Chapter 4

• M01. STATUS
• LOCATION;
• A MANSION IN THE ELITE AREA.
• SEOUL
• TARGET;
• PARKING THE CAR IN GARAGE, IS SUSPICIOUSLY HAPPY
• MISSION;
• STARTED.
• STARTING...
• THE MANSION
• VALENTINA ISN'T SURPRISED to see Seokjin pulling up in an elite area of Seoul. The massive and beautiful mansions don't intimidate her. She's used to such places. Being an agent comes in handy when it comes to money. She has enough money to buy a mansion or two in this area, but
• she spends most of her money on her parents and tries to give away as much as she can in charity. She knows she isn't a saint. That she has had fair share of sins. And if a little bit of charity can make her feel better and also be of help to someone, she's willing to do it.
• So, when Seokjin presses the horn and stops outside a huge mansion, she isn't really surprised. Especially because she knows the nature of Seokjin's job. With mafia, comes money. And Seokjin seems to have a lot of it. Being in mafia has its pros, she thinks. As the ivory gate opens and Seokjin parks the car in the garage, Valentina climbs out of it and walks a few steps towards the garden, Smack dab in the middle of the garden is a fountain with an angel baby standing weirdly in the middle and water flowing out of his small mouth.
• Typical rich bastard, Valentina thinks, rolling her eyes.
• She feels the heat radiating off of Seokjin as he comes to stand close to her, a bit too close for her liking. She has lost count of the times she rolled her eyes at Seokjin's typical fuckboy antics.
• "Do you like it?" She feels his breath warming up the exposed part of her neck. He is that close.
• "What? The fountain?" She asks.
• "No. The naked statue. Wouldn't you want me to resemble that Angel in some way?" Seokjin says. Valentina can hear the smugness and the innuendo in his low voice. She is so tempted to elbow him and the way he is standing just behind her, she's sure the sharpness of the elbow hitting his sternum will literally knock the breath out of him. She wants to do just that, knock the literal breath out of him and not in the way he wants her too, but she can't. Unfortunately.
• "I do want you to resemble that statue in a way," she purrs hoping it came out sultry and sweet and not like a cat dying. Turning around, she places her hands on his shoulder and pulls him a bit a closer to her.
• "And what is that?" Seokjin is just a few inches away from her. She can smell his cologne. Even though she isn't very fond of this man in front of her, she does like how he smells. It's rich and woody and a scent that belongs only to him. He is looking squarely into her dark eyes.
• "I would love to have you shut up, like that stupid statue is. Thank you very much," she says, and walks away, leaving Seokjin dumbfounded and awed, both.
• She saunters to the main door and waits for Seokjin to snap out of his trance like state, which he does after a few seconds. She watches him jog towards her.
• "You took your sweet time," she says as soon as he stops next to her.
• "You are something else, Valentina." He looks at her as if he is a love struck puppy and Valentina wants to gag. Is this how quick he falls for women? She thinks. Unbelievable.
• Valentina knows she is judging on the basis of what her boss has told her. But she's worked for years in this field and has been keeping an eye on this case of an underground gang in Seoul, that she knows that she isn't wrong in judging him. People like him are guilty until proven innocent. And she highly doubts that he is innocent. Or any of his other gang members are. Considering their crimes, she thinks that the word innocent can't even be used in same sentence as them.
• She is brought out of her reverie when she hears the click of lock and she is immediately engulfed with warmth and smell of coffee. It smells so much like home, like it's been lived in properly that she forgets momentarily that she is on a mission. She lets her sentiments and emotions do the talk. Just this once.
• The area they first enter is an open lounge, with plush sofas in the middle and a wooden table in front of it. At the opposite wall, there is a huge tv, hung in the wall and a few gaming consoles and devices attached to it. To right side of this lounge is a hallway and to the other is kitchen. And at on side, there is a staircase that leads to first floor where she assumes the rooms might be.
• "I assume you like it?" Seokjin asks, a smile on his handsome face.
• Valentina gives him first genuine smile. "Yes I do. Your home's beautiful. I miss mine." Her eyes widens as she notices her slip up. She shouldn't have said that. She can't let her homesickness ruin a well executed plan. Her boss will fire her if she ruins this
• "Don't you live at your home?" Seokjin's forehead is creased in confusion.
• "I do, she stutters.
• Compose yourself, woman.
• "Then?" He prods. He is curious. She can tell that much. He wants to know about her. But she can't tell her anything.
• "It's nothing really," she says, and then to change the topic, she asks, "Why are we here, by the way?" She realises what an idiot she is for not asking this before. Her thoughts were all over the place when
• Seokjin had told her that they were going to his house. She was busy thinking about his connection with the waiter and his parents that it entirely skipped her mind. So, now she is disappointed in herself for not being more cautious.
• "What do you think?" He asks, sending a smug smirk her way.
• "If you're here to make love' to me, then I'm afraid that isn't possible."
• Seokjin shakes his head, a small genuine smile on his face instead of smirk this time. "Why is you mind in gutter, Valentina? Do you really think sex is all think about?" He asks, his voice turning serious by the end.
• "Well," Valentina drawls, "Your first impression did suggest that sex is all you think about. And so did your second impression. Not my fault that that's what it seems like to me."
• Seokjin blushes. He actually blushes; his cheeks turn pink. The hue is extremely faint but Valentina is close enough to notice it.
• "Yeah, about that. did come off too strong."
• "No shit,"
• "And that is why brought you here. So you can get to know me as you wanted to before we look things to another level. I don't want to mess this up, honestly," Seokjin's says, sincerity dripping from his words.
• Valentina feels bad for him for the first time. She knows that she is using him because he is a suspect. And the way he is talking, it seems like he might really fall for her. This is what she doesn't want. She hopes he doesn't fall for her. Not in love at least. It would be cruel to break his heart in the end no matter how much Valentina loathes law breakers. She wishes he won't.
• She nods. "Fair enough. So, let's get to know each other,
• After that, Seokjin shows Valentina around the mansion. It really is huge and beautiful and the interior is extremely classy. He has a good taste in interior decorations, she decides by the end of the tour. They find themselves sitting in the study room at the first floor.
• Valentina falls in love with the room as soon as she sees it. She has been a bookworm since she was a chito, especially the mystery and crime books. That's where her love for secret agents started, Right now, she is looking at the study room in awe. There are long shelves of books and Valentina find herself relaxing a bit. She is still worried about being unarmed in the house of suspected criminal. but the smell of books calm her nerves.
• "This is beautiful. Have you read all these books?" She turns around to find Seokjin looking at her with a smile. She feels embarrassed to be caught drooling over the books and letting her inner child take over her body for a few minutes.
• "No. You are," Seokjin says instead.
• Valentina finds herself feeling a bit warm, especially her face, Seokjin is a smooth talker and Valentina has always been hopeless when it came to compliments that did seem sincere. She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
• "I know I said I will wait till we hit the third base. But I am allowed to this." Seokjin says and closes. the gap between them. His lips crash on hers, silly and smooth.
• Valentina freezes. She raises her hands to push him away and punch the living daylight out of him but then, she realises she has to sacrifice this much. This is the part she hates about her job even though this is the first time ever she has to act as a potential lover.
• She moves her lips against Seokjin's and lets her raised hands rest on his chest. And when a few seconds pass, she leans back, unlocking their lips. Disappointment flashes through Seokjin's face but Valentina doesn't care. She can't stay here anymore. It is enough for today.
• "I...uh... I have to go," she says and picks up her purse that fell down on the carpeted floor when Seokjin kissed her.
• "We just got here. Did I do something wrong?" He asks.
• Valentina shakes her head. "No you didn't. I just have to go. I have somewhere to be. I'm sorry."
• "It's...alright. Do you want me to drop you off?" He asks, following her out of the study room.
• "No. I'll take a cab. Thank you for the offer, though."
• Seokjin stays quiet and follows her as Valentina climbs down the stairs and out of the main door.
• Valentina stops just outside the door while Seokjin leans against the threshold.
• "I'll see you soon," she says and walks away without waiting for a reply.
• She knows she's being suspicious and weird but she doesn't care. She hates doing this. And she doesn't want to spend another second in Seokjin's company today. She was right about men. They are all the same. She feels like an idiot for thinking that Seokjin was being truthful when he said that he wants to get to know her. At least, that way he wouldn't have kissed her or touched her.
• As she hails a cab and is on her way to the only place she'll feel better right now, she thinks she'll have to find another way to stop him from making these stupid moves on her without him being suspicious of her intentions.
• People dating do this all the time; kiss each other. But Valentina is not dating Seokjin and she doesn't want him to kiss her.
• I have to find another way.
• She dials the only number she knows by heart. After a few rings, the person picks up and a smooth voice feels her ears, already calming her raging mind.
• "I'm coming home," she says.