With the leader behind him posing as his bodyguard, Jongho knocks on the door of the hotel suite, pulling the cashmere scarf around his neck closely, avoiding from looking nervous as he presents his face through the peephole. The slices of watermelon he had suddenly don't sit well in his stomach, and he takes one large gulp as the door opens to a hallway heading to the inside of the hotel room lined with burly bodyguards. He takes one step inside before one bodyguard with an earpiece attached and a man bun blocks his way, looking down at him.

"The weather is nice tonight," the bodyguard says with a low tone, making it fully obvious that the weather is not what he's referring to.

Jongho tries to take a look beyond the hallways but his view is blocked as the bodyguard is a few centimetres taller than him. He replies with a steady voice, "Are you kidding me? There's a storm brewing outside."

The man pauses as he looks behind, eyes travelling down the hallway and to the large window beyond the foyer. Whatever that came out of Jongho's mouth is the opposite of the weather outside; the sky is calm and there is definitely no storm cooking up. Despite that, he presses down the button on his earpiece, relaying to the people on the other end.

"Madam, it is him." He concetrates as he listens to the reply, and nods once sharply. He turns to Jongho before instructing in a monotonous voice, "You may wait at the main area before madam comes out to meet you. Remember that all your movements are observed, don't step out of line or we will be right at your throat."

"Lovely," Jongho chirps. "We won't do that now, will we Rome?" he looks to Hongjoong, in which had been decided that his fake name would be Rome - Min Gunhoo's bodyguard.

Hongjoong gives no verbal reply, merely shrugging as he keeps to his act.

Madam Tang's bodyguard eyes Hongjoong up and down before snorting. "I assume you would choose a much... taller and bigger bodyguard if you have the money. He looks like he would be knocked over once I flick him."

Jongho offers no reaction and the bodyguard takes none before ushering them to the main area, where he takes a spot beside Hongjoong, standing behind a sitting Jongho as they observe the meeting that is about to take place.

Hongjoong takes the opportunity while waiting for Madam Tang and Sir Edin to discern the current situation inside the luxurious hotel suite. He gives the message to the people behind the hidden camera at the pin on the lapel of his coat that they are outnumbered.

So if something ever goes wrong, only the two of them going against them is barely an option, to which they may only hope that the dealers will not notice anything amiss. He also realizes that the bodyguard with the man bun has been eyeing him up and down while smirking from the side, knowing that the latter is scoffing at his size and height, but he steels himself, not wanting to bring unnecessary attention towards himself.

If he can do what he wants, you bet that he will punch the bodyguard in the guts and finish off with an uppercut to his chin for making fun of his size and height. But for the sake of this mission, he's holding it in.

The person they'll be dealing with does emerge not long after, but the amount of information they have on Madam Tang has not prepared both Jongho and Hongjoong for the first impression that the woman will give them. It makes them the only people in the living room to react to it impulsively, as to her bodyguard, it seems like it's a normal everyday thing that brings no surprise to him.

It seems silly of them to think that the madam will be dressing up for the party held in the ballroom twenty floors below, when the meeting is only held in a hotel room, which would be more convenient for her to dress however she likes.

Madam Tang sits on the sofa across Jongho, crossing her legs seductively as she leans forward, exposing more than what Jongho would not even expect to see at a meeting like this. She must have taken this meeting at their hotel room a little bit too casually as she's only dressed up in a black sheer nightgown, the apparel doing little to hide what she's willing to show anyway. The length of the gown gives them a look of more than what they had ever seen before in their lives.

Jongho feels like he would get cross-eyed as he tries hard not to stare, but at the same time finding it hard as Madam Tang likes to put whatever assets she's proud of on display.

Meanwhile Hongjoong who is standing behind him, bites the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from making any noise, looking straight to the plain white wall that's hung with artworks that he can't tell what the painter was thinking about. Maybe he could spend that time to think about what the heck the painter was trying to deliver, preventing his eyes and mind from straying to the woman sitting on the sofa.

"I forgot to tell both of you one thing," Mingi says through their tiny earpieces, startling them but they're doing a good job in keeping it neutral, despite fighting for the will to keep their eyes from going astray. "Apparently those who have dealt with her said that Madam Tang is a huge flirt, to both male and female. She might be all over you, despite being married, so you might want to put up with that. Sir Edin seems to be... very passive about this though. Plus she knows that she has a nice body so she likes to put that on display."

"Well Sunfish," Byul's voice comes into their ears next, intercepting the line between them. "Are you telling me that I have to act like a flirt and be all over the real Min Gunhoo while my husband-" she clears her throat, "-while Silver only watches on? You could have told me this piece of information earlier, so I could prepare myself mentally. Do I really have to be like that?"

True, Jongho has a monologue, still trying hard to look at Madam Tang's pair of eyes. I could have prepared myself for this... shocking look.

But all Jongho could do is give a polite smile to the madam, knowing that he could not speak verbally to those on the line.

"You look so fit for an old man, just my type," Madam Tang starts the conversation, crossing and uncrossing her legs, as if trying to find the best position in which she could bare it all. "So handsome, way better than my own husband. Care to spend a night with this lady after the deal? We can forget about the party and just longue around in this room." She looks at Hongjoong and her own bodyguard before winking and lowering the tone of her voice, "We can do more than just drink."

"Please give us all the strength to endure this," Yeosang's voice pitches in the line. Hongjoong almost snorts at this, but keeps his cool.

"Apple, maybe you can finally get your first kiss tonight," Wooyoung cheekily comes into the conversation.

"She's a married woman for crying out loud," San comments next. "You better not do it because I bet Toothless is going to drag your ass out of that room if you ever go near her."

"You better not accept that offer or I'll drag you out of the room myself, with or without clothes," Seonghwa threatens him. "Minion, you too. Both of you, eyes no lower than her face."

"But damn, she does have a gorgeous body. I would love to have one like that," Byul's voice comes next, followed by an exasperated sigh from Yunho. They can see everything clearly from the small camera on Hongjoong's coat lapel, giving a high definition view of her presentation.

"Aurora please keep your mind on the mission," Seonghwa utters. "Apple and Minion are in danger of submitting to a seductive woman, and I don't want to have to work overtime for having to draw them out of the hotel room."

All the while Jongho keeps listening to their bickering in his earpiece with a straight face, trying to block out their nonsense while constructing a proper reply to every part of her invitation.

"It's an honour to be able to spend time with a gorgeous woman like you," Jongho gives his bunny-teeth smile, completely aware that he is in fact much younger than the woman in front of him. He doesn't lie; the woman in her late 20s is definitely gorgeous; her inch-thick makeup is only for when she goes past the hotel room door. Her no-makeup face presents her as a woman who is younger-looking than what they expected. "But I'm afraid that I have to decline that because I wouldn't want to be beaten up by your husband," he tries to say it lightly, acting as if that if her husband wasn't in the picture, he would jump at her at any moment. "I wouldn't want to break my trust of someone I'm seeing, too."

"Oooh, good job, Apple," Wooyoung coos. "You're doing great."

She wriggles her body as she leans back against the sofa, clearly dissatisfied with his reply. She never had anyone declining for a night with her, and it's her that's usually on the dominant side, not taking no as an answer and having the upper hand in turning away those who decided that they wanted more than just a meaningless fling. Her husband knows of all of her endeavours, but he's only staying with her for the established 'successful drug dealer couple' image. Sir Edin is not much of a better partner, having his own strings of women he kept.

She crosses her arms over her chest, huffing. "One night doesn't hurt, and my husband doesn't mind at all." Every word that comes out of her mouth sound like a contradiction as she frowns. "Wong," she calls over her bodyguard. "Bring the stuff," her eyes sharply stare at her guests, "since they're so eager to go. Might as well get it over with."

"Yes madam, right away."

"And-" she lifts up one red-manicured finger, "I believe that Sir Edin is not even coming to this room, is he?"

The man dips his head for a little, "He asked you to enjoy his time, madam. He said-" He looks at Jongho and Hongjoong first before whispering into her ear, making sure those two won't hear, "he hopes that a filthy woman like you get to enjoy the night with thousands of men, and he will do what he always does." He straightens up his body. "Sir Edin relays his best regards to you, Mr. Min. He apologizes for not being able to make it to this meeting tonight."

"He's a very busy man, you see," Madam Tang waves him away, and he marches to another room, most likely where their secret stash is at. "He won't even know what goes on here, and even if he does-" She stands up, joins Jongho on the same sofa before dragging her finger on his jaw as he flinches. "-it doesn't matter." She lays out the offer again as she leans forward, pressing her upper body against Jongho's arm.

He lets out a heavy breath before scooting away from her, fixing his scarf. "That's a wonderful offer, madam, but I'd rather not. I would like it if this relationship stays purely business."

"I've never met a man quite as difficult as you, Mr. Min. I don't know whether I should feel offended or keep working on to make sure you realize what you're missing here."

Hongjoong notices that she is coming closer and closer to Jongho's ear, purring into it and putting the youngest into danger if she does notice the tiny earpiece stuck inside. He puts out a protective arm from behind the sofa, providing a barrier towards Madam Tang's advances, causing her to look at him with petty annoyance and tut.

"What do you think you're doing? Mr. Min, I can't believe your lowly bodyguard has the audacity to push me away. Don't make me angry, or I'll make sure no one will ever do this business with you again." Her voice becomes sharp as she heaves herself off the sofa. She continues with a conceited smile, "I can also make sure that you won't ever see day again. I have a lot of friends who are willing to do whatever I ask them to." She puts a hand on her chest. "Just a little bit of money and you'll be gone, Min Gunhoo. How dare you do that when you know I rule the game here. You seemed to have forgotten where you are right now."

She gestures towards the shadows of her lined-up bodyguards, waiting obediently at the hallway. She drops the honorifics with the change in her demeanour, showing to the two of them that the offer is no longer valid and she won't be so nice starting from this point.

"She really just snapped because the man wouldn't sleep with her," Yeosang comments. "How petty."

"Madam, I'm not trying to offend you in any way-" Jongho offers.

"Shut your trap," she snaps as Wong comes out with a suitcase bearing the main item that was supposed to be the main focus of the deal tonight. "Get the stuff, lay out your price and get lost. If you offer me anything lower than what I want, you will leave the room without this." She places a hand on the suitcase that's locked, before tapping a manicured finger on the lock.

"She's really offended," Yunho says, followed by the sound of a wrapper being torn and him asking next, "Aurora, Toothless, you want some of these chips? It's the spicy one."

"When did you find time to bring some snacks?" Seonghwa asks, genuinely surprised, but the sounds of him shoving his hands into the packet before munching on the crunchy snacks follow just right after. He murmurs in satisfaction. "Aurora, you should try them; they're Silver's favourite chips."

Seonghwa takes one for himself then feeds Byul, who quickly agrees that Yunho's favourite chips are tasty- but not that she doesn't know; it has always been his favourite, never changing.

"Toothless can I have some too?" Wooyoung pitches in, sounding as if he could send the ever-growing pout he makes to all the others at the end of the lines. "This event is so dry I feel like taking pictures of food is more interesting than these rich people. They don't even know how a real party is and even the music is boring; no wonder they'd rather spend more time in their hotel rooms."

"Sorry, we're stuck in this hotel room, trying to set things up according to how it's there. Maybe Shiber can bring some to you. Shiber, are you there?"

"Huh? Sorry, a lil bit busy here trying to take off some stains. A guest just knocked over the drinks I was distributing onto me and now I'm trying to get them off. Maybe next time."

Watching carefully as Madam Tang sulks in front of the large window, the illumination from outside passing through the translucent fabric of her nightdown, her hourglass figure and tattoos on full display. Swallowing back a large gulp, Hongjoong whispers into his microphone after making sure that none of them in the hotel suite would hear him, "I'll buy every single one of you all the snacks you want if you can stay quiet for a moment. We're facing a little bit of a problem because it looks like she's really had it."

Through a mouthful of crunchy chips, Seonghwa advises, "Apple, she's no longer interested in you, so deal might be a bit tough." He swallows. "She probably has marked you as well, making notes to not make any future deals with Min Gunhoo. Could be both a good thing and a bad thing- good if Madam Tang doesn't want to meet him at all after this, so they will never know that they actually met the wrong person, but bad if Min Gunhoo insists on meeting Madam Tang again and then them realizing during the second meeting that they were not dealing with each other today."

"Madam," Jongho tries to catch her attention by lifting up one of his hands. "Please hear what I have to say. I'm in no way trying to offend a beautiful woman like you, but the sole reason I'm declining this night with you is because I know that after this I wouldn't be able to spend more with you due to our own commitments. It would be a waste to spend a night with such a gorgeous woman only to leave her right after, and I would continue on thinking about you but I wouldn't have the privilege to meet you again. Rather than having that torment, I'd rather not start this with you."

"Can someone get me a bucket? I need to puke because this is the first time in history I'm listening on to Apple spitting such nauseating words. Who the frick taught him this? Toothless, Corgi, is it one of you? Oh gosh it's coming, I can feel my stomach turning around. Wait-" Yeosang does a wretching sound.

"Do girls really like hearing things like that? Flattering them with naeuseating words, got it. Any other tips?" Mingi comes next. "Maybe I can finally get a girl to like me for once."

"She's not like what we expected her to be at all," Yunho comments.

"If you think you can win me over, you let your chance go. Your price?"

She rests her hip on the windowsill as she places her palms flat, still making it obvious that she's not regressing her body display any time soon. The only change is her attitude towards Jongho, to which he doesn't know whether it's supposed to be good as she won't be up all over him or bad considering how she won't be so nice to him onwards.

"500000 chromas for half a kg. That makes it one million chromas if you were to give me the weight you agreed to."

Arman Seung had given them the exact amount they need to strike the deal, knowing the base price of what they usually exchange, and upping it as it's a new product. Nothing like they ever tasted.

She laughs and it makes his stomach tighten, but she throws her head back and knocks it softly against the window. "Quite generous from an old man like you. I expected less but I'm genuinely surprised by your offer. And if I decide to decline..." she trails off.

"She's going to say it, isn't she?" Yeosang grumbles through the line.

"Like how you declined a night with me," Madam Tang continues. "How would you feel?"

"Oh she said it. She's so freaking salty she couldn't sleep with Min Gunhoo," Seonghwa agrees.

She pushes herself from the windowsill, nearing Jongho again as she bends her body, levelling her eyes with him. She cups his face gently at first but her grip gets tighter as she brushes her lips against Jongho's earlobe. He feels her breath blown onto his skin, giving him a tingling sensation before she lightly drags her lips along his jaw. She stops as her lips hover over his, and she gives a slight smirk before she dives in again.

Instinctively, he closes his eyes but his lips remain untouched, but it's only when he feels her breath near his ear that he realizes what she's whispering into it.

"You think I'm stupid; who are you trying to fool? I know... who you are."