Vows and Bullets
Chapter 28: Bestfriend

Chapter 28: Bestfriend

A few days had passed since then. We’re back at Mythos, busy doing training, mock missions, and preparing for all kinds of scenarios that may arise during the mission’s different phases. Along with that were the rest of the preparations for the wedding, which included sudden mass publicity about Agent Helios, aka Jeon Eun-Woo, and me.

"Jeon Young-Jae’s Son Finally Revealed! And He’s Tying the Knot!"

"The Hidden Son of the Richest Man in Korea, getting married! Is he finally taking over his dad’s business?"

"The Biggest Wave in the Business World."

"The Wedding Event Of The Century."

"A Real-life Cinderella Story."

"The Woman Who Captured the Chaebol’s Heart."

Such were the titles of the news released about us. They were everywhere—from newspapers to televisions, social media, magazines, and even advertisements. In an instant, we became celebrities to the public—not just in Korea but all over the world. Yes, all according to the Grand Plan.

"New Money Couple Bait Act," also known as "Project Glass Slippers" of "Phase 1: Operation Upheaval," belongs to the second (building trust) category of the mission. Why "New Money" when Eun-Woo’s family was obviously an Old Money? Well, that’s where the trick starts—because we would sell it out as "Eun-Woo not taking over their company and starting his own," making him a more perfect bait. He had no background in doing business but had all the money and resources. In short, "stupid but loaded" in their eyes. What’s a more perfect bait than that?

There would be three phases for the mission—each of them having three or more projects within, sorted into different categories. I could still clearly remember the contents of the documents.

Phase 1: Operation Upheaval

- Project Glass Slippers...

- Project Honey Trap...

- Project Poison Apple... etc.

Phase 2: Operation Mayhem

- Project Ursula...

- Project Gothel...

- Project Sid... etc.

Phase 3: Operation Havoc

- Project Lightning

- Project Flare

- Project Tempest... etc.

By the naming convention of the projects, I could say that Assistant Chief Athena really loves her little daughter so much. I heard she was a fan of Disney and watched all their movies. Speaking of someone who loves that... weren’t I forgetting something? My memory has always been flawless when it comes to work and missions, but when it comes to my personal life... somehow, it sucks.

It was only then that my mother’s words echoed in my mind—the words she said while we were eating and chatting at home.

"Have you told Yoon-Ah about this? Aigoo. She’s going to throw a fit if you tell her too late, you know."

Realizing that, I halted my steps. I was walking to the parking lot with Agent Helios at that time, on our way to another meeting with the wedding planners for publicity.

"Hm? What’s wrong?" Agent Helios asked as soon as he noticed me.

"I forgot to tell my friend," I murmured, ashamed of my stupid memory. "She’s gonna kill me."

"Oh. So you really do have a friend. I thought your mother was referring to someone you hired to pretend to be your friend so she wouldn’t worry."

I laughed sarcastically at his unamusing joke. Then, I went inside the car and tapped my phone to call her.

As part of the security of Mythos agents and their families or loved ones, no one from the outside were allowed to reach out to us first, especially when we were on a mission. In case of emergencies, they have a dedicated team from Mythos who could help them out in any scenario. This was to ensure all agents could focus worry-free on their missions until completion. We, agents, however, have the liberty to contact them first but only through an application installed on our phones and our family or loved ones’ phones. It was an app that could block any form of trace or cyber security threat from mobile devices while being used.

And so, I opened up the app called "Pandora" on my phone. My contact list didn’t even exceed ten people, so her name was easy to spot—Lee Yoon-Ah, my one, and only best friend.

Being branded as a daughter of a criminal, my childhood wasn’t a pleasant one. Bullying, fighting, cursing, and being accused were a part of my daily life back then. From grade school to senior high, I endured all that while my mother strived to earn a living for us. It was hard for a woman to live without a husband at that time. And a lot harder to land a job because of people’s prejudices. During those dark days of our lives, there was only one eccentric girl who approached me and stayed with me. She didn’t judge me or my mother, and most especially, my father.

"I believe you."

Simple words, but they helped me tremendously when darkness consumed my mind. We were still children back then, and I thought that as time goes, she would eventually leave me, coaxed by everyone else who glared at me or looked spitefully at me. But she didn’t. She stayed. And for that, I’m really thankful.

A precious friend... an irreplaceable friend... someone who’s like family to me and the very first person I invited home. Yet... how could I forget to tell her? I’m so screwed.

Agent Helios got inside the car while I was busy praying with all my might that she won’t lash out at me or nag me forever. A faint chuckle escaped from his lips when he saw me. Yeah, laugh at my misery.

"And so the tiger cowers in the face of her friend," he teased.

"Oh, shut up. I’m trying to think of alibis here."

"Need my help?"

"No, thank you."

"Alright. Whatever suits you. Your friend seems interesting if she’s making you nervous like that."

"Well, not that nervous—it’s more like... Ugh. Anyway, I’m gonna call her, so you better shut up. I’m letting you hear our conversation so you can get a gist of her personality. We will need to meet with her. She won’t settle with me explaining in a call, but I need to explain everything in a call first, so by the time we meet with her, she’s a bit calmer and can accept the fact easier."

"Pft. Alright. I’ll shut up," he replied, already amused when my call hadn’t started.

Phew. Alas, the moment of truth.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Toot-toot-toot.

"She hanged up on me! What the..."

I dialed her number again.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Toot. She picked up!

I turned on the speaker so Agent Helios could listen in.

"Oh, it’s you. I thought it was a telemarketer," her unamused tone echoed on the other line. It was as sweet as an angel but as scary as my mother’s when she’s angry. "I’m surprised you still remember I exist."

"Hello, Yoon-Ah," I greeted her in the most careful manner. My voice might have trembled a bit.

"Oh my! You also remember my name! I thought you’d forgotten. How about my face? Do you still remember? Why don’t you turn the camera on so I can see you, hm?"

’Ugh. I was trying to avoid the video call, but I can’t say no when I’m the one at fault here, can I?’

"Right. A video call. Okay."

I turned on the camera and held my phone at a distance, placing it on a holder in front of me. I smiled awkwardly and waved my hands to her.

And on my phone was the video of my friend—a beautiful woman who’s the same age as me, with long, wavy caramel brown hair and pretty dark brown eyes. She’s as cute as ever, wearing a girly, pink hoodie, sitting in front of her computer again, probably drawing. She’s a digital artist now, though not yet popular. But I believe in her.

’Ahh... I missed her. It was like seeing my long-lost sister.’

If only... she wasn’t scowling at me.