Last Mission

Red

Seri groaned in frustration as soon as the door closed behind her. She leaned on it and closed her eyes with a sigh. This evening had been a phenomenal waste of time and she had felt like it had been stalled for days. She didn't know how long her cover would hold, or what the agency was doing, but she did know one thing. 

She wasn't going to give up, no matter what. 

Because this case was too important. 

For him. And so, for her too. 

She kicked off her shoes and moaned in relief as her bare feet met the soft, immaculate carpet of her hotel room. It was dark, but she had spent several days in this hotel room and she knew every nook and cranny. She got off the door and walked over, taking off her earrings. She needed a scented candle and a hot shower to relax the tight muscles in her neck. She longed for her apartment in Seoul, a luxurious penthouse overlooking the city, to sleep in her bed, to sit on her sofa, she missed the streets of Seoul and their constant hustle and bustle. 

She missed Ri Jeong Hyeok. 

His always serious expression, his deep voice, so soft and so serious, that impenetrable look he sometimes cast on her. They weren't supposed to know each other's identity, but from the moment she had come across him, literally, in a abseiling exercise, during a training, there had been something invisible but almost palpable going on, something new and unfamiliar, sparks like she had never known. 

They had never spoken before, not even during training. He was quite lonely and only spoke to a handful of agents. She only knew him by reputation. Agent Kim, his good looks that had disturbed more than one, his dedication to a mission, the mysterious aura that surrounded him, he did not know failure, but also had the reputation of not being very fun .

Then they'd had a mission together, the first in almost 20 years, and Seri had loved every second of it. He wasn't boring, far from it. He was good and well deserved his reputation as the best agent. 

He was quick to think and to act, he anticipated the unpredictable and above all, he was always very focused, whether on his missions or while preparing a coffee. 

Or while watching her talk, or eat, or talk passionately about a new mission. Especially during the last one, somewhere in Europe. 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" 

"I'm just looking..." 

"You're not just looking ... You're looking at me like that, with those eyes ..." 

"They're just my eyes ..." 

"See, like that, with your wistful eyes ..." 

For a brief moment, her heart racing with anticipation and longing, she had thought he was going to kiss her. His eyes had darkened and his gaze was burning her, briefly resting on her lips, before looking away. 

She would have lied saying that she was not disappointed. She knew, however, that their situation did not allow them to explore what was happening between them, this attraction, this fierce need to protect the other but also to be with the other. She had never felt that way before, no one had ever looked at her with that glint in their eyes, no one had ever taken care of her like he did so naturally. 

"I thought you wanted to retire…" a deep, familiar voice said in her ear, right behind her. 

She gasped and felt his presence right behind her, his breath against her neck, the warmth of his body enveloping hers, his unique scent invading her senses. 

"I thought you had already retired ... "she replied without moving, fighting the overwhelming urge to lean on him, to forget the limits for a brief moment.