SuperM: Super Ones (KPOP Multiverse)

1. Unrest in an Already Restless City

To Agent Lee Taemin of the NCity District,

I hope this email finds you well. You are a smart man, so I presume you already know who I am. If you recall my previous message I sent approximately two days ago, you may remember me saying that the city is in dire need of your help. I would like to clarify that I was not trying to belittle your already great work ethic, and I apologize if that was the cause of your lack of response. So, to hopefully avoid any offense, perhaps I should just get straight to the point.

Last week, you went off track during your case in NCity. You convinced yourself that it was relevant when nobody else believed you. However, I know a curious man when I see one. It's no secret to me, and I can guarantee that the secret is safe with me. If you are wondering how I know this, all I must say is that I am exceptional at my job. I do believe that's why your colleagues hate me. Might I say, I'm flattered by the popularity.

They roam the streets, Mr. Lee. While this may not be particularly bad nor good, something sinister is approaching NCity - or, perhaps, it may already be here. Call me a wannabe detective or a snobbish reporter and throw me in the pile with all the others, but I believe I am right, and I know you feel the same way.

Help me help you.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

Your favorite journalist,

Byun Baekhyun

Taemin paced steadily between his desk and the hologram that spanned his two bookshelves, sipping his morning coffee. The sun had just risen, illuminating every crevice of his spacious, yet humble office. It was a place of comfort for him - the warmth of the sunbeams bouncing off of his glossy white desk, the historic paperbacks sitting prettily on his metal shelves, the window panes that stretched from the floor to the ceiling - except, he was far from comfortable in that moment.

He was starting to think this Baekhyun guy was his secret admirer, aside from the fact that he was no secret at all. He was a well known name gossiped throughout the SHINEE; he was neither friend nor foe, simply a man doing his job (although that's the argument all self-proclaimed professional journalists used when they wanted to get let off the hook). But Taemin seemed to always give him the benefit of the doubt when the jocular reporter got himself into trouble, for reasons that he didn't quite know himself.

This certainly wasn't the first message, and Taemin knew that if he ignored yet another one, this was not going to be the last. Normally, it'd be easy for him to swipe at the holo and address his other, more pressing matters of NCity pinging his inbox. But now, staring at the blue, translucent screen that was glowing of importance, he wasn't so sure this time.

Baekhyun was watching him that day when he rode into NCity to assist a case. The thought made his skin crawl, startled by the sudden forwardness Baekhyun just showed. Taemin's pointer finger tapped his coffee cup, uneasy about the subtle threat. Baekhyun was never malicious, but he was never this direct in the past either.

There was one thing Taemin knew for sure, however, and it was the only thing making him trust the man: Baekhyun was no liar.

A bright red rectangle notification suddenly appeared in the center of the hologram, breaking Taemin's intense stare at the email. As if Baekhyun's love letter was one of an annoying high school crush, Taemin unhesitantly answered the call. A different image materialized, revealing the upper half of his boss sitting at the head of their conference room table. He had his hands folded in front of him, and although he had a particularly serious demeanor, he greeted Taemin with a friendly smile.