[00SN7] To Bring Him Back

words: 4,994
rate: PG13
(Phase 7 of the Scarlet Night series.)


Phase Seven: To Bring Him Back


Same night; After midnight

It was just a matter of minutes before Sungmin and Taeyeon found themselves in the headmaster’s office. Considering it had been barely an hour after dinner, they found the headmaster still awake and, actually, still working in his office. He raised a curious gaze to their faces when they burst in after the briefest of knocks on the double doors. Before he could even ask what was going on, words of her tale spilt forth freely from Taeyeon’s lips.

That had been almost three hours ago.

When the office door opened, Headmaster Park looked over from his stance by a window. The large man, who entered, shook his head. Eeteuk sighed heavily. He had dispatched the school’s security guards to search the grounds, but all said the same thing as the guard, who entered at that moment,

“No sign of a stray out there, Headmaster,” the guard said, “And… beyond the usual footprints and whatnot of the courtyards, there was no other sign of someone walking over the grounds. The snow’s begun to melt and that makes the grounds unsavoury, so the students don’t stray far from the courtyards.” He rubbed the back of his neck wearily, but quickly added, “I’ll keep looking and I’m sure the other guards will too.”

“That’s what the others said. Thank you,” Eeteuk said.

The guard gave a brief nod and then left once more.

Eeteuk glanced at the student who slept in one of the chairs before his desk. Taeyeon had been the first to leave his office to search for Kyuhyun. He didn’t know where she went, but when she came back just ten minutes ago, she was breathing heavily, her face was flushed a bright red and she had collapsed almost immediately into the chair; he didn’t have to ask how her search went.

The doors opened again. Sungmin entered and shook his head sadly, “I checked all the classrooms – used and unused – but nothing. On the off-chance he was bullied, I even checked all the cupboards in the classrooms.” He strode across the room to the other chair before the desk. His eyes locked on Taeyeon’s sleeping face, “When did she get back?”

“Just a few minutes ago,” Eeteuk replied as he pushed away from the wall and came over to his desk, sitting in the leather chair. He had served as the focal point for the search. Everyone involved – which was limited since he didn’t want to cause any alarm – got directions from him and reported to him. “The worse thing is, is that we don’t know how long he’s been gone. Kim-sshi only went to his room after dinner; for all we know, he could’ve been gone the entire day.”

Sungmin slumped into the chair beside Taeyeon’s; “That’s what I’m worried about too. Who knows how far he could’ve gotten. And last time he tried to leave SJA, he ended up getting attacked…”

Eeteuk shook his head, “All of the guards have already reported back – there’s no sign of anyone leaving the campus. So, either he’s been gone longer than just today or, he’s somewhere in the school.”

The doors opened again, this time Hankyung and Heechul entered.

“We’ve searched all the dorm rooms,” Hankyung reported,

“Even the ones not housing students, but there’s no sign of Kyuhyun,” Heechul finished.

“You made sure none of the students suspected anything?” Eeteuk asked,

Both nodded, but Hankyung answered, “We made it seem like a routine check.” When Eeteuk looked at him confusedly he added, “We needed a reason to go through their room and also be able to walk into their bathrooms as well.”

“We told them some of the water pipes were freezing and we had to check all sources of water to make sure the problem was fixed,” Heechul explained as they neared his desk. He looked down at Taeyeon and sighed, “Poor girl. After last year, his second disappearance must be hell for her.”

“Second disappearance?” Hankyung questioned,

Heechul threw an apologetic look at Eeteuk who, thinking fast, swiftly said, “I’m still debating whether or not to contact his family… his immediate family.”

Sungmin snorted, “Like they’d care about Kyuhyun. They’re the ones who abandoned him; why should they care if he’s completely disappeared from school?”

Eeteuk leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, “I know they were… harsh – overtly so – to Kyuhyun last year, but he’s still their son and they’re still technically his guardians… abandonment or not.”

“Telling them he’s disappeared won’t help anyone,” Sungmin stated, “If you have to tell anyone, then telling Taeyeon’s parents is the best thing. He’s been staying with them since last year.”

Eeteuk sighed, “I understand where you’re coming from, I really do. But at the end of the day, Kyuhyun is still their son and… despite leaving him… I truly think his parents would like to know we don’t know where their son is. Before, at least they knew he was with family. But now…” He shook his head gently, “Someone has to tell Kyuhyun’s father that his heir is missing.”

Sungmin had his arguments, but said nothing.

The four men fell into a silence and it was the mathematics teacher to break it;

“Have you… erm… alerted Zhou Mi?”

Eeteuk looked at him, “Should I? He’s on leave for the week. He said he has personal business so I wouldn’t want to interrupt him with news such as this, especially since he’s off-campus anyway.”

Hankyung knew the other men were looking at him, silent, perplexed and, perhaps, intrigued. However, he pushed on, “I still think… that is… they’ve formed a type of bond – nothing too untoward,” he rushed to say, “More like… a brotherly bond; such as Sungmin-sshi’s friendship with Jo-sshi.”

Sungmin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes; if Zhou Mi’s feelings towards Kyuhyun mirrored his own feelings to his old friend, then the other teacher’s feelings were bordering on incest. He looked at the headmaster and saw that he had remained silent, unmoved.

“Well, that is… I think he’d really like to know that Jo-sshi was missing. You know… brotherly bond and all that,” Hankyung’s volume had slowly receded as he continued to talk, slowly loosing confidence in his words. Finally, he just crossed his arms and hardened his gaze on the headmaster, his friend, “Just call Zhou Mi, wherever he is, and tell him.”

“Will you pay for the long-distance bills?” Eeteuk asked, his lips twitching, “Zhou Mi returned to China this past Friday.”

“China!? What the hell is he –”

Hankyung was abruptly interrupted when the office doors opened once more and said teacher entered like the prodigal son. Hair tousled from the night’s wind, his flushed face and heavy breathing alluded to previous heavy running.

“Have you found him yet?” Zhou Mi asked as he quickly crossed the room, not caring that he was blatantly throwing his emotions in the others’ faces.

Hankyung threw an accusatory gaze at the headmaster who shrugged and smirked slightly, “I called him three hours ago.”

“If we found him, do you think we’d all be gathered here still?” Sungmin countered, getting to his feet,

“Sorry, I just rushed here, flying back from China,” Zhou Mi stated, eyes narrowed at the other man, “So, forgive me if I’m not in the best mind set!”

“You think you’re the only one panicking!? You think you’re the only one worrying about Kyuhyun!?” Sungmin demanded, hands fisted at his sides, “We’ve all been searching non-stop for three hours, so don’t you dare act like you’re the only one doing something to find him!”

“Stop yelling – both of you!”

The two men immediately stopped, turning their attention to the only female in the room. Taeyeon had straightened in her seat and sat there glaring at the two men. Slowly, she stood up, rising to her full height. Crossing her arms, she deliberately walked between the arguing teachers and towards one of the windows behind Eeteuk’s desk. She turned back to face the others there,

“Kyuhyun is missing. We don’t know for how long and we don’t know why.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously, forgetting that all present were her teachers and the school’s nurse; “Bickering is not going to help,” her glare hit Sungmin; “We have all been working our brains out on this,” she turned her stare to Zhou Mi. Finally, she looked out the window, “I just wish… I just wish we had some clue – anything – that could answer one of these questions.”

Her eyes swept the sky, locking on the bright moon as wisps of cloud passed over it. Distantly, she could hear the five men begin to discuss the next course of action. She heard the headmaster mention Kyuhyun’s parents and, immediately, she stated,

“I’ve already called them,” she didn’t look over, and wasn’t even sure they heard her, but she continued anyway, “Before I went to look around the school, I called them and my parents… No one’s heard from him.”

Their silence pulled her attention towards them. Zhou Mi had fallen into the chair she had evacuated; Heechul had paced over towards the bookcases and sat on one of the rungs of the ladder the headmaster used to reach the higher shelves; Hankyung was leaning against one end of the desk, his back to her; the headmaster was silent, still in his chair and Sungmin had his elbows propped on his knees, his head lowered and his fingers laced on the back of his neck.

“Where have you searched?” Zhou Mi asked finally,

“All the wings, all the classrooms and other rooms,” Sungmin replied,

“Stairwells, and dorm rooms,” Hankyung added,

“The recreational hall, library, the kitchens and dining hall,” Taeyeon continued,

“And the security guards have searched all the grounds outside, including the perimeter… they said they’ll continue searching,” Eeteuk stated, “And –”

“Wait,” Taeyeon walked towards them, “Where have we all searched so far?”

“Were you not paying attention?” Heechul demanded, jumping to his feet and crossing his arms, “Every inch possible inside the school and every inch of outside on the grounds have been searched. It’s impossible that Jo Kyuhyun is still on campus.”

“Every inch inside the school and every inch outside on the grounds,” Taeyeon repeated as she neared the headmaster’s desk,

“Maybe I should examine your hearing,” Heechul muttered as he approached the desk from the other end,

She shook her head as she chewed on her lip, “Every inch inside the school and every inch outside on the… on the grounds,” she looked at the others, her gaze moving sporadically amongst them, “Did anyone check the roof?”

“The roof? Students don’t have access to the roof,” Eeteuk stated,

She shook her head again, “When I was in first year, Kyuhyun had figured out a way to pick the lock. He used to go out to the roof every once in awhile to escape. However, he never figured out how to pick the lock from the outside, so he used to prop the door open with his sweater, a shoe – anything big enough to keep the door ajar.”

She watched as the five men exchanged glances. Before anyone could say anything, before her words could even sink in, Taeyeon burst into a fierce dash. The men followed almost immediately.

…

When they reached the only door leading to the school’s roof, it was closed.

“Maybe he got locked outside or something?” Taeyeon said as she went and pulled the handle, “It’s still locked.” She looked at Eeteuk, “Headmaster?”

“I didn’t bring the key, I’ll go back and –”

The four other men simultaneously charged at the large, metal door, each having a shoulder hit the heavy panel. The door slammed open, swinging wildly. They all spilt forth onto the roof, standing before the door, looking around. Taeyeon looked up at the sky, using the moon she saw from the headmaster’s office to gain her bearings. As the others began to talk amongst themselves, she began to walk away, walk around the small encasement on the roof where the door was located. It was in the center of the roof and was only as big as the stairwell which led into it. When she turned the corner, knowing she had moved east-ward, she looked at the east-side of the encasement and cried out,

“KYUHYUN!”

Clad in just his uniform, Kyuhyun lay on his side on the roof. She fell to her knees beside him and shook his shoulder, repeating his name. She heard the arrival of the others and looked up at them,

“He won’t wake up.”

Without any instruction, Zhou Mi instinctively stepped forward and easily picked up Kyuhyun, holding him in his arms with one arm beneath his knees and the other wrapped around his torso. Heechul swiftly told him to bring the student down to the nurse’s office.

Zhou Mi fell in behind the group and his gaze fell to the younger man’s face. He pulled Kyuhyun closer to him, feeling how cold Kyuhyun’s body was even through their layers of clothing. He said nothing as Taeyeon and Sungmin dropped back to flank him like sentries watching over their fallen friend. He didn’t know why, but their close presence caused him to tighten his hold on Kyuhyun, almost like a silent challenge for either of them to try to take Kyuhyun from him. However, when he saw their twin looks of deep concern for Kyuhyun, he silently scolded himself and pushed away his protectiveness. Slightly.

As they got to the east wing’s second floor, Zhou Mi felt slight movement in his arms and immediately he looked down. His sudden movement caught the periphery attention of both Taeyeon and Sungmin. Kyuhyun’s head lolled against his shoulder until it stopped, his cheek pressed against the lapel of his pea coat. Zhou Mi heard and felt Kyuhyun inhale deeply, his exhalation sounding like a satisfied little sigh. Mesmerized by the younger man’s stirrings, and watched, relieved as Kyuhyun’s eyes fluttered open. The younger man looked up at him without raising his head. A brief light of recognition entered Kyuhyun’s dull eyes,

“Seonsaeng-nim.”

Kyuhyun’s eyelids slid close once more and Zhou Mi barely bit back his words, “Call me Zhou Mi…”

…

Zhou Mi had been instructed where to lay Kyuhyun down in the nurse’s office. Rather than in one of the beds open in the main room, Heechul directed Zhou Mi to a private room just beyond where his desk was. The room was stylized like a private room of a hospital, complete with a personal bathroom. Zhou Mi was confused as to why he was directed there, when he realized that there were no windows in the room.

“It was built for isolation purposes, but it’s not like I’ve ever had to use it. And it’s not like that doctor who comes around is ever here when we would need it,” Heechul scoffed as he flicked on the lights.

Zhou Mi laid Kyuhyun down on the bed and, reacting to the sudden loss of heat, he curled his body, trying to get as small as possible.

“We need to change his clothes,” he looked at Taeyeon, “Can you get him pyjamas and the sort?”

She nodded and immediately left.

Heechul looked at Hankyung and Sungmin who stood outside the door with the headmaster, “Grab all the blankets from the beds. There’s a cabinet near the bathroom that holds even more blankets, grab some from there.” Finally, he looked at Eeteuk, “You need to make phone calls to his aunt and uncle… and apparently his parents, too.”

Eeteuk threw him a scowl, “I know how to do my job, Heechul.”

“Good,” He turned back into the room, raising an eyebrow at Zhou Mi as he began to pull his long hair back into a ponytail, “You need to leave so I can examine Kyuhyun.”

Zhou Mi hesitated, but Heechul crossed his arms and stood, unmoving until he left. He looked back once as Heechul closed the door after him.

…

When Taeyeon returned with pyjamas in her arms, she burst into the single room without waiting to knock. Heechul straightened, pulling the stethoscope’s buds from his ears as he turned to her.

“Good, I’ll change his clothes –”

Taeyeon walked past him, dropping the clothes on the bedside table as she turned to Kyuhyun who was now lying on his back, “Like hell you will. He’s my responsibility, I’ll change his clothes.”

Heechul blinked, startled, and looked over his shoulder at the other four men who crowded around the door. He narrowed his eyes at them in a silent plea for help. Sungmin stepped forward first, Zhou Mi immediately biting his tongue when he did so.

“Taeyeon,” he began, forgetting the informality he was showing to the others. She turned to look at him, Kyuhyun’s pyjama top in hand and her tear-filled eyes narrowed angrily; “Let me help.”

Heechul threw his arms into the air exasperatedly as he walked to the door, “Fine, but be quick about it!”

When the door closed after him, Sungmin walked over and began to carefully undress Kyuhyun. Taeyeon stood at his side, unbuttoning the pyjama top. He had Kyuhyun stripped down to his boxers when he realized Taeyeon hadn’t begun to dress him yet. He paused and looked at her and his heart stopped.

Taeyeon was looking down at the pyjama top in her hand, her fingers trying to work the buttons through their holes but was having a hard time with it. After all, it was hard to unbutton buttons when one’s hands were shaking violently. Immediately, he closed the distance between them and covered her hands with his.

She jerked her hands and the shirt away. “I can do it!” She exclaimed angrily, looking at him and not caring that tears had been falling down her face the entire time.

Sungmin tried again to cover her hands with his own and held on firmly, disallowing her to pull away. He locked gazes with her, “Taeyeon – Kyuhyun is undressed and we need to cover him up. Let me do this.” His words seemed to penetrate because although she didn’t move, her grip loosened and he was able to ease away the shirt.

Sungmin made quick work of Kyuhyun’s pyjamas, trying to be as gentle as possible with putting them on him. When he was done, he turned to look at Taeyeon, but she was no longer standing. During his ministrations, Taeyeon had backed up against the wall, allowed herself to slide down into a sitting position with her arms wrapped around her legs and her face tucked in.

Pulling the blanket to cover Kyuhyun, he strode over to her and knelt down beside her, one shoulder leaning against the wall.

“Taeyeon, c’mon, he’s alright now,” Sungmin said quietly, hoping she believed his words more than he did. He reached out and touched her arm, “We have him now and Heechul will make sure he’s all better.” When she made no response, he inched closer and then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him as close as possible.

The door opened and Heechul came in. Sungmin heard the sudden stop of footsteps and he looked over his shoulder at the older man,

“Don’t mind us,”

“Don’t let Eeteuk see you,” Heechul returned as he kicked the door close behind him and walked over to Kyuhyun. He pulled back the blanket and began unbuttoning the pyjama top again. Once he had Kyuhyun’s torso exposed, he sighed heavily, “I only saw the front of his torso earlier… I’m assuming you saw Kyuhyun’s entire bare body?”

“Yes,” Sungmin replied, one arm wrapped around Taeyeon’s back to hold her against him, the hand of his other arm over hers which were locked together around her legs. Unconsciously, he clasped his hand over hers.

“From what you saw, what do you think?” Heechul asked as he began to unwind his stethoscope from around his neck, “I need to observe the rest of his body, but from what I saw I have some guesses.”

“From what I saw… and from what we know when we found him,” Sungmin said slowly, pulling his thoughts and observations together, “I don’t think Kyuhyun was trying to leave SJA. I think he was taken to the roof and locked out.”

Heechul sighed heavily, moving the stethoscope’s buds to his ears, “That’s what I think, too.”

…

Later that day

When Kyuhyun awoke, he didn’t know what time it was. All he knew was that he was infinitely cold and the soft glow of a bed-side lamp lit the windowless room in which he lay. Not wanting to move – too tired to move – he looked around the room as much as he could without raising his head from the pillow. He saw a small form curled up in a chair in the corner of the room,

“Taeyeon?” His voice hoarse, he tried to sit up suddenly, but then a warm hand pressed down on his shoulder, gently encouraging him to lay back down. He looked up, “Seonsaeng-nim?”

Zhou Mi stood over him, another blanket rolled up under his other arm, “You need to rest.” He glanced over at Taeyeon, “And so does your cousin.”

“Where am I?”

“A private room in the nurse’s office.”

Kyuhyun laid back down, watching, intrigued, as Zhou Mi walked over to Taeyeon, flicked open the blanket and gently laid it over her. When he turned back, he caught Kyuhyun’s stare and smiled at him. He came back over,

“How are you feeling? Are you cold?” He asked,

Kyuhyun nodded. Zhou Mi went to the end of Kyuhyun’s bed where a stack of folded blankets had been placed. He grabbed one, allowed it to fall open and he laid it atop of Kyuhyun. Without invitation, Zhou Mi sat on the edge of the bed and reached out, touching the back of his hand to Kyuhyun’s forehead. Immediately, Kyuhyun pulled his head away.

“Your temperature seems to be stable…” He said slowly as he retracted his hand, “Did that hurt?”

Kyuhyun shook his head, “I… I don’t like being touched.”

“Telepathy,” Zhou Mi said suddenly, “Sorry, I forgot. But, I’ve touched you before.” He swallowed hard, “You’ve read my mind every time?”

Again, he shook his head, “I try to fight against the thoughts, which usually lands me with a headache. Besides, you’re the first person I know who’s constantly guarding their thoughts. I never read anything in the past. But now…”

“But now, I’m not guarding anything,” Zhou Mi concluded for him, “What did you see?”

“A gravesite; three gravestones. Then… I think it’s the headmaster’s office and… the nurse is there, the math teacher... and Sungmin and Taeyeon are there too,” Kyuhyun said as he tried to repeat the thoughts in his mind. His eyelids slid close, “That’s all I saw, I promise.” Silence fell between them as Kyuhyun waited for his body to acknowledge the added heat of another blanket. Finally, he asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s just after lunchtime,” Zhou Mi replied, “It’s Tuesday.”

“Why is Taeyeon here then? Why are you here?”

“Taeyeon is here because you are. I am here because my classes are still cancelled until Friday,” Zhou Mi answered.

“Why are they cancelled?” Kyuhyun asked quietly,

“I thought Headmaster Park told the school; I was supposed to be gone for a week,” Zhou Mi said,

Kyuhyun weakly shrugged beneath the layers of thick blankets, “I was up on the roof since… last night.”

“So you were only there for a few hours? Heechul said you’re dehydrated,” Zhou Mi said,

Kyuhyun shook his head, forcing his eyes to open and he locked eyes with the older man, “Since Sunday night.”

Zhou Mi felt his heart seize and clenched his hands to stop his entire body from shaking with anger; “You were up on the roof for over a day!?”

Kyuhyun nodded, finding it hard to keep his eyes open, “I remember the sun… It was hot.”

His eyes slid close once more and as the silence fell once more, Zhou Mi slowly rose from the bed, thinking the student had fallen asleep once more. Reluctantly, silently, he made his way to the door. His hand was on the door knob and he gently eased the door open. He was halfway out the door when he heard a quiet,

“Seonsaeng-nim.”

He looked back into the room, “Yes, Kyuhyun?”

“Take Taeyeon,” he said quietly, eyes still shut, “She won’t… she’ll get mad if you make her leave, but at least take her to one of the other beds here.”

He nodded in silent reply, slipping back into the room. Swiftly, easily, he picked up Taeyeon in his arms and, with one last glance at Kyuhyun, left.

He strode over to the closest bed and gently laid Taeyeon on it. She turned on her side, snuggled against the mattress in a way that made him think her body was relishing in no longer being compressed into a small chair. He closed the curtains around her area to give her privacy as she slept, and walked over to the chair before the nurse’s desk where, said nurse was sitting.

Heechul sat, typing away at his computer with a single paper folder open beside him on the desk. He glanced briefly at Zhou Mi before turning his attention back to the screen,

“Kyuhyun woke up?”

“Just for a moment,” Zhou Mi replied, “How did you know?”

“Sungmin wouldn’t move Taeyeon earlier this morning because he knew she’d get mad at him if she found out. You’ve been here since we found Kyuhyun and only now have you thought to move her to one of the four beds we have. I’m guessing, that you have a slow-sense of chivalry, or Kyuhyun told you to move her and you considered that permission enough,” He paused a moment and sat back in his chair, turning to fully face the literature teacher.

“All you told us last night was that he was dehydrated and has hypothermia, what else is going on with him?” Zhou Mi questioned,

“Without his consent, I can’t say more,” Heechul said as he picked up his mug of coffee and sipped slowly, deeply; “I shouldn’t have even said that much.”

“I have permission to know what happens to students – health-wise – so, I should know what you observed this morning,” Zhou Mi stated, crossing his arms,

Heechul sighed. He still didn’t trust Zhou Mi, didn’t know what he was about, but after what happened that morning, the way he immediately picked up Kyuhyun, the way he held him so close and the expression on his face whenever he looked down at the younger man…

“Multiple bruises all over his body. Before, he was just targeted in his torso. This time, I found bruising along all four limbs as well. Without actual diagnostic machines, I can’t figure out a lot, but from what I assessed, a few broken ribs, one of his hands definitely have broken bones…” He lowered his mug to the desk and locked eyes with Zhou Mi, “We need to bring him to a hospital.”

“If we do that, they’ll find out what he is,” Zhou Mi said swiftly, “That has to be the last resort.”

“What do you expect me to do? I don’t have any diagnostic equipment here, he needs fluids but I don’t know how he’ll react to those fluids. His temperature’s normal, but I give it a few hours before it rises to a fever,” Heechul stated, “I’ve done all I can with what I know, but he needs more. Damn it, even if the doctor was here today I can’t even let him know about Kyuhyun.”

“The doctor doesn’t know?”

“Of course not. When Kyuhyun was attacked last year, we wanted the least amount of people knowing,” Heechul explained, “He wasn’t that bad. He had lost a lot of blood that night and minor injuries… I had managed to get some blood for him in Seoul from a bank, but not enough… not nearly enough. It kept him stable though.” He looked up, “He needs to go to the hospital; or see a doctor at the very least.”

“What if I can get someone here who is just as good as any doctor and will keep Kyuhyun’s secret?” Zhou Mi asked tentatively, hesitantly, the expression on his face softening with concern,

“We’d still need to find out exactly the state of his injuries,” Heechul stated,

“This person will be able to tell you after assessing Kyuhyun,” Zhou Mi insisted, “They don’t have formal education as a doctor, but they have treated patients in out in the field and gained experience that way. I know it’s risky, but they’re just as good as any other doctor and I’ve heard all they’d need to do was take board exams to get the formal title. Also, there’s no risk of Kyuhyun’s secret being exposed and he’ll get treatment.”

Heechul blinked, intrigued, and then, suspicious, “Where do you know such a person?”

“I don’t know them… personally,” Zhou Mi replied, “Actually, I only met them once and it was in passing.”

Heechul straightened immediately, eyes narrowing, “Where do you know such a person?” He repeated firmly,

Zhou Mi sighed heavily, his gaze unwavering, “They work as a field agent for the Council.”

“No,” Heechul stood up, “No. No. NO!” He glanced down at the computer screen, raising a hand to his neck and rubbing wearily. His eyes swept over the charts he had been typing up for printing. He reread his report of his assessments of Kyuhyun. Slowly, he lowered his arm only to cross it with his other. He looked at Zhou Mi, “Fine… but let me talk to Eeteuk about it first.”

“One more thing,” Zhou Mi said, his voice quiet and tentative; “They’re not just a field agent. They’re also a Head Hunter.”



(Phase 8: Where Loyalties Lie)