Date? (1)
A message from an unidentified sender. Judging by the tone, it's gotta be Shay.
I cracked the door open just a sliver and peeked out. Luckily, no one was in the living room.
"Ugh, this is ridiculous."
Wearing suits all the time lately was killing me. I stripped it all off and changed into something comfy. It was chilly outside, so I threw on my long puffer jacket and headed quietly to the front door.
Click. Good—no one caught me.
Riding the elevator down, I mulled it over. "Should I... get my own place?"
I couldn't keep faking commutes every day off like this. I imagined finding my own hideout, decking it out just the way I wanted.
...That actually sounds kinda fun? Sure, there were a few hurdles, but building your own secret lair is every guy's dream.
Lost in those thoughts, I suddenly realized I was on the bus.
Thud! Stepping off at the stop, a cold gust hit me. Fall was pretty much over.
"The location... huh?"
For some reason, the address in the message was right by the department store. Almost there, I spotted a black-haired woman sitting on the edge of a flower bed planter in front of it. Nothing standout about her—perfectly ordinary face.
I walked up and called out. "Shay?"
"...How'd you know?"
Oh right—I hadn't even considered she was disguised as a business card. Spotting her like this was like instantly picking out a sniper in ghillie suit. Meeting her suspicious glare, I played it cool.
"You were sitting there with your legs crossed like the world's ending—totally you. Nah, just kidding. I took a shot."
"What if I said no?"
"I'd say my bad, wrong person."
Shay seemed to buy it. Today, she wasn't in her usual streetwear; she had on a neat black coat that made her look like any off-duty office worker.
She eyed my outfit and grimaced. "A long... puffer jacket? Who the hell wears that?"
"It's cold out...?"
"Take it off."
"Huh?"
"I said take it off, dumbass."
She grabbed my jacket, yanked the zipper down, and shoved her hand toward my shoulder like she was seriously gonna strip me.
"Okay, okay, I'll take it off."
"Hand it over once it's off."
I felt like a middle-schooler getting shaken down by the school bully as I surrendered my puffer to gang-leader Shay. She rolled it up, slung it over her arm, and said, "Let's go."
"Where to?"
"Where else? The department store."
"Huh?"
Without waiting for a reply, she marched inside. I hurried after her, only to watch my poor jacket get shoved into a storage locker.
"Normally it'd go straight to the trash. But maybe someone gifted it to you, so I'll let it slide."
"That thing... uh... thanks?"
I caught the locker key she tossed me.
We rode the escalator up, and Shay started explaining what she was doing.
"Remember what you wore before the club?"
"Oh, that wild getup?"
"That's called fashion, fashion. And I meant the stuff you were originally gonna wear."
She twisted around for a full-body scan of me, then pointed at my shirt. "Outfit choice is decent enough. Color matching sucks, and it doesn't even fit your build."
"Uh..."
"Don't tell me...? You don't just wear whatever someone bought you, right?"
She nailed it—I was speechless. All my clothes were hand-me-downs from Mom or Sua from my college days. Isn't fashion just throwing stuff together...?
"Throwing together? I should've known when you showed up to the club in a checkered button-up... We've got a terrorist in the team."
"Terrorist?"
"You're committing fashion terrorism. Hence, terrorist."
I got a little pissed. I thought I dressed pretty safely.
To fire back, I checked out her outfit.
...She's just pretty, that's why. There had to be flaws, but I couldn't spot any.
Shay sighed at my staring and got off on the fifth floor. She dragged me into a clothing store, flagged down a clerk, and rattled off, "These, that one, and all these—can he try them on?"
"Yes, of course."
"Go try 'em."
"All... of them?"
She just glared. In seconds, I was buried under a pile of clothes, stumbling into the fitting room.
"Ugh... total disaster. Swap the bottoms for those."
"No way! Who told you to wear it like that? Collar down, not up! You wanna go to your grave like that too?"
The game-Shay emerged—the one who barked orders at teammates mid-mission. She was tearing into me the same way.
Fighting back... no chance. A pro soldier picks battles they can win. This was like getting ambushed. Best I could do was hunker down and wait for an opening.
Swish!
"How's this...?"
"Hm..."
I'd pieced together a combo from her picks that I liked. Confident in my win, I said, "Not bad, right? I've got some sense too."
"Not bad."
Victory.
Or so I thought.
"The more I look, the better your face seems. The clothes are trash, though."
"...My face?"
"Yeah, what'd you base this disguise on?"
I slowly touched my face. Then ducked back into the fitting room.
Her voice came from outside. "That last one—the pants are good. Swap to the wine-red shirt."
"Uh... okay..."
I couldn't even answer properly. Staring in the mirror...
There I was. My real face, undisguised.
'Oh shit!'
A silent scream in my head. When I'd ditched the suit earlier because it was uncomfortable, I'd forgotten the business card tucked inside the jacket.
Big trouble. I scrunched my face to alter my expression and opened the door.
"Looks good. I like it—let's buy this one."
"Oh, cool, we're done then?"
"We've seen everything here... Why're you making that face?"
Shay reached out and smoothed my carefully disguised features. She leaned in close—close enough to feel her body heat.
"The angular one last time was meh, but this face works."
"R-Really?"
"How about using this for the next op?"
"Might be tricky..."
She told the clerk to ring up everything she'd picked. Before I could pay, she whipped out my card and swiped it. Easily over a million won.
She dusted off her hands. "Don't worry. It's not my money."
"...Isn't that more reason to worry?"
She flashed a meaningful smile. A bad feeling hit me... but the shopping tour wasn't over, so I trailed after her.
"This is women's shopping...?"
"I'm hungry. Let's eat at that restaurant."
Hands full of bags, we entered a burger joint by a famous chef.
"Isn't this place kinda pricey?"
"It's fine. Order whatever— one of everything."
She waved my card. If she was buying, refusing would be rude.
Shay stared right through me. "What? Scared? Then stop staring."
"That face... Lee Suo?"
"Huh?"
It was like she'd bumped into an old high school classmate. Racking my brain, I couldn't recall any Chinese kids back then.
She snapped her fingers like it clicked. "Oh, right—your cover ID, Lee Suo."
"Ah..."
"That's where I saw it! Conal pulled up your file once. You use that face normally?"
No choice but to roll with it. Reminding myself it was just a cover, I said, "Yeah. That's my everyday look."
"Even living with 'family'?"
"It's a bit different... but yeah."
Not pretending—just living it. Shay looked disappointed.
"I like that face. Shame you can't use it on ops."
"Ha... ha... I'll keep it in mind for next disguise."
Managed to play it off as a joke. Thankfully, the food arrived and cut the convo short. The burgers were killer, by the way.
"Still some time left..."
"What'd you say?"
"Let's check a few more stores."
"Again?"
If I were her husband, I'd be rolling on the floor with the bags by now. But you can't be cold to someone footing the bill for clothes and food.
I sighed quietly and followed.
Shay stopped abruptly. I glanced at the store. "Cosmetics? Need something, Shay?"
"...Familiar scent. Just wanna check."
I followed her in. She scanned around like she was hunting something.
"Looking for anything specific?"
"Nah, probably not."
"Not? What then?"
What she said next was a riddle. "Sweet but not too sweet, fresh cherry blossom mixed with pine..."
"Uh... okay?"
We sniffed around in circles till the staff looked flustered. Noticing, she said to stop.
Right then, I caught a whiff. "This it?"
"What?"
"Sweet-not-too-sweet, cherry blossom and pine."
She snatched it up. Lip balm for moisturizing.
She opened a sample and sniffed. "Close... but no."
"Really?"
"Guess I imagined it."
She looked kinda bummed. I grabbed a new one. "I'll get this one."
"This?"
"Close enough, right? You worked hard today—my treat."
Before she could refuse, I snagged it. ...Also grabbed a few more scents for family gifts.
"What's with those?"
"For the family."
"Family?"
Winter's coming. Good excuse with my internship cash—perfect little presents.
Handed them off for gift-wrapping and passed Shay the one we'd found.
"Here, a gift."
"Uh... thanks."
She took it without protest, surprisingly. ...Time to really bail?
I edged toward the exit. She hemmed and hawed, then said, "You... take care of family too?"
"Family? Of course."
"Even fake ones?"
Crap, slipped again. Working with her made me drop filters.
"Wouldn't it be... better that way?"
"Why?"
"Fake or not, they're family?"
She followed silently. Seemed I'd patched it up. Joy surged—freedom from the department store!
Casually, I tossed out, "You don't?"
"My family? Hah, they'd suspect poison no matter what I gave 'em."
"..."
Should've kept my mouth shut. Good thing family talk died there.
Nearing the lower floors, she paused at the third. "Gotta grab something."
"Then I'll..."
"Underwear. Handle your own. Meet at ground level in thirty."
Almost followed on instinct but headed down instead. At the lockers, something felt off.
"Oh, dropped the key changing clothes?"
No luck patting pockets. It was from an online shop, but I'd grown attached to that puffer. Had to go back up.
Got off near the clothing stores—something weird caught my eye. Behind a department store planter, something black and yellow was trembling.
I approached. A little girl was hiding there.
"Hey, kiddo, whatcha doing?"
"Eek...!"
The girl looked up, startled. Then said something odd.
"H-How'd you find me?"
"'Cause I saw you."
She went pale at my answer.
...What's her deal?