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Chapter Text

Hongjoong doesn't look like a villain.

That's basically the main thing he's gathered in a short while of dealing with the bastards that got on his nerves daily. None of them took him seriously before it's too late, and that's been his main advantage compared to other members of his "band". Mingi and Yunho, being the opposite to him and scaring those greedy assholes away, usually work behind the scenes.

"So... What do you say?"

A lean guy is in the chair, a dagger set against his neck from one side and a gun hanging right next to it from another. Hongjoong smirks, catching a glance of the man quivering under the danger from Yeosang's and Jongho's arms.

Still, the guy tries to act tough. "Fuck you! I won't give away my hard-earned money to a bunch of freaks who think it's funny to threaten people with arms."

Hongjoong feels his own face twist at the word "freaks" slightly, but he quickly shakes that off. Not the first time, not the last time. He needs to get used to being insulted if he wants to make for a good bad guy.

"Hard-earned, you say?" Yeosang chuckles, moving his dagger a tiny bit closer to the man's jugular veins. "By whom?"

"None of your business," is spewed in reply.

"Captain?"

Hongjoong really loves that codename. Makes him feel very powerful and reminds him of how he used to call himself "a honourable pirate". He might not be as honourable anymore, not considered that by many at least, but it still has a nice ring to it.

"Gem, thank you for asking the right question, but I am doing the talking."

Yeosang is ready to scoff, but quickly deflates under Hongjoong's intense gaze that's clearly saying, "Not the time to play around", and reverts the tiny bit of attention he spent on waiting for Hongjoong's reaction to the man they've captured.

"I guess you really are stubborn... Let's see what we can do about that."

"Excuse me... Captain, we've captured another one!" Wooyoung is entering the room holding his pistol against a new guy's head. He's a bit taller than Wooyoung, so the boy visibly pushes him down to keep the weapon in right position. The new guy doesn't seem to show much resistance, seemingly having come to terms with his fate already.

The guy in the chair makes a weird sound, almost forgetting about the danger against his throat. "That's Park Seonghwa, my assistant! He's the one who's doing half the work here. I bet he is more of interest to you guys, I'm just guiding everyone!" he blurts out.

"Don't think we'll trust you just like that, asshole," Jongho hisses. "How do we know you're not just trying to save your ass by slandering a random dude?"

"Crook, I'm doing the talking. Anyway, let's ask our new friend then, shall we? Sweetheart, is what he said true?" Hongjoong asks, and Wooyoung loads the pistol, ready to shoot the newcomer in the head anytime Hongjoong gives a sign.

"Y-yes..."

The new guy — Seonghwa — is visibly scared, not even really needing Wooyoung's hand to push him down.

Hongjoong grins. "Well, then. Let's have a little game. Whoever wins, gets to keep his life."

The Seonghwa guy nods right away, obviously too terrified to say anything against Hongjoong. The other captured guy seems lost, but seizes the opportunity to survive and hums a little "mhm" as well.

"I have this coin," Hongjoong continues, fishing out a coin out of own pants. "Since you've been a good boy so far, I'll give you an opportunity to choose the side that could save you. Choose wisely."

The guy aimed at by Wooyoung's pistol, to whom Hongjoong was directing his last words, looks at his boss and tries to find an answer to his question in the other guy's face, before finally answering, "I'll go for tails."

"Great! So you are left with heads," Hongjoong says to the guy between Yeosang and Jongho. The guy nods, clearly satisfied with being "the head" even in this situation. "But don't think you'll get off this easily," Hongjoong continues, turning around to the Seonghwa guy again. "Since I was so generous to you and gave you an opportunity to pick a side, you'll have to finish that. Flip the coin."

The guy looks at him, even more dumbfounded than before. Still, he accepts the coin from Hongjoong with shaky hands.

Gulp.

The coin is tossed into the air.

One flip. Another. One more.

Park Seonghwa, sending a blowing kiss with a hand that was just holding the coin, to Hongjoong.

Wait, what?

The boss guy looks between his capturer and assistant and then at the coin, spinning on its edge on the floor, before falling down to show a tails.

A coin with two tails.

"Fucking queer," the word soaking with both hate and desperation towards his assistant.

Hongjoong's smirk he's had all this time disappears quickly. "Oh, so you're not just a greedy asshole. You're a homophobe, as well. Not surprised. Well then... Finish him off, boys."

"Will gladly do," Yeosang barks out a half-phrase half-laugh.

Hongjoong diverts his attention from the guy who's too shocked to understand what's going on, and turns to the "assistant", closing in the distance between them as Wooyoung steps back and lets Hongjoong dig his hands into Seonghwa's hair.

"You've done so good, sweetheart. He had no idea what was going on," Hongjoong mumbles, leaving slow kisses on Seonghwa's lips and cheeks, carefully turning his head away from the guy convulsing and choking on his own blood from getting his throat slit. He knows Seonghwa doesn't like the sight of murder. "Was he rude to you while you were undercover?"

"Kind of? I'm used to it, though. And it's all worth it thanks to our cause and you."

Hongjoong can't help but feel warm at the last word. "I'll make sure to compensate the trouble properly with a gift later, but for now, thank you for your assistance."

Seonghwa chuckles, offering every spot of his face for Hongjoong's kisses. "Thank you for coming up with such a genius plan."

Hongjoong makes sure the guy is finally dead before leaning down and leaving a kiss on Seonghwa's hand. "Would never be able to without you."

Hongjoong doesn't look like a villain. And it's probably a good thing his boyfriend doesn't, either.

Chapter Text

"Captain Hongjoong?"

"Yeah?"

Mingi can't seem to be able to sit still right now. Hongjoong frowns, wondering why that is. He's usually the main one to get excited, yes, but this time it doesn't seem to be a particularly good excitement. Something seems off.

Mingi takes a deep breath and attempts to relay the information. "We found b... b-... bi-..."

Hongjoong raises an eyebrow, now kind of suspecting where this is going and being a bit too amused by the way Mingi is trying to handle the situation.

Luckily, Yunho, who has looked over their shoulder several times since the beginning of this conversation, comes to rescue the poor guy. "The target person has been found. Kim Seo-jun, pronouns stated are "that/bitch"."

Yunho says it in such a nonchalant way that even Hongjoong feels a little awkward. He knows the girl doesn't have much of a filter when it comes to their targets and has more of a nasty attitude towards them, but it still catches him off-guard sometimes.

Mingi buries his face in his palms, visibly red. "Why would you say it like that..."

"What? I'm just stating what we've found, Mingi. It's about time I do the talking in this stuff."

"Okay, okay..."

Hongjoong can feel a little smile forming on his lips. These two do love to bicker at times, but that doesn't mean Yunho won't look at Mingi with her pretty brown eyes filled with love just a minute later. Let those two idiots be.

"A Twitter transphobe, I suppose?" he asks Mingi.

The guy looks a bit more collected now, under the sneaky playful gaze of Yunho's. "A Twitter user, yes. But we don't have proof of transphobia in the tweets — there aren't many of them and none mention trans issues in any type of light."

"So, it's likely someone who mocks neopronouns, but we don't know for sure?"

"Exactly."

Okay, that's a bit tricky. Hongjoong would never want to misgender someone even by mistake of assuming they're a transphobic troll. But as a respectful man he knows to try not to call anyone "bitch" unless otherwise personally stated, either. After all, he's not a bad bad guy.

In a last attempt to confirm or deny things, he texts his beloved spy.

"Hi sweetheart! Sorry for bothering you, but do you happen to know you boss's pronouns?"

"Hi cap <3 You aren't bothering me, but I have no idea. You know, we use Korean in this workplace."

Hongjoong sighs. Anyway, troll or not, he's got this.

Aforementioned Kim Seo-jun turned out to be a bit of a difficult target since the very beginning, and it isn't going to change during the operation itself, it seems. The CEO is ripped, and would hardly get overpowered if not for their advantage of being armed head to toe thanks to Seonghwa's warning. Still, they manage to do that, and it's finally time for Hongjoong's sitting-on-the-chair-menacingly monologue.

"Kim Seo-jun, right?" The capturee is silent. Hongjoong frowns, changing his tone of voice to a more "friendly" one. "We're just going to talk a bit, no need to be so oppositional." Silence again. Okay, let's try another way. "Well then, we can kill you right now if we aren't able to get what we need out of you."

Still, no response.

Hongjoong turns a bit to the right and directs his next phrase to San, standing right next to him, in a half-voice. "That doesn't let me establish the contact. What do we do with that?"

Unfortunately, the capturee's hearing is pretty sharp, so the next thing the "band" hears is...

"HEY, COULD YOU NOT AT LEAST DEHUMANIZE THE PERSON YOU'VE CAPTURED TO "THAT"???"

Kim Seo-jun uses the milliseconds-long awe to try to get the dagger out of Yeosang's hand. The attempt isn't fully successful, but Yeosang still hisses.

Just a second later San is in his place with his own pistol, while Yeosang is trying to catch his breath from the cut's awful sting. "I don't care who you are, you're going to die tonight, you bastard."

"Diamond, stop."

San is visibly annoyed, but listens to the captain's cold words, moving a mere inch away from the almost-escapee, glances to where Yeosang is trying to recover from shock.

"Okay, so you know how to talk. And, for your information, we're not dehumanizing you. We're just using what you've stated yourself."

Now the capturee seems lost. "Huh?.."

"Your Twitter. Doesn't ring a bell?"

Kim Seo-jun looks at each of them like they're dumb and finally bursts out laughing, despite the seemingly dangerous situation at hand. "So... you think... that "that"... can be a pronoun?.. Are you guys... bonkers?.."

"What are your pronouns then?"

"Oh, so you're one of those... Of course I'm a man, isn't it clear?"

San barely holds himself back from slaying the man right there and then. Hongjoong barely stops him, really, but still does that. "I have a better idea. Gem, you can go."

Before Yeosang can utter something against that, he continues with a concerned yet assertive look, "We'll handle the rest, you need to care for yourself too. Just ask sweetheart to come in."

Half a minute later Seonghwa is in the room with them.

Hongjoong grins deviously, "Sweetheart, I've heard you like some special ways of addressing you, am I right? This guy might have some words for you."

Seonghwa nods, clearly understanding where it's going and feeling fully satisfied with that.

"You'll need to address your employee, Park Seong-hwa, a man, with a "miss". In English."

Kim Seo-jun's face twists instantly, "No."

"If you do that, we'll spare you. You get to be left alive."

The guy stops to think. It's almost visible how gears in his brain are going full speed trying to decide what he'd choose between death and humiliation. As most do, he takes some time, but still... "Do you swear you'll do that?"

"I do. By my honour of a Captain."

"Okay. What do I say?"

""Miss Park, I'm sorry for not treating you well while you were working for me. I apologize to you with my whole heart, miss Park. Miss Park, please forgive me". Go."

The capturee's face twists once more, but he eventually complies, watching Seonghwa stand next to Hongjoong, "M- m-... miss Park. I'm so-rry for not trea... ting you well. while you were.. working for me. I a- apologize to you with. my whole heart, m-m-m-miss Park. Mi.ss Park, plea..se forgive me."

Seonghwa's smile becomes more prominent with each word, each letter stuttered by this struggling bigot. He also catches occasional amused glances from Hongjoong, which makes his smile grow even wider. "Well done, Mr. Kim."

"Now ca-..."

Hongjoong nods to San as soon as the man starts talking and stands up quickly to hide Seonghwa's face in his shoulder.

A gun click and fire overpower whatever Kim Seo-jun was trying to say.

After all, they aren't bad guys for nothing.

Chapter Text

"You might want to see this, Seonghwa, since you're here."

Seonghwa's head perks up immediately. "What's that about?"

Yunho points at the screen, "Look."

Seonghwa gets up from his seat and makes his way to Yunho's computer. The person on there looks familiar. Seonghwa frowns, trying to recall the face. "I don't think... Oh! That's J, right?"

"I thought you wouldn't guess with the way you were taking so long! Yeah, that seems to be her."

Seonghwa looks through the information on the screen, and suddenly the light excitement seems to fade away, "But why... Nevermind."

""But why is she married to him"? That I can't tell you. She's always been secretive, right? I fear the only way we could find it out would be talking to her, but I feel like that's a bit too risky considering she's his wife."

"Yeah, you're right."

The mood for the rest of the day is gloomy.

Seonghwa is home when his old keypad phone lights up with an unfamiliar number. He flinches from the sound, and freezes when he realizes he can't identify the caller. It isn't anyone from the team, he knows their numbers by heart. His colleagues don't even know about this phone, so that couldn't be them.

Seonghwa decides to ignore the call. The phone keeps on ringing in the silence of the apartment.

"Who could that be..."

The phone is basically begging for him to pick up at this point.

"But I mean, even if it's a stranger dialing the wrong number, I could just hang up on them?.. It wouldn't hurt much to just answer with no talking".

When the phone seems to be worn out already by the caller's persistence, Seonghwa finally presses the dial button.

"Hello? Is that Park Seonghwa?"

Now that is unexpected. How does the caller know his name but not vice versa?

Seonghwa is ready to hang up, weirded out by the thought of being not-that-good-of-a-spy-after-all, when he hears a sigh so desperate, followed by a faint "Where is he?..", something inside of him crashes.

"Mmm?"

The caller's breath seems to get hitched.

"Ddeongie?"

Seonghwa feels an immense pain somewhere inside of him.

There's only one person who ever called him by that nickname, being that person's invention.

And that was J.

Seonghwa can feel his heart dropping to his stomach. Scenes of him and J hanging out after classes, watching movies together and talking about pretty guys in their grade start occupying his mind. He can't let himself get lost in that now, though. J is married to that guy. She could possibly pose a threat to the mission.

But her voice... He's never heard it be so emotional, even though J has always been quite expressive. Even if it's all just an elaborate plan to take them down, he can't find it in himself to ignore the notes of lingering hope in the caller's voice.

So he answers. "Yes?.."

"Oh my..."

If there's one thing Seonghwa wasn't expecting, it's the sound of weeping that interrupts the phrase from the other side.

"Do you... Are you okay?"

"I... I don't... I don't know..."

"Hey, I'm here, Ji... You're okay with that nickname still, right?"

"Mhm."

"Right... So what's up, Ji?"

Seonghwa is trying to channel all the calmness he doesn't have himself into his voice. That seems to be working, as J's breath sounds more even now.

"I... Can we meet up tomorrow?"

Seonghwa barely hesitates before answering, "No problem. Where?"

Seonghwa is at the spot five minutes before six. It's a family park in Yongsan District, a place so pretty it fills you with joy even if you're not the biggest nature enjoyer.

He makes himself as comfortable as possible in this situation, sitting on a bench and trying to compose his thoughts. "Even if she's not against us, she's probably on his side. Staying alert must be the best option."

"Hi?"

"Hi!"

J is wearing loose shirt and pants. Seonghwa almost doesn't recognize her, if not for the voice.

"Looking gorgeous!" J says, a bit awkward.

"Same goes for you," Seonghwa lifts up the corners of his mouth in a reassuring smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"Okay, I think? What about you?"

"Same."

The following silence isn't very awkward, but for some reason it's quite heavy. Seonghwa is ready to break it first, but waits for J to speak. She clearly has something she wants to say.

J gives him an indecipherable look. "Don't look at me like I'm a damsel in distress," J says.

"Are you not in distress?"

"I'm not a damsel. And in case that's not clear, that's not just because of this," J points at the engagement ring on her finger.

Seonghwa has to do a mental dictionary checkup. Damsel is an unmarried woman, right? So if it's not just related to marriage, then...

"Do you mean you're not a woman?" Seonghwa whispers, even though there aren't many people in the park currently.

J suddenly looks much less confident, but still comes to own defense. "I know my voice doesn't probably sound masculine enough to be a man's. And I know I look very feminine. But I'm still a man. Do with that information what you will."

Wait.. Does J fear to be perceived as a woman? Again, even if it's just a very convoluted plan to gain his sympathy — which would be very shitty from J's side to use trans issues like that, — it feels a bit too similar to the way Yunho described it, just from the other side of the spectrum.

Seonghwa stops himself there. Even without that, who's he to question J's gender identity? A healthy dose of cautiousness is good for what he does, but that shouldn't outweigh the humanity in him.

The silence lasts a bit too long, so he asks the first thing that pops up in his head. "What do you mean?"

J seems confused. Seonghwa didn't really expect that question from himself either. "What do you mean by what?"

""Do with that information what you will", I think. Isn't this about yourself?"

J looks at him dumbfounded. "Huh?"

"Your gender. Isn't it up to you what I should do with this information?"

"Do you mean?.."

"I mean, you can make me do whatever you want with it. But I'd greatly appreciate if you gave me a name and pronouns update, if there is any."

The tension in J's body seems to transfer to welling up tears on the man's face, "Jimin. And he/him."

"So... Why were you calling me up after all these years? I doubt that was just to come out to me."

They've just sat down in a small coffee shop now. Jimin suggested it as a place his good old friend Tae is currently working as a barista at. He wouldn't judge, according to Jimin. So there's only them three there now.

"You're right. It's just... complicated."

There's a crack in Jimin's voice. Seonghwa asks himself once again whether he actually is rational for suspecting the guy of ulterior motives.

He strokes his childhood friend's hand a bit in a comforting move. "You know I'll listen to you anyway."

"Seems like I am the one with ulterior motives here. Damn the spy bearing."

Jimin gives him a little smile.

"Thank you. So you know I'm married, right? I've made it clear."

"If only you knew I already know that..."

With every passing minute it's harder for Seonghwa to pretend he doesn't have any idea about anything Jimin's saying. "Yeah?"

"And I'm married to a guy." Jimin makes a hand gesture, obviously suggesting Seonghwa to make a conclusion himself.

"He doesn't know I'm aware of his legal status... Either that or he's a really good actor."

"No legal sex change, right?"

"Exactly. They wouldn't let me marry him if I legally transitioned. He possibly wouldn't, either."

Seonghwa feels his heart sink when he puts two and two together. "Does he still think you're a woman?"

"He does."

"I... I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry I'm doubting you so much."

"Don't be, it's what I've brought upon myself."

"What do you mean?"

Jimin takes a sip of his coffee, trying to gather his thoughts. "I just... I was so in love with him? He seemed to be a perfect guy. So I married him."

Seonghwa nods silently, feeling like that's not the end of the story.

"And then... As we got married, my life has become hell on earth. Everything at home? That's my duty. His emotional baggage? My duty. Everytime he fucked up? Well, I wasn't a good enough wife to support him the right way," Jimin's disappointment becomes more and more evident with each word. "On top of that, figuring out my gender identity in the meantime was an additional layer of struggle. At this point I feel like the best option would be to get a divorce and transition legally. But I still want to give him the last chance. And that's why I need you to help... Huh? Ddeongie?"

Seonghwa only now realizes he's crying.

Jimin hurries to hand him a tissue and hesitantly brings his hand to Seonghwa's upper back, patting it. "Is anything wrong?"

"I... Sorry, it's my trust issues acting up again."

There's an understanding look from Jimin. "Still struggling with that?"

"It's even worse now, to be honest."

Jimin doesn't ask why, and Seonghwa is gravely thankful for that.

Minutes pass by. Seonghwa sees he's finally able to think of Jimin's situation without tearing up again, so he decides to ask him what's been up in the air for minutes now. "What kind of help do you need?"

Jimin looks like sinking into his seat. "I'm not sure, to be perfectly honest. I was thinking just having some backup in case things go wrong?"

Seonghwa frowns, "What are you going to do even?"

"Come out to him."

"Oh. Are you sure? He doesn't seem like a nice guy."

"That's what I need the backup for! I still have some faith in him, but just in case..."

Seonghwa gets deep into thought. How can he manage the mission and Jimin's request at the same time, while also staying on the safe side?

"Okay," Seonghwa says finally. "But I myself am not that good of a protector at all. I have a friend group that would gladly help you out, though. Can I introduce them to you?"

"Making new friends without me? I'm a little jealous," Jimin shows a pouty smile, but then retracks what he said. "I'm just kidding, don't worry. Are they reliable for sure?"

"The most reliable you could ever wish for."

"Hey, Yunho!"

"Hi! Is there anything new?"

The implication is clear, and Seonghwa's smile drops instantly. "That's what I wanted to talk about."

"Hm, what is it?"

"I've established contact with J."

"And you're not happy because?.."

"I'll let J explain."

"Huh?.."

Seonghwa presses something on his third phone and pronounces into the mic, "Hey, please say what you wanted to Yunho."

Yunho looks uncharacteristically lost.

Seonghwa waits for a minute and then presses something else. A cheerful voice is heard from the phone speaker.

"Hi, Yunho! You probably know me by J mostly, but that's Jimin talking! I hope we can communicate plenty in the future, I remember you were very nice back in the day. But about back in the day, don't ever refer to me as ingénue again please. I'm not naïve anymore nor am I a woman."

The voice message ends, but Yunho can't seem to find any words for a while couple of minutes after that.

"Can I?" Yunho asks Seonghwa then.

Seonghwa nods firmly.

"ARE YOU TELLING ME YOU'RE TRANS TOO?"

"TOO???"

"Oh my GOD???"

Seonghwa chuckles. These two seem to be just as much of a chaotic duo already as they used to be.

"Have you two heard of The Seoul Pirates?"

Seonghwa almost chokes on his cinnamon bun. Yunho's eyes get slightly wider.

"I don't think I have... Have you, Yunho?"

"I don't think so... Is it some new music band?"

A laugh is heard, and turning around they can see the barista, Jimin's friend (whose name is Taehyung, apparently), with an amused look on his face. "Not buying it."

Seonghwa would try to roll his eyes if this wasn't the first time they've heard him say something out of his barista persona. So he and Yunho just kind of stare at the man.

"What? You can't blame me for not believing you've never heard this name, they're quite a divisive topic lately, even though noone knows who exactly they are."

Seonghwa glances over at Yunho. She gives him a slightly nervous glance in return.

"Anyway, I'm too busy for this shit, I have paperwork to do. Have a nice time discussing this."

Seonghwa can almost hear Yunho's sigh of relief. Too soon, though.

"So, you both don't know who they are?" Jimin insists.

"Well, they sound intriguing, why don't you tell us about them?" Seonghwa inquires.

Jimin looks so evidently lost all of a sudden that Seonghwa would laugh if he didn't know. "I... I fear you'd judge me if you'd heard how I talk about them."

"Yes? Why? Isn't being a fan a beautiful thing?" Yunho definitely is still pushing the "music band" suggestion.

"Well... Not when you're a fan of a group of murderous individuals?"

Seonghwa covers own mouth playfully, "Is this your way of telling us you're into true crime?"

"What? No! I just... These people seem to be actually helpful? Like modern Robin Hoods, kind of. I know they're criminals and kill people, but I've done my research and they seem to only kill the incorrigible assholes? Kind of like my husband..."

"Are you afraid they'll go for him next?"

"Why would I be? To be honest, I sometimes kind of wish they did that, just so that I didn't have to deal with him anymore."

Taehyung, who's been looking over at where they're sitting for this whole conversation, speaks again, "Minnie, I get it, but please, don't forget that it's very unlikely they'd pick him out of the thousands of assholes in this city."

"I know, Tae. Just wishful thinking."

"What if I told you they can hear you right now?"

All three heads turn to Yunho.

"What do you mean? D-don't scare me, Yunho," Jimin stutters.

"I mean, you might even know some of them."

Jimin and Seonghwa both look like crying, each for his own reason.

"Yunho, just explain, please."

"What is there to explain?" Yunho grins. "Maybe, just the fact that I know you're no stranger to some of The Seoul Pirates."

"It's not funny anymore! Besides, I only really talk to you three, and none of you can be killers."

"You clearly don't watch true crime."

Seonghwa looks like he's about to bang his head on the nearest solid plane.

"But I'll give you that," Yunho continues. "None of us are killers here. Except for maybe Taehyung." A half-offended half-surprised "Hey!!!" is heard from Taehyung. "But that's for another time. Do you realize what I'm getting at, Jimin?"

"Not really?"

"Your husband's name is Park Sun-woo, right?"

"How did you?.."

"Perks of being a part of the team's intelligence."

The puzzle pieces seem to start getting together in Jimin's brain. It's unclear whether he's more terrified or just shocked now. "You are... The Pirates?.."

"Two of them, yes."

"Two???"

Seonghwa wishes the earth could swallow him up right there and then. That doesn't go unnoticed by Jimin. "You... Which position do you have?"

"A... similar one. Espionage."

"Who are you spying on currently, then?"

Seonghwa wishes he could vanish from the face of the earth, but still answers genuinely. "You? Kind of."

A subtle change of expression in Jimin's face, and he just says "Okay" in a non-descript tone.

"You two better leave," Taehyung says in half-voice with an understanding look.

Seonghwa nods. Yunho shrivels and nods too.

The next day is basically excruciating to Seonghwa. Jimin is silent, and he himself doesn't dare to initiate the contact first. He types up things like "Sorry, my spy bearing got the best of me" or "You don't get how hard it is to navigate friendships in this sphere", but ends up deleting them as shame overtakes him. No, this attitude won't do.

There's a tight feeling in his chest and a bursting feeling in his head. He tries to word his grievances and regrets a billion times, but none of them suffice.

Finally, he types, "Hi, I'm sorry for making you feel awful. Please tell me what I can do to fix that."

Jimin doesn't answer for a long half an hour. Then Seonghwa gets a text.

"This doesn't seem to be a good topic for texting" — and an address.

"Tonight at 10," the next text says.

They're at a bar. Jimin taps on his glass and looks at Seonghwa. "Could you explain what the fuck is going on? Be honest, please."

Seonghwa takes some time to reiterate his self-reflection to himself before answering. "I think I just thought you were trying to sneak into our cause, and I had no idea what else I could do but do the same in return. I'm really sorry I doubt you so much."

Jimin's expression softens a bit. "Your damn trust issues again, right?"

"Right... I mean, it doesn't mean I'm justified in my actions anyway.

"Yeah. I still feel like I myself didn't treat you with due trust."

"You do?" Seonghwa is clearly surprised.

"I do. Like you said, it doesn't justify anything, but that first meetup probably wouldn't happen if I wasn't so desperate about my situation. And even after I said what I said, there was that small anxious voice in my head telling me, "Him being a part of the community doesn't mean he accepts this part of it". I feel sorry about that now, you're such a nice guy, to me at least, and have always been one. So I would like to apologize for that."

"You don't have to! It's totally understandable when you're about to tell someone about such an important part of yourself."

"Did you feel the same? Back in the day, when I didn't know your likes."

"Actually... no? I think we were so close that I simply didn't bother with that thought. I kind of miss those days," Seonghwa sighs.

"I miss us back then, too."

They say nothing for a while.

"Do you think we can get back to that? The way we were."

"Not exactly, I fear, but we can try."

They stay silent for some more.

"Please, don't hold a grudge against Yunho, by the way. I'm the main one who's created this mess."

"Don't worry, I got you."

"Hey, cap".

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"How does one introduce their childhood friend, who they suspected of spying on them while actually spying on said friend themself but then ended up reconciling, to their love of their life? Asking for a friend".

"Stops being a dummy and just does that? Idk".

"HEY!!!"

"What? Are they not? If everyone reconciled I don't see the problem. Your friend seems pure of heart and dumb of ass".

"Okay, but I'm looking through our messages for a thing, and why is "ass" coming up every other business day?"

"You tell me ;)"

"God, Kim Hongjoong..."

"Yep I know I am x)"

"Blocking you".

"Audio is sending..."

"Locked Out Of Heaven — Bruno Mars"

"..." " Did you even read the lyrics?"

"No why".

"You'll be the death of me".

"Love you too c:"

"Where is Seonghwa? Asking us all to gather here but being late himself..."

Wooyoung looks a tiny bit annoyed. He looks over at Hongjoong, as if asking him the same question personally. Hongjoong shrugs. "I don't know. He hasn't texted me since..." Hongjoong checks his phone, "11 a.m."

A click of the door handle makes their heads turn to the entering pers- people???

That's Seonghwa, dragging Jimin after him.

"Why is there an outsider with you?!"

"Shhh, cap, that's not an outsider, that's Jimin! Jimin, this is the rest of our team. Everyone, this is Jimin, my childhood friend."

"Hello, everyone. You might know me as Park Sun-woo's wife, but don't be mistaken. I'm his husband."

There's dead silence in response.

Hongjoong breaks it first, eyes wide open staring at Seonghwa, "What the fuck?"

"You said it yourself, just do it. I did."

"I thought you meant introducing your friend to me alone?! I couldn't imagine you bringing one here."

"Ohh, don't be so mad, mister. You said it once, and I quote, "You're allowed to bring people to us on your volition just please use your smart sexy-ass brain for that"."

"Oh, I guess that's your partner then?" Jimin shrieks. "Good one, almost your ideal type."

"Almost?! Didn't you say I was your perfect match?"

"Hehe. His ideal is 6'1", you're lucky Yunho is an opposite of a guy."

Seonghwa groans. Hongjoong looks like he's about to set everything on fire, but especially the newcomers.

Seonghwa rushes to Hongjoong's seat as soon as he notices that, tugging his arm in an assuaging move. "Shh, don't listen to him, love. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Besides, I stopped caring about height after I was like fifteen and realized it makes no difference. His info is simply outdated," Seonghwa is mumbling all of that somewhere into hair on Hongjoong's crown.

Hongjoong sighs, calming down even quicker than he got agitated. "Dear Seonghwa's friend, I'd rather you not mention anything about my body proportions. You don't know how someone feels about themselves."

"Okay. Sorry about that."

"Thank you." Hongjoong puts his hand on Seonghwa's hand that is still holding his arm. "Sorry for worrying you, sweetheart, and thank you. You can let go."

Seonghwa's lips form a foxy smile. "What if I don't want to?" he whispers. "I'd love to stay here, the spot beside you is always the sweetest."

Hongjoong takes a shaky breath. "I'd love that too, but I might get a bit too distracted like this," Hongjoong whispers in return, moving his head up to try and meet Seonghwa's gaze. "We still don't really know why exactly you gathered us here."

"Boo-oo-oo! Our lovebirds are flirting again," Wooyoung is clearly unamused.

Seonghwa quickly leaves a peck on Hongjoong's sharp nose and moves away, laughing. "Seems like our Wooyo got out of bed on the wrong side today, didn't you?"

"Fuck you," Wooyoung purses his lips.

"Glad to talk too you, too."

"Okay, but is that it? Did you just want to introduce your friend to us?" Mingi seems lost.

Seonghwa exchanges glances with Jimin. "No, actually. As you've heard, he's our next target's husband. And he would really appreciate never seeing the guy again. So I thought, maybe we could combine the efforts for both?"

"Does he want us to kill his husband?" San clarifies.

"Not exactly, at least not right away," Jimin shakes his head. "I'd love you to act as backup for me coming out to him, and then carry out the mission normally. But in case things go wrong, you have all my support in getting rid of him."

"Got it," San nods.

"Okay, I'm leaving you to plan everything out, I'm really counting on you! Could anyone help guide me back out?"

Wooyoung is the first one to suggest his help, glancing at Seonghwa (and Hongjoong) with pressed lips.

Jimin enters the apartment carefully, listening for any sign of Sunwoo being there. When he figures the man isn't present, he calls everyone else in quietly.

"Never knew I'd have to hide in a fucking closet again."

"Hey, be thankful we even have places to hide in this living space."

"Whatever."

Sunwoo doesn't make them wait for long, though. He's there a mere ten minutes later. "Hey, Jiminie!"

Jimin sighs. Never getting any originality in a nickname, it seems. "What, darling?"

"Is the dinner ready?"

"Of course."

"Good, I'm not taking any shit today."

The dinner is silent.

As soon as the dinner ends, Jimin rushes to their bedroom. Sunwoo goes right after him.

"What is my girl so hasty tonight for?" Sunwoo asks, fingers travelling a bit under Jimin's shirt.

Jimin tries to stop his hands. "I wanted to talk about that."

"Why? I think you just need some good dick to calm down, isn't that what every girl needs?" Sunwoo barks out a chuckle, now tugging at the band of Jimin's pajama pants.

Jimin feels everyone inside him drop at the mere thought. He tries to stop Sunwoo once more.

"Why are you acting like such a prude again? I know you want it," Sunwoo starts leaving quick kisses on his neck and left shoulder. Jimin lets him. Not the first time he's through it. Maybe he'll at least listen like that.

"Sunwoo, I... I am not a woman."

"Don't say nonsense, I've seen you a lot of times. How can you not be one?" Sunwoo leaves a wet kiss under Jimin's ear.

"I'm a man, though. A gay man."

Sunwoo stops what he's doing, backing off a bit. "What's gotten into your head tonight? Have you gone crazy?"

"No. I was born in this body, and I appreciate it, but the woman you know is not who I a-..."

Jimin stops himself at the middle of the word, noticing how red Sunwoo has turned at the realization of what's going on.

"You sick little bitch."

The next thing Jimin sees is Seonghwa on top of Sunwoo, who was clearly raising a hand to slap Jimin.

Two voices are ringing in Seonghwa's brain, creating an insane mishmash.

You sick little bitch.

...All my support in getting rid of him.

You sick little bitch.

...All my support in getting rid of him.

You sick little bitch.

...All my support in getting rid of him.

...All my support in getting rid of him.

...All my support in getting rid of him.

Seonghwa doesn't see the way he himself is strangling the guy, hands circled around his neck, knee on Sunwoo's Adam's apple, bringing most of Seonghwa's weight to it. He doesn't see the others rushing out of their hidings.

All that's before his eyes is Jimin's look of fear and disgust at his husband.

The guy stops moving, but Seonghwa still doesn't let go until someone moves his hands away gently. "Hwa, hey."

Seonghwa doesn't turn his head the slightest.

I've just killed a person.

"Seonghwa, please."

I saw a person die.

"Hyung..."

He shivers at the sound of their native language, so unusual to their conversations during missions, but he's still somewhere in the gooey void of what has just happened.

Why did I...

He cries. He sobs out everything that's been through him this mission. His tears wash away the pain of the passing of life.

Or, he wishes to do that. He can't. He just covers his eyes with his hands and barely breathes.

Wooyoung is standing besides him, still trying to massage his shoulder carefully.

Yunho is holding Jimin's hand. Jimin hasn't moved an inch these last minutes.

Hongjoong means to come closer a couple of times, but seeing Seonghwa tense up at the movement he doesn't. He looks at Seonghwa with shaky eyes and a devastated half-smile half-grimace on pressed lips.

Finally, Seonghwa manages to get one word out of himself. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Wooyoung says. "Most of us here have been through this. You're not alone in what you're feeling right now."

The laughter that gets out of Seonghwa next startles everyone. "I... I killed him! Ohhh. I'm a mankiller now." The hysterical laughter makes him fold in half in a fit. Tears are starting to stream down his face. "I'm... one of you now!" is heard from him, muffled by the hands and the heavy breathing.

Seonghwa's face is still covered, but Hongjoong can guess the unsettled smirk on his lips. He wants to shout at Seonghwa, to shake him violently, just so that he comes back to his senses, but he knows it won't work. He wants to shower him with sweet words and kisses, but he knows it won't work either. So he just lets Wooyoung do his thing. He's probably the only one except Yunho whom Seonghwa will let get close right now.

Wooyoung covers Seonghwa in a blanket from the bed nearby, shifting some of his weight to the guy's back. Seonghwa's sobs die out gradually, and he becomes moveless again.

"Am I a bad person?" he pushes the words out after some silence.

"I can't tell you that, but you're better than me, that's for sure," Wooyoung suggests.

"Better than me, too," San supports.

"You might be better than everyone in this room." Everyone turns their heads to Jimin, even Seonghwa. "I believe you saying all of this already signifies you're better than what you think of yourself, "Jimin continues. "I'm astounded by what has just happened, too, but I can't bring myself to be sad over this. You're caring, and that's all that matters."

Seonghwa looks at Jimin, his vision unfocusing at times to wander in the dark again.

Jimin shakes his own thoughts off and takes a little step towards Seonghwa. "I owe you my sanity, really. Probably my general well-being as well. You're a savior to me, Seonghwa. And, sadly, a savior doesn't always only save people."

Seonghwa looks at him with glorification of a drowning person who just got pulled out to solid land. Like he's not the one who got called a savior just now.

Jimin reaches his hand out to him when he's close enough (but not too close). Seonghwa takes it with his own shaking hand, getting pulled up into a standing position.

Seonghwa cries again, this time without the feeling of sharp pain in his throat at every tear.

The emptiness inside of him won't go away just like that, but everyone's words truly make him feel like he might have a chance at life.