The Plan

The sun shined brightly on that day, and its rays reflected on the thick glass mirror table that parted Agent Helios and me by a meter. Two cups of coffee could be found on each side and a large tablet at the center that we could use while strategizing.

"I suppose you're done throwing a tantrum and nitpicking on the plan?" was the first thing he said to me as I sat across him, staring at him with my usual resting bitch face.

"What a way to greet your partner and soon-to-be wife," I humored him.

"Oh, how nice of you to finally acknowledge that fact after four days! We could have done a lot of things already with that amount of time."

"Well, given the fact that I don't like you, that's actually pretty fast."

"I see," he smirked. "It's good that the feeling is mutual then."

Smirking back, I replied, "Agreed. Though, I always wondered what could be the reason for your arrogance and rudeness. As for me, you were rude to me first, so it's justified if I feel the same way towards you. But for you, I don't remember ever doing anything that could possibly annoy you. Tell me, what's the reason for your utter lack of manners?"

"Ehhh? Are you sure you want to hear?"

"Yes. I believe since we will be partners, we should learn to settle our differences."

"Alright," he shrugged, "It's because… I only respect people who are better than me. Plus, it's fun seeing your annoyed face." He even winked while saying that.

Hearing those words, I scoffed so bad and rolled my eyes. In short, he's a jerk. That's just it. Now, I'm not even angry anymore. It's just the way he was, and there's nothing I could do about it.

"Thank you for opening up. It's nice to know that you're really just a… lost case," I said, chuckling.

"My pleasure," he grinned. "Now, shall we move on to talking about the plan? I'm afraid I don't want to waste any more time."

"By all means."

After our very formal and warm greetings, Agent Helios tapped on his watch and sent his files to the large tablet lying on the table. He picked up the pen beside it and started talking. His annoying grin was suddenly replaced by a serious expression. That's new. I didn't think he could make such an expression.

"For our mission, we will be disguised as a 'New Money' couple who are both new and foolish to the world of Elites and businesses. The goal is to let their guards down towards us and be the bait to their schemes. We will be transferred to the most luxurious neighborhood where most Elites stay and work our way to be closer to them. But given the profile and personalities of these people who are most likely our best leads," he then encircled the faces of some people on the tablet screen, "they would be cautious of the sudden rise of a New Money couple. They are likely to use whoever their minions are to keep watch of us. The best way to convince them we are stupid and harmless for them is to act like we're madly in love with each other. We will also waste money like it's nothing, buy properties without much thinking, and appear to have so much fun."

What the—madly in love with each other?

"Given all those factors," he continued, "I need you to be a real expert in acting. Can you do that?"

"Of course, I can," I scoffed.

"Really?" he raised his eyebrows. "Because I certainly remember your so-called 'weakness,' as stated by Assistant Chief Athena."

"Flirting, I know."

"And you do know what being a 'couple' means, right?"

"I am very much aware."

"Really?" he asked, obviously doubting me again. "Have you ever dated anyone before?"

"I, ah… No, but—I have watched my fair share of romance movies and references while studying the art of seduction during training."

"Right. And you failed miserably. That's why you never took any mission involving one."

Argh! How did he know about that? And saying that in a very serious manner—look at him staring at me with pity!

"Hey! I'm still 22. It's normal not to experience such things yet. Besides, I'm already busy with a lot of stuff. I don't have time to do such useless things."

Ugh. Why am I trying to defend myself? What's so wrong with that? Somewhat annoyed, I threw the question back at him.

"And you? Have you ever dated anyone?"

"No. But unlike you, I don't need to experience something to know how to do it," he answered in a serious, business-mode manner.

"Right, genius. Don't worry. I'll do my best to perform my tasks well."

"Doing your best is not enough. We must be flawless and leave no room for doubt. So if your acting will be mediocre, I'd rather ask for another partner who'll be able to do it well, even if she's not in the Top 10."

What did he just say? If he could have another partner, why didn't he request one sooner?! Oh my goodness! That way, I wouldn't even need to force myself to cooperate with him!

But… wait a minute. If I get replaced, then I wouldn't be a top agent this year again. And if I stay, since I already gained lots of points ahead of him, if we complete this mission together, we would gain the same amount of points! And since I had a head start, that only meant that I would be the top agent this year! I would be able to get my wish granted and work on my real goal!

…

…

…

Ugh. Tempted with that fact, I…

"Try me," I replied confidently. I couldn't afford him to go to our superiors and ask for another partner. "I'll prove to you I can do it perfectly well. After all, I am the Top 2 agent, and I didn't come to that place staring at flowers."

Hearing that, his lips slowly curved into a grin—an evil grin—as if he expected me to say that from the very beginning.

"Very well," he said as he leaned towards the backrest of the couch. "Try to impress me with your skills in our first task."

"Which task?"

"The one where we need to fool every agent in Mythos into believing our 'loving' relationship. I will be observing you closely, and if you fail to satisfy my standards, you're out. And just so you know, I have high standards, and I'm good with reading people. If I see any other agent have an ounce of doubt, you fail."

"Fine. I accept the terms. But if I win, I'm still going to be your partner, and you will no longer be allowed to be rude or disrespectful to me."

"Deal."

After that, we talked for a bit more and planned how we could convince everyone. Actually, instead of talking, it was more of him talking and me just listening. He already had everything figured out. Now, I'm starting to believe he's good with many things. With the way his plan was organized, he could even work part-time as a romance novelist somewhere. Seriously, where did he get all those ideas? He even had me watch romantic clips of couples doing this and that. Ugh… Honestly, I'm terrible with that stuff. Good thing I have my photographic memory to rely on. I should at least remember how to do "that."

"Okay, Kim Ye-Ji, you got this!"

The next morning, the day started with our usual routine, and we met briefly during lunch to begin our plan. Because of that, I went to our team's office carrying a tumbler that had the exact same design as Agent Helios'—tall and black, with a simple golden crown design at the center.

Sitting on my desk that was located a few meters beside Agent Persephone's, I acted like my usual self doing some paperwork. The time after lunch had always been a bit lax for us, especially now that our captain was away. Everyone was gathered in the middle, just chatting to themselves. Everyone on my team had always been friendly with each other. They always tried to drag me with them, but I'm always busy.

Anyway, it was finally the moment of truth…

I reached out for my tumbler and drank what was inside while remembering the words Agent Helios told me.

"First, we will do an accidental switching of our tumblers that are identical to each other. When you're back to your office, make sure there are lots of witnesses while you drink whatever's inside. Then, you will start having headaches, blurry vision, and be out of yourself."

"What? Are you poisoning me?"

"No. It's not poison. Instead, it's the truth serum."

"Why truth serum? That will just make me reveal my real dislike towards you."

"Don't worry. It's just a small dose. And that's the challenge. Your acting skills and dedication should surpass the effects of the serum."

Ugh. Just remembering it was already making my head ache so bad. He's really so hateful. To expect me to act as I love him while in a truth serum… seriously!

But then again, it was the most effective way. Anyone who'd be curious enough to examine the contents of my tumbler would be convinced that whatever I do next would be my real self—my real self who's supposed to be all lovey-dovey with that jerk!