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Ami Han had watched governments rise and fall. Kumihos weren't immortal, but she certainly had stolen enough life energy from humans to live as long as she had. It was a lonely existence being the last kumiho on Earth, but she managed. She had no choice but to manage.
"Message for you, Han!" A cheery voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Ami looked up to see a package being hurled at her. Instincts took over, catching the small box in one fluid movement. Her wrists ached at the motion, sore from the altercation last night. Some rabid dogs, to say the least, had gotten out of hand and became hellhounds. Ami wasn’t currently in the best shape, to say the least.
"Daehyeon!" Ami called, exasperated. "What did we say about throwing potentially explosive packages?"
The delivery boy shrugged. "That it was fun?"
Rolling her eyes, Ami waved him away and turned her attention to the box. It was small, bigger than a jewelry case, but still fit in her hand. Heavier than it looked, Ami studied the blank outer shell before opening it.
For Fox, the tag read. Ami forced herself to read the whole thing before reacting, keeping her shoulders relaxed and casually hiding the note from the cameras with her back. It wasn't strange to get White Fox's mail to her office, as she served as the liaison, but it never hurt being cautious. Even if she had disabled the cameras in her office years ago.
Under the handwritten Korean was a terribly drawn attempt at a fox. Ami smiled at the signed name, before she looked under the card. It was nice of Yeji to keep in contact, even now they were out of high school. She made the mental note to send a gift back later.
Which would promptly be forgotten among all her other mental notes. Goddamnit. Ami groaned, burying her face in her hands. She was tired, annoyed, and stressed. That was never a good combination.
Someone knocked at her door. Ami’s eyes immediately shot to the windows for a split second before putting the gift away in her secret drawer as she said, "Come in."
The one and only Luna Snow peeked her head inside, peering around, before walking in. Her two-toned hair made her immediately recognizable, as did the composure she carried herself with. She stood to attention in front of Ami's desk. “Hi.”
"Hello, Ms. Luna Snow." The uncomfortable wig of black hair she had on was a constant reminder of her role. Ami grabbed a sticky note attached to her computer, skimming over its contents. Her wrists cried for help as she dragged a pen over the note and wrote a reminder for Yeji's gift. “What can I do for you?”
Over the years Ami had gotten used to her wig. Whenever she was with Seol Hee, however, she was acutely aware of it. Of the lie she was currently carrying out. If she were White Fox, she'd be allowed to crack jokes and affectionately call Seol Hee "Seol." It was imperative that she didn't slip up now.
A small frown graced the K-Pop idol’s features. “Just Seol Hee is fine, Ms. Han.”
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and smile at the correction. If she started calling Luna Snow Seol Hee out loud, that opened another gateway to disaster. Instead, she rested her chin on her palm – ignoring her bad wrist – and looked up at Seol Hee, a mask of indifference falling into place. She took the time to analyze Seol Hee’s expression; she looked… nervous underneath the feigned casualty of the visit.
It was unusual to have heroes visit her office, Ami made sure of that in order to minimize the amount of risk of people figuring out who the White Fox truly was. But lately Seol Hee had been coming over into Ami's office too much. Ami couldn't tell if it was because the idol wanted to be friends with her boring civilian life or because of something else. It probably was something else.
“Anyways,” Seol Hee started again when it was clear Ami wouldn’t say anything. “Did White Fox get in last night okay?”
The clock on the wall ticked. Ami blinked. Seol Hee continued to stand. “Why are you asking?”
Shuffling, Seol Hee looked down at her feet. “I heard about the hellhounds.”
Well, Ami knew that. She had texted Seol Hee about them. Very short texts that downplayed the damage, and as White Fox. Not Ami Han. “So…?” She phrased the word as a question, drawing it out like she was waiting for an explanation.
“I couldn’t help or check because I had a performance last night,” Seol Hee replied. Ami knew that too. “So I was just curious.”
What White Fox is up to is none of your business, the words were on the tip of her tongue. All Ami had to do was say it. She didn’t, though, just studied Seol Hee some more. The celebrity really was effortlessly pretty. “White Fox got in fine last night,” she said finally. Awkwardly, she added, “thank you for asking.”
“Bu–” Seol Hee began to say. She was interrupted by Suyeon opening the door. Ami had never been so glad to see Suyeon in her life.
“Ami.” Suyeon eyed Seol Hee curiously but didn’t comment. “Rounds.”
Right. Internally, Ami took her gratitude back. Rounds were crucial, but especially taxing after leading a double-life where she was almost killed less than twelve hours ago. She stood, bones groaning, and hoped Seol Hee didn’t notice the stiffness in her walk. Knowing the popstar, she probably did.
Definitely did, Ami noted as she saw Seol Hee’s eyes dart all over her. Ami grabbed her blazer hanging from her chair and stepped around her desk. Rounds, then nonstop meetings after. Her body almost gave out at the thought. Suyeon held the door open for the both of them.
"I'll escort you out," Ami told Seol Hee with a brisk glance at the windows lining the walls. Seol Hee nodded and they set off walking, Suyeon next to Ami and Seol Hee on their tails.
“There’s another karaoke night today,” Suyeon informed her, amusement lacing her tone. “Will you be attending?”
“No,” Ami replied, leading the way. Her pace quickened, as if to escape the next question they both knew was coming.
"How about White Fox?" There it was.
No to that too. "I'll have to ask." But she would heal faster if she absorbed some asshole's life-force. Hmm. Make that a maybe. "I'll inform her."
"So grumpy today," Suyeon chided, but let it go.
Her enhanced hearing could hear everything that happened down the hall as they passed people. Behind them, Ami could hear Seol Hee's footsteps grow faster. They took a left, then a right until they reached the second floor lobby. Ami stopped at the stairs leading downstairs and nodded at Suyeon, who waved before heading back to her own office.
"Walk with me," she ordered. Nothing in her senses told her they were being followed, or listened in on, so she continued. "Anything else?"
"White Fox will be at karaoke?" She shouldn't have sounded that hopeful. Now Ami had to go. Something to do with not wanting to let Seol Hee down, or something.
"Probably." Ami shrugged, suddenly really tired. She rubbed her injured wrist absently. The words came out harsher than she intended. "I don't tend to assume what she'll do."
White Fox liked staying home and being alone. The only reason she ever went to karaoke nights was to steal life force from sleazy dirtbags. She didn't tell Seol Hee that, of course. For obvious reasons. Even if she wanted to.
"Oh… that makes sense." The hope was casted out and, suddenly, Ami felt bad.
Daehyeon rounded up the stairs, carrying his bag of mail. "Oh, Han! I was just about to find you."
"Yeah?" They slowed to a stop in the middle of the stairs.
"Dr. Kim wants to see you. He said," Daehyeon mimicked the weary voice of an older man. "Tell her that she can't keep putting off her medicine."
Medicine? Seol Hee mouthed, the sound and question barely a whisper. Ami heard it, though, she heard everything.
Good naturedly, Ami rolled her eyes and patted Daehyeon on the back. Her arms screamed at her. "I'll go see him after my meetings. Don't worry."
Daehyeon's brows squished together. "Are you sure? It sounded pretty important."
"I know how to take care of myself."
"Workaholic," Daehyeon teased, before glancing at Seol Hee and going on tiptoes to whisper into Ami's ear. "One autograph and I won't go back to Dr. Kim until the end of the day with his mail."
"Deal," Ami murmured. It was obvious Seol Hee had heard, but she pretended not to for Daehyeon's benefit. Beaming, the delivery boy ran off. They continued down the stairs to the first floor.
"I'm gonna need an autograph," a rare, albeit small, smile escaped her irontight expression, "it seems like someone I know is a fan."
A warm smile spread on Seol Hee's face in return. "I'll be happy to," her eyes glinted, "as long as you promise to visit this Dr. Kim between meetings."
Ami stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked up at Seol Hee with a slight frown. The sudden over-familiarity was disorienting. "Are you bribing me to go to the doctor?"
"Maybe." Seol Hee caught up to her, now on level ground. The smile disappeared, as if she was afraid she overstepped her bounds. "Is it working?"
Ami didn't like how the smile was wiped away before she could fully bask under it. Seol had such a pretty smile. She rolled her shoulders; gritted her teeth; stared straight ahead. "Fine, whatever."
Being where Tiger Division resided without her suit felt wrong. Her wig pinched tighter, her heels clicked louder. Magic infused the air of these steel corridors, so tangible Ami could almost bite down on it. Her invisible fox ears twitched.
She pushed open the doors to the meeting room, making a show to rummage through her purse and then pulling out her badge to show the heroes waiting inside. "Ami Han, NIS liaison. Pleased to meet you."
Seol Hee jumped to her feet from sitting on a desk. Her blue-brown eyes bore into Ami's skin. "Where's Fox?"
"She'll be briefed separately." Ami silently cursed. Usually it was White Fox briefing the team, but she had forgotten to change in her haste to get over. The two halves of her life were intersecting and that could only spell more trouble.
Luckily, everyone looked as if they accepted the answer. Everyone except Seol Hee, who continued to watch Ami suspiciously. Ami paid her no mind, however, striding over to spread out her papers.
Mr. Enigma whistled and raised his soul bottle. "That's a lot of paperwork, lady."
"Ms. Han," Seol Hee corrected immediately. That admission caused Ami to raise her head, looking over with a raised brow. Seol Hee matched her unreadable expression.
The dynamic in the room was all wrong. As White Fox, Ami could joke and hold conversation while still relaying the information. With her white hair and tails free, Ami felt the most normal in this section of the facility than anywhere else. Now, Tiger Division was maintaining their distance from her, treating her like an outsider. She was an outsider as Ami Han.
Strange, it had always been White Fox who was the outsider. Ami wondered when that had started to change. Surreptitiously, she ran a hand through her wig.
Auntie Ante walked closer, her red cards shuffling in and out of sight. "You're White Fox's liaison."
"I am." Ami kept her voice neutral.
"Interesting how you're the one trusted."
"Why is that so?"
A godori card with cherry blossoms painted delicately on it flashed in front of her before going up in smoke. Ami didn't flinch and Auntie Ante nodded in approval, leering. "You know her kind was hunted down by yours. What makes you any different?"
Ami stilled. Her mind raced as her hands lowered themselves on the table. Flashes of samjokgu in the night. Blood on white fur. A fearsome roar.
She could see everything. The finely white hairs on her skin wrenched into focus. Suddenly short of breath, she read and reread the lines of text on her papers. Her hands, she noticed, were clenched, so she forced them open.
"Seeing as she is the only one who doesn't interact directly with the government," Ami said coolly. "I'd say she's the smart one choosing the deal with one human instead of a whole government full of them."
Auntie Ante bared her teeth in a smile. She turned away to Taegukgi. "I like her."
"So glad you do," Ami supplied dryly before she could stop herself. Trading barbs with Auntie Ante was the easiest way to slip back into her usual self. She shook herself, chastising her own stupidity. "Anyways. I'm here on official orders."
"This'll be good." Mr. Enigma snickered, and Ami shot the old god a death glare.
Seol Hee waved, catching her attention. Her eyes were cool pools of concern. It was clear only she had picked up on Ami's frayed nerves. Ami ignored her.
White Fox stared back at her in the mirror. Ami adjusted her mask before zipping up the collar of her uniform. After a backwards glance at her duffel bag that contained her wig and other Ami Han essentials, she left her allotted room.
Finding where the rest of Tiger Division scattered after the briefing wasn't hard, but Ami was looking for one in particular. She followed the trail through the halls until she reached the small cafeteria they had situated near the kitchen.
Seol Hee beamed when she saw her. Warmth erupted in Ami's chest at the sight, but all she did was let a small smile shine through. "Fox, you made it!"
"Sorry I was too late for the briefing." Ami sat on the bench next to her. "Some stuff came up."
"Nothing too bad, I hope." Seol Hee ducked her head, studying Ami for any visible wounds. "I heard about the hellhounds."
Now where had Ami heard that before? Ami shrugged. "Nothing I can't handle."
Brief frustration flashed through Seol Hee's eyes before it was gone. Ami wasn't quite sure if she'd read correctly. "I talked to your liaison about it."
"Really? I have heard that you've been visiting her lately." She paused. "Any reason for that?"
"Oh, nothing. I just can't figure her out. She's very cool."
"Says the Ice Queen."
Seol Hee swatted her shoulder half-heartedly. "No! It's like… one second the tiniest bit of humanity shines through, then she's as distant as ever." Her tone had a secret in it. "She kind of reminds me of you."
Ami started. "That's no fun now–"
"For a liaison tasked with talking to you," Seol Hee interrupted quietly. "I never see you guys in the same room."
Silence filled the empty cafeteria as Ami mulled over her next round of choices. "Do you know the story about the witch and the cat?" She finally asked, smoothing down her ears.
"No, should I?"
"There was a witch who was plagued by suitors." Ami made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. "So much so that it came to the point where she declared that anyone who could capture her cat would be the one she married."
Seol Hee leaned in, brows furrowing.
"Many tried, but they all failed." Shrugging, Ami licked her lips. "The cat didn't want to be caught."
"Understandably so."
"But one suitor decided to befriend it instead. Instead of catching it, they gave it treats and pets. And, eventually, the cat revealed to the suitor that she was the witch. They married and lived happily ever after, what-have-you." Scoffing, Ami rolled her eyes. "The end."
"You're terrible at telling endings." Seol Hee chuckled, the sound ringing low in Ami's ears. "But it's a nice story."
"My mother told it to me. She was the one who fell in love with a human, after all." A dry laugh. Sometimes Ami wondered if this was her mother's story, or a warning. "It's just a story."
"Love," Seol Hee mused. "Do you think you'll ever find it?"
Glancing over, Ami took in Seol Hee's guarded expression. She was studying her, Ami realized, trying to get a gauge on what the White Fox thought about human connections. But her eyes were soft instead of cruel, curious instead of calculating, and Ami wanted to let her in. One secret couldn't hurt; she had so many to give.
"I'm the last of my kind, Seol. I can't help what I am, and what I have to hide. I don't think I could ever do love."
"What if you didn't have to hide?"
"What makes you think I can do anything else but hide?" She gestured to her mask. "Even you don't know who I really am."
The words died on Seol Hee's lips as she faltered, clearly hesitating. Ami almost desperately wished she knew what was going to be said instead of the word that came out. "Nevermind."
There were a lot of things about Ami Han. Desperate wasn't one of them. She'd been desperate before and it never ended well. The story her mother had told her was simply a story and Seol Hee's reaction wasn't anything in particular.
"It's just a story," Ami repeated. More to herself than anything. Convincing herself more than anything.
But stories didn't have to be real to be true. If White Fox was the witch… did that make Ami the cat?
Boarding the nondescript taxi that took them to her place, and during the ride, Ami couldn't help but pay attention to Seol Hee from the corner of her eye. Partly because the celebrity wouldn't leave her alone.
It was like she wanted to be friends or something; Ami did not appreciate it. Or maybe she appreciated it a little too much. Ami couldn't tell when she was too busy walking the line between Ami Han and White Fox.
"Does that mean you know where Fox lives? Where?" Seol Hee asked when they pulled up to the apartment buildings, continuing their conversation from the ride. If you could call Ami fending off a bunch of personal questions a conversation.
It really wasn't Seol Hee's fault, Ami was just incredibly wound up. She was swamped with work and even talking felt like a chore.
"I don't share information I'm not allowed to," Ami told Seol Hee shortly. She got out of the taxi and immediately started power walking the other direction. "White Fox's whereabouts aren't your concern."
"Well I know that." Seol Hee let out a deep breath, catching up to her. "I'm just wondering if you do."
Ami growled in frustration and turned on her heel. She faced Seol Hee impatiently. "Yes, I do. I'm sorry, Ms. Luna Snow, but I'm not in the best mood right now."
Seol Hee took a surprised step back. Apprehension flashed through her eyes. "Sorry, Ms. Han."
Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Ami massaged her forehead. "No, I'm sorry." She forced herself to look away. "Just tired."
A day off would be nice, but she didn't often get nice things. Ami looked around surreptitiously before squaring her shoulders, and adopted a look of practiced boredom. She met Seol Hee's eyes and found the idol unconvinced.
"Maybe you should rest," Seol Hee suggested worriedly.
Yeah, not happening. Ami laughed at even the suggestion of taking a break before resuming their walk past the glass doors and to the elevator.
"I'm serious," Seol Hee insisted, following. "Just leave it to us."
Instead of answering, Ami pushed the elevator button. She was being petty and rude, she knew, but the days felt neverending, and the more Seol visited, the more the lines between White Fox and Ami Han blurred. Her fingernails morphed into the tips of her claws, and dug into her arms.
Ami Han shook her head and retracted them right before they drew blood. She was on edge, clearly. Seol Hee had the good sense to stay quiet until they reached her door.
"I'll just go grab what I need and we can head back out." Unlocking the door, Ami tossed the words over her shoulder. "You can wait here."
The whole reason they were here was because Ami had forgotten something important. Seol Hee had immediately volunteered to drive her. There was no choice in the offer, Ami had to take it.
"Aren't you an idol?" Ami had asked, more desperately fishing for excuses than anything. "Don't you have schedules to go to?"
"I visit you for this long and you finally ask me that question?" Seol Hee had actually laughed, prompting a smile from Ami. "I must finally be wearing you down."
"Not a chance," Ami snorted sardonically, but they both knew it was a lie. Over the visits Ami had kept slipping into the ease she shared with Seol Hee as White Fox.
Now, as she opened the door and stepped in, she did a quick scan of her living room. It was thankfully bare of anything that could incriminate her as the White Fox. She wondered if she should invite Seol Hee in. It was rude not to.
"You can come in," she called as she stepped out of her shoes. She strode to the chest that contained a couple textbooks she needed to grab, pulling it out with ease. Sitting, she flipped through it.
"Nice place," commented Seol Hee. She stood awkwardly where she was.
Ami looked up. "Can you get something from my bedside table? It should be a box with the tag 'for Fox' on it."
As if grateful for something to do, Seol Hee nodded and went off, able to find the room after some instruction. Ami took the chance to close the chest and pack the textbooks she needed in her bag. They were dealing with old Korean magic, the history these books contained were required.
"This is so cute, who's Yeji?" Seol Hee reappeared with the box in hand, her free hand in her hoodie pocket.
"An old friend of both Fox and I," Ami responded carefully. "I need to give the gift to White Fox."
On the way out, a squirrel ran on the playground's railing beside them. Hey, isn't that the girl you always complain about. Why did you take her to your place?
Ami glared and the squirrel scampered away, squeaking in laughter. She risked a glance behind at Seol Hee, who was assessing her carefully. She couldn't read her face.
The restaurant was bursting with customers as Ami and Suyeon ate their lunch. In the background, some music show was playing. A special event, Ami remembered Seol Hee explaining to her.
Ami was multitasking, reading an article on her phone as she ate. Suyeon watched her disapprovingly. "There's another karaoke night tonight."
"Is there?" Ami asked distractedly.
"Yeah, you should really come." Suyeon gestured to her phone with her chopsticks. "Stop working all the time."
"I'm not the karaoke type."
"It doesn't have to be karaoke. Get bingsu with me, or let's do an escape room. There's something called work-life balance, you know."
Ami raised her head, about to retort, when she caught a sight of something. Past Suyeon's head was one of the TV's playing 4L1T live performance. She craned her neck, she thought she'd seen something–
Expletives escaped Ami's mouth. Luna Snow was wearing her mask. White Fox's mask.
Her chopsticks clattered onto the table.
The camera focused on Seol Hee singing her verse, following her movements as she danced. Her eyes shone through the White Fox mask, a charismatic smile on her face. The ears of the mask were protruding from her hair, lending an almost animalistic energy to the performance. Ruffles and lace accented her white, strappy crop top and shorts.
Ami caught the glance of silver jewelry before the camera panned to the next member, Hae Won, who was wearing a gold sequined mask with a feather on one end. She was decked out in all black, the mask and a red rose on her lapel the only pops of color.
"What is it?" Suyeon turned to look.
Another switch of the cameras revealed all four members in their respective outfits dancing together. Ami couldn't tear her eyes away from Seol Hee even if she tried. The all too familiar mask stared back at her, almost tauntingly.
"Hey," Suyeon squinted, "isn't that–?"
Ami Han was out the door and commandeering a taxi to the broadcast station before the second verse even started.
Ami watched from the shadows into the dressing room through the open door. The 4L1T members by now had taken their masks off and were just chatting. She could see her mask in Seol Hee's hand as the idol talked, bursting into a smile at something Min Jee said. It wasn't long until a couple of staff members filtered out to get something. She snuck in right as the last stylist walked out and the other way, leaning against the doorway. Waiting.
The door never closing after the last person walked out seemed to pique Seol Hee's attention, making her tilt her head and adjust her stance slightly. She was trained, after all, to notice such things. Or maybe she had come to recognize Ami's presence, over the years. The room went quiet and the staff stared at her, as if they could sense the storm brewing. They knew who she was, what she represented. Ami knew it was time to talk the second before Seol Hee started to turn around.
"Quite a performance you put out there," Ami said softly. She watched how Seol Hee stiffened before turning. "You did really well."
"Thank you." Her eyes were cool; didn't give anything away.
Ami's gaze narrowed, but simply nodded to the people surrounding them. She gave a wolfish smile paired with compliments to Hae Won, Jin Soo, and Min Jee, ignoring Seol Hee for the moment.
"Could you give us a moment?" Seol Hee asked her members and staff. She gestured towards Ami, striding forward. Ami stepped out of the way and followed Seol Hee to a secluded room. She didn't miss the whispered "good luck," Min Jee whispered on their way out.
The click of a lock alerted Ami's ears but she didn't comment on it. Better to be locked in than disturbed. Seol Hee faced her, crossing her arms, the mask tucked in one hand. "Yes?"
"It really was a spectacular stage. The masquerade element was very unique."
Seol Hee hummed in agreement.
"I do have one question, however." Ami advanced closer like a predator on the hunt. Her actions were belied by her all-too-casual voice. "I wonder what gave you the idea for your costume? I couldn't help but be reminded of something."
"Believe it or not, it was inspired off of White Fox." Her voice was dry. At least she was truthful. Seol Hee tracked Ami's movement, and the grip on her mask tightened.
"The mask is really well made," Ami pretended to marvel but her tone remained flat. They were right in front of each other now. "It almost looks like the real deal."
"Oh I'd hope so," in a burst of confidence, Seol Hee closed the gap between them, leaning in to Ami's ear, "because I got it from your bed."
Her breath hitched. She couldn't help the shiver that erupted from those words, from the nearness. Seol Hee knew. Ami pulled back, studying Seol Hee's features carefully. Her mind whirled with possibilities, but she forced herself to sound bored. "Did you?"
"Care to explain yourself, White Fox?"
Well, Ami Han had never been the type to beat around the bush. The facade of Ami Han, NIS liaison, dropped from her shoulders completely. She let her eyes glint blue and bared the slightest bit of her fangs. "You know."
"It took a while," Seol Hee was the same deadly calm as before, but Ami saw her take the smallest step back, "and it was mostly guesswork."
"Congratulations." Ami couldn't help the bite in her words. She hated being found out, it brought up unwelcome memories and bitter thoughts. As if to ward them off, she crossed her arms.
"It's smart," Seol Hee admitted. She started pacing. "Establish a middle-man so that you don't have to interact directly with the government. Become the middle-man so that you know what they want and can influence decisions. Nobody suspects you to be both; they think the middle-man is completely in their pockets – figuratively and literally – and they think White Fox trusts the middle-man. Genius, actually. Nobody has to know."
"There's a but coming up, isn't there."
"But my question is." She stopped and turned abruptly to Ami, face soft and open and pleading. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Ami paused. She mulled over her thoughts before she answered. "Beyond the danger aspect?"
"I'm an international celebrity and superhero who faces danger on a daily basis." Seol Hee let out an incredulous laugh. "Try me."
"Fair enough." Ami sighed. "Not many people know I'm White Fox."
"Clearly."
"Hush, I'm explaining. You only spent all your life being hunted down before you start hiding aspects of who you truly are." Seol Hee's mouth widened in horror, but Ami continued. "Call it a defense mechanism, what have you. You learn early on you don't put all your eggs in one basket."
"Thus the dual-life."
"Exactly. As White Fox I'm Korea's number one spy, the first superhero they ever had. As Ami Han, I have the influence of the government on my side. The only trade-off is that it's a secret identity."
"We would've understood," Seol's voice lowered. Her lashes fluttered, eyes watery, and Ami didn't know how to react. "We–"
“I’m not apologizing for not telling you.” Ami shook her head. “I would’ve eventually, I think. I'm not even mad you figured it out, I trust you, Luna."
Seol Hee sniffed. "Calling me Luna sounds weird coming from you with black hair."
"It's a wig." Ami laughed, surprised and delighted at the ease the nickname came to her. "I just didn't expect you to tell me you knew like this." At this, her voice turned disapproving. "It's not a breach in security protocol, seeing as protocol doesn't have anything related to live stages, but it feels like one."
"It was the only way I could think of that would've prompted an actual reaction," Seol Hee admitted. "Every other attempt led to you shutting me down or acting like you didn't know a thing."
Seol Hee had trapped the other end of the fox burrow and drawn Ami out.
"I'm never in control of what the public knows about me." Seol Hee stood firm, her voice steady. "Just this once, I wanted to be."
Shaking her head with a smile, Ami turned away. "I understand, but next time… warn me." She started towards the locked door.
"Wait!" Seol Hee grabbed her wrist. "Are you staying?" An imploring expression took over her fine features. "There's the final stage coming up, and I'd like you to see."
"Fine," Ami relented. "You know, some of my coworkers are having a karaoke night tonight."
The beaming smile she got in reply temporarily blinded her. "How about some fried chicken instead?"
"I can do that."