mission failed || seulrene

7 | the truth

- irene -

"come on, we're getting out of here. jaehyun, you're coming too." i commanded the two.
he looked at me in shock, then said, "what? i can't just leave sm company..."
i grabbed his arm, almost yelling at him, i said, "yah. i don't want you to get in trouble. listen to me, please?"
he looked off into the distance for a while, then eventually stared back at me. "fine." he said.

i grabbed seulgi's arm and started running to the car with jaehyun running behind us. as soon as we arrived to my car, i started blacking out. things around me looked dark and distant. everything seemed to be in chaos.

"yah. irene unnie, let me drive."
i nodded and tried to get in the front passenger seat. "the directions to the place we're going to is on the touchscreen inside of the car, okay?" i said.
jaehyun nodded.
"yah. yah! don't sit there. here, sit in the back with me," seulgi suggested.
i nodded again and sat in the passenger seat next to seulgi.

- seulgi -

it seemed too much like a dream. everything felt unreal. it just seemed to be planned to well. maybe it is? well, at least irene is with me. all i've wanted to do lately is be with her. even if she doesn't speak, her presence is enough to make me happy.

"s-s-seulgi.." irene tried to say.
"go to sleep.." i whispered.
without saying anything, she fell down to my lap, laying on it.

it really surprised me. well, everything she has recently done surprised me. from saying what was on her mind as the truth during the press conference, to risking her life to save me from the cell- really, it surprised me.

after a few minutes, irene woke up. she looked around the atmosphere, realizing that she was on my lap. she then immediately got up from the position to sit normally in the seat.

- irene -

crap. what did i do when i was asleep?

jinjja! this is too embarrassing.

"sorry. really, sorry." i tried to tell seulgi.
"for what?" she replied.
"for-"
"we're here, irene unnie!!" jaehyun interrupted.

as we got out of the car, jaehyun gave me the keys that i had given him earlier. i went up to the door of the lair i had created with the two following me. after i opened the door, i let the two in, then immediately locked the door to prevent anyone from following us. since it was a remotely deserted area, i doubt that anyone could find us.

"okay jaehyun, you can just relax for a little bit, okay? seulgi, come with me." i said to jaehyun.

i knew that jaehyun used to be part of the rebellion. after team exo captured him last year, he promised to be loyal to sm company ever since. but the thing is.. he isn't exactly an agent. he was trained to become a bodyguard, but he only works as the prison guard. so, he doesn't really know the technology and techniques that an agent knows.

after i saw him sit down and smile at me, i held seulgi's arm and led her to my office. it was a dark room filled with newspapers about sm company and the various teams inside of it, including team red velvet. the room mostly had a little-to-no lights, but i had one large spotlight over my desk, so i could see what i was doing if i ever worked late. on the other side of the room, i had polaroids and pictures of my team. i had this because.. whenever i came to this place, it was to cry. i never want my members to see me at my worst— and cry. so, i came here to get away from them and work peacefully. anyways, i also had a spare mission outfit in a display case next to the pictures- just in case something happens.

- seulgi -

how do i react to this? by being in the place for less that 5 minutes, how should i feel?

as i took in the room irene was showing me, i asked, "h-how did you have time for this?"
"it was my father's lair.. before he died." she responded.
"oh... i'm so sorry.."
"it's okay, seulgi. really, it is."
i tried to stay quiet. i might hurt her feelings if i say anything more.
"well, i brought you here to show you this." she said as she showed me her newspapers of sm company and the used-to-be, rebellion.
"woah... i'm speechless."
"don't be, bear." she said as she laughed. "as you know, my career is over."
"that isn't necessarily tru-"
"so we can stay here together."
"what?"
"it's not like i can show my face in public ever again— and people are hunting you down. it's too dangerous."
"i-irene... sm company has so many secrets."
"like what?"
"well," i said as i took a familiar newspaper out of her pile, "see this man?"
"yes."
"that's my.. father."
she looked at me in shock, then said, "that's your father??"
i tried to stop myself from crying, but i couldn't help myself when tears started to endlessly flow from my eyes. i reread the headliner of the newspaper, reading, "traitor finally killed by sm company."
"s-seulgi..." irene tried to say.
"y-yes?" i said as i tried to wipe my tears away.
"everyone knows who that is.. him.."
"everyone knows who he is, but not who he really was." i said as i slammed the table with my fist. i really couldn't hold it in anymore, i had to cry. i fell to the floor and didn't stop myself from letting my emotions out.
irene noticed me in this state, so she sat down next to me and said, "tell me about your father, seul."
the comment genuinely made me happy. someone wanted to listen to me, talking about my father. "he made sm company with lee soo man. after my father started to get more popularity for the company, lee soo man ordered his agents to kill him. after that, my brother made the rebellion. then, lee soo man killed him too... so i ended up being the leader." i replied as i tried to stop crying.
"seulgi... i'm so sorry..." irene said as she caressed my back.
"it's fine, really."

- irene -

our conversation became into an emotional confession. i didn't want seulgi to feel any more pain from lee soo man. so after she started to calm down, i said, "how about we make a new team?"
"like a new agency?" she said as she sniffled.
"yes. against sm company and the darkness."
"i would like that."

we started planning who would be in our team.

"i'll get team red velvet." i suggested.
she gave a soft smile, then said, "it's nice that you can trust them. i don't trust anyone in the rebellion."
"that's not a bad thing, seulgi..."

i didn't want her to feel more hurt than she already was, so i told her to sit down on the couch in the room. she gave me another smile and sat down, eventually falling asleep.

after i saw her fall asleep, i felt like it would be the best time to get my team here. so, seulgi could wake up and meet the people i trust— and hopefully she can trust them too.

i dialed wendy's phone and she started by saying, "hello?"
"wendy." i said.
"irene unnie?"
"yes."
"irene unnie!!!!!!!!!! yeri, joy, irene unnie is here!!!!"
"wendy- wendy, wait."
"sorry. what's up?"
"can you guys come to my lair? remember, the one i showed you on our day off?"
"yes, yes, of course unnie. we'll be there."