Throwing stones while living in glass houses for everyone [1/3]
For: EVERYONE
Title: Throwing stones while living in glass houses
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Kai, Fem!Chanyeol/Kai, implied!Sehun/Tao
Rating: PG-15
Warning(s): character death, alcohol use, language, violence
Length: 23.2k
Summary: Park Chanyeol and Park Chaejin work under an organisation which forbids its members from falling in love.
Author’s Note: To my lovely recipient, this is another take on the same prompt that you have given to me, only this fic has some violence in it. Special thanks to M for beta-ing this fic, always supporting me, for helping me keep my sanity through this 20K mess as well as for being patient with me. I wouldn't have been able to get this far without you. Lastly, thank you to the mod for hosting this exchange and giving me a chance to participate in it <3
The ping! of a toaster. The chirping of the birds. Hurried footsteps on creaking floors. Silence - and then - gunshots. It’s another beautiful morning, Park Chanyeol thinks to himself as he occupies himself with spreading butter on his piece of toast. He dismisses the gunshots as his twin sister’s excitement, and decides to worry more about how rapidly cold his toast is getting. Kim Jongin appears at his doorway a few seconds later with tousled hair and puffy eyes, the sign that his alarm clock failed to wake him up at the right time once again. If he wasn’t Chanyeol’s best friend, perhaps Jongin would have been humiliated to be seen in his shorts.
“Good morning to you, too,” Jongin rubs the sleep off his face as he notices Chanyeol staring at his bare chest. “How’s Chae going?” He gestures at the large monitor screen on Chanyeol’s desk, right next to his plate of toast.
“She’s doing fine,” Chanyeol hums as Jongin turns his attention to the screen. Thank goodness for the latest improvement on technology. Jongin is actually able to see where Park Chaejin is, and what she’s doing. Over the years, the reception has gotten much better and it’s more than helpful to their cause.
“Morning, Chae,” Jongin calls out, more than aware that Chanyeol’s twin sister can hear him. “Try not to overdo it, alright? We just need him for questioning. That means alive.” The video feed shifts to show a man groaning on the floor, clutching at his wounded arm. That’s all Jongin needs to see before he leaves the Park headquarters, knowing full well that Chaejin will have accomplished her part in the mission once she comes back.
Chanyeol hums noncommittally as he monitors his sister’s progress, making sure to check on her blind spots using the CCTV cameras and listening in on the audio feed. As if he was able to read Chanyeol’s mind, Jongin reappears a few minutes later and he hands Chanyeol another piece of hot toast. Chanyeol loses his focus for a moment to look at Jongin gratefully, before the younger leaves the room with a sly smile on his face, leaving Chanyeol feeling warm despite the breadcrumbs on the side of his lips.
--
Saint is the name short for sabotage, assault, intelligence and theft, which is self-explanatory on what the organisation’s objectives are. Chanyeol secretly feels uncomfortable about the misnomer, but he would only say that to his sister; never to their uncle. At the age of seven, Park Chanyeol and Park Chaejin were taken under their uncle’s care after their parents lost their lives in a plane crash. Since then, the twins had always known that life would be different for them, but the discovery of their uncle’s organisation at the age of ten was the biggest twist in their lives. Seeing as they didn’t have much of a choice, their uncle began to train them in preparation for their initiation to the organisation. The twins showed exceptional skills: both physically and mentally, and by the time they were sixteen, they joined the group.
Chanyeol’s phone buzzes in his pocket and stops, just as the elevator positioned across his room dings. The sound of heels clicking against the marble floor is a telltale sign that Chanyeol’s sister is home. He waits for a few seconds, estimating her whereabouts, until he throws the door open with a too-wide smile on his face as he says, “welcome home!”
Chaejin blinks at him for a few seconds, her expression showing boredom and exhaustion. She kicks off her heels and looks through Chanyeol’s wardrobe for any spare socks. The older eyes his sister warily, but he knows that her cold response isn’t foreign. The missions that Chaejin hates the most are those in which she has to lure men. She admits that she’s good-looking with her wide brown eyes that turn hazel in the sun, long black hair that hides her pointy ears, and all of Saint knows that she’s more than her looks but they prove to be useful from time to time. She hates acting stupid and listening to men go on about their proud achievements, but she supposes it’s all worth it in the end when she gets to tie them up or shoot them.
Chanyeol wordlessly hands over her favourite pair of sneakers, which she takes with a grateful nod. She warms up to her brother after a few moments. “Let’s go to the rooftop, Yeol.”
The Saint headquarters have five floors, as if to say that it’s important but not too important. The first floor consists of an ordinary looking reception, food storage and a large kitchen. Files, weapons and other confidential things are kept in the basement, the second and third floors are full of rooms that monitor activities locally, a few bathrooms here and there, and some rooms for its members. The fourth and fifth floors cater for its members. There are more kitchens, bigger bathrooms for showers, a lounge for recreation, and their own personal rooms. Chanyeol, Chaejin, and their two friends, Sehun and Jongin room on the fifth floor. In their years of dorming on the top floor, they often looked for a way to get fresh air and a private space for themselves. Inside the headquarters, it always felt like the walls were listening to their every word. Hence, Jongin came up with the idea that they should take it outside.
Technically, the rooftop is still a part of the headquarters but no one ever heads there, so it doesn’t feel as suffocating as the inside. It’s such a Jongin idea that none of them could refuse the idea of making the rooftop as their makeshift hangout.
They are adults, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t enjoy the thrill that comes from having a secret place with the people they are closest to. Once Chaejin opens the door to the rooftop, she leaps out and lets out a cry that makes it sound like it could be the fourth of July. Chanyeol follows afterwards, disappointed to see that Sehun is nowhere to be found. He turns to Jongin, posing the question wordlessly, until the younger shrugs and says, “mommy issues.”
Desperate to change the mood, Jongin turns to Chaejin and asks, “how was it? You didn’t get too carried away with the thrill of it all, did you?”
“Me?” Chaejin asks in a surprised voice. “Carried away? Never.” Chanyeol snorts at that and the glares she’s throwing his way feels like she could be throwing daggers. Jongin laughs at their exchange as he tilts his head back to stare up at the sky decorated by the colours of blue, orange and pink. Chanyeol allows himself to turn his attention towards his best friend instead, ignoring the dryness of his throat and listening to the comfortable silence that has enveloped the three of them. It soon becomes slightly uncomfortable when he realises he can’t tear his eyes off Jongin, and the beating of his heart is too loud in his ears. He turns to look at Chaejin, who is looking at him with equally wide eyes, but neither of them say anything.
--
As a group tradition, they head out to dinner after the completion of the Parks’ mission. Thankfully, Sehun is able to join them, but their fellow colleagues, Kim Minseok and Huang Zitao appear to be set on doing the same. The pair greet them at the elevator, and it’s too late to take the stairs.
“Hey, how have you all been?” Zitao greets. He’s one of their recruits from China and his accent is one of his charms. He was once close friends with Sehun, but they fell apart a couple of years ago. Even to this day neither Chaejin or Chanyeol can figure out why.
“Good,” Chanyeol says, breaking the silence, “but I can’t really say much when all I do is sit behind a screen,” he admits. Minseok, the technician, groans in agreement.
“That’s not true,” Jongin amends, “you’re the one who plans your activities and mission and how to carry them out. You also sit behind a screen to keep your sister safe. And eat toast. In your pyjamas. Which is a lot better, in my opinion.”
Chaejin nods, having full knowledge of the pain of being in the outside world during ungodly hours. She looks to the side to see Minseok passing a folder to Sehun, and the elder leans to whisper something into his ear. Chaejin tries her best to not be curious, but she becomes more intrigued by Zitao’s narrowed eyes. She leans against the wall, deciding to stare at the reflection on the mirror instead. She tilts her head to the left, an action that some would call cute, but her eyes are darting in an attempt to read the name of the folder in Sehun’s possession. It’s all in Chinese, much to her disappointment.
“What about you?” Chanyeol asks conversationally. “What have you two been up to?”
Minseok hums cheerfully. If Chaejin didn’t know him any better, she would say that it’s cute, but she knows more than anyone else how looks can be deceiving. “I haven’t really done a job lately with Tao. He’s more of a freelancer these days. I’m just working more on… personal matters.”
It’s almost fucking hilarious, if Chaejin may say so herself. In an organisation like Saint, nothing is personal anymore if half of your humanity has been stripped away. There are no secrets between Saint members, and the only personal things would be the matters that could have landed them in an organisation like Saint in the first place.
As if on cue, the elevator doors open to reveal the first floor. Chaejin groans inwardly, hoping to dig more information from Minseok, but at the same time knowing it isn’t her place to do so. She’s the first one to get out of the elevator, walking ahead without looking back, knowing that the other three will follow shortly. Even with her back turned against them, she can hear them chattering as they say their goodbyes. She’s not really one for small talk, especially if the people involved are potential murderers.
They head out to get Chinese food, mostly because of Sehun’s sudden craving for it. They find a table with four seats, and Jongin takes the seat next to Chaejin. Her eyes flicker up to look at him, but he’s either intent on reading the menu or is good at ignoring her blatantly. To others, they must look like a group of friends who study at college together, but the idea of college has been long gone in Chaejin’s mind once she learnt of Saint.
Chanyeol looks at Chaejin’s narrows eyes and does his best to lighten the mood, even in the slightest bit. “That man today was pretty easy to catch, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Chaejin agrees. “The man was running away from stealing $50,000 from a company, I can’t believe he thought he would get away with it.”
“Was the shooting really necessary?” Chanyeol asks with a helpless smile on his face, and Sehun laughs. Chanyeol never liked the violent side of Saint.
Chaejin leans across the table, her eyes glinting in a way which always means trouble for Chanyeol. “Are you going to lecture me again?” She pauses, smiles at the discomfort on Chanyeol’s face before leaning back. “Talk to me about morals when you don’t enthusiastically work for an organisation like this. Don’t forget that it was you who invented the deadliest shoes to mankind. I’m pretty sure the purpose of that was to harm someone.”
Chanyeol hums, acknowledging Chaejin’s points as he leans back on his seat. “I do come up with some pretty good inventions. Didn’t you like that one? I thought it was pretty nice. It’s a literal interpretation of ‘Run the World’ and all you need to do is walk across the corpses of men-”
Chanyeol is unable to finish the rest of his story when he notices the waiter that has come to take their orders.
“Cute,” Jongin snickers at the embarrassed look on Chanyeol’s face.
Sehun laughs and Chaejin feigns a surprised look on her face to show that they were simply joking. The waiter looks doubtful, but he does his job anyway. Just as Chaejin is deciding between getting root beer or Coke, she feels a tug on her chest. She immediately turns to her left to see Jongin talking to the waiter, and realises that Jongin is too occupied. What she felt was not a physical tug, but an emotional one. Her eyes dart across the table, where her brother is sitting across from Jongin. His eyes are skimming the menu, but his left eye is twitching in a manner that makes Chaejin sit up.
“What do you want, hyung?” Jongin nudges Chanyeol with his foot underneath the table. Chanyeol blinks for a few seconds before turning his attention to the waiter. This time is unmistakable - Chaejin’s heart does a skip, and this is so wrong -
“I… uh… dumplings. Yeah. Dumplings. And… and… the black bean noodles,” Chanyeol stammers out and Sehun turns to look at the elder with a questioning gaze.
Chaejin turns to the waiter to deliver her order, all the while taking note of Chanyeol and Jongin’s mini footsie battle underneath the table, accompanied by their childish giggles and Sehun’s unimpressed groans. Once the waiter is gone, Chaejin turns to look at Chanyeol with a suspicious and confrontational look, but all he gives her is a blank stare in return as Jongin whines about his damn foot. The excitement in Chaejin’s chest bubbles down, leaving her confused with a sense of whiplash.
--
Park Chanyeol and Park Chaejin only like a handful of people. Or less, if they’re being honest. Although Chaejin doesn’t like to mingle with their workmates, Chanyeol is always open to human interactions given that he lives by the end of it. It’s quite a difficult feat to open one’s heart after being orphaned and entering an organisation that’s more ruthless than welcoming. If one were to ask Chanyeol on his feelings about becoming a Saint member, he would act nonchalant about it and answer that the best thing about joining the organisation would be meeting their new best friends: Kim Jongin and Oh Sehun.
Jongin and Sehun are two years younger than the twins, and work as a duo much like Chanyeol and Chaejin. Sworn to protect each other for the rest of their lives, Sehun and Jongin have been a part of the organisation from a young age, only officially working for them once they turned sixteen. Sehun’s mother is a member of Saint who went on a hiatus once she married Sehun’s father, who had died in an ‘accident.’ Needless to say, the Ohs rejoined Saint and have been out for revenge ever since.
Jongin, on the other hand, is a different story. Orphaned at the age of ten, he was recruited into the organisation once they learnt of his amazing physical abilities. Even to this day, Chanyeol doesn’t agree with the fact that they exploited his best friend by providing him with food, shelter and comfort, even if it was out of good intent. They don’t pressure Jongin to do anything, unlike Chanyeol, Chaejin and Sehun. Jongin is treated like the golden boy for staying with Saint all these years, even when he found out that his skills in martial arts were being used for such causes.
(Chanyeol likes to think that Jongin is still here because of him.)
But such thoughts are discouraged. Saint is a fairly strict organisation with all of its causes, with rules of secrecy, trust and loyalty. One other main rule, however, is that feelings of love is forbidden in the organisation - and with good reason. The aim of this rule is to keep members’ personal and professional lives separate, since falling in love can cloud one’s judgment and may prevent them from doing the work that they are being paid to do. Even if their jobs can be cruel at times, Saint does not want to hurt any innocent bystanders.
It’s okay, Chanyeol thinks, because Jongin doesn’t show any interest in him that way, which helps Chanyeol to maintain the ever-growing feelings for his junior. He’s doing his best to make sure that he’s not obvious with his feelings, but he’s sure that Chaejin has noticed what happened just now, but seeing how Sehun and Zitao interacted earlier only acts as a reminder that love does not - should not - run in Saint.
“Hyung,” Sehun says, snapping Chanyeol out of his reverie, “can you please pass me a napkin?”
Chanyeol blinks back into the moment, realising that their food has arrived. He takes a deep breath and clears his thoughts as he grants Sehun’s request, along with passing the food to his best friend and younger sister. He doesn’t dare to make eye contact with their waiter despite the disappointment and expectancy that the man is radiating. He knows that Chaejin is watching him intently like a mother hawk, and the last thing he needs right now are feelings.
“Sehun,” Jongin begins with a mouth full of dumplings. There’s soy sauce dripping down his chin and Chanyeol wonders how he could ever find this boy endearing. As if on cue, there’s a warm feeling in Chanyeol’s chest, and he turns to look at Chaejin, looking at Jongin like an afterthought. The meek smile on her face says otherwise. “So what did Minseok give you, looking secretive and important?”
Sehun shrugs as he sets his chopsticks down to reply. “Some information about the bastard who killed my dad.”
Chaejin perks up at that. “Have you learnt anything about it?”
“Not yet, but I think Minseok found something. Last year he was able to find that it was a man who worked in Asia, but I think we’re closer now - otherwise Minseok wouldn’t have notified me.”
“What are you going to do when you find out?” Chanyeol asks, when the answer has always been obvious. It’s not like he doesn’t understand Sehun’s desire for revenge, he does, but he doesn’t want their youngest to lose what remains of his innocence.
The curves of Sehun’s lips lift upwards. His hyung is really cute sometimes. “Kill him,” he says, like it’s one of his daily chores, “I’ve been practicing and learning different ways. Recently, I learnt how to kill a man with spaghetti. Quite amusing, really.”
“Ugh,” Jongin puts down his fork just before he’s about to tackle the beef dish that he ordered. “Can we not talk about murder during dinner? It’s ruining my appetite.”
Sehun opens his mouth to speak, but Chaejin beats him to it. “Please don’t say that the man walking free after your father’s death is ruining your life. We’re trying to celebrate tonight, and in another time, we’ll celebrate you accomplishing your goal, alright?” Sehun grumbles his affirmation, choosing to stuff his mouth with his noodles. Chaejin misses the grateful look Jongin throws her way, but Chanyeol certainly doesn’t.
--
You know what they say - no rest for the wicked. Or something like that, Chanyeol thinks as he gets up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 A.M. to brush his teeth in time for a meeting. He knocks at Chaejin’s door at 5:40 A.M., only to find that his younger sister is still asleep. Chanyeol ends up carrying her on his back, but he doesn’t leave her room without taking a comb and some mints.
“Hey, wake up, we have a meeting in five minutes.”
“Nnn… What…”
“Brush your hair at least,” Chanyeol brings up his left hand to hand her the comb. She takes it and combs her hair with closed eyes. Chanyeol would laugh at the image if they wouldn’t be in serious trouble because of their tardiness. She clutches the comb in one hand and rests her head on the nape of her brother’s neck.
“Where are we going?”
“We have a meeting in three minutes,” Chanyeol repeats. Combing her hair must have woken her up because she flinches upon hearing his words.
“Shit. What? Oh my god. I forgot.” She gets off his back and rubs the sleepiness off her face. Chanyeol offers her the mints and Chaejin accepts them with a grateful heart. She hopes she looks presentable, at least.
They make it to the meeting room with a minute to spare. Their uncle is sitting at the head of the table, next to an important looking man. In her dazed state, Chaejin thinks that the man looks like Lu Han, the CEO of Apollo Pharmaceuticals. She senses her older brother’s hesitation as he tries to work out the identity of the man. When the man in question smiles with his eyes disappearing into crescents, it all falls into place that it is Lu Han, and the twins bow at a deep ninety degree angle. The look their uncle gives them makes them sit up straight.
“Lu Han, this is my nephew, Park Chanyeol, and his twin sister, Chaejin.”
Chaejin hates it when she’s treated as the side branch between the two of them, but she doesn’t say a word of protest this time. She maintains her composure, all the while taking notice of her brother’s posture. His eyes look at Lu Han with a blank stare, and Chaejin knows this method just as well as her brother does. It’s exceptionally useful when the atmosphere is tense.
“Ah, the Park twins,” Lu Han says with a twinkle in his eyes. Both Chanyeol and Chaejin look at Lu Han in wonder, trying to pin an age on his face that looks ageless. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m honored that such young talent will be assigned to a job like this.”
Chanyeol and Chaejin look at each other from the corner of their eyes before turning to Lu Han with grateful smiles on their faces. Lu Han returns the sentiment, takes a glance at his watch, and looks at one of the men standing near the door. His bodyguard, probably.
“I am short on time,” Lu Han says with an apologetic look. Their uncle nods in understanding, and Lu Han turns to the twins with a hopeful smile. “I’m looking forward to your services. Thank you for having me, and taking the time to meet me.” He stands up, and they exchange bows before the man leaves the room.
Somehow, the atmosphere gets heavier without their client around. Their uncle gives them a scrutinising look, before he lets out a long sigh. “I thought you weren’t going to make it. I didn’t want to see a displeased Lu Han for our first meeting.”
“I’m sorry,” Chaejin says with a sheepish smile, “I think I was too tired from yesterday’s mission that I wasn’t able to get up on time. It won’t happen…” She falters, feeling like her heart is sinking to the bottom of her stomach. She glances at her brother who is staring straight ahead at their uncle. “...again,” she finishes.
Their uncle looks at the twins, his gaze lingering on Chanyeol a second too long, before nodding at Chaejin. “Alright, then.” He holds out a folder, and Chanyeol moves out of his seat to receive it. “And Chaejin,” their uncle says, “you didn’t have to apologise. I know that it bothers you it was a short meeting, but I’m more apologetic for interrupting your sleep. Get some rest, Chanyeol can read the files and keep you updated later.”
Chaejin bows to show her gratitude before they leave the meeting room. She stares at the back of her brother’s head, his sigh of relief barely audible. She observes his tense shoulders and shaking hands, and the rapid beating of her heart is too difficult to ignore.
“Yeol,” she says, “care to carry me back?” Chanyeol turns to her with an incredulous look on his face. Laughter bubbles up in his chest and she can’t help but smile. “No… I’m actually serious. Carry me back?”
The pace in which Chanyeol walks away is quicker than the duration of meeting Lu Han.
--
The following day, Chanyeol finds himself rearranging and testing the equipment once again. Today, Chaejin has her hair tied up in a messy bun. Instead of a tight black dress, she’s wearing a comfortable black shirt and pants that makes Sehun not so subtly eye her. Jongin jabs him in the stomach with his elbow, before turning away, feigning innocence.
“Can you stop,” Chanyeol says as he hands the earpiece to Chaejin. “I’m right over here and I can see what you two are doing.”
“I was joking,” Sehun says with a pout, “I just wanted to see how you would react, but I got Jongin’s reaction instead.” Chaejin bursts out laughing when Chanyeol is in the middle of putting a pair of eyeglasses on her.
“Shit!” Chanyeol curses when his fingers touch the glass. “Sehun, damn it.” The youngest turns away, finding an interest in the newspaper clippings on Chanyeol’s wall. Jongin walks over to Chanyeol’s side, handing him a small cloth to clean the glasses with.
“Thanks,” Chanyeol says to Jongin, who says ‘you’re welcome’ with a tired but recognisable smile on his face. He had been out the night before, carrying out small tasks here and there, but the bruise on his left fist is enough to tell the tale.
“And you,” Jongin says, accusingly pointing a finger at Chaejin as Chanyeol hands her a backpack, “you be careful. Is Sehun still joining you?”
“Can’t,” Sehun says without taking his eyes off the wall, “I have to leave soon. I have a flight to China.”
The other three do a double-take at that. “China?”
“Oh,” Sehun blinks, turning his attention back to his friends, “Yeah. China. Just for family matters. Didn’t I mention?”
“This is the first time we are seeing you since the dinner,” Chaejin answers. “Are you sure it’s not a Saint task?”
“Nah,” Sehun shakes his head. “I’ll drop you off near the place, though. So I’ll leave with you.”
After a few moments of technical checks and words of encouragement, Sehun and Chaejin leave Chanyeol and Jongin behind, with the always ominous promise of ‘see you later.’
“I heard you met with Lu Han yesterday,” Jongin begins. “How is he?”
“Wasn’t enough time to get a judgment of him,” Chanyeol admits. “But it’s weird. He talked about us working for him when all I got in the folder that was handed to me was some information about him and his company, along with a party invitation.”
Jongin perks up at that. “An invitation! Really?”
“We have a plus one. Since Sehun won’t be here, I was wondering if you were fine with going with us,” Chanyeol replies too enthusiastically. “If you don’t mind,” he adds.
Jongin hums in agreement, a dazed look on his face. “Man, rich clients. Gotta be so formal with introductions and everything.” Chanyeol nods, but all he can think about is how good Jongin is going to look in a suit.
--
Chaejin doesn’t know why her uncle directed her to a dodgy-looking two storey building at night. As she eyes the peeling wallpaper on the outside, she thinks about Chanyeol curled up in a blanket with a cup of hot coffee, acting as her eyes and ears as she goes through this alone. Once she finds the flights of stairs, she carefully takes two steps at a time, her feet light on the ground in fear of making a sound.
It doesn’t take her too long to find the room that she’s interested in. Mainly because there’s a sign on the door which says “Laboratory.” As expected, the door is locked, but what Chaejin doesn’t expect is that it’s not locked with a code. It takes her less than a minute to pick the lock until she’s finally inside. She turns on the light to find that it’s a small laboratory, nothing too fancy, but it has the most basic chemical equipment that a scientist needs.
“Yeol?” She whispers into her earpiece, afraid of breaking the silence like it would shatter the glassware. “I’m in.”
“Alright. You’re clean.”
Chaejin walks deeper into the lab, eyes flicking over in search for the subject of this task. At the end of the room, she sees drawers and she walks over cautiously. She opens them one by one, but all she can see are experimental results and none of the information she had been asked to find. Just as Chaejin opens the last drawer, she feels a sharp pang in her chest. Her eyes widen in realisation and she crouches down on the floor in fear of being found.
“Chanyeol? Holy shit, what is it?”
On the other line, Chanyeol audibly gulps. “N-Nothing. It’s okay. Keep going.”
“Chanyeol. What the fuck?” Chaejin tries to keep her voice down but her brother doesn’t provide an answer. She continues to flick through the last drawer, ignoring the pictures and diagrams scattered in the space. None of them look relevant and Chaejin wonders if the man has a safe. She closes the drawer and stands up once again, doing a whole 360 to examine her surroundings. She ignores the increased heart rate and sweaty palms as she finds the scientist’s office. Despite the shaking of her hands, she’s able to pick the lock in a few moments before she barges in to find piles of paper stacked in one corner. In a few long strides, she reaches the piles and begins to unearth what’s behind them. As expected, she finds a safe. She lets out a huge sigh of relief upon recognising the model. Thank God it’s not one of the more complicated ones.
She gets to work quickly and with no hesitation. She turns the dial several full revolutions clockwise before she takes out a stethoscope in her backpack. She’s grateful that it takes her less than ten minutes to find the combination, but the feeling of bliss is soon destroyed when she opens the safe to find that there is nothing in it.
“Holy shit,” Chaejin says, and the fear that’s bubbling in her stomach worsens. She slams the safe shut in anger and walks around the scientist’s office. She flicks through every single document in sight, before she opens his drawers and picks the locks of those which are locked. By the second hour in which she has been in the laboratory, the feeling of fear and dejection has finally hit home.
“Chanyeol?” She speaks up for the first time in a while. Her brother has been awfully quiet. “Any other ideas?”
“No…” Chanyeol mutters in a disappointed tone. “I… I don’t know. Chae, just wrap everything up and come back here.” There’s a sense of urgency that makes Chaejin stand up and put everything back to its rightful place. The feeling of fear returns once again, and Chaejin still doesn’t understand why. She takes a look around the laboratory, taking note of the smallest details before she turns off the lights and disappears like the wind.
--
To say that they are disappointed would be an understatement. Interestingly, the feeling of sadness isn’t the one that Chaejin is currently nursing, but rather one of intrigue.
“Yeol, what happened back there?” It’s 11:30 P.M., and she and her brother are alone in his room. The lights are turned off but the curtains are open. Chanyeol has always been the more poetic one between the two of them.
“I’m sorry,” he says in a husky voice. She turns to look at him, noting that it’s one of the saddest times she’s heard him speak. “I almost compromised our task because of that - that irrational fear - I’m sorry.”
They allow the silence to envelop them into the night. Chaejin rests her head on one of Chanyeol’s pillows before she speaks up, “It’s okay. I hadn’t… I haven’t felt that way in a while. I’ve almost forgotten what … fear feels like.” She pauses before asking the bigger question, “What scared you?”
Chanyeol shakes his head, and Chaejin thinks that that’s the end of their discussion. He takes a few long breaths before answering. “It’s nothing… It was nothing in the present, but I just thought about the past, and the feeling of fear hit me. I should have kept my guard up rather than reflecting on something like that during an important task. You and I already have it hard enough when we go against powerful people, but our condition makes it more difficult than others could ever imagine…”
Chaejin isn’t going to lie. It’s the truth. As twins who have been together since birth, their parents had always known that there was something special about them. As they grew older, their parents and the siblings alike realised that the twins were able to feel what the other was feeling. It was an empathy link stronger than anyone else’s, regardless of time and place.
As the older twin, Chanyeol can’t help but feel worry for his sister. Although he only shows serious concern for her once in a blue moon, Chaejin’s position in the organisation as the one who is always out in the field worries Chanyeol to an extent that he can’t explain. He knows that it’s all on his shoulders if something goes wrong in any of Chaejin’s missions, especially since Chanyeol is the mind, eyes and ears that provide Chaejin with all the backup that she could ever need.
It’s not an irrational big brother complex. At the age of three, Chaejin first suffered from aplastic anemia. At such a young age, Chanyeol couldn’t completely understand what was happening to his younger sister; all he knew was that she was under a lot of pain. It was a heartbreaking and excruciating pain, Chanyeol remembers, because he felt it, too. From the headaches to the nausea, the shortness of breath and the fevers, Chanyeol had suffered through the pain with Chaejin. He knows that Chaejin can’t remember the pain that she felt back then, but he can, and it’s his ongoing nightmare.
“It’s okay now, Chanyeol,” Chaejin says, in the way that she only says his full name when it’s serious. “Maybe you’ve been overworking yourself.”
“Me? Overworking?” Chanyeol snorts and Chaejin cracks a smile. “You’re the one who’s been overworking. I barely do anything here.”
Chaejin stands up and pats Chanyeol’s arms. “You’re right. You’re not overworking. You’re not even working out. Do something about it so I’m not too embarrassed as your sister.”
“Hey!” Chanyeol protests, but Chaejin merely laughs to show that it’s a joke. She leaves her brother’s room, bids him goodnight, and reminds him to not worry as if that’s ever going to work with a sister like her. The sudden presence of a warm feeling in his chest is more than enough reassurance.
►
Title: Throwing stones while living in glass houses
Pairing(s): Chanyeol/Kai, Fem!Chanyeol/Kai, implied!Sehun/Tao
Rating: PG-15
Warning(s): character death, alcohol use, language, violence
Length: 23.2k
Summary: Park Chanyeol and Park Chaejin work under an organisation which forbids its members from falling in love.
Author’s Note: To my lovely recipient, this is another take on the same prompt that you have given to me, only this fic has some violence in it. Special thanks to M for beta-ing this fic, always supporting me, for helping me keep my sanity through this 20K mess as well as for being patient with me. I wouldn't have been able to get this far without you. Lastly, thank you to the mod for hosting this exchange and giving me a chance to participate in it <3
The ping! of a toaster. The chirping of the birds. Hurried footsteps on creaking floors. Silence - and then - gunshots. It’s another beautiful morning, Park Chanyeol thinks to himself as he occupies himself with spreading butter on his piece of toast. He dismisses the gunshots as his twin sister’s excitement, and decides to worry more about how rapidly cold his toast is getting. Kim Jongin appears at his doorway a few seconds later with tousled hair and puffy eyes, the sign that his alarm clock failed to wake him up at the right time once again. If he wasn’t Chanyeol’s best friend, perhaps Jongin would have been humiliated to be seen in his shorts.
“Good morning to you, too,” Jongin rubs the sleep off his face as he notices Chanyeol staring at his bare chest. “How’s Chae going?” He gestures at the large monitor screen on Chanyeol’s desk, right next to his plate of toast.
“She’s doing fine,” Chanyeol hums as Jongin turns his attention to the screen. Thank goodness for the latest improvement on technology. Jongin is actually able to see where Park Chaejin is, and what she’s doing. Over the years, the reception has gotten much better and it’s more than helpful to their cause.
“Morning, Chae,” Jongin calls out, more than aware that Chanyeol’s twin sister can hear him. “Try not to overdo it, alright? We just need him for questioning. That means alive.” The video feed shifts to show a man groaning on the floor, clutching at his wounded arm. That’s all Jongin needs to see before he leaves the Park headquarters, knowing full well that Chaejin will have accomplished her part in the mission once she comes back.
Chanyeol hums noncommittally as he monitors his sister’s progress, making sure to check on her blind spots using the CCTV cameras and listening in on the audio feed. As if he was able to read Chanyeol’s mind, Jongin reappears a few minutes later and he hands Chanyeol another piece of hot toast. Chanyeol loses his focus for a moment to look at Jongin gratefully, before the younger leaves the room with a sly smile on his face, leaving Chanyeol feeling warm despite the breadcrumbs on the side of his lips.
--
Saint is the name short for sabotage, assault, intelligence and theft, which is self-explanatory on what the organisation’s objectives are. Chanyeol secretly feels uncomfortable about the misnomer, but he would only say that to his sister; never to their uncle. At the age of seven, Park Chanyeol and Park Chaejin were taken under their uncle’s care after their parents lost their lives in a plane crash. Since then, the twins had always known that life would be different for them, but the discovery of their uncle’s organisation at the age of ten was the biggest twist in their lives. Seeing as they didn’t have much of a choice, their uncle began to train them in preparation for their initiation to the organisation. The twins showed exceptional skills: both physically and mentally, and by the time they were sixteen, they joined the group.
Chanyeol’s phone buzzes in his pocket and stops, just as the elevator positioned across his room dings. The sound of heels clicking against the marble floor is a telltale sign that Chanyeol’s sister is home. He waits for a few seconds, estimating her whereabouts, until he throws the door open with a too-wide smile on his face as he says, “welcome home!”
Chaejin blinks at him for a few seconds, her expression showing boredom and exhaustion. She kicks off her heels and looks through Chanyeol’s wardrobe for any spare socks. The older eyes his sister warily, but he knows that her cold response isn’t foreign. The missions that Chaejin hates the most are those in which she has to lure men. She admits that she’s good-looking with her wide brown eyes that turn hazel in the sun, long black hair that hides her pointy ears, and all of Saint knows that she’s more than her looks but they prove to be useful from time to time. She hates acting stupid and listening to men go on about their proud achievements, but she supposes it’s all worth it in the end when she gets to tie them up or shoot them.
Chanyeol wordlessly hands over her favourite pair of sneakers, which she takes with a grateful nod. She warms up to her brother after a few moments. “Let’s go to the rooftop, Yeol.”
The Saint headquarters have five floors, as if to say that it’s important but not too important. The first floor consists of an ordinary looking reception, food storage and a large kitchen. Files, weapons and other confidential things are kept in the basement, the second and third floors are full of rooms that monitor activities locally, a few bathrooms here and there, and some rooms for its members. The fourth and fifth floors cater for its members. There are more kitchens, bigger bathrooms for showers, a lounge for recreation, and their own personal rooms. Chanyeol, Chaejin, and their two friends, Sehun and Jongin room on the fifth floor. In their years of dorming on the top floor, they often looked for a way to get fresh air and a private space for themselves. Inside the headquarters, it always felt like the walls were listening to their every word. Hence, Jongin came up with the idea that they should take it outside.
Technically, the rooftop is still a part of the headquarters but no one ever heads there, so it doesn’t feel as suffocating as the inside. It’s such a Jongin idea that none of them could refuse the idea of making the rooftop as their makeshift hangout.
They are adults, but it doesn’t mean that they can’t enjoy the thrill that comes from having a secret place with the people they are closest to. Once Chaejin opens the door to the rooftop, she leaps out and lets out a cry that makes it sound like it could be the fourth of July. Chanyeol follows afterwards, disappointed to see that Sehun is nowhere to be found. He turns to Jongin, posing the question wordlessly, until the younger shrugs and says, “mommy issues.”
Desperate to change the mood, Jongin turns to Chaejin and asks, “how was it? You didn’t get too carried away with the thrill of it all, did you?”
“Me?” Chaejin asks in a surprised voice. “Carried away? Never.” Chanyeol snorts at that and the glares she’s throwing his way feels like she could be throwing daggers. Jongin laughs at their exchange as he tilts his head back to stare up at the sky decorated by the colours of blue, orange and pink. Chanyeol allows himself to turn his attention towards his best friend instead, ignoring the dryness of his throat and listening to the comfortable silence that has enveloped the three of them. It soon becomes slightly uncomfortable when he realises he can’t tear his eyes off Jongin, and the beating of his heart is too loud in his ears. He turns to look at Chaejin, who is looking at him with equally wide eyes, but neither of them say anything.
--
As a group tradition, they head out to dinner after the completion of the Parks’ mission. Thankfully, Sehun is able to join them, but their fellow colleagues, Kim Minseok and Huang Zitao appear to be set on doing the same. The pair greet them at the elevator, and it’s too late to take the stairs.
“Hey, how have you all been?” Zitao greets. He’s one of their recruits from China and his accent is one of his charms. He was once close friends with Sehun, but they fell apart a couple of years ago. Even to this day neither Chaejin or Chanyeol can figure out why.
“Good,” Chanyeol says, breaking the silence, “but I can’t really say much when all I do is sit behind a screen,” he admits. Minseok, the technician, groans in agreement.
“That’s not true,” Jongin amends, “you’re the one who plans your activities and mission and how to carry them out. You also sit behind a screen to keep your sister safe. And eat toast. In your pyjamas. Which is a lot better, in my opinion.”
Chaejin nods, having full knowledge of the pain of being in the outside world during ungodly hours. She looks to the side to see Minseok passing a folder to Sehun, and the elder leans to whisper something into his ear. Chaejin tries her best to not be curious, but she becomes more intrigued by Zitao’s narrowed eyes. She leans against the wall, deciding to stare at the reflection on the mirror instead. She tilts her head to the left, an action that some would call cute, but her eyes are darting in an attempt to read the name of the folder in Sehun’s possession. It’s all in Chinese, much to her disappointment.
“What about you?” Chanyeol asks conversationally. “What have you two been up to?”
Minseok hums cheerfully. If Chaejin didn’t know him any better, she would say that it’s cute, but she knows more than anyone else how looks can be deceiving. “I haven’t really done a job lately with Tao. He’s more of a freelancer these days. I’m just working more on… personal matters.”
It’s almost fucking hilarious, if Chaejin may say so herself. In an organisation like Saint, nothing is personal anymore if half of your humanity has been stripped away. There are no secrets between Saint members, and the only personal things would be the matters that could have landed them in an organisation like Saint in the first place.
As if on cue, the elevator doors open to reveal the first floor. Chaejin groans inwardly, hoping to dig more information from Minseok, but at the same time knowing it isn’t her place to do so. She’s the first one to get out of the elevator, walking ahead without looking back, knowing that the other three will follow shortly. Even with her back turned against them, she can hear them chattering as they say their goodbyes. She’s not really one for small talk, especially if the people involved are potential murderers.
They head out to get Chinese food, mostly because of Sehun’s sudden craving for it. They find a table with four seats, and Jongin takes the seat next to Chaejin. Her eyes flicker up to look at him, but he’s either intent on reading the menu or is good at ignoring her blatantly. To others, they must look like a group of friends who study at college together, but the idea of college has been long gone in Chaejin’s mind once she learnt of Saint.
Chanyeol looks at Chaejin’s narrows eyes and does his best to lighten the mood, even in the slightest bit. “That man today was pretty easy to catch, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah,” Chaejin agrees. “The man was running away from stealing $50,000 from a company, I can’t believe he thought he would get away with it.”
“Was the shooting really necessary?” Chanyeol asks with a helpless smile on his face, and Sehun laughs. Chanyeol never liked the violent side of Saint.
Chaejin leans across the table, her eyes glinting in a way which always means trouble for Chanyeol. “Are you going to lecture me again?” She pauses, smiles at the discomfort on Chanyeol’s face before leaning back. “Talk to me about morals when you don’t enthusiastically work for an organisation like this. Don’t forget that it was you who invented the deadliest shoes to mankind. I’m pretty sure the purpose of that was to harm someone.”
Chanyeol hums, acknowledging Chaejin’s points as he leans back on his seat. “I do come up with some pretty good inventions. Didn’t you like that one? I thought it was pretty nice. It’s a literal interpretation of ‘Run the World’ and all you need to do is walk across the corpses of men-”
Chanyeol is unable to finish the rest of his story when he notices the waiter that has come to take their orders.
“Cute,” Jongin snickers at the embarrassed look on Chanyeol’s face.
Sehun laughs and Chaejin feigns a surprised look on her face to show that they were simply joking. The waiter looks doubtful, but he does his job anyway. Just as Chaejin is deciding between getting root beer or Coke, she feels a tug on her chest. She immediately turns to her left to see Jongin talking to the waiter, and realises that Jongin is too occupied. What she felt was not a physical tug, but an emotional one. Her eyes dart across the table, where her brother is sitting across from Jongin. His eyes are skimming the menu, but his left eye is twitching in a manner that makes Chaejin sit up.
“What do you want, hyung?” Jongin nudges Chanyeol with his foot underneath the table. Chanyeol blinks for a few seconds before turning his attention to the waiter. This time is unmistakable - Chaejin’s heart does a skip, and this is so wrong -
“I… uh… dumplings. Yeah. Dumplings. And… and… the black bean noodles,” Chanyeol stammers out and Sehun turns to look at the elder with a questioning gaze.
Chaejin turns to the waiter to deliver her order, all the while taking note of Chanyeol and Jongin’s mini footsie battle underneath the table, accompanied by their childish giggles and Sehun’s unimpressed groans. Once the waiter is gone, Chaejin turns to look at Chanyeol with a suspicious and confrontational look, but all he gives her is a blank stare in return as Jongin whines about his damn foot. The excitement in Chaejin’s chest bubbles down, leaving her confused with a sense of whiplash.
--
Park Chanyeol and Park Chaejin only like a handful of people. Or less, if they’re being honest. Although Chaejin doesn’t like to mingle with their workmates, Chanyeol is always open to human interactions given that he lives by the end of it. It’s quite a difficult feat to open one’s heart after being orphaned and entering an organisation that’s more ruthless than welcoming. If one were to ask Chanyeol on his feelings about becoming a Saint member, he would act nonchalant about it and answer that the best thing about joining the organisation would be meeting their new best friends: Kim Jongin and Oh Sehun.
Jongin and Sehun are two years younger than the twins, and work as a duo much like Chanyeol and Chaejin. Sworn to protect each other for the rest of their lives, Sehun and Jongin have been a part of the organisation from a young age, only officially working for them once they turned sixteen. Sehun’s mother is a member of Saint who went on a hiatus once she married Sehun’s father, who had died in an ‘accident.’ Needless to say, the Ohs rejoined Saint and have been out for revenge ever since.
Jongin, on the other hand, is a different story. Orphaned at the age of ten, he was recruited into the organisation once they learnt of his amazing physical abilities. Even to this day, Chanyeol doesn’t agree with the fact that they exploited his best friend by providing him with food, shelter and comfort, even if it was out of good intent. They don’t pressure Jongin to do anything, unlike Chanyeol, Chaejin and Sehun. Jongin is treated like the golden boy for staying with Saint all these years, even when he found out that his skills in martial arts were being used for such causes.
(Chanyeol likes to think that Jongin is still here because of him.)
But such thoughts are discouraged. Saint is a fairly strict organisation with all of its causes, with rules of secrecy, trust and loyalty. One other main rule, however, is that feelings of love is forbidden in the organisation - and with good reason. The aim of this rule is to keep members’ personal and professional lives separate, since falling in love can cloud one’s judgment and may prevent them from doing the work that they are being paid to do. Even if their jobs can be cruel at times, Saint does not want to hurt any innocent bystanders.
It’s okay, Chanyeol thinks, because Jongin doesn’t show any interest in him that way, which helps Chanyeol to maintain the ever-growing feelings for his junior. He’s doing his best to make sure that he’s not obvious with his feelings, but he’s sure that Chaejin has noticed what happened just now, but seeing how Sehun and Zitao interacted earlier only acts as a reminder that love does not - should not - run in Saint.
“Hyung,” Sehun says, snapping Chanyeol out of his reverie, “can you please pass me a napkin?”
Chanyeol blinks back into the moment, realising that their food has arrived. He takes a deep breath and clears his thoughts as he grants Sehun’s request, along with passing the food to his best friend and younger sister. He doesn’t dare to make eye contact with their waiter despite the disappointment and expectancy that the man is radiating. He knows that Chaejin is watching him intently like a mother hawk, and the last thing he needs right now are feelings.
“Sehun,” Jongin begins with a mouth full of dumplings. There’s soy sauce dripping down his chin and Chanyeol wonders how he could ever find this boy endearing. As if on cue, there’s a warm feeling in Chanyeol’s chest, and he turns to look at Chaejin, looking at Jongin like an afterthought. The meek smile on her face says otherwise. “So what did Minseok give you, looking secretive and important?”
Sehun shrugs as he sets his chopsticks down to reply. “Some information about the bastard who killed my dad.”
Chaejin perks up at that. “Have you learnt anything about it?”
“Not yet, but I think Minseok found something. Last year he was able to find that it was a man who worked in Asia, but I think we’re closer now - otherwise Minseok wouldn’t have notified me.”
“What are you going to do when you find out?” Chanyeol asks, when the answer has always been obvious. It’s not like he doesn’t understand Sehun’s desire for revenge, he does, but he doesn’t want their youngest to lose what remains of his innocence.
The curves of Sehun’s lips lift upwards. His hyung is really cute sometimes. “Kill him,” he says, like it’s one of his daily chores, “I’ve been practicing and learning different ways. Recently, I learnt how to kill a man with spaghetti. Quite amusing, really.”
“Ugh,” Jongin puts down his fork just before he’s about to tackle the beef dish that he ordered. “Can we not talk about murder during dinner? It’s ruining my appetite.”
Sehun opens his mouth to speak, but Chaejin beats him to it. “Please don’t say that the man walking free after your father’s death is ruining your life. We’re trying to celebrate tonight, and in another time, we’ll celebrate you accomplishing your goal, alright?” Sehun grumbles his affirmation, choosing to stuff his mouth with his noodles. Chaejin misses the grateful look Jongin throws her way, but Chanyeol certainly doesn’t.
--
You know what they say - no rest for the wicked. Or something like that, Chanyeol thinks as he gets up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 A.M. to brush his teeth in time for a meeting. He knocks at Chaejin’s door at 5:40 A.M., only to find that his younger sister is still asleep. Chanyeol ends up carrying her on his back, but he doesn’t leave her room without taking a comb and some mints.
“Hey, wake up, we have a meeting in five minutes.”
“Nnn… What…”
“Brush your hair at least,” Chanyeol brings up his left hand to hand her the comb. She takes it and combs her hair with closed eyes. Chanyeol would laugh at the image if they wouldn’t be in serious trouble because of their tardiness. She clutches the comb in one hand and rests her head on the nape of her brother’s neck.
“Where are we going?”
“We have a meeting in three minutes,” Chanyeol repeats. Combing her hair must have woken her up because she flinches upon hearing his words.
“Shit. What? Oh my god. I forgot.” She gets off his back and rubs the sleepiness off her face. Chanyeol offers her the mints and Chaejin accepts them with a grateful heart. She hopes she looks presentable, at least.
They make it to the meeting room with a minute to spare. Their uncle is sitting at the head of the table, next to an important looking man. In her dazed state, Chaejin thinks that the man looks like Lu Han, the CEO of Apollo Pharmaceuticals. She senses her older brother’s hesitation as he tries to work out the identity of the man. When the man in question smiles with his eyes disappearing into crescents, it all falls into place that it is Lu Han, and the twins bow at a deep ninety degree angle. The look their uncle gives them makes them sit up straight.
“Lu Han, this is my nephew, Park Chanyeol, and his twin sister, Chaejin.”
Chaejin hates it when she’s treated as the side branch between the two of them, but she doesn’t say a word of protest this time. She maintains her composure, all the while taking notice of her brother’s posture. His eyes look at Lu Han with a blank stare, and Chaejin knows this method just as well as her brother does. It’s exceptionally useful when the atmosphere is tense.
“Ah, the Park twins,” Lu Han says with a twinkle in his eyes. Both Chanyeol and Chaejin look at Lu Han in wonder, trying to pin an age on his face that looks ageless. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m honored that such young talent will be assigned to a job like this.”
Chanyeol and Chaejin look at each other from the corner of their eyes before turning to Lu Han with grateful smiles on their faces. Lu Han returns the sentiment, takes a glance at his watch, and looks at one of the men standing near the door. His bodyguard, probably.
“I am short on time,” Lu Han says with an apologetic look. Their uncle nods in understanding, and Lu Han turns to the twins with a hopeful smile. “I’m looking forward to your services. Thank you for having me, and taking the time to meet me.” He stands up, and they exchange bows before the man leaves the room.
Somehow, the atmosphere gets heavier without their client around. Their uncle gives them a scrutinising look, before he lets out a long sigh. “I thought you weren’t going to make it. I didn’t want to see a displeased Lu Han for our first meeting.”
“I’m sorry,” Chaejin says with a sheepish smile, “I think I was too tired from yesterday’s mission that I wasn’t able to get up on time. It won’t happen…” She falters, feeling like her heart is sinking to the bottom of her stomach. She glances at her brother who is staring straight ahead at their uncle. “...again,” she finishes.
Their uncle looks at the twins, his gaze lingering on Chanyeol a second too long, before nodding at Chaejin. “Alright, then.” He holds out a folder, and Chanyeol moves out of his seat to receive it. “And Chaejin,” their uncle says, “you didn’t have to apologise. I know that it bothers you it was a short meeting, but I’m more apologetic for interrupting your sleep. Get some rest, Chanyeol can read the files and keep you updated later.”
Chaejin bows to show her gratitude before they leave the meeting room. She stares at the back of her brother’s head, his sigh of relief barely audible. She observes his tense shoulders and shaking hands, and the rapid beating of her heart is too difficult to ignore.
“Yeol,” she says, “care to carry me back?” Chanyeol turns to her with an incredulous look on his face. Laughter bubbles up in his chest and she can’t help but smile. “No… I’m actually serious. Carry me back?”
The pace in which Chanyeol walks away is quicker than the duration of meeting Lu Han.
--
The following day, Chanyeol finds himself rearranging and testing the equipment once again. Today, Chaejin has her hair tied up in a messy bun. Instead of a tight black dress, she’s wearing a comfortable black shirt and pants that makes Sehun not so subtly eye her. Jongin jabs him in the stomach with his elbow, before turning away, feigning innocence.
“Can you stop,” Chanyeol says as he hands the earpiece to Chaejin. “I’m right over here and I can see what you two are doing.”
“I was joking,” Sehun says with a pout, “I just wanted to see how you would react, but I got Jongin’s reaction instead.” Chaejin bursts out laughing when Chanyeol is in the middle of putting a pair of eyeglasses on her.
“Shit!” Chanyeol curses when his fingers touch the glass. “Sehun, damn it.” The youngest turns away, finding an interest in the newspaper clippings on Chanyeol’s wall. Jongin walks over to Chanyeol’s side, handing him a small cloth to clean the glasses with.
“Thanks,” Chanyeol says to Jongin, who says ‘you’re welcome’ with a tired but recognisable smile on his face. He had been out the night before, carrying out small tasks here and there, but the bruise on his left fist is enough to tell the tale.
“And you,” Jongin says, accusingly pointing a finger at Chaejin as Chanyeol hands her a backpack, “you be careful. Is Sehun still joining you?”
“Can’t,” Sehun says without taking his eyes off the wall, “I have to leave soon. I have a flight to China.”
The other three do a double-take at that. “China?”
“Oh,” Sehun blinks, turning his attention back to his friends, “Yeah. China. Just for family matters. Didn’t I mention?”
“This is the first time we are seeing you since the dinner,” Chaejin answers. “Are you sure it’s not a Saint task?”
“Nah,” Sehun shakes his head. “I’ll drop you off near the place, though. So I’ll leave with you.”
After a few moments of technical checks and words of encouragement, Sehun and Chaejin leave Chanyeol and Jongin behind, with the always ominous promise of ‘see you later.’
“I heard you met with Lu Han yesterday,” Jongin begins. “How is he?”
“Wasn’t enough time to get a judgment of him,” Chanyeol admits. “But it’s weird. He talked about us working for him when all I got in the folder that was handed to me was some information about him and his company, along with a party invitation.”
Jongin perks up at that. “An invitation! Really?”
“We have a plus one. Since Sehun won’t be here, I was wondering if you were fine with going with us,” Chanyeol replies too enthusiastically. “If you don’t mind,” he adds.
Jongin hums in agreement, a dazed look on his face. “Man, rich clients. Gotta be so formal with introductions and everything.” Chanyeol nods, but all he can think about is how good Jongin is going to look in a suit.
--
Chaejin doesn’t know why her uncle directed her to a dodgy-looking two storey building at night. As she eyes the peeling wallpaper on the outside, she thinks about Chanyeol curled up in a blanket with a cup of hot coffee, acting as her eyes and ears as she goes through this alone. Once she finds the flights of stairs, she carefully takes two steps at a time, her feet light on the ground in fear of making a sound.
It doesn’t take her too long to find the room that she’s interested in. Mainly because there’s a sign on the door which says “Laboratory.” As expected, the door is locked, but what Chaejin doesn’t expect is that it’s not locked with a code. It takes her less than a minute to pick the lock until she’s finally inside. She turns on the light to find that it’s a small laboratory, nothing too fancy, but it has the most basic chemical equipment that a scientist needs.
“Yeol?” She whispers into her earpiece, afraid of breaking the silence like it would shatter the glassware. “I’m in.”
“Alright. You’re clean.”
Chaejin walks deeper into the lab, eyes flicking over in search for the subject of this task. At the end of the room, she sees drawers and she walks over cautiously. She opens them one by one, but all she can see are experimental results and none of the information she had been asked to find. Just as Chaejin opens the last drawer, she feels a sharp pang in her chest. Her eyes widen in realisation and she crouches down on the floor in fear of being found.
“Chanyeol? Holy shit, what is it?”
On the other line, Chanyeol audibly gulps. “N-Nothing. It’s okay. Keep going.”
“Chanyeol. What the fuck?” Chaejin tries to keep her voice down but her brother doesn’t provide an answer. She continues to flick through the last drawer, ignoring the pictures and diagrams scattered in the space. None of them look relevant and Chaejin wonders if the man has a safe. She closes the drawer and stands up once again, doing a whole 360 to examine her surroundings. She ignores the increased heart rate and sweaty palms as she finds the scientist’s office. Despite the shaking of her hands, she’s able to pick the lock in a few moments before she barges in to find piles of paper stacked in one corner. In a few long strides, she reaches the piles and begins to unearth what’s behind them. As expected, she finds a safe. She lets out a huge sigh of relief upon recognising the model. Thank God it’s not one of the more complicated ones.
She gets to work quickly and with no hesitation. She turns the dial several full revolutions clockwise before she takes out a stethoscope in her backpack. She’s grateful that it takes her less than ten minutes to find the combination, but the feeling of bliss is soon destroyed when she opens the safe to find that there is nothing in it.
“Holy shit,” Chaejin says, and the fear that’s bubbling in her stomach worsens. She slams the safe shut in anger and walks around the scientist’s office. She flicks through every single document in sight, before she opens his drawers and picks the locks of those which are locked. By the second hour in which she has been in the laboratory, the feeling of fear and dejection has finally hit home.
“Chanyeol?” She speaks up for the first time in a while. Her brother has been awfully quiet. “Any other ideas?”
“No…” Chanyeol mutters in a disappointed tone. “I… I don’t know. Chae, just wrap everything up and come back here.” There’s a sense of urgency that makes Chaejin stand up and put everything back to its rightful place. The feeling of fear returns once again, and Chaejin still doesn’t understand why. She takes a look around the laboratory, taking note of the smallest details before she turns off the lights and disappears like the wind.
--
To say that they are disappointed would be an understatement. Interestingly, the feeling of sadness isn’t the one that Chaejin is currently nursing, but rather one of intrigue.
“Yeol, what happened back there?” It’s 11:30 P.M., and she and her brother are alone in his room. The lights are turned off but the curtains are open. Chanyeol has always been the more poetic one between the two of them.
“I’m sorry,” he says in a husky voice. She turns to look at him, noting that it’s one of the saddest times she’s heard him speak. “I almost compromised our task because of that - that irrational fear - I’m sorry.”
They allow the silence to envelop them into the night. Chaejin rests her head on one of Chanyeol’s pillows before she speaks up, “It’s okay. I hadn’t… I haven’t felt that way in a while. I’ve almost forgotten what … fear feels like.” She pauses before asking the bigger question, “What scared you?”
Chanyeol shakes his head, and Chaejin thinks that that’s the end of their discussion. He takes a few long breaths before answering. “It’s nothing… It was nothing in the present, but I just thought about the past, and the feeling of fear hit me. I should have kept my guard up rather than reflecting on something like that during an important task. You and I already have it hard enough when we go against powerful people, but our condition makes it more difficult than others could ever imagine…”
Chaejin isn’t going to lie. It’s the truth. As twins who have been together since birth, their parents had always known that there was something special about them. As they grew older, their parents and the siblings alike realised that the twins were able to feel what the other was feeling. It was an empathy link stronger than anyone else’s, regardless of time and place.
As the older twin, Chanyeol can’t help but feel worry for his sister. Although he only shows serious concern for her once in a blue moon, Chaejin’s position in the organisation as the one who is always out in the field worries Chanyeol to an extent that he can’t explain. He knows that it’s all on his shoulders if something goes wrong in any of Chaejin’s missions, especially since Chanyeol is the mind, eyes and ears that provide Chaejin with all the backup that she could ever need.
It’s not an irrational big brother complex. At the age of three, Chaejin first suffered from aplastic anemia. At such a young age, Chanyeol couldn’t completely understand what was happening to his younger sister; all he knew was that she was under a lot of pain. It was a heartbreaking and excruciating pain, Chanyeol remembers, because he felt it, too. From the headaches to the nausea, the shortness of breath and the fevers, Chanyeol had suffered through the pain with Chaejin. He knows that Chaejin can’t remember the pain that she felt back then, but he can, and it’s his ongoing nightmare.
“It’s okay now, Chanyeol,” Chaejin says, in the way that she only says his full name when it’s serious. “Maybe you’ve been overworking yourself.”
“Me? Overworking?” Chanyeol snorts and Chaejin cracks a smile. “You’re the one who’s been overworking. I barely do anything here.”
Chaejin stands up and pats Chanyeol’s arms. “You’re right. You’re not overworking. You’re not even working out. Do something about it so I’m not too embarrassed as your sister.”
“Hey!” Chanyeol protests, but Chaejin merely laughs to show that it’s a joke. She leaves her brother’s room, bids him goodnight, and reminds him to not worry as if that’s ever going to work with a sister like her. The sudden presence of a warm feeling in his chest is more than enough reassurance.
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