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Yunseong thought that masquerade balls died out a long, long time ago. However, before he became an agent, he had thought the same about the mob.
Everyone in the hall wore a mask. And that made sense. Here, who you were does not matter. Here, you were safe to do whatever, you had no face and nothing will be held against you after the fact. Which made it the perfect event to infiltrate. Yunseong and Donghyun hadn’t even had to negotiate at the gate, let alone pull out their guns.
That wasn’t to say that they wouldn’t have to use them tonight.
Next to him, Donghyun tugged at his sleeve.
He was dressed sleekly, hair perfectly done, shirt buttoned up to the top, perfect Windsor knot on his tie. The suit was nothing to gawk at, but it synergized perfectly with his mask-- black, simple in shape, yet intricate and bejeweled. Gold accents decorated the area around his eyes, studded with diamonds between gilded swirls. It made him look mysterious. Had Yunseong not known otherwise, he would have taken Donghyun to be a prince in disguise.
But that was hardly surprising-- after all, Donghyun was always adorable, always attractive, always beautiful. And that was an objective, professional judgment, no bias involved. Absolutely none.
“Hangyul said that they’re keeping him in the basement,” he whispered fiercely. “Someone wanted him more than they did. They’re passing him off.”
Yunseong huffed. “Very helpful, Keum. This place is huge. I bet the basement goes on for miles.”
“It’ll be alright,” Donghyun assured him. “We’ve got this.”
“Right.” Yunseong thought for a moment. He tugged at his tie, which was already beginning to come loose. Funny how that happens. “We have a name, a description. We just have to take our guy down.”
“Get the time and place of the negotiation.”
“And when we’re the ones who show up instead--” Yunseong grinned, intentionally trailing off.
Donghyun’s lips curved into a wide smile that reached his eyes. “They’ll be in for a nasty surprise.”
“And that’s why they say we have golden chemistry.”
They bumped fists. Nobody in the agency worked alone. Some did, sometimes, but that was exactly what had lead to Seungyoun’s capture. Dude thought he could raid a warehouse all by himself. He was one of their best agents-- decades of experience, two kingpins brought down, been undercover many times, spoke five languages, played several sports-- he was like the living embodiment of an action hero. But even their most experienced agents, even Wooseok, even Seongwoo himself ran missions in pairs. Going solo, unsurprisingly, hadn’t gone well for Seungyoun. And now it was up to Hwang Yunseong and Keum Donghyun, two of the newest fully-fledged agents, to rescue him.
Hangyul, their handler for this mission, has been losing his mind worrying about Seungyoun. They’ve worked closely, but they’ve never really run any missions since Hangyul got promoted to a desk job. This, Yunseong suspected, may also have been why Seungyoun has gotten so reluctant to work with others. It has been a while since he’d run a mission with someone who wasn’t Hangyul.
Yunseong and Donghyun had only run missions with one another since graduation. He wondered if the same will ever happen to them. He wondered if either of them would ever be so reckless. But, before this incident, Seungyoun had always seemed as level-headed and competent as they got, so.
The rich dressed themselves in gowns and suits just as lavish and ornate as their masks, donned masks just as expensive and intricate as their clothes. They laughed, downed several glasses of champagne, giggled as their partners lead them out to the courtyard-- or to one of the rooms. It was likely that most of them didn’t know that this entire gala was a front.
The man they were looking for had been described as tall, conventionally handsome. Dark hair. Their handlers saw him enter the mansion dressed in a red suit with a marginally matching mask, one decorated with lace and complete with feathers sticking out the top. Yunseong rather thought something like that would look very, very tacky.
“Psst.” Donghyun nudged him. “Over there.”
And it was, indeed, a very tacky outfit. Yunseong wanted to roll his eyes to the back of his head.
It proved dreadfully difficult to get their man alone. He was almost always with someone, talking to one person then immediately moving on to the next. And people kept complimenting him on his ridiculous getup. Bleh.
And suddenly, Donghyun let go of Yunseong’s sleeve to grip his hand. He nodded at the dance floor in the middle of the hall.
“There’s no rush,” he said, arching a brow slyly. “Come on, Yunnie. Give me this dance.”
Before Yunseong could stutter out an answer, Donghyun was already pulling him past the tables of hors d'oeuvres and champagne tower.
Donghyun always pulled this shit. Yunseong’s been his partner ever since they graduated from the academy, and Donghyun’s always found a reason to ‘let loose’ or ‘have fun’ during a mission. Once, when they were undercover in an arcade, Donghyun had spent about twenty minutes trying to win him a stuffed deer. (“It looks like you, Yunnie. You need to have it.”) The dude they were after had almost gotten away.
On another mission, at a mafia consigliere’s daughter’s wedding, Donghyun had outright convinced him that they should pose as a couple. Like the fool he was, Yunseong agreed, and Donghyun consequentially spent the rest of the day clinging to Yunseong’s arm like a koala. They were very good at acting like a couple, Donghyun the confident and flirtatious one while Yunseong the quiet, panicked gay. When, during the reception, Donghyun planted a kiss on Yunseong’s cheek, he grew as red as a tomato.
(They did manage to wrangle the information they needed from the consigliere. The agency staged a raid on one of their warehouses a week later. It was awesome .)
If Yunseong hadn’t known any better, he’d think that the younger boy was flirting with him on missions. He’d think that Donghyun was trying to wrangle dates out of their undercover work.
However, that wasn’t possible. Their relationship was purely professional. Everything ‘fun’ they did together was for the sake of building trust and camaraderie.
But when Donghyun offered him his hands and took the lead, when their steps naturally fell into sync with one another, when Donghyun dipped him and smiled underneath his mask, face way too close to his for comfort, perhaps Yunseong secretly wished that they could be something more.
The song ended all too quickly. Yunseong was left spellbound, breathless. Donghyun stepped away and eyed Yunseong’s suit with a frown.
“Agent Hwang, why is your top button undone? Why is your tie so loose?” He reached out to fix it.
Yunseong pouted. “It was choking me, Keumie.”
“Hwang Yunseong, we are at a high end venue. We cannot afford to look unprofessional.” Donghyun lectured while adjusting Yunseong’s tie.
“I don’t think anyone can be considered professional by Keum Donghyun standards,” Yunseong retorted. He tried to loosen up his tie again, but Donghyun batted his hand away.
“Yunseong. Behave.”
Yunseong huffed. “Fine.”
Suddenly, Donghyun whipped his head over to the champagne tower. Yunseong followed his gaze. Their man was finally alone, standing underneath one of the crystal chandeliers.
“Looks like we’ll have to do this,” Yunseong shuddered. “Human interaction.”
“It’s a masquerade ball, Hwang. Nobody here cares about us as people.”
Hopefully, Donghyun would prove to be correct. When they approach the champagne tower, the guy they’re looking for immediately greeted them with a chuckle.
“I wouldn’t think I’d see a couple in a place like this.” The feathers on his mask bobbed as he spoke. Christ, they weren’t even the same color as the mask. Yunseong could not get over that. What an awful, awful fashion choice.
“We thought it would be fun,” Donghyun said, leaning into Yunseong a little bit.
Well, thought Yunseong. I guess we’re doing this again.
Yunseong smiled and put an arm around Donghyun’s shoulders.
“He insisted, actually.”
It was satisfying to feel Donghyun tense up a little, to make him as flustered as he was. It was revenge, in a way.
“You didn’t object,” Donghyun retorted, shifting closer to him.
Feather mask douche guy grinned. “Always nice to see young love.” Then, he waved his hands around. “So what are you really here for?”
Of course, most people came here to have fun, but some were here because this was a high-profile event. Perfect for schmoozing. Of course they couldn’t be trusted to hold a conversation without some ulterior motive.
And some people, fewer still, were here for something more. Low-profile.
Yunseong looked at Donghyun, and Donghyun nodded at him. He pulled back one of his sleeves, revealing a thick stack of cash hidden within.
Masked walking wardrobe disaster’s eyes widened. He glanced around the room, then turned around, gesturing for Donghyun and Yunseong to follow.
Feathered mismatched insult to fashion was waiting for them in a hallway right outside the ballroom.
“Let’s go somewhere further from here,” Donghyun hissed. “I don’t quite trust that nobody will stumble by.”
Tacky red suit man nodded. They went deeper into the hallway.
It was dark here. Yunseong felt Donghyun cling to him even tighter, and that made his lips rise a bit. After they rescue Seungyoun, he swore that he would never hear the end of that.
Unfashionable-- damn it, Yunseong was running out of snide nicknames-- opened a door and led them into an empty room.
Except it wasn’t completely empty. Yunseong’s eyes took a while to adjust, but once they did, he saw that the walls were concrete. There was a fuse box, next to that a fire extinguisher, and next to that--
His breath caught in his throat. These were the stairs to the basement. There was a reason feather mask guy lead them here so surely, a reason as to why he thought nobody would disturb them here.
It was likely that this was close to where Seungyoun was being held.
“How much do you want?” Birdman told them gruffly.
“As much as we can get with this.” Donghyun pulled the stack of cash out of Yunseong’s sleeve. His voice became deep, became gruff. In a way, it was to compensate. Both he and Yunseong never really looked the type to deal in the underground; they appeared too young, too innocent. But where Yunseong has opted to adopt a more withdrawn and silent persona, once that made it seem like he never spoke unless he had to, Donghyun developed a way to act like someone who shouldn’t be messed with, from his voice to his demeanor to his facial expressions. And he was often quite convincing.
Yunseong was sure that someday, with enough experience, enough missions under his belt, Keum Donghyun will become one of the best agents they’ve ever had.
Wryly, Birdman opened his jacket and pulled two vials out of his inside pocket.
Yunseong frowned. “That’s it?”
“That’s plenty,” Donghyun amended.
Yunseong felt him tap his wrist twice. That was their signal.
They pulled their pistols out at the same time, in frighteningly perfect sync. Birdman stumbled back, fumbling for his own gun, but froze when Donghyun cocked his.
“We’re with the XPD,” Yunseong said. “Show us your hands and slowly put down your weapon.”
Thankfully, Birdman cooperated, shaking a bit. Perhaps Yunseong felt a twinge of guilt for him. He couldn’t have been very high ranking in this operation. Hopefully, he had what they needed.
They searched him. As it turned out, the handkerchief he carried was actually a map of the mansion. There was one room in the basement clearly circled in red. Yunseong and Donghyun nodded at each other.
“We’ll be sending an auxiliary unit here to pick you up,” Donghyun informed him while cuffing him to the staircase’s handrail. “You’re their problem now.”
They started towards the basement. But while they were going down, Yunseong stopped and turned around.
“By the way, sir, your outfit sucks!” Yunseong yelled out, before a very disgruntled Donghyun could drag him back to their mission. It was worth it.
Of course, the basement was endless. And dark.
“You were awesome back there,” Yunseong whispered. “Man, did you see his eyes? He was scared of you.”
“I’m intimating,” Donghyun boasted. This got a chuckle out of Yunseong.
“Hey, why are you laughing? Is that so hard to believe?”
“I’m sorry,” Yunseong said, choking on his laughter. “It’s just. You’re cute , Keumie.”
It impossible to see him in the darkness, but Donghyun was blushing. Had he not buried his face into the crook of Yunseong’s neck in embarrassment, had Yunseong not felt the heat of his cheeks on his skin, he would never have been able to tell.
“Agent Hwang,” he said, voice muffled. “I am going to have to tell you to keep this professional.”
Yunseong’s heart sank. This again.
“Says the one who pulled me to the dance floor,” Yunseong retorted. He tried to say this jokingly, but there was an edge to his voice. “Says the one who said we’re a couple.”
“For professional reasons!” Donghyun shot back.
They both stopped. For a moment, none of them spoke.
“I’m sorry,” Yunseong finally said. “I’ll stop.”
“No, no, Yunnie. Stop.” Donghyun closed his eyes. “Forget it. I was being unfair. You’re right, you were just acting the same as me.”
Yunseong stood dumbly for a moment.
“So. We’re cool?”
“We’re cool.” Donghyun paused. “But. I think I need to tell you something after this.”
Something tightened in Yunseong’s chest.
“Alright.” He took out his gun and spun it around in his hand. “Let’s get Agent Cho out of here.”
They pressed onwards. At the place marked red on the handkerchief, they came across a door. There were voices coming from behind it. Indistinguishable, but there could be no mistake.
Yunseong and Donghyun both quietly loaded their guns.
They looked at each other; and, on a count of three, burst through the door.
Seungyoun was tied to a chair, hands behind his back. Two men stood next to him, one in a black tux with a white phantom-of-the-opera mask that covered half his face, the other dressed in all white wearing a comedy-tragedy mask that covered his entire face.
When Seungyoun saw them, he smiled and attempted to wave, but the men holding him were none too pleased.
The agents were armed and ready. Yunseong lifted his gun before Phantom Guy could even reach his holster, pointing straight at his head, but Comedy-Tragedy Guy also had his gun out. Instead of pointing it at either of them, he held it point-blank to Seungyoun’s temple.
“Don’t move a muscle,” he hissed. “If either of you move a muscle, I blow his brains out.”
“Bold of you to assume I have any brains to blow out,” Seungyoun chipped in.
Donghyun froze. Slowly, he held out his gun and began to put it on the floor.
Yunseong, at first, reached to do the same. But Comedy-Tragedy Guy was only looking at Donghyun. Phantom Guy had his hands up, his weapon still in his holster.
Don’t do it, Seungyoun mouthed. Don’t do it. Don’t do it.
It was, almost certainly, a trick. A gambit. They wouldn’t hurt Seungyoun, a part of Yunseong knew this. Seungyoun was much too valuable, much less of a target than two scrappy new agents they’ve never heard of.
Yunseong trusted Seungyoun. He knew more than any of them.
Everything happened in slow motion. Donghyun unarmed. Comedy-Tragedy Guy raising his gun. Yunseong’s mind buzzed as he pulled the trigger, aiming his pistol at the socket of his shoulder.
The bullet hit its mark. Comedy-Tragedy Guy’s gun fell to the concrete floor with a loud clank , his screams echoing hauntingly off the walls. Phantom Guy fumbled to retaliate, but by the time he was aware of his surroundings, Donghyun was already aiming straight at him.
“Don’t move,” he said. “Drop the weapon. Now.”
Phantom Guy did as he was told. Comedy-Tragedy Guy was still rolling on the floor, seething in pain.
Yunseong’s heart was still beating fast. They could’ve died. Donghyun could have died.
But they didn’t. And now they had Seungyoun.
He didn’t realize that Donghyun was staring at him, didn’t realize that he’d long zoned out.
“Let’s get these assholes in handcuffs.”
They called in the auxiliary unit and peaced out. Hangyul’s car was waiting for them just outside the venue. The party was still going on, the attendees blissfully unaware of the drama that had just went down in the basement. Yunseong’s hands were still shaking. At some point, they found Donghyun’s hands to hold, and that managed to calm him down a bit.
When Hangyul saw Seungyoun, he charged up to him and fell into his arms, very nearly knocking him back. Seungyoun embraced him with a warm smile.
“You idiot,” Hangyul seethed. “You’re a fucking idiot, Cho Seungyoun.”
“I’m your fucking idiot,” Seungyoun said. Hangyul rolled his eyes and hugged him even tighter.
“Don’t do this again, alright? Don’t you dare do this to me again.”
Yunseong unwittingly tightened his hold on Donghyun. Donghyun didn’t protest.
Back at headquarters, everything was the same as always. Seungwoo made calls and assigned tasks from his desk, looking visibly exhausted. Mingyu and Sejin, who had also just returned from a mission, argued about stealing each others’ thunder. Jinhyuk and Wooseok were getting ready to head out, donning their vests and grabbing their guns.
What they did was dangerous. Of course it was. Danger was literally in the first line of their job description. Still, Yunseong couldn’t shake off the chills.
At some point, he found himself on the rooftop. He never knew how he got here, why he went here, but this was where he often ended up. People rarely came up here, rarely disturbed him, and that made the rooftop a great place to think.
Except today, apparently.
Yunseong didn’t hear the door open over the roaring wind, but he did hear someone call his name.
He turned around. Donghyun, to his dismay, wasn’t dressed for the weather. His arms were bare, and Yunseong could already see goosebumps begin to form on them.
“Yunnie. Hey.”
“Keumie.” Yunseong didn’t blink. “What’s up?”
Donghyun stood next to him, resting his arms on the railing. “I never thanked you. You saved my life.”
“For professional reasons,” Yunseong said disgruntledly. Donghyun looked away.
The wind was still roaring, still blowing hair into Yunseong’s face. It made him feel chilly, even though he wore several layers. Donghyun, on the other hand, was clearly shivering.
Yunseong’s eyes softened. “You should go inside.”
When Donghyun shook his head, Yunseong heaved a sigh. Without much thought, he shook off his jacket and carefully put it over Donghyun’s shoulders.
At that, Donghyun looked over at him, bewildered. But at least he was no longer shivering.
“Was it really nothing?” He said in a tiny voice. Yunseong closed his eyes.
“I don’t know,” he muttered. “You tell me.”
“I like you.”
Yunseong froze. “What?”
“I liked you,” Donghyun repeated. “I liked you, and I still like you.”
It made sense. Yunseong would be lying if he said he didn’t suspect it, but Donghyun was a stubborn person. He always imagined that Donghyun would flirt with him relentlessly until Yunseong either confessed or got annoyed. And he, himself, was very close to confessing. But the thought that Donghyun’s flirting was just acting, that it was all for professional reasons . That hurt him.
Yunseong took Donghyun’s hand again.
“I like you too,” he said, just like that.
Whenever Donghyun smiled, it would reach his eyes. And whenever his smile reached his eyes, his eyes became macarons. It was always a beautiful thing, never failed to make Yunseong’s heart flutter, and this was no exception. Donghyun smiled, his smile reached his eyes, his eyes became macarons, and Yunseong’s brain short circuited.
Yunseong lifted his hand and touched Donghyun’s cheek. Donghyun leaned into the touch.
The wind tugged at their hair. Yunseong leaned forward, and when they kissed, feather-light and brief, it felt right . Donghyun’s lips were warm.
Yunseong closed his eyes. “I’m scared.”
“Why?”
“I almost lost you. I might lose you again.”
Donghyun smiled again, albeit lighter this time. He took a step forward and enveloped Yunseong in a tight hug.
“You won’t,” he told him. “I promise.”
And he kept it.
“We’re all clear,” Yunseong said, turning off his radio. “Let’s go home.”
Donghyun smiled and took his hand. “Another down. Go us.”
Things were different now. Yunseong still had Donghyun by his side, they worked as well together as they always did, but things just felt different. Maybe Yunseong was a bit more protective when they came face-to-face with a criminal. Maybe Donghyun was a bit more passive in his negotiations, tried to do things that would keep them both safe. Maybe Hangyul would roll his eyes whenever they got back to the car, all gooey-eyed and sickeningly touchy with one another. But it wasn’t like Hangyul could say anything. Ever since Seungyoun got back, they’ve hardly spent a moment apart.
But things were good. Things were better than they’ve ever been, Yunseong thought, burying his head in the crook of Donghyun’s neck as they drove back to headquarters.