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Sunwoo has always believed himself to be quite good at his job. The late soccer practices in high school have made his stamina quite high, and he’s an excellent liar with an irresistible poker face.
If he could help it, he wouldn’t be lying through his teeth to Kevin about where he actually goes most nights.
Sunwoo doesn’t like lying to his boyfriend about where he goes on his late nights and “soccer retreats”, but it has been ingrained in him that the job always comes first. So while Kevin thinks that Sunwoo is off training for his next match, he’s actually shrouded in the cold blanket of the night. Sunwoo prefers it this way--he would do everything in his power to shield Kevin from the life he lives outside of their college bubble.
Sunwoo kills people for a living.
Officially, he’s a special agent for a covert operations company. His adoptive parents brought him into this life, and he’s never known anything else. His weapon of choice is a silenced sniper rifle, but if he has to engage in hand-to-hand combat he prefers a collapsible baseball bat. He spent most of his childhood training to be an indestructible killing machine. As such, he is one of the company’s top agents--hasn’t failed a mission since he was a high schooler--and is codenamed Reaper by his fellow agents.
Sunwoo kills people for a living. And sometimes he enjoys it.
~~~
Kevin finds he doesn’t mind the time spent away from Sunwoo. It makes life a hell of a lot easier when he’s harboring a secret that could shatter both their relationship and their lives. While Sunwoo pours his heart into his passion for soccer, Kevin likes to spend his time in the library off campus. He’s usually doing shitloads of work on his computer, but every now and again he’ll actually read a book. For like, 10 minutes.
It’s not that Kevin doesn’t like reading--it’s that his job is quite demanding . Anything to pay the bills, right?
Well, it’s not that simple. Kevin is actually a specialized hacker. He hacks into the accounts of corrupt celebrities and evil corporations to take them off the map entirely. His team is small but they’re extremely efficient--and masked as an elite start-up IT company. Out of the four of them, Kevin and his best friend Jacob are the only ones who are trained in combat as well. Should anything ever go wrong in their operations, Jacob is trained in several different martial arts while Kevin is a skilled marksman--specifically with his mini-crossbow (which he stupidly named Cupid). Even though it’s quite hard to keep all these secrets from his boyfriend, Kevin likes to think he’s protecting Sunwoo from the horrors the world has to offer.
That is, until Chanhee brings him the profile of their newest target. They very rarely get non-famous people on their radar but there are exceptions to that. But Kevin never expected to be handed a profile of his boyfriend’s best friend Eric.
Before he can even get a sound out, Chanhee sighs. “Kevin--”
“No--it’s fine. A target is a target after all. What’s the game plan?”
Chanhee pulls his bottom lip between his teeth. “Complete wipeout, according to HQ.”
Kevin pales. “For a nobody?”
“This person may seem like a nobody but he’s got quite a record. You know Juyeon is nothing if not thorough in his background checks.”
Kevin skims the page and feels sick to his stomach. This person who has been masquerading as just another student and spending copious amounts of time with Sunwoo is far from the fun-loving, goofy ball of energy that Kevin knows him as. It’s true that he’s originally from America, but he was picked up by the Agency at a young age--and with no family, he was quickly indoctrinated. He’s the same age as Sunwoo and yet he’s a highly trained agent that goes by the codename Lightning in the field. He’s extremely skilled with his twin daggers and got his codename for how quickly he is able to eliminate his targets.
Kevin’s nausea begins to fade away and he can feel his anger starting to make his blood boil. “I will make sure he is no longer a threat.” he says with finality. “Is Jacob to accompany me?”
Chanhee nods. “Juyeon is eager to test out his pistol in the field, but I’ve assured HQ he’s not going anywhere until he’s got some more practice in. Besides, you and Jacob are unbeatable when it comes to combat.”
Kevin smooths his hands down his legs. “Tonight?”
Chanhee nods. “But listen Kevin--when this is over, if you need to talk about anything...just--you know I’m here for you, right?”
“Of course Chanhee. I appreciate it.”
Chanhee smiles big and pats his shoulder. “Stay safe.”
~~~
Sunwoo hates being put on missions with Eric. Mostly because the younger one doesn't know when to shut the hell up.
“Eric, I don’t care about how many donuts you can balance on your nose. Focus.”
Eric pouts. “Why don’t you care? That’s very important information about me, you know.”
“Just tell me after we’ve completed our mission, dumbass.”
Eric rolls his eyes. “You don’t need to worry that I’ll mess up the mission. Something like that hasn’t happened in so long.”
Sunwoo scoffs. “The last time it did happen, you almost got Haknyeon and Changmin hyung killed. So forgive Sangyeon hyung if he doesn’t quite trust you to go alone yet.” Sunwoo sighs as they stop in front of their designated building--a large silk storehouse. “Don’t feel too down, Lightning. I’m just here as backup.”
Eric ruffles his hair and nods. “Thanks Reaper.” he says as he finishes picking the lock. He stuffs his hands into his pockets as they cautiously walk in. “The client left it here? Seems a bit reckless.”
“Either way, it’s not our job to worry about that. All we need to do is safely deliver the goods to the checkpoint.”
Sunwoo stands guard by the front of the door as Eric makes his way through every nook and cranny of the large storehouse. He starts to get frustrated about halfway through and stops trying to be sneaky. With a hand on his left dagger, he kicks the door in of a locked room on the 2nd floor. Sunwoo takes a few steps forward to observe if Eric is okay, and suddenly he can feel a different presence behind him. He’s skilled enough in the field that he doesn’t let it change his demeanor, and he continues to walk forward like he hasn’t sensed the other person. As soon as he feels the other person starting to close in on him, he pulls his collapsible baseball bat from his waistband. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he’s unlocked it and has it trained at the other person’s head.
Jacob --the name rings loud and clear in his head. Kevin’s best friend and roommate.
Disbelief crosses Jacob's features. “ Why are you here?? ” Sunwoo wants to scream at him, but true to his training, he stays cold as stone in the face of someone familiar. Not that he can say the same for the older man--Sunwoo can see how Jacob hesitates with his wooden sword now that he’s gotten a glimpse of Sunwoo’s face. But if he wasn’t even planning on killing him, then who is he here for?
Eric .
Sunwoo moves faster than he normally does at this realization. Eric is being targeted--and given his bloody reputation, Sunwoo can immediately assume that means Jacob wouldn’t possibly come here alone.
He side steps Jacob’s attempt at knocking the bat from his hand and takes a lunge forward, almost as if he were fencing. The adrenaline makes him swing harder than he intends to and he hears a viscous crack as the bat meets Jacob’s right forearm. Jacob cries out and drops his sword, looking up at Sunwoo with a mixture of emotions too jumbled to unpack right now.
Sunwoo has a split second of hesitation--he doesn’t want to hurt Jacob and couldn’t bear to live with the guilt of doing something to Kevin’s long time friend.
But the job always comes first.
And with that, Sunwoo aims for Jacob’s head on his next swing.
~~~
Kevin climbs down from the outside of the building, and slips in through the window as quietly as possible. It’s been a while since he’s gotten real practice in the field but somehow it all still comes so naturally to him. He’s grateful for it because he’s sure that tonight will possibly be one of his most dangerous missions to date. He touches Cupid to ground himself as he follows the noise on the 2nd floor. He and Jacob had gone over this plan several times in the hours they were preparing beforehand. Jacob would take the ground floor and scope out if there were any agents lurking around. Kevin would take the 2nd floor and eliminate as many people as necessary--since Kevin has the advantage of long range with Cupid, they also decided it would be safest for him to attempt to take out the target.
“ I’m so sorry, Sunwoo. But I need to make sure you’re safe. ”
Kevin hears a door get kicked in and decides to make his move. He moves in to corner Eric but when he comes around the corner, the blonde agent is gone. Kevin is turning on his heel when a dagger grazes his right arm. His reflexes are still quick enough that he’s able to load his crossbow and point it in the direction of the dagger just as Eric emerges.
Eric is a hair’s breadth away from Kevin--his arm lifted and ready to puncture Kevin’s jugular. But with a crossbow aimed at his head, he stops himself.
“Kevin?”
Kevin doesn’t humor him. “This is the end for you, Lightning.”
Eric scoffs and is about to give his rebuttal when Kevin hears a cry ring out in the empty storehouse. It sounds eerily of Jacob and Kevin steels every fiber in his body to not let his composure drop.
He hears someone coming up the steps and he mouths for Eric not to move or speak a word. It doesn’t take a genius to understand that Kevin’s crossbow is faster than he could ever be, so Eric listens.
Kevin is praying that it’ll be Jacob who comes up those steps and emerges through the door--instead, he’s met with a very frantic looking Sunwoo.
And in that moment, his entire world collapses.
Sunwoo barely even glances at the situation. “Lightning are you alright? There was an intruder and--”
Eric clears his throat. “I’m fine Reaper--just in a bit of a pinch.”
Sunwoo blinks and drags his gaze across from Eric. And sees Kevin.
“K-Kevin?”
Kevin loses all composure and takes a step backwards, though the crossbow is still very much pointed between Eric’s eyes. “Don’t fucking speak right now unless you want an arrow through your skull.” He turns his gaze to Sunwoo. “What the fuck are you doing here??”
Sunwoo takes a step forward, but Kevin gives him a look that screams don’t touch me . “I could ask you the same question. What happened to being in the library tonight?”
Kevin narrows his eyes. “Same to you, Mr. I’ll be practicing on campus tonight !! And why the fuck did you just call Eric by his codename?”
Sunwoo gulps. Please not like this. “Just hear me out for a moment, Kevin--”
Kevin takes a step forward, rage and confusion and betrayal swirling in his brilliant eyes. It sends a chill up Sunwoo’s spine. He keeps the crossbow trained on Eric, even though he’s not looking at him anymore. “What did you do to Jacob, Sunwoo?”
Sunwoo feels tears well in his eyes. “I-I didn’t want to hurt him--”
Eric steps between them so quickly that Kevin doesn’t have time to move back. He gets slashed in the chest and staggers backwards. Luckily, he always wears a bulletproof vest under his clothes on missions.
Sunwoo reaches out for him but Eric pushes him back. “Quit the Romeo shit, Reaper. You know what King would do if we botched the mission. Let’s go.”
Sunwoo forces himself not to glance back at Kevin as he and Eric quickly take their leave. As soon as they’re out of sight, Kevin rushes down to the 1st floor. He sees Jacob unconscious--his left arm is contorted sickeningly and he’s got a trail of blood coming out of his left ear.
Kevin brushes tears away as he shakily texts Chanhee from his burner phone. “Send medical to our location now” is all he manages to type out before he realizes he has to set his phone down because his hands are shaking so bad.
“I will never forgive you.”
~~~
“What a story!” Changmin laughs as he and the others listen in on Eric and Sunwoo’s mission briefing. “You two truly know how to be the biggest idiots when you’re together. Why were the intruders not immediately eliminated?”
Sunwoo looks away from Changmin’s powerful gaze and just as Eric is about to speak up on his behalf, Sangyeon motions for Changmin to stop speaking. “Stand down, Beast.” he turns his head to Sunwoo. “I can’t say I’m happy with this turn of events. You know just as well as I do what must be done now that you and Eric have been compromised by someone close to you.”
Sunwoo slides his hands out, palms facing upward. “I would have you lock me in the Room sooner than lay a hand on Kevin.”
“That’s called having kryptonite.” Haknyeon teases. “Though I guess it’s good that you have something to ground your scary ass personality.”
Sangyeon pushes his hands flat on the table as he rises, leaning forward easily. “I was under the impression that this was my briefing--funny how you two seem to have forgotten all the times you were on the other side of this table. So if you could kindly shut up, I’d like to continue with our two youngest.”
Changmin and Haknyeon nod slightly as Sangyeon redirects his attention to Sunwoo. “I’m not going to lock you in the Room, Reaper. Just let me inside your head for a moment.”
Sunwoo swallows thickly. “I want to go to him so badly right now. But I’m so terrified that he’ll kill me. I could never lay a hand on him but after what I did to his friend...Is it my fate to never show my face to him again? Until the inevitable day where I’m sent to tie the loose thread that is our nullified relationship?”
Sangyeon sighs. “Take a deep breath, Reaper. I understand your concern, but I will make sure that the higher ups don’t learn about what happened last night. In the meantime, I’d like you and Beast to go have a little talk with this boy of yours. See if you can’t convince him to keep his mouth shut. The Agency has ways of ensuring his silence--that doesn’t involve his corpse. He just has to cooperate.”
Eric clears his throat. “And what of me, King?”
Sangyeon reassumes his former seat. “You’ve performed well, Lightning. I have no further notes for you.”
“But...why are you sending Beast instead of me with Reaper?”
Sangyeon ruffles his hair. “Having two people with a real connection to this person almost resulted in your death and the entire mission being compromised. Since he is Reaper’s boy, I will allow Reaper to go see this through. You, however, don’t need to put yourself in harm’s way again.”
Eric nods, though Sunwoo can see he’s not fully satisfied with this answer. He’s sure to want answers just as much as Sunwoo does.
Changmin stretches his arms as he stands and makes his way over to Sunwoo. “When do we depart?”
~~~
The last person Kevin expects to see on a Tuesday morning is Sunwoo in his living room. He’d forgotten he gave the other a key.
Sitting next to Sunwoo is a man with honeyed brown locks, much different than Sunwoo’s currently fading strawberry blonde color. His eyes are pretty and very sharp. Kevin can see as he takes in every little detail of his small apartment. Even hidden under his long navy cardigan and slightly baggy joggers, Kevin can see that his body is lithe and lean. This man never looks at Kevin--though Kevin suspects it’s because he doesn’t need to, and not because he doesn’t want to.
It’s been a week since he last saw Sunwoo but even that isn’t long enough to quell the whirlwind of emotions that he’s feeling. Kevin wants to lunge at him, punch him, scream--anything to make him feel the hurt he inflicted on Jacob. However Kevin is frozen in place, despite everything that has transpired--wholly unable to do anything in the face of someone he knows he still cares about dearly.
“How is Jacob hyung doing?” Sunwoo asks quietly.
Kevin scoffs. “Quite well, despite the condition you left him in.”
Sunwoo doesn’t take the bait of his sharp remark. Instead he utters, “And how are you doing?”
“I dunno, you tell me--I haven’t slept, can barely stomach any food, I’ve been pulling my hair out, and the utter silence that fell between us after last week is making me more insane by the minute.”
Sunwoo rubs his hands together--one of his nervous ticks. “Kevin, all I ask is for you to hear me out. We don’t need to see each other ever again, if that’s what you want."
It’s not. “What more do you have to say? Were you even going to visit Jacob?”
“I can’t. Not right now, at least. But I wanted to come here and explain to you what--”
“You did your explaining. When you nearly put my best friend into a coma.”
Sunwoo takes a deep breath, albeit shakily. “You can blame that on me and the hellish training I endured as a teenager. You’re well within your rights to hate me but for the love of god let me give you some context. That’s all I ask.”
Kevin sighs and takes a seat on the sofa--further away than Sunwoo would’ve liked. But he decides he’s going to deal with it. “You’ve earned five minutes. That’s me being generous. Use them wisely.”
Sunwoo launches into a detailed explanation of who he is near immediately. Several times, Changmin gives him a powerful look that says, “Careful now, Reaper. Don’t want you to end up on the chopping block of The Agency”. But Sunwoo swallows down his fear and continues to press on–leaving out the details of the shady company he’s employed under.
After 4 minutes, Kevin stops him.
“So you’re an assassin. That’s all you had to say.”
Sunwoo looks out of breath and confused. “And you hate me.”
Kevin raises his eyebrows and fidgets. It gives Sunwoo the slightest bit of hope. “Well, in truth–we both lied. That is a fact I won’t deny.” He pauses and stops fidgeting a bit to meet Sunwoo’s gaze. “But what I really can’t forgive is you hurting Jacob. How could you, Sunwoo? Jacob has been nothing but good to you.”
Sunwoo sighs. “I believed him to be a serious threat. Eric is the youngest of our team and I was there to make sure his inability to think things through didn’t bite him in the ass.” Sunwoo pauses. “You were…ready to kill him.”
Kevin sighs. “We’ve both been leading double lives. I didn’t know if I could cut the lights out for him, but I thought that he would put you in danger if I didn’t do it. Now I know you were in this together all along.”
Changmin chuckles. “Protecting Sunwoo? That’s a first. He’s probably the most monstrous of our entire team, save for me.”
Kevin swallows thickly and ignores his comment. “So what now, Sunwoo? Have you come to silence me?”
Sunwoo looks about ready to sob at those words. “God no. I told them to lock me up for good if they wanted me to hurt you. I know you understand the severity of this so–for now all they want is your silence. I’m going to have to disappear for a while. But I will get in contact with you as soon as I know it’s safe”
“And what about Eric? I’m supposed to let him go on like everything is normal?”
Sunwoo’s eyes darken for a moment. “You’re going to have to. Eric will eventually make himself a ghost as well, but in the meantime just leave him be please. Blame our employers–they conditioned us this way.”
“And what about Jacob? Is he also meant to stay silent?”
“Yes. But my teammate here–Changmin hyung, you never introduced yourself–will be watching over him. No harm will come his way, of course! We just have to be extra careful.”
Kevin takes a step closer. “And…and what about us?”
Sunwoo blinks. “You–you still want to–?”
Kevin nods a bit. “I kind of hate you right now, but I know I still–”
“Ugh you guys are gross. I’ll be outside. Don’t do anything dumb, Sunwoo.” Changmin mutters as he exits the apartment.
It takes them an extra 30 minutes to be done because Kevin slightly explains that he’s not a traditional assassin like Sunwoo and they also make out in the middle of this explanation.
“I’ll see what I can do with Jacob.” Kevin says as Sunwoo is about to leave. “And how should I let you know?”
“Just tell Changmin hyung. He’ll relay the messages to us.”
“Sunwoo.”
“Mm?”
“If it comes down to it, you can kill me.”
Sunwoo almost chokes. “Wh-what? Kevin, no.”
“I’m just saying. I won’t hold it against you.”
Sunwoo cups his face. “Well luckily for you, I won’t be letting it get to that point.”
~~~
Several months go by.
Jacob fully wakes up a few days after Sunwoo disappears. He’s able to move his arm again after the first month and is almost fully recovered by the third. Kevin watches with aching glee as his best friend regains the color in his face.
Jacob doesn’t really like Changmin.
Pretty much as soon as Jacob wakes up, Changmin is almost always by his side. Even when Jacob is discharged from the hospital at the fifth month mark. Changmin constantly explains that it’s literally part of his job now to monitor Jacob. Where Kevin is keeping his silence willingly as a promise with a loved one, Jacob is essentially a wild card for The Agency.
The Agency–the place that Changmin, Sunwoo, and Eric all work under. Jacob asks Chanhee and Juyeon to do some digging (right in front of Changmin mind you) but they come up blank. As Changmin had predicted.
They’re sitting at Juyeon’s favorite burger restaurant when Changmin’s entire mood shifts. He stops eating his burger and looks directly at Kevin. “Hey. Kevin.”
Kevin looks up as he takes a bite of some fries. “Hmm?”
“What I’m about to tell you is going to elicit a reaction, I’m sure, but you need to keep your composure. Can you do that for me?”
Kevin blinks and his chewing slows. “O..kay…” he responds slowly.
“I just got a contact notification–from him.”
Kevin’s eyes bulge and he desperately tries not to choke on his food. “Is he okay?”
Changmin presses his mouth into a line. “He is–but! Don’t ask where he is because I’m not telling you. For both of your safety. And at this point, it’s for the safety of everyone at this table. I just thought you’d like to know.”
Kevin nods, quickly excusing himself to the bathroom. Jacob can see the tears welling in his eyes as his best friend is no doubt going to go bawl in the bathroom stall. Jacob turns his head to Changmin and tilts it. “That was quite nice of you.”
Changmin blinks as he continues to eat. “I’ve seen firsthand how in love they are. It’s gross but I know going half a year without anything must be hard.”
“So he’s been contacting you this whole time?”
“No–I’ve been contacting him. He’s only sent one notification before this and it was to give me the coordinates to his safe house.” Changmin abruptly stops his thought. “You’re annoyingly comfortable.”
Jacob laughs. “You’ve just gotten used to me I guess.”
~~~
He returns just before the ninth month mark.
His hair looks wildly different–a darkish brown color that probably made him stand out less–wherever he went. His eyes look a bit less sunken and his body is much more toned. He feels taller to Kevin, but maybe that’s because it’s been so long. His lips are still that tempting pink color and his eyes still full of whatever the fuck is between them.
But Kevin’s changed too–his once platinum blonde hair has become slightly more golden, and he’s added an undercut that he then dyed black “just for jolly wouldn’t you”. His eyes have gotten noticeably more sunken and the dark circles under his eyes are nothing to scoff at either. He’s kept his lean frame and sharp cheekbones though.
He shows up at Kevin’s door on a Sunday morning with flowers and earl gray lattes. Jacob and Changmin are playing videogames on the couch while Juyeon and Chanhee cook pancakes.
Kevin drops the ceramic cup he was holding and it shatters on the ground. Everyone looks up to make sure he’s alright and when they see who’s at the door they all stop.
“I assume that means you’re happy to see me?”
In a voice smaller than he would like, Kevin replies “I ordered coffee already” and promptly bursts into tears.
Sunwoo laughs and sets his gifts down so that he can wrap his arms around Kevin. “Hey, no, don’t do that.”
“Don’t do this?? You expect me to not absolutely lose my fucking mind when I haven’t seen you or heard from you in almost nine months??”
“I told you I had to disappear.”
“And I wasn’t sure if you were dead so excuse the tears of happiness to actually see you in the flesh.”
Sunwoo just laughs again. “I had to make sure we were safe. All of us–your team and mine.”
Kevin blinks and stops crying for a moment. “How did you…”
“Eric and I did some of our own digging to make sure we could ensure your safety. We couldn’t find the company you work for, but in terms of The Agency, you won’t be harmed.”
“And just how can you be sure?”
“Because my team leader, the King, now runs The Agency.”
Changmin spits out his water. “What??”
“The King has been trying to clean house for a long time. His great-uncle was one of the co-founders and thus, he had a lot of sway on the inside. Many people have been pushing for him to take over for a while actually. But he’s been avoiding it so he could eliminate the corrupt higher-ups who only cared about money. Safe to say, he did as much and has granted our team and your team immunity from any further investigation. Our work shouldn’t be so bloody anymore.”
“And what’s the catch?” Chanhee says, emerging from the shadows with a look of disbelief on his face. “You expect me to believe that everything is fine now and we don’t have to worry about our lives? When you left us with one of your teammates because you didn’t trust Jacob hyung enough?”
Sunwoo pulls away from Kevin and sighs. “Unfortunately, there is a slight catch. We have to take down the organization that you four work for. It’s the only way to completely ensure you won’t get tangled up in future missions like last time. But the King said he’s more than happy to give you work at our organization.”
Juyeon scoffs and is about to interject when Jacob cuts him off. “I see no problem with that.”
Chanhee and Juyeon whip their heads to him. “Hyung! Our organization is actually a good one–meanwhile, this Agency that they work for is mired in blood and lies.”
Jacob huffs. “I would much rather be alive and working for a company that’s trying to get it’s shit together than to die with a company over my own pride. If that’s the price we have to pay, then so be it. I don’t want to rip Sunwoo and Kevin apart again.”
Chanhee and Juyeon go silent and look at Kevin. “Are you going to weigh in on this, Kev?”
Kevin laces his fingers with Sunwoo’s. “I think the smartest option is to abdicate and start anew. The stakes are too high to risk it.”
Chanhee sighs. “Fine, fine, I get it. I won’t be stubborn on this one.”
Juyeon nods. “Hell, maybe we can help them figure out their shit too.”
Sunwoo turns to Changmin. “Ah and one other thing. Since King is now the leader of the Agency, he can’t technically be our team leader anymore. I called in a favor and I was able to get him to appoint Changmin hyung as our new team leader…and Jacob hyung as the leader of your team. King said he needs to brief you two together, since you’ll be working closely.”
Changmin grins and elbows Jacob. “Sounds like a plan, huh?”
Jacob shoves him back. “Guess we’re really stuck together then.”
Jacob ends up winning their game and turns the TV off so they can help with the food. Changmin is whining about him being too scared for a rematch when Jacob spins and kisses him to shut him up.
Sunwoo and Kevin’s jaws both drop. “Hyung! Since when did you–”
Changmin snickers as he tries to kiss Jacob back with no avail. “I’ll tell you later.”
~~~
Kevin pulls his crossbow out and fires three arrows consecutively. They all just barely miss their marks.
“Again.” Sangyeon barks.
“I thought you said I didn’t need intense training, hyung.”
“You’re now engaged to one of the most dangerous and wanted assassins in the country and I will not have you slacking on your training to the point where you can’t defend yourself. Now–do it again.”
Kevin sighs and nods. In the corner, Jacob is whacking a sandbag with his wooden sword as Haknyeon watches.
“Hyung try to swing with more of your forearms and less of your shoulders. You’ll get more range of motion that way and it’ll give you some advantage in power.”
Jacob nods and hums as he changes his technique.
“Kevin! Changmin wants to see you.” Eric calls out as he pops his head through the door.
Sangyeon sighs a little and hums. “Alright you two–take your well-deserved break. Lucky, you come with me.” Sangyeon says as he beckons Haknyeon to follow him out of the other exit.
Jacob and Kevin scurry out of the massive training room together and go up to the fourth floor of the building.
“Do you think this is because of your boyfriend or my fiance?”
“Well I mean–it was just my birthday.”
“Fair. Either way I’m grateful for the break.”
The elevator doors open and the pair is greeted by both Changmin and Sunwoo. Sunwoo’s still darkened hair is slicked back away from his face and he wears a classic pair of black jeans with a casual henley shirt whilst Changmin sports messy hair, an oversized hoodie, and well-fitted joggers.
“What’s all this about?” Kevin asks as they step out the elevator.
Changmin hands him a bag. “You and Sunwoo have gotten a mission together, after which you’ve been given a generous amount of time on leave. Consider it our late gift of gratitude to your team–as well as an early marriage gift. Congratulations, by the way. You depart in 12 hours.”
Kevin laughs. “Thanks hyung. Leave it to Sangyeon hyung to roll a vacation into a mission.”
Changmin smiles at the other two. “This will mark your first official mission with us, Kevin.” he says as he hands Kevin the envelope and pats his shoulder. “Good luck out there, Cupid. You’re in good hands.”
Kevin playfully rolls his eyes at his codename. “Thanks Beast. And I know.” Jacob presses a kiss to Changmin's hair as the two walk off and pouts cutely. "I want a cute codename too~." Changmin smacks his arm.
As they’re boarding the Agency’s private jet to their destination, Kevin leans his head on Sunwoo’s shoulder. “Kinda crazy that we ended up being in this together.”
“Do you feel nervous at all?”
“A little but–King ensured that I’d be able to hold my own in the field.”
Kevin has been curious for quite some time about what Sunwoo is like in the field. It’s been a year and a half since the fateful day they caught each other in that lie, and ever since he’s been wondering about what makes Sunwoo such a scary agent. In the field, the Reaper is ruthless and leaves no room for error.
At least, that’s what he’d been told.
But now Kevin has a bit of a clearer picture–in the field he can see himself helping to remove the corruption from an organization that is currently being rebuilt from the ground up. He can see the way his partner effortlessly takes out enemies and keeps that scary composure of his. He can admire the work of the infamous Reaper.
In the field with the love of his life is definitely some next level shit–but Kevin finds that he likes the sound of it.