Zack POV

One second I was staring out of the plane window, happily eating the last bite of my sandwich, and the next my heart is dropping because Carmen has finally told us what this next caper is for. 

VILE is trying to hurt the K-Pop group that Y/N is in. Possibly even kill.

There are tears in my eyes before I can stop them, and I spit my food into a nearby trash can. My appetite is officially gone, hopefully forever. No one but Ivy knows anything about my connection to South Korea, and even then, there's very little knowledge for her to even think about. I wipe the wetness away before turning back to my friend, my sister, my mentor, to my family.

Despite my attempts, Carmen immediately sees past my emotionless mask. There's no fooling her, and her face falls as tears of her own gather on her dark lashes. "I'm so sorry, Zack," she whispers. "We'll save them, I promise. I'll do everything I can."

I give a small, bitter laugh and sit back down with my face in my hands. Of course Carmen knew, she knew everything about us. She could've passed as my sister any day, if it weren't for our obviously different heritages. "Why is VILE even doing this?" I ask, the quiver in my voice refusing to stay hidden. "They don't take to measures like this unless absolutely necessary, right?"

The thief returns my laugh with one of her own, her's being empty and hollow. "They'll take out an innocent bystander if they saw a single thing. They want to kill me because I'm better at their own game than them. They'd destroy a city's electricity supply or blow up a building full of people if it meant that they got what they want." Her hands curl into tight fists, and now I understand why she looks like she hasn't slept in days. The lives of so many people were in the hands of VILE, and Carmen felt powerless against them at those odds.

I let myself sink into devastation for just a second, imagining what it would be like if I found out VILE had killed Y/N. I'd be furious. Without having the chance to fix things between us, my heart would just... break. Because I missed her. I do. I miss the girl I had dated so few years ago. The girl I went to prom with. The girl who had made me feel real love for the first time.

I had been so angry when she told me she'd been offered to be trained by one of the biggest K-Pop companies and was considering to accept it. Not only angry at her, but at the people who wanted to take my girlfriend away from me. Some famous person who had noticed her beauty and wanted her to sing for their money.

"What do you mean, "going away"!?"

"Zack, I told you! I only have three more days to think about this. Why can't you just be happy for me?" Y/N's face was flushed with exasperation, tears of anger pricking her eyes.

"Happy? You're leaving me!" I threw my hands in the air hoping she would understand how desperately hopeless I was feeling.

Y/N suddenly got up in my face, brows furrowed. "I don't want to, Zack," she hissed. "But you know how it is. You and Ivy are going to start racing soon, to fend for yourselves. I actually have a family to take care of, I can't pass this up."

I stop and step back, her words reeling in my head. There is a piece of my heart shattering at this very moment. I know I've lost her, a small part of Y/N that I'll never get back. She would never say that to me unless she meant it. Unless this really was important to her. "Well," I mutter, my voice low and dull, a tone I had never used with her. "Then I guess you'd better go. Can't let Kyong do all the work, now can you? Not for the family." I spit the word back at her with bitter force, and she flinches. I feel a tiny glimmer of guilt, but I snuff it back quickly.

Her face falls, eyes wide as she realizes what she'd said. But then her expression turns blank. Almost unrecognizable. "Don't bring Kyong into this, Zackary."

Wow. My full name.

"He's been doing his best. But he can't provide for all of his by himself anymore. Not with my father gone."

I want to say I'm sorry again, to apologize for her recent loss. I know it's been terrible for her and her siblings, her mother most of all. But for some reason I can't say anything close to that. "At least you had a dad, Y/N."

It's like a slap across her face. And I know it. I also know that the next thing I'm going to say is going to be the same.

"I hope you can help them in Korea, Flower." My nickname for her. I'd probably never get to use it again. I take her face gently in my hands and plant a soft kiss between her eyebrows, feeling suddenly drained and numb. "You're going to need all the luck you can get."

And I leave.

I blink hard, realizing that the tears on my face are very evident and everyone on the plane can see me crying. Shadowsan almost looks embarrassed for me to see me in such a vulnerable state, which I suppose makes sense for him, being from VILE and all. Ivy's face is sad, and Carmen...

Looks understanding.

And motherly.

And absolutely furious.  

"I'm going to do everything I can," she repeats, crossing the plane to envelope me in a hug. I just nod, and it's not until later when everyone is asleep that I realize Carmen never mentioned anyone else helping.

Not even me, as if she plans on taking on the VILE killers all alone.

Reader POV

You huddle up to Kyong as he wraps a thick blanket around your shoulders, a similar fluffy one on his own. The police had provided them before questioning, and now that they were done talking to the two of you, you'd been given a room to stay in for the night. Your immediate family, your mother and two younger siblings, were being retrieved for their safety and would arrive shortly, as would the families of Mae, Jin, Ae-Cha, and Soo.

You bite back the millionth wave of tears and sag against your brother, wondering how long it had been since you slept. Had it really been just last night that your friends had been attacked? It seemed like ages ago, but the fear lodged deep in your throat paired perfectly with the fresh look of terror in Mae's eyes as she was hauled away, and you knew that the previous night's events would never leave your subconscious alone.

"I'm sorry," you suddenly blurt out to Kyong.

He frowns and runs a strong hand through your hair, tugging loosely at the tangles. "Whatever for?" he asks quietly, smoothing a crease between your brows.

"For being a burden. I know that you're scared for Mae. I'm sorry you felt like you had to get me out first." You bite your lip, letting a tear slip onto your cheek.

Kyong's eyes widen, and he pulls you into a tight hug. "No. No, no, no, Y/N. You can't blame yourself for this. Please." His voice quavered as he buried his face in your hair. "No one is at fault here but those people who hurt them. No one."

You cling to him, wincing at every one of his sharp breaths that signaled the holding back of sobs.  

You can't help but blame yourself for his sadness. He loved Mae dearly. She was his everything. And you were just... his little sister who couldn't run fast enough.

The chief of police pushed into the waiting room of the hospital that you were sitting in with your family. All of your girls had been recovered from the attack scene, all except for Mae, of course. Kyong was a reck and had been sedated just minutes before, his sleeping form resting on a gurney behind a door. You take Jin's mother's hand, squeezing tightly as she sat there with a tear stained face. The public didn't know about what had happened yet, and you hoped it would stay that way.

For everyone's sake.

The chief knelt in front of you and offered a folder. "Because you're the lead singer and the only one conscious at the moment, I'm letting you know about this first."

You take the folder wearily, refusing to open it for a moment. "What is this?"

"Someone who has more resources than even us to help protect you. And to find Mae."

This catches you, and you open it. It's a records file, and you skim through until you find a name. "And... they can help, how?"

He stands. "She's proven herself to us already." As he suddenly leaves, you can't help but notice the blue globe logo on his shirt. It has American letters on it, and you find it strange, but he's gone before you can examine it further.

You glance back down to the paper, lips smiling as you read the name of the person who's going to get Mae back.

Carmen Sandiego.

GUYS THERE IS MUCH MORE PLOT TO THIS THAN I THOUGHT AND I DON'T WANT TO MAKE IT RIDICULOUSLY LONG IT COULD LEGIT BE A SEPARATE STORY BUT NOOOOO AAAGHGHHGH

HELP

IT HAS TO STAY A ONE SHOT

(TABLE SMACK)

*TEARS*