A/N : The following text/s in italics will be a flashback so please do not be confused :)

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"Shut up! I don't want to hear another fucking word come out of your mouth. Is this what you've learned from the Rangers, huh?"

He looked taken aback but at the same time, he also expected her to know about it already regarding their last conversation, "You only know half of the story," he mumbled, loud enough for her to hear.

He stood there, defeated and ready to meet his demise.

"I don't have to know everything to tell that you are just one of those liars."

With that last sentence, she pulled the trigger.

Clifford stood there, frozen. His eyes were screwed shut as he awaited the pain to spread through his body. He was waiting for the feeling of the blood that will ooze out of him.

But nothing came. 

The next thing he heard as he slowly cracked his eyes open were the sobs of the woman in front of him. 

Crimson had her arm up towards her right, with her gun pointing to the pillow lying on the couch near her. Her shoulders shook as her tear-stricken face came into Clifford's view. He was beyond confused and scared but despite all that, he walked over to his friend and immediately encased her in a hug.

"Shhhh," he calmly said, petting her head softly, "I'm here, okay? I'm still here."

Crimson wrapped her arms around his frame, burying her face on his seemingly comfy chest, "I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," Clifford repeated, now holding her face in between his large hands, "It's not your fault. It's all that damn agency and your general's fault."

With a puzzled look, she stared at him. Clifford understood the expression that was written all over her face. There was only one way that he could easily explain everything to her.

The man broke their embrace and looked around the room for his phone. As soon as he found it, he picked it up and dialled the number that he wanted to call.

As he was doing all of these, Crimson never removed her eyes from him. When Clifford finished the call, however, she snapped from her trance, especially when he pulled her arm to go with him outside.

"Where are we going?" 

Clifford stopped his tracks after they went outside the back exit of the building, "To the place where your questions will be answered."

It was time for her to know everything. Clifford figured that she had every right to have access to the kind of information that had something to do with her life, specifically her past.

"I'm bringing you with me to meet our leader."

"Leader?"

Clifford sighed as he pushed her in the car. He thought that it might have been rushed in her perspective but there was no time for stopping for a while and chatting about life right now.

"Your uncle," he briefly answered before closing the passenger's door. Walking around the car, he could sense that million questions that were already causing the gears in her brain to turn rapidly.

She immediately turned around to his direction as soon as he got in the car, "How the heck do you know my uncle?" the situation suddenly dawned on her, "And how the heck do you even know how to drive?!"

"He's your mother's brother," Clifford sighed defeatedly but started driving anyways.

Crimson sat back on her seat, fastening her seatbelt, "I don't even know I had an uncle...you better be right."

Clifford smirked at her for a brief moment before focusing his eyes back on the road, "Your uncle is Kim Namjoon's dad."

Contrary to his expected reaction from her, Crimson remained silent. That was odd of her. He glanced quickly at her and was surprised that she was staying still in her seat. 

He was beginning to get scared if she fell asleep on her own or did she just jump out of the car without him noticing due to her extremely quiet state. When the car hits a stop in front of the red light, Clifford used it as an opportunity to look at her.

"What. The. Fuck?!" she exclaimed, out of breath.

Clifford ignored her and a few minutes of another silence, which he thinks she used to contemplate all the overwhelming information being thrown at her, they finally arrived at their supposed destination.

They were stopped by a guard in front of a massive gate blocking the view from inside. The sight made her feel nostalgic as it looked almost identical to her experience as she entered the Scouts agency.

"What's our business today, sir Ahn?" by how the guard spoke to him, Crimson could tell that he was a respected figure.

After going past the gates, a fountain right in the middle of the way and in front of a lavish-looking house was seen. The car went around the fountain that looked like it came right out of a movie where the female protagonist suddenly becomes a princess.

"We're here," her friend announced before stepping out of the car. Clifford handed his keys to the valet waiting by the car. Giving the kind man a nod, he turned back to his companion who had a baffled expression on.

"Where is here, exactly?" 

He led her to the wooden double doors carved with several beautiful things, especially lions and mermaids (Crimson found it hard to distinguish due to how high it extended).

"Have you ever heard of the Rangers?" as if on cue, the doors opened, "Well, this is our headquarters."

It seemed impossible but Crimson's eyes widened even more and her jaw looked as if it would nearly hit the floor, "You guys fucking live like this??? Wow."

"You're one to talk," Clifford amusedly whispered, making sure she doesn't hear it. 

The man he was expecting to see was standing at the end of the stairs with two other people beside him.

"I reckon that you are Lee Crimson?" the old man kindly asked. His neatly combed hair that had little grey streaks on it were the only clues that gave away his age. Aside from that, he was a man that looked like he had his fair share at the fountain of youth. No wrinkles or any other signs of aging were present in his facial features.

"And you're supposed to be my....uncle?"

The old man laughed boisterously, "As sharp-looking as your mother, you are," the mention of that made her flinch a little. Thankfully, the man was not the kind to physically greet others. Crimson was getting herself ready to avoid whatever future embraces will be on her way but nothing came. Thankfully.

"Let's go talk somewhere else," the old man invited, "Clifford, you can come with us, dear boy."

They both walked behind her 'uncle' with Clifford feeling her constant questioning glances piercing his head, "Dear boy? Really?" she commented on the nickname.

"He's really nice, Crim," Clifford said, hoping to make her feel her better, "Trust me."

As they entered the room that they were supposed to 'talk', Crimson thought that it looked familiar to one of the meeting rooms in the agency where there was a long table occupying the room with a screen at one end of the room.

"Feel free to sit wherever," Crimson would have sat at the farthest chair but she thought it would be rude of her to do so. That was why she forced her smile on her face to look comfortable as she sat near the old man and next to Clifford.

The old man leaned in and had his hands folded in front of him. He looked very serious compared to his cheery greetings from earlier. With a small sigh, he turned to look at Crimson who looked like a lost cat.

She was still trying to comprehend everything that was happening, "I understand that you're confused right now but we don't have time for that, sadly. I know that it's not very nice of me but I have to tell you that we need to keep going. The enemy is moving really fast."

She tilted her head at the statement, "I thought that you were the enemy...?"

Her uncle relaxed on his seat and he threw back his head as he laughed at what she said that seemed to be very humorous to him, "That's what your General Seong-jun wanted everyone to think."

"He really is a cunning one, that man," but just as fast as the smile drew across his face, his serious expression appeared, "That man ruined your parents' lives."

She remained still, no matter how many questions were already in her mind. The only times that she saw her mother was through pictures and other people's stories. She never really saw her and knew years after, as explained so delicately by her father, that she did not survive the moment after she gave birth to Crimson.

It was like a huge sack weighing on her shoulders and she kept on blaming herself that she might be the reason why she could not have anyone to call 'mother'.

"Your mother was the one who built this resistance. I know that your general had been saying things such as how the Rangers are trying to take the Scouts of Justice down but those are all lies," Crimson finally snapped out of her own trance as she heard her uncle's story, "It was not the whole Scouts that we wanted to take down but instead the people who are leading it."

"For years, the declaration of the next generals was like how a king vests his power to his eldest. The Kim's wanted to make the Hall of Fame become a display of their family tree. They slaughtered everyone and got rid of anyone who had the potential to steal that title from their line. Tell me, Crimson...have you ever wondered about the specific reasons as to why he makes you kill your targets?"

Crimson scoffed, knowing the obvious answer to it, "Because they committed major crimes against the government," she said as she passed a glare to her friend beside her.

"Some of them did and some did not. Just like Bae Deul-hi...he was your first mission, no?"

Crimson nodded, curious at what he was getting at, "He was a Ranger before and that bar that he runs were often used as hideouts and meeting places," Clifford finally joined the conversation.

"Are you only making the general look bad? Why the heck are you telling me this?" she was ready to spring out of her seat and sprint away from the place. For all she knew, there was no one else that she could trust.

"I brought you here to tell you everything, Lee Sooyeon, not to convince you. Whether you would want to believe it or not is up to you," he spat, getting tired of the woman's stubborn attitude, "To continue on, GD which was also the one who mentored you was targeted as well, am I right? General Seong-jun also made you steal a folder that contained GD's last will and testament because he knew that a certain name of a person that he was looking for would be there."

"And that person is me?" her baffled expression told the older man that he could just continue.

"Very clever," he remarked.

"As long as the general is paying the Scouts, no one will complain. That's why he wanted that power because he knew that no one will question him as long as the agents are satisfied with their treatments," from her peripheral vision, she could see Clifford shaking his head.

"So when you entered the Scouts of Justice, we thought it would be an opportunity to finally reveal the general's true colours. My son, who was our inside man, had been trying to do this for years but the general is not really favouring him considering that he is capable of taking the title of being the leader away from that bastard of a general. So the only thing he could do was to make sure that the general did not find out who you really are and he kept on telling me that you did not need help in some cases even. We called this the 'Project Iris' which was made to help you hide your identity and let you find out yourself who your father's killer is. Unfortunately, things got out of our control and that is why Clifford brought you here."

"So Namjoon and I are...cousins?"

Her uncle nodded, "The general and the Rangers have been after the same person for years, which is you. He wanted to get rid of you, knowing that you are a witness to his and his father's cruelties."

Crimson knew what he was talking about without further explanation. She still remembers those two men that barged into her house, clearly obvious with their reason as to why they are trespassing a property in broad daylight. She felt her fists clench at the simple thought of those people thinking that they would dare end such an innocent person's life. 

The man's mellow voice calmed her down, "Your mother was the leader of the Rangers before I had to take over. Most of the people here are past employees of the Scouts and knew what the Kim's were like. That's why they wanted to get rid of us that bad."

"Kim Seong-jun found out about the relationship that your parents had years after you were born and after your father was gone, that asshole was proudly telling everyone how your dad was a traitor to the agency by teaming up with the enemy which was us."

The profanity that came out of his mouth surprised her. She could easily tell that he was enraged, "If you would look at the documents of the place that your father and the general were supposed to check in at to complete there May Mission...the alias given to Agent Lucifer was used a week before they were supposed to complete that mission. He finished it ahead of time to avoid suspicions and hired other people to do the dirty work when your father came to that place, thinking that it was just like any other work day with his dear friend."

"He was my father's friend?" her eyes turned like ice as she glared at the wooden table, "What a two-faced asshole."

"If you do not believe me, then just see for yourself when you go back to the agency. I'll tell Namjoon about this so he would know that you are already aware of our situation."

"Wait!" she shouted, "So...I got in because of Kim Namjoon's help? He's been helping me in secret all this time?"

Her uncle frowned but nodded his head in agreement, "You could say that. Although it was only probably by 15% or less. The rest was through your skills," a simple pat in the head was given to her and it honestly made her feel warm.

"Namjoon would be glad to hear about this. Go. Bring this with you," he handed her a folder and as the woman opened it, a set of photos fell out.

Picking it up, Crimson was surprised at what she saw. Pictures of a deceased person with his face almost unrecognizable was on there, "What's this for?"

"Evidence. The general may be a dick but he's not that stupid," Clifford announced which left no other questions on the girl's mind.

"Right. The only way that you can guarantee your loyalty to the Scouts is by showing him these photos and claim that that is Clifford."

They were escorted out of the mansion but before the old man could bid them goodbye, Crimson raised her hand like a kid in a classroom, wanting to ask more questions, "If you really are the good ones, why did you have to attack all those Scouts during the ceremony...and why did you have to attack my colleague during one of our missions?"

The man laughed at her narrowed eyes, "You are a very intelligent woman and I like that in you," he showered her with another compliment, "You see, that's when the thought of doing bad things for a good reason comes in. What would you do if someone is trying to kill you?"

She was taken aback by the unusual question. So she hesitatingly answered, "I stop them."

"How?"

"Maybe restraining them or I'll hurt them."

The man smiled, "You seem tough on the outside but you're very kind-hearted, Ms. Lee. My son would surely explain everything much better than I can so make sure to ask him questions. He is an expert when it comes to those types of matters."

She had to enter the car somehow despite wanting to converse with her long-lost uncle but the general would be too suspicious and time is not on their side.

"It was nice meeting you, Ms. Lee. Let's see each other again soon, shall we?"

With a small smile, she replied, "We shall," and Clifford took that as his cue to drive off.

The ride was silent except for the time when he apologized that he would not take her back to the Scouts himself as it would not be a very wise move on their side.

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The young man could feel the agent's eyes piercing through his head and if looks could kill, he would've been long dead. Clifford had his arms around Crimson still, as the girl would not let go but the coughing of a certain someone cut off their sweet moment.

"This is Clifford," Crimson continued for the leader, "He's an old friend of mine."

Yoongi raised a brow at him before grabbing Crimson's hand and bringing her closer to him, "Why haven't I heard of this 'close friend' before?"

The 'close friend' whistled and whispered something inaudible to himself, making Yoongi narrow his eyes even more. Clifford turned back with a smile painted on his face, "Crim here really is the type to keep secrets for important reasons and you really can't blame her on that."

"Crim? What's with the nickname?" he whispered and the rest just watched him in amusement as he slowly got mad.

"Guys, we don't have time for this," Namjoon began and stood in between the two males ready to pounce on each other, "We need to get out as fast as we can before the other agents can catch us."

The rest agreed and decided to exit through the door that was already protected by a few Rangers to guarantee their safety. Yoongi slowed his pace and made sure that the two of them were behind the bunch so they could get the privacy that he wanted. 

"He seems well-built and really close to you. He's not that unpleasant-looking either," he whispered, "Are you sure he's just a friend?"

Crimson giggled at him and inquired, "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"I'm not," Yoongi denied, red spreading all over his cheeks, "I am not jealous. Why would I be?"

She couldn't stop laughing, "Exactly. He's just a friend that's been supporting me during my toughest times. Clifford is the 'I will catch a bullet for you' kind of guy and I swear he would say that to almost anyone he considers as an important person to him."

Yoongi scoffed, already having enough of how she talks so positively of him but realized that he might be going to far if he decides to want to separate the two from each other.

He stopped his movements completely and pulled her arm towards him. Yoongi stood there with his shaky eyes, gazing at her.

"I'm not going to say that I will take a bullet for you because that's too cliche," he said while gazing deeply in her eyes, "Instead, I'm going to put a bullet through the heads of anyone who attempts to kill you."

Yoongi did not know if it was because of the adrenaline rushing in or the jealousy that he was feeling or if it was because of the strange thought that he might never be able to feel her in his arms again but his instincts took over him.

Soon enough, their lips were locked with each other and the only thoughts he had were of the two of them in that hallway, covered in blood and reeking of sweat. He savoured the feeling of having his hands against her soft cheeks. He succumbed to the intoxicating taste of her lips against his. 

It was just him and her despite all the chaos that was happening. One thing was guaranteed in his mind: he really loves her.

And the mere thought caused him to deepen their kiss even more.

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unedited.

i'm honestly a sucker for yoongi boyfriend material GIFs like LET ME LIVE IN PEACE