Deus Didymus: Rend

The Unbreakable Trio IV

Civilians numbering in the dozens walked the streets of SM with most wearing layers or thick clothes. While Minho and Bae followed the trend, a majority of Aespa stuck out like a sore thumb. Winter wore a gray button up tucked into a pair of black cargo shorts. Paired with her pig tails, she looked more like the younger sister of someone in the group than their teammate.

Karina wore a white top with triangle cuts at her waist and gray sweatpants. Through all the willpower in Bae, he fought the urge to look at her bra--which he could see very clearly through the thin white material. Giselle donned a more formal outfit consisting of a black top tucked into a short plaid skirt completed with a black unbuttoned trench coat and boots. While definitely more appropriate for the weather, the only person who dressed like they lived in SM was Ningning.

From her crème colored beanie down to her off-white pants and white shoes, everything was thick enough to keep her warm. Similarly to Giselle, she wore a trench coat, but hers was buttoned up revealing only the collar of her wool sweater.

"You guys aren't affected by the cold?" Minho asked.

Winter shook her head with a small smile. "Karina unnie's allele protects her from the cold, Giselle unnie isn't affected by temperature, and I like the cold. The only one who can feel it is Ningning."

"Must be nice," Bae said between his chattering teeth. He dressed similarly to Giselle but with darker colors. However, the difference in acclimation was still obvious between the two. "I can't wait to go back to the beautiful, temperate IZLand..."

"Where's Y/n?" Karina asked. She scanned the building tops, turning back to Minho when he opened his mouth.

"He took the night shift, so he's sleeping right now." Minho turned his head to the client, bowing his head to signal that they were ready prompting the noble and his attendant to begin touring the city.

Per their predetermined assignments, Minho broke off with Karina and Winter while Bae trailed behind their client with Giselle and Ningning. They reasoned that following their client's sporadic movements would help cover ground and look for suspicious persons while protecting him from potential kidnappings.

Karina strolled with her hands interlocked behind her head earning a curious eye from Minho. The two locked gazes prompting Karina to raise her eyebrows, signaling Minho to ask his question.

"Do you not care that people are looking?" Minho's eyes remained on Karina's and he appeared unfazed by her carefree nature.

"Not really. I don't care about what people think and like this look on me." Karina crossed her arms with a smug grin and narrowed eyes. "Do you prefer men?"

"I have a girlfriend," Minho replied.

Karina burst into laughter, bumping Minho with her elbow. "I respect guys like you. Loyalty is the most important to me."

A crisp gust blew through the street, blowing Karina's hair over her face. She combed her hair back, nodding as her smile grew. "Truth be told, I like to dress like this so I know who I should hang out with. I like how I look this way, but it's also like a radar that detects who the questionable people are. Like your friend with the red eyes. I can tell he desperately wants to look at my chest."

"That's one way to go about it," Minho remarked.

Karina nodded once more. "Yeah. If I didn't like dressing like this, I wouldn't do it. Flaunting my chest just feels nice though."

Minho stuffed his hands into his pockets. His eyes wandered around the open streets in search of any suspicious persons, checking alleys first before scanning body language. "To each their own."