Ashlyn bit the inside of her cheeks, contemplating the offer the buffed-up blondie made.

If they are the core of this agency, finding him and his information would be much easier. However, if they truly are the top agents here, they must be sharp— both skill-wise and mentally. I either get caught or catch him. It's a 50-50 chance. Damnit.

"Okay." She finally spoke, while tasting the metallic taste of blood from her inner cheeks.

"I'm glad you chose us. Please wait with the other candidates, I will fetch you soon." He shook her hands, before proceeding to leave.

"Wait! I didn't get your name!" She stopped him.

"Ah, I'm Kim Namjoon, mostly known as agent K-02, leader of team Bulletproof. It's a pleasure to meet you, miss Lee Ruan."

-x-x-x-

"You are the reason we lost! You shouldn't have won, it should've been us, you wench!"

"Yui, lower your voice. People are staring."

"Let them stare! You must've done something to win. Did you get in bed with them or did you—"

"Don't make me do something that both of us will regret, Kim Soyeon. You three didn't win because of your sheer stupidity and lack of skills. The authorities clearly told us to not bring any kind of material that is capable of causing harm. It's your fault you didn't listen, not mine."

"You—"

"Zip it before I make sure you can never unzip it again." Ashlyn scowled at the duo, having enough with their nonsense. She glared at the unconscious body of Donghyun before stomping away, only to be yanked back by Soyeon's arm again.

"Like we care? You can't put a scratch on us, you filth." She stood close to Ash, sticking her chin up.

"Want me to prove it? I can cause you physical harm," Ash spoke in a low tone. She harshly grabbed Soyeon's arm and put all the pressure her body could muster upon it. Soyeon hissed, but she didn't move from her ground. Ash continued, "All this time, you were simply sweet talking with me to get me close to you; so that you could use me later on. Unlike you, I catch onto things quicker, you piece of plastic."

"Miss Lee, are you ready to go?"

"K-Kim Namjoon?" Yui uttered in disbelieve, as Ash let Soyeon go.

"Mr Amano's daughter." He bowed in acknowledgement. 

"What are you doing here with this garbage?" She pointed at Ashlyn, making her scoff.

"I'm afraid that's not very polite, miss Amano. If you'll excuse us, we need to be somewhere else." K-02 pointed out, already leaving the area.

"Together?" The opposite duo asked.

"Yes, together. Now, fu- suck your toe." Ashlyn replied harshly while being dragged away by agent K-02. 

Both of them could hear the duo back there still swearing and making a fuss. The agent glanced at Ash, she cracked an awkward smile.

"You really are something, miss Lee. I mean no offence, but it's kind of amazing how you managed to get under their skin so fast." His nostrils flared, indicating he was trying to hold his snicker back.

"It's their fault!" She stopped herself from hitting him as he was a mere stranger.

"Calm down, I don't even know what happened but I come in peace." He snickered, moving away from her.

"If you don't mind me asking, how do you know Yui?" She switched the topic.

"Oh, her father was an agent here way back in the days. An excellent agent, he was. He was known for his fast speed and convenience. Most people come here to continue their agent bloodline, it sounds like something sacred, but trust me it isn't. Why are you here?" He questioned back, and Ash froze.

"I um, was fascinated with tales of secret agents and spies. I wanted to be something cool like those fictional characters, so I tried. One agency led to another, and I heard people talking about Black Crystals at a few. They seemed to praise this particular agency a lot, so I decided to give it a shot, haha."

"That's... New. We're here," He halted in front of a door that read, 'Conference room of B.C' and Ash realized she was already in the main building of Black Crystals. "I need you to remain calm no what the people inside ask you. Remember, every question has an accurate answer if you use logic to solve it. I may not be in the place to say this, but I have high hopes for you. I do not want you to disappoint me."

Taken aback, Ashlyn nodded. She licked her dry lips and opened the door to her possible doom. Inside, three men were sitting side-by-side behind a wooden table. Ashlyn sat on the only chair that was facing the said three. Even though she kept her gaze on the floor, she could feel their silent scrutiny. She cleared her throat and looked up, as it got overwhelming for her. The man in the middle cracked a cold smile, making her stomach turn. 

"I don't know why K-02 chose her. I don't see anything special in her." The man at the very left sighed and shook his head before getting out a piece of paper. "Here's your question:

Oxford University's top students, Summer and Andrew were called to test their abilities. They were given 2 triangles, 2 circles, and 1 square; with the colour pattern of blue, green, and yellow. 1 triangle and 1 square had blue colour, 1 triangle and 1 circle had green colour, and lastly, the remaining circle was yellow. There was a prize underneath one of the shapes. Summer was privately told the colour of the shape that the prize was underneath; Andrew was privately told the shape that the prize was underneath. The examiner asked if they knew where the prize was, and silence followed. After a span of 5 minutes, they were asked the same question again, and the same result followed. After another 5 minutes, the examiner asked again, and this time, both students replied simultaneously. Now," He paused before passing her the paper,

"Do you know where the prize is?"

"You have 5 minutes, and it starts now."

Ashlyn exhaled, feeling anxiety rushing to her. She was not usually good with riddles, and this was a tough one for her. Who would've thought that such a competitive candidate would get stuck with something as trivial as a riddle?

"4 minutes." The man at the right informed.

"Uhm, the yellow circle?" Ashlyn wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. In response, the men raised their eyebrows questioningly. "Sorry."

"I do not understand why Kim chose her." The man on the left repeated. Ashlyn kept her head down and glared at the paper; as if it'll magically tell her the answer if she kept at it.

'Remember, every question has an accurate answer if you use logic to solve it.'— Agent Kim's words ring in her mind. Think.

"2 more minutes."

Ash's face twisted as she wrecked her brain to produce the accurate answer; until it lit up.

"The green triangle!" She exclaimed. The men smiled.

"I told you, if agent K-02 chose her, she is bound to be good." The man in the middle patted the man on the left's shoulder. The man shrugged and smiled.

"I'm sorry for underestimating you, miss Lee. I wish you the best for the future. Welcome to B.C and welcome to team Bulletproof, the most capable agents' team. We hope to see you around." The said man shook Ashlyn's hand, followed by the other two.

-x-x-x-

"I passed!" Ashlyn simpered as soon she met agent K-02.

"I'm glad. Welcome to team Bulletproof, miss Lee. I hope we get along." The older boy mimicked her actions.

"Since we are a team now, I suggest we drop the honorifics?"

"Sure, Ruan-ssi." He soon added chuckling, "I'll drop the 'ssi' as we advance further, don't sweat it." 

"Fine. Aren't you curious about the question?"

"Not really, no. I already know what the question was, as I was once asked the same one."

"Thank you for the hint, I wouldn't have been able to make it without that."

"Huh?" Even though he acted dumb, Ashlyn didn't miss the smile creeping upon his beautiful lips.

"I was losing my head under that suffocating scrutiny. Logic would've been the last of my choices." She beamed a friendly smile.

"I knew choosing you will never be a decision I'll regret." His small smile broke into a happy smile, making his dimples stand out.

"You have charming dimples, Namjoon-ssi. They are spell bounding."

Maybe this won't be that bad. He's tall, handsome, intelligent, kind, and has a nice personality. He's perfect.

"Thank you, Ruan-ssi. I'm flattered, but I must warn you to brace yourself. You'll be seeing them around quite a lot." He winked.

And a flirt too.

"And why is that?" A male with tattoos up to his neck, brows, and lips pierced— interrupted. He kept staring at Ash with a stoic expression. K-02, better known as Namjoon, sighed and licked his lips. "Hyung? I asked you something?" The supposedly younger male question again.

"Miss Lee, meet agent R-17, Jeon Jungkook, the youngest of team bulletproof. Agent R-17, meet miss Lee Ruan, the newest member of our team." Namjoon forced a smile and Ash noticed a tick on his jaw as he said this. Agent X-12 or rather Kim Taehyung, and the silver-haired male named Jimin who was previously her opponent joined in the conversation. Simultaneously, they all sort of shrieked the same thing.

"What the fuck?"

Oh great. He did not even inform them.

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A/N NOTE:

Can you figure out how the riddle is solved? The answer will be out in the next chapter ;)

HAPPY READING!

To be continued...