the shoulder by the older indicating him to do so.
"Who?"
"I'll tell you later. Now be quick!"
The second after Chenle said that, they started running towards where they knew the gate was while also being in a crouching position, hiding behind bushes, so that they wouldn't be seen.
It didn't take that long for them to reach the metallic gate nor did it take them that long to slip in since it was still open and the coast was clear.
That's what they thought.
"Who are you and what are you doing?" A deep voice called out from a few feet behind them.
"Great!" Mark mumbled to himself while rolling his eyes and Haechan cursed under his breath.
"What are w-"
"Just let him come over here." Mark hushed the other.
The man took slow steps towards the two and slightly started to get his revolver out of its holster.
The moment he was a foot away from them, Mark took that as his cue to pivot around and give a straight punch to the man's stomach. He knew that that wouldn't be enough since his huge structure made Mark look like an amateur -and in close combat he would probably loose- so to knock him out, he quickly brought his free hand up and hit a nerve at the side of his neck.
"That should do the job." And true, the man was right out cold.
"Is he dead?" Haechan wearily asked once he saw Mark dragging the body behind a huge enough bush to cover it.
"No." Mark said and got some big, yet light in weight, tree brunches, that fell on the ground, to start covering up the body more.
"What happened here?" Another cheery voice joined them. They looked up. It was Chenle with that lollipop still in his mouth, Mark's jacket in his hand - which he gave back and Mark quickly wore - observing the man curiously.
"Mark killed a man." Haechan said as a matter of fact and got a glare from the older.
"He's just simply knocked out cold." Mark corrected and instead decided to cover the man up with his jacket. So he took it off and did that.
Before the two could start bickering again, Chenle shushed them and told them to quickly start moving unless they wanted to get caught again. And this time worst.
"Seriously, and you were planing on coming without me." Chenle scoffed in a low tone once they finally entered the back entrance of the mansion. "You would have accomplished nothing."
"Okay, we get it." Haechan directed his attention to the older. "But, hey, Mark?"
Mark hummed in response while looking around their surrounding. They were heading to the kitchen, since that's the only way that lead to the living room and from there, they would be going up in Taeyong's study.
"Your house's security . . . "
Mark rolled his eyes and told him to shut up because that wasn't a topic to discuss now. Haechan was about to push the talk further until a voice interrupted them.
"Hey, guys," Chenle called out, a few steps ahead peeking through the creek the door to the kitchen provided. "I think we got a little problem."
"What?" They both said in unison.
"It's more of a who than what. Unless you want to call him a humster, that is."
Mark scrunched his eyebrows in confusion and moved over to where Chenle was. Once he saw who stood on the other side, he sighed.
"It's Jisung." Haechan exclaimed as low as he could.
He was right. That was Jisung. Mindlessly sitting on a bar stool while happily enjoying the soft cream puffs displayed on a plate right in front of him on the table.
"That's not fair, I want some." Chenle whined, eyeing those delicacies.
"You literally have a lollipop stuck in your mouth which we still don't kn-"
"Then go already and distract him while you're at it." Mark pushed Chenle towards the door.
"Mark!"
"Ay! Sir!" The younger comedically saluted the two and went inside to do what he was asked.
Haechan looked at Mark in disbelief but the other just ignored him and gestured him to come closer. Having no choice, the brunette just did that and saw what the blond was doing.
Chenle silently walked towards Jisung, who was facing his back towards him, and once he was close, he casually propped his elbow on the table, cheek in his palm, looking up at the younger.
"Jisung-ah!" He said excited and smiled once he got the other's attention.
"Oh, Chenle-ya!" Jisung exclaimed seeing the other blond in the kitchen but then went ahead and grabbed a cream puff. "Want one?"
Chenle gladly took on the generous offer and grinned when the other went to grab himself another sweet but then stopped in the middle, as if realising something huge was off.
"What the hell is Chenle thinking!" Haechan whisper shouted.
"Just look."
"Wait, what th-" unfortunately Jisung wasn't able to continue his sentece when he felt a sharp pain hit the side of his neck, a mumbled sorry and then his surrounding turning into a blur, his eyes fully giving up on him and making his vision dark.
When Jisung's head was about to hit the table, Chenle immediately cushioned the fall with his hands, cream puff rushly half stuffed in his mouth with the lollipop - not the best decision, or food combination, in his life.
'Sorry.' He thought again.
He slowly slid his hands away once he heard soft snores coming from the younger. He was about to caress his face and brush his front hair away from his eyes - so that when he woke up, his vision would be clear even though deep down he knew that they would just fall back and cover his vision again - with his fingers when . . .
"Did he really just fall asleep?"
Chenle nearly got a heart attack when he heard a voice behind him. He retrieved his hand back to his mouth, taking a bite of the cream puff while pulling it out, and turned around, seeing how Mark and Haechan already took the liberty to accomodate themselves in the kitchen.
"I thought that act was supposed to knock them out, not make them fall asleep. Right?" Haechan's question was just answered by a shrug from Mark who was intensely observing the cream puffs on the plate.
"You're mum made them." Chenle said, throwing the finished lolly in the trash can and actually savouring the creamy delicacy recognising the delicious taste.
"I know." Mark looked up and started heading to the door that lead to the living room, putting his head out a bit and searching for any kind of living person roaming around, ignoring his want for the dessert.
"Just the way I know that that beautiful lady who gave you the lollipop is actually my mum and that she probably thought you came with or to see Jisung since he was here; not really suspecting your presence." He said after being sure that no one was around and pulling his head back in the kitchen.
He got two reactions. A simple direct grin from Chenle, telling him he was right, and a blank expression from Haechan, who was staring elsewhere.
The thing with Haechan was that, he never knew how to act around people when they mentioned their parents, mother mainly, and when they asked him about it. So, he automatically drew on the most blank expression he could.
Mark lingered his stare on the brunette a little longer before asking them to follow him. Both of them did with no question leaving their lips.
The little trip up to Taeyong's study was silent and easy. It seemed like Taeyong wasn't the only one out of the house, the other main residents weren't there either, leaving only a few maids and guards - and well, an unconscious Jisung on the kitchen table.
"The door is open." Mark announced but he himself wasn't surprised. Taeyong was known to always leave the door open, always getting scolded by Jaehyun for doing so, and so was his uncle, father as his mother would at least like him to call the man.
That fact alone was actually still quite funny to him, mainly when he remembered that one time one of Taeyong's impotant documents, regarding the section in the company he dealt with, when they were younger, was nowhere to be found and Jaehyun got paranoid thinking it was an intruder or rat who stole it to ruin the business or a stray dog which somehow made his way in there to later find out it was Renjun who took it because their actual father asked for it. After that, Jaehyun followed Taeyong for a whole month, making sure he locked the door properly.
But then at the end, did Taeyong really learn from his mistake when these three were making their way in his study really easily, because he again forgot to close it?
Mark thought no. But he wasn't complaining, it worked to his advantage after all.
The three of them entered the room and Chenle closed the door behind.
"Alright, so . . . " Haechan looked around and then laid his eyes on Mark. "Where do we start?"
Mark took quick steps towards the desk which had a window behind, floor to celeing, facing towards the front gate. Perfect to see who's coming or not.
"I'll search the computer." He pointed at Chenle without looking, already starting to work at hacking the desktop. "You take the bookshelf and you . . ." He looked up to see Chenle already at work and Haechan just standing there. "Come and search the desk."
And that's how the next thirty minutes were past. Chenle flipping pages of various books and seeing if there's anything in them, Mark opening different folders in the system and searching if there was anything useful and Haechan, looking, mostly feeling if there was anything in the drawers and was now thinking about heading to look underneath the desk.
"Move a little, i need to look under the desk." When Haechan said that, it's when it hit Mark.
'Under the desk!'
"Takeover the computer, I'll look under here." Mark said, already crouching down and under the said desk.
Haechan just followed and did what he was asked, more like commanded.
He took the mouse in his hand and mindlessly moved the cursor to open a random file on the screen. What he didn't know though, was that when the file opened, it would reveal that what he had been told was a lie.
Be it partial or complete, it was still a lie in his heart.