~𝟱𝟰~

My tears had dried up and the boys had all shifted to sit in a circle around me. I still sniffled every now and again, but otherwise my sadness was forgotten. We all just sat in silence, my hands busy with playing in the sand. I would grab a fistful of sand, then spread my fingers and watch as it sifted through, landing in a little pile in front of me.

"Channie Hyung, why did you become an agent?" Jeongin asked, making me look up at Chan. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking.

"Well, my parents live in a pretty dangerous area of Australia, so they always told me to stay safe and keep my sister safe when we were alone. Then I just decided to go into the force to be able to better protect my family. But now, they have relocated to a better part of Australia, so they're safer. And now I just stay an agent because I enjoy it. And I mean, having all of you in my team makes everything a lot easier."

He smiled at us as he finished, and from my spot next to him, I gently nudged him with my shoulder, giving him a smile.

"Changbin Hyung, why'd you do it?" Felix asked.

"When I was little I just knew it was something I wanted to do. Then when the opportunity presented itself, I took it."

"How about you, Lee Know Hyung? Why did you become an agent?" Seungmin asked.

I looked at Lee Know, and I saw him hesitate. It sparked my interest. And my concern. I gently rested my hand on his arm, giving him a supportive smile when he looked at me.

"When I was about sixteen, my mother... she was abducted. I tried looking for her but came up short. Then this police officer started investigating, and he let me help him. We finally found her when I was seventeen. After that, I just knew I had to do something to prevent that from happening to other people. And ironically, the police officer had given Commander Della Valle my name. I started training that year and the rest is history."

I gave his arm a slight squeeze when he finished, making him look at me. He seemed slightly rattled, but quickly shook it off. I gently rubbed my thumb over his arm, smiling at him. He gave me a small smile and I saw something change in his gaze. But I had no idea what it was. And it intrigued me.

...

We all walked back up to the house, and I noticed Lee Know was walking a few steps behind the rest of us. So I dropped back and started walking next to him. Our hands brushed against each other, and he intertwined his pinkie finger with mine.

"I'm glad you were comfortable enough to share some of your past today. And I'm glad I got to know you a little better," I said.

He smiled at me, and again I saw the change in his gaze that I saw before. It made me blush, my gaze dropping to my feet.

"Ava, I was wondering if you and Lee Know Hyung want to make some breakfast with me?" I heard Felix ask, making me look up again.

His gaze fell on Lee Know's hand next to mine, and I quickly loosened my pinkie and dropped my arm to my side. I saw something cross his face when he saw it, his eyes flicking up to meet Lee Know's gaze. I saw the corners of his lips pull into a small smirk before he turned his attention back to me.

"Sure, sounds fun," I said quickly, trying to cover up what he had just seen.

His eyebrow rose slightly, but he seemed to let it go, turning his back on us again and joining the rest of the boys. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, running a hand down my face. I heard Lee Know giggle next to me.

"What's so funny? Do you enjoy seeing me embarrassed?" I asked, looking up at him.

"No. It's just funny to me how quickly you pulled away from me. You make it even more suspicious than it already seems."

He smirked at me, and I frowned slightly. I smacked his arm softly, looking at the sand again.

"It's okay. I trust Felix won't tell anyone of what he saw. And if you want, I'll talk to him about it."

"Please don't. Then whatever conclusions he has will definitely be confirmed. Let's just keep it quiet and hope he doesn't tell anyone."

...

I stood uncomfortably behind the kitchen island, fidgeting while waiting for instructions. Felix had told Lee Know to break some eggs and whisk them, but I hadn't gotten any command yet. When he walked past me, I decided to ask if I could do something.

"I mean, I'm just standing here. Maybe I can help?"

"All you have to do is stand there and look pretty," he said, giving me a smirk.

My eyes widened at his bold comment, my gaze immediately flicking to Lee Know. He seemed to tense up, eyes slowly moving over to Felix who stood next to him. He glared at him, and if looks could kill, Felix would have spontaneously combusted.

"I'm kidding. I'll give you something to do in just a moment."

I calmed down at him admitting it was a joke, but Lee Know still seemed tense. His hands and forearms were covered in veins. I cleared my throat, making him look up at me. His gaze softened when he saw me, his arms loosening up a bit. I tilted my head slightly and give him a soft smile, him returning it.

"Okay, Ava. You can come stand this side of the counter," Felix said, putting down a bowl with vegetables and a cutting board.

I did as instructed, going to stand next to Lee Know.

"You're okay with chopping vegetables, right? The other members always refuse to do it because they say it's too boring."

"Yes, it's fine. It's better than just standing there, right?"

He nodded at me, going back to what he was doing. I took my place in front of the cutting board and started the task at hand. Every now and again, I would feel Lee Know's arm brush against mine, sending a jolt down my spine. A few times I would look at him, but he didn't show any emotion on his face. I couldn't figure out if he was doing it on purpose or not.

When I finished, I helped Felix with some things. He asked me to get him the milk out of the fridge. I quickly went to the fridge and opened the door, doing as instructed. But as soon as I came upright again and turned around, Lee Know was standing in front of me, trapping me between himself and the fridge door. I flinched at his sudden presence, staring up at him.

He didn't seem to have done it on purpose, but he made no effort to move. His gaze was glued to mine, and I saw an emotion swimming behind his eyes that I still couldn't place, my cheeks heating up because of his intense gaze. I looked at the floor, brushing past him. After I handed Felix the milk, he said that he could manage without my help and that I could go rest if I wanted to. I took the opportunity, going up to my room. I closed my door behind me, resting my back against it as I dragged my hands through my hair.

"What the hell is going on with me? Why do I keep blushing?" I asked aloud, not really expecting an answer.

I went to sit down on my bed, sighing. I wracked my brain, trying to think of possible explanations, but my inexperienced brain couldn't think of anything that made sense. I heard someone knock on my door, making me stand up and go to answer. I opened the door to find Lee Know there.

"The food's ready," he said, eyes staring at me intently.

I could feel the anticipation bubbling up inside me. Anticipation for what, I didn't know. It felt like at any moment my mind would shut down and my body would take over, Lee Know's gaze pulling me in.

"Are you two coming or not?" Chan yelled from downstairs, making me jump.

Lee Know smirked at me, before stepping back, waiting for me to pass by him before following behind. I quickly went down the stairs, taking a seat at the table. Lee Know's presence moved past me, making goose bumps rise on my skin.

...

After breakfast, Han had picked up the guitar he found in the house again and went outside. I decided to go join him, trying to avoid the weird tension between me and Lee Know. I went to sit down next to him, listening as he gently strummed the instrument. I watched his hands. His fingers flew over the cords. I started humming along when I recognised the song he was playing. When he finished the song, he looked over at me, giving me a smile, which I gladly returned.

"How are you feeling today? After..."

"After last night? Surprisingly enough, I'm actually feeling okay. But I do have an amazing support system," I said, nudging his shoulder gently.

He stayed quiet, and I got the sense he was hesitating. Like he still wanted to say something.

"Han, was there something else you wanted to say?"

"Uhm, well... actually... I just wanted to ask you if.... if you're okay? After... everything."

My eyes widened at his question, but my surprise faded into gratitude.

"Yeah. I'm okay. I mean, it did take me a little over three years to finally be able to tell someone about it, and before then I still had nightmares and flashbacks. But I'm doing okay now. I think it really did help to tell you guys about it."

"Well... then I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to tell us."

I gently leaned my head onto his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm wrap around my shoulders.

"How is your wound doing?" I asked after a while, pulling out of the hug.

"It's actually feeling great. I don't have any pain anymore. And it seems to have completely healed."

He lifted the edge of his shirt, showing me the pink line on his skin, the little adhesive strips still stuck on the same spots they were before. He dropped his shirt again, gently placing his hand on the wound before dropping his hand again, almost as if to reminisce the pain.

"I'm so glad Chan told you guys to wear your comms that day. Otherwise that trip to the hospital could have had a very different end."

"Yeah, but you know what? I'm kind of grateful it happened. If it hadn't, I might never have met that girl."

"Have you talked to her again?"

"Yeah, I texted her a few days ago. She said she'd like to go out with me some time."

"Really? Well, look at you. Catching a girl while you were recovering from a bullet wound and major surgery. Congrats."

We both laughed. It felt good, being able to laugh. And for once my laughter wasn't interrupted by prying thoughts or my demons.

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A/N

heyy guys :) i survived my first week of grade 12 and honestly, i'm loving it!! i'm kinda stressed for the exams and all the work, but i'm cautiously optimistic :P

anyhow, i can't believe we went up from 2,5 K to 3,3 K in a week, like what even? i am so thankful for every one of you, and i seriously appreciate all the votes and comments so much! thank you for all the support! hope you all enjoyed the chapter and i'll see you in the next one <3