Chapter 9: The Investigation
Me- "Things are picking up!"
V- "Hmmm"
Seven- "Woah! V is here!"
Jaehee- "This is a pleasant surprise."
Jumin- "Nice to see you again."
Zen- "What's up V?"
V- "Someone's being nosy."
Kao- "..."
Zen- "Huh…?"
I went to bed that night, lying awake and unable to sleep. It seemed that the more I thought about the events that had happened, the more I couldn't wrap my head around it. I could hear the worried voices of Jaehee, Jumin, and Zen just outside my door, and it certainly didn't help either. I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall. I was missing something. Something that would connect everything together.
The pain of Seven's disappearance was becoming more and more apparent as well. My mind would wander to him in the middle of my thoughts, and I couldn't concentrate. What if it was all a hoax to get Seven to disappear? What if they had planned it from the beginning? Breaking in, Seven saving me, and then me upsetting him. There was no way. I rolled onto my back and heaved a sigh. What if he was hurt right now? What if-
I buried my head in my pillow and squeezed my eyes shut. Only a few days ago, I had no doubts about anything. But now I was doubting people with no evidence but my gut feeling. On a whim, I made up my mind. I would investigate. No accusing people without proof. And I needed privacy, Jaehee and the others were treating me like a dog on a leash. Almost everyone would be gone for work tomorrow, but Yoosung had no school and was staying behind to look after me. And I didn't want him peering over my shoulder. Then I looked up and blinked. There was only one place where I could go that was private. And they couldn't complain about it.
The next day I walked down the hall, determined. It was my first day back at work since the break in. It had been a bit of an argument but I had convinced the others to let me go. I rubbed my shoulder and sat down in my seat, taking in the familiar surroundings. It's strange. When your life changes and you come back to a place that was part of your normal lifestyle, you get an abnormal feeling. Almost dreamlike. At least, that's how it is for me. I put my fingers on the keys, familiarity washed over me.
"Kao, you're back?" A voice asked. I turned to face Jeong who had a quirky smile on his lips. I blinked. Admittedly I had almost forgotten about him.
"Hey Jeong." I said quickly.
"Where have you been?" He asked, almost worried. I laughed uneasily. I hadn't thought up an excuse. And I most certainly wasn't going to tell him someone had broken in my apartment.
"My uh-" I paused to gather my thoughts. "Grandma died so I took some days off work." I finished.
"Sorry to hear about that." Jeong replied sympathetically. I said it was fine and then looked back at my computer screen.
After searching in the depths of the internet I finally found something of interest. 'Several guests attacked and robbed after attending fundraiser.' It was the headline of an article. I clicked on it and scanned the contents.
It had been one of the first fundraisers. Several guests who had attended it had been robbed and assaulted afterwards. The attackers were never found. It was taken up by one of the victims and reported to the police, but there was never enough evidence to connect it to RFA. Eventually It was deemed pure coincidence, and snuck away in a dark corner.
I stared at it. No one in RFA had ever mentioned this. Not even Jaehee who had become my close friend. I knew that RFA hadn't done it, they couldn't have. But it should have been mentioned it, right? Maybe they didn't want to scare me away. But I was a large part of it now, I had a right to know.
My gut feeling was that somehow Mint Eye was involved. But once again, I had no proof. I bit my lip. RFA was created to raise money. If an organization was stealing from our donors specifically, there had to have a reason for it. Why? Surely there were better targets. Those who donated were certainly wealthy, but was that enough to make them targets? Just the fact that the attackers didn't bother to be more secretive about the targets meant they didn't care.
Or they were framing us. But why frame us specifically? Annoyed, I kicked the desk lightly and leaned back in my chair. Think Kao. Think. I squeezed my eyes shut. It just didn't make sense. How could Mint Eye rob our donors? Their bank accounts were much too secure to hack into without some kind of information. Unless… My eyes snapped open. There was no way. I stood up abruptly, grabbing my bag and logging off.
"Can you tell Mr. Loung that I'm leaving early?" I asked Jeong. He nodded, surprised, and I hurried down the hall. There was no other explanation I could think of. But there was no way. Was there? Under all of our noses? I bit my lip. I had to have proof first.
I drove back to Jumin's apartment as fast as I could. As soon as I burst through the door, I found Yoosung on the computer.
"Yoosung." I said, breathless.
"What?" He asked, mildly annoyed.
"When people donate to us at fundraisers. Do they give us their banking information?" I asked. Yoosung turned to look at me.
"Why?"
"Just tell me." I responded. He frowned.
"Of course they do. Lots of the small donors give us checks but the large donors give us more of their banking information because they don't want to carry checks with that much money around." Yoosung explained after hesitating. "Of course we can't open the accounts ourselves." He added quickly. I nodded.
"And if someone had that information, could they hack into the account?" I asked. Yoosung blinked.
"It's nearly impossible. They'd have to do a damn good job." Then he frowned. "Why do you want to know?"
"I was just thinking about how our fundraisers work, it's not safe for the donors." I stuttered, thinking up an excuse on the spot.
"It's perfectly safe. We guard that information with our lives. That's exactly why RFA is so small and reserved, and why we don't let new people in it easily. No one can access that information. Besides, like I said, you'd need to be an amazing hacker to do that." Yoosung said. I nodded.
"I suppose you're right." I lied. "Thanks." I added. Yoosung blinked and shook his head, turning back to his game. I began to leave, and then glanced at his back.
"Yoosung. I'm sorry about yesterday." I said softly. He stiffened. "I wasn't thinking." I admitted.
"Don't worry about it." Yoosung replied. His voice, though not cold, wasn't warm either. My gaze lingered on him but I hurried back to my room and shut the door.
The large donors gave their banking information to RFA so they could donate large sums of money. RFA kept this information extremely confidential so no one outside of our association could see it. But if someone inside RFA could transfer the information to another, Mint Eye for example, it would allow Mint Eye to hack their accounts. If they were good enough. That inside person would be V, could be. Was he transferring the bank information to Mint Eye? And then they hacked the accounts? I bit my lip.
Then the fundraisers were nothing more than a cover. A way to lure people in and steal from them. A chill swept over my skin. Mint Eye had hacked their way past Seven's algorithm. And I knew Seven was a prodigy. They were surely skilled enough to hack into a bank account if they had enough information.
I put my head in my hands and took a deep sigh. This was too much. Surely the others didn't know. Should I tell them? Immediately I scolded myself. If this was true, V was dangerous. I couldn't tell anyone. Not yet. Not until I had proof. Real physical evidence.
I had to prove not only that Mint Eye was behind the attacks but V was part of it. I slumped on my bed. I wish I had recorded V's conversation with the two men yesterday. That would have been some proof. But right now, I couldn't do this alone. Not only was it too much but it was dangerous as well. Was I supposed to just forget it happened and continue how I was living? The silence of the room crept into my thoughts. No. I couldn't, I had gone too far for that. I couldn't live normally with these doubts. I had decided I would figure out what corruption was going on and I would. But where would I find the evidence?
I took a deep breath. I had to get my bearings. I walked over to the desk in the corner of the room, rummaging for something to write on. I found a notebook in one of the drawers and a pencil. First of all, I had to prove that V was even part of Mint Eye. Sure I had overheard the conversation, but I needed physical proof. Second, I had to prove that Mint Eye was behind the attacks of the donors. Those were the priorities.
I scribbled these plans on the paper and held them out before me. Now, how was I to go about these things? I bit my lip. Was I going to spy on V? No, that was too dangerous. I sat down on the chair and buried my head in my arms. Could I really do this alone? Did I want to go through this? A sudden loneliness struck me. Already there was a wall between the other members and myself. Being suspicious of V separated me from those who trusted him. And just as I was getting to know them too. My hands formed fists.
I wanted to see Seven again. His adorable grin, his golden eyes. If anyone could be by my side, I would want it to be him. With his comforting voice, the way his eyes softened when he smiled. My eyes fluttered shut, heavy with exhaustion. Did Seven know about V's true nature? Would revealing the truth get Seven back? What was he doing right now? Was he hurt? Questions buzzed in my head, slowly being silenced by the dark clutches of sleep.
Seven's P.O.V ( A day earlier)
"Thanks." I muttered, grabbing the motel key as I lumbered away from the front desk. Normally I would just sleep in my car to avoid being tracked, but I didn't give a crap. I was tired, emotionally wrecked, and I just wanted a soft bed to sleep in. Slowly, I climbed the stairs, my vision fading in and out from exhaustion. As soon as I locked the door behind me, I slumped on the bed, my eyes closing as I lumbered into a dark sleep.
Kao sat in front of me. We were in my room, the darkness casting shadows over our faces. The small stream of moonlight was a spotlight. My fingers trailed across her chin and I leaned in to kiss her before her hands pushed my chest back.
"What are you doing?" She asked shakily. I stared at her.
"What do you mean?"
"If you kiss me, I'll be in danger." Kao responded softly. My eyes widened. "You want me to be hurt?" She asked, looking up at me. I flinched and leaned away from her.
"No. Of course not." I replied coldly.
"Then why do you keep wanting to be with me?" She asked. I blinked.
"I don't." I said quickly. She shook her head and stood up, reaching for the door. I stood up as well, my arms wrapping around her waist as I squeezed my eyes shut.
"Don't leave." I muttered. But when I opened my eyes, she was gone.
I woke up to the loud sound of a horn as I sat up abruptly and looked out the window of the motel. Two people were screaming at each other in front of a car with it's back slightly smashed in. I sighed, glancing at the digital clock that sat on the dresser. 6:07.
After taking a quick shower and changing I walked out of the door, suitcases in hand. A bit of me wanted to just drive home, to return to my soft bed. But I couldn't. Not yet. I couldn't face Kao, or any of the others. I made my way to the parking lot, putting my luggage in the trunk. Getting inside, I slammed the car door shut, getting my phone out when I heard a ping.
Vanderwood: "Where are you."
With grit teeth, I threw my phone on the opposite seat and started the car.
Vanderwood: "Luciel, respond at this instant."
Vanderwood: "Luciel."
Vanderwood: "I swear to god."
Vanderwood: "I've been trying to get a hold of you for ages"
Vanderwood: "PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE"
Annoyed, I responded quickly.
707: "What."
Vanderwood: "Finally. Where are you? What are you doing? You've been ignoring my messages. You're way behind on work."
707: "I don't care"
Vanderwood: "The boss will be-"
Vanderwood: "What? You don't care? Are you shitting me?"
707: Don't contact me for the next few days.
Vanderwood: "You have GOT to be kidding me. Luciel-"
I silenced my phone, throwing it on the seat and slamming my foot on the pedal. Within a matter of minutes, the motel disappeared from my sight. There was something I had to accomplish before I could face her again. Mint Eye. The name of the cryptic organization suddenly appeared in my mind and my grip on the wheel tightened. I would destroy it myself. I didn't care that I might die. That it was essentially a suicide mission. I felt broken, and lost. And doing this was the only way I could redeem myself and help her.
Two hours later
Trees flew past me as I drove up the winding hill. My eyes darted to my phone, and the pulsing signal that indicated the location of Mint Eye. I would be there in a few hours. My gaze moved back to the road, I was almost up the hill. Suddenly, the engine sputtered and my speed slowed. I blinked, panicking briefly and spinning the wheel to the left. The car turned and crashed through a fence, driving through the underbrush.
"Shit SHIT SHIT." I yelled, slamming the brakes down repeatedly. But the car kept going, throwing me forward as it rammed into a tree.
When I opened my eyes, a large airbag sat in front of me and a tree branch was sticking through the window. My head was buzzing from shock as I carefully got out of the car, slamming it shut in frustration. The front was completely busted. I was going to have to walk the rest of the way.
After grabbing a few supplies and my phone, I got off the road and made my way through the underbrush, wanting to avoid being seen. Trees towered over me, casting shadows on the floor. Slits of sunlight made it past the wall of leaves, leaving small spotlights on the ground. Around me, birds chirped happily. I checked my phone, the pulsing signal was still a ways away. I grit my teeth, walking into the forest.
Kao P.O.V
"Wake up sleepy head. C'mon." Someone tapped my shoulder, slowly I began to wake up, rubbing my eyes. "I can't believe you slept here." I raised my head and blinked, surprised to see Yoosung staring at me, slightly annoyed.
"Good morning." I slurred, collecting the countless sheets of paper and flipping them over.
"What's all this?" He asked, staring at them.
"Research.." I mumbled, still half asleep. Yoosung nodded slowly, still doubtful.
"Anyways, you should take a shower. Jaehee and the others wanted you to prepare for the party." I blinked slowly, realization hitting me. THE FUNDRAISING PARTY! I had completely forgotten! Groaning, I let my forehead hit the desk lightly.
"You forgot, didn't you?" He asked.
"Yes." I muttered. "We're doing it without Seven?" I asked, looking back up at him. A flash of pain flickered across his face, but he simply nodded.
"We've been holding it off. But we have to do it eventually."
"I see." I replied. My chest tightened.
"We're not giving up." Yoosung said quickly, reading my mind. "We just have to continue with our lives while we're searching for Seven. It's what he would want." He finished. I nodded. Yoosung turned to leave but I stopped him.
"Thanks."
"For what?" He asked.
"For speaking to me again." I said with a smile. He blinked, and then smiled.
"No problem."
Several hours later
"GERONIMO!" I yelled, jumping off of the diving board as the water embraced my skin. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Bubbles surrounded me like a cocoon as I broke the surface. Jaehee waved me over and we watched as Yoosung did a cannonball.
Currently, we were relaxing at Jumin's indoor pool. Jumin sat in the corner, reading a magazine, and Zen was at work. Jaehee, Yoosung, and I were taking the time to relax after a day of party business. Slowly, I floated on the water, closing my eyes.
"This is nice." I heard Jaehee say.
"Yeah."
"Everything has been so hectic with Seven gone." She said. I nodded, having time to submerge myself completely before swimming upwards.
"Jaehee."
"Yes?" She asked.
"Do you remember the incidents with the donors? Around two years ago?" I questioned. Her face darkened.
"How do you know about those?" I simply shrugged.
"Isn't it natural for me to get to know more about RFA?" I inquired. She sighed lightly.
"Yes I remember. It was rough for us since it was one of the first fundraisers. V had to
work hard to get the police off our backs." My eyes narrowed.
"And how did he do that?" I asked.
"Just showed them the truth. Camera footage, confidentiality. During this time, Rika was
so shocked by the incident, the only one who did something about it was V." Jaehee said sadly. I nodded slowly, taking note of her every word.
"Anyone I could talk with to learn more about it?" I asked innocently. Jaehee glanced at me briefly, and then she bit her lip.
"Any of the victims I suppose. You could try talking to J." Jaehee replied.
"Who?" I questioned.
"J. He was one of the donors who was attacked. He's been living quietly ever since. I don't know what happened to the others."
"Do you know his full name?"
"No, but I know his address." Jaehee swam over to the edge, pulling herself up. I followed closely behind her. She grabbed her notepad, flipping through it.
"I keep several contacts listed in here," She stopped on a page. "Here." She tore it out, handing it to me. The page was damp where she touched it.
"Thanks." I said. Jaehee nodded. I was about to turn before she caught my arm.
"I know it's only natural to be curious about what happened. Even I'm still unsure. But don't dig around too much, it's RFA's darkest secret and there are reasons for that." Jaehee eyed me closely. I hesitated.
"Okay."
I arrived at the address an hour later, my damp hair resting uncomfortably against my back, the clothing sticking to my skin. With a deep breath I walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. It was a small house with two floors, wedged in between two others. A large window lay next to the door. Curious, I took a glance inside. It was dark, I could see the outline of furniture. Anxiety was surging through me, what if J didn't live here anymore? What if they didn't want to talk to me? After a few more agonizing seconds I reached for the doorbell again, before the door swung open.
An irritated young man stood before me, his white hair was tousled and damp, sliding into his eyes as he blinked. He wore a damp white shirt, with a towel over his shoulders. It was Jeong. Mouth slightly open I took a step backwards. His eyes raked me before widening.
"Kao?" He asked, bewildered. Jeong was J?
"H-Hi." I stuttered.
"What are you doing here? Wait, how do you even know where I live?"
"A friend told me," I bit my lip, searching for words. I had no idea. Jeong was involved with all this? My breath hitched. What should I do? I couldn't turn back, not now. I looked down. "Sorry to bother you, I-I came to ask if you were a victim of the donor scandal two years ago." I said quickly, my shock slowly fading.
"Pardon?"
I said it again, slowly. "Were you a victim of the donor scandal two years ago?" Surprisingly, his expression didn't change. Instead he merely scratched his head.
"So it's about that." He murmured. My chest tightened. There was no doubt about it, my fellow coworker and friend was J. "Well come in, no point in standing out here." He turned around, disappearing inside. I shut the door behind me, taking off my shoes.
"Sorry to bother you."
"It's fine, I was bored anyways." He replied.
It was dark inside, the only light being from a window in the back. Cold air passed through my clothes, giving me goosebumps.
"Want anything to drink?" He asked. I turned towards him, seeing light that appeared when he opened the refrigerator.
"Water is fine." I replied. I stumbled forward, nearly tripping on a table.
"Oh, sorry." I heard the flick of a switch and the lights came on, making me flinch. "I
prefer the dark."
"Doesn't it get hard to see?" I chuckled nervously.
"Not really, you get used to it." Jeong passed me a glass of cold water, sitting down on the couch. I followed him.
"The donor scandal. Is that what it's called now?" He asked lazily.
"I just call it that."
He nodded. "And yes, I was a victim." My hands tightened around the glass, leaving hand marks against the perspiration. "How do you know about it?"
"There's an organization I've been interested in. That was one of the events it was involved in." I replied. I didn't want to go into the long story of joining RFA, and I didn't want his bias either.
"RFA?" He asked. I nodded. His eyes narrowed and his mouth twisted ever so slightly. "Don't get involved with them, they're just trouble."
"What happened?" I asked.
"I'm sure you know what happened." Jeong replied, leaning back, his face was impassive. "I donated a large sum of my money. They hacked my account, took almost everything I had. And that was that, I was left on the streets, with nothing more than a tarnished name." I nodded slowly.
"So you were wealthy?" I asked. He nodded.
"My parents were filthy rich. I inherited that money. Afterwards I was forced to work, rather successfully I might add." I took another glance at my surroundings and nodded.
"Some of the victims were also physically attacked. Were you one of them?" He hesitated so briefly that I barely noticed.
"No."
I was about to respond before he interrupted me. "How cold, all these questions after you just ran off the other day at work" He smiled a little. I blinked.
"Sorry, how are you doing?"
He grinned. "Bored, you haven't been talking to me. We still need to have that dinner."
I laughed uneasily. "I've been kinda busy." Jeong's eyes darkened.
"With RFA." He leaned forward. "Listen to me Kao. Don't get involved with them, they stole everything from me and got away with it without a single punishment. They're dangerous."
"RFA wasn't behind the scandal." I defended. He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh really, cause they were the only ones who could have done it."
"What if-" I bit my lip. "What if another organization was behind it."
"That's impossible." He frowned. I shook my head. "Then how?" He asked.
"What if a member of RFA secretly worked for another organization. And that member gave the organization the bank information, allowing them to hack into the accounts."
"What."
"A double agent essentially."
"It's still an RFA member committing the act, it doesn't matter."
"But it's not the organization as a whole, if I can just find the double agent-"
"And how would you do that?" He snapped. I was silent.
"I was hoping you would know more about it." I finished softly. Jeong didn't respond, he simply sighed before standing up and walking away. My throat tightened and I shakily set the glass on the table and stood up.
I was at the door before Jeong said my name and I turned around, catching a tape he threw at me. I stared at it, and then at him.
"That's all I have about the scandal." He scratched his head, avoiding my gaze. "Do you have a VHS player?" He asked. I slowly shook my head.
He gestured towards his TV. "We can watch it here then." He said quickly, sitting on the couch.
"You'll help me?" I asked quietly.
"Hurry up and sit." He said. I obliged, holding the tape awkwardly. "I'm only doing this because I'm bored." Jeong clarified. A smile tugged on my lips.
"I think I'll owe you then."
"Hell yeah" Jeong said, not looking at me as he grabbed the tape, putting it in the VHS.
"Hey, thanks for this." I said with a grin. He finally met my gaze.
"You're welcome."
Seven's P.O.V
The heat was agonizing, an uncomfortable aura that enveloped anything and everything. Exhausted, I walked through the underbrush. Despite the temperature however, it was beautiful out here. A hidden forest in a mountain range. Wildflowers of every color poked out from the grass, swaying gently in the slight breeze. The pine trees cast shadows on the forest floor, with pinecones spotting the ground as far as the eye could see.
I took out my phone, I was still far away from the hideout. It had taken a lot of effort to make sure my phone wouldn't be tracked, and I was still uneasy about bringing it. With a huff I shoved my phone in my pocket, grabbing my water bottle and drinking a little.
I took a step forward, putting the bottle back in my backpack before someone gripped my shoulder. I tensed, my fingers twitching to grab the gun at my hip.
"Don't." A deep voice said. "Put your hands up." I felt the edge of a gun touch my back. Slowly, I obliged while resisting the urge to curse.
"So this is where you were." The voice changed slightly, and I realized it's familiarity. I turned around, my eyes widening as I came face to face with Vanderwood.
"You-"
He cut me off. "I found your location while you texted me, I've been tracking you since." His caramel eyes glinted as he waved his gun.
I grit my teeth. "I prevented my phone from being tracked."
"Yeah you mean you tried to. You didn't have ground breaking technology at your disposal." Vanderwood said. "And they do, so this-" He grabbed the phone in my pocket, threw it on the ground and slammed it with his foot. "Had to go." He finished. I stared at it's broken remains with a disdainful gaze.
"You can just use mine if you want." He said, dragging me back.
"Wait, where are you going?" I snapped.
"Away from here, before they find us." Vanderwood replied angrily.
"No." I replied, shrugging him off.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm going to destroy them, I'm not going back." I replied. Vanderwood laughed, his smile fading when he saw my expression.
"Wait, you're not serious are you?" I didn't reply. "Luciel, you cannot kill everyone in that building." I turned forwards, silent.
"I won't let you throw away your life." He was struggling not to yell.
"Then don't watch." I finished.
I heard Vanderwood curse, storming behind me. Before he could knock me out, I spun around, grabbing the butt of the gun mid strike and pinning his arm behind his back.
"Don't." I hissed.
"Had to try didn't I?" He grunted. I released him, pushing him backwards. Then I shook his gun in front of him.
"Now either you're coming with me, or you're leaving." I said. Vanderwood sighed.
"You're not giving me much of a choice you know." He rubbed his shoulder. "I can't lose my best agent."
"I know." I replied. "Now hurry up, we have a long ways to go."
First of all, I want to thank those who have been posting reviews so far and of course just reading in general. I know my posting schedule has slowed down a lot, and I apologize for that.