Author's POV:

Miles away, Jackson leaned back against the cushions of his office, chewing on the strawberry flavored gum that he'd just popped into his mouth.

The speaker on his reciever rang once before a female voice spoke out, "Agent Jack, the director wishes to see you".

With a groan, he rolled his eyes at the old man wanting to see him. Kicking at the table in front of him, he pulled the gum out of this mouth before sticking it underneath the wooden furniture in the front before making his way to the director's office.

"May I come in, sir?" His voice was surprisingly gentle for someone who was annoyed and irritated a minute ago.

"Yes" the white haired man spoke.

Once Jackson was comfortable on the same seat Ji Yeon had sat on only a few days ago, the director spoke. "I'm sure you've heard of Ji Yeon's mission?"

"Yes, sir. She uh, told me about it" he confessed, furrowing his brows at the cat like ways of his boss.

With a smile on his face the old man rested his hands on the table, "I need you to keep an eye on her, Jackson. I've sent the girl into the lion's den. V and his allies aren't one of the friendliest, we all know that".

"What do you exactly want me to do?" Jackson narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

"Follow her tracks, let her vent in you, be there for her. I want you to take the middle ground, between us, the CIA and Ji Yeon who's out there in the field" he stated.

"Will do, sir. She's my friend too" Jackson smiled fondly.

"That'll be all agent" the director leaned back against his chair, his fingers coming to take off his glasses.

As Jackson left, he stopped by the door to say, "You have a soft corner for her, chief".

Now, with Jackson having her back, the CIA thought Taehyung couldn't pull her into any kind of trouble. She had someone watching out for her. But was he really watching out? Was Jackson the true friend that she thinks he is?

Jackson grinned as he grabbed his jacket off his chair before leaving the office. He drove in his car, far and away from the busy area in Daegu. On his way to the corners of the city, he called his real allies, demanding an urgent meeting. They hadn't had such an unplanned meeting in so long. It usually took days to plan each move but now, Jack was too happy. He needed to let this out!
And as his car came to a halt in front of the safe house, with quick steps he walked inside.

Around twenty minutes later, his men were there with him, all three major stakeholders, standing under the shaky yellow light bulb that hung above them in the abandoned garage at the end of the city, which was now one of their safe houses.

Call it iconic or not, the cat paw print on their black jackets stood out glowing as they greeted each other with a nod.

The two other men were slightly out of breath due to all the running they had to do before they got here. Jackson on the other hand couldn't get rid of the grin on his face. He was their leader after all. Even though they often pledged to be brothers, men who held equal responsibilities and stakes at their stealthily growing organization, they wouldn't deny the fact that Jackson had a bigger hand in every plan they plotted.

Starting from seizing a flight at the airport, to leaving cat paw prints all over the police station. Jackson had had a hard time trying to not laugh at the irony when Ji Yeon called him over to collect evidence before the squad did.

"I have good news, brothers" he clapped his hands together, the silence being the only thing there in the absence of his steely voice.
"Ji Yeon is under my watch now. The director said it himself" he chuckled, "What a stupid old man!"

"How do we use that to our advantage?" The younger of the three in the room asked, his face still covered with his hood.

"We put a mic on her" the third one almost spoke for himself.

"That we will" Jackson nodded, "this is bringing us so close to V. I can't wait for us to sit on that throne of his".

As their discussion progressed, the paw that was painted on the floor in between them got duller when the sun set outside. The three men stretched their hands out, putting their palms one on top of another before pulling each other in for a group hug. This mission was going to be very fruitful for them. Or so they thought.

That evening, a mail arrived at Taehyung's door step, neatly wrapped in red paper. The bow on top was velvety white and when Ji walked out to pick the box up, she furrowed her brows at the note stuck on top.

To,
Ji Yeon

If it was addressed to her, it was supposed to be at her place. Why would they drop it off at Taehyung's home?

Biting her lip, she rushed towards the cushions on the living  room. Setting the box on the floor, she carefully peeled it off layer by layer, keeping the worst case scenario a possibility in her mind.

And when the gift wrapper was off, she opened the carton only to gasp and step away from it. It was a paw of a dead cat! How typical of Jackson and his anonymous friends to send that?

Confusion was evident on her face as she covered her nose and when she noticed another note placed right beside the paw, which  clearly read-

"Your only way to save V and get out of the mission alive is to meet me at the address below. Come alone"

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