~𝟭𝟯~

I pulled my fingers through my hair, pacing the length of the living room nervously. It was midnight, but I knew I couldn't sleep. Five of the eight boys had fallen asleep already, the other three looking pretty close to it as well. I turned to a very sleepy-looking Chan.

"You guys should get to bed. I won't be falling asleep any time soon, so I'll just figure this out on my own. You guys should go."

Chan shook his head, assuring me that he could stay awake. He chased the other two boys upstairs, leaving the other five to sleep for a while. I started pacing again.

"I could always just not go. That way, he won't be able to force me to do this."

"But you're the reason for the function. You have to be there."

"Maybe I can just come for the final decision and then leave?"

"Look, I know you don't want to do this, but technically he can't force you to do anything after the final decision. Then you'll fall under the rule of our commander. If he tries anything after that, you have the full right to get him kicked off the force."

"I already have someone coming after me, I don't need another man on my tail."

"Okay, what is it that he told you to do exactly?"

"He said that I had to wait at the door at a certain time. He would give me a gun that I had to strap to my thigh. Then about an hour later, he would come to me with a picture of the target. I was instructed to kill the guy and escape out the bathroom window."

"But that doesn't make sense. For one, strapping a gun to your thigh underneath a dress is hardly practical. And secondly, the function is on the fifteenth floor. You'll have a hard time escaping out the bathroom window."

"Why would he give me the mission if he knew it wouldn't work? Unless..."

I ran up to my room, careful not to wake the sleeping boys. I rummaged through my drawers. Finally, I found the file I was looking for. After I left for my probationary period, I thought it would be a good idea to keep all my previous documents from the firm, in case someone tried to steal them. I paged through the papers until I got to the original contract I signed with my firm, my eyes scanning over the letters. I turned back to the door as I read. When my brain had a chance to process what I had just read, my hands went numb, the papers tumbling out of my fingers and onto the ground, scattering over the carpet. I grabbed the edge of the chest of drawers I had just grabbed the file out of, trying to steady my legs. I looked up at the doorway, where Chan stood with worry in his eyes.

"I never read the terms of the contract," I started explaining. "My father got me the job, I just had to go in and sign the documents. He said that he had read the terms beforehand..."

When I didn't finish, Chan came closer, taking me over to my bed and making me sit. He patiently waited as I gathered my racing thoughts.

"The contract... If I do anything that my commander doesn't agree to... He has full permission to stage a mission to get me killed... He wants me dead."

I felt him get up off the bed and heard the rustling of papers. He was probably looking for the contract. I just couldn't bear to watch. I heard him stand again and it went silent, as if he was reading. Then he came over to me again.

"This contract isn't valid. He didn't sign it. You could get him arrested for attempted murder."

"But I don't have proof besides that document. How can I get him arrested if I don't have anything to prove my case?"

There was a silence. We both knew what had to happen. Neither of us wanted to say it aloud. I took in a shaky breath.

"I'll-"

"No. You are not doing this. At least, not without us to help you."

"But Chan, this could get us all killed. I can't risk your lives on a whim. Maybe this really is a real mission? What then? I can't risk it."

"But I can't risk losing a member of the team."

"Chan... It's not official yet. You guys can still get out of this. Then you can all go on like I never existed."

"Gosh, don't you get it? You're part of the team; contract, or no. We left you once when you needed us. I'm not letting that happen again."

"But you never left me. There were times I wished you would. But you never did. You were all always there, making sure I ate. Making sure I was okay. You have all done so much for me, and what have I done in return? Nothing. That's why I have to do this. To repay you guys, by keeping you safe. Please, just let me do this."

Chan closed his eyes and dropped his head into his hands, and I thought I saw a glimpse of a tear running down his cheek. He was still on his knees on the floor. I knelt down in front of him and gentle wrapped my arms around his shaking shoulders.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay... I just want you to know... I really felt at home here with you all. You made me feel like I had something to live for. And I will be forever grateful for that and the impact you all had on my life. And I'll miss you guys so much. But I want you all to go on. Please don't mourn. Just keep living your lives. It's better that way."

He started crying harder, and I felt my own tears welling up at the sound of his broken sobs. If this mission didn't kill me, losing these eight men definitely would.

(Third person)

That night after Chan was sure Ava was asleep, he woke up the boys. He got them all gathered in the kitchen. They were all shifting around nervously, until Jeongin asked the question they all wanted to know the answer to.

"Were you crying, Channie Hyung?"

He smiled softly and nodded. They had all only seen him cry once before. It was upsetting to them.

"Ava is... She's doing the mission tomorrow."

The room echoed with sharp intakes of breath. Then it went silent again. They all waited for Chan to speak again.

"We found out that her boss made her sign a contract. It stated that he could kill her if she did anything he didn't agree to. We suspect that's what the mission is about. But he didn't sign the contract, so it is invalid. Now we just need more proof, then we can have him arrested for attempted murder."

"So, she's flying blind?" Han asked. Chan sniffled slightly and cleared his throat before speaking again.

"She told me to not do anything about it, to let her do this on her own. She told me that she was and would be forever grateful for the impact we made in her life." His tears were flowing over his cheeks again.

"So, we're just going to leave her? Just not do anything about this? We can't do that! She's going to get killed," Lee Know whisper-yelled, trying to keep his voice steady and not wake Ava upstairs. His cheeks were also now wet from tears, his eyes red.

"What do you suggest we do? She doesn't want our help. What if we help, and it kills her?" Hyunjin asked. His knuckles were white from how hard he was gripping the countertop. He was trying his best not to cry but seeing his Hyungs crying wasn't making it any easier.

"But what if we don't help, and we could have saved her, but we didn't?" Felix was in tears as well, his usual steady voice shaky and high-pitched.

"Channie Hyung, what do we do?" Jeongin asked, making the boys look over at Chan, who was still crying. He wiped his cheeks with his sleeve and cleared his throat.

"I don't know. The only thing I can think of is one of us staying near her at all times, but then she'll know we're trying to help her. She'll push us away."

"Maybe we can tell our commander?" Han said softly, hiccupping afterwards from a sob passing through his lips.

"He won't help. You know how he feels about helping agents from other firms."

"I know, Lee Know Hyung, but she isn't just some other agent. She's part of our team. Maybe not officially yet, b-but..."

"I'd rather we not get him involved." Chan said "He's been giving me the impression that he isn't completely on our side anymore. I don't trust him."

"What if we intercept the mission before it can happen. He's probably going to give her a gun, right? So, then we just take the gun before he can give it to her."

Everyone looked over at Seungmin, who looked determined. Chan thought about it for a while. It could work. They just needed a backup plan in case it didn't.

"Okay, we'll try that. But we need a plan B for in case it doesn't work. Maybe..."

"Did he give her an escape route? If he did, we can cut off her escape route. Then when she gets there and can't get away, we can just grab her and get her out of there."

"That could work, Changbin. He told her to escape through the bathroom window, so we can just lock the bathroom door and grab her there. Okay. I want you all to wear your comms, for in case something goes wrong. And it would be nice if you could all keep a service weapon with you. For safety. And remember guys, the main objective is not convincing Ava otherwise before she does it. Our job is just to keep her safe. Got it?"

The boys all nodded. Then they went back to bed, all still sniffling slightly. But, unbeknownst to them, someone was listening. And they were not happy.