#arcdevone.3

@archaneul; 17:00 park family mansion

there are two flutes of champagne in hayeon’s hands. one for her. one for haneul, who watches the party’s guests with a steady eye from his spot on the other end of the room. both glasses have a red lipstick stain at the rim. both not as full as they should be. hayeon isn’t drunk but she certainly isn’t sober either. despite lingering glances from some of the men, nobody pays her too much attention. she was undercover as an art appraiser after all, not a nun. besides, beneath the red silk hanging off her figure and the pearls on her neck, she was still the girl from anchang village. her family made enough for necessity, not luxury. so undercover or not, hayeon savors the opportunity to indulge.

haneul raises his eyebrow as she approaches him with two barely empty glasses. still, he accepts the drink. hayeon leans next to him by the window. she raises her glass to her bottom lip and speaks in a low whisper. he tilts his head to the right to hear her better.

“study’s on the second floor. library’s in the room adjacent. we are definitely in one of many dining halls. more people here though, meaning more guards. the ones by the exits are hired from some agency. so no guns, only tasers. how much do you want to bet the tough guys by the library pack a little bit more firearm?” she smiles a bit at the thought of stirring up a little action.

haneul gives a low impressed whistle at her findings. she stands up a little straighter, a familiar warmth spreading in the pit of her stomach. suddenly she’s back in the garden. smiling wide as junho gives her a thumbs up. a little girl, just happy to see her big brother proud of her. hayeon supposes that’s why she was so relieved to go on this mission with haneul. she wouldn’t admit it -especially not to him- but he reminded her of junho. they had the same ease around each other. the same comfort. he’s everything her brother was. except around 50% more reckless.

hayeon finishes the rest of her drink as she catches the eye of someone by the bar. he’s wearing a black suit, his equally dark hair slicked back. he looks younger than most everybody here but certainly older than her. 24? 25? either way, she raises her glass to him and flashes a small smile. haneul nudges her and takes her drink away. yup. definitely like junho.

she nudges him back, “i know what you’re thinking. stay on task hayeon. but, hear me out, that guy just came from the second floor. if anyone has access to one of the many super secret rooms, he’d be one of them. i’ll head over and see if he knows anything.”