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Yeosang was always a private person, even to his members. Instincts that had originated from his past, due to life-or-death situations and the constant need to hide his identity.
Starting at a young age, his future had already been carefully designed. His parents were both renowned secret agents, Yeosang’s father worked hard to reach the highest position in the agency, and his mother was one of the top assassins in the country. Yeosang who was trained in special combat and excelled in stealth attacks, his parents planned for him to eventually take his father’s position and lead the organization.
As expected, they tried everything to stop him once he told them he no longer wanted to follow this path. Going as far as trying to lock him up, but they eventually agreed. They put him in the reserves, and they could call him to a mission during emergencies. Yeosang accepted the condition, even if it wasn’t what he would have liked. He no longer wanted any ties with his line of work, but there was no other way to resist his parents. The only way for him to leave is to allow them to hold strings over him.
Idol life has been good after that, it’s been over 4 years since he left the agency and his parents never summoned him to do their bidding. Yeosang of course would never be lucky enough to avoid it, and his streak would soon end after receiving a call at the end of November.
-
“Hi honey, how are you?” The sound of his mother’s voice echoed through the phone.
“I’m doing good, is there something you need?” Yeosang already had suspicions after seeing who the caller was. They don’t speak often, and while he didn’t believe his mother had malicious intentions, Yeosang knew she would never call without an ulterior motive. His mother seemed to understand the tone behind Yeosang’s words and went straight to the point.
“We’re in an unusual shortage of agents. Most are injured or on leave and you’re the best one for this job.”
Yeosang’s stomach sank at her words. It was about time it happened, he thought, after avoiding his duty for years, he could no longer delay the inevitable.
“I’ll take care of any issues with your company about your absence. I’ll send you the details later, you’ll need to make time for a debriefing and training session before the mission.” His mother wrapped up the call, and Yeosang dreaded what was to come.
-
“I can’t believe the company is giving us a full week of break, should we be worried?” Wooyoung exclaimed after their weekly meeting with the company. “Like are we running out of money to
promote? Or are they just being nice and giving us the holidays off for once?” He joked, but everyone felt the same anxiety Wooyoung did.
As always, Hongjoong assumed the Leader’s role, “I wouldn’t worry too much. If anything serious they would tell us, or at least me.” He reassured everyone, telling them all to enjoy the break to the fullest.
Yeosang could only sink into the background, feeling incredibly awkward since the extended time off was all because of him. His mother didn’t have to inform him of what she’s done but she had clearly pulled some strings to allow him to take part in the mission.
A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around him, pulling him from his thoughts. “Yeosang-ie, let's go to the gym together?”
Yeosang could never really blend into the back now that he always has San’s eyes on him. “Yes, of course, there's no such thing as a break for working out, huh?” he joked in light of the news they just received.
“You guys are so cringe. Just get out of here already you gym junkies.” Wooyoung teased before skipping towards the car. Yeosang could only sigh, preparing for the day everyone discovers their relationship. By the looks of the heads turned to analyze San with his arms around him, it was probably soon.
Yeosang was forever grateful that his habit of working out never left him even after being an idol. He always had to stay fit to keep up with the demands of a mission; if he slacked off, it could cost him his life. And as much as he tried to not dwell on it, in the back of his mind always told him to be prepared for the day he gets called in for a mission.
It was also nice that San enjoyed going to the gym as much as he did. It was their little way of spending time with each other, especially with the busy schedules they had.
Most days they had rehearsals, whether it be together or separately, but they always managed to align their workout times. It was also due to their obsession with the gym, and how they got together.
-
It was evident that there was something more between them, but they were both too shy and scared to confront it. After gaining more courage during Bouncy promotions, San openly showed Yeosang his affection, always having his arms wrapped around him, teasing him just enough to get a reaction. Yeosang at first didn’t mind, oblivious to the hidden flirting agenda, playing it off as fan service. But after San continuously showed his affection privately, Yeosang started catching on.
He refused to believe it at first, in denial that his crush was making moves on him. Yeosang, who had kept his feelings hidden due to his fears of getting into a relationship (past trauma caused by working as a spy since he was young), had a massive crush on the cat-eyed man.
His fears were also fueled by the unspoken stigma of relationships with someone who wasn’t their soulmate. Hongjoong and Seonghwa found out pretty early in their debut days that they had matching soulmarks. The company couldn’t do anything about this, only asking them to hide their relationship from the public.
Hongjoong agreed to conceal his mark, allowing Seonghwa to disclose his due to the nature of the placement. Seonghwa’s mark was on his ribs while Hongjoong has his on the back of his calf. It was more difficult for the eldest to hide his mark, in cases where his shirt could lift while performing. It was, however, easier for Hongjoong to cover his mark with pants.
Hiding soul marks is common, especially as an idol in such a public spotlight. Most agencies prefer idols to hide their mark to maintain that fantasy of ‘obtainability’. In the group, only Seonghwa has his mark exposed, knowing there wouldn’t be any accidents with someone approaching him with a matching mark.
It’s a different story in the dorms, everyone freely exposed their marks, everyone except for Yeosang, San, and Yunho. Both Yeosang and Yunho have said their marks are in an obscure place and San bluntly said he wasn’t comfortable to show it. Having lived with each other for years, it was easy for everyone to assume that all three had their marks around their lower torso, where they were always covered.
It happened during the end of their promotions for Crazy Form; Yeosang felt giddy just by looking at the text San sent, inviting him to work out with him. He quickly got ready, replying to the text promising to be downstairs in 10 minutes. Maybe it was because they were getting more comfortable with each other, but San neglected to knock on the door and came face to face with the other, who was changing. Yeosang’s soul mark was in full view, located on his lower hips, which he quickly covered.
San, still frozen by the doorway, eyes wide and in shock. Yeosang can almost wince at the silence. “I, I don’t know what to say.” He didn't know how to navigate this. They weren’t even dating yet and for San to see that they weren’t perfectly marked for each other, Yeosang was quickly losing hope for this flicker of a relationship to develop further.
Out of nowhere, San was fumbling to pull down his pants. “Wait, wait what are you doing?” Yeosang rushed to stop him but stopped in his tracks after seeing what San was trying to show him. The other revealed his soul mark that was on his upper thigh, a perfect match to Yeosang’s.
“How about we go grab dinner instead of the gym?” San suggested and Yeosang could only nod.
-
Back to the present, the two are doing their normal routine for leg day. “Do you already have plans for the break this year?” San asked Yeosang, who was currently taking a break and sipping water.
“Hmm, my parents wanted me to go home this year So I’ll probably take a flight to visit them. If you want to do something together, we can.” Yeosang smiled slightly at San’s cuteness in trying to make Christmas plans with him.
“I’m going to be in my hometown for the whole break. I’d like you to come visit me so I can show you around Namhae,” San said shyly. “I’ll come to pick you up at the closest airport and I’ll drive us to the island. It was almost like he was trying to persuade him, but Yeosang didn’t need any convincing.
“I’ll text you when my parents let me leave. I’ll probably book a flight back so they’re forced to let me go.” Yeosang chuckles at the fact that he won’t be at his parent's house but rather on a mission forced on him by his parents. For simplicity, and to avoid any questions on why no one’s ever met his parents, Yeosang has said that his parents moved overseas. It was the perfect lie, his parents don’t visit him and Yeosang doesn’t visit them. It was easier on him than saying that his relationship was estranged, even though the members started to pick up on it over the years.
“Just let me know, I’ll book the next plane ticket to come save you.” San joked, winking and making a kissy face towards him, and Yeosang could only laugh along with him.
-
The day had finally arrived, after running out of ways to delay the debriefing any further; Yeosang walked into the building. The building was disguised as a normal tech company, blending into the rest of the high-rise in the area. The idol had to hide his face before even entering, in case someone did recognize him as a member of Ateez.
Although, it might have been the wrong decision to use the same mask he used back when he was still an agent. Heads started turning as he walked further into the lobby.
Yeosang’s hearing has always been good, which is why he found success in being a spy and as an idol. He was able to hear the whispers of everyone around him, “Is that Special Agent 1791?”
He was thankful that people recognized him as his alter ego rather than his idol persona. But Yeosang also didn’t think that people still knew who he was. He’s been out of the field for almost half a decade, but he guesses that's what happens when you have prominent parents still in the industry. Yeosang kept his head down and quickly made his way to his mother’s office.
Like always, she was already expecting him because nothing ever gets past her.
“Welcome back.” She stands up, pulling him into an embrace. It had been a while since they’d last seen each other, so Yeosang allowed himself to relax into the hug.
“Hi, Mom” The years living separately from her have made them both soft. When he was younger, everything was higher stakes, and work started to blend into their personal life. His mother has always acted sternly to protect him and made him tough enough to face anything. It caused a strain in their relationship, which was made even worse once Yeosang quit the life that his parents carefully crafted for him.
“The meeting will start soon.” She pulls away from him, gesturing for Yeosang to follow her out.
It was just like years ago, a normal debriefing with details of the mission, making sure he understood the agenda and risks.
The objective of this mission was to obtain sensitive data, information that was crucial for the client that hired them. Yeosang was informed that the location would be in the same place where he’d completed a mission once before. And with their intelligence, they confirmed that the layout had stayed relatively the same, it was supposed to be a straightforward assignment.
After the information debriefing, he was pulled into a quick training session, also acting as a physical check-up to see if his performance was up to par. Which of course went well, being an idol kept him active enough. You could never really get being a spy out of his system.
-
Arriving back at the dorms, San was already waiting in his room. “Hey, you didn’t forget about our dinner date tonight, right?” He was lying on Yeosang’s bed, fully dressed.
Yeosang looked at the time and saw that they planned to leave in 10 mins. “Uhhh yeah, I totally didn’t forget,” Yeosang said sheepishly but of course, San couldn’t get mad at him.
“It’s okay baby, go wash up. You stink.” San teased him, and Yeosang felt a sigh of relief not having to come up with an excuse for where he was. The only thing he ever does is to go to the gym, so it wasn’t weird for him to assume that.
-
After a nice meal at their favorite restaurant, San suggested going to a carnival. Yeosang tried to object, considering it was December and freezing. Sure, Yeosang liked video games, but he would rather stay inside than be in a crowded area full of people… just to play overpriced and rigged games.
“Come on… it’ll be fun. We can play a couple of games and leave.” For someone who looks like a cat, San could really make compelling puppy eyes. And Yeosang could never say no to those eyes.
Walking around for a while, San stopped in front of a booth staring at the winnable prizes. Yeosang followed his eyes toward the plushies and landed on a Maltese plush. He nearly rolled his eyes for two reasons, of course, San would go for that plush and that it was the biggest prize you could get. Once again, Yeosang received the most pleading eyes so they walked to the booth attendant. It was a duck shooting target game, consisting of still targets or moving targets for higher points. San went first, and after the timer was done, he had barely reached enough points to get a medium prize.
He pouted, “It's harder than it looks, okay?” San picked one of the smaller prizes, eyes still longing for the big plush.
“Fine, I’ll win that plush for you.” Yeosang faked a cool and confident persona, his tone playful.
He brought another round, grabbing the fake gun which felt oddly comfortable in his hand. In almost a blink of an eye, ducks were going down one by one. Yeosang didn’t intend to overdo it, but his eyes began to dart from each moving target to the next, almost like a hawk who’s fixated on prey.
Before anyone could even comprehend what was happening, the timer went off, indicating that Yeosang had set a new record and won the biggest prize. He came off of his haze once he felt arms around his shoulders. “Holy shit Yeosang??! How did you just…” San also seems to be at a loss for words.
Yeosang chuckled nervously, “Um… beginner’s luck?” he didn’t know what else to say, and San didn’t look convinced. His training session earlier in the day seriously put him in the sharpshooter focus because he annihilated a whole flock of (wooden) ducks.
With the Maltese plush in his arms, which looked pretty funny due to its size, San ushered them over to another shooting game. “I’m not going easy on you this time.”
And he kept his word, San did not hold back on shooting the targets, this time it was chickens, earning himself another large prize and a place on top of the record board. Yeosang was in a weirdly competitive spirit, and he would not let that slide. He was a trained assassin for crying out loud and wasn’t about to let his strangely talented boyfriend beat him in a shooting game.
Yeosang pulled them over to the next booth, the carnival containing a freakish number of target-hitting games. His boyfriend was standing off to the side, now with two giant plushies in his arms, watching him once again set a new record. By the 5th stall, they had a crowd around them and they’d already given a few plushies away. Yeosang hoped that the face masks were enough to conceal their identity at least somewhat.
After the last game, of course, ending with Yeosang getting the highest score, San conceded defeat, which was a misleading statement considering he also broke several records on the machines.
“We should do this more often since we just unlocked your hidden talent.” They ended the night with San chattering away about how now it makes sense why Yeosang did so well in archery in the Idol Stars Athletics Championships, and debating where to place the two new plushies they’d won.
-
Before they even realized it, their break officially started. Yeosang was packing his clothes in his room when he heard a knock coming from his door.
“Hey, just wanted to ask if you had an extra power bank?” Yunho poked his head through the door and walked in once he let himself be known. Yeosang nodded, going to his drawer to give him one.
“When did you get that cat plush?” Yunho squinted at the giant plush in the corner of Yeosang’s room.
“Oh, I got it from… a claw machine. Was walking around one day and decided to play… and somehow won.” The secret spy might have been good at blending into his surroundings and quickly thinking on his feet during missions, but he was not so good at coming up with a lie on the spot.
“I was only asking because I saw San with a similar one in his room.” Yunho puts his hand on his head, almost like he’s scratching his hair. “I can’t remember what it was… some type of animal. Oh! It was a Maltese, I remember now.”
Yeosang eyes widen almost comically, realizing he needed to somehow dig himself out of his lies without potentially exposing his relationship. “Yeah I was with San and I won it for him.” Yeosang almost physically reacted to how he’d accidentally let the last part slip out. He can only hope that San hasn’t told him a different story. Yunho gave him a knowing look and Yeosang could only crower away, pretending to be busy with his luggage.
-
San came up to Yeosang’s room the night before he was going to leave. They were both leaving quite early in the morning, and it made sense to say their goodbyes now and sleep in separate rooms.
“I’ll see you soon, have a safe flight okay?” San was hugging him tightly, emphasizing how much he would miss him. Yeosang wasn't exactly nervous, but there was something in his gut that made him hug San just as tightly.
Yeosang arrived at the agency shortly after San left for Namhae. The company always provided rooms for the agents. Acting as a space for them to rest in preparation for the mission and also a space for them to recover afterward. He didn’t have much to unpack, since he wasn’t planning to stay longer than needed.
-
Later that night, Yeosang and his team were dispatched to the location. It was a mansion owned by some billionaire who was hosting a holiday party. Their job was to sneak into his office while everyone was distracted by the event. Yeosang was to be the sole person to go inside while other agents were stationed outside for intel.
“Let us go over the blueprint and course of action again.” One of the intelligence officers commanded as the group was still waiting outside the property. “Once Agent JP gives us the clear, everyone will move into position. 1791 will then head inside, retrieve the hard drive and JP will guide him back out.”
Once they got the signal from HQ, Yeosang started to enter the property. The office was located on the second floor, so all Yeosang had to do was scale the wall up. He’s done a lot worse, 2 floors are child’s play.
“No heat signatures in the area, you’re good to go in.” The cue was given to Yeosang through an in-ear device. He anchored the rope to the balcony and started climbing up. The balcony was locked of course, but it didn’t take long for him to pick the lock. Inside, the room was dark and the only source of light was from the windows in the room.
He made his way over to the side of the room where the shelves were located. The hard drive, which was located in one of the books on the shelf according to the intel from Headquarters. Pulling the book from the shelf, Yeosang opened it up to find nothing. There was an empty hollowed-out space for where the drive should be.
“The asset is not here. I repeat the target is not here.” He received no response from Agent JP, Yeosang was starting to have a bad feeling about the mission. “I repeat, the asset is not here. Exiting now.” It wasn’t the first time he had to solo it through without a team guiding him, but something was not right about this.
Yeosang quickly went back to the balcony he came from, and he was met with a group of guards on the ground, all armed with guns. He did a 180-degree turn back into the room, hastily requesting help. “HQ. I'm compromised and need backup now.” Again, he’s met with silence and he suspects his earpiece has been tampered with.
With the sound of thundering footsteps echoing from the hallway, Yeosang began shoving furniture against the door, trying to delay them for as long as he could. He racked through his brain, trying to come up with an escape plan but quickly came to the conclusion that he was trapped in the room.
Once the banging on the door started, Yeosang took cover behind a desk. He didn’t fail to notice an important detail of this whole situation. The moment he went back out the balcony to escape, the guards should have showered him with bullets. Instead, he left without a scratch nor was a single trigger pulled.
They were just there to prevent him from escaping, not to take him down. When the doors burst open and the guards entered without pointing their weapons, it finally clicked together that this was a setup.
“Drop the gun, Kang. Let's not make this harder for the both of us.” One of the masked figures spoke out to him, and Yeosang assessed the situation. It was 1 against 10, chances of him making it out unscathed were incredibly low. If he was correct, they were ordered to capture him alive and he would not make it easy for them.
The moment two of them moved closer to restrain him, Yeosang opened fire. He shot at their legs, causing him to fall to the floor and igniting a chain reaction. The rest of the guards aimed their guns at him but were held back by their leader. Just as he predicted, they weren't allowed to harm him. But even with a gun, he was no match for the sheer number that were rushing towards him. He successfully took down a couple of them but was soon grabbed and held down by the ones who got through the onslaught of his gunfire.
As a last-ditch effort, Yeosang reached down his legs to pull out his knife. He slashed through the attacker's hold “What is this about? Who are you guys?” His questions were left unanswered as they immediately rushed in to disarm him but he wasn’t so lucky this time. During his struggle, one of them managed to slice into his leg.
He let out a cry, causing the room to still. The agent tried to use this opportunity to escape the clutch the attackers had on him, but Yeosang wasn’t quick enough. “Are you guys incapable of following a simple instruction?! Fuck, why is it this difficult to capture him?” Despite his words, the leader of the group marched towards Yeosang. The last thing he saw was the butt of the gun swinging at him, pain erupting in his skull.
-
Yeosang woke up, disoriented by the darkness of the room and the unfamiliar surroundings. He couldn’t remember how he got here, only the pain in his head serving as a reminder of the events leading up to this. Yeosang tried to explore the small room further but hissed at the sting of discomfort erupting from the gash on his leg. He didn’t even notice the wrapped wound, drowned out by the dull ache and soreness that enveloped his body.
Finally being able to take in the surroundings of the room, there wasn’t a lot to it. A small barren room with no window, the only source of light from the gap between the floor and the door. He was clearly in the basement. With his arms bound in front of him and ankle shackled to a large pipe by the wall, needless to say, he wasn’t going anywhere.
The agent still had no clue as to why it all went so wrong, who plotted against him? An unsettling thought plagued him, wondering if his parents had a part in this, but there was no reason for them to go to such lengths. These people were expecting him, from the hard drive missing from its location and the guards outside, they wanted him to come inside the building. They wanted him unharmed, to lock him up and do who knows what to him.
Yeosang got his answers pretty soon when the door opened, revealing Agent JP. “You must have so many questions.” He chuckled at Yeosang, almost pitying him. “I won’t give you the luxury of asking, though. All I’ll say is your parents haven’t been doing very nice things,” JP smiled mockingly “and you’re such a perfect way to get back at them.”
Yeosang couldn’t help but try to ask a question, even though deep down he already knew the answer, “Were my parents the ones who wanted the drive? Was it ever real?”
JP gave him that pitying gaze again, “Unfortunately yes. Your parents were using you for their gains. They must have lied to you saying it was for a client huh?”
He didn’t know he could feel even more shitty than he did now. His body was fueled with anger that his parents used him this way. The worst thing was, that Yeosang couldn’t do anything about it, and it's been like this his whole life. They always had so much power and control over him, dictating who should or shouldn't be friends, training him to the bone just to be used as an obedient soldier for them.
Even now, after he broke free from their control, their influence still lingers in his life. He was only able to go on this stupid mission because they roped their way in to convince this company to give them an extended break. Yeosang didn’t know what transpired during the negotiation, but no doubt money was involved for KQ to afford to skip all the end-of-the-year award shows.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you back to your parents in one piece, they just need to pay the right price.” Yeosang could almost laugh at the statement. On one hand, he doubted his parents would care enough to pay for his ransom. On the other hand, he knew they wouldn’t discard the son they had sculpted, imperfections and all. Even if he wasn’t readily at their feet as an agent, he was still an arm’s reach away from their demands.
True to their words, Yeosang was given food and water, enough to keep him alive. By no means was it a feast, even prisons served better meals than this. Despite the lack of a bed and the circumstances, he was frequently dozing off throughout the day. Which, he came to realize was caused by the wound on his leg that was getting infected. Combine the cold hard floor, lack of nutrients, and an infection, he wasn’t doing too hot.
By the second day, he couldn’t deal with the shivers anymore, his head was constantly fuzzy and the fever coursing through his veins. “Please, could I get a blanket or some medicine? Anything?” The guard only huffed at him, slamming the door after leaving his food on the ground. He eventually came back, this time with JP behind him. The lackey threw a blanket at him, along with a first aid kit.
“Don’t die on me yet, Kang. Blame it on your parents for being so difficult, maybe they won’t bail you out after all.” JP laughed as he walked away, once again leaving Yeosang in the dark.
The idol slowly crawled towards the kit and quickly wrapped himself with the blanket. It took a lot of effort to clean his wound and wrap it up again with his shaking hands and the lack of light in the room. Yeosang moved back to the corner of the room, slumping his body against the wall.
His parents will send someone soon. He’ll be out of here soon and in Namhae with San. Yeosang was left with only his deluding thoughts; they were the only thing keeping him going.
-
San sighed at the message that came through his phone. He’s been waiting for any sign of life from Yeosang. The last text he received from him was saying that he had arrived at his parent's house. San wouldn’t usually worry since they were in different time zones after all, but Yeosang was MIA for over 2 days now. It didn’t make him feel better knowing that the relationship his boyfriend had with his parents was difficult to describe.
The text he received was still surprising. It was from his old agency, not an entertainment one, but rather a secret intelligence organization. He used to take up missions as a side gig, just to get enough money to support himself through idol training. His 3rd degree black belt, all thanks to his father, made it easy for him to pick up simple assignments. Over the years, his practice and skills developed him to become one of the well-known agents in the field.
He was not in the mood to respond to the request, which he still occasionally gets. The company tried everything to make him stay as an agent, but he declined every offer. Another message pinged through his phone, a second request for him.
There was something about the mission that made him want to inquire further. Perhaps he could use it as a favor to track Yeosang down since San was at a loss as to how to find his boyfriend in a foreign country.
“Hello, I’d like to talk to Agent Han Siwoo,” he called his boss, prepared to negotiate his terms for accepting the mission.
Just as he assumed, they accepted all of his conditions and he was already on the plane on the way back to Seoul. He was debriefed on the jet by another agent; it’s a straightforward mission, but the asset was highly sought out. Their rival agency had already failed to retrieve it, resulting in a tangle of events and ransoms for their captured agent. San’s assignment was to intercept whatever mess was going on and seize the hard drive while everyone was distracted.
Arriving at the mansion, and entering the house was a breeze. True to the report, the building was practically empty. Either everyone was preoccupied or they had their guards down. San was almost suspicious of the lack of action, but he pressed on regardless.
The hardest part of the mission was to find the actual location of the target. They were able to use information from the other agency, but with the previous agent caught, the information was no longer relevant. The hard drive’s been moved and San needed to find where it was.
He swiftly moved through the building, clearing what seemed to be mostly empty rooms. It was only when he got to the basement that was there more activity. Amidst his search, he came across a room with a guard standing in front. This was promising, of course, the drive would be in a room that's highly patrolled.
It didn’t take long for the guard to move away from the door. They were way too relaxed and complacent in keeping watch. San easily maneuvered into the room and was met with a pitch-black space. He squinted and constructed the room, seeing plates of food on the ground and a lump in the corner of the room. Upon further investigation, he realized it was a person.
San raised his guard but quickly realized the threat was low. The agent shined his flashlight in the direction of the other man.
They were wrapped up in a blanket, eyes closed. If he didn’t notice the slight rise in their breathing, San would have thought they were dead. They had a mask on, so it was hard to tell who it was but it clicked into his head. This must be the agent that was held captive.
“Hey, hey. Wake up.” San’s agency might be rivals to their agency, but he wasn’t a shitty person. He was in a position to help them so he would. The masked spy opened his eyes, and San had a sudden feeling of deja vu. He instantly brushed it off, when the other made a pained sound.
“Can you move? I can help you get out but you have to work with me here.” San tried his best to be nice, but they needed to get going before they got caught.
The agent shook his head, whispering the word leg, and revealed the infected wound on his thigh. San cursed softly, almost tempted to leave the agent here. He still needed to find the hard drive, he wouldn’t be able to carry this guy the whole time.
“Okay. Uh, let me see what I can do.” San inspected the wound and the state of the rest of the agents. He did not look good, clearly suffering from an infection sweating from the fever but still having full body shakes. “Look, I’m going to be honest with you. I need to find what I came here for and I can’t do that if your-” San’s words were abruptly cut off, a wave of dread erupted throughout his stomach as he noticed something familiar on the other’s leg.
Peeking through the slash on the agent's pants, caused by the knife, was a soulmark. With trembling hands, San slowly peeled the fabric away to reveal the mark. The mark that he was so familiar with. The mark that was identical to his. The mark that Yeosang has on his hips.
He whipped his head up to meet Yeosang’s eyes, realizing that the other didn’t recognize his voice due to how out of it he was. “Fuck! What the hell are you even doing here?” San couldn’t even make sense of what was happening, all that was on his mind was to get out. He wrapped his boyfriend back up, carrying him straight for the exit. Fuck the drive. He needed to get out and get Yeosang to a hospital.
“HQ, I am aborting the mission. I repeat. The mission is compromised. I’m pulling out.” He quickly communicated before leaving the room. Miraculously, the hallway was still clear making it easy to exit as it was to enter.
Frantic shouts erupted through his earpiece, demanding he go back to retrieve the hard drive and provide answers about what was going on. San paid no mind, he was already outside, making his way to the extraction team.
“Don’t even ask. I have no clue what is going on too.” San quickly shut down the other agents' questions, leaving the car ride to the hospital in complete silence.
-
Yeosang opened his eyes and was relieved to be greeted with lights. He instantly recognized he was in a hospital room and not the basement. Struggling to look around from his stiff body, he still noticed a person sitting beside him, head resting on the bed.
“San?” Yeosang croaked out his name, voice coarse, unsure if he was truly seeing his boyfriend. The person's body shot up, head immediately turned to him. San’s gaze went from panicked to relieved in seconds.
A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around him, “Yeosang, I can’t believe…” San was too choked up to say anything, tears pooling around his eyes as he pulled away from him.
Yeosang couldn’t recall the events of what happened fully, he wasn’t even sure of how he managed to escape. “ How did I get here?” He didn’t want to reveal anything that San didn’t know about, especially about his secret identity.
“I was the one who brought you here.” San pulled back from the hug, grabbed his hand instead, and started explaining.
“What-” Yeosang was cut off when San continued but was left with even more questions than answers.
“I’m also a spy, secret agent, however you want to call it. I got called in for an emergency mission and I found you instead of my target.” San let out a strained chuckle, clearly confused about the situation as well.
Yeosang stared at his boyfriend in shock, the confession was nothing he would have expected. What are the odds that there would be two spies in the same group? “I’m sure you were able to piece the clues together, I’m also a secret agent. My parents are higher-ups in the agency, and they’re the reason why I ended up in this situation.”
After their much-needed conversation, Yeosang felt infinitely lighter than he did before. All the weight of the lies lifted from his shoulders and he felt so much freer around his boyfriend. Yeosang still couldn’t believe what his parents did to him. He was used and they didn’t even help him get out of their mess, it was San who saved him. Yeosang revealed the full truth of his identity, about his parents and the mission.
He was recovering well and was allowed to be discharged the next day (not without some strings pulled of course). “I just want to relax, I don’t want to think about what happened anymore.” The fallout of everything will be dealt with after he’s fully recovered, so Yeosang requested that they go to Namhae for Christmas. Even though Christmas was tomorrow, San did everything in his power to make it happen.
“We’re good to leave now. I asked for some favors and got us a ride on a private jet.” San proudly announced, his head held up high and Yeosang could only laugh with endearment.
“Come help me get on the wheelchair then, so we can go.” He was still too weak to use crutches and Yeosang was fully taking advantage of the pampering that San was giving him. The other man rushed to carry him out, bridal style. “I said help me get on the chair. Not carrying me out.” Yeosang hits his shoulders, trying to make San let him down. He hid his face in the crook of San’s neck in embarrassment as they walked through the hospital.
-
Waking up on Christmas day, Yeosang was engulfed in warmth. San had him wrapped around his arms tightly, with Yeosang’s face squished in his chest. He always ran hot, something that Yeosang always loved.
“Ten more minutes then I’ll get up,” San grumbled, his face full of the other man’s hair. Yeosang smiled softly, cuddling in closer, gently rubbing the feline-like back.
Untrue to San’s words, they eventually get up an hour later. They were in no rush to go anywhere, and Yeosang could barely walk on his own. It was quite a sight yesterday, and embarrassing for him when they realized San’s childhood home was not wheelchair accessible.
Yeosang told San to go get his crutches from the car, but the other took it as an invitation to carry him around everywhere. It wasn’t the first time he’d met San’s parents, but it was the first time since getting together. Yeosang was horrified, hiding his face in his hands as he was carried to the bedroom.
“Please go get my crutches, I am not going to be carried around in front of your parents again today,” Yeosang demanded his boyfriend once they started getting ready. San pouted, unhappy that he wasn’t allowed to coddle Yeosang anymore.
“Okay… I’ll get them for you. Only because I need to run some quick errands. I have something planned for us.”
Yeosang looked at him with wary eyes, suspicious of what plans the other was conjuring up, but agreed nonetheless.
-
“Since we can’t do anything too strenuous, I decided we could go on a drive!” San excitedly showed off the convertible. “I kind of forgot how cold it would be so we don’t have to open the top...” he sheepishly acknowledged.
“It’s perfect, San.” Yeosang tilted his head up to give San a quick peck on the cheek and limped his way towards the car. His boyfriend quickly helped him open the door, guiding him into the seat.
San energetically took the role of a tour guide. He explained even the smallest details of the island, from the street where he fell from his bike to the store where he used to buy ice cream after school. They ended up parked in front of the beach, enjoying their lunch from a local place.
“I just realized, that’s why you were so good at the shooting carnival game. I seriously thought you had some insane beginner’s luck.” San exclaimed, bringing back memories from their date.
“Oh yeah… I was supposed to be hiding my identity but I couldn’t help it. I just had to beat you.” Yeosang teased his boyfriend, making him riled up.
San huffed, taking the bait, “We need a rematch, I can definitely beat you now that we’re both honest.” The other man just laughed, unsure if San could really beat him considering he’s been target shooting with a gun since he was 9 years old.
“We’ll see about that.”