Chapter Text
The next morning, the police station hummed with uneasy quiet. The chaos from the night before had settled, but the frustration lingered in the air. Papers were stacked neatly on desks, coffee mugs clinked against saucers, but every officer carried the same shadow on their face: the bitter taste of failure.
The Wolves had slipped through their fingers again.
Seungkwan clapped his hands together, trying to brighten the room. “Alright, everyone. We’ve got help now.”
The door opened, and in stepped a tall man none of them expected. Young—too young, most thought—for the title of “retired intelligence analyst.” Black hair, sharp jawline, round glasses that reflected the fluorescent lights above. His presence was quiet but commanding, like someone who didn’t need to raise his voice to be heard.
“This is Jeon Wonwoo,” Seungkwan introduced. “He’s worked with the Macau police before. His expertise is… well, unmatched. He’s agreed to join us on the Wolves case.”
The room murmured in surprise.
“Retired?” Hoshi whispered under his breath to Jihoon. “He’s our age. What did he do, retire from college?”
Woozi’s lips pressed into a line. He had to admit, Hoshi’s remark was quite funny but he didn’t laugh. Instead, his gaze was fixed on Wonwoo, sharp and analyzing.
Wonwoo adjusted his glasses, seemingly unfazed, though he clearly heard Hoshi’s comment. “I retired two years ago for personal matters that I’d prefer to keep hidden. I hope you won’t be asking about this matter again in the future,” Wonwoo said in a deep voice. No introduction, no hello to his new colleagues. Just a simple, resolute comment.
Seungcheol cleared his throat to ease the tension, “Well it’s nice to meet you Wonwoo. I’m Seungcheol, the lead investigator on this case. This is Jeonghan, a well seasoned investigator like myself. This is Jihoon, the police force’s best hacker who created Sky Eye. This is Hoshi, one of the best field agents we have. He has mastered several forms of martial arts and fights like a beast. Our newest officer here is Chan. He graduated top of his class and he joined us a few months ago. He’s a quick learner and is great at covert operations. And you already know Seungkwan, our well connected officer who can talk anyone into doing anything.” Wonwoo shook everyone’s hands as he was introduced to them.
He gave Seungkwan a loving tap on his back when Seungcheol introduced him and said with a chuckle, “You’re right about that, Seungkwan has managed to convince me to come back to the police force again after all.” Seungkwan chuckled along with him. “So, what information do you guys currently have on our target?” Wonwoo asks.
Seungcheol hands over the file containing all the information they have related to this case. Wonwoo took it and noticed that it was extremely thin. He flipped open the folder to skim through the information as Seungcheol quickly gives him the rundown. “Unfortunately, we do not know much. When I first got assigned the case, all I knew was that we’re after a dangerous criminal group who calls themselves The Wolves. Their criminal activity started around three months ago, and since then, they’ve been involved in over 10 successful high stakes heists. They never go for anything small, they prefer stealing cryptocurrency, sensitive government information, dangerous military grade weapons, and the likes. They are all highly trained in combat, skilled at evasion and disguises, and masters at keeping us off their backs. And every time, they leave unscathed. We haven’t been able to identify any of the members of the criminal group either. We don’t even know how many of them are involved. But considering how large-scale their heists are, this could be a large criminal gang.”
“Jihoon, why don’t you show Wonwoo the footage from the casino from last night?” Jeonghan requests.
With a quick flurry of taps on his keyboard, Jihoon once again played the footage on the big screen for everyone to see. “This is all the footage that Sky Eye captured last night. I’ve scoured through the footage thousands of times but couldn’t find anything pointing to who our suspects may be. They have a hacker working with them and although I hate to admit it, he’s good. He was able to hack into our newly launched system within seconds and it took me a while to realize he even got in. He’s been one step ahead of us the entire operation. He looped footage, froze cameras, and cut off cameras too,” Jihoon grumbled in frustration.
“We’ve looked into the footage that their hacker has tampered with, hoping to find some clues, some traces he may be trying to hide, but he’s too smart. The cameras were randomly selected, we couldn’t find any patterns,” Jeonghan added, his eyes once again fixed on the videos they’ve all stared at thousands of times by now.
“I don’t mean to be rude, but what is Sky Eye? You guys have mentioned it a few times but I haven’t fully grasped its function,” Wonwoo asks with genuine interest.
Jihoon continued to stare at his monitors as if trying to make it confess who the criminals are as he answered Wonwoo’s question. “Sky Eye is an AI program I created that has been incorporated into every surveillance camera around the city. The main function I created it for is for it to continuously scan every face it sees and match them to people in our database. This way, it could warn us when dangerous people are involved in suspicious activity, and we can stop crime before it happens. Obviously The Wolves’ hacker has figured out its main weakness; it’s useless without its facial recognition function. He’s made all the cameras blurry.”
“Hmm, very interesting. And made with good intentions. I however, prefer to work with my own eyes and reasoning. Technology can be… misleading sometimes,” Wonwoo says.
The remark hit Jihoon like a slap. His hand curled into a fist at his side, and Hoshi immediately leaned toward him, whispering, “Don’t let him talk like that. Sky Eye is flawless.” But Jihoon didn’t say anything because Hoshi was wrong. Sky Eye wasn’t flawless. That much was clear. Jihoon was thoroughly embarrassed.
Seungcheol, sensing the tension, cleared his throat. “Let’s focus on what matters. Wonwoo, why don’t you show us what you’ve got.”
Without a word, Wonwoo turned his attention to the big screen where the CCTV footage from the heist was still looping. Officers had already combed through it for hours, pausing, zooming, rewinding. Nothing. The Wolves were ghosts, leaving no traces behind.
But Wonwoo leaned forward, studying it like he was reading between the lines of a book.
“There.” His finger tapped the screen. “And here, and here,” Wonwoo pointed out two more footages. Jihoon quickly zoomed into them. “Play them again,’ Wonwoo instructed. Jihoon did as he was told. “Stop. Here- this couple is suspicious. So is the girl in the dress here, and the two males with the backpacks.”
A ripple of murmurs went through the room. Confusion as to why they were suspicious. “It’s because they glanced at the cameras when they entered, isn’t it?” Seungcheol asked. “I noticed that too but I chalked it up to coincidence. There were thousands of people that night, it’s not uncommon for coincidences like this to happen. Plus, we searched through all the CCTV footage and couldn’t find them leaving the casino. They were probably guests staying at the hotel above the casino,” Seungcheol continued. With his years of experience, he had spotted those 5 individuals, but they were soon lost in the footage as he had analyzed them last night.
“That may be true, but I don’t believe in coincidences,” Wonwoo simply states. Seungkwan glances quickly between Wonwoo and Seungcheol, sensing the clear tension between the two. “Keep playing the footage,” Wonwoo instructs Jihoon again. As the videos continue to play, Wonwoo’s eyes are sharp and focused. “Here, stop.” He points to another footage. “This man in the suit, I’ve seen him earlier,” he muttered under his breath, like he was thinking out loud. His fingers twirling his pen as he was thinking, analyzing, playing back all the footage he has just seen in his head. Wonwoo got up and walked over to Jihoon, silently asking for permission to sift through the footage himself. Jihoon moves aside, letting Wonwoo sit in his seat and take control. Wonwoo rewinds the video several times before he says, “This woman from earlier, the one that looked at the camera when she entered, she’s the same person as this man in the suit.”
The officers squinted, some shrugging, others leaning closer.
“Umm do you need to get new glasses? How in the world are those two people the same person? Even if they are, how can you tell from this blurry video?” Hoshi asks, doubt obvious in his voice.
“It’s the way they walk,” Wonwoo answers, unperturbed by Hoshi’s obvious mocking tone. “They have the same gait, same rhythm, same stride. And look here, this couple here is the same as this old couple exiting the building. They changed their posture, arched their backs, but again, it’s hard to change the way you walk. These two as well, the janitors walking out with the trolley here, these two were the men with the backpacks we saw earlier.” His voice was calm, clinical, but every word pulled the room in tighter. Even Jihoon, arms crossed and frowning, found himself studying the screen with awe.
Wonwoo leans back in his chair, clearly done analyzing the surveillance footage. “These five are our targets, these are The Wolves we’re looking for. Now we just need to find out who they are, identify their faces” says Wonwoo.
“That’s no problem at all,” Jihoon chimes in, already walking back to his computer. Wonwoo gets up and gives Jihoon his seat back, making his way back to his previous seat. Jihoon’s fingers are already typing before he even properly sits down. “Now that we have narrowed down the footage that we need, I can unblur the videos quite quickly.”
“Hmm only five people?” Chan asks, looking up from his notebook that he’s been scribbling in. “According to our previous investigations, there should be more of them. Five people couldn’t possibly pull off something of this scale.”
Wonwoo gave a small nod and continued, “You’re right, we can’t exclude the fact that there could be more of them. But for now, this is a good start for us. The Wolves aren’t just fast. They are precise. Their disguises are more than costumes—they’ve trained themselves to move differently. But people always leave traces, even if it’s in the way they breathe.”
The room was silent. Then Seungkwan grinned. “Oooh Jeon Wonwoo! I knew it was the right idea to bring you in!” he says excitedly as he runs over to Wonwoo to give him a hug. “See? I told you he was good.”
Jeonghan was also thoroughly impressed. Wonwoo had done in minutes what the rest of his team couldn’t in three months. In such a short amount of time, he has successfully identified their potential culprits, using nothing but his observational skills and instincts.
Even Woozi, though he’d never admit it aloud, was grudgingly impressed. Hoshi crossed his arms, unconvinced but quieter now. Meanwhile, Chan has been scribbling into his notebook the entire time. Frantically jotting down notes to review for later, ever vigilant in improving his skills.
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Meanwhile, at the Wolves’ hideout, the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different.
The hideout buzzed with post-heist energy. Mingyu and Vernon had already raided the fridge, arguing half-heartedly over who deserved the last beer, despite getting drunk last night during their celebrations. Minghao sat cross-legged on the arm of the couch, scrolling idly through his phone, successfully tuning out the twins’ voices, his mullet falling into his sharp eyes. DK was at his usual station, typing rapidly at his computer, grinning at every beep and ping his many monitors made. He was probably tying up the end of their deal with their client to ensure the cryptocurrency gets to their client safely, and to make sure their client paid up.
Jun sat quietly, nursing his hangover with a bottle of water, his tall frame stretched out comfortably on a couch. His sharp, pretty features still carried the faintest trace of last night’s disguise — the eyeliner hadn’t fully washed off. He looked more model than thief, which was exactly how he managed to pass as anyone Joshua needed him to be.
The Wolves’ hideout sat on the far edge of the city, where the streets grew quiet and cracked and the houses leaned like old bones. Once, it had been an orphanage, its faded sign still clinging to the front gates though the paint had peeled away long ago. Now, the building was their fortress. The windows were boarded in places, cracked in others, letting only slivers of light into its dim halls. Inside, the place bore all the marks of its abandonment — creaking floorboards, chipped plaster, and the faint, lingering scent of mildew. Yet, despite its ruin, the Wolves had breathed life back into it.
Mismatched furniture scavenged from markets and alleys filled the common rooms: a couch with one broken leg propped up on books, chairs that didn’t belong to the same set, a scarred wooden table covered in bottles and cards. DK’s corner dominated one side of the old rec room, transformed into a humming nest of wires, screens, and monitors, the glow from his setups casting cold light over peeling wallpaper. Across the hall, the old gymnasium had been reborn as their training ground, mats rolled across cracked tile, punching bags swaying from chains, chalk marks sketching out escape routes and floor plans. The rest of the building was riddled with their additions — hidden safes behind loose panels, trapdoors cut into forgotten hallways, and secret rooms tucked out of sight. And everywhere, unseen but always present, were DK’s security cameras, tiny glass eyes woven into the walls, doorframes, even old toys left behind. Few outsiders ever came this far into the city, but if they did, the Wolves would see them long before they saw the Wolves.
Everyone was still riding the high from last night’s success despite already having celebrated the night before.
Last night after the heist, the room was alive with laughter, clinking glasses, and the low thrum of victory. They had returned unscathed, every step executed with precision. Joshua stood at the center, wine glass in hand, his smile sharp but warm. He had doe-like eyes and soft lips that naturally curved upward, giving him a gentle air. To an outsider, he could’ve passed as someone’s sweet neighbor or an older brother figure—not the leader of one of the most dangerous criminal groups in Macau.
“To another successful job,” Joshua declared, lifting his glass. “You did well. Each of you played your part flawlessly.”
Jun leaned against the back wall, arms crossed. His tall, toned frame caught the glow of the low-hanging lightbulb, his pretty features softened by the shadows. With his delicate bone structure and wide eyes, disguising himself as a woman during the heist had been almost effortless. He smirked faintly now, though his voice carried a hint of sharpness.
Jun chuckled, “Their security guards were useless. The second I walked through that door, they all got distracted and didn’t even register the rest of you entering.”
Joshua glanced at him, his gentle smile never fading. “Yes Jun, you were charming and handsome as usual. You did well.”
Jun looked away, a flicker of warmth passed through his chest hearing the praise.
Mingyu—tallest, broadest, tanned skin stretching over powerful muscle—grinned widely from his seat on the couch. At first glance, anyone would’ve picked him as the leader. “Come on, Jun, we all killed it out there. I looked good too, didn’t I?”
His twin, Vernon, sprawled lazily next to him, angular features catching the dim light, his voice laid-back as ever. “You looked like you were trying too hard. Plus, we all know Jun’s the pretty one in this group.”
Mingyu shoved him with his shoulder. Vernon shoved back, smirking, but didn’t push further.
Minghao leaned against the arm of the couch, lanky and sharp-eyed, his mullet brushing the back of his neck. “You two should focus less on appearances and more on efficiency. You nearly slowed us down with your bickering.”
“Harsh as ever,” Vernon muttered, though there was no heat behind it.
DK, who sat in front of his computer, smiled brightly as he looked around at all of them. Slightly shorter, kind-faced, and the least muscular of the group, his cheerful presence was almost out of place among the hardened thieves. “Doesn’t matter who looked the best,” he chimed in. “What matters is we all came back safe.”
Joshua raised his glass again. His smile softened, but his tone carried authority. “Exactly. Remember what keeps us alive: trust, loyalty, and leaving nothing behind for them to trace. The police are watching, but as long as we have each other, they’ll never catch us.”
The Wolves raised their glasses in unison, their voices overlapping as they echoed the word.
“To family”
Jun smiled, he was feeling very warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was because he felt content and loved by these people he called family that surrounded him. As they all ate and drank, Jun started remembering how Joshua brought them all together. They were all orphans, children abandoned and cast aside, but Joshua took them in, raised them, and gave them purpose. He gave them a family. Jun couldn’t remember much from his life prior to knowing Joshua but he remembers the day Joshua saved him from near death. Jun was around 10 years old when both his parents were murdered in front of his eyes. Terrified, he had tried to run away to escape death but his little legs and multiple wounds on his body didn’t allow him to get far before the killer had caught up to him. Jun was terrified, thrashing around in the murderer’s grip trying to break free. But then he passed out, maybe it was from the blood loss, or maybe the fear. The next thing he remembers is waking up in a bed and Joshua tending to his wounds. Since that day, Jun swore his undying loyalty to Joshua for saving him and giving him a second chance.
He knows the others had similar stories. Mingyu and Vernon were abandoned by their parents at an orphanage where they were abused and neglected. Joshua had adopted them and raised them to be the strong men that they are today. Similarly, Minghao was orphaned at a young age and was running away from the police for trying to steal some food from a vendor. Joshua had intercepted and kept him away from the police, taking care of him all these years. And the same goes for DK, an orphan who the world has turned their back to, given a new life by Joshua.
Joshua, who was sitting across from Jun, waved a drumstick in front of his face, pulling Jun away from his musings. “What’s got you in a daze?” Joshua asks as Jun takes the meat from him and bites into the crispy skin.
Jun’s eyes brightened like a child’s at how delicious the chicken was before answering. “Just reminiscing about the past. I’m just glad we’re all together like this.” Beside him, Mingyu had challenged Minghao to an arm wrestle while Vernon was vibing to some music blasting through his headphones. Mingyu slams Minghao’s arm down, as he wins the arm wrestle and he gets up and starts cheering for himself, clearly drunk but as full of energy as always. DK was already back in front of his screens doing whatever he usually does. He brought along a can of beer and some chicken wings to enjoy away from the chaos.
Joshua chuckles at Mingyu’s antics and hums, “I’m glad too Jun. You’re all my family and family means everything to me.” Joshua’s lips curled into that same gentle smile he always wears. Jun nods in agreement. The Wolves continued to celebrate their success that night into the early morning.
But outside those walls, unbeknownst to The Wolves, the police were already pulling at the loose threads they thought they’d hidden.