AN: I promised to be quicker with updates, so here is the next chapter. It's actually split between Seven's and Mei's POV this time. Hope you're excited for the RFA party ;)
chibianimefan26: Thank you soooo so much! I'm so happy that you think my writing is heartwarming and that I've kept everyone in character, that means a lot. I'm glad you ship Seven and Mei, but there is definitely gonna be some angst in the future ;A; my poor bby Seven doesn't deserve it! (Also, Yes POKEMON GO! Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only one playing still but then again, someone kicks me out of the gyms so I can't be the only one lol)
Chapter Nine
Cool Kids Never Sleep
It was still pretty early in the morning when Mei rushed through their shared apartment like a whirlwind, trying to dispell her nervous energy by doing everything and nothing at once.
She had spend a large portion of her time arguing with her little sister, who was still refusing to come to the party. Hana wasn't a people person and if she could have her way, she'd probably lock herself in her room and draw for the rest of the week. While Mei admired the art student for her dedication and didn't want to force her into this, she was worried that she'd become lonely without realizing it.
So in an act of sisterly love, the detective had commited the ultimate crime and ripped the blankets off of Hana, who had been pretending to sleep. When the older sister dragged her out of bed by the legs, she had recieved a few retributive kicks in the stomach. But before it could turn into a full-blown wrestling match, Mei had started showering her sister with reasons why she should attend the party.
That was how their argument had started.
It was probably more one-sided that she'd have liked, but Hana had a talent for impersonating a refigerator. A couple of frosty glares and annoyed grunts were everything that the teenager contributed to their pseudo-argument. If anyone still required evidence that her sister was a grouch in the morning, there it was.
In the end, the argument that finally convinced her to put down her weapons—at some point she had grabbed a cushion and a shoehorn—was the fact that Zen would be there. Just the mention of his name had pacified her enough to loosen her defensive stance and engage her older sibling in a quiet staring competition.
"Why are you so quiet?" Mei asked, slightly unnerved by her sister's accusing glares.
Maybe she was forgiven?
"No-one plans murder out loud."
Nope, she definitely wasn't.
"O-okay." Mei shuddered. "Someone watched too many horror movies lately."
At this point, Mei was convinced that Hana must be spending a good portion of her day memorizing sassy quotes from various websites to throw at her in case she left herself open. Everytime she tried to drop a witty remark on her sibling, it always ended up stabbing her in the back.
"You should really get dressed now," Mei chimed, adding some extra cheer pester her sibling, "unless you want to meet Zen in your Pusheen print pajamas."
Grumbling insults beneath her breath, Hana disappeared into the darkness of her room, only to emerge five minutes later with a resignated frown on her face. It was a mystery how the teen managed to look presentable so quickly while Mei was still unable to decide on a dress, having scattered her entire wardrobe across their apartment in despair.
"I hope you're gonna clean that up," Hana stated emotionlessly, looking at the messy circle of clothes that surrounded her with bleary eyes. "And can we get some pizza before we go? I'm starving. It's like there is a blackhole in my stomach."
"No way, they have a huge buffet planned." Mei didn't even blink at the idea of pizza for breakfast. "I'm sure they'll have pizza. I'll probably have to roll you back home."
On the positive side, it was another great argument that would convince Hana to keep her word and cement her decision to come along. Food was her achilles heel and refusing free food was close to impossible for her. Mei hated exploiting her sister's weaknesses like that, but reassured herself that it was for a good cause. Her thoughts must've been visible on her face because Hana was back to sharpening spears in her eyes.
"Maybe you should wear something with a little more colour?" Mei said once she spotted her outfit, praying that she'd just accept the abrupt change of topic. "You wear black everyday and today is special."
The art student sighed in annoyance and shrugged, gazing down on her long tunic with indifference. The younger Cheon had never cared for fashion much, so the fact that she wore a dress in the first place spoke volumes. She must really be looking forward to seeing the musical actor, otherwise she probably would have donned one of her worn-out bandshirts and claimed it was haute couture.
"Even your bandshirts have some colour to them."
Hana regarded her evenly, the twitch of her eye the only sign of emotion that betrayed her stoic facade. "The difference between pizza and your opinion is that I only asked for the pizza."
"No colour, I get it." Mei replied distractedly, unsuprised by her refusal.
She had been pushing Hana's buttons enough for now. The fact that she was still alive after dragging her out of bed earlier was a miracle in itself. The detective vowed to thank Zen for existing, believing that he was the only reason Hana had refrained from murdering her.
Besides, Mei had better things to do than smash what was left of their fragile truce to pieces.
Sitting half-naked between piles of colourful clothes, the young woman was still searching for the dress, wondering why this was so stressfull. Mei prided herself on having nerves of steel, an absolute must-have if you work for the homicide department, which was why it frustrated her that a single piece of clothing managed to tear them apart as though they were made out of wet paper.
Maybe she cared so much because it was the first time that she wanted to impress someone.
Sigh.
At this point, her crush on Seven was getting ridiculous, she doubted he'd care which dress she wore to the party, but that didn't make it easier.
Heaving another wistful sigh, Mei tried to deduce why it was becoming worse instead of fading over time. It probably had to do with the fact that he was always there for her, rescuing her from trees and listening to her when she felt lonely. Not to mention, the mystery surrounding him intrigued her curious nature. The man was an enigma, a very attractive one, and she quietly admitted that it was hard not to fall for him.
"Something wrong? You look constipated."
At this point, Mei was ready to yell 'For Sparta' and tackle her sister to the floor.
"Yeah? At least, I don't look like I'm going to a funeral-themed pajama party."
Hana raised an eyebrow at her fit of misplaced anger as though the comment hadn't affected her at all. But the detective knew that she was simply biding her time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back.
Why did she have to deal with this today?
Cursing her luck, Mei dug through another mountain of clothes and sighed relieved once her fingers brushed against the perfect dress. It was a shimmering, golden babydoll number that was a little playful yet appropriate enough for formal events. Now, she just had to get it on and find a matching pair of shoes.
Instead of offering help, Hana simply watched as Mei struggled with the zipper—a fight that would go down in the history books for sure.
"At least, I can dress myself."
There, another stab in the back. Mei looked up from her intense battle with the zipper to see the self-satisfied smirk on Hana's face. Shaking her head in defeat, the older sibling took the high road and resisted to urge to throw a comback at her.
They were running late.
With the speed and grace of a headless chicken, she hurriedly fixed her hair and applied some make-up. Slipping into a pair of black heels that she found beneath the sofa, the detective grabbed their VIP passes while Hana fed their cats breakfast. After checking that they hadn't forgotten anything, they stepped out of their apartment and right into the protective swarm of Jumin's bodyguards.
They looked professional enough to work for the government, each of them as tall as a skyscraper and build with muscles that rivaled an outgrown bear.
In the beginning, Mei and Hana had tried to start conversations with them in order to make the walks to their favorite small grocery store less awkward, but quickly gave up on trying. Apart from their initial introduction and short walkie talkie conversations, they never made a sound or showed any indication that they heard them. They were like the Beef Eaters in Buckingham Palace.
Their vow of silence was the least of their problems though.
Apparently, Jumin's extravagant lifestyle had made them unable to cope with the daily life of a commoner.
Grocery shopping, for example, had been a disaster. The old lady at the cash register nearly had a heart attack when one of the bodyguards tackled the scanner out of her hand, thinking that the beeping sound it emitted was transmitting signals to an enemy in morse code. It had taken a while to convince the guards that they weren't in danger, spending the rest of their afternoon pleading with the lady not to ban them from the store forever.
Still, as inconvenient as they were, it was a price Mei was willing to pay, if it meant that her sister was safe from Unknown's schemes.
"Is Kyu coming?" Hana asked off-handedly once they entered the car, both marveling at the comfortable leather seats. "I know she's still mad at you for that stunt you pulled with the hacker."
Mei snickered, pulling out her phone from her purse. "We had a fight through text messages, you know, like real adults do."
"More like she threw insults at you, which you found funny so you kept egging her on," Hana summarized monotonely, gazing out of the window at the passing city. "She ended up exploding on you and once she got tired of your crap, you invited her to the party. That about right?"
"You know me so well, sis." Mei beamed back, proud of her sister's deductions. It must run in the family.
Remembering what she was initially about to do, the detective switched her phone on and signed into the messenger. To her suprise, almost everyone was online, so she quickly informed them that they were on their way to the party. Just when she was in the middle of thanking Jumin for their ride, Hana glanced over her shoulder, noticed that Zen was in the chatroom and promptly began to fight her for the phone.
Stupid celebrity crush.
Jumin Han: No need to thank me for that, it goes without saying.
[Yoosung has entered the chatroom.]
Yoosung : Jumin. I'm still mad at you for calling my mom, she's coming to the party too.
Yoosung : How am I supposed to find a girlfriend when I'm with my mom all the time?!
Yoosung : If I end up forever alone, I'm blaming you.
MC: Adjiwbjhbe get off me you demon
MC: Help!
ZEN: Are you okay, Mei? (ﾟДﾟ;)
MC: Ya, a zombie teenager tried to steal my phone.
Yoosung : A zombie?! ⊃゜Д゜）⊃
Jumin Han: No, a teenager.
Jaehee Kang: Those aren't mutually exclusive.
ZEN: More like mutually inclusive.
707: lololol
707: Sounds vicious.
ZEN: Hi, Mei's sister ღゝ◡╹)ノ
MC: Yeah, she's in a bad mood.
MC: Don't say hi to her, she doesn't deserve it with the fight she put up.
MC: Akjbhbhjfebvek
After a particularly strong elbow jab to her ribs, Mei hissed in pain and let go of the phone. Seriously, Hana could've just asked nicely.
MC: Finally.
MC: Victory! (≖‿≖)
707: What's going on? ;;
MC: Hi, Zen. I'm Hana, her sister :)
Yoosung : She has been taken over ( ᗝ )
MC: Don't listen to Mei! I'm super excited for the party!
ZEN: I'm glad to hear that~
MC: (⺣◡⺣)
MC: I hope you don't mind, but can I get your autograph later? My stupid sister probably forgot to ask (-_-)
MC: Please, please, please. I'd be a dream come true.
ZEN: Of course, you can. Everything for you, sweetie ;)
Yoosung : Eventhough I know it's not her, it's weird seeing Mei's name next to fangirly messages to Zen.
Jumin Han: Agreed. It's not natural.
707: …
707: Is Mei okay?
MC: Define okay.
707: (・ᗝ・；)
707: "OK" (/oʊkeɪ/; spelling variations include "okay","O.K.", "ok") is an English word denoting approval, acceptance, agreement, assent, or acknowledgment. "OK" is frequently used as a loanword in other languages. It has been described as the most frequently spoken or written word on the planet.[1]
ZEN: You needed wikipedia for this?
MC: She's okay, don't worry about her hahaha
Yoosung : I'm worried Σ(ﾟДﾟ；
707: Seconded!
Jaehee Kang: Thirded ...
Jumin Han: Fourthted?
ZEN: I'd say fifthed for the sake of it, but I'm not worried ┐(´∀｀)┌
ZEN: Squabbles between siblings are normal, especially when it's over a cute guy like myself
Yoosung : （;ﾟ;艸;ﾟ;）
ZEN: What's that supposed to be?
Jumin Han: That emoticon is supposed to express the action of vomiting, I believe.
707: Oh? I see. Mr. Trustfund Kid has been studying the confusing language of emoticons, slang and urban dictionary. A round of applause ƪƪ'▿')
Jumin Han: In this day and age, it is important to keep up with trends. The cat emoticons are my favorite (⁎˃ᆺ˂)
ZEN: That's rude, Yoosung. Nevermind your mom tagging along, you'll never get a girlfriend if you keep being that vulgar (눈_눈)
MC: I agree with Zen !
707: Exposed! The real MC would've never agreed with Zen (¬‿¬)
MC: That's why I'm the better sibling. See you later!
[MC has left the chatroom.]
Mei, who had been following the conversation from the sidelines, broke into a fit of giggles despite her throbbing ribcage. A bruise was probably already starting to form, Hana really hadn't held back.
Her sister looked at her as though she'd grown three heads, but handed the phone back without complaint once Mei held out her hand expectantly. Calmly, the young woman gazed at her sister from top to bottom, marveling at the pretty black dress she was wearing. Then she looked down on herself, before lifting her gaze again, a serene smile pulling at her lips.
Hana returned the favour with a bewildered expression.
"We're going to our first party," Mei clarified, awe colouring her voice. "I wonder what they'd say, if they saw us now."
"It's not the first one," Hana protested, though she couldn't fight a tiny smile of her own. "We've been to SIDA's office parties before."
Mei didn't reply, instead, she took her sister's hand in her own and intertwined their fingers. Hana knew without her saying it out loud that it was different this time. The detective was excited to share this moment with her because endless bickering or not, they were family.
Having her childhood cut short left Mei with the determination to catch up with the things she missed out on. She knew she often came across as silly or overly optimistic, but she was fine with that as long as she was able to have these moments. As long as it would keep them out of the darkness that lingered in their past and lead them towards a happy future with fireworks exploding in the sky.
Lost in her own world, Mei held her hand a little tighter, enjoying the warmth of her sister's skin against hers.
It was comforting.
Standing in line to wait until you've been granted entrance in high heels, not knowing whether the place you were trying to enter was as exquisite as people claimed, was a special kind of hell. However, Mei had never tried to imagine it from the bouncers' point of view and was starting to regret it.
It was another kind of hell.
The only difference from the first one was that she had the added bonus of rejecting people, finding comfort in the fact that at least Jaehee was sharing her misery. In the course of an hour, she had witnessed the entire spectrum of human disappointment and the different forms it manifested as.
Some people were furious, pretending they had some sort of birth right to attend this event. Others were sad, simply walking away with their heads hanging low. A few were trying to bargain, offering her money and other dubious services. And a stupid handful were trying to get in by force, but got apprehended by the united front of bodyguards and bouncers in the blink of an eye.
Ouch, that must've hurt.
Sighing, Mei blamed the media for their extensive coverage on the so-called 'Revival of the famous RFA Party'. It had attracted way too many people that weren't invited, but were still trying their luck to get in, thereby stalling the guests that were actually on the list.
The clipboard containing the guest list rested heavily in the crook of her arm.
If she could, she'd let them all in.
It was a party for charity after all, so logically that would mean the more people the better, right? Unfortunately, the rookie party planner couldn't do that for a rainbow of reasons, meaning she was stuck in this emotional dilemma.
First and foremost, a lot of Jumin's guests weren't particularly interested in mingeling with the common folk, something Mei frowned upon but respected at the same time. Mainly, because the more prominent people would get overrun by the media and their fans, making the party a dangerous and stressfull experience for them. If this event were open to the public, some guests probably wouldn't even have agreed to come.
Secondly, there was the issue of security.
With the threat of Unknown hanging over them, identity and motive still unsolved, it was only natural that they'd stick to the guest list and minimize the risk of random stangers. Not to mention, she was still unconvinced that Elly disappeared from Jumin's penthouse all by herself. If these odd incidents were somehow connected, then it opened the possibility that the RFA was in danger.
To be completely honest, Mei had the nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen at the party.
She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it had to do with the lack of activity from the mysterious hacker. It had been eerily calm, almost like the calm before a violent storm and she didn't trust it. If only she had a lead—anything that'd help solving this puzzle. Unlike Seven, she wasn't good with computers and couldn't help him track down Unknown, but she wished she could.
Thinking of Seven, she hadn't spotted him yet.
A part of her really couldn't wait to see him again while another hoped for the opposite.
Would he even notice her in the crowd? What would he say when he saw her? Would he like her dress?
Nervous butterflies filled her stomach when the questions ran through her mind, a light blush dusting her cheeks. Her crush on him was getting worse, there was no point denying it.
"I'm sorry," Jaehee stated politely, effectively brining her back to reality. "But you're not on the list."
"Don't you know who I am?"
In front of them stood a beautiful girl with a sugary smile that barely hid her anger. She hadn't budged from her spot and was holding up the line.
Mei was about to answer with a blunt no, feeling like she had the same conversation for the hundreth time. Yes, she felt bad for rejecting so many people, but the snobby attitude of the girl made her less sympathetic. Which is why it was so suprising that her sister, who had the empathic capacity of a rock, answered instead.
"You're Echo Girl," Hana exclaimed knowingly, albeit with muted excitement. "I've seen one of your movies recently. It earned a lot of prices."
"See? I'm famous!" Echo Girl harrumphed and pulled her nose up in the air like a spoiled child. "You're lucky I didn't call my agency about this yet. Think about the headline; RFA party rejects South Korea's uprising star actress because they didn't recognize her! How embarassing, don't you think?"
"I'm very sorry," Jaehee started tersely, all-business and no patience, "but we don't make exceptions. If you are so passionate about charity, we'll definitely consider inviting you to the next event."
Echo Girl's sugary smile turned slightly sour for a second, before an idea seemed to cross her mind.
"It's your loss," she said sweetly, fluttering her eyelashes. "I was willing to donate fourteen million won to those poor children in the hospital, but I guess they'll have to wait until the next party to receive my help."
This was blackmail at its finest, the detective thought darkly, taken right from the textbook.
"Wow, really?" Mei cheered, forcing a smile on her face. "That's wonderful. You're such a kind person."
It was hard to be nice to Echo Girl when all she really wanted was to throw a brick at her. But she'd get through this without the bricks for the childrens' sake. And even if she wanted to, she didn't have any with her. Maybe, she could borrow one from Hana, who was—now more than ever—trying to impersonate a brick wall. The detective guessed it was from the shock about the star's rotten personality.
"I guess, we can make an exception after all," Mei muttered, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice. "Right, Jaehee?"
In her defense, her friend didn't seem to be taking this any better judging by the way her brown eyes burned holes into the actress.
"I guess so," Jaehee pressed out between gritted teeth, motioning for the stone-faced bouncers to let her through.
"I'm glad we could come to an agreement," Echo Girl said amicably, giggling girlishly behind her hand. "See you at the party and don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you made an exception for little old me."
The three of them felt like they just threw all their morals overboard and sold their soul to the devil at the same time.
For the children.
It wasn't long until the line started to thin out, the last guests passing though the horde of bodyguards. Mei felt excitement bubble up in her chest once they closed the severely guarded doors behind them, finally escaping the hell that came with being a bouncer. The experience had reminded her of a twisted, casting show from reality TV and it made her value her job as detective even more.
The fancy old clock read thirteen minutes past one when they stepped into the grand hall.
Shining blue eyes filled with wonder and Mei had to pinch herself to make sure this wasn't a dream. The scenery was like something out of a fairy tale book with gigantic chandeliers hanging from the painted ceiling, illuminating the room and giving the marble floors a magical glow. Decorations were modest yet elegant, including V's photography and large red rose bouquets, resting in white porcelain vases in the corners of the hall.
In the adjecent room, which was just as large as the main hall, tables were set next to the biggest buffet she had ever seen. Multistory cakes throned next to pyramids of sparkeling champaign glasses, plates filled with colourful seafood sat next to Italian antipasti, fruits from all over the world were cut into small sculptures that framed a gurgeling chocolate fountain and of course, there was pizza as well.
Mei's mouth was watering at the sight, it almost looked too good to eat.
"I'm glad you told me to wait with the food," Hana said with a gleam in her brown eyes, possibly planning her tactial approach to the buffet. She wouldn't put it past her sister.
All things considered, C&R had outdone themselves and she felt honored that she had a part in this, no matter how tiny.
The only detail that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the atmosphere, but brought a soft smile to her face, was the area around the donation box. They had only decided to donate the funds to the childrens' hospital three days ago, but they had been ecstatic about it. Once Mei had called to tell them the news, the personell and the children handcrafted thank you gifts in a last minute effort. They ranged from colourful pictures of stick figures to origami swans, cut-out paper garlands and woven friendship bracelets.
"After all this time, I finally get to meet you too."
Turning to her left, Mei was met with striking violet eyes and blonde hair that was parted to the side with blue clips. The boy was wearing a sky blue blouse with a pair of suspenders, shoulders as stiff as his arms that seemed to be glued to his sides. Next to him was an elderly lady in a business suit, who had the same warm violet eyes, but framed with laugh lines.
"Yoosung! It's so nice to meet you," Mei exclaimed cheerfully, capturing him in a short but friendly embrace before bowing in respect to his mother. "Nice to meet you too, Mrs. Kim. You both look amazing."
Mrs. Kim smiled in amusement, returning the compliment and discretely elbowing her son in the side. "Don't forget your manners, Yoongie."
Yoongie? Mei couldn't wait for Seven to hear this.
"M-mom, d-don't call me that in front of my friends. I-It's embarassing," he whisper-yelled angrily, rubbing the arm that got hit by her attack. His cheeks flushed a brilliant red once he realized what she meant and quickly added, "I should be the one complimenting you. You look so beautiful, all of you."
"That's kind of you," Jaehee commented, tugging at the hem of her formal business costume. As chief assistant, she probably had to follow a strict dresscode no matter the occasion, making Mei wonder what she'd look like in a dress.
They continued introducing themselves and smoothly transitioned into a pleasant round of smalltalk.
The detective learned more about Mrs. Kim and admired her strictness, which came from kindness and love for her son. After the last two days with his mom, Yoosung seemed to have accepted her sudden intrusion in his life and learned to apprechiate her dedication. Animatedly, he was telling them about his cooking attempts under her tutelage, eyes shining with pride when he showed them a picture of his first successful kimchi.
At some point during their conversation, Jaehee had excused herself in order to open the door for latecomers. Unfortunately, a couple of guests couldn't make it on time or had expected the endless queue. Mei vowed to force the perpetually working woman to take a break later.
Absent-mindedly, her gaze wandered over the sea of people.
It was almost half past two and slowly but surely, Mei was getting impatient. She had yet to catch a glimpse of her favorite hacker, having seen everyone but him. Blue eyes shifted to the entrance of the dining room and her heart fluttered in her chest once she spotted him.
Seven.
People say when you're falling in love with someone, you start to notice all these tiny, random details that you normally wouldn't have. Well, as a detective paying attention to detail was part of her job description, but there was a significant difference.
Mei smiled shyly as she observed him.
Seven had made an effort to tame his usually wild hair, red strands parted to the side, falling playfully over his striped glasses. His pale skin glowed in contrast to the black dress shirt beneath a crème coloured vest, which accentuated his muscles with thin white straps. A silky burgundy cravat hung loosely around his neck, held together by a golden pin. Long legs were clad in thick cotton pants, also black, and ended in sleek leather shoes.
Mei watched with bated breath as he spoke to a few guests. The charming smile that tugged on the corner of his lips oozed confidence and boyish charm, making her heart race. Hands buried in his pockets, Seven rushed through his conversations as quickly as was polite, seemingly searching for something or someone. A part of her was hoping that he was looking for her, but she quickly scolded herself for being so vain. He was probably just not the type for smalltalk with people he barely knew and tried to get to the buffet.
Then his gaze found hers, a look of shock crossing his features.
It was as though time stopped.
In the light of the crystal chandeliers, his eyes glimmered like liquid gold. Belatedly and with a healthy dose of embarassment, she realized that her dress must've been an unconscious choice, not entirely arbitrary, since it was the exact same shade.
The difference, Mei concluded internally, was in the manner of observation. During cases she observed everything from a clinical distance, but when she noticed these random details about Seven, she knew she was anything but emotionally detatched from the situation. The butterflies in her stomach, the warmth in her cheeks and the increasing pitter-patter of her heart only confirmed her suspicion.
This wasn't just a simple crush anymore.
She was starting to fall in love with him and she didn't know what to think about that.
Looking over the crowd of people, Seven thought to himself that he really didn't get enough credit for the amount of effort he put into pretending to like being around people.
Self-isolation was part of a vicious circle that was hard to break out of once you've grown used to it. Avoiding the outside world for long periods of time made social interactions not only more awkward, but also extremely exhausting. It felt like he had gone on an intergalactical adventure, landed on a foreign planet and got surrounded by strange aliens that talked in a different language.
Or maybe he was the alien.
Nevertheless, he thought that after his brief journey outside to find Elly he'd be slightly more comfortable around crowds, but he wasn't that lucky. There were only two things that kept him from sinking below the surface of the ocean of anxiety. Firstly, the other members of the RFA were there, including V, and they were probably excited about finally holding another party.
Secondly, Mei was there as well and he reluctantly admitted to himself that couldn't wait to see her again.
Her presence brought his mind a sense of peace that not even his Honey Buddha Chips could accomplish. The secret agent had been looking for her for a while now, realizing that she was probably still busy guarding the entrance with Jaehee. He had some time to kill. Forcing a charming smile on his lips, he engaged in meaningless smalltalk while he observed the people around him with trained eyes.
The RFA parties always provided entertainment and prided themselves on handpicking an interesting blend of people.
There were rich business tycoons and bankers with neatly trimmed mustaches, who held stocks in many companies and carried themselves with an air of pride and purpose. Stalking them, were the start-up entrepreneurs like a group of indie game developers and the owner of the first cat hotel in Seaul. In the middle of it all were the members of social organizations like the founder of the homeless cat rescue team, the group of women artists and much to his amusement, a few nerds from hackers chasing hackers.
Even a couple of colledge students were thrown into the mix, representing young urban culture groups from the city.
The select few promies were arguably the busiest and most extravagant of the guests. Chef Ram G. was eyeing the buffet with a critical eye while Andre Kim, the flamboyant designer, fawned over a male model. Echo Girl blew kisses to the men of monogamy organization, not paying attention to the one-sided conversation the man who proclaimed himself God was trying to have with her.
Less extravagant were guests from public organizations, belonging to a brand of people who did not enjoy being in the spotlight. He saw a few members from the police force, a handful members from SIDA and a group of doctors from Sky University Hospital, who could spare some time from their busy schedules. They seemed to be comfortable, but in comparison to the rest of the excited crowd, they appeared almost tranquil.
Seok Nam, the bribed veterinarian, was one of them.
He was lingering next to the entrance of the dining hall, looking standoffish. It was the perfect opportunity to confim the connection between him and Unknown once and for all. Purposefully, the secret agent made his way over to the man, trying not to be too obvious about his intentions. It had to look like an accident that they met.
Snatching a whiskey glass from a waiter's tray, he tapped the man on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, sir. Aren't you Mr. Han's veterinarian?" Seven asked conversationally, waiting patiently for the man to acknowledge his presence. "The famous Dr. Seok Nam, right?"
Slowly turning his greying head towards him, the man's steely eyes regarded him from behind a set of thinly rimmed glasses. Age hadn't become the doctor very well, the hacker noted when he compared reality to the picture on the clinic's website.
"And who might you be?" The cold and defensive undertone didn't escape his notice.
Suspicious, very suspious.
"I'm one of Mr. Han's close friends," he replied without missing a beat. "Luciel Choi, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling well today." Mr. Nam didn't sound sorry at all. "With this splitting headache, I'm not going to be the most pleasant conversation partner. I hope you can forgive me for my rudeness, but I'd rather drink my cup of tea in silence."
Unfortunately for Mr. Nam, Seven happened to have the ability to wind anyone around his little finger. He could be very persuasive, if he wanted to. So in conclusion, the man's decision to continue the conversation was pretty much made up from the minute he started talking to the secret agent.
"Oh my, that doesn't sound good." Seven gasped with false worry. "I'm not gonna take much of your time, I promise. It's just that my precious Coco, he's a green budgerigar, has been acting all strange lately."
Channeling his inner animal-loving grandmother, he stared at the man with all the hope he could muster. Of course, he didn't have a dying, green budgerigar named Coco, but the good doctor didn't have to know that.
"Strange, how?" Pinching the bridge of his nose, Mr. Nam relented and the hacker performed a tiny victory dance in his head.
"He's become quiet, barely even sings anymore. Not to mention, he's been rejecting food and water," Seven explained, cunningly following his plan while the doctor listened, unsuspecting. "Coco barely moves, he's just sitting there in his big cage."
Mr. Nam flinched, but composed himself so fast that he almost thought he imagined it. "Budgerigars need companions. Without another bird of his species, they will get depressed and die. You should've read up on your pet's needs, before purchasing it."
"Thanks for you advice, but I already tried that. Coco doesn't get along with other birds." Seven's voice grew colder with every word, chilling the air around him. It was time to test the veterinarian's reaction. "You see, I've let him get tested on every disease possible and he never missed a shot. At this point, I'm desperate for my precious honey to feel better. So I've been thinking along the lines of helping him be more active through different means."
"What in the world are you talking about?"
"Adrenaline, of course." The secret agent grinned maliciously when the man's eyes widened in realization, the colour draining from his wrinkled face. "I heard your clinic specializes in this treatment, no?"
"I'm afraid, I can't help you with your pet problems, Mr. Choi." Mr. Nam replied curtly, though there was fear in his tired, grey eyes. "Excuse me."
Maybe, he layed it on a little thick. The doctor looked like he'd seen a ghost and almost collided with a waiter in his panicked scramble to the exit of the hall.
Suddenly, an foreboding feeling settled in his stomach as though something terrible was about to happen. Seven wasn't quite sure why, but the doctor's hasty exit made him uneasy.
Well, it didn't really matter, he got everything he wanted from him.
Thanks to Mr. Nam's telling reaction, Seven was now certain that the adrenaline shot wasn't an accidental mix-up. The vet was most likely connected to Unknown somehow. They might be part of a secret organization. Of course, he still had to find out their identity, their motive and everything else, but it was a start.
Staring intently at the whiskey glass in his hand, he pondered once again whether he should inform Mei about his discoveries. He rolled around the pros and cons in his mind, finding that the only con was his wish to keep her from harm. It was frustrating how selfish he had become. Then again, he wasn't able to protect her from the hacker in person and keeping her in the dark might jeopardize her safety even more.
Seven sighed and made his decision, hoping he woundn't regret it.
His fingers lingered on the glass for another moment, leaving a warm ghostly imprint on the smooth surface once he set it on the closest table.
Mei was probably done with the door by now, so he stepped into the dining room, not surprised by the crowded tables and the loud chatter in the background. The first thing that caught his attention was Zen, surrounded by a group of giggeling ladies. Grinning, Seven nodded at him, receiving an awkward wave in return since the musical actor's only free hand was occupied with a fork that was stuck in a piece of mint-chocolate cake. Then, a few of the guests tried to involve him in smalltalk, but he politely declined their offer to join their table and moved on.
That's when he locked eyes with her, getting lost in their brilliant blue depth.
Seven was a fairly healthy man who kept in shape despite having a job that had him sitting in a chair all day, but he was pretty sure he had a heart attack right then and there. Maybe he needed to balance his diet more, his favorite chips combined with coke were a deadly combination as Mei had warned him during their first conversation.
He bit the inside of his cheeks, wondering whether she was real or a figment of his mind. A hallucination or a siren-like alien sent from outerspace to ruin him like he had always thought.
The thick strands of her silky, brown hair were curling against her exposed back and framed her glowing face. Cheeks rosy from excitement, Mei was wearing a shimmering, golden babydoll dress that flattered her curves but still left enough room for imagination. Nevertheless, his traitorous eyes got lost in the innocently plunging neckline, which emphazised the swell of her breasts, her light skin looking as soft as a feather.
He gulped. She was simply breathtaking.
If Seven didn't know any better, he'd think she was an angel. Maybe, Mr. Nam had poisoned his whiskey, sending him to heaven without him even noticing.
Giving up on regaining his senses, Seven didn't try to resist the magnetic pull that always drew him towards her. Performing something between a dance and a walk, he dodged chairs being slid back, elbows, people toasting with their proseccos and even a waiter or two. It was a miracle that he made it there without tripping.
"Hey," he breathed once she was in hearing distance. "Good to see you."
"H-hey, Seven."
With a pretty smile pulling on her lips, she took a step towards him and before he could say another word, her arms gently wrapped around him. Once it registered in his startled mind that she was hugging him, he slowly returned the gesture and felt warmth spread pleasantly through his body. She smelled nice, like flowery soap with a hint of peppermint and he enjoyed the familiarity of it.
Too soon, she let go of him and took a step back as though she was embarassed by her own actions.
"Uhm," Mei started quiety and cleared her throat, " … this is my sister, Hana. The one who manhandled me for my phone earlier."
For the first time and after what felt like years, he averted his gaze from her to study her sister.
The teenager was half-a-head shorter than her sister with chocolate brown eyes. She had the same hair colour as Mei, but it was cut short, ending just above her slim shoulders. Her chin was rounder and overall, she seemed to be more on the delicate side yet what he had learned from the chatroom earlier, the younger Cheon was anything but.
"Nice to meet you." Seven grinned cheerfully, hoping to make a good impression. "I'm Seven."
"Hm, yeah same." Hana replied, squinting her eyes in silent warning. "While I would love to stay and chat, I was promised pizza and an autograph from Zen so bye."
Looking fondly at her retreating back, Mei laughed lightly. "Sorry, she isn't a people person."
Seven shook his head, he could relate to that. Besides, he was certain that Hana was wary of him for different reasons, the hug with her sister being one of them.
The detective turned her head towards him with a mischievous glint and he was trying very hard not to get distracted by the way her hair caressed her collarbones.
"Any reason why I'm suddenly in Team Valor?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he sing-songed, feigning ignorance. He might've hacked the Pokémon Go servers to make a few little but necessary changes. "You've been in Team Valor all along, right?"
Mei crossed her arms beneath her chest. "I'm pretty sure I was still in Team Mystic yesterday."
"Oh, no!"
"What?!" She gasped, looking concerned when she saw his frantic expression.
"You must have a rare case of blue-red colour blindness," Seven elaborated, imitating the voice of a doctor at an examination. "Hmmm. It's good that we've discovered this now, it'd have been bad if you suddenly confused strawberries with blueberries. Even worse, you'd have probably confused V and me. Wait, do you even know who I am right now?"
"Sure, V." Mei giggled, playing along. "I'm so sorry for confusing you with Seven."
"As you should be." Seven pouted, secretly happy that he made her laugh. Gathering his remaining courage before it left him again, he cleared his throat.
"It's p-probably obvious, but you look beautiful."
Feeling awkward, he averted his gaze.
"Thank you," she mumbled quietly. "Right back at you."
Luckily, Seven was saved from replying by the ear-splitting screetch of acoustic feedback from a taxed microphone. After a collective wince, everyone's attention was drawn to the small stage were Jumin stood, ready to begin his speech in the name of the RFA. Without a doubt, the company owner was their best public speaker. His deep voice echoed through the room as he spoke, enunciating every word with care, which added importance to them.
While Jumin talked about the history of the RFA, Seven kept sneaking glances at Mei.
She was blushing an adorable shade of red, blue eyes focused on the stage yet he could tell she wasn't really listening. The hacker wondered what she was thinking about, wishing he could hack into her brain to find out. Nervously, her hand kept playing with the fabric of her dress, tempting him to grab it to stop her from fidgeting.
It was never a good omen when she was jumpy.
He had learned that from their car ride, when after pushing the subject, she had poured out her thoughts and theories to him. The memory brought him back to reality. He needed to tell her the truth, at least the parts he was allowed to tell. If only to relieve some of the guilt he felt and to make sure she was aware of the danger.
It was the right thing to do.
Everyone started clapping, signaling the end of Jumin's speech. In the cover of the noise, Seven took a step closer to her and bent down to her height.
"Mei, I need to talk to you."
Startled by his proximity, the detective squeaked and whipped around. Once she noticed how serious he was, she tilted her head to the side, curiosity burning in her eyes.
"A-about what?"
"It's about—"
Seven's words got stuck in his throat, because suddenly, a furious woman had grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her. He was about to step in to rescue Mei and call the security guards, but stopped himself when her attacker spoke up.
"I can't believe what you got yourself into this time, you idiot!"
"I already said I'm sorry," Mei wailed. "It wasn't on purpose. You can't stay mad at me forever, Kyu. And please stop shaking me, I'm getting dizzy."
Seven's eyes widened once he realized who the woman was. Kyung Hyeon, the terrifying ace detective, Mei's partner at SIDA and childhood friend.
"Actually, no, you didn't." she clarified, clearly offended, but let go of her shoulders nontheless. "The hell it wasn't on purpose. How can you accidentally follow a potentially dangerous hacker's orders and break into an abandoned apartment? That's the definition of an unauthorized off-the-record investigation. All you left me were some cryptic messages joking about your imminent death and instead of keeping me updated, you frolic through flower fields with a bunch of stangers."
Her voice rose several octaves at the end, making the younger detective wince. The secret agent watched with curious amusement as Kyung continued scolding Mei like a mother who just caught her child with one hand half-way down the cookie jar. From the looks of it, this was a daily routine for them.
Although, he didn't know what to think about the older detective yet, Seven agreed with her. If he had been in her shoes, he'd have been beyond worried. It had been an incredibly risky move, naive even, and Mei's laid-back attitude about her own safety annoyed him too.
Grinning sheepishly, Mei played with a strand of her hair. "I'm not frolicing through flower fields with a bunch of strangers."
"It was a metaphor," Kyung groaned and shook her head. "You could've waited for backup at least. The reports of missing people are stacking up on my desk and I really didn't want to add your name to that list."
Fists clenching at her sides, the woman closed her grey eyes and frowned.
"I'm sorry, you're right." Mei conceded quietly, having noticed her friend's grave tone. "I guess I still have a lot to learn, huh."
The silence was tense, stifling almost, and Seven felt like he was intruding.
After an eternity or two, Kyung sighed and relaxed her ridgit stance, a small smile playing on her lips. "You're terrible at taking vacations, Mei."
"I know."
When both of them smiled at each other, the tension evaporated and he was able to breathe again.
Remembering his presence, Mei blushed and quickly introduced them, tiptoeing around the specifics of his occupation much to his relief. They talked about the party for a while, though Kyung clearly wasn't a talker, only contributing single words and the occasional nod to the conversation. Strange enough, the older detective reminded him of Jumin with her black hair and apparent allergy to the full spectrum of human emotion.
His head snapped up, golden eyes scanning the crowd frantically.
The feeling of Mei's warm hand on his arm calmed him slightly. "What's wrong, Seven?"
"I … I'm not sure," he admitted. "I thought I heard someone scream."
Her brows furrowed together in concentration, trying to blend out the chatter and music to hear what he heard. The ominous feeling from earlier, the one he couldn't shake, came back full force.
"E-excuse me, Miss?"
A young waiter, not older than twenty, stood in front of them, legs shaking and face ashen. His gloved hands were trembling as he held onto an empty tray, obviously trying his best to keep himself composed, but seeming like he'd faint anytime soon.
"Are you Mei Cheon, t-the organizer of this event?"
They exchanged a glance.
"Uh, yes that'd be me."
"Would you please co-come with me? It's urgent," the waiter insisted, caught between relief and panic. "I-I don't know what to do … w-we should call an ambulance or t-the police ..."
To Be Continued ...