I once again was snapped awake by the slam of a door, only this time was it accompanied by shouts and vigorous voices, ones that pulled me from falling back to sleep. My head pounded, not as much as it did last night... Was it last night? Or the night before? The back of my head felt tender and like it was about to burst, like touching it would cause my head to explode. Along with the sensitivity of my injury, it felt like my head was filled with lead. It was top-heavy; it wobbled and swayed like a drunk would as I rolled into a sitting position. I grit my teeth and held the side of my head, the throbbing increasing, as I slid my legs over the side of the bed. I sigh upon feeling the tightness in my back loosen ever so slightly.

   A noise echoed through the room, and I looked up. A head of orange, then wide, concerned eyes, and lastly a smile that looked as fragile as a twig. Jungwoo rushed over to me, enveloping me in a hug that caused my head to hammer even more than it already was, but I didn't care. I never knew I missed hugs until now, and I felt tears sting the edges of my eyes.

   "Thank God you're okay," His voice shook like a dead tree in the wind. "I haven't seen you for so long... I-I thought something worse happened." He took my face into his hands, cupping it and scanning every detail with doe eyes. His shoulders dropped when his eyes lifted past my face, and as his fingers traced the bandages around my head, it looked as though his remaining joy drained from him. "Oh, it is worse than I thought!"

   "Jungwoo," I said, grabbing his hands and squeezing them. He nodded softly. "I'm fine, I mean besides the constant headaches. I'm alive, I'm talking. I remember you." He chuckled, dropping his head and shaking it. He sniffled and met my eyes again, his glassy and big.

   "I'm just glad you're okay. But I have to say that it was stupid of you to charge into a fight like that." His voice changed into one that was earnest. "You could've got shot, or worse killed!" He gently took my head and pressed it against his chest. I could feel his chest rising and falling, could hear the rapid thumping of his heart.

   "I know it was stupid, but I wanted to help." I replied weakly.

   "If I would've known, hell, if Doyoung or Mark would have known you wanted to help out on missions, we probably would have let you." He paused, sighing heavily. I opened my mouth to respond, but Jungwoo was quicker. "But for now, you aren't going back into the field or even training for a couple of weeks. We don't want to risk the cut opening up." He tapped the lump at the back of my head, causing me to wince. I nodded against his chest, closing my eyes to bask in the warmth his body radiated.

   "Hey, what time is it? And how long have I've been out?" I pushed off his chest, looking up into his conflicted eyes.

   "About 5. You were out for another day or so." He answered, taking hold of my shoulders. "They don't know I snuck off, so I should probably get back. You can come watch if you want, but I suggest you stay back, don't want anyone blowing their top seeing you out of bed." He winked, earning a dry chuckle from me.

   Jungwoo guided me onto my feet, pressing his palm on the small of my back. He led me to the door and nudged it open with the heel of his foot. I kept swatting away his hands; I was fully capable of walking on my own, I didn't need his help. Of course I appreciated it, but holding and cradling me like I was an old woman on the brink of death was a little much. We entered a hallway not long ago, and we were just approaching the end when the shouts from before became clearer.

   "And let me guess, you totaled Jaehyun's bikes too!" Someone shouted, followed by a sharp huff from another.

   "So what if I did?! I made it out alive, so you should be happy I'm not dead!" A deep voice boomed. Jungwoo snickered just above my ear, letting go of my arms to stand in front of me.

   "Just stay put and watch. These fights are always the most entertaining." He whispered, a giddy grin plastered on his lips. His grin caused me to shift closer to the wall.

   I nod, a bit wary of the whole ordeal, but I push those thoughts away and back into a gloomy corner of the hallway. Dust swirled and danced in the air, and I had a hard time keeping my coughs from heightening the throbbing in my head. From what I could make out through the veil of dust and over the golden stripes of sunlight, Jeno and Lucas had come back. They were rough around the edges; their hair was strewn and tangled, their faces were sprinkled with specs of red and tiny cuts, and their clothes were rumpled and caked with dirt. One of Lucas's sleeves was sliced open, a long, thin gash tracing his tricep. Jeno was a little tidier, though not by much, as he had a busted lip and bloodied knuckles.

   "Sorry it took so long," Jungwoo strode into the kitchen, tossing a manila folder onto the counter. Its contents spilled out and several hands snatched up some papers. "Couldn't remember where I last put the damn thing."

   'Where did he get that?' My head pounded. "So Informant, what's the scoop?" Ten asked, eyeing him from over a paper. Jungwoo snorted at the name.

   "Well, to put it simply, we don't know if that keycard was stolen or not. Weren't any fingerprints. It's definitely Seungcheol's card, and seeing as how they shot at you when you were circling the casino, they're for sure hiding something." Jungwoo explained, propping himself up against the counter.

   "They shot at you?!" Sicheng exclaimed.

   "No shit, look at us." Jeno snapped. "We had to hide in a parking garage before even attempting to infiltrate. And the second I stepped foot out from behind my bike, they unloaded their en-"

   "I thought you were told not to infiltrate, but to scout the location's surroundings and bring back a rough sketch." A voice said, silencing any existing chatter. Taeyong kicked himself off the wall across the room, sending me a subtle wink, and hooked his arms around Lucas and Jeno's necks. He pulled them close, their heads nearly touching his, and laughed deeply. The two men exchanged uneasy stares. "You two truly surprise me." I gulped.

   "Boss, you've been to Casino Carat, right?" Another man piped up. Ten moved aside to let Johnny lean his hip against the island.

   "So have you and Mark, so what's your concern?" A cryptic smile crept onto his face, and he traced his tongue along it. This sent a series of shivers down my spine.

   "You've never been into this room have you?" Johnny placed a paper in front of his boss. I couldn't see the paper, but from the laugh that rumbled in the back of Taeyong's throat, I didn't think I wanted to.

   "Oh, I remember that room...Have lots of bloody memories from there." He hummed fondly.

   "It needs a keycard to gain access to it." Johnny said firmly.

   Taeyong exhaled through his nose, flinging a keycard onto the pile of papers. It's like he knew he was going to be asked that question and had the card ready, I thought. Several pairs of dark eyes flitted between their boss and the card, though one pair looked to be on fire.

   "How do you have this?" Mark spit, shouldering past Johnny.

   "Nothing to get worked up over Mark," Taeyong's voice was sickly-sweet. "Just some fun back in the day. Mingyu lent me a card, seeing as I was over there the majority of my teen years."

   "Why didn't you tell us this days ago!" Mark roared. He slammed his palms onto the counter, causing a few sheets of paper to flutter to the ground. I glanced at one and saw a lavish entrance to a shimmery gold building, with limousines and sparkling fountains. But I quickly turned my attention back to Mark. "This would have made things so much easier!"

   "It actually wouldn't," Doyoung said, now appearing at Lucas's side. The room quieted, apart from the frantic tapping of someone's shoe. He swiped up the card Taeyong threw and inspected it before scoffing and tossing it back down. "If Taeyong used this when he was younger, specifically when 17 and us were allied, the card is useless now." He pushed up his glasses with his knuckles, which immediately fell back down.

   "What do you mean useless?" Mark ordered.

   "I've ran through 17's security systems and they haven't updated it for years," Xiaojun commented, a pen swaying back and forth between his fingers and a square phone in another hand.

   "Their security is shit and they haven't touched it for years, and we all know that, but you have to take into consideration our relationship with 17." Doyoung said, eliciting a clipped chuckle from Taeyong.

   "What's so funny Boss" Mark practically growled.

   "You know, I should appoint Doyoung as my underboss and give you a little break," Taeyong let Jeno and Lucas's necks go and went to retrieve his card, but as his fingers swept over it, Mark's hand crashed down onto his fingers. Taeyong winced, though it sounded like a snarl, and whipped his head up to Mark. His eyes were like an inferno. "Just what do you think you're doing?" His voice somehow dropped an octave.

   "It's one thing to joke around about Doyoung's position, but you know better than to joke about mine. You know what it took for me to get to where I am now, so don't fucking play around with my title." Mark's eyes were a black void, lacking all emotion besides unbridled rage. All Taeyong did was arch a brow.

   "My my... I thought we were over this Mark." Taeyong's voice was back to its eerie sweetness. "But that's behind us now, right?" Taeyong bit. Mark huffed, ripping his hand away and roughly combing it through his blonde hair.

   A thick silence hung in the air, causing me to swallow dryly. After some time, Ten broke it: "What do you mean relationship, Doyoung? Like..." Ten trailed off, leaving the question to hang in the air.

   The corners of Doyoung's mouth twitched. "Back when Taeyong and Mingyu were friends, so were our teams. But now that the mere sight of us invokes their minions to shoot, it's safe to say they aren't too fond of us anymore."

   "No shit, Sherlock," Jeno grumbled, earning him a few stifled snorts.

   "Meaning if we aren't allied with them, we can't get in." Mark sighed.

   "Ultimately meaning my card is useless." Taeyong concluded, taking it between two of his fingers and sliding into his back pocket. Another heavy silence consumed the room, this time with each of them thinking. My head thrummed rhythmically, though it was easy to drown out. I shifted closer to the wall, pressing my arm against the rough plaster. The sun was long gone, the night sky drowning the room in darkness.

   "Can't someone else infiltrate the casino beside Taeyong, Jeno, and I?" Lucas asked, using his forearm to rest against the lip of the island.

   "I can easily copy the card. Have a new one in a couple of hours." Xiaojun said, his arm holding up his head.

   "I don't think that would be necessary, Dejun." Taeyong said, the hint of a command in his tone. "We've fought with them before, with all 21 of us, so they know everyone."

   "And knowing them, they've hacked into our cameras and spied on us." Johnny added, the sleeves of his dress shirt bunched up around his elbows. A few affirmative nods swan around the circle.

   "Well..." Jungwoo voiced, tilting his head up to the ceiling. "You're right that 17 has seen all 21 of us, but not all 22 of us." My breath caught in my throat; 'It's me!' my head screamed. Jungwoo's footing seemed to falter under the stares of the men circling the island.

   Mark was the first to catch on. "She had a concussion, Jungwoo, there's no way in hell I'm letting her back onto the field."

   Taeyong snickered. "Does Mark have a little crush? God, it's been years..." Mark bared his teeth, snarling at his Boss. He only snickered more, plopping his hand into his palm.

   "Enough with bringing up my past, Yong." His voice was dripping in emotion, something I haven't seen from him.

   "I should just lock you two in a room and see who kills the other first," Johnny teased, massaging Mark's shoulder. The man under Johnny's hand grumbled something incoherent.

   "My bets are on Mark," Jeno announced, a ripple of deep chuckles following.

   "But 17 don't know who Yubin is, which makes her the number one candidate for our infiltration." Jungwoo pressed, turning his attention towards Mark instead of the entire island.

   "You went to check up on her, so why are you all of a sudden insisting we use her?" Taeyong questioned. Jungwoo went silent, and I had to swallow my gasp. "Exactly. You make a good point, and I'll take it into greater consideration when she has fully recovered. But in the meantime, Yuta and Kun should be back any second now..." He unhinged his chin from his hand and turned his head to stare at the front door. His eyes met my wide ones and he flicked his head, though it was so subtle that if you were to blink you wouldn't have seen it. His gesture signaled me to reveal myself, but I was hesitant to do so. I didn't want to intrude on their little meeting.

   "What do you mean 'should be back now'?" Lucas asked, a certain edge to his voice.

   "Much like how Jeno went against my word," Taeyong threw said boy a sideways glance. "Yuta and Kun did as well. From what I overheard Johnny and Doyoung saying was that they are trying to get into the cameras in that room." Both men aforementioned shot glares at their boss, Johnny faintly scoffing.

   "Kun ended up disabling all of their cameras 'cause he got mad." Xiaojun murmured, invested in his phone. As he frantically typed away, the other men around the island shifted and seemed to relax, some of them even falling slack against the counter. I turned away and sighed as quietly as I could, putting on the best groggy face I could. As much as I didn't want to be seen, I would have to come out of my hiding place one way or another, whether it was by my own wish or being caught, and the latter mostly definitely had chilling repercussions.

   I uncovered myself from the shadowy corner, slumping my shoulders and dragging my feet across the wood floor. I blinked, my eyes bouncing from each of the men's now apprehensive faces to some startled expressions. It was strangely amusing, I had to keep a chuckle stuck in my throat, and I stumbled my way over to the edge of an armchair, the constant beating in my head becoming increasingly more apparent the more I played up my act.

   "How are you doing?" A tentative voice asked. I look up with half-lidded eyes to find Doyoung blocking my view of the others, a look of mild worry slowly flowing down his face.

   "I'm okay..." I trailed off, letting my eyes wander past Doyoung's stringy hair and to the face of Mark and Johnny. Johnny met my stare for the first time that day, giving me a tight smile, one sprinkled lightly with care, and then dived back into the sea of papers beneath his hands. Mark was expressionless, something I've grown accustomed to, but his eyes flickered with something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Was it concern? Sympathy? Pity?

   "Holding up okay Kang?" Mark asked, his tone harsh. I blinked, startled by the bitterness in his voice, but pushed it away.

   "Doing better than yesterday Lee." He scoffed out a laugh, shaking his head at the ground and burying his fists in his pockets. I let a shameless smirk find its way onto my face, ignoring the drumming against the walls of my head. "Would we need to change my bandages?" I glanced at Doyoung, who had his eyes examining the sides of my head.

   He nodded his head, distracted. "Soon." was all he said before speeding off down the hallway opposite me. Taeyong ambled back into the kitchen, humming a tune, and leant his body against the wall, letting his eyes wander over his men and finally landing on me. A thin smile appeared on his face.

   "Glad to see you've woken up. You gave us all quite a fright." His voice is simple and calm.

   "You feel okay, right?" Jungwoo took Doyoung's spot by my side. His voice lowered: "Did you like the show?"

   I exhaled, my smirk morphing into a smile. "I'm fine, guys." I raked my sights over the men, some returning my gaze and others looking elsewhere. Jungwoo arched a brow, and I gave him a playful shove, eliciting an equally humorous laugh from the man.

   A thunderous boom echoed throughout the house, causing everyone inside to jolt. Taeyong, with languid movements, spun and peered around the arch leading into the room we all were in. He sighed, an irritated sigh, and disappeared around the arch, several men at his heels yet they each halted. Then came the shouts. Yells and aggressive roars filtered from the room adjacent into the kitchen, causing Lucas, Jeno, and Johnny to take off out of the kitchen. Jungwoo, having perked up and set a serious mask over his once soft features, dashed down the same hallway Doyoung went down. Sicheng, Ten, and Xiaojun rushed out of the room, hot on Jungwoo's heels, leaving Mark and me stunned into stillness. We detached our eyes from the arch to look at each other, Mark having the same bug-eye and mouth hanging expression. What broke our silent staring game was the shrill pop of a gun, followed by a yelp.

   Mark jumped from his frozen position and rushed over to me, hoisting me up by my forearms and helping me run - though it was more like a jumbled gallop - over to the entrance of the foyer. Our feet seemed to cement to the ground because when we entered the crowded main entrance, we halted just as abruptly as the sudden commotion had started.

   "You the fuck are you?!"

   "You followed us, didn't you?!"

   "Tell us why you're here!"

   We never seem to get a break... 

guess who the mystery person at the end is!!!

cant wait to write the next chapter and have yall lost your shits heheEHE

ty and mark drama oooooo

Thanxx for reading!!