KathrynethePyro-bitch: Thanks :) I'm glad it wasn't too cliché for you. Hope you'll like this chapter as well.
chibianimefan26: I'm so glad that I could make you smile and that you can relate to the MC!
Kitty Snowdrop: Oooh that's such a compliment, thank you :D I'll be sure to include more fluffy moments between the RFA members for you.
Chapter Six
The Mysterious Disappearance of Elisabeth the 3rd
Trees, cars and the distant city rushed by the window of his red Mustang in a colourful blur. Seven had almost forgotten how good it felt to be on the road, sunlight burning his skin and a fresh breeze brushing through his fiery hair. He didn't care that he was pushing the speedlimit since he was an excellent driver and the highway was mostly empty, meaning the only person he put in danger was himself.
Adrenaline and the feeling of freedom rushing through his veins was simply too addicting to ruin it by caring about his safety.
Over the years, Vanderwood had often scolded him for doing crazy things as if he had only one day left to live. However, the older agent had stopped perstering him lately, either because he realized it was a lost cause or because of how rocky their relationship had gotten. They used to work like a clockwork when he had studied abroad at an Ivy League university in America and worked for the agency at night, but in the past months it had been more like a digital clock that was constantly beeping and also on fire. Vanderwood was only looking out for himself by warning him since he had been tasked with babysitting the hacker and failure meant certain death.
Nevertheless, there was truth in his words.
Seven often felt like he had only one day left to live. He had never expected to, or believed he deserved to live a long life. He had given up on lofty dreams like houses with beautiful rose gardens surrouded by white picket fences long ago. He didn't even trust that he'd be in control of his own death. Ever since he signed that contract and sold his soul to the agency, he had known he was at the mercy of his keepers and would definitely die a dog's death.
It was the illusion of control that made him break the speedlimit.
He had imagined the end of his life many times and found that the possibilities were endless. Candidates for the culprit could be easily narrowed down to rival agencies, the government, foreign spies and his own agency. If he played his cards right, it could end clean and quick with a sniper eliminating him from a distance or him being gunned down during an inflitration mission. If he got caught, it could either end merciful and painless if he snitched, or end in slow torture if he refused. However, the commonality that all of the scenarios shared was that his body would be disposed off as discreetly as possible after they erased any trace that he ever existed on this planet.
Nobody would even know he was dead.
Nobody would remember him.
Nobody would miss him.
Seven didn't have much to lose anymore, but the thought of being forgotten still managed to shake him. His hands gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. If he could die while doing something he loved—like speeding on the Gyeongbu Expressway in one of his babies—he'd gladly take it over the alternatives because, at least, his friends would hear about it without being involved. He prayed that he would be allowed to die without getting innocent people tangled up in his mess, even if he had to be alone in the end.
He swore he would be content if his brother, the RFA and Mei could live happily.
If the genie from Aladdin showed up in all of his blue glory and offered to fulfill three selfish wishes before he died, he'd wish to meet his brother, wish to talk to V and wish to call Mei once last time. He loved listening to her melodic voice and would recognize it anywhere. They called each other at least once a day—it had become a ritual—and he cherished their light-hearted conversations that kept the darkness inside him at bay.
It had started out with curiousity, simple fun and games.
Seven honestly hadn't expected for her voice to get stuck in his head even when the calls ended. He found himself getting addicted to hearing her laughter, the frustrated huffs when she complained about party guests, the cheerful humming when she agreed with something he said and—his favorite—the adorable stutter when he managed to fluster her. It was all saved on his harddrive and he was unable to erase it.
"Hello? Seven? Are you there?" Mei asked worriedly in his head. "Alienship to Seven! Bonjour? Hola? Ciao? もしもし? Are you okay?"
Narrowing his golden eyes at the road, the hacker tried to focus on driving while keeping his beige boot glued to the gaspedal. It looked like having a day off gave him too much time to think about his miserable life and dwell on the past, causing him to imagine her voice in his head. He didn't realize that anxiety could be that bad. It was silently brewing beneath the surface while he was trying to keep himself together.
"Did you prank call me?" Mei continued, the hallucination was really persistent. "Wow, this has to be the most boring prank call in the history of prank calls. Even the evil lady from The Ring was better. I mean, she just said 'Seven days!' and breathed a lot into the speaker, but at least she said something."
It was beginning to sound a little too realistic and detailed to be his imagination. Seven scanned his surroundings hurriedly and noticed two irregularities. Firstly, he was driving one-handed. Secondly, he had his phone clutched in his right hand, showing a familiar name and face on the display. His heart pounded in his chest once his brain finally connected the dots. He didn't know when it happened, but his fingers had automatically dialed her number.
He had called her without even realizing.
" … Can you hear me? Sorry, I must've been in a dead zone." Seven lied in an attempt to play it cool. "Okay, I can talk now. What's up?"
"I don't know?" Mei laughed lightly and the sound comforted him. "You're the one who called."
"Hmm … Oh! Yeah! I called, but I don't remember why." Seven felt familiar warmth creep into his cheeks. "My finger just pressed the button by itself. What's the most natural thing to say right now?"
"The fact that you have to ask says a lot about you," Mei teased. "I'm glad you called me anyways. How are you?"
It was a simple yet loaded question that he honestly had no answer to. He was a little stumped since people rarely asked about his well-being and he had thought he preferred it that way. Inside his head, the bright person he wanted to be was waging a war against the dark person he actually was. He wondered what she would think of him if she knew what kind of person he truly was. However, the adrenaline rush from the drive and listening to the detective managed to chase away the darkness.
" … My heart is racing so much, I feel like it's literally going to explode." Seven laughed weakly, "What's wrong with me? I thought my heart stopped from the shock I received when I repaired my car's engine, but it's flopping around like a fish!"
"Um ... that doesn't sound healthy. Are you alright?" Mei asked after a moment of silence. "Car batteries pack quite a punch voltage-wise. Maybe you should lie down?"
"No can do. I'm outside right now," he said, "took one of my babies for a ride to clear my head."
"Are you really okay?" Mei asked and her concern made him grow soft. "Is there any way I can help?"
"You must be an angel to care for someone like me." Seven smiled before slipping more and more into his chatroom persona. "I already feel better. You are the best lubricant for my heart's engine."
"I've never been called lubricant before," she hummed and he was grateful she hasn't hung up on him yet. "I must've somehow evolved from answering machine."
Seven chuckled before reminding her, "I also called you an angel."
"If I'm an angel, then you must be the shining star for my heart." Mei said, not wasting a second to throw the cheesy comeback at him. He was positive she was only playing along for the irony, flirting for the sake of making fun of clichéd chick-flick lines, however, the feeling it left in his chest was a little too real.
"You're joking, right?" Seven asked cheerfully, though his nerves were eating him up inside. "I'm just going to think it's a joke because if I don't, I'm going to get weirder than I already am."
It was impossible that she felt the same way, yet he couldn't deny that he would like it if that were the case. It was frustrating that he couldn't read her mind. He had collected tons of information on her during the background check, but he still couldn't figure out what she thought of him. She was a detective and knew that he was a hacker, yet she wasn't treating him like a criminal and decided to have friendly conversations with him instead.
Seven wasn't sure if it would stay that way once she knew more about him.
What would an angel think of a fallen angel?
Maybe he enjoyed talking to her and wanted her to like him because it would mean he wasn't the dark person he believed he was. Maybe there was a twisted part inside him that wanted to punish himself by having someone on the good side of the law judge him. He had evaded the police and the government his entire life, but sometimes he wondered—in moments of morbid curiosity—what kind of sentence he would get if they ever caught him.
"You're zoning out a lot today." Mei sounded worried. "What's on your mind?"
"I keep thinking about what you'd think of me." Seven admitted. "Do you think I'm a nice person?"
He heard her catch her breath on the other end of the line, which almost made him regret asking. He didn't think he'd be afraid of her answer, but he was.
"Of course you are," she replied quickly. "Why are you asking?"
"Yeah, why am I asking?" Seven was incredibly relieved and hoped with all his heart that he hadn't weirded her out completely. "What the hell is wrong with me? Am I finally going crazy? I thought I already was."
"It's because I stole your sanity." Mei announced, trying to lighten the mood and he thanked her internally. "I'm a detective during the day and a phantom thief that steals sanity at night."
She would steal hearts too if she kept being this cute.
"What? Give it back," he protested, and sighed after a moment. "I'm seriously all over the place, aren't I? I'm totally wasting my first day off in months by acting like a loony. Maybe my brain can't handle the free time, I'm too used to work."
"Well, if you're free and need a distraction … could you help me with something?" Mei asked, hesitant and uneasy. "I promise I'll give you back your sanity as reward."
Seven was caught off guard.
If there was one thing he had learned about her in the last couple of days, it was that she didn't ask for help. She didn't reject it when it was offered and she appreciated even the smallest of favors, but it seemed like the thought of asking for help never crossed her mind when she was faced with a problem. Years of living alone with her sister must've made her grow independent to a fault, at least, that was his theory on the origin of her self-reliance.
It made the fact that she asked even more concerning.
"You sound worried … what's going on?"
"Ah, right. You haven't been online to see it." Mei paused, more to gather her thoughts than to keep him in suspense. "It looks like Elizabeth the 3rd has been kidnapped last night. Jumin is convinced that Glam Choi and Sarah are behind it, but the police hasn't found any evidence, so he asked me to investigate. I thought that since you have experience breaking into his penthouse, you would know about the holes in his security that the culprit could've exploited."
"Someone took Elly?!" Golden eyes widened in disbelief while a million thoughts ran through his head. "Damn, Jumin must be a mess."
"Yeah. Jaehee told me he's acting 'unlike himself' and has the entire company on lock down," Mei explained and sighed. "Well, how about it? Do you want to help with the search?"
It was tempting yet dangerous, like an apple from the Garden of Eden dangling right in front of his mouth.
Seven wanted to help Jumin and he wanted to find Elly, but deep down he was an incredibly selfish person. It would be a lie if he said he agreed to lend a hand for another reason than the chance to meet Mei. Anything else would be an excuse. It was what he wanted most and the feeling had only grown stronger ever since the other members spent time with her. Talking to her over the phone and watching her make funny faces at him through the camera was great, but he was getting tired of the barrier between them.
However, Seven knew he should never forget his place.
It was dangerous for people to meet him. Sure, he had been to the RFA parties and the agency hadn't found our or cared. However, those outings had been prepared by him beforehand and came with a carefully calculated timer. When the clock stroke twelve, he would usually have to make a run for it without losing a glass slipper.
It would be stupid to assume she would be safe just because the agency didn't catch wind of his unauthorized adventures before.
Seven should avoid her for her own safety, yet the thought of not seeing her made his chest ache painfully. It was strange. Inexplicable. He briefly wondered if her invitation was a trap to capture him. Maybe she was waiting for him in one of those police officer costumes with a mischievous smile on her pink lips and a pair of handcuffs dangling from her delicate fingers. He actually wouldn't mind putting them on her—
Damn, his mind was such a mess.
"O-of course, you don't have to." Mei stuttered nervously, still waiting for his answer. "I'm sorry. You finally have a day off and I can handle myself … um … so yeah, don't worry about it."
"No … I … I would love to help." The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Where are you right now? Want me to pick you up?"
"Really?! Thanks!" She exclaimed happily, very much like a child on Christmas that got every wish on their list granted. It was adorable. "You don't have to pick me up though, I'm already at C&R with Jaehee. We're waiting for Jumin to finish his meeting."
"Alright. See you in a bit."
Seven ended the call as fast as humanly possible before more nonsense left his lips. Nerves fluttered like the leaves in the trees that passed by his window when he eased up on the gas pedal and took the next exit to get on the other side of the highway. He knew Seoul like the back of his hand, memorized every street corner and back alley, so he didn't even need to turn GPS on to find the fastest route to his destination.
He hated himself for being so selfish, for putting his desires above the safety of his friends. However, he also knew that he wouldn't regret his decision if it made her happy.
수상한메신저
Sunlight glistened on the tinted windows as the main complex of C&R International threw a shadow on the stony plaza below, towering over him in all its steely glory. Seven never thought a building could be intimidating by itself, yet the Han family had found a way to do just that. He still remembered the first time he stepped through the automatic glass doors and onto the ridiculously expensive marble floor that paved the reception area.
It had been two months after Jumin got Elizabeth the 3rd.
She had been such an adorable little baby kitten and he couldn't resist playing with her—even if that meant breaking into well-guarded headquarters of one of the biggest conglomerates in the country. Of course, he wasn't a rookie when it came to infiltration missions. It had only been a matter of time until he had the target in his arms, however, Jumin hadn't been very happy when he found him in his home, softly biting into her groomed fur in a moment of cute aggression.
Seven had ended up on his—very unfair and totally stupid—blacklist before he could even blink.
He had been banned from setting foot on the premises, unless invited, which only motivated him to do the exact opposite and test the boundaries of their security. He had broken into the penthouse fourteen times and had only been caught eight times. Jumin would probably love nothing more than file a restraining order against him if he could, but it was impossible with his real identity shrouded in mystery, forever hidden from the watchful eyes of the government.
Nevertheless, Seven felt oddly exposed when he entered the familiar building through the front door.
Aviator shades and the hood of his dark green pullover—his favorite signature hoodie was still in the dryer thanks to Vanderwood—were the only protection against the army of security cameras. He usually made an effort to prepare elaborate disguises, which ranged from pizza delivery guy to maid cosplay, and if he didn't, he would crawl through vents or scale the building in the shadow of the night.
"Excuse me, sir. May I ask where you are headed?" One of the receptionists, who looked as much in need of a vacation as the other cogs crushed by this corporate wheel, asked with a raised eyebrow. "You cannot enter this building without stating your name and business."
"I'm Luciel Choi." Seven forced a charming smile on his face and lowered his sunglasses a bit. "I'm here to help my friend find his cat."
She seemed taken aback, possibly by the fact that her boss had friends, before she hurriedly ruffled through the contents of her desk. "Mr. Han has been waiting for you. He is currently in front of his penthouse on the sixteenth floor. Security will let you through, but you'll need this key card to access the area."
Mumbling a quick thanks, Seven took the key card and headed for the elevator in the middle. It arrived only moments after pressing the button and invited him to enter with the sound of a bell chime. Everything was designed to impress visitors and make potential business partners comfortable, yet his mind was too busy to appreciate any of it.
Jumin sure was getting paranoid if he was sealing off entire floors.
He knew the fluffy white cat meant absolutely everything to the stoic company heir, so he wasn't surprised that her disappearance put him on high alert. However, while the hacker was absolutely down for an impenetrable security system—he literally lived in a bunker—Jumin was clearly going overboard. If he kept spiraling out of control, the company building would become a prison to its employees in no time.
Seven was worried about his friend, but concern wasn't what made him anxious to reach the sixteenth floor.
He would meet the woman that had captured his attention ever since she stumbled into the messenger once those elevator doors opened again, which was in approximately thirty-three seconds. Uncharacteristically nervous, he fumbled with the orange chord of his headphones, twisting and pinching it between his fingers. He prayed that meeting her would finally make his secret attraction towards her wear off once and for all.
"I'm glad you could make it on such a short notice," Jumin said in his familiar baritone, which was loud enough to reach his end of the long corridor. "I'll compensate you for your trouble."
"I told you I'm doing this as your friend and fellow cat mom," Mei replied, determined. "If my cats were gone, I wouldn't relax until I found them either."
Seven could practically hear the kind smile in her voice. It sounded soft and musical like playing the upper registers of a piano with gentle touches. He had enjoyed listening to it over the phone, but it didn't compare to reality.
"If you insist." It wasn't like Jumin to give in so easily, but his defeated sigh indicated that they had already been over this a couple of times. "Please tell me if I can do anything for you in return."
"You've sent bodyguards to protect my sister from that hacker," Mei continued, unperturbed. "And I haven't even found Elly yet. If you really want to repay me, then take us all out for ice cream after we found her, okay?"
"'After we found her', huh?" Jumin wondered. "You saying that with such confidence almost makes me believe it's possible."
When they heard him approach with light footsteps, their conversation ebbed away into nothingness. It was good that they were cautious enough to remain aware of their surroundings and the possibility of being overheard during conversations. Jumin, Jaehee and Mei were definitely more perceptive than the others in the RFA, which he chalked up to their professions.
Although, they only heard him because he wanted them to.
Taking a deep breath to steel himself, Seven rounded the corner and was immediately greeted by deep blue eyes that were filled with curiosity and made his heart miss a beat. He froze in his spot, somewhat speechless, and gave himself a moment to take her in.
Error 404. 707 Not Found.
Silky chocolate brown hair flowed down the back of her red shirt and her smooth ivory skin seemed to glow. Her high-waisted denim shorts revealed long legs and fit snugly around her womanly hips. She was shorter than him, but he couldn't tell by how much because when she turned her body towards him, he was thoroughly distracted by the nice view he got of her chest, the swell of her breasts peaking out teasingly from beneath the low cut.
She was gorgeous. Somebody help him.
He would think she wasn't real, if he didn't know better, maybe a dream or a hallucination induced by sleep-deprivation. After a small eternity, he composed himself and awkwardly cleared his throat. He gave her a small smile and her pretty lips turned upwards to mirror it with one of her own.
God, this wasn't fair. He was supposed to get over her.
"Seven!" Mei exclaimed happily, taking a few rushed steps towards him. Her expression faltered once she reached him, looking unsure whether to go for a polite bow, a friendly hug or a casual handshake. He waited patiently while she became increasingly flustered and he could barely hold back from teasing her when she went for the handshake. "It's nice to meet you. Thank you for coming."
"Yeah ... it's nice to meet you too." Seven replied lamely, distracted by the tingling of his skin where her hand touched his. He made an effort to calm himself before he mock-saluted to her with a grin spreading across his face. "Agent Seven is always at your service, Miss Detective. Our top secret mission to locate the missing kitty is my top priority today."
"Good to know." Mei giggled and returned the gesture. "I look forward to working with you, Agent Seven."
It was a little overwhelming to hear her say his name—even if it was only a pseudonym—and he caught himself getting lost in her bright blue eyes instead of keeping the conversation going like a regular human being.
"I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, but now is not the time." Jumin interrupted, tapping his foot impatiently. "Elizabeth the 3rd is still in the hands of those women and who knows what they're doing to her while we're chatting idly with each other."
"How about we take a look at the penthouse first? I'll show you the monitor room afterwards," Jaehee suggested. "Although, the police already confirmed that the CCTV footage is useless, so I'm not sure what good it will do."
"R-right." Mei shook her head, getting back to business. "One step at a time. When was the last time you saw her?"
"Yesterday evening, around eight, before I went to dinner with my father." Jumin answered, trying to hide his distress. "You see … I was worried about her because she got a shot at the veterinary clinic in the afternoon, so I decided to check on her despite my tight schedule."
"That's understandable," she said reassuringly. "When exactly did you notice she was gone?"
"Around twelve at night, when I came back." Jumin frowned and crossed his arms. "My security personnel searched the entire building and analyzed the video footage, but since they couldn't find her, I concluded that she must've been kidnapped. There are only two people with a motive and a strong incentive. Glam Choi pushed for the engagement between Sarah and me, which I obviously refused, so in order to make me compliant they took Elizabeth hostage. I knew they were bad people, but I underestimated them. They must've hired someone to break through my security."
"Slow down." Mei grasped his elbow in an effort to calm him down. "I believe you when you say they're suspicious, but jumping to conclusions won't help us find her."
Jumin nodded, reluctantly accepting her words, and she finally let go of his arm again. When had they gotten so close? Seven was relieved when she turned her attention to the door of the penthouse, which Jaehee was unlocking. He had been inside a couple of times and had memorized the interior perfectly, which was why he immediately noticed the differences.
There was a new landscape painting on the ivory wall between the huge TV and the floor to floor aquarium. Moreover, the expensive black Italian leather couch in the center of the room was angled slightly more to the left and there was a golden cage in front of the large windows from which one could overlook almost the entire city. Seven stole a glance at the detective by his side, who was taking in the surroundings as though she was trying to commit every detail to memory. Amused, he realized, she was probably doing exactly that.
"You kept her in a cage?" Mei struggled to keep the judgment out of her voice, but he heard it regardless. While he wasn't one to talk, even he knew that keeping cats confined in a cages bordered on animal abuse.
"It was the safest place for her, considering the circumstances." Jumin defended. "I knew Glam Choi and Sarah were plotting something, so protecting Elizabeth was the most logical course of action."
"You were the only one who had the key."
Seven was impressed that she managed to keep her criticism at bay in favor of the investigation. It looked like had a lot of experience with these type of situations.
"Correct. It must've been forced open by the kidnapper since I'm certain I locked it before I left."
"Maybe," Mei mumbled, more to herself than to them. "It doesn't look like the lock is broken though. No scratch marks either."
She lingered at the golden cage and trailed one delicate finger along the sturdy bars before examining the lock as thoroughly as expected of a detective. Shivers ran down his spine when he imagined what it would feel like to have her undivided attention on him, soft hands taking their time as they explored every detail. He fought very hard to banish those sinful thoughts from his mind, but found it impossible to take his eyes off her.
It was fascinating to watch her work.
Wrinkling her cute nose in disapproval, she fumbled with the locking mechanism and it didn't even take a minute before it opened with a quiet click. Her discovery opened up new possibilities as it became apparent that you didn't need a key—not even a lock pick—to open the cage.
"I'm done with this room," Mei concluded when she approached their group. "Although, you should really go back to work while we investigate, Jumin. I'm sure the company isn't going to take care of itself and we'll be fine on our own."
It sounded like she wanted to get rid of the business heir. Seven didn't know why, but maybe the thought of a worried cat mom glancing over her shoulder every step of the way was making her nervous.
"If you think it's for the best, I'm going to trust your judgment." Jumin conceded reluctantly. "However, please call me if there is any progress. I don't think I can concentrate on work while Elizabeth is still missing, so I will gather information about Glam Choi and Sarah instead."
"Sounds like a plan." Mei smiled relieved. "Good luck."
Once Jumin excused himself, they left the penthouse and made their way towards the monitor room at the end of the hallway. It would take time to review the security footage since the time frame in which the crime took place spanned over four hours. However, he was glad that he would finally be able to contribute to the investigation with his skills. Security personnel and police officers were noobs in comparison to the almighty hacker.
Seven plopped down in the office chair at the center and prepared to make the security system his slave.
Fingers flew across the keyboard in an effort to impress the bubbly detective as he pulled up the video footage from last night and fast-forwarded it to 8PM. There were five cameras on the sixteenth floor, two of them were directed at the elevator from a distance, two were watching the other end of the hallway and the last one was recording the door from inside the penthouse. He upped the replay speed to 2x.
Suddenly, Mei rested her arms on the backrest of his chair, weight settling against it, and his breath caught in his throat when she leaned forward to look over his shoulder.
It made him nervous to be this close to her, their proximity making him notice details about her that he hadn't before. She smelled like flowery soap, peppermint and a hint of paper that had been written on with ink. It was so nice. If he could, he'd love to bottle it up and take it with him. He realized with a start that he had stopped working and quickly forced his attention back on the monitor, ignoring the goosebumps on his skin every time her breath hit his neck.
God was testing him today.
"What do you really think, Mei?" Jaehee asked, somewhat unnerved, while they watched the video. "Was the beast kidnapped?"
"More like cat-napped." Seven quipped, referencing one of their jokes in the chatroom. He was rewarded with a light chuckle from the detective and a withering glare from the secretary.
"No, I don't think so." Mei admitted with a sigh, weight shifting against the chair. "She could've easily ran away by herself, which is more likely than someone breaking into C&R without being seen."
"I see." Jaehee nodded. "Is that why you sent Mr. Han away?"
"Yeah," she said. "He is so caught up with the idea of a culprit that I don't think he'll listen to reason. I don't think he would accept alternative possibilities either, unless we provide conclusive evidence, which we don't have yet."
She had a point, even though her conclusion didn't sit well with him. While his friend had become rather paranoid, he wasn't someone who would let emotions dictate his actions, no matter how much he despised his father's new fiance. If there was one adjective that fit Jumin Han like a glove, it was 'reasonable'. He had four years worth of empirical evidence, gathered through conversations in the messenger, proving that the man was a robot who repressed his emotions.
Seven crossed his arms. "What makes you sure he won't listen to reason?"
"Experience." Mei replied without hesitation, yet the warm concern in her eyes made him relent easily. "You've seen the look on his face, right? I've seen it on people countless times. Deep down, I think he knows that he's being narrow-minded, but he is too afraid to consider other options because it would mean ..."
"… considering that the cat ran away from him." Jaehee finished, realization dawning on her face. "Mr. Han would be devastated if that were the case."
"I guess the saying that the truth can be painful is true." Seven sighed, trying very hard not to let her words affect him. There were just some boxes that should remain shut for the time being. Lying is also a form of protection after all, whether you want to protect yourself or others. "Kinda makes you appreciate lies a little more."
"I'd rather be in pain and hear the truth than the other way around," Mei said with certainty. "We should explore every possibility available. Or in the words of a master detective: If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
"How very Sherlock Holmes of you," Seven teased, yet couldn't help but feel awed by her passion. "Aside from the defective locking mechanism on the cage, what makes you think Elly ran away? I think it's highly unlikely that she was able to avoid all of the video and thermal cameras in the building by herself."
"You're right." Mei nodded patiently, considering his words. "Catnapping isn't completely off the table yet, which is why I invited you. Someone on your level could've broken in and manipulated the video footage afterwards, but there is enough evidence that points to her escaping from the cage by herself ... How often does Jumin get his penthouse cleaned, Jaehee?"
"Everyday."
"I thought so," she continued, "but then it doesn't make sense that her hair is all over the place, when it really should be limited to the cage. I saw some in the hallway earlier too. I'm not a veterinarian, but cats don't lose that much fur for no reason, so she must've been stressed. It might've been a reaction to the shot she got at the clinic earlier that day."
"Moreover, neither the door to the penthouse nor the cage showed signs of forced entry." Jaehee added thoughtfully. "None of the staff reported seeing someone suspicious and the police hasn't found anything on the CCTV either."
"Cameras aren't omnipotent and they don't cover every inch of this place. I'm living proof of that." Seven smiled sheepishly under the secretary's steely glare. "If she was living at my place though, there is no way she could've escaped or been kidnapped."
It was the truth. Not only was his bunker hidden in the mountains, it was always protected by a minimum of three levels of security that changed frequently and it was impossible to open the gate without saying the correct password in Arabic. Today it was انا احب القطط, which was kinda fitting.
"It doesn't explain how she got out of the cage though." Jaehee argued, raising a perfect eyebrow. "Even if the locking mechanism was badly constructed, I doubt a cat could've opened it."
"She definitely could've opened it," the detective objected. "I tested it earlier and it's even easier from the inside. All you have to do is push against the main metal bolt with a little force. It would've been enough if she started playing with it and hit it with her paws, which cats like to do when they are bored."
Movement in the bottom right corner of the monitor drew his attention away from the conversation, tapping a rhythm on the mouse in his hand as he paused and rewound the video frame by frame. Hallway Camera 2, Floor 6, 09:49PM. It happened one and a half hours after Jumin left for dinner with his father. Granted, the camera had captured nothing but a white blur speeding out of the half-open apartment door, but it was all the evidence they needed.
"Looks like you were right. We've got a runaway kitty on our hands," Seven exclaimed triumphantly when he found what the police had missed. "One one camera caught her on tape, but it's definitely Elly. I would recognize that fluffy white fur anywhere."
"Good job," Mei said gratefully, which made his chest swell with pride. "It looks like it's been nineteen hours since she ran away."
Jaehee looked more stressed than relieved by this development. "She could be anywhere then. Where do we even begin looking?"
"Cats can't get that far on their own," Mei hummed. "We should look for places that are attractive to cats and close to the building."
"Attractive to cats?" Jaehee muttered in disbelief, which made the detective smile. "Are you telling us to think like a cat?!"
"Yes."
"Oh~ I like where this is going, Miss Detective." Seven smirked. "We could try method acting with cat costumes to get into her head, or build a mountain out of catnip to lure her in, or set traps with her favorite cat food to catch her."
"No to all of the above." Jaehee snapped. "Firstly, you will never see me in a cat costume. Secondly, you are not going to make me build a mountain of catnip or cat food and award the beast for running away. Thirdly, you will not give Mr. Han more excuses to work on cat-related projects, even if those are traps meant to capture them."
"Why not? Sounds like fun." Mei giggled and the sound made warmth spread inside his chest. "I'd love to do all of the above, but thinking about places where runaway cats would love to hang out is less time consuming."
"Already on it," Seven announced, proudly showing off an app that looked a lot like Google Maps. It was a program he had developed in his free time that tracked down people—or cats—by entering their information. It calculated everything, the data about the target in addition to weather and traffic conditions, and provided him with the most probable locations of said person—or cat. Matches were organized from most to least probable location and marked by red dots on the map.
"There is a park a kilometer south from here that looks promising," he said, swiping his fingers over the touchscreen to zoom in. "She could've gotten there within nineteen hours, even if she took detours along the way."
"Wow, that's so cool." Mei praised and leaned over his shoulder, eyes shining with enthusiasm. "You're amazing!"
Seven turned his head away to hide the warmth on his cheeks.
While he wasn't proud his ability to hack into pretty much anything, he was definitely proud of his programming skills. It was rare that someone genuinely admired and complimented his work. He was used Vanderwood yelling at him not to waste his time on silly personal projects and the only other people who saw the fruits of his labor were his enemies, who weren't a fan of him either. Even V remained wary of his skills, despite being the one who had encouraged developing them.
"I know that park," Jaehee ripped him from the downward-spiral of his thoughts. "I've visited it before, when I was on lunch break, and I recall seeing stray cats around the area. They gather there because of the bungeoppang vendor."
"The smell from the fish cake probably attracts them," Mei pondered before clapping her hands together with renewed energy. "Good job, everyone."
수상한메신저
Seven couldn't remember the last time he'd been in a park and it would've been refreshing if it wasn't so hot outside. It was that type of satanic heat that makes you feel like you've been punched in the face once you took a step outside. Unfortunately, it was also noon, so the sun was smiling at the world, almost sadistically, with her warmest UV-rays.
He wished he could've stayed inside his beloved car that came with supreme air-conditioning and tinted windows.
Global warming was taking its toll on the planet and the lovely star centering their solar system definitely wasn't the cause. Humanity brought this upon themselves and the people denying it would surely join him in purgatory. If the temperatures in hell were close to this weather, he should definitely stock up on sunscreen to last him through the afterlife.
He highly doubted it would be sold down there.
Seven rolled up the arms of his sweatshirt, however, it didn't bring any relief. It was hard to breathe and he was dying in his clothes, but couldn't risk taking it off since he still needed to hide his identity from the street cameras. His red hair was too conspicuous without the hood covering it. It wasn't the first time he regretted becoming a hacker and it wouldn't be the last.
"I wouldn't mind the heat wave," Jaehee began as she folded her blazer over her arm, "if I were on vacation somewhere on a beach."
"Beach day sounds amazing, but I'd be happy with ice cream too." Mei fanned herself with her hand, cheeks adorably flushed. He wondered whether he should build a portable fan. "Well, there are less people in the park due to the heat, so at least that makes our search easier."
They had found temporary shelter in the shade of a couple of tall trees and were currently taking a break to update the others on their progress. When he fished his phone out of his pocket, he still worried that it would overheat despite it being made out of the most durable materials.
[A new chatroom has opened; Updates please!; Yoosung]
Yoosung: Guys! Have you found her?!
Yoosung: I've been waiting hours for someone other than Zen to be online.
Yoosung: He kept talking about beauty products ugh. It's like talking to a living, breathing infomertial.
Yoosung: Did you know that twenty-four hour make up only lasts about four hours when you're standing beneath stage lights?
Yoosung: Me neither! And I feel like that knowledge replaced a precious childhood memory.
Yoosung: Give me back my childhood!(ಥ﹏ಥ)
Yoosung: But nvm, it's been killing me not to know what's going on. It's like my life is buffering.
Seven grinned while he read his distressed monologue. It must be frustrating to be left out of the loop, but to be fair, Yoosung had probably been playing LOLOL or some other RPG to pass the time, so his sympathy was limited.
[707 has entered the chatroom.]
[MC has entered the chatroom.]
707: BREAKING NEWS!
707: We haven't found her yet.
707: But the RFA Investigation Team has been founded and is in operation.
707: We're in the middle of rescuing the damsel in distress (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
[Jaehee Kang has entered the chatroom.]
Jaehee Kang: Please do not refer to us as such.
Yoosung: GUYS! I MISSED YOU (ಥ﹏ಥ)
MC: If there's something strange … in your neighbourhood.
707: Who you're gonna call?
MC: RFA-IT! ヾ(´▽｀*)ﾉ
Jaehee Kang: (눈_눈)
Yoosung: I take everything back ( ¬ _ ¬ ;)
Jaehee Kang: I've been working with these people.
Yoosung: I wish I could help you guys, but I'm stuck at university.
Yoosung:（；へ：）
707: Don't you mean there has been an important raid with a special limited-edition legendary sword as reward?
Yoosung: Yeah, it was amazing (ᴖ◡ᴖ)~
Yoosung: No, no! I meant—
Yoosung: That I wish I could've played LOLOL, but I was stuck in a lecture.
MC: Right.
707: lmao
Yoosung: Gah! You tricked me!
707: (⌐▨‿▨)
Jaehee Kang: Yoosung, don't you think your gaming addiction has gone too far?
Jaehee Kang: It's compromising your real life.
MC: While I'm all for doing what you love, I gotta agree.
Yoosung: ;;;
707: The women r gangin' up on you, but I got ur back my boi.
Jaehee Kang: ( ¬ _ ¬ ;)
Yoosung: Many people complain about their university courses
Yoosung: but my program is borderline dystopian
707: smallest violin playing in the background
Yoosung: (┛ಠДಠ)┛彡┻━┻
Yoosung: They really put an ungodly amount of pressure on people studying in the medical field.
MC: Amen
MC: 八(￣＾￣)
Jaehee Kang: I've heard that it requires a lot of memorization.
MC: You don't know true suffering until you have to learn microbiology or
MC: sit through a histology lecture where they want you to find the differences in nearly identical photomicrographs.
MC: (_ _|||)
Yoosung: But you are already done! hOW?!
MC: I'm still traumatized though lol
707: Corporate needs you to find the differences
707: in this picture □
707: and in this picture □
707: (⌐▨_▨)
MC: They are the same picture (๑‾᷅~‾᷄๑)੭ु⁾⁾˞͛ ༘ؓ ︠³
Yoosung: How did you get your degree so fast?
MC: good memory
MC: bulimic learning
MC: replacing childhood memories with statistics
MC: summoned a demon with my tears as sacrifices
MC: all-nighters
MC: said goodbye to the sun
When he had performed the background check on her, Seven had gotten the feeling that their experiences were similar. It was one of the reasons he felt connected to her in the first place. She was joking about it now, but it must've been hard on her to make the sacrifices an early degree required.
He still remembered those dreadful one and a half years, where he never got more than three hours of sleep per night.
707: Ahhh~ Sweet college memories~
707: It feels like it's only been yesterday (๑´ㅂ`๑)
707: You can do it, Yoosung!
Yoosung: I'm soooo behind with my studies though
Yoosung: I might have to repeat the semester;;
MC: How about forming a study group when you can't get motivated by yourself?
Yoosung: Bold of you to assume I have friends outside the RFA (ノ﹏ヽ)
707: lolol
Jaehee Kang: When you need motivation, it helps to make a list of your goals. It's easier to study once you remember why you're doing this.
707: Wisdom!
Yoosung: I want to help animals as a veterinarian.
Yoosung: I want to make Rika proud.
Yoosung: I want V to suffer because I blame him for her death.
Yoosung: I want to get a girlfriend.
Yoosung: I want the RFA party to be a success.
MC: Wait;;
MC: One of them isn't like the others.
Yoosung: And I never want to have instant ramen again or I'll jump out of the dorm window. I'm not even joking lol
707: (。・・)_且
Jaehee Kang: You could also separate your study material into smaller-sized bits, so you don't feel overwhelmed.
707: Time Limits!
707: Imagine that someone will shoot you or tase you or ... delete your LOLOL account if you don't complete the task in one hour.
707: Motivation through fear always works like a charm~
Yoosung: Look everyone ...
Yoosung: It's really nice that you guys want to help me, but it's hard to accept advice from people who have all graduated super early.
Yoosung: Everyone in the RFA is amazing, but I'm just an average student.
707: Yoosung ... （；へ：）
Jaehee Kang: You got a scholarship as well, so you only need to put in the work. However, you don't have to rush through your education if you don't have a pressing reason to finish early.
Seven understood the reason yet hated when Yoosung put himself down like that. He had the freedom to do whatever he wanted with his life and as someone who lived like a prisoner, it was frustrating to watch him throw it all away. He would be capable of so much more, if he wasn't his own worst enemy. However, while it made the hacker jealous at times, he wished only the best for his friend.
Yoosung: Enough about me, okay?
Yoosung: You should be looking for Elizabeth the 3rd.
Jaehee Kang: ... if you say so.
Jaehee Kang: Where do you suppose we start our search, Mei?
MC: Maybe we can check out the fishcake stall first?
MC: I think the heat might've made it more smelly than usual, which in turn attracts more stays.
Jaehee Kang: And if she isn't there?
MC: Then we can ask around as well. Maybe someone has seen her.
707: If all else fails, I'll hack into the street cams.
707: Though I'd rather not …
707: since the government doesn't appreciate my talents lol
Yoosung: So she hasn't been kidnapped?
707: Negative (⌐▨_▨)
Yoosung: That's a relief (◠‿◠)
Jaehee Kang: We'll inform you as soon as we find her.
[Jaehee Kang has left the chatroom.]
MC: Yoosung.
Yoosung: Ya?
MC: You forgot to eat while gaming, didn't you?
Yoosung: Wow, are you psychic?
MC: Yes!
MC: Go get urself lunch and cheer up (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
Yoosung: I can't say no if a cute girl worries about me!
Yoosung: (≧▽≦)
[MC has left the chatroom.]
707: No, don't eat lunch (ﾟ□ﾟ*川
Yoosung: It's like I have an angel and a demon sitting on my shoulder;;
707: The angel has already left though lol
707: You only have instant ramen, right?
707: We don't want any accidents happening at your dorm, so please stay away from your window when you eat it.
Yoosung: Why did you have to remind me?! (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Yoosung: And how do you know I only have that?! Are all of my friends psychic now?
707: You didn't know? (ﾟ□ﾟ*川
707: We have all been blessed by the wizard Nostradamus at the Fountain of Wisdom, which taught us the special skill of Future Sight and raised our intelligence stat by seven-hundred-seven stages.
Yoosung: I must've missed that event (ー∀ー；)
Yoosung: Seven!
707: Ya?
Yoosung: It's good to see you outside ur bunker. I've been worried abt u.
707: ?
Yoosung: Have fun! (ᴖ◡ᴖ)
707: Ok. Laterz.
[707 has left the chatroom.]
Seven stared at his phone and shook his head. That was … weird.
"We should really get going," Mei said, though she didn't sound enthusiastic. "If we don't hurry, Elly might be a baked cat once we find her. Imagine having a coat of fur in this weather."
He saw her shudder visibly at the thought and watched when she took a step closer towards the edge of their sanctuary. She stared at the line between sunlight and shadow with apprehension, as though stepping over it was the same as setting herself on fire.
"Remind me to demand a raise from Mr. Han once we're done here," Jaehee lamented as she put on shades. "This wasn't anywhere in the job description."
After mentally preparing themselves for their journey through oven-like temperatures, Seven and Jaehee followed Mei into the sunlight and down the gravel path that lead towards the center of the park. Stones were heating up like cooking plates beneath them and he was grateful his boots protected him from being toasted. He spotted stray cats hiding in the bushes along the way, but none of them looked even remotely like Elly.
And after they checked out the bungeoppang, which—as predicted—had him hold his breath from the awful fishy smell, they searched every stray cat spot and found …
Nothing.
When they were about to head back to his car and test their luck at the next location his app suggested, they overheard an interesting conversation. A small girl with pigtails was tugging at her mother's dress with a petulant frown on her face, while insistently waving around her free hand.
"Mommy, listen to me! Mommy! You need to believe me," she whined. "I heard the tree meowing. I swear I'm not lying."
"Trees don't meow, sweety. They don't have mouths like animals do," the mother replied patiently. "It's just your imagination. Why don't we get some ice cream, okay?"
"No, I don't want any. I want mommy to believe me," the girl whined, stomping her feet on the ground. "The. Tree. Meowed."
Seven and Mei shared a look, before the latter hurried towards the mother and her child.
"Um … excuse me," she started once she came to a stop in front of them. "Would you mind telling me where that meowing tree is? Our friend's cat ran away yesterday and we've been trying to find her. She might be stuck on that tree."
"See mommy, I was right." The girl huffed before turning towards the detective with a toothy grin. "It's that big oak tree over there. You can't miss it."
Mei bowed slightly. "Thank you so much."
When she turned back around, Seven's breath caught in his throat. She was smiling from one ear to the other, hopeful blue eyes twinkling in the sunlight in a way that made his heart pound against his chest. It was as though she was glowing from the inside and the sight erased the worries that had plagued him earlier and almost driven him to decline her request for help.
He couldn't regret giving into his selfishness when she was smiling at him like that.
Seven realized with a start that instead of vanishing, his fascination with her had only increased after meeting her. It was a rarity, but he had made a gross miscalculation when it came to his interest in her. He had assumed it was an anti-proportional curve—the more he knew about her, the less interest he would have—but in reality it behave more like a proportional curve—the more he knew about her, the more interest he developed. He wondered whether he would ever hit the proportional limit or whether it would keep growing exponentially.
It worried him and he knew he couldn't let this get out of hand, but for now he would enjoy the warmth in his chest.
To Be Continued ...