jitae.

It’s more of a reflex than anything, when Soojung also freezes when Jitae does the same.  Her body simply locks up, shoulders tense and eyes narrow just the slightly bit while she sticks up her nose a little higher, like quietly daring Jitae to say something about her suddenly proposal of watching a movie together and how it’s unusual since the handler is always the one who is coming up with ideas and proposing things for them to do together — most of them, completely insane and if asked Soojung would say that she only agreed because she wanted to make sure Jitae wouldn’t do something stupid like dying because he just might as well by the end of the night — and Soojung is the one who has to be talked into going along with whatever he has in mind for them that day. 

( And also she can feel a hug coming and she just isn’t ready for that sort of contact when they aren’t in a mission and it’s part of the job. Thank god in the end it never comes )

However, her body changes when Jitae shows displays of disappointment ( she knows he isn’t serious about it but she still wasn’t expecting it ) because it takes her so much of surprise that her body simply relaxes while she blinks at the handler and she’s just even more confused when Jitae shakes a hand on her face — one centimeter closer and Soojung would’ve swatted it away — and there’s a scoff ready to form on her face but in the end it never really happens because Soojung is sighing. Only Jitae to care about those details. It’s a little endearing and in the end, she does appreciate it because for one she never really had the type of childhood to enjoy much of disney movies or any sort of cartoon besides of course some exceptions here and there, and two she’s also the type to want to watch everything, then she’s going to do in the right away.

( Not like she’s admitting any of that for Jitae anyway ). 

”If it happened first then it’s a prequel, no matter when it was released.” Soojung ends up helping Jitae a little with his rambling like a mom confirming that, yes, her child is right and there’s no need to dwell in the subject. 

soojung’s place is much, much nicer than his, so he’s inclined to suggest hers. on second thought though, he knows for sure that he’s got both movies downloaded, korean subtitles and all. jitae thinks back to remember if he already made any plans for today but comes up blank. “great, today’s perfect for me too,” he says, smiling as he reaches for her arm.

his hand gently grips her elbow like she won’t try to shrug him off and break his wrist for the treason, and he pulls her alongside him to walk toward the lobby. “let’s go to mine since i already have the movie, and i can give you a ride if you didn’t drive? i can give you a ride home afterward too.”

he gets to keep both hands because he arguably needs them to drive them safely.

yoongi grinned at jitae when he mentioned his credit, double checking his harness. his plan was to go down to one of his favorite cafes because coffee is the only thing worth racing for. “don’t worry about it,” he replied, winking.

yoongi walked with jitae to the wall. he’d climbed it from time to time, but it always seemed tall. it went up to a few meters just under the ceiling, tilting back and forth like a rocky ocean. he hooked himself up on the ropes and waited, unconsciously posing like he was going to fight. the idea of the flips made him excited; crazy stunts were his poison. 

“let’s go.”

that was probably as close to a ready, set, go that jitae was going to get from yoongi, so he didn’t waste another moment and hit the ground running. or, well, the wall. climbing was fun and all, but jitae only bothered with it every now and then, mostly whenever he and a friend couldn’t think of anything better to do.

and even if he was halfway decent at it, there was his other handicap of only working out sporadically this past year. the physical expectations for a handler were minimal. for a barista? even less. he grabbed onto a rock and hefted himself up, grimacing as his hands began cramping.

he shouldn’t have tried to stick to crimping. the delay was only momentary, because even if the stakes weren’t high, jitae was nothing if not competitive. he powered through his ascent up the wall, slower than he would’ve liked, but at least he made it all the way to the top. his hand slapped against the ceiling and then he immediately pushed off to do a few flips off it.

the feeling of jitae’s thumb on his back was surprising, but not a bad surprise. he threw the elder a playful glare, smiling despite his attempt not to. “i’m stronger than i look, okay; haven’t you ever heard not to judge a book by its cover?”

the attention made yoongi slightly uncomfortable, and he shifted a little bit, grin plastered on his face. he didn’t like people worrying about him, and he made every effort to keep it that way. “no, not really; i  just really need to learn when to stop reading.” technically not a lie; he read sometimes when he was awake. 

he settled into the bench press for something to do, fingers wrapped around the bar comfortably. sometimes, he lifted, but not nearly this much. “if i die, take care of my dog.”

jitae wasn’t a statistician by any means, but if he had to put a number on it, then he’d guess that there was a 73% chance that yoongi was lying. you know, give or take 5%. his numbers were usually (always) thrown out randomly, but whatever. it felt right. and even if his math wasn’t entirely accurate, his instincts often pointed him in the right direction. yoongi was swerving from the subject for a reason.

the unspoken rule in this business was that they left each other’s business alone though. no sense in dredging up the old wounds that had brought them here or whatever they’d seen on the job, so jitae let it slide and replied, “i get what you mean. the other night i think i spent some four hours watching baby videos on youtube, but it was worth it. my heart felt so full.”

as yoongi laid back on the bench, jitae stepped into position and laughed outright at the impromptu will. “i’ll even throw a couple more weights onto the bar so you don’t look like a chump, so you’ll put in a few good words for me to god while you’re up there, right?” he said, standing back to watch him struggle instead of encouraging yoongi to start off easy like a reasonable adult.

maybe he’s dramatic, maybe he actually has a fucking brain as opposed to people who enjoy working at kingsman (”holy shit,” a handler had said to him once, “the newbies and interns keep asking me when there’s a new mission. should i just give them a fake one and see what type of story line they cook up?” yongguk said yes.) but the moment he steps back into the unnaturally large building, he can feel his last two remaining brain cells wilting out.

the weeks of being able to breathe without feeling like somebody had poisoned the mere air around you were admittedly and understandably, better to him and his health than he had wanted to think they would be in the first place. most of all though, he can’t help and miss the comfort of having family close to him — warm hands ruffling through his hair, someone calling him their son, telling him to come visit again — and maybe blood isn’t always thicker than water but he might as well have damn believed it was.

his eyes flicker over to the coffee shop and he’d be lying if he said it didn’t twist something ugly in his chest because all he does is think of jitae and all the mistakes yongguk had made like a fool, tripping over his own feet because he’s too stupid to do anything else. 

but he doesn’t catch sight of a particular kang jitae, so he thinks that he’s managed to cross one most likely uncomfortable conversation off the list as opposed to his planned seven for today. little steps bang yongguk, he tells himself, little steps.

and then he’s rightfully mistaken when he steps to the counter, order on the tip of his tongue when his drink is in front of him already. he throws a surprised look at the barista before his heart sinks to the bottom of his stomach and he thinks, shit, guess that makes eight awkward conversations today.

jitae’s there, and jitae remembers his favourite drink. it’s stupid, but it moves him more than it should.

“oh, jitae hyung.” he says a little dumbly. “that’s a good memory you have there.”

jitae actually has a notoriously bad memory. one too many concussions, he’d always joke, even as literature on traumatic brain injuries gained traction and his humor suddenly became that much more bleak. this, though, isn’t really something he can blame on that. his brain just has a nonsensical way of categorizing what’s apparently important enough to be kept and what gets thrown out the other ear, but he isn’t going to make sense of that right now.

instead, he considers how to even approach parsing out that greeting. and already he’s failed. don’t jump to conclusions, don’t look for the worst just to brace for something that’s not coming. but he’s been gone, what, two or three months now? and that’s the reaction he gets? jitae blinks back at yongguk, irritation hitting him sparks.

the railing is shaking a little (divine retribution from god? would the ground open up and swallow him whole too? he can only hope), and jisoo clings to it, eyes wide, mouth agape with shock. is this real? is this really fucking real?  apparently so, because he hears jitae’s laugh, eerily familiar and tugging at his heart strings. it’s been a while since he’s heard that. sincere or not, for better or worse, jitae is back, living in the apartment below jisoo like he’d never left and jisoo had never ghosted him.

(except he had left, of course, and jisoo had left him on read for two whole months. oh dear.)

he eyes the cigarette in jitae’s hand and lingers on the promise of dinner, mouth curling with consideration. inevitably, they’ll have to talk. about things. granted, jitae isn’t all that good about talking on his feelings either, but he’ll certainly joke about it and jisoo will most certainly throw himself out the window at some point. 

but then again, jitae always buys the nice cigarettes, the one’s jisoo can’t afford, and he’s a good cook, and jisoo is starving. 

pros and cons.

in the few minutes that jisoo could possibly change his mind, jitae straightens out the kink in his back (probably the only safety hazard of bending backwards over the railing that he’ll admit to) and takes a few last drags from his cigarette. he sticks the extinguished butt into the clay pot they keep in the corner, a makeshift graveyard for the poor plant he and yifan brought home once, and saunters back inside to unlock his front door.

brilliant! Handsome. Competent - her mind swirled with words and impressions. gathering intel on a target was the custom; gathering intel on her handler, however, felt quite peculiar, yet the name turned into an asset wherever she asked.  a meeting was arranged and subin has never felt more unprepared. 

the partnership between an agent and a handler was part of the protocol; no one acted on their ow unless they felt like risking lives or getting wounded to the point where returning home was…less probable. the ever so charming female felt a strange lump form in her throat - this new, intimate connection had to be based upon trust and chemistry between partners if things were to go smoothly, unblemished.

the thought bubble popped instantly as the object of her burning curiosity addressed her: “hi, agent sun,” - ah, yes. the calm undertone of his voice and the careful diction delivered a ‘performance’ she deemed ‘perfect’ for the nature of their work.

regaining composure, subin toyed with the collar of her dark blue, oversized blazer - a gesture which gave her the necessary amount of time to plan her words carefully. of course, that went to hell pretty fast… “unfortunately, agent, i like it rough.” 

-

they had decided to diverge from the game plan after shinoda retired early to his estate on an adjacent island. no point in wasting time and, since jitae wasn’t there to take advantage of the location either, he was all for it. the mansion was definitely… lavish from what he could glean from the available images and scans. he couldn’t pull any useful blueprints though, so he suggested the vents to play it safe.

with a small smile still hanging off his mouth, he replied, “that’s not on me, salt. i said you looked better in the elie saab dress, but if you wear that when i take you out for that nice, romantic dinner then i’ll even pay.” 

@kgjitae

yoongi couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept more than three hours this week. he’d spent those nights working out, so it wasn’t like it was wasted time, and he’d had coffee almost every morning, so his work hadn’t suffered.

to be honest, the lost sleep didn’t affect him that much. it was just the excuse he was planning on using to try and get out of lifting those goddamned weights.

the gym seemed to be their usual spot, with its minimalist look and tons of equipment. yoongi stood with his hands crossed over his chest, looking at the rack of weights helplessly. he was strong enough, but what jitae was asking him to lift was heavy enough to make the rock stumble. or, at least that’s what it felt like. 

turning his attention back to the other agent sitting down, jitae dug his thumb between yoongi’s shoulder blades and commented, “i can tell you’ve got a decent back. rest of you could use work though.” that last part was mostly said in jest. jitae wasn’t in any position to judge other people’s workout habits, but he leaned in and frowned.

the comment makes yoongi choke from trying to hold in a laugh. jitae was right, yoongi thought, looking at his own harness. he’d never unsee that now.

jitae had been in kingsman longer than him, but yoongi wasn’t scared of him. he was usually cautious around other agents, testing the waters before deciding what he thought of them, but that comment rocketed jitae straight into the “this person is ridiculously fantastic” list.

yoongi listened to the terms quietly, strapping himself up at the same time. when jitae mentioned aegyo - of all things, aegyo - he nearly bruised his own hip. “that’s definitely unique,” yoongi said, laughing. 

“when i win, though, i get to pick the place.” 

jitae mulls over the terms and conditions in his head. tries to, anyway, but drops the considering look on his face in lieu of skipping to the part where he accepts blindly. “sure,” he replies with a careless shrug. but a thought occurs to him after he finishes adjusting his clothes underneath the harness, head jerking up when he remembers.

“ah! but my credit limit isn’t that high,” he warns, albeit jokingly. yoongi probably isn’t the kind of brat who’d take advantage of the opportunity—he just doesn’t expect yoongi to follow through if he loses either because jitae doesn’t plan on holding him to it. he’s not that bad, although the other agent doesn’t need to know that yet.

feat. @kgjitae

Soojung isn’t clingy Nor is she ( for the love of— no ) needy. It isn’t like she’s something who doesn’t give people space, especially because it means she’s giving herself some space and the field agent definitely appreciates some of that mainly because it means she doesn’t have to deal with people who don’t meet her standards. It’s just— It’s said that people feel appreciated if they’re somehow welcomed back after being away for a while and Soojung sort of — that Jitae doesn’t hear about any of this — appreciates her coworker and she promised she’d wait for him to watch this pixar movie, being apparently a crime that she hasn’t watched it yet ( well, it isn’t like she had any sort of ordinary childhood and she’s catching up to those now ) and Soojung just wants to get this over with so that’s why she looks for him as soon as she knows that he’s back.

( And maybe she did miss him and was worried. Just a bit. You know, it’s just that Jitae is such a child sometimes that Soojung does wonder how he can take care of himself in some moments that’s all. ) 

It’s funny, they are funny because looking at their types of person no one would think that they fit. Jitae seems like the person that Soojung wouldn’t be around very much, actually he’s much more of a person that Soojung would be too annoyed around and definitely would avoid. That could easily had happened if during training their supervisors for some reason always put them together for any sort of pair exercise and there are times that she wonders how she survived some of it when Jitae used to drag her around town to get drunk in cheap clubs, having training early in the morning the next day. Even though she complains a lot about those times, there’s a tone of fondness on them and Soojung knows that at some points she wouldn’t have made it if not for Jitae with her.

it’s not that he thinks soojung doesn’t care for him—far from it, actually. they’ve built up a solid rapport over the years, but it’s a tried-and-true formula of jitae badgering her to do things with him and soojung reluctantly getting convinced that his every single one of his ideas are great. he provides all the gusto and initiative, not the other way around.

so when she throws an old promise of a pixar movie in his face at first sight, jitae freezes on his way over, hand raised and interrupted right before a wave. the warmth sinks in. jitae unfreezes and outright grins, walking the rest of the way over to soojung while crooning, “hello to you too.” he’s not going to scare her off with a hug (yet).

nothing will stop him from theatrics though, so jitae presses a fist against his mouth and sighs into it, brows furrowing together. mock-disappointment radiates from him in waves. “all these years i’ve tried teaching you, grasshopper, but we can’t watch monsters, inc without watching the sequel first. wait—”

his hand drops and he clears his throat, shaking his hand in front of soojung’s face to wipe away the confusion. “i guess it’s a prequel? it’s set before monsters, inc but was made after that movie. a sequel prequel, if you will.” or a prequel sequel. whatever. jitae lets out a sheepish laugh once he catches himself rambling and rubs at his scalp.

jun is more than happy to cradle jitae close, to allow him to fit himself against her frame as if he’s never belonged anywhere but there. to readjust and realign until they could just as well be one person only, cuddled so closely together that half the service might wonder if they’re dating should anyone walk in. but they’re not. not walking in and not dating. jun’s heart drops to his stomach, then jumps back up into his throat.

suddenly he’s reminded of reality and for a split second, there’s a hesitance on his face. he’s glad it cleared away already before jitae looks back up at him, and easily smiles back. how can he not when one of his most precious friends is back with him and looking so eager and happy to be there?

“i’ve been alright,” he replies easily, offhandedly. he’s never one to share his innermost thinking with others, after all. only two of his current friends have gotten the opportunity to hear him open up so far and he’s still on the fence about how good of an idea it was to do so. which means that, to keep his friendship with jitae safe, he won’t be doing it now.

“nothing really new around here, to be honest. just people being people and work being work. what else is new?” there’s a smile on his features, though, soft and warm and everything it’s always been whenever he’s near jitae. “i’m glad to hear you passed all the tests, though,” he says, then adds in jest, with an amused grin that is supposed to clear away any worry he might be serious: “are you sure they didn’t make any mistakes with that?”

same shit, different year. jitae nods along while jun talks, unsurprised that either nothing’s changed or that, if it has, it’s above his clearance level. with the way things work around here it’s probably the latter, but those are lines that even he doesn’t bother straying too far from. with no bone to chase, jitae lets the subject drop and pretends to let out a miffed huff.

the dig about his qualifications would be harder to swallow if he didn’t have to deal with them throughout the past year but, as it is, he shrugs it off and grins back at jun easily. “yah, watch yourself, hyung,” he says instead, twisting around to poke jun between the ribs a few times, “i might decide i want to become a knight next and your gut is close enough to meet my elbow.”