Zero by One: Take Me Home

24. A Diplomat's Offer

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CHAPTER 24
'ACTION' Arc
EP: ONE

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The corner of an open hall decorated with plentitude of vibrant props to look like someone's home bordered the white walls to its right, that could change colours like a chameleon in accordance with the lighting. One snug and intimate while the other devoid of such, the contrasting sets were bustling with people clutching clipboards, combs, cameras and makeup brushes. And never in their wildest dreams had any of them imagined for the fabled, standoffish leader of Marketing 1 to be the one transversing back and forth between those sets in apparels of variant styles.

They couldn't be even more flummoxed when they found out he came here to dish out elegant poses for them to profit.

Though provoked several times by the rainbow glare of the party lights on the ground, the strange stares sent his way as if he were some mythical being, and the itch of glitter around his neck, Beomgyu had a lot on his mind enough to ignore them all. Despite his poker face, all gears behind his forehead had been turning to the point they smoldered to sustain the lack of sensible bearings on the data breach. To the point he couldn't even bothered to get mad at the victim blaming disguised as criticism from other team representatives at the conference.

Jung Hoseok, if Beomgyu remembered correctly, the head of Marketing Team 3 who directs all commercial for HYBE's fashion and beauty products... that smiley man awfully too bright for Beomgyu's liking had promised him a significant piece of puzzle missing in his head - the catch was this predicament.

At first, rather than for various other reasons, Beomgyu had forced Kang Taehyun to tail him here so that Jung would take notice of those "bambi" eyes and relatively fuller lips, both perfect for showcasing the splendor of the cosmetics and take him instead. The disappointment was bitter when Beomgyu understood his fate was set in stone for the said man was not even present on the set - nowhere in sight as though evaporated straight up after making their deal in front of the Cybersecurity Team's leader.

Wriggling himself out of the fifth outfit for the day, Beomgyu did not show a sign of lassitude despite his face having been wiped again for another look to be applied. He held his peace whenever they put blue or grey contacts into his eyes, whenever they straightened or curled his precious strands as if it was a lifeless wig. However, he had hissed his dislike openly when they had the audacity to attempt spraying auburn dye over it. Beomgyu nearly cursed Jung Hoseok at that.

Judging from the smart move of choosing the employees' only day-off to strike and how cleanly all of their team's safekeeping was wiped out that even the USBs they took home malfunctioned, he had sorely underestimated the moles' capability and teamwork.

Even before Jung telling him there must've been some sort of connivance, Beomgyu had already suspected some insiders hidden excellently in the depths of HYBE. Only a few events he had been pondering whether or not to write them off as coincidences did not fall into the picture he imagined the moles to paint.

All the while, Taehyun quietly watched Beomgyu from a corner, ready to jump in for assistance at command, as he marvelled at the beautified noirette, wondering what had possessed that bastard to suddenly start working a shift under another team in the midst of his own's catastrophe.

One minute, he was in a white fleecy shirt that italicized the innocent touch in his features in a way too deceptive for Taehyun to acknowledge this was the same Devil's incarnation. Next minute, a short-sleeved denim jacket with black ripped jeans. Decked up like that, the layer of indifference glazed over all his youthful charms was as if shattered to make people harder than ever to peel their eyes away from that bastard - and blimey was Taehyun astounded to know it was even possible so.