"We're not supposed to call each other by names at work."
"Oh come on. Did the dude reply?"
"The dude?"
"Yeah, the one you sent the message to.
"Ah, no. No, he did not."
"Doubt he's gonna come here honestly. What am I going to tell father?"-he said the second sentence in a more hushed and desperate tone.
"The Mayor asked for him?!" - Jin didn't return the same energy, though.
"Didn't I tell you? He said that kid is the last and most important piece of the puzzle."
"Lord, just how strong is he to be called in by the Mayor?"
"I have no idea, Jin, it's kinda scary."
"The name, you twat!"
"...Gleed, sorry haha. Let's go talk outside."
Metal clanking beneath the feet as he walked always gave Jin an ominous vibe, even though this place wasn't creepy looking. It had glowing tiles all around.
When he first came here and saw metal doors everywhere he made his way, he full-heartedly expected them to creak. Then again - they never did. Year 3000, remember?
Cold air engulfed him. Jin was never dressed warm enough for such nights. Romanticizing discomfort was his aesthetic.
"What if he's.. Y'know..."
"What?"
"An upper-level entity?"
"That would be next to impossible and everyone knows that there's only 3 of such individuals in the whole universe. Are you from year 2020 or something?"
"I mean, we all came here by choice, but him? He's like the party guy who gets invited everywhere."
"Excellent comparison, Mare."
"Sarcasm. Is. Dead."
"You could be soon too!"
A playful voice came from behind and above Jin and Yuto:
"You think you could let down your guard in a place you're supposed to be safe, but that's not always that case!"
Both men looked up at the building, a figure standing on balcony railings without any difficulty.
"How in the h--" - Jin covered Yuto's mouth so he wouldn't talk his way to danger, - "It's pretty difficult to come here if the guards dont know you!"
"Who said they don't?"
"Are you Jeon Jeongguk?"
"One and only!"-without a second thought - he jumped from where he was and landed three floors lower with almost zero percent difficulty. Seokjin did his best to keep himself from saying 'wow' or something along the lines.
"I was hoping you would arrive, but not exactly like this." - he extended his hand. Guk immediately did the same.
"Don't let your guard down, I could've finished you both on the spot."
"That'll be a lesson." - Jin said with a slight smile.
"Uh..." - Yuto was visibly confused by how professional and friendly they were at the same time.
"Jeongguk."- he introduced himself and went for another handshake. Yuto was more hesitant, but returned the favor, introducing himself as Mare.
"Mare? As in the dark region of the Moon?"
"Surprised you know that. That ain't my real name though."
"Oh, got it."
"You... Ain't gonna ask what it is?"
"Isn't there a reason you introduced yourself differently?"
"Jeongguk's right, Mare. You'll learn the crew's names later. If you're lucky."
Yuto groaned,- "Jin, he's already lucky."
"One of these days I'm really going to ask Vad to delete your memory of my name. Even a new-comer respects the rules he wasn't exactly aware of!"
Jeongguk snickered. 'This could be fun'.
"All right. Now that you're here, ready to meet the chief?"
Guk nodded,-"Any advice?"
"He knows what kind of person you are, so just be you. I'll see you to his office. "
The soon-to-be colleagues went back into the building, while Yuto stayed behind, pondering. They didn't seem to notice his surprised face when he realised his power didn't work on Jeongguk. All it had to take was that handshake, but nothing happened. Not even a change in the eyes. Not a tint of fear.
His opinion hasn't changed. It's scary. He's scary.
Jin and Guk were making small-talk while turning corners, taking the elevator like 15 floors up, then going around the corners once more and, again, taking the elevator dozens of floors up.
"Why did Mare say I'm lucky?"
"Oh, I guess there's no need to keep that from you. See, we all chose to come here, but you, and only you, were asked to come and join us."
Jeongguk noticed Seokjin slowing his pace, stopping shortly in front of automatic doors.
'White steel doors? Those are impenetrable'.
What weirded Guk out, was that there weren't any guard androids, not even a camera in sight.
"Ready?" - Seokjin asked in half serious, half playful tone.
