Blood and Roses || Lee Taeyong

Chapter 30 | "save myself"

Chaerin looked herself up and down with an approving nod as she surveyed herself in the mirror. Her black mission suit fit like a glove and was quickly becoming one of her favorite things to wear. She slipped her knives into her harness, her gun secured on her hip.

A soft smile appeared on her face as she gently squeezed the rose charm hanging around her neck from the necklace Taeyong gave her. It made her feel happy every time she touched it.

It had been about two weeks since she had graduated and things with Taeyong were progressing. He hadn't let up on her, being as sweet as ever and making his feelings known, but without pressuring her. He made it clear that he would gladly wait and enjoy their friendship until she was completely ready.

Her feelings for him had grown and she knew that she didn't want to make him wait any longer. She had been holding back since technically it hadn't been that long ago that she was committed to a relationship of her own, a toxic relationship, but a relationship nonetheless. She wanted to make sure he wasn't just a rebound, but at this point, she was certain of her feelings. It was just about finding the right moment.

With a sigh, she tucked the necklace into the safety of her suit before pulling her mask over her nose and mouth, her light brown eyes piercing through against her pale skin and black suit.

"Chaerin, let's go!"

"Coming!" She yelled as she heard Johnny call for her.

She quickly slipped on her boots and ran down the stairs, patting her harness to make sure that every knife was in place.

"Well don't you look gorgeous." Taeyong said as she flew down the stairs.

"Oh shut it, Tae, you've seen me in this a million times." She said, jokingly giving the boy a shove before allowing him to give her a quick squeeze.

"And you look stunning every. Single. Time."

She fought back the blush on her face as Taeyong stared her down, his smile hidden behind his mask but his eyes sparkling with adoration.

"Don't flatter yourself, Chae, you could wear a sack of potatoes and he'd still call you the most beautiful thing in the world." Yuta said sarcastically, earning himself a smack on the back of the head from Chaerin.

"You want to ride with me for this one?" Taeyong asked as they walked into the garage.

"As long as Jaemin and Jeno won't have a fit about it." She replied, seeing the two boys standing next to her car with frowns. "Boys?"

"Ugh fine." They sighed out, walking over and hopping into Jaehyun's car with a pout.

Chaerin just chuckled, turning back to Taeyong and seeing him already holding the door open for her. She smiled at him, sliding into the passenger seat.

"So, what's in store for today?" She asked as he pulled out of the garage, the other mission members following behind him.

"Oh just another boring mission that you'll probably fight with me on." He sighed playfully.

"As long as you don't go around killing the innocent people, I think we'll be all good." She replied lightly.

"Yeah yeah, you'll still probably find a way to put me in my place."

"As you deserve." She finished, a joking tone to her voice that made Taeyong chuckle.

"You're lucky I like you. No one else talks to me that way." He said with a mock warning.

"Yeah well we both know that even if you didn't like me, I'd still talk to you that way."

He turned to look at her, the two sharing a knowing glance as they sped into the night towards whatever mission was waiting for them.

- - -

Chaerin hissed as pain shot through her stomach, one of her attackers landing a kick to her gut.

"Alright, I'm pissed." She growled lowly, launching herself at the man.

She felt the other three men clawing at her but couldn't help the satisfaction she felt as she heard the loud crack of her fist against his face. She quickly spun around, striking out with her leg to knock the other men off of her as she turned her attention on them.

She smirked to herself as she felt adrenaline shoot through her veins, the energy of a mission fight hitting her like a high. Although outnumbered, Chaerin had worked hard and was more than skilled enough to handle them.

She prepared herself as they staggered to their feet, her arms raised in front of her, ready to attack. Her eyes widened in shock as four loud gunshots rung out from behind her, all of her attackers falling to the ground around her.

She quickly spun to see Taeyong standing there with a smirk, gun in hand as he walked over to her.

"I can save myself, you know." She grumbled jokingly as she stepped over their bodies.

"I know." He replied with a proud glimmer in his eyes. "But you shouldn't have to."

They shared a playful look as he held out his hand. With a small smile she took it and the two of them set off down the hallway to complete the mission.

"So, what's next?" She asked as he led her through the maze of a building.

"Renjun said that there's people in the center courtyard, everywhere else has been cleared."

"The ringleaders of this whole operation?"

"We'd assume so." He said with a nod. "So that's where we're heading."

"What is this operation anyway? Why are we involving ourselves in this?" She asked quietly.

"It's a small gang, we think, we're not certain who or how many people are involved, but they've been sending threats to us." Her eyes widened in shock. "There's nothing on these people and nothing ever happened, so we didn't take it seriously but it's getting quite annoying."

"So just make it easy and end it now?" She asked, receiving a nod from the boy. "Well, it'll mean less emails for Hendery to sort through I guess." She added playfully.

"More time for you to send him on wild goose chase coding missions?" He asked, seeing the shock on her face. "Yeah I know about those."

"Look, it keeps him busy, alright." She mumbled, causing the older boy to chuckle.

"Anything to have one less member potentially exploding something."

They joked and laughed together quietly until Renjun informed Taeyong that they were approaching the center, the rest of the mission members stationed around the building for backup.

With a silent nod, the two of them busted down the door, guns raised and eyes alert for whoever they might meet. In the center of the clearing, though, there was only one person, his back to them.

When he turned to face them, Chaerin dropped her gun, her eyes widening in shock as her jaw literally dropped. Her muscles started trembling and she couldn't believe who was facing them. She struggled to find the words in her panic and could only utter his name.

"H-Hansol?"